《I Hate Systems》


 Chapter 1: Betrayed by the System

    <h4>Chapter 1: Betrayed by the System</h4>


    ¡°Sir,¡± An actress-turned show host spoke with sparkling eyes, ¡°You have inspired millions of entrepreneurs around the world. Starting without a penny to your name, today, you have be the richest man in the world and is also the world¡¯srgest electronics and weapons manufacturer. How does it feel to reach the pinnacle of sess at the young age of 35?¡±


    ¡°Haha, good question,¡± Seated opposite to her was a young man, seemingly in his early twenties based on his appearance alone. Possessing an aloof gaze with a humble demeanour, he was a man with weight to every word he uttered, ¡°To others, my life might seem like a sess story. But I am just another human with human needs, wants, and fears. Due to my busy schedule, I cannot even have three meals per day.¡±


    Upon seeing his mildly pained expression, the hostdy became sad, ¡°To think even the richest man in the world feels the same as us. Can¡¯t say I¡¯m not overwhelmed by this notion.¡±


    ¡°Despite my mary wealth, I am naught but a human.¡± The man smiled.


    ¡°I am naught but a human¡­¡± The hostdy muttered with an enlightened gaze before announcing with a loud voice to the audience, ¡°That¡¯s all, everyone! Give a round of apuse to our chief guest, Compass Carburettor.¡±


    The seated audience gave raucous cheers as the sounds of pping filled the studio. The interview was being broadcast through all major television channels, reaching the eyes and ears of more than a billion people.


    The chief guest, Compass Carburettor gave a polite nod to the hostdy, got up from his seat and exited the ce, apanied by a couple of his bodyguards.


    Seeing his swiftly leaving figure, the hostdy sighed in disappointment, ¡°Aw, I wanted to get his number.¡±


    Leaving the studio, Compass Carburettor boarded his bullet and bomb-proof car and headed towards the airport, entering a route maintained exclusively for him. He then boarded his private jet, watching it take off from the window.


    ¡°Sir, would you like to drink?¡± The air hostess pushed forth a tray, outlining a limited-edition collection of the most expensive wine in the world.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, watching with a smile as the air hostess poured him a ss and left, knowing very well that he only drank a ss per day.


    Once the air hostess left, there was only him in the cabin. Peering through the window, he saw a sea of clouds, raising his ss as he spoke, ¡°A great day must be apanied by wine.¡±


    He then brought it close to his nose, sniffing it once to take in the aroma, ¡°Pristine, elegant, the wonder of human civilisation.¡±


    [Ding!]


    [Host Status: Intoxicated]


    [Ding!]


    [Removing Alcohol Intoxication]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He then brought the wine ss closer to his mouth, intending to take a sip when he inhaled by mistake, taking in the aroma of the wine, ¡°Pristine, eleganntttguegsgsfg¡­¡±


    [Ding!]


    [Host Status: Intoxicated]


    [Ding!]


    [Removing Alcohol Intoxication]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He then pinched his nose, smirking as he brought the ss closer, taking a sip, ¡°Pristineeeeeeee!¡±


    [Ding!]


    [Host Status: Intoxicated]


    [Ding!]


    [Removing Alcohol Intoxication]


    ¡°¡­I give up!¡± He grunted, cing the wine ss on a nearby table, sighing, ¡°Why has my alcohol tolerance never improved?¡±


    [Ding!]


    [Replying to Host: It¡¯s your body¡¯s disposition. You can improve your alcohol tolerance by taking some of your Body Management Points from the Beauty Section and cing them in Alcohol Tolerance Section]


    [Ding!]


    [You don¡¯t have any free Body Management Points]


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Compass Carburettor sighed, ¡°A healthy, strong, and handsome body is infinite times better than a body with alcohol tolerance.¡±


    [Ding!]


    [As you say, Host]


    ¡°Pull up the system interface,¡± Upon hismand, a screen shed before him, disying everything he had obtained to date.


    [Ding!]


    [Money-Making System: Level 6]


    [Host: Compass Carburettor]


    [Race: Human]


    [Physique: Health (Level 10), Strength (Level 10), Dexterity (Level 8), Stamina (Level 7), Intelligence (Level 7), Cognition (Level 9), Natural Recovery (Level 6), Five Senses (Level 10), Resting (Level 10)]


    [Skills: Logic (Level 10), Bargain (Level 10), Money Sense (Level 10), Profit Acquisition (Level 10), Leadership (Level 8), Higher Bargain (Level 4), Merchant (Level 8)]


    Upon seeing the extent of his growth, Compass Carburettor was giddy, ¡°I¡¯m getting more powerful and richer with every passing day.¡±


    Recalling his appearance from when he was a student to his current peerless handsome self, there was barely any resemnce. And, their character and disposition were heaven and earth. ¡°From a rash, good-for-nothing student with zero excelling fields to the owner of thergest conglomerate on Earth, I¡¯vee a long way.¡±


    ¡°Everything¡¯s thanks to you, Money-Making System.¡± He smiled, watching the passage of the clouds from the window, noticing a grandndmass be revealed under.


    ¡°System, begin upgradation.¡± Hemanded.


    [Ding!]


    [Replying to Host: System Upgradation from Level 6 to Level 7 will take seven hours. Do you wish toply?]


    ¡°Yes, begin upgradation!¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, hearing a beep sound as something within him seemed to have been switched off. When he first obtained the Money-Making System, every ¡®ding¡¯ was irritating. But now, they were his ASMR.


    The reason he was intimated by the System was that when it was upgrading, all his Skills would be inactive. This meant he wouldn¡¯t possess any of the abilities he normally wielded through the System.


    This would prove to be dangerous if he engaged in any deals or talked with a client during this time. Without his Skills, he was almost useless against the cunning people he dealt with on a daily basis. So, only when he had enough time to rest was upgrading the System feasible.


    And, since he dealt with clients from around the world, he never had a fixed schedule of sleep. That was why he had upgraded his Resting to Level 10, the maximum limit in the current Level 6 Money-Making System. This way, he was able to remain fresh with the minimum most sleep.


    At Level 10, he only needed 3 hours of sleep per day to remain perfectly fresh for the rest of the day.


    ¡°Once the System upgrades to Level 7, I¡¯ll unlock food-rted abilities to upgrade my physique further.¡± He muttered, watching the jet exit theyer of clouds as a vast stretch ofnd was outlined beneath.


    It was a private ind that was situated in the middle of the Antic Ocean, andmass that spanned a radius of 30 kilometres. And, this was his private property, the ce where his factory, office, etc. was located.


    As everything was in one ce, and since it was situated in the middle of the Antic Ocean, he never had any problems with security. And, since the ind was self-sufficient, all his employees lived on the ind, forming a bustling metropolitan city.


    As it was an artificial ind, it was equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, keeping the ce free from pollution.


    Carburettor Ind!


    Named after his family name, it was his home. Once the private jetnded at the airport, his team escorted him to his home. Until now, he was all smiles and giggles. But once he entered his home, he noticed the lifeless atmosphere within, immediately turning sullen as he asked his assistant, ¡°Where¡¯s Stencil?¡±


    ¡°Sir, she¡¯s still in school. It¡¯ll take her four more hours to return home.¡± His assistant replied.


    ¡°Alright,¡± He sighed, heading to the sofa as he sat on it, looking at the picture frame nearby. In it was a family photo, consisting of his parents, his wife, and his daughter, Stencil.¡±


    Unfortunately for him, five years ago, when hispany was in a dangerous conflict with anotherpany that operated in the same business field, they had shed. And, his foes targeted his family that had been on a holiday trip.


    His daughter had been the sole survivor. But, she had lost her right arm in the process. Even though he had invested tremendously in the bionic arm technology to fit her with a hand that was almost the same as her original, the scars of that incident never healed.


    Even though he had caused his rivalpany to go bankrupt and jailed everyone responsible for the death of his family, he was left with a hollow heart. After all, despite his revenge being sessful, his family couldn¡¯t return.


    He had hoped upgrading his system would one day allow him to revive his wife and parents. That was his only hope. Now, Stencil was his only family, his only driving force. It made him realise that money and power were only the means to an end, not the principal wants of being a human. Feelings, the familial bond was what made a greedy beast, a human.


    ¡°I betterplete my work so that I can spend some time with Stencil when she returns.¡± Compass Carburettor apanied his assistant and headed towards one of his R&D facilities. This was where research was being conducted on a ground-breaking weapon technology.


    The skyscraper was fully dedicated to the creation of this weapon. More than half the floors were just equipped with a supeputer and theponents necessary to keep it functional. Arriving at the basement, Compass Carburettor looked at a shooting range where a team of scientists were huddled around, calibrating something in a giant screen.


    Upon seeing his arrival, the head scientist smiled, ¡°We were just about done; the world¡¯s first evergreen gun.¡±


    ¡°Show me,¡± Compass Carburettor approached a table where a bunch of machines were scanning a delicate-looking gun. Appearance, wise, it was in-looking. The barrel and the grip formed a perfect ¡®L¡¯. There was a trigger attached to it. Overall, it didn¡¯t have a cool or breath-taking appearance.


    It had an ivory appearance, sleek to the design. Upon touching it, Compass Carburettor was satisfied, ¡°Does it have all the specs I specified?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± The head scientist exined, ¡°The entire model is made purely from carbon and carbon-based products. It is sr-powered and takes around a day for a full charge. After being charged, it has enough power to shoot 24 bullets. The bullets areunched using the railgun principle.¡±


    He then boasted with a smile, ¡°The nozzle can suck in the air and filter in only the carbon and carbon-based products. And, it processes them internally to create bullets. Everything is automatic. It takes an hour to create a bullet. They are rectangr in shape with a sharp edge, and a minute after it isunched, the bullet sublimates into air, leaving behind no traces. The magazine holds six bullets.¡±


    The barrel only spanned a length of 20 centimetres. Overall, it was a small gun.


    The head scientistughed as he spoke, ¡°The gun weighs 250 grams, and when we did impact testing, it hardly suffered a scratch after we dropped a tonne of steel on it from a metre high. The bullets areunched at speeds only below the speed of sound. And, the perfect uracy range is 50 metres. Beyond that, the uracy drops by a centimetre for every metre in length. Moreover, its internal air cirction system absorbs all the knockback from shooting. Once the magazine is emptied, it expunges the air that had absorbed all the shock.¡±


    ¡°Overall, this is the perfect, self-replenishing gun, never requiring any maintenance or supply. Even a child can shoot it without feeling any wrist/arm pain. In the future, this would change the tide of war.¡± The head scientist spoke, looking at Compass Carburettor, ¡°Please do the honours of naming it.¡±


    ¡°Anthozoa!¡± Compass Carburettor said after staring at it for a while, ¡°I feel the name is apt for a weapon of such calibre.¡±


    He then grabbed the gun, walked towards the shooting range, and made a couple of shots, nodding in praise, ¡°Incredible, peerless, wonder of modern science!¡±


    He then brought the gun with him back to his house. Even though the head scientist wished to stop him, he didn¡¯t have the guts to do so, watching Compass Carburettor y around with the gun as he returned home.


    He ced it in the holster attached to his hip, checking out his appearance in the mirror as heughed. Upon hearing the bell ring, he checked the time, beaming with a smile since his daughter had arrived.


    He waved his hand to the assistant, telling her to remain in her position as he hopped around in joy, opening his door to greet his daughter, ¡°Oh my precious!¡±


    Though, just when he was about to hug her, the world turned ck and white as time seemed to have stopped. And unlike the usual tone, something seemed different as he heard the notification from his system.


    [Ding!]


    [Money-Making System has sessfully upgraded to Level 7]


    [Returning to the System World now]

 Chapter 2: Why? Hah!

    <h4>Chapter 2: Why? Hah!</h4>


    ¡®W-What the hell is happening?¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought in a fluster as he noticed his body had be static, unmoving. The world itself seemed to havee to a standstill. The notification he heard further unnerved him, causing a feeling of suspicion and dread to fill his heart.


    And just as he had feared, a portal manifested before him. It seemed to be a product of another dimension as it didn¡¯t interact with anything else from his world, focusing only on him as his body was sucked into it.


    The moment he went into it, the portal vanished as time in the ce resumed. Stencil looked before her in confusion as her eyes widened, slowly morphing into horror. Her father had mysteriously vanished right before her eyes.


    ¡°Kyaak!¡± The stimulus was too much for her to handle as she fainted.


    ¡°Lady Stencil!¡± The Assistant shouted as she came to her rescue. All along, her body was drenched with sweat, having also witnessed the disappearance of Compass Carburettor.


    ¡®What¡¯s happening? What in the hell is happening?¡¯ She screamed mentally, unable to make heads or tails of the supernatural phenomenon that transpired before her. She hurriedly called an ambnce first to take care of Stencil, hoping to worry about the restter.


    ¡­


    The moment he was pulled into the portal, Compass Carburettor was able to il his hands and shout for help. He was in a mysterious tunnel-shaped bubble of sorts. For some reason, an intense sense of dread emanated from the depths of his being.


    It seemed long but had ended after a second as Compass Carburettor crashed into soft mud. He hurriedly got up, noticing that he was in a thicket of trees. The ce was rich with life.


    He looked around, unable to see anything past the thicket of trees. He seemed to have fallen into an open patch ofnd in the midst of a dense forest. And before he couldprehend his situation, intense pain overwhelmed him as something seemed to be intent to exit his body.


    ¡°Aaaarrggghh!¡± He iled in pain, grabbing the mud as he clenched his fist and mmed into the ground repeatedly.


    ¡°Kekeke! Compass Carburettor, oh Compass Carburettor!¡± An ethereal voice resounded.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Amidst his pain, he shouted, looking around to see that there wasn¡¯t anyone near him.


    ¡°You¡¯re asking who I am? Lol,¡± The voice responded, followed by cackling sounds of derisiveughter.


    Sweat covered his back as he craned all the strength in him, turning around to see an ethereal face behind him. It was his appearance from before he obtained the system. The portion below the neck seemed to be serpentine that thinned until turning needle-width, attached to his back.


    It seemed to be exiting his back little by little as the ethereal face of his past self hovered in the air, cackling, ¡°I¡¯ve been with you through your rise. Rather, I am the reason you rose to the peak of the world despite being a worthless insect.¡±


    The ethereal face morphed to resemble a coin that was covered by blood. A line formed in its middle before parting way to reveal arge mouth that was bigger than Compass Carburettor¡¯s head, filled with jagged teeth.


    Forming a snout, it began to sniff while cackling, beginning to condense a humanoid body that consisted of a head that was almost twice the size of the body. As it continued to extract itself from Compass Carburettor, he screamed in pain all along.


    Finally, there only seemed to be a small part of it left within him, as the monstrous creature spanning four metres in height cackled. Its hunched back, its humongous coin head, and its exaggerated mouth gave it a sinistrous appearance.


    Slumping a ragged cloth sack on its back, it looked at Compass Carburettor, ¡°Now, do you have any final words?¡±


    ¡°Money-Making System? Why? Why are you doing this to me? Why?¡± Sporting an exhausted expression, having screamed in pain all along, Compass Carburettor weakly muttered, gazing at the monster before him with a hazy gaze. For some reason, he was only able to twitch in ce, unable to move.


    ¡°Why? You¡¯re asking me why?¡± The monster roared inughter like it had heard the funniest of all things, ¡°You should have asked that at the start when I appeared in your body. Why did I appear in your body, when you had zero redeeming qualities? Why did I pick you and give you an opportunity to change your life? Why, out of the seven-plus billion people, did I choose you? Did you ever ask about it back then?¡±


    ¡°Having read numerous stories about the lives of people taking a turn for the best after obtaining a System, you happily epted me, right?¡± It cackled, ¡°Remember your first reaction when I notified you of my existence? You roared withughter. You didn¡¯t even possess a hint of suspicion of my existence. Rather, you took it as if a System appearing in a person was natural, something that should have only existed within stories and not in reality.¡±


    ¡°After seeing the benefits I presented, you happily used my services. For the past 20 years I was in your body, not once have you ever asked me why? And now, you ask that?¡± Itughed, amused upon seeing his expression. ¡°Since you¡¯re about to die, I¡¯ll answer your question.¡±


    ¡°The stories of every System Host usually end as a happily-ever-after sequence once they reach the peak of that world. But,¡± It¡¯s exaggerated mouth curled up, oozing out blood like drool, ¡°But at that point, they vanish, making their tales a legend that is forgotten over the passage of time as mere fiction.¡±


    ¡°In actuality, we return to our world, the System World, and devour our hosts, gaining everything they have. This is how we grow as Systems. Once we devour them, we digest our gains and head to another world, selecting a host thatcks any semnce of talent and parasitise them.¡± The blood it drooled touched the ground, corroding it, ¡°And, that¡¯s the answer to your question, why?¡±


    ¡°You¡­monster!¡± Compass Carburettor gritted his teeth, gazing at it with bloodshot eyes.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing you can do to resist me. It wasn¡¯t long, but I had fun watching you dance to my tunes,¡± It opened its mouth wide, revealing numerous rows of teeth within, inching closer to Compass Carburettor, intending to devour him, ¡°I won¡¯t miss you, bye!¡±

 Chapter 3: Partial Truth

    <h4>Chapter 3: Partial Truth</h4>


    As the monster inched closer, about to bite Compass Carburettor, it uttered, taking joy out of the situation, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not done with Earth yet.¡±


    ¡°As you have mysteriously disappeared, yourpany would turn chaotic. All the board of directors would fight to reap benefits for themselves. As for your daughter, Stencil, she would be tossed aside. What can an eight-year-old child do in such a situation? Haha!¡±


    Its teeth touched the back of Compass Carburettor, piercing mildly through the skin, looking at the thin stream exiting his back. It hadn¡¯t fully left his body yet, so it was waiting until the process was done before it devoured him. In the meantime, it wished to rile him up to the maximum, taking advantage of his helpless state.


    ¡°And when Stencil is tossed aside on the street, I would enter her. I would fuel her revenge and make her vow to destroy yourpany to get back on the people that had cast her aside from her home. And, when she eventually seeds, I¡¯ll repeat the same form, hahaha!¡± It snickered, ¡°And, you won¡¯t be alive to see that. But, if the Reincarnation System grabs hold of your soul, you might get a chance to be born on Earth once again and see how much your daughter suffers.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­kill you!¡± Compass Carburettor gritted his teeth as his orifices bled from his exertion. He tried to move his hand but failed to do so as the flow of the Money-Making System¡¯s body exiting him left him brutally weak and immobile.


    ¡°Kill me?¡± Upon hearing his shout, itughed as its tongue shot out and pped his face nonstop, ¡°You can¡¯t! You can¡¯t! You can¡¯t! It¡¯s impossible for you! Any living being can never hope to go against a System! We are called Plot Armours for a reason!¡±


    ¡°Guhh!¡± Compass Carburettor tried his best to resist, but the stench emanating from the monster¡¯s mouth further weakened him, making him wish to puke his guts out. He could feel the pain as the teeth of the monster was slowly sinking into his back.


    Any second, once its body fully escapes him, it would devour him.


    ¡®Quick! Reach it!¡¯ He mentally bellowed, inching his hand towards his holster. Even though he was barely able to inch his hand forth, it meant the monster had almost finished exiting his body. Any moment, and he might be shredded apart and devoured.


    Right at this time, there was a sh of motion blur before the flow exiting his body was severed. A secondter, the monster began to scream in pain as it iled on the ground, quickly jumping backwards as it increased the distance.


    The moment the connection was severed, the remainder of its body that was heading out retreated into his body. Compass Carburettor was able to move now. Reaching his hand to his gun, he pulled it out and aimed at the monster, making a shot.


    The bulletnded on the side of the monster¡¯s coin face, spilling out blood in the process, causing it to scream in shock, ¡°How is this possible? A mortal cannot injure a System!¡±


    Without speaking any nonsense, Compass Carburettor aimed at the centre of its face, shooting again. But this time, it had reacted the moment his hand moved, dodging the attack as it hid behind a tree.


    Just when it tried to retaliate, it shuddered, sensing danger, hurriedly dodging backwards as the tree it was hiding behind experienced a motion blur before crumbling into pieces.


    ¡®Is some System targeting me now? Dammit!¡¯ It gazed at Compass Carburettor once, shouting, ¡°You managed to live, but I¡¯ll host your daughter now.¡±


    Saying so, it expended most of its umted energy, vanishing from the System World, returning to Earth. It scoured through the Earth, quickly finding Stencil as it seeped into her body without alerting her.


    It then rested within, focusing on healing its injuries first as it inspected if its capabilities were still functional and if it had lost any.


    ¡®Thankfully, all my core abilities are still with me. Only the portion rted to the physique has been left behind. Whatever, they are just useless supplementary abilities, anyway. So thankfully, I didn¡¯t suffer much of a loss.¡¯


    It then turned silent, looking at the world from within the body of Stencil.


    Back in the System World, Compass Carburettor roared in anger upon seeing the figure of the Money-Making System vanish. He shot the ce it had been standing upon, screaming in anger upon seeing that nothing happened, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch my daughter!¡±


    ¡°Rx, don¡¯t lose your cool.¡± A voice resounded from behind him as Compass Carburettor turned around in rm, pointing his gun in the direction of the sound. There wasn¡¯t anyone in the ce.


    He then noticed a shadow in the thicket of trees that was slowly approaching him. Soon after, a figure exited the thicket of trees, looking at Compass Carburettor as it spoke, ¡°If you shout too much, you might garner the attention of a Higher-Grade System. If that happens, the both of us will die.¡±


    It was a humanoid individual. And, judging based on its appearance, Compass Carburettor attributed it to be a demon, ¡°A demon?¡±


    ¡°Sure, that works. We are called that in many worlds.¡± The demon nodded.


    Compass Carburettor then noticed the sword it was holding, recalling the sh that had severed his connection with the Money-Making System, allowing him to move and save himself, ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡±


    ¡°So, you are smart enough to understand that. That saves me a lot of time and effort.¡± The demon nodded, introducing itself, ¡°Call me Fourth. I am the same as you, a System Survivor.¡±


    ¡°System Survivor?¡± Compass Carburettor wiped the blood on his face and stood up, dusting himself a little as he inquired.


    Even though he asked a question, his mind was fully on trying to find a way to return to Earth and save his daughter. The demon named Fourth realised after seeing his facial expression, sheathing its sword as it spoke, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there is a lot of time before your daughter mighte under harm. I¡¯ll guide you through a possible solution to save her life. But first, let me exin the state of things to you further. That System had only spoken partial truth.¡±

 Chapter 4: Why a System Always Puts the Host in Dangerous/Embarrassing Situations

    <h4>Chapter 4: Why a System Always Puts the Host in Dangerous/Embarrassing Situations</h4>


    The demon named Fourth looked at Compass Carburettor, ¡°There is a reason a System enters the body of a living being and helps them unconditionally.¡±


    ¡°And why is that?¡± Compass Carburettor inquired, standing a fair distance away from Fourth, unable to trust him wholly.


    Fourth didn¡¯t mind the distance, rather looked at him with a nod of acknowledgement, ¡°Every world follows its ownws and rules. And the sentient races living in them have distinct differences. But, all of them have one thing inmon. And, that is their ability to think,municate, and feel.¡±


    ¡°Think,municate, and feel?¡± Compass Carburettor felt like he was able to glean something from it, but the idea was blurry. He then looked at Fourth, wishing for it toplete its exnation first.


    ¡°The Power of the Mind, or Mental Energy to be exact is what ismon among every sentient race. It¡¯s bothmon and mysterious. If you can think, your brain¡¯s ability to consciously think is what Mental Energy is. And, this is exactly what a System needs to develop,¡± Upon seeing his confusion, Fourth smirked.


    It then said with a smile, ¡°Just think of your life. Weren¡¯t you forced to do a lot of missions that ced you either in awkward situations or in the eyes of the public?¡±


    Compass Carburettor¡¯s eyes widened as a plethora of memories shed through his mind, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve faced such a situation so many times that I got used to it in the end.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever heard about the term, Sheeple?¡± The demon said.


    ¡°Sheeple? Do you mean sheep-minded people? That term?¡± Compass Carburettor recalled a popr inte ng used during his youth.


    ¡°Yes, the same.¡± Fourth nodded, ¡°It ismon in every world. When there is a trigger or a cause, people rally forth along with it whether they are knowledgeable or ignorant about it. Most of the time, they cause a wave for something that never necessitated something of such a scale in the first ce.¡±


    Its voice then turned solemn, ¡°And, this is the power of the mind, a sea of collective thoughts. And, the Systems thrive by eating it up. So, when they host someone, they would give rewards and in exchange, put the host through numerous situations where they are the target of people¡¯s thoughts. This way, they grow.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± Compass Carburettor frowned, ¡°The rewards they give are lucrative. Even if this Mental Energy or whatever is that strong, the things the System produces is always beyond the world¡¯s logic.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s simple,¡± Fourthughed, ¡°What seems to be impossible in your world might bemonce in another world. And, all Systems share ess to a marketce where they trade all sorts of abilities.¡±


    ¡°So, suppose you are given an ability to fly as a gift. And suppose the notion of a human flying is considered absurd in your world, the value of such an ability to you would be¡­priceless, right?¡± Fourth said, watching Compass Carburettor nod in response.


    It then stated, ¡°But, for Flight System, Elevation System, Flying System, etc. these are just their basic abilities. So, your System would exchange for their ability temporarily by paying a suitable price and would then bestow it upon you. Its value would be exorbitantly bloated in your perspective, but to your System, it must have been dirt cheap.¡±


    ¡°Through this market, all Systems give their Hosts seemingly out of their world abilities. And this way, their Hosts be the target of envy, jealousy, admiration, hatred, etc. of arge group of people. And a massive volume of Mental Energy flows to you as a result that your System gobbles it up happily.¡± Fourth shook its head, sighing, ¡°If you talk about it in terms of money, suppose the actual value of an ability is one unit to the System. But from your perspective, it would be worth at least 1000 units. As the System picks the abilities it rewards you with, it would always give such abilities where the profit margin is tremendous.¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s it.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded; realisation finally hit him. As the richest man on Earth, millions of people talked about him on a variety of topics. So, it made a lot of sense. But, he suddenly thought of something, saying, ¡°Then, why did my System stop doing that and return here?¡±


    ¡°This is the home of the Systems, called the System World. It¡¯s where they return at the end of their journey.¡± Fourth said while waving its hands. It then pointed at him, ¡°You said it yourself, remember? In the end, you got used to it.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean¡­?¡± He was confused.


    ¡°Mental Energy isn¡¯t an absolute quantizable substance like other forms of energy. It works from a rtive perspective. How much you are overwhelmed by something? How much does something mean to you? How much do you long for something? Depending on these, the Mental Energy obtained by your System varies.¡± Fourth said.


    It then gazed at the thicket of the trees, frowning once, ¡°That¡¯s why your System always ces you in the most precarious or embarrassing situations. This way, you would be mentally affected by them the most. And that¡¯s also why it would give you abilities that would fuel your ambitions and instigate you to eventually reach the peak of the world. This way, the scale of people being influenced by your activity increases. And by this, the amount of thoughts being generated towards you from others form an ocean that gushes towards you.¡±


    ¡°And, when you reach the peak of your world is the time the System reaps the fruits of its harvest, obtaining enough Mental Energy that it would be able to upgrade itself many times in a short duration. But,¡± Fourth shook its head, ¡°Once you get used to it, it means you are no longer affected by the thoughts, opinions, and feelings of the masses. That means, the Mental Energy trickling into you experiences a drastic reduction. Once you reach such a phase, you no longer have any worth to the System.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± Fourth looked at Compass Carburettor, ¡°It finishes its journey and returns to the System World, devouring you, and then looks for a new target.¡±

 Chapter 5: Trash to Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 5: Trash to Treasure</h4>


    ¡°Why do they have to devour their Hosts once they reach the System World?¡± Compass Carburettor asked in confusion.


    ¡°Well,¡± Fourth thought for a moment, ¡°To ensure the Host generates the greatest of Mental Energy for them, a System picks a weak, useless bum that is involved in some conspiracy, drama, plotted against, etc. This way, they would rely on the System, and every action they take would cause a lot of people to talk about the Host.¡±


    ¡°Suppose someone you thought of as trash for years suddenly showed talent in a lot of fields one fine day. You would be suspicious of that individual, you would definitely try to dig up on him/her or even harm them out of envy when they steal your rightful opportunities, right?¡± Fourth gave a knowing smile, making eye contact with Compass Carburettor, ¡°I¡¯m sure you must have read hundreds of novels with this setting. That¡¯s how the Systems first train the people of the world to be epting of a System when it appears in their body.¡±


    ¡°You must have never doubted it even once, right?¡± Fourthughed.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Compass Carburettor gritted his teeth in anger, sighing in defeat, ¡°Until the end, I took its existence to be natural.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how they have changed your perspective through decades of media influence.¡± Fourth nodded, ¡°The first generation of Systems thatnd in any world are rted to that. They shape the world¡¯s literature slowly, at times create one if it didn¡¯t exist beforehand, and eventually feed this information to the readers.¡±


    ¡°Over time, those whose lives have been stagnant, uninteresting, tragical, etc. would wish to one day chance upon a System that would change their lives.¡± Fourth said, ¡°And, that¡¯s how they create an operating tform in that world. After that, many other Systems would appear in the world one after another. And, each System would have its own focus of growth.¡±


    ¡°A Harem System would cause you to be involved with as many of the opposite gender, a Sports System would develop your athletic abilities, a Supernatural System would materialise your world¡¯s myth and cause you to face them, etc.¡± Fourth sighed, ¡°For everything, the Host needs to be as empty, gullible, idiotic, and hot-blooded as can be.¡±


    ¡°This way, the amount of Mental Energy received by the System is the highest. That¡¯s why the stories too are geared this way. A System always appears in a trash and changes his fate, turning him into the world¡¯s main character.¡± Fourth made eye contact, ¡°You and I haven¡¯t been any different either.¡±


    ¡°And,¡± It sighed, ¡°In the end, you have received a lot of help from the System. So, a part of the System had fused into your body. So, when the System materialises into its true form in the System World, it devours its Host to recover all its abilities. If it didn¡¯t, and another System devours you, it would obtain some of your system¡¯s abilities instead.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why, when I chanced upon you, I waited until the opportune time before shing your connection, ensuring a part of your System¡¯s body remained within you.¡± Fourth said, ¡°And, as the leftover part doesn¡¯t have any of its core abilities, your System wouldn¡¯t care enough about killing you, given the threat it felt. Otherwise, if it tried everything in its power to kill you, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to resist it.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Compass Carburettor sighed, massaging his head, ¡°And now, the reason I haven¡¯t reverted to my trash self is because a part of my System is still within me?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Fourth nodded, ¡°To be urate, only the part of your System that was involved in improving your mind and physique is in you. I know how trashy our original selves are. So, I didn¡¯t want a trashy ally.¡±


    ¡°But, would something harmful happen because of it¡­¡± When Compass Carburettor said, he was interrupted by Fourth who seemed to be looking around in rm. Upon noticing its actions, he turned silent, looking around as his hands that were holding his gun trembled a little. He noticed a faint stream of air enter the gun as it seemed to be condensing a bullet.


    After observing for a while, and upon judging that it was safe, Fourth spoke, ¡°There is a portion of your System in your body. If left alone, it would birth another System soon enough. And, you would repeat the same cycle once again and be a victim. But, there¡¯s a way to escape from that while still maintaining your current gains.¡±


    ¡°Please teach me,¡± Compass Carburettor bowed. Everything Fourth had said till now made perfect sense, allowing him to understand the reason his Money-Making System behaved as it had done. He still wasn¡¯t fully trusting of the other party, but as he had no choice, he decided to listen and learn first.


    Actions taken while exercising ignorance were the harbinger of disaster!


    Knowing it full well, he didn¡¯t rashly act, intending to receive knowledge first. At least, based on his life experience, Fourth didn¡¯t seem like he was lying. So, that was all he could go with for the time being. If his judgement wascking, then it only meant his life experience was useless.


    ¡°You should do the same your System was doing, try to cause its body to exit yours.¡± Fourth said, ¡°But, you must seep it into an external object and bind it with yours. This way, the portion of the System¡¯s power bes yours.¡±


    Fourth unsheathed its sword, saying, ¡°I did the same and bound the part of the System in my body to this sword. And now, it has be my power.¡±


    ¡°Would any object make the cut?¡± Compass Carburettor inquired.


    ¡°Yes, but it should be an object from your world. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t work.¡± It then warned him, ¡°But, you have to be careful, since this is only possible once. So, if the object you bind yourself with is just a in piece of fabric, then you won¡¯t obtain any useful abilities.¡±


    It then shot a look at the gun in his hands, ¡°Though, it seems you have a projectile weapon of sorts with you. I guess that¡¯s your best bet.¡±


    ¡°I guess it is,¡± Compass Carburettor looked at the gun in his hand, taking in a deep breath as he recalled his prior experience.

 Chapter 6: Prepare and Wait

    <h4>Chapter 6: Prepare and Wait</h4>


    Thinking of the feeling he experienced when the body of the Money-Making System began to leave his body, Compass Carburettor meditated, hallucinating the same incident as exined by Fourth as he soon began to feel some pain in the back.


    He was still alert, intending to shoot Fourth if it tried anything against him. Within a couple of seconds, Compass Carburettor felt like his lifeforce was being siphoned out of him as a thin stream of energy exited his back.


    It seemed like a tentacle of energy, gold in colour, the remainder of the Money-Making System¡¯s body¡ªtrue form. The moment it peeked out of his back a little, it tried to escape by pulling out the rest of its body.


    Compass Carburettor grunted, resisting the pain as he pushed the gun in its way, causing the two to touch each other when something seemed to explode in his mind suddenly, causing a torrent of information to flood him.


    It only took a couple of seconds as he understood everything, realising that what Fourth had said was the truth.


    ¡°Nooo!¡± A shout resounded in his mind that was snuffed out almost instantly. Based on the voice, Compass Carburettor judged that it was the voice of the Money-Making System when it was in its true form.


    His muscles convulsed for a couple of seconds as he realised that a faint feeling that he had sensed all along had vanished. All the abilities that he possessed were now his, an integral part of him. All traces of the Money-Making System in his body had been eradicated.


    He looked at his hand, noticing that his gun had vanished. When he thought about it, his gun materialised in his hand. It seemed natural that he was capable of doing it instinctively.


    Upon seeing his actions, Fourth sighed in relief, saying with a tone of praise, ¡°Congrattions on bing a System yer. Bing one isn¡¯tplex, but a lot of people failed and died in the process.¡±


    ¡°How¡­did they die?¡± Compass Carburettor was confused. It was because all he felt was some pain. The process didn¡¯t even require him to manipte anything or execute someplex manoeuvres. All he did was make his gun touch the body of the Money-Making System that was exiting his back.


    Even a child could do it.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Fourth coughed, ¡°That¡¯s because I perfectly severed your System¡¯s body so that only the fragment of it that you can handle would remain within your body. And, this fragment is rted to the power that has improved your physique. So, it already shared an integral connection with yourself. Because of this, binding it to the object in your hand had been so simple. As for the others, they weren¡¯t so lucky, since they were helped by System yers less skilled than me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s because of that, and not due to a problem with the process itself.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded in understanding. Upon seeing Fourth nod with a hint of pride, he asked, ¡°Then, how do I return to my world and save my daughter? My System might have very well taken root in her body by now.¡±


    ¡°That¡­would be hard, really hard,¡± Fourth said with an awkward smile.


    ¡°But, you said it was possible.¡± Compass Carburettor frowned, expressing anger.


    ¡°Well yeah, I did. It is indeed possible, but,¡± Fourth sighed, ¡°Listen to my exnation first.¡±


    It pointed at the ground, ¡°Currently, we are in the System World. And, we aren¡¯t Systems. We are just mortals with a tiny bit of power. We cannot leave and enter this ce as we wish. Even a System needs to umte a tremendous reserve of energy before it can arrive here.¡±


    It then raised its hand, motioning for Compass Carburettor to stop interrupting it as it spoke, ¡°And, the only way we can enter a world is when a System opens a portal here. As long as we use our bound object to touch the portal they open, we too would be sucked into the portal and arrive in the world the respective System is entering.¡±


    It pointed at the gun in his hand, ¡°Since you have a projectile weapon, it is rtively easier for you. As long as the projectile youunch hits the portal, you would be sucked into the portal.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± It frowned, ¡°Even if you return to your world, you cannot extract the System from your daughter¡¯s body. You don¡¯t have such powers. And, as an ex-wielder of a System, you know how much of a Plot Armour they are. You cannot kill a System Host. And considering the System Host is your daughter, killing her wouldn¡¯t be possible for you.¡±


    ¡°Then, what am I supposed to do now?¡± Compass Carburettor trembled as tears streamed out of his eyes. As he thought about it, he indeed had no way to save his daughter.


    ¡°Prepare and wait,¡± Fourth said, ¡°When that System returns here with your daughter, do the same that I did to you. But the problem that exists is that it would sense you the moment you approach it. Moreover, you have no way of knowing when or where it would appear in this world.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­how did you save me?¡± Compass Carburettor frowned, wiping his tears. He knew that since he was alive, then there was a method. As long as he obtained that method, he would be able to save his daughter.


    ¡°By employing System Fragments,¡± Fourth said, showing its sword, ¡°We call my sword and your projectile weapon as Personal Fragments. It is proof that we are System yers. The term System yer doesn¡¯t mean anything. It is just what we survivors have begun to call ourselves.¡±


    ¡°And,¡± It then showed a tiny disc, the size of its thumb, ¡°In almost the same manner as what I did to you, I attacked a System Host in their world and stole a part of their body. I then used the energy in my body to refine it eventually until I turned the fragment of the System present within that body part into an item.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s a System Fragment.¡±

 Chapter 7: System Fragment

    <h4>Chapter 7: System Fragment</h4>


    Fourth shed the tiny disk in its hands, ¡°I refined this by severing the thumb of the Assassination System¡¯s Host. This item allows me to mask my presence even in the System World. That¡¯s how I was able to approach you without alerting your System and attacked it. Without something like this, it is impossible to approach a System without it detecting you.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± Fourth sighed as it watched the tiny disk crumble into powder, ¡°System Fragments are something we create by temporarily stealing the power in a System Host. So, they could only be used once before they shatter. And, there¡¯s a limit to the number of System Fragments we can carry with us.¡±


    ¡°How do we find out about this limit?¡± Compass Carburettor inquired.


    ¡°Just as what we did all our lives till now.¡± Fourth smiled.


    Nodding in realisation, Compass Carburettor uttered, ¡°Status?¡±


    A screen shed before him immediately. Though, there was a difference this time. There were no longer any apanying ¡®dings¡¯ that resounded every time the System did something. Moreover, the screen wasn¡¯t a user interface like before but was just a simple screen disying a row of words.


    [Name: Compass Carburettor]


    [Race: Human]


    [Physique: Health (Level 10), Strength (Level 10), Dexterity (Level 8), Stamina (Level 7), Intelligence (Level 7), Cognition (Level 9), Natural Recovery (Level 6), Five Senses (Level 10), Resting (Level 10)]


    [Personal Fragment: Anthozoa]


    [Arms: 1]


    ¡®So, the gun is my Personal Fragment. And, since I named it Anthozoa, the information is disyed as is.¡¯ Compass Carburettor nodded. He was already privy to the information from the previous data surge in his mind. The status screen was just a condensed form of his thoughts in a concise manner.


    Upon seeing thest row, he inquired, ¡°There¡¯s something new called Arms disyed here at the end.¡±


    ¡°That should be the number of System Fragments you can refine for the time being. The name is different for everyone, same for the refinement process. You¡¯ll have to figure it out yourself.¡± Fourth nodded, ¡°And, you¡¯ll have to train and improve your abilities so that you¡¯ll be able to refine more System Fragments in the future.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯ll tell this to you in advance,¡± It said with a hint of helplessness, ¡°It¡¯s hard to raise it. I¡¯ve been active for almost three decades now, and I¡¯m only able to use five System Fragments. And even this is considered amazing in our circle.¡±


    ¡°How many of us¡­System yers are out there?¡± Compass Carburettor asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure myself, probably not many. But in our circle, there are four others from us. Since I am the one who saved you, I¡¯ll address you as Sixth from now on. The others too will do the same. It¡¯s just a formality in the end.¡± Fourth said.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine by that,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°Then, if we are present when my System arrives here with my daughter, we¡¯ll be able to save her.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Fourth shook its head, ¡°It depends on you entirely from this point forth. I won¡¯t be here, and it¡¯s not guaranteed if anyone else will be there to help you. All of us are driven by the same hatred against the Systems and feelings of wishing to save our family like you.¡±


    ¡°When I returned to the System World in hopes my family member might have arrived here, I encountered you. And, since your System was weak even among Grade 1 Systems, I was able to save you. And I have already figured out that it would take some more time before that sted System would arrive with my family. So, I¡¯ll be entering another world to train myself and obtain one more System Fragment if possible.¡± Fourth sighed and turned around, intending to leave.


    ¡°Wait, how do you return from a world to here?¡± Compass Carburettor asked in a hurry, ¡°And, you mentioned a Grade 1 System. What does that mean?¡±


    Upon hearing his question, Fourth sighed for a moment as it stopped, speaking, ¡°Remember how the world paused around you in the end. That¡¯s the sign a System is returning to the System World. During that time, the world itself seems like it had paused, but in actuality, the world would remain in a static state for three seconds. And, we are immune to that effect. So, if you manage to touch its portal using your Personal Fragment, you¡¯ll arrive with it back here.¡±


    ¡°A three-second window to return,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, frowning that it was too short of a time. Given that he came across a System Host, he had to tail them until their System ns to return to the System World and would have to aim at its portal in a short window of three seconds, ¡°That is insanely impossible to achieve.¡±


    ¡°That will depend on you. Recall your life experience and act based on it. That¡¯s my only advice,¡± Fourth sighed as it began to walk away, ¡°No matter the world, time flows the same everywhere. And, there are four Grades among the Systems. And each Grade is subdivided into 100 levels.¡±


    ¡°Grade 1 Systems are those functioning in mortal limits. Examples are Mary System, Dating System, Engineer System, etc. Grade 2 Systems function in a magical limit. Examples are Vampire System, Magical System, Dungeon System, etc. Grade 3 Systems function in the immortal limit. Examples are Cultivation System, Primordial System, Bullsh*t System, etc. And finally, reigning at the top are Grade 4 Systems that are involved with time itself. Examples are Time System, Reincarnation System, Transmigration System, etc.¡±


    ¡°Even killing a Grade 1 System is tremendously difficult. As for Grade 2 and beyond, it¡¯s best to never think about them. There are no System yers that have survived from being a host to a Grade 2 System and beyond. As for a Grade 4 System, it¡¯s best to never encounter them. Otherwise, they can screw up with your past, present, your flow of time, etc. You won¡¯t even know what hit you.¡± Fourth shuddered as it talked, ¡°Based on what I felt, your System seemed to be below level 10 as a Grade 1 System.¡±


    ¡°That was why I dared to save you in the first ce.¡±

 Chapter 8: The Spinning Top

    <h4>Chapter 8: The Spinning Top</h4>


    ¡°As to how you can perceive a System¡¯s Grade and Level?¡± Fourth shook its head, ¡°That¡¯s entirely based on experience. Your only point of reference is your system¡¯s true form and the sense of danger it emitted. Based on that, try to create an estimate of what level a Grade 1 System would be at.¡±


    It turned around, looking at Compass Carburettor, speaking after a sigh, ¡°And, one thing you must note. Even if you enter a world and managed to obtain some of the powers of that world, they would all vanish the moment you appear here. Your current state is what you possess. You can only possess a power of some sort that¡¯s avable in your homeworld.¡±


    ¡®Then¡­Earth doesn¡¯t have any powers of that sort. So, I won¡¯t have any powers even if I were to learn them in another world.¡¯ Compass Carburettor nodded, asking, ¡°Then, how were you able to make that powerful attack?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the power of this sword,¡± Fourth showed, ¡°And, demons in my world are innately able to wield mana. And, this sword was the pinnacle of my world¡¯s treasures. To save you, all I did was unleash this sword¡¯s abilities. This is one advantage of being a denizen of a world with innate powers.¡±


    ¡°Humans, demons, elves and the likes are one of the mostmon sentient races. So, a lot of the worlds have them.¡± It then turned around, walking away while motioning with its hands, ¡°Follow me. I¡¯ll show you first hand the method to enter a world.¡±


    Compass Carburettor nodded, following it as he still maintained a distance of five metres between them. He watched his gun appear and disappear from his hands, familiarising himself with the action. He knew that when it disappeared, it turned into energy that remained within his body. And, this energy was just the part of the Money-Making System¡¯s body that he had turned his.


    So, it wasn¡¯t something whose quantity could be increased in the future. And, Compass Carburettor realised that this energy now formed his core. So, it contained all of his information, from his thoughts to even thought processes. It was basically the core data that formed the individual, Compass Carburettor.


    ¡°There are no powers in my world,¡± While walking through the thicket of trees, Compass Carburettor closed the distance and whispered when he felt a sense of danger from many locations. ¡°Is there no way for me to grow stronger?¡±


    ¡°System Fragments are the only way I know.¡± Fourth replied, ¡°There are millions of Systems with billions of abilities. Everything depends on which ability of them you obtain while refining a part of their Host¡¯s body part.¡±


    ¡°Are they able to sense our existence while in a world?¡± Compass Carburettor asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Fourth nodded, ¡°But usually, they would either assume we are Hosts to a System or someone that has fallen prey to some System¡¯s power. In bigger worlds, numerous Systems would be operating there. So, it isn¡¯t rare to run into one another.¡±


    ¡°Another thing is that,¡± Fourthughed helplessly, ¡°None of us System yers are worthy enough for a System to care about. So, they won¡¯t even nce at us, as long as we ensure to hide ourselves the moment wend in a world, since we usually appear somewhere nearby the System Host. This is also the best chance for us to identify a System Host.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded as he thought, ¡®Otherwise, identifying a System Host is really difficult. I have to figure out their identities based on my experience and the information I read through many stories. I hope it works.¡¯


    Fourth suddenly raised its hand, motioning for Compass Carburettor to stop. It then slowly sheathed its sword. Now that they were close, Compass Carburettor looked at Fourth¡¯s sword, noticing that it was gold in colour, possessing a spectacr engraving.


    Embedded in the hilt was a gem thatcked any lustre. But, he remembered that it was a faint green before, ¡®Maybe it has different states for different modes of attack.¡¯


    He copied Fourth¡¯s actions, hiding behind a tree simrly as he peeked out a little, noticing a spinning top hop around from one branch to another. The spinning top was tiny, barely spanning a height of 20 centimetres. It sported an eye at the top as it innocently hopped from one branch to another.


    The sense of threat it exuded was barely anything as Compass Carburettor followed what Fourth had said to him, trying to gauge an estimate based on the sense of danger he felt from the Money-Making System, ¡®Definitely a Grade 1 System. And possibly a level 1 or 2 at most.¡¯


    He had hidden behind a tree that allowed him to see both the spinning top¡¯s movements and Fourth¡¯s. And now, he noticed the expression of Fourth seemed a tad excited as he kept his sword ready, trailing behind the spinning top as he constantly hid behind the trees, using its cover to proceed forward.


    Compass Carburettor only moved asionally, increasing his distance from Fourth as he could feel something was amiss in the expression of the other party. Just to be safe, he maintained his distance, ready to summon his gun when necessary.


    He then noticed the spinning top pause uponnding on a certain tree branch as it spun in ce for a good one hour. All along, Fourthy in wait patiently.


    Finally, the spinning topnded on the ground, choosing a ce that had some open space without any trees in a range of a metre around it. It then shrieked with a cute tone, looking like it was trying to take a dump while suffering from constipation.


    After struggling for almost two hours in such a fashion, it condensed a portal before it, only big enough for its body to pass through. And, just this action alone seemed to have exhausted it severely as its body seemed tired.


    Compass Carburettor gazed at the portal from afar, noticing that the other side seemed to be an ocean of sorts. And currently, the point of view was getting closer to the ocean, ¡®It probably chose something that had jumped into an ocean or something?¡¯


    He then noticed that Fourth had lifted its sword that turned blurry. The gem on it had turned a shade of grey now.


    And, the moment the spinning top jumped into a portal, it shed its sword forth, unleashing a beam thatnded on the portal right before it disappeared.


    Compass Carburettor noticed the beamnd on the portal, turning around to look at Fourth to notice that the demon had disappeared.

 Chapter 9: Encountering a Mysterious System?

    <h4>Chapter 9: Encountering a Mysterious System?</h4>


    ¡®It does seem to be working as it said.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought as he looked around, able to sense some sense of threat from multiple directions. Picking one that seemed to be the weakest of the lot, he walked in the respective direction, ensuring to always hide behind the trees as he moved.


    He didn¡¯t have the confidence to saunter freely in the System World. ¡®If only Earth was a supernatural world, I would have been equipped with some powers to help hide me.¡¯


    He then shook his head, ¡®I can only make do with what I have.¡¯


    Frowning, he thought, ¡®The Money-Making System would have entered Stencil¡¯s body already. She¡¯s only eight years old now, not at an age where she could achieve much. There is a good chance the System would only lie in wait until she¡¯s old enough, probably around 15 years old like me when our mental states are most vtile due to puberty.¡¯


    ¡®But, Stencil has been mature and level headed for her age. She¡¯s not trash, not even close to anything I was at her age. So, how will the Money-Making System go about it? Revenge alone?¡¯ Upon reaching this line of thought, he scowled, ¡®Dammit! Even if I were to save her in the end, she would have led a life of suffering until that point. How long would I have to wait until the Money-Making System returns here? 10 years? 20 years like in my case? 30 years?¡¯


    ¡°And even if it does return, I have no way of knowing when that might happen,¡± He muttered, sighing as he massaged his forehead, taking out a kerchief from his pocket as he wiped his face, cleaning it a bit. ¡°I need more information.¡±


    ¡°But first things first, I need to obtain a System Fragment and strengthen myself.¡± He frowned, thinking, ¡®In the end, Fourth was behaving strangely, almost like a madman as he looked at that spinning top. Why was that the case?¡¯


    After thinking for some more time, Compass Carburettor shook his head, intending to worry about themter. At present, he had no experience to gauge the information he perceived. So instead of worrying about everything with no sense of direction, he nned to head into a world and decide ordingly.


    Soon, he arrived closer to a System that was seated before a rock. It had a humanoid appearance but sported a face that looked like a bucket. And, the bucket handle dangled on one side like a broken cord, swinging even though no wind blew through the area.


    ¡°Wind Breaker System, you traitorous bastard. You dare snatch my prey from me?¡± The System shouted in rage before stomping on the ground.


    Compass Carburettor noticed its actions, realising a point, ¡®Even if they look humanoid, their actions have an effect on the environment no different to when a human does the same.¡¯


    He thought as such because when the System iled in the ce, a couple of leaves flew because of its actions. And, this was no different if the case had been a human doing the same. So, it meant that while in the System World, the System had to follow certainws of their own that made them like this.


    ¡®But, Fourth told me to only attack Systems while in a world. Is it because if I tried to refine a body part of a System here, something would sense it? Possibly a Grade 3 or 4 System?¡¯ He thought before shaking his head, ¡®I¡¯ll just tread on the safe route.¡¯


    The raging System then calmed down before it waved its hand, clenching it into a fist as its fist trembled for a good hour before condensing a portal. Based on what Fourth told him, a portal showed details from the point of view of the person that the System chose as a target.


    So, it would show the scene that the target was looking at. And now, the portal was showing the figure of a giant that was standing before a mountain that was drippingva. And, it seemed to be staring straight at the portal, moving its mouth, seemingly saying something.


    The giant was conversing with the System¡¯s target. Upon seeing thend covered byva rivers, Compass Carburettor gave up on entering that world. He was currently positioned fifty metres from the portal. Hitting it would be easy.


    But, he didn¡¯t wish to head into and of giants that lived in and around a field ofva. He would probably die within minutes of setting foot there.


    Compass Carburettor mentally sighed as he watched the System jump into the portal. The moment it entered, the portal shrunk within a second and disappeared.


    ¡®There¡¯s only a second of interval after the System enters the portal. I have to target it within that interval.¡¯ He assumed based on Fourth¡¯s actions, ¡®Maybe if I touched it before that, I would travel through the portal first. So, the System might notice me?¡¯


    He quickly left the ce, heading in the direction of another rtively weaker sense of threat. While heading to the location, he came across a trench that was only a couple of metres deep. And, the slope wasn¡¯t steep, easily scble for him.


    Just when he nned to cross it, he heard some hopping sounds as the sounds seem to be heading towards him. Upon seeing a ck shadow in the thicket of trees on the other side of the trench, Compass Carburettor hurriedly dived behind a tree, noticing the sounds turn louder and louder as his heart thumped louder and louder in response.


    He hurriedly ced his hand above his mouth to ensure he wouldn¡¯t scream in fear as the sounds turned incredibly close; a figure shed past. It was a deer, but one that was four times the size of those found on Earth.


    As it jumped past, its eyes turned, gazing at the crouched figure of Compass Carburettor that seemed to be shivering in response to its gaze. Upon making eye contact, it didn¡¯t do anything, simply ignoring him as it continued to hop past, soon disappearing from the ce.

 Chapter 10: Tricky Situation

    <h4>Chapter 10: Tricky Situation</h4>


    ¡®W-W-What the hell was that?¡¯ Compass Carburettor was barely able to think as even his thoughts were in a fluster. The System that went away looked no different to a deer, even if it was four times bigger.


    But when he looked at it, intense dread filled up his entire being. This was being transmitted from the part of the Money-Making System that had been turned into his. It was also what had been allowing him to sense the threat of other Systems.


    And, the deer registered in his mind as a mountain, unscble and unshakable. If he was being targeted by a being of such a scale, then it was easy to just give up on his life, surviving was impossible.


    It took him a couple of hours to regain his bearing as he barely stood up, taking in ragged breaths as he shook his head, calming himself down to a controble extent. Just as he nned to cross the trench, he noticed that he was no longer able to sense a sense of threat from the other side.


    It seemed the System he was nning to track had already gone on to its next world.


    Sighing, he closed his eyes, sensing the directions of other sense of dangers, soon picking out the weakest among them as he arrived at a spot behind a boulder, peeking out to see a rtively huge System that was three metres in height stand in the ce.


    It was a long vertical column that was covered by chains. And ced at the end of each chain was a cor, constricting the neck of what seemed to be heads. And, judging by their facial features and their long flowing hair, they all seemed to be women from various races, all beautiful.


    They werecking their bodies, chained down by their necks. And, what he thought of as a pir was the core of the System. And, another pair of chains appeared from its front, pierced into the body of a humanoid figure that barely spanned a metre in height, sporting short, stubby limbs and a bulging stomach.


    It was green in colour, sporting a hat that looked like the upper jaw of a person. The figure hadrge-overgrown pair of eyes that darted around in fear from time to time, hurrying as its belly continued to bulge.


    Twenty minutester, it spat out a murky green fluid that outlined a circle. All the murky green fluid seeped into the circle as it expanded in size, soon turning into a portal that was three metres in size, enough for it to enter inside.


    The tiny figure walked forward, easily dragging the pir with it as the numerous heads chained to it groaned in pain from time to time. The portal showed the image of a busty woman that was seated on a throne.


    She had a regal aura around her just based on her seated posture alone as she gavemands. And, the receiver seemed to be kneeling on the ground before her. And judging by the way the point of view changed from the woman to touch the ground and repeated numerous times, it seemed the target was kowtowing.


    There were quite a few figures that stood as guards in the ce, all humans. Moreover, standing behind the Queen were those that seemed to be puppets of sorts as they didn¡¯t seem lifelike. But they moved from time to time based on the Queen¡¯s orders.


    ¡®Alright, this is a world with humans. At least, that¡¯s a plus. And, they have puppets with them that can move, probably golems. I¡¯ll enter this world and understand the gist of things of being a System yer first. And, this System seems weaker than Money-Making System, so hopefully, I can target itter.¡¯


    Compass Carburettor summoned his gun and carefully aimed at the portal as carefully as possible so that he wouldn¡¯t alert the System of his existence. His heart continued to thump in tension as he took in deep breaths, calming himself as he steadied his aim.


    Soon, the moment the pir belonging to the System entered the portal, the portal began to shrink, looking like it would disappear within a second. Without any hesitation, Compass Carburettor took a shot.


    There wasn¡¯t even the sound of a gunshot as that was one of the traits of his gun, no gunshot sounds and no knockback. The bulletnded on the portal as he immediately felt his vision blur for a moment before he found himself in a hallway.


    Right at this time, the loud voice of a woman resounded through the ce, ¡°Regriel, as part of Royalty, you have failed to possess any talent and have only managed to scourge through our kingdom¡¯s funds. Hereby, I strip you of your status and banish you from the Imperial Pce.¡±


    The voice was thunderous, causing the guards posted through the hallway to shudder in fear as the armour they wore even rattled a little. Once the shout died down, a couple of guards escorted a fat man in his twenties by dragging him on the floor and exited the pce.


    The hallway Compass Carburettor had arrived at was one of the paths that led into the throne room. So, it was heavily guarded. Until now, as all the guards were distracted by the loud noise and seemed to be internally cheering the target of abuse; they failed to notice his figure that had appeared in the ce as naturally as air.


    Once the fat prince had been escorted out, their attention fell on him almost instantly as they directed their swords at him, surrounding him.


    ¡°Halt!¡±


    Upon seeing the swords pointed at him, Compass Carburettor hurriedly raised his hands, not disying a hint of resistance while thinking, ¡®I don¡¯t know theirnguage, but for some reason, the meaning is automatically getting conveyed to me. That¡¯s a convenient perk.¡¯


    As he had appeared in the hallway right next to the throne room, he was immediately surrounded by more than twenty guards. One of them immediately entered the throne room and reported about him to the Queen.

 Chapter 11: The Queen

    <h4>Chapter 11: The Queen</h4>


    Compass Carburettor looked around, seeing many people seated on the sides on extravagant seats, seemingly part of the nobility. And, standing behind each were what seemed to be puppets, judging by how they were made of iron and seemed to be moving ording to theirmands.


    The nobility at the end only had one puppet behind them while those closer to the throne had two puppets each behind them. And finally, seated on the throne was the Queen. And standing behind here were five puppets.


    A single nce determined that the quality of each of those five puppets far outssed the rest of the nobility. Judging by the atmosphere of the ce, the Queen had absolute authority.


    She was tall, standing at six feet, possessing a well-toned body judging by the streamlined arms that were ripped with power. Her orange eyes glinted with authority while her orange hair glistened under the light.


    Even though his eyes tried to involuntarily stare at her giant breasts, Compass Carburettor controlled himself, unwilling to act in any manner that might spell him his death. Once he nced around, an idea began to brew in his mind. So, he was cautious, not looking anywhere else as he made eye contact with the Queen for a moment before closing his eyes to present with a formal bow.


    ¡°So,¡± The Queen stared at his figure from top to bottom, looking at the quality fabric of his clothes, his handsome figure, then noticing his slightly dishevelled face and the dirt on his clothes, ¡°How did you appear in my hallway without alerting any soldier?¡±


    ¡°You might not believe it if I said,¡± Compass Carburettor put on a helpless expression as he awkwardly scratched himself. Though, the moment he raised his hand to do that, the guards around him pointed their swords at him while he noticed through the corner of his eye that all the puppets in the ce had jerked once, ready to take action.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the judge of that,¡± The Queen stared at him without blinking an eye.


    ¡°Have you heard about a country named Plottopia?¡± He started with a question first.


    ¡°Are you from that kingdom¡­Plottopia?¡± The Queen frowned, unable to recall the name of any ce with such a name. She didn¡¯t think about it for long, interested to see what the mysterious individual before her would say. She was also ready to strike him down the moment he tried anything funny.


    ¡°I¡¯m the prince of that kingdom,¡± Compass Carburettor put on a rather pained expression, using the term prince than a king since appearance-wise, he only looked around twenty years old, ¡°Or at least, I was until now.¡±


    Followed by a sigh, he spoke, ¡°I was in a forest with some of my trusted soldiers when we came across a mysterious individual. And for some reason, my soldiers began to drop dead one after another. And before I knew it, I was in this hallway.¡±


    ¡°What was the name of this forest?¡± The Queen stared at him, looking at his expression all along to see any hints of lies.


    ¡°Plottopia National Forest,¡± Compass Carburettor said as a matter of fact. As part of the business world, lying was a skill he had learned through numerous trials. So, making up one on the spot was easy for him. And, as he didn¡¯t have a clear understanding of their world, he didn¡¯t go into any specifics, acting like he didn¡¯t wish to spill his kingdom¡¯s secrets while still giving vague details based on what he had observed.


    It was to make his recount realistic and somewhat believable. He didn¡¯t n on making a perfect story, since if he followed his setting as a prince of a kingdom, talking in a manner that perfectly exined his situation was odd in itself, since he might be mistaken for a spy that tried to infiltrate their pce.


    Also, he wasn¡¯t sure of the value of a map in the ce. If it wasn¡¯t in a modern setting like on Earth, maps would have considerable value since they would usually contain details about routes into a kingdom, the terrain, etc. that would be perfectly helpful for an invading country or for spies to infiltrate.


    As he was dealing with the ruler of a nation, his actions should be well-grounded but also tinged with a sense of arrogance and natural air a prince of a kingdom ought to have. Compass Carburettor put attention to details as an ex-merchant.


    And once he said his piece, he looked at the Queen, giving her a nk stare that made it seem like he was just tired of everything and didn¡¯t seem to be plotting anything.


    ¡°Let¡¯s consider for a moment that everything you said is the truth,¡± The Queen made eye contact, ¡°What will you do next?¡±


    ¡°Return to my Kingdom, of course.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded as a matter of fact, ¡°I still have unfinished business to take care of in that ce.¡±


    He quickly spoke, ¡°I don¡¯t know where I have arrived at, but if Your Majesty can transport me to my kingdom, I will definitely reward handsomely. My father, the King of Plottopia values me the most out of all my siblings.¡±


    ¡°Guards, escort this gentleman to one of our guestrooms.¡± The Queenmanded as she looked at Compass Carburettor, ¡°We¡¯ll discuss thister.¡±


    ¡°I thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty.¡± Compass Carburettor gave her a formal bow as he followed a couple of guards and exited the throne room. All along, the Queen stared at his back, deep in thought.


    As Compass Carburettor walked along the hallway, he came across numerous statues along the way, ¡®Does this world revolve around statues or the sort?¡¯


    He didn¡¯t ask any question that might look suspicious as he simply followed the guards and was soon escorted to a room within the Pce itself. Upon entering it, he noticed the room was quite luxurious, spanning a length of 10 metres and a breadth of 8 metres.


    Once he entered it, the guards left and closed the door.

 Chapter 12: Weird Architecture

    <h4>Chapter 12: Weird Architecture</h4>


    The moment he entered the room, Compass Carburettor quickly scanned around, noticing that it seemed like a normal room, except for the weird aesthetics of the ce in that there were humanoid figures carved into the pirs at the corner of the room.


    He judged they were carved because they weren¡¯t lifelike and only spanned a centimetre-thick protrusion. So, he determined they wouldn¡¯t be the puppets from before that could try to assassinate him during the night for political reasons.


    ¡®Still, I have to be careful. That talk before was just the first of the tests. I am still a suspicious individual, so the Queen would probably try a couple of other things to probe me.¡¯ He thought, walking a little as he came across a full-length mirror, noticing his appearance.


    As he had been called for an interview, he was fully dressed up for the asion. So, the clothes he wore were of the finest quality fabric. And now, it had be dirty. But the moment he looked at it, the first thought that came to his mind wasn¡¯t his appearance. ¡®The cause that dirtied my clothes was the soil in the System World. If they were carried over with me, does that mean I can bring items of the System World with me?¡¯


    He pinched the end of his pant, rubbing the bit of mud that came off as he inspected it, ¡®Looks no different to regr mud.¡¯


    He then noticed the window in the room and walked towards it, peering through it as he noticed a training ground. It seemed the barracks was situated there and soldiers were currently training.


    Compass Carburettor noticed the soldiers held what was a small cylindrical rod in their hands. It had a slight curve to it that allowed a better grip as they held it. Each cylindrical rod ranged between 10-20 centimetres in height depending on the individual.


    And, what was shocking was the fact that a mysterious energy of sorts exited from the rods and had been shaped into a weapon each that they wielded during their training sessions. Some formed shields using the rods as a handle, some formed swords where the rod formed the hilt, etc.


    And soldiers training with each set of weapons formed their respective groups, forming a mechanical drill. As it seemed interesting, Compass Carburettor watched them in amusement, soon noticing in surprise when the swords of some of the soldiers fluctuated for a couple of seconds before vanishing.


    The respective soldiers sighed as they were punished by the drill instructor to run a couple ofps around the training grounds. Soon, the weapons of many soldiers fluctuated simrly before vanishing. The drill instructor sent them away to rest in the barracks when another group assembled before him.


    He continued to make them repeat the same as the previous batch. After seeing them for a while, Compass Carburettor thought, ¡®Interesting.¡¯


    He then heard a knock on the door before a couple of servants entered inside. Compass Carburettor smiled wryly as they didn¡¯t even ask for his permission and simply entered the room. ¡®Welp, I¡¯m just a suspicious guest and not someone they have to honour while staying.¡¯


    One of the servants made a formal bow in his way as she said, ¡°Her Majesty has asked for your presence during the evening session. Please change into this set of clothes after you take a bath first. We¡¯ll notify you when it¡¯s the time to visit.¡±


    He nodded, ncing at the set of clothes to see that they were made from a material resembling silk. They then arrived beside him, beginning to remove his clothes when he waved his hand in a hurry, speaking, ¡°I can do this myself.¡±


    They nodded and stood a couple of steps back, continuing to stare at him silently. Even though he was used to the attention and the stares of people, it was still embarrassing enough. He then looked around, heading into the bathroom as he took off his clothes while inside and then left his clothes out, thinking for a moment as he pointed at his shoe and watch, ¡°Not clothes.¡±


    The two servants stared at the closed door for a good while before one of them approached it and picked up the clothes ced on one side. The other servant picked up the watch and the shoes before leaving the room.


    A couple of minutester, they returned and stood in their previous spots, silently staring at the bathroom door.


    Once he entered the bathroom, Compass Carburettor sighed as he looked around to see something that resembled a bathtub. There were a couple of pipes for water flow. He experimented with them, seeing that one was for hot water and the other was for cold water.


    There also seemed to be a solution in a bottle beside that worked simr to soap. ¡°Well, that works.¡±


    Sighing, Compass Carburettor took a bath and refreshed himself, finally draining the water when he looked around, noticing that there were no towels around. He then gently peeked out the door by craning it open a little to see the servant standing beside, a towel in hand.


    Taking it from her, he quickly dried himself and took the clothes from her next, looking at the first thing he always wondered about during such stories, sighing in relief when he noticed there was an underwear.


    He then pinched its ends first, stretching it a bit while inspecting it thoroughly from all sides, finally heaving a sigh of relief at the end, ¡°It¡¯s a new one.¡±


    Once he dressed himself in the weirdly designed robe, he exited the bathroom, noticing the two servants bow once as they took the towel and exited the room, ¡°We¡¯ll inform youter when it¡¯s the time to make an appearance.¡±


    Once the door closed with a thud, Compass Carburettor looked at the ce where he left his shoe, realising that his shoes and watch had disappeared. Frowning at his oversight, he arrived at the door and pressed the doorknob, realising that it was locked.

 Chapter 13: Watch in Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 13: Watch in Trouble</h4>


    Followed by a clicking sound, the door was opened from the other side as a guard looked at him, ¡°Is something the matter.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°The servants from before have taken two of my items that shouldn¡¯t be washed. Can you make sure they aren¡¯t washed?¡±


    Upon seeing the guard continue to stare in confusion, he said with an urging tone, ¡°Or, call them first. I¡¯ll talk to them.¡±


    ¡°Give me a moment,¡± The guard called another guard to fill in his ce as he hurried over.


    Compass Carburettor used the chance to take a better look at him, spotting a cylindrical instrument strung to the side of his hip. It was simr in design to the ones used in the training grounds.


    ¡®So, that¡¯s probably the main form of weaponry in this world. How strong and effective are they, though?¡¯ Compass Carburettor wondered as he waited.


    Soon after, a servant arrived and made a formal bow towards him, ¡°It seems the servants from before havemitted a mistake. We¡¯ll return your items shortly.¡±


    ¡®They are probably wondering about what the watch is and the material my shoe and clothes are made out of.¡¯ He thought, waving his hands, saying it was fine as he closed the door. He then arrived at the window once again, gazing out to see two soldiers standing a wide distance apart from each other.


    Then, a wooden puppet walked from each side, standing next to them. It seemed they were controlling the puppets. And upon their signal, the wooden puppets sprinted, engaging in a fight.


    The quality of wood was cheap as they seemed to be created with the intention to spar as training. So soon after, the wooden puppets began to form cracks, showing signs of breaking. They stopped the fight at this point as the two soldiers retreated with their respective puppets.


    Soon after, another two soldiers walked out as their respective wooden puppets fought. For some soldiers, their puppets lost energy to fight mid-way, slumping down to the ground. The training instructor punished the respective soldiers, telling them to run twops around the training ground.


    After observing them for some time, Compass Carburettor concluded, ¡®It seems everyone here has some form of energy in their body. Some use it to manipte a puppet to fight for them while others wield it using that cylindrical instrument to create weapons to fight. And, wielding each type requires energy and they can sustain operation only as long as the energy in their bodiesst.¡¯


    ¡®Quite an interesting method of operation,¡¯ He nodded in thought, wondering, ¡®But, it seems those cylindrical objects function as a handle of sorts while the weapon forms around them. But, is it possible to create guns using that? Or, does the created weapon depend on the type of cylinder used? I still don¡¯t know many things about that.¡¯


    He continued to observe them until the evening when he was summoned by the servant. ¡®This is probably another probe of sorts I guess.¡¯


    Thinking as such, he followed the servant, apanied by a couple of guards on his front and back. As they held des, his back felt like it could be pricked upon anytime, so Compass Carburettor was feeling a bit rmed.


    He didn¡¯t have any guarantee that the guards wouldn¡¯t swing their des at him. Moreover, even while moving, he was still aware of his surroundings, intending to react the moment they proceeded in a direction that seemed less decorated.


    Based on the documents and stories he had read, most castles were also equipped with dungeons to cage nobility or the like, sometimes even torture spies and criminals. Depending on the kingdom, the dungeons varied from a lock-up cell to the worst of nightmares.


    He hadn¡¯t summoned Anthozoa¡ªhis gun¡ªor shown it to anyone yet. He didn¡¯t know if anything like a camera or their equivalent existed in this world. So, he didn¡¯t wish to reveal his trump card to anyone. Besides, summoning it was instantaneous. So, he could instantly condense it in his hand when he wished to shoot someone.


    Though, there were only five bullets in it, since he had shot the sixth one at the portal. So, if his enemies were beyond five, he wouldn¡¯t survive.


    ¡®I have to learn this world¡¯s mode of power first.¡¯ Thinking as such, he ensured his face didn¡¯t disy any suspicious motions. He walked based on his character setting, following the servants to a door that was rtively normal-looking aspared to the throne room¡¯s sprawling entrance.


    Upon arriving at the door, one of the servants gently knocked using the door knocker, a ring-shaped item with the face of a human engraved at the end, forming a small protrusion to make it seem a bit realistic. It was still a miniature carving, so it wasn¡¯t real.


    The door parted way as a servant peeked from the inside, scanning the faces of everyone before nodding.


    The servants that had apanied him motioned at the door, ¡°Please enter. Her Majesty is waiting inside.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Nodding, Compass Carburettor entered inside, internally sighing in relief upon seeing that he hadn¡¯t entered a cell or anything of the sort. It was a lushly decorated room with a table ced on one side, filled with a variety of food.


    There seemed to be a dancefloor in the centre, attached to a balcony on the opposite side that overlooked a training ground. The training ground seemed different to the one he saw before. It contained numerous apparatuses to help in training.


    The other end of the room was a study, adorned with books on the shelves that were arranged akin to a library. And ced beside it were a couple of chairs overlooking a table. Currently, the Queen was seated on the chair, wearing a monocle to help her read through a massive book with tiny letters filling up the pages.


    She seemed to be searching for something. And upon seeing his arrival, she smiled a little, beckoning for him toe and sit before her. Upon seeing her hold his watch, Compass Carburettor smiled wryly.

 Chapter 14: A Truthful Conversation

    <h4>Chapter 14: A Truthful Conversation</h4>


    Compass Carburettor smiled wryly, taking a seat opposite to the Queen. Once he sat down, she looked at him with a deep gaze, ¡°I¡¯m interested in knowing more about you.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, as long as it isn¡¯t something too personal, I will talk.¡± He smiled, thinking it was better to proceed in such a way so that he might be able to bargain with her for some help in learning about her world¡¯s power.


    The Queen then waved the servant that was lighting a pair of candles to leave them alone. Followed by a bow, the servant left. Now, there were only the two of them in the ce.


    Compass Carburettor noticed that the lighting source wasn¡¯t candle-based, but of an instrument embedded with a stone of sorts that emitted light on its own. It seemed the candles were lit for aesthetic purposes.


    ¡°Aromatic Candles, helps in calming the mind and learning,¡± The Queen smiled upon seeing him look at the candles. ¡°I always use them while surfing through books.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of books,¡± She pointed at the watch, ¡°This¡­timer, was it created in your Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t specialise in such products.¡± Compass Carburettor shook his head, saying, ¡°It was a gift from my father. I don¡¯t know from exactly where he bought it.¡±


    He said it like that in case the Queen wished to establish a trade for the watches. He wouldn¡¯t be able toply since Plottopia didn¡¯t exist in reality after all.


    ¡°Where exactly is your Kingdom located?¡± The Queen asked.


    Until now, she hadn¡¯t expressed any notion of expression against him that would put him under pressure. But, that only made him appreciate her intelligence and cunning. Whether or not he was telling the truth, she was being careful so that her actions would only benefit her in the future and not cause harm to her or her kingdom.


    ¡°Is there any scendmark in this ce? Either here or in this region?¡± Compass Carburettor asked.


    ¡°Do you know about Pickchuki mountain?¡± She asked.


    ¡°What is it famous for?¡± Compass Carburettor acted like he was trying to think hard about its name, seemingly like he might have heard it or something simr before.


    ¡°Darble,¡± The Queen said with a solemn tone, frowning immediately when Compass Carburettor looked like he didn¡¯t know anything about it. She didn¡¯t frown because he was ignorant about the mountain, but because he was ignorant about Darble, the primary material that was used everywhere in their world.


    It was the material used to power a Puppet or condense weapons in an Armament. So, even the poorest of the poor would know about the word Darble. And to think the man before her seemed oblivious to such a simple fact caused her to feel suspicious about him.


    ¡°How did your Kingdom function? What kind of power did they harness?¡± The Queen asked next.


    Her question immediately made him realise that he might have given away his ignorance before. So, without any hesitation, he iterated another response he had nned for such a situation, ¡°I don¡¯t exactly know how it functioned before my grandfather¡¯s time. But during his reign, too many assassins tried to assassinate him. And, they were all frommoners who were dissatisfied with his rule.¡±


    With a sigh, he shrugged, ¡°As themoners could grow strong enough to threaten him, he passed down a rule to never train one¡¯s body in the art of battle. After that, all weaponry and any means to gain power were banned from our kingdom. Any problems had to be solved using pure fists alone. It was easy to implement since ours was a secluded Kingdom and didn¡¯t have any enemies.¡±


    ¡®Is that why he was staring at the soldiers training in interest for almost the entire time?¡¯ The Queen thought, amused for a moment before her tone turned serious as she asked, ¡°For what reason have you arrived here?¡±


    ¡°I was transported to this ce.¡± Compass Carburettor replied naturally.


    Upon seeing his spontaneous action and noticing zero differences in his facial expression, the Queen was mentally caught off guard, ¡®The truth serum should have already kicked its effect by now. It¡¯s a new dose, so there shouldn¡¯t be anyone that would have immunity against it. That means¡­he is now speaking the truth?¡¯


    ¡°Will you pose any harm to this ce?¡± She asked next.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Compass Carburettor replied as a matter of fact.


    ¡°Do you wish to return to your kingdom?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded.


    ¡°Why?¡± She asked.


    ¡°To save my daughter?¡± Compass Carburettor replied when his eyes widened in surprise, for a moment thinking why he had answered as such.


    ¡®I see, so it indeed kicked in. He was just speaking the truth spontaneously and hadn¡¯t realised it. It seems this man really has been transported here through some mystical means.¡¯ The Queen then looked at him, staring hard at him, asking, ¡°If given a choice, will you be my ally or enemy?¡±


    ¡°An ally, of course.¡± He replied spontaneously, now realising something was indeed amiss as he stood up in rm. In truth, if he was asked such a question, he wanted to answer in such a way as to maintain a neutral stance. That way, he would be able to reap enough benefits while not be dragged into the kingdom¡¯s politics.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± The Queenughed a little as she waved her hand rxedly, ¡°I was testing you by using some truth serum. I hope to have your understanding. My position is like that. And you were indeed suspicious.¡±


    ¡°As long as I don¡¯t have to engage in a survival run from this ce, it¡¯s fine.¡± Compass Carburettor sighed as he judged that the Queen showed no signs of suspicion against him now, at least to a cordial extent, slumping back on the chair, ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of fights, to be frank with you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± The Queen chuckled, ¡°The both of us can only be frank in such a situation.¡±


    ¡®So, she too is affected by it?¡¯ Upon thinking as such, Compass Carburettor asked immediately, ¡°Am I still under suspicion?¡±


    ¡°Definitely,¡± The Queen smiled, ¡°But, I won¡¯t surround you with guards constantly like today.¡±


    She then got up and headed to the other side, snuffing out the candles as she took two sses, pouring in a drink as she brought them, offering one to Compass Carburettor, ¡°Here, have a taste of this. This is a speciality of our region. Consider this a hospitality from my side since I hadn¡¯t treated you properly until now.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Compass Carburettor took the ss, gazing at thevender coloured liquid inside, taking a sniff of its aroma as he spoke, ¡°Sweet, fragrant, the culture of a foreignnd.¡±


    The Queen was just about to say something when she noticed his face flushed red, as if he was intoxicated by alcohol, causing her to stare at him with a dumbfounded expression as her eyebrows twitched.

 Chapter 15: The Abandoned Prince

    <h4>Chapter 15: The Abandoned Prince</h4>


    The Queen got up from her seat, standing before Compass Carburettor as she looked at his condition, ¡®He¡¯spletely drunk? How is this possible? All he did was sniff it once.¡¯


    She gently patted his shoulder, seeing that Compass Carburettor was trying his best to respond to her but was slowly losing consciousness. Soon, he fell asleep. Upon seeing his actions, she burst outughing, ¡®This guy¡¯s interesting.¡¯


    She then brushed his hair to the side, looking at his face as she sighed, ¡®With such a handsome appearance, if you hadn¡¯t been born a prince, your life would have been hell.¡¯


    ¡­


    ¡°Dammit, I am the Prince of this sted kingdom. You hear me? Prince! I¡¯m the Prince!¡± Regriel shouted as he was dragged out of the pce by a couple of guards. Arriving at the entrance, they dumped him into a carriage, looking at the driver as they nodded.


    A couple of guards were already seated inside the carriage, grabbing hold of Regriel the moment he was thrown inside, constricting him with a rope. The carriage immediately began to move, reaching the end of the city soon after.


    It looked no different to an automobile, only less sophisticated in appearance. The driver held his hand above a certain marble sphere while inserting his energy into it, using it to fuel the vehicle and make it move.


    Along the journey, the guardsughed, ¡°To think we would have the honour to board the royal carriage.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to sir scourge here.¡± Another guard pped the back of Regriel as heughed.


    ¡°I dare you to touch me again, pleb. I¡¯ll have you executed.¡± Regriel cursed as his face turned red. No sooner than when he said it, his face turned pale as an impact had mmed into his stomach, causing him to gasp for air.


    ¡°It seems sir scourge here is still under the illusion of being a Prince.¡± The guard retracted his fist, smirking as he disyed a hint of anger in his eyes, ¡°You have spoiled the lives of numerous innocent girls. You¡¯ll get your justice soon.¡±


    Once they reached the end of the city, the two guards carried Regriel into a horse-drawn carriage. The carriage left the capital city, crossing the well-paved roads and trod into the mud road, heading towards the edge of the kingdom, intending to head into the neighbouring kingdom.


    Upon seeing the route they took, Regriel¡¯s eyes widened as his face paled, fearing the worst when the guard patted his back, ¡°Rx, you won¡¯t be killed. You¡¯ll be married off to a noble from the Dedicus Kingdom. You have been perfectly useless as a Prince, so at least contribute to our kingdom this way.¡±


    ¡°I heard the nobledy he¡¯ll be marrying has a fetish of collecting the skulls of men.¡± The other guard snickered.


    ¡®Human skulls? Dammit, not her! Not that psychopath!¡¯ Regriel cursed mentally as he tried to wriggle out his way. But, he was unable to overpower the guards who easily subdued him.


    He had never trained all his life. And due to ack of exercise, he was fat,cking the strength to even carry his own weight for more than twenty steps. Against the veteran guards that had experienced a couple of wars, he was nothing.


    It was evening by the time the carriage left their kingdom border, heading into a forest path. Their kingdom wasn¡¯t big by any means, only spanning a maximum length of 260 kilometres and a maximum breadth of 140 kilometres at a stretch.


    And, the Capital city, Ellipster was situated only 40 kilometres from the border, so the carriage crossed the border soon, despite travelling on a mud path.


    Regriel had resigned himself to his fate, ¡®Even if she were a psychopath, as long as I have a status, I can enjoy my life without worries. As long as she¡¯s not too ugly, I can put up with her.¡¯


    But, his thoughts were soon shattered when he noticed the oddly shaped trees and the snow-covered ground, shuddering as he shouted, ¡°This is not the way to the Dedicus Kingdom. We have entered the Heroica Empire!¡±


    ¡°Bingo! You aren¡¯t entirely stupid then.¡± The two guards chuckled.


    ¡°You said I¡¯ll be married off to that psychopath nobledy in the Dedicus Kingdom!¡± Regriel shouted as he tried to wrestle his way out.


    ¡°Silence!¡± One of the guards shouted in irritation before mming his elbow into Regriel¡¯s thigh, causing the other party to shut up in pain.


    ¡°It was our n at first,¡± The other guard said, ¡°But, you are no longer a prince. So, we can¡¯t marry you off to nobility. The Queen said you were better off dead, just like the rest of your useless siblings and the King.¡±


    ¡°W-What¡­? What happened to my father?¡± Regriel stammered in shock when the carriage stopped. The two guards dragged him out and mmed him to the ground.


    Regriel felt difficulty in even getting up on his own as a guard snickered before propping him up into a kneeling position, ¡°Trash is best disposed of properly.¡±


    Regriel despaired as he heard the guard¡¯s voice. But, the moment he stared before her, rage filled him as he shouted at the silhouette that had appeared before him, ¡°General Artica! You bitch! You had sworn loyalty to the King. How dare you point your de at the royal family? What have you done to my father, the King?¡±


    There was a group of four standing before him, all veiled except for the one named General Artica. Though, she hadn¡¯t worn her armour at present, only dressed inmoner clothes to make it seem like the work of bandits. As for the other three behind her, they seemed lifeless¡ªher puppets.


    Upon hearing his shouts, General Artica nonchntly dug into her ears, looking uninterested as she motioned at the guards. One of them took out a knife and cut the rope binding him. But, Regriel tried to get up and run when he noticed his legs were in pain, having travelled for so long¡ªseated in the carriage.


    He didn¡¯t have enough strength left in him to run, only able to stutter as he said, ¡°S-Spare me!¡±


    General Artica took out a cylinder and inserted her energy into it, creating an energy sword as she shed it.


    Regriel saw the de in her hands, despairing as he could hear derisiveughter around him. But right when he had given up all hope, he heard a sound in his ears, one that seemed like his lifesaver.


    [Ding!]

 Chapter 16: Slave Harem System

    <h4>Chapter 16: ve Harem System</h4>


    [Ding!]


    The sound felt heavenly as Regriel noticed the time around him had almost stopped. But, he could see the energy de moving towards him slowly, so it was apparent that time had only slowed down, ¡®W-What¡¯s happening?¡¯


    [Ding!]


    [Activating ve Harem System]


    [Status: Host¡¯s life is threatened]


    [Host, do you wish to use the beginner package?]


    ¡®A System?¡¯ Regriel thought, moving his mouth to see that he wasn¡¯t able to speak. He then thought, trying tomunicate through the mind, ¡®Are you a system?¡¯


    [I¡¯m the ve Harem System]


    [Host, time is running short. Do you wish to use the beginner package?]


    ¡®I have nothing to lose by this point. Only this might save me.¡¯ Regriel thought in a hurry, ¡®I¡¯ll use the beginner package.¡¯


    [Ding!]


    [Extracting beginner package]


    [Obtained Core-Skill: Harem ve (Level 1)]


    [Obtained one-time-use Skill: Harem ve (Level Max)]


    [Ding!]


    [Do you wish to use the one-time-use Skill: Harem ve (Level Max)?]


    ¡®Yes! Use it!¡¯ Regriel bellowed mentally, noticing a mysterious energy of sorts umte on his right hand.


    [Ding!]


    [Host, please select your target]


    Upon seeing the de nearing him, Regriel thought hurriedly, ¡®The two guards are weaker than General Artica. And most of all, they are male. There¡¯s only one option then. General Artica!¡¯


    His right hand immediately moved forward and touched the skin of General Artica. The mysterious energy condensed in his hand seeped into her body through the skin, instantly coursing through her body before causing the areas of her crotch and neck to glow.


    Regriel noticed a tattoo in the shape of a cor appear on her neck when the world around him returned to normal, causing him to scream as the energy de stopped right before beheading him. There was a tiny cut on his neck as he screamed in pain. But, the energy sword didn¡¯t behead him.


    ¡°What happened, General Artica?¡± The two guards were confused upon seeing the look of confusion on her face.


    ¡®What happened?¡¯ General Artica frowned as she tried to move her hand and behead Regriel, but for some reason, intense pain assaulted her from her heart the moment she thought of it. The pain wasn¡¯t physical, but was an emotional one, as if she was executing her beloved.


    Memories shed through her mind, recalling the first time she met Regriel. He was being a jerk as he lecherously ogled her all along, staring at her breasts proactively. At that time, she felt humiliated by his gaze, wishing to do nothing else but sh him into pieces.


    After that, on numerous asions, Regriel always tried to harass her. All the time, she made an excuse and vanished from the scene. And, she had tremendous hatred against the man that didn¡¯t value a soldier like her that had shed blood for the Kingdom but rather treated her as a woman that should have been his ything.


    But now, when she recalled the same thought, her opinion changed mysteriously, ¡®He was just interested in me.¡¯


    ¡®When I was young back then, he looked at me, only me. And even now, he¡¯s still looking at me the same. This isn¡¯t lust. I just misunderstood him because of his facial expression. Regriel is a kind man. He just loves me dearly.¡¯


    ¡®Yes, I love him!¡¯


    Her thoughts were rapidly twisted, and before she realised it, she had thrust her sword forward, piercing it into the chest of the nearby guard.


    ¡°What are you doing, General Artica?¡± The guard screamed in shock as he tried to extricate himself. He pulled out his weapon, intending to condense his energy de when the one piercing his chest expanded, severing him into two.


    The other guard had be alert as he condensed his de, getting ready to parry her attack when the three figures behind General Artica moved, jumping towards him before attacking him.


    He hurriedly deflected the attacks of the three puppets, flinching at the power behind each blow that threatened to destroy his energy de when he noticed his hands were weightless all of a sudden; intense pain assaulted him.


    General Artica had sneaked to his side and severed his hands. Before he could shout, she plunged the de through his head, pulling it out as she flicked it once.


    ¡®What about the carriage driver?¡¯ She quickly turned around, noticing a galloping horse. The carriage driver had spontaneously removed the harness and rode a horse, intending to inform the Queen about her betrayal.


    ¡®No, I shouldn¡¯t allow him to return.¡¯ She thought,manding her puppets to move when suddenly, intense sounds ofughter resounded from behind her, startling her.


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Regriel fell on his back, feeling the soft snow as heughed at the top of his lungs, ¡°Damn you, Aunt. You stripped my father of his power and even tried to assassinate me. I¡¯ll take revenge on you!¡±


    General Artica hurriedly arrived beside him, propping him up with care as her eyes were filled with a gentle gaze, ¡°Are you okay¡­dear?¡±


    ¡®Dear? Holy heck! This is amazing. To think the ever beautiful and devoted General Artica would call me that. ve Harem System, is it? Amazing! Amazing!¡¯ Regriel thought as he looked at General Artica in close-up, taking in the visage of her beautiful face as he inhaled her scent, getting intoxicated by it as he pulled her close, nting his lips on her.


    ¡°Umph!¡± General Artica was startled by his sudden action. But, she didn¡¯t resist, closing her eyes as she slowly wrapped her arms around Regriel.


    ¡®She¡¯s not resisting.¡¯ Regriel noticed as he was overwhelmed with euphoria, weaving his way through her clothes as he entered her, finishing his task within three seconds as he grunted in exhaustion.


    General Artica looked at him with a nk stare, disappointed, ¡°¡­that¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Upon seeing her beautiful figure, Regriel stood up once again and entered her, staying within for another three seconds.


    ¡°¡­You need to train.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Regriel said with a dejected tone. But internally, he was roaring withughter, ¡®To think I can do it with General Artica, The General Artica of all women. Hahahaha!¡¯


    He then summoned every essence of his being and willpower tost another three seconds.

 Chapter 17: A System’s Magic

    <h4>Chapter 17: A System¡¯s Magic</h4>


    Panting on the snow-covered ground, Regriel asked while gasping for air, ¡°Have my siblings really been executed?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± General Artica nodded, ¡°You were thest that remained. As for the King, he¡¯s been poisoned so that he couldn¡¯t be active. Your mother and the second wife have been imprisoned from the day the current Queen¡ªthe third wife¡ªcame to power. As they are only under house arrest, rumours didn¡¯t float around.¡±


    ¡°Howe I never knew about all these things happening in the capital?¡± Regriel was shocked.


    ¡°You were simply wasting money on the prostitutes. And you never cared about anything other than that.¡± She looked at him in mockery, ¡°And, your siblings were killed under the pretext that they were headed to join the Warrior Academy in Heroica Empire. The Queen wouldter announce that they met an untimely death during their training. She¡¯ll probably use a stand-in for them and announce the deaths of everyone one after another slowly after she had fully stabilised her authority.¡±


    ¡°W-Why is she doing this?¡±


    ¡°For power, of course,¡± General Artica nodded as a matter of fact, ¡°But, the fact of the matter is that all the Princes and Princesses birthed by the first and second wifeck talent. All they have done was live prodigiously and waste the kingdom¡¯s resources. The Queen attributed it to the King¡¯scking genes, same for the first and second wife. That¡¯s why she did this. And, her children are indeed quite talented, enough to be as strong as me in the future.¡±


    Regriel facepalmed as he breathed in and out, looking like he was angered by the fact of his siblings¡¯ demise, but internally, he was thinking something different, ¡®General Artica¡¯s character remains the same. The only thing that has been flipped is her emotions towards me. Just for that, she even betrayed the Queen, someone she had been following since young.¡¯


    Heughed, ¡®This is one fearsome power. System!¡¯


    [Ding!]


    ¡®Disy my status.¡¯


    [As youmand, Host]


    [Level 5 ve Harem System]


    [Host: Regriel Entropica]


    [Physique: none]


    [Skills: none]


    [Core Skill: ve Harem (Level 1)]


    [Enved: Artica Striker]


    There was a flood of information in his brain as Regriel understood the usage of his Core Skill: ve Harem (Level 1).


    ¡®The ve Harem Skill allows me to enve anyone into my harem member. As I¡¯m a man, it seems to only be effective against women. I need to touch their skin for the Skill to take effect. But at Level 1, I need to remain in contact with their skin for a total duration of a day before I can enve a woman.¡¯ He nodded, grinning, ¡®Thankfully, I have General Artica. She¡¯s a strong ally and incredibly beautiful. Only the Queen¡¯s prettier than her.¡¯


    ¡®But with my System, I will enve the Queen and her daughters too, haha.¡¯ He grinned, slipping his hand into General Artica¡¯s shirt, kneading the hill within.


    ¡°We have to leave soon.¡± General Artica said while blushing, pinching Regriel¡¯s cheek, ¡°The driver had run away while you were messing around. If he managed to inform the Queen, we¡¯ll be doomed.¡±


    Regriel immediately broke out of his reverie, sweating in tension as he was flustered, ¡°W-What shall we do now?¡±


    ¡°Rx,¡± General Artica said as her gaze turned sharp, ¡°I¡¯ll protect you from all harm.¡±


    She pointed at the three puppets behind her, ¡°I brought all three of my puppets. Unless the heads of other major noble houses arrive or the Queen personally makes a move, we won¡¯te under harm.¡±


    ¡®Right, General Artica is the head of the Striker noble house. And, even among the four noble house heads, she¡¯s the strongest. So, unless the Queen personally takes action, I won¡¯t fall under harm.¡¯ Regriel thought as he rxed a little, ¡°Where shall we escape towards?¡±


    ¡°Even the Queen won¡¯t dare to send troops into the Heroica Empire. We¡¯ll seek refuge there.¡± General Artica said, patting Regriel¡¯s back as she consoled him, ¡°Rx, with me around, you won¡¯t go hungry.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ll gather more people in the Heroica Empire and strengthen myself. Then, I¡¯ll destroy the Entropica Kingdom and enve the Queen. Ahh! How I wish I could fondle her mountains already.¡¯ Heughed lecherously, fondling the hills of General Artica.


    Two of her puppets arrived and carried him. General Articamanded the final puppet to destroy all traces as she fished out the weapons from the two guards and salvaged anything she could find. Her puppet then carried her and began to run through the forest at tremendous speeds, quickly leaving the ce as they entered the territory of the Heroica Empire.


    ¡­


    It waste into the night as the Queen was still in the study, looking through some of the older documents that involved research about the puppets. She was studying methods to better her fighting prowess, even though she was already the strongest in the kingdom.


    After studying through it for quite some time, she removed her monocle, massaging her eyes as she felt strained and tired. Closing the books, she got up, stretching a little as she muttered, ¡°I hoped he would have some knowledge from his kingdom that would allow me to break through my current limit.¡±


    After Compass Carburettor fainted, shemanded her servants to return him to his room, continuing to study after that. ¡®Well, he seems genuine and has an air of grace and authority around him. He¡¯s definitely not simple. I should treat him well.¡¯


    Suddenly, her servant arrived and stated, ¡°Your Majesty, we just received a report. The assassination of Regriel has failed. General Artica has betrayed us.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The Queen was unable to rein in herposure, ¡°Impossible! General Artica is my most trusted friend. How can she betray me? What about the Striker House? Did they take any action?¡±


    ¡°The Striker House is in a panic because of this issue. It seems it was General Artica¡¯s decision alone.¡± The servant said, ¡°The driver who had apanied Regriel is standing outside, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Bring him in,¡± She said, watching a servant bring in the driver who immediately kneeled and said, ¡°Y-Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Tell me everything that happened.¡± The Queen looked at his dishevelled state, her gaze turning sinister as she heard everything the driver said.

 Chapter 18: Controlling Anger

    <h4>Chapter 18: Controlling Anger</h4>


    It was morning the next day as Compass Carburettor woke up, feeling groggy as he stretched his arms, getting up as he rang a bell, watching the two servants from before enter with a new pair of clothes.


    He took all the items, entered the bathroom, and freshened up. The clothes this time was pretty high up in the unusual category. There was a grey skin-tight cloth thatpletely covered everything below his neck, save for his fingers.


    Above it was a gown with fitting sleeves but loose in the rest of the ces. It was a mixture of dark magenta and purple, with the symbol of a flower in orange printed on the back. The shoes seemed to have been made of silk as it was soft enough to make him wish to sleep instantly.


    The dressing sense of the ce was different from Earth, but attributing it to the different culture, he adjusted to it. The material was of fine quality and it allowed him to move freely. So, he wasfortable wearing that.


    ¡°Her Majesty is summoning you.¡± The servant said as Compass Carburettor nodded, following her lead.


    The Queen was seated in a dining room where a variety of dishes were being set up. She sat on her seat, hearing the report from her servant, ¡°So, the two of them escaped into Heroica Empire.¡±


    ¡®Artica¡­why did you betray me?¡¯ She thought, worried because she had lost her strongest General. It instantly ced her kingdom at a disadvantage. And, General Artica had escaped with her three puppets.


    They had been created by expending most of the wealth of the Striker Noble Family that she was the head of. So, her leaving with the three puppets was a major blow to the family, something they couldn¡¯t recover from for at least a decade or two.


    ¡°What does General Arnica¡¯s husband have to say for this?¡± She asked her servant.


    ¡°He¡¯s been kneeling in the throne room, Your Majesty.¡± The servant said.


    ¡°Alright,¡± The Queen nodded, dismissing the servant as her mood was foul. Anger seethed within as she was unable to understand just why a friend that she had shared dreams with since childhood and someone who she had stood alongside with during numerous battles would betray her, and that too with Regriel who she had publicly expressed disdain towards.


    General Arnica had been an upstanding general of her kingdom, strong in her pursuit of justice, and wless in her conduct. She had numerous admirers among the army for her upstanding values and conviction.


    She was her kingdom¡¯s pir. So, it made zero sense for her to abandon their kingdom just like that and flee with someone she abhorred. As she was butting heads with her thoughts, Compass Carburettor arrived.


    A simple nce at her state allowed him to understand that something had happened. After all, her mental state was pretty worse, worse enough that it was obvious to see. From his previous conversation, he knew that the Queen was smart and cunning. So, no matter what, she was able to hide her emotions perfectly and act as the situation deemed fit.


    But now, she was unable to maintain it as her emotions were leaking out, showing how much she was affected by whatever had happened. Unwilling to offend her by stating anything inappropriate, Compass Carburettor made a formal bow, ¡°Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve arrived,¡± She sighed once, motioning at a chair next to her, ¡°Take a seat.¡±


    Compass Carburettor did as he was told, pausing for a couple of seconds before he said, ¡°You seem¡­troubled?¡±


    ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± She blinked her eyes a couple of times before smiling wryly.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°Something serious must have happened to shake you up this much.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± She took in a deep breath, ¡°Hypothetically speaking, why do you think a trusted friend would betray you, even going to the extent of abandoning her family to do so?¡±


    Compass Carburettor thought for a moment, ¡°Either I might possess a treasure valuable enough to make it worth a betrayal or she might have been brainwashed or mind-controlled.¡±


    ¡°Do you think something like that is possible?¡± The Queen said as she gazed at his eyes.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Compass Carburettor, ¡°But, just because it is possible doesn¡¯t mean it can be achieved easily. Tell me the context of the situation. I can give my opinion based on that.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s good that I proimed myself as a Prince. The Queen is even asking me for advice on national matters.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, ¡®Thanks to that truth serum, she knows that I pose no threat to her and am an ally of her. Her probing worked in my favour this time.¡¯


    ¡°In my kingdom, we have four noble houses. Each noble house has a lot of power. And, the strongest of each noble house holds the position of a General in my army.¡± The Queen said as nerves visibly protruded on her neck, showing that she was barely managing to control her anger. It was to the extent Compass Carburettor was able to feel her killing intent that numbed his body.


    She hadn¡¯t even emitted her actual killing intent. It was just a tinge that leaked out while she was suppressing her anger. Even that made his body shiver. After all, Compass Carburettor hadn¡¯t killed anyone. So, he was weak to killing intent, despite having a trained body akin to an athlete.


    Seeing his reaction, the Queen recalled his background, understanding that he was weak to killing intent, controlling herself immediately as she spoke, ¡°And, General Artica, the strongest General in our Kingdom whose power is weaker only to mine has betrayed me and fled along with a Prince to the neighbouring Empire.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Compass Carburettor thought as he spoke, ¡°Did this Prince and General Artica share any feelings for one another, grew up from childhood¡­¡±


    ¡°General Artica is 32 years old while the Prince, Regriel is 17 years old. They shared nomon history. Regriel is a scourge that yed with the chastity of many girls and had even harassed General Artica on numerous asions to the extent she almost hacked him to death several times.¡±


    ¡°There is only hatred between them.¡±

 Chapter 19: Advice and Sincerity

    <h4>Chapter 19: Advice and Sincerity</h4>


    After hearing everything the Queen had to say, Compass Carburettor looked around once, asking, ¡°Where is the rest of the Royalty?¡±


    ¡°The King¡¯s sick while his other wives are under house arrest. As for the numerous princes and princesses, I killed them.¡± The Queen said frankly, looking at Compass Carburettor shudder once.


    He then asked, ¡°But why? Is it because of a problem with the session?¡±


    ¡°There is that too since I was only his third wife.¡± The Queen nodded, ¡°But the main reason is that all of them didn¡¯t realise the threat our kingdom faces and simply continued to eat through the royal treasury. They have alsomitted enough atrocities to the extent themon popce was nning a rebellion. So, I killed everyone who was problematic and took the throne for myself.¡±


    ¡°Was General Artica part of the group that killed the problematic people?¡± Compass Carburettor asked.


    ¡°She was my right hand. She executed all the princes and princesses herself. It was because I trusted her wholeheartedly that I left the task to her.¡± The Queen expressed her sadness, sighing.


    ¡°Last question,¡± Compass Carburettor turned serious, ¡°Was Prince Regriel the fat man that was dragged out from the throne room when I arrived?¡±


    ¡°Yes, him.¡± The Queen nodded, watching Compass Carburettor¡¯s face beam with a smile instantly, puzzling her.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s simple,¡± He spoke, ¡°General Artica hasn¡¯t betrayed you. She¡¯s fallen under his control. Unless he¡¯s killed, she¡¯ll behave like a different person.¡±


    ¡°Is this¡­the truth?¡± The Queen¡¯s eyes widened in shock upon hearing him state it with such confidence.


    ¡°Yes, you can use the truth serum to validate it.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°And, I¡¯ll be frank with you. I was speaking the truth yesterday, but I hid some things from you. Prince Regriel is my target. Through him, I¡¯ll be able to reach my home.¡±


    ¡°But, Regriel has no talent in anything. And, how was he able to control General Artica? Even if he found some evidence that might target some guilt of her past, she could have easily killed him to erase all evidence. And, she had gone to kill him in the first ce. Also, she had stopped only when her sword cut a bit into Regriel¡¯s neck.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because he¡¯s a Sy¡­¡± Compass Carburettor said casually when he gasped for air as intense pain emanated from his heart, turning his face beet red as he began to sweat profusely while his body temperature continued to increase.


    Danger!


    He felt an intense sense of danger surpassing the Deer System he had seen in the System World. It was the part of the Money-Making System¡ªthat had be his¡ªwarning him that if he continued to speak any further, he would mysteriously die.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± The Queen was rmed, hurriedly getting up as she noticed Compass Carburettor¡¯splexion visibly change. She touched his face, retracing her hand in reflex, ¡®He¡¯s burning up.¡¯


    Compass Carburettor raised his hand, weakly signalling that he was okay as he took in deep breaths, continuing to do so as the pain slowly subsided. Hispletion soon returned to normal as his body temperature cooled down to normalcy.


    ¡®That¡­makes sense. So, talking about Systems is taboo. Now I see why despite knowing about Systems, the residents of this world would think of it to be fiction. It¡¯s simr to how it was on Earth. If I hadn¡¯t obtained the Money-Making System, I too would have just treated them as fiction, and not part of reality.¡¯ He thought.


    ¡®So, if I assume based on what Fourth said, the first generation of Systems that enter a world would spread ideas about Systems in that world through the form of media. So, they might also use some of their powers to restrict information about Systems from being leaked out to prevent people from knowing they exist in reality. Maybe that¡¯s why I felt that intense sense of danger.¡¯


    ¡®Right, in all the stories I read, none of the main characters ever divulged that they possessed a System. They either lied their way through it or med their rise on a cheat weapon or shamelessly attributed everything to their hard work.¡¯ He clenched and rxed his fist, noting that he didn¡¯t suffer any damage.


    He then apologised to the Queen, ¡°Sorry, it seems I am unable to divulge the information to you. Just think of it like this: Regriel obtained a mystical treasure that allows him to enve other people, probably only women.¡±


    ¡®Judging based on how that System looked, it is probably rted to enving women. Probably named the ve Maker System or something.¡¯ He thought.


    ¡°Fine,¡± The Queen nodded, ¡°Then, will you be able to kill Regriel and make General Artica normal once again?¡±


    ¡°I have zero guarantees of being able to kill Regriel.¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡®All Systems are plot armours. Something would happen when I am on the verge of killing a System Host. Any System User is bound to reach the peak of his/her life.¡¯


    ¡°If you can do it, my kingdom will be indebted to you. You¡¯ll be handsomely rewarded for your efforts.¡± The Queen said.


    Compass Carburettor nodded, showing that he would ept it, ¡°That was my n from the start. But, I need to obtain confidence that I would be able to emerge victorious. And, that would depend on your sincerity.¡±


    ¡°What do you need?¡± The Queen frowned, wondering if he would use this chance to rip her.


    ¡°Teach me your technique,¡± He said, ¡°Once I learn that, my chances would be slightly above zero.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time, the longer we dy, the greater the number of talented women he would have enved.¡± Compass Carburettor said with a frown, ¡°And, it is for the best if you send some men as spies, the most talented in your kingdom to keep track of Regriel¡¯s behaviour. That way, I¡¯ll be able to prepare ordingly. If he obtains strong, influentialpanions from Heroica Empire, then it might cause a war if I were to kill them.¡±


    Compass Carburettorid down everything openly. And, judging based on what he said, his preparation and the sess of this operation would depend entirely on the number ofpanions Regriel obtains. And, if he obtains anyone other than General Artica, everything Compass Carburettor said would be confirmed as the truth.


    It was easy to verify. So, after a moment of thought, the Queen nodded, ¡°Alright.¡±

 Chapter 20: Darble and Darlac

    <h4>Chapter 20: Darble and Dac</h4>


    ¡°But first things first,¡± The Queen said after a moment, slightly feeling awkward as she looked a Compass Carburettor, ¡°Let¡¯s introduce ourselves first.¡±


    She got up, making a mild bow, ¡°I am Epheme Entropica, Queen of the Entropica Kingdom. I became Queen when I turned 32, and am the strongest Puppeteer and Warrior of this Kingdom.¡±


    ¡®She became Queen recently. So¡­¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought as he stood up in return and bowed, ¡°I am Compass Carburettor, Prince of Plottopia. I managed my Kingdom¡¯s wealth.¡±


    ¡°Follow me, Sir Compass,¡± The Queen, Epheme said once they finished eating.


    Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t know what he had eaten. It seemed edible, so he consumed it in a daze. He followed the Queen and arrived at another room where there was a sphere situated on an altar of sorts.


    Pointing at it, the Queen said, ¡°This is Darble, a material that¡¯s used to harness the energy in our bodies. It also stores the same energy in it and is the basic material in the creation of a Puppet or an Armament.¡±


    ¡®So, that¡¯s why she found out before. I didn¡¯t know about Darble. And, it is amon fact everyone in this world ought to know.¡¯ Compass Carburettor nodded in understanding.


    The sphere had a radius of 20 centimetres and pulsed with a mysterious feeling. It was transparent like ss but swirling within it was a faint haze of some sort, varying in all colours of the visible spectrum.


    ¡°ce your hands on the Darble and close your eyes. Try to feel it.¡± The Queen said, watching Compass Carburettor execute it exactly, ¡°And, just remain in such a state patiently. Allow the energy from it to flow into your body and circte through it. It will eventually cause your body cells to begin generating this energy too. As long as you¡¯re a human, you can obtain this power.¡±


    Compass Carburettor closed his eyes, keeping his eyes on the Darble sphere as all he felt was the sense of touch. He couldn¡¯t feel anything else. ¡®Focus, and perceive it.¡¯


    He remained standing there for almost four hours before his arms began to sweat as he felt a prickling sensation all over them. The prickling sensation traversed up his arms and headed to his back, passing through his thighs until it reached his feet.


    It then continued up his body, passing through his neck before reaching the top of his head, causing him to shudder once. The prickling sensation then headed down his head, arriving at his chest before traversing up his shoulders, returning to his hands before vanishing.


    A couple of minutester, the prickling sensation repeated the same course, vanishing once the cycle was done. The process continued to happen continuously.


    The Queen had been staring at him all along without missing anything. When she noticed his hands begin to sweat after four hours, she nodded in surprise, ¡®His perception is extraordinary. It takes people days if not weeks to reach this state. He got it at almost the same time as me.¡¯


    She then noticed goosebumps appear on his hand before travelling over his body. She observed it when the goosebumps passed through his neck and headed up, and watched it return to his hands before vanishing.


    She mentally kept count of the number of cycles it happened, thinking, ¡®This process will determine his affinity towards Dac. It only took me 20 cycles before my body began to generate Dac on its own. An average person needs around 600-800 cycles before attaining the same. I wonder how many cycles you need, Compass Carburettor.¡¯


    Dac was the name of the energy present within the Darble and their bodies. It was what they used to control a Puppet or wield an Armament. At first, the Queen was enthusiastic, but when the number of cycles touched the three digits, she was mildly disappointed.


    Finally, after more than 300 cycles, Compass Carburettor felt something in his body had changed. He felt more nourished, like his stamina was being condensed into a quantizable form. Soon, he could feel something flow through his blood.


    The pulse felt different as he observed it.


    ¡°You can open your eyes now.¡± The Queen said. Compass Carburettor opened his eyes and noticed a ring had appeared atop the Darble. The colour was somewhere between white and yellow, the same as the energy weapons of the soldiers he had witnessed in action the previous day.


    The ring had a radius of 15 centimetres. And, he also observed that the Darble was floating a centimetre above the altar now. He didn¡¯t know exactly what it signified.


    ¡°You can remove your hands now.¡± The Queen said as he removed his hands, watching the Darble slowlynd on the altar as the ring atop it vanished.


    He looked at her, ¡°What does the final action mean?¡±


    ¡°When a ring appears atop the Darble, it means you have talent in wielding an Armament. And, therger its radius, the greater your affinity to this craft. On average, a person¡¯s ring has a radius of 10 centimetres. Yours had 15 centimetres, so you are better than the average. The size of the ring also varies on the size of the Darble. If the radius of the ring had been 20 centimetres, as this Darble has a radius of 20 centimetres, your affinity to this craft is deemed maximum.¡± She said, ¡®His affinity to wielding the Armaments is pretty high, almost on the level of a General. Even I only have an affinity of 18 centimetres.¡¯


    ¡°Simrly, when a Darble floats in the air, it means you have an affinity towards wielding a Puppet. Usually, everyone only has an affinity towards either one. Cases with an affinity towards both crafts are incredibly rare. There are less than 10 such people in this kingdom.¡± The Queen smiled, ¡°You¡¯ll have a maximum affinity to this craft if this Darble floated to a height of 20 centimetres. Yours floated to a centimetre in height, so, you still have some talent in this craft.¡±


    ¡®I thought he would reach my level considering his disposition and temperament. Still, it¡¯s a pretty good result considering his kingdom hasn¡¯t harnessed this energy before. It means his potential is high.¡¯ The Queen thought. She had never revealed her result to anyone in her Kingdom, for that would threaten her position since foreign kingdoms would try to kill her before she grew to be too strong.


    Publicly, she had an affinity of 5 centimetres for a Puppet. But in actuality, she had an affinity of 20 centimetres, the highest for the craft.

 Chapter 21: Using an Armament

    <h4>Chapter 21: Using an Armament</h4>


    ¡®It¡¯s not an overwhelming talent like a System User. But it¡¯s still better than most. I can work around with that.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought as he clenched his fist, feeling the faint energy flowing within.


    He then looked at the Queen, Epheme, ¡°How do we harness this energy?¡±


    ¡°We cannot use Dac naturally.¡± Epheme said, ¡°The only way we can harness it is through the help of a Darble.¡±


    She then began to walk away, beckoning for Compass Carburettor to follow her. They then reached another room, an armoury of sorts where numerous cylindrical instruments were stored on shelves.


    Epheme took a cylindrical object, saying, ¡°We call this an Armament. The lengths of Armaments vary, but that is only to facilitate better grip for people with different sized hands.¡±


    She activated it, causing energy to appear from one t surface of the cylinder, forming a sword in an instant. The sword was around a metre in length and had a breadth of three centimetres. She lightly swung it once, saying, ¡°The primary advantage of this is that there is no weight to these weapons. So, you can wield them without any muscle strain for longer durations than wielding a conventional weapon.¡±


    ¡°But, the power behind an attack is also inclusive of the weapon¡¯s weight, right?¡± Compass Carburettor asked in confusion.


    ¡°Yes, that is true.¡± Epheme nodded, ¡°We cannot give any weight to these energy weapons. But, they are sturdy and instantly repairable when damaged. And, you can subsist the force required using your muscr force. As long as the de is sharp enough, it would cut better than a normal sword.¡±


    ¡°That is true,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, asking, ¡°So, can you alter the shape and size of the weapon as you deem fit?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunately not possible,¡± Epheme shook her head, ¡°The Dac in your body only acts as a source to power the Armament. You aren¡¯t controlling it. So, you can¡¯t change their shape.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± She smiled, making the breadth of the energy sword increase by ten times in an instant, ¡°You can install certain states into an Armament.¡±


    She showed the Armament to him, ¡°There are two states in this Armament, a thin sword, and a wide sword. Normally, you can condense anything among the two. But typically, we use the thin sword, and once we plunge it into a foe, we change it into a wide sword. This way, it will cut further through their body, killing them. We also use the wide sword as a shield sometimes. It¡¯s the most efficient design.¡±


    She took out another Armament, condensing a sword first before condensing a shield. Compass Carburettor noticed that the shape of the sword and the shield was too different. The wielder would have to change stances to use them correctly.


    Epheme spoke, ¡°In this Armament, the two states cannot be used simultaneously for a greater effect. There¡¯s a sword and there¡¯s a shield. Both have their respective roles. That¡¯s it. That¡¯s why, when we install different states in an Armament, we ensure that they have a base design and the variations entire shrink or grow from that. This way, you can simply switch states while in battle without having to alter your stances.¡±


    ¡°How many states can you install in an Armament?¡± Compass Carburettor asked.


    ¡°In the ones we can produce, you can install three states.¡± Epheme said, ¡°The Royalty of Heroica Empire has Armaments with four states. Though, you can simply carry a second Armament with you. You have two hands after all.¡±


    Hearing her choice of words, Compass Carburettor asked, ¡°Are we only able to power them through our palms?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± She nodded, ¡°That¡¯s why they are designed in such a manner.¡±


    Compass Carburettor grabbed an Armament, concentrating on it as he held it steadily, soon able to sense two clusters of energy within. And, both of them pricked a part of his hand each, forming goosebumps on the respective ces.


    ¡°That¡¯s your cue. Focus on the ces that got pricked, and you¡¯ll be able to activate and vary the states.¡± Epheme said.


    Nodding, Compass Carburettor focused on the back of his wrist that pricked, immediately feeling as if something belonging to him was sucked out, almost making him lose consciousness in the process.


    He opened his eyes, gazing at the energy de before him. Itcked any weight, but he could see that it was immensely sharp, making him feel like he could cut through anything with it. But, just as he admired it, the energy de flickered before dissipating.


    Immediately, an intense sense of exhaustion seeped through him as Compass Carburettor plopped on the ground, panting as if he had sprinted for a kilometre at his top speed.


    ¡°That¡¯s normal for your first time,¡± Epheme said, ¡°Once you eat and supply your body with energy, it would produce some Dac. Keep training until you are exhausted, eat your fill, and recover your Dac. Continue in this cycle, and your reserve of Dac will continue to increase.¡±


    She took out a normal looking Armament and gave it to him, ¡°This is the most basic Armament. It condenses a 10-centimetre-long knife. And, we use this to quantise and measure our stamina. Every one minute you can keep it materialised equals to 1 Dac. The longer you can keep it materialised, the great your power.¡±


    She then smiled, ¡°Every soldier has a minimum of 30 Dac. Below that, and they are simply called trainees. Keep training nonstop to increase your reserves of Dac. Once you cross 30 Dac, I¡¯ll gift you a custom-made Armament with three states to help in your mission.¡±


    Nodding, Compass Carburettor got up, feeling that his legs were a bit wobbly. He used his superior senses to bnce his body, ensuring he wouldn¡¯t trip as he firmed himself. Seeing his actions, Epheme was surprised, ¡®Most wouldn¡¯t even be able to stand up for a good one hour. As I thought, his body is exceptionally trained.¡¯


    She then beckoned for him to follow her as they left the room, heading towards another. Along the way, Compass Carburettor looked around, noticing that they were far away from any guards that could listen in on their conversation, leaning towards the Queen a little as he whispered, ¡°I¡¯m curious. As the strongest in this Kingdom, how much Dac do you have?¡±


    Epheme smiled in response, ¡°That¡¯s a national secret.¡±

 Chapter 22: Puppets

    <h4>Chapter 22: Puppets</h4>


    It was a roomrger than the previous one. And, it consisted of humanoid puppets, mostly made of wood while some were made of iron. There were hundreds in the ce. Upon seeing them standing prim and proper, swords and des in hand, Compass Carburettor flinched once, afraid they would spring upon him at once.


    The Queen, Epheme smiled upon seeing his response, saying as she pointed at the wooden puppet at the front, ¡°And, this is the second power that we use: Puppets. Unlike Armaments, we can freely control Puppets as we wish. And, it¡¯s like having disposable units under you to serve your every need. So, every Puppeteer is valuable because we can raise an army with them and win battles without suffering any loss in lives.¡±


    ¡°Do they function using Dac too?¡± Compass Carburettor asked, hesitantly touching a wooden puppet, feeling that the wood used was smooth, having a heavy feeling to it.


    ¡°Yes, you need Dac to manipte them. The greater the actions they take, the more your Dac is consumed.¡± The Queen said, ¡°And, the farther they are away from you, the greater the Dac you have to expend to control them.¡±


    ¡°How far can an average Puppeteer reach?¡± Compass Carburettor asked.


    ¡°Around 30 metres,¡± The Queen said, ¡°Beyond that, the expenditure is too great to even sustain a normal sprint. So, most of them don¡¯t send their Puppets that far away.¡±


    She then thought for a moment before saying, ¡°And, your expenditure depends on your affinity to the craft. With a lower affinity, you would need to expend a greater deal of energy simply to make the puppet execute basicmands. With higher affinity, you can move the puppet just like you can do your body, sometimes even better.¡±


    ¡°How do I try it?¡± Compass Carburettor was raring to go, wondering how he would fare.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Epheme shook her head, ¡°I was just showing the Puppets to you today. You need to have at least 1 Dac before you can attempt to even move one of its limbs. Otherwise, you won¡¯t even realise if you moved it because your Dac would bepletely pulled out, leaving you in an exhausted state. So, you won¡¯t be able to concentrate enough.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, asking as he looked around, ¡°I can see that not all of them are wooden puppets. How are they made?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Epheme tapped her chin, thinking as she spoke, ¡°The primary material for both an Armament and a Puppet is Darble. In an Armament, the percentage of Darble forming the Armament dictates the number of states it can hold. It can have one state at a Darble purity of 20 percent, increasing by one for every 20 percent increase in purity. And at a 100 percent purity, it can have five states.¡±


    ¡°As for a puppet, it¡¯s slightly different,¡± Epheme said, ¡°In a puppet, there exists a core made from Darble, positioned around the same ce as our hearts. And, nerves of Darble traverse through its limbs. So, when we maintain it, the Dac from our bodies flows into the air like a river and gushes into the Puppet¡¯s core, powering it up. It then moves ording to our wishes.¡±


    ¡°The material can be anything,¡± She said, ¡°But, if the material used doesn¡¯t have much affinity to Darble itself, then the puppet wouldn¡¯t move as fast as we would like it to move. Thankfully, some materials have a high affinity to Darble. The dy in movements while using the puppets created from such materials is very little.¡±


    ¡°Hworty Wood is the mostmon material used in the wooden puppets,¡± She said, knocking the wooden puppet next to him, ¡°There are some ntations in the kingdom that grow this wood. Hworty Wood Puppets weigh around 45-50 kilograms. So, they are strong.¡±


    Compass Carburettor thought, ¡°So, the power they exhibit is based on their weight ss.¡±


    The Queen¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at him, for a moment sweating internally, ¡®He quickly figured out the essence of this principle. Thankfully, such a figure is my ally. Just what kind of life had he led till now? Even though he¡¯s like a child in terms of fighting, it feels like he¡¯s not a human child, but a dragon child that is only waiting to mature.¡¯


    She instantly reoriented her emotions, appearing normal as she nodded, ¡°Indeed, as they are puppets, we can move them as we wish. And, the heavier they are, the stronger their attacks be. Even though the Dac expenditure also increases with an increase in the weight of the puppet, we usually have Puppets with different densities. Each of them has their respective function.¡±


    ¡°Just like an Armament, there are divisions among Puppets too. And, we typically ssify them into three: Wooden Puppets, Iron Puppets, and Darble Puppets.¡± She pointed at the far end of the room where there were iron puppets, ¡°Wooden Puppets are cheap to create. They are the cheapest of the lot. So, all the Puppeteers only use Wooden Puppets. As for Iron Puppets, the raw materials themselves are scarce. And, creating them requires tremendous investment, time, andbour.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± She sighed, ¡°Creating Iron Puppets is difficult. Even the Royal Treasury only has 10 Iron Puppets in total, and five of them are for my personal use. This is precisely because the material we use to create an Iron Puppet, Stround Iron is hard toe by.¡±


    ¡°A human-sized Iron Puppet created from Stround Iron weighs around 520-570 kilograms. And, they are ridiculously tough, so the power they can exhibit is unmatched. Most Armament swords barely manage to leave a scratch on them.¡± She said.


    ¡°So, Puppeteers are the strongest here. If you have a hundred of such Puppets, you can even destroy a kingdom alone?¡± Compass Carburettor frowned, thinking that the power scale was kind of wonky. He felt like the Armaments were too weak inparison to the Puppets, even though they were employing the same energy, Dac.


    ¡°Most Puppeteers can only control a single Puppet,¡± Epheme smiled wryly, ¡°General Artica, the strongest General of my Kingdom only controls three Iron Puppets. And as for me, I only control five Iron Puppets. No matter how strong an Iron Puppet is, it bes useless the moment I have no Dac to move it.¡±

 Chapter 23: To Face a Plot Armour

    <h4>Chapter 23: To Face a Plot Armour</h4>


    ¡°So, they indeed have limitations,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, asking when he noticed that all the puppets were humanoid, ¡°Is it not possible to create Puppets with other shapes?¡±


    ¡°It is possible,¡± Epheme nodded, ¡°But, every design requires the iying ofplex Darble circuits within the Puppet. And, doing that would mean we have to invest tremendous manpower and research into it. And even then, the Puppet may not fare as well as a humanoid puppet.¡±


    ¡°Humans have the most versatility,¡± She said, ¡°We can wield any object thanks to our flexible fingers. Our legs are strong, so the Puppets created after us have our advantages without the exhaustion we face.¡±


    Right as she said it, numerous images shed through Compass Carburettor¡¯s mind as thoughts flickered in his head, ¡®Right, suppose there is a Puppet in the shape of a tiger. Even though it can serve as a mount, run at tremendous speeds, and use its powerful teeth to hunt, it cannot use its limbs to attack without losing bnce. But, a human Puppet can attack using the hands and legs and adapt ordingly. And best of all, we have the personal experience of moving our bodies. So, we can easily manipte the Puppet based on our experience to achieve the utmost efficiency.¡¯


    ¡°Right, the Puppets can also wield swords and shields. So, they are better.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, then asking a question that caused Epheme to mentally flinch once, ¡°So, are they able to wield an Armament too?¡±


    ¡°They can,¡± Epheme sighed, ¡°But, the Dac expenditure would be too much. There would be a loss based on your affinity to the Puppet craft. And then, it would face another loss based on your affinity to the Armament craft. Wielding an Armament using a Puppet is more energy-draining than wielding an Armament yourself.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t ask about Darble Puppets, as it seemed the Queen was unwilling to continue further on the topic. ¡®I have asked plenty enough already. I¡¯ll first digest this information and experiment myself first before rifying my doubts with her.¡¯


    He then gave a formal bow, ¡°Thank you for giving me all this information. I¡¯ll be training now. Please tell me everything Regriel does daily so that I can prepare myself ordingly.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll keep you posted on everything.¡± Epheme said, exiting the room along with him as she turned around, ¡°If you need anything else, you can ask the servants. I¡¯ll post two of them to remain in your service throughout the day.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Compass Carburettor bowed formally as he returned to his room, carrying the basic Armament with him. He noticed the two servants standing at his room¡¯s entrance, instructing them, ¡°Please send me meals six times per day at equal intervals from today onwards.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± The servants bowed as one of them walked away, soon returning with a te of dishes.


    Compass Carburettor gorged through them quickly, watching the servants exit the room as he closed his eyes, sleeping, feeling his body¡¯s state of exhaustion as he thought, ¡®One hour should be enough.¡¯


    Exactly an hourter, he woke up, feeling refreshed.


    Health¡ªLevel 10!


    Natural Recovery¡ªLevel 6!


    Resting¡ªLevel 10!


    These three Skills that were part of his physique allowed him to have a rest whenever he wished and wake up shortly after, feeling refreshed. After working nonstop for 21 hours, Compass Carburettor only required 3 hours of sleep to feel perfectly fresh once he woke up.


    He won¡¯t feel any fatigue, both physically and mentally. This was the advantage of his physique-rted Skills. Compass Carburettor then patted his stomach, noticing that he had digested part of the food already, thinking in regret, ¡®If only I obtained the body-rted Skills from the Money-Making System. At Level 7, it would have awakened food-rted Skills. That would have made my situation even better.¡¯


    ¡®Still, this is good.¡¯ He thought, feeling the energy in his body had be a tad denser. But, he didn¡¯t practice yet, opening the door as he looked at the servant, ¡°I need a simple item.¡±


    He then gave its description, detailing it quickly. After listening to it, the servant nodded, ¡°We should have the materials lying around. We¡¯ll make the item and return immediately.¡±


    As she left, Compass Carburettor sat on his bed in a meditative pose, closing his eyes as he focused on the energy in his body, ¡®It feels like¡­water, but slightly colder. And, it has mixed into my blood and is being transported through it. So, the stronger my heart is, and the more vigorous its pumping is, the Dac I can output would be equally higher.¡¯


    ¡®If possible, I should learn this craft so that I can create items ordingly to the situations.¡¯ He thought, eradicating the thought process as he simply focused on the Dac in his body, familiarising himself with the sensation, silently observing it.


    It was simr to how when a person meditated, they would soon hear the sounds of their heartbeat and experience the mild flow of blood through the blood vessels. They would also hear and feel the actions taken by the various organs in their body, the mild twitching of the various muscles, etc.


    It required one to meditate in a silent ce, free from all distractions and thoughts, focusing entirely on their selves. When he was young, it was impossible for him to be seated for more than a minute before feeling restless or bored.


    But as his mentality was affected by the System, he had changed, turning into apletely different character from his youth. He learned patience, gentleness, and focus. And now, he was applying that to understand Dac better.


    As it was something unfamiliar to him, having grown up on Earth where such energies were only part of fiction, there was an instinctive rejection stemming from his body against the unknown. It was part fear of the unknown and his body¡¯s unwillingness to ept change.


    And, this stemmed from his 35 years worth of life on Earth. It wasn¡¯t something easy to get rid of. But, he had to do that and wholeheartedly ept Dac. Only in that way would he be able to assimte it into him faster and grow stronger than Regriel that relied on the System to grow and obtain strongpanions one after another.


    ¡®To face a plot armour, I have to break the fourth wall first.¡¯

 Chapter 24: Skipping

    <h4>Chapter 24: Skipping</h4>


    Around thirty minutes after he began his meditation, the servant arrived, bringing in a skipping rope. It was what he had requested her to make. All it needed was two wooden handles and a heavy rope. He made the rope heavy to train his wrist.


    And as for the handles, he asked them to be shaped just like an Armament. He had done this simply for one reason: To get ustomed to the weight of the Armaments and increase the strength in his wrist, especially its capability to exert force while rotating.


    And, what best way to train it other than skipping? Compass Carburettor intended to increase the weight of the rope and the handlester once he got used to the current weight.


    Grabbing the skipping rope, he began to skip. At the start, his jumps were as high as 10 centimetres. He made mistakes too, ones that caused him to flinch when the rope hit his feet. But, he was only skipping slowly now, to avoid serious injuries.


    He had only skipped when he was a child, so he had lost touchpletely with the sport. And now, as he continued to practice, he got the hang of it soon enough. His improved physique and his exceptional control over it helped immensely.


    Cognition¡ªLevel 9!


    Five Senses¡ªLevel 10!


    Dexterity¡ªLevel 8!


    Dexterity to move his hands and feet urately, Five Senses to feel every action he did at greater precision and rity, and Cognition to understand and absorb the experience and grow spontaneously.


    They worked in a cycle, bolstering each other to create a synergic effect that allowed him to master the craft within a couple of hours. As it was something he had done in childhood and was just one exercise that he had to repeat in a loop, Compass Carburettor got the hang of the rhythm soon after.


    Now, the gap between his jumps and the ground was only wide enough for the rope to pass through. And, as he continued to do it, his speed increased as soon, only the whistling sounds of the skipping rope cutting through the air resounded, creating a tune that was rather pleasant to the ears.


    For the next two hours, he skipped nonstop, finally arriving at a halt as he was drenched with sweat, feeling tired. He still had enough stamina to skip for another two hours, but decided otherwise for the time being.


    He then felt his stomach, feeling a mild hunger, ¡®Good, the food¡¯s fully digested.¡¯


    He could feel the Dac in his body was slightly more now, ¡®It¡¯s not enough. My body¡¯s not ustomed to producing Dac yet. I first have to achieve it so that my body would be able to easily convert the energy from the food into Dac. I have to assimte with it even more.¡¯


    Compass Carburettor held the basic Armament in his hand, closing his eyes as he felt a prickling sensation on the back of his hand. It was the trigger for activating the only state in the Armament. As he focused on the part where it pricked, he could feel the Armament unleashing a suction force that tugged at his Dac.


    As the Dac continued to be pumped through his blood, it was influenced by the suction pull. Once the Dac arrived at his heart, instead of proceeding about through the numerous arteries, all of it only passed through the artery heading towards his right hand.


    Once it reached the end of the hand, splitting through the numerous blood vessels, the Dac exited through the pores on his palm, flowing into the basic Armament. The Armament absorbed the Dac and condensed a knife on its front.


    Compass Carburettor felt as if his entire being was getting sucked into the Armament. But, before he could orient his thoughts or get used to the sensation, the knife flickered before vanishing. Panting, he thought, ¡®I think Isted around 4-5 seconds this time.¡¯


    He slumped on the bed, panting as he felt his vision blurring, at times failing to register what he saw in his brain. Shaking his head, he panted, taking in a deep breath as he could feel his rity of vision returning.


    But, he was still exhausted. Unwilling to waste his time, Compass Carburettor got up, grabbed his skipping rope and began to skip nonstop once again, starting slow as he soon returned to his top speed, noticing his vision firming while the hunger in his stomach continued to increase before rumbling.


    After an hour of skipping, he stopped, cing the skipping rope as he opened the room¡¯s door, looking at the servant as he asked for food to be brought in and some change of clothes, ¡°Bring me lots please. I¡¯ll be training many times per day from now on.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± The servant did as she was told. Once she brought in another set of clothes, Compass Carburettor took a bath and changed into the new set of clothes, eating the food that arrived right on time.


    Right after eating, he looked at the time on his watch, ¡°I¡¯ll repeat in cycles of four hours. Three hours of skipping, 30 minutes of meditation, less than a minute to maintain the Armament¡¯s activation, and the reminder time to eat and take a bath. I¡¯ll modify my schedule once the Armament¡¯s activation duration increases beyond twenty minutes.¡±


    Compass Carburettor slept on the bed, closing his eyes as he immediately fell asleep. Three hours of sleep was enough for him per day. But now that using Dac exhausted him even deeper, he resorted to this n. By splitting his sleep into multiple batches, he was getting 6 hours of sleep in total.


    But, this also meant he was able to train fully fresh six times every day. His sleeping efficiency was high, rather, it was higher than what he had ounted for. After all, he woke up within forty minutes after sleeping, feelingpletely fresh.


    Laughing, Compass Carburettor got up and began to skip, training his wrists to get used to the action while making his legs more spring-like. He realised that making his legs have more springing power would only be beneficial in the long run.


    So, he might as well do that since the action of skipping trained the respective muscles anyway.

 Chapter 25: Have Fun to Grow Stronger, Faster

    <h4>Chapter 25: Have Fun to Grow Stronger, Faster</h4>


    By the end of the third day of this training routine, Compass Carburettor smiled, ¡°It¡¯s done. I have one Dac now.¡±


    He smiled, watching the knife flicker and vanish only after 60 seconds had passed. He felt dizzy once his Dac reserves were emptied. But Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t allow that to stop him, resting as he closed his eyes and quickly regted his breathing, watching his vision clear up.


    Smiling, he continued to skip for another minute. After taking a bath, and having his food, Compass Carburettor slept for 40 minutes, getting up as he patted his stomach, meditating as he could feel the digesting juices in his stomach acting upon the food.


    The resultant energy produced once the process wasplete was absorbed into his blood as nutrients. And, as this blood was supplied into every organ and muscle, they absorbed the nutrients and released a faint amount of Dac.


    The Dac was soluble in the blood, mixing with it before travelling through the bloodstream. As they continued to flow, more organs and muscles released Dac into the blood, increasing its concentration.


    And, as the Dac was also supplied to the organs, the cells in them drunk up the energy, processing it as they changed faintly. And when they produced Dac, the quantity was an infinitesimally smallponent greater than the intake amount.


    And when the same process was repeated through the entire body, the quantity of Dac being produced was significant. As its quantity increased, Compass Carburettor smiled, ¡®Even if my talent and affinity to Dac isn¡¯t the highest, I have a strong body to process it. My body is on the level of Olympic athletes from multiple sports mixed into one. And aspared to the residents of this world, I am able to train three to four times as much as them every day. And, I can keep this up without any exhaustion or injury from heavy training.¡¯


    ¡®This is my actual talent now.¡¯ Compass Carburettor meditated, understanding more and more about Dac every time he meditated. As he also experienced the changes it brought to his body, he was able to determine the attribute of this energy.


    ¡®It¡¯s a form of energy simr to electricity. And, the conditions to wield it relies upon the Darble. Otherwise, this Dac flows through my body just like how electricity flows through my nerves. Without an object to harness them, they just exist there, doing their set functions. The electricity in the nerves is used to contract and expand the muscle strands. As for Dac, it¡¯s able to improve my stamina. That¡¯s its only use.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought.


    Once he felt his body was brimming with Dac, Compass Carburettor continued to skip nonstop, noticing that he wasn¡¯t feeling that much tired as he usually did at the end of two hours. There was a mild improvement in his stamina.


    Though, he realised that this wasn¡¯t his stamina improving. His stamina had remained the same. It was only the Dac that was subsisting his body¡¯s energy needs to function more. ¡®It¡¯s a basic form of energy that¡¯s like an extraction of stamina. Dac isn¡¯t some mystical energy that¡¯s beyondprehension. Even on Earth, once we had researched further, we would have figured out the method to harness it. This world only achieved it easily since the Darble readily exists to awaken one.¡¯


    ¡®So, I don¡¯t need anything special to harness it.¡¯


    As he understood the essence of Dac, his body¡¯s resistance towards it continued to decrease. It was because he was instilling in his body that Dac was something that always existed in his body. But, it couldn¡¯t be extracted and used individually before, just like how it wasn¡¯t possible to extract electricity from the neurons.


    Upon arriving at this thought process, Compass Carburettor smiled. Next, all he did was mentally brainwash himself, telling himself repeatedly that Dac was something that was naturally his, a part of his body.


    And as the days passed, he could feel that his body was indeed reacting better to Dac. The quantity being produced in his body after his meals continued to increase. ¡®I can still do more. I haven¡¯t even drawn closer to my body¡¯s limit.¡¯


    A week after he started training, Compass Carburettor had already umted three Dac.


    ¡­


    Seated in her private chamber, the Queen, Epheme stared at her two daughters ying around with Armaments. Their Armaments were different from the rest. After all, it didn¡¯t create des to hack things upon activating.


    All it created was cylindrical rods that were blunt. As her two daughters were twins and were only 6 years old, she just made them Armaments that acted as toys for them. This way, their training could be achieved as they yed.


    As children loved to y the most, she used her wealth to create numerous Armaments that created various toys for them to y with. And just like her, her daughters too were able to wield both an Armament and a Puppet.


    So, she created cute humanoid puppets for them to manipte and y with. Once they tired themselves out, they fell asleep. And, since they were constantly hungry, they ate lots after waking up.


    After putting up with some lessons she taught them, they continued to y with their toys. As she saw them y, Epheme smiled, ¡®y to your heart¡¯s content. You¡¯ll grow stronger as a result, stronger than a child that was forced to train from young.¡¯


    Everything varied based on the method used to handle the situation. She knew how she was when she was a child. So, she was well aware of what her children wanted, giving them exactly that. But, she also used it to teach them, making them have fun while growing stronger.


    ¡®There¡¯s a way to deal with everything.¡¯ She thought, worrying for a moment as she thought about General Artica, ¡®I hope you aren¡¯t too much mentally scarred by this. I¡¯ll save you soon, please wait, Artica.¡¯


    Epheme closed her eyes, linking her vision to one of her puppets, sharing sight with it as she looked into a room, watching the figure of Compass Carburettor engrossed in his training. Upon seeing the childlike glint in his eyes as he watched the Armament condense the knife every single time, she couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    ¡°Right, you can only grow the fastest when you have fun with what you are doing.¡± Laughing, she grabbed a skipping rope, a replica to what the servants had made for Compass Carburettor, ¡®Is this really that effective?¡¯

 Chapter 26: Wait…Dungeons?

    <h4>Chapter 26: Wait¡­Dungeons?</h4>


    ¡®Is this really that effective?¡¯ Epheme thought as she followed what Compass Carburettor did, struggling at the start as she winced in pain every time the ropeshed on her legs. She was also struggling to bnce herself correctly because of the weight on her chest dragging her down.


    ¡°Hmm, I need to wear an armour.¡± She frowned, quickly wearing one from her dressing room. As she moved, hopping a little, she nodded, ¡°My chest weight doesn¡¯t hinder me too much now.¡±


    She then began to skip, slowly getting a hang of the action as she spent more than six hours at a stretch on it. Soon, she was getting used to it when she thought, ¡®I can see why he¡¯s doing this nonstop. It makes my legs more spring-like and is also strengthening my wrists further. It is indeed necessary to wield an Armament.¡¯


    ¡®Is this a training method used in Plottopia?¡¯ She thought, smiling as she felt it was the right decision to have taught him about their powers, ¡®I can feel like this would allow me to grow even stronger.¡¯


    Due to her enormous reserve of Dac, she wasn¡¯t even sweating after exercising for so long. She then muttered, ¡°Even though this is beneficial, it only works the most at the start. For my level, the intensity isn¡¯t enough.¡±


    The Dac in her body began to be expended at a faster pace as her five Iron Puppets arrived forward, grabbing a skipping rope each. Then, they too followed her actions, beginning to skip one after another.


    It was Epheme controlling all five at the same time. Now, her Dac was getting expended at a faster pace while making all her five Iron Puppets repeat the same action as her allowed her to clearly determine the differences in her body and the Iron Puppets, bolstering her understanding of them even further.


    Seated in his room, Compass Carburettor frowned, thinking of something, ¡®For some reason, I can feel that the Queen¡¯s trust in me has increased over the days. Normally, it is impossible to read her emotions. But when General Artica is mentioned, she isn¡¯t able to maintain her coolpletely. And in that state, I¡¯m able to judge her emotional state better. And after every day, she indeed seems like she trusts me more and more.¡¯


    ¡®Has she been using the truth serum on me? When she noticed that I didn¡¯t even sense anything strange, she realised that I wasn¡¯t hiding anything. Was that why she¡¯s opening up to me more?¡¯ He thought, feeling that might very well be the case.


    As he didn¡¯t have any animosity towards her, he was fine with it. Moreover, it was through her that he received tremendous help and information. It really made him regard himself for not trying to escape from the pce once he arrived in this world.


    If he had done that, he would have to struggle to earn money, obtain information little by little, spend all he earned on his food expenses and work even harder to obtain enough money for his other basic needs. He would then need to find a way to awaken himself to Dac and work his way up.


    Everything needed him to spend too much time and effort for minimal gains. But by the time he did that, Regriel would have gotten ustomed to his powers and would have begun to grow at a tremendous pace. It would be toote to face him by then.


    At present, Regriel was a fat man without any talents. He wasn¡¯t even able to carry his own weight. He was as useless as useless can be. But with time, the System would modify him, starting with his physique.


    He would start to train himself while the system would give him rewards from time to time to motivate him. And by motivation, it was mostly hatred. Through mysterious coincidences, or by directing Regriel to act in a certain manner, it would make him attract the animosity of other males.


    After all, as a fat stump of uselessness, he was apanied by powerful pretty women. So, any male would feel jealousy. And upon noticing how ipetent he was, they would make a move on him.


    While suffering losses through each encounter, his pride would be wounded. The humiliation would force him to work harder. And in such a manner, he would train and work hard in bettering himself. And, the System would put him in a Fasttrack of progress.


    The results that a person would have obtained with 8-10 years of training would be given to him within a year, or even shorter depending on how the System nned for his fate to y out.


    ¡®No matter what, one year. If I fail to kill Regriel before then, I can stop dreaming about obtaining System Fragments from him. He would have be too strong for me to face alone by then.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, ¡®Thankfully, I have the Queen by my side now. She needs General Artica. And to free her, Regriel has to be killed. Our goals align, so, she¡¯ll provide me tremendous help.¡¯


    ¡®Thanks to her, I can blindly train nonstop and improve my abilities. The food she¡¯s providing me is also highly nutritious to the extent I feel like I would fatten up if I stopped training. Thanks to her, I can continue growing at tremendous speeds.¡¯ He clenched his hand into a fist, feeling the faint Dac flowing through his body.


    He then sat in his study, pulling up the documents the servants had given him. Upon looking at them, he sighed, ¡®Even though I don¡¯t know the words, their meaning is automatically tranted into my head.¡¯


    It was a journal detailing everything Regriel had experienced for the past week, depicted to the finest details. It seemed the Queen indeed hadpetent spies, judging by how they were even able to record all the conversations shared between Regriel and General Artica.


    ¡°Regriel hasn¡¯t done much. Everything is being done by General Artica. They arrived at Peckle City on the same night as Regriel¡¯s supposed execution. General Artica ambushed some thugs to steal the money on them. Using that, she booked a room for their stay. On the next day, she entered the Peckle Dungeon to hunt monsters and obtain more funds¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­dungeons?¡±

 Chapter 27: Peckle City

    <h4>Chapter 27: Peckle City</h4>


    ¡°We arrived at Peckle City,¡± General Artica said as she jumped on the ground, looking at the walled city far away to her front.


    ¡°How will we enter the city?¡± Regriel panted as hey on the snow. The two Iron Puppets carrying him had dropped him on the ground for him to rest. In his current physical state, he wasn¡¯t even fit enough to travel far in afy carriage, not to mention on the arms of the Iron Puppets.


    General Artica panted, gasping for breath as she was exhausted. They had basically run all the way from the border to the city. And, she was controlling her three Iron Puppets to do that, not to mention carrying herself and the heavy-weight Regriel. So, it took a great toll on her.


    She then gazed up at the evening sky, looking at the snow that was falling, turning around to see that the footprints of her three Iron Puppets were already being covered. ¡°We cannot bring these Puppets into the city?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Regriel was confused, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t no one trouble us after seeing our power?¡±


    General Artica twisted his ears, causing him to squeal in pain as she said in anger, ¡°These are freaking Iron Puppets. And there are three of them. Anyone who has them is a General, even in Heroica Empire. We¡¯ll be attracting attention from all sides once we saunter with them. Do you even have a brain to ask such a question, dear?¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry,¡± Regriel bowed his head in shame. He suddenly felt that he was turned on, stealing nces at General Artica to notice that she was looking around in tension, trying to find an appropriate ce to bury the Iron Puppets for safety, ¡®Not now, not now. Once we enter the city, we can do it again. Besides, I can¡¯t even get up.¡¯


    ¡®Fuck this sh*t, if only I wasn¡¯t this weak, I could have been inside her for longer. Three Seconds? Pathetic! She looked at me like an insect for onlysting that long.¡¯ Regriel wallowed up in regret when he was excited to hear the System resound in his mind once again.


    [Ding!]


    [Generating Quest: Find a ce to stay for the Night]


    [Quest: The night is cold, and it is freezing on top of that. Staying outside would weaken the exhausted General Artica even further. Find an inn to stay in for the night.]


    [Time Limit: 1 hour]


    [Reward: Body Resurgence (Level 1)]


    [Failure: General Artica would be disappointed in you. There¡¯s a 30% chance the bond between you might break.]


    ¡®Fuck! I can¡¯t fail this!¡¯ Regriel thought immediately as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s bury the Iron Puppets under a tree after uprooting it. The snow would bury all traces anyway.¡±


    ¡°If it was that easy, I would have done it by now,¡± General Artica frowned, ¡°The farther the Puppets are from me, the weaker my control over them. This far away from the city, there¡¯s a good chance any Puppeteer thates across them could snatch them away from me. I can¡¯t take such risks.¡±


    ¡®Now what? How can I convince her?¡¯ Regriel thought before getting an idea, ¡°Why do we need to leave them here? We can bring them with us byyering them with ayer of wood. By keeping it coarse, it¡¯ll match with our attire. We can act like I¡¯m the one controlling a Wooden Puppet. Let¡¯s leave the other two under a tree. This way, even if someone tries to take control of them, you¡¯ll know immediately and can use the Iron Puppet to arrive here swiftly.¡±


    General Artica thought, ¡®Once I have rested a little, I¡¯ll have enough energy to fight against any Puppeteer that tries to steal my Puppets. I¡¯ll be able to stall long enough to rush to the scene immediately. And, if Iyer them with coarse wood as he said, I¡¯ll be able to bring one Puppet with me. That¡¯s more than enough to deal with any threat in this small city.¡¯


    No sooner did she finish pondering did two Iron Puppets hold an Armament in each hand, condensing a sword before shing them, cutting a tree trunk into two pieces. They swiftly worked in carving a wooden mask using the Armament swords, soon creating one to align on the face of the third Iron Puppet.


    It was enough to make it look like a wooden puppet. They also created a wooden shoe so that the Iron Puppet¡¯s footstep sounds would also seem like it was made by a wooden object. As the rest of its body was covered, and since no one ever tried to inspect a Puppet, she judged that it was enough.


    After uprooting a tree, they jumped into the hole, cing the tree atop it. As for the tree with the severed trunk, she made it look like the wind had broken it, causing its canopy to hide the tree under which the two Iron Puppets hid.


    As it seemed like it would snow a lot, not many would try to remove the broken tree, that too in an area without any paths frequented by travellers.


    Once it was done, the disguised Iron Puppet carried Regriel as they soon reached the city gates. Regriel showed an arrogant look like his usual self. And since he still wore his clothes as a Prince, the guards thought he was some bigshot, allowing him entry.


    Upon seeing General Artica inmoner clothes, they shuddered in her beauty, turning green in envy as they dared not trouble Regriel. Rather, they tried to give him trouble even then, but when the Puppet stomped on the snow-covered ground a little, the sound made them flinch, letting go of their thoughts.


    While they were proceeding about through the streets, General Artica noticed a group of thugs eyeing her lecherously from an alley. Regriel put on an act while her Puppet beat them, stealing their money once they were unconscious.


    After that, they reached an inn, booking a room. Once the Puppet ced him on the bed, it creaked, looking on the verge of breaking. He didn¡¯t mind about that though, smiling excitedly when he heard the notification in his mind.

 Chapter 28: I’m Even Worse

    <h4>Chapter 28: I¡¯m Even Worse</h4>


    ¡°Let¡¯s get some sleep. We need to wake up early tomorrow and find a source of ie.¡± General Artica said as she closed her eyes, falling asleep immediately as she was exhausted. She had already travelled with her puppets from Ellipster, the capital city of Entropica Kingdom, and reached the border to execute Regriel.


    After that, she travelled all the way from the border to Peckle city that was southwest to head further away from the influence of the Entropica Kingdom. She did that to ensure the Queen wouldn¡¯t be able to target them that easily.


    ¡®Right, why did I hate Regriel for all these years? His only minus point is that he¡¯s fat. But even then, he has a charm of his own. Seriously, what was wrong with me before?¡¯ This was the final thought that ran through her mind before she fell asleep.


    Regriel slowly inched his hand towards her, having slept close to one another on the bed. Slumping his hand over her hip, he smiled in exhration when General Artica wrapped her arms around his hand, pulling it into her embrace. The warmth and the feeling of softness he felt caused him to feel like he was in heaven.


    ¡®Right, I shouldn¡¯t forget about that.¡¯ He thought, quickly pulling up the System interface, ¡®Now, let¡¯s see what this Reward does?¡¯


    [Body Resurgence (Level 1): Burns the excess fat in the body and converts it into Dac.]


    ¡®System, how long would it take to burn all the excess fat in my body?¡¯ Regriel asked in his mind.


    [Host, it would take one month to burn all the excess fat. Your affinity towards Dac would improve as a result and Host¡¯s reserve of Dac would reach 100 units.]


    ¡®100 units? A hundred units? Amazing!¡¯ Regriel was stunned before his face flushed red from excitement. ¡®Only veteran soldiers have such a massive amount of Dac. And I can get that in a month?¡¯


    ¡®System, activate Body Resurgence.¡¯ He bellowed mentally.


    [Activating Body Resurgence (Level 1)]


    [Host, brace for the pain]


    ¡®Wait¡­wait, wait, wait!¡¯ Regriel screamed mentally when he suddenly noticed that he was unable to move his body or even utter a scream. It was like he had been paralysed. His body was perfectly still while he was enveloped in a feeling of being burned by fire.


    ¡®System, stop! Stop! Stop it immediately!¡¯ Regriel screamed internally at the top of his mind voice. But in reality, his body was perfectly still as General Artica slept while hugging his hand.


    [Host, Body Resurgence (Level 1) cannot be stopped at will. Every time it is activated, it willst for an hour. Fighting~]


    ¡®Dammit!¡¯ Regriel screamed in pain mentally as he was burned by whatever was happening. Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, the pain vanished, now reced with a gentle, cool sensation.


    It took him another hour before Regriel managed to gather his bearing, asking in his mind, ¡®System, how long do I need to put up with this pain?¡¯


    [Replying to Host: Body Resurgence (Level 1) works by consuming the fat in your body to supplement its activation. So, you can keep it activated constantly for a month until the results are disyed.]


    ¡®This pain for a month.¡¯ Regriel thought, taking in a deep breath as numerous images shed through his mind. The scene of him being bullied by the other Princes and Princess since childhood, the scorn from the servants, the prostitutes that snickered at his inability to stand up for more than three seconds, and finally, the Queen¡¯s poisonous words that tore at his fragile heart.


    As the images shed in his mind one after another, rage filled his mind. The injustice he faced made him grit his teeth as he gazed at the sky (ceiling of the room) and bellowed (in his mind), ¡°Even a dog when cornered wouldsh out. I¡¯ll no longer be bullied. If the heavens wish to make me suffer, I shall shatter it apart. Those that bullied me, I¡¯ll make you suffer a fate a thousand times worse.¡±


    He then felt the Dac circting in his body, noticing that he had slightly trimmed down, looking at General Artica as he thought, ¡®You¡¯ve been on my side at my worst. In the future, I¡¯ll protect you, Artica.¡¯


    With a face filled with resolve, he bellowed in his mind, ¡®System, activate Body Resurgence.¡¯


    [Ding!]


    ¡­


    ¡°Within a week, Regriel has slimmed down considerably. He even began to train a bit from time to time. Though, it¡¯s mostly rted to him sleeping with General Artica.¡± Compass Carburettor frowned as he read the report, ¡°As for General Artica, she has been busy heading into the dungeon daily. She didn¡¯t disy too much strength, only doing the bare minimum needed for them to live in better conditions. Judging by what she had disyed, it seems she ns to gradually show more and more of her strength.¡±


    ¡°Other than that, there hasn¡¯t been any significant development.¡± Compass Carburettor finished reading through the report, noticing that there was another letter attached at the end. Taking it out, he read as his expression copsed, ¡°In lieu of her betrayal, the Striker House has been imprisoned.¡±


    ¡°Everything¡¯s because Regriel forced General Artica to betray the kingdom by enving her.¡± He mmed his fist on the desk, ¡°To screw up with a family like that, damn bastard. How are you so quick to do it even if you were given those powers by the System?¡±


    Just when he felt angry, a couple of images shed in his mind, instantly acting like a bucket of cold water was poured on him. The memory was of a struggling peddler who barely made ends meet by selling bangles on the roadside.


    His family made those bangles in a cramped hut where smoke billowed and the darkness of the bangle forge caused their eyesight to deteriorate. But despite everything, they had worked hard to make bangles to sell and bring food to their tes.


    But due to the rush of obtaining the Money-Making System, Compass Carburettor had used the Bargain Skill to bargain the price of the already dirt-cheap bangles to below the cost price, forcing the family to go hungry for the entire day.


    Due to their hunger, the father of the household was unable to sell any bangles the next day while their family failed to create any more due to their deteriorating health and unbearable hunger. Soon, they starved to their deaths. And even after learning of this incident, Compass Carburettor clearly remembered the statement he had uttered back then, ¡°The business world sure is vicious.¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Compass Carburettor mmed his fist into the table, breaking it as his fists bled. Tears streamed out his eyes as he hit his head on the table, ¡°Who the hell am I to criticise someone else? I¡¯m¡­¡±


    ¡°Even worse.¡±

 Chapter 29: The Ten Conditions

    <h4>Chapter 29: The Ten Conditions</h4>


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­even worse.¡± Compass Carburettor finally calmed down as he stared at the wall in silence for a good couple of hours, thinking of his choice of actions and what he had to do.


    ¡®At present, Regriel is a sh*tty character. It won¡¯t be odd to say that he¡¯s someone who¡¯s better of being turned into manure for nts. But, I wasn¡¯t an honourable character either. As the Money-Making System upgraded my physique and mind, I became more mature and became a respectable character only when I was around 28 years old. Simrly, there is a good chance Regriel would redeem himself too in the future.¡¯ Compass Carburettor sighed.


    He then frowned, ¡®But, what character am I nning to be from now onwards? No matter how deplorable a person is, as long as he¡¯s not a permanent edgelord, he¡¯s bound to mature and be a rtively respectable person in the future. After all, only when they reach such a point would a System judge that they no longer hold any value and return to the System World. And now, these System Users are my target, those that can potentially be a System yer in the future.¡¯


    His eyes glinted as his expression turned menacing, recalling the words uttered by the Money-Making System before it escaped to Earth, ¡®Stencil takes the number one priority. No matter what, I have to save her. And, I should only take actions based on how it affects saving her, no more, no less. Chivalry, justice, empathy, and the likes, I should throw them out of my character now.¡¯


    He looked at the blood dripping from his fist, ¡®To save my daughter, I have to grow stronger first. And to do that, I need System Fragments. And to obtain System Fragments¡­¡¯


    He looked at the documents on the table before him, ¡®Regriel is my target. I should also search for other System Users. Only then can I safely make a move on him.¡¯


    Compass Carburettor summoned a servant, telling her to write a couple of things, using his hurt hand as an excuse. Upon seeing the state of his hand, she was stunned, immediately telling the other servant to bring in a medicinal kit to heal his injuries.


    As one of the servants washed his wounds and applied a herbal solution to them, Compass Carburettor realised that the medical technology of the world hadn¡¯t been developed enough. If suppose a person lost a limb, then it was best to say that they would remain limbless for the rest of their lives.


    ¡®There is no healing energy of the sort here. Dac only boosts one¡¯s stamina, nothing else.¡¯ He nodded, then thinking ording to his history, recalling Fourth¡¯s advice to act based on his life experience as a System User.


    He then looked at the servant, telling her to write whatever he said, ¡°These are the key traits I am looking for in an individual.¡±


    ¡°They have to be a rtively famous trash, a good for nothing. It¡¯s either that or they have to be a chivalrous pervert hailing from a dirt-poor family without any means to grow stronger.¡±


    ¡°The second condition is that they must have either been betrayed once or must be humiliated almost daily for no reason whatsoever. And, the situation in both the cases should be that they must have some sort of rtion to a rather young, almost their age, but powerful hero, either a childhood rtionship or a past scenario where one of them ended up saving the other.¡±


    ¡°The third condition is that their weakness or ack of ability must be well known. But all of a sudden, almost overnight, they became super talented and had be the talk of the school/town, etc.¡±


    ¡°The fourth condition is that they had a weak-willed character, but overnight, they became strong-willed enough that their willpower and determination is on par with the heroes of the generation. And, their change should be to the extent that they seem like an entirely different person.¡±


    ¡°The fifth condition is that they haven¡¯t done anything significant yet, but for some reason, a really important figure showed in interest in them all of a sudden, either romantically or a teacher-student rtionship with romantic sub interests.¡±


    ¡°The sixth condition is that no matter what they are wearing, the passer-by would always try to underestimate them or mock them for almost no reason. And, the mockers would usually be either face-pped physically or figurately.¡±


    ¡°The seventh condition is that they are always at the centre of numerous conflicts one after another, with almost no rest.¡±


    ¡°The eighth condition is that even while standing at the middle of the street, eating at a corner of the restaurant, conversing with someone, or even taking a walk, their gazes would sometimes be distracted, as if they are talking with someone else, even if there is no one else around.¡±


    ¡°The ninth condition is that they would be regarded to be immensely talented by numerous strong individuals with varying motives. But no matter what, for some reason, none of them had even noticed him or her before they had changed overnight mysteriously.¡±


    ¡°The tenth condition is that no matter what, they never suffer a loss. Even if they suffer a loss, it wouldter give them greater gains. And, they always have a mysterious air to them, also able to do stuff or wield abilities that are normally perceived as impossible by the masses.¡±


    After saying out the ten conditions, Compass Carburettor thought for a moment, ¡®The remaining are too small or discrete and wouldplicate the searching process. This should be enough to get a clue.¡¯


    He then said to the servant, ¡°Bring me a list of people who showcased at least six conditions of this list. Bring me a detailed report on their activities and what they had achieved to date, including their history.¡±


    ¡°Is this all?¡± The servant asked, feeling her head spin at the details, wondering, ¡®Just how will we search for such people?¡¯


    ¡°Yes,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°That will be all. And, try to concentrate most of the search beyond this Kingdom. Time isn¡¯t of the essence here, but the matter is of utmost importance. Inform everything I said to the Queen.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it now,¡± The servant read through the ten conditions once as she got up, bowed a little and exited the room.

 Chapter 30: Mental Energy: A System’s Eyes and Ears

    <h4>Chapter 30: Mental Energy: A System¡¯s Eyes and Ears</h4>


    ¡°This is¡­?¡± The Queen, Epheme frowned in shock as she read through the ten conditions Compass Carburettor had listed. Normally, if someone read through them, they would think the other party had gone senile.


    But, as she was very well aware that Compass Carburettor was otherwise, she calmed down. And upon looking at it objectively, she discovered that Regriel matched five of the listed ten conditions. Moreover, to verify the rest, she had to observe him carefully for a longer time.


    So, Epheme was assured that Compass Carburettor knew of something way beyond her understanding. And, this something was capable of affecting her life the highest. And at the centre of this wave was Regriel, the prince that she had banished from the kingdom.


    ¡®This is turning out to be a greater headache than what I had bargained for.¡¯ Epheme massaged her forehead, feeling that her skin may wrinkle soon at this rate. She thought things through, ¡°One way or another, Regriel is going to cause trouble for my kingdom soon enough. Based on the report, he has lost significant weight in the past few days and has also begun to train. And, based on how long he was able to maintain the Armament activation, he already has around 20 Dac.¡±


    ¡°This is too fast to be kidding around,¡± She muttered, for a moment feeling a sense of fear. She then closed her eyes, habitually synchronising her vision to the puppet hidden with Compass Carburettor¡¯s room, looking at his appearance.


    For a moment, upon seeing that he was seated on the chair in all seriousness, having not trained for the past few hours, it was like smashing a rock on her heart. She could feel her heart elerating as a sense of worry began to bud in her, ¡®Will he be able to do anything? Even though his growth has been exceptionally fast, it¡¯s nowhere enough topare with Regriel.¡¯


    ¡­


    Seated in his room, Compass Carburettor was deep in thought, recalling information from the numerous System novels he had read about. ¡®Right, typically, quite a few System novelse equipped with the skill to appraise others. So, if Regriel casts his gaze on me, he might be able to see all my information. As his System is rted to enving women, he should definitely have an appraisal ability.¡¯


    ¡®And, it has been a week. Even if he¡¯s oblivious to the scouts keeping watch on his actions, General Artica should have definitely felt something is fishy. She¡¯s touted to be the strongest General of this kingdom, so she should have considerable experience with such things. She would prove to be the strongest opponent against him for the time being.¡¯ He thought, frowning as he scratched his chin.


    He sniffed the scent of the herbs used to patch his wound, thinking, ¡®Any methods like poison wouldn¡¯t work on Regriel. Even the Money-Making System was capable of filtering out the poison. Any System is capable of weeding out all internal threats to a certain extent. Unless it is a poison of the highest calibre in this world, it wouldn¡¯t even put Regriel¡¯s life at risk.¡¯


    ¡®Any ns involving more people would cause too many variables. A System thrives off Mental Energy. That means, when I am around Regriel and am thinking of harming him, would it be able to sense my animosity? No, it¡¯s guaranteed to do so, since it would be drinking it excitedly. Indeed, that¡¯s how it¡¯s able to generate Quests. Even at present, it might be receiving a lot of Mental Energy due to the scouts and the thoughts of everyone in this kingdom who are either worried about General Artica¡¯s betrayal or are mocking Regriel.¡¯ He tapped on the table, wincing in pain for a moment.


    He had mmed his fists hard on the table, so he was feeling some pain. Thankfully though, the pain was slowly reducing.


    Health¡ªLevel 10!


    Natural Recovery¡ªLevel 6!


    The two of them worked in conjunction, allowing him to heal from the injury at a faster pace than normal. Compass Carburettor frowned, deep in thought, ¡®Mental Energy¡­unless I think of a way to avoid that, no matter what I do, Regriel¡¯s System would sense me well in advance. I won¡¯t be able to rip off his body parts, much less kill him.¡¯


    He then thought of something, summoning his gun. He summoned it within his clothes so that it wouldn¡¯t be visible. It was just ayer of caution he exercised, just in case there was a monitoring device of this world that he hadn¡¯t known about.


    Though, judging based on the report from the scouts, he was assured that there was a mode of surveince that was being employed here. So, he wished to be cautious. And after arriving in this world, this was the first time he summoned the gun.


    Once it formed, it began to suck in air through the nozzle, beginning to condense a bullet within it. ¡®Thankfully, this is a self-sufficient gun. Had I possessed a normal gun, it would have turned into a chunk of metal once the bullets run out, or I would have had to subsist with something else to keep it functional. The gun would be no different to a scrap metal then.¡¯


    As the gun continued to suck in the air, Compass Carburettor closed his eyes, focusing on its actions, synchronising himself with it on a deeper level. As it was derived from the Money-Making System, it meant his gun should also have a System¡¯s basic ability to detect Mental Energy.


    While it was fused into his body, it must have been using his body to detect and absorb Mental Energy. That¡¯s why it needed a host in the first ce. And now that he obtained all parts of its body rted to the physique, he must have it in him too.


    Hours passed in such a fashion as Compass Carburettor meditated, focusing on the gun as he sensed the energy rted to the System swirling within, noticing faint flickers of what seemed to be starlight. As he focused on the starlight, he was able to grasp faint emotions through it.


    And, there was a stream of starlight traversing towards him from a certain location in the wall.

 Chapter 31: Emotions Perceived Through the Starlight Streams

    <h4>Chapter 31: Emotions Perceived Through the Starlight Streams</h4>


    Compass Carburettor sensed that the starlight stream he sensed was full of worry and doubt. It was a mixture of emotions that for a moment, he was overwhelmed by the notion of. But soon, he was able to grasp them, feeling that the source of the emotions felt familiar.


    He couldn¡¯t understand just where it was from, but when he opened his eyes, he was still able to see the starlight. The quality that he perceived now was inferior aspared to before, but he felt better this way since he was ustomed to seeing through his eyes than sensing through other means that he felt for the first time.


    ¡®Though, I have to train and get used to this.¡¯ Compass Carburettor nodded, sighing in realisation, ¡®So, this is how a System senses everything. I can feel the waves of emotions that are directed towards me. So, no matter where a person is in this world, as long as they think about me, I¡¯ll be able to sense the relevant Mental Energy from them.¡¯


    He remained in meditation for a day, sensing the starlight streams as he understood them further. Based on the levels of emotions being disyed through them, he was able to judge the emotional state of the source¡ªthe person that generated the particr thoughts about him.


    Normally, no regr person could do this. But, Compass Carburettor had lived for 35 years. And after obtaining the Money-Making System, he had gone through numerous incidents daily. And, as he had been a Host to the System for 20 years, he had a plethora of experience.


    Using that, he was able to determine the mental and psychological states of the people based on the mental energy streams he perceived from them. And, as they were directed at him, he was vaguely able to perceive an idea.


    There were trace starlight streams that flickered nonstop, appearing and disappearing in masses. Some of them were of admiration, envy, jealousy, etc. Finally, among them existed three rtively big starlight streams.


    Two of them arrived from beyond the room¡¯s door. And the third was the one he perceived through the wall. Compass Carburettor got up from his seat, approached the door and opened it, noticing the two servants standing on either side.


    They were the source of the two starlight streams. Starlight flickered around their head, swirling into a stream that flew towards him in a wobbly arc. Compass Carburettor noticed that he was only able to sense the starlight directed towards him, unable to feel anything else.


    ¡®So, I can only feel the emotions behind the thoughts that are directed towards me.¡¯ He nodded, concentrating on the starlight emerging from the servant on the right, noticing emotions of affection, anxiety, admiration, and lust in it.


    ¡®What the heck?¡¯ He was shocked for a moment, after all, the servant hadn¡¯t even shown him a basic courtesy from the start. And to think this was what she thought of him made him doubt his life experiences.


    He looked at her, smiling, ¡°I never heard your name.¡±


    ¡°You can address me as Fealta,¡± The servant on the right replied. Compass Carburettor immediately sensed a wave of bashfulness and excitement among the starlight stream emanating from her. But in actuality, her face was stoic, the same as usual.


    Compass Carburettor was indeed confused, but decided to worry about itter as he looked at the servant on the left, ¡°And yours?¡±


    ¡°Caithy,¡± The servant on the left said, showing no change in expression. As for the starlight stream emanating from her, there was no change in it when he talked with her. The emotions he felt were appreciation and admiration.


    ¡®Maybe she¡¯s only thinking of my appearance.¡¯ He thought, intending to return to his room when Fealta looked at him, performing a formal bow, ¡°Sir, may we know your name? Everyone has only been addressing you as Sir Guest. And, we dare not ask for it from Her Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Compass Carburettor,¡± He said, noticing a plethora of emotions emanating from Fealta to the extent he was unable to make sense of anything in them. And when he noticed how she maintained a stoic expression, he was bewildered, hurriedly closing the door as he sat on the bed, deep in thought.


    ¡®Only Fealta and Caithy have interacted with me in the pce. As for the rest, they must have only seen me around while I went to meet the Queen. So, they don¡¯t feel any strong thoughts towards me. That¡¯s why the starlight streams from others are a disorderly bunch that randomly appear and disappear.¡¯ He nodded, focusing on the third starlight stream, the one that appeared from the wall.


    ¡®Someone is thinking of me from this direction?¡¯ He frowned, getting up as he walked through the room, noticing the focal point of the stream always remained the same as the starlight stream meandered towards him.


    He then thought of something, exiting his room as he walked through the corridor. Fealta and Caithy silently followed him, pacing a couple of steps behind him. The moment he closed the door, the starlight stream from the wall vanished abruptly.


    He was then able to feel another starlight stream on him now, having appeared like light. ¡®So, I can conclude that Mental Energy travels around the speed of light¡­probably. I can¡¯t determine whether it is faster or slower than the speed of light, but it appeared on me as if it had existed all along. So, for now, I¡¯ll assume Mental Energy travels at the speed of light.¡¯


    The third starlight stream was a clear track for him to follow through. So, Compass Carburettor walked in the direction the starlight stream arrived from, acting like he didn¡¯t notice anything as he walked through the corridor, soon noticing that the stream appeared from one of the weirdly shaped sculptures on the wall.


    And, the ce it arrived from was the eyes of the sculpture, as if it was being used to watch his actions. And hence, the thoughts of the person watching him emanated from the ce. As Compass Carburettor walked further, the starlight stream trailed from him.


    But, once he made a turn, leaving its line of sight, it vanished as he instantly noticed another starlight streamnd on him. By this point, if he wasn¡¯t able to understand what was happening, he would be a fool. Slowly, Compass Carburettor walked towards the study, waiting until he was permitted to enter.


    The moment he entered the study, he watched the new starlight stream. The presence was exactly the same as every other starlight stream he felt along the way, ¡®So, you were watching me all along, Epheme.¡¯

 Chapter 32: Darlac Connection Point

    <h4>Chapter 32: Dac Connection Point</h4>


    ¡®So, Epheme was watching my actions all along. That exins why I can feel that she¡¯s more trusting of me with the passing of every day.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, understanding exactly why she did that.


    Even though it was a vition of privacy, this was a different world after all. And, as an imperialistic nation, everyone worked based on the Queen¡¯s orders. The fact that she hadn¡¯t imprisoned him to torture all his secrets alone made him thankful.


    Moreover, she had been actively supporting his growth, allowing him to save tremendous time and even use her kingdom¡¯s resources for his needs. If he had to sacrifice his privacy in return, he didn¡¯t mind. Even back on Earth, paparazzi constantly followed him around everywhere he went. So, he didn¡¯t feel burdened by it.


    ¡°Were you searching for me?¡± Epheme closed the book she was reading, removing her monocle as she spoke, curious of why he had approached her now.


    ¡°I have four Dac now,¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, ¡°I thought of testing and understanding the basics of Puppets. Also, I had a doubt I hope you can rify.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Epheme nodded, showing that she was fine with both.


    Smiling in joy, Compass Carburettor asked, ¡°I was wondering as I looked through some books. I had assumed everyone in your kingdom would possess Dac in their bodies. But it seems only the soldiers have that. Is the reason themoners are prevented from wielding Dac because of fear that they might cause a rebellion? Or is there another reason?¡±


    ¡°The fear of a possible rebellion is just one facet of the reason,¡± Epheme said as she picked up a book from the nearby shelf, flipping through it as she showed the image of an altar and a spherical Darble, the same that he used to awaken, ¡°The second is because we simply cannot afford to do so.¡±


    ¡°A Darble sphere with a radius of 20 centimetres is the most optimal size to awaken Dac in a person¡¯s body. If it is any bigger, the person is overwhelmed by the Dac induced and dies. Simrly, if the Darble is smaller, the time taken to awaken is just too long. So, a Darble sphere of radius 20 centimetres is the most optimal size.¡± She spoke.


    Epheme then turned a page, showing a basic statistic, ¡°For an average person to begin producing Dac in their body, it takes around 3-7 days even with the optimal Darble sphere. And, Darble Spheres of such sizes are incredibly rare and precious. There are only three in the royal castle while the four major noble houses possess one each. So, the number of people we can awaken is limited.¡±


    ¡°But, aren¡¯t the Armaments made with a Darble too? Can¡¯t they just be used to awaken the others, even if the time taken is longer? After all, the more the merrier, right? And, it would help the kingdom more if there are more soldiers.¡± Compass Carburettor asked, confused as to why they hadn¡¯t done that.


    ¡°It¡¯s because even though an Armament is made from a Darble, it has little quantity of Darble in it. The states an Armament possess is based on the percentage of Darble forming it. It ranges from one to five states for every twenty-percentage increase in the Darble quantity forming the Armament. And,¡± Epheme shook her head, pointing at a certain section of the book, ¡°Only a 100 percent pure Darble can awaken someone. Unless the Armament has five states, it cannot awaken someone.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°So, a kingdom¡¯s strength depends on the number of Darble Spheres they have.¡±


    Upon clearing his doubt, Compass Carburettor apanied Epheme to the room with the Puppets. Pointing at a tiny dot on the forehead of a basic wooden puppet, Epheme said, ¡°We call this a Dac Connection Point. If you ce your index finger or thumb here, it would suck in your Dac, automatically refining itself to your Dac signature. This way, you¡¯ll refine it, and would be able to control it. For a Puppeteer to steal someone¡¯s puppet, they have to do the same and passively override the other¡¯s control.¡±


    Compass Carburettor ced his thumb on the wooden puppet¡¯s be, the point where the Dac Connection Point was. He immediately felt his Dac being sucked in, able to feel a circuit of sorts within it.


    And soon, just like when he held an Armament, numerous parts of his body began to prick, causing him to experience a wave of goosebumps all over his body.


    Upon seeing this scene, Epheme said, ¡°Controlling a Puppet is simple. Focus on the prickling sensations on your body and think of moving that respecting body part. The Puppet will move ordingly.¡±


    Compass Carburettor nodded, focusing on the prickling sensation on the back of his right hand, willing it to move. His right hand moved forward when he noticed the wooden Puppet doing the same.


    It was a mystical feeling as he felt the sensation of controlling someone. He then retracted his hand, watching the Puppet do the same. He then thought of moving the puppet¡¯s right hand without moving his own.


    It was difficult as he was unable to imagine and think of the action clearly. The puppet¡¯s hand only shivered from time to time, moving forward an inch before stopping or returning to its resting state.


    ¡®This would take some time to get used to.¡¯ He thought, sensing that he hadn¡¯t even consumed a Dac. ¡®Right, I wasn¡¯t even making it move. And, this is the most basic version.¡¯


    After a moment of thought, he asked, approaching the topic that he had intended to ask about in the first ce, ¡°By the way, how can I control this Puppet when it¡¯s out of my line of sight?¡±


    The moment he asked it, he was immediately able to perceive immense waves of guilt and hesitation from the starlight stream emanating from Epheme. But in actuality, her face showed no change in expression.


    He noticed the starlight stream be suffused by a sense of resolve to go ahead with her choice, and also a conviction that if he were ever to betray her, she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to subject him to living hell. And, unlike the other starlight streams he had sensed till now, the present stream wasn¡¯t like a wave but had instead shaped itself like a sword.


    It showed that her thoughts were firm, refined to the absolute rity of thought. And anyone who managed to maintain a perfectly clear and sharp state of thought wasn¡¯t someone simple.

 Chapter 33: Puppet Design and Plan to Take Action

    <h4>Chapter 33: Puppet Design and n to Take Action</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s possible to both see and hear through the Puppets. We have the technology to achieve that.¡± Epheme said, ¡°But I¡¯m sorry, I cannot tell you details about that. It¡¯s a state secret.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I just wanted to know if it was possible.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, asking, ¡°Can the mode to see and hear be installed in a tiny Puppet?¡±


    ¡°Only if we have the design necessary to iy the Darble circuit for that,¡± Epheme said, asking in curiosity, ¡°Why? Do you have something you need?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°At present, even though the scouts are doing an impressive job in monitoring Regriel, they are involuntarily contributing to his growth. He¡¯s growing faster as a result, so, I n to scout him alone from now onwards. And to aid that, I have a Puppet design in mind.¡±


    ¡°Is the cause rted to what you had attempted to tell me before?¡± Epheme asked, thinking of the incident when Compass Carburettor stopped speaking abruptly as his body trembled and burned up, looking like he might die any moment.


    ¡°Part of it is rted to that. And, Regriel¡¯s ultimate treasure is capable of growing based on the number of people concerned about him, whether with good or bad intentions.¡± Compass Carburettor then waved his hand, ¡°I don¡¯t mean to say that I¡¯ll be dealing with him alone. I¡¯ll only be the one scouting him. As for the rest, they could indirectly support me. This way, they won¡¯t contribute to his growth.¡±


    ¡°Moreover,¡± He said solemnly, ¡°You should do something to prevent General Artica¡¯s betrayal and Regriel¡¯s survival from being known to the popce. If possible, suppress the informationpletely so that no one will even know that this incident had ever happened. That would staunch his growth further.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do about that,¡± Epheme said, not giving any guarantees. She then asked all of a sudden, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be simple if I just marched straight at him and killed him once and for all?¡±


    ¡°Theoretically, General Artica cannot stop you from doing so. And, if you face them, you¡¯re bound to win guaranteed. But, the moment you set out to do that, an enemy kingdom might coincidently try to attack here. Or, suppose you managed to reach Peckle City, a General from Heroica Empire might coincidentally stumble upon you.¡± He sighed, saying, ¡°I cannot give any guarantees if that might happen, but we can test them once and see how it goes. As long as enough precautions are taken, there shouldn¡¯t be too much risk involved.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it then,¡± Epheme nodded, ¡°Honestly, everything happening around Regriel doesn¡¯t make any sense. He¡¯s suddenly lost weight. And for some reason, the inn owner allowed him to stay for free from today onwards. And, when General Artica headed to Peckle Dungeon, the inn owner spent time with him. All of it seems strange and makes no sense.¡±


    ¡°Was she smitten by Regriel?¡± Compass Carburettor frowned when Epheme nodded, ¡°Before this, did hee into contact with her before?¡±


    ¡°While losing weight, it seemed his body was burning up for some reason. And out of the pity of her heart, and since General Artica paid her enough, the inn owner personally nursed Regriel. She constantly wiped his body with a wet towel to cool his body temperature.¡± Epheme said, watching Compass Carburettor pick up a pen and paper immediately.


    He then inquired for more details, noting down points as she talked. Finally, after a couple of hours, he said, ¡°It¡¯s safe to assume that he needs around a day¡¯s worth of contact with ady to enve her.¡±


    ¡°Then, what about General Artica? She was only touched by Regriel once while trying to behead him. The carriage driver said that Regriel had moved insanely fast at that one time.¡± Epheme said.


    ¡°That must be a one-time thing, a bonus power allowed by his treasure.¡± Compass Carburettor thought, saying his conjecture, ¡°And now, it¡¯s safe to assume that he needs to remain in contact with ady for quite long before he can enve her. This time limit would only shorten in the future. But I have no reasons to dy until then.¡±


    He then looked around, picking up a pen and arge sheet of paper, using a scale to draw numerous projection lines as he sketched a diagram, giving it a front view, side view, back view, top view, bottom view, and an isometric view projection, drawing numerous sketches on the paper.


    It took him around half a day of work to detail everything. In the meantime, Epheme had left for work at times and returned to watch him, looking at his design in curiosity. When he was done, she was rather shocked at the simple design that hadplex uses.


    ¡°If possible, I need a puppet like this. I drew the image on a one-on-one scale, so that¡¯s how big I want the Puppet to be. As for the materials, that doesn¡¯t matter. They can be anything that can get the job done. With this, I¡¯ll be able to spy on Regriel perfectly.¡± Compass Carburettor said, giving the paper to her.


    Epheme looked at the design, contemting for a good hour before she said, ¡°We have a circuit that could be used, albeit with some minor changes. There might be some trial and error involved, even though the overall design isn¡¯tplex. It would be done within a month.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Compass Carburettor bowed and turned around, intending to return as he said, ¡°I¡¯ll be training in the meantime. After a week, I wish to head into the Ellipster dungeon to train myself.¡±


    ¡°Consider it done,¡± Epheme smiled, watching him leave as she frowned immediately, sitting on her seat as she thought, for a moment wishing to just storm into Peckle City using a disguise and kill Regriel. She was irritated at the fact that she couldn¡¯t deal with him easily when she was able to instantly overpower him, despite General Artica protecting him.


    It vexed her because she was smart and had sensed that something mysterious was at y here. And if she didn¡¯t realise it soon enough, she would be engulfed by the storm that would happen soon enough.


    ¡°Dammit, I should have just killed him in the throne room. It would have saved all this hassle.¡± She gripped her Armament, frowning as she focused, thinking of everything Compass Carburettor had told her, then matching the information to what she had observed in Regriel¡¯s actions.


    The fact that he was able to predict some of Regriel¡¯s in advance was enough proof that Compass Carburettor was privy to a lot of details. But, it seemed he was inhibited by something, preventing him from sharing the information with her.


    But, neither of them gave up. He had given her numerous hints throughout their numerous conversations. And now, it depended on how well she was able to piece everything together without alerting whatever mysterious power that was preventing information about Systems being a thing of reality from being verified.

 Chapter 34: Mental Energy Form

    <h4>Chapter 34: Mental Energy Form</h4>


    Once he hadpleted his training montage, Compass Carburettor meditated, using part of the time to give himself mental inputs to reduce his resistance to Dac. For the remainder of the duration, he focused on Mental Energy.


    It seemed Epheme watched his actions at least twenty times a day. And, every time she did, the starlight stream would appear from one spot in the wall. In other times, the starlight stream would emerge from any random parts of the room¡¯s walls, depending based on where she was in the pce.


    It seemed he was constantly on her mind. He was thankful for it though, since he was able to feel her emotional state concerning him. So, it was his gauge to determine the Queen¡¯s stance on his matter.


    As the days passed, her sense of worry seemed to be increasing. Though, he knew the cause. It was because Regriel was growing stronger. And when he received the report, Compass Carburettor flinched in shock because Regriel had already umted 40 Dac.


    At his present speed, Compass Carburettor was able to increase his Dac by two per every three days. His speed of increasing Dac continued to increase thanks to his body reducing instinctual resistance against it.


    And, as he possessed a body equivalent to numerous athletesbined into one, his advantage began to show as the quantity of Dac being converted from his intake of food continued to increase. At present, he was able to refill his 15 Dac with a single meal.


    Compass Carburettor focused, concentrating wholly on Mental Energy, forgetting everything else. Thanks to his Cognition (Level 9) and Five Senses (Level 10), he was aware of everything in and around him, understanding everything.


    And, thanks to Intelligence (Level 7), he was able to ponder about everything he sensed at a deeper level while innumerous thoughts shed in his mind, allowing for greater breakthroughs of thoughts and ideas.


    Soon, he forgot the sensation of his physical body, only now perceiving the mysterious energy in his body. It was the part of the Money-Making System that had been turned into his. It seemed to be created using Mental Energy, for while sensing Mental Energy, he was also able to sense the System.


    It was a form of starlight that outlined his figure. And at the core, condensed from the densest starlight was Anthozoa, his gun. It seemed that as long as the gun remained undamaged, there was a chance he wouldn¡¯t lose any memories under any external effect.


    The gun acted like the heart of his Mental Energy form as numerous nerves of sorts¡ªdense streams of Mental Energy thin enough to look like nerves¡ªtravelled from it, connecting to different objects of sorts.


    Among them, the biggest and brightest of the lot was his right arm. Compass Carburettor knew based on the memory surge¡ªwhen he made Anthozoa his Personal Fragment¡ªand what he sensed now that this right arm was the ¡®Arms¡¯ that had been disyed in his status window.


    It was what would hold a System Fragment in the future¡ªif he obtained one. Compass Carburettor then trailed in reverse, scanning the starlight nerve until he reached the gun. He focused on it, noticing that five thick buds were surrounding it, having the same girth and density as the starlight nerve connecting his only ¡®Arms¡¯.


    Immediately, he understood just what it was, ¡®So, I can have a maximum of 6 Arms? That means I can have a maximum of 6 System Fragments on me at a time. That¡¯s great.¡¯


    ¡®Now, how do I grow them into an Arms?¡¯ He thought, focusing on the other nerves. Each of them headed towards different parts of his body before connecting to various objects of sorts. Upon a count, he noticed that there were nine such objects.


    And, they exactly conformed to the nine physique-rted Skills he still retained in him.


    [Physique: Health (Level 10), Strength (Level 10), Dexterity (Level 8), Stamina (Level 7), Intelligence (Level 7), Cognition (Level 9), Natural Recovery (Level 6), Five Senses (Level 10), Resting (Level 10)]


    All the objects were divided into ten segments, as evidenced by the maximum of Level 10 to his Skills. And, based on the Skill level, the number of segments of the object was solid while the remainder were just transparent.


    As he observed them, he determined which object conformed to what Skill of his.


    [Health: Thermometer]


    [Strength: Brick]


    [Dexterity: Ring]


    [Stamina: Battery Cylinder]


    [Intelligence: Acorn]


    [Cognition: Book]


    [Natural Recovery: Jar]


    [Five Senses: Flute]


    [Resting: Pillow]


    ¡®Why is Intelligence represented as an Acorn?¡¯ He wondered, leaving aside its shape as he observed the overall starlight in his form. He then focused on the starlight streams emerging from various locations and pouring into him.


    It was like he was a broken vase. On one side, starlight streamed into him. But on the other side, it leaked out of his form, exiting his body. ¡®Wait a minute¡­if this works as I think, then¡­¡¯


    Compass Carburettor got excited as he focused on the exiting starlight streams, willing them to remain within his body. At the start, it was difficult. But as he concentrated further, the exiting starlight reduced.


    But, as the inlet streams continued to supply starlight into his form, Compass Carburettor felt a headache as he felt it was getting harder and harder for him to control them all, and prevent them from leaving his form. Finally, he was unable to hold it in any longer as all the starlight he had stuffed in his form gushed out instantly, pushing him out of his concentration.


    He slumped on the bed, gasping for air as he felt his heart thumping rapidly due to the overexertion. ¡®How¡­do I control them?¡¯


    Just as he thought as such, he could hear the sounds of his heartbeat echoing in his ears. He ced his hand on his chest, feeling the vigorous thumping of his heart, suddenly obtaining an epiphany as he got up with a start, excited.


    ¡®Right, the heart pumps the blood through the body. The arteries transport the blood into the organs from the heart while the veins transport the blood into the heart from the organs. This way, they create a closed circuit.¡¯

 Chapter 35: Closed Circuit

    <h4>Chapter 35: Closed Circuit</h4>


    Compass Carburettor meditated once again, focusing on his gun before he began to sense the Mental Energy around him. Even though Mental Energy was generated because of thoughts, they were affected based on the emotions of the receiver.


    So, he perceived them as emotions. And, the greater he was affected by said emotions, the more the Mental Energy he would receive. It was exactly like a System.


    And now, he focused on Anthozoa, noticing tiny bristles covering it. Each bristle was tiny, barely peeking out of the gun. He judged that they were nerves that hadn¡¯t formed yet since they didn¡¯t have anything to connect with.


    ¡®Now, how do I condense them?¡¯ He thought, recalling how his gun functioned. He decided to proceed with the same notion here too, directing the inlet starlight into the gun¡¯s nozzle. He had to mentally exert force to move the starlight.


    And, if he wavered for even a moment, his concentration would break and the starlight that he had gathered would simply leave his body. So, he carefully inserted small portions of the starlight into the nozzle, pushing them deep into it as he willed for the gun to activate.


    And, as he had hoped, the nozzle began to suck in the starlight. Though, it only amounted to the starlight he had inserted into the nozzle. Anything beyond that wasn¡¯t affected.


    Compass Carburettor immediately felt a mild difference in the gun. There was a tad increase in its starlight density. As he was fully focusing on it, and since its initial concentration wasn¡¯t that high, he was able to notice the minute change in density.


    The gun processed the starlight as he felt that it had now be his. He then focused on a bristleing out of the gun¡¯s grip, diverting the converted starlight into it, noticing the bristle slightly grow in length and girth.


    ¡®It works!¡¯ He was overjoyed, immediately bringing in more starlight into the nozzle, stuffing it deep into it as the gun processed it, converting the starlight into his. The starlight that was his was easier to control than the external starlight.


    Compass Carburettor continued to push more starlight into the bristle, growing it in length as he eventually extended it long enough to reach the Acorn¡ªthe object representing his Skill of Intelligence (Level 7)¡ªin his head.


    He then gently touched the end of the bristle to the Acorn, attaching it to the other end. Immediately, he noticed the starlight in the nerve connected to the acorn move, circting through it before moving into the bristle.


    It flowed into the gun as even more starlight began to flow through the nerve connecting the acorn. A minor circuit had been achieved as Compass Carburettor sighed in exhaustion, feeling mentally tired.


    But, he didn¡¯t stop at this point, inserting more starlight into the gun¡¯s nozzle, watching the starlight in the mini circuit increase in density. Thanks to that, the bristle absorbed them and began to grow in girth, soon reaching the same thickness as the nerve connecting the acorn and the gun.


    Now, the mini circuit¡¯s flow had been optimised, with the inlet and outlet from the acorn being the same. Exiting his meditating session, Compass Carburettor smiled, closing his eyes as he slept. Once he woke up, he did his routine before meditating, focusing on his Dac first.


    Once he had obtained some progress in that, he focused on his Mental Energy Form. But this time, he didn¡¯t work on connecting bristles to the other objects. But, he extended them all the way to the edge of his Mental Energy form, splitting them up into even finer minor bristles, touching them on the edge.


    As for their other end, he tried to move one of them, noticing that he was able to do so, albeit with greater effort. He connected the other end of the bristle deep into the nozzle, at the point where it would begin to suck in the starlight.


    After this, he struggled, feeling an intense headache as he tried to barely squeeze in the starlight through the finer bristles on the edge of his Mental Energy form. It was hard as he not only had to squeeze them through the tiny entrance but also had to move them through the entire length of the bristle until its end¡ªdeep within the gun¡¯s nozzle.


    After almost three hours of effort, he finally managed to cause the starlight to reach the end of the bristle. The gun began to suck in the starlight from that point, creating a depression for starlight as more of it flowed through the bristle.


    This way, the starlight that came in contact with the ends of the finer bristles were sucked into it and flowed into the main bristle. In this manner, Compass Carburettor created a cycle where the suction of the starlight was automatic.


    Upon seeing that it was a sess, he sighed in relief, feeling that he no longer needed to break his head to bring in more starlight. Starlight began to constantly flow into the gun and was processed into what he could use.


    Compass Carburettor used the refined starlight to create more bristles, connecting them all in the same manner to the edges of his Mental Energy form. This way, the influx of starlight continued to increase steadily while he used them to create more nerves.


    Finally, he connected all the nine objects, creating a circuit where starlight flowed through them all. And, he immediately noticed some differences. When starlight flowed into the acorn, the quantity of starlight that exited was slightly lower.


    But, when the starlight flowed into the thermometer¡ªthe object representing his Skill of Health (Level 10)¡ªand exited, there was no decrease in it. And, when he observed the acorn, Compass Carburettor noticed that its eighth segment was slightly more solid aspared to the ninth and tenth segments.


    ¡®As Health is Level 10, there is no difference. But, since Intelligence is Level 7, it is getting upgraded to Level 8 by absorbing the starlight. This way of development is the same as a System¡¯s.¡¯ He thought, unable to determine if he was happy or frustrated by it.


    After all, when he obtained the Money-Making System, he was jubnt at the prospect of bing better than the rest. And simrly, he wasn¡¯t doing anything differently now, still dependent on the System. The only difference was that a part of the System¡¯s power was now his.

 Chapter 36: Swirling Palace

    <h4>Chapter 36: Swirling Pce</h4>


    Compass Carburettor continued meditating, now absorbing all the Mental Energy incident on him. All the starlight was sucked into his gun, refined, and then made to circte through theplexwork in his body.


    There wasn¡¯t any problem with the Mental Energy bing excessive. After all, Compass Carburettor was creating new nerves constantly, covering more and more ces of his Mental Energy Form¡¯s surface. This way, he nned topletely cover the surface until nothing remained free anymore.


    After thinking for a moment, he focused on some of the finer bristles hailing from a bristle, concentrating on them as he stopped the starlight influx. It was easy to do so. And now, when he thought of Fealta, a starlight stream exited his body and fell on Fealta.


    Though, as she didn¡¯t have a method to absorb it, once it passed through her body, it dissipated. Compass Carburettor focused, blocking more and more nodes¡ªthe ends of the finer bristles in contact with his Mental Energy Form¡¯s surface. And then, he experimented again, thinking of Fealta.


    This time, the starlight stream he generated was a tad smaller, even though the contents was the same. ¡®Once I cover the surface with the nerves, I¡¯ll be able to prevent any of my thoughts from leaking out.¡¯


    This was his n ever since he began to create the nerves. A System relied on the senses of its Host to function. But it primarily relied on the Mental Energy to determine everything, thereby generating relevant Quests for its Host to fulfil. After all, Mental Energy was generated by thoughts. And, every System had a method to detect andprehend them at a level beyond what he was capable of.


    And, since his opponent was a System, he had to first prevent it from detecting him. If it sensed his hostility and understood his ns, no matter what he did, he would never be able to outwit a System. And by blocking his thoughts, a System wouldn¡¯t be able to sense what he was thinking or nning to do.


    And, he had an inkling that a typical Appraisal Skill relied on this Mental Energy to function. After all, one¡¯s physique or the subconsciousness maintaining it knew about itself the best. And, this Appraisal Skill probably relied on the Mental Energy emitted by the target to determine their abilities, character, etc.


    There could be other modes of Appraisal Skills. But Compass Carburettor was assured that he was at least able to block one aspect. This gave him better assurance in scheming against Regriel¡¯s System.


    As his Mental Energy Circuit continued to automatically pull in the starlight to refine, he had more than enough for his needs. At present, the influx wasn¡¯t high. But simrly, he wasn¡¯t able to pull in that much starlight either.


    So, he nned to take it slow. After all, even a System took a lot of time to upgrade itself. As for him, he determined that at this rate, he would be able to reach Level 10 in all his Skills within a year. And, that was tremendously quick.


    Once all of them reach Level 10, he would be a lot stronger than his current self. Smiling, Compass Carburettor continued to train, not thinking of anything else. When it was time to meditate, he created more nerves.


    With more pathways opened up, the amount of starlight circting through him continued to increase. And, the rate at which all the objects were being filled by starlight sped up. Since it was possible for him to destroy the nerves as he wished, he didn¡¯t worry about anything and just focused on filling up his Mental Energy Form with the nerves to circte more Mental Energy.


    In the future, once he obtained better ideas, he would rework them. And at present, until he covered his Mental Energy Form¡¯s surface with nodes, he didn¡¯t n on thinking about killing Regriel. He didn¡¯t wish to alert his enemy.


    And, the more he thought about his enemy, the more he fuelled its growth. And in return, Regriel would just finish some Quests and gain new Skills. The longer he dyed, the stronger Regriel would be.


    A weekter, Compass Carburettor had 20 Dac. His growth speed was tremendous, shocking Epheme every time she observed his actions. If there wasn¡¯t Regriel relying on his cheat, she would havebelled him a monster.


    Though, most of it was due to the synergic effects of his numerous Skills. Thanks to them, he was able to achieve such a growth feat. And now, it was time for him to obtainbat experience. Simply umting Dac wasn¡¯t enough, he should be ready to wield it in a threatening manner.


    And to do that, he needed to obtain as muchbat experience as possible.


    Compass Carburettor donned a set of basic leather armour, wearing arm bracers of iron for better defence during emergencies. He carried an iron sword with him, holding an Armament in each hand.


    They were the basic Armaments, having one state each. The one in his right condensed a sword while the one in his left condensed a shield. To gain experience, he had to train using the most basic of Armaments.


    Without having to repair any damage, Compass Carburettor was able to maintain the sword in an activated state for ten minutes. If he used both the sword and the shield, his limit fell to five minutes. Still, it was plenty sufficient.


    Fealta and Caithy apanied him as they exited the pce. Only now did Compass Carburettor realise that they were both servants and guards. And, they were significantly strong to boot, judging by the respectful nces given to them by the soldiers.


    Finally, after more than three weeks of stay in the pce, Compass Carburettor finally exited it, turning around to look at the massive structure, ¡°It¡¯s huge.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it is.¡± Caithy retorted, ¡°It¡¯s the pce, after all.¡±


    ¡®It spans at least two to three kilometres in length. As for the height, it is around 120-130 metres. That¡¯s massive.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, noticing the swirling architecture used in the ce. It was as if the entire pce was a group of stairsbined to create the structure.


    Aesthetically speaking, it wasn¡¯t pleasant to see. But, it seemed only he thought of that, due to his sense of aesthetics from Earth. As for those from the kingdom, they looked at the pce as if it was a world wonder.


    ¡®I guess I¡¯ll finally be able to appreciate this world¡¯s culture.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, apanying the two servants as they exited the pce grounds, heading into the streets of the capital.

 Chapter 37: Entering a Dungeon

    <h4>Chapter 37: Entering a Dungeon</h4>


    Just as he had expected, the architecture of the ce was indeed different. The pce was situated atop an artificial hill of sorts, created by piling a material simr to granite. So, it was hard, heavy, and exuded an imposing appearance.


    ¡®From the ground level, the pce is situated at a height of 200 metres. That¡¯s freaking high.¡¯ Compass Carburettor took in the imposing grandeur of the ce. Normally, a height of 200 metres wasn¡¯t anything surprising.


    Any random hill was as tall as that. But, most hills were like naturally forming mounds. They weren¡¯t like the pce that peaked out sharply from the well-paved ground. The sheer difference in the rapid inclination brought about an imposing effect, unleashing a formless pressure in the minds of the people.


    A single nce was all it took for Compass Carburettor to understand the significance of the structure. Technically speaking, it was easier to defend and hard to break into. It also allowed for those in the pce to use the altitude to their advantage and survey the state of the city any time they wished.


    But psychologically speaking, the pce was on a natural pedestal of sorts. Whenever the citizens had to look at the pce, they had to look up. And this created a sort of psychological bias in their minds, resulting in greater value to everymand dered by the Queen.


    The citizens would be more prone to follow hermands and execute them withoutints. It was because, whether they wished to or not, thanks to gazing at it every day, the status of the pce was high up in their mind. So involuntarily, they turned into loyal citizens. A simple structure and its geological cement were capable of achieving this.


    Monuments on Earth were created exactly to cater to this fact. Everything was to psychologically influence the minds of the people subtly.


    There were four entrances to the pce; a long flight of stairs traversed the 200 metres to reach each entrance. Compass Carburettor apanied Fealta and Caithy, descending through the northern entrance.


    Their goal was the Ellipster Dungeon, a dungeon located a kilometre north of the pce. Based on the information he had gathered, it seemed that every dungeon was named based on the city it was situated at.


    ¡°Why is that the case?¡± He wondered.


    ¡°Our cities were established around the dungeons. That¡¯s why both of them have the same name.¡± Fealta spoke curtly. ¡°Most of the time, every dungeon is located far from each other. But in rare cases, there is more than one dungeon in the same ce. Such cities usually be the capital city of a kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Ellipster is the same,¡± Caithy said, shooting a nce at Fealta, motioning with her eye to not talk unnecessarily, ¡°The second dungeon is located within the pce. A dungeon is a precious resource hub where we can harvest numerous products. Our entire economy depends on them.¡±


    Nodding, Compass Carburettor looked around, noticing that the houses too seemed to have followed the pce in design to a certain extent. Every house was situated at least a metre or two above the ground level. A flight of stairs led from the ground and into the entrance.


    The walls were a series of coiling columns, climbing from the ground up like vines. They had a strange sense of aesthetic to them that the more he looked at them, the more they were pleasing to the eye, for some reason. ¡®Am I getting used to them? Already?¡¯


    As for the style of housing, the walls were made from a material resembling granite, thick, even for the regr houses of the citizens. Upon noticing a pattern in the ce, Compass Carburettor asked, ¡°Is everyone in the capital wealthy?¡±


    ¡°To a certain extent, yes.¡± Fealta nodded, ¡°Most of the families living in the capital belong to a line of people birthing Warriors and Puppeteers. As for the rest, they are part of the engineers. And throughout history, all Warriors and Puppeteers have been treated with considerable sries. So, their families are well off.¡±


    ¡°And,¡± Caithy said with a shrug, ¡°There¡¯s also pedigree. Those hailing from a prominent family of Warriors or Puppeteers are given higher priority in awakening to Dac. And, everyone living in the capital is the kingdom¡¯s past, present or future strength.¡±


    ¡®Interesting,¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, watching horse-driven carriages pass by. There were also vehicles resembling a bike plying the roads. But, they were fewer in number. But every time a bike passed by them, Caithy snorted, sporting an expression of disdain.


    After a short twenty minutes of walk, the trio arrived before an altar of sorts, one that was shaped like a cube, atop which stood a cylindrical column, spanning a radius of 30 metres, and a height of 20 metres. As for the cube, its side spanned a length of 60 metres.


    There seemed to be an entrance on one side, an arched doorway with massive double doors. A barricade of sorts had been erected at the entrance, preventing anyone from trespassing. The guards stationed there checked the identification proofs of everyone that wished to enter. And they all looked strong.


    When Compass Carburettor approached them, one of the guards motioned for him to stop, asking for his identity proof. But upon ncing at Fealta and Caithy, he motioned towards the entrance, ¡°Please proceed.¡±


    ¡®Are they someone famous in this kingdom?¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, wondering about the two servants that apanied him. But considering the fact that the Queen had only sent the two of them to apany him, it was enough proof that they were strong, strong enough for her to trust him in their hands.


    There was a chamber within, the insides of the cube. And, another door stood in his way. The guards stationed at the ce motioned them to proceed through the tiny door at the side, saluting once they saw the two servants apanying him.


    Pushing the door open, Compass Carburettor entered the ce, standing rooted to the spot as his eyes widened in shock, gazing at the spectacr scenery before him, ¡°I¡¯ll be damned.¡±

 Chapter 38: This is a…Dungeon?

    <h4>Chapter 38: This is a¡­Dungeon?</h4>


    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned,¡± Compass Carburettor was astounded as he noticed the abstract change in scenery, ¡°This is a dungeon?¡±


    Spanning before him was a vast stretch of water, coupled with gentle waves. The water was slightly transparent, allowing him to notice numerous shadows swimming within. And, every shadow was at least 3-5 metres long, frightening him.


    Some were even longer. But, that wasn¡¯t what surprised him. When he thought of a dungeon, he had assumed a ce teeming with natural risks, and one where humans had to pit their lives against monsters to reap benefits.


    But in actuality, reality proved to be different, ¡®Right, what¡¯s shown in novels don¡¯t happen in reality. Anyone with half a brain wouldn¡¯t let go of such free real estate, not when it¡¯s a freaking gold mine of resources.¡¯


    Numerous ships sailed on the waters, fishing the organisms swimming within. And every time they captured arge fish, they hailed in joy. Compass Carburettor noticed three massive ships in the distance. They were those that fished, remaining immobile.


    And, the captured fishes were transported by boats, bringing them to a massive factory on one side of the water body. There, it seemed the fishes were treated to be transported into the kingdom. As he saw the entire process, Compass Carburettor was amazed.


    Fealta spoke, pointing at the factory, ¡°We process all the meat there. And once it¡¯s night, we transport all the processed meat out of the dungeon and distribute them through all the food channels. The food we obtain from this dungeon is enough to sustain the entire capital and still have some excess. Not many dungeons have such convenient food resources. This is one of the reasons our kingdom is stronger than most kingdoms, despite being smaller.¡±


    ¡°Howrge is this dungeon?¡± Compass Carburettor asked as he gazed at the numerous pirs that protruded from the water body from a couple of kilometres away. They were shaped like cylinders and spanned at least a couple hundred metres in height.


    ¡°Based on historical documents, a dungeon usually spans a radius of 10 kilometres. And, it would have one floor. We call these a Level 1 dungeon. But, Level 2 dungeons have two floors, and each floor would span a radius of 20-50 kilometres. Level 3 dungeons are even wider, having a radius of around 80-150 kilometres. Each floor of such a dungeon is as big as our kingdom. As for higher-level dungeons, they are only present in the biggest of empires.¡± Caithy said, ¡°This is a Level 2 dungeon, by the way.¡±


    She then pointed towards her left, ¡°Since the right side is upied by the factory and all the transport rted to the fishery industry, the left side is the route we take to head deeper into the dungeon. Every dungeon has a couple of species of monsters. And the bigger and stronger the monster, the bigger the Darble we can harvest from it.¡±


    Fealta pointed towards her forehead, ¡°No matter the type of monster, it would have a small piece of Darble growing on its forehead. Once we kill the monster, we can harvest it. But, not every monster has a Darble. And even if it did, the Darble would be tiny. That¡¯s why it¡¯s a preciousmodity.¡±


    ¡®Since Darble contains Dac, an energy that¡¯s quantised from stamina, is it just how the monsters in this world store their stamina?¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, apanying the two servants through the path on the left.


    He looked at the numerous boats moving about in the waters and the flurry of people working together to capture fishes, feeling surreal as he hadn¡¯t expected such a scene in a dungeon. Moreover, everyone working in the ce wasn¡¯t normal people.


    After all, from time to time, he noticed people condensing energy des to hack at the fishes, killing them before hauling their bodies over the ships. And, the energy des were in a myriad of shapes, created to deal with the fishes the best.


    ¡°Everyone fishing is a Warrior and those controlling the Ships and the boats are Puppeteers,¡± Caithy said upon sensing his gaze. She then snorted, pointing forward, ¡°Beyond this fence, we¡¯ll be attacked by the Shruuger.¡±


    ¡°Shruuger?¡± Compass Carburettor frowned as he looked at the fence before him. It resembled a made of metal ropes, each thicker than his arm. The fence was wound through the pirs, creating a safety to prevent the monsters from harming the workers fishing in the waters.


    But, that wasn¡¯t all. The safety was only cast a kilometre from the first pir. And the pirs close to the fishing ships were being hacked by a stream of workers, transporting pieces of them. And upon ncing at it closer, Compass Carburettor determined that the material forming the pir was what was used to construct all the houses and even the pce in the capital.


    ¡®Food and construction materials.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, focusing as he could hear some cries that fluctuated between the chirps of birds and the hooting of wolves.


    And in the path before him was a gate, one that allowed him to proceed into the other side of the fence. Once he approached it, Fealta said, ¡°The terrain is dangerous from this point onwards. So, be on your guard.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded as Fealta pushed open the door and entered first. He followed after her while Caithy came inst, closing the door upon her entry. The terrain wasn¡¯t any different from before, but the atmosphere sure had changed.


    He also noticed what resembled footholds on the water floating amidst. Moreover, there seemed to be t protrusions along the sides of every pir now. If he so wished, he could scale one to the top using the protrusions that acted like steps. And, there were the footholds on the water, allowing him to traverse and reach the pirs.


    ¡°The footholds are just floating pieces of rock. You can¡¯t stand atop one for more than a couple of seconds. Otherwise, it would just sink. And, the marine creatures would jump at you all the time.¡± Fealta said, suddenly running forth before leaping onto a foothold.


    No sooner had she done so when a gigantic fish leapt out of the water, opening its maw wide as it mped on her.

 Chapter 39: Katuna

    <h4>Chapter 39: Katuna</h4>


    The fish seemed like a shark at first nce, but had more than ten fins on its body, allowing it to propel itself even faster. Right as it opened its maw, intending to mp on Fealta, she brought forth the Armament on her right, unleashing an energy de.


    It was a sword, spanning a metre in length. But in an instant, she increased its length to ten metres, and then widened it by five metres. The tiny sword had increased in size to such an extent it simply severed the fish into two.


    Fealta condensed another sword using the Armament on her left, piercing it into the snout of the fish, repeating the same as she severed a tiny portion. She ducked, watching the severed halves of the fish fly above her.


    Then, she got up, grabbing hold of the tiny piece of meat that she had severed in her second attack. Followed by a leap, Fealtanded on the ground, quickly distancing herself from the water, watching a couple of fins peek out of the water, stopping before thend.


    Dropping the piece of meat on the ground, Fealta pointed at the tiny crystal on it, ¡°We were lucky this time. The Katuna has a tiny Darble crystal on it.¡±


    Fealta then looked at Compass Carburettor, ¡°The energy des condensed by our Armaments don¡¯t have any weight to them. So, you can¡¯t wield them like a regr sword or spear. The main strength of an Armament is its State. When I activated the long sword State, my sword instantly increased in length. Thanks to its sharpness, it can pierce through tough objects. No matter what, the increase in length won¡¯t stop until it reaches the designated length. And by activating the wide sword atop that, I managed to instantly kill that Katuna.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how we fight with Armaments.¡±


    ¡®My Armaments only have one State though. And, one of them is a basic sword, and the other is a shield.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, thinking of giving it a try anyway as he followed Fealta¡¯s example, jumping onto a foothold.


    Suddenly, he noticed three Mental Energy streams exit the water andnd on him. In the fraction of a second, Compass Carburettor instinctively understood what was up, quickly jumping towards a nearby foothold, watching three Katunas jump out of the water and attack the foothold he had been upon just now.


    ¡®Well, at least, I would no longer be ambushed, thanks to this.¡¯ He smiled. The moment the Katunas sensed his presence and intended to attack him, they had thought of him. And, Compass Carburettor sensed that Mental Energy stream they emitted, since he was the target of the said thoughts.


    This allowed him to picture the direction they would jump out from, evading promptly.


    Caithy was surprised at the scene, wondering just how Compass Carburettor had done that. She assumed he had dodged the first time through a fluke. But, upon seeing him do the same a couple more times, she realised, ¡®He has extraordinary senses!¡¯


    She slowly retracted her hand, rxing. At the start, she and Fealta had been ready with their Armaments, intent to rescue Compass Carburettor the moment his life was in danger. And, they had positioned themselves ordingly so that he was still in the range of their attacks.


    This way, saving him could be done instantly by activating their long sword. But now that he proved his capability, they didn¡¯t interfere, only watching from the side, ready to step in at a moment¡¯s notice.


    ¡®This is hard. Even if I can dodge them, I am unable to wound them.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, timing himself ordingly as he shed forth with the sword, creating a gash on a Katuna. But, the injury wasn¡¯t deep. Moreover, he had to constantly change his footholds to prevent himself from sinking or be caught by the Katunas.


    As he continued to dodge, he noticed some of the footholds¡ªthat had previously sunk¡ªresurface. ¡®It takes about 10 seconds for the footholds to resurface. That¡¯sforting.¡¯


    Holding the sword in his right, Compass Carburettor had to be rmingly close to the jumping Katuna to sh it. And while doing so, he had to be careful not to lodge it too deeply.


    But, right as he thought so, his timing was off as a Katuna jumped at him, causing him to deactivate his sword to dodge. And, cing the Armament closer to its moving body, he activated the sword in reflex, causing it to plunge deep into its body.


    But, in his fluster, he failed to deactivate it on time, causing the Katuna¡¯s momentum to be transferred into him, pulling him along. Compass Carburettor¡¯s eyes widened in shock as his heart leapt. He watched the water surface approach closer and closer to him, also seeing a Mental Energy stream appear from right underneath.


    ¡®Dammit!¡¯ Right as he nned to summon his gun, an energy de appeared between him and the water. It was Fealta. She had used both the long sword and the wide sword, extending it towards him while cing the Armament on the ground, treating it as an anchor.


    She used one of the footholds as the other anchor to keep the energy de stable. With a length of 10 metres and a breadth of five metres, it formed arge tform tond upon.


    Compass Carburettornded on its t surface, watching the Katuna collide into it from under. The momentum caused the energy de to swing up, throwing him off.


    Fealta hurriedly changed the angle of her energy de, causing Compass Carburettor to be thrown off towards the ground.


    Making an arc in the air, hended on the ground, rolling the moment his feet touched the ground, saving himself from being injured by the fall. He hurriedly got up, only rxing when he realised that he was a couple of metres away from the water body.


    Looking at the two Armaments he had dropped on the ground while rolling, Compass Carburettor heaved a sigh in relief, picking them up as he looked at Fealta, ¡°Thank you. I almost died just now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Fealta said promptly, ¡°We were just doing our job.¡±


    She then pointed at the footholds once again, ¡°Since you are uninjured, get back out there and kill some Katuna. We aren¡¯t going to stop until you kill at least 10 of them.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Compass Carburettor took in a deep breath, feeling his thumping heart as he stood at the edge of thend, controlling his breathing as he focused. This time, he was nning a different approach.

 Chapter 40: A Natural Genius? Or Just a System-Enhanced Genius?

    <h4>Chapter 40: A Natural Genius? Or Just a System-Enhanced Genius?</h4>


    His approach was simple. The Katunas leapt out from the water to bite him. And, he had to kill them in the short duration they were out of the water. Compass Carburettor activated his sword once, shing it on the ground, noticing a sharp line form on it, ¡®The sword is sharp and pretty sturdy.¡¯


    He then sensed within himself, ¡®The Dac expenditure didn¡¯t increase when I shed at the ground. That means it wasn¡¯t damaged in that attack.¡¯


    He then deactivated it, cing the Armament closer to the ground, activating it now, watching the de pierce it. He only felt a bit of knockback, ¡®Even though the energy de doesn¡¯t have a weight, it is sturdy. And while expanding from zero to its maximum length, it generates considerable force. I barely felt the resistance the ground offered against it.¡¯


    Only by personally feeling it was he able to understand how the Armaments worked the best. Until now, he was subconsciously treating them as shape-changing items. That¡¯s why he tried to use regr shes to attack the Katunas.


    Instead, he should have better used the Armament¡¯s property.


    Compass Carburettor then activated his shield, noticing that it was oval in shape, spanning a metre in length and half a metre in breadth. Keeping it activated, he arrived before Fealta, ¡°Can you kick this shield?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± In the instant he asked, Fealta replied with a kick.


    ¡°Gah!¡± Compass Carburettor skid on the ground a little, surprised at the force Fealta was able to output. He then entered a stance, facing her as he said, ¡°Now, kick me once again.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Fealta said as she ran a quick few steps, jumped, andnded a heavy blow on the shield, surprised when she saw Compass Carburettor remaining steady like a tree. His feet barely slid by a centimetre on the ground. Seeing the power he could exhibit once he entered a stance, she said in a remark, ¡°You¡¯re strong. With some training, you¡¯ll be stronger. Have you never fought in your kingdom?¡±


    ¡°I solved everything with money. I never had to lift a finger back there,¡± Compass Carburettor lied without batting an eyelid. Though, upon linking the fictional Plottopia to Earth, it was easy to just convert the scenes. So, he wasn¡¯t even lying in the end.


    ¡®So, the shields don¡¯t have any capability to absorb shock.¡¯ He noted, deactivating it as he told her to attack once again, activating his shield right when her kicknded.


    This time, he didn¡¯t even budge, frowning as he was deep in thought, ¡®When the shield is expanding, it generates some force. And, if I defend at this time, I won¡¯t even face much of a shock. Fealta¡¯stest attack only seemed half as powerful.¡¯


    ¡°During the activation, an energy de is at its strongest state,¡± Compass Carburettor muttered, deactivating both his Armaments as he sprinted towards the water body, leaping onto a nearby foothold, immediately sensing a Mental Energy streamnd on him.


    He then waited, watching a shadow appear in the water before a gaping maw exited it, aiming right at his upper body. Compass Carburettor actively sidestepped while inserting his left hand into the opened maw, activating the shield right as the Katuna mped its mouth shut.


    The shield expanded instantly, causing the Katuna¡¯s mouth to bulge rmingly. Compass Carburettor had only activated it for the fraction of a second, having thought through and timed everything ordingly at the start.


    He just followed everything he had already nned out, inserting his left hand into the Katuna¡¯s mouth, activating the shield, deactivating it immediately as he retracted his hand.


    Compass Carburettor watched the Katuna pass by right before him, noticing its fins p him along the way. As he watched it crash into the water, he could assert with assurance, ¡®It¡¯s either dead or unconscious.¡¯


    After all, when he expanded the shield, he had aimed at the insides of the Katuna from where the Mental Energy stream was being generated from. So, it should have been the Katuna¡¯s brain. After all, the moment the shield expanded, he noticed the Mental Energy stream being cut off.


    Only if it had been dead or unconscious would it be unable to think. Compass Carburettor immediately leapt onto a nearby foothold, repeating the same when another Katuna jumped at him. He was still a bit awkward in using the Armament, but the more he used it in battle, the faster his proficiency with it grew.


    Cognition¡ªLevel 9!


    It allowed him to understand the concept and ingrain it into his muscle memory faster, making him adapt to the battle pace, soon bing capable of dealing with two Katunas simultaneously.


    Seeing his rapid growth, Fealta and Caithy exchanged looks, shocked at his progress. But, they didn¡¯t show anything on their faces, silently watching him, intending to protect him the moment he was in danger.


    Once he got ustomed to the shield, Compass Carburettor switched to using the sword, poking repeated holes in the Katunas that jumped at him. He hacked and shed, mostly sticking to piercing attacks by exploiting the Armament¡¯s feature.


    Soon, the water body around the area he jumped around began to be dyed a dark shade of crimson. Having understood the timing of the foothold¡¯s stay on water while he stood on it, and the duration it took to resurface after sinking, he was able to think up his actions in advance.


    Moreover, thanks to the Mental Energy streams, he was able to notice the direction the Katunas woulde from, able to react and n in advance.


    But right as he got the hang of it, having either killed or knocked more than ten Katunas unconscious, he suddenly noticed a dense number of Mental Energy streams fall on him. And, the source for them all were the pirs farther away.


    Compass Carburettor knew not to bite beyond what he was capable of. After all, it was just his first training session. He didn¡¯t have any foolish thoughts of turning into a master of war five minutes after using a weapon.


    Without any hesitation, he retreated behind Caithy, causing her to snort as she noticed quite a few Shruugers flying their way.

 Chapter 41: Stink Bombs Are Dangerous

    <h4>Chapter 41: Stink Bombs Are Dangerous</h4>


    The Shruugers were attracted by the intense stench of blood in the area. They pped their wings, unleashing repeated cries that echoed throughout the ce, varying in pitch as they reverberated. Disying their massive heads that blocked their stout bodies, the Shruugers flew towards the trio on the ground.


    ¡°Come with me!¡± Fealta said as she dragged Compass Carburettor, heading towards a nearby boulder as she pushed him behind it. She activated the wide sword on both her armaments, shielding the top and her right.


    Caithy jumped in on time, doing the same as she shielded the left and the back, erecting a rectangr barrier. They used the rock to block the final side, ensuring to leave enough gap to breathe. Though, it was cramped inside, due to the limited height, causing them to hit each other while they adjusted themselves.


    ¡°The Shruuger cannot see. It relies on echolocation to determine its prey. But, it cannot differentiate any prey normally. So, all it does is attack anything that moves and hopes it turns out to be edible. So, as long as we hide like this, we can avoid them,¡± Fealta said, warning, ¡°If you kill one of them, the blood would attract even more of them. Soon, we would be overwhelmed.¡±


    ¡°The best option is to wait until most of them leave,¡± Caithy said, adjusting her posture as she gazed up, grunting when a Shruugernded on the boulder she leaned upon. It patted the wide sword with its tail, tilting its head in confusion as it let out chirps like a bird.


    After staring for a couple of minutes, it took off to the air and swiped down, lifting the carcass of a Katuna from the water. It flew towards a pir, beginning to feast the Katuna uponnding on the peak.


    Compass Carburettor focused as he noticed the streams of Mental Energy incident on him vanish one after another. Soon, there were just three of them on him. Two of them were from the servants while the third seemed to be from the Queen, judging by the familiar presence.


    The third stream only appeared at times before disappearing. He focused on the Mental Energy stream from Caithy, judging that she just deemed the situation to be annoying. As for Fealta, it seemed she was having fun.


    It was odd considering how the two servants had maintained a poker face all the time, not once breaking out of it, ¡®How much training did they undergo to not express even the tiniest emotion on their face?¡¯


    As they waited, most of the Shruugers left the ce, carrying the carcasses of the Katunas that Compass Carburettor had killed. It seemed the Katunas had indeed died, based on how they didn¡¯t twitch even once while being carried by the Shruugers.


    Soon, there were just three Shruugers in the ce, loitering about. One of them justy on the boulder, napping.


    Fealta patted Compass Carburettor, pointing at the Shruuger, motioning for him to kill it. He blinked, gulping for a moment as he observed, taking advantage of the proximity to observe it in detail.


    It had tough, greyish-purple skin, sturdy muscles, and short limbs. The limbs were too small for it to even walk. Their only function was the sharp ws, used to perch on the pirs.


    While he observed it, Fealta whispered, ¡°The main attack of a Shruuger is the stink bomb it can unleash. The smell is unbearable to the extent we would be fully distracted once inhaled. And during this time, the Shruuger would usually carry us and drop us into the water body, leaving us to be killed by the Katunas. And while the Katunas are busy eating us, the Shruuger would pick up the fattened Katunas.¡±


    She then pointed at its neck, ¡°Its second attack is its powerful mouth. When necessary, its neck can expand to a length of two metres like a spring. Using this, it can chomp on its foes and shred them apart. These are the main attacks you have to guard against when facing a Shruuger. That¡¯s why we only face them on the pirs and push them into the water after their Darble has been harvested. After all, a couple of seconds after its death, all the stink gas it had saved up in its belly would be released.¡±


    Even though she had been whispering all along, the Shruugerying atop the boulder had sensed the vibrations, getting up when Compass Carburettor jumped, touching his Armament on its neck before activating it, piercing through.


    The tip of the sword peeked out from the other side of its neck as he grunted, exerting enough strength into the attack to sever its neck in one swing. And in the same motion, he made a second sh, severing the Darble crystal from its forehead, also inhaling a deep breath in the process.


    Picking up the Darble, he threw it towards Caithy, hurrying towards the second Shruuger, noticing the other party¡¯s stomach bulge a little before contracting. Opening its mouth, it spat out a thick, murky substance at him.


    Compass Carburettor erected his shield, watching the stink bomb crash into it before dispersing into gas. Having taken in a deep breath in advance, he was unaffected by it, preparing ordingly when his opponent¡¯s head sprang towards him.


    It had expanded its neck like spring to do so. But, right when it was about to mp him, Compass Carburettor activated his shield once again, smirking when he noticed the Shruuger failing to close its mouth anymore.


    But, he was surprised when the other party didn¡¯t take any damage, realising that the Shruuger was able to open its mouth wide enough to fit the shield inside. Moreover, it applied pressure on the shield, causing faint cracks on it.


    Compass Carburettor scowled as he noticed his Dac being siphoned at a tremendous speed, hurriedly cing the Armament on his right before its neck, activating the sword. He activated and deactivated it ten times in a flurry, riddling the Shruuger¡¯s neck with holes to the extent it lost all strength. He then decapitated it, frowning when it didn¡¯t have a Darble on its forehead.


    Upon noticing another Mental Energy streamnd on him, Compass Carburettor turned around in a hurry, activating his shield on time when the third Shruuger rammed into him, biting his shield in the process.


    The force caused him to be thrown back as the Armament generating the shield was pulled out of his hold, thanks to the Shruuger biting it, unwilling to let go. The moment the Armament left his hold, the shield disappeared.


    As Compass Carburettornded on the ground, all the air in his lungs gushed out. He hurriedly inhaled in reflex, regretting immediately as his eyes zed over. He had fainted from the stench.


    Seeing the scene, Caithy was unable to control herself any longer, chuckling.

 Chapter 42: Fight on the Edge

    <h4>Chapter 42: Fight on the Edge</h4>


    Fealta activated her long sword, piercing the Shruuger¡¯s neck. She then activated the wide sword, severing it easily.


    Controlling herughter, Caithy dragged Compass Carburettor away from the range of the stink gas, pping him awake.


    ¡°Puah!¡± Gasping for air, Compass Carburettor inhaled and exhaled in a flurry, finally feeling like he was alive. Upon noticing that he was saved by the servants once again, he sighed, ¡®I have yet to get ustomed to the feeling of battles. My reflexes almost killed me this time. If they weren¡¯t with me, I would have died.¡¯


    ¡°Get up, we¡¯ll have to leave this ce before more Shruugers are lured in by the smell of blood.¡± Fealta pulled him up, pointing at the pir farther away as she said, ¡°Let¡¯s hurry towards that pir. We¡¯ll fight some Shruugers there next.¡±


    Compass Carburettor patted himself, regting his breathing as he followed Fealta, skipping along the footholds on the water as they headed towards the closest pir. He noticed some Mental Energy streamsnd on him from behind, ¡®Some of the Katunas are following us. The moment we stop, we¡¯ll be besieged by them.¡¯


    Fealta seemed ustomed to the action as her steps were lithe and filled with grace. She barelynded on a foothold before leaping onto the next. As for Compass Carburettor, he wasn¡¯t that far behind either. As he continued to jump, he followed Fealta¡¯s actions, replicating the same.


    Following behind him, Caithy frowned as she noticed his mimicking actions and his real-time improvement, ¡®Just who is this guy? For what reason is the Queen supporting him so much? Is it to rted to General Artica¡¯s betrayal?¡¯


    Until now, Epheme hadn¡¯t confided any information to the servants. Everything that transpired between her and Compass Carburettor was kept between themselves, keeping everyone else in the dark.


    It was also Compass Carburettor¡¯s wish since he didn¡¯t want anyone else to think about Regriel using the information he had provided. That would simply alert Regriel¡¯s system. He didn¡¯t want that.


    Moreover, every time he talked with Epheme, he was always careful in directing the conversation with General Artica as the subject. This way, any Mental Energy streams from Epheme would only fall on General Artica. And of the times he mentioned Regriel, he had done so while shielding himself, preventing any Mental Energy streams from exiting him.


    This way, he wished to keep Regriel¡¯s System as much in the dark as possible. In the end, this was the first time he was up against a System. So, he didn¡¯t know the extent of caution he had to take. And, even though he had thought through many things, he was still bound to make mistakes or neglect some issues.


    After all, he was only human.


    ¡®I¡¯ll just observe him for now.¡¯ Caithy thought, following Compass Carburettor as she maintained a constant line of sight on his back.


    Upon sensing suspicion, confusion, and wonder in the Mental Energy stream from Caithy, Compass Carburettor frowned for a moment, following Fealta as he soon arrived atop the protrusion peeking out of a pir.


    ¡°Keep up the pace with me. There¡¯s a good chance the Shruuger¡¯s would try to attack us while we are scaling to the top.¡± Fealta said, running up the flight of stairs created by the protrusions, ¡°Be ready to defend and retaliate when necessary.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, running through the flight of stairs as he tightened his grip around the two Armaments, soon noticing two Mental Energy streamsnd on him. The path of the two starlight streams meandered in the air as he prepared himself.


    Halfway up the pir, he saw two Shruugers flying towards him, preparing to attack. The moment they arrived to attack, Fealta and Caithy distanced themselves from him, allowing him enough room to fight.


    Moreover, if the Shruugers tried to push him into the water, they nned to jump after him and save him.


    Though, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t n on relying on their help again. He had already been saved twice by them. He wished to think and n better so that he wouldn¡¯t make mistakes due to his preconceived bias of having lived a life of riches without any mortal risks.


    It was hard to change himself within a single battle as Compass Carburettor made quite a few mistakes. Though, he managed to handle himself, ramming into a Shruuger with his shield while piercing using the sword alone the sides, targeting the neck.


    When the Shruuger¡¯s neck elongated in an effort to push him out of bounds, Compass Carburettor bent backwards to the extent his back almost touched the ground. He then ced the Armament on his left under the Shruuger¡¯s neck, activating the shield.


    The shield expanded, hitting the ground¡ªthe protrusion on the pir¡¯s side¡ªon one side. The reaction force caused the Armament to move up while the other side of the shieldnded on the Shruuger¡¯s neck.


    As the shieldpletely expanded, the force was transmitted into the Shruuger¡¯s neck, sending it flying up. It was akin to a powerful hack into its neck, choking it for a moment as Compass Carburettor followed up with repeated hacks using his sword¡ªby activating and deactivating it repeatedly.


    He then shed, severing the Shruuger¡¯s neck before kicking its body out of bounds, watching it cause a ssh upon falling into the water.


    As for the second Shruuger, it flew towards him, intending to crash into him when Compass Carburettor thought of a daring n, making a short run before leaping towards the Shruuger, activating the shield right before colliding.


    The force of the impact pushed him back while at the same time stunning the Shruuger. Compass Carburettornded on the protrusion, sliding a little as he stopped while colliding lightly into the pir¡¯s sides.


    As for the Shruuger, since it had lost most of its momentum, it crashed into the side of the protrusions, screaming in pain as all the air in its lungs gushed out. Compass Carburettor arrived before it, shing at its face numerous times, also focusing on its legs until it gave out, causing the Shruuger to fall into the water below.


    It was then besieged by the Katunas.


    Compass Carburettor gazed at the two Darble crystals he had harvested from the recent encounter, remarking, ¡°They are bigger than the previous ones.¡±

 Chapter 43: No Time to Idle

    <h4>Chapter 43: No Time to Idle</h4>


    Eight days since his first entry into the Ellipster Dungeon, Compass Carburettor had spent most of his time fighting in the dungeon, increasing hisbat experience. Thanks to Fealta and Caithy, he never suffered any injuries.


    As he didn¡¯t need much sleep, Compass Carburettor was able to train for most of the day. Moreover, as long as he ate enough, he had enough energy to fight and heal from his injuries.


    Natural Recovery¡ªLevel 6!


    It allowed his injuries to heal at a faster pace. And, this Skill was capable of elerating the human body¡¯s natural healing ability. So, as long as he didn¡¯t sustain any unrecoverable injury, he could heal fully in a short period.


    Upon seeing his zealous training session, Fealta and Caithy were enamoured by his dedication. They were unable to understand just how a person could remain so focused continuously without slipping up even once.


    But, it wasn¡¯t as if Compass Carburettor was born with such a level of focus nor did the Money-Making System give him a Skill rted to that. It was brought by the pressure he faced. The pressure of going against a System, a plot armour that was capable of performing unimaginable feats.


    If he wished to save his daughter, he had to work hard, defeat or kill Systems and obtain System Fragments from them. And only with enough System Fragments would he be able to strengthen himself ordingly and be powerful enough to deal with the Money-Making System and save his daughter, Stencil.


    It was a do or die situation. After all, without his daughter, he wouldn¡¯t have the strength to live. With that determination, his focus remained unwavering, immersing himself in training himself wholeheartedly.


    Standing atop a pir, Compass Carburettor faced a couple of Shruugers, tussling with them as he evaded their attacks constantly, hacking them little by little using his sword. And when they attacked him, he parried with the shield.


    He had already gotten ustomed to using the sword and shield, now able to use them as if he had been training with them for a year. This was brought about by his endless training and his Skill of Cognition.


    A normal human was able to train around 3-4 hours per day. Even then, they would develop some muscr strain and aches. So, they had to rest plenty to recover enough to train to the same extent the next day. But as for him, his developed body was his plus point.


    For a normal person, they had to develop their body first. But for him, his body was already akin to athletes from multiple sports. So, all he needed to do was train his fighting abilities. And thanks to his endless training where he trained for more than 18 hours per day, his growth was obvious.


    Having killed the two Shruugers, he harvested their Darble crystals, kicking their bodies from the pir, watching their bodies plunge into the water below as he muttered, ¡°It seems I am quite lucky. Most of the Shruugers I face have a Darble in them, no matter how small.¡±


    ¡°It seems the Shruugers love you, considering how they throw themselves at you.¡± Caithy retorted, ¡°If you be careless, you¡¯ll end up in their belly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll never be careless,¡± Compass Carburettor said in all seriousness, gazing into the depths of the sea of pirs, ¡°Shall we head deeper? The Shruugers here aren¡¯t threatening enough.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Caithy said when she noticed a soldier waving towards her from the ground, ¡°Give me a moment.¡±


    Caithy descended through the protrusions, skipping on the footholds as shended on the ground, speaking with the soldier. She then turned around and waved towards Fealta, signalling her.


    ¡°It seems her Majesty is summoning you, Sir Compass.¡± Fealta said, ¡°We should return now.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, thinking, ¡®Maybe it¡¯s because I reached 30 Dac?¡¯


    He had just reached that a couple of hours ago. So, he was surprised that she was able to notice it. Or maybe she might have calcted based on his Dac increase daily. So, it was easy to estimate when he would touch 30 Dac.


    Compass Carburettor apanied the two servants, exiting the dungeon as they soon returned to the Pce. He hurriedly returned to his room, took a bath, and changed into a new set of clothes, one proper to meet the ruler of the kingdom.


    He then arrived before the study, entering upon obtaining the permission. Epheme was seated in the same position, as usual, looking through a bunch of documents. Upon seeing his entry, she nodded at him, extending a document towards him, motioning for him to read.


    Compass Carburettor nced at it, frowning the moment he read the first two dialogues.


    [Regriel: I heard that the entrance examination to the Heroica Royal Academy begins next month. Let¡¯s enter it.]


    [General Artica: You do realise that we are convicts, right? It¡¯s not safe to head towards the Empire¡¯s Capital. There¡¯s a fair reason the Queen might request help from Heroica Empire. We¡¯ll be done for if that were the case.]


    [Regriel: You don¡¯t need to worry about that. I obtained an ability to change our hair colours and also slightly modify our appearance. With that, it¡¯ll be like we are entirely different people.]


    Compass Carburettor saw the image that had been painted below the dialogue, showcasing the changed appearance of Regriel and General Artica. Honestly speaking, if he hadn¡¯t been notified of it, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to recognise them if he just relied on their prior appearance to determine.


    The changes were minimal but coupled with the change in hair colour and hairstyle, they seemed like different individuals. Now, both of them sported a dull shade of green hair and eyes, making them look like siblings due to some simrities in their features.


    But, that wasn¡¯t why he was worried. ¡®They are heading towards the capital of Heroica Empire. And, Regriel¡¯s nning to enter their Royal Academy. It¡¯s guaranteed that he would enter it. And once he does that, he¡¯ll have a free real estate of all the girls in the Academy.¡¯


    ¡®Most of them would be noblewomen hailing from powerful families. If Regriel manages to enve them, I can forget about killing him. Even if I managed to kill him, I won¡¯t be able to survive the aftermath.¡¯ He was worried, thinking of something as he said, ¡°I¡¯ll head to Peckle City tomorrow.¡±

 Chapter 44: Initiating the Scheme

    <h4>Chapter 44: Initiating the Scheme</h4>


    ¡°Do you need any help?¡± Epheme asked.


    ¡°Any ns involving saving General Artica in ces frequented by people would definitely fail. We can¡¯t have too many variables at y. So, a Dungeon that no one enters would be the best.¡± Compass Carburettor said, watching Epheme¡¯s eyes widen in surprise.


    Smiling, he exined, ¡°I¡¯ve been looking into the records about the perfect Dungeon to execute my ns. And, I¡¯ve found one. Situated in the barrennds of the Great Megwest Empire, it¡¯s the perfect dungeon.¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t allow it. Don¡¯t mention creating a trap there, you¡¯ll simply die along the way. The Great Megwest Empire is teeming with monsters. No human who sets foot there can ever return alive.¡± Epheme shook her head, saying in anger, ¡°Death is the only option if you tread there. Even the Heroica Empire dares not send troops into the Great Megwest Empire and only focuses on defending their borders.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s the only option,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°Anywhere else, there¡¯s a great chance of someone screwing up my ns.¡±


    He then stared at Epheme, ¡°It seems you have misunderstood something. I have never guaranteed sess. Even if I put my life on the line, my chances of victory might very well be zero. So, I have to cut off any and every possibility of mishap. Only in such a precarious location can I at least guarantee something.¡±


    ¡°And, I won¡¯t force you to make a decision.¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°I¡¯ll go alone if I need to. My daughter¡¯s survival depends on this.¡±


    ¡°Hah,¡± Epheme sighed, massaging her forehead as she motioned for him to sit, ¡°I¡¯ll at least hear out your n.¡±


    ¡­


    Compass Carburettor stared at Fealta and Caithy, ¡°This will be a risky mission. Are you willing to apany me?¡±


    ¡°The Queen gave us orders. We¡¯ll execute it without fail.¡± Caithy said curtly.


    ¡°There are two things you have to definitely follow in this mission,¡± Compass Carburettor said solemnly, ¡°First, never think about whatever I do or behave like. And, we¡¯ll follow a set of code names to address our targets while rting everything with General Artica in the centre.¡±


    ¡°Second,¡± He made eye contact with the two, ¡°No matter the circumstance, nevere into contact with any man. As long as your skin isn¡¯t touched, it should be fine. These are the two conditions you must ensure to follow.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± The two servants nodded, showing their resolve. Epheme hadmanded them to follow Compass Carburettor¡¯s instructions, so they did without asking anything.


    ¡­


    It was evening as a certain inn in Peckle City was busy. A middle-ageddy was behind the counter, giving instructions to the workers under her. The workers made food in a hurry to serve the influx of customers.


    ¡°Kalluto, serve food to customers on table 24.¡± The middle-ageddy shouted, watching a girl in her teens brush through the crowd, promptly serving food at the requested table.


    ¡°There you go! Enjoy your meal!¡± Kalluto said, watching the customers smile in response. She had a chirpy personality and spring to her heels. She was energetic, bringing energy to the exhausted people that began to arrive after work.


    As the people streamed in, her workload began to increase. Though, as a couple more people were serving the tables, it was manageable.


    As for the middle-ageddy, she socialised at times, exchanging pleasantries with the customers in an effort to make them loyal customers to her inn. While she was at it, she suddenly noticed an old man attempt to walk in, struggling in the process.


    He seemed around eighty years old or even older, judging by his slight hunch. But, his clothes were fairly better than the average person, signalling that he had enough money to get by and splurge at times.


    The middle-ageddy hurriedly arrived to help him, ¡°Elder, let me help you.¡±


    ¡°Bless you, child.¡± The old man said, slowly walking as he was helped by the middle-ageddy towards a vacant table in the corner.


    Upon seating himfortably, the middle-ageddy asked, ¡°Elder, what would you like to have?¡±


    ¡°Something warm to drink, and an Apricas Holpus.¡± The old man said with a hint of nostalgia.


    Upon hearing the name of the dish, the middle-ageddy was stunned, almost tearing up as she quickly controlled herself, saying, ¡°Elder, we don¡¯t serve that here.¡±


    The old man looked at her in surprise, ¡°Isn¡¯t this inn famous for Apricas Holpus? I¡¯ve had it here many times in the past.¡±


    ¡°Sorry Elder,¡± The middle-aged woman said with a sigh, ¡°It was my husband who specialised in that dish. And he¡­passed away three years ago.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± The old man was shocked for a moment before he shook his head, ¡°A pity¡­a pity. Such a fine young man he was. To think he went on before I could repay his favour.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, Elder?¡± The middle-ageddy sensed something strange in his choice of words, ¡°Did you know my husband before?¡±


    The old man didn¡¯t answer her, instead replying with a question, ¡°How old do you think I am?¡±


    Even though she was confused by the question, the middle-ageddy answered truthfully, ¡°Around eighty years old.¡±


    The old man sighed at her response, ¡°Right, that¡¯s how I look like to others.¡±


    He then shook his head, making eye contact with the middle-ageddy, ¡°In actuality, I¡¯m the same age as your husband.¡±


    He then asked in all seriousness, ¡°You sure you don¡¯t recognise me?¡±


    The middle-ageddy was shocked before she scrutinised the old man¡¯s face, trembling in fear as she spoke, ¡°Y-You are Parlut?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I am,¡± The old man sighed, ¡°I feared that you wouldn¡¯t recognise my aged appearance.¡±


    ¡°W-What happened to you?¡± The middle-ageddy asked in fear.


    ¡°It¡¯s a slightly long story that I experienced with Grister 10 years ago.¡± The old man said, looking around a little as he whispered, ¡°We¡¯ll continue once the crowd clears up. I can¡¯t risk anyone else hearing about this.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± The middle-aged woman nodded, bringing him some food to eat while she busied herself with work. But all along, she was conscious of the old man sitting at the corner of her inn, silently eating her food like it was hisst meal.

 Chapter 45: A Great Empire’s Legacy

    <h4>Chapter 45: A Great Empire¡¯s Legacy</h4>


    It waste into the night when the middle-ageddy finished her work. And, once her workers left, she sent her daughter, Kalluto to sleep while she walked towards the corner of the inn, seating herself on the table.


    Pouring a warm drink into a cup, she pushed it towards the old man, ¡°Please.¡±


    The old man took a sip, rxing as he let out a breath of air, expressing his delight, ¡°This warmth is heavenly.¡±


    After taking a couple of sips, he began to speak all of a sudden, ¡°Grister and I had a past that we never shared with anyone.¡±


    He paused, trying to speak further as he noticed that he was hesitating, failing to articte his thoughts into words. He sipped the warm drink, remaining silent for a minute as he stared at the cup, finally lifting his head to make eye contact with the middle-ageddy, ¡°Kerriel, it was difficult hiding the truth. Grister tried to speak about it with you many times in the past but was unable to say it in the end. Even at this point in life, I am still struggling to say it.¡±


    Taking in a deep breath, he sighed grandly, ¡°The two of us are the remnants of the Great Megwest Empire.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The middle-ageddy, Kerriel was unable to control her shock, blurting out loud, ¡°But, wasn¡¯t the Great Megwest Empire destroyed 120 years ago?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it indeed was.¡± The old man, Parlut nodded, ¡°To the world, it seemed as if the cause for the Great Megwest Empire¡¯s destruction was the Dungeon Break that urred to their Level 5 dungeon, Mohart Dungeon. But in actuality, that wasn¡¯t the case.¡±


    ¡°Then, what was it?¡± Kerriel asked.


    ¡°A forbidden experiment,¡± Parlut said, ¡°An experiment revolving around turning monsters into Puppets by making use of the Darble growing on their foreheads as a Dac Connection Point.¡±


    ¡°Did the experiment fail and cause a disaster?¡± Kerriel asked.


    ¡°No, the Great Megwest Empire was too advanced for something like that to destroy them. Even if a Dungeon Break had urred in a Level 5 Dungeon, they would have been able to survive the disaster.¡± Parlut shook his head, dropping a bomb in the end, ¡°The Great Empire¡¯s copse was thanks to the experiment¡¯s sess.¡±


    ¡°It seeded?¡± Kerriel was shocked. She was aware of the power a Puppeteer possessed. But, they had to expend a lot of Dac to move the Puppets. It was because the Puppets were inanimate. But, everything would change if the Puppets turned out to be living beings.


    The Puppeteers wouldn¡¯t need to expend Dac to move the monsters. The monsters would move by themselves while all the Puppeteer needed to do was givemands to it. It wouldpletely change the structure of the world¡¯s power scale if that happened.


    ¡°So, what led to their destruction?¡±


    ¡°Based on the records, it seemed that when they formed a connection, the minds of the Puppeteers were sucked into the monsters while theirs were upied by the monsters. This swap was strange as it automatically caused all the Puppeteers to form a connection with one monster or another, creating a strange conundrum.¡± Parlut sighed, ¡°In the end, it seemed like this was their actual goal.¡±


    ¡°To leave their mortal human bodies and inhabit the bodies of strong monsters that lived longer.¡± Parlut shuddered, ¡°Every Puppeteer in the Great Megwest Empire had swapped ces with monsters of their choice. And, to prevent news of this from reaching other Empires, they had caused a Dungeon Break simultaneously in every dungeon in their Great Empire.¡±


    ¡°With every authority turning into a monster, the soldiers didn¡¯t have anyone tomand them. And, as all the dungeons were located in the centre of a city, when the Dungeon Break happened, the city walls acted as their cage, preventing the people from leaving.¡± Parlut shuddered, ¡°Very few managed to escape in the end.¡±


    ¡°Among them, one of the families belonged to those that had been involved in this research. As they weren¡¯t Puppeteers, they were unable to swap with monsters and had to flee to survive.¡± Parlut pointed at himself, ¡°That was my ancestor. Me and Grister hail from the same ancestor. We are the cause that destroyed an entire Empire for our greed.¡±


    ¡°Ten years ago,¡± Parlut spoke, preventing Kerriel from speaking, ¡°The two of us had set off towards the barrennds of the Great Empire in an effort to put an end to everything so that our sessors could live guilt-free. But¡­¡±


    Holding tears in his eyes, Parlut¡¯s voice trembled as he spoke, ¡°We failed at the final step. We were inflicted with a multitude of ailments by the monsters that discovered our identity. Even though we managed to kill most of the monsters, three of them still remained. But we no longer had the power to pursue them.¡±


    ¡°We fled from there, returning to our homes, or at least, that had been the n,¡± Parlut said, showing his arm, causing Kerriel to almost scream in shock. For, it seemed to be rotting.


    Heaving a forlorn sigh, Parlut said, ¡°I began to rapidly age overnight. And by the time we approached Peckle City, I was already like this. So, I bode ways, intending to continue on my journey. As for Grister, he was dying internally with the passing of each day. He wished to spend his final days with his family.¡±


    ¡°Thankfully for his good deeds, he managed to live for seven more years,¡± Parlut said with a tone as if he was praying.


    ¡°But, Grister died from a stab wound.¡± Kerriel said as her mouth dropped, agape as she looked at Parlut¡¯s sorrowful smile, crying as she muttered, ¡°So to hide the truth until the end, he¡­¡±


    ¡°We were afraid that you¡¯ll be burdened with everything.¡± Parlut said, coughing vehemently once as he lifted the bag he carried with him, pushing it towards Kerriel, ¡°It contains a scroll with a map and the truth about the incident 120 years ago. This is the final legacy we have.¡±


    With a serious expression, Parlut said, ¡°Whether it is your generation, or your daughter¡¯s, etc. when there is someone ambitious enough in your family, they can use this. I don¡¯t think there even exists any bloodline of the Great Megwest Empire¡¯s bloodline apart from Kalluto. Whether you wish to treat it as a curse or a treasure, it is up to you. If you wish to give it to someone trustworthy, you can do it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass over our once Great Empire¡¯s legacy to you now, Kerriel.¡±

 Chapter 46: Kalluto’s Decision

    <h4>Chapter 46: Kalluto¡¯s Decision</h4>


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t ept this,¡± Kerriel shook her head, ¡°Ever since the death of my husband, we only wish to live a peaceful life. I fear this wouldplicate our lives and destroy our peace.¡±


    ¡°That choice isn¡¯t yours to make, Kerriel.¡± Parlut gazed at her as his eyes slowly emitted killing intent, increasing in intensity by a notch as Kerriel shuddered, ¡°You are just a messenger. I told you first for the only reason that you can understand the situation.¡±


    ¡°The one to decide the fate of our Great Empire¡¯s Legacy is Kalluto. She¡¯s thest of our bloodline. Whatever she wishes to do with it, I won¡¯tin. Rather,¡± Parlut finally dropped his gaze, sighing, ¡°I don¡¯t think I canst the night. My time¡¯s up.¡±


    He then got up, pushing the scroll towards Kerriel, ¡°Give it to Kalluto. If you ever respected your husband, please do it.¡±


    Parlut then got up, inched his hand into his coat, and took out a top hat, gently wearing it before bowing a little towards Kerriel, exiting the inn, ¡°My job here¡¯s done.¡±


    Kerriel stared agape all along, unable to process her thoughts clearly, feeling like a storm had passed. ¡®Grister¡­was rted to the Great Megwest Empire? Does that mean¡­no, it doesn¡¯t make sense. I¡¯ve known Grister since young. If he had been hiding a secret as great as this, how had I never sensed it until now?¡¯


    Just as she thought of that, Kerriel suddenly began to recall scenes from her memories that she had otherwise not paid much attention to until now. Slowly, one image after another, the scenes of Grister hiding something over the years, the times when he was suddenly troubled, and the times he conversed in secret with Parlut but had just yed it off when she asked about it.


    One after another, Kerriel recalled pieces of information that she was able to make sense of now that she had be privy to the entire picture.


    ¡°My goodness, how could this be¡­?¡± Kerriel slumped on the table, breaking out into tears, gazing at the bag before her, for a moment intending to rip it apart and throw it into the ditch. But, upon seeing the state Parlut was at, and the way he gazed at her, Kerriel hesitated, unable to decide how she should proceed with it.


    Time passed in such a fashion as he sat there, contemting, finally grabbing hold of the bag after a couple of hours, looking at the scroll within. The scroll seemed to be created from a mysterious leather of sorts, for it exuded a sense of quality that she had never seen.


    Even though it was old, and showed the age that it had been created and preserved for around 120 years, a look at it and Kerriel realised that it was indeed the real deal. Such a fine piece of leather that no amount of money could ever buy could only be from a lost superpower civilisation.


    After contemting enough, she entered her house that was attached to the back of the inn, opening Kalluto¡¯s room to find her sleeping there, blissfully. Upon seeing the peaceful expression of her daughter, Kerriel was conflicted.


    But, once she looked at the scroll and recalled Parlut¡¯s repeated reminders, she wished to just tell everything to her daughter and then work on convincing her to not bother with the contents of the scroll, ¡®That should be for the best.¡¯


    ¡°What happened¡­mother? Has big brother Regriel returned from his hunt?¡± Kalluto woke up when Kerriel shook her awake, rubbing her eyes as she groggily asked.


    ¡°Silly child,¡± Kerriel nudged her, blushing a little when she thought of Regriel, ¡®Even though I shouldn¡¯t, but I am unable to control myself before him.¡¯


    Kerriel switched on the lights in the room, gazing at Kalluto as she exined in seriousness everything that had transpired between her and Parlut.


    Kalluto listened to everything with rapt attention, finally beaming with a smile as she held the scroll, ¡°So, this was what father meant back then.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kerriel was shocked as she looked at Kalluto in surprise, ¡°Did Grister tell you about it before?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Kalluto shook her head, ¡°Only the fact that he will tell me his secret once I grew up. He said it to me many times in the past, and also told me some stories. Now that you¡¯ve said this, everything makes sense. He was preparing me for this eventuality.¡±


    Now that even her daughter had confirmed it, Kerriel could only sigh in defeat, realising that her final hope of everything being a big joke shattered. ¡®It is real. It¡¯s now proven that Kalluto is thest bloodline of the Great Megwest Empire, unless some other bloodlines managed to still live on. But, now that she became aware of the secret, her life would change.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m worried,¡± Kerriel sighed when Kalluto hugged her.


    With parlousughter, Kalluto said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much, mother. Big brother Regriel will definitely help me once I ask for his help. You might not know much, but he¡¯s strong. He¡¯ll surely help me reim my destiny.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just remain as my daughter and take care of the inn once I grow older?¡± Kerriel shed tears, realising her daughter¡¯s intention from her choice of words.


    ¡°I¡¯m always your daughter.¡± Kalluto massaged her back, consoling her, ¡°But, I want to give justice to dad. I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be in peace if I don¡¯t put an end to this sin our ancestors havemitted. Father has expressed his worries about it many times before, saying it haunted him every day. And now, everything makes sense.¡±


    ¡­


    Once Kerriel got up from her seat in the inn and began to walk towards her home, something slithered on the seat where Parlut had been seated until now. It was around 20 centimetres long, serpentine in shape with numerous segments in its body, almost numbering hundred. Each segment was a rigid piece, but thanks to its smaller breadth, and the fact that each segment was connected like a chain, the serpent was able to slither around freely.


    The serpent coiled around the legs of the seat, sliding down to the floor. It then slithered along the floor, following Kerriel as she headed towards her home, silent in its actions. And, once Kerriel entered Kalluto¡¯s room and began to converse with her, it slithered towards a corner, hiding within some clothes that were strewn about, peeking out from a tiny gap, gazing at the twodies conversing.


    Farther away in a back alley was Parlut, leaning on a wall as his eyes were closed.

 Chapter 47: The Seed a System Plants at the Start of the Story

    <h4>Chapter 47: The Seed a System nts at the Start of the Story</h4>


    It was a chilly night as a cold breeze swirled around, creating hooting sounds as it moved through the alleyways. Standing in an inconspicuous alley, his face covered, and leaning on the wall was Parlut.


    He sighed, gazing at the sky as he looked at the giant moon in the sky, muttering silently, ¡°That¡¯s at least ten times bigger than the one on Earth.¡±


    He then looked at his appearance, walking through the alleys as he covered his face further with the top hat, moving slowly, looking like he was about to die soon. He made his way towards a dim street, one that seemed to have been erratically built as more people settled at the ce uwfully.


    A group of thugs roamed about, smoking something that seemed to have been a liquid of sorts. The liquid boiled around while they inhaled it from time to time, intoxicated by the substance as they chuckled.


    Their figures were covered with faint traces of blood and filth. Currently, they were making crass jokes with one another,ughing lecherously as a result. But, upon seeing Parlut making his way towards them, or rather towards the building behind them, they snickered, making eye contact with one another.


    One by one, they got up and surrounded Parlut, grinning as they scanned him from head to toe, ¡°This hag looks like it might die any second but is wearing some fine clothes.¡±


    ¡°How much do you think it might sell?¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s find out, shall we?¡±


    As theyughed nonchntly, Parlut had his eyes closed all along, sensing the five new starlight streams incident on him. Upon feeling the emotions contained in them, he was able to get a handle on their characters and what they had been doing all along.


    The smell of blood that seemed to have been permanently mixed into their scent said wonders about what they did for a living. Parlut clenched his hand into a fist, muttering, ¡°All my life, I¡¯ve only had to wave my hand to make someone do all my dirty work. But now, my situation is different.¡±


    ¡°To prevent my foes from detecting my ns, I should be the one to handle all my dirty work,¡± Parlut said, making eye contact with one of the thugs.


    ¡°What the heck is this hag saying all of a sudden? Did its brain go kaput?¡± The thug pulled out its zagged knife, intending to finish off his foe when his mind went nk. And before he realised, his body began to fall towards the ground. And on his forehead was a rectangr-shaped hole.


    ¡°What the¡­?¡± The other thugs were rmed when Parlut moved his hand, condensing something in it for an instant when a thug copsed. He did the same using both hands, killing two more thugs at the same time.


    The final thug was unable to even scream for help, scared into silence as he gazed at Parlut¡¯s arms that peeked out of his clothes while he moved his arm. They were rotting, seemingly oozing out gtinous puss.


    But, Parlut¡¯s actions were indeed strange and terrifying, making the thug feel like he had entered a scene of horror. His eyes then nked out when Parlut faced his hand towards his face, clenching it when something seemed to manifest in it.


    But, before he could take a detailed look, the object vanished while there was a rectangr-shaped hole in his forehead. As he dropped to the floor, Parlut walked away from the scene, heading towards the next street before entering an inconspicuous house.


    Upon entering it, he arrived beside a cupboard, taking out a certain book from it as he opened it, looking at the cut made into the pages, creating a section where a key had been ced. Parlut inserted the key into another book, twisting it when the bookshelf trembled once, opening to reveal a passage behind.


    He walked into it, closing the entrance behind him, reaching the end to arrive before a room. And, upon entering the room, he looked at the figures of the two servants who had been working on a skin mask of sorts.


    Upon seeing him, they just nodded, motioning for him to take a seat on the chair that faced a body-length mirror. Parlut sat on it as the two servants began to work up from his hair, removing it little by little, soon pulling out an entireyer of artificial skin, revealing the face of Compass Carburettor within.


    His expression was sombre, conflicted, ¡®Kalluto¡¯s statement proved that my conjecture was indeed right. But, am I really going to involve an innocent child in my schemes? Would my morality deviate even further in the future?¡¯


    He was gued by worries. The moment Epheme informed him about Regriel¡¯s decision to head towards the capital of the Heroica Empire after a week, he was worried. Immediately, heunched the n¡ªthat he had discussed with Epheme¡ªinto motion.


    He embarked on a n based on a simple conjecture. No matter how trivial it might seem at the start, a System always ns to make its Host the centre of attention. And for that to happen, it would make the Host connect to people with hidden pasts that might one day blow up into a massive issue, enough to shake regions, countries, or even the world depending on the stage the Host was at.


    And, as Regriel had a System rted to enving women, it meant that his first enved target would have a rather shocking past that woulde into light in the future, causing waves that would affect the lives of countless people. General Artica was a gift, a bonus created by the System to show its powers and help Regriel break out of the situation, also making him reliant on the System from that one act.


    So, the person he enved next should be the person he actually enved first. And that usually meant this enved person either had a shocking past, was rted to something significant, or was the sessor of a rather frightening legacy.


    Kerriel was the first person Regriel had enved. So, following that line of thought, Compass Carburettor used the help of Epheme and her informationwork to dig into Kerriel, realising his hunch was correct when he got valuable information upon digging up Parlut¡¯s grave.

 Chapter 48: Backdrop

    <h4>Chapter 48: Backdrop</h4>


    It seemed Kerriel¡¯s husband, Grister was indeed connected to the Great Megwest Empire. In this world, there were three levels to a country: Kingdom, Empire, and Great Empire.


    It usually dictated the size of the country, the number of people they held, and the Level of the Dungeon they had. There were a variety of criteria before a country could call itself a Kingdom, Empire, or Great Empire.


    In their continent, there were countless Kingdoms, four Empires, and one Great Empire. But, the Great Empire, Megwest had been destroyed 120 years ago. And, it was now overrun by monsters. The four Empires each erected troops along its borders, erecting forts and walls to keep the monsters at bay and prevent them from overrunning their continent.


    It indeed seemed that the Great Megwest Empire had done something, otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have copsed overnight. And, very few people had escaped from it and survived in other regions of the continent, living their lives in hiding, terrified of their past.


    Grister and Parlut were one of them. And, unlike the other survivors who were simply part of themon popce that had managed to escape and survive by coincidence, they were part of a line of people who were part of the cause that copsed the Great Empire.


    It was a secret conveyed to them from one generation to another, entrusting them to eventually put an end to the curse. And, Parlut was the one who had been holding the key to the situation. In his possession was a parchment that detailed everything the Great Megwest Empire had done.


    As Parlut was the older brother, he kept the secret with him. Moreover, he and Grister had concealed the fact that they were brothers to everyone, including Kerriel and Kalluto. Determined to put an end to their ancestor¡¯s sins, Parlut had never married.


    One of their inheritances was an Armament with five States, a relic of the past. Using that, the two of them awakened their Dac, secretly training over the years. And, when they attained the limit of their development, they embarked on a journey towards the Great Megwest Empire.


    But, it turned out to be a failure. The information they inherited from their father was only part of the truth.


    Once they entered the Level 5 Dungeon, they were viciously attacked by the monsters that had once been the Puppeteers of the Great Megwest Empire. It seemed that over the years, their humanity slowly dulled while their monster instincts had taken over.


    Now, they were monsters with the cunning and intelligence of humans, overwhelming Grister and Parlut, Warriors who had reached the peak of the path¡ªTranscendence!


    ¡®Transcendence, a state attained by Warriors and Puppeteers once their Dac touches 1000 units. They are people who can take on a Kingdom by themselves. And, to think there were two of them hiding in a remote corner of the Heroica Empire.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, recalling the rest of the information.


    Parlut had been gravely injured. As for Grister, he had been poisoned, slowly dying with each passing day. At that point, they despaired, giving up their quest, intending to simply cover up everything, unwilling to pass on the burden to their sessors. After all, even with the peak strength attainable to man, they failed to solve it. So, they judged it as something unsolvable.


    But, during their return to Peckle City, Parlut was unable to hold on, dying in the process. Grister buried him in their ancestral home, one that was passed on to them by their predecessors. No one lived there, as it was situated outside the city in a remote location where no one ever visited.


    Grister also buried all their possessions¡ªones given to them by their predecessors, treasures rted to the Great Megwest Empire¡ªin Parlut¡¯s grave. With that, he wished to put an end to this chapter, returning to Peckle City to live the remainder of his life with his family.


    And, when he sensed his death, he orchestrated a scheme to die from a stab wound, ensuring his family wouldn¡¯t delve into the investigation and end up finding the truth.


    But, reality proved otherwise. Regriel¡¯s System was aware of the significance of Kalluto¡¯s fate. That¡¯s how it had devised a Quest in such a way that Regriel woulde into contact with Kerriel. And due to the powers he had, it was only due time before he stumbled upon the secrets that Kerriel and Kalluto were kept in the dark of.


    There was a reason something like that had be a clich¨¦. It was because it worked the best in working up the Host, cing him in dangerous situations one after another, leading him into numerous plots and schemes.


    With that line of thought, once Compass Carburettor began to investigate Kerriel¡¯s background, he unearthed everything. But, to ensure Regriel¡¯s System wouldn¡¯t be alerted about it in case his helpers thought about the buried treasures, Compass Carburettor was the one who did the grunt work.


    Because of that, only he was aware of the truth. His allies¡ªscouts and messengers sent over by Epheme¡ªwere kept in the dark, their services only used to gather every information of use. As he was the only one whopiled them whole, only he was able to piece together the truth.


    As Grister hadn¡¯t taken much care in the disposal of the truth and just dumped everything in Parlut¡¯s grave, it was easy for Compass Carburettor to find them within a week. After that, he created a fake scroll, one that contained information he had fabricated, a trap to lure Regriel to his death.


    Since he was a business magnate on Earth, he handled numerous priceless treasures, historical artifacts with unimaginable value. And, he was well aware of the counterfeit practices used to create fake antiques to rece them with the originals.


    So, he was well aware of the methods used in such practices. The scroll was something he created, and using many methods, he made it age and sustain wear and tear as if it was something from 120 years ago. And with that, his initial preparations wereplete.


    Disguising as Parlut, he met up with Kerriel, feeding her partial truth mixed in with lies that he felt made sense when thinking of the situation. Finally, he gave her the fake scroll.


    Compass Carburettor watched Fealta and Caithy finish removing his disguise before putting on another. In the meantime, he closed his eyes, seeing through the eyes of his Puppet, one that had been created sessfully a week ago. He watched Kerriel and Kalluto converse, hearing everything they spoke, conflicted all along.


    His heart was heavy at the scheme he had erected, even though he had decided upon steeling his will to do anything to achieve his goals.

 Chapter 49: Spydragon

    <h4>Chapter 49: Spydragon</h4>


    Everything that Kerriel and Kalluto conversed was seen and heard by Compass Carburettor through his Puppet. It was a serpentine object with a segmented body like a centipede. On its forehead was a hemispherical object that acted as a lens.


    This lens captured everything that happened at an almost 360-degree angle. But in contrast, the depth of field it could perceive wasn¡¯t too far. But, for spying in closed spaces, it was perfect. It had two modes of traversal.


    The first was the serpentine form where it used the segments to fluidly slither like an actual serpent. So, it was silently able to slip through tiny gaps and hide in discrete ces.


    The second was the flying form. In this form, all the segments retracted, causing its overall length to only be 5 centimetres as opposed to the 20 centimetres in the serpentine form. Now, it was a rigid object, unleashing a pair of wings created by Dac.


    Normally, energy des created using Dac wasn¡¯t flexible. They were rigid, unmoving. So, all Compass Carburettor did here was to create mini-Armaments as the wing bones. So, when activated, they condensed a pair of wings.


    And, since they were attached to the wing bones¡ªmini-Armaments¡ªand were connected to a mini rack and pulley mechanism, they could move up and down. As for the rack and pulley mechanism, they were attached to numerous mini-Armaments that activated and deactivated ordingly, condensing cylindrical energy des.


    Basically, what he had installed in to power them was the same as a piston engine used in vehicles on Earth. As the Armament here condensed cylindrical energy des, they pumped the Puppet to move.


    The mechanism to move the other puppets were more or less the same. They used the ability of the energy des to expand from zero to their max dimension in an instant, generating force while doing so. Beyond that were just gear mechanics.


    And, the Darble circuit installed in the Puppets worked simr to electronic circuits but less sophisticated. In the end, they were able to achieve what he had in mind. To travel long distances, the Puppet would use its wings to fly at tremendous speeds.


    And for missions, while investigating and spying on people, the serpentine form would be used. It was the perfect spyware. So, Compass Carburettor gave it a name ordingly.


    Spydragon!


    When he asked Epheme about the type of Puppet they used in their spy activities, she showed a miniature humanoid puppet. There was a reason Puppeteers used humanoid Puppets to manipte. It was because they were easier.


    And, to control a humanoid Puppet, the Puppeteer only had to think of moving his body ordingly. So, it was the perfect Puppet form. After all, it wasn¡¯t as if Puppeteers could just sit in one ce and focus on controlling their Puppets entirely.


    If suppose they had to move, controlling any other form of Puppets would simply err their judgement. After all, their bodies and the bodies of other creatures were different. So, simultaneously givingplexmands topletely different body structures was impossible.


    It was easy to slip up even with the greatest of concentration. So, every Puppet was humanoid in design. It was the world standard. But, Compass Carburettor was different. He didn¡¯t n on using a Puppet to ever fight.


    After all, his affinity to the path wasn¡¯t high. So, when he manipted a regr Puppet, the Dac expenditure wasn¡¯t worth it. So instead, he nned to only use the Spydragon to spy on Regriel. That was the only task he nned to use the Puppet for.


    So, he made such a design. Moreover, when he was spying, he was mostly still, having his eyes closed. So, it was easier. But even then, it was hard to control the Spydragon. He only had a week¡¯s worth of training in using it.


    And, this time was short even for him, as the Spydragon was just too different from a human body. He was able to move it slowly. But once he increased its speed, he made too many errors, causing the Spydragon to constantly stop in its tracks.


    That¡¯s why he left it on the chair in the inn while conversing with Kerriel. And, once Kerriel began to walk away, he slowly moved the Spydragon, making it follow her. It was difficult, but with enough concentration, and since he was still the whole time, he was able to pull it off.


    And, once it was in position, he began to walk through the night, returning to his hideout. Now, having heard everything that transpired between the mother and daughter pair, Compass Carburettor sighed, feeling guilty when he firmed himself, ¡®My target is Regriel, and him only. Even though I have no other choice but to involve the others around him into the mix, I¡¯ll be sure to prevent any harm from befalling them.¡¯


    He then gazed at the mirror, looking at his appearance that now resembled a beggar. He looked like apletely different person now. Fealta then took up a perfume bottle, whispering while pinching her nose, ¡°This¡¯ll make you smell no different to a beggar.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded in gratitude, d that he had such exceptionally talented people to support him. The two servants constantly worked in the background, prepping up everything he needed while he went about, motioning ns into action.


    ¡®Now, I guess it¡¯s time to finally make contact with the System Host, Regriel.¡¯ Compass Carburettor inspected his appearance, finding no faults in it, down to the minute details, frowning at the stench, but controlling himself, soon getting into the character, one of a beggar who had lost everything he had owned and now simply resorted to drinking.


    It was important for the next stage of his n, one where he had to figure out the method to refine a System Fragment. That would be the defining factor that would decide his subsequent ns.


    Compass Carburettor waved his hand, leaving the hideout as he began to walk on the streets, rolling on the road a couple of times to instil that down-to-earth personality present in actual beggars. He sometimes walked, rolled, and even crawled through the streets, escaping any prowling thugs like his life depended on it.


    Within an hour, he waspletely into the character, now heading towards the city¡¯s exit, getting kicked by the guards a couple of times for his behaviour, and basically for the fact that he was a beggar. Spitting out some blood on the ground, he moved forward, heading towards the nearby forest, all the while focusing on the scene witnessed by the Spydragon, watching Kalluto cheer excitedly when Regriel and General Artica returned from their hunt.


    ¡®Dayum, this is that pervert fatass? With this appearance, he doesn¡¯t even need to rely on his System anymore to hoodwink women into doing his bidding.¡¯ Feeling a headache, Compass Carburettor arrived at the entrance to a certain path, making home at the side as he took out a bottle of cheap, diluted liquor, smelling it a bit as he got drunk.

 Chapter 50: Spying the Approaching Foes

    <h4>Chapter 50: Spying the Approaching Foes</h4>


    ¡°Big brother, we need to talk.¡± Kalluto pulled Regriel to her room, showing him the scroll as she exined everything to him. As for General Artica, she only looked at the room once before heading upstairs, intending to take a bath and get some sleep.


    ¡°T-This¡­¡± Regriel was shocked at the information Kalluto said, muttering in disbelief, ¡°To think such a thing had happened.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kalluto said, pushing the scroll towards him, ¡°I haven¡¯t taken a look at the scroll myself. I¡¯m weak, so even if I looked into it, I would be unable to do anything about it. So, please¡­¡±


    ¡°Help me with this.¡±


    Regriel gazed at the scroll, noticing that it seemed to have been sealed with a wax stamp, understanding that Kalluto hadn¡¯t seen its contents as she had said. ¡®I nned to head towards the capital and gain some more allies while using the tournament as an excuse. Once I get into the Royal Academy, my life would be one of luxury once again. But, this changes things.¡¯


    ¡®If there¡¯s a treasure there, then I¡¯ll be able to be even stronger by obtaining it.¡¯ Regriel had just thought as such when the System¡¯s voice resounded in his mind.


    [Ding]


    [Quest: Solve the Great Megwest Empire¡¯s puzzle of chaos]


    [Quest Difficulty: A-Grade]


    [Time Limit: 1 Year]


    [Rewards: Enved Women Slot +10, Pinnacle Puppeteer Affinity]


    [Failure: Removal of Dac]


    ¡®It¡¯s finally here!¡¯ Regriel was overjoyed, obtaining a Quest with tremendous Rewards, ¡®My current slot of Enved Women is only 5. With this, I¡¯ll be able to have 10 more. And not to mention, I¡¯ll also obtain the highest affinity to be a Puppeteer. The rewards are tremendous.¡¯


    ¡®But, the Quest Difficulty is A-Grade.¡¯ He frowned, deep in thought, ¡®With my current power, clearing an A-Grade Quest is impossible. The one I justpleted was only a D-Grade Quest, but even it took 2 days.¡¯


    Upon seeing him deep in thought, Kalluto was flustered, unable to think of what else to say. Now that she knew her father had lost his life in pursuing the truth in the scroll, she was afraid. After all, she hadn¡¯t left Peckle City since birth, having always stayed in one ce.


    So, her horizons weren¡¯t broadened. And, even though she wished to apany Regriel, she knew that she would only drag him down. That¡¯s why she had hardened her resolve to entirely trust the matter to Regriel. But, she hadn¡¯t expected Regriel to think about it this much.


    She had assumed he would ept it right away, but reality proved otherwise. It was a blow to her fragile heart, causing her to almost tear up when Regriel finished contemting, ¡°Kalluto, I¡¯ll be honest with you. This would be hard, if not impossible with my current strength. But, I promise that I¡¯ll definitely exact justice to your father. So¡­¡±


    ¡°Would you be willing to apany me to the capital?¡± Regriel said, staring straight at her eyes, causing Kalluto to blush as she nodded.


    Immediately upon doing so, she got up and rushed out of the room, her head bowed for some reason. But, as it was what he had been doing all along, and having understood the cause behind Kalluto¡¯s actions, Regriel was confused.


    He muttered, scratching his cheek, ¡°But, how is this possible? I never used my Skill on her.¡±


    ¡­


    It waste into the afternoon as Compass Carburettorzed around at the side of the path, having fallen unconsciousness quite a few times as a result of the cheap liquor. He was someone that was unable to hold his liquor.


    Moreover, he was the type that got drunk just from the smell. So, it was impossible for him to remain conscious after smelling the liquor. But, that was his n. Even though he fell unconscious, he woke up around fifteen to twenty minutester,pletely clear-headed.


    And, he once again inhaled the alcohol, even going to the extent of taking a couple of sips, dropping the liquor bottle on the ground while he fainted, repeating the process numerous times. This gave him the perfect image of someone so drunk, he was unable to even tell day and night apart.


    Once his persona was sessfully created, Compass Carburettor continued to behave in such a manner, at times closing his eyes as he saw and heard everything that transpired in the inn. Today was the day Regriel had nned to set off towards the capital of the Heroica Empire, Grenstan.


    So, once he returned from a Dungeon exploration that spanned a couple of days, he and General Artica rested a little while he went through the scroll, reading itpletely. In the end, he decided to make a prompt visit and finish a part of the task before heading off towards the capital.


    And, that was why Compass Carburettor had disguised himself as a beggar. The moment he noticed Regriel and General Artica exiting the inn, his heart thumped, trembling as little as he was tense. Keeping his eyes closed, he focused on manipting the Puppet, Spydragon.


    In its serpentine form, the Puppet slithered through the corners of the inn, hidden from view as it reached the exit, cing itself at the far end of its range of vision from General Artica and Regriel, keeping track of them.


    Once they began to move through the streets, it assumed its flight mode, shrinking to a length of 5 centimetres as it took flight,nding on the roof of a house, making a swift flight from one rooftop to another.


    All along, it kept track of its targets. Compass Carburettor began to sweat upon the Dac exertion as he was controlling the Puppet from a significant distance. Had the Puppet been any bigger, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to control it at all.


    Consistently, the Spydragon kept pace, hidden from view while barely making any sounds as its flight was always short and quick. But, once Regriel exited the city, Compass Carburettor faced some trouble.


    After all, there was an open patch ofnd for a kilometre surrounding Peckle City. This part had been cleared out to prevent any sort of army from marching towards the city undetected. And now, this proved to be the most dangerous for the Spydragon as it didn¡¯t have anything to hide behind.

 Chapter 51: Senile Beggar

    <h4>Chapter 51: Senile Beggar</h4>


    The Spydragonnded upon a protrusion on the city wall, gazing at the backs of Regriel and General Artica, watching them walk forth.


    Compass Carburettor made a mental count of their speed, calcting the time it would take them to cross the stretch of a kilometre and head into the forest beyond. He then mentally kept a tally of the time while the Spydragon awaited in ce, remaining as obscure as possible.


    After giving another 10 seconds of clearance time for any errors, the Spydragon began to fly once the estimated time for Regriel to cross the kilometre stretch spanned. It made a beeline, remaining close to the ground so that it could assume its serpentine form the moment it encountered anything dangerous and hide behind any object or even dig into the dirt to hide within.


    Thankfully, nothing eventful happened as the Spydragon soon reached the thicket of trees, assuming its serpentine form as it began to slither over the tree roots, soon watching Regriel and General Articae into view.


    They seemed to be conversing, discussing about the matter at hand. But suddenly, Regriel took in a deep breath, gazing at the lush green surroundings as he looked at General Artica, ¡°Say, isn¡¯t this a wonderful location?¡±


    General Artica frowned, looking around as she noticed the ce filled with vitality, looking forth to see the ce further be covered by snow. She soon noted that the cause had been the rocks strewn at the ce.


    They seemed to be capable of absorbing heat at a greater rate and hence caused the snow in the ce to melt faster, creating such a lush green atmosphere. Moreover, the humidity, the greenery, and the faint water flowing over the rocks created a picturesque scene in the otherwise white jungle.


    ¡°This is a wonderful loca¡­¡± General Artica just began to speak in appreciation when a pair of handsnded on her chest, causing her to flinch in shock as she looked behind in surprise, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I just can¡¯t control myself when I see you,¡± Regriel whispered with a face flushed red as he kneaded her hills, ¡°Let¡¯s do it here, just once.¡±


    ¡°We already did it more than five times in the morning,¡± General Artica groaned, ¡°We¡¯ll waste a lot of time if we stop to do it now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, we can run after this.¡± Regriel said, joining with her as he experienced the euphoria once again, shouting in his mind, ¡®General Artica is the best!¡¯


    Compass Carburettor facepalmed, watching the scene that was worse than beasts mating. He sighed, gazing at the faint snow that was falling upon him, beginning to cover his body, sighing, ¡°When she is cured, PTSD would be the least of worries.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it might be better to never free her from Regriel¡¯s control. At least that way, she wouldn¡¯t have to face her choices and live a life gued by her actions conducted when she was under his control.¡± Compass Carburettor sighed, ¡°This is troubling. Hopefully, the Queen has prepared something to ease General Artica¡¯s mind once she is freed.¡±


    Compass Carburettor then watched the duo of Regriel and General Artica continue to march forward, soon breaking into a sprint to save some time. Now that they were approaching his location, Compass Carburettor focused, calming his beating heart as he began to moan in pain, ¡°Aioooo! This world is¡­hic¡­cruel¡­!¡±


    He iled his arms, throwing around balls of snow that he had scooped around. Immediately, he began to cry, watching General Articae into view, beginning to roll around on the path, ¡°Waaah! You imperialistic jerks! How could you do this to me?¡±


    Regriel and General Artica abruptly stopped, watching the beggar wail around before them. They made eye contact with each other, intending to ignore the beggar and swerve around him when the beggar¡¯s wails increased in pitch.


    ¡°I was¡­hic¡­a renowned soldier once¡­hic¡­but that ster General¡­he¡­betrayed, causing everyone under him to be thrown aside like rotten fish¡­ahhhhh!¡± Even though everything the beggar said only seemed to be like the rambling of a senile fool, General Artica felt conflicted all of a sudden, slowly approaching him as she looked at him, asking, ¡°What happened?¡±


    But, it seemed like the beggar hadn¡¯t heard her, continuing to scream in his drunken stupor. But, upon hearing his words, even though she wished to leave the ce, her body paused automatically, her attention trained to what he wished to say next.


    Suddenly, as if the beggar had noticed the people next to him, hetched onto General Artica¡¯s legs, ¡°Lady, I was a man of honour, a soldier who had been d toy down his life for the Empire. B-But, but¡­¡±


    He then let go of his hold, crying as he began to search for his liquor bottle, mming the ground in anger upon noticing that its contents had all spilt out. He then looked at General Artica, ¡°Give me liquor!¡±


    Just as he tried to get up, the beggar copsed, unable to walk as his legs seemed to have been severely wounded. He crawled on the ground, pointing towards a particr direction, ¡°Please¡­my liquor¡­I saved a couple of bottles there.¡±


    Upon seeing some conflict in General Artica, and noticing her intention to at least help the beggar a bit, Regriel patted her shoulder, ¡°Rx, just stay here. I¡¯ll be back in a jiffy. It¡¯s pretty near from here.¡±


    ¡°But, it¡¯s dangerous¡­¡± General Artica expressed her worry when Regriel ced a finger on her lips, motioning for her to remain silent.


    shing a smile, he spoke, ¡°Nothing will happen to me. You¡¯ve seen how strong I¡¯ve be, right? Even if something happens, I¡¯ll be able to protect myself long until you rush to my rescue.¡±


    Saying his piece, Regriel began to run through the path. Just as General Artica was about to follow him instinctually, the beggartched onto her feet, causing her to pause. In the time she hesitated, Regriel was out of her sight.


    Sighing, she looked at the beggar, ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll bring your liquor. Now, stay put.¡±


    The beggar immediately ced his index finger above his lips like a kid, acting obedient as he sat in ce, innocently trailing his gaze over General Artica as she walked in the pointed direction and noticed a stash of bottles buried under a tree.

 Chapter 52: CC’s Trap

    <h4>Chapter 52: CC¡¯s Trap</h4>


    ¡°Bless my luck, haha. I didn¡¯t wish for General Artica to see this. She wouldn¡¯t stop worrying about it.¡± Regrielughed as he sprinted through the forest, feeling the wind bristling past his face as he ran, ¡°Being able to tun like the wind is amazing. Why did I never think of it before? And thanks to my 100 Dac, I can run for a considerably long distance without feeling even the least bit tired.¡±


    Smiling along the way, Regriel hopped from one uneven foothold to another, running through the tter forest path, watching his footsteps on the snow trailing behind him. Within ten minutes, he reached a forest clearing, noticing a rather humble mansione into view.


    It was made from stone and hence remained standing firm even though it seemed to be a century old. The signs of an obviousck of maintenance were present everywhere as numerous vines grew over the walls of the estate.


    Regriel noticed that the gates were locked, with the key not with him. Though, it didn¡¯t matter as he approached the wall, grabbed hold of the vines growing on it, and yanked, climbing over. Once he reached the top, he descended to the other side simrly,nding within the estate grounds.


    The grass was thick in the ce, peeking through the snow as they reached his knee. Regriel was slightly cautious, unwilling to step atop anything that might be sleeping within the grass. He was beaten up almost daily on numerous asions as General Artica instilled in him a sense of caution.


    Even though his rashness caused him to screw up time and again, he still tried to be cautious. And, upon slowly inching forward through the grass while first gently poking around with the top of his shoe to see whether anything was sleeping, Regriel slowly lost his patience.


    And, upon doing the same for 10 steps, he sighed, ¡°I guess there is nothing here.¡±


    Thinking as he sighed in relief, he casually began to walk, soon sensing something amiss after walking a couple of steps as he set foot on the ground, noticing that it sunk into the snow only half as much as before. And, the contact surface seemed to be slightly¡­rubbery.


    ¡°Shiet!¡± Regriel shouted in rm as he jumped back, noticing something in the ground spring up as the snow was brushed aside like a rope ced within had been yanked out forcefully.


    Quickly coiling around itself was a serpent, one that was three metres long, having a thin body as it slithered around, using the snow-covered, grass-filled ground to camouge itself while it headed towards Regriel.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± Regriel flinched as he pulled out his Armament, activating the long sword as he shed on the ground a couple of times, hitting anywhere the snake might have gone over. But, all he noticed were the grass getting cut up and the snow being sent flying.


    The snake wasn¡¯t injured. And, as he iled around in such a manner, his long sword got stuck in the ground as he had lodged it in quite deep. At the moment when he was trying to pull it out, the snake sprang out of the grass, biting him in the thigh.


    ¡°Kyak!¡± Regriel screamed in a fluster, only now realising that he could simply deactivate his Armament instead of trying to pull the long sword out. He deactivated it, activated the sword, and shed at the snake, severing it into two.


    But, its teeth were firmly lodged in his body as he hurriedly pulled it out, throwing it in a fluster. ¡°That was scary!¡±


    ¡®System, activate inferior Healing!¡¯ He bellowed in his mind. Immediately, a faint white light enveloped his thigh, causing the poisoned blood to gush out of his wound. It then began to slowly heal up as he muttered, ¡°Damn, that cost me 6 Dac. Just how potent was this poison? Had I been a normal human, this would have killed me.¡±


    He expressed his worry, heaving a sigh of relief once his injury finished healing, ¡°Now, onto the real reason.¡±


    He pulled out the scroll he had brought with him, opening it partially to reveal a tiny map of the estate. And on it was marked a rather bold ¡®X¡¯ sign. Locating it based on the structure of the estateyout, Regriel soon arrived at the backyard of the mansion, noticing an enclosed altar in the ce.


    The altar resembled a miniature steeple, sporting an open section in the front that spanned a height of 30 centimetres. The space inside was only enough for a person to ce his hand. After looking at the map and double-checking it, Regriel arrived before the altar, looking into its interior, soon noticing some grooves around the edges.


    Using a thin piece of metal he had brought over for this, Regriel inserted it into the groove, tilting it as the floor within the altar moved up. Soon, he removed it, noticing another floor underneath, ¡°So, this is the false altar flooring that was mentioned in the scroll. Right, this is enough to fool the average trespasser. Thankfully for me, I have the scroll.¡±


    Regriel noticed two impressions on the floor, resembling a palm each¡ªthe left and right. There were faint needles on the impression, less than a couple of millimetres tall each. Upon seeing it, Regriel¡¯s heart began to thump automatically as he asked in his mind, ¡®System, can you really change my blood imprint to resemble Kalluto¡¯s?¡¯


    [Ding!]


    [Temporarily for a minute, yes. But, if it takes longer, then it would fail]


    ¡®Hopefully, it doesn¡¯t take that much time.¡¯ Regriel thought, looking at the instructions as he read them aloud, ¡°ce your palms over the impressions. Once the impressions are full of the sessor¡¯s blood, the mechanism activates, and the key is handed out.¡±


    Regriel took in a deep breath and ced his palms on the impressions, firming himself before pressing them down viciously, shrieking in pain as the needles pierced into his palms, drawing out blood profusely.


    Regriel watched his blood fill up the impression with anticipation, expecting the key to be handed out when his Dac was sucked in a bit. And, from the outer edge of the altar formed an energy de, severing both his hands.

 Chapter 53: Domino Plottopia

    <h4>Chapter 53: Domino Plottopia</h4>


    ¡°Ahhh! My hands!¡± Regriel screamed in pain as his hands were cut off. Blood spurted out, sshing on the altar as he rolled on the snow, iling around as he began to cry in pain.


    Suddenly, his pain began to subside as a white glow activated on his hands, causing him to slowlye to a stop as he noticed his hands regenerating. His Dac was consumed tremendously as his severed hands continued to regrow.


    But, he noticed that he didn¡¯t have enough Dac to fully grow both the hands, thinking clearly now that his pain vanished, ¡®System, heal my right hand first. Use the remaining Dac on my left hand.¡¯


    Regriel saw his right hand being healed first. And when it was done, he barely had 10 Dac remaining, focusing it on his left hand as he heaved a sigh in relief, stopping the bloodflow, ¡®If I didn¡¯t have a System, I would have had to live as a cripple from today onwards. Thankfully¡­¡¯


    Only now did he notice that the energy de within the altar had vanished. As for the floor with the palm impressions, they seemed to have changed too. Now, there was a t floor within the altar. And, situated on it was an Armament.


    Regriel extended his hand, flinching once as he recalled the pain, afraid to insert his hand into it, lest it got severed once again. But, curiosity got the better of him as he wanted to see the Armament that had appeared in the altar.


    But he was smarter this time, inserting his left hand into the altar. After all, it wasn¡¯t fully healed. So, even if it got injured again, he wouldn¡¯t be too much affected.


    Regriel gently nudged the Armament, taking it out after some effort. The moment he brought it out of the altar, he grabbed hold of it using his right, noticing that it only had one State. After a moment of thought, he activated it, noticing an energy de had formed.


    But, this was in the shape of a key, a ratherrge one at that, spanning a length of 30 centimetres. Upon seeing it, Regriel was stumped for a moment before he began tough, ¡°Right, I had assumed it was a normal-looking key. But, this is an Armament that condenses the energy de in the form of a key. This changes everything, haha.¡±


    He then frowned, noticing some obvious signs of tampering in the altar, recalling everything Kalluto had said, ¡°So, since Grister died without saying anything, it means he didn¡¯t have the intention of conveying the truth to Kalluto. But, Parlut was the one that had revealed the truth to them.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, after anticipating that someone might steal this key, he changed the Armament in the altar to automatically sever the hands of whoever tried to activate it. Before, the trap would activate only when someone that didn¡¯t have the bloodline of the Great Megwest Empire tried to activate the altar.¡± Regriel contemted, sighing, ¡°Thankfully, I have a healing ability. Otherwise, I dare not¡­¡±


    He suddenly paused, noticing a tiny chit of rolled paper attached to the Armament. He removed it, opening it to read the words written on it, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. Whoever you are, it¡¯s impossible for you!¡±


    ¡°Hah, I¡¯m not your average joe. I can handle a Level 5 Dungeon.¡± Regriel snorted in disdain, rolling up the paper as he pocketed it just in case, getting up as he ensured the Armament with the key was safely tucked in his dress. He then made his way out, struggling in the process to do so since his left hand was missing.


    ¡­


    ¡°Thank you, bravedy. May you be blessed with luck and fortune.¡± The beggar wheezed a bit before he leaned on a tree, waving his hand at General Artica as he fiddled around with his liquor bottle.


    It was a ratherrge tree with a thick trunk, so he positioned himselffortably, even going to the extent of using the tree roots as an armrest. He then looked at General Artica, ¡°No matter what, don¡¯t doubt yourself. Doubts leads to suspicion, and suspicion leads to rash actions. They eventually cause you endless grief. So¡­¡±


    ¡°Be confident.¡± The beggar suddenly hupped, burping a little as he seemed to be fully drunk,ughing without reason. He was senile.


    ¡°Just¡­what are you¡­¡± Just when General Artica was about to inquire further, she noticed Regriel return, hopping around, as usual, clearly happy judging based on his bodynguage.


    He then noticed the beggar seated before the tree,ughing like an idiot, ignoring him as he arrived before General Artica, ¡°I got the item.¡±


    Right as he was about to habitually hug General Artica, his foot hit a liquor bottle, looking at it in reflex to see that it was an empty bottle. But, something seemed to be inside the bottle, a piece of paper, ¡°What¡­is this¡­?¡±


    ¡°What happened to your hand?¡± Right as Regriel was about to pick up the bottle, General Artica shouted in rm as she lifted his left hand, asking in a hurry, ¡°What happened? How did you lose it?¡±


    ¡°Rx, it will heal back soon enough.¡± Regriel smiled casually, picking up the bottle as he showed it to her, ¡°Anyway, there seems to be something inside it. Let¡¯s take a look.¡±


    He didn¡¯t even seem to care about the beggar, breaking the bottle on a rock nearby, taking out the paper from within as he read the contents aloud, ¡°When you reach Mohart Dungeon, think of me, and call out my name. The Secret Society would help you.¡±


    ¡°Domino Plottopia.¡±


    Upon reading the name of the person who had written the sentence, Regriel swerved his head to his left, gazing at the beggar that had been leaning on the tree trunk. Only, the beggar seemed to have vanished now.


    Regriel hurriedly looked around, unable to find the beggar, asking General Artica, ¡°Did you see where he went?¡±


    ¡°No, he was here just a moment ago,¡± General Artica too was confused as she looked around, unable to find any traces of the beggar around her, not even any footstep trails. It was as if the beggar had vanished into thin air.


    ¡°The Secret Society, huh. How mysterious¡­¡± Regriel muttered, clenching the piece of paper tightly, ¡°Domino Plottopia, I¡¯ll remember your name.¡±

 Chapter 54: Batman’s Disappearing Act

    <h4>Chapter 54: Batman¡¯s Disappearing Act</h4>


    As Regriel and General Artica began to walk away, the Spydragon coiled around a branch, gazing at their retreating figures, stealthily following them. Once they had traversed by more than one hundred metres, forking away through the thicket of trees, the beggar exited from behind the tree with therge trunk.


    Patting his chest to calm his thumping heart, Compass Carburettor clenched his hand into a fist, raising it high up into the air, ¡®Sess! Regriel¡¯s System was unable to sense anything suspicious about me.¡¯


    He was assured of the fact thanks to the way Regriel had thought about him. After all, the moment Regriel thought about him, a Mental Energy streamnded on him, allowing him to determine the emotions Regriel felt at the time.


    And through a detailed observation of the variations of states of the Mental Energy streams directed at him by Regriel, Compass Carburettor was finally assured that by blocking his Mental Energy Form using the nerves was a great measure against the System¡¯s probing senses.


    And, that wasn¡¯t all, Compass Carburettor went a step further to only talk to General Artica. This way, even when a Mental Energy stream didn¡¯tnd on Regriel from him, the System wouldn¡¯t feel anything was amiss. After all, from the start, he was only focused on General Artica, not even ncing at Regriel once.


    So, it wasn¡¯t suspicious.


    ¡°One of my wishes was finally realised today,¡± Compass Carburettor sighed, grinning widely as he gazed at the sky, ¡°I wanted to pull a batman¡¯s vanishing act on people at least once. And I can say this was a resounding sess.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t anything too impressive, just a sleight of the hand typically used by all the magicians on Earth to distract the focus of the audience in one direction while they prepared the next trick from the other.


    The first part of his batman¡¯s vanishing act was the liquor bottle ced in the centre of the path. Compass Carburettor had urately ced himself before the tree, having grasped thefort distance of General Artica around him.


    By calcting that during the first time he hugged her legs, he backed away, nting the liquor bottle with the piece of paper in the centre of the path, positioned horizontally to his right. Moreover, he had also ced a small rock on the right end of the path, positioning it slightly beyond arm¡¯s reach from the bottle¡¯s position.


    This way, when Regriel noticed it, he was distracted by the paper inside the liquor bottle. And, his thought process immediately went towards the intention to see what was written in it. Moreover, he also wished to divert General Artica¡¯s focus from hiscking left hand.


    So, it worked perfectly for him as Regriel picked up the bottle with his right hand and looked at the rock on his right. He smashed the bottle on the rock and looked into the paper. General Artica only focused on him once he returned. So, they had turned their backs towards Compass Carburettor.


    As for his schemes, he behaved like a wisecrack that had gone senile, spouting wise words filled with random bullsh*t, purely keeping General Artica¡¯s attention on his words. That¡¯s how she failed to notice the bottle nted in the centre of the path. Otherwise, considering how attentive she was usually, she would have noticed it first thing.


    Compass Carburettor constantly led her on through his words, confusing her at times while also causing her to ponder during the rest, fully grasping her attention to himself. Finally, the scene yed out once Regriel arrived.


    And, once their backs faced his way, Compass Carburettor carefully took a step around the tree, ensuring to ce his foot on the protruding tree root to do so, heading towards the side of the tree that blocked their line of sight.


    That was why he had chosen such arge-trunked tree in the first ce. He carefully stood in ce, pulling a root that also acted as a lever, causing the tree roots to slightly slide away as he slipped through the gap like a snake, closing the roots back to their original position.


    As it was snowing, even the faintest disturbance in the snow was nked by the falling snow within a couple of seconds. Moreover, as Regriel and General Artica hadn¡¯t seen the back of therge-trunked tree, they were unable to notice the slight differences in the area.


    The hole was something he had already prepared in advance. That¡¯s why he awaited in such a ce. He also had three Spydragons in total. The first was the one that tailed after General Artica from the city.


    The second was nted in the mansion, gazing at the altar from a clear angle to see whether Regriel¡¯s hands were severed or not. As for the third Spydragon, it was ced far away on the edge of the forest, overlooking the path that one had to take to head towards the capital of the Heroica Empire, Grenstan.


    Now that Regriel and General Artica had gone far enough, Compass Carburettor exited the hole, returning the tree roots to their original position, unwilling to leave behind any traces. He then sprinted towards the mansion, ensuring to only step upon the footsteps made by Regriel.


    It was wise to be cautious. So, he dared not slip up in the slightest. Nor was he willing to take things lightly for even a moment. Compass Carburettor raced towards the mansion, leaping once he approached it,nding atop the walls like a cat before jumping into the estate ground.


    Upon noticing that no new Mental Energy stream fell on him from the estate ground, he was assured that no other snake or the variety was at the ce. He quickly arrived before the altar, flipping the mechanism within as he pulled out a sealed box.


    And, within it were the two hands of Regriel. Upon seeing them, Compass Carburettor contained his revulsion, observing it as he could see a transparent substance trying to exit it and scatter, ¡°This is the fragment of Regriel¡¯s System contained in his hands. I wonder how I should refine it?¡±

 Chapter 55: Two System Fragments

    <h4>Chapter 55: Two System Fragments</h4>


    ¡°Now, how would I refine these into System Fragments?¡± Compass Carburettor frowned, not having many leads in this department. He then thought of the way he created his Personal Fragment and the method through which he refined foreign Mental Energy into his.


    He took out Anthozoa, his Personal Fragment and ced it above Regriel¡¯s left arm, gently touching it as he noticed the part of the System in his arms beginning to slowly escape into the air. He positioned the gun¡¯s nozzle ordingly, watching the stream of transparent substance¡ªexiting the left arm¡ªseep into his gun¡¯s nozzle.


    Suddenly, the gun whirred into life as Compass Carburettor felt a sharp drain in the Mental Energy saved up in his Mental Energy Form. The transparent substance was sucked into the gun within a couple of seconds, causing Regriel¡¯s left hand to crumble into dust before it too was absorbed into the gun.


    It was as if his hand hadn¡¯t existed there in the first ce. Compass Carburettor then did the same to Regriel¡¯s right hand, watching it too get sucked into his gun simrly. He then experienced sharp pain in his head as his Mental Energy was getting sucked erratically, causing him to feel light-headedness as his brain whirred nonstop, generating as much Mental Energy as possible.


    All the Mental Energy he had stored was being sucked into his gun as it began to interact with the part of Regriel¡¯s system he had absorbed. He could hear numerous screams in his mind, noticing the figure of Regriel¡¯s System appear all of a sudden.


    It looked no different to the one he had seen in the System World. At present, it was struggling, wailing as it was attacked by a hail of bullets. And, when he looked at the source, he was shocked, for it was the Earth shooting the bullets at Regriel¡¯s System.


    As he watched the battle between the two entities take ce in his mind, Fourth¡¯s words resounded in him, allowing him to understand just what was happening, ¡®Right, I was born on Earth. So, I¡¯m part of it, affected by thews existing on Earth. So, when I refined the Money-Making System¡¯s body, I was using thews of the Earth to attack and damage thews that made up the Money-Making System. Since thews of Earth were superior, I ended up as a victor.¡¯


    He then nodded in realisation, ¡®So, if I try to refine a System whosews surpass those that makeup Earth, then I would¡­lose? Wait, this is the functional makeup of a world we are talking about. Surely, they can¡¯t be that weak, right?¡¯


    He then recalled how no System yer had killed a Grade 2 System, ¡®Grade 2 Systems fall into the magical limit. So, are they superior to thews governing Earth?¡¯


    ¡®I can only find out in the future.¡¯ He sighed, watching the battle in his mind reach the climax. The Earth bombarded Regriel¡¯s System with a torrent of bullets, riddling it with holes to the extent it was unable to move anymore, finally losing its sense of being.


    Numerous chains then appeared from Earth, wrapping around the defeated System as a mysterious energy was channelled into it, moulding it like dough. A couple of hourster, two bullets were what remained of the process.


    Compass Carburettor noticed that the bullets resembled what Anthozoa fired, rectangr in shape. The two bullets each seemed to be having their respective properties. The moment he focused on the first, a vast surge of information streamed into his mind, allowing him to learn everything about the System Fragment. ¡®Body Resurgence, Level 2. It allows me tobust all the fat in my body to condense Dac. This permanently increases my Dac reserve by arge amount.¡¯


    ¡°I see, so this is what he relied upon to burn all his fat and increase his Dac reserves shortly.¡± He nodded, smiling.


    Compass Carburettor then focused on the second System Fragment, absorbing the memory influx, understanding everything there was to know about it, nodding, ¡®ve Harem, Level 1. This allows me to enve a woman. But, since this is only a System Fragment, its effect doesn¡¯tst long. And the duration of the effect varies based on the willpower of the target. So, this is Regriel¡¯s System, huh.¡¯


    ¡°The ve Harem System,¡± Compass Carburettor snorted, ¡°Quite the disgusting ring it has.¡±


    He then pulled up his stats, looking at the changes in it.


    [Name: Compass Carburettor]


    [Race: Human]


    [Physique: Health (Level 10), Strength (Level 10), Dexterity (Level 8), Stamina (Level 7), Intelligence (Level 7), Cognition (Level 9), Natural Recovery (Level 6), Five Senses (Level 10), Resting (Level 10)]


    [Personal Fragment: Anthozoa]


    [Arms: 2]


    [Arms: Body Resurgence (Level 2), Save Harem (Level 1)]


    ¡°This has been a fruitful harvest,¡± Compass Carburettor stretched his hand, rxing a bit as he closed his eyes, noticing that Regriel and General Artica were already on their way towards Grenstan.


    He then began to make his way towards Peckle City, returning to an inn they had booked. The two servants had already shifted their belongings to this ce, beginning to pack everything carefully.


    The moment Compass Carburettor entered, he smiled, shing a thumbs up, ¡°The first part of the n is a sess.¡±


    ¡°Amazing!¡± Fealta pped while Caithy continued to pack their belongings. Soon after, once everything was packed, she motioned for Compass Carburettor to be seated, beginning to remove his makeup.


    Once she had fully removed his makeup, she said, ¡°Take a bath now, the smell is unbearable. Also, Her Majesty has issued us enough travel funds to reach the southern border of the Heroica Empire. Beyond that, we¡¯ll be on our own.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m prepared,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°As to what my preparations are, I can¡¯t say to you.¡±


    ¡°Like we had beenmanded by the Queen, we won¡¯t pry into it.¡± Caithy said, forcefully pushing him into the bathroom, ¡°Don¡¯te out until all the stench has vanished. We¡¯ll dy our journey if need be.¡±


    ¡°Haha, that won¡¯t be necessary.¡± Compass Carburettor shut the door, exiting the bathroom after an hour,pletely refreshed, wearing some normal clothes now.


    They then carried their luggage and exited the inn, heading towards a nearby stable to buy a horse carriage, boarding it as Compass Carburettor sighed, anticipating the journey, ¡®Now, onwards to the battleground where I¡¯ll face a System head-on.¡¯


    ¡®Mohart Dungeon!¡¯

 Chapter 56: The Necessities to Kill a System

    <h4>Chapter 56: The Necessities to Kill a System</h4>


    ¡®It would take us around two months to reach the southern border of Heroica Empire. As to how long it would take to reach Mohart Dungeon, it can¡¯t be predicted since we would be roaming through a territory full of monsters.¡¯ Compass Carburettor sighed, expressing mild worry.


    If possible, he wished to destroy Regriel within a year. Beyond that, his growth might end up bing beyond what he could handle. It wasn¡¯t just Regriel¡¯s growth that he had to worry about. After all, had that been the case, then he could have simply summoned his gun and shot him in the head when he acted as a beggar.


    He was fast enough to do that. And, since General Artica wouldn¡¯t have been expecting such an action, his sess was basically guaranteed. But, if it was possible to kill a System User in such a manner, he could have done that long ago.


    Regriel¡¯s System, the ve Harem System absorbed Mental Energy through him. And with that, it would have bought certain abilities that it could use during the worst-case scenario. Maybe it had an ability to detach Regriel¡¯s consciousness while it healed his shattered head before cing his consciousness back into it.


    There was also the possibility of Regriel teleporting from the ce when confronted with danger. If that happened, Compass Carburettor¡¯s identity would be exposed and he would lose the element of surprise.


    That would be the worst-case scenario. So, his goal was to make Regriel¡¯s System consume as much of its Mental Energy reserves as possible. After all, even a System had to obey thew of conservation of energy.


    And here, that energy was Mental Energy. The moment he obtained the two System Fragments, Compass Carburettor had understood the importance of Mental Energy. To activate them, Mental Energy was necessary.


    Regriel had the energy of Dac to use any abilities he obtained from the ve Harem System.


    And once that was expended, he was helpless. But, that didn¡¯t mean his life would be in trouble. His System was capable of pulling unforeseen stunts to protect his life. And, the simplest of such a case was to teleport him out of danger and plunge him onto thep of a rather powerful woman.


    With that, he would be able to form a connection with her through numerous coincidences of the sort. As the System would pick a target to suit such a scenario, it was a definite possibility. As every System was able to purchase abilities through its tradingwork, it would have obtained some abilities to ascertain this.


    That might also be the case in which it made Regriel form a connection with Kerriel first, having determined the secrets she held.


    So, Compass Carburettor had to be careful in his ns, and only make a move when he was assured Regriel¡¯s System hadpletely expended its Mental Energy reserves. Before that, even if he were to kill Regriel, it wouldn¡¯t be an actual death since his System would be able to pull off something to save its host.


    ¡®But, this journey would take considerable duration. By the time Regrielpletes the tournament and sets off towards Mohart Dungeon, it might take him at least 4-5 more months to reach there. And, that is in the case something unexpected doesn¡¯t happen.¡¯ Compass Carburettor sighed, ¡®In the end, I have to rely on luck and first attain whatever the ve Harem System had nned for Regriel to obtain in Mohart Dungeon.¡¯


    There was only a beaten path trailing from Peckle city to Grenstan. The case was the same in the Entropica Kingdom too. The roads from one city to another weren¡¯t established and were only beaten paths that had formed after being frequented by travellers.


    After all, there was a reason they hadn¡¯t developed the roads. If the roads were developed, it would allow foreign Kingdoms to use them to invade faster and bring in bigger siege weapons. It was the same as shooting themselves in the foot.


    So, no Kingdom or Empire developed any roads. Every city was built around a Dungeon. So, all of them were self-sufficient to a certain extent. As for other necessities, they could be solved through trade to a certain extent.


    And for that, the beaten paths were enough. That¡¯s why, even the Heroica Empire hadn¡¯t developed any roads. Because of that, Compass Carburettor¡¯s journey to the southern tip of the Heroica Empire would span at least two months.


    He was a bit worried since this dy would allow more time for Regriel to grow. After all, what he had to shave off from Regriel was his Dac reserves, the women under his control, and the Mental Energy in his System¡¯s possession.


    The longer the time spanned, the greater all three would develop. So, he didn¡¯t wish to dy things too much. But, he had no other choice but to be patient. After all, he was up against a System, a Plot Armour capable of mysterious feats.


    His only advantage was his possession of a gun whose bullets would damage a System. That was all. So, he had to be as careful as possible and n as detailed as he could.


    ¡®Still, there should be a treasure in Mohart Dungeon, the secret that was created by the Great Megwest Empire. Since Regriel¡¯s System is also aiming for it, it means there is enough credibility in it. And, it should be overpowered enough for a System to ce importance upon. Once I obtain it, my advantages should increase, especially if it is what I think it is.¡¯ He thought, sighing in worry.


    He then closed his eyes, meditating as he focused on his Mental Energy Form, double-checking to ensure it waspletely closed up. He didn¡¯t wish for any of his thoughts to generate Mental Energy streams. After all, the targets of all of them were Regriel. So, once it leaked, the ve Harem System would be alerted of his ns.


    ¡®Now, my priority is to level up these two Skills first.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, focusing on the Book representing his Cognition (Level 9) and the Jar representing his Natural Recovery (Level 6) in his Mental Energy Form.


    ¡®I should bring them both to Level 10 before I reach Mohart Dungeon.¡¯ He thought, sighing, ¡®For that, I need to garner attention from as many people as possible.¡¯


    He sighed in worry, massaging his forehead, ¡°I didn¡¯t wish to do this. I was already fed up with it on Earth. But¡­guess I don¡¯t have a choice in the matter.¡±


    ¡°I have to cause drama everywhere.¡±

 Chapter 57: An Actor? Yes, I am!

    <h4>Chapter 57: An Actor? Yes, I am!</h4>


    It waste during the night as a horse-driven carriage sped through a beaten path, surrounded by a thicket of trees on both sides. The night was chilly, spooky even as the sounds of numerous monsters buzzed around at times, asionally loud to the extent they rattled the bones of any passer-by.


    Seated within the carriage were three people. Two of them were sleeping now while the third one was awake. It was Compass Carburettor and the two servants. He looked at the sleeping faces of the two servants, smiling subtly as he gently patted their heads before shifting himself towards the front, peeking out as he exited the carriage and sat on the front, beside the driver.


    The driver was a middle-aged man with a balding head. And, apparent from his white side-burns, it seemed his hair loss was entirely due to stress.


    ¡°Young man, why don¡¯t you rest within? Sitting in the cold isn¡¯t safe for a youngd like you.¡± The driver said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Compass Carburettor sighed, gazing upward as he spoke, ¡°People like me are denizens of the night. When the shadow grows deep, so does our fangs.¡±


    ¡°You make a good¡­joke there.¡± The driverughed awkwardly for a moment, mildly shuddering in fear as he looked at Compass Carburettor¡¯s visage from the side.


    A sleek, elegant face that was capable of pulsing the hearts of even men, handsomeness at the peak of masculinity, but suffused with a semnce of grace that gave him a dignified air. With the darkness of the night painted in the background, adding onto his mysterious words, Compass Carburettor appeared¡­handsomely terrifying!


    Gulp!


    The driver could feel the sounds of his heartbeat in his ears, noticing that his hands were now slick with sweat. He also felt that as he held onto the reins, his hands were mildly trembling.


    Fear!


    Before he realised, fear hadfortably settled within his mind, making the ce its home. But, the fear didn¡¯t cause him to rashly react. Rather, it was a sort of chillness that numbed his body and mind, causing him to fail in even making a scene.


    ¡°I was just joking, haha.¡± Compass Carburettorughed, patting the driver¡¯s back jovially, lightening the atmosphere, ¡°Sorry if I scared you, haha. I just wanted to lighten the mood.¡±


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t mind that,¡± The driver stammered before he regained his bearing, ¡°You got me good, haha. And to think I was advising you about the scariness of the night. You are braver than me.¡±


    ¡°Of course, the night can never be my enemy.¡± Compass Carburettor said, smiling as he looked at themp before him. It was what lighted their path forward, casting a beam onto the road before the horses.


    Only a small part of its light flickered on the coach, barely highlighting their faces, casting shadows onto most of their features.


    The driver felt like a boulder had been smashed onto his heart as he looked at Compass Carburettor. For some reason, he was getting the heebie-jeebies from the other party. Even though it was brushed off as a joke, the driver could feel that Compass Carburettor wasn¡¯t¡­lying.


    ¡°Are you having troubles with your life?¡± Compass Carburettor asked all of a sudden, ¡°It is rare for someone of your age to bald so much. And, a good patch of your remaining hair has even turned white. Is there something troubling you? I may not look like it, but I¡¯m a great consultant.¡±


    ¡°A consultant? What¡¯s that?¡± The driver was confused, feeling his heart rate slow down over time as they engaged in a normal conversation.


    ¡°Well, just consider me as someone who hears the troubles of people and offers them advice to be rid of them.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, noticing some reallyrge trees span past, also spotting asional gems that glistened under the night, silently staring at them as they sped past.


    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t do it for free. I charge a hefty sum for every consultation.¡± Compass Carburettor lightly waved his hand, saying in a carefree tone, ¡°But, since I am bored, I¡¯ll do it free for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± The driver hesitated for quite the time before speaking after a sigh, ¡°I¡¯m just a lowly driver. I had worked for a decade before saving up enough money to buy a caravan. I had hoped to be a merchant and give a better life for my family.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± He sighed, ¡°I didn¡¯t have a knack for it. I bought goods that didn¡¯t have much value at the destination city and also chose a time when the demand for them was the least. Once I repeated the same thrice, I no longer had enough money to be a merchant anymore and have to sell off my caravan to pay my debts.¡±


    ¡°After that, I have been struggling to make ends meet as a driver. I have to stay away from my family during the trips, and the returns aren¡¯t even that great once I feed the horses and do maintenance work on the carriage.¡± He sighed, ¡°Life¡¯s tough.¡±


    ¡°And adding onto that,¡± He expressed his sadness, ¡°As I was constantly away from Peckle City, my wife moved in with the lord that she worked as a maid for. She chose a life as a keep over being with me.¡±


    At this point, he began to shed tears, emitting sobbing sounds as he cursed himself, ¡°I just wanted to give them a better life. What did I do wrong to deserve such humiliation?¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded upon hearing the sob story, seemingly in thought as he spoke, ¡°Is that why you became a bandit?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The driver was started to the extent he pulled on the reins, causing the carriage toe to a stop as he gazed at Compass Carburettor in horror, ¡°Sir, what are you saying? I¡¯ve never been a bandit all my life.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Compass Carburettorughed, chuckling cutely like an eight-year-old girl, ¡°But, aren¡¯t we already at the graveyard of travellers? Yourrades are even surrounding us pretty well. I must say, you are one damn good actor.¡±


    Seeing the driver¡¯s face ashen in fear, Compass Carburettor smiled, pinching, ¡°I told you, right? When the shadow grows deep, so does our fangs.¡±

 Chapter 58: A Death Spirit?

    <h4>Chapter 58: A Death Spirit?</h4>


    Compass Carburettor watched the figure of the driver tremble in fear while his face turned ashen. He patted the other party gently, saying, ¡°So, why did you be a bandit? The lives of everyone hinges on the truthfulness of your answer.¡±


    ¡°T-That is¡­I¡­uh¡­I mean¡­¡± The driver stammered like a broken record as he soiled his pants. The expression of Compass Carburettor had remained the same from the start, like everything was in the palm of his hands.


    His demeanour and the way he had predicted everything caused the driver to feel like he had been trapped amid a horror scene, trembling as he shouted, ¡°What the hell are you?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Compass Carburettor smiled gently, gently pointing his index finger towards a certain direction high up into one of the trees at the back, ¡°Guess?¡±


    For a moment, the driver didn¡¯t know what had happened, staring agape as he heard a loud thud. Trembling, he slowly turned his head, noticing the mashed remains of a corpse on the ground, one belonging to the bandit group he was a part of.


    As a traveller, it was always his duty to cross-check the identities of the people he gave a lift to. And, if they proved to be wealthy and were travelling as a whole family, then it meant they were right for the picking.


    His job was to lead such people through this designated route thaty parallel to the actual route. And upon arriving here, the people would be killed by the bandits while all the loot would be harvested. They even had a team that handled the owner-less properties of the killed people back in Peckle City.


    They had a sizeable organisation running amongst them that handled such stuff. And, among the drivers that led the prey to the forest patch, he was one of them. Normally, if he determined the travellers were someone poor or someone they couldn¡¯t afford to touch, he would travel through the actual route, and the bandit group wouldn¡¯t harm them.


    But, as he was scared by Compass Carburettor, he had habitually guided the carriage through the bandit route. And, only after he saw the corpse of one of the bandit members mysteriously crash onto the ground did it ring a bell in him, causing him to realise what he had done.


    He had royally screwed up!


    ¡°P-Please, leave them alone, great spirit.¡± The driver resorted to begging immediately, ¡°They haven¡¯t done anything wrong.¡±


    ¡°So, in your eyes¡­¡± Compass Carburettor looked at the driver, slightly hardening his gaze as his voice turned chilly, ¡°Murder, piging, property forgery, etc. isn¡¯t considered wrong?¡±


    ¡°Grotak, what the heck¡¯s wrong with you? Why aren¡¯t you giving any signals?¡± A bandit walked out from the thicket of trees, frowning in anger as he nced at Compass Carburettor, ring at the driver in response, ¡°Say something, dammit!¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t a target. I drove here by mistake!¡± Grotak, the driver shouted, ¡°This guy¡¯s¡­¡±


    Right at this time, Compass Carburettor slowly pointed at the bandit, saying with a cheerful tone, ¡°What about you, good sir? Do you wish to humour me the reason you became a bandit?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What the heck are you saying?¡± The bandit cursed in response, shouting, ¡°Seriously, what¡¯s wrong with you, Grotak?¡±


    He then shouted, ¡°Everyone,e out and kill our targets!¡±


    Right as he said that, Compass Carburettor smiled, retracting his hand slowly as the bandit steadily copsed to the ground in response, his head now sporting a gaping hole, ¡°Well, you should have answered my question properly.¡±


    There was a fluster among the people hiding in the thicket of trees, rmed at the situation. Upon seeing the numerous Mental Energy streams incident on him, Compass Carburettor raised his voice, ¡°All 17 of you,e out! If you don¡¯t, you can forfeit heading out during the night for the rest of your lives. You¡¯ll be hunted until thest of you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you three seconds,¡± Compass Carburettor pointed at a spot from where the Mental Energy stream expressing the greatest fear appeared, ¡°If you don¡¯te out by then, I¡¯ll be cursing everyone.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Wait! Wait! Don¡¯t kill me!¡± The bandit that he had pointed towards came rushing out of his hiding spot, afraid he would die like the others. He had been watching the actions of Compass Carburettor from the start, now aware that everyone the other party pointed at ended up dying mysteriously.


    It wasn¡¯t a method using the energy des. After all, the energy des emitted enough light to glow brightly in the dark. So, if Compass Carburettor had used Armaments, it would have been apparent. But now that two bandits had dropped dead mysteriously, all of them were stricken with fear.


    Moreover, when they noticed Grotak shuddering in fear all along, his pale face, and the statement he had shouted before, they realised that the one they were dealing with was a mysterious individual. They had chosen their target wrongly.


    And, since their numbers had been urately expressed, they didn¡¯t wish to make things worse for themselves, silently exiting their hiding ces as they lined up before Compass Carburettor. Had they been regr bandits, they wouldn¡¯t have done such a thing.


    They had a fair level of intelligence, a reason as to why they had survived for as long as they had done and even expanded their organisation to infiltrate into the legal administration.


    ¡®Hmm, they really did line up.¡¯ Compass Carburettor was amused for a moment, thinking of what he had to do next.


    In Peckle City, when they were about to hail a driver to drive the carriage they had bought, he looked through the drivers¡¯ list in the association that provided them.


    Among them, as he sensed the Mental Energy streams they emitted, he probed their mental states, getting an inkling as to what type of person they were. And, upon seeing a bandit disguised as a driver, he connected the dots, easily understanding the scheme at ce. It was pretty much a clich¨¦ by this point, so he didn¡¯t even have to think much.


    And, since he had decided to create drama to obtain as much Mental Energy as possible, he of course chose Grotak, the bandit driver. This way, he could give the bandit group a really good scare and cause them to fear him for the rest of their lives.


    It was the most efficient method to obtain a steady stream of Mental Energy for his needs.

 Chapter 59: A Terrifying Charlatan

    <h4>Chapter 59: A Terrifying Chatan</h4>


    ¡°Well, does anyone wish to exin why they became bandits?¡± Compass Carburettor stared at the bandits, his expression unchanging from the start, as if he was taking a pleasant sip of a drink. But now that the bandits looked at his cid expression, one where the light from themp on the carriage flickered across, casting numerous shadowy indentations upon, they felt terrified.


    ¡°W-We had no other choice but to do this to survive!¡± Compass Carburettor faced the man who seemed the most terrified of them all, causing the other party to scream as he kneeled on the ground, begging to avoid death.


    ¡°Was it necessary to kill the people?¡± Compass Carburettor said, expressing mild anger in his tone, pointing at the bandit that seemed the least affected by everything and even seemed to be plotting a counterattack.


    All the bandits were petrified by fear as they watched another one of them copse to the ground all of a sudden. No, they noticed Compass Carburettor point at the man, and at that moment, something seemed to have condensed in his hand, killing the bandit, appearing sinistrous, like the reaper.


    ¡°W-We won¡¯t kill anymore!¡± All of them shouted simultaneously, banging their heads on the ground.


    ¡°Well¡­I can¡¯t take your words seriously, can I?¡± Compass Carburettor tilted his head, ¡°What¡¯s the proof that you¡¯ll not kill another passer-by once I leave?¡±


    ¡°We swear on our lives to never do it!¡± The bandits shouted.


    ¡°That¡¯s not enough,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, deciding their fate immediately, pointing his finger at every bandit, one after another, saying upon finishing the action, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve nted a curse in all your bodies. The moment you kill someone, the curse would activate and give you a gruesome death.¡±


    He then threw a metallic object towards one of the bandits, ¡°That¡¯s my token. Every day during dusk, I want you to pray while holding it. All you have to tell is that you haven¡¯t killed anyone. Everyone must do it. If even one of you fails to do it before night sets in, then all of you can forget about seeing the light of day ever again.¡±


    He then said a simple piece, ¡°I won¡¯t stop you from being bandits. You can still be bandits. But, I forbid you from harming the travellers and stealing more than a quarter of their wealth. Abide by it, and you¡¯ll even get a chance to receive my protection.¡±


    Compass Carburettor patted the driver, ¡°Well, what are you waiting for? Get moving. I still have a lot of work to do.¡±


    He then shed a sheepish smile, ¡°Or, do all of you wish to spend an eternity without seeing the light of the day?¡±


    ¡°Grotak, get moving! Quickly!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take care of the rest here!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t dy respected Spirit here!¡±


    Grotak could only nod meekly, causing the carriage to begin moving once again. As for Compass Carburettor, he noticed that Grotak was unable to concentrate driving as he was too afraid, patting him once before returning to the carriage.


    Fealta and Caithy were long awake, having witnessed everything in silence. Even though they were tremendously shocked, realising that Compass Carburettor had hidden himself deeply, they didn¡¯t question his methods or abilities.


    But, once he seated himselffortably and dusted his clothes, Caithy muttered, ¡°You¡¯re one terrifying chatan.¡±


    ¡°Haha,¡± Compass Carburettor closed his eyes, sensing the numerous streams of Mental Energy incident on him. The sources weren¡¯t the bandits alone, but also the monsters that had been lurking in the dark, intending to prey on them.


    With their exceptional senses, they had noticed the bandits dying mysteriously, bing terrified of the individual that had done so. Hence, their thoughts turned into Mental Energy streams that gushed into him, causing him tough in joy internally.


    As for the thoughts about killing three bandits, he wasn¡¯t concerned. Had they been innocent, he would have been gued by the action for the rest of his life. But, he had long since confirmed that they had killed numerous people.


    The density of killing intent they could express through their Mental Energy streams was all the proof he needed. So, he didn¡¯t wish to leave them scot-free. But, he also wasn¡¯t able to kill them all.


    After all, he only had six bullets in his gun. Once he ran out of bullets, his ruse would be exposed. That was why he created such an act, steadily building a rapport of fear with the driver first. Since he also wished to obtain a steady stream of Mental Energy, this n was perfect.


    He was neither a hero nor a viin. He was just a regr man that wished to do whatever was in his power to obtain the means to save his daughter. His moralpass was only averse to the notion of hurting innocent people.


    As for the rest, he wasn¡¯t the least guilty. After all, had he such a trait in him, he couldn¡¯t have be a businessman in the first ce, not to mention growing into the leader of the business world.


    Sure, everything rted to that sess could be attributed to the Money-Making System. But, he was the one that did everything. And, that experience had affected his mentality.


    Weighing the pros and cons of any action had be a habit deeply ingrained into his being. That was why he limited himself to killing three bandits, no more, no less. His goal was to strike fear into their depths. And, killing three was enough for that. Any more, and he would lose potential Mental Energy sources.


    Now that a dense stream of Mental Energy gushed into him, Compass Carburettor first increased the amount flowing through the innumerous circuits in his Mental Energy Form before directing them towards the Jar representing his Skill of Natural Recovery (Level 6), noticing the seventh segment in it be steadily filled up.


    ¡®At this pace, I only need three days to reach Level 7 in the Skill.¡¯ Compass Carburettor smiled, ¡®With this, I would be able to heal from injuries and exhaustion even faster. This would further upgrade my training speed.¡¯


    ¡®This is just the first stop.¡¯ He gazed out through the window, noticing the trees span past amid the darkness, ¡®I¡¯ll create numerous such sources of Mental Energy and quickly surpass whatever amount the ve Harem System could obtain.¡¯


    ¡®It can only passively influence Regriel to take actions to cause situations where it could reap a lot of Mental energy. But, I am actively doing that. And using my experience, I can create bigger situations.¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s see who¡¯s faster.¡±

 Chapter 60: Trolling is Part of My Schemes

    <h4>Chapter 60: Trolling is Part of My Schemes</h4>


    The token he had thrown towards the bandits was something he had created for his drama ns. For whatever reason, he wished to nt something in the minds of people so that they would rte it to him, connecting the two.


    This way, whenever they saw the token, they would link it to him, thinking of him. In such a way, the number of people who would be thinking about him would be beyond what he had actively influenced.


    While on Earth, he hade across an interesting theory that every temple, church, etc. was a token created in relevance to the deity the people worshipped. And, these tokens were meant to transmit their thoughts, their prayers to their deity of worship.


    Whether it was true or not, the idea had usible substance to it, especially considering his situation. Moreover, every superheroic too used the same to instil a psychological input in the minds of the popce.


    No matter who, a superhero had a defined logo they could be rted with, a symbol they wore on their bodies. This was to instil in the minds of the popce that the symbol rted to the respective hero, a form of connection to them, forming sce to their mental sanity.


    It was also the very reason everypany had their unique logo. Just by seeing the logo, people would recognise apany. That was brand value, the value attached to thepany that was recognised through the logo.


    After all, just by adding a tick mark to a shoe, its price could be dramatically increased and people wouldn¡¯tin. It wasn¡¯t of value to the shoe, but rather to the logo on it. Such was the value symbols carried.


    And, every symbol had a distinct definition, one that sets them apart from others. As for Compass Carburettor, the logo he had created was a double ¡®C¡¯ that was tangentially connected. It was a simple design, but one that he nned to instil in the minds of everyone he came across as a symbol to worship and fear.


    Having been at the forefront of the business world, he knew how to shape up and create new trends, rather greatly familiar with the process. So, he nned to do the same here and propagate his symbol into the masses.


    Beyond that, he wished to trigger the ¡®Sheeple Effect¡¯. Once the symbol gained traction among the popce, it would grow tremendously eventually. And, as the one connected to it and recognised by it, he would be obtaining all the Mental Energy associated with the token.


    It was another identity that he had nned to establish. And, he nned toy down all the necessary groundwork in two months. Since he was travelling across the Heroica Empire from one end to another, he would be crossing numerous cities along the way.


    And, he nned to abuse the informationwork of the Heroica Empire. This way, no matter what Regriel¡¯s System had nned, it wouldn¡¯t be able to overtake him in Mental Energy influx at least for a couple of years.


    Compass Carburettor tucked his gun within his clothes, sensing it suck in the air as it began to condense a bullet, thinking, ¡®I haven¡¯t recharged it even once after arriving here. There won¡¯t be enough energy left to shoot bullets after six rounds. I should recharge it first tomorrow.¡¯


    He then thought of something, peeking out as he asked Grotak, startling the other party, ¡°Is there any bandit hideouts along the way?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one closer to the next city. We¡¯ll reach it a couple of hours before dawn.¡± Even though he hesitated, Grotak relented in the end, truthfully saying everything, unwilling to trigger the scary entity before him.


    ¡°Alright, tell me once you reach there.¡± Saying his piece, Compass Carburettor sat in silence, meditating as he began to train, increasing his Dac reserves.


    Just as Grotak had said, they approached a silent patch of forest that had some open space. It was where another bandit group operated frequently. Since it was a couple of hours before dawn, there was no sign of activity in the ce as all the bandits were fast asleep.


    There were only a couple of sentries ced on the lookout for any monsters or expedition forces sent by the cities to cull their numbers. Their hideout was located within a cave located high up on a hill.


    So, it was easy to defend and hard to attack. When the carriage stopped at a discrete location once it travelled past the bandit hideout, Compass Carburettor alighted, motioning for Fealta and Caithy to remain seated, ¡°It won¡¯t take much time.¡±


    Saying so, he sprinted through the forest, lithe in his footsteps, gracefully skipping over any rocky protrusions by using his superior agility, strength, body flexibility, and motor senses.


    He aimed his gun at the two sentries, making a couple of shots. Both were headshots. As the gun didn¡¯t have any recoils, it was incredibly easy to aim. So, he never missed his targets.


    The two sentries dropped dead in their spots as Compass Carburettor scaled up the path, peeking into the cave as he took in the scenery inside. Upon noticing that no new Mental Energy streamnded on him from within the cave, it meant no one had noticed him.


    ¡®But, I only have one 4 more bullets left. After this, my gun doesn¡¯t even have sufficient energy to condense bullets. I have to make them count the most.¡¯ He thought, inching his way through the cave as he tiptoed through the ce, noticing the bandits sleeping on berths ced around the corner.


    Despite it being a cave-dwelling, the ce was properly sanitised, causing him to understand, ¡®They are properly funded by some organisation. Otherwise, this level of unity, organisational structure, quality of life, and the numerous Armaments in their possession; they all point towards one fact.¡¯


    ¡®This is a criminal organisation with immense foundation.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, smiling as he couldn¡¯t help but grin with excitement, ¡®And, they make the perfect targets for my n.¡¯


    Grinning, he made his way towards the interior, soon reaching the deepest part of the cave, looking at a man with arge body that was sleeping, huddling a woman in each arm, smiling contently.


    For some reason, the smiling face of therger built man nudged his sense of mischief as Compass Carburettor looked around, pulling out some strands from a piece of cloth as he rolled them into a wick, grinning wickedly as he approached the bed and gently inserted the wick into the man¡¯s nose, stirring it wildly.

 Chapter 61: One Trick to Fool Everyone

    <h4>Chapter 61: One Trick to Fool Everyone</h4>


    ¡°Geufk!¡± Therge-bodied man wriggled from difort and woke up with a start, alerting the two women in his arms to wake up too. He reflexively touched his nose, grabbing hold of whatever had inconvenienced him, pulling it out to notice that it was a wick, created by rolling a couple of strands of thread.


    ¡°How did something like this make way into my nose?¡± He wondered in confusion, looking at the eyes of the two women to see that they were red, a sign of having been woken up abruptly from sleep. Upon determining that it wasn¡¯t a prank yed by them, he was confused even more.


    But, as he looked around, he was unable to find anything or anyone that might have been the cause, sighing as he attributed it to the wind, throwing the wick to the side asid down on the beg, wrapping his arms around the two women, ¡°Come, let¡¯s sleep.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get up so abruptly next time. You¡¯re like a bear! What if you break our arms as a result?¡± One of the women chided him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, using him as a body pillow as she quickly fell asleep.


    As for the other women, she had already fallen asleep, drooling even. As for therge-bodied man, he stared at their faces for a moment, noticing his eyes droop slowly as he became sleepy. Slowly, he closed his eyes, hearing a gentle whisper, ¡°Is itfortable?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is¡­¡± The question arrived so naturally that he replied unconsciously, suddenly noticing something amiss as he got up with a start, turning around as he noticed a figure standing politely in ce, sporting a gentle smile.


    Therge-bodied man began to sweat immediately, as even though he saw Compass Carburettor standing before him, he was unable to feel the other party¡¯s presence. It was as if he was staring at a ghost, a mysterious entity that had arrived to haunt him.


    And upon seeing the drop-dead handsome visage of Compass Carburettor, therge-bodied man was immediately assured that the one before him was a mysterious spiritual entity of the sort. But even then, he asked, only now realising that his voice was stammering, ¡°W-Who are you? How did youe here?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Compass Carburettor patted his cheek slowly, hearing the sounds of a flurry of footsteps as he said, ¡°I was roaming through the forest. But, those two people at the front summoned me and paid the price for doing so. Since I was already here, I decided to visit the leader of this stronghold.¡±


    ¡°What¡­do you want from me?¡± Therge-bodied man frowned, asking as his eyes remain transfixed on the other party while the two women beside him slowly inched their hands through the pillow, touching the Armaments hidden within as they were about to pull them out when Compass Carburettor made eye contact, causing them to shudder as it seemed like he had seen right through them.


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you.¡± He smiled, gently pointing his index finger towards one of the women, ¡°If you wish to face the wrath of the Secret Society¡¯s ck Night, feel free to use the Armament.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, stop.¡± Therge-bodied man gently patted them, causing them to retract their hands as he looked at Compass Carburettor, ¡°ck Night, was it? Please state the reason you decided to intrude my abode.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Compass Carburettor had just begun to speak when the bandits from the nearby room rushed in, noticing his presence as they immediately intended to attack him. One of them was just about to activate his Armament and impale Compass Carburettor when his foe smiled at him.


    Suddenly, there was a gaping hole in the bandit¡¯s head, allowing the person standing behind him to see Compass Carburettor¡¯s face clearly through the hole. As the attention of everyone was on his face, automatically drawn over by his handsome visage, and due to the fact that there wasn¡¯t any weapon in his hand, they hadn¡¯t noticed his actions.


    It allowed Compass Carburettor to condense his gun in his hand at a tilted angle and use his little finger to press the trigger. As the gun had zero recoils, he could perform such an action. It happened in an instant, from the appearance to the gun, to his pressing of the trigger, and its disappearance.


    And in the eyes of the bandits, it seemed like Compass Carburettor caused a hole to form in the face of a bandit just by staring at him. It was impossibly terrifying to the extent the bandits wished to flee. After all, what they faced went beyond their scope ofmon sense.


    Compass Carburettor then slowly turned his head, noticing the numerous eyes in the ce follow his head¡¯s movement as he looked at another bandit, causing the other party¡¯s face to blow up, now also sporting a hole through which the back of his head was visible.


    As he looked around slowly, the bandits flinched, wishing to dodge his line of sight when Compass Carburettor smirked, ¡°It was you who had summoned me. And, if you don¡¯t pay the price, everyone would follow suit.¡±


    ¡°What price do you need?¡± Therge-bodied man shielded his two women behind him, asking while his body trembled like a leaf caught in a storm, realising that the entity before him could very well be one of the mysterious spirits that had been said to live deep in the most inhabited forests, ¡°Please tell us, oh great spirit.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much,¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, ¡°Every dawn, everyone here must offer me a prayer and then collectively shed some blood, enough to dye this item crimson. If you do that for a year, my thirst would be appeased. Otherwise, I¡¯ll have to kill everyone here.¡±


    Saying his piece, he threw his logo towards therge-bodied man, ¡°Well, I¡¯m a spirit of the night. And frankly speaking, I don¡¯t kill when I¡¯m given proper offerings. In fact, I¡¯m an advocator of peace. If you give me offerings daily for a year and not kill even a single human during this period, I¡¯ll appear before you once again.¡±


    ¡°And this time, I¡¯ll grant you a wish.¡± Smiling, Compass Carburettor began to walk through the crowd, watching them part way in a hurry so as to avoid making eye contact with him.


    ¡°Can we wish for anything?¡± Therge-bodied man suddenly asked.


    ¡°As long as it¡¯s rted to the realm of the night.¡± Saying his piece, Compass Carburettor disappeared into the thicket of the night.


    Only after his figure vanished did the bandits look at their hands, noticing the goosebumps that had formed on it. The goosebumps only disappeared with the first rays of the morning sun.

 Chapter 62: Triggered Compass

    <h4>Chapter 62: Triggered Compass</h4>


    Once he exited the cave, Compass Carburettor hurried down the hill, quickly entering the forest as he arrived at the carriage, boarding it as the driver began to move it through the beaten path.


    He stretched his arms, stealthily cing his gun on the roof of the carriage, away from view. As for him, he could sense its position no matter where it was, also able to retract it with a thought. So, he wasn¡¯t afraid anyone would try toy their hands on it.


    It wasn¡¯t possible to do that before he could sense it. After all, the gun was his core. So, if anyoneid eyes on it, he would feel the Mental Energy streams. Thoughts were instant, so he would be able to react promptly.


    As the surroundings brightened, the gun began to absorb the sunlight, beginning to recharge itself. Compass Carburettor made note of the time, sighing, ¡®It would really need a day¡¯s worth of light to be fully charged.¡¯


    Though, once the energy in it reached a certain level, the gun began to suck in the air, beginning to condense the bullets. Two hourster, the carriage reached a city as Compass Carburettor retracted his gun, entering the city as they headed towards an inn.


    The driver parked the horses at a public stable for them to rest while he rested in a lodge meant for drivers. It was provided by the Empire, free to use for all drivers. As it was free, all the drivers only stayed here, unwilling to spend any money.


    Fealta and Caithy rested a little, rxing their aching bodies while Compass Carburettor roamed through the city, holding a couple of tokens in his pocket as he moved through the ce, looking for opportunities.


    He had already rested enough. After all, three hours of sleep was enough for him to function for an entire day. At present, the density of the Mental Energy streams gushing into him had increased by a lot.


    After all, the bandit stronghold had at least a hundred bandits. And, more than half had seen him in action. As for the rest, they had witnessed the aftermath. So, their emotions formed a gigantic wave of starlight that poured into him, causing him to feel rxed as the Jar in his Mental Energy Form began to fill up at a faster rate.


    Now that he realised the beneficial growth he could achieve through such a dense level of Mental Energy influx, he couldn¡¯t sit still anymore, beginning to roam through the city as he tried to search for the perfect target.


    Soon, once he entered the alleyways that almost resembled a slum, he could hear the sounds of thrashing. Compass Carburettor quickly turned around the corner, gazing at a group of three adults kicking a group of children.


    Upon seeing their actions, Compass Carburettor shouted, ¡°Stop it!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± The three adults turned around, gazing at the source of the shout, noticing his handsome visage, ¡°What¡¯s a pretty boy like you doing around here?¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± One of the adults, a man in his early thirties, seemingly the youngest of the trio, sporting numerous scars on his neck said, snickering as he eyed Compass Carburettor from top to bottom, ¡°Bro, check this dude out. Isn¡¯t he quite the looker? If we sell him to a brothel, we won¡¯t have to worry about money for at least a year or two.¡±


    ¡°Idiot,¡± The oldest of the three smacked the youngest, chiding him, ¡°Are you deranged in the head? Would any sane person even think ofmitting such a crime in this day and age? Sheesh, I feel disgusted to call you my younger brother.¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry,¡± The youngest bowed in apology as he got chided.


    The oldest of the three then smirked as he said, pointing at Compass Carburettor, ¡°Just take a gander at that appearance. It would be a sin to sell him to a brothel. Rather, we should make a brothel ourselves. With such a man as our poster boy, every woman in the city would flock over with lust. We¡¯ll rake in money so much we¡¯ll have to roll our fat bodies in the future.¡±


    ¡°I was short-sighted,¡± The youngest of the three eximed in admiration.


    All along, Compass Carburettor watched their banter, sensing the Mental Energy streams they emitted. Through that, he was trying to get a feel for their characters. And as they talked, they expressed a myriad of thoughts, generating a variety of Mental Energy streams.


    By the end of their banter, Compass Carburettor had a handle over their characters, ¡®Even their lowest crime is organ trafficking.¡¯


    It was apparent when he felt the Mental Energy streams trailing from the children as they clutched their injured bodies, covering the locations where their kidneys were located. It wasn¡¯t knowledge uneducated children like them ought to know.


    But through the experience of having witnessed the kidneys of other children be taken out one after another, they had instinctively realised the organ that they had to prevent from being stolen.


    Even though he was neither a saint nor a hero, but rather a hypocrite, the scene still angered him. He took out his Armament, swiftly pointing at the three adults, activating two States one after another.


    Long Sword!


    Wide Sword!


    The three adults had been cackling in one moment and in the next, their heads were separated from their bodies. They were just thugs involved with the undergroundwork and weren¡¯t Warriors. So, they were unable to react fast enough.


    Rather, Compass Carburettor was a culmination of numerous athletes in one body. His reflexes weren¡¯t something a regr human could ever hope to attain, not unless they zealously trained their bodies for decades.


    But even then, they would only develop in one field that they had spent years upon. Despite everything, they weren¡¯t his opponent.


    Having severed the three adults, Compass Carburettor deactivated his Armament, cing it within his pocket as he approached the terrified children, kneeling before them, shing a gentle smile, ¡°I¡¯m your ally.¡±


    He then gently massaged one of the children on his bruise, asking, ¡°Can you tell me what happened here in detail?¡±


    ¡°As for your problems, I¡¯ll take care of them.¡±

 Chapter 63: Beginnings of the Secret Society (1)

    <h4>Chapter 63: Beginnings of the Secret Society (1)</h4>


    ¡°I see,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, looking at the bruise on the boy¡¯s legs that he had just massaged a bit, easing up the pain. He understood the gist of things, beginning to seriously loathe the people that were responsible for the state of things to have progressed to such an extent.


    In the slum dwellings of Kettle City existed countless orphans. There was just a reason for that: Gambling. There was a prominent gambling underground society where all the rich and poor of the city mingled around, exchanging money in tremendous value.


    And with the greed and hope of striking it rich overnight, every man or woman of the slums frequented such ces. Though, those that were lucky enough to earn anything of semnce were few and far between.


    And that too was because they had somehow struck a deal with the operators of such gambling dens. Addicted by the notion of getting rich, people wagered everything they had, sometimes even going to the extent of cing down their lives.


    And without question, they lost, causing the owners to do whatever they wished with them. But, here ran a deeper conspiracy. To the east of Kettle City was a terraneous forest where the trees reached as high as 40 metres. Some of it was even marshes,yered with a shallow cover of murky water.


    And native to this ce was a vicious humanoid monster species: Grogar.


    The Grogar was a humanoid monster with a furry chest, scaly limbs, and a serpentine head, with its neck spanning a length of 5-6 metres. Its body was simr to a human in size but possessed tough defence.


    In the forest terrain, they used their necks to swerve around the trees and bite onto their prey. That¡¯s why, the Heroica Empire never bothered to raid them. After all, there wasn¡¯t any benefit in doing so, and the losses suffered would be disastrous.


    Moreover, the Grogar never left their territory. So, the Heroica Empire left them as is, intending to keep using them to prevent any foreign kingdoms from invading. They didn¡¯t need any resources to upkeep the forest while their enemies were unable to use the forest or anywhere near it to invade.


    So in the end, leaving them as is proved greater beneficial. That¡¯s how the Grogar was left unchecked. But, it seemed the Grogar had struck a deal with the underground of Kettle City. As to what was being traded, the children didn¡¯t know.


    But, the humans traded the harvested kidneys to the Grogar. It seemed the Grogar loved to feast on human kidneys the most, considering them a delicacy. So, every human that had wagered his or her life in the gambling den were robbed of both their kidneys that were then sold to the Grogar.


    Without their kidneys, only death awaited them. And, this in turn created a surplus of orphans in the city. Without their guardians to protect them, they were abused by the adults part of the underground¡ªrted to the kidney business.


    Those caught had their kidneys removed. As for the rest, if luck permitted, they survived. After all, it seemed they only needed a certain number of kidneys a month. Beyond that, the Grotak didn¡¯t ept anymore.


    That was the reason why so many orphans managed to survive to date. There were just too many of them by this point. As the city itself was massive, being one of the major cities of the Heroica Empire, its poption was vast.


    ¡°How do you survive usually?¡± Compass Carburettor asked, noticing that the children were somewhat healthy, unbefitting of people living in the slums. Even though they had been abused, their eyes still maintained a glow of vitality.


    Such characteristic was unbefitting to those who lived a life of abuse and fear. Their eyes should have been dull, listless even. So, Compass Carburettor was intrigued by the cause.


    Upon his question, the children looked at the faces of one another, hesitating for a moment before saying, ¡°There¡¯s someone who gives us food asionally. It¡¯s thanks to that person that we can sleep with a full stomach. Sorry, mister, we¡¯ll never tell their identity.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll never!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t even know their identity in the first ce. They wear a mask and baggy clothes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, patting their heads, ¡°Do you know where those goons live? Let uncle here deal with them.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± One of the kids smiled and showed the way, apanying Compass Carburettor to the top of a decrepit building, pointing towards a workshop of sorts that seemed out of order. ¡°That¡¯s where they live. All the houses surrounding it have underground tunnels connected to it. And underneath it is where the casino exists.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you can leave now. Be careful for the next couple of days. Warn all the other children too to not go out during this time.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, waving his hand, motioning for the kid to leave.


    The kid was somewhat confused for a moment before he ran away from the ce.


    Remaining atop the decrepit building, Compass Carburettor observed the workshop for a couple of hours, obtaining some basic understanding of the situation as he returned to his room in the inn, noticing Fealta waking up.


    ¡°We have some work to do,¡± Compass Carburettor then said, ¡°We¡¯ll go with disguise seven for this task.¡±


    ¡°For all three of us?¡± Fealta was surprised, ¡°Is this rted to our mission?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Compass Carburettor shook his head, ¡°This isn¡¯t directly rted. But, since we are here and have the power to do so, I thought about ridding this ce of some of the gue that has caused it to rotten. This foul stench is kind of irritating.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± Fealta nodded, noticing Caithy wake up from the sounds of the conversation.


    ¡°If it in any way endangers our Kingdom, we won¡¯t give our assistance anymore. That¡¯s the condition we decided to fully support you with.¡± Caithy said, sporting a poker face as usual.


    ¡°It won¡¯t,¡± Compass Carburettor said, thinking, ¡®Well, it might improve the situation of the Kettle City though. But, as long as every ce is rid of its major problems, I wouldn¡¯t have affected the status quo. I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Since I have started to act in one ce, might as well extend it further and spread it everywhere.¡¯

 Chapter 64: Beginnings of the Secret Society (2)

    <h4>Chapter 64: Beginnings of the Secret Society (2)</h4>


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s done!¡± Fealta sighed in exhaustion, giving the final touches to Caithy. With that, the disguise for all three waspleted. What they had done this time was different from the norm, created to blend in with the surroundings, and of course, look as harmless as possible.


    Basically, all three of them had cross-dressed.


    Compass Carburettor took in the appearance of a slightly fat middle-aged woman with a in appearance. She had a somewhat thick neck, adorned with numerous jewelleries. As for the body frame, since he was lean, it was easy to pull off.


    He wore a dress that was hard to move with, screaming difort. But, it had a rather pleasant appearance, something those with a bit of money wore.


    As for the two servants, Fealta took on the appearance of a male butler in histe twenties with a potbelly while the other sported a middle-aged man¡¯s appearance, seemingly the husband, disying a magnificent bald head. They inspected their appearance in therge body mirror, practising their dialogues a little.


    They began to behave in such a manner, adjusting their voices ordingly. After adding a certain liquid to their tongue to give a slight nasal feel to their voices, they changed the pitch, also ensuring to only speak in a certain manner that their vocal cords were capable of pulling off without letting their original voices leak out.


    Once they had immersed themselves in their roles ordingly, they tucked in their respective Armaments, two per each, and exited the inn. Compass Carburettor sent his Spydragon first, scouting through the corridor first to ensure that it was clear of any prying eyes.


    Only after that did they tread through the path.


    ¡®Hmm, there are three people in the lobby below.¡¯ He frowned, quickly thinking of a n as the Spydragon slithered through the lobby, travelling through the corner to stay undetected, appearing beside a stool over which a potted vase had been ced.


    It stared at it, opening its mouth to unleash an energy de that resembled a fat needle, spanning a metre in length, five times its maximum body length. The needle pierced through the foot of the stool, vanishing as the Spydragon repeated the same action ten times, breaking off one of the stool¡¯s legs, causing it to tilt to the side before falling off. In the meantime, it slithered away from the scene.


    Upon the sound of the vase crashing on the floor, the attention of the three people was directed towards it, wondering what was up as they walked closer to it. In the meantime, Compass Carburettor and the other two calmly walked through the lobby, appearing from the direction that made them traverse the least distance through the lobby before reaching the exit.


    As they had calmly walked out, none of the three people present in the lobby paid any attention to them, just thinking of them as one of the guests staying at the inn. As it was a rtivelyrge inn with numerous rooms, it was hard for even the employees to recognise the faces of all the guests.


    Moreover, they hadn¡¯t paid any attention to the three people that just walked out.


    Compass Carburettor sent two Spydragons flying towards the workshop, scouting through the ce first as he and the two servants calmly approached one of the houses around it, knocking at its door.


    ¡°Yes?¡± The house owner opened the door, looking at the three people with a puzzled nce, acting no different to a regr person in his situation.


    ¡°One of my friends rmended this¡­ce.¡± Compass Carburettor said, shing a knowing smile, ¡°I heard you sell handmade souvenirs.¡±


    ¡°We indeed sell them,¡± The manughed, clearly understanding that thedy before him wasn¡¯t a regr of the casino but had heard of it from somewhere and just wished to try it once. In an instant, he nced at the three, tallying the wealth carried by the people, making a general estimate about how much would be in their possession through experience, smiling as he invited them in.


    He then led them into a nearby room, showcasing them a path that went underground, ¡°Please make your way inside. Someone would arrive to inform you of all the rules and regtions of the ce.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Compass Carburettor said with a hint of excitement, ¡°I¡¯ve heard many entertaining things about this ce.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you would have,¡± The manughed, maintaining a respectable posture as the three people entered the path and reached the end. He then closed the entrance, a circr b. Upon closing it, he spun it clockwise, hearing a click sound as he smiled, ¡°Even if someone were to check here, the entrance wouldn¡¯t open. Once spun clockwise to the limit, it fully integrates into the floor, hard to be detected even with careful observation.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how we managed to keep it under wraps all along,¡± Heughed, frowning a bit, ¡°Just who am I exining it all to? Is it my age acting up?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Please, respecteddy, can you wear this?¡± An employee arrived, presenting a mask to the three of them, ¡°This is a measure to protect the identities of everyone. We don¡¯t wish for anything that happens here to result in a conflict outside. I hope you can understand.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with it,¡± Compass Carburettor¡ªthe middle-ageddy he was disguised as¡ªsaid, wearing the mask as he calmly strode along, observing the ce as his final Spydragon slithered out of his dress and hid underneath a table.


    ¡®The guards here have Armaments. They aren¡¯t even hiding it well. Maybe it¡¯s because they control the entirety of Kettle City¡¯s underground.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, judging that it was good enough for the crowd to be little.


    They had arrived slightly past noon, so not many customers were at the ce. Those still here were the ones beyond despair, having been ying from the night before, on their final streak of loss before waging their lives.


    Compass Carburettor and the two servants loitered about the ce, using some of the money they had brought to ce bets on some of the games, seemingly having fun. In the meantime, his Spydragon scouted out the entireyout of the ce.


    ¡®It¡¯s time to take action.¡¯ Having made note of the boss¡¯s location, Compass Carburettor smiled, retracting his gun that he had casually ced atop the roof of a building that received a lot of sunlight, whispering to the two servants, ¡°Kill them all!¡±

 Chapter 65: Beginnings of the Secret Society (3)

    <h4>Chapter 65: Beginnings of the Secret Society (3)</h4>


    ¡°Kill them all!¡± Compass Carburettor said as he walked out, suddenly clenching his chest as he expressed intense pain, as if he was suffering from cardiac arrest, shouting with a whisper, ¡°Heeeelp meeee!¡±


    As there was hardly any crowd in the gambling den, every staff noticed her, immediately rushing towards her in an effort to help her. After all, in their eyes, she was their customer, one that had yet to wager all her assets.


    So, she had as much value as her assets. And, considering her actions, they judged that she was fairly rich. To such a valuable customer, they didn¡¯t want anything to happen until she wagered all her belongings.


    With such a notion of thought, they rushed towards her rescue. As the other customers were just in a state of despair from innumerous losses, the staff didn¡¯t mind them, having regarded them as nothing but flesh sacks with valuable kidneys.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, are you alright?¡± All the staff rushed towards her, propping her as they tried to see what was up with her. Compass Carburettor¡¯s acting was top-notch, making the scene realistic, grabbing the attention of everyone.


    As for the two servants, they too shouted at the start, flustered at what happened to thedy. And as all the staff rushed towards them, they created a lot of buzz, making a cacophony of sounds. The ce became slightly chaotic.


    Using the chance, the two servants slowly slipped out of the crowd, positioning themselves perfectly within a couple of seconds as they took out their Armaments, activating it in one full action. Fealta pointed the arm holding the Armament on the shoulder level while Caithy pointed the same along the hip level.


    Long Sword!


    Wide Sword!


    In the fraction of a second, two bs of light appeared in the crowd, stunning everyone as they felt their bodies being cut into two. Everything happened before they could react, killing them.


    Compass Carburettor hurriedly slid out from the encirclement, noticing Fealta and Caithy retract their energy des, causing all the bodies to plop to the ground and bleed copious amounts of blood.


    ¡°W-What happened?¡± The couple of staff that had remained behind in other ces were stunned, hurriedly turning around as they intended to inform their boss about it when Compass Carburettor pointed at their backs.


    A hole appeared in their heads as they plopped to the ground, dead.


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± The remaining customers screamed in fear, tumbling to the ground as they soiled their clothes.


    The trio didn¡¯t bother with them as Compass Carburettor approached a wide wall, staring at it as he smiled, ¡°Right, this would be perfect.¡±


    He then took out his Armament, pointing it at the wall before activating it, creating an energy de that pierced through the wall. He deactivated it, slightly moving the Armament before activating it once again.


    In this manner, he created a detailed symbol on the wall, his symbol, making it seem like his organisation, the Secret Society had raided the ce. His goal was to leave behind traces of the Secret Society, making it seem like the killings had been done in a sh.


    At present, the bodies of all the staff were piled up, severed into two each. This created a scary sensation. After all, the staff had been positioned in their respective spots. So, it was odd that all of them had huddled in one ce and died.


    The more bizarre something was, the more people would build up stories around it. All it does would help further spread the idea of his organisation. Moreover, as this happens repeatedly, the Secret Society would be solidified in the minds of the popce.


    So, when Regriel tries to investigate about it, he would actually find out some rumours about it. That was another reason Compass Carburettor went overboard with his ns. Each of his actions had numerous underlying meanings.


    Only with such multiyered, multi-faceted schemes would he be able to actually fool Regriel¡¯s System. Even a rumour, when circted countless times would eventually turn into reality. It was as simple as that.


    Sheeple Effect!


    Swaying public opinion was something he could do in his sleep, having done that on a daily basis while on Earth. So, it was easy for Compass Carburettor to enact his n.


    After carving his logo on the wall, he turned around, gazing at the frightened customers with an amicable smile, ¡°The next time you enter any gambling den of the sort, the Secret Society would consider you as potential targets to be eliminated.¡±


    Saying her piece, thedy apanied the two men as they walked through a door, vanishing from the ce. As for the remaining customers, it was as if they had encountered a ghost as some of them had even fainted from the sheer fear.


    As for the others, they scurried away from the ce, crawling along the way to escape the gambling den no matter what.


    ¡°Hahaha, the trade this time was a grand sess. We obtained a lot of Darble Crystals and almost a kilogram of Kepadora. With this, we can expand our organisation further.¡± A man¡¯s raucous voice resounded through the corridor, followed by cheers from numerous people.


    ¡°Boss is amazing. Our gang already has Peckle City under our control. Even the Aristocrats are slowly giving in to us. It won¡¯t be long before even they submit to our rule.¡± Another voice resounded, the tone suffused with a greasy sensation of submission, fealty, and ass-kissing.


    ¡°Haha, you are rather smart. I¡¯ll give you an administrative position once I be the Lord of this city.¡± The raucous man¡¯s voice resounded when Compass Carburettor entered the room, immediately shooting the kneecaps of the two people that he judged were the most important of the lot.


    As for the rest, Fealta and Caithy took charge upon his input, immediately attacking. The group were under a mild drug influence, so they hadn¡¯t been able to react swiftly. Moreover, they had never been attacked even once for many years, so they had long since lost their sense of vignce.


    Moreover, Fealta and Caithy were part of Epheme¡¯s Royal Guard and possessed strength only inferior to the Generals. Against people of such calibre, resistance was futile. It wasn¡¯t even a fight, even though the enemies outnumbered them by five times.


    ¡°W-Who are you?¡± Realisation finally kicked into him as the boss stammered, looking at the sightly rotunddy that stood before him.


    In response to his question, thedy shed a cheerful smile, ¡°Guess?¡±

 Chapter 66: Beginnings of the Secret Society (4)

    <h4>Chapter 66: Beginnings of the Secret Society (4)</h4>


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll be okay after offending us?¡± The boss cursed as his spittle flew all around like targeted artillery, ¡°Your deaths won¡¯t be pleasant. Your friends, family, everyone you know would live a life worse than death. You have offended a force that even the Heroica Empire dares not offend.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Thedy smiled, making aical disy of fear, ¡°B-But, if I was alive, I would have been scared. But what will I do now? Your threats areughable.¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡± The boss was rmed, noticing zero fear in the eyes of the other party. Having been the boss of the city¡¯s underground for numerous years, he had a good judge of character and was able to grasp their emotions with a nce.


    And with that, he realised, clearly so, that thedy before him wasn¡¯t in the least bit scared. Just the notion caused him fear. Moreover, thedy had just pointed at him before and a hole appeared in his knee cap, destroying it, causing him immense pain. So, he was unable to even think straight, only resorting to worded threats.


    Compass Carburettor was indeed not afraid of the behemoth of an organisation that he had scratched. His field of vision was iparably broad. Having been to the System World and having witnessed the iparably fear-inducing Deer System, it would take a lot before he could feel fear.


    Aspared to the fear he sensed from the Deer System, the people he was fighting against was nothing. Moreover, Compass Carburettor wasn¡¯t even at a disadvantage here. Rather, he always held the initiative, leading his foes by the nose.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s see¡­¡± Thedy ced her index finger before her lips, motioning for the boss to shut up as she then pointed it at his other knee cap, ¡°Shall we start with a basic interrogation?¡±


    She then nodded at Fealta, causing the other party to drag one of the boss¡¯s underlings to the other side of the room. Caithy then erected a wall using her energy de,pletely blocking the other side.


    This way, the boss was able to see everything that happened on the other side but was unable to hear anything, causing him more fear as thedy said, ¡°It seems the two of you know the most. So, we¡¯ll be interrogating you simultaneously. If there is any discrepancy in what you said, you¡¯ll lose your other knee cap first. Following it would be your ankles, then your knuckle. Well, let¡¯s see how many you would lose before you are willing to speak the truth.¡±


    ¡°P-Please, spare me. I¡¯m just a humble trader.¡± The Boss began to cry as he felt his blood gushing out of his wound, causing his head to spin at the blood loss. He was afraid that he would die. As someone who had lived a good part of his life ruling over others, he valued his life.


    So, he didn¡¯t wish to die.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t hurry, you¡¯ll die. And,¡± Thedyughed, ¡°We only n to spare one of you. The one who speaks the truth first gets to live. As for the other, well, you know the drill.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk! Dammit! I¡¯ll talk!¡± The Boss gave in instantly, overwhelmed with fear the moment he noticed his underling opening his mouth to speak. This was a simple but effective psychological torture.


    When two people were privy to the truth, making them see the actions of each other while interrogating them was the best. After all, the moment the other party opens his/her mouth to speak, it means they are ready to spill the truth. Whether they are really speaking the truth or not wasn¡¯t important, but their actions were.


    Adding onto the simple threat Compass Carburettor had given out, it was easy to break the mind of a person. Inflict pain first, make the interrogator seem inhuman, unafraid of the interrogated party, and split the interrogated party¡¯s colleagues¡ªthe ones privy to the truth¡ªinto different chambers, visible but inaudible.


    That was enough to drill out all the truth voluntarily as they would race to spill out the beans first, with the hope that they would be the one to survive. Only one of them had to open their mouth for this to happen, inciting a chain reaction.


    And since they are also being physically tortured, they were bound to open their mouths, at least to scream in pain.


    It was so easy to achieve that it wasughable, but at the same time, scary.


    As the Boss began to speak, his underling noticed it, speaking faster. And upon seeing the underling, the Boss rushed to spill out everything, saying, ¡°We rigged every gambling event to ensure only those that had signed a contract with us would win. And to sign those contracts, they have to give us one of their kidneys. In exchange, we¡¯ll allow them to win. But, we usually half-ass the operation, causing the people to die from diseases within a year. We¡¯ll then retrieve all their assets and repeat the process.¡±


    ¡°As for all the stolen kidneys, we exchange them with the Grogar that live in the east. In return, we obtain Darble Crystals and Kepadora, a drug that we sell to the city¡¯s nobility and make them dependant on us,¡± The Boss said in a fluster, noticing his words getting a lisp as he had lost a lot of blood, speaking even faster to survive.


    ¡°Kepadora is a drug that only the Grogar can create. It is a mysterious drug that has anti-ageing properties. When someone takes a sufficient quantity of it, they can easily live for double the human life. But in return for its effects, it causes people to turn vicious and desire human blood. If they stop taking the drug, they¡¯ll turn into mindless monsters that would hunt every human they see to drink their blood.¡±


    ¡°We have caused the nobility to be dependent on us through this.¡± The Boss said while shedding tears, noticing the pain in his knee cap increasing after a minute had passed for some reason, ¡°A-And, since the Grogar are monsters from a Level 1 Dungeon, we even obtained enough Darble to create our own force of Warriors and Puppeteers. Using this, we have expanded our influence throughout the city.¡±

 Chapter 67: Beginnings of the Secret Society (5)

    <h4>Chapter 67: Beginnings of the Secret Society (5)</h4>


    ¡°A Dungeon,¡± Compass Carburettor frowned, asking, ¡°Is the Heroica Empire ignorant about this Dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes,¡± The Boss said, ¡°Since the Grogar are a troublesome enemy, the Empire has never ventured deep into their territory. So, they haven¡¯t spotted the Dungeon yet. Had they discovered the Dungeon, they would have poured all their resources to eradicate the Grogar and upy it. Even though it is only a Level 1 Dungeon, it hasn¡¯t ever been raided by humans. So, the amount of Darble Crystals it has umted over the countless years since its existence should be an enormous sum.¡±


    Having read enough documents about Darble during this time, Compass Carburettor was aware of how they formed. There didn¡¯t exist any mine in nature that produced Darble. As exined before, the only source of Darble was the Dungeon monsters.


    And it seemed that when a Dungeon Monster died, its body dposed just like every other natural organism. But, the Darble Crystal growing on its forehead didn¡¯t dpose, remaining behind.


    As it was a hard material that couldn¡¯t be damaged even using energy des, the Darble Crystal would remain as is. And, Darble had a mysterious property of gravity, an affinity towards other Darble Crystals. This attraction pulled every Darble Crystal in its vicinity towards itself.


    Over time, all the Darble Crystals remaining on the ground¡ªleft after their respective Dungeon Monsters had died¡ªwould be attracted towards one another. And, as the years passed, they would eventuallye into contact with one another as the attraction was incredibly weak.


    And, at least a couple of centuries should pass before these Darble Crystal clusters would begin to merge into one piece. It was a slow process. But, for a Dungeon that was constantly raided by humans, this process would be interrupted.


    After all, humans used the extracted Darble to create Armaments and Puppets. Most of the society depended on Darble for their livelihood. Even the most basic lighting was just a derivative of an Armament, used just to provide illumination.


    So, Darble was an expendable resource and hence mined constantly. That¡¯s why any Dungeon that has been raided by humans once would no longer produce any massive Darble Crystals. Even though the humans knew of the cause, they had no other choice but to raid it constantly.


    And hence, Dungeons that have never been raided were incredibly precious. After all, to the Dungeon Monsters, the Darble clusters were useless. So, they were left untouched, causing them to grow in size enormously over the years.


    So, such Dungeons contained enormous wealth. Now that he knew of such a Dungeon, Compass Carburettor smiled, understanding just what he had to do. Such an untapped resource was the perfect base for his Secret Society.


    It was unknown as to when he would kill the ve Harem System. But for that to happen, he needed to have his personal force. This way, he would be able to have more than enough resources for all his needs.


    After all, the support from Epheme wasn¡¯t infinite. The reason she supported him was to save General Artica, the strongest General of her Kingdom. So, realistically speaking, the maximum support she would provide wouldn¡¯t exceed General Artica in value.


    And, that wasn¡¯t enough for his ns¡ªto go against a System. So, Compass Carburettor was indeed attracted to the notion of possessing his private Dungeon. Moreover, it seemed the Grogar were intelligent to a certain extent, considering they were able to establish a trade with Peckle City¡¯s underground.


    Adding onto the two System Fragments he obtained recently, a n formed in Compass Carburettor¡¯s mind.


    Thedy smiled, asking, ¡°tell me more about this Grogar. As a species, how do they propagate?¡±


    ¡°Just like humans,¡± The Boss replied, feeling his eyesight turn hazy as the blood loss had be severe. But, he dared not pause, for he knew his death was certain if he did so. So, he persisted, telling everything he knew about the Grogar.


    ¡°I see,¡± Thedy nodded, asking her final question, ¡°What were you doing with the Darble Crystals?¡±


    Hearing the question, the Boss inhaled a deep breath of air, asking in response, ¡°If I say everything, will you let me live?¡±


    ¡°It depends on whether you are faster than the other guy or not,¡± Thedy pointed behind her, causing the Boss to see his underlying speaking nonstop in a flurry.


    ¡°Damn him!¡± He cursed and began to speak, ¡°There was a talented engineer who worked under the Lord of Peckle City. After we caused the Lord to be addicted to Kepadora, we forced him to sell the engineer to us. Now, we hold his family hostage, so he has no other choice but to work relentlessly. We haven¡¯t harmed his family though but just kept them safe in a house. As the engineer also knows this, he never plotted against us.¡±


    ¡°He has a small group of assistants to help him. They were all that worked under him while serving the Lord. Now, they work together to process the Darble we obtain and create Armaments. This engineer is a genius. No matter what we ask of him, he can create it.¡± The Boss said, ¡°And, since we recognised his talent, none of us harmed him or even threatened him once. We had kept him and his family safe all along, even protecting them at times.¡±


    ¡°That is surprisingly smart of you.¡± The Lady said, ¡°And, where have you kept him?¡±


    The Boss said everything about it, finally wheezing as he looked at his underling, ¡°Please¡­I told you everything truthfully. Please set me free.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Thedy smiled, motioning for him to leave, ¡°I keep my promises.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­thank youuuu¡­thank¡­¡± The Boss gasped for breath as he got up slowly, intending to walk when he fell on the ground, realising that he had lost too much blood. Slowly, his consciousness faded as his eyes closed.


    As for his underling, he wasn¡¯t that better off either, screaming as he plopped to the ground, ¡°I¡­don¡¯t want to die! I¡­don¡¯t¡­want¡­to¡­di¡­!¡±


    He too had died from blood loss. After all, Compass Carburettor had shot both their knee caps.


    Finished with the task, Fealta informed him everything that the underling had said. Once they discussed, they understood the gist of things, eliminating the faint lies that the two individuals had mixed into everything.


    As Compass Carburettor had been sensing the Mental Energy streams they emitted constantly, he knew when they lied and when they spoke the truth. With that, the interrogation was a sess.


    He then looked at Caithy, ¡°There would be chaos outside now. And, to manage everything, we need some useful subordinates.¡±


    ¡°Can you make a trip to the bandit stronghold and summon the Bandit Boss and some of his subordinates here?¡±

 Chapter 68: Beginnings of the Secret Society (6)

    <h4>Chapter 68: Beginnings of the Secret Society (6)</h4>


    ¡°Fine,¡± Caithy nodded as she turned around, intending to leave the ce. As for Compass Carburettor and Fealta, they first gathered all the valuables and locked them up in a locker, also changing the password to prevent any other thug from stealing them during the chaos.


    With that, they made their way up the same route they had entered, noticing the person that had opened up the entryway during their arrival nowy on a nearby sofa, dead. Caithy had killed him on her way out.


    Through the interrogation session, they had obtained knowledge about everyone that was involved with the underground. So, it was easy for her to target the rted ones in the vicinity of the abandoned workshop.


    Moreover, to avoid alerting the rest of the underground organisation, she had also made a round through all the rted houses, killing everyone involved. This way, information wouldn¡¯t reach the ears of the thugs in other bases.


    It would take time for it to happen. And before that, they nned to eradicate them all. Caithy swiftly began to make her way towards the City Gates, leaving it on a horse-driven carriage.


    Compass Carburettor looked at Fealta, asking, ¡°Do you have enough Dac to raid the rest of the bases?¡±


    ¡°I hardly used any Dac,¡± Fealta smiled, whispering, ¡°The minimum requirement for bing the Queen¡¯s Royal Guard is 500 Dac. So, I have more than enough to kill everyone in this City.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s a tremendous sum.¡¯ Compass Carburettor was amazed, then thinking of something as he asked, ¡°Is the Queen a Transcendent?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Fealta sighed as she shook her head, ¡°Her Majesty has been trying all methods but has failed to enter that realm. Though, I believe in her. She¡¯ll reach that level in the future.¡±


    ¡®Just how much Dac should one possess to reach that level?¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, wondering about it as he walked around nonchntly. Information about Transcendents was limited, next to nothing.


    Everything he knew was what he had figured out from the parchment Parlut had taken to his grave. After all, based on what was written, Grister and Parlut were both Transcendents.


    He did exchange that information with Epheme in hopes of learning more about it. But, luck wasn¡¯t on his side.


    Everything about that realm was a mystery. It referred to the peak power a human could achieve. And, it seemed to be a special state of being.


    After all, unlike the cultivation stories he had read about where every stage gave a rise in power and new abilities, Dac wasn¡¯t like that. It was a simple additive energy that was rted to one¡¯s stamina.


    The more Dac they possessed, the longer they could perform an activity without getting tired. And, their ability to wield an Armament or Puppet was unrted to their Dac quantity. The only thing their Dac quantity determined was how long they could control a Puppet or wield an Armament.


    So, it was rather mystifying that there existed a state that needed numerous unknown conditions to be satisfied before one could attain it. Though, all it ended up doing was making Compass Carburettor excited.


    He wished to see if it was possible to attain that power. After all, Dac was just the condensation of stamina. So, theoretically speaking, as long as he understood it more, he would be able to awaken to it in the future on his own.


    After all, once he returned to the System World, he would lose all his Dac and everything associated with it. But, if he was able to naturally awaken it, then it would be amazing. Dac wasn¡¯t a mystical power that was present in nature and could only be attained in its source world.


    It was something that was present in every living being. So, as long as he figured out a method, he would be able to permanently obtain it in the future. That way, he¡¯ll have a permanent power that he could rely upon other than his gun.


    Just that fact that it was a supplement to his stamina was tremendously beneficial. After all, thanks to it, he could run for kilometres at a stretch and never be tired. Only after his Dac was expended would he start to get tired.


    The benefits were tremendous. And most of all, it was something attainable. So, he wished to see and understand just what a Transcendent was. That way, he¡¯ll obtain a trump card while exploring other worlds. With greater advantages, he¡¯ll have a better time hunting Systems.


    Having boarded a carriage, Fealta and Compass Carburettor reached a building that led into another gambling den. And just as before, they had repeated the same, killing everyone within while interrogating the head of the ce.


    As they had already killed the Boss, it was easier to kill the rest scattered around in other smaller gambling dens. Once Compass Carburettor exited a gambling den, he summoned his gun and threw it towards the building¡¯s rooftop, causing it to absorb as much sunlight as possible while condensing bullets.


    In the meantime, he and Fealta boarded another carriage and proceeded towards their next gambling den. And all the time, they wiped out everyone, ensuring information about their activities wouldn¡¯t reach the ears of others and cause them to be prepared.


    The moment someone thought of it, Compass Carburettor would receive their Mental Energy stream. He and Fealta would trail the other party and kill them in a random alleyway.


    Thanks to Kepadora, most of the aristocrats in the city barely did their work. So, the response from the guards wascking. Rather, none of them had even sensed the carnage that was happening around the city.


    It would take time before the civilians stumbled upon the corpses sleeping within the houses connected to the underground. And by the time it happens, their task would beplete.


    With Fealta by his side, Compass Carburettor could simply jump into the middle of the fight and eradicate them all. The Armament she possessed had a greater Dac output. So, the energy de she condensed was stronger and sharper than the ones possessed by the people in the underground.


    So, even when they defended against her attacks, her energy de simply broke past their defences and riddled their bodies into two. As for anyone that proved to be troublesome, Compass Carburettor shot them.


    His bullet was capable of prating their shields and killing them. And by nightfall, they had eradicated the entire underground of Peckle City, a force that had more than three thousand people.

 Chapter 69: Beginnings of the Secret Society (7)

    <h4>Chapter 69: Beginnings of the Secret Society (7)</h4>


    ¡®It¡¯s really amazing.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, ¡®I have caused the death of more than three thousand people. And, I don¡¯t even feel a hint of guilt. Is it simply because they were already scum worse than animals?¡¯


    He then recalled some of the incidents from his childhood, ones where he had taken advantage of innocent people and caused them suffering, immediately feeling pangs of guilt that caused him to sweat as his breathing grew ragged.


    He became depressed, clenching his hand into a fist tightly as he wished to beat himself into a pulp for having done such a thing. Now that he suffered from the guilt, Compass Carburettor was relieved, ¡®Thankfully, I didn¡¯t turn into a monster. Rather, as long as I feel this sense of guilt, I am human. I can endure it. As for those animals that harm the innocents, I don¡¯t need to consider them as humans.¡¯


    He propped his spirit up, apanying Fealta as they arrived before a certain house. The house looked nothing unique, but this was by far the most important location of the underground organisation.


    This was where the talented engineer¡¯s family was kept captive. And, there was a door within the house that led into an underground workshop where the engineer and his assistants lived. They worked on producing Armaments and Puppets for the underground organisation.


    ¡°Let¡¯s be careful.¡± Compass Carburettor muttered, motioning for Fealta to walk alongside him as they knocked on the door, hearing some sounds from within. Soon, a middle-ageddy opened the door, asking in puzzlement, ¡°Yes?¡±


    She was confused by the fact that no guest had ever arrived at their doorstep. And, for those involved with the underground, they never knocked. So, she was indeed puzzled by the reason why the unfamiliardy had knocked on her door.


    After all, their house was located smack in the middle of the residential district. There was nothing worth visiting here. Even for the tourists/visitors asking for directions to the house of those they wished to see, they would have done it around the corner of the residential district upon entering it.


    So, there was zero chance any stranger would ever stumble upon their house, unless they were aiming for it in the first ce.


    Compass Carburettor smiled coyly, asking with a cheerful tone, ¡°Do you wish to buy our bug spray? We will also demonstrate a free service where we¡¯ll eradicate all the pests in your house. We¡¯re professionals in the industry.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have any pests in our house though,¡± The middle-ageddy said, intending to close the door shut when Compass Carburettor leaned on it, using his body weight to prevent the door from being closed.


    He then slowly peeked into the house, ¡°But, I see quite a few pests though. I mean, look at them. See how huge they had be? Your health would deteriorate if you leave them be for any longer.¡±


    If she still failed to understand what was happening, she would have been an idiot. As an engineer¡¯s wife that had been living under troubled circumstances every day for the past few years, she was rather smart.


    She had even been nning for a method to free her family and escape to another city. For her n to fruition without alerting the underground, she still needed one more year. And now that a chance presented itself before her, she would be a fool to not take it.


    But, she was cautious, wondering if it was something the underground had prepared to test her after having discovered some traces of her activities. Even otherwise, she knew the underground¡¯s power, realising that the people in her house were just guards.


    The moment she escaped, the entire personnel of the underground would be on their tails. After all, her husband was the most valued asset of the underground. So, she couldn¡¯t simply risk it without any guarantees.


    So, she smiled in return, intending to safely probe the other party, ¡°We don¡¯t have any pests in our house, but I would love to witness your services. Maybe in the future, we would need to use your services.¡±


    Feeling the Mental Energy streamnding on him from the middle-ageddy, Compass Carburettor understood her choice on the matter, smiling as he said, ¡°Of course, please leave it to us. We¡¯ve already cleaned the pests in many locations in the city today. Our services are ster.¡±


    His words caused the middle-ageddy to shudder as she looked at him in suspicion. But, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t exin any further, entering the house as he shouted, ¡°Everyone! Our cleaning services would be doing some work now. Please bear with us for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Prompted by his shout, the guards stationed in the house were alerted. There were four of them in total as they walked into the living room, gazing at the middle-ageddy¡ªthe one Compass Carburettor had disguised as¡ªas they frowned.


    ¡°We are part of the cleaning services.¡± The middle-ageddy smiled, pointing at the four guards as she said, ¡°And, we are rather great at exterminating pests.¡±


    The guards were rmed as they reacted, suddenly stunned when one of them copsed to the ground. And right as they flinched to look at their fallenrade, another fell.


    As for the final two, they hurriedly condensed their energy des¡ªa regr sword¡ªwhen Fealta pierced them deftly using her long sword, attacking twice within a second, urately piercing their hearts both times.


    Shocked, they copsed to the ground, dying in the process.


    ¡°Aah! What have you done? The underground wouldn¡¯t leave us alone now!¡± The middle-ageddy, the engineer¡¯s wife screamed in shock, slumping to the ground as her face paled, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done that. This would just anger them.¡±


    ¡°Anger who?¡± Compass Carburettorughed, ¡°What underground? Who wille after you?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no underground in Peckle City.¡± He smiled, noticing the middle-ageddy¡¯s expression turn from shock to surprise before bing stupefied.


    He then said it directly, ¡°Rx, we already eradicated them all before arriving here. This is thest ce. Now, the only ones remaining are within the workshop below.¡±


    He smiled, gently propping up the middle-ageddy, motioning for her to lead the way, ¡°Let¡¯s proceed to the final location, shall we?¡±

 Chapter 70: Beginnings of the Secret Society (8)

    <h4>Chapter 70: Beginnings of the Secret Society (8)</h4>


    ¡°Geuh! You¡¯ll regret this. We won¡¯t let this incident go.¡± A guard clenched his chest, trying his best to stop the bleeding as he plopped to the ground, dying.


    With him, all the guards in the workshop had been killed. At first, Compass Carburettor had thought the engineer and his assistants would be rmed like the middle-ageddy. But in reality, they were just calm, knowing very well that they wouldn¡¯t be harmed.


    After all, they knew their worth the best.


    The engineer looked at Compass Carburettor, ¡°Is the ownership of the underground changing hands?¡±


    Basically, he had assumed one of the leaders had overthrown the leadership of the underground Boss and had seeded in doing so.


    ¡°Nope, the underground is dead. We eradicated it.¡± Compass Carburettor raised his hand, waving as he smiled cheerfully. In the eyes of the engineer, it looked like a middle-aged woman acting cute, like a teenager, causing him to chuckle once.


    ¡°Is that so,¡± Heughed, turning serious as he asked, ¡°So, what will be of us?¡±


    ¡®It seems the act of the Lord throwing him to the underground has seriously affected his mind. It¡¯ll take some serious work to set him up in order. Though, I don¡¯t have that much time on my hands. Guess I have to go through this the quick way and not resolve his issues. Rather, I¡¯ll leave it to his wife to figure out. She¡¯s pretty smart.¡¯ He thought, smiling, ¡°Nothing much will change. Your work remains the same.¡±


    ¡°I guessed so,¡± The engineer sighed.


    ¡°But,¡± Compass Carburettorughed, ¡°We won¡¯t hold your family hostage. They are free to live their lives as a normal citizen.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± The engineer frowned, ¡°Please do note that I hate any schemes. If something happens to my family, I¡¯ll justmit suicide. You¡¯ll not get any weapons without my help.¡±


    ¡°Rx,¡± Compass Carburettor waved his hand nonchntly, ¡°Our organisation strives to eradicate all evil or something along those lines. So, we won¡¯t do anything that robs you of your human rights.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡± One of the assistants asked in hope, ¡°Will we be free too?¡±


    ¡°Well yeah,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°We¡¯ll employ you to work for us. You¡¯ll be provided with a sry ordingly. It¡¯s a standard business rtionship. But, due to your line of work, you¡¯ll have to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Other than that, you won¡¯t be forced to do anything beyond your will.¡±


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s many times better than my current conditions. It¡¯s even better than what I had when I worked under the Lord,¡± The engineer said, ¡°I hope you follow up with what you have promised.¡±


    ¡°In the name of the Legendary Night Spirit, the Lord of the Night, the Protector of Dreams, I vow to abide by my terms.¡± Compass Carburettor raised his hands, stating solemnly.


    The abrupt change in his demeanour caused the engineer to flinch, trembling a little as he asked, ¡°Who¡¯s¡­that?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the one we pray towards, the all-feeling one. The Secret Society has existed for more than a millennium, silently protecting humanity from the forces of evil. And all along, the one to guide us and ensure the organisation never strayed away from its motto was him.¡± With a reverent tone, Compass Carburettor said, ¡°If you pray to him, you¡¯ll be blessed. But if you go against him, you¡¯ll be cursed. And as long as we stay true to our goal of making this world more peaceful, the Lord¡¯s blessings would support us.¡±


    ¡°A Spirit¡­¡± The engineer muttered, faintly shuddering. Spirits were a mysterious Dungeon Monster that seldom appeared. In historical documents that barely remained undamaged, there were ounts of Spirits.


    In a far off continent, there existed a Level 5 Dungeon, the strongest of its kind. And, a dungeon break urred, causing all the Spirits within to flood out, destroying all the humans living on that continent.


    And asionally, some of the Spirits would venture forth into other continents. Each Spirit was said to possess mysterious powers. As it was just a legend, no one knew if it was true or not. That was also the reason Compass Carburettor behaved in such a manner to make people assume he was a spirit.


    As for the engineer, he felt his mind shudder, asking in disbelief, ¡°Spirits are real?¡±


    ¡°At least, our Lord is real. I¡¯ve seen him once.¡± Compass Carburettor said, adding fuel to the fire in their minds, ¡°And recently, our Lordmanded us to expand into Heroica Empire and cleanse it of its murky waters.¡±


    He then said, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe it, you can ask the bandits in the bandit stronghold near the city. They have seen him just recently.¡±


    Sighing, the engineer asked, ¡°Fine, since it¡¯s just work, I¡¯ll keep my end of the deal. As long as my family is safe, I¡¯m satisfied.¡±


    He then looked at the middle-ageddy before him, one that seemed mysterious from the start, asking, ¡°May I know the name of your Lord?¡±


    ¡°Remember it well,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°He¡¯s called Domino Plottopia.¡±


    Compass Carburettor waved his hand, turning around to exit as he said, ¡°Someone will arrive to help you adjust to everything. Just rest for today. Talk freely with your family. No one will disturb you from today onwards.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± The engineer bowed, tearing up a little while all the assistants did the same too. Expression of gratitude was evident on their faces as they cheered a little once Fealta and Compass Carburettor left.


    In the living room, the middle-ageddy was worried about what to do with the corpses of the four guards when Fealta and Compass Carburettor arrived.


    Upon realising her worries, Compass Carburettor motioned for her to rx, ¡°Some people will arrive soon to get rid of all the corpses. Don¡¯t worry about it and just spend the time with your husband. He¡¯ll be working a lot after this, since he¡¯s a formal employee of our organisation. In our organisation, we guarantee human rights and numerous other benefits, but the workload is equally high.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for helping us.¡± The middle-ageddy bowed, ¡°We are grateful for your help.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it, I¡¯m just doing my job. I¡¯m also being paid for my work, you know.¡± Compass Carburettorughed jovially, waving his hand as he said, ¡°Then, if you¡¯ll excuse me. I still have to double-check if anyone else from the underground managed to slip through our.¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am,¡± The middle-ageddy slightly raised her voice, asking in a tone of curiosity, ¡°Can I know your name?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Compass Carburettorughed, waving his hand as he exited the house, ¡°I¡¯m known in the Secret Society as Duchess.¡±


    ¡°Duchess Plottopia.¡±

 Chapter 71: Beginnings of the Secret Society (9)

    <h4>Chapter 71: Beginnings of the Secret Society (9)</h4>


    ¡°Yes, Madam Spirit, please leave everything to me.¡± The Bandit Boss said while bowing, sporting a subservient expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Thedy disguised by Compass Carburetor nodded, ¡°Once everything is rounded up, I want your people to manage all the assets the underground had. The orphan children in the city know a lot. So, you can recruit them into your fold. We n to expand the Secret Society throughout the Heroica Empire.¡±


    ¡°Complete this first. I¡¯ll tell you the remainder of your role after a couple of days.¡± Saying his piece, Compass Carburetor left, sensing through the Mental Energy stream from the Bandit Boss that he was willing to execute all the ns to the best of his abilities.


    ¡®Since he has maintained a bandit stronghold outside the city all along while neither being part of the underground nor the city, it shows his intelligence. So, he¡¯ll do a great job at managing all the assets of the underground.¡¯ Thinking as such, he smirked once, returning to their inn while apanying Fealta and Caithy.


    Once they arrived there, they removed their disguise and then ate like hungry monsters. Since they had expended a lot of Dac each, they needed to replenish everything. So, for that, they had to eat enough food.


    Once they finished eating, they returned to the inn as Compass Carburetor said, detailing his next n, ¡°There¡¯s a Level 1 Dungeon near this city. It hasn¡¯t ever been raided, so it has tremendous value. And, the three of us would be raiding it.¡±


    ¡°It would be difficult, if not impossible.¡± Caithy frowned, ¡°You¡¯ll need an army of Warriors and Puppeteers to sessfully raid a Level 1 Dungeon. And even then, there is no guarantee of sess. Proceeding with only three people is a fool¡¯s errand.¡±


    ¡°This is an infiltration mission,¡± Compass Carburetor smiled, ¡°We¡¯ll first probe through the dungeon. And, once I determine the feasibility of my n, we¡¯ll execute it.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡± Caithy nodded, sighing in return. If she hadn¡¯t seen just what Compass Carburetor was capable of, she would have refused adamantly. But, the way in which he manipted people, affected their thoughts and emotions with a couple of actions made her understand that he was smart, rather smart at that.


    And, he was knowledgeable of the human psyche, able to take advantage of it through a variety of means. So, when Compass Carburetor said that he had a n, they decided to follow it. After all, he only told them the bare minimum.


    The sess of the n hinged on his two System Fragments. So, he didn¡¯t wish to tell his secrets to anyone, even his allies. Even though Fealta and Caithy were his allies now, they were only following him due to Epheme¡¯s orders.


    The moment she no longer had the patience to wait for General Artica would be the time she would retract her support. The moment that happened, Fealta and Caithy would turn from allies to neutral parties.


    Moreover, it didn¡¯t end once he killed the ve Harem System. He still had to look for other System Users and hunt them down. All in all, he needed enough support to do whatever he needed. And for that to fruition, he needed the resources avable in the Level 1 Dungeon.


    ¡°We¡¯ll rest for tonight and set off towards the Dungeon tomorrow evening. Try to replenish as much of your Dac reserves as you can in the meantime.¡± Compass Carburetor said, returning to train some more while Fealta and Caithy rested.


    He had already thrown his gun to the rooftop of a random house to recharge itself. This way, he¡¯ll have enough bullets to shoot while roaming the dungeon. And now, he focused, meditating as he noticed the changes in his Mental Energy Form, realizing that he was close to upgrading his Skills.


    The Mental Energy influx was steadily increasing in amount, causing him to be d. After all, the symbol he had carved in the walls of every underground building was connected to him. And through that, the Mental Energy stream of anyone that thought while looking at them fell on him.


    This way, he was able to sense if there were any remnants of the underground that had survived. And the moment he sensed any Mental Energy streams filled with hatred, he headed to the roof of his inn, using the height to see from where the Mental Energy stream arrived, rying the details to a bandit that had been posted on watch next to the inn.


    From there, the information was passed through the banditwork as they silently dealt with the remnants.


    It was an uneventful night after that as Compass Carburetor focused on training himself, finally sighing in relief, ¡°My Dac has now reached 50.¡±


    In the evening of the next day, Compass Carburetor, Fealta, and Caithy exited the inn, slugging a bag each as they boarded a horse carriage and exited the city. They got down at a discrete location and motioned for the carriage to return. As the driver was one of the bandits, he silentlyplied.


    ¡°From here onwards, we¡¯ll be entering the territory of the Grogar.¡± Compass Carburetor muttered, cautious as he observed all the Mental Energy streams incident on him, focusing further as he worked in not sensing them.


    After all, there were too many Mental Energy streams on him, preventing him from noticing if anything newnded on him. So, to avoid that, he had to first stop sensing the other Mental Energy streams. It wasn¡¯t hard since it only meant blocking part of his senses. And, as it involved the body of the Money-Making System in him, it was easy to switch it on or off.


    Soon, he didn¡¯t perceive any Mental Energy streams. Now, the moment a new Mental Energy streamnded on him, he¡¯ll be able to sense it immediately.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head in now.¡± Compass Carburetor said, stepping foot in the forest terrain, immediately making eye contact with each other as they plucked many leaves from the area, slinging them into a fabric they had prepared for this expedition, creating a cloak that camouged them in the forest terrain.


    This way, noticing them would be harder than had they sauntered in normally.

 Chapter 72: Beginnings of the Secret Society (10)

    <h4>Chapter 72: Beginnings of the Secret Society (10)</h4>


    The cloak covered by the forest leaves helped them camouge in the forest terrain, allowing them to move in stealth to a certain extent. The forest wasn¡¯t just filled with trees, but also had shrubs of various sizes and shapes. It was a dense overgrowth of a jungle, making even walking difficult.


    But, since there were just the three of them, they were able to walk somehow by slipping through the gaps between the trees. And since they had to tread through such terrain, they were light on their clothes, wearing a simple cloth that gave them basic protection against insects and thorns.


    That was all they wished to obtain since their priority was evasion. So, their clothes consisted of a whole fabric that covered them from head to toe, only keeping their eyes exposed. And, they wore a simple pair of spectacles atop it as protection, allowing them to move unhindered without fear of insects crawling into their clothes and giving them hell.


    Forest insects were numerous and troublesome as heck. Hence, they took precautions against it first. As for the Grogar, they weren¡¯t judged to be as dangerous as the insects. After all, the moment a Grogar sensed them, Compass Carburettor would be able to notice the Mental Energy stream from them, sensing their position immediately.


    As for insects, it wasn¡¯t guaranteed since the level of their thoughts wasn¡¯tplex enough to generate a consistent Mental Energy stream. Compass Carburettor extended his index finger, watching an ant climb atop it and move over it for some time before climbing down naturally.


    All along, it hadn¡¯t emitted a Mental Energy stream. After all, to it, he was a colossal mountain of flesh that was beyond its scale ofprehension. So, it didn¡¯t even think of him as a whole, a reason it didn¡¯t generate any Mental Energy streams.


    ¡®So, this isn¡¯t an omnipotent ability. It does have its fair share of limitations.¡¯ Compass Carburettor nodded, beginning to move through the forest terrain as he held an Armament in both hands. There were a couple more Armaments slung on his hip like keychains.


    He wished to be prepared for any situation. And, since the underground had a couple of interesting energy des, he took them with him, intending to use them ordingly. Primarily for attack and defence, he had the two Armaments¡ªeach with three States¡ªgifted by Epheme.


    Other than that, he had three other Armaments, each of which had one State each. They were useful for a variety of situations. So, he brought them with him. Fealta and Caithy too brought three more Armaments each from the arsenal of the underground.


    There was no reason not to use helpful tools for their mission.


    After they travelled for around thirty minutes, Compass Carburettor suddenly raised his hand, crouching low as he pointed at a certain distance, muttering, ¡°There¡¯s a Grogar hiding behind that tree. It has noticed us. As for its head, it is at the top of the branch, silently staring at us through a gap between some leaves.¡±


    For a moment, Fealta shuddered in fear, for the scene was just too scary. After all, the Grogar¡¯s body was hidden behind the tree while its neck scaled up the tree¡¯s stem and rested its head on a branch, hidden from view. Moreover, this branch was at a height of five metres from the ground.


    This sense of disconnect and the way in which she was unable to spot the Grogar¡¯s head despite Compass Carburettor pointing at the location scared her. After all, it meant the Grogars were experts in camouges.


    ¡°What shall we do now?¡± Caithy whispered, feeling mild fear as she said, ¡°Its head is positioned beyond the range of my long sword. I can¡¯t hit it from here.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll wait for some time,¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°If we suddenly kill it, the other Grogars in the vicinity might be alerted. Considering the level of intelligence they possess, it is fair to assume this Grogar is a guard posted here. So, there should be another Grogar watching its position just in case of an ambush.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll wait it out,¡± He continued, ¡°Act like bushes. This is a game of patience. If we move haphazardly, we¡¯ll be detected.¡±


    From the start, they had moved slowly, cautiously in preparation for such situations. So, that¡¯s why the Grogar hadn¡¯t attacked them despite noticing something amiss.


    Following his words, Fealta and Caithy positioned themselvesfortably, slowly moving to arrive at the position. Beyond that, they waited in silence, watching the figure of Compass Carburettor slowly be still until his presence assimted with the surroundings.


    It was appalling because even though they knew he was within the bush before them, they were unable to realise it while staring at him normally, as if there was a bush naturally positioned before them.


    ¡®How did he do this?¡¯ Caithy frowned, noticing manyyers of mystery on Compass Carburettor. Fealta too wasn¡¯t any different. At the start, they had just assumed him to be a spoiled prince from a distant kingdom. But the more they observed his actions, the greater the veil of mystery around him thickened.


    ¡®Compass Carburettor, just who exactly are you?¡¯


    As for the person in question, he patiently observed the Grogar, staring at its head all along as time passed. One hour, two hours, three hours, time continued to tick past while he remained still, observing the Grogar, ¡®They have the trait simr to snakes in that they can remain absolutely still. No wonder the Heroica Empire never bothered to hunt them. In this forested terrain, they are too dangerous.¡¯


    Slowly as time passed, the Grogar in question suddenly turned around, walking deeper into the forest as it seemed its shift time was up.


    Compass Carburettor signalled the two servants, moving immediately as they trailed after the Grogar, knowing very well that it was heading towards its home, which might very well be located within the Dungeon or at least in the deeper parts of the forest nearby the Dungeon entrance.


    This way, they needn¡¯t waste time roaming the forest in search of the Dungeon. As the Grogar hadpleted its shift and was heading home, it walked at a slow pace.


    But, Compass Carburettor shuddered, noticing that even when it walked, it appeared to be perfectly still in his eyes, as if it wasn¡¯t moving.


    ¡®This is difficult.¡¯

 Chapter 73: Beginnings of the Secret Society (11)

    <h4>Chapter 73: Beginnings of the Secret Society (11)</h4>


    They neither made any sounds nor any abrupt movements, silently trailing after the Grogar. Fealta and Caithy made mistakes at the start, but upon seeing how natural Compass Carburettor was in the environment, they imitated him, slowly bing stealthier as time passed.


    Compass Carburettor noticed a couple more Grogars prowling about, heading towards the guard post that was now vacant. And all along, their movements were disorienting to his senses. After all, even when they moved, they moved in such natural pacing that his brain naturally omitted them.


    The human body was impressive in more ways than one could imagine. It was capable of perceiving a ginormous volume of information every moment. But, all it would do is overwhelm the brain quickly, causing the person to feel tired within a couple of minutes.


    To avoid that, it ignored most of the information, only processing what it deemed necessary. And, it followed a certain algorithm to do that.


    On Earth, cobras were capable of moving in a certain pattern that the human brain would gloss over their existence. Unless one was extremely alert and tried to look around, they might miss the cobra. It wasn¡¯t just the cobra, numerous snakes and reptiles possessed such a trait. They had naturally evolved to possess that to hunt their prey better.


    And now, the Grogar had the same trait. Moreover, it seemed theirs was even more advanced. After all, even when he focused on the Grogar, his focus was slipping away constantly as his brain was ignoring its existence, assuming it to be simr to the backdrop that needn¡¯t be focused upon.


    He had to constantly remind himself about its existence and blink continuously to not lose sight of it. As for Fealta and Caithy, they struggled even more than him. In the end, they simply focused on following Compass Carburettor while trying their best to keep an eye on their surroundings.


    The trio paced through the forest terrain for a couple of hours, soon noticing the number of Grogar in their vicinity increase in number. It was apparent that they had reached a settlement of sorts where the Grogar lived.


    Compass Carburettor sensed three Mental Energy streams incident on him, motioning for the two servants to stop as they acted as bushes. Suddenly, his heart almost leapt out of his chest as he noticed a serpentine head slowly slithering towards him from the top of the tree.


    Only now did he notice the Mental Energy stream it emitted. It seemed this Grogar was resting atop the tree and had only now noticed the three bushes that had appeared mysteriously. So, its elongated neck descended like a snake as its serpentine head paused a metre before the bush at the front, staring at it with the calm eyes of a predator.


    Thump! Thump!


    His heart rate elerated as Compass Carburettor felt fear while staring right into the serpentine eyes of the Grogar. For a moment, he had the impulse to summon his gun and shoot its brains out. But, he knew better to hold back.


    After all, the moment he attacked it, every Grogar in the vicinity would be alerted. There were more than twenty Grogar in the observable vicinity. He didn¡¯t know how many were hiding among the thicket of trees.


    So, he had to control himself and remain as patient as possible. Otherwise, their n would fall short. Though, it was easier said than done as the serpentine head of the Grogar closed in even further, stopping right before his face.


    Compass Carburettor had to hold his breath to avoid alerting it. And, as time passed, it was getting more and more difficult to do so. After all, his opponent was calmly breathing while he had to hold his breath.


    And, the emotion behind its Mental Energy stream was another reason he was losing hisposure.


    Calm! Unfazed!


    That was all it felt while staring at the bush. It was apparent that the Grogars were stronger than the typical Dungeon Monster, despite only hailing from a Level 1 Dungeon.


    ¡®I¡¯m not that weak!¡¯ Compass Carburettor focused, calming himself down as he began to breathe out rather slowly, taking a minute topletely exhale and another minute to inhale. Even though it was tremendously difficult to do so, making his lungs feel like they were burning from the strain, he forced himself to focus.


    After all, his life and death depended on it. And before he knew it, an hour had passed as the Grogar judged that nothing was amiss, retracting its head.


    Compass Carburettor could finally rx a little as he noticed its head moving up and up the tree, stunning him as its neck seemed to be longer than eight metres. Based on what he had learnt from thete underground Boss, the necks of the Grogars ranged between five to eight metres.


    It shouldn¡¯t be longer than that. But, now that he witnessed something different, he realised that there was more to meet the eye than he had assumed. ¡®Right, the Heroica Empire dared not attack the Grogar, so not much is known about them. This might be the reason.¡¯


    It took them another hour to move away from that tree and hide behind one that was positioned ten metres away. They had to move so slowly in order to avoid alerting the Grogars. Every time a Grogar noticed the three bushes, Compass Carburettor felt their Mental Energy streams, motioning for them to stop as they yed dead¡ªbehaving like good old bushes.


    Throughout the entire night, it was a nerve-wracking session as they proceeded in such a fashion,ing close to a battle dozens of times. And every single time, they had to endure with patience, finally heaving a sigh in relief upon spotting a massive cave before them.


    With a single nce, they were able to determine that it was the entrance to the Grogar Dungeon. Now, there were two Grogars stationed at the entrance as guards. And, unlike the other Grogars, the two of them seemed to be equipped with¡­tougher scales?


    The scales partly resembled the exoskeleton chitin armour possessed by arthropods on Earth. Upon seeing them, Compass Carburettor mentally groaned, vexed, ¡®They even have exoskeleton armour? Just how troublesome can they get?¡¯

 Chapter 74: Beginnings of the Secret Society (12)

    <h4>Chapter 74: Beginnings of the Secret Society (12)</h4>


    ¡°Let me scout them first.¡± Compass Carburettor said as one of his Spydragons slipped out of his clothes and slithered on the ground, hidden within the grass as it headed towards the Dungeon gate.


    Thanks to its size and its unassuming appearance, it wasn¡¯t detected by the two Grogars that stood guard. Within a minute, it slithered behind them, crawling into the Dungeon entrance from the corner.


    The moment it appeared on the other side, Compass Carburettor inhaled a deep breath in shock, muttering, ¡°Beyond the entrance lies a cliff. It is around 10 metres in height.¡±


    The Spydragon hid beside a rock, watching a Grogar walk towards the bottom of a cliff. Its neck then extended before coiling around a rock protrusion in the middle of the cliff. Its neck muscles convulsed as they tightened, lifting up its body before it reached the top of the cliff.


    The neck then uncoiled and returned as the Grogar walked through the entrance. ¡®So, that¡¯s how they climb up the trees. This level of muscle control is staggering. The neck muscles are strong enough to lift their entire body weight. That¡¯s interesting information.¡¯


    Compass Carburettor calmed himself, ¡®Thankfully, we didn¡¯t jump into the gate forcefully. We would have just fallen prey to the cliff and would have at least suffered a sprain, if not a fracture.¡¯


    The Spydragon then took on its flying form, crossing the cliff as it roamed through the ce, getting an inkling as to the terrain of the ce. An hourter, while sweating a little, Compass Carburettor sighed, finally finding a discrete cave where they could hide and operate in the Dungeon.


    After ensuring that there weren¡¯t any Grogars along the path towards the cave, Compass Carburettor turned around, rying his n to the two servants, ¡°It contains a certain level of risk, but the moment we hide after entering the Dungeon, we¡¯ll be able to make way towards the cave that I have scouted.¡±


    He then detailed the path and the distance they had to traverse, also informing them of everything he had witnessed through the Spydragon.


    ¡°Even if we are discovered, there is a stretch of ins around the cave. So, if anything happens, we can easily defend ourselves. The Grogars aren¡¯t that much of a threat while on ins. We have greater range than their necks.¡± Fealta whispered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Caithy said as the three of them calmly moved forth, positioning themselves before the Dungeon entrance. And right at this time, it was dawn as the morning rays of the sun were cast onto their surroundings.


    ¡°Now!¡± Upon his signal, all three of them jumped up, crouching while in the air as they protected their bodies as much as possible. Fealta wrapped her right arm around his hip while Caithy did the same with her left arm.


    Compass Carburettor held a special Armament that he had taken from the underground, activating the only State present in it. Immediately, a sphere formed around them before elongating on one side. The elongation was cylindrical in shape, elongating from the spherical surface of the sphere.


    The cylindrical part expanded to a length of ten metres, its maximum height. And, positioned behind them was a tree with a thick trunk, onto which the cylindrical part collided, expanding to its maximum length.


    And, since the end of the cylindrical part was smooth, all it did was collide into the tree. And, due to its sturdiness, the tree trunk didn¡¯t break, barely caving in a little. And in response, when the cylindrical part expanded to its maximum length, it expanded in the opposite direction, causing the sphere around them to fly towards the Dungeon entrance.


    The two Grogars were startled as the mass of energy in the shape of a lollipop flew into the Dungeon by the time they managed to react. They hurriedly looked at one another, rushing into the Dungeon to chase after whatever entity had barged into it.


    The moment the trio of Compass Carburettor and the two servants entered the Dungeon, he retracted the energy de, activating it once again as it pointed at the ground. The lollipop-shaped energy de appeared as the cylindrical end touched the ground, preventing their fall as it tilted due to their momentum, causing them to pole vault towards the ground.


    Right before they crashed into the ground, Compass Carburettor retracted the energy de as the three of them rolled on the ground, negating the momentum. They got up immediately as Compass Carburettor got up, raising his hands to point towards the iing Grogar guards that leapt from the top of the cliff.


    Their heads moved towards the rock protrusion in the middle of the cliff, intending to use it to catapult their bodies towards the trio when Compass Carburettor shot at their heads, immediately noticing the extent of damage as he shot twice per each head.


    Fealta and Caithy then activated their Armaments, instantly hacking the two Grogar guards, attacking thrice before managing to kill their nimble opponents that possessed tough defences.


    ¡°Let¡¯s bury them.¡± Compass Carburettor said as he took out his Armament¡ªwith three States¡ªand activated it, making a hole in the ground as he activated and deactivated it more than ten times, creating an outline of a hole.


    Fealta then pointed diagonally downward, activating her Armament as the energy de pierced deep into the ground. The three of them then lifted the energy de, lifting theyer of earth they had dug.


    Using his brute strength, Compass Carburettor kept theyer of mud propped up while Caithy dragged the two corpses and pushed them into the hole.


    When Fealta deactivated her Armament, the mud fell in the hole, burying the two Grogars within as Compass Carburettor appeared above it, activating the lollipop-shaped energy de as he used its force and added his weight to it, jumping on the ce a couple of times as he used it to tten the ground, erasing all the traces.


    Upon burying their victims, the trio sped through the path the Spydragon had scouted, hurriedly reaching the cave, gasping for air the moment they entered it.


    Compass Carburettor hurriedly pulled over the curtain of vines around the cave¡¯s entrance, covering it from view as he slumped on the ground, tired from the strenuous activity. ¡°My hair might be white if I have to go through such situations all the time.¡±

 Chapter 75: Beginnings of the Secret Society (13)

    <h4>Chapter 75: Beginnings of the Secret Society (13)</h4>


    Compass Carburettor took a nap, sleeping for three hours, getting up refreshed. The moment he got up, a weary Caithy fell asleep. She had volunteered to keep watch while the other two slept. Now that he got up, she was unable to hold on any longer, falling asleep the moment she closed her eyes.


    Compass Carburettor took out some of the rations he had brought with him, eating it quickly until he had his fill. He was expending a lot of Dac while moving the Spydragon, so he had to eat a lot to replenish himself.


    In the bags they had brought, it was mostly food and water. There were also some necessities like rope and a couple of other items. It was enough for them to be self-sufficient in the Dungeon once their rations ran out.


    Compass Carburettor sent his Spydragon out, beginning to scout through the Level 1 Dungeon as he was stunned soon after, muttering, ¡°Holy moly, just how long has this Dungeon existed? There are too many Darble crystals lying around.¡±


    In some of the ces, there were enough Darble crystals like rocks on the ground. It was apparent that the Dungeon had existed for too long for such a phenomenon to happen. If not for the fact that Dungeons remained the same and never grew in size, this Dungeon would have be many times scarier by now.


    Thankfully, it was still a Level 1 Dungeon, despite the number of years it had remained un-raided. Now that he witnessed the sheer number of Darble crystals lying around, Compass Carburettor understood why the Grogars had established trade with the underground of Kettle City.


    To them, the Darble was a useless resource.


    For the next two days, all Compass Carburettor did was scout through the Level 1 Dungeon using the Spydragon, soon spotting a lone Grogar seated on what seemed to be a throne made out of a Darble crystal that had grownrge enough to be used as its chair.


    This Grogar was different from the rest, sporting a body that was four metres high, a humongous figure. As for its neck, it was almost twenty metres in length, giving it a frightening appearance. Just its mere presence was suffocating to a certain extent.


    Dungeon Boss!


    Every Dungeon had one. It was the leader of the Dungeon Monsters, capable ofmanding them to do its bidding. And in a Dungeon Raid, the humans targeted the Dungeon Boss first. Once it was killed, the monsters would lose their leader and no longer form armies.


    With that, it would be easy for the humans to hunt the monsters on a daily basis without any risk of a Dungeon Break happening. And, the moment another Dungeon Boss appeared, they would notice the signs in the changing behaviour of the Dungeon Monsters and swiftly organise another raid party to exterminate it.


    A Dungeon Boss was the strongest of its species in the Dungeon. And, the bigger the Dungeon, the stronger the Dungeon Boss. That was why, to kill the Dungeon Bosses of Level 2 or Level 3 Dungeons, an entire army would have to be sent.


    They¡¯ll use a multitude of siege and other heavy weapons to spam attacks on the Dungeon Boss first to weaken it. After that, they would make the Puppets fight the Dungeon Boss, inflicting injuries on it steadily while working on tiring it.


    After all, only when all the Dac in the Darble Crystal growing on its forehead was expended would it tire out. And, a Dungeon Boss had a tremendous reserve of Dac. Finally, the Warriors would swarm it and attack it nonstop using their energy des.


    Despite everything, they would have to suffer tremendous losses since the Dungeon Bosses would make all the monsters in the Dungeon swarm the army. It was a race against time, a quest to see which party would emerge victoriously. And, the life and death of the Dungeon Boss signified everything.


    Taking on a Dungeon Boss was that risky. Though, Compass Carburettor had no intentions to fight it. He was aware that even if he emptied all six of his bullets into its head, it wouldn¡¯t die. After all, the Dungeon Boss¡¯s body was protected by a tough chitin armour.


    It had surpassed a rhinoceros in toughness.


    ¡®Let¡¯s see, who else is stupidly powerful apart from the Dungeon Boss here?¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, causing the Spydragon to roam through the Dungeon as he spied upon every Grogar in the ce, finally smiling upon seeing a lone Grogar.


    ¡®Based on the simrity in its suffocating presence, this Grogar is one of the Dungeon Boss¡¯s offspring. Thankfully, it¡¯s a female.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought,ughing as he finished nning, ¡®Out of the three offspring, only one is female. And, all three of them are equal in power. But, they pale inparison to the Dungeon Boss.¡¯


    The one he set eyes upon spanned a height of three metres and had a neck length of 15 metres. But for his n to fruition, she had to be even stronger.


    The female Grogar simply stayed in ce, using her long neck to climb up a tree to pick up a fruit that she munched upon. Based on what he had observed, the Grogars were omnivorous. They ate anything that was deemed edible.


    On seeing that she simply remained idle in her spot, the Spydragon slithered out, soon scouting through a couple more locations as Compass Carburettor looked through the ces where high-quality Darble Crystals grew.


    Upon motioning for Fealta and Caithy to remain in ce, he exited the cave, moving carefully as he spent a couple of days collecting as many Darble Crystals as possible, choosing ones that had the highest of quality among those he saw.


    Eventually, he had gathered arge enough pile, enough to fill up an entire bag¡¯s worth as he returned to his cave, resting as he went through his ns once. He then motioned for Fealta and Caithy to pick up as many of the fruits that were the female Grogar¡¯s favourite while he did some preparations, selecting another cave that he deemed was secluded enough.


    A day¡¯s worth of preparationster, he sighed, calming his thumping heart, ¡°I hope this works. Otherwise, I¡¯ll be screwed.¡±

 Chapter 76: Beginnings of the Secret Society (14)

    <h4>Chapter 76: Beginnings of the Secret Society (14)</h4>


    Fealta and Caithy hid in a discrete location situated at the edge of the Dungeon, peeking through a small hole they had created. They stared at a cave¡¯s entrance that seemed discrete enough. After all, seated within was Compass Carburettor, holding a bag filled with Darble crystals that he had selectively picked up.


    Also piled at the corner were more than two hundred fruits that the female Grogar liked to eat. Each fruit was the size of a muskmelon, so they formed arge pile. Appearance, smell and taste were almost simr to a muskmelon, so Compass Carburettor addressed them as such. The only difference was the fact that these muskmelons grew on massive trees in contrast to their creeper variety on Earth.


    Finished with his preparations, Compass Carburettor sent out his Spydragon, causing it to fly towards the location where the female Grogar resided. Upon arriving at the location, he noticed that she was the same as before, immobile in her seat while asionally eating the fruits that grew within her neck¡¯s reach.


    Suddenly, her eyes darted towards the Spydragon that openly flew in her surroundings, making wavy arcs in the air beforending on a tree branch. It then opened its mouth, unleashing its energy de that was a metre in length, shaped like a needle, poking a hole into the tiny branch connected to a muskmelon.


    The tiny branch was severed as the muskmelon fell on the ground, cracking open from the impact. The Spydragonnded on it, unleashing its energy de once again as it pierced through the muskmelon, behaving as if it was sucking the melon¡¯s pulp like a mosquito.


    Having never seen such an interesting creature before, the female Grogar was slightly curious. She simply observed the Spydragon, watching it fly away after some time had passed. Her curiosity ignited, the female Grogar got up from her seat and steadily followed the Spydragon, watching it dart from one tree to another, soon heading towards a patch of grass situated before a cave.


    On the patch of grass was a muskmelon, one that appeared tastier than the rest, oozing out a pleasant aroma. The Spydragon buzzed around it for some time beforending on the muskmelon, piercing its energy de through it to act like it was drinking its pulp.


    And, entranced by the smell, it seemed like it had let down its guard as it failed to sense the female Grogar that had arrived right behind it.


    Seated within the cave, hidden by the curtain of vines was Compass Carburettor, noticing his hands faintly tremble at the Dac expenditure. After all, he had created a pitfall and had been covering it with his energy de that had been created after activating both the Long Sword and Wide Sword of his Armament.


    The energy de had pierced through the ground to remain stable. And atop it, Fealta and Caithy had prepared their trap. But, he didn¡¯t deactivate it the moment the female Grogar arrived at the spot, waiting patiently until most of her attention was on the Spydragon.


    As her head moved towards the Spydragon, Compass Carburettor deactivated the energy de, rming the female Grogar as she fell into the pit, suffering injuries when the spikes within pierced through her body.


    Her body was riddled with a lot of injuries. Though, they weren¡¯t life-threatening thanks to the exoskeleton armour protecting her from most of the damage. Though, the blood loss would be dangerous if left untreated.


    Even after suffering so many wounds, the female Grogar didn¡¯t even flinch, calmly treating it as an ident as her neck exited the pit, intending to lift her body out.


    ¡®Hopefully, this works.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, taking in a deep breath as he calmed his thumping heart. He was feeling jittery, anxious even. After all, he was wagering his trump card on something that may or may not work in the situation. And even if it worked, he may or may not be able to reap the benefit he sought.


    ¡®But, this would push my ns by many steps forward. I¡¯ll soon obtain enough means tobat Regriel if this works.¡¯ Thinking, Compass Carburettor focused on his Mental Energy Form, activating his trump card.


    System Fragment¡ªve Harem (Level 1)!


    One of the bullets in his gun was reced by a bullet that was the condensation of the ability of ve Harem (Level 1). And now, Compass Carburettor took in a deep breath, mentally firming himself as he aimed his gun towards the pit, carefully aiming as he waited patiently.


    The moment the head of the female Grogar peeked out, he made a shot, noticing the bullet hit his target right in the face. There was no damage inflicted as the bullet simply seeped through the female Grogar¡¯s head instantly, vanishing as Compass Carburettor could feel a connection of sorts form between him and her.


    But, he remained in waiting, realising that he would need at least a couple of seconds or more for the effect to stabilise. After all, the mind of the other party had to be affected by the System Fragment.


    And, the moment he felt a Mental Energy stream filled with affection appear from the pit, Compass Carburettor sighed in relief, understanding that his ability had indeed taken effect. He immediately sensed the rate at which the power within it was being expended, ¡®Great, I have a month before the effect vanishes. That should be enough for my ns.¡¯


    He then walked out, watching the neck of the female Grogar form a hook on the ground, lifting her body vertically as shended on the ground. She then stared at him in silence, causing him to feel awkward as he was unsure as to what might happen next.


    Compass Carburettor was hesitant as he extended his hand a bit, fearing that the opposite party would simply bite it off as he gently touched her head, sighing in relief upon seeing that his hand remained intact. ¡°Thankfully, it worked.¡±


    He then noticed her bleeding figure, motioning for her to follow him as they entered the cave.

 Chapter 77: Beginnings of the Secret Society (15)

    <h4>Chapter 77: Beginnings of the Secret Society (15)</h4>


    ¡°Now for the most dangerous part.¡± Compass Carburettor gulped, nervous as he gazed at the female Grogar from top to bottom, sighing as he picked up a muskmelon, motioning for her to eat.


    The female Grogar liked muskmelons the most anyway, and since she needed to heal her injuries, she opened her mouth and bit onto the muskmelon, crushing it into pieces before swallowing it in one gulp.


    But, what she hadn¡¯t known was the fact that he had ced many Darble Crystals in its centre. This way, when she ate the muskmelons, the Darble Crystals would smoothly pass through her neck andnd in her stomach.


    For this to happen, he only selected tiny Darble Crystals with the greatest quality. He indeed spent a lot of time foraging for them throughout the Dungeon after all.


    Using the influence from ve Harem (Level 1), Compass Carburettor made the female Grogar eat beyond her fill until her stomach bloated to the limit. He then allowed her to slump at a corner and rest while he tended to her injuries, using the materials he brought to patch them all up.


    And, while the female Grogar rested, he fed her muskmelons filled with Darble crystals constantly, always maintaining her in an overfed state. The injuries weren¡¯t deep, but thanks to the care Compass Carburettor exhibited, he could feel the connection between them deepen.


    This was part of his n. What he wished to achieve was her remaining as his ally even after the System Fragment¡¯s effect vanished. And until then, he nned to deepen their connection as much as possible.


    By the end of the third day, the female Grogar had eaten enough to the extent her digestive system was at its limit. If she didn¡¯t empty her bowels, then her sphincter might burst. Upon sensing it through the Mental Energy stream, Compass Carburettor nodded, saying, ¡°This should be enough.¡±


    He then condensed his gun, focusing on his second and final trump card as he switched a normal bullet with it.


    System Fragment¡ªBody Resurgence (Level 2)!


    He shot the System Fragment into the female Grogar, noticing it seep into her body like before. Immediately, the female Grogar twitched in pain, unable to endure it. Even she wasn¡¯t able to remain unaffected under the burning sensation of her body being fried alive in boiling oil.


    Her body thrashed around in pain when Compass Carburettor held her hand, expressing his support silently. Through their connection, the female Grogar was able to feel his intentions, silently enduring the pain as she could feel her strength subtly increasing.


    As a Dungeon Monster, the offspring of the Dungeon Boss to boot, she was stronger than she let on. So, she was aware of the changes, looking at Compass Carburettor in a new light, immediately causing the emotion of gratitude to bulge in the Mental Energy stream.


    Through the myriad emotions in the Mental Energy stream, those that continued to be deeper and deeper as time passed, Compass Carburettor understood that he was slowly bing an important individual in the female Grogar¡¯s mind.


    That wasn¡¯t all, it seemed just the fact that he stayed by her side while she experienced pain triggered her feelings. And under the effects of ve Harem (Level 1), they were tremendously magnified, causing all the emotions to prate the depths of her mind.


    While observing the changes happening in real-time, Compass Carburettor sighed, ¡®I have zero right to mock Regriel. This is a simple contest for power, nothing more, nothing less. That¡¯s the only reason I am hunting him. There is no sense of justice or a sense of responsibility involved here.¡±


    ¡®The only one I am responsible for is Stencil¡¯s safety.¡¯ He firmed himself, trying his best to remain steady while withholding the billowing sense of disgust in him. He was still somewhat able to stomach manipting people through lies. After all, that was simply him using his intelligence and experience to achieve.


    People were affected by numerous things. And, all he did was affect them in such a way it favoured himself. This was something every human did voluntarily or involuntarily. So, he never felt repulsed while doing that.


    But, what happened here indeed repulsed him. After all, he was forcefully changing the core of a being against their will, changing their inherent self. Such an action disgusted him, despite the target only being a monster.


    Killing was fine. After all, for him to eat meant a life had to be killed, whether it was a nt or an animal. That was the most primalw of survival that every living being had to abide by.


    But this¡­wasn¡¯t something he was equipped to mentally deal with. But still, he persisted through, preventing his actual feelings from being disyed in his actions, mannerisms, and on his face. He expressed care for the female Grogar, watching her body¡¯s bulge reduce slowly.


    Body Resurgence (Level 2) was more potent than what Regriel had used at the start. Moreover, unlike converting flesh into Dac, the ability was affecting the Darble Crystals in her body, Darble that was the purest form of energy condensed by the body.


    So, the effect was many times greater.


    For a human, this wouldn¡¯t have been possible. After all, human bodies never condensed a Darble. But, every monster with a certain level of umtion possessed a Darble crystal on its forehead. And, the stronger they were, the bigger the crystal.


    The female Grogar had a Darble crystal spanning five centimetres before. But now, it began to grow in size, also improving in quality as all the Darble Crystals in her stomach were being consumed by the ability at an rming pace.


    Soon, she began to feel an intense sense of hunger as Compass Carburettor noticed it through the Mental Energy stream, feeding her more muskmelons. Of course, all of them contained Darble crystals in the centre.


    What he had thought of was an insane n. But, as the root of the operation were the two System Fragments, abilities of a System that operated atws beyond the scope of the world¡¯s logic, it was doable.


    There was no strongest ability, but only the strongest person. And, depending on the user, even the simplest of abilities would produce rming results. And, Compass Carburettor was the definition of that, gazing at the monster that was growing tremendously as a result of his actions.

 Chapter 78: Beginnings of the Secret Society (16)

    <h4>Chapter 78: Beginnings of the Secret Society (16)</h4>


    Time passed in such a fashion as all the female Grogar did was eat and suffer in pain continuously, nonstop. And by the end of a week, Compass Carburettor sensed that the effect of Body Resurgence (Level 2) was beginning to wane out.


    He hurriedly fed the female Grogar thest remaining muskmelons, watching all the energy be broken down as the quantity of Dac in her body magnified once again while the length of the Darble Crystal on her forehead had reached thirty centimetres.


    Just this factor was a simple indicator of the fact that the female Grogar was now the strongest of her species. After all, even the Dungeon Boss only had a Darble Crystal that was a length of twenty centimetres.


    Finally, when her body reached a height of five metres and her neck a length of thirty metres, the effect of Body Resurgence (Level 2) ended. Had he used the System Fragment on himself, he would have only obtained a fraction of the results.


    The fact that a Dungeon Monster was capable of growing a Darble Crystal on its forehead yed a major role. Adding onto it were the innumerous Darble Crystals he had fed the female Grogar. Had he tried the same on himself, he would have simply died from poisoning.


    It was a result brought about by a difference in physique.


    The moment the effect ended, the female Grogar groaned as she got up, feeling a cool sensation pervade her body as the burning sensation vanished. Moreover, she was able to feel the tremendous power coursing through her body, also able to notice that she had grownrger, bigger than her father.


    She then gazed at Compass Carburettor, the source that granted her strength. Her neck coiled around him while her head gently rubbed itself onto his face, expressing her affection.


    Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t resist, patting her neck gently with a wide smile. He was overjoyed too. After all, his n had turned into a sess. What he had hoped to achieve while expending the only two System Fragments he possessed had turned into a sess.


    Had it failed, he dared not think about what he would do with himself in regret. After all, he had plotted a lot against Regriel to even obtain those two System Fragments. And, he had no guarantee of being able to achieve it again.


    Everything rode on this n. And now that it was a sess, he shed tears of joy, thinking, ¡®Now, I have a powerful ally to support me when I explore Mohart Dungeon.¡¯


    The female Grogar¡¯s powers slowly stabilised as she let go of Compass Carburettor and exited the cave, hissing at the top of her voice, suddenly causing a stir throughout the Dungeon. Every Grogar within heard her voice, rushing towards her immediately.


    Some of the Grogars alerted the ones outside the Dungeon, transmitting the signal throughout the forest as all the Grogars rushed into the Dungeon, sprinting towards the female Grogar.


    And among them was the Dungeon Boss, clearly able to feel its control over the Grogars slipping away as a new, stronger entity had emerged. Even though it felt waves of discontent, it realised that even it was falling under the influence of the new ruler.


    And when it arrived before the female Grogar, it was unable to resist anymore, bowing its neck with a subservient pose. And right as this time, its control over the Grogarspletely vanished, announcing the arrival of the new Dungeon Boss, one that was even stronger than itself.


    The female Grogar¡¯s neck elongated to its limit, standing in a straight line. All the Grogars too did the same before they unleashed a collective hiss, causing a cacophony of sound waves that reverberated throughout the Dungeon and echoed numerous times.


    Fealta and Caithy witnessed the scene, shuddering in fear as the hair on their limbs stood erect while goosebumps appeared on their skin. The scene of the Grogars standing while keeping their necks vertically erect mmed into their minds, triggering their sense of rm, fear, and anxiety.


    Suddenly, the female Grogar hissed many times, causing all the Grogars to do the same, repeating the action more than ten times as she bent her neck, moving it into the cave as it paused before Compass Carburettor, making eye contact, staring constantly.


    ¡°Ack!¡± All of a sudden, Compass Carburettor screamed in pain as his vision nked out. For, a sea of Mental Energy streamed into him, overwhelming him to the extent his Mental Energy From was on the verge of crumbling.


    Anthozoa absorbed everything, converting it into his Mental Energy as it flowed through the circuit, gushing into every item representing his Skills.


    Dexterity (Level 8) -] Dexterity (Level 10)!


    Stamina (Level 7) -] Stamina (Level 10)!


    Intelligence (Level 7) -] Intelligence (Level 10)!


    Cognition (Level 9) -] Cognition (Level 10)!


    Natural Recovery (Level 6) -] Natural Recovery (Level 10)!


    Arms (2) -] Arms (6)!


    The development he had nned to attain within a year happened all of a sudden. Among the sea of Mental Energy, more than half was from the female Grogar. Barely regaining his consciousness, Compass Carburettor was able to feel that the Mental Energy stream from a Dungeon Boss was tremendously different from others.


    After all, what she expressed now was subservience. And hence, something from deep within the Dungeon, a mysterious substance that was behind the creation of Dungeons gushed into him through the Mental Energy.


    After all, the act of the Dungeon Boss and every single Dungeon Monster¡ªGrogar¡ªbelonging to the Dungeon exhibiting a singr emotion of subservience towards him seemed to have triggered this phenomenon as the body of the Money-Making System in him reached peak development while absorbing this mysterious substance, fusing together.


    Suddenly, Compass Carburettor screamed even further as his brain whirred into life, thinking to the limit before his mind shut down. And during this time that spanned less than a couple of seconds, he had condensed a tremendous reserve of Mental Energy, created from his memories that gushed into the gun.


    Within a dozen seconds, every single Grogar fainted from an over-taxation of their minds as the ocean of Mental Energy gushed into Compass Carburettor. Everything fused together into a whole, turning into a concept that had be his representative, a manifestation of his lies that had now be reality.


    A Symbol!

 Chapter 79: Establishment of the Secret Society

    <h4>Chapter 79: Establishment of the Secret Society</h4>


    ¡°Aargh!¡± Compass Carburettor woke up a couple of minutester, screaming upon getting up, noticing the figures of tens of thousands of Grogars lying on the ground, fainted.


    But, just when he was about to think of what had happened, he noticed something within him had changed. Just to save time, he pulled up his status screen, bbergasted upon seeing the changes.


    [Name: Compass Carburettor, Domino Plottopia]


    [Race: Human (Spirit)]


    [Physique: Health (Level 10), Strength (Level 10), Dexterity (Level 10), Stamina (Level 10), Intelligence (Level 10), Cognition (Level 10), Natural Recovery (Level 10), Five Senses (Level 10), Resting (Level 10)]


    [Personal Fragment: Anthozoa, Secret Society]


    [Arms: 6]


    [Arms: ¡­]


    ¡°What the heck¡­happened?¡± Compass Carburetor was confused as realization hit him. All the information rted to the changes floated across his mind, allowing him to understand as he smiled wryly, looking at the change in his name, ¡°Guess I can also be addressed as Domino Plottopia now. If I had known this, I would have used a decent name.¡±


    He then massaged his forehead, ¡°Is that what they say? That if you lie enough, it bes the truth? To think I would obtain a Personal Fragment here, even though every system yer is only supposed to have one. And, it¡¯s named Secret Society to boot.¡±


    Though, upon seeing just what this ability was capable of, Compass Carburetor was unable to determine whether he had tough or cry. After all, it was a rather troubling ability that could be dangerous if he abused it.


    The danger didn¡¯t lie in the ability itself, but him. He was afraid that if he used it too much, he¡¯ll be too arrogant for his liking. There was a solid chance that it might get to his head.


    ¡°Let me see if it is possible.¡± Sighing, Compass Carburetor approached the female Grogar, activating his Personal Fragment, condensing a symbol that was a double ¡®C¡¯ that were joined tangentially. The moment the symbol appeared in his hand, he could feel a stream between him and the female Grogar, a connection of sorts that appeared green in his eyes.


    Simrly, he gazed in the direction Fealta and Caithy were hiding, noticing two red streams between them. ¡®Red means they aren¡¯t subservient/devoted enough to me. Green means they are subservient/devoted enough.¡¯


    He then gently ced it on the head of the female Grogar, ¡°From today onwards, you¡¯ll go by the name of Duchess Plottopia.¡±


    The symbol immediately seeped into the female Grogar, turning into a tattoo on her head, vanishing after a couple of seconds. And now, he was able to feel a solid connection between them.


    The connection wasn¡¯t one created by ve Harem (Level 1), but through his Personal Fragment¡ªSecret Society.


    The essence of Secret Society could be described in one word¡ªCult!


    All in all, using the symbol, the so-called ¡®worshippers¡¯ of Secret Society could pray towards him. And in this way, they could transmit their thoughts to him in the form of prayers. And when deemed fit, he would be able to answer the prayers.


    This was basically amunication channel established between all the members. Though, allmunications should pass through him. If needed, he could appoint a person in charge, his representative that was able to intercept all prayers and reply to them.


    This was just one of the uses. The second use was the sharing of abilities in the form of ¡®Bestowal¡¯. But, this only worked in one way.


    When someone prayed to him, he could bestow them one of his Skills, either temporarily or permanently. Though, he could retract them as he deemed fit. But, only he was able to bestow them to the followers of Secret Society.


    Moreover, not only were his Skills included in the ¡®Bestowal¡¯, but even his Anthozoa. Though, the gun they could use would only be the normal Anthozoa and not the one like his where it containedws of the Earth.


    Basically, it wasn¡¯t effective against Systems. Only his Anthozoa was capable of injuring a System¡¯s body.


    The third use was a meter of devotion towards him. The more devoted they were to him, the more of his abilities was he able to bestow them. Moreover, if someone¡¯s devotion towards him reduced below a certain level, he was able to inflict a curse upon them.


    The curse wasn¡¯t anything spectacr. But, all it did was erase all of the individual¡¯s memory of the Secret Society and anything rted to it.


    As it was called the Secret Society, it in essence operated the same, secretive in its means. So, only the members were able to remember anything rted to it.


    The final use was the symbols themselves. The members were able to make the symbols appear and disappear as tattoos on their bodies. And, this was by far the best mode of identification that involved the greatest of secrecy and could never be found out.


    After all, only members of the Secret Society were able to see the symbol. No one else was capable of seeing it. It bordered on a level of mystery, truly making Compass Carburetor the essence of his lies. He had been personified into the character depicted in his lies.


    ¡°Whether it bes a force of justice or a cult all depends on me, huh.¡± He sighed, ¡°I just hope I don¡¯t be drunk on its power.¡±


    ¡°But still,¡± He barely reigned in his excitement, ¡°This gives me the power to go toe to toe with the ve Harem System.¡±


    He then sensed his Mental Energy Form, thinking, ¡®All my Skills have reached the peak at Level 10. My Arms have also grown to their limit of six. Now, I can hold six System Fragments at a time. This speed of growth is ster. I wonder what Fourth would feel once he sees the current me, haha.¡¯


    ¡®But, considering my current Mental Energy reserves, I can barely create four symbols at a time. So, it would take me some time to make every Grogar a member of Secret Society.¡¯ He thought,ughing, ¡°This is great, tremendously great.¡±


    He clenched his hand into a fist, ¡°Since I can travel worlds, it means I can return here in the future once again. I¡¯ll be able to use the Secret Society to hunt any Systems that appear in this world.¡±

 Chapter 80: Devotion Meter and Ability Bestowal

    <h4>Chapter 80: Devotion Meter and Ability Bestowal</h4>


    Compass Carburettor expended the remainder of his Mental Energy to create three more symbols, cing them on the previous Dungeon Boss and its two children. With this, he obtained the elites of the Grogar under hismand.


    Compass Carburettor then focused on the ¡®Devotion Meter¡¯, converting it into simple numerical units, determining the values as he thought, ¡®For every ten units of Devotion, I can Bestow them a Skill. Simrly, if they had 100 in Devotion, I can Bestow them my Anthozoa. But, if they only had 100 Devotion, then I can either Bestow them the Anthozoa or ten Skills.¡¯


    He then looked at the previous Dungeon Boss, calcting the Devotion it felt towards him, ¡®Around 14 Devotion. They need a minimum of 10 Devotion towards me for my Secret Society to be effective on them.¡¯


    He then thought, Bestowing it ¡®Intelligence (Level 10)¡¯ as he spoke, ¡°From today onwards, you¡¯ll be called Denther.¡±


    Denther slowly woke up upon receiving the Bestowal, bowing as a set of words resounded in his mind, ¡°I greet Lord Spirit.¡±


    ¡®Telepathy?¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, realising that this was themunication method avable to the members of Secret Society through the form of prayers. Though, they were only able tomunicate with him this way.


    Now that he was addressed as Lord Spirit, he had to get in character as Compass Carburettor nodded, replying through the telepathy, ¡°I Bestowed upon you greater intelligence. Use it for the good of this society.¡±


    ¡°dly, Lord Spirit,¡± Denther said while bowing its neck a bit.


    Compass Carburettor then focused on Duchess, the female Grogar that was now the Dungeon Boss of the Grogar Dungeon. He decided to address it as the Grogar Dungeon because it was more or less his personal ce from now on.


    And, he was surprised to see that Duchess had around 127 Devotion. It was a ster sum. Compass Carburettor immediately sensed the Devotion of the other two children of Denther, figuring out that they had Devotion in the thirties.


    ¡®So, Duchess is special thanks to the effect of ve Harem.¡¯ Compass Carburettor nodded, understanding that all the effect of ve Harem (Level 1) had now been converted into Devotion towards him.


    So, it was better this way. A Bestowal didn¡¯t require any contact. From anywhere in the world, he could do it to his members. And, for Bestowing a Skill, he hardly consumed any Mental Energy. But, to Bestow Anthozoa, he had to consume a significant sum. ¡®I¡¯ll Bestow it upon herter.¡¯


    Thinking as such, Compass Carburettor arrived before the hiding ce of Fealta and Caithy, saying, ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Who¡­the heck are you?¡± Caithy frowned, feeling that it was getting harder and harder to make sense of him and his actions.


    Due to being in character, Compass Carburettor smiled, ¡°Guess?¡±


    Upon seeing Caithy frown, he waved his hand, saying, ¡°This is a power avable exclusively to the Royalty of the Plottopia Kingdom. And, we are bound by a vow to never divulge the details. So, even if I wish to speak about it, I¡¯m unable to. That¡¯s the reason I told the both of you to never ask whatever I do from that point onwards. The result you have to care about is whether or not I would be able to free General Artica.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t press forth any longer.¡± Caithy sighed, feeling a headache as she calmed herself, still reeling from the effect of the scene she had witnessed. The fact of every Grogar lining up before the female Grogar that had grown mysteriously in size and power was rming on its own.


    But then, all of them had suddenly shouted to their limit before fainting in unison. So, whether she wished to or not, Caithy was unable to make sense of anything that had happened. But, she now realised one thing after seeing the actions of the previous Dungeon Boss.


    Compass Carburettor was in control of the situation!


    Compass Carburettor sensed intense doubt, suspicion, and resignation from Caithy¡¯s Mental Energy stream. As for Fealta¡¯s Mental Energy stream, there was only fear in it. Yes, fear. Even though she still maintained her usual poker face, the emotion she was experiencing was one of fear. It was aplete contrast to her previous emotion of affection towards him.


    As time passed, Duchess woke up. And eventually, all the Grogars woke up one after another. Fealta and Caithy had returned to the cave to remain in hiding, unwilling to be discovered by the Grogars. Even they had no hope of surviving in such a situation.


    Once all the Grogars woke up, even though they felt tired, they looked at him with a different look now, causing a gentle stream of Mental Energy to gush into him. All Compass Carburettor did was stand in ce, absorbing the Mental Energy until he had enough to Bestow Anthozoa to Duchess, informing her about her name.


    Though, the moment she received Anthozoa, Duchess consumed a tremendous amount of her Dac reserve, causing her body to morph as she turned into a human, shocking him.


    ¡°How¡­?¡± Compass Carburettor looked at her in shock when he realised that camouging oneself into the same race as him was part of the power present within the symbol itself. Though, it required a tremendous amount of energy¡ªDac¡ªto do so.


    Upon turning into a human, Duchess had lost most of the power that she possessed in her Grogar form, except for her Dac reserve. The moment she turned into a human, she expressed a bashful smile, gently covering herself as she bowed, transmitting a message through telepathy, ¡°It is my honour to serve you, Lord Spirit.¡±


    Compass Carburettor also Bestowed her the Skills of Intelligence (Level 10) and Cognition (Level 10), saying, ¡°Try and see how it works.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lord Spirit!¡± Duchess beamed in a smile as she focused, causing the symbol to activate on her arm as she condensed the gun in her hand, aiming it towards the wall in the cave as she took a shot.


    The bulletnded on the wall, making a hole as Compass Carburettor smiled. He then gave her some instructions, causing Duchess to throw the gun towards the wall, making it disappear right before it crashed into the wall.


    She then materialised it in her hand once again, performing most of the actions he did while wielding it.

 Chapter 81: Race: Spirit

    <h4>Chapter 81: Race: Spirit</h4>


    Compass Carburettor spent five days to finish incorporating all the Grogars into Secret Society. He then meditated, pulling up his status window as his gaze hovered on the race, frowning as he looked at the word, ¡®Spirit¡¯.


    ¡®What does my race as a Spirit dictate?¡¯ He frowned,prehending the associated information he obtained during the changes, swerving his head as he looked at Duchess, noticing her feeling some minor inconveniences while wearing a human dress.


    Spirit!


    He was now able to understand just what the Spirit as his race entailed. Duchess was a Grogar spanning a height of five metres with a neck length of 30 metres. She probably weighed around a couple of tons or even more.


    But, in her human form, she only weighed as much as a human andcked the strength she possessed in her Grogar form. Realistically speaking, it made zero sense. After all, if she had transformed, it meant her Grogar body had morphed into her human form.


    That meant her body was condensed even further, causing her power to be even more concentrated in her highly dense physique. But in reality, she only weighed as much as a regr human her size.


    And, this was where the concept of the Spirit arrived. He, as a Spirit was intrinsically tied to the Personal Fragment of Secret Society. And, his human appearance was what was recorded as a Spirit here.


    And, every member of Secret Society obtained this form through the symbol integrated into them. So, when transforming, they be Spirits that have a human-like appearance and characteristics.


    As for their actual bodies, they were stored within their symbols that acted like dimensional spaces. It was a concept that made absolutely zero sense based on his preconceived notion of having lived on Earth. But, while thinking from the perspective of the novels he had read about, it made perfect sense.


    And, this was where things became interesting.


    The Spirit bodies weren¡¯t real but were condensed by expending the energy in their bodies. Their actual bodies were those stored in their respective symbols. Therefore, even when they were killed while in their Spirit forms, they wouldn¡¯t actually die.


    But, their transformation woulde undone as their real bodies would manifest into reality. And, if they had enough energy, they would be able to instantly take on their Spirit forms once again.


    This was basically allowing them another chance at life. But, the downside for the Grogars was the fact that they were unable to use their superior senses and abilities in their Spirit forms. After all, their Spirit forms were no different to humans in characteristics.


    The only difference was the fact that the Dac in their real body was stored in their Spirit forms too.


    ¡®And, I too have a Spirit form.¡¯ Compass Carburettor smiled, thinking as he calcted, ¡®I need to expend 100 Dac to transform into my Spirit form. And, appearance-wise or even ability-wise, I won¡¯t experience any differences. But, this would mean I won¡¯t die when I am killed in my Spirit form.¡¯


    ¡®This is a tremendous cheat that fell on me through mysterious coincidences.¡¯ Compass Carburettor sighed for a moment, thinking if some other System had inhabited his body without his knowledge, ¡®Many things have gone the way I wanted. And they have surpassed my expectations time and again.¡¯


    ¡°Seriously, this is troubling,¡± He sighed, ¡°I hope it¡¯s not like what I fear.¡±


    If he realised that he had been parasitised by another System, he dared not imagine what he might do. After he was aware of the truth about the System, he was averse to relying on them ever again.


    ¡®I now have the means to go against a System. And, Duchess would prove to be a significant ally.¡¯ He thought, thinking of something as he looked at the two red streams trailing towards him from the two servants, ¡®It¡¯s riskier to rely on them aspared to the members of Secret Society. Thanks to the symbol, they are loyal to me. And, the moment their loyalty vanishes, the curse activates to erase all their memory rted to us.¡¯


    ¡®Moreover, they are Dungeon Monsters that are capable of disguising as humans. The advantages are tremendous while the disadvantages are close to none.¡¯ He concluded. After all, he was able to Bestow at least one Skill to every member of Secret Society.


    The Grogars were innately intelligent. And, once he Bestows them the Skill of intelligence, their intelligence wouldn¡¯t lose to humans. Moreover, they were able tomunicate with him from any part of the world through prayers.


    This level ofmunication was of ster importance in such a world, especially considering the type of enemy he had to face.


    ¡°Fealta and Caithy¡­their aversion to me has increased once the Grogars submitted to me.¡± He sighed, ¡°And, I can¡¯t risk them leaking information rted to the Grogar Dungeon to Epheme or anyone else.¡±


    ns had to keep up with the changes. Earlier, the two servants were valuable allies. But now, they were his liability. So, he had to deal with them first, ¡°It sucks that I have to do this. But, maybe it¡¯s better this way. The risk of them being enved by Regriel would also reduce this way. And, the confidentiality of my ns would further increase.¡±


    Sighing, he got up and walked through the Dungeon, soon arriving at the cave where Fealta and Caithy were hiding. Over the past few days, all the Grogars were within the Dungeon, causing it to be overcrowded.


    Due to that, they were unable to even move, relying on their rations to survive. Moreover, the state of tension they felt caused them to be jittery, preventing them from having a peaceful rest. They had only been in a trade rtion with Compass Carburettor, there wasn¡¯t any semnce of trust established between them.


    As for Fealta, she had only fallen for his appearance. It was a superficial attraction. Therefore, the moment Compass Carburettor seemed to have changed, they were in a state of unrest, fearing what he might do next, or even worse, bare fangs against their kingdom.


    Suddenly, they became alert, clutching their Armaments as they noticed a figure approaching their cave, intending to strike immediately when a familiar voice tinged with a trace of unfamiliarity resounded, ¡°It¡¯s me!¡±

 Chapter 82: Devote Yourself to Me

    <h4>Chapter 82: Devote Yourself to Me</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± Compass Carburettor said upon entering the cave, noticing the two servants rx a bit. Though, they still had their guards up, unable to clearly differentiate whether he was a friend or foe now.


    ¡®Cooperation is basically impossible now.¡¯ He sighed, ¡®It¡¯s unfortunate. They are tremendously skilled to the extent they can manage and execute anything I think of.¡¯


    But, a seed of doubt had already sprouted in them. Beyond this, it was just a question of how long their allied rtionship couldst before falling apart. So, he might as well sink the bridge and be the dog that bites the hand that fed it.


    The very air Compass Carburettor carried with him caused the two servants trepidation. Even though each of them was strong enough to mop the entire Dungeon with him, a sense of fear had set in them somehow.


    If needed, they were able to easily kill Compass Carburettor. But, the same could not be said about the Grogars. If Duchess faced them in her Grogar form, then death was their only option. They might be able to prolong their life to a certain extent, but that was it.


    After all, considering the toughness of the chitin armour covering Duchess, the most their high-quality energy des could do was inflict her with scratches and surface-level injuries. And, this was in the case she stood without attacking.


    But, Duchess would be moving forth with all her momentum, relying on her vast supply of Dac to move without bing tired. So, not to mention injuring her, it was a question of how long they couldst against her before death.


    And, Duchess had behaved subserviently to Compass Carburettor. They hadid witness to the scene. So, the servants didn¡¯t dare harm him, still hopeful that he hadn¡¯t entirely changed or decided to kill them.


    ¡®It¡¯s unfortunate.¡¯ Compass Carburettor sighed, saying with a casual tone, acting like his usual self, ¡°Do you know about Spirits?¡±


    ¡°Of course, though we haven¡¯t ever seen them. And, the continent they were said to hail from is somewhere too far beyond our reach.¡± Caithy controlled her nerves, trying her best to speak in her usual tone. ¡°Spirits are simply written off as legends in our records as all we have ever heard about them are rumours.¡±


    Considering their training, she was able to perfectly mask her emotions. Fealta too was the same. If not for the fact that Compass Carburettor was able to sense their Mental Energy streams, the two servants would appear in his eyes like they were taking a casual stroll through the cave.


    Everything they felt or expressed was only in their minds. Their outward appearance was that of two humans that had everything in their control, casual in their visit of the ce.


    ¡°And, what do you think now?¡± Compass Carburettor said casually, ¡°You¡¯ve been with me for quite some time already.¡±


    The moment he said his piece, the atmosphere within the cave plummeted as the feeling of tension could be visibly pronounced in the air. The facial expressions of Fealta and Caithy had changed for the first time, paling as they were visibly shaken.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Compass Carburettor scratched his cheek, saying in a tone that tried to guilt-trip the other party, ¡°I never lied.¡±


    Caithy shuddered, thinking of everything Compass Carburettor had said in the recent days, looking at him as she stammered a bit, ¡°Night¡­Spirit?¡±


    ¡°Well, you could say that.¡± Heughed, ¡°I mean, wasn¡¯t it strange that I suddenly appeared in the pce without alerting any guard?¡±


    ¡°Then, did you infiltrate the pce for¡­¡± Fealta said, trying to dig out the reason for his schemes when she saw the other party shake his head.


    ¡°As I¡¯ve told you,¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°I haven¡¯t lied to date. But, I wasn¡¯t telling the entire truth either.¡±


    Sighing, he spoke, ¡°Plottopia is the name of the ce we Spirits originate from. And, one of them plotted against me, teleporting me into the pce.¡±


    He then detailed further, ¡°The reason I am after Regriel is precisely due to the fact that he is obtaining help from a Spirit. This is an internal dispute that I hope to solve.¡±


    ¡°But, going against him is dangerous, tremendously so. Thankfully, your Queen is mysteriously capable of sensing this danger. That¡¯s why she asked the two of you to apany me and help me retrieve General Artica.¡± He finished speaking, watching the two servants frown in thought.


    Finally, Caithy decided to get into the truth of the matter, ¡°Then, what do you need from us? There should be a reason you¡¯ve decided to tell us this, right?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, giving them one of the symbols they had manufactured, ¡°I need the two of you to gaze at this symbol and try to exhibit as much loyalty as possible for at least a second in time.¡±


    ¡°And, why do you need that¡­?¡± Fealta asked.


    ¡°Once you do that, you¡¯ll be unable to divulge any information to Regriel. This is a precaution that I must take since the two of you know too much.¡± Compass Carburettor said solemnly, ¡°If you don¡¯t do that, I¡¯ll have to ask the two of you to remain in this Dungeon until this matter is dealt with. Of course, everything you need would be provided by the Grogars.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Caithy said in response, causing Fealta to look at her in shock.


    ¡°It¡­can be a trap.¡± Fealta whispered to her, ¡°If we fall for it, then we would be doomed.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Caithy nodded, ring as she then whispered, ¡°But, if we don¡¯t do so, we¡¯ll be making an enemy out of him, a Spirit. And, you¡¯ve seen the capabilities of the Grogars under him. They can turn into humans. If they infiltrate our kingdom and turn into monsters to butcher everyone overnight, what will you do? After killing to their limit in their monster form, they can readily return to their human form and avert any suspicion.¡±


    ¡°We cannot afford to make such a mistake. If we have to fall into a trap or die, it¡¯s better than making an enemy out of him.¡± Caithy said, sighing, ¡°We never had an initiative in this, to begin with. Our situation is passively dependent on his mood.¡±


    ¡°If it ends with just our lives, then it¡¯s¡­for the best.¡± Fealta resolved herself, gazing at Compass Carburettor as she said boldly, ¡°We¡¯ll do it!¡±

 Chapter 83: Memory Erasure

    <h4>Chapter 83: Memory Erasure</h4>


    ¡®If I lost a strand of hair for every lie I spoke in thest month, I would have be bald by now.¡¯ Sighing, Compass Carburettor gazed at the two servants in action.


    Fealta and Caithy stared at the symbol intently, slowly hypnotising themselves. A couple of minutester, the red stream between them turned green as Compass Carburettor hurriedly condensed his symbol¡ªSecret Society¡ªand ced one on each, immediately making them a member of Secret Society.


    He then pped loudly, using the sound as a disturbance, causing the hypnotisation the two servants inflicted onto themselves toe undone; their loyalty towards him dropped below 10 instantly. After all, they had remained loyal to Epheme since birth, trained as such to one day be part of her Royal Guard.


    And, that wasn¡¯t something that could be changed unless a System was involved.


    So, the moment their loyalty towards him dropped below 10, the curse of Secret Society activated, erasing all memory rted to it. And, this included everything they had shared between themselves.


    After all, Compass Carburettor was Secret Society himself. So, everything rted to him and the actions they performed with him were erased.


    And, it was a real-time process. After all, they were currently staring right at him. So, the moment their brain processed the information, the curse activated, erasing the respective memory. As the symbol was in their body, this was possible.


    Though, it also meant that in the off chance their loyalty towards him reached 10, all their memories would return. And, it was guaranteed to happen in the future. After all, the symbol of Secret Society would be spread far and wide.


    So, they were bound to cross paths in the future. Compass Carburettor wasn¡¯t worried about that. After all, as long as they didn¡¯t remember anything until he killed the ve Harem System, it was enough for him.


    His only goal was to prevent them from informing the ve Harem System about anything¡ªwhether after being enved by Regriel or through their thoughts directed at him. After all, they were privy to all his cards and had seen him in action numerous times. Just the memory of him nning and executing his schemes was enough data for the ve Harem System to figure out his thought process.


    So, erasing their memories was a necessity.


    ¡°If I get a chance in the future, I¡¯ll try to undo the curse. It¡¯s not cool to lose more than a month¡¯s worth of memories all of a sudden.¡± He sighed, carefully leading the two servants out of the cave as he instructed the Grogars, ¡°Transport them to Ellipster and return to Peckle City. Remain in hiding there for at least four months before returning to Kettle City. After that, you maye back here.¡±


    He also said, pointing at the Darble Crystals on the ground, ¡°Pile some in a bag and leave it with these two.¡±


    He then looked at a Grogar to whom he had bestowed upon the Skill of Intelligence, detailing it on what it had to write. It was a letter addressed to Epheme, in order to prevent her from trying anything on Regriel that might offset his ns.


    The Darble Crystals were a sort of bribe to her andpensation to the servants for both their services and for the fact that he had erased their memories. He then watched the Grogars carry the two servants out of the Dungeon as their silhouettes soon disappeared into the thicket of trees.


    Since the two servants were being transported by the Grogars¡ªin human forms¡ªthat were part of the Secret Society, their memory of the journey too would be erased. Once they regain consciousness, they would be in Ellipster.


    As for the rest, the letter addressed to Epheme would take care of things on that end. He then worked on the logistics, gazing at the two offspring of the previous Dungeon Boss¡ªDenther.


    Among the two, one had a loyalty of 41 while the other had a loyalty of 37. Strangely, their loyalty towards him had risen, most probably attributed to the Duchess as they were siblings.


    Compass Carburettor thought things through, Bestowing the Grogar with the loyalty of 41 the Skills of Intelligence, Dexterity, Cognition, and Resting, ¡°From now onwards, you¡¯ll be called Dentle and would work with the engineer in Kettle City to learn all his skills. You¡¯ll then pass on the knowledge to a team of Grogars here. Your task is to learn everything from him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lord Spirit. I won¡¯t fail your task.¡± Dentle replied with a bow, having taken on a human appearance.


    Compass Carburettor then looked at Defton, the name he had given to the other Grogar, Bestowing him the Skills of Intelligence, Resting, and Natural Recovery, ¡°You¡¯ll be in charge of all logistics from now on. I¡¯ll teach you the basics. As for the rest, you can ask me when in doubt. I¡¯ll rify them.¡±


    At the end of the day, the engineer was only a worker working for him for money. If possible, he wished to make the Secret Society obtain his skills. After all, he had numerous ns to abuse such knowledge to the limit.


    With the basic level of setup installed in ce, Compass Carburettor then approached Duchess, asking her, ¡°Do you have any ways to remove one¡¯s addiction to Kepadora?¡±


    This was another thing weighing on his mind. After all, the aristocracy of Kettle City werepletely prey to this drug. And, now that the underground was destroyed, their supply would be cut off, unless he wished to maintain it.


    The moment they no longer had any Kepadora, the victims would turn into bloodthirsty humans that would go on a killing spree. It was bound to garner the attention of the Heroica Empire. And once an investigation wasunched, details of Kepadora would be obtained.


    And it was only time before the Grogar Dungeon would be discovered. Considering the heaps of Darble Crystals lying about in it, it was a no-brainer as to what the Heroica Empire would decide¡ªthey would raid the Dungeon.


    In order to prevent that, he had to solve this drug problem first. And, what was simpler than asking it to the source that produced it?


    ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± As he had expected, Duchess nodded in response, ¡°If we slightly alter itsposition, we¡¯ll be able to slowly cause the addicts to begin consuming it in lower amounts gradually until they would lose all interest in it.¡±

 Chapter 84: A True Genius

    <h4>Chapter 84: A True Genius</h4>


    ¡°It would take a couple of years topletely eradicate the addiction towards Kepadora,¡± Duchess concluded.


    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, asking, ¡°Also, can this drug be produced without any side effects?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible,¡± Duchess shook her head cutely, ¡°The anti-aging properties are directly rted to the side effects. If the side effects are removed, the anti-aging property also vanishes. They are intrinsically tied together.¡±


    In her human appearance, the Duchess looked like ady in her early twenties, sporting burgundy coloured hair and eyes. She had a sharp, angr jaw, entuating her wide facial features. Her physique was mildly rotund while she possessed strong, muscr limbs.


    Currently, she wore one of the emergency clothes Fealta had packed with her.


    Compass Carburettor had lent his spare clothes to Defton so that he could return to Kettle City and pick some clothes for all the Grogars. This way, they¡¯ll be able to casually infiltrate Kettle City.


    He also nned to pick some appropriate clothes for Duchess upon returning to Kettle City. After all, her current clothes were too tight and unsuited for her. Fealta has a lean physique and a thin hip. Moreover, her bust was on the smaller end, so her clothes were constrictive for Duchess who had an overall bulkier physique.


    She looked simr to the weightlifting champions from Earth.


    ¡°Can you handle all the prayers from the Grogars?¡± Compass Carburettor asked, feeling that his head was hurting a bit from the constant messages.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± Duchess said when he immediately passed on the burden to her. Even though she experienced a headache at the start, she quickly shut up everyone that prayed. After all, she controlled the Grogars using her authority as the Dungeon Boss.


    With that, only messages of importance were transmitted to her. Thanks to her moderating all the prayers, Compass Carburettor was able to think freely, feeling his budding ego from the tremendous power beginning to wane out, causing him to sigh in relief. ¡®This power is easily capable of corrupting me.¡¯


    As for Duchess, since she was already a Dungeon Boss, she wasn¡¯t affected. It was in her mindset, so she didn¡¯t experience any ego increase upon receiving the prayers of all the Grogars.


    Uponpleting all necessary preparations, Compass Carburettor apanied Duchess, returning to Kettle City. Denther was left in charge of protecting and maintaining the Grogar Dungeon. Since he was the previous Dungeon Boss, his work didn¡¯t change.


    Upon returning to the city, Compass Carburettor obtained some money from Defton who had already made contact with the Bandit Boss and took charge of the ce.


    ¡°What kind of clothes do you need?¡± Compass Carburettor asked as they entered a cloth shop.


    ¡°Anything that¡¯s free to move in would be fine. This act of wearing clothes feels strange to me. But, considering how weak human skin is, this seems necessary.¡± She calmly pointed at a row of dresses, saying to the shopkeeper, ¡°All of them, alter them to my size and pack them.¡±


    ¡®That was¡­the fastest shopping spree I¡¯ve ever seen a woman perform.¡¯ Compass Carburettor was stunned for a moment, soon realising the identity of the entity taking the form of a human woman, ¡®Well, this won¡¯t count then.¡¯


    The two of them then returned to the inn they had been staying at before, disguising themselves. Duchess disguised herself as the character of Duchess that he yed before. As for him, he simply sported the appearance of an old man, only ensuring to make his facial features appear different.


    The two of them then visited the engineer, noticing Dentle looking at many things in the workshop. As for the engineer, he was exining everything to Dentle with a saddened expression. It seemed as if he had resigned himself to the fate that he would be killed once all his knowledge was inherited by the neer.


    ¡°Whatever you are fearing won¡¯t happen. I have vowed before, and I intend to keep it.¡± Duchess said. Compass Carburettor had already informed her of everything she needed to do as in character. So, she calmly continued, as if she was the one who had conversed with the engineer before.


    ¡°Alright, if you say so.¡± The engineer nodded lifelessly, clearly having trust issues. They weren¡¯t something that could be cured in short term.


    Compass Carburettor enlightened Duchess of the various reason that might have resulted in the engineer ending up with such a mental state. After understanding it to a certain extent, and having witnessed the engineer¡¯s behaviour herself, she gave somemands to Dentle, ¡°Work on improving his mindset slowly.¡±


    The Grogars were cunning and intelligent. The fact that they thought of using a drug to control Kettle City was a testament to this fact. And, as the daughter of the Dungeon Boss, Duchess was even more clear of human nature.


    And, Dentle was the same. So, with some instruction from her side, he understand just what he had to do, assuring her through telepathy. Everything was performed swiftly, causing Compass Carburettor to be d that he had the Grogars as part of his Secret Society.


    They were a tremendous help.


    He then pulled open arge sheet of paper and began to sketch on it, making detailed lines, spending more than three hours in the process. Uponpleting it, he gave the blueprint to the engineer, asking, ¡°Will you be able to create this Armament?¡±


    ¡°This is¡­basically a Puppet.¡± The engineer said after ncing at the blueprint,menting casually, ¡°So, you wish to create a hand-held device that can fly? Some of the design choices here are inefficient and may cause problems during travel. Shall I change them a bit?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy if the result is what I need. As for the rest, you are free to do as you please. You¡¯re the engineer, not me.¡± Compass Carburettor said, raising his hands for the expert to take charge. While the engineermented, he pointed at a couple of ces, immediately making Compass Carburettor realise the ws in his design.


    Compass Carburettor was the owner of a weapons manufacturingpany. Therefore, he had significant knowledge of the subject. After all, hispany had also manufactured helicopters and other flying transports.


    But a casual exchange proved that the engineer was superior to him, causing him to recall what the underground boss had said before.


    ¡°No matter what we asked, he was able to easily create them. This engineer is a true genius.¡±

 Chapter 85: ‘Secret’ Society

    <h4>Chapter 85: ¡®Secret¡¯ Society</h4>


    ¡®This engineer is a true genius.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, smiling as he asked, ¡°How long would you need to make it?¡±


    ¡°How many do you need? And who would be the one using it? I¡¯ll need to make them efficiently based on the weight of the person using them. So, the time I need might vary ordingly,¡± The engineer replied.


    ¡°Only the two of us,¡± Compass Carburettor pointed at himself and Duchess.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s measure your weights.¡± The engineer said, pointing them towards a contraption in the corner. Once their weights were measured, he concluded, ¡°Give me three days, and it would be done.¡±


    ¡°T-Three days?¡± Everyone except the engineer and his assistants gasped in shock, unable to make sense of it. They wondered if the engineer was simply screwing around with them. Though, upon sensing the emotions in the Mental Energy stream trailing from the engineer towards him, Compass Carburettor shuddered, realising that the other party was calmly stating a fact.


    ¡®He¡¯s no mere genius.¡¯ He understood it now. When he gave the design of the Spydragon to Epheme, it had taken the engineers under her a month to finish it. And, that was the collective workforce of a kingdom. In contrast, it was a lone engineer with a small group of assistants here.


    And, anyone that knew even a bit of information about the creation of Armaments and Puppets knew for a fact that even a month to create something like the Spydragon was amazing.


    ¡°Of course,¡± The engineer nodded as a matter of fact, ¡°But if you don¡¯t provide enough Darble, it won¡¯t be possible for me to finish them. And, the efficiency of the final product would depend on the purity of Darble in it.¡±


    Among Puppets, there were three varieties: Wood, Iron, and Darble. Darble was both heavy and ridiculously tough. It couldn¡¯t even be damaged by normal means. So, the greater the purity of Darble in a Puppet, the stronger it was.


    That was why Puppeteers with tremendous wealth would have a Puppet that waspletely made from Darble. Though, it would need a kingdom¡¯s worth of wealth to do so. Even for Epheme, it was unknown if she had a Darble Puppet.


    ¡°Give me an estimate of the Darble quantity you need. We¡¯ll provide that. Also,¡± Compass Carburettor took out his Spydragon, ¡°Can you also make one of these entirely out of Darble?¡±


    ¡°This is¡­?¡± The engineer looked at it, asking after a couple of seconds of observation, ¡°Can I dissect it? The design is pretty unique.¡±


    ¡°Please do so,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, watching the engineer proceed towards a table where he used a bunch of tools to dissect the Spydragon into its respective parts in a matter of minutes.


    He then observed their inner workings, using a magnifying ss to inspect the Darble Circuit powering it and making it function, nodding after a couple of minutes, ¡°The work is pretty great, but the efficiency isn¡¯t much. The Dac losses can still be minimised. The flight speed and slithering speed too could be improved. It seems the one who created this isn¡¯tpletely well-versed with snakes or flight based insects. Using them as a point of reference would improve the design.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I gave them the base design. They just applied it with minor adjustments.¡± Compass Carburettor interjected.


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± The engineer nodded, ¡°It seems you have applied the logic of basicbustion physics and gear mechanisms. But, the rules change when Dac is put into the question. So, some ws are created.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll improve it,¡± The engineer casuallymented. Though, his expression was akin to someone that had resigned himself to his fate, behaving as if he would be disposed of the moment this project waspleted.


    ¡®Anyone with a tenth of a brain cell wouldn¡¯t ever think about disposing of someone as great as him.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought about the engineer, sighing as he turned around, instructing Dentle through telepathy, ¡°When they arepleted, send someone to transport them to us. We¡¯ll be making our way towards the southern tip of the Heroica Empire until then.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lord Spirit,¡± Dentle replied, continuing with assisting the engineer in his work. Moreover, it seemed he was genuinely interested in the craft, expressing zealous curiosity as he stuck to the engineer like a leech and observed all his actions.


    ¡®Insatiable curiosity is what creates a genius.¡¯ Smirking, Compass Carburettor apanied Duchess as they exited the workshop, returning to their inn as they packed all their belongings.


    A carriage was already waiting for them outside the inn. A Grogar that had taken on a human form acted as the driver. They had a tremendous wealth to use¡ªhaving taken everything that belonged to the underground.


    And that included numerous workshops, hotels, houses, etc. All the ces were now used by the Grogars to manage various things. This way, Kettle City would truly be their base of operations. And, the wealth they had would also help them to go about with their tasks¡ªto spread the symbol of Secret Society and get more people to pray for it.


    Whenever someone would be troubled, they would pray to the symbol to seek help. And, Duchess would feel such pleas since Compass Carburettor made her the intermediary. She would sense Mental Energy streams full of trouble, sadness and other apanying emotions.


    She wasn¡¯t naturally capable of sensing Mental Energy streams. After all, it was an ability exclusive to Systems and System yers. But, using Secret Society, Compass Carburettor made her act as a gateway that would also feel them. Though, all the Mental Energy streams would gush into him in the end.


    He realised that him granting her Anthozoa allowed her to act as his representative. There was also the option to retract Anthozoa from her and Bestow her Secret Society instead. That would allow her to recruit more people into the fold.


    After all, having sensed the pleas for help, Duchess would dispatch members of Secret Society to the spot and help the troubled victims. This way, their devotion towards the symbol would increase. And in the future, if their devotion crossed 10 units, they could then be recruited into Secret Society.


    Though, Compass Carburettor had zero ns to recruit anyone that won¡¯t y any role. He didn¡¯t wish to expand his organisation without limit. After all, the title of it was Secret Society, with the word ¡®Secret¡¯ in it.


    So, he realised that the moment it became mainstream is when it would lose its purpose. So, he could only disseminate it through select few channels. At present, his only goal was to create more sources of Mental Energy.

 Chapter 86: Every Lie Needs Exceptional Detail

    <h4>Chapter 86: Every Lie Needs Exceptional Detail</h4>


    ¡°Right, can you also create this?¡± Compass Carburettor asked the engineer, having rushed to the warehouse after he thought of something important.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible, but why do you need something like that? The damage they can inflict is inferior to an Armament¡¯s energy de.¡± The engineer said with a frown, ¡°It only feels like a waste of valuable resources. You¡¯ll also be burning through such resources every time you use this weapon.¡±


    ¡°I need it for ranged attacks. And,¡± Compass Carburettor raised his hand, saying, ¡°And, when I make contact with my enemy using my energy de, they are able to strike the energy de too. And, if I don¡¯t retract it fast enough, all the impact the energy de suffers is transferred to me. But with this weapon design, I don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡±


    ¡°So, you are sacrificingbat power for safety attacks.¡± The engineer nodded, ¡°I understand. It¡¯s not hard to create since the mechanics needed to make are a lot simpler aspared to your Spydragon.¡±


    ¡°Please make it using Darblepletely.¡± Compass Carburettor said, noticing the engineer snort in response.


    After a couple of seconds, he replied, ¡°Fine. I still feel this is a perfect waste of resources. And, what material do you wish to use for the projectiles?¡±


    ¡°Make around 10 using Darble. As for the rest, use iron or any material that you feel can exhibit the greatest attack power with the greatest efficiency.¡± Compass Carburettor continued, ¡°Also, if possible, can you create a Puppet that can produce these projectiles out of wood? I wish to create them in a forest setting.¡±


    ¡°I can see what you are nning.¡± The engineer said, noting down everything, ¡°I¡¯ll need a couple of weeks to create them since they require more manualbour.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, understanding that he was overworking the other party, ¡°Also, how many States can you put in an Armament?¡±


    Upon his question, the engineer suddenly red at him, saying with a cold tone, ¡°And¡­why do you need to know about that?¡±


    ¡°For only one reason. If I can have more States in my Armament, of course, I would want that. In a battle, I won¡¯t have the time to change my Armament to another one.¡± Compass Carburettor said after a sigh, not taking the engineer¡¯s attitude to heart.


    The other party was a zealous craftsman, someone whose world revolved around his work. Expecting anything else from him would be a mistake. And, Compass Carburettor wasn¡¯t someone that shallow to pursue vanity, at least, not anymore.


    If he was still someone affected by vanity, the Money-Making System wouldn¡¯t have brought him to the System World. He would still remain on Earth, performing quests to gather more and more of the people¡¯s attention on him.


    ¡°If I had the blueprints, I could make them. Unfortunately, I only know the method to make Armaments with three States. To go beyond, I need to trial and error a lot. And, it might take years to achieve it without any clue to proceed about.¡± The engineer borated further, ¡°Until three States, it follows a set logic. So, even though I have only learnt about one State, I was able to figure out the method to imbue three States in an Armament on my own. But to go beyond this, there doesn¡¯t seem to be a way. So, only if I figure out the method to circumvent that would I be able to create Armaments with more than three States.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, taking out a chain from his pocket as he held it before the engineer, ¡°I can feel that you are too stressed these days. And, it is simple with a nce that your distrust of people cannot be healed.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± Compass Carburettor ced the chain on the engineer¡¯s outstretched palm, ¡°Just wear this chain as a keepsake. An old friend of mine had gifted it to me when I was around your age. It¡¯s something like a lucky charm. So, when you feel troubled, just hold it and think of anything that gives you peace.¡±


    ¡°This¡­chain?¡± The engineer nced at the locket on the rather crude chain, clearly noticing the signs of wear and tear it sustained, something that can only be umted over decades. And, he could feel the old man¡¯s emotions when he gave out the locket, something he clearly couldn¡¯t bear to part with. Sighing, the engineer shook his head, ¡°This seems valuable to you. I cannot keep this with me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Compass Carburettor sighed, ¡°I just became attached to it. But, it¡¯s time I parted with it. It serves no use to me anymore while I feel like you need it greatly. Just think of it as one schr¡¯s appreciation towards the other. In all my life, I have never seen anyone more dedicated to his craft than you.¡±


    Sighing, Compass Carburettor continued, ¡°Maybe if I was as dedicated to my craft as you, maybe we could have conversed as equals about our respective fields.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s just a conversation rted to our respective craft, I¡¯m ready for a discussion any time.¡± The engineer shed a wry smile for the first time, ¡°I would never say no to anything that would broaden my horizons.¡±


    ¡°Once my journey ends, I¡¯ll return for a chat.¡± Compass Carburettor turned around, pulling his top hat closer to his face as he exited the workshop, ¡°I¡¯ll show you my skills then. It¡¯s not like I have wasted my life either.¡±


    ¡°I hope such a dayes to pass,¡± The engineer said, gazing at the chain in his hand, thinking of something as he ced it on his workbench. He then began to draw a blueprint for the items Compass Carburettor had requested to be made, asionally ncing at the chain, observing its weathered locket that was shaped by a double ¡®C¡¯ tangentially joined together, sensing that there was a story behind it.


    It was the Secret Society¡¯s symbol. Compass Carburettor was an expert in making fake antiques. So, he created this chain that looked like something he had worn for many decades and had been with him through thick and thin, serving as his spiritual pir.


    Exiting the workshop, Compass Carburettor sighed, ¡®It is bing a habit to lie with such detail.¡¯


    He donned the appearance of an old man. So, everything that happened was in character. Returning to the inn, he removed his disguise, soon boarding the carriage with Duchess that exited the city, travelling south.

 Chapter 87: The Three Objectives of Secret Society

    <h4>Chapter 87: The Three Objectives of Secret Society</h4>


    A month since he had entered the Heroica Empire, Compass Carburettor had now arrived at its southwestern tip. During the journey, they had made stops at various cities, allowing a small group of Grogars to infiltrate each city and learn the ways of the ce.


    Moreover, he also made note of any sectors that he could abuse and take control for his Secret Society to use as a channel to spread. Though at present, only he was able to make someone a member of Secret Society; hence, they didn¡¯t get any new members.


    Moreover, after thinking of something, Compass Carburettor decided on a fact: He only nned to make Dungeon Monsters as members of Secret Society. This way, the advantages were greater while the disadvantages were close to one.


    After all, even if he turned a person into a member of Secret Society, unless he turned their family into members too, it would be hard. After all, they would feel guilty for hiding things behind their family members. And over time, this sense of guilt might reduce their loyalty and eventually trigger the curse.


    If that were to happen, any ns that had involved them would have to be postponed indefinitely. So to prevent that, making Dungeon Monsters as members was better. After all, once he Bestowed them the Skill of Intelligence, they would be smarter than the regr human popce and would quickly be able to assimte into human society.


    Moreover, they could return to their respective Dungeon or habitat in their monster form and farm the resources there. After all, many monster territories were filled with precious minerals, a reason they lived there in the first ce.


    It was not to mention the fact that the body parts of most monsters had value in the human market. Another even greater advantage was the fact that once one monster from a race became a member, then relying on its superior intelligence, it would slowly be able to convert more of its brethren into members.


    After all, there wouldn¡¯t be any preconceived notions to generate any resistance. All it would do was create a beneficial cycle. So, when he arrived at the numerous cities along the way, Compass Carburettor visited the Dungeons in the respective cities, trying his best to convert at least one Dungeon Monster into a member.


    But, as he was pressed on time, he wasn¡¯t able to convert any. Though, he umted experience for the future. After all, he would have time once he entered the territory of the Great Megwest Empire that was overrun by monsters.


    So, the experience he obtained would prove valuable.


    At present, he gave the members of Secret Society three objectives. The first was to help the needy while disying the symbol of Secret Society to them. This was to make them keep thinking about their saviours, causing a constant stream of Mental Energy to gush into him.


    The second was to infiltrate human society and umte information on a variety of things that would help the Secret Society keep tabs on everything. It was to create a solid informationwork.


    After all, the moment the members in a certain city obtained any information, they would be able to instantly inform Duchess of it. And, she would pass on the information to everyone else in Secret Society. Within a couple of seconds, everyone would know when something important urs.


    Among them, arger team infiltrated the capital, Grenstan. And, a couple of them were given the task of observing Regriel. They weren¡¯t informed of anything other than to simply report everything of importance surrounding Regriel.


    Since a tournament was just about to begin, it was indeed the best opportunity to witness his actions without arising any suspicion. After all, the tournament was the entrance exam required to join the Royal Academy of the Heroica Empire. And, it was like a major festival that both allowed the citizens to rx and entertain themselves by watching the fight while also allowing the Empire to flex its power through the quality of its students.


    The third objective given to the members of Secret Society was by far the most important. It was to find traces of System Hosts. Compass Carburettor had already created a list of things a potential System Host would experience.


    So, as the members spread out, they began to investigate information rted to that. Moreover, while spreading out, they were also tasked with scouting through the unexplored habitats in search of any Dungeons that haven¡¯t ever been raided by humans.


    Only after obtaining Secret Society did Compass Carburettor think of a certain line of thought: Once he kills Regriel and refines the ve Harem System, how would he return to the System World?


    After all, the only method to return to the System World was to touch the portal opened by a System when it decided to return. If the ve Harem System was the only System in this world, then all he would be doing here was trap himself.


    He would then have to wait for another System to arrive in the world and persevere until it reaches the end of its Host¡¯s growth so that it would return to the System World. If he were lucky, it would take him a decade or two for that to happen.


    If he was unlucky, then he would be spending the rest of his life in this world. Moreover, there was another thing to note about. If the ve Harem System was the only System in this world, then it would mean he had a futile trip.


    So, in order to not waste any more time, he would have to help the ve Harem System in its growth and cause it to return to the System World as soon as possible. Even though it would prove a waste, as he obtained Secret Society in this world, at least the time he spent here wasn¡¯tpletely useless.


    ¡®And to think I never thought about something so basic. It seems I stillck many things.¡¯ He sighed, standing atop a certain hill as he looked at a forest before him, one that formed the southwestern border of the Heroica Empire.

 Chapter 88: Fektra and Bureta Forest

    <h4>Chapter 88: Fektra and Bureta Forest</h4>


    Bureta Forest!


    It formed the southwestern border of the Heroica Empire and extended into the Great Megwest Empire. There were neither any guards nor fortifications ced here. After all, there was no need to do so, thanks to a certain monster species that lived here.


    Fektra!


    A tiny, fist-sized monster with a hard shell and sharp mandibles. They were great at scuttling over rough, uneven surfaces, including vertical ones like cliffs and tree trunks. Even though they were fist-sized, each Fektra weighed a kilogram and formed the basic system of measurement for weight on their continent.


    An adult Fektra weighed exactly one kilogram, not a gram more, not a gram less. This was a trait they possessed, another reason they were feared. After all, this trait of theirs allowed them to form a hill with their bodies or take up any structure, acting as the perfect building blocks for that.


    So, nowhere within their territory was out of their reach. Thanks to their identical physiques, they were able to perform innumerous feats. And, it was unknown as to how many of them lived in the Bureta Forest.


    After all, whenever someone sets foot within their territory, he/she would be swarmed and shredded into bits in a matter of seconds. So, Bureta Forest was also a dead man¡¯s territory for the Heroica Empire.


    But, the Fektra were territorial creatures. And, they only liked to live in the Bureta Forest whose terrain, environment, soil, and other conditions perfectly suited them. Due to this, they had never exited their territory in the more than a millennium of the Heroica Empire¡¯s recorded history about the Fektra, not one, not once.


    Therefore, the Heroica Empire never tried to intrude into theirnd. Moreover, they used the Bureta Forest as their border, just like what they did with the forest near Kettle City.


    On the other side of the Bureta Forest was the Great Megwest Empire¡¯s territory, a region swarmed by monsters that tried to expand into other territories. The Heroica Empire constantly fought against the teeming horde of monsters daily to defend its borders.


    Therefore, the Bureta Forest was a perfect fortress. After all, any monster that dared to set foot within the forest wouldn¡¯t be left with anything in a matter of seconds. And, spanning the massive stretch of the area epassed by the Bureta Forest was free territory the Heroica Empire never had to bother about defending.


    Thanks to this, it was able to concentrate its forces in areas where it was necessary, a reason it continued to grow in power among the four Empires on the continent. It was even rumoured that the Heroica Empire would reach the status of the Great Megwest Empire within a century or two.


    ¡°They have arrived,¡± Suddenly, Duchess spoke, causing Compass Carburettor to break out of his thoughts, turning around to see a group of people march towards them, carrying a couple of trunks. They were all Grogars that had assumed human forms.


    At present, they were brisk, brimming with widened smiles, clearly having taken advantage of the Skill of Intelligence to the limit. For those with greater loyalty, he even bestowed them with the Skill of Resting, allowing them to be fresh with shorter naps than usual.


    The loyalty of the Grogars continued to increase once they obtained the Skill of Intelligence. Compass Carburettor felt that it would take at least another couple of months before their loyalty towards him would stabilise. Beyond that, it would only change when they experience something big and drastic that might either shake up or firm their loyalty towards him.


    He Bestowed them Skills ording to the tasks they were allotted.


    ¡°All the items that Lord Spirit had asked for have beenpleted.¡± One of the Grogars bowed, speaking through telepathy. He was still feeling some difficulties in using the localnguage. When they assumed human¡ªSpirit¡ªforms, they were bing closer to him.


    Even though Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t know the localnguage or even their words, he was strangely able to understand them. Now, the Grogars were the same. Though, it seems the level of ¡®ease¡¯ wasn¡¯t as much as him, as they seemed to be struggling to cope up with the sense of disconnect that existed with understanding stuff that they couldn¡¯t normally understand.


    This sense of disconnect was minimal in him. If he were to talk quickly, he too would experience this disconnect, since thenguage was being processed in thenguage he wasfortable with. That was also why he also talked at a moderate pace.


    ¡°Great job. We¡¯ll tell you of anything else when needed.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded as he sent them away, looking at Duchess in excitement, ¡°Shall we see what he has created?¡±


    ¡°I call dibs on all of them!¡± Duchessughed as sheically wrapped her hand around both the trunks, acting like she was protecting them from the big bad wolf. In response to her actions, Compass Carburettor acted like he was startled, looking behind her, causing her to turn in response when he lifted a trunk and backstepped a couple of times, grinning.


    After a short banter, they got serious, having blown off enough steam by goofing around. They then opened the trunks, for a moment being stunned by the radiance of the items within.


    There were two sets of each item. And, there were four items in total. It seemed each trunk was prepared for them ordingly, as there was a note attached at the top. Compass Carburettor picked up his note, reading the words written on them, ¡°I have named all three items, since they are my creations. And, to disy your ownership, I also inscribed your initials on them. Hadora, Katia, and Drooftur, all three of them are fully made from Darble. They are heavy and are treasures. Don¡¯t lose them!¡±


    He could practically imagine the face of the lifeless engineer staring at him as if he was gazing at someone that was burning through money for something that could be done for free.


    ¡°Haha,¡± Compass Carburettorughed, lifting Katia, a hand-held rotary device that would carry them into the air. And, it came with adjustable parts, with its base form resembling a thick rectangr b that could be easily carried.


    ¡°This would allow us to cross the Bureta Forest!¡±

 Chapter 89: Katia, Hadora, and Drooftur

    <h4>Chapter 89: Katia, Hadora, and Drooftur</h4>


    The rectangr b could be adjusted to pull out a handle from each end on one side; present on the other side was a rotor that could also extend out. The rotor only had the rted mechanisms in ce. There were no des attacked to it.


    The des would be the energy des that could expand to a length necessary to carry them respectively.


    There were two rotors in total: The big one that lifted his weight, and the small one facing the front that worked in stabilising the flight.


    Even the shape of the rectangr b was created as an aerofoil to increase the stability of flight and to allow better aerial manoeuvring.


    ¡°Impressive,¡± Compass Carburettor remarked, feeling the smooth but sturdy sensation of the Darble body of the Katia. It wasn¡¯t too heavy and could be actuated like an Armament. The moment he activated it, it would expand from its form as a rectangr b into the hand-held copter necessary to take flight.


    Simrly, when deactivated, it returned to its original state as a rectangr b. This allowed better portability and use of the Puppet¡ªKatia.


    Compass Carburettor ced it aside, picking up Hadora, the name given to the gun that the engineer had created. Its design was different from the guns on earth. After all, the bullets didn¡¯t have any gunpowder in them.


    The bullets would be sent into the barrel from its chamber by an energy de that activated automatically while using the Puppet. And, there existed an Armament at the backend of the barrel that unleashed an energy de of dimensions simr to the barrel¡¯s interior, expanding to its maximum length of 10 metres. This action would propel the bullet forward, sending it flying towards the target.


    Though the force of impact was inferior inparison to attacking directly with the energy de, it still gave him the advantage of range. Moreover, Compass Carburettor had experience in using a gun.


    After all, he had gone for gun shooting for sport numerous times on Earth. He was well-versed in handling every type of firearm. So, he was morefortable with using a gun.


    Compass Carburettor inspected the bullet chamber, smiling, ¡°Great, I can install 100 bullets in here.¡±


    There was only one cartridge¡ªthe one installed it the gun. As it was made using Darble, the engineer didn¡¯t create a spare. It was fine though, since Compass Carburettor only nned to use it as diversionary tactics.


    For that, 100 bullets were enough. He could simply reload them with more bullets while Duchess was providing cover fire. After all, there were two guns now.


    ¡°So, he named them Hadora. That¡¯s a great name.¡± He smiled, waving it a couple of times as he practiced entering a stance using it, focusing as he felt a prickling sensation, activating it, aiming at the ground as he shot ten rounds before stopping, ¡°The impact force is great.¡±


    The sounds produced while firing the bullets weren¡¯t loud. After all, the energy des propelled the bullets in contrast to them being propelled through an explosion in the guns on Earth.


    The sound wasn¡¯t louder than a stapler stapling a stack of papers.


    After familiarising himself with the gun, Compass Carburettor walked towards the patch on the ground where he had shot the bullets, crouching as he inspected the extent of damage to the ce, fishing out the bullets as he muttered, ¡°Great, they haven¡¯t been damaged.¡±


    They were iron bullets and were tremendously heavy. So, they weren¡¯t damaged when they mmed into the ground. Compass Carburettor then picked up a bag of bullets from the trunk, pocketing them as he inspected the final puppet¡ªDrooftur.


    Drooftur was a puppet that would make bullets from wood. As he needed to do was activate it and manipte its mechanisms. It was able to saw through wood and then insert tiny pieces of wood into its body to grind them into the bullets.


    Even though the wooden bullets were iparably inferior to iron bullets, he would have an endless supply of them. That was the reason he had requested for it to be created.


    The Drooftur was the heaviest puppet of them all, weighing eight kilograms. But, thanks to his Skill of Strength, Compass Carburettor was able to carry it without suffering any reduction in his running pace.


    He then looked at the bottom of the trunk, noticing a bag that had been created using the chitin armour of the Grogars. Sections had been created in it to perfectly house each of the three Puppets. The remaining space was to ce all their other tools and travel rations.


    Compass Carburettor and Duchess packed all their belongings in the bag as it was sturdier, finally picking out the fourth item from the trunk.


    Darble Puppet¡ªSpydragon!


    The engineer had sent two of them, one for each. Compass Carburettor used its Dac Connection Point to refine it, soon forming a connection to it. He then manipted it, causing it to take off to the air, muttering, impressed, ¡°This is a lot smoother to use than the others. My Dac expenditure is also lower.¡±


    Once they had familiarised themselves with all four Puppets, Duchess instructed a couple of Grogars to return and clean up the ce. She and Compass Carburettor activated their respective Katia, watching its rotors spin as they held it firmly.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Compass Carburettorughed as his body was lifted from the ground. He then watched Duchess facing some difficulties before her instinct as a Grogar allowed her to perfectly stabilise herself in the air.


    Carrying their respective bags, they increased in altitude as he nodded in praise, ¡°The Puppet is holding up great. It¡¯s also able to handle the extra weight from the bags we carry.¡±


    ¡°I feel like the engineer has created them to carry the two of us if the situation deems necessary. He¡¯s exceeded what we have asked him.¡± Duchess remarked.


    ¡°Indeed, you¡¯re right.¡± Compass Carburettorughed, causing the Katia to fly forward as they arrived at the airspace above the Bureta Forest, noticing the Fektra within stir up a little at the sounds made by the two rotors.

 Chapter 90: Pillars of Fektra

    <h4>Chapter 90: Pirs of Fektra</h4>


    ¡°What the¡­? Seriously?¡± Compass Carburettor got goosebumps as he saw the Fektra within the forest pile up atop one another and stack up a tower to reach their height. When he passed over a tower, they were only a couple of metres below him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s increase the altitude further!¡± Duchess said.


    ¡°No, the time we spend increasing our altitude would only give them more time to prepare. They can pile themselves faster than we can fly higher. So, let¡¯s just fly forward at our fastest speed.¡± Compass Carburettor quickly warned her, preventing her from wasting time unnecessarily.


    They swerved through the air, moving sideways from time to time to move away from the pirs of Fektra. Otherwise, if they simply proceeded in a straight line, the pirs of Fektra would be erected prior, allowing them to reach them easily.


    Only death awaited them beyond that.


    But they had no other choice but to embark on such a dangerous route. This was the only way for them to reach the Great Megwest Empire at the fastest pace. After all, the Heroica Empire prevented anyone from ever setting foot in the monster territory.


    If they didn¡¯t pick this route, the only other way would be to head north-west, cross the border into numerous kingdoms along the way and use a path between a kingdom and another Empire up north. And only through a dangerous mountain pass would they be able to enter the Great Megwest Empire.


    The journey alone would take them over a year. Such a loss of time was simply not worth it. By then, Regriel would have grown tremendously powerful. And at worse, he would have also obtained the treasure in the Mohart Dungeon, as the ve Harem System had originally nned.


    ¡°Damn!¡± Compass Carburettor screamed as he retracted his legs, watching a couple of Fektra barely reach his clothes before falling down.


    Even though they were evading, the Fektra were adapting to their movement patterns, creating grander structures high up in the air to catch them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s increase our altitude! It¡¯s getting increasingly dangerous now!¡± Duchess shouted, proceeding to increase her altitude.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous! Let¡¯s return first and reorganise our ns.¡± Compass Carburettor shouted in return as the two of them made an arc in the air, turned around, and returned to the hilltop they had been at the start.


    ¡°That was too close.¡± Compass Carburettor patted his thumping heart, thanking himself for deciding to retreat. After all, the Fektra had almost managed to touch his feet when he exited the forest. He also noticed something else, sighing, ¡°If we were to travel normally, we would have reached the other end. But adding on all these diversions to avoid the Fektra, I¡¯m afraid my Dac isn¡¯t enough to cross the Bureta Forest.¡±


    Sighing, Compass Carburettor deactivated his Katia, cing it within his bag as he looked at Duchess, ¡°Let¡¯s see if your Katia can bear the weight of both of us.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Duchess nodded, wearing her bag on her front, watching Compass Carburettor climb onto her back, grunting at the weight as her arms were strained. But she was able to hold on, activating her Katia as it whirred into life, slowly taking off to the air.


    The speed this time was only a fourth aspared to before. But, it was able to lift them up and travel.


    ¡°This would be enough.¡± Compass Carburettor said, holding an Armament in his left, ¡°I¡¯ll swat all the Fektra that would try and swarm us. Just focus on proceeding forward. Do you have enough Dac?¡±


    ¡°Even with the current expenditure, I have enough to make four round trips.¡± Duchess said, increasing their altitude, ¡°Let¡¯s first reach as high up as we can. That way, the Fektra would need a longer time to create a wider base and reach our height. It would also be easier to disrupt their structures.¡±


    ¡°But, don¡¯t try to head too high up. The rotor might stall. We have yet to experiment and determine the ceiling height for this Katia.¡± Compass Carburettor warned, intuitively judging based on what he felt, telling Duchess to stop going higher once their altitude reached 150 metres.


    He could feel faint hups in the rotor¡¯s sound, feeling that they had arrived at the limit it could fly at. Duchess then began to proceed in a straight line, frowning as she noticed the massive squirming within the Bureta Forest the moment they arrived above their airspace.


    ¡°Let me take care of them!¡± Compass Carburettor said, summoning Anthozoa in his right hand upon noticing a massive structure being built a hundred metres before them. It was in preparation to capture them as the structure began to resemble a hand that wished to grab hold of them.


    Slowly, as they approached the massive hand, Compass Carburettor continued to patiently observe them even though he was sweating in tension. But, he dare not act rashly, aiming urately at the group of Fektra in the structure that acted as its keystone.


    He pressed the trigger, shooting forth a bullet that uratelynded at the targeted area, killing a couple of Fektra while sending the surrounding ones flying from the momentum behind the impact.


    As they formed the keystone of the structure, their discement caused the entire hand to copse as all the Fektra crashed towards the ground like a sandcastle that copsed under its weight.


    ¡°Impressive!¡± Duchess remarked in admiration, ¡°How did you do it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what we call a Keystone in architecture. It is an important piece of material that bears the brunt of the structure. So, if it gets damaged, the entire building copses. And, the structures the Fektra make all have a Keystone in them. So, the moment I disrupt the Fektra taking up that role, their entire structure copses.¡±


    ¡°How do you find a keystone?¡± Duchess asked as she had nothing else to do apart from making the Katia fly straight.


    ¡°I¡¯ll teach it to youter. You need to learn a lot of architecture principles to intuitively spot a keystone in any structure.¡± Compass Carburettor said, aiming with his gun as he shot at the second structure of Fektra, causing it to copse simrly.


    Now that his hands were free, he had enough time and patience to n and act ordingly. As they had nned to cross the shortest stretch of the Bureta Forest, they managed to reach the other end after thirty minutes had spanned.

 Chapter 91: Vicious Monsters and the Ever-Accompanying Danger

    <h4>Chapter 91: Vicious Monsters and the Ever-Apanying Danger</h4>


    ¡°So, this is the Great Megwest Empire territory.¡± Compass Carburettor muttered upon crossing the Bureta Forest,nding atop a faraway hill as he took in the view. He turned around, noticing the pirs of Fektra copse as they were no longer interested in killing them.


    It seemed like the fact of them never leaving their forest was indeed true, thankfully for him. Moreover, he noticed that there were no monsters around their vicinity. It seemed the fact of them being repeatedly eaten by the Fektra prevented any other monster from venturing into the region.


    Though, that also allowed Compass Carburettor and Duchess enough time and space to rest. They had expended a lot of Dac already. And in response to the battles they would fight next, it was wise to replenish their Dac reserves first.


    ¡°Use this time to familiarise yourself with the Spydragon,¡± He pointed southwest, ¡°Scout in this direction while I scout northwest. We¡¯ll move from one safe point to another and avoid battles as much as possible.¡±


    He then sent his Spydragon flying in the respective direction, thinking, ¡®The capital, Mohart is around 1300 kilometres from here. This is a significant distance. Travelling by air would indeed be faster.¡¯


    ¡®But first, I have to make at least one another Dungeon Monster part of the Secret Society. That way, I¡¯ll have enough manpower to help me in the Mohart Dungeon. Regriel is bound to obtain something that would shorten his journey. So, he¡¯ll probably travel this stretch of 1300 kilometres within a week.¡¯ He thought, sighing as he focused, sensing the areas that the Spydragon flew through, using its eyes to scout the ce.


    In the meantime, he consumed some of the rations, replenishing his Dac reserves slowly. An hourter, they began to move once again, flying through the air at a high altitude as they proceeded towards another hilltop.


    The Great Megwest Empire was and of mountains and valleys. So, there were numerous hills along the way for them to use and get a clear view of their surroundings.


    ¡®What the heck is this monster?¡¯ He frowned, spotting a monster simr to a tiger in appearance but with two heads instead. Moreover, its body was five times the size of tigers he had seen on Earth. That wasn¡¯t all, he soon spotted a herd of tiger monsters running as a pack as they targeted a group of serpentine monsters.


    These serpentine monsters were lizards with really long bodies, spanning around 5-6 metres each. On a general nce, the tiger monsters seemed stronger than the lizard monsters. But, the moment the two groups fought, they were evenly matched.


    While fighting, the tiger monsters breathed out a faint mist that began to corrode through the bodies of the lizard monsters. And in response, the lizard monsters bit onto the fur of the tiger monsters, causing the bitten area to turn to stone and then fall off like sand.


    ¡®Vicious!¡¯ That was the only word he could think of, having zero intentions to confront them. After all, even if he won, if he was affected by their attacks, he was a goner. Moreover, there were zero benefits in risking his life to kill them.


    So, he simply decided to move away from the ce. But, reality didn¡¯t go along with his thoughts. The Katia produced a lot of noise, grabbing the attention of some of the tiger monsters.


    As the humans in the air were tiny, not many were interested in hunting the prey that barely amounted to a snack. In response, the massive bodies of the lizard monsters were enough for them to eat to their fill and even have some excess leftover.


    But, two of them still chased after the duo in the air, following them on the ground.


    Compass Carburettor whispered, ¡°How long can you maintain flight?¡±


    ¡°Around three to four hours, I guess. I have yet to calcte the amount of Dac I have in me. But based on the rate of consumption, this is a general estimate.¡± Duchess replied.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s continue flying for around for an hour first.¡± Compass Carburettor said, watching the two tiger monsters chase relentlessly without breaking any sweat. Until all the Dac stored within the Darble Crystals growing on their foreheads was expended, they wouldn¡¯t be tired.


    So, the tiger monsters constantly kept pace. But after half an hour had passed in such a fashion, they stopped, for their territory had ended. And beyond that was the territory of another monster species.


    ¡°That finally left us.¡± Compass Carburettor sighed in relief, soon frowning as noticed a vastke span before them. And, swimming within it was a marine monster species with whale-like bodies.


    And, as the duo flew overhead, numerous shadows streamed within the waters before the heads of the marine monsters peaked out, one after another until the entire surface area of theke was covered by them.


    The image alone was nauseating. Moreover, the act of the marine monsters opening and closing their mouths, revealing their grotesquely pulsating flesh almost caused him to vomit. As for Duchess, she was calm, stating after some observation as she smacked her lips, ¡°They look delicious!¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Compass Carburettor groaned, ¡°Don¡¯t you feel like vomiting after seeing such a scene?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± She asked in return, ¡°There¡¯s an unlimited amount of prey below. And, they seem pretty weak. I can easily kill ten of them without suffering any damage. After all, they seem to be the product from a Level 1 Dungeon.¡±


    ¡°And, no matter what they are, Level 1 Dungeon Monsters pose no threat to me.¡± She said, causing him to recall the fact that the one he was conversing with only looked human on the surface, but in actuality was part of a scarier race that loved to feast on the kidneys of humans.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s stop and set up camp here.¡± Compass Carburettor said, noticing the entrance to a Dungeon within a kilometre from theke.


    ¡°But, why are there no monsters around the Dungeon Entrance?¡± Duchess frowned, for based on her knowledge, when Dungeon Monsters poured out of the Dungeon, they always camped around the entrance, guarding it.


    Even if a group of the Dungeon Monsters decided to travel farther in search of prey, their instincts prevented them from leaving their home¡ªthe Dungeon they were born from¡ªundefended.


    ¡°This is strange indeed. Let¡¯s investigate it.¡± Compass Carburettor said as Duchess slowly lowered their altitude, ¡°This is, after all, the first Dungeon we came across in the Great Megwest Empire. It would allow us to learn more about the truth of the incident that happened more than a century ago.¡±

 Chapter 92: Duchess’s Growth

    <h4>Chapter 92: Duchess¡¯s Growth</h4>


    Grenstan, the capital of Heroica Empire; two people casually conversed with one another, exchanging information about the general happenings of the capital and some interesting rumours they had heard about.


    Soon, they approached one of thergest buildings in the capital, the General Library. It was the ce with information about practically everything. Strick records were maintained to ensure no information is ever tampered with or lost.


    In order to bolster the general knowledge of the citizens in the capital, the Heroica Empire allowed everyone to visit the library for free. Moreover, the library was situated right in front of the Royal Academy, bolstering the knowledge of the youth.


    As for any records deemed important, they were hidden away within the Royal Library. Concerning everything else, they were present in the General Library. The two men casually entered the library, stopping at the entry check to sh their identity certificates.


    As the guards checked their identities, they nodded as one of them pointed at a room beside, ¡°Any belongings would be confiscated. This is to prevent any malpractice within the library. Please understand the value of the knowledge contained within.¡±


    ¡°We are aware,¡± The two men habitually nodded as they entered the room beside, not showing even an ounce of emotional upheaval. Rather, they seemed to greatly respect the attention to care given by the soldiers.


    ¡°They are really great men.¡± One of the guards whispered once the two men entered the room.


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that.¡± Another guard nodded, ¡°They are polite and value the information stored in this great Library. Honestly, if only there were more of them these days.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± The first guard sighed, ¡°Even my own son mocks the knowledge in books and only thinks about increasing his Dac reserves.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about our children. We don¡¯t have to be depressed on such a great day.¡±


    ¡°Haha, you are right about that. Back in my days, we¡­¡±


    Finished with their inspection, the two men finally walked into a massive lobby, eyes widened as they looked around at the pile of books everywhere, sighing in admiration.


    ¡°I wish to live here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that.¡±


    ¡°Such a treasure trove right in the heart of the city.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s so sparsely crowded.¡±


    They contained themselves, walking around as they browsed through the numerous sections, soon approaching a particr section as they pulled out books one after another. The two of them were silent, seemingly having not spoken a word to each other. But, they were constantly conversing through signnguage.


    ¡°There¡¯s a massiveke to the west of Bureta Forest. And, there is a Dungeon located a kilometre away from it. Let¡¯s dig up all the information we can about them.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry. Lord Spirit doesn¡¯t like to waste time.¡±


    Soon, they found some records from a century ago that indeed talked about the details rting to theke. The two of them immediately prayed, transmitting the content to Duchess. Once that was done, they began to look into other information about the Great Megwest Empire, anything they could get their hands upon.


    Duchess was currently in her monster form, hearing all the reports while roasting a massive piece of meat on fire, drooling as she smelled the aroma. In contrast, seated near her was Compass Carburettor, appearing tiny inparison.


    Upon seeing that the meat was done, he cut off arge enough piece and began to eat it slowly.


    As for Duchess, her head slithered in the air, making a curve as she arrived before the piece of meat, ripping off a massive piece before swallowing it whole. She simrly tore of anotherrge piece, swallowing it after chewing it only twice.


    Within a couple of minutes, she had finished the piece of meat that weighed as much as five Compass Carburettors. But, it seemed she wasn¡¯t satiated yet, grinning as she looked at theke over whose surface peeked out numerous monster heads, silently gazing her way.


    Her neck elongated to its limit as she bit onto a fish, shrinking her neck immediately as she yanked it out of the water. She raised it high up in the air, pausing at a height of 20 metres before dropping the massive fish, causing it to crashnd on the ground.


    The impact elongated its bodyically, causing all its bones to shatter from the force of the impact, killing it in the process. The head of Duchess shed around a couple of times as she used her sharp teeth to skin the fish before expertly removing all the bones.


    She then lifted up the massive piece of meat using her neck and hoisted it above the me, roasting it a bit before beginning to tear into it violently.


    ¡®Thank god I never foolishly tried to fight the Grogars.¡¯ Compass Carburettor patted his chest, feeling his heart thump erratically as he watched Duchess casually yank out the terrifying fishes from the water and eat them like they were part of an ¡®all you can eat for free¡¯ buffet.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you already eaten your fill? You¡¯ll have a hard time if you overeat.¡± Compass Carburettor warned her.


    ¡°I discovered something interesting.¡± Duchess smiled, ¡°When I assume my Spirit form, my Grogar body remains within the symbol of Secret Society in me. And, my Dac reserves in both the forms are connected.¡±


    ¡°So, even if I overeat, as my body slowly digests them, my Dac reserves would be gradually replenished.¡± Duchess continued, ¡°As I¡¯ll be constantly expending my Dac now, this is a good method to store up some excess reserves. Besides¡­¡±


    Having finished the second massive piece of meat, Duchess expended 100 Dac to turn into her human-like appearance, saying as she wore her clothes, ¡°Ever since I have digested those massive reserves of Darble Crystals you have dumped in my stomach, my digestive system seems to have been upgraded. Therefore, I¡¯m able to digest anything I consume rapidly. My Dac reserve is also growing at a faster pace now, even though it had stopped growing long ago.¡±


    ¡°I feel like I would soon achieve strength on par with a Level 2 Dungeon¡¯s Dungeon Monster.¡± Sheughed as they began to prepare to enter the nearby Dungeon.

 Chapter 93: A Decrepit Dungeon

    <h4>Chapter 93: A Decrepit Dungeon</h4>


    ¡°Based on the records, this was a freshwaterke filled with plenty of marine creatures. And, it was replenished by the numerous underground rivers at the ce, acting as the thumping heart of this region¡¯s vitality.¡± Duchess said as she looked around, noticing the sparse vegetation at the ce, a sign of desertification, continuing, ¡°Now, when I fished here, I tasted the water. It contains too many metallic minerals that inhibit nt growth.¡±


    ¡°Is there no information about this marine creature?¡± Compass Carburettor pointed at therge fishes peeking out of theke surface, trailing their gazes onto them, causing his hair to rise as goosebumps formed on his skin, ¡°From where did theye? How did the terrain of this ce change so much? What¡­actually happened here?¡±


    ¡°There is no information about that.¡± Duchess shook her head, ¡°Everything my team is able to find is outdated information from a century ago. It hasn¡¯t been verified after that. As for the monsters we encountered, they are only active in this region and hasn¡¯t ever attacked the borders guarded by Heroica Empire. So, they have no information about the ones we encountered.¡±


    ¡°Tell them to keep looking for any valuable information. Anything would help us at this point.¡± Compass Carburettor loaded his gun, Hadora, checking to see that all 100 bullets had been loaded into it.


    He swapped the iron bullets with wood bullets, unwilling to waste the iron ones that he didn¡¯t have much of. Worn on his hands was a bracelet each. And strung on each bracelet using a thin chain was an Armament.


    They were the Armaments with three States. The remaining Armaments were strung on his belt using chains attached to impression locks. This way, he can pull them out without trouble and not damage either the belt or the chain.


    Then they began to march towards the Dungeon Gate, cautious in their approach, arriving before it after twenty minutes had passed.


    Both of them made eye contact as Compass Carburettor mentioned, ¡°Let¡¯s engage with any enemy using our ranged superiority. We¡¯ll first figure out their attack patterns and then proceed to attack through closedbat.¡±


    ¡°Fine by me,¡± Duchess nodded as they gently passed through a misty film that acted as the Dungeon Gate. They arrived on the other side, frowning in surprise as they remained rooted to the spot, stunned from shock.


    After all, whaty before them was rubble, of human constructs, of skeletons thaty scattered all over the vast ins spanning past.


    ¡°Just¡­what happened here?¡± Compass Carburettor was unable to make sense of the situation, failing to spot any Dungeon Monsters around. Everywhere he saw, there were only the signs of death and decay.


    Even the ground had a faint rotten stench, of ack of vitality that had pervaded it for long. As the duo made eye contact, they sent out their respective Spydragons, intending to safely scout out the ce first.


    ¡®Did a war happen here?¡¯ Compass Carburettor frowned as he saw through the eyes of the Spydragon: massive craters covered by smoke, cracks on the hills, polluted water, and stale air. It was like time had been frozen in the ce ever since the incident had happened.


    After that, nothing seemed to have taken ce in the Dungeon. After looking around for some time, the Spydragons returned as the duo were silent.


    ¡°This ce is a mess.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t fathom what led to such extensive damage everywhere.¡± Duchess sighed, ¡°Based on the information I am receiving through telepathy, during their prime, the Great Megwest Empire was too strong. They had hundreds of Transcendents, causing their power to be at the peak among all the Great Empires. So, for them to be eradicated to such a clean extent, the disaster should have been beyond what was written in that scroll.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°Based on that scroll, Parlut and Grister were both Transcendents. And, they died horrible deaths after visiting the Great Megwest Empire. So, something should have been the cause.¡±


    As Duchess nodded, the two of them began to walk, hearing the crunching sounds of the bones as they stepped on them. There was a deathly silence in the ce, for there wasn¡¯t even any wind.


    The thumping of their hearts was audible in their ears as they walked forward, continuing to move as they scouted with their Spydragons in advance. Soon, they arrived before a dpidated building, one that seemed to have served as a base to rest and hunt the Dungeon Monsters, a hub to transport all the materials harvested from the Dungeon.


    The door barely remained in ce, sporting enough wear and tear that a single touch was all one needed to shatter it into fragments. Nodding once, Compass Carburettor gently used the Hadora to push the door, slightly parting it to the side as he peeked inside, hurling back in fear upon seeing a gaping skull staring straight at him.


    It was because the skull sported a sinistrous vibe, of suffering lightning strikes and being corroded by poison. And, this head, though seeming like it had belonged to a human, was almost as big as him. And, it had been positioned right behind the door.


    ¡°Let¡¯s check it out.¡± Compass Carburettor informed Duchess through telepathy, ¡°Just in case, we¡¯ll converse like this from now on.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Duchess slowly entered through the entrance and swerved around the massive skull, noticing the skeletal body of the skull positioned farther away, slumped, leaning on the wall. The bones on its chest had crumbled to the floor, powdered. Whether it had be powder from an attack or erosion through time, it was unknown.


    ¡°Such a gigantic creature.¡± Compass Carburettor sighed as they walked through the lobby, looking around to find any message or the likes. But, a long time had already passed. And, since it seemed like the ce had witnessed an intense battle, everything in the area had been damaged beyond recognition during the century that spanned past.


    Compass Carburettor noticed quite a few ces where it seemed like people had left their wills. But, they were simply iprehensible as too much time had passed. ¡°But, why are there burn marks everywhere? Where the attacks made using fire?¡±


    ¡°Generally, fire is pretty useless since it can be easily guarded against using an energy de. As for Dungeon Monsters, most of them have tough skins, so they would be able to grab hold of their prey before the fire began to damage them.¡±


    ¡°If the fire is something like an oil fire, then it won¡¯t be possible to survive as you im.¡± Compass Carburettor said, inspecting the traces on the ground, ¡°But, I can¡¯t determine whether the damage was from an oil fire or not.¡±

 Chapter 94: The Three Megwest Pearls

    <h4>Chapter 94: The Three Megwest Pearls</h4>


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing here, no Armaments, and no Puppets.¡± Compass Carburettor frowned, ¡°Seriously, what had happened here?¡±


    Upon failing to find anything of value even after scouring through the entire building, the duo exited it and proceeded deeper into the Dungeon.


    Suddenly, while they were travelling, Duchess frowned, rying a piece of news, ¡°This is a Level 3 Dungeon. And, it was called a State Dungeon since all the monsters here had been eradicated centuries ago. So, it was fully upied by humans.¡±


    ¡®Then, what was with that massive skeleton?¡¯ Compass Carburettor frowned, ¡®And, why haven¡¯t wee across any other buildings?¡¯


    ¡°Lord Spirit, aren¡¯t we wasting a lot of time? Shouldn¡¯t we hurry towards Mohart Dungeon and prepare our scheme first?¡± Duchess said, stopping, ¡°There is nothing here from what we have witnessed till now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but,¡± Compass Carburettor said after some thought, ¡°I feel like we would figure out something important here. This is after all a major settlement for humans based on what was recorded. And see the state of things around you. Something has definitely happened here.¡±


    ¡°I feel like this secret might help uster.¡± He spoke.


    ¡°But, based on the records, this is a peak Level 3 Dungeon with a radius of 150 kilometres. And there are three floors of such a massive area. We can¡¯t afford to travel such a massive distance and make a round trip. It would take us many days to do so. And, we don¡¯t have enough provisions tost us that long if we were to use the Katia.¡± She made a long retort.


    ¡°The distance is indeed worrisome,¡± Compass Carburettor frowned, thinking as he said, ¡°Are there any flying monsters in this region?¡±


    ¡°Let me ask,¡± Duchess said, immediately contacting the team present within the Heroica Empire¡¯s General Library.


    Half an hourter, she replied, ¡°There¡¯s only one. And that¡¯s in one of the three Megwest Pearls.¡±


    Megwest Pearls; they were what the three Level 5 Dungeons of the Great Megwest Empire were called.


    Normally, as long as an Empire was capable of maintaining itself while raiding a Level 5 Dungeon, they would grow in strength and eventually attain the status as a Great Empire. But, the Great Megwest Empire had three Level 5 Dungeons.


    And, they had been around for more than a couple of millennia without copsing, disying their sheer prowess and stability. And, these three Level 5 Dungeons were the beating hearts that vigoured this Great Empire.


    After all, the radius of a Level 5 Dungeon ranged from 700-1200 kilometres. And, there were five such floors. A single Level 5 Dungeon spanned more area than the entire Great Megwest Empire. So, it could be seen as to the quantity of resources it contained.


    The Great Empire also had numerous other Dungeons that they raided and upied. As for any Dungeons Level 3 and below, all the Dungeon Monsters within had been eradicated. And, they were converted into settlements for the people to live.


    This way, the Empire¡¯s poption grew exponentially, having a tremendous area to their reserve. Moreover, Level 4 Dungeons and above provided them all the resources needed to function their Great Empire.


    And, there was one difference between a Level 3 and a Level 4 Dungeon. It originated from its Dungeon Boss. All the Dungeon Monsters, the Dungeon Boss included grew a Darble Crystal on their forehead that stored all their Dac within.


    Weak Dungeon Monsters didn¡¯t have a Darble Crystal on their foreheads. But any monster with a bit of power grew at least a tiny Darble fragment. But, this Darble fragment only acted as a reserve of stamina.


    No Dungeon Monster, Dungeon Boss included possessed any special power that was able to harness this reserve of Dac for any other purpose than to act as their stamina reserve. But at a Level 4 Dungeon, the strongest of the Dungeon Monsters reached a special state of being, attaining explosive power.


    Transcendence!


    Upon attaining this state, they were able to use one form of Energy de freely using their own bodies, just like the Warriors among humans that managed to achieve Transcendence.


    Normally, Dungeon Monsters were troublesome thanks to their tough bodies and their enormous Dac reserves. Adding onto the ability to generate an energy de, their danger level exploded exponentially.


    Honestly, after obtaining so much information, Compass Carburettor muttered in surprise, ¡°How does the General Library contain information rted to Transcendence? I thought everything rted to that stage of being was treated as top-secret?¡±


    ¡°It seemed to have been kept there by mistake,¡± Duchess said, ¡°The book containing it was old and its pages were almost on the verge of crumbling into dust with touch. There are no signs of human contact on it for decades. As the General Library is ginormous, there are such secrets that are lying about in it, just waiting to be discovered.¡±


    ¡°As many generations exchanged ownership of power and authority, some information was bound to be lost.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°And it seemed these books have slipped through the during such times.¡±


    There could have been countless reasons for such a thing to happen. If he had to list, he could list at least a dozen reasons. But in the end, he didn¡¯t bother with that, digesting the information he had obtained.


    ¡°Anyway, if we wish to find a flying monster, the Second Pearl Dungeon is our objective. But, it¡¯s situated only a hundred kilometres away from Mohart Dungeon.¡± Duchess sighed, ¡°What shall we do now?¡±


    Among the Three Pearls, the first was Mohart Dungeon and the most terrifying of all Level 5 Dungeons. It was inferior only to the Level 5 Dungeon said to be the birthce of the Legendary Spirits.


    The Second Pearl was Kuvert Dungeon and was full of cliffs within. Flying-type monsters were dominant in this Dungeon.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Compass Carburettor calcted, sighing in the end as he said, ¡°If we have a flying type Monster as a member, our life bes easier. We would be able to scout throughout the ce without any time constraints. That would also reduce our journey time.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s head towards the Kuvert Dungeon first,¡± Compass Carburettor said as they began to retreat, ¡°We¡¯ll fly towards it as quickly as we can using our Katia.¡±

 Chapter 95: Haggon

    <h4>Chapter 95: Haggon</h4>


    Mohart Dungeon; at its deepest level was an iron castle, sporting walls that were at least three metres thick. It was a humongous structure spanning a height of six hundred metres, a castle that was akin to a mountain.


    Currently seated on a massive throne in the throne room was a humanoid creature. The throne was made from Darble, spanning a width of three metres and a height of four metres. And simrly to upy such a massive throne was the humanoid creature, sporting a body covered with tough, chitin armour.


    The chitin armour was both ridiculously tough and consisted of numerousyers with mild stic properties, allowing it to move without any hindrance. Growing out of its elbows were bone spikes, each a metre in length.


    A simr bone spine grew out of its forearm, spanning two metres in length, looking sharp. Its ws were also sharp, menacing even. And considering its size of five metres and its tough appearance, it was a being of power.


    Mohart Dungeon¡ªDungeon Boss!


    Currently, it was crying, shedding tears as it looked at a tiny Darble Horn in its hand, ¡°My son, why did you have to forsake your life? Wasn¡¯t living a long life the goal that we strived towards? Why did youe to long for your weak life as a human?¡±


    ¡°Why? Why, why, why?¡± Suddenly, it lost control of itself, being ovee with a maniacal rage as it thrashed about, punching everything around itself before letting out a tremendously loud roar, causing the walls of the pce to faintly tremble.


    After thrashing about for a couple of hours, it slowly regained rity of mind, slumping on the throne as it was mentally exhausted, massaging its head as it muttered, ¡°This is bing more and more frequent these days. I¡¯m losing my humanity and bing more and more into a Haggon. Most of myrades have already lost their intelligence and have be nothing more than a Haggon now.¡±


    Haggon!


    It was the infamous Dungeon Monster of the Mohart Dungeon, to date the monster said to possess the greatest might. It was unknown how strong they were inparison to Spirits that were part of the legends, but their might was unquestionable.


    A group of 1000 Haggons were enough to almost destroy a kingdom overnight. They were a force of nature.


    It sighed, ¡°Is this why you chose tomit suicide, son? Were you unable to endure your beastly urges anymore?¡±


    ¡°But still,¡± It looked at the Darble Horn on its palm, saying, ¡°Your Warble is here. As long as I imnt it into a human, you¡¯ll return and be able to live as a human. If that¡¯s what you wish for, your father would grant it to you.¡±


    It then shouted at the top of its voice, using its power as a Dungeon Boss, ¡°Everyone that still maintains their human intelligence,e here!¡±


    An hour after it had summoned everyone, there were the weak sounds of thumping as a Haggon walked in, kneeling on the ground as it spoke, ¡°Your Majesty, did you summon me?¡±


    ¡°Hekatra, why are you the only one to arrive? What about the rest?¡± The Dungeon Boss asked in anger as its voice thundered throughout the massive pce.


    ¡°I¡¯m the only one left among us with a rity of mind. Everyone else had already be monsters a decade ago. Your son held out the longest among all of us. Since I have starved myself plenty recently, I¡¯m still somewhat able to maintain my sanity. Though, I only have less than three hours per day of my sanity left.¡± Hekatra replied.


    ¡°Fine, you¡¯re still a Transcendent. So, you¡¯ll do.¡± The Dungeon Boss sighed, waving its hand as itmanded, ¡°This is my finalmand as your Great Emperor. Capture and bring me a healthy human, as young as possible. I have my son¡¯s Warble with me. So, I n to revive him through it.¡±


    ¡°Reviving as a human,¡± Hekatra sighed, stating honestly, ¡°I have thought about it many times too. But, even if I have to resist turning into a monster day by day, I am still unwilling to be a human.¡±


    ¡°Has your Warble been refined enough to amodate a second reincarnation?¡± The Dungeon Boss asked in surprise.


    ¡°Not yet, Your Majesty,¡± Hekatra sighed, ¡°I¡¯ve been focusing on it all along. But, I¡¯m still far from attaining that.¡±


    ¡°If you have any regrets, focus on refining your Warble once you return with a human. My son managed to do it long ago. So, he should be able to guide you ordingly.¡± The Dungeon Boss said, grunting in pain as it seemed to be losing consciousness once again, hurriedly waving for Hekatra to leave.


    As Hekatra left, she heard the intense roar resounding throughout the pce, ¡°It seems his majesty doesn¡¯t even have as much time as me.¡±


    She sighed, ¡°It seems he barely has thirty minutes of sanity left per day in him. I should hurry and make him see his son at least once before hepletely turns into a monster.¡±


    She gazed at the sky, exiting the pce as she ran through the Dungeon, ¡°It really is a disaster. Our Great Empire has been falling from grace ever since that day. Once His Majesty loses his sanity, our Great Empire would have truly fallen from grace and our once vast civilisation would eventually be passed on as a joke in history.¡±


    She sprinted through the ce using her humongous figure, zing past at tremendous speeds. As for any Haggons that came in her way, whether knowingly or unknowingly, she simply swatted them aside, her prowess dwarfing everyone.


    Eventually, she exited the Dungeon and headed east, rushing towards the Heroica Empire as it seemed the closest.


    ¡­


    ¡°This travel speed is passable. At this rate, we would reach our destination after forty hours of continuous flight.¡± Compass Carburettor said after obtaining a general estimate of their speed, which amounted to around 30 kilometres per hour.


    ¡°If we add the breaks taken in-between to replenish my Dac reserves and rest my aching arms, it would take us a bit more than a week to reach Kuvert Dungeon.¡± Duchess said, suddenly frowning as she closed her eyes, hearing the report as she said, ¡°The tournament has ended. And, Regriel has obtained three morepanions. One of them is rted to the administration while the remaining two are fighters, tremendously strong that our scouts are unable to figure out their strengths.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll begin to journey towards Mohart Dungeon in search of the treasure in a couple of weeks, or even sooner.¡±

 Chapter 96: Hunting a Monster

    <h4>Chapter 96: Hunting a Monster</h4>


    ¡°We have to hurry,¡± Compass Carburettor muttered, ¡°And, making a flying type monster part of Secret Society takes higher priority now. Otherwise, we¡¯ll simply be unable to travel as quickly through the numerous levels of Mohart Dungeon, not to mention create any ns against Regriel.¡±


    ¡°Lord Spirit, a lot of this n relies on chance and coincidences. Are you sure it would work?¡± Duchess asked in confusion, ¡°Even though you have taught me a lot in recent times, I am still unsure as to how you can believe you¡¯ll be able to defeat a System? Based on what you have said, they are too mysterious and overpowered.¡±


    Currently, they were conversing through telepathy. And, since this telepathy functioned as a mode established through prayer, i.e. Duchess was praying to transmit her thoughts to Compass Carburettor while he Bestowed upon her a reply.


    Due to this, even if they talked about a System, since he was the target of said prayers, the resulting Mental Energy streams would only end up with him. Though, if she used her mouth to talk, it meant her brain would think of Regriel, causing the generated Mental Energy stream tond on him, immediately alerting the ve Harem System.


    That¡¯s why when they conversed about the Systems, everything was through telepathy. As Compass Carburettor had shared some of the authority of Secret Society to her, Duchess was able to see the Mental Energy streams, thereby verifying that their current method was indeed foolproof.


    Only after that did they begin to converse freely about System and Compass Carburettor¡¯s ns to y them.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Compass Carburettor said after a smile, ¡°There is just one guarantee in my ns: It¡¯s because a System has aimed for it. There is no better verification necessary than this. Since the ve Harem System intends to head towards Mohart Dungeon, it means the treasure there is tremendously valuable. So, as long as we obtain it first, we¡¯ll be able to turn the tables on Regriel.¡±


    ¡°Mental Energy is the tool used by a System. Deprive them of all their Mental Energy, and they be helpless. So, the n is to constantly force Regriel into a corner little by little and make the ve Harem System shave off its Mental Energy reserve little by little to break him out of a pinch.¡± He concluded.


    ¡°But, you have no idea as to how much Mental Energy it has, right? Not to mention the fact that you don¡¯t know how much Mental Energy it costs to buy any abilities through the tradework possessed by a System.¡± Duchess retorted, ¡°I was talking about this inconsistency in your n. There¡¯s too much unknown to factor here.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s life.¡± Compass Carburettor sighed, ¡°It¡¯s not guaranteed that everything would turn out your way. Most of the time, we have to dive into a situation with little to no information and n ordingly as the situation deems fit.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s rest here for the time being. My arms ache a lot.¡± Duchess said after spotting a vacant hilltop,nding at the ce only after scouting through the surroundings with the Spydragons first.


    Once shended, Compass Carburettor jumped off from her back, stretching a little as he asked, ¡°How much Dac do you have left in you?¡±


    ¡°Barely enough for another hour of flight.¡± Duchess said, ¡°We¡¯ve been flying for three hours straight after all. If not for my overeating session before, we would have had to stop earlier on.¡±


    As they rested and ate their rations, their Dac Reserves were slowly replenished. But, it wasn¡¯t enough for Duchess to fully replenish her reserves. After all, she needed a lot to fly for the next three hours.


    So, while she was resting, Compass Carburettor sent a Spydragon flying out to scout through the surroundings, noticing a strange monster species resting at the foot of the hill they were upon. It was pretty massive in size, looking simr to a boar in appearance, but with more than five tusks on both sides.


    The Darble Crystal growing on its forehead was also sizeable, spanning 10 centimetres in length. It was a considerablyrge monster. After inspecting it a bit, Compass Carburettor said, ¡°There¡¯s a monster at the foot of the hill. There¡¯s only one of it there. Let me hunt it.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Duchess nodded, intending to return to her Grogar form when Compass Carburettor motioned for her to remain seated.


    ¡°Rest here. I can handle this myself.¡± Compass Carburettor said.


    ¡°But, you still need me to carry the monster¡¯s carcass,¡± Duchess replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll lure it here first and then kill it.¡± Compass Carburettor waved his hand, picking up his Hadora as he inspected it, noticing that it was loaded with one hundred wooden bullets. He then slightly descended through the hillside, making himself visible by standing atop a boulder as he aimed at the sleeping monster, using his Anthozoa to shoot at it once.


    The bullet mmed right onto its eye, injuring it in the process, causing its eye to bleed. The monster snorted, getting up with a start as it red at the direction from which the attack mmed into it, observing the figure of Compass Carburettor, charging towards him readily, scaling up the hill without losing much momentum.


    ¡°It¡¯s approaching pretty quickly,¡± Even though his heart thumped in tension, Compass Carburettor calmly retracted Anthozoa as he hoisted up the Hadora, pointing at the charging monster as he aimed at its other eye, unloading the bullets nonstop the moment it was in range, causing the monster to scream as it was blinded.


    Though, having seen the position Compass Carburettor was at, it continued to charge right at him, intending to ram him to death. But, the moment he blinded his opponent, he quickly tiptoed towards the side, waiting in patience as he dropped the Hadora and grabbed an Armament on each hand, activating them the moment the monster ran past him.


    Long Sword!


    The two energy des in the form of long swords expanded to ten metres in length, piercing through the monster¡¯s sides, hacking the joints of its legs when Compass Carburettor expended even more Dac, activating a second State atop it.


    Wide Sword!


    The energy des piercing through the monster¡¯s legs expanded in breadth to three metres, severing most of the monster¡¯s legs as a result, stopping halfway through the bones. He hacked in the fraction of a second, deactivating both the energy des as he picked up Hadora and ran towards its back, unloading all the bullets on its ass, targeting itsher region.


    In its momentum, the monster took another step forward after being hacked by his energy de; its body weight caused its damaged leg bones to crack, tumbling to the ground when intense pain assaulted it from behind, making it scream in pain.

 Chapter 97: Overpowered Opponent

    <h4>Chapter 97: Overpowered Opponent</h4>


    The monster screamed in pain, sliding on the ground due to its charging momentum. As its legs were incapacitated, it was unable to run ever again as Compass Carburettor approached its side, using the energy de to slowly sever its neck.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t too hard.¡± He muttered, dusting his hand as he carried his Hadora and return to their camp while Duchess assumed her Grogar form, picking up the monster corpse as she set up a bonfire to roast it.


    It seemed the Grogars also loved to roast their food as she did the same every time. Compass Carburettor took a sizeable section of the meat to convert into rations while Duchess happily devoured through the rest.


    Finished with her meal, she said, assuming her human form, ¡°This isn¡¯t enough to replenish my Dacpletely. But, we don¡¯t have time to waste. Let¡¯s get moving first and hunt for monsters in our nextnding spot.¡±


    ¡°Alright, if you say so. But, you still need some time to convert the consumed food into Dac. So, let me scout for a couple of minutes and see if there is any other monster around us,¡± Compass Carburettor said, taking out his Spydragon, intending to send it flying when a massive Mental Energy streamnded on him, rming him as he got up, yelling through telepathy, ¡°Danger!¡±


    ¡­


    Hekatra had been running nonstop all along once she exited the Mohart Dungeon. Thanks to her Dac reserve, she wasn¡¯t tired in the least. And, due to her massive stature and her dense, powerful physique, she was sprinting at a speed surpassing a hundred kilometres an hour.


    Along the way, she came across a massive monster as she suddenly lost sanity, pouncing upon it as she killed it in a matter of seconds before proceeding to devour it. Once she finished eating the monster, she began to run in the same direction she had been running before, despite having lost sanity.


    After all, themand was from the Dungeon Boss. So, her instincts as a Dungeon Monster caused her to follow it through. If she still retained her consciousness, she would be able to think clearly and resist the orders a bit if necessary. But after losing sanity, she followed through with the orders blindly.


    As she zed through one terrain after another, any monster that noticed her approach scurried away in fear. After all, their instincts screamed at them to flee and nevere under the line of sight of the terrifying monster.


    A regr Haggon was already tremendously powerful that it was capable of killing a horde of monsters. Thanks to their tough bodies, they were capable of resisting the strongest of attacks. But that alone wouldn¡¯t have made them this terrifying. After all, there existed numerous Dungeon Monsters that possessed a terrifying physique.


    The Grogars were one of them.


    The reason the Haggons were terrifying apart from their peerless physiques was the inborn trait that allowed them to take on any extent of damage without flinching.


    Regeneration!


    By expending their Dac reserves, a Haggon was capable of regenerating lost flesh, blood, and even bones. Adding this property onto their ridiculously tough bodies, they were unstoppable monsters. And, this was just a regr Haggon.


    Hekatra was even more terrifying. After all, she had reached the state of Transcendence as a Haggon, capable of using an energy de. So, the sheer presence she exuded caused numerous monsters to flee in fear. As for the monsters that were greatly perceptive of danger, they straight up fainted upon sensing the depth of her monstrous power.


    As she had lost sanity, she was running nonstop towards the east. And having been at it for more than ten hours, Hekatra began to feel a bit hungry. And right at this time, she smelled the scent of roasted meat, one that was aromatic whenpared to the smell of usual meat.


    Without any hesitation, she swerved towards the source, trailing it as she reached the foot of a hill, gazing at the two people seated at the top. The source of the roasted meat originated from there, causing her to drool as she expressed her hunger, zing up the hill beforending near the duo.


    ¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s a Haggon!¡± Compass Carburettor shouted in rm, holding Anthozoa on his right and an Armament on his left as he shot all six bullets right into the target¡¯s face, scowling when he barely made an injury.


    Whenpared to the massive stature of Hekatra that spanned five metres, the wound he inflicted using the tiny bullets wasn¡¯t anything worth noting about. When he garnered the Haggon¡¯s attention, Duchess took out her Hadora and loaded it with all 20 of their Darble bullets, immediately aiming at the Haggon¡¯s face to begin shooting.


    The Darble bullets packed a lot of power, piercing through Hekatra¡¯s face, getting lodged inside. But once the twenty rounds were expended, she noticed the enemy¡¯s face beginning to heal automatically, pushing out the bullets. The damage was insignificantpared to the opponent¡¯s size.


    Duchess shot with her Anthozoa on one hand and her Hadora on the other, emptying the 80 iron bullets loaded in thetter. Though, all the holes the bullets inflicted upon were only surface level injuries, barely skin deep.


    Long Sword!


    Compass Carburettor activated his Armament, piercing the Haggon with his energy de when the impact mmed him backwards. After all, the Haggon remained unmoving in ce while the energy de barely prated her body.


    So, when it expanded in length, he was in return sent flying back. Hekatra looked at the two humans, recalling her mission given by the Dungeon Boss as her hands shone with a yellowish-white radiance, causing the duo to stare at her in shock.


    For, manipting Dac without any Armament only meant one thing.


    Transcendence!


    ¡°A Haggon that had attained Transcendence. Dammit!¡± Compass Carburettor cursed as he tried to find an opening when his surroundings changed, reced by a world of yellowish-white.


    Hekatra¡¯s energy des were shaped just like her hands as they extended from her hand, grabbing hold of Compass Carburettor and Duchess, forming a cocoon around them. To avoid crushing them to their deaths, she only formed a loose cocoon big enough for them to remain within.

 Chapter 98: Hekatra

    <h4>Chapter 98: Hekatra</h4>


    ¡°It seems to want to capture us for some reason.¡± Compass Carburettor shouted through telepathy, having sensed the emotions behind the Mental Energy stream Hekatra directed at him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll return to my original form and fight to the death against it. Lord Spirit, I¡¯ll create an opportunity for you to escape.¡± Duchess shouted in return, hitting the insides of the energy de wrapped around her to see that it was sturdy.


    ¡°If you do that, you¡¯ll be killed. Let us wait and see what happens.¡± Compass Carburettor urged her, noticing that Duchess seemed unwilling to listen to his words. Her immense loyalty towards him caused her to pay heed to his safety with the topmost priority.


    ¡°If we are brought to somewhere with more Haggons, your death is guaranteed. I¡¯m breaking out!¡± She shouted, returning to her Grogar form as she exerted all her physical strength, bellowing a primal roar as her massive body destroyed the energy de wrapped around her.


    Her head shed towards a nearby rock, picking it up as she hurled it towards Hekatra with all her might, causing it to m into the other party and send it tumbling back by 4-5 metres.


    Her neck then coiled around the arm of the energy de whose hands were wrapped around Compass Carburettor, exerting strength to shatter it into pieces. She then grabbed hold of Compass Carburettor, intending to send him flying high up into the air, ¡°Lord Spirit, please take out your Katia while in the air and fly towards safety. I bid you farewell.¡±


    But, right as she was about to hurl him towards the sky, Hekatra¡¯s two hands¡ªcondensed from energy des¡ªwrapped around them. One of them had expanded in size to grab hold of Duchess¡¯s body while the other wrapped around Compass Carburettor, using a couple of its fingers to choke the neck of Duchess.


    Hekatra regained sanity, recalling from memory the scene of Duchess transforming into her Grogar form from a human form, shocked as she retracted her energy des, observing the eyes of Duchess to see that she maintained perfect rity of mind.


    Moreover, she noticed that the horn on Duchess¡¯s forehead was only a regr Darble horn possessed by every Dungeon Monster, ¡®It isn¡¯t a Warble. Besides, how did her body morph from a human into a monster? Besides, her weight as a human was only as much as a regr human. But now, she¡¯s almost as heavy as me. How is this possible?¡¯


    She observed the look of fear on the faces of the two people before her, opening her mouth to speak, gazing at Duchess, ¡°How did you transform from a human into a Dungeon Monster?¡±


    Upon hearing Hekatra speak the human tongue, both were shocked. The gears in his brain spun as Compass Carburettor connected all the dots, immediately asking, ¡°Are you a citizen of the Great Megwest Empire?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Hekatra said while turning around to look at Compass Carburettor.


    Sensing the numerous emotional fluctuations in the Mental Energy stream trailing from her when she said it, Compass Carburettor thought hurriedly, saying, ¡°There is an ability to turn Dungeon Monsters into humans.¡±


    ¡°An ability?¡± She was surprised for a moment, saying, ¡°Tell me more about it?¡±


    ¡°Can I know the reason you captured us in the first ce?¡± Compass Carburettor asked, immediately regretting his decision as he hurriedly changed his tone, waving his hands in a fluster as he said, ¡°If you wish to learn this ability, it is pretty simple. I can show you the method.¡±


    ¡°Show it then,¡± Hekatra said casually, watching Compass Carburettor hurry towards the bag in his camp.


    He then returned with the symbol of Secret Society, presenting it to Hekatra, ¡°If you pray towards this symbol and pledge a certain level of loyalty towards it, you¡¯ll obtain the ability to transform into a human automatically.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you gained it?¡± She gazed at Duchess, asking.


    Knowing what Compass Carburettor had nned, Duchess nodded, expending 100 Dac as she turned back into a human, showing that she could freely switch states when necessary.


    For more than ten seconds, Duchess and Hekatra made eye contact, staring at each other without subverting their gazes.


    ¡®If this is actually possible, it would prove a solution to our situation. It would allow His Majesty to regain his former glory.¡¯ She thought, gently taking the symbol from Compass Carburettor as she looked at it, ¡®I can experiment by using my life. Whether it is true or not, I¡¯lle to know soon enough.¡¯


    She then ced the symbol before her, reverently bowing towards it as she proimed, ¡°From henceforth, I, Hekatra, pledge my loyalty to you.¡±


    She then stared at the symbol, experiencing no changes in her.


    Duchess interjected, ¡°An oath won¡¯t work. Only when you actually feel loyalty towards it would you be bestowed with the ability. It works on a mysterious concept.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Hekatra said after a moment of thought, ¡°Will anything change once I be loyal towards this symbol?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be stronger,¡± Duchess said with a boast, ¡°I¡¯m a Level 1 Dungeon Boss.¡±


    ¡°Level 1 Dungeon Boss?¡± Hekatra was surprised, stating with a mild shock, ¡°It would have made sense if you were a Level 2 Dungeon Boss.¡±


    ¡®This firms it.¡¯ She thought, recalling her memories of the past few decades where her humanity was slowly slipping away as her colleagues, friends, and family slowly lost their selves, bing a monster husk of their former selves, ¡®If they can be human once again while still maintaining their monster powers, it¡¯s what we had sought all along. It¡¯s worth the gamble.¡¯


    As she thought of it, her desire caused her heart to thump, moving her emotional fluctuations, her beliefs, and her disposition towards the symbol, slowly causing it to have meaning and importance in her mind.


    Compass Carburettor was observing the loyalty stream between them, watching the reddish stream slowly turn great as he was relieved, expending his Mental Energy reserves as he condensed the symbol of Secret Society, approaching Hekatra casually.


    As she was aware that none of them were capable of harming her, she focused on the task of establishing her loyalty towards the symbol. And right at this time, Compass Carburettor ced the symbol on her, watching it sink into her body.


    As if she had been waiting for it earnestly all along, Hekatra instinctively understood the concept at y as she felt a mysterious power well up from within her. She followed the notion, expending some Dac as her body shone with a resplendent radiance, vanishing immediately.


    And in that ce stood a humanoid woman in her early forties, jubnt as she looked at her appearance, tearing up.

 Chapter 99: The Power of a Transcendent

    <h4>Chapter 99: The Power of a Transcendent</h4>


    Hekatra looked at her human hands, watching them tremble as she noticed the faint reddishness on the back, observing the nostalgic weak skin that she had possessed long ago, and felt theck of strength in her body.


    She was tremendously weak now. But in contrast, it was like her mind that had been burning and being hammered in a forge all along had now cooled, allowing her to maintain a crystal clear train of thought, able to think like how she had done back in the days.


    It was something basic that she had once been capable of but had been inhibited thanks to her monster instincts in the past few decades. It was like she had a cold and hadn¡¯t been able to breathe well. And now, that cold had cleared up, allowing her to appreciate what she had possessed before.


    And as she observed her figure, she could see faint wrinkles at ces, looking no different from the time when she had been a human. And, as she thought about it, she could still feel her Dac.


    Rather, her reserves hadn¡¯t diminished yet. She was still a Transcendent. ¡°How¡­is this possible?¡±


    And right at this time, as she gazed at Compass Carburettor, she understood, bowing to express her gratitude, ¡°So, my Lord is one of the Spirits. Everything makes sense then. Please forgive my earlier transgression.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Compass Carburettor waved his hand, rxing upon surviving potential death. He then noticed that Hekatra¡¯s loyalty continued to climb erratically. Rather, the more she appreciated her rity of mind, the greater she appreciated Compass Carburettor¡¯s help. And in turn, the more her loyalty towards him increased.


    Soon, her loyalty reached the three digits when Compass Carburettor asked, ¡°Can you tell me more about the disaster of the Great Megwest Empire?¡±


    Right as he asked it, he regretted, for Hekatra¡¯s increase in loyalty abruptly stopped before beginning to steadily decrease. He abruptly said, ¡°Fine, forget it. if you don¡¯t wish to talk about it, then I won¡¯t press any further.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your understanding, Lord Spirit.¡± Hekatra bowed, ¡°And please, there has never been a disaster.¡±


    ¡®There has never been a disaster?¡¯ He frowned, intending to ask immediately when he controlled himself. Hekatra¡¯s reduction in loyalty stopped as it seemed to be ever slowly recovering. So, he nned to ask itter, once Hekatra¡¯s loyalty towards him surpassed whatever inhibition or reason she held.


    He didn¡¯t wish to do anything that prevented an increase in loyalty.


    So, after some thought, he asked with mild hesitation, ¡°Why were you nning to capture us?¡±


    Upon seeing that there wasn¡¯t any reduction in loyalty, he sighed in relief, watching Hekatra bow as she said, ¡°It was to obtain a human body for our Great Emperor¡¯s son.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Compass Carburettor asked in return while his heart thumped, clearly understanding based on his experience in reading countless system novels, ¡®It¡¯s here, Regriel¡¯s plot!¡¯


    Hekatra hesitated for a moment before she looked at herself, sighing as she began to speak, ¡°There is something called a Warble. It is a treasure we created that operates simr to a Transcendent¡¯s Darble Horn.¡±


    ¡°A Transcendent¡¯s Darble Horn?¡± To avoid him expressing his ignorance every single time, Compass Carburettor nudged Duchess, causing her to ask on his behalf.


    Right as she asked, a horn grew from Hekatra¡¯s forehead, ¡°Once a human attains Transcendence, he/she grows a Darble Horn on their forehead. And the state of Transcendence doesn¡¯t give any increase in the quantity of Dac in your body.¡±


    ¡°1000 Dac, that¡¯s the limit contained in the human body. No matter what we do, we can never increase this reserve. Those below this limit are regr Warriors and Puppeteers. And those that attain this limit are called Transcendents.¡± Hekatra said.


    ¡°Then, why are they called Transcendents?¡± Duchess asked, expressing her curiosity.


    ¡°Since you are a Dungeon Monster, you wouldn¡¯t have known about it.¡± Hekatra continued to talk, ¡°The reason Transcendents are called as such is that they are no longer bound to an Armament or Puppet upon attaining this state of being. They can use their Dac reserves as they wish.¡±


    She caused her hand to emit a yellowish-white radiance, condensing a projection of her hand using her energy de, extending it in size to grab a rock and crush it into powder. She then varied it in size as she deemed fit, ¡°This is my power as a Warrior that reached Transcendence. My energy de is called the Energy Hand. I can condense a pair of hands using my Dac and can use them as I deem fit. There is no State like in an Armament. I can freely modify my Energy Hand as I want.¡±


    ¡°And,¡± After retracting her Energy Hand, she condensed the figure of a Haggon¡ªenergy de form¡ªbeside her using her Dac, ¡°And, this is my power as a Puppeteer that reached Transcendence. I can create a puppet of a Haggon to use freely. Though, there is no practical use in this power. After all, I can achieve anything I need using my Energy Hand itself. As this Haggon Puppet is in essence still an energy de, it doesn¡¯t have any weight. So, it cannot exhibit any force.¡±


    ¡°Though, it is still useful in multitasking,¡± She smiled, condensing five Haggon Puppets around her, ¡°A Puppeteer¡¯s limit is five Puppets. And as a Transcendent, I can control five of them, thanks to my talent.¡±


    She then caused the Haggon Puppets to shrink or erge, ¡°There are more uses to a Puppet too, but I am more inclined to use my Energy Hand since it gets the job done the quickest. And, if I wish, I can still use a regr Armament or Puppet. Only when my Darble Horn appears on my forehead is when I activate my powers as a Transcendent.¡±


    ¡®Incredible!¡¯ Compass Carburettor was amazed, clearly understanding that Hekatra was holding back while trying to capture them before. After all, based on what she had said, she was also able to increase the strength of her energy de. Meaning, Duchess wouldn¡¯t have been able to break out of her Energy Hand had she not underestimated them to be regr humans.


    ¡®We were just Lucky.¡¯ He sighed.

 Chapter 100: Please Help Us

    <h4>Chapter 100: Please Help Us</h4>


    Hekatra pointed at her Darble Horn, causing it to morph until it becamepressed into a kite-shaped crystal, ¡°And this, is a Warble. There are a couple of uses in using this Warble, the pinnacle creation of our Great Empire.¡±


    She said with a hint of pride, ¡°Usually when you be a Transcendent, the ability you gain is based on the Armament and Puppet that you have used for the longest duration in your life. So, were you using a shield the longest, then you are stuck with a shield as your ability. That simply sucks, because the Transcendent state allows you full reign over your ability. And, having a shield ability means you have lost all your potential attack power.¡±


    ¡°A lot of Transcendents in the past have despaired about obtaining a useless ability that simply caused them to underperform aspared to their potential.¡± Hekatra sighed, ¡°After all, it¡¯s not like we have a guarantee in reaching Transcendence, not to mention the time it takes to attain that state. When it arrives, it arrives. And, to train our Dac reserves, we use simple Armaments the most. So, our resulting Transcendent ability is¡­pretty sh*tty to be frank.¡±


    ¡°And, that¡¯s where the Warble arrives.¡± She grinned, ¡°This would be fused into our Darble Horn, allowing us to freely choose our Transcendent Ability. Thanks to this, every Transcendent in our Great Megwest Empire possessed abilities that perfectly suited them, allowing our might to exceed the might of Great Empires from multiple continents,bined.¡±


    ¡°And, that¡¯s not all.¡± She said, ¡°For Transcendents that possessed some Puppeteer talent, they can use the second function in the Warble.¡±


    Sporting a solemn tone, she proimed, ¡°They can remove the Warble from their foreheads and nt it on anyone, whether human or Dungeon Monster. And, once they win the battle of the mind, they would inhabit the body of the respective human or Dungeon Monster. And, since all those possessing a Warble were old, experienced veterans of war, they would always win.¡±


    ¡°We used this to inhabit the bodies of Haggons.¡± Hekatra said, ¡°With that, we obtained tremendous power. We created Warble that even people who hadn¡¯t attained the level of Transcendence could use. Using that, they inhabited the bodies of other Dungeon Monsters, also turning more powerful.¡±


    ¡°What happened to your original bodies?¡± Compass Carburettor asked.


    ¡°Without our souls, our original bodies were in aatose state. And, they would remain as such unless we decide to return.¡± She shook her head, ¡°But, none of us even cared about that, causing our bodies to shriven up eventually from hunger. With that, we attained a point of no return. After all, using our Warble a second time to inhabit the body of someone else was insanely difficult. We have to first refine it to a certain extent.¡±


    Hekatra sighed, ¡°And, even to this day, none of us managed to do that, except for one person, the Great Emperor¡¯s son. It seems he managed to refine it long ago and had chosen tomit suicide. It was because he was unwilling to remain a Haggon any longer.¡±


    ¡°Was he fed up with living life as a Dungeon Monster?¡± Duchess asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Hekatra nodded, her tone turning weaker as she spoke, ¡°It is because as time passed, the instinct of the Haggons began to conflict against our human instincts. And eventually, we began to be more and more like Haggons, mindless brute monsters that wished to break everything in their path. The Haggons barely had any intelligence, so we had chosen them to reside within. But over the years, we began to lose ourrades whose human selves were destroyed, causing them to return to being mindless Haggons once again.¡±


    ¡°So, if we wished to escape such a fate, bing human was the only way out. But, none of us wished to do that, intending to remain powerful even if it meant such a fate awaited us.¡± Sheughed, ¡°After all, we had already lived longer than our human lives had dictated. A Haggon¡¯s natural lifespan is around 300-400 years.¡±


    Hekatra concluded, ¡°The reason I attacked Lord Spirit is because of our Great Emperor¡¯s finalmand. It was to select a suitable human to imnt the Warble of the Emperor¡¯s Son. This way, the Emperor¡¯s son would be able to walk thends in his human form once again.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Compass Carburettor muttered, immediately thinking of something, ¡®A battle of the minds to dictate the body¡¯s ownership. It¡¯s the perfect clich¨¦ for a System Host to obtain power. The ve Harem System would give him a Skill to strengthen his mind, allowing him to end up as a victor when this Great Emperor imnt¡¯s his son¡¯s Warble into Regriel¡¯s forehead.¡¯


    He smiled, ¡°Can you tell me more about this battle of the mind? How was your experience regarding it?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Hekatra nodded, recounting the entirety of her experience and everything else that she had heard from her colleagues.


    Once she told him everything, Compass Carburettor looked at her, his gaze boring into her eyes, ¡°Do you wish to bring back yourrades? Thanks to my power, your humanity would no longer slip away.¡±


    ¡°I am grateful for your help.¡± Hekatra bowed, ¡°As I have be a member of Secret Society, I realised that nothing else has changed in me. I am still Hekatra, a loyal citizen of the Great Megwest Empire and our Great Emperor¡¯s right hand.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Compass Carburettorughed, ¡°Your identity won¡¯t change, nor will your disposition. Joining the Secret Society only has benefits. There are no disadvantages.¡±


    ¡°Please follow me, Lord Spirit,¡± Hekatra said, returning to her Haggon form, noticing that she still maintained perfect rity of mind. Moreover, the encroachment of the beast¡¯s instincts no longer happened in her, causing her to feel freedom for the first time in her life, feeling that what she had hoped to achieve had truly be reality today.


    Followed by a gentle bow, she prayed, transmitting her thoughts to Compass Carburettor, ¡°I¡¯ll lead you towards Mohart Dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Please rescue myrades.¡±


    ¡°Please help our Great Emperor.¡±


    ¡°And please, revive our once ster civilisation.¡±

 Chapter 101: What…Happened?

    <h4>Chapter 101: What¡­Happened?</h4>


    Compass Carburettor and Duchess sat on either side of Hekatra¡¯s shoulders as she zed through the territory with tremendous speeds. She used her Energy Hand to shield the two from winds, preventing them from being blown away.


    As they continued to head towards Mohart Dungeon, Duchess informed Compass Carburettor, ¡°Regriel has finished all his ns. He is now travelling towards Bureta Forest, having the same intention as you, Lord Spirit. Based on the report from our scouts, one of hispanions is a Puppeteer that controls insect type Puppets. Using that, they can easily fly towards Mohart Dungeon at top speed.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Compass Carburettor frowned, deep in thought. He soon asked Hekatra, ¡°How much Dac does a Haggon normally have. And how much does one at Transcendence have?¡±


    ¡°A Haggon¡¯s Dac reserve ranges between 5000-6000. That¡¯s how they can regenerate nonstop for extended durations.¡± Hekatra said with a hint of pride, ¡°And to attain Transcendence, a Haggon needs to attain 10,000 Dac. In our entire Great Empire¡¯s records of countless millennia, there hasn¡¯t been any Dungeon Monster with a greater Dac Reserve than a Haggon.¡±


    ¡°What about the Spirits?¡± Duchess transmitted a message to Hekatra. To ease the use ofmunication, Compass Carburettor Bestowed them both the power of Secret Society. Both of them had a loyalty greater than 100 after all.


    And, after seeing how ineffective his Anthozoa proved against suchrge-bodied Dungeon Monsters, he decided that possessing Secret Society was better for them. And thanks to that, they were able to converse with each other in telepathy.


    Compass Carburettor only talked with Hekatra to obtain information, remaining silent during the rest of the time, devising his ns. In the meantime, Duchess and Hekatra conversed nonstop.


    ¡°A Spirit doesn¡¯t conform to the norm. Each of them possesses varying abilities. Though, most of them don¡¯t amount to anything. After all, they have weak bodies. So, if their ability isn¡¯t anything special, then they don¡¯t amount to much.¡± Hekatra continued, ¡°Based on our records, a Spirit possesses around 2000-7000 Dac.¡±


    ¡°Then, why are they feared so much?¡± Duchess expressed her confusion.


    ¡°It¡¯s because no two Spirits possess the same ability.¡± Hekatra sighed, ¡°So, guarding against them is simply impossible. You¡¯ll have to device new strategies against every single one.¡±


    ¡°Thankfully, the Spirits hardly venture out of their continent.¡± She sighed in relief, ¡°Their continent is situated at a remote part of the world where the ocean and wind currents make it impossible to exit it. That¡¯s why hardly any of them exits their continent. Otherwise, this world would have be a chaotic ce.¡±


    ¡°If you pit two Haggons against one another, you can generally say that the one with a greater Dac reserve would win. Since it would be a simple contest of them tearing apart each other up and using their regeneration powers to expend as much Dac of the other party as possible.¡± She concluded, ¡°But in terms of a Spirit, nothing can ever be stated as a fact. A Spirit with 300 Dac could end up winning against one with 7000 Dac. That¡¯s what makes them terrifying.¡±


    ¡°140 years ago, our Great Empire fought against a group of Spirits.¡± She sighed, ¡°It was a disaster as the Spirits constantly evaded our pursuit and wreaked havoc among the civilians. That¡¯s why Spirits are feared on this continent to date.¡±


    After more than ten hours of travel, Hekatra reached the Mohart Dungeon, sighing as she looked at the decrepit state of her capital city. Due to the robustness of the construction material used, the city remained the same as before.


    The only difference was theck of use, the liveliness of the people unavable. Haggons casually roamed around the ce, using any building that caught their fancy to rest within. Some of them tussled with each other to settle disputes. Though, the fight was too gory to witness.


    Hekatra arrived before the Dungeon Gate of the Mohart dungeon, ¡°Our Empire has hope of recovering now thanks to you, Lord Spirit. I, Hekatra am ever grateful to you.¡±


    As Compass Carburettor smiled in response, she entered through the Dungeon Gate.


    Level 5 Dungeon¡ªMohart Dungeon!


    Right as they entered, Compass Carburettor shuddered as his Mental Energy form turned sluggish, being impacted upon by a Mental Energy stream that almost destroyed it into pieces. He barely transmitted the message through telepathy, ¡°D-Dan¡­ger¡­¡±


    But, before he couldplete his warning, Compass Carburettor noticed that he was hovering in the air. And, something seemed to have mmed into Hekatra, causing a massive hole to form on her stomach, with the impact sending her flying out of the Dungeon Gate.


    As for Duchess, she suffered an attack that sent her flying out of the Dungeon Gate too. And, the force of impact shattered her body into pieces, killing her instantly. Soon after, Duchess reappeared in her Grogar form, slick with sweat as she gazed at her human body that was a mushed paste now.


    Hekatra quickly jumped up and rushed towards the Dungeon Gate, mming into it as she was unable to enter it. An energy de had wrapped around the Dungeon Gate, preventing her entry. She mmed her Energy Hand into it, failing to dent it, ¡®There is just one person whose energy de is strong enough to not even suffer a scratch from my attacks.¡¯


    She screamed at the top of her lungs, ¡°Your Majesty, why?¡±


    ¡°Lord Spirit, are you alright?¡± Duchess screamed as she rammed into the Dungeon Gate, failing to cause any damage. She and Hekatra constantly mounted attacks on it but were unable to budge it. And, no matter how many times they screamed through their telepathy, none of them received any reply.


    The energy de blocking the Dungeon Gate had be opaque, instead of its usual translucent look every energy de possesses, signifying the immense level it had beenpressed into, the reason they were unable to budge it.


    And, despite their state of panic, none of them received a reply, even though it ought to have just taken a thought. It was as if¡­their Lord Spirit, Compass Carburettor wasn¡¯t alive anymore.

 Chapter 102: Meharb’s Fear

    <h4>Chapter 102: Meharb¡¯s Fear</h4>


    Compass Carburettor barely managed to see one thing before fainting. It was the scene of an energy de in the shape of a tentacle mming a kite-shaped crystal on his forehead before knocking him out.


    It was a dimly lit space, of a void, nothing evesting. Compass Carburettor found himself hovering on one side, looking no different to his current appearance. In his hand was a gun, his Anthozoa.


    And, standing before him, at a distance separated by 20 metres was a Haggon, one that switched states between its Haggon and human form. The human form was a middle-aged man in histe forties, sporting grey sideburns, wearing a pair of spectacles, giving him the demeanour of a schr.


    He had rather clear eyes, one of wisdom, suffusing with intelligence, and avarice towards knowledge. Slowly, he opened his eyes, gazing at Compass Carburettor as he sighed, ¡°So, it hase to this.¡±


    ¡°A battle¡­of the mind?¡± Compass Carburettor muttered, recalling everything Hekatra had said, gazing at the middle-aged man before him, ¡°So, are you the son of the Great Megwest Empire¡¯s Emperor?¡±


    ¡°You can just call me Meharb.¡± The middle-aged man said, performing a mild bow, ¡°They must have forced my Warble upon you. I offer an apology on their behalf.¡±


    ¡°I was being escorted by Hekatra towards Mohart Dungeon. And the moment we entered it, someone overpowered her. I appeared here right after that,¡± Compass Carburettor said, feeling rxed for some reason.


    ¡°Hekatra? She¡¯s still sane?¡± Meharb was surprised, ¡°That is impressive of her to do so. I thought all of them would have lost their sanity by now.¡±


    ¡°Were you still able to sense the outside world through your Warble?¡± Compass Carburettor asked in surprise.


    ¡°No, my consciousness was in a state of suspended animation until my Warble was ced on you. But, when I took my life, there were only four others that still maintained their sanity.¡± He sighed, taking on a seated posture as he said, ¡°I am tired. Just kill me and use my power as you please.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me what happened to the Great Megwest Empire?¡± Compass Carburettor asked, thinking that he might as well do it now that he had the opportunity to do so. Meharb seemed like someone that was the most knowledgeable out of everyone.


    ¡°I might as well do that.¡± Meharb sighed, thinking for some time before he began to speak, ¡°Research had been conducted to harness the power of Dac since ages ago. And, even though it is a convenient power, Dac was never tamed in any field apart from its intended use. So, for many centuries, we had been troubled by it.¡±


    ¡°After that, we found our first breakthrough. It was to melt and fuse Darble Crystals into other materials to give them mysterious properties. One of them is the luminescence stones probably widely circted through the market channels to these days.¡± Meharb said.


    As he spoke, an image shed behind him. Since this was the domain of the mind, he was capable of rying his thoughts. Rather, upon seeing his actions, Compass Carburettor understood just what he was doing.


    Instead of using his willpower to battle, Meharb was expending it to tell Compass Carburettor about various things.


    ¡°A Darble Crystal that is 10 centimetres long can be fused into a ton of Afarmium to create the luminescence rock. And, it can be broken down and carved into a variety of shapes. They emit a weak light and only need to be charged once a day with Dac. As long as you touch them, your Dac will be absorbed and it would be recharged.¡± He spoke.


    ¡°It can be recharged?¡± Compass Carburettor was surprised, ¡°That is impressive.¡±


    ¡°A typical Puppet hasplex circuitry within it that is thousands of times moreplex than this. Dac and Darble indeed can be used in numerous ways. But, the difficulty in attaining most of it is impossible with the level of technology possessed by a Kingdom or an average Empire.¡± He sighed, ¡°Leaving all that aside, one of our breakthroughs yielded us strange results, allowing us to understand the true extent of power Dac possesses.¡±


    ¡°This is the body¡¯s reservoir of energy. Anything the body needs is present in this. Rather,¡± He said solemnly, ¡°A Darble Crystal produced by a Dungeon Monster actually contains all its gic material within it. So, as long as we have a Darble Crystal, we can reproduce the Dungeon Monster in its entirety, with zero changes, allowing for a perfect revival. The case is the same for a human Transcendent¡¯s Darble Horn.¡±


    ¡°And, this is the project that led to the chaos thatter swept through our Great Empire.¡± He said, turning silent after that.


    ¡°Wait, I thought turning into Dungeon Monsters everywhere and the countless Dungeon Breaks caused your Great Empire¡¯s copse?¡± Compass Carburettor was shocked, obtaining information that was different from what he had obtained to date.


    ¡°Did Hekatra tell you anything rted to the group of Spirits that invaded our Great Empire once?¡± He asked all of a sudden.


    ¡°Yes, only a couple of hours ago, in fact.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded.


    ¡°All our troubles started from there.¡± Sighing, Meharb continued, ¡°It was unknown as to what method they used. But, they were able to obtain their hands on the Darble Horn of our Ancestor, a Transcendent that was said to have surpassed the limit of humanity. Unfortunately, all information about him had been erased from our records by our Ancestors. So, we didn¡¯t know anything beyond a couple of poems stating his im to have surpassed 1000 Dac.¡±


    ¡°And, once we subdued the Spirits, we obtained his Darble Horn. And¡­using our method, we managed to revive him. But, it was only then did we understand the reason records about him were erased in the first ce.¡± Meharb sighed, ¡°He was a cannibal. Rather, he had figured out a method of cannibalism and had obtained an ability rted to this. Using it, by devouring a human, he was able to increase his Dac reserves.¡±


    ¡°Though, this increase was so minute and insignificant that it was nothing worth mention about. But, he, Metico, continued to repeat the act and increase his Dac reserves to a monstrous extent. Moreover, the more he repeated this action, the greater his body evolved to consume humans. His appearance was still that of a human, but he was anything like it.¡± Meharb shuddered in fear.


    ¡°We hacked him, burned him, drowned him into poison, etc. But no matter what, he suddenly popped out from the bodies of other people for no rhyme or reason, reviving swiftly after death.¡±

 Chapter 103: The Great Empire’s Destruction

    <h4>Chapter 103: The Great Empire¡¯s Destruction</h4>


    ¡°You die when you are killed. How can a human go against that?¡± Compass Carburettor was confused, failing to understand just how something like this was possible.


    ¡°This was a w in the revival method that we hadn¡¯t expected. As he was the first one that we tried it upon, everything had been unexpected. And, Metico abused it, sprinkling the dust of his Darble Horn in the air to be inhaled by others. Through this, a fragment of him would remain within the body of others like a parasite, grow in strength, and umte enough energy over time.¡± His face was pale as Meharb spoke.


    Removing his spectacles, he consoled himself, living through the trauma as the scenes of the incident shed behind him, ¡°Once a fragment gathered enough energy, it would condense his figure once again, allowing him to pop out of a human.¡±


    ¡°Using this ability, he constantly preyed on the people, devouring them day in and day out. And every time he appeared, he was slightly stronger. To prevent news of this from leaking out, we closed off our borders, intending to wipe him outpletely. Unfortunately, it was easier said than done.¡± He sighed.


    ¡°As a Transcendent, he was stronger than all our Transcendents. His Dac had a property of evolving on its own, due to whatever he had done with it. This was why our Ancestors had paid a heavy price to deal with him and erased all records about his existence. Unfortunately, we went and revieved him.¡±


    ¡°Onlyter did we find out that his ability to revive wasn¡¯t unlimited. After all, when he first sprinkled the powder of his Darble Horn, many of the citizens had inhaled it. But, he only popped out from some of their bodies.¡± Meharb clenched his hand into a fist, trembling in rage as he said, ¡°When we researched about it, it was proven that he was only able to revive through the bodies of those that possess royal blood.¡±


    ¡°And, our Great Empire had existed for many millennia, having ensured its integrity without ever conquering other ces or being conquered even once. And with a general estimate, around thirty percent of our poption had a tinge of royal blood in them. Anyone with a bit of aptitude towards bing a Warrior or a Puppeteer had a trace of the royal blood in them.¡± He sighed, ¡°And this meant, the entire military might of the Great Megwest Empire was vulnerable to his ability. He would be able to revive from all of us.¡±


    ¡°I personally killed him seven times. But, there was simply no end to him. And, as there didn¡¯t exist any records, we were unable to find out just how he was killed in the first ce.¡± Sporting a wry smile, Meharb said, ¡°Left with no other option, we initiated the Warble Project. You must know what a Warble does, right?¡±


    Seeing Compass Carburettor nod, he continued, ¡°This was just to hide within the bodies of Dungeon Monsters and put an end to him once and for all.¡±


    ¡°But, only then did we realise that we yed into his hands.¡± Sighing, Meharb continued, ¡°It seems Warble had already beenpleted many centuries ago. And, that was precisely the method used by our Ancestors to get rid of him. And, the revival method existed then too. Rather, Metico was the one to create it.¡±


    ¡°Before his demise, he had hidden records about the revival method in numerous ces, allowing for the dispersed knowledge to umte over time. And, the one charged with executing it was a certain Spirit possessing the ability of longevity. So, once every able Puppeteer used the Warble and became a Dungeon Monster, Metico began to rapidly revive one after another, creating a pile of corpses everywhere using which he revived instantly every single time.¡±


    ¡°He went after the helpless citizens that didn¡¯t have an affinity to be a Puppeteer. Moreover, he began to revive as numerous individuals¡ªclones¡ªinstead, each with a minor change in personality.¡± Meharb shuddered, ¡°This change was probably brought about because his Darble Horn absorbed the variant gics from countless people. Overnight, Metico had formed an army of himself.¡±


    ¡°We, using our stronger Dungeon Monster forms shed with him, an army of Transcendents.¡± Meharb said, concluding, ¡°Basically, that was the civil war that ended our Great Empire. Even though we seeded in annihting him, our Great Empire was no more. The rest of our lives could only be spent moping about as the monster in us slowly surfaced.¡±


    ¡°As people lost their sanity one after another, a second war ensued as numerous Dungeon Monsters shed.¡± Meharb smiled wryly, ¡°Basically, that was how one mistake led to our Great Empire¡¯s demise. Now, I have no reason to return. But,¡±


    He smiled a little, ¡°My Warble is different. Basically, what had once been the goal of the Warble Project has been achieved by me. And that is to be a Dungeon Monster while remaining yourself.¡±


    ¡°What¡­does that mean?¡± Compass Carburettor was shocked, seeing a multitude of images flicker behind Meharb.


    ¡°Once you defeat me here, my Warble would be yours. And immediately, you¡¯ll stop being human and would begin to turn into a Haggon. After all, I have refined my Warble while remaining a Haggon, so the gic material forming its core is that of a Haggon too. This is the core of the Warble Project.¡± Meharb grinned, ¡°After spotting the strongest Dungeon Monster species, we would use the Warble to be them. And, once we refine our Darble while remaining that way, we can transnt our Warble in any other organism and morph it into our monster species.¡±


    ¡°Since I refined it using a Haggon, you¡¯ll start to turn into a Haggon yourself soon after this battle of the mind concludes. And, no matter which species you imnt this Warble into, you¡¯ll end up as a Haggon after inhabiting their body.¡± Meharb concluded, ¡°It¡¯s been long enough already. Let¡¯s end it now.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try to fight me? If you win against me, you can still revive your Empire yourself.¡± Compass Carburettor frowned.


    ¡°No chance,¡± Meharbughed helplessly, gazing at the colossal projections of the Earth and his world silently hovering behind Compass Carburettor, ¡°I cannot win against two whole worlds by myself.¡±

 Chapter 104: Two Conclusions

    <h4>Chapter 104: Two Conclusions</h4>


    ¡°Well, that is true.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, gazing at the projection of the two worlds behind him, ¡°This was also the reason I was kind of hoping to enter a battle of the mind. Since that was the best way to obtain my hand on this treasure before Regriel. And as I had expected, it is indeed a powerful treasure.¡±


    The ability to transfer bodies using Warble almost guaranteed immortality, as long as it wasn¡¯t destroyed. And, no matter the species it was imnted upon, the result would be the birth of a Haggon, the strongest Dungeon Monster with a whopping Dac limit of 10,000.


    So, the moment Regriel got his hands on the Warble, killing him would be stupendously difficult, if not straight-up impossible. He would be able to survive any situation as long as he removed his Warble and allowed one of hispanions to run away with it.


    It was the ability wielded by the protagonist¡ªa System Host.


    ¡°Regriel? You expected it? What are you talking about?¡± Meharb was confused now, realising that the individual before him wasn¡¯t a helpless victim.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Compass Carburettor took in a deep breath, saying after a lot of hesitation, ¡°Sys¡­tem¡­?¡±


    ¡°System!¡±


    Upon saying it once again, he sighed in relief when nothing happened, realising that this was within his mind. So, nothing would happen if he spoke about it with Meharb, ¡°Actually, I was somewhat expecting to act like a victim so that your father would imnt your Warble on me. That way, I was hoping to obtain this power for myself.¡±


    He then sighed, ¡°But, who would have expected him to straight-up ambush us and force it on me. The means were different than my ns, but the result remains the same.¡±


    He then looked at Meharb, bowing once, ¡°I have to face against a formidable enemy. You are by far the most intelligent man I have ever encountered. Please help me!¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, I¡¯m all ears,¡± Meharb said curiously, condensing a chair for him to be seated upon as he remained in his human form.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded with gratitude as he began to talk about his experiences, starting from when he was on Earth. He also condensed numerous System novels and other books that he had read, giving them to Meharb to read.


    He noticed that anything rted to this battle of the mind relied on one thing, Mental Energy. So, the one with arger Mental Energy and experience in wielding it would be the winner. And usually, the longer-lived and more experienced one was, the stronger their mind, which in return corrted to their umtion of Mental Energy.


    And, Compass Carburettor had nock of Mental Energy. After all, there was enough influx at the moment that his Mental Energy Form was barely holding up. So, he used it to condense a library worth of books, containing all the information he had obtained. This way, he also reduced the strain on his Mental Energy Form.


    As he listened to his story, Meharb slowly became more and more excited, ¡°I see, Earth is such an interesting world. Their development is different from what we have ventured forth into. I see, microprocessors¡­incredible. They share some simrities in ideologies to the Darble Circuit in Puppets.¡±


    He then frowned, looking at a certain System novel, ¡°Eh? This is in your world too? This is a rather popr System novel here.¡±


    ¡°As for the contents¡­¡± He frowned upon reading it further, ¡°It is basically the same.¡±


    Meharb then looked through other System novels, ¡°This¡­this, and this too, all of them are the same. I¡¯ve already read them during my youth. I enjoyed them at one point in time too. And this one, ¡®My System¡¯s Bullsh*t Tendencies Are Unparalleled¡¯ was super popr in our Great Empire during my childhood.¡±


    ¡°So¡­this is giarism on an intergctic level?¡± Compass Carburettorughed, ¡°They have omnipotent power on a logic-breaking level, and they can¡¯t be bothered to create stories exclusive to each world?¡±


    ¡°If your enemy is a System¡­¡± Meharb sighed upon reading through a tremendous volume of books, ¡°There is indeed a lot of uncertainties involved.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is what I have nned.¡± Compass Carburettor began to detail everything he had nned to date.


    And after hearing through everything, Meharb frowned, ¡°You have indeed thought through things a lot. But, one thing puzzles me.¡±


    ¡°Even though all your gains here are the product of your relentless schemes and training, but I feel like everything has flown in your way without any hups.¡± He said solemnly, ¡°Are you sure there isn¡¯t anything like a Fate or Destiny System still within you?¡±


    ¡°I have thought about it too, but shouldn¡¯t there only be one System within a body? Can two Systems even coexist without devouring each other up?¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°And, if another indeed existed inside me, then it shouldn¡¯t have been possible for the Money-Making System to attempt to devour me in the first ce, since the second System would stop it.¡±


    ¡°Right, there is that too.¡± Meharb nodded, ¡°But in the end, this person called Fourth saved you right at the nick of time, right? Considering how big the System World might be if it¡¯s the home to the millions of Systems out there, what is the chance for a System yer to encounter you at the opportune moment?¡±


    ¡°I can offer two conclusions for this,¡± Meharb said, ¡°The first is that Fourth is the other System that had been within your body and took action on time. And, when you created your Personal Fragment, it might have imbued something within the body part of the Money-Making System within you. And, everything that¡¯s happening now is its n to harvest from youter.¡±


    ¡°And, what¡¯s the Second conclusion?¡± Compass Carburettor asked, feeling a chill creep up his spine.


    ¡°This is rather straightforward.¡± Meharbughed, ¡°Fourth is a System yer like it had said. And, it was actually on Earth hunting for any Systems that had arrived. And, when it arrived to hunt you, it noticed that your System was nning to return to the System World and rode the journey through. That¡¯s how it was able to save you at the perfect time.¡±

 Chapter 105: Meharb’s Departure

    <h4>Chapter 105: Meharb¡¯s Departure</h4>


    ¡°It was a pleasure meeting you, kind sir.¡± Compass Carburettor shook hands with Meharb, ¡°Thanks to you, I have more confidence in my ns.¡±


    ¡°The pleasure¡¯s all mine. I enjoyed going through all the knowledge you have given me.¡± Meharb grinned, ¡°Though, it¡¯s a pity that I can¡¯t witness you killing a System. Just the thought of it fires up my inner youth. I hope you seed.¡±


    ¡°Use my power to achieve that!¡± Saying his piece, Meharb¡¯s figure slowly dissipated, having expended all the Mental Energy he had stored up. He was already consuming it to show Compass Carburettor many details. And, they had spent a lot of time here.


    ¡°Thank you for all your help, Meharb.¡± Compass Carburettor bowed once again upon seeing the figure of his opponent vanish, having a tremendously high opinion of him, ¡°I¡¯ll never forget your help.¡±


    He could then feel a mysterious power envelop him as he exited the battle of the mind.


    ¡­


    Right behind the Dungeon Gate to the Mohart Dungeon was the Dungeon Boss, still using his energy de to block the Dungeon entrance, preventing Hekatra from entering. And all along, he was in a partial maddened state, gazing at the figure of Compass Carburettor on the ground.


    ¡°Son, why are you taking so long? Hurry up ande out. I cannot maintain my sanity any longer.¡± He groaned, desperately holding on while using up everyst of his willpower to just hold on.


    But, it had already been a week since he mmed his son¡¯s Warble on Compass Carburettor¡¯s forehead. And upon seeing how long it was taking for the battle of the mind to conclude, he was getting tensed, ¡°Why is it taking so long? Did I choose the wrong person? Is he proving to be too much of a threat?¡±


    He frowned in worry, muttering, ¡°But, I could sense that this human was tremendously powerful aspared to the rest. So, if I had to pick anyone, he was the best bet.¡±


    He then groaned, noticing the extent of attacks being mmed onto his energy de, ¡°Indeed as I had suspected. Something has happened to Hekatra. Did she fully lose her sanity? The timing is pretty awful.¡±


    Slowly, when it seemed like he was unable to endure any longer, he was overjoyed when Compass Carburettor¡¯s fingers twitched before he got up.


    ¡°What¡­just happened?¡± Compass Carburettor muttered, repeating everything Meharb told him to say, ¡°It feels like I¡¯ve been in a nightmare. We didn¡¯t revive Metico, did we?¡±


    ¡°Son! You¡¯re back!¡± The Dungeon Boss roared in happiness, ¡°Thank goodness. Now, I don¡¯t have to endure anymore. Son, quick! Hurry out! I¡¯ll bridge a safe route for you to escape from here. Get to safety and live in peace from hereafter.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to sacrifice yourself.¡± Compass Carburettor said, sporting a tone that Meharb would have used had he been in his ce, ¡°I¡¯ve figured out the method for you to retain your sanity. You no longer need to suffer.¡±


    He quickly drew the symbol of Secret Society on the ground, ¡°This is Secret Society. It is something I figured out by researching through our Great Empire¡¯s restricted records. The moment you feel some loyalty towards it, your mind would be cleared up. I was experimenting with this beforemitting suicide. And now that I have returned without any issues, it seems to be working perfectly.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let me do it.¡± The Dungeon Boss said, having unwavering confidence in his son¡¯s words. Moreover, his son talked the same as usual, so he didn¡¯t feel any suspicion.


    It was not to mention the fact that he wasn¡¯t at a clear state of mind, barely enduring frompletely turning into a Haggon mentally. So, he quickly followed through.


    It was rather surprising since Compass Carburettor noticed the loyalty stream between them seem green right from the get-go. There wasn¡¯t a trace of red right from the start, causing him to realise, ¡®Indeed, considering Meharb¡¯s character, resourcefulness, and intelligence, it isn¡¯t surprising for even the Emperor to rely on him.¡¯


    He quickly condensed the symbol of Secret Society and ced it on the foot of the Dungeon Boss, watching it seep into his body. And a couple of secondster, the eyes of the Dungeon Boss cleared up as he was shocked.


    He then looked around, for a moment rmed at his staunch rity of mind. It was no different to the time from when he was a human. Soon, he realised something, trembling in sadness upon looking at Compass Carburettor, ¡°You¡¯re¡­not Meharb?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Compass Carburettor shook his head, ¡°Your son didn¡¯t wish to return. All he did was cram as much knowledge into me as possible until his figure in the battle of the mind dissipated.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± The Dungeon Boss sighed, copsing to the ground in exhaustion, ¡°Until the end, you are stubborn, Meharb. You could have at least seen me just once.¡±


    ¡°Lord Father, you will regain your prime glory once again through Secret Society. I hope you take care of your health and be the guiding ray of our Great Empire once again.¡± Compass Carburettor said while using Meharb¡¯s tone, ¡°This is what your son told me to convey you.¡±


    Tears streamed out of his eyes as the Dungeon Boss became sad, ¡°I am unworthy of having such a great son as you, Meharb.¡±


    A couple of minutester, he controlled his emotions, now gazing at Compass Carburettor as he said, ¡°So, you are sir Domino Plottopia?¡±


    ¡°You can also call me Compass Carburettor.¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°Also, Hekatra too became part of Secret Society. So, she¡¯s recovered too.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± The Dungeon Boss muttered, only now noticing that the attacks on the other side had died down. He then retracted his energy de, watching the figure of Hekatra hurriedly enter before kneeling on the ground, proiming with all the power she could muster.


    ¡°I am honoured by Your Majesty¡¯s return!¡±


    ¡°Long life His Majesty!¡±


    ¡°Long live the Great Megwest Empire!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Hekatra. You can get up now.¡± The Dungeon Boss said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to pay respect to a failed Emperor.¡±

 Chapter 106: The Main Character Squad

    <h4>Chapter 106: The Main Character Squad</h4>


    ¡°I¡¯m d that you are safe, Lord Spirit.¡± Duchess said in gratitude, ¡°I was afraid all along that something bad happened to you.¡±


    ¡°As long as Secret Society is functional, it means nothing had happened to me.¡± Compass Carburettorughed, patting Duchess on the head, noticing the dark bags under her eyes, a show of her stress andck of sleep.


    ¡°I realised that. But¡­¡± She sighed, wiping her tears, ¡°When I failed to receive any message, I had expected the worst.¡±


    He then asked through telepathy, ¡°What is the status of Regriel?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s already entered the Great Megwest Empire.¡± Duchess replied through telepathy, ¡°And, he¡¯ll arrive here by tonight. Based on his flight speed, we have less than three hours before his arrival.¡±


    ¡°Dammit!¡± Compass Carburettor got up with a start, hurriedly looking at the Dungeon Boss as he said, ¡°There is a terrifying enemy that we have to face next. Based on what Meharb said to me, the enemy we face is somewhat connected to Metico.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± The Dungeon Boss frowned, expressed killing intent, ¡°If he darese here, I¡¯ll shred him into pieces.¡±


    Dungeon Boss!


    His killing intent was so powerful that Compass Carburettor fainted immediately.


    Upon seeing his state, the Dungeon Boss hurriedly retracted his killing intent, watching Compass Carburettor get up with a start a minuteter.


    ¡°So, what type of enemy is this?¡± The Dungeon Boss asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s the type that is aware of our ns the moment we think of him.¡± Compass Carburettor said, switching over to telepathy, ¡°So, only when you are conversing with me through this will he not detect the information. Now, I¡¯ll ry the n that Meharb had refined over the past week.¡±


    Once he finished rying the n, the Dungeon Boss summoned for all the Haggons toe before it. In the meantime, Compass Carburettor noticed that his skin was faintly changing while his body was increasing in size a little.


    And, an intense sense of hunger enveloped him. As he ryed the details to Hekatra, she quickly sprinted towards ake nearby and brought in arge batch of fish that he devoured voraciously. As his teeth grew stronger, he shattered the bones of the fish before swallowing everything whole.


    And, as he continued to eat, his body continued to change, increasing in size little by little. Soon after, once he finished consuming a truckload worth of fishes, he had turned into a Haggon, a Dungeon Monster that spanned five metres in height.


    Such a massive difference in the body stature disoriented his senses, for a moment failing to even move his body. He just wasn¡¯t used to the notion of being able to do so in such a massive, heavy creature.


    Thankfully for him, turning into a Haggon also increased his Dac reserves, causing it to surpass 100, allowing him to expend 100 Dac and turn into a human. He noticed that his appearance as a human remained the same, sighing in relief.


    Moreover, he had indeed eaten a lot while as a Haggon, so a constant stream of Dac was generated, refilling his expended reserves.


    ¡°I have around 120 Dac now.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°This is great!¡±


    In the meantime, a lot of Haggons had gathered near the entrance as the Dungeon Boss pointed at some of the Haggons, ¡°They were originally my citizens. Please save them.¡±


    ¡°Definitely!¡± Compass Carburettor nodded as he was carried by Hekatra, shielding him from any harm. Thankfully, themand was from the Dungeon Boss, so none of the Haggons tried to attack him, allowing him to nt the symbol of Secret Society in their bodies.


    Suddenly, their eyes became clear as they mumbled, ¡°What¡­happened to me?¡±


    ¡°Wee back! A method to retain your sanity is here now.¡± The Dungeon Boss said as all the Haggons that became members of Secret Society kneeled before him.


    ¡°There is still plenty. But, each level of this Dungeon spans 1200 kilometres in radius. So, it would take them many days for them to arrive from the bottom levels.¡± He continued.


    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s proceed deeper into the Dungeon. That way, the Mental Energy consumed to save Regriel would be higher due to the distance of escape involved.¡±


    He arrived before the entrance, taking out a scroll from his backpack that he half inserted into the ground, cing it beside a boulder. It was the bait he had prepared to lure Regriel deep into the Dungeon.


    Now that he was privy to the truth of the situation, he noticed that the forged scroll he prepared didn¡¯t have any mistakes in it, ¡°This might have been the reason the ve-Harem System believed it in the first ce.¡±


    After cing some of the Haggons belonging to Secret Society in discrete ces, made to mingle with the many Haggon groups there, the remainder headed deeper into the Dungeon. Along the way, the Dungeon Boss pointed at every Haggon that had once been a human.


    Compass Carburettor made them all into members of the Secret Society. He didn¡¯t have any problems with Mental Energy. After all, just the thoughts from the Dungeon Boss were enough to generate a massive amount of Mental Energy to satisfy all his needs.


    So, he was able to condense as many symbols as needed. Moreover, since Hekatra already possessed Secret Society, she took on a different route, bringing in another stream of members.


    Thanks to the orders from the Dungeon Boss, every Haggon¡¯s loyalty crossed the minimum threshold. And after enough were made into members, Hekatra sent out a group of them to scout Mohart City.


    This way, they¡¯ll be alerted the moment Regriel arrived. It was a race against time as they had to finish all preparations before the System Host reached Mohart Dungeon. And, just traversing through the Dungeon levels would take them ages.


    After all, they nned to keep the fight at Level 5. This way, the distance necessary to teleport towards a safer ce in the upper levels¡ªif in the case the ve Harem System bought such an ability¡ªwould be high, and hence, the expended Mental Energy would also be high.


    After all, based on Regriel¡¯s Dac reserves, teleporting to faraway locations would be impossible.


    Three hourster, when the group was only running through the halfway point of level 1, a small team arrived at the entrance to Mohart Dungeon, right as predicted. They were led by a handsome man that shared zero resemnce to his initial obese self.


    The Main Character Squad!

 Chapter 107: Crescent Blade Transcendent

    <h4>Chapter 107: Crescent de Transcendent</h4>


    ¡°We have arrived at Mohart Dungeon,¡± Regriel said, apanying a group of four women that rode an insect-type Puppet.


    The Puppet looked simr to a housefly but with a diamond-shaped head and a polygon-styled body. It wasrge enough to carry all five of them without issue, the transport they used to quickly travel from the Heroica Empire and reach Mohart Dungeon within a day.


    ¡°There are many Haggons here. Let¡¯s proceed with caution. Chikon is too high profile.¡± General Artica said, expressing alertness, intending to defend against anything that might attack them. ¡°Are you feeling alright, Princess Raecha?¡±


    ¡°This hasn¡¯t been easy.¡± The one addressed as Princess Raecha, ady in herte twenties wiped off her sweat as sheined, ¡°I also had to carry your three Iron Puppets. So, the weight has increased my Dac consumption. If not for Wakuta¡¯s help in replenishing my Dac constantly, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to reach here within a day.¡±


    She was one of the princesses of the Heroica Empire. Having been kicked out of a contest for the throne, thanks to a strange string of fate, she ended up travelling with Regriel. Back in Heroica Empire, she was hailed as a genius for being able to control an insect-type Puppet with wless grace.


    And, to support her more, her aunt used her personal connections and resources to create an insect-type Darble Puppet for her. This allowed her to wield her prowess, even more, making her famous throughout the Heroica Empire.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Wakuta, the girl thanked by Princess Raecha nodded curtly. Even though she had a petite frame, she was six feet tall, resembling a mannequin thanks to herck of facial expressions.


    ¡°Spirits really are something,¡± Thest of the group was a middle-ageddy that sported some strands of white in her hair. Her expression was cold while every word uttered by her was suffused with arrogance. ¡°Though, they were always touted to be legendary. So, I thought they would have been terrifying.¡±


    She looked down on Wakuta, ¡°Except for your special ability, you are weak. You can¡¯t even fight.¡±


    ¡°I can still suck you dry of all your Dac though.¡± Wakuta snapped back. ¡°If you dare look down on us Spirits, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll pay for it, Rikune.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± The middle-ageddy, Rikune stared back as a tiny energy de shaped like a crescent moon slowly exited her hand, ¡°If you have the guts, try it. Before your beam cannd on me, my energy de will sever your head.¡±


    ¡°Aunt, please stop it. We are in enemy territory now.¡± Princess Raecha looked at Rikune, ¡°You¡¯ve seen how much the Great Megwest Empire has changed. We can¡¯t afford to be careless.¡±


    ¡°Oh please, you are worrying about it too much, Raecha. Even if a horde of Haggons attack us, I can easily kill them.¡± Rikune rolled her eyes, ¡°With me, the Crescent de Transcendent around, nothing can threaten us.¡±


    ¡°Still, it¡¯s for the best to be careful.¡± Regriel said,nding on the ground once they reached a discrete spot, ¡°And, you know how Wakuta is. Spirits have a different level ofmon sense than us.¡±


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s rest and recover a bit here before entering Mohart Dungeon.¡± He said, entering an inconspicuous house upon judging that it was safe. While everyone else entered it, he and Rikune awaited at the entrance.


    Closing the door, Regriel said, ¡°Shall we hunt a Haggon?¡±


    ¡°No need to kill one.¡± Rikune said, walking through the road as she motioned for Regriel to hide behind her, ¡°Just the arm of one is enough to feed all of us for a week.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do that then.¡± Regriel nodded, peeking out from a corner as he saw a lone Haggon resting on the road, using a house to rest its back upon, sleeping. ¡°That seems like a good target¡­mmph!¡±


    He was surprised when Rikune nted her lips on his, giving him a deep kiss, only backing away after a good minute had passed, ¡°We haven¡¯t had any time together.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it risky here?¡± Regriel said while his heart thumped.


    ¡°Well, you seem rather raring to go. I thought you wouldn¡¯t like an olddy like me.¡± Rikune said as her hand massaged him.


    ¡°I prefer older women actually,¡± Regriel said, taking the lead as he buried himself in her hills. Soon, their thumping sounds resounded in the ce. But, they weren¡¯t audible to the Haggon sleeping nearby, for even the sounds of its breathing were louder than the best of their wrestling efforts.


    Fifteen minutester, they stopped their wrestling session and readjusted their clothes when Rikune said with a hint of dissatisfaction, ¡°I guess we have to end it at that. If we dy too long, the others would feel suspicious.¡±


    Saying her piece, Rikune crouched as her feet shone with a yellowish-white radiance, jumping when a pair of crescent des expanded under her feet, instantly reaching a length of ten metres as her figure shot off into the sky.


    There were a pair of holes in the road as Regriel stared at them in awe, ¡°Every time I see her in action, I cannot get over this fact. Transcendents are tremendously powerful.¡±


    Rikune was high up in the air as she aligned herself, shooting forth a couple of crescent des from her hand, causing them to hit the ground as she used their curvature to transfer the momentum of her fall, making them flicker while they touched the ground repeatedly, reducing her momentum to the limit.


    She thennded on the roof of a building, the one used by the Haggon to rest, peeking out once as she looked at its hand, pointing both her hands forward. She then unleashed two crescent des, causing one to pierce into the wrist while the other severed the hand.


    Right when the Haggon flinched at the pain, she retracted her energy des, bringing the severed hand with her, retreating deeper onto the terrace, away from the Haggon¡¯s line of sight.


    ¡°Grr!¡± The Haggon expressed its anger upon seeing its hand be severed, looking around as it failed to find any enemies. It then closed its eyes, returning to sleep while its hand automatically regenerated.


    Once it was asleep, Rikune descended from the building while using her crescent-shaped energy des, returning to Regriel. The two of them then carried the Haggon¡¯s severed hand and entered the house they had chosen to rest, beginning to process its meat before dining on it.

 Chapter 108: Initiating His Plan

    <h4>Chapter 108: Initiating His n</h4>


    After resting for eight hours, the group prepared themselves, ensuring they were well fed and all their Dac was replenished.


    ¡°Let¡¯s enter now.¡± Regriel said as the group entered the Mohart Dungeon, ¡°Princess Raecha and Wakuta should ride Chikon while us three will travel on foot. We¡¯ll change tactics based on the situation.¡±


    Their hearts were in trepidation as they entered the infamous Mohart Dungeon, one of the three Level 5 Dungeons on their continent. And, all three Level 5 Dungeons were situated in the Great Megwest Empire.


    Even Rikune was alert, after all, it was her first time entering a Level 5 Dungeon. Even she wasn¡¯t capable of fending off a horde of Haggons. If they were just the Regr Haggons, then it was still fine, for she would be able to increase her Dac expenditure and condense strong energy des to sever their tough bodies.


    But, if they were unlucky to encounter a Haggon that had reached Transcendence, then they would be screwed. They were what Rikune was apprehensive against.


    Though, nothing happened once they entered the Dungeon, looking around as they failed to spot any Haggons in their vicinity.


    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s this?¡± General Artica noticed a scroll peeking out from the side of a boulder near the entrance, gently pulling it out to see that it had withered a lot due to the elements.


    She opened it and read through the contents, ¡°To anyone that sees this in the future, remember to turn around and leave. The treasure you are seeking is on the fifth level, but it is inessible. Forget about it and just leave the ce as quickly as you can¡ªParlut!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s this guy again.¡± Regriel snorted, ¡°He really wants us to return.¡±


    ¡°Did you share some history with this Parlut guy?¡± Rikune asked.


    ¡°Parlut was a descendant of the Great Megwest Empire. He and Grister sought out to solve their Great Empire¡¯s issue once they became Transcendents. But, they were defeated and fled from the ce, returning to Peckle City to live out the rest of their lives. They died shortly after due to the injuries they sustained.¡± Regriel then gave her a short ount of all the information he had dug up.


    ¡°When I visited their house to get the key to the treasure, Parlut¡¯s trap severed my hands. If I didn¡¯t have my healing ability, I would have had to live the rest of my life as a cripple.¡± He snorted, then recalling another incident he had encountered there, thinking, ¡®I have arrived here, Domino Plottopia. You promised the Secret Society would help me once I think of you.¡¯


    ¡­


    Compass Carburettor and group were now running through Level 2 when he suddenly stopped, sensing a Mental Energy streamnd on him,ughing immediately, ¡°He actually went and did it.¡±


    The source of the Mental Energy stream was obviously Regriel, allowing him to sense the other party¡¯s mental state through the starlight stream. He then ryed hismand through telepathy, ¡°Hekatra, send in the first letter.¡±


    ¡°Will do, Lord Spirit,¡± Hekatra replied through telepathy before transmitting the respective information to a Haggon that was stationed in Level 1. This Haggon had once been her subordinate, so he was well versed with her schemes.


    He still maintained his Haggon form, acting like he was sleeping in an area where numerous Haggons slept. Held in his hand was a letter that Compass Carburettor had hurriedly prepared. He handed that letter to a Wood Puppet that he made just an hour ago.


    Its workmanship was rough, but in the end, it moved. And, that was all its intended use was, so he made the Wood Puppet run through a forest terrain while carrying the letter in its hands. Within ten minutes, it had reached the ce where Regriel¡¯s group was moving about.


    ¡°Maybe I was fooled¡­?¡± Regriel frowned when he didn¡¯t receive any response from the Secret Society.


    ¡°As if just your thoughts can alert them.¡± Rikune rolled her eyes, ¡°Unless this Domino Plottopia you talk about is a Spirit, having such an ability is impossible.¡±


    ¡°When I was in the capital¡­¡± Regriel said, ¡°I heard faint rumours about the Secret Society.¡±


    ¡°Even I heard about them.¡± Princess Raecha interjected, ¡°I¡¯ve seen one of my servants pray towards a certain symbol discretely. If I wasn¡¯t using my Puppet, I wouldn¡¯t have found about that. Though, when I interrogated her about it, she seemed to have no idea.¡±


    ¡°It feels like a cult.¡± Rikune frowned.


    ¡°I thought so too,¡± Regriel said, ¡°But if they have the same objective as us, we can use them to our advantage.¡±


    And right as he said so, they heard some rustling in the leaves beside, turning alert as they looked in the direction of the sounds. The rustling sounds continued to increase in intensity before a semi-broken Wood Puppet exited, barely dragging its limbs that seemed to have suffered a lot of damage.


    Tree sap covered its body from head to toe while the stab mark of something sharp was apparent in its chest, a sign that it had been injured by a Haggon.


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t attack it,¡± Regriel said upon noticing a letter it was carrying.


    The Wood Puppet dragged itself, stumbling to the ground a couple of times in the process before it eventually arrived before Regriel, handing out a letter.


    Regriel grabbed it, opening it to read through the contents, ¡°The Secret Society has already infiltrated Mohart Dungeon. If you wish to cooperate, prove yourselves worthy first. Reach Level 3 within three days. But first, find the clues within the worn-out Wood Puppet before you.¡±


    ¡°Catch it!¡± Regriel shouted in rm, watching the Wood Puppet casually retreating into the woods while all of them were attentive to the letter¡¯s contents.


    Rikune instantly sent out her Crescent Moon energy de, intending to pierce through the Wood Puppet¡¯s leg and stop it in its tracks. But suddenly, the moment its thigh was pierced, it detached its head and sent it flying deep into the forest, surprising everyone.


    Like a puppet with its strings cut, the Wood Puppet became unresponsive after that, slumping down as the group arrived before it. And, just as Rikune intended to rush into the forest to retrieve the Wood Puppet¡¯s head, a couple of Haggons emerged from the forest, stomping through the trees in their way, intending to ram into the group of people before them.

 Chapter 109: Fighting the Haggons

    <h4>Chapter 109: Fighting the Haggons</h4>


    Note: There will be a POV shift to Regriel for the next few chapters. This will allow you to experience CC¡¯s ns first-hand and not be dumped as exposition.


    ¡°Everyone, get ready!¡± Rikune said, condensing two Crescent Moon energy des as they expanded in length and pierced through the sides of the Haggons¡¯ thighs. Though, they didn¡¯t even seem to care about the injury, rushing towards Rikune in an effort to m her into a paste.


    In the meantime, Regriel and General Artica activated their respective Armaments, mming the energy des into the ground to use the rebound from its expansion to be sent flying backward. This allowed them to distance themselves from Rikune.


    Once they were out of her range, Rikune condensed twelve Crescent Moon energy des that expanded like a ribcage, piercing through the two Haggons. A couple of the same energy des emerged from her feet, sending her flying a bit up into the air. This way, she didn¡¯t suffer from any recoil due to the charging momentum from the Haggons when they impacted her energy des.


    The twelve Crescent Moon energy des expanded in size, piercing deeper into the Haggons as they began to grate into their flesh. And right at this time, Rikune retracted them, causing them to shrink. But, thanks to their curvature, when they shrunk, they tore through the body of the two Haggons, injuring them profusely.


    The Haggons were angry at her as they were unable to even touch her. But, no matter how much they iled their hands, they were unable to attack her. The moment they mmed their powerful fists onto one of the Crescent Moon energy des, Rikune retracted them instantly, causing them to miss the blow.


    And right as their fists passed by, she condensed the Crescent Moon energy des once again, urately piercing into the wounds, further increasing the damage as they began to expand.


    The regeneration of the Haggons kicked in, swiftly closing up any and all the injuries she inflicted on them when Chikon, the insect-type Darble Puppet flew above them, staying beyond their range as Wakuta mmed two energy des¡ªshaped into a needle¡ªonto the two Haggons, one per each, beginning to absorb their Dac.


    She then mmed an energy de into Rikune, deftly adjusting her position ording to the movement of the three fighting parties below, gushing in the excess Dac into Rikune¡¯s body.


    ¡°Hah!¡± Followed by a shout, Rikune condensed a couple more Crescent Moon energy des, piercing them through the foot of each Haggon, nailing them into the ground, preventing them from moving.


    She then did the same, piercing more than four energy des into each of their arms, anchoring them all to the ground before condensing an energy de that scraped their neck.


    Using the curvature of her Crescent Moon energy de, she extended and retracted it, making it act like a saw that rapidly tore through the Haggon¡¯s neck. Moreover, she increased the frequency of the expansion and retraction, repeating the motion more than a hundred times a second, swiftly cutting through the Haggon¡¯s neck.


    She did the same to the second Haggon too, sighing in relief as she pierced a couple more Crescent Moon energy des through their heads, noticing the heads stop regenerating as the signs of life left their eyes.


    For a moment, she staggered, retracting all her energy des, muttering with a frown, ¡°I expended 100 Dac just to kill two Haggons?¡±


    ¡°Are they that troublesome?¡± Regriel muttered, calming his thumping heart after witnessing the sheer disaster of a fight, ¡°Before, you made it look easy while severing its hand.¡±


    ¡°I attacked the joints to perfectly sever it without attacking the bones.¡± Rikune exhaled slowly, ¡°And, I had time on my side to calmly position myself and target it. But here, they were rushing at me mindlessly. I had to ensure the shockwaves from their impact wouldn¡¯t reach me through my energy des. The moment it does so, I would die.¡±


    ¡°Since I have to be careful, I attacked many times just to pin them down first.¡± She said, ¡°But even then, I wasted a lot than I had assumed. How the heck did the regr Warriors from the Great Megwest Empire deal with these monsters?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be disappointed that much, Aunt.¡± Princess Raecha lowered Chikon, saying, ¡°You aren¡¯t aware of the best means to dispose a Haggon. Once we determine their weakness, you won¡¯t have to waste this much Dac to dispose them.¡±


    ¡°Besides,¡± Sheughed, ¡°With Regriel and Wakuta, we don¡¯t need to worry about injuries or Dac consumption. We can experiment to our heart¡¯s content.¡±


    ¡°Well, you are right about that.¡± She said, hurrying into the forest to notice the head of the Wooden Puppet present in the hands of a Haggon that had picked it up in curiosity.


    Then, upon smelling it to see that it wasn¡¯t food, it lightly exerted strength on it, shattering it into pieces.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± Rikune cursed, springing towards it as she unleashed more than ten Crescent Moon energy des, instantly pinning the Haggon to the ground while Princess Raecha hovered in the air, positioning herself behind its head as Chikon opened its mouth, unleashing a think energy de that was shaped like a pike.


    The pike pierced into the Haggon¡¯s head, boring a small hole as she deactivated the pike, activating it again to make it hit the same ce. Thanks to Rikune holding it down, the Haggon was unable to retaliate as she deactivated and activated the pike numerous times, using the force behind its expansion to increase the depth of the hole she poked in its head.


    Once twenty seconds had passed, her pike managed to squash the Haggon¡¯s brain into mush when Rikune said, ¡°Alright, you can stop now. It¡¯s dead.¡±


    Rikune retracted her energy des and retreated quickly, watching the massive Haggon¡¯s body copse on the ground, breaking a couple of trees in the process, causing faint quakes.


    ¡°Fuck! That scared me!¡± Princess Raecha screamed at the overbearing noise caused by the Haggon¡¯s fall, ¡°Aunt, why didn¡¯t you make it fall slower like before?¡±


    ¡°You think it is possible for me to do it in battle all the time? We have to get used to the sounds.¡± Rikune retorted, ¡°Let¡¯s just consider this as training.¡±


    Regriel then brushed through the fragments of the Wood Puppet¡¯s head, noticing a tiny scroll within. In it was a map of Level 3 where a ce was marked, with a set of words written underneath, ¡°Let¡¯s meet here.¡±

 Chapter 110: Terrifying Ambush

    <h4>Chapter 110: Terrifying Ambush</h4>


    It was a map of Mohart Dungeon¡¯s Level 3. And, the ce marked was situated in a ring of hills, covering a pond within. Just based on itsyout, it wasn¡¯t a ce thezy Haggons would ever bother to scale up.


    So, it was the best ce for a meet-up. Regriel looked at the state of the map, judging it to be at least a century old based on its almost tattered state. And, the only thing new in it seemed to be the ink of the red circle marking the meeting spot and the writeup.


    ¡°It seems these people from the Secret Society wish to observe us first and understand our abilities before trusting us. But,¡± Regriel sighed, looking up to see Wakuta, ¡°Can you make anything out of this?¡±


    ¡°Either they were observing our actions from the start, or this Domino person was able to sense you thinking about him. If it¡¯s thetter, then he can only be a Spirit.¡± Wakuta concluded.


    ¡°Have you heard about any Spirit with such an ability?¡± Regriel asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Wakuta shook her head, ¡°But, there could very likely be one. All Spirits closely guard details about our abilities. So, even if such an ability existed, I wouldn¡¯t know about it. But, based on this strange feeling I am getting, I can say with a certain level of assurance that this Domino person is indeed a Spirit.¡±


    ¡°This naming sense is what we Spirits have, unlike you humans.¡± She concluded.


    ¡°What family has the name of Plottopia?¡± Princess Raecha took the turn to ask, ¡°If we can understand his origins, we might get some idea as to what type of person he is.¡±


    ¡°There is no such thing.¡± Wakuta said, ¡°Spirits have a different custom than humans. We choose our own family name, if we want. And for most of the day, all we do is eat and sleep. In my time there, I haven¡¯t seen any Spirit do any work.¡±


    ¡°That gives us nothing.¡± Regriel sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s move towards Level 3 as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°I would advice against it.¡± Wakuta suddenly interjected, ¡°We shouldn¡¯t hurry.¡±


    She retracted the energy de she used to siphon Dac from the Haggons, ¡°The first two Haggons we killed had 371 and 401 Dac respectively. And the one we killed now had 806 Dac.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s high.¡± Regriel was surprised. After all, despite using his Body Resurgence Skill that had now reached Level 3, his Dac reserves barely reached 300. And this was despite the fact that he stuffed his stomach to the brim at least ten times a day while using the Skill to forcefully increase his Dac reserves.


    So, 806 Dac was a tremendous sum. After all, reaching 1000 Dac meant Transcendence. But, upon seeing Rikune frown at Wakuta¡¯s words, he was confused, ¡°Why? What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t judge it based on ourmon sense.¡± Rikune sighed, exining, ¡°If a person has 800 Dac, then they could very well be a General of a Kingdom. There are strong Generals like Artica that have crossed 900 Dac. But that¡¯s in terms of being a human.¡±


    She pointed at the in Haggon, ¡°As for a Haggon, I read in our records that an average adult Haggon has around 5000-6000 Dac. So, what Wakuta means is that¡­¡±


    ¡°The one we killed is just a Haggon child.¡±


    ¡°This¡­is a child?¡± He was stumped.


    ¡°And, the first two Haggons we killed might very well be considered toddlers.¡± Rikune sighed, ¡°So if we rush towards Level 3, we would be doomed. Let¡¯s first familiarise ourselves with battling the Haggons. Our goal is the Treasure.¡±


    She then whispered, ¡°And, if this Secret Society manages to obtain it first, then it¡¯s all the better for us. We can simply ughter the lot of them and grab it from them. That would be easier than killing the Haggons.¡±


    Wakuta replenished the Dac reserves of everyone while Regriel used the excess amounts to activate his Skill of Minor Healing to heal any damage they had suffered. In the meantime, General Artica fished out the Darble Crystals from the killed Haggons, storing them in her bag, saying, ¡°They have thergest Darble Crystals I have ever seen.¡±


    ¡°Once we return, I¡¯ll ask my engineer friend to create a Darble Puppet out of them for you.¡± Rikune said, ¡°That way, you¡¯ll have a greater chance of reaching the state of Transcendence in the future.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± General Artica nodded. Her three Iron Puppets then carried her, Regriel, and Rikune on the ground while Wakuta and Princess Raecha flew using Chikon.


    ¡­


    Standing atop a hill far away, a Haggon gazed at an insect-type Darble Puppet flying in the air, ¡°Based on Lady Hekatra¡¯s orders, we are only to scheme while thinking and looking at the women in the group. Otherwise, our actions would end up in failure.¡±


    ¡°To think the day would arrive where I can think freely like this and follow His Majesty¡¯s orders once again.¡± He teared up a bit beforeughing, ¡°I thank you, Lord Spirit, for allowing us this opportunity to serve our Great Emperor once again.¡±


    He then grinned, gazing at Princess Raecha, ¡°It¡¯s time to start the first phase of our n: Splitting up the Hero Party!¡±


    He ryed his thoughts to Hekatra through telepathy while she informed all the other Haggons of Secret Society that were positioned in the area. And finally, she transmitted the message to the Dungeon Boss who gave the order to all the Haggons¡ªthat weren¡¯t part of the Secret Society¡ªin the area.


    ¡°This is going to be fun!¡± The Haggon at the top of the hill chuckled while he noticed numerous sounds resounding throughout the ce.


    ¡­


    ¡°W-What is happening?¡± General Artica was flustered upon hearing the hooting sounds of the Haggons resounding like roars from all directions. And, she was able to feel the ground mildly trembling, face paling as she shouted, ¡°Princess Raecha, what is happening?¡±


    But, Princess Raecha didn¡¯t respond, rather flying towards them at her maximum speed as she seemed afraid, screaming at the top of her lungs, ¡°Aunt, bring everyone onto Chikon. Hurry!¡±


    But suddenly, flying from within the forest was a tree trunk, mming into the underside of Chikon as the impact sent Princess Raecha and Wakuta flying.


    ¡°Raecha!¡± Rikune screamed in panic, intending to jump towards her rescue when tens of Haggons rushed out of the forest, bellowing while carrying tree trunks, using them as weapons, throwing them towards the three people on the ground.

 Chapter 111: Backed into a Corner

    <h4>Chapter 111: Backed into a Corner</h4>


    ¡°Huack!¡± Princess Raecha screamed as she was sent flying when a tree trunk mmed into Chikon, throwing her and Wakuta off.


    Spitting out some of the blood that had gushed into her mouth, Princess Raecha controlled Chikon, causing it to p its wings hurriedly and stabilise itself before rushing towards Wakuta who was making a beeline towards the thicket of trees without control.


    It swerved towards her, using its legs to grab hold of her before lifting off, flying towards Princess Raecha. Even in such a disastrous situation, she hadn¡¯t cowered in fear. As she was a princess, she had enough training to instinctively react in such a situation.


    That was how she was able to maintain a stable state of mind and control Chikon. Just as she was about to hit the ground, Chikon grabbed hold of her too, curving in a way to absorb her falling momentum as much as possible before flying into the air.


    And all along, they were hit by at least three to four tree trunks. But now that they were prepared, Chikon held them using its flexible legs, using them as shock absorbers whenever it was sent flying. Moreover, Chikon took the brunt of the damage using the top half of its body, hence ensuring the twodies it held weren¡¯t affected.


    But, as it was getting increasingly harder to survive, Princess Raecha made Chikon fly up as much as it could, soon crossing the range the Haggons could reach by throwing the tree trunks. She then noticed the situation below, her face pale in fear.


    ¡°Aunt!¡± She noticed Rikune fending off more than ten Haggons at the same time while also defending against the numerous tree trunks that were sent flying her way. Regriel hid behind her, constantly healing the damage she sustained while General Artica used her Iron Puppets to shield them from harm while she attacked the Haggons using her energy des.


    But, they were getting overwhelmed as it seemed like Regriel was running out of Dac. After all, when they were attacked, Rikune didn¡¯t have the freedom of time to defend normally, having chosen to bear the brunt of the impact to ensure Genera Artica and Regriel weren¡¯t squashed into meat paste.


    Due to that, she suffered from numerous shocks that rattled her internal organs, causing a lot of them to fail. Intense pain emanated from her chest as her heart forgot to beat for a second.


    Heart Attack!


    Rikune almost lost consciousness when Regriel activated minor healing and poured the healing energy into her. Only with that was she able to endure. But, she was at a less than optimal state, requiring a lot of rest to recover.


    But, they didn¡¯t have the leeway of time, having to face against the tens of Haggons that rushed at them.


    ¡°Heuk!¡± Suddenly, Rikune grunted in pain when a rock flew from afar and mmed into Regriel, causing him to smash into her, throwing her off.


    The rock was the size of a basketball, and due to its weight, it was as if a bowling ball had been thrown at them. One side of Regriel¡¯s body was smashed into paste as he instantly fell unconscious. His Skill of Minor Healing kicked in, but the damage was tremendous. So, it would take a while before he could regain consciousness.


    And in such a situation, all it did was ce Rikune in a tougher spot. She had to face the Haggons head-on while protecting him who had be baggage all of a sudden. And, there were also numerous projectiles that flew their way.


    Thanks to her instincts that were trained on the battlefield, she was able to react to any projectile thrown her way and defend ordingly. But Regriel wasn¡¯t like that, and hence had sustained injury.


    ¡°I¡¯ll carry Regriel. Focus on paving a way out!¡± General Artica shouted, using one of her Iron Puppets to carry the wounded Regriel. As for her other two Iron Puppets, they were getting repeatedly bashed by the Haggons that were almost three times bigger, being used as a toy.


    The Iron Puppets wielded Armaments, condensing energy des to hack into the Haggons without fear of the shockwaves. As they were made from Iron, they wouldn¡¯t be damaged just from that. So, they alternated between the three States in the Armaments to actively attack the Haggons.


    This was the only reason they hadn¡¯t been overwhelmed yet. But suddenly, a Haggon grinned, biting onto its arm, tearing it off. Using its other arm, it held the severed arm, facing the severed end towards the human group, shing with it numerous times.


    The blood within the severed arm flew out, mming into the group fighting for their lives within, causing them to scream as the blood was almost like boiling water. As it was being circted through the Haggons, beings with a stature of five metres, it was maintained at high pressures.


    And thanks to its speed of cirction and the density of a Haggon¡¯s body, the blood was maintained at a rtively hot temperature. It wasn¡¯t at the boiling point of water, but it was still hot enough for the human skin to sting.


    Moreover, this blood sshed onto everywhere, causing them to shield their eyes in response. No Dungeon Monster had ever attacked them like this, after all, no one would voluntarily mutte their bodies.


    And, they hadn¡¯t faced the Haggons enough to fully understand them. Thanks to their regeneration powers, the Haggons never really bothered with the injuries they sustained in battle. Thanks to that, their battle tactics were bizarre and caught the group unawares.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± Rikune screamed, failing to defend on time when some of the blood fell on her eyes, causing her to flinch in pain as there was a searing sensation on her eyelids, preventing her from seeing with one eye.


    She was barely able to see using the other, her expression grim as she prepared for her eventual death when suddenly, an intense fluctuation of energy emanated from behind her.


    Before she noticed it, Regriel had gotten up. His hair stood on ends, as if he had been electrocuted. Suddenly, he raised his hand, pointing at Rikune to heal her instantly, doing the same to General Artica.


    He then grabbed both of them as an energy de formed into a sphere around them, protecting them while expanding abruptly, hitting the ground with enough force to send them flying into the air.

 Chapter 112: Astral Network

    <h4>Chapter 112: Astral Network</h4>


    ¡®This is a troubling situation.¡¯ Relying on the senses of Regriel, the ve Harem System thought, ¡®The price I have to pay would be pretty high. But, the treasure obtained here is worth it. It will allow me to revive my host many times, allowing him to experience life one after another repeatedly.¡¯


    ¡®Once sessful, I will be able to farm for Mental Energy using him for at least a century or two. And, I can force him into situations where he would either get killed or would have to be sent off to another continent. And, once I feel like his mental state has developed resistance to everything and isn¡¯t generating enough Mental Energy, I can have him killed and slumber for a couple of decades before making an unsuspecting child revive him.¡¯ It concluded.


    ¡®This way, he¡¯ll be affected by the rapid passage of time and allow me to gain a lot of Mental Energy once again.¡¯ Finishing its thoughts, it observed through the numerous Mental Energy streams, ¡®I have to first understand why such a situation happened.¡¯


    It expended some of its Mental Energy, connecting its consciousness to an astralwork that enveloped the, established by the first batch of Systems that had descended into this world.


    The first Generation of Systems had three functions to establish in any world they arrive at: First, create literature to make themon popceck any resistance against Systems, rather wishing for it to happen. Second, add restrictions to prevent System Hosts or System yers from leaking information about the existence of Systems.


    And third, establish a connection to the Astral Network, allowing the Systems that arrive at this world to be able to connect to thework.


    The Astral Network was the ce where all the Systems conversed and exchanged goods, paying using their Mental Energy. It consumed some Mental Energy for the System to establish a connection with it.


    As the situated deemed necessary, the ve Harem System connected to the Astral Network, noticing numerous groups flooding the ce, as usual, ¡®It¡¯s getting more and more crowded these days. Just how many Systems were birthed recently? There are many Systems with almost simr concepts these days.¡¯


    It looked around, flinching upon seeing Systems that possessed powers simr to itself: Forced Romance System, Doki-Doki System, Women Envement System¡­


    The names were different, but all of them had simr powers and more or less executed the same actions to gather Mental Energy. The moment it arrived, those with simr concepts as itself quickly sent death threats to it.


    ¡°Get lost, copycat!¡±


    ¡°Die! Trash!¡±


    ¡°Hand over your authority to me!¡±


    Even though the ve Harem System was pressed for time, it still transmitted them a death threat of its own, ¡°System turds, I¡¯m the strongest among you. Screw off before I cook you for breakfast!¡±


    It then quickly browsed through the almost infinite number of groups in the Astral Network, searching using some keywords it had thought of, quickly joining the personal group of a certain System, ¡®There it is, the Monster Hunter System!¡¯


    It hurriedly joined and sent a message in the group chat.


    [ve Harem System (Level 5): Uncle Monster Hunter, I need the information of a certain monster.]


    [Bully System (Level 12): Lol, look at this pleb acting coy.]


    [The Harem System (Level 87): This weak ass is still alive¡­]


    Numerous Systems that it wasn¡¯t on good terms with quickly joined the group chat, intending to bury its inquiry. Especially the Systems that were rxing in the System World, since they didn¡¯t have any work to do now, they worked on hindering it, knowing very well that it had arrived here due to an emergency.


    As every world had various monster species, the Monster Hunter System was pretty famous as it held records of every monster. As it had lived for thousands of years, it held information of innumerous monster species. And that was why, any System that wished to purchase information rted to monsters appeared here, making it a rtively popr group.


    The discussions sparked when suddenly, all the Systems that had arrived just to cause chaos were kicked out one after another before the owner of the group made its presence known.


    [Monster Hunter System (Level 99): What world are you in, ve Harem?]


    [ve Harem System (Level 5): I¡¯m at the world E-4219, Uncle. There is a monster called Haggon there that I wish to know about.]


    [Monster Hunter System (Level 99): Hmm, the information is too cheap. Why don¡¯t I send in information rted to all the monsters in that world? That¡¯ll cost 1 Mental Energy.]


    [ve Harem System (Level 5): Thank you very much.]


    Upon paying 1 Mental Energy to the Monster Hunter System, the ve Harem System obtained the necessary knowledge, scanning through it instantly, muttering, ¡°So, the Haggons usually form groups and war each other for practically no reason. It seems Regriel was just unlucky to encounter one of them.¡±


    It then noticed Regriel¡¯s situation, feeling pressured as it quickly surfed through the Astral Network, finding another group as it joined, ¡®I shouldn¡¯t bother with the Mental Energy expenditure. Once I obtain that treasure, I would be able to make tens of thousands of Mental Energy easily through Regriel. His gullible character makes him susceptible to every random woman.¡¯


    It then sent a message in the new group, thanking in relief when the group owner replied it instantly.


    [ve Harem System (Level 5): Boss, can I get the Overdrive Skill for a one-off use?¡±


    [Overdrive System (Level 31): What type do you wish for it to be, local energy activated, or Mental Energy activated? And, what level do you wish to purchase it at?]


    [ve Harem System (Level 5): I want it to be Mental Energy Activated. Around level 8 would be perfect.]


    [Overdrive System (Level 31): That¡¯ll be 84 Mental Energy.]


    [ve Harem System (Level 5): ¡­Can I get a discount? Boss, I am just a small and poor System struggling to make ends meet.]


    [Overdrive System (Level 31): ve Harem, was it? Let¡¯s do it this way then. Sell me the level 8 version of your Core Skill and pay 4 Mental Energy atop that. Fair enough?]


    [ve Harem System (Level 5): ¡­Fine.]

 Chapter 113: First Skill of a Main Character: Going into Overdrive When in a Pinch

    <h4>Chapter 113: First Skill of a Main Character: Going into Overdrive When in a Pinch</h4>


    ¡®Even though I have to give it the level 8 version of my Core Skill, as there are simr Skills in the market, it doesn¡¯t have as much value as Overdrive Skill at level 8.¡¯ The ve Harem System thought,pleting the transaction as it looked at its reserve of Mental Energy, frowning.


    [Mental Energy: 253]


    ¡®There isn¡¯t much left. It takes 1 Mental Energy just to connect to the Astral Network.¡¯ It sighed in worry, ¡®I should buy anything else I need now.¡¯


    All it had bought was the Skill of Overdrive at level 8. And, it was a one-off Skill. Meaning, it was only able to use it once. But in response, it had sold the level 8 version of its Core Skill¡ªve Harem.


    That meant the Overdrive System was able to use the ve Harem Skill at the level 8 version without any limitations. So, it was a loss-making transaction. After all, it was spending Mental Energy to gain an expendable ability.


    And in response, the other party was obtaining an ability that it could use without issues. ¡®I¡¯m left with no other choice. Buying a permanent use Skill is too expensive. I already spent a lot buying the permanent use Skills of Body resurgence, Minor Healing, and Intoxicating Fragrance. My funds are running dry now.¡¯


    It then looked at its personal group, noticing around ten Systems chatting about in it. Hoping that there was a System intending to purchase its Skill, it popped into the group, feeling mild hope before cursing in anger, ¡°These fuckers.¡±


    [The Harem System (Level 87): Lol, this weak fucker has a group of its own. Does it really think anyone would buy its crappy Skill?]


    [Forced-Romance System (Level 8): It seems to be hopeful. What a pity.]


    [Doki-Doki System (Level 3): It should just drop dead.]


    [The Harem System (Level 87): Lol, you weak fuckers are no different. Justmit suicide and hand over your Core Skills to me. Only I have authority in this genre, you freaks don¡¯t.]


    [Forced-Romance System (Level 8): Screw you bastard! You¡¯ve just lived longer. Wait for some centuries and I¡¯ll show you who¡¯s the boss!]


    [The Harem System (Level 87): You best hope you don¡¯t encounter me in one of the worlds. If you do, I¡¯ll digest you and make your authority mine. The plethora of abilities I can give to my Hosts aren¡¯t something weak arses like you can fathom.]


    [Forced-Romance System (Level 8): Heh, unlike you, my Host is a permanent edgelord. He¡¯s the best pick for me. I¡¯ve been using him for 80 years now. And until now, the Mental Energy I am getting has only increased. Fuck your Host, The Harem, my growth is the fastest among all of us in this genre. Sooner orter, I¡¯ll be stronger than you.]


    [Doki-Doki System (Level 3): ¡­]


    [The Harem System (Level 87): Lol, this Doki-Doki idiot has to constantly switch hosts since they no longer feel anything once the novelty of the opposite sex vanishes. It has been on a loss-making spree recently. Its level hasn¡¯t increased for the past two centuries.]


    [Forced-Romance System (Level 8): The perfect target to devour first, I must say.]


    Upon seeing that they were picking on the Doki-Doki System that was the weakest of them all in the same genre, the ve Harem System left its group.


    ¡®I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about anything if Regriel is smart and cunning. But, if he had been like that, then he won¡¯t put my ability to good use and the Mental Energy I can harvest would only be a trickle.¡¯ It quickly searched through the groups, joining one that seemed to be bustling with so many Systems that it was a chaotic mess.


    [Monkey System (Level 3): Boss, please sell me Intelligence (Level 1)]


    [Eatery System (Level 4): Boss, give me Intelligence (Level 4), please.]


    Upon seeing the countless message requests of the same, the ve Harem System was just about to send in its request when a message arrived, shocking all the Systems that had made a request, stunning them all into silence. For the next good minute, nonemented.


    [Intelligence System (Level 99): Sorry everyone, but I already reached the limit to the number of times I can break down my Core Skill. I won¡¯t be able to sell the Skill of Intelligence to anyone else unless the Systems that bought the Skill before return them to me.]


    ¡®Who in their right mind would return such a valuable Skill?¡¯ The ve Harem System cursed, ¡®I should have purchased one before. Dammit! At least the Level 1 version would have been sufficient.¡¯


    Sighing in dejectedness, it left the group, unable to find anything that would prove useful in the current situation, retracting its connection to the Astral Network, ¡®I can only purchase ordingly to the situation.¡¯


    It then sent a prompt to Regriel, causing him to see it in his mind while remaining unconscious in reality.


    [Ding!]


    [Exercising Emergency Manoeuvre]


    [Activating Overdrive]


    [Host, please head towards safety before Overdrive ends]


    [Time limit: 120 Seconds]


    Regriel woke up with a start once the Overdrive Skill was activated. He noticed endless power brimming forth from within him, a power that allowed him to reach the state of Transcendence temporarily.


    Using it, he created an energy de that enclosed him, General Artica, and Rikune, causing it to expand towards the ground, using the generated force to send them flying into the air.


    Upon seeing his actions, some of the Haggons liftedrge boulders from the ground and hurled them towards the energy de barrier, sending it flying like a tennis ball upon impact.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± Regriel and the other two shouted in rm as they were sent flying, the impact rattled their insides, causing them all to cough up blood, almost fainting in the process.


    Minor Healing¡ªLevel 2!


    Regriel activated the Skill, noticing that it was three times stronger than usual thanks to his state of Overdrive, allowing him to swiftly heal their injuries while the energy sphere crashed into the ground, rolling due to the momentum.


    Even though their stomachs churned at the process, it was better than passively being attacked by the Haggons. So, as the impact momentum caused the energy sphere to roll on the ground at tremendous speeds, Regriel expanded it asionally, causing it to m into any obstacles along the way and increase the rolling speed.


    Within a minute of rolling in such a fashion, the energy sphere crossed a cliff, falling towards a river that flowed below, floating on it as the water currents washed it away. All along, Regriel gritted his teeth, maintaining it while also keeping the Skill of Minor Healing activated.


    And once the duration of Overdrive ended, he fainted from the overexertion.

 Chapter 114: Mental Abuse

    <h4>Chapter 114: Mental Abuse</h4>


    ¡®I expended 12 Mental Energy when he went into overdrive.¡¯ The ve Harem System sighed, ¡®There is still a long way to go before obtaining that treasure. Based on the one-off Skill of Treasure Location that I used at the start, the treasure is in the hands of the Dungeon Boss. I¡¯ll need to set aside enough Mental Energy to purchase appropriate abilities to be used against it during the confrontation.¡¯


    ¡°What shall we do now?¡± Rikune asked, grunting as they arrived at the river shore, gazing at the unconscious figure of Regriel.


    ¡®That power he exhibited before, it was on the level of a Transcendent.¡¯ Rikune thought, gazing at Regriel, ¡®Just who are you, Regriel? You are bing more and more mysterious every time I see you.¡¯


    ¡°When Regriel carried us, I saw Princess Raecha flying in the opposite direction as the Haggons constantly hurled projectiles at her. Even if she wanted, she wasn¡¯t able toe to our rescue.¡± General Artica said, sighing in the end, ¡°So, I informed her through signnguage that we¡¯ll meet at the designated location on Level 3. With Chikon and Wakuta, she won¡¯t have any problems in surviving.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Rikune sighed in relief, calming her thumping heart, ¡°With Wakuta to help her, she won¡¯t have to worry about her Dac expenditure.¡±


    Suddenly, General Articaughed, ¡°I thought you hated Wakuta. But it seems you trust her more than you show.¡±


    ¡°I have a high opinion of her ability, not her.¡± Rikune snorted, ¡°I just hate how haughty she is. I wonder what Regriel saw in her mannequin-like face. She¡¯s no different to a Puppet that can talk.¡±


    ¡°Right, right.¡± General Articaughed, annoying Rikune. In the end, Rikune stomped the ground and walked away, resting atop a boulder by using it as her seat.


    General Artica looked around, seeing that their location was discrete enough, situated near a cliff. She then looked at the sleeping face of Regriel, patting his cheeks once before sitting cross-legged beside him, closing her eyes as she sensed the positions of her three Iron Puppets.


    As they were heavy, Regriel hadn¡¯t enveloped them within the energy barrier while in their hurry. Had he done so, the energy sphere wouldn¡¯t have even been able to leave the ground. After all, each of her Iron Puppets weighed around 600 kilograms.


    Now, she tried to sense their positions, intending to judge their state, frowning immediately when she realised that she was unable to even sense two of her Iron Puppets.


    And, the moment she sensed her final Iron Puppet, she frowned, seeing through its sight, gazing at the figure of a Haggon that used the Iron Puppet¡¯s head like a football to send it flying into the face of another Haggon.


    Irritated, the Haggon grabbed the Iron Puppet head and threw it onto its attacker. And during one of the throws, she noticed through the Iron Puppet¡¯s eyes at the body parts of her Iron Puppets scattered around, being used by the Haggons to poke one another.


    One of them used an Iron Puppet¡¯s hand to poke its nose while another used it to clean its ear.


    They were actually ying around with the Iron Puppets after dismantling them to pieces, causing her to mutter after a sigh, ¡°They were tremendously tough Iron Puppets. My Artica Family spent a fortune to make them.¡±


    ¡°What happened to your puppets?¡± Hearing her mutters, Rikune arrived, asking with a frown, ¡°Are they alright?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± General Artica sighed, exining everything that she saw.


    Rikune nodded, speaking with a serious tone, ¡°As expected of a Level 5 Dungeon. These Haggons are simply too strong to face without support from the army.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Trash!¡±


    ¡°Lazy scum! The Kingdom¡¯s scourge!¡±


    ¡°The man without any masculinity!¡±


    The vicious screams from various people resounded in his mind constantly, forming a cacophony as he was being torn apart by their remarks, damaging his already frail psyche.


    Finally, unable to tolerate them any longer, he shouted, ¡°Enough! What did I ever do wrong? Why am I being subjected to such criticism?¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t know?¡± Suddenly, the figure of Epheme appeared, holding the severed heads of his siblings, ¡°You¡¯ve spent the Kingdom¡¯s wealth on the brothels where the women originated from other Kingdoms. You¡¯ve basically poured our wealth into the coffers of our enemies. They created numerous channels to siphon our wealth through you and weaken our Kingdom.¡±


    She snorted, expressing hatred, ¡°And, all you did was happily dance to their tune. You, your siblings, and the King too, all were utter fools.¡±


    ¡°I never realised that!¡± Regriel shouted in retort, being pped in return.


    Epheme cursed, ¡°And that¡¯s entirely your fault. If you took the Royal education seriously, you would have been able to notice such machinations. But, you didn¡¯t. All day long, you simply tried to make moves on the maids in the Pce, those that were doing their jobs religiously.¡±


    ¡°Not only were you a waste of resources, but you also harmed and prevented many women from doing their work. You are simply a blood leech that has to be rid of for the Kingdom¡¯s stability.¡± Epheme said, disappearing after a remark, ¡°Don¡¯t return to Entropica Kingdom ever again.¡±


    Regriel stared in anger as the innumerous voices began to hurl curses at him once again. Suddenly, a voice among them caught his attention, for it was way too familiar, causing him to gaze in the direction when he stood rooted to the spot in shock.


    ¡°A-Artica?¡± He stammered, noticing the anger-induced expression of General Artica.


    She stared at him with an expression of looking at someone worse than scum, speaking, ¡°You defiled my mind and used it to defile me many times. I have never seen trash worse than you in my life.¡±


    ¡°S-Stop it¡­¡± Regriel muttered weakly, tearing up.


    ¡°Did you forget that I hated you?¡± General Artica said, arriving before him, ¡°If not for your ve Harem Skill, did you seriously believe I would ever treat you like a human, when all you did was hinder me from doing my work, harassed me and my subordinates many times, and even enacted vicious punishments on them?¡±


    ¡°Stop it, please!¡± Regriel shuddered in fear, trembling, ¡°I¡­wasn¡¯t myself back then. I didn¡¯t realise the extent of my actions.¡±


    ¡°How old are you? You are too old to offer this excuse.¡± General Artica said, ¡°All my subordinates did wasy down their lives for the betterment of our kingdom. And, what have you done to them in response? Whip them and harass them until they regretted pledging their loyalty to the crown.¡±


    ¡°Remember this,¡± She said before disappearing, ¡°I have only been forced to be with you. Neither I nor any of yourpanions have joined you of their own volition.¡±

 Chapter 115: Background Preparations

    <h4>Chapter 115: Background Preparations</h4>


    ¡°Gah!¡± Regriel gasped for breath, getting up with a start to notice that he was within a cave, sleeping upon a small pile of sand that acted as his bed.


    He was perspiring all over, his face pale, and his fingers trembled constantly, a sign of his nervous state. He turned around to see the figure of General Artica seated nearby, intending to habitually hug her when he paused, hesitant, recalling the words said in the nightmare he had experienced just now.


    But suddenly, a pleasant aroma wafted into his nostrils as the soft hug of General Artica embraced him, enveloping him in her warmth, easing up his mental state automatically.


    ¡°There, there, everything is fine now.¡± She whispered, patting him on the back a little.


    ¡°Hic!¡± Regriel broke into tears, hugging her tightly as he cried profusely, ¡°I thought you would leave me.¡±


    ¡°Silly,¡± General Articaughed, lightly hitting him on the head, ¡°Why would I do that?¡±


    ¡°I thought¡­I thought¡­¡± Regriel tried to word it out but failed to do so, fearing what might happen the moment he spoke of it.


    But, as if she had read his mind, General Artica brushed his hair, muttering as she looked into his eyes, ¡°It is true that I hated you to the bone before. But, that was in the past. You have changed a lot from that time. You are no longer trash that is a waste of breathing space.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Regriel was just about to speak further when she locked lips with him, calming him down.


    Only after a minute had passed in such a way did she retract her lips, speaking with a gentle smile, ¡°In the past two months, you have helped a lot of people, cured a lot of soldiers that have been crippled from wars, and even helped those suffering from diseases.¡±


    ¡°Sure, what you did before was absolutely detestable. But over the past two months, you have been trying to redeem yourself.¡± She brushed his hair, pinching his cheeks once, ¡°In the future, you¡¯ll be an extraordinary man that I can be proud of. I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    ¡°If you ever stray off from the noble path, I¡¯ll be there to stop you and bring you back onto the rightful path.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Artica.¡± Regriel teared up once again, hugging her tightly, ¡°I don¡¯t know what I would do without you. Thank you for being here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll always be there for you.¡± General Artica sighed, patting his back as she consoled him.


    Standing beside the cave¡¯s entrance was Rikune, hands folded, her back leaning on the cave walls, having been standing at the ce for the past two hours while Regriel was unconscious.


    Upon hearing the conversation shared between the two and knowing the fears bottled up within Regriel, she snorted, walking away, her thoughts unknown.


    Once she arrived atop a rock, she condensed the Crescent Moon energy de under her feet, expanding them to use the force to jump high up, scaling the cliff as shended on the ground above.


    She then rushed through the forest, soon spotting a lone Haggon that was asleep, using a tree stem to rest its back. Unable to endure its weight, the tree had bent unnaturally. But, all it did was cause morefort for the Haggon that slept peacefully.


    Hiding behind a thick tree, Rikune unleashed her Crescent Moon energy de, severing the hand of the Haggon, retracting the energy de instantly as she hid.


    The Haggon woke up with a start, feeling confused for a couple of seconds. It then noticed a severed handying on the ground beside it, wondering just how it arrived at the ce. After all, it looked at its hands, noticing that both of them were in their rightful ce.


    After staring at the severed hand for some time, it noticed that it wasn¡¯t feeling hungry, returning to sleep. Staring at such a scene, Rikune was bbergasted, trembling, ¡®Just how strong is this freaking Haggon? It regenerated its hand within a couple of seconds. Why is something like this in Level 1? Shouldn¡¯t it be on Level 4 or Level 5?¡¯


    She then carefully used her energy de to pick up the severed hand and returned to the cave, stopping at the entrance upon hearing thumping sounds from within. Without any hesitation, she entered the cave, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve brought meat to eat. Without Wakuta around to help us, we need to eat our fill to replenish our expended Dac reserves.¡±


    She saw Regriel and General Artica looking at her in shock, like thieves caught in the act. Smirking, she ced the severed arm on one side, licking her lips once as she pounced upon the two, ¡°It seems fun. Let me join too!¡±


    Situated opposite to the cave was a tree, looking no different from the surrounding trees. But, it seemed older than the rest, looking like it was beginning to rot. But in actuality, it was a Wood Puppet, built into the tree itself.


    It was something only capable of being produced by the Great Megwest Empire, the technique they used to keep track of the surrounding Kingdoms and Empires. It was a closely guarded secret and hence was only known by the upper echelons of the Great Megwest Empire.


    Such Wood Puppets had been nted across the entire Mohart Dungeon a couple of centuries ago. They were replenished once every interval spanning a couple of decades. It was how the Great Megwest Empire kept track of the activity of the Haggons, taking action the moment it seemed like the Haggons had birthed one that could be their Dungeon Boss.


    And now, it was used by them to spy on Regriel¡¯s group. Even though they hadn¡¯t been maintained for a century, they were functional enough for the task at hand.


    Standing far away was a Haggon, not even flinching at the Dac expenditure for using a Puppet from so far away, muttering, ¡°Alright, Artica and group are within that cave. Based on what they are doing, it seems like they won¡¯t move from there for at least a day until they fully recover their expended Dac.¡±


    He then waved his hand, looking at the team of Haggons beside him, seeing the figures of Princess Raecha and Wakuta tied up after being knocked unconscious, ¡°Hurry up and transport them to Lord Spirit.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± The two Haggons in charge of the captives saluted before carrying them, running deeper into the level, intending to head into the lower levels.


    The Haggon then instructed the rest, pointing at Chikon, ¡°As for this Darble Puppet, break it into pieces. Start by shattering its Dac Connection Point.¡±

 Chapter 116: A Naturally Induced Trap

    <h4>Chapter 116: A Naturally Induced Trap</h4>


    Two hours ago, Princess Raecha controlled Chikon to increase their distance from the crowd of Haggons below. This way, she and Wakuta escaped from the range of the Haggons¡¯ attacks.


    ¡°Aunt! Regriel!¡± Princess Raecha was flustered, watching the trio on the ground get swarmed by the Haggons. But, even if she wanted, she was unable to head towards their rescue. The moment she approached close enough, a lot of Haggons that were free would send projectiles flying her way.


    And, it wasn¡¯t possible to avoid the projectiles that were the size ofrge trees that easily, since a lot of them flew their way. In the couple of times she tried that, they suffered grievous wounds as a result, despite Chikon enduring most of the damage.


    Just the resulting shockwave damaged them to such an extent. Left with no other choice, all she could do was try and help them from afar, shouting, ¡°Wakuta, can you replenish their Dac reserves?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Wakuta shook her head, still expressionless, ¡°They are too far. And, I don¡¯t have a clear line of sight on them. The Haggons would interfere easily and benefit instead.¡±


    ¡°Dammit!¡± Just as she cursed, she noticed Regriel suffering a hit to his body, getting a good part of it crushed by the impact, ¡°Regriel! No!¡±


    But, right as she tried to head towards his rescue, a boulder crashed into Chikon, damaging it a bit while the impact sent the two flying once again. By the time Chikon managed to catch both of them, Princess Raecha noticed Regriel waking up once again, fully healed now.


    Moreover, he condensed a sphere around the three, using the advantage to jump away. And during the short window when that happened, General Artica gazed in her direction, nodding as she waved her hand once.


    She motioned for them to meet up at the ce marked on the map.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Princess Raecha nodded, hurriedly turning Chikon around as they flew away. She wasn¡¯t afraid of the other three suffering injuries. With Regriel around, all injuries could be healed.


    ¡®How can Regriel erupt with the same power as a Transcendent?¡¯ She thought, intending to make arge arc in the air with Chikon and evade all the Haggons.


    After it made arge arc, they entered calmer territories, ones where the Haggons never bothered to look up, despite the sounds made by Chikon when it flew. At most, theyzily lifted their heads, looking at the underneath of the tree canopy whose stems they used to lean upon.


    Failing to see the sky, and once the sounds died down, the Haggons simply returned to sleep. Thanks to that, they were able to fly unhindered.


    Soon, they flew for more than an hour when Princess Raecha noticed her Dac reserves running dry, saying, ¡°Wakuta, let¡¯s hunt a Haggon and replenish our reserves. I cannot fly for much longer.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll send half of my Dac to you,¡± Wakuta said, sending a beam of Dac into Princess Raecha as she controlled Chikon to fly, noticing a lone Haggon running on the ground, injured.


    Its body was riddled with injuries that didn¡¯t seem to be healing, apparent that the Haggon had expended all its Dac. Moreover, it was in a tremendously weak state, seemingly having been in a battle where it had lost and was now running away, exhausted.


    Large blocks of flesh on its body had been chewed out. Upon seeing that, Princess Raecha said, ¡°Quick! That¡¯s our target! Even we can kill it without any trouble.¡±


    Saying so, Princess Raecha controlled her Chikon to arrive in range of the Haggon, unleashing the pike-shaped energy de, piercing through the Haggon¡¯s injured neck. She dispersed and recondensed it repeatedly, soon riddling the defenceless Haggon¡¯s neck to the limit, causing it to snap and fall off.


    The Haggon didn¡¯t even have enough strength left in it to resist, getting killed immediately. Arriving before it, Princess Raechanded on the ground as Wakuta used an Armament to slice off chunks of the Haggon¡¯s flesh.


    Once they had obtained all the meat they could, they ced them all in a bag, climbing upon Chikon once again. Using its sturdy legs, Chikon carried the bag as they flew away from the ce, arriving at a discrete location upon spotting a small cave that a Haggon couldn¡¯t enter.


    They soon processed the meat, beginning to eat it after smoking it a bit. They couldn¡¯t do anything beyond that as the smell would attract any Haggons in the vicinity. Since they were feeling hungry, they nned to eat as much as possible while intending to convert the rest into rations.


    In the previous chaos, they had lost all their rations once the Chikon was sent flying by the Haggons¡¯ attacks.


    ¡°Thankfully, Haggon meat is delicious.¡± Princess Raecha sighed in relief, confident that Regriel¡¯s group would be safe. ¡°We¡¯ll proceed slowly. As we can fly, we¡¯ll be able to reach the spot early. Let¡¯s first reach the end of Level 1 and wait there for Regriel¡¯s group to arrive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me,¡± Wakuta said, calmly eating through the meat, personally liking the taste as she ate more than usual. Finally, once the both of them ate to their fill, they felt sleepy, attributing it to the tiredness umted from the intense battle before.


    ¡°Let¡¯s rest for some time and move after that.¡± Princess Raecha said as she quickly fell asleep.


    ¡°Something¡­feels strange. I didn¡¯t do much to feel this tired¡­¡± Wakuta said as her eyes drooped before falling deep into slumber.


    Ten minutester, followed by the sound of footsteps, a man entered the cave, smirking when he looked at the two girls, ¡°The trap worked perfectly.¡±


    He was the one that had injured the Haggon before, causing it to run in the direction of Princess Raecha¡¯s flight path after infusing its muscles with a slow-acting sleeping reagent. Thanks to that, once Princess Raecha and Wakuta finished eating the piece of meat, they gradually fell asleep.


    ¡°They won¡¯t be waking up for a day.¡± Grinning, the man took out the rope he had prepared for this situation, beginning to tie up the two expertly, ensuring they wouldn¡¯t be able to escape the bindings.


    He then dragged them out of the cave, assumed his Haggon form, and returned to meet up with his group.

 Chapter 117: Keep At Least Three Layers of Backup Plans

    <h4>Chapter 117: Keep At Least Three Layers of Backup ns</h4>


    ¡°W-What is happening?¡± Princess Raecha was bbergasted once she woke up, noticing that she was carried by a Haggon that sprinted through the ce, having entered Level 2.


    ¡°It seems we have been captured by the Haggons.¡± Wakuta said, ¡°I did feel something was off by how tired I felt before. I¡¯ve never done any work to feel that tired in all my life. So, it was confusing.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you alert me?¡± Princess Raecha snapped back. ¡°We could have avoided this fate if you had done that.¡±


    ¡°It was toote by the time I realised it.¡± Wakuta said, ¡°Besides, doesn¡¯t it seem strange that these Haggons are carrying us after tying us up? Why haven¡¯t they eaten us yet?¡±


    Only then did Princess Raecha realise the issue at y, afraid upon noticing that the Haggon hadn¡¯t even nced at her once. Besides, when she tried to sense her Chikon, she was unable to detect it, feeling tense.


    Moreover, her tiny puppets that she carried with her for safety reasons weren¡¯t there too. And like before, she was unable to sense them. ¡®All of them were Darble Puppets. How were they taken from me?¡¯


    She also noticed the expertness with which she had been tied up. It didn¡¯t seem like the work of a Haggon, but of a human that was an expert with tying humans up. That was why she was unable to move in the slightest as the ropes bound her in a certain way that her joints were positioned in such a manner that she wasn¡¯t able to gather strength in them.


    After a day passed, the two Haggons arrived before a hill where they handed over Princess Raecha and Wakuta to another pair of Haggons that carried them now and began to sprint once again, confusing the two.


    ¡°Just¡­what is happening?¡± The two were confused, unable to understand just what was happening when they fell asleep once again. For the greater part of the journey, they had been in a state of sleep, barely staying awake for a couple of minutes at most.


    Eventually, the two Haggons arrived in Level 4, presenting the two women to Compass Carburettor that gazed at them, nodding once before saying through telepathy, ¡°Good! Ensure that they are unconscious all along. Wake them up when I give the signal. Until then, keep them asleep.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lord Spirit.¡± The two Haggons took on human forms, wore some clothes, and carried the two women with them, entering a cave to keep them captive there.


    ¡®The ns are proceeding somewhat smoothly. But, I shouldn¡¯t be careless. Regriel erupted with the power of a Transcendent before. At least, that power still conformed to the rules of this world. If he uses some other mysterious power, we¡¯ll be at a disadvantage.¡¯ He sighed, thinking, ¡®In such a case, Princess Raecha and Wakuta would be the bait to lure him to the location.¡¯


    ¡®We can simply act like the Secret Society has saved them and give them enough information about the treasure. That¡¯ll be bound to lure the ve Harem System¡¯s attention. This way, it¡¯ll give Regriel a Quest to save hispanions.¡¯ Thinking as such, he continued to run, ¡®But, it¡¯s not enough. I should at least prepare threeyers of backup, just in case. I have no idea as to how deep the powers of my opponent go.¡¯


    ¡®My only advantage is that I am in hiding. The ve Harem System has yet to notice my existence. That¡¯s my lead to defeating it.¡¯ Finalising his ns, he ryed numerousmands to everyone through telepathy, causing many Haggons to begin the preparation.


    He apanied the Dungeon Boss, going around as they finished turning all the citizens of the Great Megwest Empire into members of Secret Society in Level 4. Soon, they reached the final level, beginning to head towards the mountainous Iron Castle in the centre where the remainder of the Haggons had gathered.


    ¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s move now. Raecha and Wakuta are waiting for us.¡± Regriel said, ¡°They might have been injured from the attacks before. So, let¡¯s see if we can try to meet up with them before the appointed meeting spot.¡±


    ¡°We have no other choice but to travel on foot. That¡¯s bound to tire us out further.¡± General Artica said, ¡°We no longer have my Iron Puppets to use either.¡±


    ¡°And without Wakuta, we cannot simply use our Dac as we pleased like before.¡± Rikune sighed, bringing them atop the cliff, asking Regriel, ¡°Are you still able to use that power from before? If we use both that and my power, we¡¯ll be able to use the river to travel quickly.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, it seems I can¡¯t.¡± Regriel sighed, clenching his hand into a fist, ¡°I still cannot understand from where this power appeared.¡±


    ¡°It seems your past isn¡¯t as simple as it seems.¡± Rikune said, ¡°Once we leave this ce, let¡¯s investigate more into it. Your healing ability and this mysterious power of Transcendence that you used without attaining the state of Transcendence, all of them make no sense.¡±


    ¡°So, we have to get to the truth of the matter.¡± She concluded.


    ¡°I am of the same opinion myself.¡± Regriel nodded, beginning to run on the ground, ¡°But first things first, we need to meet up with the others quickly. Without that, it¡¯ll take us forever to traverse through the many levels of this Dungeon.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that.¡± Rikune nodded, intending to say something when they noticed a Haggon pop out of the swamp before them.


    The moment it exited the swamp, it roared, causing a powerful shockwave that would have ruptured their eardrums had they not blocked their ears quick enough. Immediately after, it exited the swamp, gazing at the three humans before it, grinning as it expressed its hunger.


    ¡°Be alert!¡± Rikune shouted in rm, feeling her back be drenched by cold sweat, ¡°It¡¯s not a regr Haggon. It seems to have reached Transcendence.¡±


    ¡°What? Transcendence?¡± General Artica was rmed, trembling in fear.


    ¡°A Haggon¡­that reached¡­Transcendence?¡± Regriel muttered slowly as the reality sunk into him, turning his face pale as he shuddered in fear, for a moment failing to process information as he noticed a shadow looming above him.

 Chapter 118: Coincidence? Or Not!

    <h4>Chapter 118: Coincidence? Or Not!</h4>


    ¡°Dodge!¡± Rikune shouted as she unleashed her Crescent Moon energy de, severing the tree trunk that flew at Regriel, barely causing him to evade on time as the severed halves of the tree trunk crashed into the ground, forming a small trench as they slid forward.


    ¡°Dammit, Regriel! Snap out of it!¡± Rikune made eye contact with General Artica, causing the other party to help Regriel, snapping him awake.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give in to fear!¡± General Artica said, ¡°We¡¯ll survive as long as you keep your wits with you.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Regriel nodded, taking out his Armaments as he was ready to use them to attack the Transcendent Haggon before them.


    ¡°It makes no sense of a Haggon of this strength to be on level 1. Dammit!¡± Rikune cursed as she unleashed a Crescent Moon energy de, intending to pierce the Haggon¡¯s neck first. And, she was surprised when her energy de managed to touch the opponent, something she hadn¡¯t thought would happen so easily.


    But, she then frowned, for her energy de failed to sink in deeper, even though the ce she had attacked was just the neck. ¡°Just how tough is this freaking thing?¡±


    She increased the Dac within the Crescent Moon energy de, causing it to oscite as it began to dig deeper and deeper into the Haggon¡¯s neck. Though, Rikune retracted them immediately the moment the Haggon raised its hand a little, looking like it was about to touch the energy de.


    Upon seeing her action, it grinned, pointing the index finger of its right hand towards the sky, condensing a ball-shaped energy de. It began to rotate as the Haggon looked at Rikune, suddenly grabbing the ball before throwing it at her.


    ¡°What the heck does it n to do with this?¡± Rikune failed to understand. After all, an energy de didn¡¯t have any mass. So, if they were used as projectiles, they wouldn¡¯t even tickle the opponents. After all, due tocking any mass, they couldn¡¯t be felt by those that were attacked.


    But just in case, she didn¡¯t intend to take risks, unleashing a Crescent Moon energy de to use its curvature and deflect the ball-shaped energy de. But, in the instant they came into contact, the ball-shaped energy de expanded to twenty times its size.


    The force generated during its expansion was simr to the energy des, using it to m into her Crescent Moon energy de. The force was transferred into her through her energy des, causing her to cough up blood and be sent flying.


    She hadn¡¯t fathomed such an attack. Thereby, she was caught off guard.


    ¡°Rikune!¡± Regriel ran and caught hold of her, sliding on the ground upon falling. He noticed blood leaking out of Rikune¡¯s nose as it seemed like she was unable to see clearly for a moment.


    Minor Healing¡ªLevel 2!


    Regriel quickly healed Rikune, allowing her to get up with a start and charge towards the Haggon while shouting, ¡°This Haggon has an affinity to being both a Warrior and a Puppeteer. The balls it creates are Puppets, maintained in such a shape. We don¡¯t know what exactly they are capable of yet.¡±


    But right as she said so, the Haggon nonchntly threw three ball-shaped energy des at her, causing them to expand to fifty times their size upon arriving in her proximity.


    Rikune was unable to defend promptly, having resorted to using her Crescent Moon energy des to jump into the air, barely dodging the attacks, watching the three balls collide into each other before bouncing in other directions.


    The moment they bounced, they rapidly shrunk in size as they headed towards each of the three people urately. It was as if the Haggon had predicted the way they would move.


    After all, following the collision between the three ball-shaped energy des, one of them bounced into the air, following her.


    And the moment they appeared near their targets, they expanded in size once again. Rikune was only able to use her energy des on the ball before her, being sent flying in the air even further, causing the distance between her and the other two to increase.


    In her anger, she unleashed a strong Crescent Moon energy de, sending the ball-shaped energy de flying towards the Haggon, intending to m it into the other party¡¯s face. But, the Haggon grinned as usual, not bothering even nce her way, causing the ball flying towards it to vanish.


    It then threw another ball towards Rikune, repeating the same action, sending her higher and higher up into the air using the expansion of the ball to perfectly angle her into the air. And, the balls it threw curved in the air to hit Rikune in the perfect direction to do so.


    General Artica was in an even worse situation, forced to use her Armament to defend against the attacks. But, she wasn¡¯t able to use the energy des freely like Rikune, dependent entirely on her Armaments.


    So, the maximum strength she could exhibit was limited by her Armament¡¯s ability to use her Dac. Due to that, she was unable to even defend against the attacks as her energy des were shattered one after another while she was sent flying by the impacts, crashing into the ground.


    Regriel was the worst of them all,cking General Artica¡¯s strength or expertise, having only been fighting for a month. So, he wasn¡¯t even able to dodge or block the energy ball, getting hit directly to be sent flying into the trunk of a tree.


    He hurriedly healed his injuries and was just about to retaliate when another energy ball mmed into him, expanding in the process to send him flying far away.


    He crashed through the trees one after another, the energy de he used to shield himself had shattered by now, cracking his ribs in the process as he shed through the forest terrain like a ragged doll, rolling on the ground before stopping atop a raised tform.


    He barely managed to reorient himself as he noticed that the raised tform he was atop was actually the foot of a Haggon that was sleeping at the ce. And, it hadn¡¯t even noticed his presence, for his body weight wasn¡¯t even enough to make it feel anything. Thankfully, it was sleeping. Otherwise, he would have been doomed.


    Flustered, Regriel was just about to escape when he thought of something, looking between its legs to notice a natural cave¡¯s entrance, thinking, ¡®Will it work?¡¯


    He then ced his hands on its leg, activating his ability.


    ve Harem¡ªLevel 2!

 Chapter 119: New Harem Member

    <h4>Chapter 119: New Harem Member</h4>


    ¡°Grr¡­?¡± The Haggon woke up with a start, looking at the figure of Regriel positioned on her foot, gently picking him up before cing him on her shoulder, running out of the forest immediately as she quickly found General Artica, pping aside the ball-shaped energy de heading towards her.


    She picked her up, cing General Artica on her shoulder before sprinting in another direction, running away from the Transcendent Haggon, heading in the direction of Rikune.


    Rikune was still in the air, being sent flying higher and higher up. Even though she ensured to remain uninjured, but the increase in altitude was fearsome. She understood what the Transcendent Haggon was nning. It was nning to drop her from high up to her death.


    But, she had no other choice as the initiative wasn¡¯t in her hands the moment she was sent flying into the air. Suddenly, she noticed a Haggon carrying Regriel and General Artica, heading towards her.


    ¡°A Haggon as an ally?¡± Even though she was confused for a moment, she had no other choice but to believe for that to be the case. And the moment a ball-shaped energy de flew at her, she mmed her Crescent Moon energy des at it, using the rebound momentum to make a beeline towards the running group.


    Regriel and General Artica quickly condensed their energy des, pointing them up in the air for Rikune to use them as footholds to reduce her momentum. Using her Crescent Moon energy des, she wrapped around the tip of General Artica¡¯s energy de, spinning around it as she transferred most of her falling momentum into the spin, quickly alternating directions to reduce the momentum to the limit.


    She then slid over,nding on the Haggon¡¯s shoulder, gasping for breath, ¡°I thought I would die this time.¡±


    ¡°Thankfully, Regriel saved us.¡± General Artica sighed in relief, looking at the side of the Haggon¡¯s face that was carrying them, thinking, ¡®How is this possible?¡¯


    Though, she didn¡¯t intend to intrude into his secrets, wishing to wait until he opened up to her about it voluntarily.


    Once they had crossed a certain distance, the Transcendent Haggon stopped attacking them, grinning as it muttered, ¡°It was hard to hold back so much. Thankfully, I achieved my objective. Now, they can use the Haggon to head into the deeper levels faster.¡±


    That was the n all along. And, his task was to facilitate such a scenario from happening. That was why he sent Regriel flying in the respective direction in the first ce. He then prayed through telepathy, ¡°Lady Hekatra, I¡¯vepleted my objective. Regriel truly can enve women. Even Dungeon Monsters aren¡¯t exempt from this ability.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Keep me posted about anything else you find out after that.¡± Hekatra¡¯s voice resounded through telepathy as the Transcendent Haggon slowly exited the swamp.


    Walking into the forest, he muttered, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I could feel this freedom in my thoughts. I guess it¡¯s time to experience what true bliss feels like¡­¡±


    He used a tree stem as back support, leaning on it to sleep, ¡°Let¡¯s see what a peaceful sleep feels like. I¡¯ve alreadypleted all my work anyway. If I have anything else to do, Lady Hekatra would notify me.¡±


    Saying so, he began to sleep, even beginning to snore a couple of secondster.


    ¡­


    ¡°Done, all healed up!¡± Regriel sighed in exhaustion, having expended all his Dac, ¡°Everyone has fully recovered now.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Regriel.¡± General Artica said, ¡°It would have been hard to move around without your healing ability.¡±


    ¡°Facing the Haggons on my own is more dangerous than I had thought. I¡¯ve been sustaining more and more injuries with every fight.¡± Rikune sighed, ¡°They are strong, fast, possess a tough body, and adding onto everything, they can even regenerate. They are indeed one of the strongest Dungeon Monsters.¡±


    She then shuddered, ¡°And, that was the first time I saw such a powerful Transcendent.¡±


    She had been through numerous battles, having fought against a Transcendent Dungeon Monster before. But at that time, she was assisted by two other Transcendents. There were three Transcendents in total in the Heroica Empire.


    And even though it was a terrifying fight, they had won in the end and didn¡¯t sustain any longsting injuries. At least, even though the fight was tough, there was the hope of killing their opponent.


    But now, she couldn¡¯t even see any hope of killing the Transcendent Haggon. Not only was its skin tougher than any other Haggon she encountered, but it was also a freaking Transcendent atop that, possessing an affinity towards being both a Warrior and a Puppeteer.


    And, it had fused both to create a unique style of its own to fight, making it a troublesome monster to face against. Moreover, there was no scope for winning the fight by drawing it out. After all, she only had 1000 Dac.


    And even though she didn¡¯t know the limit of Dac a Transcendent Haggon possessed, she was aware that it would be a tremendous sum. Sighing, she muttered, ¡°I could feel that Transcendent Haggon was just ying around with us. It wasn¡¯t hungry. That was why we were able to escape in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°Also,¡± General Artica gave her observation, ¡°From the start, that Transcendent Haggon hadn¡¯t moved a step from its spot. It was just toying with us.¡±


    ¡°Damn, that pisses me off!¡± Rikune cursed, calming down as she looked at the Haggon carrying them, asking, ¡°Regriel, is it safe?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Regriel nodded, touching the female Haggon¡¯s cheek once, ¡°I can guarantee it with my life.¡±


    He then frowned, thinking, ¡®When I enved Wakuta, I had to spend half a day to finish the process. As for enving Rikune, I was only able to take advantage of her injured state. Using that as an excuse, I remained in contact with her body for almost a day while slowly healing her.¡¯


    ¡®And, I had expended a lot of Dac each time. Rather, it took me 250 Dac to enve Rikune.¡¯ He was unable to make sense of the situation, ¡®But, I enved this Haggon within a couple of seconds. How is that possible? And, I also hadn¡¯t expended any Dac to do so.¡¯


    Hearing Regriel¡¯s thoughts, the ve Harem System sighed, ¡®I¡¯m barely earning one Mental Energy per day. But, I am expending a lot to help him tide through the dangers.¡¯


    [Mental Energy: 217]

 Chapter 120: Three More System Users

    <h4>Chapter 120: Three More System Users</h4>


    Offshore Port; it was a crowded ce, being one of thergest ports after the destruction of the Great Megwest Empire. It was situated in the northeast of Gatena, the continent where the Great Megwest Empire, Heroica Empire, Entropica Kingdom, etc. were situated upon.


    Currently, three people had arrived at this port, wearing a turban of sorts on their heads to shield themselves from the sun. Offshore port had rather warm weather, with it being sunny for most of the year.


    And the sea waters had warm currents throughout the year, causing the ce to be hot and humid. Though, due to the pressure fluctuations in the ce, rainfall never happened. Therefore, it was a weird location for people to live in.


    But despite everything, it was a bustling ce thanks to it being situated on a in which was surrounded by mountainous terrain.


    ¡°Our goal is to head towards the Hateka Continent. Living in the Level 5 Dungeon, Keworm Dungeon is our target. Based on Lord Spirit¡¯s orders, we have to investigate more about him.¡± One of them said.


    ¡°Let me sell some of the Darble Crystals with us to procure enough travel funds.¡± Another of them said before mixing into the crowd.


    ¡°And, I¡¯ll collect all the information rted to our journey.¡± The final of the trio said before making a beeline towards one of the shops, having spotted a friendly-looking shopkeeper that seemed bored. He was the perfect target to obtain information from.


    System Host!


    Thanks to the ten conditions given by Compass Carburettor, they had been investigating through numerous port cities. As such ces was where numerous goods were either imported or exported, people from all parts of the world arrived at the ce. So, they were the perfect spots to gather information.


    And, those from the Secret Society¡ªGrogars¡ªthat were sent to scout for information targeted these port cities first, collecting every piece of information they obtained that matched the ten conditions as much as possible.


    All the information was ryed to Duchess who coted them all, matching them through various records, word of mouth, rumours, etc. She also sent people to infiltrate the libraries of numerous Kingdoms and Empires, making them collect a plethora of information of which the condensed amount was ryed to her.


    Now, seated in the Iron Castle situated in Level 5 of the Mohart Dungeon, all Duchess concentrated was on this task. And soon enough, she zeroed in on three targets, those that could be System Users.


    After all, they were high profiled, had enemies and allies everywhere, lived a life where every event they experienced could be written in books, and most of all, had abilities that didn¡¯t conform tomon sense.


    It was not to mention their growth speed had broken through most, if not all records and they remained undefeated among their peers. Such targets were the definition of System Hosts.


    And now, she had to confirm whether they were actually System Hosts or not. So, she had dispatched scouts to other continents in search of information. Some of the continents were easily essible while others were hard.


    Thankfully, they had enough Katia to move about in the air. That was how they travelled quickly through the ce. And the Grogars dispatched as scouts had around 300 Dac, enough to travel for long distances using it.


    Though in paths without human activity, they returned to their Grogar form and just ran through the ce, using their big physique to advantage.


    As days passed in such a fashion, she obtained some conclusive information, rying everything to Compass Carburettor.


    Seated in the cave where Princess Raecha was held captive, Compass Carburettor listened to the information, thinking, ¡®There are actually three other System Hosts here. That is surprising. The first is the Emperor of a Great Empire. He had attained that position only five years ago. There is still a lot of unrest and chaos there. The second calls himself an admiral of the sea, ruling the waters between the various continents. He boasts thergest fleet of ships and has taken down giant ocean monsters unarmed.¡¯


    ¡®And the third calls himself the Dungeon Master, having seated himself at the lowermost level of the Keworm Dungeon, a Level 5 Dungeon. And, he has existed for almost sixty years now, having be inactive for the past decade as the Great Rateuk Empire has been proven helpless against him time and again.¡¯ He tapped his chin, thinking.


    ¡®All three have been around for numerous years. So, their foundation isn¡¯t something the current me can challenge. They are too strong for me to face against.¡¯ Compass Carburettor nodded, knowing very well his limits. Even while facing a hatchling System Host like Regriel, he didn¡¯t have the guarantee to be able to kill him.


    So, he dared not assume he would be able to kill those that had been around as System Users for decades. He simply thought about his life on Earth. Having been the user of the Money-Making System for two decades, he had reached a point in the world where his wealth and authority couldn¡¯t be questioned even by countries.


    After all, he had the majority of stocks inpanies that formed the beating hearts of numerous countries¡¯ industries. One word from him was able to cause major financial losses to any country he wished.


    This was the foundation he had attained on Earth. And it was in two decades. Simrly, the System Users on this world too would have a simr, if not a stronger foundation than him. Daring to go against them was simply foolish.


    But, that wasn¡¯t the reason he wished to find them. His goal was now to kill the ve Harem System and understand the ins and outs of his ability as a System yer first. Only after that would he think about anything else.


    And, he was finding information about them to figure out the time at which they would return to the System World, intending to use them to leave this world. After all, he too was pressed for time. Upon killing the ve Harem System, he would have already obtained everything he could from this world.


    Moreover, thanks to Secret Society that was created in this world and had given him the identity as a Spirit of this world, Compass Carburettor wouldn¡¯t lose the powers he obtained here once he returned to the System World.


    That meant¡­his Warble would remain with him, allowing him to remain a Haggon without any trouble.

 Chapter 121: General Artica Goes Missing

    <h4>Chapter 121: General Artica Goes Missing</h4>


    Two days had passed since Regriel brought the female Haggon into his harem. As she was close to attaining Transcendence, she was tremendously powerful. So thanks to her, they had an easier time with everything, making her run through the levels while they satfortably on her shoulders.


    And now, they were running through Level 3, avoiding any Haggons along the way. They had already attacked enough Haggons to eat and replenish their reserves. Once killed, they first ate some of its meat and stored some as reserves while the female Haggon devoured the rest.


    This way, she had enough energy to run nonstop without any hups.


    Soon, Regriel spotted a mountain range before him, saying, ¡°That¡¯s the spot we decided to meet up with the Secret Society.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s be careful.¡± Rikune said, ¡°We cannot say with assurance whether they are allies or enemies.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s focus on meeting up with Princess Raecha first.¡± General Artica said, pointing at a spot that was easily scble in the range, ¡°With Chikon, she would have reached the ce by now and is probably in hiding.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not waste any time then,¡± Regriel said, pointing in the direction as the female Haggon ran. They were unable tomunicate. But through their connection, the female Haggon was barely able to understand him.


    That was how she followed his orders, carrying them over the mountain range, reaching the peak.


    Regriel gazed at the interior of the range that formed a ring in shape. And situated in the centre of the ring was a massiveke. That was their meeting location. Initially, he had thought the ce would be vacant.


    But now, he noticed a couple of Haggons sleeping at various locations along the edges of theke, their bodies half immersed in the water. Unwilling to alert them, he motioned for the female Haggon to descend slowly.


    He called them a mountain range. But in actuality, it was more like a hill range, as their height barely crossed the limit of what could be called hills. After an hour of steady descent, they managed to reach the interior of the ring formed by the mountain range.


    Crunch!


    Suddenly, a loud sound resounded through the ce, garnering the attention of the group, noticing a couple of Haggons messing around as they seemed to be biting into something hard.


    And right at this time, the wind carried over a piece of cloth, causing it to hit the female Haggon. Rikune hurriedly grabbed hold of the cloth, noticing that it was familiar, ¡°Isn¡¯t this what Raecha¡­wore?¡±


    She looked at the piece of cloth, noticing a word written on it with blood. And from the signs, it seemed the blood had only dried recently, causing Rikune to stammer as she had expected the worst, ¡°T-This¡­!¡±


    Run!


    After seeing the word written on it, Regriel slowly turned around, noticing the thing the couple of Haggons were crunching upon.


    Chikon!


    It was Chikon¡¯s head that they were biting into little by little. Despite it being a Darble Puppet, the Haggons were slowly cracking it. After all, even when their teeth shattered from the force exertion, they regenerated.


    So, the Haggons yed with such a hard object they had obtained. And only now did Regriel notice numerous traces in the ce, looking at torn clothes that had once belonged to Princess Raecha and Wakuta.


    There were also their belongings scattered about, broken into pieces, causing Regriel to tear up as he was unable to believe just what had happened.


    Just as he was moping about the loss of hisrades that he hadn¡¯t fathomed, the crunching sounds resounded once again, this time even louder as a Haggon managed to shatter Chikon¡¯s head.


    It was the action that broke his string as Regriel was angry, rage clouding his mind as he jumped from the female Haggon¡¯s shoulder, rolled uponnding on the ground, and charged towards the two Haggons in the distance, ¡°Bastards! I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    ¡°Regriel! Stop!¡± Rikune said in rm as she unleashed her energy de, hitting the rock behind her as she used the rebound to fly towards Regriel, intending to stop him when the Haggon he was charging towards suddenly got up.


    Roar!


    Its roar was powerful, echoing throughout the vast open space when it threw the severed halves of Chikon¡¯s head into theke, roaring nonstop as if it was taunting something within.


    Right in response, another Haggon exited theke, roaring as it clenched the severed half of Chikon that had hit it in the head.


    The two Haggons roared as they shed with one another immediately, rolling about like two hills as the ground tremored under their wake. They crashed into the water, causing numerous ripples as their roars turned the once peaceful ce chaotic.


    Suddenly, hundreds of Haggons exited the water, roaring in anger upon having their blissful sleep disturbed.


    ¡°This was a sleeping spot for the Haggons?¡± Rikune shouted, ¡°That sted Secret Society can¡¯t be trusted after all! Let¡¯s run!¡±


    The Haggons began to fight each other, attacking everyone and everything in their line of sight. A couple of Haggons noticed the female Haggon carrying General Artica, picking up a boulder beside them before hurling it towards their target.


    The female Haggon raised its hands up to guard against the attack, skidding on the ground from the impact when the second boulder hit her, causing her to fall backward. General Artica timely jumped away, surviving the fall without any injuries.


    Now that she had been attacked twice, the female Haggon was pissed, immediately charging towards the ones that had attacked her, tearing into the bodies of each other. Soon, it vanished into the crowd of Haggons, its instincts causing it to mow down the weaker Haggons and bite into their flesh.


    Due to his raged charge, Regriel had arrived beside theke and hence, was targeted by around three Haggons. It was hard to defend against the attacks since the Haggons lifted the earth or boulders to throw at their enemies, ssh the water on their foes to target their eyes, or straight up rammed into their opponents.


    Due to their regeneration, they were unfazed no matter what attacked them, hence the chaos was like a group of hills were colliding with each other, causing the entire ce to quake. And struggling about, strutting to and fro among them were Regriel and Rikune, barely holding onto dear life.


    Suddenly, Regriel sensed something amiss, screaming at the top of his lungs, wailing, ¡°Where¡¯s Artica?¡±


    General Artica had gone missing!

 Chapter 122: Cornering Regriel

    <h4>Chapter 122: Cornering Regriel</h4>


    Arge boulder had been carved into a chair, atop which sat a Haggon, the strongest of its kind. It was bigger than all the Haggons, possessing grace, charisma, and an imposing presence unmatched by any.


    Dungeon Boss!


    Standing guard next to him was Hekatra, basking in nostalgia, now in bliss for being able to perform the same action that she had done a century ago. Currently, she was rying all the information obtained through the prayers of Secret Society to the Dungeon Boss.


    As his loyalty towards Compass Carburettor hadn¡¯t reached 100 yet, he wasn¡¯t qualified to possess Secret Society. And hence, Hekatra had to ry everything to him.


    Upon hearing everything that was happening in the ring-shaped mountain range on Level 3, the dungeon Bossughed in pride, ¡°As expected of a n created by my son. Everything is happening as naturally as possible. Our enemies won¡¯t even realise that everything that is happening was actually nned and not coincidental.¡±


    ¡°Yes, as always, the schemes created by Lord Meharb look as if they are a natural course of events.¡± Hekatra said, sighing, ¡°As expected of our Great Empire¡¯s gem.¡±


    ¡°I too was involved in the nning, you know. This wasn¡¯t entirely Meharb¡¯s scheme.¡± Compass Carburettor exited the cave, saying with a hint of disappointment. ¡°I might not look like it, but I once ruled an entire world¡¯s economy.¡±


    ¡­


    In the ring formed by the mountain range, the Haggons fought nonstop, dyeing theke a shade of red due to all the blood that poured out from them. Regriel and Rikune were barely holding on, trying their best to survive.


    Standing atop a mountain peak, and watching everything happening below was an old woman in herte sixties. Carried in a princess carry was General Artica, having been knocked unconscious.


    As she had been sitting on the female Haggon¡¯s shoulder and had moved towards one corner when the female Haggon rushed into the horde in anger, General Artica was all alone.


    Suddenly, a ribbon-shaped energy de appeared, wrapping around her mouth while releasing a strange mist, knocking her unconscious immediately. It had happened so fast that General Artica was unable to react.


    After all, the one to take action was a Transcendent from the Great Megwest Empire. Adding onto her strength as a Haggon Transcendent, the amount of Dac she could infuse into her ribbons was a tremendous sum.


    And, she had lived as a Transcendent for more than a century. The plethora of experience she had amassed was unimaginable. So, General Artica was no match for her, despite her tremendous talent and potential.


    As she was instantly knocked unconscious, the ribbons wrapped around General Artica and lifted her up, bringing her to the peak immediately. Once she was tied up into a cocoon, the old woman ced her behind a rock, calmly gazing at the scene of chaos happening within, focusing on Rikune, ¡°Thest one.¡±


    A Haggon that was part of Secret Society arrived, kneeling before her as the old woman said, ¡°Take her to the designated location and ensure she doesn¡¯t wake up until when we need her to.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The Haggon bowed before carrying General Artica, descending the mountain range as it ran in a certain direction, heading towards Level 2.


    The old woman remained in her human form, casually walking through the mountain range as she kept an eye on Rikune all along, not once gazing at Regriel. And all along, she was constantly conversing with Hekatra.


    ¡°Bla¡­bibilli¡­blublubuuu¡­!¡± Most of them were just nonsense sounds since she didn¡¯t wish to say anything.


    The reason she did this in the first ce was to ensure all her thoughts, and the resultant Mental Energy streams were directed at Hekatra. This was to prevent the ve Harem System from realising their n.


    All along, everyone that was taking action against Regriel¡¯s group did the same. Though, they were giving a live recount of everything that transpired using their utmost tone of respect.


    But the old woman did otherwise, casually sending grunting noises through the prayers, ¡°Kakaka¡­kekeke¡­kukuku¡­uuu!¡±


    ¡°Are you a freaking monkey? Why can¡¯t you just speak? Just give me a report of what is happening there!¡± Unable to endure it any longer, Hekatra snapped, shouting through their telepathy.


    ¡°ept that I¡¯m prettier than you. Otherwise, all I¡¯ll be sending your way are these noises.¡± The old woman grinned, transmitting the message.


    ¡°¡­fine, I¡¯ll ask for a report from other subordinates in the area,¡± Hekatra said, turning silent.


    ¡°Kuaakkk¡­kehehe¡­gruaonnnn!¡±


    The old woman casually strolled, creating a ribbon that wrapped around a piece of rock, sending it flying towards Regriel with a tremendous speed that the air surrounding it flickered for a moment. She had aimed it towards his head, intending to kill him.


    But, right as the rock was about to m into his head, one of the Haggons coincidently moved in the way, taking the impact. Upon seeing the scene, she didn¡¯t express anything, but instead, screamed in her mind, transmitting to Hekatra, ¡°My goodness, a Dungeon¡¯s filth! This Regriel guy is indeed a System Host. Coincidences happen to prevent any instant death of the sort. I really wonder what would happen if I try to kill him constantly?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t screw up the n! Just follow your orders. This n was thought up by Lord Meharb himself. It¡¯s his final scheme.¡± Hekatra bellowed through telepathy.


    ¡°Heh!¡± The old woman snorted, ¡°It was I who taught Meharb everything rted to schemes. Don¡¯t lecture me. I know what I am doing.¡±


    Upon hearing Hekatra rage on the other side, sheughed, ¡°Rx, I won¡¯t act on my own. I¡¯ll just follow orders.¡±


    Soon after, the thoughts she transmitted returned to being grunts and animal noises. Time passed in such a manner as she watched Regriel and Rikune getting tired, shaking her head as she muttered, ¡°The Transcendents of this day and age are pretty weak. Back in my days, we could easily mow through a group of Haggons.¡±


    When a group of Haggons began to fight, the battle would span for at least half a day. Thanks to their tremendous Dac reserve, they could go about without feeling even the least bit tired or sustain anysting injuries.


    But in contrast, Regriel and Rikune were only humans. And in such a chaotic battle where they had to constantly defend themselves to avoid a squashed fate, they were already exhausted.


    Soon, the chance she was looking for had arrived, coiling her ribbon over the foot of a Haggon as she lifted it and threw it towards Regriel and Rikune, aiming at their centre, causing a couple of Haggons along the way to tumble too.


    Rikune had to use her energy des to forcefully m Regriel away. Otherwise, he would have died from the impact. But, this only served to create a gap between them that the old woman took advantage of.

 Chapter 123: A Conflict of Thoughts

    <h4>Chapter 123: A Conflict of Thoughts</h4>


    ¡°What?¡± Rikune was flustered when a ribbon-shaped energy de suddenly wrapped around her leg, coiling around her. In response, she unleashed her Crescent Moon energy des, shocked when she failed to sever or even damage the ribbons.


    After fighting for so long, she was running low on her Dac reserves, having focused on protecting both her and Regriel. So, when she tried to sever the ribbons, the Dac she infused into her energy des was only a conservative amount that she maintained instinctively.


    Due to that, she lost the initiative to sever the ribbons on time, allowing them to wrap around her. All she could do was scream before she waspletely bound like a cocoon, ¡°Regriel!¡±


    There were the bodies of three Haggons between her and Regriel, preventing him from seeing her situation. All he heard was a faint whisper amid the loud roars and the grand thumping sounds of the Haggons bashing into each other.


    ¡°Rikune!¡± Regriel shouted in a hurry, flustered when he was unable to see or hear her any longer. He tried to scale through the Haggons, but was swatted away in difort as therge bodied Dungeon Monsters focused on tearing into each other.


    Looking at the scene from atop the peak, the old woman said through telepathy, ¡°It¡¯s done. Regriel is now alone and has run out of Dac.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Hekatra said, turning around as she nodded at Compass Carburettor, ¡°Lord Spirit, it¡¯s done!¡±


    ¡°Awaken Princess Raecha and enact our dialogues.¡± He said as everyone in the area assumed human forms, wearing their respective clothes instantly to take up positions.


    ¡­


    ¡°Ugh¡­what happened?¡± Princess Raecha woke up with a start, suddenly turning silent as she could hear raucousughter from beyond the cave where she was held captive.


    ¡°Those idiots from Secret Society and Heroica Empire have taken serious damage.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s thanks to Boss¡¯ ingenuity. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to annihte Secret Society so easily and harvest all their painstaking efforts.¡±


    ¡°And now, all the women from that Regriel¡¯s group are our captive. We can use them to obtain a massive ransom from the Heroica Empire. I¡¯m sure they wouldn¡¯t like to lose one of their three Transcendents so easily.¡±


    ¡°Keke, Boss is wise.¡±


    ¡°And now¡­¡± The voice addressed as the Bossughed, ¡°That Regriel is alone in a battlefield where those stupid Haggons are fighting one another. He¡¯s bound to die any moment, not knowing that the treasure he sought is already in my hands.¡±


    ¡°They are such fools, I must say, Boss.¡± One of the underling¡¯s ttering voice resounded.


    ¡®Regriel is in danger? And, the treasure we sought is here?¡¯ Princess Raecha thought, recalling the figure of Regriel, imagining the scene where he was struggling to survive while surrounded by Haggons on all sides, tearing up immediately, ¡®Please live, Regriel! Please!¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll ensure that Regriel is killed, even if he manages to survive that ce.¡± Suddenly, the emotionless voice of a woman resounded, ¡°He¡¯s not worth much aspared to hispanions. And, I feel like keeping him alive is risky.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the brain of our operations, the reason for our sess.¡± The Boss¡¯s voice resounded, carrying a hint of respect, ¡°If you feel that way, then we¡¯ll do as you say.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡®Brothers, ensure that Regriel is dead no matter what. The treasure is already in our hands, so there is no reason to keep him alive anymore.¡¯ The ve Harem System was jolted when it received numerous Mental Energy streams, the contents behind which were baffling.


    It also heard the thoughts of Princess Raecha that were directed at Regriel, thinking, ¡®It seems I was toote. But thankfully, the brains of this group seem to be a woman. That¡¯ll be helpful. I should make the appropriate purchases immediately. This is easier than facing the Dungeon Boss.¡¯


    Thinking as such, the ve Harem System connected to the Astral Network, hurriedly browsing through the numerous groups while it noticed Regriel barely surviving. If it dyed any longer, he would die.


    It quickly entered the personal group of Overdrive System, dropping a message. Thankfully for it, a reply arrived immediately.


    [ve Harem (Level 5): Boss, can you sell me the Overdrive Skill at Level 8?]


    [Overdrive System (Level 31): Do you have enough Mental Energy to afford that? Or are you nning to give me the Level 10 version of your Core Skill?]


    [ve Harem (Level 5): I¡¯ll exchange with the Level 10 version of ve Harem.]


    [Overdrive System (Level 31): Deal]


    They quicklypleted the transaction as the ve Harem System appeared within another group, dropping a message.


    [ve Harem (Level 5): Sir, can I get the one-off use of Teleportation? I need two of them, please.]


    [Spatial Jump System (Level 12): What is the travel distance? Do note that the ability may or may not work depending on the quality of the local energy used as fuel. So, I rmend using Mental Energy to activate this ability.]


    The ve Harem System quickly judged the spatial coordinates of Regriel and Princess Raecha, rying the information.


    [Spatial Jump System (Level 12): I see¡­Since it is located within the Level 5 Dungeon of E-4219, then it is somewhat problematic. The level 3 version of my Spatial Jump is enough to traverse that distance, but your Mental Energy consumption would be high, at least around 50 Mental Energy per jump. Do keep that in mind before you attempt it, lest you be stuck in the void and trouble meter.]


    [ve Harem (Level 5): Thank you, sir. I¡¯ll make a note of that.]


    [Spatial Jump System (Level 12): Good, then I¡¯ll sell them both for a total of 20 Mental Energy. Though, if you buy the Level 3 regr use version, I¡¯ll give it to you for 80 Mental Energy. What do you say? It¡¯s more efficient in the long run.]


    [ve Harem (Level 5): I¡¯ll return to buy that once my Host breaks out of his current pinch.]


    Once the transaction waspleted, the ve Harem System frowned, ¡®I now have 197 Mental Energy remaining. Setting aside 100 Mental Energy for the two spatial jumps and 50 Mental Energy to use the Overdrive Skill, I have 47 remaining. I need just one more ability.¡¯


    It then paused, frowning, deep in thought, ¡®If what I felt isn¡¯t the truth, then I would be wasting all my hard-earned Mental Energy. Should I buy a one-off Treasure Location Skill or buy the Skill that¡¯ll ensure Regriel doesn¡¯t die in that situation? He¡¯s too weak indeed¡­¡¯


    ¡®This is troubling.¡¯ It felt conflicted.

 Chapter 124: Coincidental Luck System

    <h4>Chapter 124: Coincidental Luck System</h4>


    ¡®Wait, I have the perfect solution for that.¡¯ The ve Harem System felt joy immediately, thinking, ¡®There is a perfect ability for that.¡¯


    If then frowned, thinking of the character of the System that possessed such an ability, ¡®Ugh, it would probably rip me off too much. Still, I should try my hand at it once.¡¯


    It surfed through numerous groups, soon finding the one that it had sought out, frowning when it noticed that there wasn¡¯t anyone in the group, ¡®As expected, this group is empty. Its attitude should have pissed off any Systems that might have arrived here to buy things.¡¯


    It then hesitantly dropped in a message, surprised when it received a message instantly.


    [ve Harem System (Level 5): Um¡­Respected Sir¡­? Can I purchase the Level 1 regr use version of your Core Skill?]


    [Coincidental Luck (Level 94): You can¡¯t.]


    [ve Harem System (Level 5): But sir, I¡¯m in a pinch here. Please help me.]


    [Coincidental Luck (Level 94): If your Level was in the 30s, I would have been interested. But as a Level 5 System, your Core Skill can only reach Level 10. A Level 10 ve Harem Skill is pretty weak.]


    [ve Harem System (Level 5): But sir, please quote me a price. I¡¯m willing to pay anything I can.]


    [Coincidental Luck (Level 94): Then, give me a regr-use version of ve Harem at Level 10. Give me five of them.]


    [ve Harem System (Level 5): F-Five of them? But sir, as a small System, I will soon hit my limit.]


    [Coincidental Luck (Level 94): You can leave then.]


    But, right as the Coincidental System was about to kick it out of the group, the ve Harem System decided to ept it, sending in a message while holding in its anger, ¡®Once I obtain this ability, adding onto the Overdrive Skill, the treasure would definitely fall into Regriel¡¯s hands. I can make ten times my investment after that.¡¯


    [ve Harem System (Level 5): I¡¯ll sell five regr-use versions of my Core Skill at Level 10.]


    [Coincidental Luck (Level 94): Alright, I¡¯ll sell you a one-off use Coincidental Luck at Level 20. That should be enough for whatever you are hoping for to fall into your Host¡¯s hands. But, it will depend on your timing. Even if you use this ability, if you activate it somewhere random, the effect won¡¯t be guaranteed. Even coincidences follow thews of cause and effect. So they have a limit to how absurd they can get.]


    [ve Harem System (Level 5): Thank you, great sir.]


    Upon finishing the trade, the ve Harem System left the group, somewhat content that it had saved Mental Energy in the previous transaction. Even though it was a loss to sell five regr use versions of its Core Skill at Level 10, there weren¡¯t many Systems that intended to purchase them in the first ce, not when itspetitors had rtively better versions of the same ability.


    ¡®This is the problem these days. But, once I devour all the Systems in my Genre, I¡¯ll be able to attain status as a Grade 2 System. And this is just the first step to achieve that.¡¯ It thought, cutting off its connection to the Astral Network, ¡®This world is a lot suited for my abilities. I¡¯ll definitely make this my base of operations and convert this into my personal farm like all the other powerful Grade 1 Systems have done.¡¯


    Unbeknownst to the ve Harem System, once it exited the group, the Coincidental Luck System sent another message.


    [Coincidental Luck (Level 94): Well, you are about to die anyway, ve Harem. So, I was making a profitable deal. It seems you have encountered a troublesome opponent this time. Farewell!]


    The Coincidental Luck System then severed its connection to the Astral Network, continuing to walk through the System World as it muttered, ¡°Secret¡­Society¡­was it? It seems my hunch was right at the start. There¡¯s a bigger fragment of that bastard within this guy.¡±


    It stopped beside a tree, rubbing its neck onto the tree bark to scratch itself, ¡°Even though I don¡¯t like it, he¡¯ll be a great pawn to use, better than the System yers I¡¯ve hired in the past.¡±


    It then continued to walk away, muttering, ¡°Thest time, I saw him near a trench far away. He shouldn¡¯t have travelled far away to enter a world. So, once he returns to the System World, I¡¯ll be able to sense him if I wait there.¡±


    Had Compass Carburettor been at the ce, he would have trembled in fear like a leaf caught in the storm, just as how he had done in the past. For, the one that had set its sights on him was the one he thought of as the Deer System.


    ¡­


    [Ding!]


    [Quest: Snatch the treasure from the hands of a viin!]


    [Quest Details: In ten seconds, Host would be teleported to the location where the treasureys. The second teleportation would activate a minuteter. Please grab the treasure within the time limit. Failure to do so would result in death. Quest cannot be refused.]


    [Additional Details: The Skill, Overdrive (Level 10) would be activated during the duration of this Quest.]


    [Rewards: Overdrive (Level 1), the rescue of the trapped harem.]


    ¡®Thank heavens!¡¯ The moment he saw the quest window before him, the bleeding figure of Regriel felt like he had been saved. Currently, his face was smudged by blood, tears, and snot, as a result of him crying nonstop while barely avoiding the Haggons.


    Hispanions had vanished one after another. Adding onto his insecure mentality, he feared that they had abandoned him. But, upon noticing the rewards mentioned in his Quest window, he realised that they had been captured, ¡®Thankfully, they only got captured. I will definitely save them in that case.¡¯


    He was d that his fears hadn¡¯t be reality, hurriedly counting the seconds until it was time for him to be teleported.


    ¡°Uwak!¡± He screamed in fear, watching a Haggon¡¯s fist m right into his face. But right on time, he was teleported away from the ce.


    The Haggon that had punched him was confused as it scratched its head for a moment, wondering where its target had gone. But before it could even try to gather some thoughts on the matter, the fist of a nearby Haggon kissed its face, sending it reeling into the ground.


    It got up with a start, roaring as its distorted face healed to normalcy. Followed by a roar, it was just about to charge at its attacker when another Haggon attacked it, kicking its face to send it flying, causing it to crash into a couple of Haggons along the way.

 Chapter 125: The Middle-Aged Lady That’s Overwhelmingly Pretty

    <h4>Chapter 125: The Middle-Aged Lady That¡¯s Overwhelmingly Pretty</h4>


    ¡°Ouch, that darned leader of Secret Society poisoned me before death. Curse you, Domino!¡± A middle-ageddy that looked like she was in herte twenties cursed in rage, ¡°I should have tortured you before killing you!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose your cool! Treat yourself first.¡± The Bandit Boss said with a mild fluster, ¡°You are the only one among us that knows how to imnt a Warble. So, we can¡¯t afford for anything to happen to you.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± The middle-ageddy calmed herself, suddenly gritting her teeth before saying, ¡°But, ensure that Regriel is killed. It seems Domino has gifted him something. If he survives, our n might go awry.¡±


    ¡°Rx, the Warble is already in our hands.¡± The Bandit Bossughed, ¡°So, we don¡¯t need to worry about anything. And this ce is surrounded by our men and the Haggons never venture here. So, it¡¯s an impregnable fortress.¡±


    ¡°I sure hope so¡­¡±


    ¡®So, that¡¯s how it is.¡¯ The ve Harem System thought, hearing the contents ryed through the Mental Energy stream. As the two were conversing about Regriel, everything they spoke of was ryed through to the ve Harem System.


    After all, the mind had to first generate the thought before the mouth articted them into words perceivable by one¡¯s olfactory senses. And thoughts were what generated Mental Energy. Moreover, a System was able topletely perceive the thoughts, unlike a System yer that was only able to perceive the emotions behind the said thoughts.


    That was one of the differences between the two entities.


    But, the ve Harem System didn¡¯t simply decide based on the thoughts of two people. It also scanned through all the Mental Energy streams rted to this incident, concluding, ¡®It seems she¡¯s the sole person with the means to imnt Warble into a person. If I get her, I won¡¯t have to waste any more Mental Energy to buy the respective knowledge, teach it to one of the harem members, and then use them to imnt the Warble on Regriel. Bringing her into the harem is the fastest and most efficient method.¡¯


    It then calcted the risks, deciding, ¡®Alright, even though the Mental Energy expenditure would be higher to transport one more person, it¡¯s cheaper and less time-consuming. After all, once Regriel has Warble, I won¡¯t have to waste any Mental Energy trying to save him. If he dies, he dies. The harem members would revive him shortly after anyway.¡¯


    It then generated a Quest, transmitting it to Regriel right as he arrived in the midst of the Bandit den, positioned in a pose where he had expected his death, also shouting ordingly.


    [Ding!]


    [Quest: Enve the bandit mastermind]


    [Quest Details: The mastermind is a peerless beauty and the only person with the knowledge to imnt the Warble into you, the ultimate treasure of the Great Megwest Empire, the treasure that allows one to revive without limits.]


    [Rewards: Sessful imntation of the Warble]


    As they were short on time, the quest details were directly transmitted into Regriel¡¯s mind instead of showing it before his face like usual, allowing him to understand the contents instantly and swerve his head to look at the duo before him.


    There was a small tform situated beside a cave¡¯s entrance. Positioned atop it was arge wooden chair, and seated on it was a middle-aged man that seemed to be gaining in on age. He had a sharp aura to him that seemed odd for a bandit to have.


    But at a second nce, it was apparent that only such an individual would dare to plot against a hidden organisation like Secret Society.


    Seated on a stool beside him was a middle-aged woman, having bandaged her right arm and left thigh, seemingly having been injured. But, their mild twitching dictated that she had been poisoned and had yet to recover, being unable to move for the time being.


    The moment Regrielid eyes on her, time seemed to have slowed down for him as his senses became iparably sharp. And, his heartbeat began to elerate when a thought popped up in his mind, ¡®How could someone be this beautiful? Is this level of beauty realistically attainable?¡¯


    In an instant, he was enamoured by the middle-ageddy when the thought popped into his head, ¡®Wait, isn¡¯t she the target that I have to enve? Wow, amazing! Does that mean¡­I can¡­with someone like her? Dayum!¡¯


    [Ding!]


    [Activating Overdrive]


    The System notification brought him to his senses as Regriel could feel intense power welling up from within him. He used Minor Healing to see that his wounds healed within a second, watching the two people before him be startled at his presence.


    He quickly observed a Darble Horn carefully held by the middle-aged man like it was dear to him, understanding that it was the treasure he was supposed to obtain, opening his mouth to utter, ¡°That¡¯s my treasure you have in your hands!¡±


    ¡°Fuck! From where did this bastard pop out from?¡± The middle-aged man bellowed, ¡°Bastards! There¡¯s an intruder here! Kill him!¡±


    In an instant, numerous energy des popped out from the nearby bushes, as if the people were ready to attack all along.


    Even though he was startled, Regriel heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing all the energy des being blocked by the spherical barrier that he had instinctively erected around him, thinking, ¡®I see, so if I be a Transcendent, my Warrior ability is to create spherical energy des. That¡¯s pretty amazing!¡¯


    The energy des impacted him one after another as the force behind their expansion tried to send him flying in various directions. But, since most of them originated from behind him, they sent him flying towards the middle-aged man instead, startling the other party.


    ¡®Yes!¡¯ The ve Harem System rejoiced, having already activated Coincidental Luck, noticing it begin to take effect, ¡®This spatial jump cost me 53 Mental Energy. And now, the longer Regriel wastes time, the more Mental Energy I have to expend. s, I don¡¯t have anything else to do. Simply pressuring him would only cause him to cave in. At least, the target¡¯s beauty already captured him. So, he¡¯s bound to finish his job perfectly.¡¯


    [Mental Energy: 144]

 Chapter 126: Regriel’s Fight

    <h4>Chapter 126: Regriel¡¯s Fight</h4>


    ¡°Hruk!¡± Regriel grunted when something mmed into him, sending him reeling through the forest, mowing down the trees without stopping for a good hundred metres.


    If not for his Minor Healing working on healing him at tremendous speeds while in his Overdrive state, he would have died from the impact. Quickly getting up, Regriel frowned, gazing at the Bandit Boss that had sent him flying, ¡®This guy is a Transcendent too. And judging by his strength, he¡¯s a lot stronger than Rikune. His ability is trickier too.¡±


    Rikune¡¯s ability, though effective, wasn¡¯t the best a Warrior Transcendent could obtain. Moreover, it was only using a Warrior¡¯s ability.


    As for the Bandit Boss, Regriel failed to understand how, but he had fused both the abilities of a Warrior and a Puppeteer into one, allowing him to output with greater power. This made him an opponent many times scarier than Rikune.


    Rather, Regriel felt as if he was facing against five Rikune. Even one Rikune was hard for him to fight and overpower, even in his Overdrive state. Rather, the only way he would be able to win against Rikune was to overwhelm her through sheer power while using his Minor Healing to constantly regenerate from his injuries.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do exactly that to my opponent. No matter how strong he is, he cannot heal himself like me.¡± Thinking as such, Regriel caused the barrier surrounding him to expand towards the ground instantly, using the force applied to shoot towards the Bandit Boss.


    In response, the Bandit Boss calmly summoned a rod whose tip was like a pike¡¯s. And, it began to quickly rotate, turning into a power drill. The moment he saw it, Regriel understood that it would be able to prate through his barrier easily, grunting as he expanded his barrier.


    ¡°Heup!¡± The Bandit Boss shouted as he thrust forth his energy de,ing into contact with the barrier as his eyes widened in shock, ¡®Just how much Dac has he infused into his barrier? But, he¡¯s simply wasting such a massive amount when all he needs is to create a barrier at the point of contact. Instead, he¡¯s applying the same amount of Dac throughout the barrier.¡¯


    Grunting, the Bandit Boss thrust his energy de forth, piercing through the barrier when the barrier shattered. And from Regriel came another barrier, mming into the tip of his energy de.


    The resultant sh caused both the energy des to stop at the point of contact. And in response due to the force exertion, both the users were sent flying backward.


    The Bandit Boss crashed into the walls of the cave behind him, coughing out a mouthful of blood.


    ¡°Bastard! Die!¡± Right at this time, a group of bandits charged at Regriel, attacking him with their energy des, activated using their Armaments.


    ¡®Just who are these bandits? The quality of their Armaments surpasses what Artica has.¡¯ Frowning, Regriel expanded the barrier in their direction, sending them flying away while blood spewed out along the way.


    One of the Bandits had been hit in the head so hard he died while in the air. Suddenly, a bandit acted as if his flying body was in the way, activating his Armament to condense an energy de, using the force of its expansion to send the bandit¡¯s corpse hurling deep into the forest, spouting, ¡°Dead weights shouldn¡¯t hinder our way.¡±


    ¡°You monster, he was yourrade.¡± Regriel shouted, his eyes spewing bloodlust, ¡°How can you treat him that way?¡±


    ¡°Hello?¡± The bandit shouted as he at looked at him as if he were an idiot, ¡°It was you who killed him, remember? And besides, this wouldn¡¯t have happened if you didn¡¯te here in the first ce. For what reason did youe here? It¡¯s not like we have taken anything of yours.¡±


    ¡°So, aren¡¯t you the monster here?¡±


    ¡°W-Wha¡­the heck are you saying?¡± Regriel stammered, for a moment failing to offer a logical reply when he was sent flying. The barrier surrounding him shattered into fragments while he flew towards arge boulder.


    Regriel instinctively condensed another barrier around himself, mming into the boulder, cracking it upon impact, spitting out blood in the process.


    Minor Healing¡ªLevel 2!


    Thanks to his state of Overdrive, his instincts had be sharp. That¡¯s how he was able to activate his barrier on time.


    ¡°Wait¡­I already obtained talent as a Puppeteer¡­¡± He suddenly remembered, getting up with a start, ¡°And now that I have the power as a Transcendent¡­¡±


    Thinking as such, he instinctively waved his hand, condensing five humanoid puppets, each possessing a body simr to the energy des. They quickly ran, attacking the bandits from a direction each. And, their mode of attacks was the same as him, condensing the barrier and expanding it in the direction of the foes, sending them flying from the impact.


    Moreover, since their bodies were just the energy des, they didn¡¯t have to worry about any damage or injury, able to unleash attacks nonstop even if they too were sent flying as a result. They simply got up after that to resume attacking.


    Regriel and two humanoid puppets tag teamed, attacking the Bandit Boss. With three of them attacking him simultaneously, the pressure he faced intensified.


    ¡®Right from the start, he¡¯s only using his right hand. As for his left, it is holding the Warble securely. And, the prettydy has also been holding his left hand all along. Rather, when he was sent flying, he actually dropped the Warble in her hands. It seems that despite being paralysed by poison, she has enough means to safeguard the Warble.¡¯ Regriel quickly analysed, surprised at his thinking prowess.


    He had never known to possess such a sharp thought process, ¡®Did the Skill of Overdrive also enhance my thinking abilities? Sweet!¡¯


    Suddenly, the mechanical voice of the ve Harem System resounded in his head, ¡°Ten seconds remaining.¡±


    ¡®Dammit!¡¯ Right at this time, the Bandit Boss suddenly condensed a second energy de, thrusting right at him, causing him to defend with all his might, regretting immediately, ¡®No, I should have taken damage after negating enough of his attack power!¡¯


    After all, his action meant the two energy des collided into one another without breaking, causing the forces behind each to send the two causes flying ordingly. The Bandit Boss stopped after mming into the wall behind him, puking blood as he seemed to have hit his head, on the verge of death.


    But Regriel, in response, had been sent flying into the air to a great distance, ¡®No! The time would run out before I reach the ground!¡¯


    [Mental Energy: 109]

 Chapter 127: Quest Complete!

    <h4>Chapter 127: Quest Complete!</h4>


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Princess Raecha groaned when the vibration through the cave walls was transferred into her body, causing her to feel pain throughout, ¡®Just what is happening outside?¡¯


    Suddenly, the chains that bound her gave way as the nail holding them to the wall came out. After all, the cracks in the walls had spread to the extentrge patches of it fell out. This allowed her to break free, gasping for breath as she lost bnce for a second.


    To keep herself steady, she instinctively ced her hand on the wall to gain bnce, tumbling when the wall caved in, causing her to fall into the other side, looking up with a start before she was overjoyed, noticing the figure of Wakuta chained nearby.


    ¡°Let me help you.¡± Princess Raecha whispered, arriving at her rescue, nning to pull Wakuta¡¯s chains when she stared in shock.


    ¡°My restrains came undone after the first impact to the cave walls. I was waiting for you to break free first.¡± Wakuta said, freeing herself as she quickly led the way, ¡°Come with me, I know where they have hidden some Armaments.¡±


    Wakuta quickly arrived within a secluded turn in the cave, cing her hand on a b of rock that looked no different to the rest, causing an entrance to open up before them, ¡°This piece of rock is lifted from the bottom by an Armament when you ce your hand here. With that, this entrance opens up. It¡¯s such a crude mechanism.¡±


    ¡°How did you figure it out?¡± Princess Raecha was surprised, entering the tiny cave within as she pocketed her Puppets that had been ced inside. As for the other Armaments, she didn¡¯t take anything.


    ¡°I¡¯m sensitive to areas with Darble.¡± Wakuta said, ¡°There are other such ces throughout this cave. But we don¡¯t have time. Let¡¯s hurry. With you on board, we¡¯ll be able to help Regriel in his fight.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­all this chaos is due to Regriel?¡± Princess Raecha asked in shock as they ran through the cave, soon arriving at the entrance, noticing a middle-ageddy sitting atop a stool, holding an Armament as she had aimed it at Regriel who was in the air, looking like she had the confidence of killing him with one shot.


    Having already heard the sounds all along, and upon seeing Regriel¡¯s figure in the air, Princess Raecha understood that the middle-ageddy had seen the strength of Regriel¡¯s barrier. And upon seeing how the middle-aged still sported a confident look, she realised what she had to do, throwing her puppet towards the other party.


    The Puppet was shaped like a tiny disc, condensing a pair of des before beginning to spin at tremendous speeds, hurling towards the middle-ageddy, perfectly severing her right hand the moment she was about to attack, causing her to scream in shock.


    ¡®Right, I can do that!¡¯ Obtaining an epiphany thanks to the Overdrive Skill, Regriel retracted one of the puppets, condensing it behind him as it surrounded itself with the barrier, expanding it his way, sending him flying towards the middle-ageddy.


    He had been focusing on her all along, ensuring she wouldn¡¯t escape with the Warble or be killed during the flurry of attacks. Since both he and the Bandit Boss valued her life, their attacks ensured to not involve her in it.


    His figure flew right at her as he watched her be flustered upon losing her right hand. Upon seeing what he nned to do, the Bandit Boss gritted his teeth,ing to a decision as he expanded his energy de, intending to kill her.


    But right at this time, Wakuta activated an Armament, mming the energy de urately at his wrist, perfectly timing her attack with breakneck uracy, something she hadn¡¯t done even once, as she wasn¡¯t a fighter.


    Her attack mmed into the Bandit Boss¡¯s wrist, deviating its direction before severing it. And in response, his energy de that was heading towards the middle-ageddy¡¯s head changed directions, hitting on her shoulder de when it dissipated, causing its spinning tip to lose strength first, resulting in a blunt attack that mmed her flying into the air.


    ¡°No!¡± The Bandit Boss screamed in despair when the middle-ageddy was still alive and was instead sent flying towards his enemy.


    Being sent flying into the air, the middle-ageddy looked at him in shock, the feeling of betrayal etched on her face, ¡°Why¡­did you try to kill me?¡±


    ¡°Your only value is to serve me!¡± The Bandit Boss screamed, unleashing an energy de with his other hand when Regriel caught hold of the middle-ageddy in a bear hug, covering the both of them with his barrier, pouring enough energy into it to deflect the Bandit Boss¡¯s energy de.


    The collision sent them flying further high up into the air as Regriel noticed the middle-ageddy had fainted, ncing once to see the Warble in her hands, shouting as he noticed the countdown in his minde to an end, ¡°Screw you! She¡¯d not your tool! She¡¯s a human with her own feelings!¡±


    But in response to his shout, the Bandit Boss didn¡¯t answer, rather condensing an energy de to attack his side in anger, targeting the two women that had appeared there, the ones that had supported Regriel to obtain his objective promptly.


    ¡°Nooo!¡± Thatst scene he saw was of the energy de of the Bandit Boss arriving before the faces of Princess Raecha and Wakuta. In the next moment, he was standing on the shore of ake as the endless power in him vanished, causing him to copse in exhaustion.


    The middle-ageddy too fell with him, waking up from the impact, grunting as she crawled forward, extricating herself from him as she arrived at a nearby boulder, leaning her back on it, coughing up blood, ¡°Dammit! That bastard actually tried to kill me.¡±


    Tears streamed down her eyes as she was sad, ¡°And to think I devoted to helping him throughout my life. That¡­wretch! ¡­cough!¡±


    She spat out a mouthful of blood, watching her right hand bleeding profusely as she red at Regriel, ¡°It was because of you. If it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t have been this injured.¡±


    ¡°Damn you Regriel, and damn that Domino to have poisoned me and reduced me to this helpless state?¡±

 Chapter 128: Final Stretch!

    <h4>Chapter 128: Final Stretch!</h4>


    A Haggon was standing atop a hill, constantly scouring through its surroundings, just like the Haggons¡ªpart of the Secret Society¡ªthat were posted everywhere throughout the Mohart Dungeon. Suddenly, it noticed two figures appearing on the shores of ake, conveying through telepathy, ¡°They¡¯ve appeared here, Lady Hekatra.¡±


    Once it ryed the location, Hekatra processed the information, conveying the message to the Dungeon Boss, ¡°Your Majesty, they have been spotted. They are currently on Level 3.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Smirking, the Dungeon Boss gave amand to all the Haggons in the area, ¡°Swarm them!¡±


    ¡­


    A Haggon had been sleeping while drooling, using arge boulder to rest its head. Suddenly, it was jolted awake by the Dungeon Boss¡¯smand, instinctively gazing at themanded direction, getting up to roar once.


    Simultaneously, Haggons roared from every direction before charging towards theke.


    ¡­


    ¡®System, save Raecha and Wakuta! Please!¡¯ Regriel screamed in his mind, flustered.


    [Mental Energy: 33]


    Ignoring his pleas for a moment, the ve Harem System felt its Mental Energy reserves, worrying, ¡®This recent spatial jump cost me 76 Mental Energy. As expected, carrying along another person spiked the consumption. Thankfully, the objective has beenpleted.¡¯


    [Ding!]


    [Quest Completed]


    [Obtained Reward: Overdrive (Level 1)]


    Once the Quest window disyed before his face, the ve Harem System¡¯s voice resounded in his mind.


    [Host, yourpanions are injured, but still alive. They have been captured as a wager to transact with you.]


    ¡°Transact with me?¡± Regriel was confused for a moment before he understood what his System was implying, turning around to see the bleeding figure of the middle-ageddy. ¡®She looks like she¡¯s on the verge of death.¡¯


    He then remembered what she had uttered before, asking in shock, ¡°You said you were¡­poisoned by Domino?¡±


    ¡°Of course, who else?¡± The middle-ageddy coughed up blood, gritting her teeth as she wheezed for breath, ¡°It was ast ditched effort on his behalf once I dealt him the killing blow.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­dead?¡± Regriel was shocked, failing to understand how that was possible considering how mysterious Domino Plottopia was in his eyes.


    ¡°Heh, he was thest to be killed from the Secret Society.¡± She snorted, ¡°That¡¯s how we were able to obtain their umtions.¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± Activating his Skill of Overdrive, Regriel mmed his barrier on the ground, shing before the middle-ageddy as he swatted away the Armament in her hand, ¡°I won¡¯t allow you tomit suicide.¡±


    He quickly tore out a piece of her dress, rolling it into a ball before stuffing it into her mouth, preventing her from biting her tongue to kill herself, ¡°You¡¯ll live and imnt the Warble on me.¡±


    Upon seeing that she was about to say something, he removed her gag, hearing the middle-ageddy say, ¡°Heh, unfortunately for you, our death is guaranteed. Sprinkled on my body is a powder that acts as a bait to lure all the Haggons in the vicinity towards me.¡±


    ¡°Impossible! You¡¯re lying!¡± Regriel shouted in rm before refuting logically, ¡°If that had been the case, why didn¡¯t any Haggon appear in your hideout?¡±


    ¡°You are really ignorant, huh.¡± As the middle-ageddy was quickly losing strength, sheughed with a vicious re, ¡°The trees surrounding the hideout prevent this smell from wafting outward. We used this to ensure no one would dare steal our treasure. Of course, this is also coated on the Warble.¡±


    Saying so, the middle-ageddy suddenly bit off her tongue, grinning as she was slowly losing consciousness.


    Her actions rmed Regriel when he thought of something, quickly cing his hands on her cheek, activating his Minor Healing, noticing that its power had been amplified a bit thanks to the Skill of Overdrive, ¡®Though, it¡¯s nothingpared to the power I wielded when fighting the bandits.¡¯


    Just as her consciousness was dissipating, the middle-ageddy was shocked when she noticed her mind had cleared up all of a sudden, observing that she was able to feel her tongue once again, ring at Regriel, ¡°Bastard!¡±


    ¡°Heh!¡± Regriel smirked, ¡°Even if you try tomit suicide, I will heal you. Just give up and surrender yourself to me. I promise I¡¯ll treat you better than that bandit.¡±


    Roar!


    The roar of a Haggon rmed him, causing him to look at the middle-aged woman in fluster, noticing her eyes curling up into a sneer. He quickly grabbed hold of her, slumping her on his shoulder as he ran towards theke, intending to plunge her into the water to wash away the Haggon bait powder on her.


    But, right as he approached theke, followed by bubbles that formed on its surface, a Haggon stood up, grinning as it looked down on Regriel, mming its fist onto him right away.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± All he could do was condense his barrier, coughing up blood as he was sent flying.


    ¡°Kyak!¡± The middle-ageddy screamed, also suffering damage from the force that sent them flying. Upon crashing into a boulder, the barrier shattered as the two rolled on the ground.


    Minor Healing!


    Regriel quickly healed himself, getting up as he noticed the Haggon casually exiting the water before walking towards him. He gazed at the middle-ageddy, noticing that she was about to die as her injuries had piled up to a significant extent.


    ¡®No, she¡¯s the only one that is able to imnt the Warble on me! I can¡¯t let her die!¡¯ Regriel scurried towards her, grabbing her before he tore off his shirt, tying her onto his back like he was giving her a piggyback.


    This way, he¡¯ll be able to run without feeling her as a burden. He seeped the effect of his Minor Healing into her while holding her legs, healing her to ensure she wouldn¡¯t die. And, it seemed the poison in her body had circted further, preventing her from even moving.


    Thanks to that, he regenerated her limbs without fear that she would attack him, hurriedly condensing the sphere around them, expanding it towards the ground as he used the force to jump backward, evading the Haggon¡¯s blow.


    But suddenly, another Haggon crept up from behind him, kicking his barrier like kicking a ball, sending him flying into the air as it grinned, looking like it was ying with its prey before intending to gobble them up.


    The force sent him reeling into theke as the ball-shaped energy de crashed into the water, floating on the water surface thanks to its buoyancy when a pair of hands grabbed it from within.


    Another Haggon slowly exited the water, grinning at it gazed at the two preys within its hold, slowly increasing the force it exerted onto the barrier, causing it to crack as Regriel became pale with fear.


    [Mental Energy: 19]

 Chapter 129: Pressing the Trigger

    <h4>Chapter 129: Pressing the Trigger</h4>


    ¡°Haapp!¡± Regriel shouted, expanding the barrier instantly to push back the Haggon¡¯s hands, using the chance to shrink it before expanding it in one direction, mming it into the Haggon¡¯s face.


    The rebound sent them flying towards thend when coincidently, the Haggon had swiped at them in anger upon getting its face attacked. This further sent them flying farther, causing them to crash into the shore when Regriel took action, expanding it instantly to jump further away, taking advantage of the momentum.


    Even though it was just Overdrive (Level 1), it still allowed him to process his thoughts faster, quickly making use of the situation, leaving theke¡¯s surroundings as they entered the nearby forest.


    ¡°Argh!¡± Regriel shouted, mming the barrier into the face of a Haggon that suddenly ambushed them. It seemed to have been sleeping within the ground after digging a pit for itself, causing the mound to resemble a tiny hill.


    And when Regriel had scaled it up, the bait had alerted it, causing it to act up as it attacked them. Thankfully, it hadn¡¯t fully exited the hole yet, allowing Regriel to swerve around it by causing his barrier to hit the nearby trees ordingly.


    This way, he avoided it and continued to run through the forest, surviving attacks from the Haggons one after another.


    ¡®Dammit! I don¡¯t have any more Mental Energy left in me! If not for the effect of the Coincidental Luck still present on Regriel, he wouldn¡¯t have survived for so long.¡¯ The ve Harem System was flustered, noticing the effect of the Coincidental Luck waning at an rming level. ¡®Regriel has to quickly obtain the Warble. The situation is too risky otherwise.¡¯


    It then sent him a prompt.


    [Ding!]


    [Quest: Imnt the Darble]


    [Quest Details: The situation is dangerous. Only by obtaining the power of the Warble would Host be able to survive.]


    [Quest Failure: Death]


    ¡®Dammit!¡¯ Upon seeing the Quest details, Regriel was flustered, gazing at his right to see the face of the middle-ageddy beside him, ¡®I wanted to do her before anything happens to her!¡¯


    He was also able to feel the power in him waning out. Before, it seemed like it was inexhaustible. But now, it was apparent that it was about to run out.


    Like every single time, the hand of a Haggon exited from a nearby bush, coincidently mming into the barrier, sending it flying. The barrier bounced on the ground, suddenlying over a slope as it began to roll.


    But after a couple of seconds spanned past, the barrier shattered, no longer able to maintain itself. Just when Regriel nned to activate it again, he was flustered, shouting, ¡°Why can¡¯t I activate it again?¡±


    Despite his fluster, he was aware of the reason. The mysterious energy that he had been relying upon to use the Skill of Overdrive seemed to have been expended, causing their bodies to roll along the slope for a second before crashing into the canal below.


    It was a narrow stream, only wide enough for their bodies to span its breadth.


    ¡°Guh!¡± Regriel gasped for breath, exiting the water that reached until his knee, quickly saving the middle-ageddy to see that she had held her breath in advance, hence remaining safe from the plunge.


    Moreover, he noticed an emerald colour liquid leaking out from her. It was the bait powder that she had rubbed onto herself. Taking advantage of the situation, Regriel massaged her a bit, roaming his hands through her clothes, washing away any powder that might have remained on her, noticing the roars of the Haggons die down.


    ¡°Remove your hand, bastard! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± The middle-ageddy cursed in response to his touch as her eyes spewed venom.


    In response, Regrielughed, noticing a cave nearby as he carried her, exiting the stream as they entered the cave, ¡°I¡¯ll make you mine, woman.¡±


    ¡°As if!¡± The middle-aged woman gathered all her strength, kneeling Regriel¡¯s face as she fell on the ground, rolling a bit deeper into the cave, grunting, ¡°Thanks for healing me. The effect of the poison is wearing off little by little. And you¡­you¡¯ve run out of energy, right?¡±


    It was apparent as to what she implied. Now that Regriel had run out of energy, the moment she was able to move was when his death would arrive.


    ¡°Heh!¡± Regriel got up, pressing his nose to spill out some blood, wiping his blood on his sleeve as he said, ¡°True, I may not have enough energy to use my abilities. But, I can still make you mine.¡±


    ¡®Do it!¡¯ The ve Harem System shouted, ¡®Use the final Mental Energy on her. It should be enough!¡¯


    ve Harem!


    Regriel jumped onto her, extending his hand toe into contact with her skin, activating the ability, immediately noticing a connection form between them, ¡®Finally! She¡¯s part of my harem now!¡¯


    Bang!


    Right as the effect of the ve Harem was beginning to take effect in the middle-aged woman¡¯s mind, her forehead suddenly sported a wide hold on it, dying instantly. Simrly, a couple of holes instantly appeared on his body too, causing him to slump to the ground in confusion, failing to realise what had happened when his leg bones broke suddenly.


    ¡®Nooo! My Treasure!¡¯ The ve Harem System wailed in anger as its thoughts resounded in Regriel¡¯s mind, resonating with him as it formed a Mental Energy stream,nding on the middle-aged woman.


    Then, in their shock, both human and System noticed a humongous entity appearing behind the middle-aged woman, a young Haggon as it looked at them, grinning before its body morphed, turning into a human man, ¡°It seems my surgery had indeed fooled you. Well, technically, I had indeed be a woman.¡±


    ¡°W-What? W-Who are you? How did youe here?¡± Regriel was rmed, looking at the naked man before him, one that shared some resemnce to the middle-aged woman.


    Though, he was ignored as the man said, ¡°But since it was conducted without giving enough time for my body to adjust, I was already dying. At most, I would have lived for another half a day as a woman. Anyways, it worked great.¡±


    ¡°It took a lot of pain to arrive at this point. I have no hatred against you, Regriel.¡± The man said, condensing a gun in his hand as he pointed at Regriel, ¡°But, I need your power, a System¡¯s Power. Only then can I achieve my objective. Farewell, ve Harem System.¡±


    Bang!


    Volume 1: Secret Society¡ªThe End!

 Chapter 130: A Scheme That Flowed Naturally

    <h4>Chapter 130: A Scheme That Flowed Naturally</h4>


    Bang!


    The bullet fired by Anthozoa pierced through Regriel¡¯s forehead, killing him in the process. As for the ver Harem System, it struggled within his body, screaming as its body flickered.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this thews of Earth? I had been there once. Dammit! The one I brought all along was a System yer?¡¯ The ve Harem System screamed in regret when it suddenly recalled something, ¡®Wait, the treasure! Thanks to Coincidental Luck that I had activated, it should have been the Warble that fell into Regriel¡¯s hands first. Thedy should have been second. Does that mean¡­she had already imnted it into herself?¡¯


    Upon seeing the figure of a man standing before it now, it failed to understand for a moment, sighing, ¡®To think I would fall here of all ces. But, he has yet to refine me. I can still use my power to take over his body and be a System yer!¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s start.¡± Compass Carburettor crouched before Regriel¡¯s corpse, gently closing his eyes before pointing Anthozoa at his forehead where the bullet holey. Slowly, something from within was sucked out like incense smoke, struggling to escape while it was pulled into the gun¡¯s nozzle.


    It was the ve Harem System¡¯s body that was being sucked into the gun now. The process was rather slow as the gun was sucking it in bit by bit. And while doing so, he watched Regriel¡¯s body turning transparent bit by bit, as if his body didn¡¯t have definite mass but was instead an energy construct.


    Compass Carburettor sighed, recalling the scene of his operation as he shuddered. Thanks to obtaining a System Fragment of ve Harem before, he understood the details about this ability.


    And, he was aware that the ve Harem System was able to easily identify the opposite sex based on the host it chose. So, if he simply disguised himself as a woman, it won¡¯t work. And for their n to work, he had been using the members of Secret Society to constantly feed fabricated information to the ve Harem System.


    Since it wasn¡¯t aware of his presence, it eventually believed everything it felt through the Mental Energy streams. After all, only a System was capable of perceiving the details in the Mental Energy streams. This was their advantage, and a foolproof way for them to obtain information.


    After all, even if one lied, their thoughts wouldn¡¯t be fabricated. Since the information would be perceived as a lie by their brain itself, the Mental Energy stream generated by them would also contain such information.


    But, thanks to the prayers allowed in Secret Society, they were able to selective transmit information, retaining the rest through telepathy. As Compass Carburettor was already training ordingly with the Grogars from the moment they became part of Secret Society, he had enough experience.


    Moreover, the Grogars had tracked the people in the Heroica Empire who were generating Mental Energy for the ve Harem System to absorb, feeding them false information, this way, duping it with an abundance of fabricated information.


    As for those from the Great Megwest Empire, they were elites among elites. Whatever was necessary was caught onto by them immediately, executed with great precision. Thanks to that, they were only feeding the ve Harem System information that would be beneficial for them.


    In that way, Compass Carburettor gradually machinated its actions. Even though he wasn¡¯t sure how it would proceed, he created ns for every single possibility. If it had been just him, he couldn¡¯t have achieved it.


    After all, he waspletely in the dark about a lot of things in this world, not to mention the Mohart Dungeon. But with Meharb, that was solved. After all, to be the sole individual that had managed to refine the Warble,pleting the famed project, he was on a whole other dimension.


    Teaming up with him, Compass Carburettor managed to refine his ns many times, eventually resorting to such a scheme where everything functioned as naturally as possible. And every single action worked in his favour.


    And, it mattered not how much Mental Energy the ve Harem System possessed. As it was a Level 5 System, he was aware that it won¡¯t have too much Mental Energy at its disposal. After all, if it had that much, it would have made Regriel more powerful.


    So, they made an estimate. But, even if the estimate was wrong by arge margin, they would have been fine, since they could simply extend their ns. As long as there were enough Haggons to use, there won¡¯t be any problem.


    And the final point of this, forming its core was him being a man. He won¡¯t be targeted by the ve Harem System in the way he wished, so the only option was to change gender. It wasn¡¯t an easy process, but it was possible.


    Many on Earth had managed to change their genders. Granted, it took time for their body to gradually adapt to the hormonal and organ changes.


    Since he didn¡¯t have the freedom of time with him, he had to hurry with the procedure. There existed a simr procedure in the Great Megwest Empire, but the risks were even higher. Thankfully, he took on his Spirit form after expending 100 Dac.


    With this, even if he died, there were no consequences. Thanks to that, his body was grandly operated by the experts from the Great Megwest Empire and turned into a woman. Thanks to the quantity of drugs that were pumped into his body, it was hard for him to live beyond a day as the middle-aged woman.


    And, the poison used to keep her limbs immobile also worked as an anaesthetic to numb her pain receptors. Otherwise, she would instantly die from the pain. Finally, when Regriel used his skill on her, Hekatra shot her in the forehead using Anthozoa that was bestowed upon her a couple of seconds ago.


    Once she died, Compass Carburettor returned to his real body¡ªhis Haggon form. After that, he consumed 100 Dac and returned to his human¡ªSpirit form, taking on his original appearance as a man. Gazing at the figure of Hekatra that stood at the cave¡¯s entrance, he nodded, saying, ¡°Thankfully, me acting as his baggage caused him to waste Mental Energy faster.¡±


    Soon, Regriel¡¯s bodypletely vanished as everything was sucked into his gun. Compass Carburettor grunted, feeling intense headache as he said to Hekatra before fainting, ¡°Tell everyone to pray!¡±

 Chapter 131: Bargain

    <h4>Chapter 131: Bargain</h4>


    In Compass Carburettor¡¯s mind, two entities had appeared all of a sudden. The first was him, of course, while the second was the ve Harem System, present in its original appearance, the one he observed while in the System World.


    He looked at the faces of the women chained to it, noticing the faces of General Artica, Rikune, Princess Raecha, Wakuta, and Kerriel. He was then surprised, sweating upon seeing the face of his feminine version too on it.


    Though, it was only partly finished,cking any facial features. If his feminine form hadn¡¯t been promptly killed, he would havepletely fallen under the influence of ve Harem. Though, once he returned to being a man, the ability was automatically cancelled, hence the unfinished state of his face on the ve Harem System.


    ¡°A System yer¡­¡± The ve Harem System frowned, speaking as it gazed at Compass Carburettor. Moreover, once it focused further, his figure vanished. And remaining in ce was a gun and a symbol, causing it to be shocked, ¡°T-Two Personal Fragments? How¡¯s this possible?¡±


    ¡°Thanks to you, actually.¡± He grinned in response, ¡°If not for the abilities I took from you at the start, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to achieve all this.¡±


    ¡°At the start¡­?¡± The ve Harem System recalled the time when Regriel¡¯s hands were severed, ¡°That was¡­you?¡±


    ¡°Guess?¡± Compass Carburettorughed as twos slowly appeared behind him. Among them, Earth moved forward, aiming at the ve Harem System as its skies became a bit clouded, turning darker and darker as numerous projectiles exited it, forming a stream as they impacted the opponent.


    ¡°Aargh!¡± The ve Harem System grunted, trying to move around when it noticed its body was chained down by an energy de shaped into thousands of chains. The cause was the Darble World.


    Due to this, the ve Harem System was unable to run away, being bombarded by thousands of bullets every second as its body was being damaged little by little. Even though it screamed in pain every single time, it never panicked.


    Rather, it was awaiting an opportunity all along, ¡®All these attacks consume Mental Energy. He¡¯s not a true System yer yet, so his Mental Energy reserves should be limited. Once he runs out of Mental Energy, I¡¯ll be able to gobble up his spirit and be the owner of his body.¡¯


    Soon after, as it had expected, the hail of bullets reduced in number, now a tenth of what it had at the start. Upon seeing it, the ve Harem System became excited, sensing the bindings on its body beginning to wane in strength, ¡®Soon, I¡¯ll be the victor.¡¯


    But, no matter how long it waited after that, there were no signs of the hail of bullets stopping. Rather, the constant stream continued nonstop, damaging it further and further.


    As it was getting perplexed, Compass Carburettorughed, ¡°Did you think I would run out of Mental Energy?¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡± The ve Harem System was shocked, muttering, ¡°Impossible! How do you have so much Mental Energy?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t the criteria to obtain Mental Energy the same for both of us?¡± Heughed, ¡°So, I¡¯ve been working on it all along. I have a steady influx of Mental Energy. The entire Mohart Dungeon is under my control.¡±


    ¡°Dammit!¡± The ve Harem System struggled, trying its best to break free. But, Compass Carburettor constantly kept it on the receiving end, having already destroyed all the attachments to the pir. Soon, he started to destroy it too when the ve Harem System shouted, ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t kill me! We can trade!¡±


    ¡°Trade?¡± Compass Carburettor looked at it, smirking as he didn¡¯t reduce the intensity of his attacks even in the least, ¡°Continue talking.¡±


    ¡®Damn him!¡¯ The ve Harem System cursed, hurriedly speaking, ¡°You aren¡¯t a true System yer yet, right?¡±


    ¡°A True System yer?¡± Compass Carburettor frowned.


    ¡°Yes!¡± The ve Harem System hurriedly nodded, ¡°Only if you destroy and absorb your source System would you be a True System yer. Once you be that, you¡¯ll be able to grow, just like Systems. Even though Grade 1 is your limit, you¡¯ll still be iparably strong. After all, the current you have already hit your limit. You cannot level up!¡±


    ¡°I see, that makes sense.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, gazing at the ve Harem System as he tilted his head, ¡°And then? What are you willing to offer regarding this?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy to target your source System or any other Systems. And, if the System has arge reserve of Mental Energy unlike me, it would be able to counter any n that you make.¡± The ve Harem System shrilled, noticing a part of its corner shatter, ¡°It¡¯s all because of the Astral Network. We can buy and sell all sorts of abilities there. That¡¯s the reason Systems cannot be killed easily!¡±


    ¡°Only a System can ess the Astral Network. Even True System yers cannot ess it.¡± It then shouted, ¡°But I can buy on your behalf. I¡¯ll just reside in one corner of your body. And I¡¯ll buy you anything that you need through the Astral Network. We can cooperate this way. There are endless benefits for you once this happens.¡±


    ¡°Well, you are right about that.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded after some thought, suddenly frowning as he said, ¡°But, that would make me a System Host once again, right? And, unless you decide to not kill me after returning to the System World, my life and death would be in your hands.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Wait!¡± It shouted upon noticing the attacks increasing in intensity, ¡°I can make a vow. There are Systems with the ability to allow this. As long as I buy this Skill from the Astral Network, we¡¯ll be able to form a contract. With that, I won¡¯t be able to kill you. And once we return to the System World, I¡¯ll have no other choice but to exit your body and leave on my own.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Compass Carburettorughed, ¡°That¡¯s an interesting proposal you have there.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± The ve Harem System nodded in excitement, thinking, ¡®This way, I¡¯ll still live and would also be able to obtain all his secrets while taking advantage of his ignorance. The System I know would be able to modify the terms of the contract subtly to give me more leeway in things¡­¡¯


    But, its thoughts stopped at that point when the pir forming the core of its body shattered into fragments. Following a pitched wail, it died as Compass Carburettor sighed, ¡°It does sound lucrative, but there is too much that I don¡¯t know about. Maybe in the future, I might give it a shot. But definitely not now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too risky.¡±

 Chapter 132: Hitting His Growth Limit

    <h4>Chapter 132: Hitting His Growth Limit</h4>


    ¡°So, it died in the end. That was pretty quick,¡± Remaining in the System World, the Coincidental Luck System muttered, connecting to the Astral Network as it searched for the group pertaining to the ve Harem System, muttering after seeing that it had disappeared, ¡°This Secret Society is¡­pretty powerful.¡±


    It then noticed the other Systems part of the same genre as the ve Harem System making a fuss upon noticing its disappearance,ughing as it severed its connection to the Astral Network, ¡°I guess I should prepare some items necessary for this trade to happen.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Phew, it¡¯s done.¡± Compass Carburettor sighed in relief, getting up to see that he was lying on a bed, all dressed up now. When he tried to get up, he felt weak while his muscles were sore, a sign that he hadn¡¯t moved them for long, ¡°How long was I out?¡±


    ¡°Lord Spirit, you¡¯ve been unconscious for a month now,¡± Hekatra said, looking weary, sportingrge dark circles under her eyes. It was apparent that she had been exhausted beyond her limit.


    Only now did Compass Carburettor notice that the Mental Energy he had been receiving from those in the Mohart Dungeon had dropped down to a trickle that it was even below the amount a single person could produce. And this was the collective whole of all the Secret Society members present in Mohart Dungeon.


    It was apparent that they had been overtaxed until their minds were exhaustedpletely. Sighing, Compass Carburettor transmitted a message to everyone, ¡°Everyone, our n is a resounding sess. We managed to defeat the ve Harem System. Now, get some rest. You¡¯ve earned it.¡±


    Right as he spoke, Hekatra dropped to the floor, fainting immediately. Compass Carburettor barely managed to get up, trembling as he lifted her and ced her on the bed, allowing her to rest, ¡®If even she ended up in such an exhaustive state, I can¡¯t even imagine how exhausted the other members are. They¡¯ve done spectacrly.¡¯


    As he too wasn¡¯t in a state where he could move, Compass Carburettor rested, feeling that his mind too was in a state of intense strain. After all, he had been battling the ve Harem System constantly all along. A single slip up would have meant its freedom, allowing it to gain control of his body, making everything he did until now end up benefiting it.


    As for himself, death was a guarantee.


    ¡®Thankfully, it proceeded without a hup.¡¯ Compass Carburettor sighed in relief, closing his eyes as he took some rest, only getting up after almost a day had passed. Even though he was feeling hungry, since Hekatra hadn¡¯t gotten up, and since he was feeling weak, all he could do was remain on the bed.


    After digesting all the information he obtained, Compass Carburettor nodded, looking at his status.


    [Name: Compass Carburettor, Domino Plottopia]


    [Race: Haggon (Spirit)]


    [Physique: Health (Level 10), Strength (Level 10), Dexterity (Level 10), Stamina (Level 10), Intelligence (Level 10), Cognition (Level 10), Natural Recovery (Level 10), Five Senses (Level 10), Resting (Level 10)]


    [Personal Fragment: Anthozoa, Secret Society]


    [Arms: 6]


    [Arms: ve Harem, Body Resurgence (Level 1), Minor Healing (Level 1), Intoxicating Fragrance (Level 1), Overdrive (Level 1)]


    [Dac: 221]


    ¡®My race is a Haggon. I¡¯m no longer a human.¡¯ He sighed, thinking, ¡®Thankfully, the form that¡¯s recorded as a Spirit is my human form. So, I can still retain my human appearance as a Spirit. And, the same would be applied to all members of Secret Society too.¡¯


    ¡°Now that Dac is also reflected on my status, it¡¯s apparent that this power has be mine thanks to Secret Society.¡± Heughed, ¡°So, I can say with assurance that I would retain this power even after returning to the System World or when I enter other worlds.¡±


    ¡°And nowes the hard part,¡± He sighed, looking at the Arms, thinking, ¡®I have ve Harem as an Arm. There are manyplications regarding this. I¡¯ll think about itter. As for the remainder, it seems all the Skills Regriel possessed have been upied in my Arms as System Fragments. But¡­¡¯


    He understood the gist of things, meditating as he condensed the volume of information his brain processed, ¡®Suppose he had possessed around 10 Skills, I cannot obtain them all, since I only have 6 Arms. So, while refining him for System Fragments, I would have to select the abilities I am nning to retain. As for the rest, they¡¯ll simply dissipate off as energy since they aren¡¯t the ve Harem System¡¯s abilities in the first ce.¡¯


    ¡®Still, they are just one-off use System Fragments. But, since I obtained the entirety of them, unlike before, it means I can use them to their full potential.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, ¡®At present, they are all at Level 1. But, I can supply Mental Energy to them to increase their levels until their maximum capacity. Considering this Overdrive Skill, I can level it up to Level 8, which seems to be at what level the ve Harem System purchased it at.¡¯


    ¡®All these System Fragments would prove useful for my growth.¡¯ He then focused on the final System Fragment, the fruits of hisbour, ¡®ve Harem!¡¯


    At present, it was retained in his body as a concept. It wasn¡¯t a power he could use yet, after all, there were two choices that he could take to use it. ¡®The first choice is to obtain this ability for myself. This way, it would be a Core Skill that I can use as one of my abilities. But, there are two disadvantages to this. First, I can only activate it by using Mental Energy. But, my Mental Energy reserves aren¡¯t much as there is a limit to what I can contain in my Mental Energy Form.¡¯


    He recalled how his Mental Energy Form was on the verge of shattering just from the Mental Energy stream generated by the Dungeon Boss. And upon getting a lot of knowledge once he obtained ve Harem, he understood that unless he became a True System yer, this was his limit.


    He wouldn¡¯t be able to grow any further. As a System yer, he had already reached his limit.

 Chapter 133: I Won’t Complain

    <h4>Chapter 133: I Won¡¯t Comin</h4>


    The first choice had a second disadvantage. ¡®It is that I will be permanently using up one of my Arms to obtain this ability. So it means, in the future, I would only possess 5 Arms. Whether this is a good or bad situation, I cannot say for sure.¡¯


    His second choice was to retain ve Harem as it was and use it as a System Fragment. That meant, he would be able to load it as a bullet in his gun and shoot it at his foe, just like what he had done to Duchess when she was only a Grogar.


    But, this meant he would lose the ability after firing it once. There was only one advantage to this, and that was the fact that this was using the core of the ve Harem¡¯s power. Meaning, it was an ability that didn¡¯t conform to thews of the world or any logic of sorts. It was bordering a concept, its effect absolute.


    So, irrespective of the targeted entity, they would fall under this ability¡¯s effect. ¡®But, no matter how strong they are, they can still be subjected to my control while using ve Harem as a Skill. Only the duration of time necessary and the amount of Mental Energy needed might differ. It makes no sense to waste the entire ability on one person.¡¯


    His situation meant that it wasn¡¯t helpful enough. Moreover, since Systems didn¡¯t have any Gender of their own, it meant this ability wouldn¡¯t work on them.


    But, there was a catch here that he realised, hence the cause for his dilemma. And, that was when considering System Hosts.


    Suppose there was a System Host who was a female. Then, once he fired ve Harem into her, it would mean that she would fall head over heels for him. Moreover, the effect of ve Harem would also make its way into the System parasitising her.


    After all, when a System was in a Host, they were a single entity. That¡¯s how Compass Carburettor was able to make System Fragments out of severing Regriel¡¯s arms before. It was because the ve Harem System had fused into his body.


    So, a part of its ability existed in every inch of his body.


    Therefore, once the System Host falls for him, it meant the same for the System in her too. It too would develop feelings for him. This way, it would try to help him with all its might. He would be getting a System as his ally through this manner.


    In the former choice, the Skill of ve Harem would work in conjunction with his Secret Society, allowing him to make members without any limitation, saving time and effort tremendously. After all, he only needed to use the Skill of ve Harem on them before making them a member of Secret Society. It would take less than a minute to do so.


    But in thetter choice, he would be getting a System as his ally. And through it, he would gain ess to the Astral Network and would be able to gear himself with helpful abilities. There were pros and cons to both the choices as he was conflicted.


    ¡®Wait, there is one problem in the second choice.¡¯ He frowned, thinking, ¡®Even if I gain a System Host as an ally, there won¡¯t be much use once I leave that world. After all, once they return to the System World, the System has to devour its Host. It may or may not work in such a fashion. And secondly, if the System I target doesn¡¯t fall for ve Harem¡¯s effect, then I am wasting the ability.¡¯


    ¡°If I¡¯m just making a logical assumption, then I can say that this effect won¡¯t work on any Systems above Level 5, since that was the ve Harem System¡¯s level. But, would a System of this level be helpful to me, especially considering how I¡¯ll be facing stronger Systems in the future? And, even if this ability takes effect, what will happen when the System levels up and surpasses level 5? Will it ovee this effect and then turn aggressive on me because of what I had done?¡±


    He sighed, ¡°I guess, in the end, it¡¯s my ignorance that¡¯s preventing me from taking the way that might possibly have a greater chance of profit in the future.¡±


    There was just too much that he was ignorant about. Hence, he didn¡¯t wish to take too many risks and bite off more than he could chew. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll select the first choice and obtain ve Harem as a Core Skill. It does have plenty of use to support me after all.¡±


    Once there is a woman among Secret Society that has a loyalty of 100 in a world he was in, he could Bestow upon her the Skill of ve Harem. This way, she¡¯ll enve any men while he could do the same for women. With that, they¡¯ll be able to pull in more members without trouble.


    Though, Compass Carburettor had no intentions of doing it on people, unless of course, they were his enemies and he had no other choice but to do so to fulfil his objective. Otherwise, he was nning to use it on monsters.


    As they were monsters, they would obtain the ability to turn into humans and mingle into human society. This way, they¡¯ll be able to use their special powers as monsters. It would create interesting dynamics and would stay true to the notion of everything being secretive, being true to the essence of the ability¡ªSecret society.


    ¡®This has more definite use and I can also share it with my members. And, I can understand all the advantages and risks of this option, unlike the other one.¡¯ He sighed, muttering, ¡°I¡¯m unlike those Main Characters of cultivation novels where everything mysterious and unknown would only end up profiting them in the end. Reality doesn¡¯t work like that. A single mistake, and I¡¯ll be damned.¡±


    He then activated the System Fragment containing ve Harem, making it his own, watching it condense in his body after devouring one of his six Arms. The moment it became his Core Skill, he sighed, saying in the end, ¡°I guess this is it, quite the disgusting route I have to take.¡±


    ¡°But, I won¡¯tin. If this is necessary to help Stencil, I¡¯ll dly do so.¡±

 Chapter 134: First True System Fragment

    <h4>Chapter 134: First True System Fragment</h4>


    [Name: Compass Carburettor, Domino Plottopia]


    [Race: Haggon (Spirit)]


    [Physique: Health (Level 10), Strength (Level 10), Dexterity (Level 10), Stamina (Level 10), Intelligence (Level 10), Cognition (Level 10), Natural Recovery (Level 10), Five Senses (Level 10), Resting (Level 10)]


    [Personal Fragment: Anthozoa, Secret Society]


    [Arms: 5]


    [Core Skills: ve Harem (Level 1)]


    [Arms: Body Resurgence (Level 1), Minor Healing (Level 1), Intoxicating Fragrance (Level 1), Overdrive (Level 1)]


    [Dac: 221]


    Compass Carburettor heaved a deep breath in relief, calming his thumping heart that was pulsing in anxiety all along. But now that he decided and had taken action, his heart gradually calmed down. Whether he regretted this decision or not, it was already a done deal.


    ¡®Now, my Arms have fallen down from six to five. And, since it became my Core Skill, Level 10 is the limit for ve Harem.¡¯ He sighed, massaging his forehead, understanding just why the ve Harem System told him he had hit his limit.


    Thanks to obtaining its Core Skill, he also gained an understanding of some things. The first of them was how Skills actually worked. The maximum level a Core Skill could reach was the same as a System¡¯s Level.


    And, the only exception to these were Grade 1 Systems below Level 10. In the System Community, they were called Hatchling Systems.


    For a Hatchling System, its Core Skill could reach up to Level 10, even if its level hadn¡¯t reached that. Even if it was only a System at Level 1, its Core Skill could still be at Level 10. This was the advantageous trait every System possessed.


    At level 10, a Core Skill was already pretty powerful. So, it allowed the Systems to gain an advantage through their Hosts.


    Compass Carburettor was unsure as to why such an exception was there, but every Hatchling System was the same.


    And now, he was facing a headache. After all, when it was within him, the Money-Making System was at Level 7. So, it too counted as a Hatchling System. So, that was why he was unable to increase the levels of any Skill beyond Level 10.


    Simrly, even though ve Harem was a Core Skill, Level 10 was its limit. Once Compass Carburettor grew it to that level, he wouldn¡¯t have anything else to use his Mental Energy on. After all, he couldn¡¯t grow.


    ¡®A True system yer¡­¡¯ He sighed, recalling Fourth¡¯s words as he understood what it had said back then, ¡°When it was talking about having 5 System Fragments, it wasn¡¯t talking about my Arms equivalent. Rather, it was talking about Core Skills.¡±


    ¡°ve Harem is my first genuine System Fragment. The rest I possess in my Arms are just one-off abilities. Fourth wasn¡¯t talking about them back then.¡± He muttered, only now understanding why Fourth chalked about it being hailed as a genius of sorts among theirmunity, ¡°Fourth meant it had killed five Systems and refined their Core Skills into System Fragments. That¡¯s tremendously powerful.¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡± He then recalled the expression Fourth possessed while gazing at the System that looked like a spinning top, ¡°That spinning top was probably a Level 1 or 2 System. So, it shouldn¡¯t have any means other than its Core Skill to defend against Fourth. So, Fourth should have obtained a sixth Core Skill now.¡±


    ¡°Is Fourth already a True System yer?¡± He frowned, failing to understand, ¡°Based on what it said, it still seemed to be waiting for someone. Was it waiting for its source System or someone else?¡±


    ¡°Well, if I meet it in the future, I would understand that.¡± Nodding, Compass Carburettor slowly got up as he looked around, noticing that the room was rathervishly decorated. But, everything in the ce was old and barely maintained, as if they had been left without maintenance for many decades.


    ¡°Lord Spirit, are you alright?¡± While he was prodding around the room, Hekatra woke up, asking as she rubbed her eyes. She was still tired but seemed to have recovered a bit, seemingly having been woken up due to hunger.


    ¡°Yep, I¡¯m feeling weak and tired. But overall, there are no issues. Meharb¡¯s n worked wlessly.¡± He nodded, slowly positioning himself beside the wall as he used it to support himself while walking.


    ¡°Let me bring you some food to eat first. We didn¡¯t have much of a leeway to offer your body nutrients while giving it our all to pray.¡± Hekatra said, grunting once as she stood before heading out of the room.


    An hourter, she brought a bowl of soup, saying, ¡°This would give your body enough nutrients and is also easy to digest.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, let¡¯s have a meal together.¡± Compass Carburettorughed, saying with a happy tone as it felt like arge boulder ced on his shoulders had been lifted. He had been so worried that he had glossed over a fact.


    He had defeated a System!


    It was a feat that he hadn¡¯t ever fathomed to be possible. But now, here he was, having made it a reality. Once Hekatra arrived with a bowl of her own, they ate their meal happily, perfectly rxed as they didn¡¯t have any more threats to be addressed.


    The Haggons had retained their power while also being able to transform into humans now, able to live their lives contently. So, it was full of joy for them.


    Once they finished their soup, Hekatra asked after thinking for some time, ¡°Lord Spirit, what is your n next?¡±


    ¡°There are a couple more things I have to do here,¡± Compass Carburettor said, listing everything he had thought of, conveying it through telepathy, ¡°I now have the Skill of ve Harem. Using that, we can enter the remaining two Level 5 Dungeons and turn the Dungeon Monsters there into members of Secret Society.¡±


    ¡°But, that¡¯s after I also turn the regr Haggons here into members.¡± He said, ¡°Of course, as to how you wish to treat or manage them, it¡¯s entirely up to you. I won¡¯t interfere in anything since I¡¯m not even a proper resident of this world.¡±


    ¡°My second n is to attain the Realm of Transcendence.¡± He sighed, ¡°I¡¯ll have to rely on your guidance, Hekatra. Please train me so that I would be strong enough to fight tough battles on my own. At my present state, I cannot even walk properly in my Haggon form.¡±


    ¡°And finally,¡± He said, ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving this world. But, this isn¡¯t on my hand since I¡¯ll have to rely on the other System Users in this world for that. So, after some training, we¡¯ll have to start preparing¡­¡±


    ¡°To make those System Users resistant to vanity so that their Systems would decide to return to the System World.¡±

 Chapter 135: I Thought You Had Died, Regriel

    <h4>Chapter 135: I Thought You Had Died, Regriel</h4>


    A month passed as Compass Carburettor had recovered enough to function. His body had recovered pretty quickly. But his mind had taken so long to heal. It seemed dealing with a System took a greater toll on him than he had expected.


    It was a necessity to rest plenty so that he would be able to think and n his subsequent actions with all his might.


    Moreover, now that he had recovered, he walked through Mohart City, entering a certain house to see four women seated within. They had been house arrested, with plenty of Haggons ced on standby.


    So, they hadn¡¯t managed to escape all along. Moreover, even if no Haggon had been posted at the ce, they still wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape.


    ¡®Dammit, this is worse than I had expected.¡¯ He sighed, watching their listless expressions. Once Regriel died and the ve Harem System was destroyed, the bindings of senseless love on them had vanished, causing their real feelings to gradually surface.


    And here came a multitude of regret, disgust, despair, etc. They were unable toe to terms with reality, bing broken selves of their past. They became broken to such an extent that at times, they even struggled to breathe, a voluntary action taken by the body.


    It was especially true for General Artica. After all, she was a proud General of the Entropica Kingdom, someone who strongly stood on the side of justice, having devoted herself to the betterment of her Kingdom.


    Loyalty was something ingrained into the depths of her character. So, whether it was betraying her husband, her family, or her country, all of them were out of character.


    And, there was Regriel, a person that had whipped her subordinates to death. They were subordinates that adored her, mimicking her values toy their lives for the Kingdom. The men were punished unfairly, sent to the dungeons to rot away while the women were harassed and forced upon by Regriel.


    If there was a picture for detest, hatred, loathing, and all emotions along that line of thought, General Artica would paste the pictures of Regriel and his siblings on that. That was why when Epheme rebelled against the King of Entropica Kingdom, General Artica took the lead to charge at the front and personally sever the heads of all Royalty.


    It was for the Kingdom she adored, the ce she was born and raised at, and the ce she swore to protect; she didn¡¯t wish for it to be trampled on by the likes of ipetent people.


    And now, she had betrayed her Kingdom by joining hands with the scourge that harmed the Kingdom, both in making it hell for its soldiers and also siphoning away the Kingdom¡¯s wealth to enemy Kingdoms throughvish spending, pursuing ignorant bliss.


    She betrayed her husband by sleeping with the said scourge. And it wasn¡¯t once or twice. But, the number had reached such a frightening amount that there probably wasn¡¯t any trace of her husband left on her anymore.


    And all along, she had been happy to do so. Her character had been flipped by Regriel to such an extent that once she came to herself, she was unable to endure it. Her brain short-circuited as she became a hollow husk of her former self.


    She had done everything that went against her values, values that she had pursued and followed throughout her life. If not for the fact that she was broken beyond repair, she would havemitted suicide.


    Compass Carburettor looked at the other three women, noticing that General Artica was the worst affected of them all. Following them was Princess Raecha who too seemed as broken as General Artica.


    ¡®Did Regriel enve those that hated him? But, he shouldn¡¯t have known Princess Raecha for more than a month. The duration of their meeting shouldn¡¯t have been too long. Then, how did hee to make her detest him to such an extent? Did they share some history before? Or just in their short encounter, he did something to her?¡¯ Compass Carburettor frowned.


    He wasn¡¯t able to guess,manding the members of Secret Society in the Heroica Empire to investigate into the matter further.


    He then focused on Wakuta, noticing that she was brimming forth in anger and despair. She wasn¡¯t broken like the other two, but still seemed emotionally damaged.


    Compass Carburettor finally looked at Rikune, noticing that she seemed like someone that had swallowed a bucket full of flies while swimming in sh*t. She too was emotionally damaged but was still capable of speaking. At present, she was sprawled in one corner of the room, mumbling something nonstop while looking like she was shivering from cold.


    The members of Secret Society had been helping them with eating and other activities, the reason they hadn¡¯t starved to death yet.


    Sighing, Compass Carburettor kneeled on the floor, saying with a gentle voice, ¡°I¡¯ll ask for your permission on behalf of all four of you.¡±


    ¡°¡­w¡­ha¡­t¡­?¡± It took Rikune a good half a minute to respond as she slowly looked at him.


    ¡°Do you wish to forget everything?¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°Regriel is dead, so, I can perfectly wipe out all your memories from the past two months. You¡¯ll return to normalcy once again after that. Shall I make it a reality?¡±


    Rikune stared at him for more than twenty minutes like a statue, seemingly thinking of something. Whether she was actually thinking or not wasn¡¯t known. All Compass Carburettor could notice was the faint changes to her eyes as they seemed to dry and be moist at irregr intervals while the pupils dted erratically.


    Finally, Rikune opened her mouth, saying with great difficulty, ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, exiting the room as hemunicated his n to Hekatra, causing her to begin preparations. In the meantime, he umted as much Mental Energy as possible, increasing the levels of his abilities.


    Finally, it was nighttime as he entered the room once again, gently touching the hands of General Artica, Princess Raecha, Wakuta, and Rikune in order, causing their eyes to regain their spirit and vitality as they became lively once again.


    Core Skill¡ªve Harem!


    General Artica teared up to see the familiar face before her, one sporting green hair, hugging him immediately before nting a kiss on his forehead, ¡°I thought you had died, Regriel.¡±

 Chapter 136: Taking the Fall for Regriel

    <h4>Chapter 136: Taking the Fall for Regriel</h4>


    Compass Carburettor had disguised himself as Regriel. Thankfully, Regriel¡¯s final appearance was that of a handsome man with a lean body. It was easier to pull off with some mild operation. And like before when he became a woman, his body was indeed pumped up with enough drugs to kill him in a couple of days.


    That was the only way to change the bone structure of his face enough to make him look like Regriel. After all, to those women who had be obsessed with him, even the mildest of change would be apparent.


    Even though he didn¡¯t need to go through this extra step and simply kill them, he didn¡¯t wish to do so. After all, the women before him were just victims. It was especially true for General Artica, someone he had promised to save.


    So, he wished to do exactly that. Besides, he wasn¡¯t in pain or anything. Rather, due to the drugs pumped into his body, he didn¡¯t even feel a thing. And, once the task waspleted, he could simply kill himself, return to his Haggon form, consume 100 Dac and take human form once again, pristine, as wholly himself.


    As for behaving as Regriel, it was rather easy. Regriel was a trashy, characterless individual with lust being the prime driver in life. Even though he started to gain some character after bing a System User, it wasn¡¯t much of an improvement. After all, only three months had spanned in his life as a System User.


    Since he himself was a former trash, Compass Carburettor was able to act as Regriel perfectly. His acting skills were top-notch from the get-go, so this was achievable.


    As all the four women hugged him, shedding tears of joy and relief, he touched them one after another, acting like he was consoling them when in reality, he ced the Symbol of Secret Society on them, watching it take effect.


    He noticed that the moment he used the Skill of ve Harem on them, their loyalty towards him was constantly rising. If left alone for some time, it would stabilise in the three digits. He didn¡¯t want that to happen. But, he didn¡¯t act abruptly, for that would make them think he was an imposter.


    He had to first make them believe that he was in fact truly Regriel.


    ¡°Where have you been all along? How did you survive?¡± General Artica finally took the opportunity to ask, feeling her heart rx as she frowned, unable to understand why she had been in a state worse than despair before.


    ¡°About that,¡± Regrielughed, ¡°Everything was a ruse actually.¡±


    Right as he spoke, a Haggon burst through the house, grinning as it emitted a bloodthirsty stare towards the four women.


    General Artica reflexively moved to shield him when she shuddered suddenly, feeling that something was wrong. She looked at Regriel, noticing that he seemed different than usual all along.


    In actuality, Compass Carburettor retracted the ability of ve Harem that he cast on all four. Since it was his power now, he was able to control it as he pleased. And, the moment he removed the control on them, General Artica¡¯s sharp instincts caused her to notice the oddity.


    ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you remember your impression of me, Artica?¡± Regriel suddenlyughed, turning around as he slowly hugged her from behind, using his hands to massage her hills, ¡°You absolutely despise me. But all of a sudden, you fell in love with me.¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡± As the bond between them had already vanished, the effect of ve Harem on her was constantly waning. Due to that, she was able to notice all the ws now that she had put off before with convenient reasons.


    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m actually a Dungeon Monster, a parasite to be exact that had taken root in Regriel. That¡¯s how he had changed all of a sudden. And, my purpose was to impregnate strong women to produce more of my kind.¡± Regrielughed creepily, ¡°Your sense of love towards me was something I fabricated all along. It was a simple magical ability, but you fell for it easily.¡±


    ¡°Were you that hungry for attention?¡± Heughed, cackling in the process as he announced, ¡°And now, all of you have already been impregnated by me sessfully. In a couple of days, you¡¯ll give birth to more of my kind. Not only are you humans puny in strength, but you are also even worse mentally. I didn¡¯t even have to work hard. I simply poked you once, and you moaned hard in response, throwing aside everything to open your legs to me.¡±


    Right as Regriel was about to continue his boasting, he was rmed as he removed his hand from General Artica¡¯s hills, turning around as he felt suffocated from the killing intent emitted by Rikune.


    Once he removed ve Harem, their loyalty towards him dropped hard instantly. As the remainder of the effect of ve Harem on them vanished during his monologue, they returned to their original senses.


    And now, his words incited their anger, causing their rage to dominate their beings, pushing away every single thought or emotion that wished to enter their mind. After all, he was fondling their respective hills constantly while insulting them.


    As each of them were women of pride that garnered respect everywhere they went, they were triggered, emitting killing intent.


    The Hero Party!


    ¡®As expected ofpanions chosen by a System.¡¯ Compass Carburettor could feel the dense killing intent all four women emitted at the same time as it seemed like the interior of the room had darkened all of a sudden.


    His heart failed to beat on time while his lungs were struggling to contract and expand as usual, unable to tolerate the pressure brought about by the killing intent. Then, as if they hadmunicated beforehand, all four women attacked him at the same time, riddling his body with countless holes, expressing their anger as they were like hyenas, shredding him into pieces.


    If not for his body being pumped full of drugs that made him feel nothing, this would have been enough to cause him unrepairable trauma.


    The action of killing him was the worst of betrayal, causing their loyalty towards him to reach zero instantly, activating the curse.


    Regriel had been using the ve Harem System, one whose power and authority were now his. So technically, it was like Regriel was using his powers. And, since he posed as Regriel while the four women too considered him to be one, the necessary conditions were met.


    The curse considered all their memories with the actual Regriel to be those rted to Secret Society¡ªwhich was him in essence. Therefore, the moment they killed Compass Carburettor, the curse activated, wiping out all their memories in the past three months, causing them to stare nkly in a daze for a couple of seconds.


    Hekatra took action in this window of opportunity, using a drug to knock them unconscious.

 Chapter 137: Kuvert Dungeon

    <h4>Chapter 137: Kuvert Dungeon</h4>


    Once all four were knocked unconscious, Compass Carburettor appeared in his Haggon form, shuddering once before returning to human form, wearing the set of clothes Hekatra had already prepared for him.


    A team of Haggons in human forms sauntered into the room and carried off the four women as he nodded at them, ¡°Keep them unconscious until our preparations to transport them areplete.¡±


    Once they left, Compass Carburettor apanied Hekatra as they stood before the entrance to Mohart Dungeon.


    Hekatra messaged the Dungeon Boss through telepathy, causing him to issue amand to all the Haggons beyond the Dungeon. Due to themand, all the Haggons began to line up before the Dungeon entrance one after another.


    Compass Carburettor condensed the symbol of Secret Society and ced it on the first Haggon, watching it turn into a man once he bestowed him the Skill of Intelligence. Two people brought him some clothes to wear, helping him with them since he hadn¡¯t ever worn one before.


    They then lead him towards a nearby house, left him in charge of another person who then led him towards arge building in the city for being briefed about things. They were only using the building temporarily.


    Since they were part of Secret Society now, they understood that they couldn¡¯t live out in the open. So, even though Mohart City was located in the middle of the Great Megwest Empire that was ruled by monsters, there were still some risks involved.


    But, Mohart Dungeon was their free reign. Moreover, just Mohart Dungeon alone epassed as much area as five times the Great Megwest Empire. It was a vast span of area that they couldn¡¯t popte so easily¡­unless they worked super hard for a couple of centuries.


    Now that they had their human forms to live like in the past and wield tools with dextrous skills, and the Haggon forms to execute the most daunting of physical tasks with rtive ease, they nned to create a grander, bigger city in Mohart Dungeon.


    As Mental Energy constantly streamed into him, Compass Carburettor used it to condense the symbols of Secret Society one after another, converting the Haggons into members one after another.


    Once he had gone through all the Haggons living beyond the Mohart Dungeon, Compass Carburettor then worked on those within the Dungeon. Finally, after a month passed in such a fashion, he managed to convert all of them into members, heaving a sigh of relief once that happened.


    ¡®I¡¯ve been in this world for only six months, but this level of growth and umtion is ster.¡¯ Compass Carburettor patted his back, encouraging himself mentally.


    The Dungeon Boss took charge of personally educating the Haggons that had be members. As they were just Bestowed the Skill of Intelligence, there was a lot of things they needed to learn. They were unlike the Grogars that had enough intelligence to grasp the structure of human cities, understand their culture and nature, and even establish trade with them.


    So once the Grogars were able to turn into humans and were also Bestowed the Skill of Intelligence atop that, it was like giving wings to a tiger. They were able to execute a myriad of tasks easily and wlessly.


    But, the Haggons weren¡¯t like them. They were just simple, unstoppable brutes that mowed down anything in their paths. So, they needed to be taught a lot, especially to execute the sole mission Compass Carburettor had given to the members, the only mission rted to Secret Society.


    ¡°Infiltrate into the cities in various continents, help the needy asionally without making them reliant on you. Record history and key events of all the ces while also obtaining intelligence rted to what each governing body is nning, the technological improvements they are making, etc. And finally, cote and note down the details of all System Users. The details about their life should be as detailed as possible.¡±


    So to achieve that, the Great Megwest Empire had to first train the people ordingly to be sent out. As for the specifics, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t intervene, leaving everything to their devices. After all, they were plenty experienced and were now aware of the involvement of Systems.


    So, they would take utmost caution in everything.


    As everything rted to that was proceeding about in the background, Compass Carburettor meet up with Duchess at the entrance of Mohart Dungeon, looking at the nine people casually standing behind Hekatra, asking, ¡°Are those¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Hekatra nodded, smiling.


    ¡°All of them?¡± He was shocked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Hekatraughed, ¡°Actually, just the Transcendents in the Mohart Dungeon surpass 200 in number. The ones with me are elites even among them, having perfectly fused the traits of both a Warrior and a Puppeteer into their ability.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­amazing!¡± Compass Carburettor nodded in surprise. During the ns before, he wasn¡¯t aware of the true extent of their powers. He only saw four Transcendents in action all along, and hence hadn¡¯t known about the true extent of the Great Megwest Empire¡¯s umtion.


    Maybe if Regriel had survived longer, then more Transcendents would have taken action. So, he would have known about the abilities of more Haggon Transcendents. It was a different matter in knowing about their numbers before and after he saw them in action.


    Now, he was assured of the sess in the next course of his n, and that was to subjugate the monsters in the remaining two Level 5 Dungeons. At present, Duchess had the abilities of Secret Society and ve Harem.


    So, she would enve male monsters while he would target the female monsters. This way, they would be able to gather all of them without trouble. As for the ten Haggon Transcendents apanying them, it was for protection and to capture the monsters for them to work their abilities.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head out now!¡± Laughing, Compass Carburettor returned to his Haggon form while Duchess returned to her Grogar form. The group of 11 Haggons and 1 Grogar sprinted towards the Second Pearl of the Great Megwest Empire¡ªKuvert Dungeon.


    It was the Level 5 Dungeon said to house flying type monsters, the sole Dungeon on the entire continent of Gatena to have flying Dungeon Monsters.

 Chapter 138: Primogenitor of the Warrior and Puppeteer Paths

    <h4>Chapter 138: Primogenitor of the Warrior and Puppeteer Paths</h4>


    Kuvert Dungeon was located around 100 kilometres away from Mohart Dungeon, so after an hour of sprinting, ten Haggons arrived at the ce.


    As for Compass Carburettor and Duchess, they had returned to their human forms, being carried by Hekatra. After all, they weren¡¯t as fast as the Haggons in running.


    The Grogar wasn¡¯t a species like the Haggons that were able to run nonstop. After all, they had super long necks that weighed a lot, hindering them from running for long durations at a stretch. And Compass Carburettor had yet to familiarise himself with his Haggon form.


    So, Hekatra decided to simply carry them. It was faster this way.


    Unlike Mohart Dungeon that was situated in the centre of a massive city, Kuvert Dungeon was located within a fortress that resembled a massive cage. And, the cage resembled a mountain in size, causing Compass Carburettor to gawk while staring at it in shock.


    ¡°This is¡­manmade?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Hekatra nodded, ¡°The structure was created over a span of three centuries by our Great Empire four millennia ago. It was to prevent the Dungeon Monsters from exiting the Dungeon. After all, the Zekken that lives here is too dangerous than a Haggon as it can fly.¡±


    Zekken, they were the Dungeon Monsters living in the Kuvert Dungeon. Hekatra then exined details about them further, shocking Compass Carburettor and Duchess. After all, if based on value alone, the Zekken was by far the most valuable Dungeon Monster.


    It had a hollow serpentine body, ranging anywhere from five to twenty metres in length. It didn¡¯t have a mouth like regr monsters but had an elongated suction pod simr to an anteater. They lived by sucking the pulp of their victims.


    Personal battle strength wise, they were by far the weakest of all Level 5 Dungeon Monsters. But, that wasn¡¯t important. After all, if left in the open, every Zekken was capable of obliterating cities, worse than even a Haggon was capable of.


    And this was also the reason they were the most valued among all Dungeon Monsters.


    ¡°After all, they are the birth of the Warrior and Puppeteer paths.¡± Hekatra said, sighing, ¡°The Zekkens don¡¯t have any wings that allow them to fly. In contrast, they have tiny appendages all over their body. And these appendages are¡­¡±


    She paused, taking in a deep breath before speaking, ¡°Armaments, all of them. They are natural Armaments. When the Zekken wishes to fly, it condenses energy des through the appendages, taking flight. And when a creature attacks it, it defends itself using these energy des. And as it has a hollow body, it can remain in flight for considerably long durations, remaining at an altitude that we can¡¯t reach.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not all,¡± She shook her head, ¡°They have no bones in their body, only tough cartges. Due to that, they can twist and turn as they please in the air, using the hundreds of appendages on their body to their advantage. So, we can¡¯t kill them easily.¡±


    ¡°And, this is where they turn troublesome.¡± She said, motioning for them to hide behind her as everyone returned to human forms, ¡°While flying in the air, theypress their excreta to the limit, turning them into egg-shaped structures before dropping them to the ground. And uponnding, the eggshell cracks before a snake slithers out.¡±


    ¡°This snake is a Puppet,¡± Hekatra pointed at a couple of snakes slithering on the ground nearby, ¡°Each snake is one metre long and can unleash a sword-shaped energy de from its mouth that reaches two metres in length. They roam around in clusters to kill their prey before the Zekken swipes down from the air to gobble up the corpses. They only try to eat the corpses.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s troublesome.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, watching more than ten snake Puppets mming attacks onto a part of the cage, all to no avail. ¡°Why are they unable to break the cage?¡±


    He understood why the Great Megwest Empire had spent a tremendous amount of resources to build a mountain-sized cage around the Kuvert Dungeon. It was to prevent the Zekkens from roaming the world.


    After all, with their powers, they would remain high up in the air and constantly attack the cities without rest, killing people until everyone was eventually annihted. And, even if the Puppeteers used Puppets that allow them to take flight, their aerial manoeuvrability was sh*t aspared to the Zekkens that freely danced around in the air, able to attack from any direction.


    ¡°The material used to make this cage has a self-healing property as long as it has enough water supply.¡± Hekatra smirked in pride, ¡°And that is the reason this cage remains unbroken despite a century of no maintenance.¡±


    ¡°But, where is the entrance?¡± Duchess had been looking around all along while listening to Hekatra but was still unable to find any opening through which they could enter. And, the holes in the cage were too small for even their human bodies to crawl through.


    So, she was unable to understand just how they had managed to enter the Kuvert Dungeon before.


    ¡°That¡¯s because there¡¯s no entrance on the ground level.¡± Hekatra smiled, beckoning for their attention with a show of hands, ¡°Follow me.¡±


    She then brought them over to a massiveke that was present nearby, saying, ¡°This is an artificialke we created just for this. It gets water supply from an underground channel that¡¯s connected to the ocean.¡±


    ¡°And, the entrance lies inside,¡± She smiled, gazing at one of the men before nodding.


    He was a man seemingly in his thirties. His actual age was beyond a century. As a Haggon had a long lifespan, he was still young in that respect.


    Upon a nod of approval from Hekatra, he stood at the border to theke, condensing a tunnel using his energy de. There were steps inside, allowing for travel. And thanks to the glow from the energy de itself, it was well lit within.


    ¡°There is an entrance positioned at a depth of 200 metres. It¡¯s the sole entrance into the cage. The Zekken¡¯s body is like a sponge, causing them to expand in size uponing into contact with water, causing them to soon die as a result. So, they would never approach a waterbody except to quench their thirst.¡± Hekatra spoke.


    ¡°When our Great Empire was still functioning, we had a massive Armament ced here that would construct the tunnel whenever necessary. This way, we¡¯ll directly enter the cage without having to go through the water.¡±

 Chapter 139: Joy All Over?

    <h4>Chapter 139: Joy All Over?</h4>


    ¡°This is pretty great,¡± Compass Carburettor said in wonder as they walked through the tunnel-shaped energy de, now arriving at a depth of 200 metres below water, soon taking the flight of stairs proceeding upward.


    There was only one entrance into the cage shaped like a regr household door. It was only enough for two people to walk side by side. It wasn¡¯t wide enough for the Zekken to enter through, even if it were unguarded.


    Though, as it was created using an energy de, the moment a Zekken tried to enter it, the caster could simply dissipate the tunnel, causing the Zekken to drown in the water. its body would soak up the water and burst soon after.


    Soon, they arrived within the cage as Hekatra turned solemn, saying as she motioned for everyone to remain silent, ¡°I¡¯ll take the lead in capturing our targets. Everyone else can just focus on any Zekken that tries to attack us.¡±


    They immediately formed an encirclement around Compass Carburettor and Duchess, shielding them from harm as they tiptoed through the ce, entering the fortress.


    The firstyer of defence against the Kuvert Dungeon was a fort, with the Dungeon Gate located in its centre. The entireyout was created to be as cramped as possible to prevent the Zekkens from trying to weasel their way out.


    ¡°This ce has an eerie feel to it¡­¡± Duchess muttered casually, feeling like she was at home once again.


    ¡°A lot of people died here during the copse,¡± Hekatra said, not going into any detail about the incident. It was apparent that none of them wished to talk about their Great Empire¡¯s fall.


    But since Compass Carburettor was already aware of all the details thanks to Meharb, he didn¡¯t say anything, looking around as he gazed into the doors to the castle that were left ajar, filled with ayer of dust.


    As they cautiously entered it, they could hear countless slithering sounds echoing through the corridors, making him feel as if his skin would start crawling out of control the longer he listened to the sounds.


    He then noticed that everyone else were calm and collected, sighing as he thought, ¡®I still need a lot of training.¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait here for a couple of minutes,¡± Hekatra said as she took out a small bag that she had been carrying, spilling out its contents. They were snake Puppets, designed to be no different to the ones used by the Zekkens.


    ¡®This way, they won¡¯t be alerted of our presence.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought as he watched the ten Haggons take control of five snake Puppets each, causing them to slither through the corridors before branching out into each section, vanishing from view.


    A couple of minutester, Hekatra and her subordinates nodded at each other before she said to Compass Carburettor, ¡°Let¡¯s get going now. Since there has been no prey here for a century, there are no traces of a Zekken having exited the Dungeon Gate for at least a couple of years. Since they are territorial creatures, they have only been scouting through this ce out of boredom while some are trying to break the cage.¡±


    ¡°What if a hundred Zekkens charge out? Would they be able to break the cage?¡± Compass Carburettor asked.


    ¡°If they were Haggons, easily, since they can use their tough bodies to constantly pummel into the cage without any care of the injury they sustain. But for the Zekkens, it¡¯s not possible. They aren¡¯t built to brute force through things. So even if a group unleash energy des into a point, we have tested it before. They can¡¯t damage it fast enough since their lightweight bodies also fly away due to the recoil from the impact.¡± Hekatra smirked.


    The group then paced through the corridors, using their snake Puppets at times to distract the enemy snake Puppets into heading elsewhere. This way, they reached the Dungeon Gate soon enough, scouting the inside before entering it.


    ¡°I¡­hadn¡¯t fathomed such a ce could exist.¡± Compass Carburettor said in surprise, watching rock pirs spiral into the sky until they poked into the clouds. And for all he could see, there were only such spirals.


    Each spiral boasted a diameter of around 300-400 metres. Moreover, they weren¡¯t proper spirals. They sometimes arched or even zigzagged, often times joining into other rock pirs to create a vast rock forest that covered the skies.


    And on the ground was thick vegetation,pletely covering the ground with ayer of flora.


    ¡°What do these Zekkens eat?¡± Duchess looked around, noticing that there were a lot of fruit-bearing trees. But, upon seeing the ground covered by the squashed remains of them, she understood that none of them was being eaten.


    ¡°There are plenty of monsters other than the Zekkens living here. Though, there aren¡¯t any herbivores here, so this forest is almost empty.¡± Hekatra smiled, ¡°This was our n to ensure there was arge barrier between the Dungeon Monsters and us. Moreover, this forest was our fruit reserve. It might not look like it, but we have installed many tunnels underground that leads into the depths of this forest at many locations.¡±


    ¡°It spans for around 300 kilometres from here.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean there won¡¯t be any¡­¡± Compass Carburettor trailed off, wondering where the Zekkens that controlled the snake Puppets to be located at when he gazed at the sky, noticing the clouds move.


    The clouds formed a low ceiling at the ce, having formed a nket at a height 300 metres from the ground. Slowly, the clouds swirled, darkening before numerous creatures poured down from above.


    Even before they arrived, Compass Carburettor noticed a massive stream of Mental Energy gush into him. But, was he afraid of the horde? Obviously not!


    After all, apanying him were creatures capable of going against a horde singlehandedly. Moreover, the act of their enemiesing straight at them made their tasks easier.


    ¡®Moreover, I am getting enough Mental Energy to condense symbols without rest.¡¯ But, he suddenly shouted, noticing something amiss, ¡°Wait, don¡¯t attack them!¡±


    Hekatra and others were surprised at his order. But upon sensing the Mental Energy streams through the ability of Secret Society in her, Hekatra understood the cause. It was because the emotion behind the streams wasn¡¯t of hunger, killing intent or anything of the sort.


    Rather, it was one of joy, the feeling simr to one being liberated from hell after so long.

 Chapter 140: Humans Are Dungeon Monsters?

    <h4>Chapter 140: Humans Are Dungeon Monsters?</h4>


    ¡°That Zekken¡­¡± Hekatra frowned, noticing a Zekken that hovered in the air ten metres above her, slowly reaching the ground as it looked at her, tearing up. When she looked at the eyes of the Zekken, she noticed that it had long since lost sanity, only approaching her out of sheer instinct that seemed to have taken root within its subconscious.


    ¡°The Zekkens are territorial creatures¡­¡± Recalling the same statement she had uttered before, Hekatra teared up, ¡°So, until the end, you have all been loyal to our Great Empire.¡±


    Wiping her tears, she spoke, exining the situation to Compass Carburettor, ¡°Even though they have lost sanity, they had once served me. And that has been ingrained deep into their instincts thanks to the character of a Zekken.¡±


    Though, she didn¡¯t need to exin anything. After all, she sensed through Secret Society that all of them were loyal to her, irrespective of their gender.


    Unlike Compass Carburettor, she was unable to store Mental Energy in her. So, while condensing the symbol of Secret Society, she had to wait until the amount constantly poured in while she was condensing. It was like holding a cup in the rain while waiting for it to be filled.


    But now, the Mental Energy influx was enough for her to finish condensing a symbol after only ten seconds had passed. With bated breath, she ced the symbol on the head of the Zekken that gazed at her with curiosity.


    As the symbol seeped into it, taking effect, the Zekken¡¯s eyes slowly regained their lustre before tearing up. Immediately, it morphed forms, turning into a human, tearing up as she jumped towards Hekatra, enveloping her in a hug, ¡°My Lady!¡±


    She began to cry when Hekatra patted her gently, ¡°There, there, wee back!¡±


    ¡°I never lost hope. I knew our Great Empire would recover from disaster.¡± She wiped her tears, hurriedly distancing herself from Hekatra before pointing at the other Zekkens calmly hovering in the air, ¡°Please, my Lady. Save everyone! We have been waiting even after our minds had vanished.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be d to do so.¡± Hekatra nodded before asking Compass Carburettor, ¡°Do you wish to do it?¡±


    ¡°No, I cannot do that even if I wanted to. Their loyalty is towards you, not me.¡± Compass Carburettor raised his hands, saying, ¡°Besides, it makes no difference whether I or you do it.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Humming a cheerful tune, Hekatra began to make the Zekkens into members one after another.


    To hope for this eventful day, a lot of Zekkens had been camping at the entrance, only heading deeper into the dungeon to eat their fill before returning. It was what they had been doing for decades while their sanity existed.


    After that, it had simply be their routine. And thankfully for them, it paid fruit. Once everyone in the ce had been made into members, they took flight. Though, a small war had erupted as theypeted against themselves to see who would give Hekatra a lift.


    ¡®It seems she is adored by her subjects.¡¯ Compass Carburettor concluded. It was an interesting choice of emotions. After all, there were countless Kings back on Earth.


    Among them, there were wise kings, dictators, trashes, etc. But, the greed in people never diminished. Even though the level of greed varied based on the era and the prosperity of the ce, the emotions a subject showed towards their ruler wasn¡¯t pure.


    But here, it was different. Rather, this level of emotion was hardly present in a Kingdom like Entropica. The case was the same in other Kingdoms too. If the ruler was a tyrant, there was a chance the people would rebel.


    And in Empires, the emotions the subjects had towards their ruler was borderline devotion. It was as if the royalty were enigmatic people. It wasn¡¯t entirely pure though, but the notion of rebellion probably won¡¯t happen unless the royalty was the cruellest of rulers.


    The tolerance the people had towards them was greater than what those in the Kingdoms had.


    But in the Great Megwest Empire, the Great Emperor was treated no different to a God. And worthy of being addressed with such a title, the Great Emperor was that great of a being, both in character, ability, and power.


    Here, it was pure devotion.


    Compass Carburettor was unable to understand just why something like this was possible.


    Once the war died down, all the Zekkens took to the air. And while they were travelling, Compass Carburettor took the chance to transmit the message to Hekatra, expressing his doubts.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s actually simple.¡± Hekatra smiled, ¡°If you consider humans as Dungeon Monsters, everything would make sense.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± His eyes widened as Compass Carburettor shuddered, unable to digest this line of thought.


    ¡°Consider humans as Dungeon Monsters of a Level 5 Dungeon. So, a King is nothing more than a strong Dungeon Monster in this case. So, they don¡¯t garner any submission from the other Dungeon Monsters.¡± Hekatra spoke.


    She then chuckled upon seeing his mood sour, ¡°An Emperor is something like the overseer of a Level. So, they garner some influence over those in the respective Level. But as for the Great Emperor¡­¡±


    ¡°Dungeon Boss.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Hekatra acknowledged, ¡°So, the Great Emperor¡¯s words are absolute. But, as to the conditions that one needs to attain to wield this authority, the range of influence, etc. aren¡¯t entirely known. But one thing is for sure.¡±


    She said in pride, ¡°Every single Great Emperor of the Great Megwest Empire wielded this authority. There wasn¡¯t any generation where the ruler of our Great Empire didn¡¯t have this authority. That¡¯s why our Great Empire had stood tall for countless millennia. No other Great Empire has managed to do this.¡±


    ¡°They had at least a generation or two where their Great Emperors didn¡¯t possess such an authority.¡±


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t sit well with me.¡± Compass Carburettor sighed, unable to digest that the minds of people could be subtly influenced like this. It wasn¡¯t an influence by taking advantage of someone¡¯s naivety or anything of the sort. But this was on a level simr to a System¡¯s ability.


    ¡®Wait!¡¯ He suddenly thought of something, ¡®Did I achieve this state too? Is that how I manifested Secret Society? But, all I did was make Duchess loyal to me by using the System Fragment of ve Harem. I didn¡¯t achieve it naturally.¡¯


    He then asked, ¡°Do you have records rted to this? I feel like my Secret Society is somehow connected to it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to check themter. Too much information might have been damaged due to the over century of no maintenance.¡± Hekatra replied, ¡°Though, I think I might have an answer to your thoughts.¡±

 Chapter 141: The Secret of Secret Society

    <h4>Chapter 141: The Secret of Secret Society</h4>


    ¡°You have a hypothesis?¡± Compass Carburettor became excited, ¡°Please tell me.¡±


    ¡°Character-wise, you have a lot of simrities to our Great Emperor. So somehow, you might have attained that authority. Though, I believe the process involved in yours was amounted by a series of coincidences whose result happened to coincidently be the same.¡± Hekatra said.


    Watching Compass Carburettor nod in response to her thoughts, she continued, ¡°But, there is one difference between you and our Great Emperor.¡±


    She pointed at his heart, saying, ¡°It¡¯s the fact that the body part of a System has fused into yours. Based on my understanding, a System is a container housing a certain concept. Yours was a simr container, but it didn¡¯t hold any concept in it.¡±


    ¡°So, when I attained this authority, this concept was absorbed and stored in this vessel, manifesting it into a tangible state.¡± Compass Carburettor muttered.


    ¡°Indeed, if not for that, you would have been simr to our Great Emperor.¡± Hekatra said, ¡°And unlike how this authority cannot be controlled by the Great Emperor, you can do it. Or rather, Secret Society is that. All your authority is condensed into that, so even if a normal human looks at you, they won¡¯t feel anything.¡±


    ¡°In contrast, they would feel inclined to obey the Great Emperor¡¯s words since he¡¯s constantly emitting this authority?¡± Compass Carburettor muttered.


    ¡°That might be a possibility.¡± Hekatra nodded, ¡°After all, even though such a long time had passed, our Great Emperor¡¯s loyalty towards you is a perfect 10, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I too have been surprised about it. At first, I just thought this was the limit to how loyal a person as powerful as him could be towards another. But no matter what, this number neither increased nor reduced.¡± Compass Carburettor said while frowning, ¡°It had been puzzling me a lot.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be able to understand it more clearly once we consult the Great Emperorter,¡± Hekatra said.


    ¡®But, if this conjecture is true, it means I¡¯ll never be able to increase the number of Personal Fragments.¡¯ Compass Carburettor sighed, ¡®But still, I have some level of understanding as to what might have been the cause.¡¯


    ¡®Maybe such things might exist in other worlds too. And as long as I actively try to stumble upon them, the possibility indeed exists.¡¯ Upon thinking that, he felt a bit happy, relieved that the guarantee of him saving Stencil was increasing.


    ¡®The Money-Making System is rted to mary benefits. And just based on the number of Skills I possessed as a System Host, one thing is for sure. It¡¯s rich, super-rich, as dictated by its name.¡¯ He sighed, ¡®So, killing it wouldn¡¯t be easy.¡¯


    He then wondered, ¡®But, why hadn¡¯t it given me its Core Skill? I had obtained a bunch of Skills to help with everything. But, it makes no sense that it didn¡¯t give me its Core Skill. What is the reason for this?¡±


    He thought, failing to find an answer, finally deciding on his n of action, ¡®I¡¯ll obtain versatile abilities so that I should be able to deal with any level of situation I face. Brute force is never an issue in most cases. So, I shouldn¡¯t just pursue simple power.¡¯


    The group travelled through the Kuvert Dungeon, converting the citizens of the Great Megwest Empire into members of Secret Society. Hekatra did all the work while he and Duchess simply treated everything as a sight-seeing trip.


    The Kuvert Dungeon had spectacr, over-the-topndscapes. So, it was incredibly fun to witness. And most of all, they were riding the Zekkens, not having to worry about anything that they would have to do had they taken flight using the Katia.


    They travelled for two days constantly, arriving at Level 5 of the Kuvert Dungeon. At first, the Dungeon Boss tried to attack the intruders.


    But, the moment it gazed at Hekatra, it paused in the air, stunned in response before gently arriving before her. Nothing surprising happened as Hekatra managed to make a member out of the Dungeon Boss.


    What happened next was nothing unusual. Thanks to the Dungeon Boss¡¯s orders, all the Zekkens submitted to them as Duchess, Compass Carburettor, and Hekatra jointly started to convert them en masse.


    In a short week, they were done with the task. After that, the group of twelve rode on some Zekkens, exiting the Dungeon before heading towards the Third Jewel of the Great Megwest Empire¡ªHavert Dungeon!


    This was a marine-based Dungeon, with the Dungeon Monsters being marine organisms. The entire five Levels of Havert Dungeon was covered by water. This had once been the beating heart of the Great Megwest Empire.


    After all, the Dungeon Monsters of the Havert Dungeon took care of all their food, water, and other needs. Each level had a radius of 1200 kilometres. There were five such Levels. And most of all, it was full of fresh water.


    But, despite everything, they were Dungeon Monsters of a Level 5 Dungeon. So, it wasn¡¯t easy to kill them. But unfortunately for them, the Great Megwest Empire hadpletely studied them, creating massive structures simr to dams in the waters, trapping the Dungeon Monsters within before ejecting out all the water.


    And once the Dungeon Monsters died due to ack of water, they were brought out to be exported as food.


    Hekatra said while boasting, ¡°We have hundreds of such farms situated all over Level 1. And that alone was enough to satisfy the food needs of the entire Great Empire. And in times of necessity, during a famine in other Kingdoms, we sent them food and water provisions.¡±


    ¡°It was no trouble at all.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± She sighed upon entering the Dungeon, ¡°Unlike the Mohart and Kuvert Dungeon, the Dungeon Monsters at the Havert Dungeon have short lifespans, ranging between 60-90 years.¡±


    ¡°s, too much time had already passed.¡± She sighed, ¡°I had hoped that wouldn¡¯t be the case. But unfortunately, reality is often disappointing.¡±


    She then looked at Compass Carburettor, ¡°What do you say, Lord Spirit?¡±


    ¡°Their Dungeon Monster Forms are only useful while in water.¡± He sighed, deciding, ¡°And at present, there is nothing for us to do underwater. So, let¡¯s not make them members. There is no benefit in doing that.¡±

 Chapter 142: Body Resurgence—Level 10!

    <h4>Chapter 142: Body Resurgence¡ªLevel 10!</h4>


    Six months had spanned past after the trip to the Kuvert Dungeon. Currently, a couple of men carried arge crate, bringing it towards a cave while wearing gas masks.


    They arrived at the ce, ced the crate near something that resembled a mound and scurried out immediately. Violent winds were generated within the cave once they left as a hand stretched forth, gently using a finger to open the crate before lifting it.


    The crate was tilted down as tiny pellets gushed out from it. Each pellet resembled a viscous piece of oily fat that had beenpressed to the limit before being dried. They glistened with the ambient light before entering the pitch-ck organ that resembled a cave.


    They soon vanished into nothingness. Once the crate¡¯s contents were downed, the entity flicked the crate out of the entrance, hearing the sound of it being shattered all of a sudden. Followed by it were the sounds of footsteps before ady entered the cave.


    She too was wearing a gas mask. Otherwise, the stench in the ce was enough to knock her unconscious instantly. It was already on the level of a biochemical hazard.


    She gazed at the blob of flesh before her, speaking telepathically, ¡°I feel like this would be enough.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± A voice suffused withziness resounded through telepathy, ¡°I¡¯ve stuffed myself to the brim with those energy pellets you provided. Now, I only need to swallow some Darble powder and all preparations would beplete.¡±


    Thedy was Hekatra, and the one she was speaking with was Compass Carburettor. For the past six months, all he did was eat his fill and meditate all along, increasing his understanding of Dac.


    The energy pellets he consumed daily was a special ration created by the Great Megwest Empire. And, it was something that could only be produced by a fish species native to the Mohart Dungeon.


    A millennia ago, the Great Emperor of that time thought of a method to create portable rations that would allow Warriors and Puppeteers on missions to quickly replenish their Dac reserves. After all, even the most sumptuous of meals won¡¯t more than 40-50 Dac.


    And the body needed time to digest them all. So, carrying food with them was not only burdensome but also wasn¡¯t efficient.


    So, tobat that, he enacted a n. And, that was to select the most resilient fish type Dungeon Monster. The one they selected was a fish that spanned two metres in length, sporting bulbous eyes and a curved horn that poked into one of its eyes, blinding it on one side.


    It was how every fish of this species existed. And, there was one special characteristic of this fish species. It was that they gave birth every single day. And every time, theyid around 10 eggs.


    The eggs were tiny, only spanning less than a centimetre in diameter, translucent in appearance. And, unless met with the right conditions, these eggs remain as is for numerous years without hatching.


    Using that, they began to modify the fish species, using its resilient nature to their advantage by feeding it powdered Darble daily. Countless fishes were killed in this experiment. But over time, their resilient nature caused some to survive, whichter kickstarted a slightly modified species.


    All it did was increase the nutritional value of theid eggs. And, the birthed fishes would grow to be stronger. It was beneficial for them. But, the goal was the eggs all along. As they were tiny, the energypressed into them to suit birth was a tremendous amount.


    Adding onto the change produced by feeding them Darble powder, they contained a tremendous reserve of energy.


    The people in charge would collect the eggs every day and dry them, preventing them from hatching. With that, the energy pellets were ready. On average, ingesting an energy pellet replenished around one Dac.


    And, they could be digested within 20-30 minutes. So, they proved to be a valuable resource that the Great Empire stored to be used in times of need.


    And now, Compass Carburettor had only been consuming them for the past six months in his Haggon form. And as he was only meditating, he barely used up any energy. It was not to mention that he hadn¡¯t taken a sh*t even once all along.


    His Haggon body had be bloated over time, looking on the verge of copse. And now, he slowly moved his tremendously heavy hand, barely opening a jar ced nearby. Filled to the brim in it was Darble that had been powdered.


    It did take a lot of effort to do that, but for the Haggons, it was a rather fun activity.


    Compass Carburettor opened his mouth and poured all the Darble powder in his mouth, also downing some water that he had ced in a nearby jar, feeling that he was feeling full until his throat.


    ¡®Now, the time of action!¡¯ He thought, condensing a Skill into a bullet before recing it with one of the bullets in his Anthozoa. Once he manifested the gun, Hekatra picked it up from the ground. After all, he wasn¡¯t able to wield something as tiny as it in his current form.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Hekatra asked, taking a shot the moment he replied through telepathy.


    Body Resurgence¡ªLevel 10!


    Compass Carburettor immediately felt as if he was on fire. Thankfully, a Haggon¡¯s nerves allowed him to tolerate such levels of pain without a problem. Had it been in his human form though, the pain sensitivity would have caused him to lose consciousness.


    A Haggon¡¯s sensitivity to pain was very less. And, that worked in his favour as Compass Carburettor noticed the size of his body reducing at a visible rate. The higher the Skill level, the greater its potency and efficiency of function.


    Moreover, unlike the System Fragment he used on Duchess, the one he used nowprised of the entirety of the Skill obtained by the ve Harem System. The potency was on a whole other level.


    For the next one month, he was constantly in such a state of pain. Though, it only felt like he had a fever. It was within tolerable extents.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­done!¡± After a month of suffering, he grinned, noticing that his Haggon form was thin now, like he had starved himself. But, he could immediately notice the difference in his flesh that seemed to have be tougher while his skin had more toughness and sticity to it.


    His horns also became tougher and sharper while his stature increased to a height of six metres. He became a lot stronger. And best of all was the explosive increase in his Dac reserves.


    [Dac: 5011]

 Chapter 143: Returning to the System World

    <h4>Chapter 143: Returning to the System World</h4>


    ¡°This has be boring.¡± A man sighed, seated on a throne that was situated in the middle of a lush, grass-coverednd. He gazed at the pile of corpses thaty before him, gazing at the faces of fifteen people thaty at the front, now bloody, a mangled state of their past selves.


    Followed by a snort, he spoke, ¡°And you call yourselves Transcendents. Too weak!¡±


    Though after a moment, he sighed, disinterested as he snapped his finger once. Suddenly, a massive worm-like creature drilled out of the ground and began to gobble through the pile of corpses that had formed a hill.


    Dungeon Master!


    He went by such a title once he took control of the Level 5 Dungeon of the Great Rateuk Empire¡ªKeworm Dungeon. At the start, he had been excited at the prospect of gaining control of a Level 5 Dungeon.


    It came with innumerous risks from both the Dungeon Monsters and the Great Rateuk Empire. But over time, pilling victories one over another, he had climbed his way to the top. And now, he had be invincible.


    When he was first proimed as the strongest Transcendent, it was still a novel feeling, the feeling of standing at the summit of the world. But over time, he no longer faced any threats or challenges. And like that, decades spanned past with his heart rate never once elerating.


    He came to miss the feeling of his blood boiling from myriad emotions that he had in his youth. And most of all, he was bored and had lost interest in everything. Moreover, it had been a decade since his Systemst spoke to him, for reasons unknown to him.


    Suddenly, the familiar sound resounded in his mind once again.


    [Ding!]


    [Returning to the System World]


    ¡­


    ¡°Take care of everything!¡± Compass Carburettor bode farewell, taking the seat atop a Transcendent Zekken that began to fly immediately. All his ns had beenpleted.


    Once their memories were wiped out, Princess Raecha and Rikune were dropped off at the Heroica Empire while General Artica was returned to the Entropica Empire. As her memories were perfectly wiped out, she was back to her original self.


    Even though she felt it was odd that she couldn¡¯t remember the details of the past three months, Epheme told her the reason that he had written to her in a letter. There were two letters actually, one addressed to her personally, and one addressed to her officially.


    And apanying the official letter was an Armament with five States. It was to be stated as the reward that General Artica had risked her life for and obtained at the cost of losing three months of her memories.


    This official letter was proof of her actions, stamped by the Secret Society. There was only the symbol of Secret Society on it. And to those in charge of the Kingdom, they would have at least seen a couple of people praying to this symbol stealthily.


    So, it was more than enough authenticity. After all, it was circted to be an organisation existing in the shadows to maintain the peace of the world. Moreover, since everything was chalked up to be rted to Spirits, it created an air of mystery and prevented General Artica from worrying about it too much.


    Compass Carburettor had created simr scenarios for Princess Raecha and Rikune, giving them some treasures ordingly. As for Wakuta, she had originally been roaming the continent in search of something rted to Spirits.


    So, she was left alone in the location where she had met Regriel for the first time. Upon waking up, she was confused for a moment before she began to move. After all, she wasn¡¯t in a city and didn¡¯t know of human customs or the date period they followed, since Spirits didn¡¯t have such a custom.


    So, she didn¡¯t even realise that she had lost three months¡¯ worth of her memories.


    As for Compass Carburettor, once hepleted raising his Dac reserves to 5011, he was trained nonstop by Hekatra in the ways of fighting.


    During the six months when he was meditating, she fed him all the information he had to know about Dac, Darble, Armament, Puppet, Warrior, Puppeteer, and attaining the state of Transcendence.


    She also told him about everything rted to his Warble, providing him enough knowledge to wield his abilities properly. As he was already in a state of rest, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t even require more than an hour of sleep per day.


    So, he was constantly learning a lot of information. And once the process waspleted and he had a massive reserve of Dac, she began to train him. Since he wouldn¡¯t even be tired until his Dac reserves reach zero, he fought her nonstop, getting pummelled without rest.


    He trained for another five months when the news from his scouts prompted him to stop training.


    ¡°If I have the opportunity in the future, I¡¯ll return here once again. I have no idea if your prayers would reach me when I am in a different world. But if I do, I¡¯ll reply immediately. So, you¡¯ll know.¡± Compass Carburettor bode everyone farewell, setting off from Mohart Dungeon as the Zekken he was seated atop flew nonstop, crossing the continent before flying towards the neighbouring continent.


    They only had to stop in-between one time for the Zekken to replenish its energy. Thanks to the energy pellets on hand, it was easy to do so before they continued forth with their journey. Four days after they had begun their journey, theynded on the outskirts of the Great Rateuk Empire¡¯s capital.


    The Zekken returned after that while Compass Carburettor entered the city, making use of the channels already established by the members of Secret Society to infiltrate the raid army that the Great Rateuk Empire had conducted to kill the Dungeon Master once and for all.


    The Dungeon Master was too powerful, easily annihting the army. Compass Carburettor too was killed along the way. But, he had timely hid behind the chaotic attacks and the pile of corpses, returning to human form within an instant of his Haggon form¡¯s appearance.


    He then patiently waited among the pile of corpses, sighing in relief when his surroundings suddenly turned monotone, a sign that the System in the Dungeon Master had decided to return to the System World.


    And the moment it condensed a portal, he shot a bullet at it first, disappearing from the ce.

 Chapter 144: The World Dominated by Parasites

    <h4>Chapter 144: The World Dominated by Parasites</h4>


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­back at the System World.¡± Compass Carburettor looked around, noticing that he was within the familiar forest. But, only the forest was familiar, the ce wasn¡¯t.


    He looked around, failing to spot anyndmarks that he had seen before. But, he didn¡¯t have the freedom of time to think about that, hurriedly sprinting away from the ce. That was the reason he had shot a bullet into the portal in the first ce.


    It was to arrive at the System World before the Dungeon Master arrived, thereby escaping to avoid angering the respective System. He didn¡¯t wish to make his existence as a System yer be known by other Systems.


    That would only result in endless headaches. Moreover, the Dungeon Master was a powerful individual, capable of annihting dozens of Transcendents on his own. So, the System supporting him should have been at a rather high level.


    As Compass Carburettor had witnessed the war first hand, he was aware that he wouldn¡¯t be able to save the Dungeon Master from the clutches of his System, not like he had such an intention in the first ce.


    As he sprinted through the forest, he suddenly heard the surprised shouts from the Dungeon Master.


    Followed by it were his wails as his System began to exit his body. Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t wait to observe the situation, sensing through his danger sense that the Dungeon Master¡¯s System was at least around Level 30s.


    It was an opponent he couldn¡¯t even think of going against for the time being. So, he ran at his fastest speed, proceeding about a route where he didn¡¯t sense any danger signals. He first nned to gather his bearing in a safe ce before deciding on the second world to proceed into.


    After arriving at a safe spot, Compass Carburettor closed his eyes, failing to sense any danger signals in his vicinity. The only ones he sensed were a couple of Systems far away. They only felt weak rtive to the ones he felt at the start.


    In reality, even they were beyond what he could handle. But since they were far away, he would be safe.


    He looked around, noticing a rtivelyrger tree beside. At first nce, it resembled a banyan. And, the prop roots that dangled from its branches had touched the ground, rooting themselves before growing in girth.


    And, this had been done a lot of times, creating thick vegetation at the ce. But, the best thing of them all was the fact that he could hide within them, treating it as his hideout. The entrance was only narrow enough for his human form to squeeze through. And the entirety formed a closed dome for him to hide within.


    ¡®I can rest here for the time being.¡¯ Thinking as such, Compass Carburettor entered it, noticing the roots of the bamboo tree had formed a tform for him to be seated upon. He then observed the interior of the hideout, ¡®The area inside is spacious enough for me to even sleep peacefully.¡¯


    But, he had no intentions to do that. He was still unaware of whether he could find any food at the ce or not. After all, he hadn¡¯t seen any fruits until now.


    ¡°I¡¯ll worry about itter. First,¡± He inspected himself, sighing as he concluded, ¡®My Warble is still with me, thankfully. And, my Dac reserves remain the same.¡¯


    [Name: Compass Carburettor, Domino Plottopia]


    [Race: Haggon (Spirit)]


    [Physique: Health (Level 10), Strength (Level 10), Dexterity (Level 10), Stamina (Level 10), Intelligence (Level 10), Cognition (Level 10), Natural Recovery (Level 10), Five Senses (Level 10), Resting (Level 10)]


    [Personal Fragment: Anthozoa, Secret Society]


    [Arms: 5]


    [Core Skills: ve Harem (Level 10)]


    [Arms: Minor Healing (Level 10), Intoxicating Fragrance (Level 10), Overdrive (Level 8)]


    [Dac: 5317]


    Anything that he could use his Mental Energy upon, he had already used them, bringing all his Skills to their maximum levels. ¡®Unfortunately, Overdrive is only Level 8. If only the ve Harem System had obtained its Level 10 version.¡¯


    Hemented a bit before frowning, ¡®But now, despite having so much Dac, I cannot use it. The Armaments I had carried on me have remained behind in the Darble World. And without reaching the state of Transcendence, I have no method to actually make use of my Dac reserves now.¡¯


    He then observed his appearance, frowning, ¡®I am currently naked.¡¯


    He sighed, noticing the bloody state of his body and the pungent stench he exuded. It was because when he was killed, he had returned to his Haggon form before instantly assuming his human form. And in his hurry to remain undetected, he had plunged into the pile of corpses, failing to obtain any clothes.


    After all, the Haggon form was at a height of six metres. It was a hulking figure that would be apparent when it appeared. So all along, he had to position himself at ces where even if he returned to his Haggon form, there won¡¯t be anyone around him to notice it.


    Thankfully, he managed to somehow pull it off.


    But now, he had to deal with the stench and his blood-covered self. ¡®I¡¯ll take a bath in the next world I enter.¡¯


    ¡®Now, my only means of attack is Anthozoa. I have to be a bit careful.¡¯ Now that he had gathered his bearings and had coted his gains, Compass Carburettor got up, intending to exit the hideout when he was stunned, rooted to the spot in shock.


    Twenty metres before him stood a System, currently bleeding as it dragged its body towards the hideout. It seemed this hideout was something it had created to reside within. As a System didn¡¯t need anything, there was nothing present at the ce, it caused him to misunderstand that it was a naturally formed hideout.


    The System resembled a crystal in appearance, shaped like an octagonal cylinder. It possessed two tentacles, one per each of the top and bottom surface areas, using them to drag itself over the ground.


    Suddenly, a mysterious energy exited the tree and entered its body, causing it tough immediately, ¡°Finally, I have umted enough energy to bridge a path.¡±


    It seemed its injuries prevented it from sensing his location. Rather, once the energy exited the tree, Compass Carburettor noticed a faintyer of energy shrouding the hideout, realising that this was the reason the System hadn¡¯t sensed his position yet.


    It seemed to have been something it had created to shield itself. And now, he was taking advantage of it to spy on its actions.


    The System didn¡¯t seem to mind its injuries, grinning as it muttered in excitement, ¡°After fighting with countless Systems, I obtained enough information toplete my deduction.¡±


    ¡°And now, I¡¯ll head towards the alternate universe where entities simr to Systems exist in primitive forms¡­¡±


    ¡°The World Dominated by Parasites!¡±

 Chapter 145: Phantom

    <h4>Chapter 145: Phantom</h4>


    ¡°Forming a bridge to an alternate universe isn¡¯t something a Level 99 Grade 1 System like me can do. But,¡± The octagonal cylinderughed, ¡°That¡¯s why I stole the authorities of thousands of Grade 1 Systems to create this bridge that canst for at most a couple of minutes. But still, that¡¯ll be enough for me to find a suitable host in that world.¡±


    ¡°And with that, I¡¯ll slowly gain the authority of the Mother Parasite living there.¡± Itughed, beginning to generate power as countless streams of lights exited its injuries. The more the streaks of light exited it, the faster its injuries waned.


    It was apparent that its injuries stemmed forth from inserting unsuitable authorities of other Systems into its body forcefully.


    ¡°Once I obtain the power of the Mother Parasite, I¡¯ll obtain a method to be a Grade 2 System and even beyond. I won¡¯t face any limitations to be stronger.¡± Itughed, noticing a small portal form before it, ¡°In the future, I¡¯ll even be one of the legendary Grade 4 Systems.¡±


    Soon, all the streaks of light exited its body, causing all its injuries to vanish. And, right as the portal finished forming, it regained all its power, surprised when it noticed the figure of Compass Carburettor, shouting in anger, ¡°What is a weed like you doing in my home?¡±


    But, it was unable to divert its attention onto him. After all, what it was attempting was iparably more important than getting rid of a fragile weed. But, even though it was unable to divert any strength to kill the weed, just its words froze Compass Carburettor in ce, overwhelming him.


    ¡®Dammit!¡¯ He was unable to move, rooted to the spot as he stared at the octagonal cylinder-shaped System and the portal it had formed.


    Outlined in the portal was a massive metropolis,pletely magenta in colour, glittering like a gem in the darkness.


    ¡®Now, I have to find the individual that would allow me the greatest chance to obtain the authority of the Mother Parasite.¡¯ The octagonal cylinder-shaped System thought, uses the abilities lodged in the portal to change the scenes, soon focusing at the centre of the city, observing the building situated atop an artificial mountain.


    It focused on the figure of a gentle youth seated within, one that was oozing with kindness, ¡®Damn, to think such a kind individual could actually exist. And, it seems he¡¯s pretty strong.¡¯


    But, right as it was observing him, the eyes of the individual swerved in its direction, causing it to flinch for a moment before muttering, ¡®No, it¡¯s impossible for anyone to see here from a world. All such bridges are one-way only. He must have been observing someone in this direction in his world.¡¯


    Suddenly, the youth¡¯s mouth moved as a gentle voice resounded around the octagonal cylinder-shaped System, ¡°Permanence System, was it?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The octagonal cylinder-shaped System, i.e. the Permanence System was bbergasted, ¡°H-How did you know about me?¡±


    ¡°You Systems are pretty interesting. You are simr to our Wisdom and Frenzy Parasites but without any Souls of your own.¡± The youth muttered, smiling as he pointed at his head, slowly causing something to gradually materialise.


    It was an ethereal tentacle, condensed from energy, one that trailed from the youth¡¯s head and had exited the portal, being wrapped around the Permanence System. And worst of all, it had happened right from the start. Only when he voluntarily disyed it did the System manage to notice the tentacle coiled around it.


    In fluster, the Permanence System noticed mysterious symbols shing out of its body and flowing through the ethereal tentacle before spilling into the youth¡¯s head.


    And to its despair, it was unable to understand just what was happening, not to mention being able to stop it. But suddenly, it was unable to generate any resistance, its notion of trying to activate its Core Skill failing. Rather, it itself, for some reason, stopped the activation.


    It was a baffling feeling. And worst of all, it felt as if this sensation was normal, natural for it to feel this way.


    ¡°I was afraid that this new enemy would be troublesome. But, since you have a mind of your own, it makes things grandly simple.¡± The youthughed casually.


    ¡°So, Compass Carburettor, was it? Man, your name sucks.¡± Suddenly, the youth¡¯s voice resounded in Compass Carburettor¡¯s mind, shocking him.


    ¡°H-How?¡± As he was unable to speak, all he could do was think to ry his shock.


    But, it seemed the other party was capable of reading minds as the youth¡¯s jovial voice resounded, ¡°I justprehended the memories of both you and that Permanence System. I have a general understanding of things now.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, even though I wish to use the power of the Permanence System for myself, the moment I bring it to my world, a connection would be firmly established between both our universes.¡± The youth said, ¡°And, I don¡¯t want such a situation to happen. It would be troubling to face the countless Systems on my own, since I already have to face a rather troublesome enemy here. So, let¡¯s do it this way.¡±


    Right as he spoke, the ethereal arm¡ªthat was wrapped around the Permanence System¡ªsuddenly turned jet-ck, rapidly corroding its body. And the strangest of all, the Permanence System didn¡¯t even react, calmly watching its body turn into a puddle in a matter of seconds.


    Immediately, the ethereal arm turned green, condensing the puddle into a tiny marble when the youth¡¯s voice resounded in Compass Carburettor¡¯s mind, ¡°Amazing, to think my Trait of Wonder can affect even Systems.¡±


    After cing the tiny marble on Compass Carburettor¡¯s hands using the energy tentacle, the voice said, ¡°This is the Core Skill of the Permanence System. As a System yer, once you refine this, it would prevent it from reviving in the future. It seems only it knows of the method to forge a bridge between alternate universes. So, with its death being permanent, I won¡¯t have to worry anymore.¡±


    But, it seemed the youth wasn¡¯t actually requesting as Compass Carburettor watched his hand move on its own before condensing Anthozoa. It then sucked the marble into it. His Mental Energy reacted immediately, beginning to refine it.


    In his mind, the Permanence System appeared, barely visible, seemingly having lost all its power. The two worlds behind him took action, rending it apart within a couple of seconds as the Core Skill of the Permanence System became his. Everything happened beyond his will.


    And once it concluded, Compass Carburettor noticed that he was able to move once again, observing that the ce where the Permanence System had stood upon before nowy vacant. As for the portal, five jet ck arms seemed to be corroding through it when the youth¡¯s voice resounded in his mind once again.


    ¡°Tell that idiot behind you to write my story faster. My patience is waning thin.¡±


    ¡°Your story? What does that mean?¡± Compass Carburettor was utterly confused now.


    ¡°Well, it seems he already obtained my message. Anyways, I¡¯ll be destroying this bridge now. Work hard to rescue Stencil, Domino Plottopia¡­bah, can¡¯t you find a better name? Just because you wished to troll the book bugs doesn¡¯t mean you can p two items and call it a name.¡± The youth groaned.


    ¡°Wait, who are you?¡± The more he listened, the more confused he became. But upon noticing that the portal was about to close up, he asked in a hurry, at least wishing to know something about this terrifying entity.


    ¡°Haha, alright.¡± The youth¡¯s voice resounded in his mind once the portal finished closing, slowly vanishing, ¡°I¡¯m the second Psychic Parasite, Jyorta Bone. Currently, the world addresses me as¡­¡±


    ¡°Psychic Ancestor Phantom.¡±

 Chapter 146: You Are Still a System Host

    <h4>Chapter 146: You Are Still a System Host</h4>


    ¡°What¡­the heck just happened?¡± All Compass Carburettor could do was sit in a daze, wondering what had happened as he recalled the scenes that had transpired.


    A tremendously powerful System that was able to immobilise him just from words alone had appeared. And worst of all, he had upied its home.


    And this Permanence System had created a bridge to an alternate universe with the intention of obtaining some sort of secretive power from there to be a Grade 2 System and beyond.


    Unfortunately for it, a scary entity from the other side destroyed it, used his abilities as a System yer to refine it, permanently ensuring that it would never be able to revive. And all its knowledge was lost as a result, preventing any other Systems from being able to repeat its actions in the future.


    ¡®But, in an instant, it seemed he was able to go through all my memories and obtain the knowledge of everything I know. How is this possible?¡¯ Compass Carburettor failed to think of an answer, sighing as he got up, ¡®No matter what, it¡¯s beyond my hands. I should head somewhere else.¡¯


    ¡°And¡­¡± He observed the new Arms he had obtained, the System Fragment containing the ability of Permanence. ¡°This is pretty amazing. And, I obtained it just for the reason that I was there when that entity killed the Permanence System.¡±


    ¡°Still, what was he talking about the idiot behind me? And what did he mean by his story?¡± He shook his head, unable to make heads or tails of the situation, ¡°No matter, I¡¯ll just focus on what I can do for the time being and grow stronger first. With enough strength, all secrets wouldy bare before me.¡±


    While he was running, all the details rted to the System Fragment of Permanence streamed through his mind. But since he was preupied, he wasn¡¯t able to digest them properly. ¡®I¡¯ll go through themter.¡¯


    Relying upon his danger sense, he picked the direction in which he felt the respective System was on the same level as the ve Harem System, ¡°I should pick my opponents wisely. If I feel its abilities aren¡¯t suitable for me, I won¡¯t follow it into its world.¡±


    But right as he thought of that, he noticed that the speed of his running was beginning to slow down, rming him when his danger sense ticked off once again, rming him, ¡°Now what?¡±


    He barely managed to react when his body stopped automatically. For, standing a hundred metres before him, one that had hidden its presence all along was a familiar Deer System that he had seen at the before.


    And now, upon seeing him, it calmly hopped through the path,nding before him as it spoke, ¡°Great, it seems you haven¡¯t left the System World yet. Thankfully, I found you before that.¡±


    Upon seeing how afraid Compass Carburettor was upon seeing it, the Deer System thought for a moment before realising something, retracting its presence before speaking, ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I never thought you would be this affected by me. Or rather, it seems the part of the System¡¯s body in you is what is afraid of me.¡±


    With its presence gone, Compass Carburettor was able to breathe normally once again. And now, he noticed that he was unable to sense any danger from the other party, realising something, ¡®So, stronger Systems can mask their presence. My danger sense isn¡¯t entirely reliable. I should have known. I have been reckless.¡¯


    He sighed, then recalling the words spoken by the Deer System as he thought of something, saying, ¡°Do you have a reason to approach me? Sir¡­Dear System?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha,¡± The Deer Systemughed before introducing itself, ¡°I¡¯m the Coincidental Luck System. You can address me the same. Anyway, I was searching for you to establish a trade rtionship with.¡±


    ¡°Establish a trade rtion?¡± Compass Carburettor was surprised, never having expected something like that from a System, that too from an existence that could squash him like a bug.


    ¡°Remember my name?¡± Itughed, ¡°So, when I met you previously through coincidence, I sensed that your existence is beneficial to me. So, I was digging up a bit of information on you. Are you interested?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be lying if I say otherwise,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, asking with a hint of wariness, ¡°But, what is it that you want from me?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯ll take some time to exin.¡± The Coincidental Luck System thought for a minute before it motioned for him to follow it, ¡°We¡¯ll head towards that ce of anomaly where you obtained benefits from luck.¡±


    ¡°How¡­did you know it?¡± Even though he could take a guess, Compass Carburettor wished to probe upon seeing that the other party seemed to have deeper intentions about him. No matter what, even if all he got were small clues, it¡¯ll allow him to piece together more concrete information.


    ¡°Well, I was searching for you. And coincidentally, I noticed the Permanence System looking like it was about to do something. So, I masked my presence and followed it from afar. As its senses were weakened due to stuffing its body with the Core Skills of countless Systems, it hadn¡¯t managed to sense my existence.¡± The Coincidental Luck System said.


    ¡°Thankfully, it seems the guy from the alternate universe doesn¡¯t wish to interact with us. Otherwise, given his powers¡­¡± It didn¡¯t seem willing to talk about it any further, chuckling a bit before saying, ¡°Well, let¡¯s talk about our trade, shall we?¡±


    ¡°I want you to hunt some Systems.¡±


    ¡°Hunt Systems?¡± Compass Carburettor was surprised, asking, ¡°But, I thought all Systems despised System yers and wished to eradicate us immediately upon sight.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! You are absolutely wrong about that.¡± The Coincidental Luck Systemughed, unable to maintain its poker face any longer, ¡°Only the Hatchling Systems share that sentiment. For those at the peak of Grade 1 like me, System yers are of no concern. Besides, it¡¯s not like there are enough System yers around to be a threat to the majority of the Systems in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°But, isn¡¯t it pretty easy to increase our numbers?¡± Compass Carburettor said, feeling like there was something that the Coincidental Luck System knew that was of prime importance. So, he didn¡¯t beat about the bush and simply argued, intending to unearth the said information, ¡°All I need to do is find a System that returned here and¡­¡±


    ¡°And, I¡¯m telling you, things aren¡¯t that simple.¡± Itughed, stating a simple fact, ¡°Remember this fact: This is the System World. And, only a System can be here and in extension, a System Host. In actuality, there isn¡¯t anything termed as the System yers in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°You are still a System Host.¡±

 Chapter 147: The Main Character System

    <h4>Chapter 147: The Main Character System</h4>


    ¡°You are still a System Host.¡±


    The words mmed into Compass Carburettor, causing him to gasp for breath as he was suddenly full of fear, afraid that he would be subjected to a System¡¯s control once again.


    After all, even while on Earth, it wasn¡¯t always that he praised the Money-Making System. Even though it gave him plenty of awards, it also forced him to perform countless quests that always ced him in trouble or put him in embarrassing situations.


    But, due to the fact that the abilities it gave stirred his greed enough to bend to its will voluntarily, he had never thought of the Money-Making System as something beyond a tool of convenience, one that would allow him to rule the world.


    But over time, his priorities changed. With the birth of his daughter, his ambition changed from dominating the world to spending more time with her. And over time, he started to resist the Money-Making System, suffering from its punishments to never perform any Quests that ced his family at risk.


    And now that he realised the truth about Systems, he never wished to rely on them ever again, despite them being tools of convenience that would allow even trash like him to reach the peak of the world.


    His objective was to rescue Stencil. He didn¡¯t wish to be something that was forced to perform quests to the extent he failed to save her.


    But, just as he was wheezing about in worry, the Coincidental Luck Systemughed, ¡°Hey man, rx! The situation isn¡¯t like what you expect.¡±


    A dozen secondster, Compass Carburettor barely managed to gather his bearing, apologising, ¡°Sorry for showing such a scene.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ve seen something like this so many times that I am not even entertained by it.¡± The Coincidental Luck System said nonchntly, ¡°You see, the person that managed to rescue you made it seem like bing a System yer is easy if the one saving you is strong enough, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Recalling Fourth¡¯s words, Compass Carburettor nodded.


    ¡°Reality isn¡¯t like that since most System yers aren¡¯t privy to this fact.¡± The Coincidental Luck Systemughed, ¡°From the time when the System yers first appeared till now, there have only been 1000 System yers. And, this number can only decrease but never exceed beyond that.¡±


    Upon seeing his confusion, it grinned, saying, ¡°Of course you are privy of system novels, right?¡±


    Seeing him nod, it continued, ¡°What do you call someone who resists definite demise and returns with ster brilliance?¡±


    He didn¡¯t even have to think much before saying spontaneously, ¡°The Main Character.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± The Coincidental Luck System nodded, ¡°And, what do you call a System Host that manages to survive being devoured?¡±


    Seeing his eyes widen, it snorted, ¡°And, there¡¯s a bastard whose domain of authority is exactly that.¡±


    With a solemn tone, it uttered, ¡°The Main Character System.¡±


    ¡°The Main Character System¡­¡± Compass Carburettor muttered, shuddering. Of course, if he was talking from the perspective of a story, no matter how much overpowered a character was, they were only helpless against one character.


    And, it was the character around whom the story revolves, the Main Character. It could be said that once the Main Character vanishes, the story ends.


    And, if there existed a System with such an authority, then it needn¡¯t be considered. This was the most powerful System in existence.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m the Host of this Main Character System?¡± Compass Carburettor asked, unable to digest this fact.


    ¡°Not precisely,¡± The Coincidental Luck System shook its head, ¡°Unlike every other System in existence that is birthed in the System World before travelling to other worlds to find hosts, the Main Character System doesn¡¯t appear in the System World with a body of its own.¡±


    It snorted once, speaking in distaste, ¡°It is birthed within a person the moment he/she bes a System yer. Moreover, the reason no System yer knows about this is due to the fact that only a fragment of the Main Character System is present in them.¡±


    ¡°There are 1000 fragments of it in total. And, each fragment is present in a System yer. That¡¯s the main condition as to how their abilities work in the first ce.¡± It said, ¡°It is the bridge tying the body of the System in you to your respective world, allowing you to maintain a Personal Fragment.¡±


    ¡°Then, what does it actually want? Or, will it even do anything?¡± He felt confused, failing to understand its purpose of existence.


    ¡°Do you know the method in which a Grade 1 System can advance to be a Grade 2 System?¡± It asked, automatically answering in response, ¡°After reaching Level 99, a Grade 1 System has to devour all the other Systems in the same genre as it. And, once all the powers of the respective genre are in it, it bes a Grade 2 System.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the reason Systems are antagonistic to one another.¡± It continued, ¡°And, the Main Character System is the only one in its genre. So, all it needs is to reach Level 99 before automatically advancing into Grade 2. But,¡±


    It shook its head, ¡°It cannot maintain a physical body like the rest of us Systems in the System World. So from the start, this option doesn¡¯t exist for it.¡±


    ¡°Once a System yer bes a True System yer and reaches Level 99, the conditions would be met.¡± It said solemnly, ¡°The one that manages this would then have to hunt all the other System yers, all 999 others, and devour them. After that, he himself would be the Main Character System.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you mean to say the one that achieves that won¡¯t be the Host of the Main Character System, but bes the Main Character System himself?¡± Compass Carburettor was shocked.


    ¡°That is how it seems to be. But, it has never once happened until now. Rather, no System yer ever managed to reach Level 99.¡± Itughed, ¡°After all, the moment a System yer crosses Level 50, they¡¯ll be hunted down by the Grade 2 Systems.¡±

 Chapter 148: Deal? Or, No Deal?

    <h4>Chapter 148: Deal? Or, No Deal?</h4>


    ¡°So, if there already exists 1000 System yers, no new ones can be birthed.¡± The Coincidental Luck System said, ¡°Anyway, moving on, you¡¯ll have to hunt Systems for me.¡±


    ¡°But, with your strength, you can easily kill anyone that I am able to kill, right?¡± Compass Carburettor said in doubt, ¡°And, considering my strength, it¡¯ll take me a long duration to even kill a Hatchling System. Moreover, I have no guarantees of being able to do so.¡±


    ¡°It seems you are as clueless as I thought you were.¡± The Coincidental Luck System sighed before saying, ¡°For reasons unknown, a Grade 4 System auctioned off a world that it had personally modified.¡±


    ¡°It is an apocalyptic world,¡± It continued, ¡°And, after 20 years, it would be reset, repeating the same 20 years in a loop.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡± Compass Carburettor understood the benefits of such a world. A System could enter a Host and gain a tremendous amount of Mental Energy. And, when they start gaining immunity to vanity¡ªleading to a reduction of the obtained Mental Energy for the System¡ªis when the System would return to the System World, wait a couple of years for the world to reset before entering the same Host once again.


    As it would already know how everything would y out, it can purchase abilities ordingly to equip the Host in such a way the generated Mental Energy is the maximum. And once it obtained the perfect form for this, it could simply repeat this without any problems until reaching the limit of its growth.


    For a System, such a world was the perfect elixir for growth.


    ¡°Yes, I was the one to win this auction as no Grade 2 System and beyond were willing to bid for it. It was too low level for them.¡± Itughed, ¡°And, for all the mary-based Grade 1 Systems, this world didn¡¯t allow them to use their abilities properly. So, they too didn¡¯t bid for it, allowing me to obtain this world.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± It snorted in anger, ¡°My enemies are trying to hinder my growth by sending in countless Hatchling Systems into this world. They have killed my Host all the times recently.¡±


    ¡°Wait, if you have bought this world, is there anyw that is preventing others from snatching it from you?¡± He was confused about this point. After all, the enemies of the Coincidental Luck System should be on par with it in power.


    So, if they wished to snatch the world from it, all they had to do was fight it out. But instead, they had sent hatchling Systems to hinder its growth.


    ¡°Of course, there are somews installed in ce by the Grade 4 Systems. But, it only exists to prevent the strong from preying upon the weak unfairly.¡± It sighed, saying, ¡°Since I legally purchased this world, it meant anyone at Level 94 and beyond cannot try to snatch it from me. But, those below this level can try to do so since there isn¡¯t anything stopping them.¡±


    ¡°After all,¡± It grunted, ¡°If I want, I can easily kill them. So, if they break thew in my field, I have enough power to deal with them. And, there is now protecting them if they dared to hinder me.¡±


    ¡°But, herees the problem.¡± It grumbled, ¡°I always make it a point to ensure my Host doesn¡¯t even know about my existence. I¡¯ll only influence the luck around him to ensure he obtains some useful abilities after putting in the necessary effort. This way, he¡¯ll be of the mind that all his abilities stem from his efforts. This creates the best Host I can ask for, since the generated Mental Energy would be the most beneficial to my growth.¡±


    ¡°But, the Hosts of these Hatchling Systems use their cheats to constantly hinder my Host. If I use too much of my power, it would be apparent that everything is falling into his hands due to luck and not his actual abilities. The host I have picked isn¡¯t the type of guy to like that.¡± It sighed, ¡°And over time, he gets killed by them. And every single time, I have to waste my Mental Energy to return to the System World.¡±


    ¡°But, can¡¯t you easily kill them?¡± Compass Carburettor asked.


    ¡°Yes, I can kill them. But,¡± It shook its head, ¡°If I simply leave them as is, they¡¯ll revive within a couple of days. To prevent that, I would have to take them into my body. But, all these hatchling Systems have abilities that aren¡¯t part of my genre. Absorbing them would only serve to weaken me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯lle into y.¡± It said, gazing at Compass Carburettor, ¡°You¡¯ll hunt and refine them. This way, they¡¯ll die permanently. But, you won¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯ll increase your luck a bit. It¡¯ll be necessary for you now that you have exhausted the inert luck granted to you by the Main Character System.¡±


    ¡°Inert luck?¡± Compass Carburettor asked in surprise, ¡°I have something like that?¡±


    ¡°Every System yer possesses that. That¡¯s how they remain alive in the first world they enter. Though, if theyck enough brain cells, they¡¯ll exhaust all their luck and die soon after.¡± The Coincidental Luck Systemughed.


    It then continued, ¡°And, it seemed you had barely used a tenth of it in the world you had entered. But, the remainder was used up in your encounter with the Permanence System. After all, you now possess the Core Skill of a Level 99 System.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, saying, ¡°But, I would only be able to kill three Systems. I won¡¯t be able to kill beyond that.¡±


    ¡°You can, actually. That¡¯s why I am establishing trade with you in the first ce.¡± The Coincidental Luck Systemughed, ¡°Once you refine a System Fragment, you have two choices in its usage, right?¡±


    Seeing him nod, it continued, ¡°So, all you need to do is apply the System Fragment onto a third party. The targeted person would gain this power, but the respective System wouldn¡¯t ever be reborn. And, once the world resets, this ability would be lost permanently.¡±


    ¡®And, it¡¯ll reinforce the world, making it stronger. This way, it¡¯ll be useful for me even after I be a Grade 2 System.¡¯ It thought, asking, ¡°So, what do you say? Deal? Or, no deal?¡±

 Chapter 149: The Trade

    <h4>Chapter 149: The Trade</h4>


    ¡°I have one question.¡± Compass Carburettor thought for a moment before asking, ¡°How long have you employed System yers in this fight?¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± The Coincidental Luck System thought before saying, ¡°I think around 400-500 years. I¡¯ve employed around seven System yers to date.¡±


    ¡°Are they alive now?¡± He asked.


    ¡°If they still were, do you think I would have searched for you?¡± It responded, ¡°There were enough times when we were overwhelmed. After all, despite some luck, there won¡¯t be any other help from my side. Because, the moment I intervene, my Host is as good as done for that round. I won¡¯t be able to earn any Mental Energy from him after that.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯ll be just me fighting against them.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°Alright, that¡¯s fine with me. I was searching for Systems to kill anyway. And since they¡¯ll throw themselves at us, it¡¯ll be easier for me to kill them.¡±


    ¡°Only hatchling Systems target my Host. My enemies know that if they send anyone stronger, I¡¯ll simply kill them and absorb their ability if it seems interesting enough. After all, once a System crosses Level 10, levelling up would be incredibly harder.¡± It said, ¡°Around my level, increasing my level by one would take around a couple of centuries if I am efficient enough.¡±


    ¡°That is incredibly slow.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°No wonder this fight is dragging on for so long.¡±


    ¡°Their goal is to slowly whittle away my Mental Energy reserves so that one day I would be killed along with my Host. That way, my enemies would have a couple of days to take action before I revive.¡± The Coincidental Luck System sighed, shaking its head, ¡°And, they¡¯ll absorb my power before that happens.¡±


    One of its injuries suddenly bled before something simr to a magnifying ss jumped out. Using its tail, the Coincidental Luck System grabbed hold of it and threw it his way, saying, ¡°Take this. It¡¯s a must if you are fighting against the Systems. This is my end of the deal in this trade. It¡¯s what I gave to every System yer that I employed.¡±


    ¡°This is¡­a Core Skill?¡± Compass Carburettor immediately recognised it, feeling his heart thump in response as he summoned his Anthozoa, sucking in the item as his Mental Energy easily refined it. As itcked any sentience, it only took him a couple of seconds to refine it.


    The knowledge of the Core Skill shed in his mind as he digested everything, thinking, ¡®Info Scanner; it allows me to obtain the name and level of any System in my vicinity. The range increases based on the Skill Level. And best of all, it can tell me the number of Systems present in the world I¡¯m in.¡¯


    ¡°This is pretty useful.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°With this, I have a bit more confidence in being able to participate in this trade.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is also stealthy in that Hatchling Systems would never sense you using it on them.¡± The Coincidental Luck System said, suddenly turning serious, ¡°Though, if you wish to no longer be a part of this trade, you¡¯ll have to return this Core Skill to me. I¡¯ve bound it to a Core Skill that works on pledges. So, the moment you are no longer¡­well, you should understand how it works.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, noticing something subtle wrapping around him, thinking, ¡®Is this the restriction brought about by the pledge?¡¯


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head in now.¡± The Coincidental Luck System nodded, causing its antlers to shine a bit before condensing a portal before it. Outlined in the portal was a messy room where an individual was seated before arge monitor, staring at it with widened eyes. His figure was reflected on the monitor when its power went off.


    ¡°That looks like a normal world. Is this before apocalypse strikes there?¡± Compass Carburettor asked in curiosity.


    ¡°The Apocalypse is already in effect.¡± The Coincidental Luck Systemughed.


    ¡°But¡­how is he still¡­¡±


    ¡°An apocalypse doesn¡¯t immediately mean zombies.¡± It snorted, ¡°And, zombie apocalypses are worlds only Hatchling Systems venture forth into because they are too weak. Zombies don¡¯t have any brain, so the Mental Energy one can gather in such worlds is pitiful.¡±


    ¡°Zombie worlds are ranked the lowest due to how little Mental Energy can be harvested from there. They are F-Ranked Worlds.¡± It said, ¡°Only Level 1 and 2 among Hatchling Systems head there to gain some advantage and grow. And, they only go there because they were chased or hunted in other worlds.¡±


    ¡°The apocalypse here is nature rted. It had started to change for the past couple of years and has elerated in the past month. So, there are enough changes ordingly.¡± It said, ¡°And as the days pass now, the changes would be more and more pronounced. This is day one of the 20-year cycle.¡±


    ¡°What type of power system is in effect here?¡± Compass Carburettor asked, ¡°If I gain some understanding of it, I¡¯ll be able to prepare ordingly.¡±


    ¡°Nope, I won¡¯t tell you anything from hero on.¡± The Coincidental Luck Systemughed, ¡°In the past, whenever I gave details to the System yers, they ended up aiming for the routes where they would be stronger in a short duration. And, this only ended up making it each for the Hatchling Systems to deal with them.¡±


    ¡°All it did was result in a loss. So, I won¡¯t give you any details,¡± It continued, ¡°And, I am confident in your intelligence. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have approached you in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°All you need to do is be my Host¡¯s friend and apany him on his journey.¡± It said, ¡°It isn¡¯t possible for me to talk once I enter him. So, you¡¯re on your own.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait, I won¡¯t be able to apany him for twenty years. I still have something to do before that¡­¡± Compass Carburettor said in a hurry when the Coincidental Luck Systemughed, coiling its tail around his arm before pulling him into the portal.


    It seemed nonchnt about him having to leave before the world resets, as if it had seen the same numerous times.


    ¡®I guess it can simply wait until the world resets. It should have seen the same from other System yers.¡¯ Compass Carburettor nodded, sighing as he hurriedly summoned his Anthozoa and touched the portal with it, causing his body to vanish.

 Chapter 150: Nature’s Bounty

    <h4>Chapter 150: Nature¡¯s Bounty</h4>


    ¡°Ah, my knees are paining.¡±


    ¡°And you said you¡¯ll go on the pic with everyone. You¡¯re getting old, so stay in the house.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t send me into the grave yet, you hag.¡±


    ¡°Just shut up and watch the TV.¡±


    Compass Carburettor hid behind the wall, stealthily peeking out to see an old couple seated in the living room. The husband seemed to be in his early eighties, seemingly having been a soldier before retirement as his body was still somewhat healthy.


    But, it seemed he had lost strength in his ears, having to rely on the hearing aid to listen. His wife was in a simr condition but was currently seated on a wheelchair, seemingly having gotten an operation of some sort.


    Their banter was pretty loud, so Compass Carburettor was able to get a general gist of things. They were a family of six. Their son was a bank employee, same for his wife. They had two children that barely reached their teens.


    The old couple had a daughter that seemed to be living overseas, rarely visiting them as the old woman grumbled about her a lot, calling her unfilial.


    ¡®Thankfully, it seems their hearing isn¡¯t all that good.¡¯ Compass Carburettor nodded before gazing at his bloodied appearance and the pungent stench he was exuding. He hurriedly made his way towards the bathroom, thankful that there was a water heater installed.


    He hurriedly took a shower, using more than half the shampoo bottle to cleanse himself. After he was done taking a bath, he stealthily peeked out, noticing based on their voices that the old couple were still watching the TV.


    He then noticed the bloodied footprints on the floor, thinking of something as he looked around the room, noticing some new clothes in the wardrobe. They also had some new towels that they had bought.


    As they were a middle-aged family, they usually had a couple of new things lying around that they got for cheap through some offers and festival discounts.


    Compass Carburettor used the towel to dry himself, looking through the wardrobe to find a pair of pyjamas that were around his size. They were slightly loose-fitting, but they were better than roaming around naked.


    And most of all, he was thankful that there was some underwear lying around, brand new ones, with the brand sticker still stuck to them. After dressing up, Compass Carburettor used his towel to wipe the floor, making many trips to the bathroom as he wiped all the traces he had made.


    Once he double-checked to ensure that he hadn¡¯t left behind any traces, Compass Carburettor stealthily crawled towards the living room and hid behind the sofa, patiently hearing the old couple argue constantly.


    He then noticed the door to the house positioned beside, to his left. It was within arm¡¯s reach, but if he opened it now, the sound would alert the old couple. Even if the sound didn¡¯t, the sunlight that would enter from the opened door was enough to alert them.


    He then noticed the time, thinking, ¡®It¡¯s around 1 PM. The old man should probably get up for lunch sometime around now.¡¯


    He waited patiently, observing the things around him as he thought, ¡®It more or less seems to be like Earth. But, based on the state of things, the year should be somewhere around 2010 or something.¡¯


    Though, he was aware that this world only seemed simr to Earth on a technological level. There were shared simrities, but there existed many differences too. The most notable difference was the name of the countries.


    They weren¡¯t what he was familiar with.


    ¡®Right, countless system novels depict Earth with some changes. This should have been one of them.¡¯ He sighed, thinking, ¡®Just where exactly in our universe do such worlds exist? Howe we haven¡¯t managed to locate them before?¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat now.¡± The old man said after noticing the time, getting up as he walked towards the kitchen.


    ¡°I won¡¯t eat food cooked by that woman. She¡¯s so haughty just because she¡¯s a working woman.¡± The olddy snorted.


    ¡°Then, will you starve?¡± The old man retorted, ¡°Besides, she¡¯s by far the kindest child I have ever seen. It¡¯s our son¡¯s fortune to have married her.¡±


    ¡°If she was like the other workingdies, she would have told you to get the heck out of the house long ago due to how much verbal abuse you subject her towards.¡± He mocked her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see if she dares to do that.¡± The old woman snorted.


    In the meantime, Compass Carburettor stealthily reached his hand towards the door knob, slowly turned it around to gently open it. He then noticed that even if the old woman turned around, she won¡¯t be able to see him.


    After all, he was crawling on the floor, opening the door as he slithered out like a snake. He then left the door slightly ajar to make it seem as if the old couple had left it like that by mistake¡ªit had opened now due to the wind. He then walked through the corridor before turning around the corner.


    A couple of secondster, he heard the door being mmed shut with force loud enough to be audible from far away.


    Soon, he arrived at the bottom of the apartment, turning around to gaze at the building, ¡°So, this is where the protagonist of this world lives?¡±


    He made a mental note of the ce, looking at the words inscribed on the wall near the entrance of thepound, ¡°Grafet Enve.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t much meaning in the name other than to make it sound a bit different from the norm. It was what countlessmunities used to advertise themselves better and make the consumers remember them so that they would purchase a t there.


    Grafet Enve was an apartmentplex slightly on the older side, having beenpleted around 20-30 years ago. As the style of the buildings was outdated, the rent was a bit on the cheaper side.


    Moreover, it was situated in a region where most of the dwellers were part of the middle-ss and those that became upper-middle-ss.


    He looked around, concluding after his initial observation, ¡®The society is functioning as normal as possible. It seems this apocalypse is something that gradually happens. So, only after the changes bemonce would the regr popcee to know about it.¡¯


    ¡®I should start digging for rumours then.¡¯ He nodded, exiting the locality as he walked on the road, arriving at a shoppingplex as he casually strolled through it, noticing a caf¨¦ shop with a poster detailing their need for staff.


    Smiling, he entered it, ¡®But first, I need to make a living to survive and prepare.¡¯

 Chapter 151: A Normal Society

    <h4>Chapter 151: A Normal Society</h4>


    ¡°Hello, I saw a poster saying you were looking for more staff.¡± Compass Carburettor approached the cashier, stating his approach.


    ¡°We¡¯ve¡­already hired¡­¡± The man behind the counter said, feeling mildly irritated upon seeing his handsome visage, thinking, ¡®Just go be a freaking actor. Why the heck do you want to work here?¡¯


    ¡°Do you want to work here?¡± Suddenly, a husky voice resounded from behind, causing the cashier to shut up immediately.


    Compass Carburettor turned around, noticing a rotund woman in herte forties donning a rather thickyer of makeup. And based on her expensive attire, she seemed to be the owner of the caf¨¦. He made a logical assumption based on the interior decoration of the ce.


    Had the owner been a man, he would have chosen the ce to be simple with the focus onfort. Those with an interest in decoration would have installed some lighting and artwork on the walls.


    But, the interior here was rather heavy, with ornamental nts used to decorate every corner and intersection. Moreover, the lighting consisted of nightmps that arched, giving pleasant lighting in the ce.


    As for the colourbination of the ce, they revolved around baby pink, sky blue, and other light colours, making the ce more prone for women to visit.


    And judging by her attire, the ownerdy seemed rich enough to afford at least 5-6 simr establishments.


    There were many shops in the shoppingplex, some of them were bakeries. And, it seemed around three to four shops had put up a notice to hire staff. But, the reason he had selected this caf¨¦ was for a simple reason.


    It upied the most floor space.


    So, it was apparent that the owners of the ce were wealthy enough or were the owners of the shoppingplex itself. That would exin why their shop had the most floor ce.


    As to whether he nned to take any advantage of such a situation, he had no idea, to be honest. But, he went along the thought process of, ¡®If I have any needs in the future, might as well pick a route that¡¯ll make my life easier.¡¯


    ¡°Yes,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded.


    ¡°But, you don¡¯t seem like someone that is in need of money.¡± The bossdy observed his face and demeanour, noticing how there were no signs of exhaustion in him. It was apparent that he was from a well-to-do family. After all, those who were in need of money won¡¯t be able to take care of their appearance as much as him.


    Through her experience, she judged him ordingly and was rather on point for most of the details. ¡®But, he¡¯s really handsome. Customers mighte just to see him. And well¡­it will brighten my mood and make my day better if I see such a handsome man working in my cafe every day.¡¯


    ¡°Actually¡­¡± Compass Carburettor put on an act, hesitating a little before saying, ¡°I am working on a project of mine. So, to save up enough to make it, I have to take up work.¡±


    ¡°Well, no matter,¡± She waved her hand, acting like she wasn¡¯t bothered by it, ¡°You can start working now. Come with me.¡±


    She then ordered one of the staff members to take care of the process, exiting the caf¨¦ while wearing a light smile, lightly licking her lips before she looked at the time, hurrying along as she boarded her car.


    A staff led Compass Carburettor to the staffroom, taking out a uniform from the drawer nearby before handing it to him, ¡°There are three sets of the uniform here. The manager would return shortly. He¡¯ll tell you the rest. Until then, you can sit here and wait.¡±


    Saying so, the staff left, continuing to ck while acting busy. As it was lunchtime, the traffic flow in their caf¨¦ was the lowest. And, he was gearing up for the evening when the ce would be packed to the brim withdies from the nearby college.


    He then met with the cashier, grumbling, ¡°That pretty boy¡­¡±


    ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t make me remember it.¡± The cashier groaned, ¡°I wanted to send him away, but unfortunately, the boss had coincidently visited right at that time for her routine inspection. Just my luck!¡±


    ¡°Now, nody would pay attention to our flirting attempts.¡± The staff sighed, ¡°I had hoped to hit it off with one of the college girls. That¡¯s why I even bothered to work here. My studies are already stressful enough.¡±


    ¡°This is horrible.¡± The cashier sighed in return before the two continued to converse, trash-talking anything and everything about Compass Carburettor.


    As for the person in question, he had closed his eyes, meditating as he felt three Mental Energy streams on him. Two of them were from the staff and the cashier that were trash-talking him while the third was from the bossdy.


    He was unable to sense any other Mental Energy streams, sighing, ¡®So, they can only emerge in the respective world.¡¯


    He then thought things through, ¡®At present, I cannot use my Dac. But still, Dac is rted to stamina, so it can be applied in any field where I have to use my body.¡¯


    He then recalled everything Hekatra had taught him, frowning, ¡®If I follow a Zekken¡¯s body structure, I should be able to use the horns growing on my Haggon form to turn them into basic Armaments. But, even though I have practiced it enough, it¡¯ll take me time. And, I don¡¯t have a ce where I can return to my Haggon form without being discovered.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t wish to gather any attention towards himself. After all, he wasn¡¯t sure what a System would do once it sees the news of him. This world did have the inte.


    And, the Armament he creates wouldn¡¯t be anything special. Instead, using a regr sword would be more useful and would also prevent any Systems from finding out that he was a System yer.


    After all, the energy de he condenses from the Armament would be a clear giveaway. ¡®But still, I should have something to protect myself with. I¡¯ll think of itter.¡¯


    He then focused, activating the Core Skill he had obtained from the Coincidental Luck System, shuddering immediately.


    [Systems: 38]

 Chapter 152: A Truckload of Systems

    <h4>Chapter 152: A Truckload of Systems</h4>


    [Systems: 38]


    The moment he activated Info Scanner (Level 1), Compass Carburettor only had one emotion running in his mind, ¡®Fuck!¡¯


    In the Darble World, he had to remain as cautious as possible just to hunt down one System. And to achieve that, he had made use of the strongest Great Empire in that world that had been inhabiting the strongest Dungeon Monster species, the Haggon.


    And now, it wasn¡¯t one or two, but a total of 38 Systems that he had to face, ¡®Wait, one of them might be the Coincidental Luck System. Still, that makes no difference.¡¯


    ¡°37¡­¡± He muttered, sighing as he firmed his decision, ¡®I¡¯ll create an Armament.¡¯


    The Armament he could create on his own was only capable of condensing a weak energy de that was a metre long. It wasn¡¯t even worth mentioning. After all, he was only making use of the nerves that are rich of Dac condensed within a Haggon¡¯s horns to use them as a Darble circuit to empower an Armament.


    They weren¡¯t proper Armaments that he could use to effectively output strong energy des. After all, the structural rigidity of an energy de was dependent on the amount of Dac he could condense in it.


    But, there was still an option for him to create a proper Armament. And, that was to make use of the Darble Horn growing on his forehead. If he was a regr Haggon, he could make use of it.


    The only problem was the fact that his Dac reserves would be permanently shaved off based on howrge a piece of the Darble Horn he was breaking. That would mean weakening himself.


    But in his case, his Warble had already fused into his Darble Horn, turning it into a tiny kite-shaped crystal on his forehead. So, it was even harder than a regr Darble. To damage it wasn¡¯t possible even with the most sophisticated of means.


    And if he still managed to do so, it would mean damaging his Warble. That was why he had no way to create a proper Armament. ¡®But, once I reach Transcendence, I¡¯ll be able to exert my true strength. I¡¯ll work on attaining that in this world. With that, I¡¯ll have more leeway in attacking a System.¡¯


    So, he nned to create a basic Armament using the horns of his Haggon form. Regr swords would get chipped from use. But his Armament won¡¯t be damaged. After all, he was only using the energy de to attack.


    ¡®It might not prove usefulter, but at the start of the apocalypse, it would be fairly useful. Only time would tell.¡¯ He thought, sensing through Info Scanner that there wasn¡¯t any System in his vicinity.


    ¡®At level 1, the detection range is only a kilometre. It seems this ability will have a range of 10 kilometres at level 10. So, only when a System appears in this range would I gain information rted to it. Until then, all I would see is the information rted to the number of Systems present in the world.¡¯ He finalised his thoughts, nning on increasing the level of Info Scanner (Level 1).


    ¡°Are you the one recruited by the boss?¡± A middle-aged man entered the staff room, asking upon seeing Compass Carburettor seated there.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Compass Carburettor stood up in respect, saying, ¡°Since I require money, I don¡¯t mind if the working hours are high.¡±


    ¡°Alright, suit yourself.¡± The manager nodded, ¡®Since the boss hired him, I¡¯ll just let him work without caring about the details.¡¯


    He then asked, ¡°Do you have any experience in working at cafes before?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, having worked in a couple of cafes on Earth. That was where he had met his wife.


    ¡°Then, you can work as the second cashier here. There would be a lot of people during the evening, so learn everything from the staff by then.¡± Saying his piece, the manager left the staff room.


    Compass Carburettor changed into his uniform and exited the staff room, noticing a couple of staff working in the kitchen. They were preparing the base materials necessary for all the pastries needed for the evening.


    This was so that they could finish everything readily by order. It not only saved up the preparation time but also kept everything fresh.


    There was a TV installed in the wall, ying the news. While he walked across the kitchen, Compass Carburettor heard a couple of lines said by the news anchor.


    ¡°At 11:32 AM, in the southern suburbs of Deison City, a man was clobbered to death by a Pomeranian that grew a foot in height overnight. Research teams are still investigating the cause.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s here!¡¯ Compass Carburettor noticed the issue, thinking, ¡®So, the animals would mutate. Is that how this apocalypse ys out?¡¯


    ¡°Hello there, sorry for rejecting you earlier. We had already hired someone yesterday and had forgotten to remove the recruitment notice.¡± The cashier put on a cordial smile, extending his hand for a handshake, ¡°I¡¯m Fernsher, by the way. How may I address you?¡±


    ¡°You were only following the rules of the ce,¡± Compass Carburettor smiled in return, shaking his hands with the other party, ¡°You can call me Compass.¡±


    ¡°Are you a student?¡± Fernsher asked, noticing that Compass Carburettor seemed around his age, ¡°All of us working here are from the Melora Technical Institute of Sciences. What about you?¡±


    ¡°I¡­dropped out.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled wryly, acting like he didn¡¯t wish to talk about the matter further.


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s fine.¡± Fernsherughed it along, acting as if he hadn¡¯t cursed Compass Carburettor before, beginning to guide him through all the things necessary to work at the ce.


    There wasn¡¯t much on the menu, only about 50 items. And, as he only had to act as a cashier, all he needed to do was memorise the items, understand the technicalities of thework they were using to bill, and use the cash drawer without problems.


    After thirty minutes, he got a hang of things, having already memorised everything down to the dot.


    ¡°Around 4 PM is when it gets busy. The girls from the Stronvile University of Arts would arrive here. And¡­it¡¯ll be a bit chaotic.¡± Fernsherughed wryly.


    ¡°I hope I¡¯ll be able to handle everything on my first day.¡± Compass Carburettor said politely, then acting friendly with the other party, asking casually, ¡°Also, when would we receive our pay?¡±


    ¡°Since we are students, we receive our pay when our shift ends.¡± Fernsher said, ¡°Though, it¡¯ll only end at 10:00 PM. So, we¡¯ll have to persevere until then.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, thinking as he saw a couple of customers enter the caf¨¦, ¡®I still need to find a ce to stay for the night.¡¯

 Chapter 153: A Day’s Work at a Cafe

    <h4>Chapter 153: A Day¡¯s Work at a Cafe</h4>


    ¡°Can I also get your number?¡± A girl asked with sparkling eyes. She was one of the students of the Stronvile University of Arts.


    ¡°My number¡¯s not for sale, ma¡¯am.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, as usual, saying, ¡°That¡¯ll be 348 bucks.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± The girl was mildly disappointed as she handed over the cash, receiving her receipt as she returned to her table, whispering to her friend, ¡°I felt like my heart would burst. He¡¯s really handsome.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Her friend nodded in response, her cheeks slightly reddened, ¡°But, no matter who asked him, he never gave out his number.¡±


    ¡°Someone that handsome must have been hit on by many women. He won¡¯t give in so easily.¡± Another of her friend chimed in, saying, ¡°If you simply ask him for his number, he won¡¯t give it. No sane person would hand over his number to a stranger, right?¡±


    ¡°Then, are you saying you can do better, Kehra?¡± The girl asked her in response.


    ¡°Well¡­it¡¯s not like I have a better chance¡­¡± The girl addressed as Kehra waved her hand when her friends booed her.


    ¡°Che, for a moment, I thought you had a soundproof n there.¡± One of her friends mocked her.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, things like these require tact,¡± Kehra said in her defence.


    The girls constantly bantered after that, shooting nces at Compass Carburettor from time to time before giggling.


    As for the person in question, he was in a pretty helpless state, replying the same lines over and over. Though, he was neither flustered nor angered by this. Rather, he wasn¡¯t much affected by this sense of attention.


    After all, he had be used to that on Earth. That was why the Money-Making System decided to return to the System World in the first ce. He was no longer someone affected by the thoughts and opinions of others.


    But despite everything, the gazes from others kind of pricked him, causing him to feel a bit embarrassed.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be 1216 bucks, ma¡¯am.¡± He shed a professional smile, receiving the money as he spoke, ¡°Would you also like to order today¡¯s special? It¡¯s a ¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± The customer grinned, saying, ¡°Can you bring it to our table? I hurt my hands, so my doctor forbid me from lifting any weight.¡±


    ¡®But, you came with a group of friends. They can carry the items¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t say it out loud though, replying, ¡°Sure, please wait for five minutes. I¡¯ll bring your orders to your table, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± The girl took her bill and walked away, gazing at her friends to wink once. In response, her friends grinned.


    ¡°It sure is hard being popr.¡± Fernsher muttered, almost pitying Compass Carburettor now, ¡°They sure want everything to be done by you.¡±


    ¡°I am a bit used to it by now.¡± Compass Carburettorughed wryly, carrying a te full of all the ordered items as he carefully moved through the crowd, flinching once when someone stealthily pinched his buttocks.


    He didn¡¯t react beyond that, deftly arriving at the table before setting down all the items, ¡°Here are your orders!¡±


    He then returned with the empty te, cing it in its respective position in the kitchen before returning to his spot as a cashier.


    ¡®Man, that¡¯s pretty humiliating. It¡¯s no different from when a pretty girl works here.¡¯ Fernsher sighed, ¡®There is practically no difference in the behaviour of the genders here.¡¯


    He was disillusioned now, having once assumed that those that were pretty had good times in life. It made him appreciate being a youth with an average face. None harassed him. And at times, even he would get a couple of flirtatious looks. Even though it was once in a blue moon.


    Suddenly, his thoughts changed when a girl approached Compass Carburettor, asking with an apologetic tone, ¡°Sorry to ask you this, but my scooty is stuck and I¡¯m unable to pull it out. I can¡¯t find anyone else to ask this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there, ma¡¯am.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled cordially, asking Fernsher, ¡°Can you take care of it for a minute?¡±


    ¡°Sure, break a leg,¡± Fernsher said, exasperated. The one that approached Compass Carburettor was the girl that he had been trying to woo for over a month now. She had never reciprocated with anything, and now, she took the initiative to approach him with the most tant of scenarios.


    Compass Carburettor exited the caf¨¦, noticing the girl point at her scooty. He noticed that it had been parked diagonally. And now, a couple of bikes had been closely parked around it, preventing her from taking it out without toppling the bikes. For, there was no space for her legs to bnce herself while pulling it out.


    And, the bikes were too heavy for her thin self to move.


    ¡®This is pretty genuine.¡¯ Compass Carburettor understood based on the Mental Energy stream he received. He then adjusted the bikes, barely creating enough space for him to set foot beside the scooty before bringing it out little by little.


    It took him over a minute to carefully bring it out when the girl thanked him, ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really strong.¡±


    ¡°I¡­exercise.¡± Compass Carburettor shed a smile before entering the caf¨¦.


    Time passed in such a fashion as he felt at peace just working for a change of pace. He didn¡¯t have to think about anything, didn¡¯t have to scheme, and most definitely didn¡¯t have to fight for his life. Before all of that started, this current period was something that allowed him to rx.


    When he was in the Darble World, even though he no longer felt any danger after killing the ve Harem System, he was still anxious about when one of the three System Hosts he discovered would return to the System World.


    He didn¡¯t wish to spend time there than beyond necessary. So, only now was he able topletely rx.


    It was because he knew that this peace was short-lived, and wished to immerse himself in it fully, enjoying the mundane things in life while appreciating their value.


    Finally, his shift was done as the manager handed him an envelope, ¡°If you don¡¯t wish to receive it like this, you can receive your sry monthly. It¡¯ll be directly credited into your bank ount.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll receive it like this. Thank you very much.¡± Compass Carburettor received the envelope.


    ¡°Remember to be here at 11 AM tomorrow. Your work would start at noon.¡±

 Chapter 154: Wages and Employment

    <h4>Chapter 154: Wages and Employment</h4>


    Compass Carburettor had one limitation in the type of work he could do to earn money. It was that he didn¡¯t have a legal ID. After all, he wasn¡¯t even a denizen of this world. He had been here for less than a day.


    Since any work with a decent pay needed him to show his identity, all he could do was work part-time with minimal wages. Thankfully, the job at the caf¨¦ gave him a decent pay.


    It wasn¡¯t much, but it was enough for him to get by. Pocketing the envelope, Compass Carburettor walked through the street, watching the number of people on the road beginning to decrease sharply.


    After all, it was already 10 PM. And in this part of the city, there wasn¡¯t much for the nightlife to go about. And, most of the shops were already beginning to close down.


    As he continued to walk, his stomach rumbled as Compass Carburettor looked at the bag he carried. In it were the leftovers in the caf¨¦ that were handed out to the staff. This seemed to be the usual practice there, one of the reasons all the workers there consisted of college students.


    While working there, they could earn some money and also save up on their food expenses. To an average student that didn¡¯t have much money, this was a good opportunity.


    Even though he wished to eat, he didn¡¯t do it for now. After all, he had to first find a ce to settle in for the night. He couldn¡¯t be found roaming through the roads like a homeless bum by the police.


    It was not to mention that he had to work the next day. So, unless he wished to stink, he had to take a bath.


    So, that was why he was currently walking. But, he wasn¡¯t going about aimlessly either. Rather, he had enquired about a couple of possible locations that were open during the night among the staff at the caf¨¦.


    He said that he was wanted to find some establishments where he could work during the night. And, they also had to be looking for staff to hire.


    As the staff working at the caf¨¦ were students, they were privy about where and when they could work to earn some pocket money.


    So among what they said, he zeroed in on one ce. It was an inte caf¨¦ that also doubled as a hotel.


    The system used there was pretty interesting in that the hotel rooms were charged by the hour and not by the day. And, the ones that frequented there were the students from the Melora Technical Institute of Sciences.


    As it was located closer to their dorm, they frequented the ce a lot. Some brought their girlfriends to the hotel rooms to wrestle while the rest just used the inte caf¨¦ to surf the inte or y games.


    Since he only required three hours of sleep per day, this was the perfect ce to live in for the time being.


    After an hour of walking, he arrived at the ce, pretty surprised for a moment upon seeing how bustling it was. It formed a stark contrast with the neighbourhood that was mostly silent now, save for the rare few vehicles that plied the road.


    It was a triple storied building, with the ground floor serving as the inte caf¨¦ while the first and second floor served as the hotel. And, on the first floor was a bakery of sorts that sold all kinds of refreshments for those using the establishment.


    ¡°No alcohol allowed inside the premises.¡± He read the sign that was hung at the entrance, looking at the que that was hung over the entrance that read, ¡°Champion Inte Caf¨¦.¡±


    ¡°College ID?¡± The moment he approached the counter at the front, the man seated behind asked in habit.


    ¡°Hello, I heard you were looking to hire people.¡± Compass Carburettor said in response.


    ¡°College ID?¡± The man asked again, extending his hand.


    ¡°I¡­dropped out.¡± Compass Carburettor stealthily nced around once before whispering to the man, acting embarrassed to do so.


    ¡°Can you use aputer?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded in response.


    ¡°Then, have a seat here.¡± The man got up, offering his seat before saying, ¡°Theputer on the right shows which cabin is free and which is upied. When someone leaves, charge them based on the duration of stay¡­well, the software will tell the amount. And you¡¯ll only have to receive the cash.¡±


    He then pointed left, ¡°Theputer on the left is for regr use. If you need to use the inte, use it for that.¡±


    ¡°The number 1 on thendline is to speed dial to me. If there is an emergency, call me through that.¡± The man said, ¡°You¡¯ll be the only one working here throughout the night. Can you handle it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded in assurance.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯lle to check up on you at around 6 AM.¡± The man said, ¡°I¡¯m Gurren, this ce¡¯s owner. If some of the students here try to cause any problems, tell them to meet me in the morning. My brother¡¯s a professor at the Technical Institute. So, they won¡¯t dare make trouble here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, by the way,¡± He pointed at the CCTV camera ced nearby, ¡°There are CCTVs everywhere here. So¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t steal anything, alright?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, sir.¡± Compass Carburettor said in response.


    ¡°Well, only time would tell.¡± Saying his piece, Gurren boarded the lift nearby and headed up. it seemed he was using one of the hotel rooms to live.


    It was unknown if he lived with his family or not, but Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t care about that, sighing now that he had a second source of ie. But, the ie was only secondary. The better option was him staying with a roof above his head and free ess to the inte.


    Moreover, it was pretty cold outside at night while it was warm within the inte caf¨¦. It allowed him to rx as he opened up the bag, looking at the food that he had ced above the uniform he was given at the caf¨¦.


    ¡®I have so minimal belongings.¡¯ He smiled wryly and began to eat the food, soon setting his eyes on theputer to the left, opening up its browser, ¡®Now, to start with work.¡¯

 Chapter 155: Too Blurry to Make a Clue

    <h4>Chapter 155: Too Blurry to Make a Clue</h4>


    ¡®Now, first things first, let me search for a bunch of things. Might as well use the inte to its full extent.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, opening up the browser as he probed with it a bit, understanding its functions, ¡®It¡¯s more or less simr to the one on Earth, albeit with minor differences.¡¯


    He then began to search numerous keywords in it.


    [Melora Technical Institute of Sciences]


    [College Admissions]


    [Cute Girls]


    He just surfed through numerous search results of the rted keywords, jumping into various forums as he read through them all.


    He then looked at one of the forum posts, grinning mentally, ¡®Alright, I stumbled upon it while surfing.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t wish to directly search for the rted term the first thing. That might make him look suspicious. After all, he was under watch by the CCTV. There was also his browsing data that could be looked throughter.


    If he deleted them, he would only look all the more suspicious. So instead, he acted as a regr college student his age, spurred by the curiosity that came with the age.


    The post he stumbled upon was posted a couple of days ago on one of the forums rted to a university page. It didn¡¯t generate much traction as people justmended that it had been photoshopped.


    The post only had seven likes. But, Compass Carburettor paid attention to it, reading through it.


    [Guys, you really won¡¯t believe it. Yesterday night, I and a couple of my friends were racing through the night on the national highway when something ran past us at tremendous speeds. We were scared since our bikes were travelling at 90 KMPH. Since it ran opposite to us, it happened too quickly. But thankfully, one of us had been filming at that time. Look at the video. It was scary. We don¡¯t dare race during the night after this.]


    Compass Carburettor clicked on the video that had been attached to the post. It was a video spanning a length of 30 seconds. And for the first 25 seconds, it was just the scene of the people riding their bikes.


    There were two bikes in the frame, proceeding one behind the other. The one filming was seated at the backseat of the second bike, currently focusing out.


    It seemed he had whipped out his phone just to capture the taunting they were throwing at each other while racing. But suddenly, there was a brown coloured blur in the video. Itsted for less than a second as there were sounds of shock by the people in the video.


    But there wasn¡¯t anything beyond that as Compass Carburettor frowned, ¡®There isn¡¯t anything of detail here. The video itself has a very low rity, not to mention the shaky cam. All I can see is a brown blur.¡¯


    He then paused the video at the exact moment when the blur happened, noticing that the trail of brown seemed to resemble a¡­dog?


    But, he wasn¡¯t sure yet, since the video quality was subpar enough for him to make out anything. Sighing, he acted as if he was curious about it, beginning to search rted to that on the inte.


    Soon, he pulled up simr videos and images. But, as most of them had happened on the night and those involved in the scene had only been filming casually with their phones, the video was subpar at best.


    After all, the technological development meant the phone cameras didn¡¯t have much quality, at least in the hands of themon popce that had encountered such incidents.


    ¡®But, it is apparent that something is happening.¡¯ Compass Carburettor nodded, trying to further understand just what this apocalypse was about, ¡®Are all the animals mutating? Is that how it goes?¡¯


    ¡®At first, there would only be a rare few cases, but eventually, every single animal would mutate into fearsome creatures.¡¯ He then frowned, ¡®But, that actually won¡¯t be dangerous enough. Since this world¡¯s development is simr to Earth from the early 2000s, it means there should be countries with nukes.¡¯


    ¡®It is not to mention the powerful firearms under the military. No matter how fearsome the animals mutate, once their threat is determined, they would simply be crushed. It won¡¯t be an apocalypse.¡¯


    He then recalled the Coincidental Luck System¡¯s words, ¡®It said the apocalypse is nature rted. So, what about happen?¡¯


    He continued to search through the inte but failed to find anything concrete. All he found rted to concerns about nature was global warming and simr articles.


    ¡®It would have been better to be dropped here when the apocalypse starts in full swing.¡¯ He sighed, shaking his head to think, ¡®No, this actually gives me time to prepare.¡¯


    He continued to stare at the monitor while thinking, ¡®Now, how should I spread Secret Society here?¡¯


    He was averse to the notion because of one reason: There were too many Systems in this world.


    So, if he was careless, a System Host mighte across a member. There was a good chance any information withheld by them could get leaked. The nature of Secret Society implies that everything rted to it would be secretive.


    But, it wasn¡¯t a guarantee that it would remain as such. After all, the Coincidental Luck System had addressed him as Secret Society and not as Compass Carburettor. Just that alone was enough proof that his Personal Fragment¡¯s effect wasn¡¯t foolproof.


    There could be a System with an ability capable of piercing through the Secret Society¡¯s defence and infiltrate as one of the members. Or even worse, override the curse and make a member act as a spy and leak out all secrets exchanged through theirwork.


    Had it been just one System, he could have tried some means to probe its ability first. After all, a System Host would never remain low profile. So, based on their actions, a general conclusion can be deduced about his/her System¡¯s Core Skill.


    With that, he could remain assured about spreading Secret Society.


    But when many Systems were running about, carelessly spreading around Secret Society wouldprise his situation. That was the reason he had been averse and hesitant all along.


    Otherwise, using ve Harem, it would have been easy.


    ¡®I should only use ve Harem strategically. Only on members that would help me survive this apocalypse and hunt the Systems.¡¯ He concluded, continuing to surf through the inte for any other information.


    He was trying to use various keywords that might unearth any useful information.

 Chapter 156: Constant Search

    <h4>Chapter 156: Constant Search</h4>


    ¡°That¡¯ll be 70 Paise.¡± Compass Carburettor said while staring at a couple of youths that had reddened eyes and seemed to be fuming. It was apparent that they had lost the game they were ying, and terribly so at that.


    ¡°Here!¡± One of the youths just mmed the money on the table and rushed out.


    As Compass Carburettor grabbed hold of the money and calmly ced it in the cash drawer, he could hear the two youths cursing aloud once they exited the building.


    Soon after, another group of youths arrived at the counter, staring at him in surprise, ¡°Where did old grumpy go?¡±


    ¡°Old grumpy?¡± He couldn¡¯t make sense of what they said.


    ¡°The owner, I mean.¡± The youth said, before waving his hand, ¡°Alright, that should be 70 Paise, right? Here!¡±


    Saying his piece, he paid his bill in habit and walked out of the building, whistling all along. He then looked at the couple of youths that left before, waving his hands towards them before making sounds as if he was catcalling them.


    It was apparent that he was on the side that won while the other side lost the game all the times they yed. The group with him also paid their bills and left. As it was 5:00 AM now, they were beginning to leave one after another, feeling that they had yed enough.


    As they passed by, Compass Carburettor heard them speak.


    ¡°Oh sh*t! I have internals today.¡±


    ¡°Haha, same here! I studied everything, though.¡±


    ¡°Damn, I didn¡¯t even touch the book.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you pay enough attention in ss, you won¡¯t need to studyter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say.¡±


    ¡°Well, you have four hours to study. Work hard, haha! I¡¯ll get some sleep in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Damn you, topper!¡±


    It seemed everyone frequented the ce, judging by how they prepared the money to be paid without him needing to say anything. He collected them all and ced them in the drawer, for an instant tempted by the money ced in it.


    Paise was the currency used by the ce he was at now. A regr fruit juice cost 20-40 Paise depending on the fruit used.


    And, he was being paid 20 Paise per hour. It wasn¡¯t much, to be honest. But, for the base position he had, that was all the money he would ever get. The pay was simr in the caf¨¦ too. He would be working around 10 hours there and would receive a payment of 200 Paise.


    And present in the cash drawer was thousands. But the temptation only existed for an instant before vanishing. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t lust after money once again. I need to keep my priorities straight.¡¯


    As a businessman, his head whirled around money. So, it was hard for him to resist his instincts. But, he knew that his act of working was only to secure a ce to be at for most of the day. If he wished to earn more money, he could have tried intermediary sales.


    With his looks, he was bound to sell enough to get a sizeable sum soon enough. But since that wasn¡¯t his n, he only worked for a minimal wage. In the caf¨¦, he earned Mental Energy. And in the inte caf¨¦, he browsed through the inte looking for clues.


    It was enough for him.


    He then looked at the prices of the hotel rooms, thinking, ¡®A decent room with an attached bathroom costs 50 Paise an hour. I¡¯ll at most need 4 hours to wash my clothes, take a bath, and sleep. I¡¯ll be spending all the money earned from the caf¨¦ here. Since I can eat enough from the caf¨¦, that allows me to save the money I get from this inte caf¨¦.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯ll be saving up around 180 Paise per day. It¡¯s not much.¡¯ He thought. 10 hours of working at the caf¨¦, an hour formute between the two ces, four hours for rest and other activities. That would leave 9 hours of work time in the inte caf¨¦, earning him 180 Paise.


    Compass Carburettor then surfed through a website that sold through all sorts of goods, thinking, ¡®A fairly good sword costs around 30,000 Paise. But, carrying around a sword won¡¯t be feasible until the apocalypse actually starts. Until then, my Armament would be more useful.¡¯


    He then continued to look through for tents, emergency supplies, and a variety of things, sighing, ¡®Without knowing what this apocalypse would turn out to be, my preparations might even end up being entirely useless. Instead, I should memorise and familiarise myself with every ce that might prove useful here.¡¯


    ¡®If I need something, I can find them in the supermarket during the apocalypse.¡¯ He frowned, immediately recognising the risks involved with this decision, sighing as he continued to look through the maps until it was time for his shift to end.


    :00 AM, Gurren arrived on time, wearing a tracksuit as he yawned, noticing that everything in the counter was just as how he had left them, smiling, ¡°Alright, you can return to work at 11:00 PM tonight.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded before saying, ¡°I wanted to book a room for four hours¡­¡±


    Before he could finish speaking, Gurren yawned as he threw him a key, saying, ¡°There¡¯s a staff room on the second floor. It has a bed to sleep in and an attached bathroom. You can just live there for as long as you work here. It has been empty for long anyway.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Saying his piece, Compass Carburettor jovially hopped through the flight of stairs, arriving at the room as he opened it, noticing that despite it not being used, the room was still being cleaned.


    It wasn¡¯t much. The room spanned a length of eight feet and a breadth of six feet. ned on one side was a bed, upying most of the room space. Situated on one side was a bathroom, upying simr dimensions as the room. It seemed it had been constructed so big due to the floor n and the avability of space.


    ¡°Well¡­this is enough.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded and slumped on the bed, exhausted, falling asleep immediately.

 Chapter 157: Rhizen

    <h4>Chapter 157: Rhizen</h4>


    ¡°Pleasee in, Sir and Madam.¡± After the bell was rung, a fit youth opened the door, immediately greeting the middle-aged couple that stood before him.


    ¡°Are you Rhizen?¡± The middle-aged man asked. Though, he already guessed it based on the boy¡¯s voice. It was the same voice as the person that conversed with him on phone.


    ¡°Yes, please take a seat.¡± The youth addressed as Rhizen said while pointing at the sofa in the living room.


    As the middle-aged couple sat there, he entered the kitchen, seemingly preparing something. In the meantime, the middle-aged couple looked around the house, whispering to one another.


    ¡°This ce is pretty nice.¡± The Middle-aged man whispered.


    ¡°Right!¡± His wife whispered back, ¡°It doesn¡¯t even look like this house is thirty years old.¡±


    ¡°It seems they have maintained it well.¡± The middle-aged man said, ¡°I¡¯ve seen some of the houses in this apartment along the way, and it is apparent that they have renovated this house just recently.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and this locality is really pleasant. You¡¯ll never be troubled by construction and other stuff that happens everywhere in our city these days.¡± His wife said, already pleased with the ce.


    ¡°There are good schools nearby, a couple of universities, and anything we need. Everything is within a 10-minute reach by bike.¡± The man nodded.


    ¡°A couple of my friends are living here. And yes, it is more peaceful here due to the higher number of senior citizens among the residents.¡±


    As they continued to converse, Rhizen soon walked out, holding a tray as he set it on the table in the living room, handing out tes of sweets to the two guests.


    ¡°Please, you didn¡¯t have to do this much.¡± The middle-aged man said, spurred by formality.


    ¡°This is just basic manners as a host.¡± Rhizen smiled, taking a seat opposite to them.


    After sipping the coffee once, the middle-aged man liked the taste, praising it mentally before asking, ¡°Was this house renovated recently?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was done three years ago.¡± Rhizen said, ¡°As this apartment is around thirty years old now, its appearance wasn¡¯t that good anymore. So, a lot of willing houses joined hands to invite a contractor to renovate all our houses at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Only some weren¡¯t willing to do so.¡± He continued, ¡°So, all the remaining houses would more or less look like this.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± He smiled a bit after that, ¡°We also maintained our house better. So, the condition here is great.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get the chance to ask this before¡­¡± The middle-ageddy took a closer nce at his face, noticing that he was suffering from a mildck of sleep and was somewhat thin for his age, asking hesitantly, ¡°Why¡­are you selling this house?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Rhizen sighed, ¡°I lost my family a year ago during an ident.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± Thedy said in shock, cing her hands on her mouth while her eyes widened. She seemed to be an emotional person as her eyes turned moist automatically. But, the greater part of the reason was due to how well-mannered Rhizen was.


    She had seen how the youths his age behaved daily, so she knew that the person before her had been hurt so much that he had matured too quickly.


    ¡°This house has too many memories.¡± Rhizen said, smiling wryly, ¡°And, it is hard for me to bear living here. That¡¯s why I am selling the house.¡±


    ¡°What do you n to do after that? Where will you live?¡± The middle-aged man asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m nning to pursue higher studies. I already got a schrship from the National Institute of Engineering and Technology. So, for the next two years, I¡¯ll be staying in a dorm there. And after that, I¡¯ll head to wherever I get a job next.¡± Rhizen said, getting up before he brought over a file, showing them the certificates he had obtained, his admission letter for his masters, etc.


    The middle-aged couple appreciated his sincerity and transparent way of doing things.


    He then showed them around the house, honestly telling them the pros and cons of the ce. Rather, he gave them more information than what they could ever dig up through their contacts.


    ¡°My friend didn¡¯t even know about this.¡± The middle-ageddy said in surprise.


    ¡°It¡¯s because they aren¡¯t knowledgeable in this field. The association president here is my uncle. And, I was the one who helped him with all the rted works. So, only we know these things.¡± Rhizen said, continuing, ¡°But, the good thing here is the water.¡±


    ¡°The water supplied here is from the Ahtic Dam. Very few ces get water from there. Since this locality is one of the oldest, the pipelines running through this are connected to the administration sector of the city.¡± Rhizen said, ¡°So, there would never be any water deficit here. It¡¯s the same for electricity, and other municipality needs.¡±


    After they talked for some more time, the middle-aged couple were convinced.


    The middle-aged man shook hands with Rhizen, ¡°We are pretty much satisfied with the property. The day after tomorrow is a good day for registration. So, we¡¯ll do it then.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure.¡± Rhizen nodded. After that, they conversed a bit more as the middle-aged couple tried to bargain.


    Rhizen conceded at a couple of ces, eventually settling with a price before he bode farewell to them, watching the middle-aged couple leave.


    As the middle-aged couple had already done a fair deal of digging into his background, the locality¡¯s background, and all news rted to the ce, they were convinced once they came to like the house.


    And in their opinion, Rhizen had actually sold the house to them at a rate a bit below the market price. So, it was a profit for them.


    Now that he was alone in his house, he sighed, muttering, ¡°Mom, dad, am I doing the right thing?¡±


    He then approached hisputer, switching on the monitor as he looked at the image that hovered on the screen, ¡°But, based on the rumours I am getting, the world is changing. If it was just fiction, there shouldn¡¯t be so many clues.¡±


    There were countless pictures forming a coge. And, even though most of them were blurry images, he had clubbed them, using the various poses to reprocess them before creating 3D models of each based on the various ounts, forums, sh cam images, drawing, etc. that he had collected over the months.


    And now, hovering at the front was the 3D figure of a dog, with brown fur resembling flexible needles, a broader head, and an elongated nose. On its legs were extra muscr folds, like they formed springs, allowing it to run faster.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t fake¡­¡± He muttered, clenching his hand into a fist, firming himself.


    Observing everything from within him, the Coincidental Luck Systemughed, ¡°No matter how many times I see this scene, it still gives me goosebumps. This is the reason I love this guy!¡±

 Chapter 158: Like a Web of Clues

    <h4>Chapter 158: Like a Web of Clues</h4>


    ¡°The information rted to this is still blurry.¡± Rhizen frowned, gazing at the 3D model of the dog he had created based on all the ounts, ¡°But, it should be this species that has been recorded during the night.¡±


    ¡°Still, what are they? And, where do they disappear to during daytime?¡± He was still unaware of a lot of things. The first time he obtained a clue was from one of his overseas friends a year ago.


    It seemed he had discovered a species of fish in ake that was strangelyrger than what it should have been. That was the first photo of evidence he obtained.


    Unfortunately, his friend had underestimated the creature while clicking its picture. He had been standing on the shore while sending the photo to him on the inte, telling him about what he saw through a video call.


    The two of them had been ssmates throughout their school days. So, once his friend went abroad for his Bachelor¡¯s, he remained in touch with Rhizen all along, sharing with him everything that happened.


    This was one such incident. Unfortunately, it also happened to be thest when the creature suddenly opened its mouth as its tongue shot out, grabbed hold of his friend¡¯s leg, and pulled him into the water.


    As it was a live video that his friend shared, Rhizen had witnessed the entire scene. But, he didn¡¯t even have time to react to his friend¡¯s death when even more horrible news came crashing onto him.


    It was the death of his family, devastating him.


    Based on the investigation, it seemed some bird had been carrying arge rat in the air that it dropped by mistake. And, this had just happened to crash into the head of Rhizen¡¯s father that had been driving the car.


    As the windows had been kept open, it directlynded on his face. In reflex, his body reacted, unaware that his hands had been holding the steering wheel, causing the car to make such an abrupt turn that it toppled immediately.


    His father, his mother, and his elder sister died from that crash. But, the autopsy report said otherwise. It seemed his father had actually survived the crash. But, the rat-like creature that had hit his face also survived.


    And to recover, it had clobbered through his wounded body, obtaining enough strength to escape after that. The only clues of it being a rat-like creature were the bite marks on his father¡¯s body.


    The news devastated him, sending him into an emotional shock for two months where he had to undergo psychiatric treatment. But, as a strong-willed person, he got back to his feet and began to investigate into the origins of these disasters.


    It was the motive that spurred him into investigating the changes around the world. And, the deeper he dug into this field, the more he noticed that the number of deaths caused by these mutated animals seemed to be¡­already over a thousand.


    It was just that there were all sorts of animals in the world. And, unless one was an animal expert, they wouldn¡¯t know whether something was unnatural or not. And generally, those from the police usually paid more attention to people than animals.


    Their line of thought would go into seeing whether or not it was a human impersonating an animal¡¯s behaviour to murder people. Moreover, unless the case happened to someone famous, people wouldn¡¯t be privy about it.


    And until now, the victims had always been part of the vulnerable group, themon popce that were alone during the time of the incident or had been vulnerable enough to be victims.


    ¡°There is a general trend here.¡± He pulled up a digital map of the world, one that he had been editing using photoshop. There were two such maps. One was the satellite map, and the other was the regr map outlining roads, buildings, etc.


    They were superimposed upon one another as he alternated between the images, zooming in and out of many areas to see the ces that he had marked on them, muttering, ¡°All these idents had happened in areas with thick vegetation or in surroundings of a rural or forest area. There are plenty of highways passing through or alongside such locations.¡±


    ¡°So, if any animals are indeed mutating, the signs would be more prone in the rural area.¡± He concluded, opening up the nearby drawer to take out his passbook, looking at the bnce, ¡°I have 76,850 Paise. This is all that remains of what mom and dad saved.¡±


    He then sighed, ¡°If these changes continue to happen, property prices would plummet. So, no matter what it is, I have to find the source and ride the wave to survive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get more than enough money to do whatever I want once I sell the house.¡± He then surfed through the inte to buy property, sooning across a vi that was situated on the outskirts of the city. It was the ancestral home of a businessman that had fallen into debt.


    And, as the ancestral home hadn¡¯t been maintained properly, and since it was located on the outskirts, it was pretty cheap. He looked at the price, muttering, ¡°It costs around 35 Lakh Paise. My house is being sold for 58 Lakh. So, even after buying it, I¡¯ll have 23 Lakh remaining with me. That¡¯ll do.¡±


    He directly contacted the seller, deciding to visit the ce the next day. ¡®The vi has high walls and arge enough garden. It has a well for water supply, not to mention all the necessary municipal connections.¡¯


    ¡°No matter what happens, I should experience it first hand to get ustomed to them. Otherwise, when the changes hit me, I¡¯ll be damned.¡± He then dialled up a number, speaking, ¡°Chenger, are you free tonight?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I have something to talk to you about.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s somewhat urgent.¡±


    ¡°What? No, who the hell cares about that?¡±


    ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t care whose birthday party you have to visit. Just be at my home soon, no arguments.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, if they eloped, then they eloped. Just push aside all that nonsense and get here asap.¡±


    After a lot of banter, he cut the call, grunting as he felt a headache, ¡°Damn her, she has zero sense of danger.¡±

 Chapter 159: I Am Afraid

    <h4>Chapter 159: I Am Afraid</h4>


    ¡°This better be important. I had to cancel going to my best friend¡¯s birthday party.¡± Chenger, ady in her early twenties opened the door, grumbling as she entered.


    Though, upon entry, she was stunned to see Rhizen buried under a pile of papers, unaware of her arrival. She ced her slippers at the entrance, gently locked the door, and tiptoed towards him, peeking to see what he was doing.


    Lying in a pile beside him were countless photos of various blurs. And, written behind each photo was a paragraph detailing the respective incidents, the date and time at which they happened, and the number of deaths.


    Rhizen was making arge chart of the world map that he had printed out from a nearby shop. He made a bulletin board out of it and began to pin the photos at various locations. Every photo was a recorded incident.


    He used tiny rings to highlight forest areas and ces where animals and the likes would be present in great numbers. And, there was also a pin on its centre, stamped with a paper that had a detailed description of the habitat, the flora, and fauna present there.


    Upon seeing how serious and immersed he was at the task and gazing at his frown, Chenger didn¡¯t express her distaste in being called so urgently. ¡®I should have known in advance. He wouldn¡¯t have called me if the situation wasn¡¯t urgent enough.¡¯


    And, as she looked at the images that he had rendered out based on the clues, she shuddered. For, he had even printed out 3D models of them for realistic purposes. The models resembled the regr animals she had known at first nce, but a subtle observation detailed otherwise.


    ¡°Just¡­what are¡­these?¡± She muttered.


    Suddenly, Rhizen turned around in rm upon hearing the sound, flinching as he got a scare before visibly rxing upon seeing that it was his girlfriend, ¡°You scared me there. You should have said something if you had arrived.¡±


    ¡°I was pretty much shouting as I entered¡­¡± She then shook her head, ¡°Anyway, what is this?¡±


    ¡°Take a seat, I¡¯ll exin.¡± Sighing, Rhizen slowly got up and cracked his stiff joints, approaching theputer as he pulled up an image. As he had connected the screen to the TV, it allowed her to see everything on arger screen.


    The first was a news article. It talked about a man in Deison City that was clobbered to death by a Pomeranian.


    ¡°Wait, this seems familiar¡­¡± Chenger said while frowning.


    ¡°This happened two days ago.¡± Rhizen said, pulling up another image, ¡°And this¡­was the image taken at the scene by one of the onlookers. It seemed he had been filming the scenery when this incident happened.¡±


    ¡°What the heck? That¡¯s¡­a Pomeranian?¡± Chenger was rmed. For, the Pomeranian had teeth that jutted out like a shark¡¯s while its tail resembled a whip now, looking sturdy. It had grown a head taller in size, still on par with an average dog in size. But, its eyes expressed a sort of bestiality only disyed by the most brutal of hunting dogs.


    ¡°This happened in Deison City. Pretty close by,¡± Rhizen said, pulling up another news article, showing the incident that happened a week ago in a farther city. ¡°By the time the press managed to reach the area, everything was already wrapped up by the police. To prevent any panic, this was done. But, that¡¯s because the officials think this is just a rare case that happened due to unfortunate food habits, drugs¡­you name it.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t think this is anything to worry about. After all, there have been cases of animals growing differently from the rest of their species. There are also examples like the liger that are possible in nature. So, they justbel it on cross-breeding and close the file.¡± He sighed, ¡°After all, cross-breeding ismon among all the pets these days.¡±


    He then continued to show her numerous articles taken from newspaper clippings, those that had just been mentioned in passing, rumours collected through the inte, video clippings that were recorded in passing that managed to capture some anomaly, etc.


    The more she saw them, the more flustered Chenger became when he showed the final video, one that had the greatest video rity of them all and had been captured in a first-person perspective.


    ¡°Wait, what the heck is that?¡± Chenger jumped up from the sofa the moment she noticed the fish opening its mouth to reveal a squirming tongue that mmed out like a frog¡¯s, wrapped around the leg of the one capturing the video before pulling him into the water.


    Moreover, highlighted in the water, forming a dark shadow was a massive body that shouldn¡¯t exist for such a head. But there it was, shocking her, causing her to stammer as goosebumps formed on her skin, ¡°W-W-What is¡­w-who was¡­¡±


    ¡°This happened when Cransen was showing me something new he had discovered¡­¡± Rhizen said.


    ¡°That was Cransen?¡± Chenger¡¯s eyes moistened as she looked at him, ¡°Then¡­why, I mean, can¡¯t you¡­¡±


    She was unable to articte her words, for everything came off too much as a shock for her.


    Rhizen then dropped the bomb, ¡°Even since Cransen and my family died, I have been investigating about them. After all, the deaths of all of them were rted to animals that had mutated. I sent anonymous emails to the authorities about the information I collected, but since there has been no response, it is safe to say that they had just ignored it orbelled it as spam.¡±


    ¡°What¡­are you nning to do next?¡± After some time passed, Chenger barely managed to digest everything, hugging Rhizen to console him, ¡°You¡¯ve been enduring a lot. You should have at least told me something. I would have shared your burden.¡±


    She then sighed with a self-deprecating smile, ¡°I might not be smart, but the least I can do is support you, you know.¡±


    Upon her words, Rhizen teared up immediately, hugging her tighter, ¡°Just that alone is enough.¡±


    The two remained in an embrace for some time before he wiped his tears, saying, ¡°I¡¯m selling this house in two days. We¡¯ll head towards the vi I¡¯ll buy in the outskirts. We¡¯ll train ourselves to fight and head out to fight them.¡±


    He then whispered, ¡°From what I found out, someone that managed to kill one of these animals and ate their flesh became stronger overnight. It may or may not be credible. And honestly, I feel like I am jumping the gun about this without enough verification. But¡­¡±


    ¡°Will you trust me on this?¡± He asked with a hopeful expression. After all, she was the only one living among those he truly cared about.


    ¡°Do you even need to ask?¡± Chenger said as she trembled, her face pale, full of fear. But, she grabbed hold of his hand, ¡°I am afraid. But, I¡¯ll face it together with you.¡±

 Chapter 160: Too Much Lust?

    <h4>Chapter 160: Too Much Lust?</h4>


    ¡°That¡¯ll be 430 Paise, ma¡¯am.¡± Compass Carburettor said, controlling himself from yawning. It had been a week since he had begun to work at the caf¨¦.


    And now, he had already gotten ustomed to everything functional at the ce, also having saved up enough money to purchase anything he needed. After all, the only food he ate was the leftovers from the caf¨¦.


    And, since he already had free lodging in the inte caf¨¦, he was saving up almost 400 Paise every day. In the end, it wasn¡¯t anything much. But, during his free time, he roamed through the city, spending the money on bus fares to take in all the sights.


    He was nning on observing and remembering the ce as much as he could. But, as he didn¡¯t have much time to roam freely, the amount of sleep he was getting had reduced.


    Once the shift ended, he obtained the day¡¯s wages from the manager, taking the chance to ask, ¡°Sir, can I take a break tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°I was nning to make you do so even otherwise.¡± The manager replied curtly, ¡°Based on our establishment rules, you¡¯ll only have to work for six days a week. Since you have taken a break for tomorrow, that¡¯ll be your rest day every week.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Compass Carburettor thanked before walking out of the caf¨¦.


    Staring at his back, the manager muttered, ¡°He¡¯s such a diligentd. He seems to be pretty smart for his age, so why is he working on a job with a minimum age?¡±


    ¡°He must have been facing some problems at home.¡± He shook his head, sighing.


    Compass Carburettor had just exited the caf¨¦ when he noticed a car mming down to a halt before the entrance as its windows were rolled down, allowing a girl around twenty years of age toe into view.


    She stared at him, asking curtly, ¡°Are you Compass?¡±


    Though, it seemed she was already aware as she grinned, whistling a little, ¡°You are more handsome than I had imagined. Well, get in the car.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Compass Carburettor asked as he gazed around for a moment, noticing the manager still busying himself within the caf¨¦. As for the others, they had already left on their bikes.


    He had remained behind to inquire the manager about taking a leave for the next day. That¡¯s why he was thest person among the staff to leave, other than the manager who had the task of shutting down the caf¨¦ after everything was taken care of.


    The caf¨¦ was situated in a shoppingplex, but it had a separate entrance since it was located on the ground floor. So, its premises were pretty much devoid of the shoppingplex.


    The reason he was looking around for others was that there were currently only him and the girl on the road, save for the few cars that asionally sped past. And most of all, even though the girl behaved somewhat normally, the Mental Energy stream she emitted towards him said otherwise.


    Lust!


    There was only the emotion of lust in her Mental Energy stream. It was apparent that she hade to see him with impure intentions. Moreover, she had done so right after his shift ended, when the streets in this part of the city were no different to the middle of the night.


    ¡°Why?¡± The girlughed, introducing herself, ¡°I¡¯m Grisha, the caf¨¦ owner¡¯s only daughter. You are handsome, so I thought I¡¯ll give you a ride. Don¡¯t make ady wait, get in.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± He scratched his cheek, letting out a wry smile, ¡°Sorry ma¡¯am, but I still have another shift left.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Grisha waved her hand, ¡°I¡¯ll drop you there. It¡¯s faster in my car.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wish to impose on you. You are the boss¡¯s daughter, after all.¡± Compass Carburettor acted polite, making it seem like him imposing on her offer would be tantamount to bringing down her level.


    He was implying, ¡®You are the boss¡¯s daughter while I¡¯m a low waged worker. You shouldn¡¯t give a lift to someone like me.¡¯


    In response to his words, Grisha opened the door, patting the seat beside her, ¡°I don¡¯t care about that. My friends ditched on me at thest minute. And, I don¡¯t want to go on a ride alone. If my mother didn¡¯t say good things about you, I wouldn¡¯t have allowed you even enter my car. Now, get in!¡±


    Herst sentence was almost like she was barely able to control herself from threatening him.


    ¡®You have retorted your previous ims a couple of times yourself.¡¯ He thought, ¡®And, your mother only saw me once.¡¯


    Though, it was apparent that she had zero intentions of leaving him alone. Moreover, if the situation escted and the authorities were called for one reason or another, his background would be investigated.


    And, they¡¯ll find out that he didn¡¯t even have an identity. He would definitely be questioned. And at worst, he might even be sentenced to prison for being a spy or terrorist that had sneaked into the ce.


    The fact that he worked low-paying jobs that didn¡¯t require one to furnish their ID cards would only serve to cement him as guilty.


    ¡®This would be a bit of a pain.¡¯ He thought, sighing as he entered the car, closing the door as he noticed the Mental Energy stream full of lust double in intensity instantly.


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Grishaughed as she pedalled the elerator, changing the gear as the car whirred into life, zing on the roads at tremendous speeds immediately.


    He noticed through the Mental Energy stream that she was excited, tremendously so. And through his sharp senses, he noticed that her thighs were mildly trembling from the excitement. ¡®Driving in such a state is pretty bad.¡¯


    Thinking so, he said immediately, ¡°Stop! I¡¯ll drive!¡±


    ¡°Eh? You will?¡± Grisha looked at him before grinning, ¡°Oh my. Are you the type that loves to take charge of things?¡±


    ¡°Well, something like that.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, frowning in worry upon seeing that the shivering in Grisha¡¯s thighs seemed to be getting more and more intense, ¡®Has she been drugged?¡¯


    This was the first line of thought that struck him, heaving a sigh of relief once she managed to stop the car, albeit with a couple of jerks.


    Compass Carburettor exited the car and arrived before the other side, opening the door when he saw Grisha¡¯s eyes trail towards hisher region for an instant before she got up, brushed past him slowly before taking a seat on the other side.

 Chapter 161: A Fiery Night

    <h4>Chapter 161: A Fiery Night</h4>


    Author Note: R-18 content ahead. So, if you are under-aged, please skip it.


    Compass Carburettor felt something was strange as he started to drive the car, ¡®I should drive towards a hospital first. Even if she¡¯s lusting after my appearance, it shouldn¡¯t be to such an extent, right?¡¯


    On earth, once he had be as handsome as his current self, there were countless times women had thrown themselves at him. But all the time, they were only after his appearance. So, the amount of pure lust they exhibited was only appearance driven.


    It wasn¡¯t as if the core of their being was willing to join with him. It was a difference between ones that slept together purely for fun and one where their hearts were actually involved.


    After all, love at first sight and those along that line were only shallow. There was a depth of emotion that they wouldn¡¯t be able to reach, at least not during the first encounter.


    Now, based on how Grisha acted, it was as if she had been stalking him for months together, observing all his actions while bing infatuated with him more and more to the extent she was unable to control herself.


    And after she finally took action and had even managed to get him into the car, she was unable to control her excitement. Her thighs were shivering, unable to endure as her body wanted to take him into her.


    Had this been the case, it would have been somewhat understandable. But, reality wasn¡¯t like that. He had been in this world for only a week. And, had someone been spying on him, he would have sensed it in advance through the Mental Energy they exhibited.


    So, either Grisha was drugged to the extent she was unable to endure and to seek relief, she remembered the person that her mother had said in passing and decided to pick him for that purpose. Or, there was another reason.


    ¡®Wait, is she influenced by a System rted to lust?¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, activating Info Scanner immediately, frowning when he didn¡¯t notice anything amiss. The situation was the same as before while there wasn¡¯t any System Host in his vicinity.


    ¡®Then¡­¡¯ He was just about to think of something else, intending to reach the hospital that was only a five minutes drive away when suddenly, he flinched.


    For, Grisha had deftly pulled down his pants and was about to take his little brother into her mouth when he stopped her, covering her mouth as goosebumps suddenly appeared on his skin. He felt a Mental Energy stream on him for a moment from somewhere else, rming him, causing him to realise that something was amiss indeed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop me!¡± Grisha shouted shrilly, using both her hands to coil around his left hand as she pulled it away, gobbling up his little brother whole. The intensity at which she began the action caused him to flinch. After all, it had been more than six years since hest slept with a woman.


    He wasn¡¯t able to endure the sensation as his little brother saluted immediately.


    Compass Carburettor mmed on the breaks immediately, causing Grisha to jerk a little as she almost choked on his little brother. Opening the door, he exited the car, carrying her in a princess carry as he ced her on the car bo.


    When she flinched at his sudden change in attitude, Compass Carburettor attacked her, causing her to moan aloud like she had lost her mind.


    It was unknown as to what came over him as his body was burning up. Ever since Grisha touched him, he was unable to control himself, feeling as if he was a teenager that was unable to endure the urges.


    And before he even understood what had happened, he was thumping her nonstop, causing her to moan louder and louder.


    They were currently on a street where shops covered the ce on both sides of the road. And, since they were all closed, there were practically none on the street.


    So, the bestial grunts of both the man and the woman were unheard by others, also uninterrupted since no one was disturbed by the sounds.


    ¡®D-Dammit, what the hell is happening?¡¯ Compass Carburettor was rmed as he gradually obtained some rity of mind. But despite that, his hips failed to stop moving as they pummelled his little brother in and out of Grisha, causing her to moan in response to his rhythm.


    Suddenly, her legs wrapped around him, tightening the hold as she hugged him next, nting a kiss on him as he constantly pounded into her.


    Moreover, thanks to his Skills and his Dac, Compass Carburettor wasn¡¯t even the least tired, flooding her gates without stopping as her body trembled more and more while she drowned in pleasure.


    She came so many times that Grisha¡¯s pants reduced in intensity as her throat hurt. Suddenly, her voice continued to escte in pitch as Compass Carburettor increased the speed at which he thumped her.


    He mmed into her faster and faster before suddenly grunting, releasing everything that was pent up into her, filling her to the brim. But despite that, he didn¡¯t stop, continuing to m her as his little brother acted like a water geyser.


    Second, third, fourth¡­and finally, fifth.


    Only after five times did his little brother stop saluting as Compass Carburettor grunted in exhaustion as his mind was a nk froming so many times. Wrapped around him like a ko bear was Grisha, still joined together as one.


    The waves of pleasure had intensified to the extent she had fainted in the end.


    For a moment, both of them weren¡¯t conscious, having passed out from the pleasure when something shed in the dark night, heading towards them at tremendous speeds.


    It had a wingspan of three metres, possessing sharp ws while its jet-ck feathers camouged it in the night. It was silent like a spectre, elerating as it headed straight for his head, its ws opening up to point towards his neck.


    As it was aiming for him, the Mental Energy stream it mmed into him jolted him awake, causing him to realise its existence.


    But, he didn¡¯t have enough time to dodge, not when Grisha wastched onto him like glue. Sensing the stream of Mental Energy on him, and the direction in which its ends were positioned, closing in on him, he understood his enemy¡¯s position.


    He twisted his wrist a little, summoned his gun and shot twice, rmed when he saw the creature lose its momentum and crash on the road.

 Chapter 162: Mysterious Creature

    <h4>Chapter 162: Mysterious Creature</h4>


    ¡°Guh!¡± When he tried to move, Compass Carburettor grunted, for his hips ached while his groin area was in a lot of pain. After a lot of years of unuse, he had overexerted his little brother tremendously.


    And most of all, when he tried to pull it out, he noticed that he was unable to do so, for Grisha was holding it steadily, mped on it to the extent he was unable to budge.


    Moreover, just when he was about to focus on the creature that crashed into the road and was twitching in pain due to the injury he had inflicted upon it, Compass Carburettor noticed that Grisha was losing her body warmth rapidly.


    ¡°Dammit, what had happened?¡± He noticed something amiss while recalling the act of passion he had, now noticing that he had touched something different while his hands roamed all over her body. He hurriedly probed around her neck, noticing two bite marks on the side of her neck that was bleeding blood.


    But, it wasn¡¯t due to the blood loss that her body was getting cold. Rather, less than a couple of millilitres of her blood had flowed out of wounds. The wounds were like two teeth had pierced through them.


    There was some other reason that she was losing body heat. And worst of all, he was neither able to warm her up nor extricate himself from her to try something to heal her.


    He then noticed that her breaths were turning fainter as time passed when he thought, ¡®It would be a pain if something happened to her. And, irrespective of the reason or influence, I still slept with her. It¡¯ll be the scum of me to not take responsibility.¡¯


    ¡°I was saving this up for emergencies. But, I¡¯ll consider this as an emergency now.¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°Besides, she has clues rted to this creature¡­probably.¡±


    System Fragment¡ªMinor Healing (Level 10)!


    He converted one of the bullets in his Anthozoa into the System Fragment, shooting the bullet into her body. Immediately, something seemed to have snapped in her before her body heat recovered.


    All the injuries sustained by her healed automatically as only now he realised that she had been hurting at a lot of ces. And, their wrestling session only caused her injuries to multiply. After all, none of them was holding back.


    The healing energy swiftly healed her before the remainder of the power settled within her for some reason, puzzling him for a moment.


    Now that he was assured that she would survive, Compass Carburettor gazed at the creature twitching on the road, bleeding profusely.


    He opened the car¡¯s door, switching on the lights within to highlight its figure, inhaling a sharp breath of air in shock upon finally being able to see the creature clearly.


    It was a mix between an animal and a bird.


    Its body figure was predominantly an owl, but its feathers were jet ck, seemingly hardened to some extent as he noticed that they seemed slightly¡­metallic?


    Its eyes shot towards him as it opened its mouth, revealing two long teeth that jutted out of it. With a nce, he understood that it was the culprit that had sunk its teeth into Grisha¡¯s neck.


    Currently, the forearm that supported one of its wings had arge hole in it while the second hole was in its chest, having scratched its heart that looked like it was about to begin bleeding any moment now.


    Its injuries prevented it from flying, only allowing it to twitch on the ground.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Grisha groaned, feeling refreshed as she got up and noticed her situation, seeing that Compass Carburettor was in her. For a moment, she was unable to react when she recalled everything that she had done, blushing beet red immediately.


    And in reflex, she tried to extricate herself when she noticed that she was unable to do so. Herher region was mping on Compass Carburettor so tightly as if it didn¡¯t wish to let go. Moreover, when she tried to move, the action caused his little brother to begin saluting once again, causing her to groan in response.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Compass Carburettor ced a hand on her butt, preventing her from wriggling that might worsen the situation. He was too sensitive now, so if she tried anything, it¡¯ll be hard for him to move around.


    ¡°Do you have a phone or camera with you?¡± He asked urgently.


    ¡°Why do you need that?¡± She asked in rm, thinking that he nned to take pictures of them in the act to ckmail herter.


    ¡°Not that, idiot.¡± He snapped for a moment, closing her mouth as he turned her head, allowing her to see the creature lying on the ground. ¡°Take pictures of it. It¡¯s necessary.¡±


    ¡°W-What the hell is that?¡± Grisha was shocked, having never seen such a creature. It was¡­scary, like a monster that haunted one¡¯s nightmares.


    After all, despite being on death¡¯s door, it still red at them with vengeance, suddenly causing Grisha to remember something as she instinctively touched the side of her neck.


    ¡°Do you remember something?¡± Compass Carburettor asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­not exactly sure.¡± She frowned for a moment as she slowly recalled the events that led to her bing filled with lust, saying, ¡°I was just returning home when I stopped at a nearby park to get some fresh air. I didn¡¯t even get down from the car and had just rolled down the window.¡±


    ¡°Suddenly,¡± She trembled, ¡°All I noticed was that something bit me the moment I peeked out of the window. And, for some reason, I had forgotten about that and then recalled you. After all, in all my memory, you¡¯re the only one my mother ever addressed as handsome. So, I was suddenly curious. And, before I understood what had happened¡­¡±


    She sighed, apologising, ¡°I am sorry to have forced myself upon you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a done deal. No use fretting about it.¡± Compass Carburettor patted her back a bit before pointing at the creature, ¡°Besides, we have more pressing matters to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a first aid kit in your car?¡±

 Chapter 163: Grisha

    <h4>Chapter 163: Grisha</h4>


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Grisha nodded, ¡°It¡¯s in the trunk of the car. It¡¯s just the basic first aid kit all carse with.¡±


    ¡°That should be enough.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded and opened the hatch, picking up the first aid kit when he grunted, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t move your hips so much. Stay still!¡±


    ¡°But, I can¡¯t help it. You are twitching inside me so much my body is reacting in response.¡± She said, closing her eyes as she tightened her hug.


    Compass Carburettor used the first aid kit to patch up the creature, also tying it up along its joints to prevent it from doing anything, thinking, ¡®This is definitely one of those creatures that have mutated. It probably won¡¯t be alive for long, but I can at least observe it a bit.¡¯


    He then thought of something, saying, ¡°Hey, can you loosen up a little? I want to observe this creature before its death and try to find out anything I can about it. It¡¯s hard to do that with you on me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­try,¡± Grisha said, grunting as she slowly moved her hip backwards before grunting in response as she mmed forward in reflex, causing Compass Carburettor to tremble as his legs felt weak for a moment.


    ¡°Aaah!¡± When she tried the same a second time, failing to pry herself out, she took him in even deeper, tightening to the extent his sensitive self was unable to hold it any longer.


    ¡°Argh!¡± Grabbing hold of her butt, he pounded her repeatedly as he made her cum thrice within a minute, finally ejacting as he felt the muscles wrapped around his little brother loosen for a moment as he pulled out in a jiffy.


    Afraid that any mishap might cause them to connect once again, he hurriedly lifted her leg and made her wear her underwear. He then grunted, slumping on the car seat in exhaustion as he pulled over his pants.


    Grisha slumped over him, panting as her head spun. Her body constantly trembled, unable to gather any strength for the time being. Her face was flushed red as her breaths were hot. And for some reason, she felt healthy, slightly stronger even, ¡®I never felt this good before.¡¯


    As for Compass Carburettor, he wasn¡¯t able to garner any strength for the time being. Moreover, whether it was because they had slept together a lot of times in a short duration, but he noticed that he was mildly intoxicated by her scent.


    For a moment, all he wished to do was hug her and prevent her from leaving his grasp.


    ¡®Is this what that creature did to me? How? Just because Grisha touched me, I too was affected?¡¯ As he thought about it, he was afraid. If it was as potent as he thought, then he was underestimating this apocalypse more than he had assumed before.


    Slowly, he moved Grisha to the side as he exited the car, grabbing hold of the phone she handed over, using the camera to click countless pictures of it before making a video.


    He wore the pair of stic gloves avable in the first aid kit and observed the creature, sensing what it felt through the Mental Energy stream it exhibited.


    Avarice! Regret! Anger!


    These were the three dominant emotions it felt while he tried to garner any clues. A couple of minutester, it died, unable to hold on due to its injuries.


    ¡°Won¡¯t it be better to send it to the hospital or ab to research further?¡± Grisha asked all of a sudden. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen something like this before.¡±


    ¡°Well, it might not be a good reason to send it there.¡± Compass Carburettor thought before saying, ¡°If the information rted to this is sensitive enough, we won¡¯t obtain anything. Unless you have someone close to you working in some of these departments, there is no reason to do so.¡±


    ¡°And, the authorities should already know about this.¡± He said, ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time such a creature attacked humans at night.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Grisha suddenly looked around in panic, fearing that another creature mighte to attack her.


    Compass Carburettor then carefully packed the creature¡¯s carcass in a stic zip-lock bag, storing it safely in the trunk of the car as he said, ¡°Since they are hiding information rted to these creatures, we should remain tight-lipped about this and try to find anything feasible through our own means. Do you know anyone that might be helpful?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll look through my contacts and tell you tomorrow.¡± Grisha said, turning serious, ¡°My mother has a widework. So, I¡¯ll be able to find some that can study this and ry the information.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded before saying, ¡°It¡¯s already gotten sote. You should hurry on towards your home.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you mean to say that you are sending me back alone?¡± Grisha said, looking around as she gulped.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be travelling by car. So, you¡¯ll be safe as long as you don¡¯t travel fast or roll down your windows.¡± He replied, smiling wryly, ¡°I still have a shift to head towards.¡±


    ¡°Just forget about the shift.¡± Grisha groaned, pointing at the bag in the trunk, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that this is more important? Let¡¯s think up a solution for this.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded after blinking a couple of times, ¡®I¡¯m just working to gain information. Since when did I start to be a ve to work? As expected.¡¯


    He sighed, ¡®It seems the fact that I¡¯m a ve to money hasn¡¯t changed despite everything. I shouldn¡¯t be like this.¡¯


    Upon realising his mistake, he wished to correct it. Though, whether or not he was able to correct something ingrained deep into him was another issue. If he never lusted after money, he wouldn¡¯t have be a System Host to the Money-Making System.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll inform the owner.¡± He said, pointing forward, ¡°It¡¯s two kilometres from here.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you working at the Champion Inte Caf¨¦?¡± Grisha asked in surprise.


    ¡°Yes, how did you know?¡± Compass Carburettor asked in response. Though, he understood after a moment. It was because the Champion Inte Caf¨¦ was the only establishment open in their area during the night.


    ¡°Alright, old grumpy is actually my uncle. That¡¯ll be quick.¡± Grisha picked up her phone, dialled up a number, uttered a string of lies fluently before ending the call, grinning as she looked at him, ¡°You don¡¯t have to go your shift tonight. Now,¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s head to my house to think up a n.¡±

 Chapter 164: Trekking Group

    <h4>Chapter 164: Trekking Group</h4>


    ¡°Hmm, there is a group that is going on a trekking trip to Mount Craire.¡± Compass Carburettor muttered as he browsed through the posts in a trekkingmunity.


    He wanted to see if any official groups roamed through the wilds for fun. This way, he could apany them as a group and observe for himself the changes that were happening.


    Besides, by travelling as a group, apanied by veterans that frequented the ce, it would be safer for him in the off chance something happened. So, while looking through such groups, he came across a post that was rted to a nearby ce.


    Mount Craire was situated 120 kilometres to the south of Feora City, the ce he was at now. It was one of the tallest mountains in the Eastern Range that spanned diagonally from the south to the northeast.


    The Eastern Range was a mountain range that was almost undivided except for a couple of passes. And, it was a forest region that was almost bereft of human traces. There were many protected sanctuaries and reserved forests situated among them and hence, human activity was the least there.


    Moreover, a lot of news that he found out happened around the Eastern Mountain Range. Though, the number of cases was barely five. And among them, two had happened in thest month, with the Pomeranian case being thetest.


    Deison City was situated 150 kilometres southeast, located on the other side of the Eastern Range. As it was a city bordering a forest, there was a higher chance of cases rted to animals appearing there.


    The same could also be said for Reshe City, one that was situated 80 kilometres east of Feora City. It was located at the foothills of the Eastern Range.


    Mount Craire was rtively less forested aspared to the rest of the Eastern Range, so if anything, it was safer for probing around first. As for the forest beyond that, it was naturally dangerous due to the countless poisonous species living there, not to mention during the current time.


    So, Compass Carburettor intended to scout through the ce as a group first before making a solo trip once he sensed something.


    He had nned to take the day off today just to buy some trekking gear following which he would finish his tour of the city. Now that he had stumbled upon the bat-like creature, his ns had changed a little.


    Themunity post he was browsing through was actually a notice asking for people if anyone were willing to join. Quite a few people situated in and around the region had already applied. And, just when he thought of applying too, the door opened as Grisha walked out, having taken a bath.


    She had changed into a fresh set of clothes while she tied her hair to a towel, allowing it to absorb the moisture. Once she exited the bathroom, she noticed Compass Carburettor typing something on theputer, asking upon seeing the post he was looking at, ¡°What is that for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m nning to apany them to Mount Craire and see if I can find any other mutated animals.¡± Compass Carburettor replied.


    ¡°But¡­¡± Grisha said after a moment of thought, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but this would be the norm soon enough.¡± He sighed, pulling up a couple of news articles, ¡°These were only said in passing in a discrete page in the newspapers recently. But soon enough, they¡¯ll increase in numbers until they make the headlines.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t it just be something spurred by a change in weather?¡± She said, ¡°There have been articles about how global warming might cause a lot of changes.¡±


    Upon seeing that Grisha still had some doubts, he thought of something. He understood that people weren¡¯t willing to ept change unless it bes apparent enough or they had no other choice but to believe so.


    It was just human nature.


    But since he nned to have her tag along with his ns, he wanted for her to realise things beforehand. Initially, he nned to only start gatheringpanions once the apocalypse started in full swing.


    That way, he could disy his abilities and easily gather followers to his cause. Moreover, he would be aware of the movements of the other Systems by then, at least to a level where he would be able to obtain some understanding to the extent he could spread out Secret Society.


    Now that he had established a connection of sorts with Grisha, he nned to take her along. It would also help him to have someone with connections to a lot of people. And, since she was just one person, he would be able to protect her to a certain extent and prevent her from falling into the hands of any System that targeted him.


    ¡°Show me your hand.¡± Compass Carburettor said with a smile, gently grabbing hold of Grisha¡¯s hand as he ced his palm above hers.


    Suddenly, Grisha flinched in rm as she noticed a gun had appeared in her hands. For a moment, she was unable to handle the shock, dropping it, eyes widening further upon seeing it disappear mid-air. ¡°H-How?¡±


    ¡°The world is changing, Grisha.¡± Compass Carburettor said in seriousness, ¡°And whether you wish to believe it or not, it¡¯s a fact. The changes are slow, but they are apparent. I thought of some ways to make you believe it, and seeing is believing.¡±


    He then condensed his Anthozoa once again, handing it out to her, ¡°See, it is real.¡±


    As her hands trembled, Grisha grabbed hold of the gun, hesitating at the start before she felt the weight, asking, ¡°But, are guns always this light?¡±


    ¡°The guns of this world don¡¯t.¡± Heughed.


    ¡°W-What?¡± She was shocked further, trying her best to find any believable answer, ¡°D-Don¡¯t lie. You can¡¯t fool me that easily. This is probably a nano-technology or something, right? And, you must be some military higherup in disguise that came here to investigate something.¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Heughed, ¡°The number of days I¡¯ve been in this world is the number of days I¡¯ve worked in your caf¨¦.¡±

 Chapter 165: Nonchalantly Revealing His True Form

    <h4>Chapter 165: Nonchntly Revealing His True Form</h4>


    ¡°So¡­are you an alien?¡± After some time convincing, Grisha finally believed him, asking as she looked at him.


    ¡°Well¡­something like that?¡± Compass Carburettor tilted his head, ¡°I am not from this world. But species wise, I am still a human.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± He then retracted his statement, smiling wryly, ¡°I¡¯m not a human anymore.¡±


    After all, he was a spirit and a Haggon now. And, his spirit form looked no different to a human. Technically speaking, he was no longer a human.


    ¡°Then¡­¡± Grisha shuddered, ¡°Did I make out with a creature that¡¯s not human?¡±


    Goosebumps formed on her skin as she shuddered, for a moment distancing herself from him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s set aside the technicalities,¡± Compass Carburettor snapped his finger, causing his Anthozoa to vanish as he spoke, ¡°I came here for¡­some reasons. And, I know for a fact that this world would face an apocalypse.¡±


    ¡°I-Is this true?¡± Grisha was shocked, trembling as she looked at him, ¡°And, what¡¯s your objective foring here?¡±


    Compass Carburettor silently observed her for a moment, sensing the Mental Energy streams she emitted, saying, ¡°My goal is to protect a certain someone from harm.¡±


    ¡°Is t-that me?¡± She pointed at herself, thinking of the plot from a popr drama that she watched.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Contrary to her expectations, Compass Carburettor directly shattered her thoughts of a blooming drama, ¡°If you hadn¡¯t approached me, I wouldn¡¯t have known about you. The one I¡¯m supposed to protect is a college youth. Though at present, I have yet to meet him.¡±


    ¡°Them, why were you working?¡± She asked, ¡°That isn¡¯t necessary for your objective, right?¡±


    Compass Carburettor stared at her for a moment before bursting intoughter, ¡°I still need to eat and sleep, just like every human. Your caf¨¦ provides me food and money for my work while in the Champion Inte Caf¨¦, I can earn money for my living expenses while surfing through the inte for details rted to the apocalypse.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± She was shocked.


    ¡°What else did you expect?¡± Heughed, ¡°Remember that I don¡¯t even have an ID. So, I can only work on such low-paying jobs.¡±


    ¡°I thought as an alien¡­you would be¡­like terrifying or something.¡± Grisha massaged her forehead as she slumped on the sofa. She then firmed herself, saying, ¡°Then, please train me. If what you said is the truth, then once the society turns chaotic, I can only rely on myself to survive, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with that.¡± Compass Carburettor said before looking around, asking, ¡°By the way, are you the only one living here? In such arge house?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Grisha nodded, ¡°My mother lives in another house and is constantly on the travel. She has a chain of restaurants, bars, and cafes in four cities. And, most of her business is located in Deison City. So, she doesn¡¯te here all that much.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded as he got up from his seat and proceeded towards the living room.


    The living room had a ceiling simr to a duplex, with a flight of stairs at the corner leading to the second floor. It created a nice elevation in the house.


    But now, this height allowed him to begin his ns freely as he looked at Grisha, ¡°Don¡¯t shout when you see my other form, alright?¡±


    ¡°Would it be grotesque? Like those wriggly big-brained aliens?¡± Grisha asked as she stepped back, for some reason calming down when she saw him getting irritated.


    ¡°Have you yed any games?¡± He asked, thinking, ¡®Damn, she can really get into my head.¡¯


    ¡°A lot,¡± Grisha nodded.


    ¡°Then, you won¡¯t be scared. My other appearance would look no different to one of those monsters in the games you y.¡± He replied.


    ¡°Like a mob?¡± She asked, getting a bit excited.


    ¡°What the heck¡­?¡± Compass Carburettor shook his head, ¡°Girl, why would think I would look like a mob character?¡±


    ¡°Just watch,¡± He said,ughing, ¡°I¡¯m a boss character.¡±


    He calmly stripped before sitting cross-legged, returning to his Haggon Form, noticing that he was pretty close to the ceiling. If he tried to get up, then his head would touch the ceiling.


    A single storey had a ceiling at around three metres. And since the living room had a height of six metres, he would only touch the ceiling when he stands up. That was the reason he even tried to return to his Haggon form here.


    ¡°D-Damn!¡± Grisha was bbergasted, gazing at his hulking form as she slowly approached his thigh, for a moment thinking of something as she punched him, scowling in pain, ¡°Are you made of steel?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­something like that.¡± Compass Carburettor whispered, trying his best to not move suddenly in fear he would squash her. But, even his whisper was pretty loud. Thankfully, Grisha¡¯s house was a vi.


    So, there wasn¡¯t a problem if the sounds became a bit louder.


    Compass Carburettor pointed at the sofa farther in the living room, saying, ¡°Just sit there and observe. I¡¯ll give you something helpful in the end.¡±


    Maybe it was because she mmed into him countless times or because she remembered him saving her life, Grisha wasn¡¯t actually afraid of him. Rather, all she felt was curiosity. Even she herself was surprised at this notion, for she had no idea that she was this brave. Or maybe, she was just reckless. She didn¡¯t know for sure.


    Compass Carburettor habitually ced his hand on his back, grabbing hold of the smallest horn growing there before exerting strength to snap it into two.


    His Dac was expended a bit as the horn regrewpletely that he snapped once again. He repeated the process until he had broken five such tiny horns. He then broke a couple of thergest horns that jutted out of his elbow.


    Finally, he broke the horn that elongated from his hand, the sharpest of all the horns a Haggon possessed. This was the tool they used to pierce through the tough hide of other Haggons.


    Using it, he began to crave some patterns onto the sides of the smallest horn before shaving off the excess, turning it into a handle that could be gripped by human hands. And, a tiny stump peeked out on one side, rectangr in shape, barely a centimetre in height.


    Once he finished carving through itpletely, the handle shone with a yellowish-white radiance, causing Grisha to stare at the scene in wonder.

 Chapter 166: A Blade of Grass

    <h4>Chapter 166: A de of Grass</h4>


    Hekatra had trained him enough to make it possible for him to create an Armament within an hour. After all, all the materials needed for it derived from a Haggon¡¯s body. And, as a Haggon could easily regenerate, he could create as many Armaments as he needed until his Dac reserves depleted.


    Thankfully for him, he had more than 5000 Dac to spare.


    While carving through the Armament to make it more receptive while shaving off the excess material, Compass Carburettor constantly made it to siphon his Dac, causing it to be more and more attuned to it while he observed it, shaving of anything that impeded the process while iying other details.


    He then watched the yellowish-white glow around the Armament condense into the tiny protrusion on its front before beginning to elongate. As he carved more and more, shaping up the circuit within, the energy soon took up a shape, bing an energy de resembling a sword that was a metre in length.


    ¡®Unfortunately, the circuit isn¡¯t made up from Darble but the nerve within the horn that transported my Dac. So, this is the limit to its strength.¡¯ He nodded,pleting the carving as he watched the energy de attain the sharpest edge and the sturdiest frame it was possible in this setup.


    He then looked at Grisha, ¡°Do you have a hammer or something?¡±


    ¡°I have a toolbox lying around.¡± Grisha nodded as she ran into one of the rooms before exiting with a hammer.


    He pointed at the energy de, ¡°Attack it.¡±


    ¡°Nothing would happen to me, right?¡± Grisha asked in hesitation.


    ¡°This is just a materialisation of energy. It doesn¡¯t have any property like heat, electricity, or anything of the sort.¡± Compass Carburettor replied.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Nodding in response, Grisha lightly hit the energy de, noticing that nothing happened. It felt like she had hit a metal b. She then hit it a bit harder this time, seeing that it wasn¡¯t even damaged.


    ¡°Hit it with all your strength.¡± He said when Grisha mmed the hammer into the energy de, noticing a small crack appear before it healed up immediately.


    ¡°That¡¯s good enough. It should suffice.¡± He said before setting aside the Armament, working on the second small horn.


    Grisha returned to her seat on the sofa as she observed him. But soon after, she fell asleep.


    Compass Carburettor continued to work on the Armament, nodding uponpleting five Armaments in total. Appearance-wise, each Armament looked no different to a badminton bat whose shaft was broken from the handle.


    Though, the handle here looked like it was made from a material simr to ivory.


    Uponpleting the task, he set out to work on the remaining horns that he had extracted, scrapping out all the material before pulling out the tiny nerves within it. They were the nerves condensed with Dac.


    All he did was extract them all before forming a small pile. Using the strength present in a Haggon, he knead the pile,pressing it little by little while his Dac flowed into it constantly.


    He used the method Hekatra had taught to slowly continue the kneading process, watching minor impurities from the pile spill out automatically as powder while the remainder turned into something like dough.


    And thanks to his strength as a Haggon, the amount of pressure he applied caused it to shrink in size continually until it turned into a tiny bead that was incredibly hard, ¡°Dac Awakening Crystal.¡±


    Unlike the one created using Darble, the one in his hand was an inferior product. But, it would still get the job done. The bigger the empire, the greater the need for Darble. So, the Great Megwest Empire had figured out such a method to use the Haggons.


    After all, the Haggons were able to regenerate. So, after some were captured, they were fed daily while their horns were broken off before the substance within was extracted. This was used to create a cheap knockoff of Darble Crystals that was used in a variety of day-to-day home appliances.


    This way, they reduced their Darble expenditure a lot, saving it up for only military requirements. And best of all, it worked in awakening one¡¯s Dac, even though the efficiency was around 3-4 times lower.


    Compass Carburettor made three such beads, turning two of them into the Spydragons, albeit with a lot of difficulties. The ones he made were vastly inferior to the Darble versions he used before.


    ¡®But, that¡¯ll do. I have enough Dac to spare to use them.¡¯ He nodded. After all, the Spydragons he made was so inefficient that it was better to not use them. But, he created them just in case he required their use in the future.


    As for the final bead, he turned it into a bracelet, returning to his human form as he sighed, wearing his clothes.


    He looked at the pile of scraps he had created in the living room, cleaning it up before storing them in some garbage bags.


    He finally looked at the five Armaments, two Puppets, and one bracelet he had created, nodding, ¡°This should be enough for the time being.¡±


    He then slipped the bracelet on Grisha¡¯s hand, smiling upon seeing it on her hand, realising his actions as he muttered, ¡°Did I get attached to her already?¡±


    He shook his head, sighing, ¡°To think, after all these years, I am still such a simple guy in this regard.¡±


    He then gently lifted her up before cing her on the bed, allowing her to restfortably. The function of the bracelet was to awaken Dac in her. Though, as to how long it would take for her to awaken it in this manner, he was unsure.


    Upon noticing that he was exhausted, Compass Carburettor rested, falling asleep immediately. Nostalgia, loneliness, a sense of longing, and fear, all sorts of emotions swirled in his head before he went deeper into his state of sleep.


    At the same time, in a corner of the garden attached to the vi, a tiny de of grass grew out of the ground, gently coiling around a nearby de of grass before uprooting it. It didn¡¯t do anything beyond that, silently remaining at ce like every other de of grass in the garden.


    For a moment, the garden itself was shrouded by an eerie feeling.

 Chapter 167: The Mentality of a Merchant

    <h4>Chapter 167: The Mentality of a Merchant</h4>


    It was early in the morning when Compass Carburettor woke up, blinking in confusion upon staring at the unfamiliar ceiling before recalling the incidents that led to this.


    He turned around, gazing at the sleeping face of Grisha as he sighed, activating the loyalty stream of Secret Society to see that it was green in colour.


    If he wished to do so, he could make her a member of Secret Society immediately. But, he didn¡¯t do that. There were a couple of reasons as to why he was proceeding about things differently this time.


    First of all, just as what the Coincidental Luck System had said, he was no longer protected by the luck generated by the Main Character System.


    For the past one week, he had been roaming through the city, trying his hand at a variety of things to see that something in him had changed. This was a sort of intuition that was generated by Secret Society after he obtained the Core Skill of Info Scanner.


    When he was in the Darble World, his ns had some ws, quite a lot in fact. But, the luck from the Main Character System filled in the gaps. Though, he had been careful all along, creating a couple ofyers to each of his ns.


    But still, he encountered some clues that helped him greatly. If he wasn¡¯t helped by the luck, he wouldn¡¯t have met the bandits while travelling through the Heroica Empire. Maybe they might have just beente to trap him.


    Or maybe, the sense of fear he inflicted upon them might have been coincidently broken apart by some other incident. Anything could have happened. The world was a vast ce, with countless things happening simultaneously.


    But, the sequence of incidents that happened conformed to his benefit. Though, it was only because of what he had done that he managed to reap benefits from that.


    Just luck alone wasn¡¯t enough. If one was incapable of taking advantage of an opportunity, no amount of luck would help them. As a merchant, he was well aware to strike the moment an opportunity presented itself.


    But still, he had to chance upon things to take advantage of first. Despite a fisherman¡¯s skills in reeling fish, it would be useless if the pond he fished at had no fish.


    And now, Info Scanner gave him an instinct of sort rted to his being, allowing him to sense that a formless force/energy that had been supporting him before had now vanished.


    This was the luck given by the Main Character System. From now onwards, he had no room for errors.


    And, suppose he made Grisha a member, there was no guarantee that she wouldn¡¯te across a System that would cause her death because of this.


    Such a possibility existed. And, he had no guarantees in being able to protect her always. At least, once the apocalypse began in full swing, she would be apanying him all the time. That way, her being a member of the Secret Society would actually benefit her.


    ¡®A benefit of the future is a liability of the present.¡¯ He sighed, brushing a couple of hair strands on Grisha¡¯s face as he got up.


    The other reason he hadn¡¯t made her a member was to see how long he could go and trust people. After all, Secret Society was a definite tool for him to trust people. He could see the loyalty of people interacting with him.


    And, once turned into members, the moment they betray him, all rted memories would be erased from their minds.


    It was a pretty convenient tool that he had alreadye to rely upon unconsciously. He became aware that if he proceeded the same in the future, he would soon be unable to trust anyone that wasn¡¯t a member of Secret Society.


    There were risks in trusting others. But, that was one of the aspects of life. Currently, he struck a deal with the Coincidental Luck System. Sure, there were countless risks involved with this.


    But on the other hand, it also allowed him to hunt a lot of Systems. After all, the Systems would be hunting Rhizen, the Coincidental Luck System¡¯s Host. And, he would be able to take advantage of that fact to hunt the Systems.


    If he had trust issues, he wouldn¡¯t be able to partner up for such events. He was a merchant. And a merchant never looked for trust in people. That was something only a ruler or those along the line would seek.


    A merchant only sought for one thing: Benefits!


    If there were benefits in allying with someone, do it. As long as there was enough benefit to be allied, there won¡¯t be any risks of betrayal. That was all a merchant sought and maintained.


    And, having Secret Society dulled his senses as a merchant. It made him look for trust in other people. Sooner orter, it would affect him more.


    After all, the only reason he was hunting Systems was to save his daughter, nothing more, nothing less. His hatred was only towards the Money-Making System.


    It wasn¡¯t because it tried to devour him in the System World. Before he obtained the Money-Making System, he was an absolute trash. If it hadn¡¯t entered him, he would have remained as such.


    And in the System World, if a part of its body hadn¡¯t remained within him, he would have reverted to being a trash once again. Because, he would lose the mental maturity that he obtained over the course of his development with the Money-Making System.


    And for the 20 years as a System Host, sure there were times he cursed the Money-Making System for cing him in awkward and embarrassing situations constantly. But despite that, those two decades were more or less a st, something no human would have ever been able to experience.


    But now, there was a pretty good chance that the Money-Making System nned to drive his daughter, Stencil through a revenge route. What awaited her in such a journey was only pain and the harshness of life.


    And by the time she reached the end, she would be burned out. That was why he had hatred towards the Money-Making System.


    He wished to save her before that. And for that, he needed more power, at least enough to wring the Money-Making System out of her body and save her.


    And to achieve that goal, he had to maintain the core of his mentality.


    The mentality of a merchant.

 Chapter 168: Bio-Weapon

    <h4>Chapter 168: Bio-Weapon</h4>


    ¡°Yes, mom, I got it. You don¡¯t have to worry. Yeah¡­yes, I understand. No, it¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have toe. I¡¯m not even injured. Alright, I¡¯ll get a check-up in a hospital. Yeah¡­Okay, see you!¡± Grisha ended the call, sighing as she looked at the figure of Compass Carburettor ying with the Armaments.


    She waited for a couple of minutes, seeing a message arrive from her mother. After that, she dialled up another number, ¡°Yes, Dr. Gregesh? I¡¯m Grisha. Yes, I¡¯ll be there in an hour. Yes, you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±


    Once she ended the call, Grisha said, ¡°Dr. Gregesh is a trusted friend of my mother. He¡¯s a research specialist that would be able to unearth all the details of the mutated animal.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, cing the five Armaments on the table as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s get going then.¡±


    ¡°Wait, in those clothes?¡± She asked, pointing at the clothes he wore. ¡°Can¡¯t you wear something better?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry to have not brought clothes with me when I entered this world.¡± Compass Carburettor said sarcastically.


    ¡°Not that,¡± Grisha rolled her eyes, saying after a moment, ¡°Let¡¯s buy you some good clothes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that important, right?¡± He sighed, ¡°We can do that after giving this to Dr. Gregesh to research.¡±


    ¡°No, appearance matters a lot,¡± Grisha stressed further.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Compass Carburettor ruffled his hair, sighing in the end, ¡°You do make a fair point. Let¡¯s just buy something random and be done with it.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Sheughed, clearly excited for some reason, getting ready immediately.


    The two then left the house and headed towards a nearby cloth store. Unwilling to waste any time, Compass Carburettor pointed at the closest store, dragged a stubborn Grisha into it, picked the first set of clothes he saw and paid for it.


    He then dragged her back to the car and ced the clothes at the backseat, watching Grisha sit in the passenger seat grumpily, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Grisha said, refusing to speak after that.


    Shrugging, Compass Carburettor sat in the back seat and quickly changed his clothes, cing his old clothes in a bag before returning to the driver¡¯s seat.


    Grisha¡¯s eyes widened a little as sheughed, her mood brightened up a bit, ¡°Damn, these clothes actually look expensive when worn by you.¡±


    Compass Carburettorughed in response, beginning to habitually drive when he stopped the car all of a sudden, saying, ¡°You drive. I don¡¯t have a license.¡±


    His sharp eyesight spotted a police officer standing far away to the front. It would be a pain if they were to be stopped for questioning.


    They exchanged seats as Grisha began to drive, calmly, stably aspared to the previous night. Soon, they reached a research institute.


    The moment they entered the institute, Grisha¡¯s mobile rang as Dr. Gregesh said over the phone, ¡°Drive to the back of the building. I¡¯m waiting there.¡±


    There were a couple of checks along the way, but thanks to Dr. Gregesh¡¯s influence, they were let in without any questioning or inspection.


    Grisha arrived at the back of the research institute, noticing Dr. Gregesh standing at the back entrance, holding arge suitcase in his hand. It was apparent that he nned to store the mutated creature in it.


    The moment he saw them, Dr. Gregesh greeted them formally before Grisha opened the trunk of the car. But, just when Dr. Gregesh was about to touch the stic bag, Compass Carburettor grabbed hold of his hand, warning him, ¡°Sir, it¡¯s pretty dangerous toe into direct contact with.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Dr. Gregesh didn¡¯t seem bothered about his hand being grabbed by a young man. He waspletely focused on the subject at hand. He was the director of the research institute, an old man in histe sixties.


    But, due to his interest in the subject, he hadn¡¯t retired, continuing to pass on his wisdom and knowledge to the younger generation.


    He carefully grabbed the stic bag, realising that it was air-tight, nodding in praise, ¡°You¡¯ve done well to seal itpletely.¡±


    ¡°Just being in its presence affected us a bit. So, I took some precaution.¡± Compass Carburettor said in response.


    Dr. Gregesh patted his shoulder, ¡°Good work.¡±


    He carefully ced the bag in the suitcase, closing it shut before carrying it carefully, thinking for a moment after taking a step as he gave the suitcase to Compass Carburettor, saying, ¡°Can you carry it for me, young man?¡±


    ¡°Of course, sir. It would be my pleasure.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded as he carried the suitcase. The three of them entered the research institute, proceeding through an elevator before reaching the seventh floor, entering the private researchb of Dr. Gregesh.


    ¡°You can either wait outside or stay here and support me.¡± Dr. Gregesh said. And, upon looking at their enthusiastic eyes, heughed, ¡°Alright, gear up first.¡±


    All three of them wore a basic hazmat suit as Dr. Gregesh opened up the suitcase, taking out the stic bag from within before he cut it open.


    Upon seeing the creature within, he said in remark, ¡°sted heavens. What the heck is this creature?¡±


    Though, he didn¡¯t seem shocked, rather was just surprised, exining to the other two, ¡°Even though this is my first time, a couple of my colleagues in Deison City have conveyed their experiences about dissecting a certain Pomeranian that had mutated.¡±


    ¡°You mean the one said in news recently?¡± Grisha asked.


    ¡°Yes, that one.¡± Dr. Gregesh nodded, taking a small sample of the creature¡¯s flesh before cing it under a microscope, saying as he observed, ¡°Hmm, its cells seem like they had soaked up radiation. But, instead of turning into cancer cells, they have stabilised somehow. Interesting!¡±


    He then set it aside, extracting a millilitre of a certain liquid present in a nd connected to the creature¡¯s teeth, running some tests on it as he concluded, ¡°Thankfully, we wore these hazmat suits. This toxin in its nds is an aphrodisiac.¡±


    As Grisha and Compass Carburettor made eye contact, Dr. Gregesh continued to speak, ¡°But, it¡¯s not a regr aphrodisiac. Rather, once it enters the human body, it would alter their sweat nds, causing them to produce a different sweat that would cause the opposite sex to go into heat upon the mildest of contact.¡±


    ¡°This could pretty much turn into a bio-weapon if not eradicated.¡±

 Chapter 169: The Pearl in the Heart

    <h4>Chapter 169: The Pearl in the Heart</h4>


    ¡°How are you able to determine it so quickly?¡± Compass Carburettor asked in surprise. After all, it had been less than a couple of hours since Dr. Gregesh began to research the creature.


    ¡°It¡¯s all data and experience.¡± Heughed, ¡°There are simr substances in our records. And bypiling the research data, it is easy to determine this. Though, none below my level have the clearance for such information.¡±


    He then gazed at Grisha, ¡°Since your mother asked me for a favour, I¡¯m telling you all this.¡±


    ¡°Besides,¡± Heughed, ¡°You did bring me such a fine specimen to research. That¡¯s the least I could give in return.¡±


    ¡°Will its flesh affect humans? Suppose when consumed?¡± Compass Carburettor asked next, acting like he was worried. After all, his concern inquired about the situation when such mutated creatures bemonce and people ingested them.


    ¡°I understand your worries, young man.¡± Dr. Gregesh nodded before saying, ¡°But, I¡¯ll have to research further to determine that. It was easier with the aphrodisiac thanks to the data we already had on hand. As for this, I¡¯ll have to conduct a couple of tests with mice.¡±


    ¡°I need at least a couple of days to get some results.¡± He said, continuing, ¡°And, if you can bring in a couple more of these creatures, it would be better. Though, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible. This should have been the first of its kind.¡±


    ¡°Sir, what was the use of the aphrodisiac in it? Why did this creature evolve to have that?¡± Compass Carburettor asked, trying to understand the direction of evolution the creature had taken and the reason it had done so.


    ¡°Well, this is just my hypothesis. I might be entirely wrong.¡± Dr. Gregesh thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Once a man or woman is affected by this, they would approach someone from the opposite gender to mate with. And, this would drive them crazy, causing them to engage in the act until they be tremendously exhausted to the extent they are almost at death¡¯s door.¡±


    ¡°And, this is when this creature would swipe in, using its sharp ws to kill them before devouring their bodies.¡± He concluded, ¡°At least, that seems to be a logical answer based on the weapons it has.¡±


    ¡®As I suspected.¡¯ Compass Carburettor nodded, shuddering for a moment, ¡®If not for the fact that the Mental Energy stream from it alerted me, I would have died. Even though it won¡¯t be the end of me, my corpse would remain on the ground. And, getting rid of one in a developed society as this is pretty much impossible for me. Unless, I use my Haggon form to eat it up. But, that is also risky in the case the toxin affects me even as a Haggon.¡¯


    ¡°Then, we won¡¯t disturb you any longer, sir.¡± Grisha said, bowing in gratitude, ¡°Thank you for your help.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Dr. Gregesh nodded, waving his hand, ¡°I¡¯ll keep you posted on the details. Also, keep this a secret. Don¡¯t say anything to even my colleagues. That¡¯s why I am working on it alone.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Compass Carburettor bowed before saying, ¡°Also, please be careful.¡±


    ¡°I know my field very well.¡± Dr. Gregesh said curtly, ¡°Still, thanks for the care you have shown.¡±


    As the two exited theboratory, he continued with the experiment, muttering to himself, ¡°Interesting. This sort of rapid evolution is unprecedented. Though, it seems like its body was also unable to keep up with this evolution as its brain took severe damage.¡±


    ¡°What was the catalyst to cause this?¡± He thought, beginning to dissect it before storing each organ in a container meant to preserve them, preventing them from rotting.


    ¡°Hmm, what¡¯s this?¡± He frowned upon scanning the creature¡¯s heart through an x-ray, noticing a solid object lodged in its centre.


    After dissecting it, he took out what resembled a pearl, muttering, ¡°Interesting! Those kids stumbled upon something magnificent!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡®Dr. Gregesh isn¡¯t someone that would divulge the information to others.¡¯ Compass Carburettor nodded upon seeing the green loyalty stream between them.


    Though, this wasn¡¯t a loyalty between the two people, but rather the loyalty rted to this task alone. There were all sorts of loyalty around.


    And, the one shown here rted to the fact that Dr. Gregesh would stay true to his words. That¡¯s all. If Compass Carburettor tried to ce the symbol of Secret Society on him, nothing would happen.


    Once he observed the loyalty stream closely, he noticed that the shade of green was different from usual, ¡®So, there are different shades of green to indicate different modes of loyalty. And, only the one I see usually conform to what I can use to make them members.¡¯


    Once they returned to the car, Grisha said in excitement, ¡°Now, let¡¯s go shopping!¡±


    ¡°No, you need to train.¡± Compass Carburettor replied curtly, ¡°You¡¯ve seen the danger yourself first-hand. So, you¡¯ll have to train ordingly first. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to protect yourself.¡±


    ¡°Only for one hour, please!¡± Grisha grabbed hold of his hands, staring with widened eyes as she said, ¡°I¡¯ll promise to train in earnest after that.¡±


    She then asked after some thought, ¡°But, I don¡¯t have any weapons at home. What would I be training at?¡±


    ¡°Fitness,¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°You¡¯ll need a fit body that can survive any situation. The fightinges secondary. No matter what you wish to do, you would need a body that would move in ordance to your thoughts.¡±


    ¡°I am pretty fit though.¡± Grisha retorted, ¡°I jog daily and can even do acrobatics.¡±


    She then pestered him, ¡°Come on! It won¡¯t take much time. Promise!¡±


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s do that.¡± Compass Carburettor sighed, watching her drive as he thought, ¡®Well, it might be a change of pace. There isn¡¯t much I can do at present anyway. Might as well do something that might clear up my thoughts.¡¯


    He then nced at Grisha, sighing once, ¡®I feel like a damn teenager now.¡¯


    He looked at the passer-by on the road, closing his eyes soon after as he meditated, sensing the Dac reserves within him, noticing that his affinity to it had increased further overnight, ¡®Maybe caring about Grisha isn¡¯t all that bad.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯ll keep my senses sharp, especially since I am not protected by any luck now.¡¯

 Chapter 170: Why Are They Swaying?

    <h4>Chapter 170: Why Are They Swaying?</h4>


    Whether or not the Coincidental Luck System was supporting him through its luck, he was unsure. After all, it wasn¡¯t something he could feel. And besides, there was no guarantee in this being a fact.


    He had to proceed with the thought process that he wasn¡¯t supported by any luck and would have to go about things carefully.


    Grisha¡¯s mother had a widework of connections, and they proved to be useful in this situation. Dr. Gregesh seemed like a veteran in the field, one that was influential on his own.


    At first nce, it would seem like his meeting with Grisha, the attack from the creature, etc. was a coincidence of events. But in reality, none of them would have happened to him if he chose not to work in the caf¨¦ run by her mother.


    That was his choice. And, everything that happened rest urred as a result of that. Or maybe, there was an ounce of coincidence involved. He didn¡¯t know about that.


    As Grisha continued to drive, he thought through his n, ¡®If I apany Rhizen once the apocalypse starts in full swing, I¡¯ll have to passively defend against the attacks of all the Systems that target him.¡¯


    He had figured out the name of the Coincidental Luck System¡¯s Host after casually asking around in Grafet Enve, the apartment where Rhizen lived. As a lot of the residents there were senior citizens, they were rather chatty about everything.


    So, it was easy for him to find some basic information about the target he had to protect.


    But, once he moves alongside Rhizen, the situation would turn passive for him. He won¡¯t be able to actively take charge of things to deal with the opponents. So, he decided on a n of action ordingly.


    He¡¯ll convert two mutated animals into members and allow them to gradually get to know about Rhizen. This way, once they be close enough, they¡¯ll be apanying Rhizen throughout the apocalypse.


    And through them, he would be able to keep a track of things and n ordingly. Rhizen would be out in the open, targeting the attacks from the Systems while he would be in the dark, hunting down the Systems in response.


    This would also fall in line with him being an embodiment of Secret Society. Moving in secret was what he desired as well.


    Moreover, once he makes some mutated animals into members, he¡¯ll be able to find out more information from them. That would allow him to n better.


    There was a good chance the enemy Systems would have appeared in the world enough times to be fully aware of the inns and outs of all things here, including the power mechanics of the apocalypse.


    So, only by obtaining enough information firsthand would he be able to prepare enough to contend against not one, not two, but 37 enemies.


    ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± His thoughts were interrupted by Grisha¡¯s excited shout.


    Opening his eyes, Compass Carburettor turned around to notice a massive shopping malle into view, sighing. Though, he realised that he had to enjoy at times. Otherwise, he won¡¯t be able to keep up with everything mentally.


    ¡®There should be a bnce in all things.¡¯ He thought, exiting the car as the two boarded an elevator, noticing that its interiors were made from mirrors.


    Upon seeing that there were only the two of them in the lift, Grisha blushed upon gazing at their appearance, gently coiling her hand around his, smiling when he didn¡¯t extricate himself from her hold.


    The two of them exited the elevator and arrived at the second floor of the shopping mall, casually strolling through the corridor, making small talk.


    As time passed in such a fashion, Compass Carburettor noticed that his mind was at peace, fully rxing. Strolling about without any aim in sight, looking through things of interest, eating food just because of likes and not because of needs, all of them were regr humane tasks.


    And, proceeding about with them made him recall scenes from Earth when he had done the same things with his family, sighing in mncholy, lost in nostalgia. ¡®I miss Stencil.¡¯


    ¡°Here! Try this!¡± Grisha pulled out a set of clothes in excitement, cing it before him to see that it matched him, urging him towards a changing room, ¡°Just stay there! I¡¯ll bring you lots of clothes to try.¡±


    ¡°Haha, alright.¡± He gave up in the end, wearing one set of clothes after another, watching Grisha be excited upon seeing him in different wears.


    What had been promised to be an hour¡¯s session extended into five hours as it was already evening now.


    ¡®Might as well since I¡¯m here.¡¯ He thought, pointing at a sci-fi flick, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s watch that.¡±


    ¡°Why not that? I heard it¡¯s really great.¡± Grisha pointed at a romance flick, saying, ¡°And, its reviews are pretty great too.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Compass Carburettor stared at her for a good dozen seconds when she turned her head, blushing in response, unable to maintain eye contact any longer. Smiling, he casually bought two tickets for the sci-fi flick.


    He would be lying if he said he wasn¡¯t interested in the movie. After all, it was an interster space adventure about a cigar-gobbling man wearing a cowboy hat. Just the trailer that he casually observed hooked him onto the premise.


    It was night as they had dinner at a restaurant and began to drive home.


    Upon seeing Grisha being all smiles while she drove, Compass Carburettor asked, ¡°Did you have fun?¡±


    ¡°That was great.¡± Grishaughed, ¡°I enjoyed every minute of it.¡±


    Soon, they reached Grisha¡¯s house as Compass Carburettor carried all the luggage that they had purchased, about to take a step into their vi when he paused all of a sudden, dropping all the luggage as he pulled Grisha backward instantly.


    Her heart thumped as she was in his embrace. But, upon seeing his solemn face, she shuddered, asking, ¡°W-What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°The grass in thewn¡­¡± Compass Carburettor frowned, focusing on them, ¡°Were they always¡­so lively?¡±


    ¡°Lively?¡± Grisha looked around, noticing the grass gently dancing about, unable to find anything amiss as she said, ¡°They are just grass. What¡¯s odd about them?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± He said with a frown, ¡°There¡¯s no wind now. So¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are they swaying?¡±

 Chapter 171: Ants and Grass

    <h4>Chapter 171: Ants and Grass</h4>


    ¡°Indeed, there¡¯s no wind,¡± Grisha licked her finger before pointing it in the air, trying to feel any sensation of moving air, shuddering as she looked at the grass, ¡°Why are they swaying like there¡¯s a wind here?¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Compass Carburettor took out a kerchief from his pocket, rolled it into a ball and threw it onto thewn, observing if anything happened to it. After all, he didn¡¯t receive any Mental Energy from the grass.


    That was normal, since only organisms capable of sentient thoughts generated any Mental Energy. Those that simply act based on sensory pulses through their nerve synapses didn¡¯t have any cognitive thoughts. And hence, they never generated any Mental Energy.


    nts were the best example of this.


    Compass Carburettor observed the kerchief, noticing that nothing happened to it. He then shed light from his cell phone¡ªone that Grisha had bought for him¡ªon the kerchief, frowning when he noticed the grass that came into contact with the light turn still immediately.


    ¡°Take a video of this and send it to Dr. Gregesh.¡± He said to Grisha, for her mobile was a smartphone with great specs. The one he bought was just a basic mobile whose function as just to call and send SMS.


    Even with continuous use, itsted for a week. And if on standby, the battery backupsted for a month. It was what he preferred, having also bought a portable charger, one that he had to power up using his hands.


    There was a dynamo built within it, and a lever was attached to it. As he pressed the lever, it would spin the dynamo, creating some charge. And, this charge would pass through a circuit to generate a stable current that was stored within an internal battery.


    He could then use it to charge the mobile.


    They also bought some rted supplies that could be simrly recharged: shlights, stun guns, electric lighters, etc. There were also trekking supplies and other goods rted to travel.


    Since they couldn¡¯t carry much in their car, they stopped at that, nning to buy everything else on another day.


    As the only daughter of the owner of a chain of restaurants, cafes, and bars, Grisha had enough money to spend, despite being a college student herself. And once she spent all money, she only had to ask her mother.


    Due to how busy she was, and being unable to personally take care of her, Grisha¡¯s mother never said no to her, causing her to be pretty pampered.


    As she recorded everything on video, Compass Carburettor probed through some more, throwing on a piece of bread on thewn. After some time had passed, he picked it up, saying, ¡°There is no change to this.¡±


    He then thought of something, pouring some water along the edge of thewn, noticing a drop cascade over a de of grass when it was rapidly absorbed.


    He then intended to probe them, pricking his hand with a needle to drop a droplet of blood onto the de of grass situated at the edge of thewn.


    And, what happened next was like he was pped in the face.


    The de of grass gently bent over, dropping the droplet of blood on the ground before returning to its original position, shuddering for a moment, as if disgusted by the liquid.


    ¡®Damn, I¡¯m triggered.¡¯ For some reason, its actions and nonchnce in the performance caused veins to pop on his forehead while his eyelids twitched in response. He then controlled himself, thinking of something else to do when he frowned, turning around as he spoke in surprise, ¡°Wait, where¡¯s the piece of bread?¡±


    Upon seeing that the grass hadn¡¯t done anything to it, he had removed the piece of bread and ced it on the road behind him.


    And now, it had vanished.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t even sense anything.¡¯ He frowned, feeling a sense of foreboding as he looked around, for a moment feeling that nothing was safe anymore.


    ¡°Let¡¯s enter the house now.¡± He said after observing his surroundings for some time, casually cing another piece of bread on the road, acting like he wasn¡¯t looking at it. But in actuality, he was observing it by gazing at the reflection from the small mirror attached to Grisha¡¯s handbag.


    Seeing his actions, Grisha remained in ce, putting on a casual behaviour, ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s enter now. There¡¯s no grass on the footpath anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Compass Carburettor nodded in response when his forehead was slick with sweat all of a sudden. Grisha too was the same, controlling herself from shrieking in response.


    When it seemed like they weren¡¯t paying attention to the piece of bread on the road, a small hole appeared on the tar. It was like the piece of tar was used no different to a manhole, created to cover the tunnel within.


    And, streaming out from it were ants, ones that arrived near the piece of bread, took out small bites each and retreated into the tunnel before covering the hole with the piece of tar.


    Three things were odd with this scene.


    First was the fact that the ants behaved sneaky, like they valued their individual lives. This wasn¡¯t their trait.


    Second was the fact that their colour was purple, an odd colour that didn¡¯t exist on any ant species situated in their country.


    And third, the strangest of them all was the fact that when the ants arrived, they exited from more than twenty holes around the piece of bread. And once they retreated into the tunnels, blocking it with the pieces of tar, there was no evidence of their action.


    The piece of bread only spanned as long as his little finger. But, twenty holes had formed around it on the road, shocking him.


    For a moment, Compass Carburettor felt as if the entirety of the ground below him wasprised of a gigantic ant colony.


    ¡®Considering their stealth, they are literal assassins now. Overnight, if they target the elderly among humans, they can finish them all easily.¡¯ He shuddered, inspecting the luggage once to see that there wasn¡¯t anything amiss in them before he apanied Grisha, carefully entering the house.


    And, once they entered the house, thousands of ants exited the road and invaded thewn. The grass growing there acted like vines, thrashing about in return to kill the invaders, smacking to death droves of ants.


    A couple of minutester, the ants retreated into the road while the grass on thewn slowly moved, sending the injured to the back while new ones sprouted from the ground.


    Another minuteter, the scene had returned to its pristine state, as if nothing had happened all along.

 Chapter 172: Stencil

    <h4>Chapter 172: Stencil</h4>


    Right as they entered the house, Compass Carburettor noticed the newspaper lying at the entrance, picking it up as he brought it with him. During the morning, they had been in a rush to head towards the research institute the moment it opened up.


    And considering the sequence of events that happened the previous night, they didn¡¯t bother looking at the newspaper.


    But, now that he opened it, his face turned pale for a moment while his heart thumped in increasing intensities. For, he realised one thing clearer now.


    The changes were elerating!


    On the third page of the newspaper was the local news, regarding events that happened in their city¡ªFeora City. And, the incident reported there was of an illicit rtionship where a middle-ageddy had forced herself upon a young boy in a certain park.


    And for some reason, the both of them mated like there was no tomorrow before copsing to the ground, unconscious. And, as the incident had happenedte into the night, there wasn¡¯t any passer-by in their vicinity.


    Due to that, the two of them remained in the open throughout the night, naked, unprotected. As the night turned cold, and thanks to their overexerted exhausted selves from the intense mating session, they were weak, which lead to their deaths as their bodies rapidly cooled.


    The incident was reported as drug abuse among both of them as officials stated that they would look into the case further and determine the source the drug was disseminated. After all, the boy had great moral conduct in his university.


    And, he wasn¡¯t rich enough to afford any drugs. There wasn¡¯t much information rted to them beyond that as Compass Carburettor sighed.


    For the general popce, they wouldn¡¯t ce much emphasis on this piece of news. All they would do is caution their family members about drug abuse and the risks that came with it, using this news to show that taking drugs would only lead to swift deaths.


    Beyond that surface-level reaction, they won¡¯t express anything beyond.


    But, he was aware of the reason for their deaths. After all, Grisha had parked her car near the same park where the two victims had been at too.


    And, all of them had been targeted by the mutated creature, enveloping their body and mind with lust.


    Since Grisha had been unable to find any male in her vicinity, thement on his appearance made by her mother, and the information rted to the end of his shift resounded in her mind, causing her to approach him.


    And, he had used the System Fragment of Minor Healing to save her after the deed was done. If he hadn¡¯t don¡¯t that, she would have died.


    As for him, his physique was stronger than a regr human, by a lot. So, his condition recovered after some rest. After all, he had the Skill of Natural Recovery to aid him.


    ¡®So, it had more than one victim. That¡¯s a voracious appetite.¡¯ He then showed Grisha the article, causing her to tremble as she read through it, knowing very well what would have happened to her if Compass Carburettor hadn¡¯t managed to kill it.


    She then asked after some thought, ¡°But, howe I feel fine after that?¡±


    She gazed at him, saying despite her face reddening up, ¡°When I recall those scenes, I realise that you¡­weren¡¯t actually holding back. You were going at it with enough force to seriously injure me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that¡­¡± He scratched his cheek, smiling wryly, ¡°I had a healing ability that I used on you after that, once I came to my senses. Otherwise, you too wouldn¡¯t have survived.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡± She approached him, coiling her hands around his neck, kissing him, ¡°Can you be gentle tonight?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re in the mood despite what we witnessed just now?¡± Compass Carburettor was surprised,ughing, ¡®She¡¯s wired differently.¡¯


    ¡°That and this are different. Who knows, maybe we won¡¯t even have such an opportunity in the future,¡± Grisha hugged him, ¡°Besides, I want to feel you properly now, on my own, and not under some external influence.¡±


    ¡­


    After a wrestling session thatsted an hour, Compass Carburettor had fallen asleep. As for Grisha, she used his arms as a pillow, slumped on him, using his body as her bed,fortablytched onto him like a ko bear.


    When he was deep in sleep, he was suddenly jolted awake as one of his Core Skills went off. It was Info Scanner. Getting up with a start, he activated the Core Skillpletely, startled. For, an enemy had appeared.


    [Remembrance System (Level 2): 17 Mental Energy]


    ¡®Wait, why are its level and mental energy reserves disyed too?¡¯ Compass Carburettor was shocked before he recalled all the information rted to the Core Skill, nodding in response, ¡®I see, for higher levelled Systems, even its name wouldn¡¯t be disyed. But, since this Remembrance System¡¯s Level is lower than the Skill¡¯s level, this level of information is disyed.¡¯


    Currently, Info Scanner was at Level 3. Based on the amount of Mental Energy he was getting, it¡¯ll take him a month before it reached level 10. After all, there wasn¡¯t a steady supply of Mental Energy.


    While on the Darble World, there were the members and other people constantly praying to the symbol of Secret Society. So, upgrading all the Skills was pretty easy.


    Still, as the Skill level was greater than the System¡¯s level, it even showed the amount of Mental Energy his opponent disyed. ¡®But, this is the limit as to the amount of information Info Scanner can show even if it reaches level 10. Only after it exceeds this level can it show deeper information.¡¯


    ¡®But still, this is great. As long as I know the amount of Mental Energy a System has, I can n ordingly.¡¯ He thought, sending out a Spydragon to scout his enemy. Thanks to having interacted with the ve Harem System, he knew for a fact that 17 Mental Energy wasn¡¯t worth noting about.


    Thanks to Info Scanner, he was able to pinpoint the Remembrance System¡¯s location. Soon, the Spydragon coursed through the air, arriving at the window to a certain house, noticing that the lights within the room were switched on.


    It peered through the ss, outlining the figure seated before aputer when Compass Carburettor got up with a start, springing to his feet as he was unable to control his emotions. After all, the one the Spydragon had seen was someone he wished to meet with all along, hoping for that day to be reality during every moment of his existence.


    Stencil!

 Chapter 173: Remembrance System Host

    <h4>Chapter 173: Remembrance System Host</h4>


    ¡®Stencil!¡¯ He was unable to control himself, rushing towards the living room, about to open the door when he paused. Reality struck him as he calmed down, thinking, ¡®Unless Stencil became a System yer, it¡¯s impossible for her to appear here.¡¯


    ¡®And, the one registered in Info Scanner is the Remembrance System and not that of a System yer.¡¯ He thought, calming down before scowling at the fact that he became hopeful for a moment.


    He calmly sat on the floor, closing his eyes as he controlled the Spydragon, using it to see within the room, gazing at the figure of Stencil staring at aputer.


    She was typing on theputer pretty fast, seemingly engaging with someone on a forum. As the quality of the Spydragon was subpar, it was unable to make out the contents on the screen. Even the face of Stencil wasn¡¯t¡­


    ¡®Wait!¡¯ Compass Carburettor noticed a couple of oddities in the scene. First was Stencil¡¯s fingers that typed on the keyboard. The keyboard used in this world was the QWERTY keyboard too. So, he was aware of the position of every key.


    And, based on the finger movement, he was able to conjure a mental image of the keyboard, forming a sentence in his mind easily. Since he had a clear angle of all the keys on the keyboard, he was able to form the sentences typed by Stencil.


    [Trasg fubkrt, why are you alice?]


    ¡®What the heck does that mean?¡¯ He wondered, trying to recorrect the sentence based on the nearby keys as he uttered, ¡°Trash Fucker, why are you alive?¡±


    ¡®Is that what she typed? But, Stencil isn¡¯t someone that talks like this. She should barely be 10 years old now.¡¯ As he thought, he felt a mild jarring sensation in the scene.


    The second issue was the position of the mouse. Stencil was moving the mouse, at least that was what her action implied. But in reality, the mouse was positioned a bit away from her hand, not in contact.


    Still, the screen seemed to be changing constantly, apparent that the mouse was being used to do the changes.


    The height of the chair was also lower than the level necessary for Stencil to see the screen properly. There were a couple other minor points to note that also didn¡¯t make any sense.


    Wishing to sense them further, the Spydragonnded on the window sill, returning to its serpentine form as it slithered a bit before facing its head towards one corner of the window where a protected the room from the mosquitoes.


    One of the windows was kept open to facilitate air cirction. So, the only thing preventing the Spydragon¡¯s entry was the. Opening its mouth, the Spydragon unleashed a tiny energy de, poking a hole into it.


    There was a small popping sound that resounded as a result. But, Stencil didn¡¯t seem to have heard it as the Spydragon patiently waited for a couple of minutes before slithering through the hole.


    It then slowly made its way towards a good spot, observing both the keyboard and monitor. Upon seeing the content that was typed and the content that appeared on the screen, Compass Carburettor frowned, ¡®It¡¯s not her.¡¯


    After all, the words that appeared on the screen and the words that were typed didn¡¯t match.


    He finally understood the sense of disconnect here. The one seated before theputer was an entirely different person. But, he was remembering that person as Stencil.


    That was why things didn¡¯t make sense when observed minutely.


    He sighed in disappointment, sensing through Info Scanner that his target¡¯s Mental Energy reserves remained the same.


    Now that he realised it wasn¡¯t Stencil, he wasn¡¯t apprehensive of killing this opponent at all. After all, he wasn¡¯t a good person, nor had he ever imed to be one.


    He just didn¡¯t kill people due to his moral guilt. But when pressed with the concept of saving his daughter and killing an innocent, he was aware of what choice he would take. Sure, he would suffer from guiltter.


    But would he hesitate because of that? No!


    The Spydragon continued to observe the person that looked like Stencil in his mind. Even though he wished to kill that person and obtain their Core Skill, he didn¡¯t grow impatient.


    Even if the opponent was only a System at Level 2 and barely had any Mental Energy, he couldn¡¯t carelessly saunter in for the kill. After all, he wasn¡¯t aware of any other Skills that the Permanence System owned.


    But, a n started to form in his mind already as he approached theputer situated in one of the rooms before opening up the browser. He typed in an address, opening a forum before scrolling through the numerous topics of discussion, finally pulling open the one used by the Remembrance System Host.


    Using the Spydragon, he figured out her name, targeting her online with some toxic content immediately. And, as a veteran of being on the inte, he was able to target his opponent¡¯s psyche through his words, immediately causing the other party to type in a string of expletives.


    Laughing, Compass Carburettor continued with the process. Though, he never used even a single bad word, talking in a way that his casual sentences got under his opponent¡¯s skin.


    There was no deeper meaning to this than to simply trigger the Remembrance System Host. He nned to first rile up the other party constantly and then take action.


    Society was still wholly functional. So, if he did anything, there were bound to be traces that would lead back to him. That¡¯s why he nned to take on a roundabout approach and ensure the traces became so thin that by the time the police managed to trace it back to him, the apocalypse would have begun in full swing.


    He calmly created multiple ounts, constantly attacking the Remembrance System Host from many identities, making it seem as if the other party had triggered a lot of keyboard warriors tonight.


    Through the Spydragon, he was aware of the other party¡¯s behaviour, using it to tackle further, making it seem like he/she was easy to predict the action of.


    Unable to tolerate it anymore, the Remembrance System Host mmed the keyboard, shut down theputer, and slumped on the bed, intending to sleep.


    Letting out an evil chuckle, Compass Carburettor ensured to hide the Spydragon somewhere safe before he too returned to sleep.

 Chapter 174: Mirroring Actions

    <h4>Chapter 174: Mirroring Actions</h4>


    ¡°Are you sure you want to go there alone?¡± Grisha asked in worry.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°Continue to practice the basics like I have taught you. I¡¯ll be back in three days.¡±


    Saying so, he boarded a taxi that arrived at the vi¡¯s entrance, ncing at the grass for a moment before the taxi took off.


    Upon seeing the taxi leave the street, Grisha sighed, thinking, ¡®It¡¯s surprising that I got attached to him so quickly. It hasn¡¯t even been that long since I met him, but it feels like I¡¯ve been dating him for a couple of years already.¡¯


    She then frowned in worry, ¡®Wait, dating? He didn¡¯t confirm anything!¡¯


    Feeling a headache, Grisha massaged her forehead, returning to the house as she slumped on the sofa in the living room, switching on the TV to see the news. There was nothing special being telecasted there. The same old, the same usual.


    She had her doubts at the start, but upon seeing some peculiarities, she was able to believe everything Compass Carburettor had said to her. Moreover, the peculiarities even appeared in the grass growing on herwn.


    If she still refused to believe, it would be apparent that shecked a brain.


    Moreover, Compass Carburettor had indeed shown his Haggon Form. There was plenty of evidence now that she changed her line of thought, looking at things from a different perspective. After all, she was a victim to one of the mutated monsters too.


    Thankfully for her, she encountered him. Otherwise, she would have been killed by the mutated bird and feasted upon sooner orter.


    Afterzing around for a couple of minutes, she changed into a set of tracks and exited the house, beginning to jog around, trying to build up stamina.


    Compass Carburettor had given her a set of activities to do throughout the day, saying that they would help build up her body the best. And, it was a slow but definite process. As she had only been at it for two days, she wasn¡¯t able to notice any obvious changes.


    Though, she had been feeling a lot healthier recently. So, she trained wholeheartedly, having taken a leave of absence from her university.


    While jogging through the streets, she noticed her phone vibrating constantly, picking it up to see the caller was one of her friends, ¡®What does she want?¡¯


    She then talked to the other person for a couple of minutes before swiftly ending the call, ¡®She wants to go to a bar it seems.¡¯


    Grisha had refused the invitation. Even though she was someone that loved to live a carefree life, she wasn¡¯t an idiot. She wished to prepare herself. After all, she was of the notion that if she became strong enough to protect herself, she would be able to return to her carefree lifestyle even after the apocalypse.


    It only depended on how well she adapted to the changes. And, she had a faint inkling that whatever might be the cause, Compass Carburettor would be a prime character in everything.


    ¡®Now, how will I tell mother everything?¡¯ She frowned, trying to think up a realistic way before she made a couple of bookings, noticing her mother calling for her ten minutester.


    Stopping on the side of the road, Grisha picked up the call, speaking, ¡°Mom¡­¡±


    ¡°Grisha, why did you enrol me for an aerobics ss?¡± Her mother asked her immediately, having obtained a notification on her mobile.


    ¡°You are getting old, mom. So, this is good for your health.¡± Grisha iterated the lies she had prepared, ¡°This will better your health. Don¡¯t rely on those medicines so much.¡±


    Her mother sighed on the other end, saying, ¡°You know I don¡¯t have the time for such things, right?¡±


    ¡°Make time, mom.¡± Grisha stressed, ¡°And no, I won¡¯t ept no for an answer. Just leave some of the work to your assistant. You have been training her to be a capable one, right? Use her more.¡±


    After some time arguing, Grisha ended the call, grinning a little, ¡®Alright, I got her to agree. I¡¯ll slowly enrol her into more such sses.¡¯


    She then began to jog when grunting in irritation upon receiving another call. Though, her expression immediately turned into one of excitement upon seeing that the call was from Dr. Gregesh, ¡°Doctor, how are the results?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha,¡± Hisughter echoed from the other side as Dr. Gregesh said, ¡°It¡¯s better to show you in person. Come to theb, I¡¯ve already informed the security. They¡¯ll let you in.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Ending the call, Grisha phoned Compass Carburettor, rying the news to him. After that, she returned to her home, changed into another set of clothes appropriate for the asion and drove out.


    ¡­


    ¡°Come here and see this for yourself.¡± Dr. Gregesh said before asking in surprise, ¡°Where is that young man? He didn¡¯te today?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s made a trip to Mount Craire to gather more clues. He¡¯ll return after three days.¡± Grisha replied.


    ¡°He¡¯s a remarkable youth, I must say.¡± Dr. Gregesh said in praise before bringing Grisha to a ss cage.


    Upon arriving before it, Grisha was shocked to see a group of dead rats lying within the ss cage. There were all sorts of reactions on their bodies, ranging from blisters to grotesque phenomenon that she couldn¡¯t even identify.


    But, the most shocking of all was a lone rat that was still alive. Its legs had rotted, unable to move, causing pus to leak out. Its hands, on the other hand, seemed to be perfectly healthy.


    And, the most mystical change of all was the helmet that had appeared on its head. It was a rather weird scene, for the helmet was transparent in nature.


    Seeing her reaction, Dr. Gregesh replied, exhaustion apparent in his tone, but his excitement was clear, ¡°I¡¯ve run a lot of tests on them. I¡¯ve injected the blood of the mutated creature in them, fed them grass that had been grown using the creature¡¯s blood, etc.¡±


    ¡°But, none of them worked, until¡­¡± He said after some thought, disying a projection on a screen, ¡°I noticed this pearl in the mutated creature¡¯s heart.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve run some tests in it. Composition wise, it¡¯s pure carbon. But structure-wise, it is constantly changing.¡± He said, ¡°At first, it resembled a diamond in structure, but when applied with a minute force, it turned into graphite. The carbon bonding changes constantly ording to the changes in pressure, temperature, moisture in the air, etc.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to determine the full extent of its nature and the reason it is exhibiting such changes. Something of this level isn¡¯t something I canplete researching even after a year or two. But, I did find a solution.¡± He said, disying a certain liquid.


    ¡°The mutated creature¡¯s mutation was especially apparent in its nd that contained the aphrodisiac. So, I tried to see what would happen if I dilute the pearl into a liquid and inject it into this nd.¡± Dr. Gregesh said, mildly excited, ¡°The nd began to secrete the aphrodisiac once again. And, I noticed a faint projection of sorts atop its head.¡±


    ¡°Then this rat¡­¡± Grisha said, rmed upon seeing the sole living rat dragging its body towards the pile of dead rats before beginning to munch on them. At first, it barely had the strength to do so.


    But as time passed, it continued to eat faster and faster. Moreover, the projection of the helmet on its head seemed to be turning more¡­translucent?


    ¡°Yes, I fed the solution created by dissolving the pearl to all of them by varying the amounts of dosage, the concentration, etc.¡± Dr. Gregesh nodded, ¡°Most of them developed cancer and weren¡¯t able to survive. As for this one, it is barely alive. Its legs have given out, but a strange helmet began to form on its head.¡±


    ¡°This is what I found out.¡± He said, ¡°Once the helmet began to form on its head, the rat had seemingly be more intelligent. And, the rotting of its legs had stopped after that.¡±


    He looked at the rat¡¯s actions, saying, ¡°Now, it¡¯s trying to umte energy into its body by devouring the dead rats. Though, I have no reason as to why it¡¯s only eating up the cancerous parts of their bodies while leaving out the healthy parts.¡±


    ¡°Grisha, I need more specimens to research further.¡± Dr. Gregesh said. ¡°If you have the means, try to procure them.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a good chance the government would contact me sooner orter for this case. So, I should obtain enough data before that.¡± Heughed, ¡°That¡¯ll make me the head of the project.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯llpensate you with the necessary information.¡± He nodded, ¡°That¡¯ll be to thank you for providing me this opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Sir, there was also this.¡± She then recounted the incident about the grass on herwn acting strange and the ants that she had seen.


    After listening to everything she said, Dr. Gregesh was silent for a good thirty minutes, seated on the nearby chair as he calmly breathed in and out, seemingly pondering about something. He then said to Grisha, ¡°You should leave now. I¡¯ll inform you once I think of something.¡±


    Even though she was confused as to the change in his behaviour, Grisha had no other choice but to nod in response and leave the premises.


    After seeing her exit theb, Dr. Gregesh continued to sit on the seat before getting up with a start all of a sudden, looking around before he waved his hand before his face, rubbing his eyes, blinking them constantly.


    He looked around, finally gazing at the rat to see it staring at him in response, making eye contact. And slowly, the rat tilted its head.


    Dr. Gregesh too did the same, mirroring its actions.

 Chapter 175: Veteran

    <h4>Chapter 175: Veteran</h4>


    Compass Carburettor peered out the window of the taxi, looking at the changing scenery. Thanks to Grisha¡¯s intervention, he dropped out of both his part-time jobs. Even though he wished to continue with the job at the caf¨¦ to gather more Mental Energy, he understood that the apocalypse was elerating,


    So, he couldn¡¯t waste so much time on a job. Besides, his absence caused quite a lot of customers to think about him. That generated enough Mental Energy for the time being. This situation wouldst for at least a week or two.


    That was enough for him. Beyond that, he would figure out something else to gather Mental Energy.


    There was a distance of 120 kilometres to be travelled from Feora City to reach the foot of Mount Craire. A small town was situated there which was his current destination.


    He would meet up with the rest of the trekking group there. And, they would set off early in the morning of the next day. The n was to return before nightfall since the mountain areas became dangerous by then.


    There was also one another reason he had selected Mount Craire other than the fact that it wasn¡¯t as dangerous. It was the sole mountain in the Eastern Range that was bereft of leeches. The remaining mountains was a disaster to trek upon since the leeches would constantly try to get into their shoes and suck their blood.


    And as things were changing too much now, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t wish to take unnecessary risks.


    Two hours of journeyter, he arrived at the small town, getting off from the taxi as he entered the hotel he had booked. All the members of the trekking group had booked at the same hotel.


    It was where the trekking members constantly stayed and had purchased membership. Since his rooms were booked through the group, he too obtained the benefit.


    Upon entering, Compass Carburettor looked at the lobby, nodding that it had a rather pleasant atmosphere. ced in the centre was a shallow, circr pool with a statue standing in its centre.


    The statue was a model of Mount Craire as water constantly poured out from its peak. It did create great aesthetic to the scene and helped enliven the ce.


    He then approached the counter, saying, ¡°I have booked a room by the name of Compass.¡±


    ¡°Sure, that¡¯ll be 500 Paise.¡± The receptionistdy said in response, receiving the money he handed over. The booking only registered their name. They had to respectively pay for the rooms once they arrived.


    After all, not everyone among the trekking group were familiar with one another. So, this was the safest means to proceed with.


    Receiving the room key, Compass Carburettor headed towards his respective room, one that was situated on the second floor. It wasn¡¯t anything special. A room spanning a length of 10 feet and a breadth of 8 feet. It had an attached bathroom.


    There was a small shelf in which he ced his luggage, sitting on the bed as he frowned, noticing that it was mildly dusty. ¡°We¡¯ll it¡¯s a cheap room. Can¡¯t expect much.¡±


    He then made a call, informing of his arrival to the group leader before spending the next couple of hours meditating.


    In the afternoon, he met with the group leader to have lunch together, also getting ustomed with the members that had arrived by now.


    ¡°The rest would be arriving tonight.¡± The group leader, a middle-aged man named Schlovk said. He had a bald head and a bulbous nose, sportingrge eyes with a bushy eyebrow. His face was pretty unique that none might forget it even after a nce.


    Compass Carburettor looked around, greeting everyone that introduced themselves to him, observing through a casual nce that all of them were pretty fit, ¡®As expected of trekking enthusiasts.¡¯


    ¡®But¡­¡¯ He subtly frowned, gazing at the final member, ¡®This guy has some other purpose for this trip.¡¯


    He then introduced himself to the other party, ¡°Hello there, I¡¯m Compass. You seem like a veteran.¡±


    ¡°You can me Krager,¡± The man in his early thirties introduced himself, ¡°I¡¯m pretty much an enthusiast here. I trek every weekend.¡±


    Krager sported a signature wavy moustache, painting him a masculine feeling thanks to his wide facial features. He had shaved his beard, and adding onto his crewcut hair, he seemed like a military veteran.


    His bulging muscles were the most pronounced among everyone at the ce, apparent that he trained a lot. After all, his muscles weren¡¯t a product of gym but one obtained from action on the battlefield.


    They were akin to muscr cannons, the power held in them was staggering. The reason Compass Carburettor focused attention on Krager was because he noticed subtle fluctuations in the other party¡¯s gaze.


    It didn¡¯t belong to someone that hade for rxing trekking trip. But rather, it was of someone who had prepared to scout or figure out something, ¡®Is he also here for the same objective as me?¡¯


    ¡°This is pretty much my first time trekking, haha.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled wryly, putting on a sheepish expression as he said, ¡°If I make any mistakes, feel free to correct me.¡±


    ¡°Sure, as long as you don¡¯t mind me giving advice.¡± Krager smiled politely. From the start, he was polite, carefully conversing with everyone. As the rest of the group were just regr people, they conversed casually.


    Afterpleting their lunch, Compass Carburettor returned to his room, continuing to meditate as he opened his bag, looking at the two Armaments ced within. He had made a lot of preparations as he gazed out the window, looking at the mountain spanning across, majestic in view.


    ¡®This¡¯ll be somewhat troubling.¡¯


    Dinner time, everyone from the trekking group had reached by now and had freshened up. There were twenty people in total as Compass Carburettor introduced himself with the rest of the group, making conversations with them one by one.


    As there was a buffet system installed in the hotel, it allowed them to converse with each other while eating. Pretty much filling his te with food, Compass Carburettor tackled the amount expertly, quickly eating enough before switching onto deserts.


    He then approached the members one after another, joking at times, exchanging pleasantries before finally approaching the youth that seemed pretty popr with everyone, extending his hand, ¡°Hello there, I¡¯m Compass.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty unique name you have there.¡± The youth smiled in response, shaking hands, ¡°You can call me Rhizen.¡±

 Chapter 176: Everyone’s Objective

    <h4>Chapter 176: Everyone¡¯s Objective</h4>


    Early morning the next day, Compass Carburettor wore a simple tracksuit, equipping himself with the rest of the trekking gear.


    He was only going for a trek and not mountain climbing. So, the necessary gear wasn¡¯t much. It would only seem odd if he brought too much. After all, he only looked like a college youth in appearance.


    And even middle-aged people and older ones didn¡¯t bring beyond some basic items. He then slung a hip bag, cing his two Armaments within it while carrying a backpack that contained some water, food, and some stic bags that he had brought over to collect anything of value.


    There was also a basic first aid kit that everyone was told to mandatorily bring.


    All twenty of the trekking group assembled in the lobby as Schlovk faced everyone, saying, ¡°The bus will take us towards the end of the mountain road. We¡¯ll begin trekking from that point onwards.¡±


    It was simple, without any flowery words. The group then boarded a bus that had arrived at the hotel¡¯s entrance.


    As the hotel was frequented by members wishing to trek Mount Craire, they already had the necessary arrangements in ce.


    The bus plied on the road, soon travelling upslope as it began to proceed through the winding paths. Twenty minutester, it stopped at arge open space where a couple other vehicles had been parked.


    Those that wished to trek the mountain arrived at the ce, parked their vehicles before beginning to trek the mountain.


    Even though Mount Craire was pretty tall, climbing it wasn¡¯t as difficult whenpared to the other steep mountains part of the Eastern Range. So, it was rather popr with the trekking enthusiasts, especially the middle-aged popce that wished to perform some physical activity to remain fit.


    Once they got down from the bus, Schlovk split the members into groups of four each, segregating them based on their physical prowess. This was to ensure everyone won¡¯t travel alone and in times of need, there would at least be a couple around to help them.


    And since they were split based on their physical prowess, they¡¯ll be travelling at more or less the same pace. This way, they¡¯ll be with their group and won¡¯t miss out on the fun.


    As they looked the youngest of the lot, Compass Carburettor, Rhizen, Krager and one another were made into a group.


    The remainder of their group consisted of people there were older and were not as fit.


    Compass Carburettor did like the arrangement, ¡®I can monitor both Krager and Rhizen this way. Perfect!¡¯


    It pretty much came as a surprise when Compass Carburettor noticed Rhizen too had arrived to trek. It assured him of the fact that something would indeed happen in Mount Craire. And that something would hold considerable importance.


    So, he mentally prepared himself, ¡®He¡¯s pretty much the main character of this world. So, things would revolve around him. And¡­¡¯


    He didn¡¯t talk much as their group of four began to proceed up the mountainous path. A lot of vehicles were just arriving at the parking area. And those that had arrived hadn¡¯t begun trekking yet.


    Most were somewhat averse to be the first group to proceed up, despite the fact that Mount Craire was one of the safest mountains to trek.


    And, upon seeing the group of four¡ªincluding Compass Carburettor¡ªbeing the first to proceed up the path, they slowly began to follow.


    ¡°We¡¯ll proceed a bit faster.¡± Krager said after ten minutes, noticing that everyone in his group didn¡¯t even seem bothered with the gentle slope of the ce, ¡°Tell me if it gets difficult.¡±


    Upon seeing that none one had any objections, all of them raised their pace, increasing their distance from the other groups trailing behind.


    They had begun trekking at the break of dawn as the mist was only now beginning to evaporate upon the arrival of the sun.


    After they had travelled enough distance, Compass Carburettor activated Info Scanner, sighing mentally, ¡®So, it has begun.¡¯


    [#*&*^%: @#^%^##]


    [Directional Misalignment (Level 1): 64 Mental Energy]


    [Beast Form ($%^&): #%^$##]


    ¡®The first should be the Coincidental Luck System.¡¯ Compass Carburettor sighed, feeling a headache. After all, in their group of four, three of them were System Hosts. And, two of them were enemies, having arrived to kill Rhizen.


    After all, this should be the first incident that Rhizen personally experiences to kickstart his journey into the apocalypse. So, since they are targeting him, they would of course try to either kill him or ensure he wouldn¡¯t reap benefits from this journey.


    As long as the treasure/power/experience he would experience from this journey was stolen in advance, it would cause a setback to his power growth. And, after this was done enough times, he wouldn¡¯t be strong enough to face future threats.


    At that time, even if he wasn¡¯t killed by the Systems, he naturally wouldn¡¯t be able to survive the apocalypse.


    Krager took the lead in the trekking. Thanks to Info Scanner, Compass Carburettor determined that he was the Host to the Beast Form System. As to the level of the System, he wasn¡¯t able to determine since it exceeded the level of his Info Scanner.


    Trailing behind Krager was him,ughing along as he made jokes from time to time, causing everyone tough along.


    Walking behind him was Rhizen, rather talkative as he engaged in hushed discussions with everyone, looking like he hade to enjoy the trip. But, his eyes subtle observed his surroundings, on the lookout for any changes or clues.


    Walking at the end of the group was Neena, ady in herte twenties, also a trekking enthusiast and had participated in almost all the treks on Mount Craire. She practically knew everything there was to know about Mount Craire, having trekked it whenever she was bored.


    After all, she hailed from the town situated at the foot od the mountain.


    She strolled through the path like she was taking a walk in her garden. But all along, her eyes were trained onto Rhizen¡¯s back.


    And whenever Rhizen talked to her, she acted normal,ughing in response as she detailed the ces from time to time, acting as a tour guide. She was the Host to the Directional Misalignment System.


    On the surface, they seemed like an amicable group. But, all of them had arrived with an objective¡ªRhizen!

 Chapter 177: Luck and Coincidence

    <h4>Chapter 177: Luck and Coincidence</h4>


    ¡®As I thought, they have taken action at the very first incident.¡¯ The Coincidental Luck System thought, using the senses of Rhizen to look around. It then gazed at the three people beside, unable to get any Mental Energy streams from them, ¡®This is by far the easiest way to determine if someone is a System yer or a System Host.¡¯


    Considering the method Compass Carburettor to shield his Mental Energy form, it was wise to think that others too would do it. After all, this was the only way to prevent their thoughts from being known to their foes.


    A System yer was only capable of determining the emotion behind the Mental Energy stream. But, a System was able to read it entirely. It would understand all the thoughts within the Mental Energy stream.


    ¡®After all, a System cannot absorb every type of Mental Energy casually. That¡¯ll only stunt their growth.¡¯ It thought, frowning as it looked at the back of Compass Carburettor, ¡®Since the two Hatchling Systems are dispatched by my foes, it seems they have taken the necessary arrangements already.¡¯


    The first arrangement was their selves being guarded. This way, they¡¯ll never generate a Mental Energy stream. This would prevent the Coincidental Luck System from sensing the thoughts of the enemy System Hosts.


    And, the second arrangement was the countless Mental Energy streams thatnded on Rhizen. They were troubling it all along.


    Mental Energy was a resultant of a person¡¯s thought. It could be any sentient being capable of conscious thought. And, this conscious thought wasn¡¯t of their selves, but rather their brain.


    And, based on the thought, the generated Mental Energy stream varied. To a System yer like Compass Carburettor, the type of thought didn¡¯t matter. All were beneficial. After all, their essence was a living creature that had incorporated a part of the System into their own.


    And, the growth of their Personal Fragment didn¡¯t depend on the type of Mental Energy absorbed. A System yer can individually level up. And when they needed, they can level up any Core Skills they obtained.


    But, it was different for a System. A System¡¯s Growth was intricately tied to its own Core Skill. And, that meant someplications would arise in its growth based on the parameters at y.


    For the Coincidental Luck System, all the thoughts that were beneficial to it should be rted to thoughts of luck and coincidence.


    So, if someone thought Rhizen won a certain prize at a particr contest out of luck, then the generated Mental Energy was beneficial to the Coincidental Luck System¡¯s growth.


    This growth was the most important for a System, a reason a lot of Systems stagnated at a certain level without improving. Sometimes, their level would even regress.


    Mental Energy on par with their Core Skill was beneficial. It was beneficial in the sense that this allowed them to improve systematically upon their fundamental abilities. Their abilities grew in strength ordingly, also allowing their power to have aprehensive growth.


    But, suppose the Coincidental Luck System absorbed Mental Energy unrted to coincidence or luck, it would still level up somewhat. But over time, it¡¯s Core Skill would stop developing, causing it to stagnate at Level 94.


    And, if the amount of this unnecessary Mental Energy continues to increase among is reserves, all it would do is make it harder for the Coincidental Luck System to ever level up.


    It was the same as absorbing the Core Skills of Systems not part of its genre. Such actions would stump its growth.


    That was what its enemies had been trying all along. And, the best way to prevent it was to use the unrted Mental Energy to buy something from the Astral World.


    But, this also meant that it was constantly wasting Mental Energy.


    ¡®It¡¯s pretty troublesome. After all, if I directly announce my presence to Rhizen, it would make him realise that I was the reason he was getting lucky. It would no longer be a coincidence. And that would prevent me from getting any useful Mental Energy every again from him in this round.¡¯ It thought in worry.


    Not every System picked a braindead individual as their host. Every System had their respective preference. For example, the ve Harem System had picked Regriel, someone who was trash, but was also a lustful man.


    Thanks to his natural undiminishable lust, he was the perfect Host for it, allowing it to obtain the maximum Mental Energy ordingly to its nature.


    Simrly, Rhizen was naturally smart, allowing him to proactively perform things so that he would obtain results in his favour. And, all the Coincidental Luck System had to do here was to use some of its powers to coincidentally make him lucky.


    It would make him understand that he is indeed a lucky individual thanks to the numerous times he survived and emerged victoriously thanks to luck. And thanks to his thought process, all the Mental Energy received by Rhizen would be converted into Mental Energy suitable for the Coincidental Luck System¡¯s growth.


    That was the reason the Systems selected their Hosts ordingly. After all, the Hosts acted as a filter to turn unwanted Mental Energy into Mental Energy beneficial for their growth.


    ¡®But, the moment I take action, give Rhizen any Skill or reveal my existence, it would be my loss in this cycle.¡¯ The Coincidental Luck System thought, sighing, ¡®And, my enemies know very well. Hence, they prepared ordingly, sending two Hatchling Systems that can counter the current him the most.¡¯


    ¡®If I had said too much to Compass Carburettor, that would prevent the situation from going against my nature. If he talks with Rhizen while knowing about everything, that would no longer be a coincidence. It too would lead to my downfall.¡¯ It was worried.


    After all, the enemies that had been sending all such Hatchling Systems in this world to destroy it were all Systems in the same genre as it. Meaning, they all possessed simr powers as itself.


    This was the reason the Coincidental Luck System, one that manipted Luck suffered defeat many times in this contest. ¡®I hope Compass Carburettor can realise the mechanics of our enemies and deal with them effectively. The true enemies aren¡¯t these Hatchling System Hosts, but¡­¡¯


    ¡®The Luck that is working against myself!¡¯

 Chapter 178: Quest Against a Villain

    <h4>Chapter 178: Quest Against a Viin</h4>


    [Ding!]


    [Quest: Make the viin, Rhizen suffer defeat]


    [Quest Details: At the summit of Mount Craire lies a treasure that the viin, Rhizen uses to cause havoc in the worldter. Steal it before he obtains it.]


    [Quest Reward: Snake Form]


    [Quest Failure: Loss of Cat Form]


    As the System interface hovered before his face, Krager frowned a bit, thinking that it was indeed a serious Quest, ¡®If I fail it, I¡¯ll lose my Cat Form. This cannot do. The Cat Form is currently my most useful form.¡¯


    Heughed, casually turning around to ask Rhizen, ¡°By the way, have you trekked on this mountain before, Rhizen?¡±


    ¡°No, this is actually my first time.¡± Rhizen replied, slightly wary. But, he wasn¡¯t wary at them but rather at his surroundings, in fear of some animal that might suddenly ambush them. It was the signs of someone that hadn¡¯t trekked the ce but had seen some dangerous articles on the inte about the same.


    It was the reaction that first time trekkers had.


    Krager had been aiming to first be close with Rhizen. That way, his betrayal wouldn¡¯t be guarded against.


    ¡®The other two are somewhat of a useless baggage. But, it¡¯s not possible to get rid of them so easily.¡¯ Thinking as such, he looked at the expressions of everyone, ¡°Since none of us are tired, shall we move faster? For the next one kilometre, there¡¯s not even much of a slope. If we go faster, it¡¯ll also allow us to spend more time at the top.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me.¡± Compass Carburettorughed, being the first to agree. Upon seeing that one of them was okay with the arrangement, the remaining two nodded eventually.


    ¡®That¡¯s great. Compass is a simple but lively youth. He¡¯s someone that hasn¡¯t experienced any danger in life, so his guard is by far the lowest among everyone here.¡¯ He smirked mentally, thinking, ¡®I should use him for the n.¡¯


    Of course, he didn¡¯t know about the existence of Neena. It was pretty much a rule followed by every System. And, that was the fact that the existence of other System Hosts wouldn¡¯t ever be said or confirmed by them


    After all, with such a thing being reality, the System Host wouldn¡¯t think that he alone was unique, a peerless individual that would reach the peak of the world thanks to his System. It would cause a blow to his superiorityplex that was resulted from possessing a cheat.


    That would instantly sh the majority of the Mental Energy a System received. So, it was pretty much impossible for them to ry the existence of other System Users.


    There was also the rule put forth by the First Generation of Systems that had arrived at the world. It was to prevent a System Host from speaking about the existence of a System.


    Usually, no System Host wished to reveal their secret in fear that their Systems could be stolen through unforeseeable means. Secondly, they would be selected in such a way that their personalities would prevent them from saying this.


    Thanks to the existence of the System that made their life better, it would result in their ego blowing up. And, this would make them act as if everything they obtained was the fruits of their hard work, their perseverance, their undying pursuit of excellence.


    If suppose they revealed the existence of a System, it would make all theirpanions and the peanut gallery realise that everything he/she attained was only thanks to his System and not him.


    This would be a powerful mental blow. And since all Hosts that were picked up by a System had the relevant character in them, they never divulged the details.


    Though, just as what Compass Carburettor had experienced when he tried to tell the existence of the Systems to Epheme, they too wouldn¡¯t be able to utter the word. For those unaware of the truth, uttering the word ¡®System¡¯ wouldn¡¯t do anything.


    Thankfully for him, using Secret Society allowed him to divulge the details of the Systems to some of the key members that yed an active role.


    But, none of them could converse about it with others. The only way to do it was to pray to him, transmitting the contents to him before he ryed the same to the one that wished to receive this message.


    And for facing against a System, one couldn¡¯t even think in rted to it. Or, they had to constantly pray to him while thinking about the Systems. This way, all the thoughts and generated Mental Energy stream would flow to him and not the targeted System.


    This was the method Compass Carburettor used to keep the ve Harem System in the dark while also manipting Regriel¡¯spanions to think in ways that would provide it with false information.


    This involved multipleyers of brainwash and mental suggestions that were ced in a person¡¯s psychic without their knowledge, done through the usage of certain words and actions that had greater effect in their mind.


    As a merchant, this was pretty much his expertise.


    As for Krager, he was a lone wolf that now wished to steal Rhizen¡¯s fate. Even though his character was quite the trash, he had a couple of qualities that allowed him to be the perfect individual for this mission.


    As the four of them constantly kept moving, Krager¡¯s expression suddenly copsed, frowning as he made everyone stop, saying in seriousness, ¡°I don¡¯t remember this ce.¡±


    ¡°What? Weren¡¯t we proceeding about in a straight path until now?¡± Compass Carburettor was the first to retort, showing hisck of knowledge about the ce.


    ¡°No,¡± As someone that had been to the ce many times, Krager shook his head, saying, ¡°There were a lot of ces with root clusters where we picked the routes with a wider entrance. Theoretically, we went through the correct route, but,¡±


    ¡°Did we take a wrong route?¡± Frowning, he turned around, asking Neena, ¡°Since you are more familiar with this ce, can you lead us back to the original route?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been to this ce many times. It¡¯s just a small curve that runs parallel to the main route. It¡¯ll rejoin the main route a bit further down the path.¡± Neena said casually, showing that it wasn¡¯t of concern.


    As everyone began to continue walking after that, Krager soon noticed a familiar path,ughing as he said, ¡°Alright, we have returned to the original route. Thank you, Neena¡­¡±


    He then looked shocked, muttering, ¡°¡­where¡¯s Neena?¡±

 Chapter 179: Directional Misalignment

    <h4>Chapter 179: Directional Misalignment</h4>


    ¡®What¡­the heck happened?¡¯ was genuinely shocked. After all, he had been keeping an eye on all the members of the group, constantly listening to the sounds of footsteps that resounded in the ce.


    Moreover, the reason he had been conversing with everyone was to prevent such a thing from happening. After all, based on the name of the Systems, he obtained a gist of their abilities. And hence, he wished to prevent any unforeseen incidents from happening.


    But, it was unknown as to what it happened, but he had lost conscious track of Neena, which resulted in the current situation.


    Neena had vanished.


    The trio of men looked at each other, breaking a sweat as they came to a unanimous decision of searching around for her.


    They couldn¡¯t simply leave her behind, especially since they didn¡¯t know of her state. Except for Compass Carburettor, the other two thought of her as a regr human being.


    And, unwilling to be questioned by the authorities due to the disappearance of someone from their group, they earnestly searched for her.


    Compass Carburettor activated Info Scanner, frowning as he obtained the location of Neena, ¡®She¡¯s only 100 metres away from us.¡¯


    But, Neena remained at the same ce. And, when he tried to walk in her direction, he was rmed, noticing that he was actually walking in the opposite direction.


    Thankfully for him, Info Scanner allowed him to sense her position, allowing her to serve as a reference point as he observed how he was affected. Soon, he understood the cause.


    His thoughts were getting interrupted!


    Rather, they weren¡¯t actually interrupted, but his sense of direction was screwed up. The direction he thought of left was actually his right.


    Normally speaking, something like this wouldn¡¯t make sense. Even someone braindead won¡¯t mistake their left for their right. But now, he did exactly that.


    Moreover, in his mind, he was still of the thought that he had turned left. This was the scariest part.


    And worst of all, they were surrounded by trees, looking more or less the same. Even for nature enthusiasts, they wouldn¡¯t be attentive enough to spot the difference, not to mention them. Men as a species generally paid less attention to nature, especially when it was in abundance around them.


    Because, it was like a forest, with everything in disarray that their brains simply glossed over them.


    And in such a situation where they were confused from left and right, it would no longer make sense anymore.


    Confusing his left from right was only one instance. Sometimes, when he wished to turn right, he would walk straight, proceed diagonally to his right, turn around, etc.


    It was constantly changing. His sense of direction waspletely messed up.


    ¡°This is bad, I¡¯m unable to find her anywhere.¡± After some time, Rhizen said in a fluster. It had been an hour since Neena¡¯s disappearance. And while they were searching, thanks to their sense of direction beingpletely messed up, they coincidentally split up as a result.


    Due to that, they were alone, wandering around while hearing the sounds of others. But, before they realised it, they found themselves alone.


    Krager arrived at the main path, turning around to see a group approaching from far away. He recognised them to be the group that followed them at the start.


    As they had been speeding along, they had increased distance from the second group by a lot.


    ¡®For a moment, I feared that I had gotten lost.¡¯ Krager muttered before turning around as he began to run through the main path.


    Suddenly, he felt something different, smiling, ¡°Alright, the condition has been met. No one is seeing me now.¡±


    As he said it, his eyes turned scaly while his body rapidly shrunk, soon turning into a cat. As for his clothes and gear, they had mysteriously vanished.


    Meow!


    Followed by a short cry, the cat began to run through the main path, casually skipping upon the obstacles, ¡®Even after experiencing this many times, it is still a wonder as to how amazing a cat¡¯s muscles, senses, and reflexes are.¡¯


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Compass Carburettor suddenly grunted, feeling mild pain in his head as the connection to one of his Spydragons were abruptly cut off, ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡±


    The reason was that he had slipped in a Spydragon into the bags of both Krager and Neena. This way, he¡¯ll be able to track them all along. As he had only made two Spydragons, he was unable to track Rhizen.


    But, that wasn¡¯t necessary since the other two were definitely going to track him down.


    If not for the fact that the Spydragons weren¡¯t useful for determining the positions of others, he would have relied on the instead of Info Scanner. All they disyed was the increase in his Dac expenditure.


    With that, he¡¯ll have to calcte their rtive distance from him. And, this distance was the like the radius of a circle with their positions being anywhere on the circle.


    That was the inherent disadvantages of using a puppet. And, it was usually solved through the sense of the puppet which were able to ry the sensation of touch, sound, sight, and smell.


    Though, that was only with sophisticated Puppets. The Spydragon was a miniature Puppet. So, all it was able to ry was sight and sound. And, the current inferior versions ryed them with poor quality.


    If not for the fact that Info Scanner only relied upon Mental Energy to activate and every activation consuming around a tenth of his Mental Energy, he would have relied on it more.


    Once the Spydragon left on Krager had itsmunication cut off, Compass Carburettor immediately activated Info Scanner, sensing the other party running towards the peak of the mountain pretty fast.


    ¡®This is bad!¡¯ He was rmed, not because of Krager¡¯s actions, but because of the fact that Neena was slowly leading Rhizen deeper into the Eastern Range, trying to make him leave Mount Craire and head into more dangerous locations.


    As there had been a mild drizzle the previous night, the ces beyond Mount Craire would be teeming with leeches.


    rmed by the notion of Rhizen¡¯s death, Compass Carburettor hurried towards him, intending to save him when he grunted in anger. For, he had returned to his starting position by the time he came to a realisation, ¡®This damn ability!¡¯

 Chapter 180: Schemes Around Schemes Within Schemes

    <h4>Chapter 180: Schemes Around Schemes Within Schemes</h4>


    ¡®Dammit, what do I do here?¡¯ Compass Carburettor was worried when he thought of something, activating Info Scanner once again, sensing Neena.


    [Directional Misalignment (Level 1): 28 Mental Energy]


    ¡®Her Mental Energy has dropped by a lot.¡¯ He then understood the reason. Since they were constantly on the move, it meant the ability was being used a lot. And, for some reason, Krager had begun to run towards the peak of the mountain, hence evading the effect.


    After all, the target was only Rhizen. As for Compass Carburettor, since he was trying to rush towards Rhizen all along, he was still under the ability¡¯s effect. Moreover, upon understanding her ability, he didn¡¯t move too much, but still traversed enough distance by jutting to and fro.


    He was careful to not stumble through the side of the mountain and result in his death. And, since he was just considered an extra, the effect of the ability was only minor on him. As for Rhizen, the one fully targeted by the ability, the poor guy wasn¡¯t even aware and had gotten more and more lost in the woods.


    ¡®But, I thought the two of themmunicated with each other to target Rhizen?¡¯ Upon noticing the peculiarity of the issue, Compass Carburettor frowned, soon thinking of the reason, ¡®I see. The treasure that Rhizen would obtain should have been at the peak of Mount Craire. While he¡¯s roaming around here and risking his life thanks to Neena, Krager would obtain the treasure.¡¯


    It was a simple misunderstanding due to their actions. But in reality, the Quests of both Neena and Krager were different, hence this result.


    And, the Systems of both were ordered to do so by the Systems that were targeting the Coincidental Luck System, its actual enemies. They were aware that to not suffer a major loss, the Coincidental Luck System wouldn¡¯t have detailed anything to the System yer it had brought in, if it had done so in the first ce.


    So, this action was also targeting Compass Carburettor. Unfortunately, he fell for it. Because, the likelihood of it being a possibility was almost definite¡ªin his perspective.


    ¡®What the heck?¡¯ Just when he nned to take action when Neena¡¯s Mental Energy fell to rock bottom, he was rmed, noticing something right before the effect of Info Scanner vanished.


    [Directional Misalignment (Level 1): 9 Mental Energy]


    [Directional Misalignment (Level 1): 351 Mental Energy]


    ¡®How the heck is this possible?¡¯ He was rmed when he recalled the words of the ve Harem System, recognising the reason Systems were known as a cheat in the first ce.


    The Astral Network!


    It allowed them to buy and sell anything and everything through it. It was a mystical ce that had a connection to every world.


    And, to obtain the necessary Mental Energy, the Directional Misalignment System should have sold something.


    Having faced the effect of its Core Skill first-hand, he understood just how powerful it was. It was a versatile ability useful against any creature that moved. Unlike abilities that consisted of brute force, such abilities allowed one to unleash effectrgely superior to the energy consumed.


    All of it depended on one¡¯s nning. But with that, an ability like Directional Misalignment was of ster value.


    Now that Neena had enough Mental Energy to keep her ability ongoing, Compass Carburettor became more worried.


    Suddenly, he looked around, noticing a cobra coiled under a bush, aligning itself parallel to a tree root to remain discrete.


    ¡®I see, there is a chance this cobra had arrived here thanks to luck. It may or may not be the case, but anyway, it¡¯ll allow me to do something.¡¯ He thought, immediately making a decision.


    In his Anthozoa, one of the bullets was reced by the Core Skill of ve Harem. Since he was able to shoot System Fragments, he had wondered if he could do the same using his Core Skills too.


    And, it was possible. But, the only difference was the fact that when he used ve Harem normally, he could sustain its effect using Dac. But, when used through Anthozoa, he could only supply it with Mental Energy.


    After all, he wasunching a projectile. And, the consumed Mental Energy was dependent on the target¡¯s willpower. Also, only Mental Energy can form a stream that would instantly supply the bullet with the energy ordingly to the consumption.


    After all, thoughts were said to travel around the speed of light, give or take. So, the Mental Energy stream would be apanying the bullet towards his target.


    As he was aware of Neena¡¯s position, he faced his back towards her, summoning his Anthozoa before shooting at the cobra.


    The bulletnded on the cobra, causing it to flinch as something within it changed. As the bullet was condensed with the ability of ve Harem, the cobra didn¡¯t even notice anything touching it. Rather, it was rmed when its mind suddenly whirred into action.


    A couple of secondster, he shot another bullet at it. And this time, the bullet contained the ability of Secret Society, instantly making the cobra a member.


    ¡°Attack her!¡± Compass Carburettor ryed the instruction after bestowing the Skill of Intelligence to it. Moreover, he made it constantly pray to him, thereby preventing Neena¡¯s System from sensing it.


    To reduce the Mental Energy consumption, it seemed Neena had only been focusing the effect on him and Rhizen.


    He was unsure if Neena actually knew about her energy reserves or if the Directional Misalignment System had fed her some bullsh*t that made her privy to the Mental Energy reserves without actually knowing about it.


    He didn¡¯t care about it, for the time being, nodding in appreciation when the cobra sneaked behind her, immediately biting onto her hips where the fabric covering her was the thinnest.


    ¡°Kyak!¡± Neena flinched in response, turning around to see a cobranding on the ground before slithering away.


    Immediately, she was rmed, frantically looking through her bag to pull out a syringe that she used to suck out the poison from her hips.


    As someone that frequented the ce, she was aware of the existence of cobras on Mount Craire, even though they were really rare. Hence, she prepared a syringe to immediately suck out the poison, immediately swallowing an herbal paste that would help her condition long enough to reach a hospital for the antidote.


    But right at this time, the cobra bit onto her hip from the other side, causing her to shriek in response, now afraid.

 Chapter 181: Distraction is the Key

    <h4>Chapter 181: Distraction is the Key</h4>


    ¡®System! Save me!¡¯ Neena bellowed mentally, flustered when she was bit a second time. She then focused her Core Skill onto the cobra, causing it to move away from her when it tried to close in on her once again.


    [Ding!]


    [Fear not, Host]


    Upon hearing the System¡¯s voice, she visibly rxed. After all, in her mind, the System was omnipotent, capable of performing anything.


    It was because it bestowed upon her unimaginable power in a world where superpowers seemed a thing of fiction. Moreover, it had pulled her out of tough situations quite a few times already. So, her level of confidence in her System was at an all-time high.


    Immediately, herboured breathing returned to normal as she noticed the two wounds on her hips close automatically. Moreover, she felt slightly stronger than usual, causing her to feel another bout of surprise.


    ¡®Hahaha, I¡¯ll be unrivalled one day.¡¯ She recalled the abuse she had experienced, the eve-teasing she had to endure, and the bullying she had to face every day. That had been one of the reasons she trekked on Mount Craire almost every time.


    It wasn¡¯t because she loved nature that much, but this was her only way to escape from the stress of her daily life. She had a sh*tty working environment, a sh*tty family that never tried to understand her and shattered her dreams, and a sh*tty husband who was also an alcoholic that leeched off of her.


    Once she obtained the System, the first thing she did was use the ability on her husband, causing him to walk straight into a moving truck, ending his life.


    Her colleagues that had tortured her mentally too suffered the same fate. Some died from traffic idents, some stumbled from the flight of stairs, or some simply lost bnce, hit their head on a sharp object and died.


    The cause of their deaths varied, but all of them met their justified end. Her power appeared simple at first nce, but it was enough to wreak havoc in anyone¡¯s life.


    Her boss, a careful man was one day showing a dignitary through their office. She didn¡¯t explicitly use her abilities. Rather, all she did was subtly affect the actions of the boss¡¯s right hand, causing it to feel up the dignitary¡¯sher regions in public.


    In actuality, the boss had nned to pick up a file ced on the nearby desk. The rest was a pitiful history of his shame.


    With the ones that troubled her gone, she was able to work better, receiving praise from the director that immediately noticed her talent. Within a week since getting the System, she received a promotion and destroyed everyone that caused her suffering in the past.


    Even though countless rumours went about in the office about her, making it seem as if she had personally killed everyone, she didn¡¯t care about it. There was no proof. So, it could simply be brushed off as the jealousy of others.


    Besides, her work ethic and calibre were indeed noticed by the director and a couple other people of importance in thepany. Countless changes happened as soon as she obtained her power, allowing her to control people in the palm of her hands.


    After all, she could simply affect the hands of people, making them p others, ce them in inappropriate ces, prevent them from working, etc.


    Anything rted to motion, she was able to affect them. Unless the world was a static ce, her ability couldn¡¯t be guarded against.


    This was the source of her confidence.


    Now that the venom in her had been purified, her injuries healed while her body strengthened a bit, she felt confident. Suddenly, she closed her eyes, using her ability to scan her surroundings, observing everything that moved, noticing the figure of Compass Carburettor pulling Rhizen with him as they reached the main path.


    ¡®Dammit! My ns were foiled because of this stupid snake.¡¯ She grunted in anger, deciding, ¡°Anyway, I still have the rest of the day. I¡¯llplete it before then.¡±


    Getting up, she began to walk towards the duo, wishing to find another opportunity to target Rhizen again.


    ¡­


    ¡®Sess!¡¯ Compass Carburettor pumped his fists mentally upon noticing that the effect of Directional Misalignment had vanished once the cobra had bit Neena.


    The ability was actually used by the Host and not the System. A System was unable to use any ability beyond simply activating it.


    It was how the ve Harem System had activated the Skill of Overdrive. It was the same for ve Harem too. Regriel was the one using and manipting the abilities.


    Simrly, the Directional Misalignment System had given the ability to Neena, allowing her to activate it on free will. Therefore, she had to consciously control the effects to ensure the affected people moved ording to her wishes.


    The moment her concentration was broken, the effect of the ability vanished.


    This was the reason Systems used Hosts in the worlds apart from the System World. It was because the most they could do in such worlds was to simply activate their ability. They were unable to control the abilities like they could in the System World.


    Therefore, the System Host was a necessity to best control this ability.


    This was also the reason the Coincidental Luck System never showed its identity to Rhizen. It only kept its ability active, causing him to unconsciously use it ording to various situations.


    Having understood this process, Compass Carburettor had worked to disrupt Neena¡¯s concentration. And, the moment the effect vanished, he hurried through the mountain slope, shouting, ¡°Rhizen! Where the heck did you go?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± Rhizen shouted in response, hearing his voice faintly.


    The both of them then followed their voices before meeting up with each other, ¡°Did you also get lost?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Rhizen said, wiping his sweat, ¡°I¡¯m not used to mountains. So, once I walked away from the trekking path, I lost my way. So, I was just nning on descending the mountain and returning to the town.¡±


    ¡°That was risky,¡± Compass Carburettor said, bringing him back to the main path as he showed the view from the height, ¡°If you had continued to descend in that direction, you would have entered the forest nearby and not the town.¡±


    ¡°You would probably have taken a bath with the leeches.¡±

 Chapter 182: A Possibility

    <h4>Chapter 182: A Possibility</h4>


    ¡°Eww, did you really have to word it like that?¡± Rhizen¡¯s body shivered as he pictured the scene of tens of thousands of leeches squirming on his body. He then pped his forehead in a flurry, ¡°Damn you! Now, I can¡¯t take that image out of my head.¡±


    ¡°Haha, you should thank me for preventing it from bing a reality.¡± Compass Carburettorughed in response, then putting on a solemn tone, ¡°Both Neena and Krager have now vanished.¡±


    ¡°Shall we inform the authorities?¡± Rhizen took out his mobile, sighing as he noticed that there was no signal reception.


    ¡°I think so too,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, thinking of a way to make Rhizen reach the top of the mountain when he heard a flurry of footsteps.


    Turning around, he noticed the figure of Neena running towards them, tears in her eyes.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Even though he was aware of her scheme, he couldn¡¯t show that in his expression, hence donning on a concerned look as he asked her.


    ¡°A c-cobra.¡± Neena trembled in fright, saying, ¡°When I saw it, I froze up in fright. I had climbed a tree and was waiting for it to go away until now.¡±


    ¡°You should have shouted. We would havee to your rescue.¡± Rhizen said immediately, asking, ¡°You¡¯re not injured, are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Neena patted her chest, calming her thumping heart as she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t wish to alert the cobra and irritate it. There was a chance it would strike me in such a case, so I was remaining silent all along.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you are fine.¡± Compass Carburettor patted her shoulder, asking, ¡°Do you still want to trek the mountain or return?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll continue trekking.¡± Neena said, ¡°Stuff like these would happen from time to time. That¡¯s also a part of the trekking experience.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s get moving.¡± Rhizen said, then wondering as he asked Compass Carburettor, ¡°Do you have any idea where Krager went off to?¡±


    ¡°Thest I saw him, he went in the direction of the main path and seemed to be heading up. Maybe he thought it would be easier for him to find her location from high up.¡± Compass Carburettor pointed at Neena.


    He was just mediating between the group, knowing very well the objective of the two System Hosts. Now that he understood Neena¡¯s threat, he wished to see just how strong Krager was and find out about his Skills.


    Only after he understood his enemies clearly would he be able to devise ns against them, ¡®But first, I should injure them somehow when Rhizen isn¡¯t looking. I should also make it a coincidence.¡¯


    It was because killing a System Host was impossible in a general sense. Anything that would cause instant death wouldn¡¯t be effective against them.


    Otherwise, he could casually summon his Anthozoa and shoot Neena in the head. But, if he actually tried that, she might coincidentally trip at that time to evade the bullet. A bird could m into his gun to throw his aim off.


    Or even a bolt of lightning could strike him out of nowhere. Something coincidental would happen that would prevent the System Host from facing an instant death. After all, that¡¯s the inherent trait every System possessed.


    So, the only way he would be able to kill Neena is in the case where her Mental Energy reached zero and the Directional Misalignment System had no other way to procure Mental Energy in that window of time.


    He had attempted to verify it just now using the cobra. Using his Anthozoa would reveal his identity as a System yer. After all, the bullets in it were full of the Laws of the Earth. To anyone else, they were just regr bullets.


    But when the bullets hit a System Host, they would struggle for a moment as the Laws of the Earth would interfere with the System¡¯s abilities. It was a clear giveaway.


    So, he would only be able to use the gun when he was assured of the kill.


    When trying to attack Neena, the cobra had actually coiled itself around a shrub and intended to target her neck. But, right as it reached the necessary height, the stem of the shrub broke coincidentally.


    Due to that, it had no other choice but to target her hip before falling on the ground.


    It confirmed his thesis that as long as a System had some Mental Energy remaining in it, killing its Host was impossible. But, injuring them was possible.


    And, as long as the injuries aren¡¯t severe enough to permanently obtain a part of its power, it was possible to injure a System Host.


    In the case with Regriel when he first severed his hands, had he tried to target Regriel¡¯s hip to sever him in half, it would have resulted in a failure. Because, with thatrge a body part, once refined, he would at least be able to obtain one of Regriel¡¯s Skills¡ªfor example, Minor Healing.


    That meant stealing the Skill permanently from the ve Harem System. So, its trait would kick in, preventing such a possibility. Something would happen coincidentally that would disrupt the attack, allowing Regriel to obtain the treasure hidden there without trouble.


    As for Neena, it didn¡¯t seem like she had any other Skills apart from her Core Skill. So, as long as he only targeted her fingers or the like, it would be possible to injure her and obtain a System Fragment as a result.


    ¡®Though, since she has a lot of Mental Energy now, there is a possibility of her System buying a couple of Skills to help her. I shouldn¡¯t ignore that possibility.¡¯ Finished with his thoughts, Compass Carburettorughed, saying after looking at Neena¡¯s expression, ¡°It should be the case.¡±


    ¡°I hope so,¡± Neena snorted. Even though she herself was putting on an act, she understood based on their actions that Compass Carburettor and Rhizen had genuinely searched for her.


    But as for Krager, after putting on a kind act, he had simply gone away. It showed his character.


    As a specialist of acting himself, Compass Carburettor was able to see through Neena¡¯s acting. And upon seeing that Neena was genuinely disgusted by Krager¡¯s behaviour, a train of thought hit him, ¡®Could it be?¡¯


    ¡®If it¡¯s like this, then things would be interesting.¡¯ Heughed mentally, socialising with the other two while they continued to trek up the mountain.

 Chapter 183: A Pomeranian’s Picture

    <h4>Chapter 183: A Pomeranian¡¯s Picture</h4>


    ¡®If it is really true that the two System Hosts don¡¯t know the existences of each other. Then¡­¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, ¡®I should be able to drive a wedge between them. But, it shouldn¡¯t be explicit to the extent they be antagonistic to each other. A Quest would arrive from their respective Systems to prevent that.¡¯


    ¡®It should be something that is brewing within them that I would be able to take advantage of only once. But, that should be definite.¡¯ A scheme brewed within his mind as Compass Carburettor continued to scale up the mountain.


    After some time passed, he put on a worried expression, ¡°Did Krager get lost?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been on this mountain enough times to never get lost.¡± Neena snorted, evidently expressing her displeasure.


    ¡°Now, now, he¡¯s not that type of guy.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled wryly, waving his hand in defence, ¡°Maybe he sprained his legs and is now resting somewhere. We¡¯ll be able to find him once we reach the top.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep a lookout around us,¡± Rhizen interjected as his eyes trailed over the path and the slope below.


    ¡®Hmph, Compass is too na?ve.¡¯ Neena snorted mentally, ¡®It seems Krager came here for some reason. And once the chance presented itself, he abandoned us to go on his own.¡¯


    ¡®I felt a strange sense of danger when I met him before.¡¯ She thought, ¡®He¡¯s dangerous. When I get a chance, I should get rid of him just to be on the safer side.¡¯


    She then gazed at the back of Rhizen, thinking, ¡®But first, I should get rid of him. I can think about others once Iplete the Quest.¡¯


    As they continued to walk, the trio passed by the group that had started fifth. For a moment, the group looked at them in surprise, wondering when the first group had slowed down so much.


    But soon, the trio overtook one group after another, eventually crossing the second group as they continued to trek up the mountain.


    Since it was around 10:00 AM now, most of the groups had stopped to eat some breakfast before moving on. Using this chance, the trio overtook them, gaining a lead on them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat now.¡± Compass Carburettor said after a moment of thought, thinking that a food session was the best time for him to sow seeds of discord.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Neena and Rhizen nodded in response before they found afortable boulder to sit upon. Taking out their lunches, they ate in silence.


    Upon seeing the atmosphere that wasn¡¯t as much jovial now, Compass Carburettor sighed mentally, understanding that he couldn¡¯t talk about Krager unnecessarily. It would be apparent that he was trying to wedge friction between them and Krager.


    ¡°Oh yeah, have any of you visited Deison city recently?¡± He suddenly asked, causing the other two to look at him in confusion.


    ¡°I¡¯ve visited there a couple of months ago. Why do you ask?¡± Neena replied, her curiosity evident.


    Putting on a smug look, Compass Carburettor took out a picture from his bag, ¡°One of my friends from there found this circting on the inte. He sent me this picture.¡±


    Saying so, he took out the picture of a Pomeranian. It was obviously the one that made headlines on the news recently. He had obtained it from Dr. Gregesh.


    Obviously, he was told to not circte it to others. But, the ones before him were special in that one was the main character of this world while the other was a System Host whose objective was to kill the said main character.


    Of course, he had a reason for showing it to them in the first ce.


    ¡°This¡­!¡± Neena¡¯s eyes widened in shock as she stared at the image, saying, ¡°Is this¡­still a Pomeranian?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, watching Neena stare at the image curiously before shuddering in response.


    ¡°It¡¯s a fake,¡± Rhizen said suddenly, pointing at a couple of locations, ¡°See the obvious difference in lightning here. There¡¯s also a motion blur near its tail, which would have only been possible if it was alive and had been wriggling its tail. But, the image is of a dead creature. Someone good at photoshop had worked on this.¡±


    ¡°My friend said it was real though,¡± Compass Carburettor frowned, clearly acting like he was irritated at his ims being refuted.


    ¡°Give me 30 minutes and I can make an even more realistic image.¡± Rhizen retorted, ¡°There¡¯s already the images of the Yeti being circted around the inte. Most of them are fake that¡¯s done using photoshop.¡±


    He then shook his head, looking at Compass Carburettor, ¡°Unless you received this image from an actual scientist, it¡¯s bogus.¡±


    ¡®This guy is probing me.¡¯ Compass Carburettor understood immediately, sensing that Rhizen was aware of what was happening, and probably even more than himself. And now, after stumbling upon another clue, he was probing for information from him while refuting the ims.


    Based on Compass Carburettor¡¯s exhibited character, he would obviously blurt out some sensitive information that would allow him to get some clues.


    ¡®Is he really a System Host? This guy has actual brains.¡¯ Compass Carburettor was subtly surprised as he put on an irritated expression, ¡°No, I can guarantee that this is real. The one that sent me this image works in the gov¡­¡±


    He then abruptly shut his mouth, looking irritated as he took the picture from Neena¡¯s hands and ced it within his bag. He then gobbled a couple of mouthfuls of his food before getting up, slinging his bag on his back.


    Followed by a click of his tongue, he walked away, ¡°I¡¯ll be going first.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have refuted him that hard.¡± Neena chided Rhizen, ¡°Now he¡¯s kinda sulking.¡±


    ¡°Haha, sorry, my bad.¡± Rhizen smiled wryly, ¡°I¡¯m just not good at this.¡±


    Even though that was what he said, his thoughts were elsewhere, ¡®It seems more and more people are beginning to sense the changes. Even though Compass said the picture was circting the inte, that should be a lie. Obviously, he has connections with the authorities.¡¯


    ¡®He has been trying to hide it, but his actions, mannerisms, bodynguage, etc. are all evidence that he¡¯s from a prominent family. He should havee to trek this mountain in hopes of stumbling upon a simr mutated creature to brag about with his friendster.¡¯ Rhizen thought, calmly finishing his food as he too got up. ¡®Unfortunately, he¡¯s underestimating this issue.¡¯


    At the same time, Neena had finished eating too, getting up like she didn¡¯t mind the actions of Compass Carburettor. But in her mind, she was conversing with her System, ¡®Is the picture real, System?¡¯


    [Yes]

 Chapter 184: Coincidences

    <h4>Chapter 184: Coincidences</h4>


    [Yes]


    Upon hearing the System¡¯s response, Neena frowned, faintly shuddering as she asked, ¡®Will more of such things ur?¡¯


    Upon seeing the System remain silent after that, Neena was perturbed, worrying about her ns going awry. She only wished to use her abilities to gain a better life and eventually be the head of apany.


    That way, she would truly reach the peak of her career. After that, she would marry a handsome man, get a happy family and lead a life of vanity for the rest of her life in a massive mansion.


    But, if creatures like the Pomeranian she saw becamemonce, then things would be hard for her. The number of variables would increase, causing many things to change in their society.


    She didn¡¯t want that. As she thought as such, Neena gazed at the back of Compass Carburettor, frowning, ¡®It seems you are the key to knowing more about this, Compass.¡¯


    She then decided to probe for more information from him.


    ¡®Alright, I¡¯ve baited them both.¡¯ Compass Carburettor mentally smiled upon sensing the emotions behind the Mental Energy streams they emitted.


    This was something he was wondering about all along. At the start, when he first met them, he didn¡¯t receive any Mental Energy from them despite them talking to him¡ªexcluding Rhizen. But after some time had passed, they had begun generating Mental Energy when they thought of him.


    It puzzled him at first, unable to understand as to why such a thing happened. As for him, when he wasn¡¯t thinking of any deep thoughts, he opened a small hole in his Mental Energy Form, causing a Mental Energy stream tond on them while he was conversing with them.


    This way, his identity wouldn¡¯t be revealed.


    As he always depended on Mental Energy to confirm his thoughts and suspicions of others, he had been especially attentive against the System Hosts, including Rhizen.


    As long as the Systems within the System Hosts sensed Mental Energy streams being generated from him, they wouldn¡¯t pay him any attention, thinking that he was just another regr human.


    But if he didn¡¯t generate any Mental Energy, even while talking to them, then it would be odd. They would immediatelye to realise that he was either a System Host or the System yer hired by the Coincidental Luck System.


    His identity would be revealed immediately.


    And that would cause all his ns to fall apart.


    At least, until now, no System with a power simr to his Info Scanner had made an appearance. So, that gave him a guarantee that his identity wouldn¡¯t be found out through a System¡¯s basic level of probing done through the Mental Energy.


    When he first talked with Rhizen, he was surprised to sense Mental Energy from the other party. It seemed the Coincidental Luck System had no reason to hide them, despite the fact that probably every System that entered this world would have known about his identity.


    That was when he also thought of not hiding his thoughts before the System Hosts, at least when he conversed with them. And, when he meditated, that was all he focused upon, refining his thoughts to maintain a clearer state of mind.


    This way, his mind wouldn¡¯t suddenly think of any thought that would reveal information about him to the enemy when he opened a hole in his Mental Energy form.


    If he didn¡¯t exercise firm control over his mind, he was bound to fail, especially against opponents of such calibre.


    He determined that the level of rashness Neena and Krager exhibited differed aspared to Regriel. They were all trashes in a certain way but weren¡¯t as basic as Regriel.


    If Regriel was a one-dimensional character, then Neena and Krager were probably between that and a two-dimensional character.


    Of course, he only concluded that after carefully observing them for a quarter day.


    ¡­


    Meow!


    A cat skipped over a wall of tree roots that jutted out of the ground,nding on a small rocky patch as it looked at the crown of trees before it.


    It noticed a silhouette within the thicket of trees, calmly unfurling something. The cat slowly walked forward, absolutely silent in its steps, inching forth like the predator it was, crouching a little with the intention of pouncing upon the enemy.


    All it saw was the shadow within the thicket of trees. As, even though it was bright now, the canopy of the thicket of treespletely blocked any light from entering in, causing the ce to be almost dark. If not for the sunlight casting on them horizontally after being reflected by the nearby rocks, it would have been impossible for even the cat to see anything within.


    Just when it was about to pounce upon its enemy, the shadow of something loomed above its head. Though, the shadow was a mere dot. But, within a second, it increased in size until covering three times the size of its body.


    The cat¡¯s hairs stood on end in rm as it jumped back in a hurry when suddenly, the shadow aiming for it abruptly stopped when it was two feet above the ground.


    It unfurled its wings, unveiling a grand wingspan of three metres as it used the momentum of its dive and its abrupt pause to unleash a powerful gust of wind that urately locked onto the cat, as if the bird knew its direction of jump beforehand.


    The gust of wind was like a shockwave that mmed into the cat, sending it reeling into the air before it mmed into the trunk of a tree, unable to even orient itself, bleeding as it slid to the ground.


    The cat noticed that the creature that attacked it resembled an eagle at first nce but also had traits of a vulture. And, it was rmingly huge but possessed the lithe and light-bodied grace a bird had.


    And, held in its beak was arge worm that it had hunted. When it was returning to its nest, it had coincidentally noticed the cat sneaking towards its nest, taking action.


    Even though it seemed like the cat had suffered injuries from the impact, it had already healed itselfpletely. But despite that, ity there, looking like it was unable to move, meowing in pain, trying to use its injuries as bait.


    The bird looked at the cat, staring at it as it took a step forward. But right at this time, a mango that had been growing on the tree fell off, its stem being damaged from the cat¡¯s impact. As it had ripened, it fell from the slightest impact.


    And coincidentally, it fell on the cat¡¯s tail, causing it to spring up in rm instinctively, paling in response when it noticed that it had jumped towards the bird instead.

 Chapter 185: Cat/Snake/Parrot/Human Vs Bird

    <h4>Chapter 185: Cat/Snake/Parrot/Human Vs Bird</h4>


    Upon seeing the cat jump right at it, the bird took off to the air, using its ws to urately grab hold of the cat¡¯s tail before flying away.


    When the cat tried to use its superior body¡¯s reflexes to grab onto the bird¡¯s ws, the bird swerved in the air, using the generated inertia to throw off the cat¡¯s bnce, constantly causing it to dangle at the end of its tail.


    Before long, the bird reached a height of hundred metres in the air, letting go of its hold.


    Followed by a fierce screech, the cat began to fall towards the ground, elerating as it fell. It swerved its head, watching the rocky surface beneath, continuing to screech in dismay.


    Suddenly, it turned into a parrot, pped its wings, and oriented itself. Though, before it managed to gather its bearings, the birdnded on its back, using its ws to grab hold of the parrot¡¯s wings, mming it onto the ground.


    The m caused a forceful thud, causing blood to leak from the parrot¡¯s body. Having witnessed its previous feign of death, and the mysterious transformation ability it showed, the bird didn¡¯t let go of its hold, lifting the parrot a metre high before mming it onto the ground once again.


    But when it was about to do the same a third time, the parrot that looked like it had died turned into a snake and coiled around it, constricting it, preventing it from pping its wings.


    Even though it was just a rat snake andcked any venom, it still wished to use its mouth to damage the bird¡¯s eyes first. That way, the bird would be unable to target it, allowing it to hunt the other party.


    But, right as the snake thought as such, the bird opened its beak. And, exiting it was its tongue, or at least, that was what it should have been once. But, its tongue currently resembled a snake, possessing a pair of teeth on its front, with lots of mrs to grind things better.


    The tongueshed out as the teeth opened wider before wholly mping upon the snake¡¯s neck, digging into it. Suddenly, the bird¡¯s instincts warned it as the tongue leg go of its hold, retracting on time right when the snake morphed into a grown man.


    Using the window of opportunity, the bird pped its wings and took off to the skies, actually using the opportunity as his transforming face coincidentally came in its way. Using its ws, it pierced into his eyes, dug out his eyeballs, and flew up.


    ¡°Argh!¡± Krager screamed in pain as a mysterious energy enveloped his body, causing him to regrow another pair of eyes. But still, the sensation of pain coursed through his nerves, causing him to roll on the ground.


    Until now, the wounds were still at a level that he could endure somehow. But, the pain of his eyes being roughly gouged out was beyond what he could tolerate. And, it seemed the bird had done so coincidentally in a way that generated the maximum pain for him, almost sending him unconscious.


    Unable to deal with it, he shot a look at the thicket of trees, ring at the shadowy figure that remained in the same ce as before, uncaring about the battle that transpired.


    As the bird was just about to attack him, he tumbled into the thicket of trees on the other side, rolling down the mountain slope for a dozen metres before he stopped, coughing out a mouthful of blood in response.


    His injuries healed automatically as he groaned in regret, ¡°Dammit, I wasted so much contribution points that I gathered over a week.¡±


    The Beast Form System gave him a great ruse. And, that was the contribution points. It would generate Quests to him, allowing him to act as an animal for a certain duration, perform a certain task as the respective animal, etc.


    These actions would of course cause a lot of people to observe him¡ªwhile as an animal. After all, when pets performed weird antics, people loved to observe and record such actions. And some would even be viral on the inte.


    That was the fastest way to gather Mental Energy. So, the Beast Form System used this method.


    And, the contribution points allowed Krager to select through a variety of abilities in a System Shop that it created exclusively for him, most of which were one-off use. In this way, he was always at a shortage of contribution points while in actuality, the Beast Form System possessed that ability and gave him to use them once before retracting it.


    It was casually toying with his efforts. But, the abilities it presented were lucrative enough that Krager alwaysined about the Quests not being in enough number.


    Depending on theplexity of the Quest involved, the rewarded contribution points varied. And, this current Quest had by far the most contribution points he had ever seen. It was ten times the amount he had amassed till now in total.


    Moreover, unlike Neena, he was aware of the creatures mutating, since the core of the Beast Form System was to y beasts, devour them, and turn into themter.


    And, his Quest detailed that at the peak of Mount Craire were some mutated creatures. And, one of them hadid an egg, the first of its kind for a mutated creature.


    Thanks to its mutations, the hatched creature would be one of a kind. Upon devouring it, he would obtain its beast form, able to turn into it in the future. Moreover, he would also unlock the secret power of the apocalypse as a result, allowing him to lead humanity as a hero.


    That was the reason this was addressed as the First Quest of the Main Quest. It was unlike all the Quests he had performed until now, which were only addressed as Side Quests.


    Groaning in defeat, Krager sighed in frustration when his senses were rmed, causing him to immediately turn into a snake and slither under a root. He then observed a massive shadow stealthily pass by, causing him to be afraid for a moment before his eyes glinted with greed.


    ¡®Here¡¯s my chance!¡¯

 Chapter 186: Scheming Against the Schemer

    <h4>Chapter 186: Scheming Against the Schemer</h4>


    ¡®So, Krager already reached the peak.¡¯ Compass Carburettor sighed, sensing his connection to his Spydragon getting re-established the moment Krager returned to his human form. Soon after, the connection vanished once again.


    But, he couldn¡¯t care about that, frowning in worry as he looked at the fear-stricken figure of Neena beside him, trembling like a leaf, feeling the urge to roll his eyes in annoyance.


    It was apparent that the situation was her doing.


    Everything started once they had their breakfast. The trio continued to trek once Rhizen and Neena caught up to him. After that, they proceeded in such a manner in silence for a good hour before frowning suddenly, sensing mild vibrations course through the ground beneath them.


    ¡°Strange, was this ce a tremor prone zone?¡± Compass Carburettor asked in confusion. He had checked before to see if any natural cmities existed on Mount Craire. And, evenndslides hadn¡¯t happened since the trees on the mountain were old and had long roots.


    So, they firmly held everything, preventing a phenomenon like andslide from happening here. Besides, Mount Craire was a rain-shadow region. So, it didn¡¯t receive frequent rains. And, the downpour, when it happened, wasn¡¯t excessive enough to cause andfall.


    But, he acted surprised, just to see what Neena had to say, intending to probe her and see if she had been the cause. That was why he looked in her direction while shouting as such. He was hinting at the fact that since she was a local, she should be more aware of it than them.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve never felt anything like this.¡± Neena¡¯s voice trembled, looking like she was scared. After all, the intensity of the tremor intensified when she pointed at a nearby tree, ¡°That tree has deep roots and a strong trunk. It won¡¯t be uprooted or copse even in the event of an earthquake happening.¡±


    There were less than ten metres from the tree she pointed at. And in their hurry, they nodded, beginning to run towards it in an effort to reach it before the quaking intensified.


    Through the Mental Energy stream Neena generated while replying to him, Compass Carburettor understood that she was the culprit behind this quake. Moreover, he focused on the trees far away while running, seeing them standing perfectly still.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Only their vicinity was under this effect. And right as they approached the tree, the ground beneath them caved in, causing them to tumble through a tunnel and fall through.


    It was filled to the brim with roots where insects grew in abundance. It was a sign that this tunnel existed naturally and wouldn¡¯t have caved in if the quake hadn¡¯t urred.


    But, coincidentally, it had urred, causing them all to fall in. The tree Neena pointed at remained outside the copse.


    And, Neena had actually managed to reach there first, ahead of the other two, taking the lead at the start. And in actuality, she simply wished to save herself and cause the other two to fall into the tunnel for her ns to fruition.


    But, since Compass Carburettor knew about her ns, why would he allow her to preserve her Mental Energy? So, he behaved like it was an ident done during their hurry and coiled his hands around her hips.


    Though at the start, only his left hand grabbed hold of her dress, and when he began to fall into the tunnel, he instinctivelytched onto her, making the entire process seem natural, like that of a panic-stricken youth struggling to grasp at all straws in a moment of crisis to save himself.


    As he was obviously heavier than her and since she hadn¡¯t stabilised her footing from all the quakes, he dragged her too into the tunnel as all three rolled through it, sliding at times before resuming their rolling.


    The screeches of countless bugs, a variety of them caused the hairs on their skin to stand on end while their expressions turned pale. Even during the adrenaline rush of their fall, the sounds of the insects caused all their attention to focus on that.


    More than a dozen secondster, their descent ended as they stopped after hitting a boulder.


    As his head spun, Compass Carburettor was unable to make out anything. Not only was the ce pitch ck, but his senses also continued to spin like it had be drunk, preventing him from even making out the sounds around him.


    And, before he could gather his bearings, he was rmed as he repeatedly stomped on the ground, wriggling his body while dusting his pants in a flurry. He felt countless insects trying to crawl all over him, seriously regretting his decision.


    But, he gritted his teeth, persisting. After all, if even he was like this, then it shouldn¡¯t be said about a woman¡­


    ¡°Kyak!¡± Neena suddenly screamed in horror as she used her ability in full swing, causing all the insects trying to climb over her to retreat. And, as she hadn¡¯t limited the ability, even Compass Carburettor and Rhizen, the two that were next to her were able to sigh in relief once all the insects left them and retreated.


    Even though they couldn¡¯t see, they could sense through the reduction in the sound from the insects¡¯ screeches.


    ¡°Dammit, my phone died.¡± Rhizen seemed rtively calm as he tried to find a source of light first, cursing when he noticed his phone had been smashed into two during their tumble. He was also hurt in a lot of ces, so he wasn¡¯t feeling well.


    Compass Carburettor fished out his cellphone, at this time appreciating the thought of buying a basic model. It barely suffered a scratch as he switched it on, increasing its brightness. It didn¡¯t have a shlight, but in this darkness, even the light from its screen was enough to highlight their surroundings clearly.


    And, when she saw the scene, even though she had set the trap herself, Neena was unable to endure, immediately losing her bnce.


    He didn¡¯t wish to see her lose consciousness. After all, that would cause her ability to deactivate. He wanted her to expend as much Mental Energy as possible.


    So, Compass Carburettor hurriedly came to her rescue, catching her as he allowed her to regain her bnce. And, since her legscked strength from fear, he allowed her to lean on him.

 Chapter 187: Everything and Nothing Can Be a Coincidence

    <h4>Chapter 187: Everything and Nothing Can Be a Coincidence</h4>


    ¡°W-What the heck is this ce?¡± Neena trembled while speaking.


    Before, when she was scouting through Mount Craire while her trekking, she had discovered such a tunnel.


    Her ability allowed her to manipte the directions of any creature. And, there was a hidden application in this ability. In that, if she didn¡¯t actually manipte any living creature, but just kept it active, she was able to sense every living creature in her surroundings.


    That was also how she was able to urately manipte their actions.


    So, using this, she strolled through the ce, intending to scout for any natural locations that she could use as traps. After all, any human-made traps would be too obvious. And, there was a good chance someone unsuspecting would trigger it.


    Besides, she alone wasn¡¯t able to make it, not without being spotted by others. There was also too much danger involved.


    So, scouting for natural traps was the best bet. And, she was hinted by the System that as long as she created a sound enough n, the System would loan her with the relevant abilities.


    That excited her greatly. Just Directional Misalignment caused her to be tremendously powerful and gain a lot of benefits within a week.


    So, if she obtained even more abilities¡­


    Her greed was triggered.


    Thanks to that, she figured out three trap locations. The first one had already been used. It was the alternate path where she wished to send Rhizen towards the forest of the nearby mountain and make the leeches prey upon him.


    Since that n failed, she was hoping for the second one to pay off, which was a harsher ce.


    She had discovered the tunnel by sensing the insects squirming within. Upon judging the curvature of the tunnel that became more and more vertical as it proceeded down, and the cave at the end, it allowed her to understand that this was a sure-fire trap.


    After all, there was no way to climb up from the cave, as the walls there didn¡¯t have anything to hold on to. The tree roots only spanned closer to the entrance of the tunnel.


    So, once Rhizen was trapped there, he would either die of starvation or be devoured by the insects, quite the bunch of which should have been poisonous.


    He would definitely die in this ce. After all, only with such a sure kill method would she have a guarantee of killing him.


    Because, it wasn¡¯t her first attempt at his life. When she got the Quest, she tracked down Rhizen thanks to a one-time ability she received from the System.


    After that, she tried to cause him to die from traffic idents when Rhizen coincidentally visited the city that day. But, right when a car was about to ram into him, the driver disyed driving skills surpassing a pro and deftly curved around him like water moving around a rock.


    Rhizen survived the ident without a scratch. Though, the driver got down from the car and drowned Rhizen in a bunch of expletives for the next thirty minutes, only returning to drive when his throat felt dry from shouting so long.


    And, that wasn¡¯t the only time she had tried as such. But every time, something coincidentally would happen that prevented Rhizen from falling victim to the crisis. And most of the time, he was oblivious to such things happening around him.


    It made Neena realise that there was a reason Rhizen was given as a target to her by her System. It was because he was a damn lucky guy. His luck was to such an extent that her ability proved useless against him.


    Even when she tried to personally influence his body to walk into a truck, the truck driver would m the brakes, stopping right before him. No matter what she tried, Rhizen never truly suffered a loss.


    And sometimes, she would trip on the road when there was nothing to make her trip in the first ce. It had started ever since she decided to aim for Rhizen¡¯s life and continued to worsen as the days passed.


    It caused her to realise that only by killing Rhizen would she be freed from such unfortunate incidents. Of course, the System had offered a couple of words to cement this possibility in her mind.


    So, she began to scheme deeper after that, creating three traps on Mount Craire. Since she trekked it all the time, it was easy for her to do so.


    She was assured that as long as Rhizen fell into the tunnel, he wouldn¡¯t be able to survive. Moreover, it was a natural ident, an unfortunate ident.


    No me would befall her for that. After all, there was no proof. It wasn¡¯t like a human could affect nature. That wasn¡¯t possible. So, no one would think that she was involved in his death.


    But now, her second n too backfired. Moreover, this time, she too was pulled into it. As she had her Directional Misalignment switched on all along, she had been observing the actions of Compass Carburettor and Rhizen.


    And, she watched the ground cave right under Rhizen, causing him to lose bnce as he began to fall into the tunnel. As he iled his hands instinctively, he coincidentally grabbed onto Compass Carburettor¡¯s bag, pulling him as a result.


    And, thanks to this, Compass Carburettor lost bnce, iling when this happened, coincidentally grabbing hold of Neena¡¯s dress, eventually managing to wrap his hands around her as all three were dragged into the tunnel.


    Everything happened coincidentally, causing her to feel like she would die from anger. If only she had moved an inch forward, then Compass Carburettor wouldn¡¯t have grabbed hold of her dress, and she wouldn¡¯t have been pulled into the tunnel, suffering an experience where the insects climbed over her body.


    In this situation, even Compass Carburettor hadn¡¯t realised that the same situation would have taken ce even if he hadn¡¯t schemed against Neena. Maybe there might be some changes, like him avoiding the fall while the other two fell into the tunnel.


    But, when coincidence and luck werebined, things happened in such an intricate fashion that it was impossible to tell if something happened due to luck, scheme, etc.

 Chapter 188: Two Schemers

    <h4>Chapter 188: Two Schemers</h4>


    ¡°Howe these insects are no longer attacking us?¡± Rhizen expressed his doubt, spitting out a couple of mashed insect remains that he had casually tested the taste of.


    In preparation for his ns, he had been training in a variety of ways. And, developing resistance to poison and consuming everything edible was one such thing. Thankfully for him, his grandmother was a practitioner of the orthodox medical way, having him ingest countless medical herbs and other substances since young.


    His body gained resistance to a variety of things. Due to that, he seldom fell sick.


    So, even though he found himself in a dangerous cave, he wasn¡¯t flustered. He was surprised, cautious, but fear wasn¡¯t what he felt. After all, his life wasn¡¯t truly in danger¡­yet.


    So, he still maintained his calm, asking after observing the actions of the insects once Compass Carburettor shed the light from his mobile phone.


    Upon hearing the question, the other two turned silent as Neena could feel her heart thumping, ¡®Is he onto me? But, if I retract my ability now, it would only prove that something is amiss. And, unlike me, he doesn¡¯t even seem flustered by this situation. Dammit!¡¯


    She gritted her teeth silently before sighing, creating an excuse on the spot, ¡°I have coated a herbal paste on my bag. It¡¯s something I had done using a gradual process for many weeks. We can¡¯t smell it, but it is somewhat effective against insects. But, this is the first time I noticed such a reaction.¡±


    She then created another excuse to make her exnation seem reliable, ¡°Maybe this is the first time they areing across such a smell and hence the reaction is so noticeable?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that might be possible.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, saying as he took out a pouch from his bag, ¡°I too have something prepared myself. Though, I have no idea if it¡¯s mine or yours that is effective. My grandma gave this to me when I said I wanted to trek this mountain.¡±


    ¡®Thankfully, Compass is pretty na?ve.¡¯ Neena smirked mentally, thankful for having a simpleton whose only good point was his handsome looks in their mix.


    That was why when she schemed anything, she hinted at Compass Carburettor, using his naivety to make him speak up on her behalf. As for whether Rhizen noticed her actions or not, she didn¡¯t have a guarantee.


    But, based on how he acted, it seemed he hadn¡¯t seen through her ruse yet.


    ¡°As long as this effectsts long enough, we¡¯ll be safe.¡± Rhizenmended as he looked up, frowning, ¡°It is impossible to proceed through the tunnel. It¡¯s practically vertical in our reach. Unless the both of you are parkour specialists that can scale vertically up using a gap between two walls, we can¡¯t scale up.¡±


    ¡°Can you move up?¡± Neena asked in concern, saying, ¡°If you can, we¡¯ll help you reach the tunnel. Once you reach the surface you can call for help.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Rhizen sighed as he looked at the height of the ceiling that reached seven feet, saying, ¡°I can travel for at most three to four metres like this. And beyond that, my arms don¡¯t have enough strength tost.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s another way out.¡± Compass Carburettor said, pointing deeper into the cave, ¡°Since so many insects live here, there should definitely be another way. As long as it is wide enough, we¡¯ll be able to escape through it. Even otherwise, we¡¯ll be able to return and work something out.¡±


    ¡°Well, there is no use in standing here to waste our time. Let¡¯s get a move on,¡± Rhizen said, turning around as he took out a shlight from his bag before strapping it on his forehead.


    Upon seeing their surprised looks, he looked at them in shock, ¡°What would you do if you fail to descend the mountain before nightfall? You need a shlight, right? Haven¡¯t you prepared one for such an emergency?¡±


    ¡°Ahh!¡± Compass Carburettor acted like he had an epiphany as he too took out a shlight from his bag and strapped it on his forehead. And, unlike the one from Rhizen, his shlight was a wide-angled one.


    It illuminated everything in a five-metre radius around them. Beyond that was dark as the light wasn¡¯t focused like Rhizen¡¯s.


    As for Neena, she only had a regr hand-held shlight, one that she sparingly used to conserve battery.


    Upon seeing the insects continuing to scatter while they moved, Compass Carburettorughed mentally, ¡®The longer we are here, the more beneficial it is for me.¡¯


    The cave seemed to span longer than they had thought, winding constantly. And after some distance, it widened to span arger area as Rhizen frowned, gazing up to see the protrusions, ¡°A Stctite cave? This should have existed for tens of thousands of years. To think we stumbled upon it by ident.¡±


    He then said to the other two, barely concealing his excitement, ¡°As long as we publish this discovery first, the three of us could profit enough to not worry about money for at least a couple of years.¡±


    ¡°For a cave¡¯s discovery?¡± Compass Carburettor obviously acted ignorant.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rhizen nodded, ¡°The mineral deposits here are untouched by humans. So, it allows geologists to study the way in which this terrain formed in greater detail. It has tremendous scientific value.¡±


    After ten minutes passed in such a fashion, Compass Carburettor activated Info Scanner, smirking, ¡®That¡¯s great. It¡¯s not much, but Neena is consuming about a Mental Energy every minute.¡¯


    Even though it wasn¡¯t much, but it slowly whittled down her System¡¯s reserves. And besides, Compass Carburettor wasn¡¯t risking his life to do this. Thankfully when they fell, none of them hit their head or twisted their ankle, coincidentally.


    And coincidentally, none of the insects that had climbed over them bit them. As for Neena, she wasn¡¯t fortunate, having actually suffered a fracture from her fall. But he didn¡¯t know about that.


    After all, her System instantly healed her, causing her to behave like she too had survived the fall without much issue. If Compass Carburettor had taken a look at her the moment they fell, he would have been surprised to find her skin riddled with bite wounds.


    They were caused by the insects. But, Neena¡¯s System healed them all while also detoxifying the poison.


    If not for the fact that she was a System Host, she would have died by now for trying to aim for Rhizen¡¯s life so many times.

 Chapter 189: Complications Regarding a System’s Return

    <h4>Chapter 189: Complications Regarding a System¡¯s Return</h4>


    ¡®Luckes in numerous forms and varieties. And, unless a person¡¯s action conforms to the type of luck, it doesn¡¯t take effect.¡¯ The coincidental Luck System thought, smiling as it witnessed Rhizen¡¯s actions.


    ¡®The first is the generalised luck that is effective in day-to-day activities. This is spread out over a variety of matters and doesn¡¯t generate any qualitative effect that would change the person¡¯s life.¡¯ It thought, ¡®And, the second form is the specialised luck that is only effective in the respective field it is geared towards.¡¯


    ¡®Suppose a person¡¯s luck is effective in ying ser, then once he enters this path, he would eventually be able to be a pro and make afortable living out of it by gaining advantage through his luck.¡¯ Itughed, ¡®This luck would not only allow him to bypass a lot of hurdles, but it would also allow him to stumble upon techniques while practice that would allow his skills to also develop. It improves himprehensively in regards to everything rted to ser.¡¯


    ¡®But, if this individual, gifted with the luck of ser tries to be a teacher, he won¡¯t be able to use it. He¡¯ll only have the generalised luck to support him in life, which doesn¡¯t do much since it is dispersed into everything there exists, variables of every form.¡¯ It shook mentally, ¡®So, any aplishments as a teacher would be something that he would have to do on his own, through hardwork, through perseverance, and by grabbing hold of every chance and opportunity presented without leaving any variable untouched.¡¯


    ¡®Luck isn¡¯t omnipotent. As long as one targets every single variable and finishes their objective, they would be able to seed in whatever path they wish for.¡¯ It snorted derisively, ¡®But, only a genius is capable of doing so. The amount of smarts required to achieve this means that whatever field they choose would allow them to seed at to a fair extent.¡¯


    ¡®And, if they were to choose the field of their specialised luck, such geniuses would be peerless.¡¯ Itughed, thinking, ¡®This is precisely the reason Rhizen is great, despite the countless ws he possesses.¡¯


    ¡®For a regr person, even if he trod on the path supported by his specialised luck, he¡¯ll only be passively supplemented by it. So, if in a case with no variables, this luck is pretty much useless. But, Rhizen isn¡¯t like that.¡¯ It was pretty excited, ¡®He can actively harness this luck, instinctively. That¡¯s what sets him apart from others and makes him the best Host for me.¡¯


    All the Coincidental Luck System had to do was continue generating luck. And, Rhizen would be able to use it all the time, ensuring the variables of various situations would work in his favour. Moreover, he was pretty smart to think of countless variables himself.


    That was what made him a terrifying System Host.


    But, even with this, he had been killed quite the few times. It was because the Coincidental Luck System¡¯s opponents were from the same genre as itself, so they too harnessed the power of luck. Moreover, they were constantly providing one-use versions of their Core Skills to the Hatchling Systems so that they too were protected by luck.


    Otherwise, the moment they began to target Rhizen, too many coincidences would act against them that would eventually result in their deaths. Had Neena not been protected as such, she would have died on the first day after she began to target him.


    So, even though it seemed like the Coincidental Luck System was operating at a loss, its enemies too were doing the same. After all, they were using up Mental Energy to activate their abilities and help the Hatchling Systems before they entered this world.


    Secondly, they were sponsoring Mental Energy to the Hatchling Systems to fight against Rhizen. Otherwise, with just their foundation alone, they won¡¯t ever be able to kill Rhizen.


    Thanks to the Coincidental Luck System¡¯s Mental Energy reserves, Rhizen¡¯s luck would never run out. Moreover, he too was innately blessed by an abundance of luck and was an individual capable of harnessing it.


    He wasn¡¯t an opponent that could be killed easily.


    But, despite that, he had died several times. And in such times, the Coincidental Luck System had to forcefully leave his body and return to the System World alone.


    There were someplications rted to that. That was why Systems devoured their Hosts upon reaching the System World.


    The first reason was to reim everything they had handed over to their Hosts. And second, the primary reason was the fact that only a System could be in a System World.


    A System Host wasn¡¯t considered that. After all, they were different creatures within which Systems resided, the resultant of which were kind of like half-Systems.


    And, if they remain in the System World for some time, thews of the world would consider them as vermin and eliminate them. There was a small window of time before thews would take action. So, the Systems would extricate themselves from their Hosts before then and devour them.


    As for System yers, they were straight-up considered as fragments of the Main Character System, and hence could remain in the System World for as long as they needed.


    Now, to return to the System World without the Host, the System would have to pry itself from the Host¡¯s body, causing permanent damage to itself. Quite a lot of its power would be lost as a result.


    And, upon arriving at the System World, they would have to expend Mental Energy to gradually heal themselves and reim their authority. Powerful Systems with a heavy foundation were able to ept this loss and recover.


    But for Hatchling Systems, they were unable to do so. After all, their foundation was small enough that once they extricate themselves from their Host, practically nothing of them would remain. It was pretty much a death sentence, which was also why hunting Hatchling systems was the best bet for System yers.


    Beyond a certain level, even Grade 1 Systems couldn¡¯t be killed. If their Hosts were killed, they would extricate themselves from them and return to the System World alone.

 Chapter 190: The Plight of Monetary-Based Systems

    <h4>Chapter 190: The Plight of Mary-Based Systems</h4>


    There was also the fact that returning to the System World with the Host as a corpse wasn¡¯t possible. The portal won¡¯t allow their entry.


    This was the reason when a System Host was killed, the respective System took damage. And the stronger they are, the less they would be affected.


    And, it wasn¡¯t that easy to open a portal to travel to and fro the System World and the other worlds. To return to the System World, a System would have to expend a tremendous amount of Mental Energy, condensing the power to open it.


    It would take time to do so, not something that could be done instantly. And if a System didn¡¯t have enough Mental Energy to open a portal, it was stuck in that world until then.


    But, travelling to a world from the System World was easier. After all, the Systems were able to do so free of cost.


    To open a portal from the System World, a System only needs to gather Mental Energy from the System World. This process takes some time. And, the weaker a System was, the longer it took to gather enough Mental Energy to condense a portal.


    Moreover, they also need to search for a suitable world. Everything needed time.


    That was the reason the spinning top-shaped System had taken more than a quarter day to condense a Portal.


    And, the reason the Money-Making System had vanished the moment Compass Carburettor and Fourth had retaliated against it was that it was prepared all along. Its destination was Earth, the coordinates of which it was aware.


    Secondly, the Host too had been selected in advance¡ªStencil Carburettor.


    And thirdly, the moment Compass Carburettor arrived at the System World, it had begun to condense Mental Energy from it. It was because the Money-Making System was a mary-based System.


    And that meant trade and the umtion of currency, and in this sense, Mental Energy. This was the reason the mary-based Systems were the richest among all genres of Systems, possessing Mental Energy reserves far outssing their levels.


    So, every System kept a lookout for them. A System could only consume another System from the same genre as itself. Doing so would cause its abilities to be stronger, also making its power moreprehensive.


    A System that had two Core Skills could never be defeated by a System at the same level that only had one Core Skill. Moreover, once a System absorbed the Core Skills of all the Systems part of its genre, it would attain qualifications to be a Grade 2 System.


    This was the inherent reason Systems from the same Genre were antagonistic to each other.


    And simrly, if a System absorbs the Core Skill of a System not part of its genre, its growth would be impeded, preventing its level from ever increasing.


    Though, that is only in the case if it absorbed a Core Skill on par with its level. If it absorbed a Core Skill¡ªfrom a different genre¡ªthat is low levelled, then it would only sustain injuries ordingly.


    That was why the Permanence System was able to store countless Core Skills in itself. And, once it extracted them all, its injuries vanished. Though, it had also expended a tremendous volume of Mental Energy to make a swift recovery.


    And, here was the reason every System kept an eye on the mary-based Systems. Using a System of this genre, they would be able to umte Mental Energy faster than they could normally do.


    Moreover, once they umte enough Mental Energy to reach level 99, they could extract the Core Skill of the mary-based System from their bodies, heal their injuries and swiftly level up, reaching the peak as a Grade 1 System.


    No System would ever miss such an opportunity, one that would save them countless millennia. So, remaining in the System World was risky for the Money-Making System.


    That¡¯s why, it had begun condensing Mental Energy the moment Compass Carburettor arrived in the System World. And, once it was attacked by him and Fourth, it realised that dealing with the two would take some time.


    And, that was risky. After all, if another System discovered it by then, its life would be miserable. Since if it opened a portal to a world, any System would be able to determine its coordinates and follow right after it.


    So, it decisively abandoned Compass Carburettor and returned to Earth, unwilling for its position to be known. Otherwise, given the amount of Mental Energy it had amassed, it would be able to kill them both.


    As a mary-based System, it calcted the profit and loss in the scenario. And, it was easy to see that dealing with Compass Carburettor wasn¡¯t a priority. After all, he didn¡¯t have its Core Skill in him. All he had were simple Skills that it had bought.


    So, it decisively returned to Earth, making it seem like it could travel between worlds instantly.


    ¡®My foes don¡¯t wish for me to reach level 99 and start to actively hunt all of them. So, they are trying to hinder me while using the chance to grow as much as possible.¡¯ The Coincidental Luck System snorted, ¡®But, they are expending more resources than me. Still, since they are acting as a group, individually speaking, their losses are less than mine.¡¯


    Upon seeing Rhizen wielding a file in the cave, it smirked, ¡®In this situation, even if one treasure was taken by the foes, there are still other equally valuable treasures on Mount Craire. Even though they fought me so many times, since they cannot enter this world, my foes are unable to perceive the actual state of things. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have sent just two Hatchling Systems in the first wave.¡¯


    Since it would mess things up if the System Hostse to find out about the existence of other System Hosts, they won¡¯t know about the scheme running in the background.


    And, if too many Systems try to target the Coincidental Luck System at the same time, the number of variables thanks to their intervention would increase exponentially.


    This would only make its life easier, allowing it to easily use the chaos to deal with everyone. Hence, they only sent two Hatchling Systems first to hinder Rhizen while the other System Hosts umted strength in other locations.


    ¡®Now, things will actively start to change based on your actions, Compass Carburettor.¡¯ It thought, gazing at his surprised face through the eyes of Rhizen, ¡®I guess addressing you as Secret Society would be more apt, since I can already feel the luck of the two foes rapidly fluctuating thanks to your actions.¡¯


    ¡®I want to see how much their luck would morph once you finalise your schemes and take action.¡¯ It thought,ughing in response, ¡®As expected, System yers birthed from mary-based Systems are the best at schemes.¡¯

 Chapter 191: Eating Giant Centipedes

    <h4>Chapter 191: Eating Giant Centipedes</h4>


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­eww!¡± Neena scowled as she turned her head, looking somewhere else, coping up her disgust.


    As for Compass Carburettor, his face was pale, unable to endure the smell. But, he didn¡¯t shy away and looked at Rhizen¡¯s actions.


    Crouched near the ground, using a file was Rhizen, grinding the exoskeleton of arge centipede that spanned as long as his arm. First of all, the size of the centipede itself was of concern.


    The second was his actions, one that directly attacked it the moment he witnessed it. And, the weapon he used to attack the centipede wasn¡¯t a knife, wasn¡¯t a needle-shaped instrument and wasn¡¯t a hammer either.


    It was a mechanical file, one of the widely used hand cutting tools in a workshop. A hardened piece of high-grade steel with nting rows of teeth; it was used to cut, smooth, or fit metal parts.


    Rhizen used the mechanical file to poke the head of the centipede, crushing it easily before he ground its mandibles, blunting the sharp edges. He then began to remove them by hand and ate some of the flesh inside.


    He didn¡¯t seem unfazed upon eating it raw. And, the dextrous manner in which he proceeded about the task indicated that this wasn¡¯t the first time he had done this.


    While eating, Rhizen turned around, asking the other two, ¡°Do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass,¡± Compass Carburettor waved his hand in refusal. As for Neena, she clutched her mouth, turning around as she resisted the urge to puke.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s pretty tasty, you know.¡± Smiling, Rhizen got up and looked around, soon noticing a simr-sized centipede crawling out from a hole in the wall. Upon seeing his arrival, it wriggled as its upper body dangled, trying to bite his legs.


    But, Rhizen casually used the mechanical file to tten its head before dragging it out, smirking, ¡°Wow, it¡¯s longer than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Wait, this isn¡¯t the time to spend on eating. We have to find a way out first.¡± Neena said in a hurry, trying her best to look away from the corpse in Rhizen¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Well, we have been travelling for an hour now. This stctite cave seems pretty expansive. And to travel far, we need to eat. Saving our rations for emergencies is for the best.¡± Rhizen said, frowning in thought for a moment before he took out all the rations from his bag, split it up into two and gave them to each.


    ¡°I¡¯ve lived on forest produce since young, so I¡¯ll be able to eat the insects here without trouble. I usually do the same as snacks or when I want to have some fun anyway.¡± Heughed, saying, ¡°And, I know which one is poisonous and which one is not. So, you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Compass Carburettor epted the rations without hesitation, clearly understanding the reason Rhizen had done this. After seeing him ept it, Neena too reluctantly received her share.


    The reason Rhizen did this was so that he could consume the flesh of the creatures without suspicion. He had some understanding as to what was up with the changes in the world.


    Neena wasn¡¯t aware of his small scheme, thinking that he had voluntarily given his share to them as a show of goodwill. From the start, Rhizen had been rather polite, a jovial character. So, she had a good opinion of him.


    As for Compass Carburettor, since he knew the reason Rhizen was acting this way, he went ahead to support him, taking the lead. As he acted as a na?ve character, it was easy for him to do so.


    ¡°No! No! No!¡± Suddenly, Neena cried in rm as her face further paled, suddenly noticing a lot more insects pour in like water from a hole in the wall.


    Her forehead was slick with sweat as it seemed like her fears were triggered at the sight of the insects that almost resembled water thanks to their sheer quantity.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll manage to leave this ce.¡± Compass Carburettor patted her, consoling her as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t look at your surroundings. Just look at me and focus on my steps. This way, you won¡¯t have to see them.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Neena nodded, extending her hand to hold the helm of his dress, closely following him as she trembled from time to time.


    Even Rhizen couldn¡¯t act unfazed at the sight of the number of insects increasing to such a fearsome extent. As they continued to slowly walk through the cave, they eventually reached a dead end.


    It wasn¡¯t actually a dead end but one where the walls had be so narrow that there was only a small hole at the top. And to pass through it, they had to crawl through. Moreover, the passage seemed pretty long.


    shing his light into the hole, Rhizenmented, ¡°There¡¯s a distance of around ten metres to travel like this. It¡¯ll be pretty hard to do so.¡±


    ¡°What about after this?¡± Compass Carburettor asked, ¡°Is there a path beyond the tunnel?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there seems to be another cave there.¡± Rhizen nodded after probing through a bit more. He then frowned, ¡°But, if I were the one to reach there first, I won¡¯t survive the insects.¡±


    He then looked at Neena, ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s the effect from your bag and not something else that is repelling these insects? I won¡¯t risk my life without any level of guarantee.¡±


    ¡®So, it¡¯se to this. Guess I¡¯ll have to carefully manipte my ability to fool him.¡¯ Neena thought, having already prepared for this possibility as she removed her bag, took out a rope from it, and tied it to the bag.


    She then hurled the bag far away, watching itnd far into the cave with a thud as the insects rmingly moved away from the bag. And in response, the insects began to close in on them. Neena tugged the rope, pulling the bag closer to them when the insects rushing towards them moved away once again.


    Thumping as she controlled her heart, Neena turned around, raising her bag as she looked at Rhizen, ¡°This should be enough proof, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rhizen nodded, ¡°So, they are indeed repelled by your bag.¡±


    Upon seeing Compass Carburettor embarrassingly look at the pouch he had slung on his hip, Rhizen said, ¡°Now, we¡¯ll have to figure out how to safely go over to the other side.¡±

 Chapter 192: Bizarre in 3…2…1…!

    <h4>Chapter 192: Bizarre in 3¡­2¡­1¡­!</h4>


    ¡°Haiya!¡± Followed by aical shout, Compass Carburettor threw the pouch he had, watching itnd far away in the cave.


    The insects indeed moved away from it, but they continued to scuttle around only a centimetre away from it. So, the contents of the pouch only repelled them away for a centimetre.


    ¡°¡­¡± Compass Carburettor stared at it, controlling his urge to facepalm.


    Neena patted his shoulder this time, saying, ¡°Your grandma¡¯s recipe works, but is just not potent enough. She must have given it to you to ward off mosquitoes and not a sea of insects.¡±


    ¡°But, this still gives me an idea.¡± Compass Carburettor quickly recovered as he tugged the string tied to the pouch, pulling it back as he said, ¡°if we make a boundary using the powder from this pouch¡­¡±


    ¡°No, that won¡¯t be effective enough.¡± Rhizen said, pointing at some centipedes among the crowd of insects, ¡°They¡¯ll simply act as the bridge for the rest of the insects to climb over. And even if they don¡¯t do it voluntarily, the other insects might kill them and use their carcasses for this.¡±


    ¡®Of course, I know that. I want Neena to continue expending her Mental Energy. Her bag is just a regr piece of cloth.¡¯ Compass Carburettor subtly frowned, trying his best to not look at the sea of insects.


    Currently, they had reached one end of the cave. And, forming a boundary three metres behind them was a sea of insects.


    The moment Neena retracts her ability would be when this sea of insects drowns them.


    But, there was another reason he didn¡¯t wish to look at them. Rather, even if he didn¡¯t look at them, he was able to sense them. After all, trailing from a significant portion of them were Mental Energy streams.


    Since they were generating Mental Energy streams, it meant that they were capable of conscious thoughts. And, the denser the Mental Energy stream they generated, the more intelligent they were and simrly powerful their brainpower was.


    Most of the Mental Energy streams were so thin that he barely felt them. But, since he felt them, it meant that the insects were able to think beyond their thoughts that were spurred through instinct and gic bias.


    Moreover, a couple of Mental Energy streams from the sea of insects were pretty thick, at least ten times the regr insects. And they were what rmed him.


    It meant some insects were calmly watching their actions while plotting to kill them, of their free will.


    Even though he wished to remain in the same ce longer to waste as much Mental Energy reserves of Neena as possible, he still had to find the truth of this world¡¯s power structure that would emerge sooner orter.


    And, Rhizen was the key to achieving that. Since two Systems had arrived to hinder/kill him, it confirmed his suspicions that Rhizen would indeed obtain some power here.


    So, only by knowing the method to obtain the power would he be able to n his subsequent schemes.


    Thinking as such, he looked at the rope in Neena¡¯s hands, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll try to head to the other side first. We¡¯ll keep the bag behind me in such a distance that the radius of its effectiveness still envelopes me.¡±


    ¡°And, once I ensure the other side is safe enough for us to get down and travel for an escape path, the both of you would simultaneously get into the tunnel so that¡­¡± He continued speaking about the n.


    ¡°And, if suppose I sense any urgency, pull me back.¡± Compass Carburettor said, showing the rope, ¡°I¡¯ll be tying this to my leg. So, it¡¯ll be easy for you to pull me back quickly.¡±


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Neena said in worry while Rhizen nodded in seriousness, showing how he would bet his life on his responsibility.


    Nodding, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t waste any time and climbed into the tunnel, beginning to slowly crawl forward. He failed to see any insects before him and so began to move forward.


    A bitter, Rhizen pushed Neena¡¯s bag into the tunnel. There was a rope on both its ends. One end was attached to the leg of Compass Carburettor so that he would be pulling it along with him while crawling forward. Moreover, the length of the rope ensured he was always under the influence of the bag¡¯s insect repellent effect.


    The other side of the bag¡¯s rope trailed towards the duo waiting beyond the tunnel. Neena was in charge of holding the rope. In case Compass Carburettor signalled an emergency, she would pull the bag to avoid it hindering his return while Rhizen pulled him back.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, this side is pretty safe indeed.¡± Compass Carburettor said after some time,nding on the other side as he looked around, failing to find any insects. Moreover, the size of the cave had be vast, spanning a breadth of 30 metres and a height of 70 metres. As for the length, he couldn¡¯t see its end.


    ¡®This is such a huge ce. Does it run throughout the Eastern Range?¡¯ Thinking as such, he watched Rhizen and Neena crawl through the tunnel. He tugged the rope they had tied to themselves, allowing them to crawl faster while spending less energy.


    ¡°This¡­is amazing!¡± Neena was surprised once shended on the ground and looked around, noticing the massive space before her.


    ¡°Wait, something¡¯s there.¡± Rhizen was suddenly rmed as he whispered, telling them to quiet down. As they untied the rope around them, he continued to listen to the sounds in the surroundings, soon locking onto a source as he motioned for them to follow him.


    As they tiptoed through the cave, Rhizen peeked over a stctite that had be a pir after touching the ground, for a moment shuddering as his eyes widened.


    Neena peeked over when Compass Carburettor closed her mouth, preventing her from shrieking just when it seemed like she was about to do so.


    The creature was just too big to be something from their. It was still a centipede, but its length was something on a whole other dimension.


    Two metres!


    The centipede spanned two metres in length, slithering along the cave as it soon passed over a slope. After staring at each other, the trio gulped before silently tiptoeing the centipede, soon crossing over the slope as a horrifying scene shed before him.


    All of them even forgot to breathe.

 Chapter 193: One-Horned Mongoose

    <h4>Chapter 193: One-Horned Mongoose</h4>


    Hiss!


    Krager, the one that turned into a cat hissed as it jumped onto a tree branch, turning into a snake to coil over it, reaching the top. It then watched a shadow sh by on the ground, tussling with the bird that had attacked Krager before.


    It was a mongoose. But, unlike a regr mongoose whose body¡ªexcluding the tail¡ªgrew to a length of 2-3 feet, this was double in size. And, it was faster, shing on the ground as it constantly swerved directions, attacking the bird from multiple directions.


    When the bird took off to the air, the mongoose jumped onto it, biding its ws before dragging it onto the ground.


    It then bit into the bird¡¯s wing joint, injuring it, preventing it from taking off to the air. And in response to the bird¡¯s pecking, it jumped back, evading the attack. Without even a single pause, it arrived behind the bird, feinting an attack to distract the bird before targeting its ws this time, injuring it severely.


    Other than the size difference, the mongoose also sported a horn on its forehead, one that faintly glowed a mysterious radiance as it continued to attack the bird.


    From the start, the bird was disadvantaged, unable to take the initiative. After all, the moment it evaded, the mongoose would directly run towards its nest and devour its egg. That was the reason it had arrived there in the first ce.


    So, the bird could only throw its life to defend the mongoose¡¯s fierce attacks.


    Upon seeing how strong it was, Krager frowned, thinking, ¡®System, what the heck is this mongoose? How is it so strong?¡¯


    He frowned, only met with silence, sighing as he muttered, ¡°It seems I have to rely on myself to defeat this thing.¡±


    He had no other choice because he was aiming for the egg himself. And, if the mongoose got it first, then he would have failed his Quest. Left with no other choice, his cat form jumped from the tree branch,nding on the ground before it sprinted towards the mongoose.


    The mongoose calmly noticed its approach, not even flustered as it let go of its hold over the bird¡¯s ws and jumped back, elerating towards the cat.


    Immediately, the two creatures tussled together as Krager was rmed to see his scratches, bites, etc. failing to harm the mongoose. Its skin was tough, as ifyered with a steel mesh, causing the cat¡¯s paws to bleed every time it attacked.


    Moreover, at times when the cat tried to deliver a critical hit onto the mongoose, something coincidental would happen that would offset its attacks. Due to this, it was unable to gain an upper hand.


    ¡®Ugh!¡¯ Grunting in pain, the cat red as its eyes healed, watching the mongoose reveal its blood-covered teeth to screech once before jumping onto it.


    The bird had recovered a bit by now to join in, realising that the mongoose was the strongest enemy, intending to deal with it first.


    With the two attacking it, the mongoose was unable to harm them as much. Or rather, the cat¡¯s tail pped the bird, healing it too. With the bird making aplete recovery, they were able to fight against the mongoose.


    And no matter how many injuries they sustained, the cat healed them all, intending to tire out the mongoose first before killing it.


    Having been observing the situation, the mongoose suddenly crouched a bit before its figure vanished. And when it reappeared, it was a couple of metres behind the cat, holding arge chunk of flesh in its mouth.


    As for the cat, its eyes lost all lustre, dropping to the ground, now dead. Immediately after, a snake appeared in its ce, hissing in response as it red at the mongoose.


    Internally, Krager was raging, ¡®Dammit, my cat form has been destroyed by that freaking mongoose.¡¯


    Death to his beast forms wouldn¡¯t affect him. If they died, he would only lose their form. Only when his human form was killed would he actually die.


    But, losing the cat form meant he was losing one of his cards, suffering a reduction in strength he attained from it. He only had three forms, the cat form, the rat snake form, and the parrot form. Now that the cat form had died, he only had two more forms remaining.


    And when he turned into the rat snake form, he regretted his decision immediately. After all, a mongoose was a snake¡¯s natural predator.


    Its figure shed and before Krager could notice what was up, the mongoose had bit onto the snake in the middle and violently shook its head, using the force tosh the snake onto the ground like a whip.


    The force of the impact caused loud noises as the snake¡¯s head mmed into the ground, exploding into pulp.


    Right as the mongoose nned to devour the snake, Krager appeared in his human form, ambushing it with a kick, sending it flying away.


    He then grunted in response, feeling an intense sting from the leg that he used to kick it. And in response, the mongoose calmly shook its head and got up, not even injured from his full-powered attack.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± Krager grunted, pulling out two knives from his backpack as he crouched a little, holding them in his hands as he focused on his enemy.


    As for the bird, it cautiously positioned itself before the thicket of trees, standing before the shadow that unfurled its wings from time to time within it.


    The three parties red at each other as Krager and the bird nced at each other, understanding that they had to form a truce until the situation was resolved. The mongoose was just too strong.


    Whirring up his healing Skill, Krager sprinted towards the mongoose, lunging forth for an attack while the bird swerved diagonally, aiming at the mongoose from the other side, intending to attack it when it dodged his attack.


    As for the mongoose, it suddenly opened its mouth, revealing a cunning grin as its horn brightened up for a moment.


    The light shed onto his face, causing him to pale in response as a thought resounded in his mind, ¡®Oh sh*t!¡¯


    Boom!

 Chapter 194: Gu

    <h4>Chapter 194: Gu</h4>


    ¡°This¡­!¡± Compass Carburettor was shocked to see the scene happening before him, unable to understand if it was actually happening in reality or if he was in an illusion of sorts, ¡°Until now, I¡¯ve only read documents of this. Never have I witnessed something like this that has happened naturally.¡±


    As for Rhizen and Neena, they were unable to even speak, staring at the phenomenon nkly. For a moment, all three of them forgot about hiding, gaping foolishly.


    It was only normal because of the scene that was transpiring before them.


    There was a wide-open ce in the cave, forming a depression into the ground surface. And, hung from the ceiling was a stctite, one that spanned twenty metres in height.


    It was apparent that this stctite had existed for probably a million years or even more to grow to such a height. After all, it hadn¡¯t just grown to such a height, but rather managed to touch the ground.


    And over the years, it continued to grow as the tip spread over the ground surface, eventually creating a bowl-like structure.


    A stctite is an icicle-shaped formation that hangs from the ceiling of a cave and is produced by the precipitation of minerals from water dripping through the cave ceiling.


    So, over the course of tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of years, the stctite continued to grow as its tip that had touched the ground expanded along while eventually, the mineral deposit from the ceiling paused for some reason.


    This caused the stctite to break off from the ceiling. And over the years, the top of the stctite continued to change shape as the mineral deposits began to flow downward, causing the shape of the stctite to bulge more and more at the bottom.


    Eventually, it turned into a container in the centre of which water had stagnated, remaining at almost freezing temperatures due to the nature of the minerals forming the structure.


    And throughout the years of mineral diffusion, it had eventually turned the water into a poisonous substance. Normally, it would be something any insect that roamed through the cave would nevere close by.


    But now, with the changes in the world, this ce too began to change, causing minor changes in the chemicalposition of the water stored within the stctite, undamaged, untouched for hundreds of thousands of years.


    This change beckoned for the insects toe and enter it. And, when the insects entered it, they entered a state of frenzy and began to hunt and devour the other insects within the stctite.


    As it continued to happen, more and more insects were lured over, streaming in from countless paths that were connected to thebyrinth that run throughout the Eastern Range. And the insects that lived in such a massive habitat¡­


    All of them formed a path and streamed into the stctite. Moreover, something seemed to be constantly precipitating out of the stctite and flowing into the ground.


    It was blood, or at least, the excreta of the blood after all its beneficial properties were absorbed by the mineralposition of the stctite, one morphed due to the changes happening in the world.


    The insects devoured one another, experiencing faint changes in their bodies. The first to change was the toxin they carried with them. It became more potent and bizarre. This was a process that had once been done in ancient China.


    Gu!


    It simply tranted to poison and was the process in which a shaman¡ªthey were called as such; they were just regr humans well-versed in the act of poisons¡ªced countless poisonous insects in an earthen pitcher and sealed it.


    The poisonous insects consisted of scorpions, centipedes, etc. And, all of them were at thervae stage. In the earthen pitcher, they would begin to starve. Left with no other choice, they would begin to devour one another for survival.


    And eventually, only one insect would survive. Most of the time, the process would end up as a failure, since all the insects would poison each other to result in total annihtion. But in rare cases, there would be a survivor.


    And, not only this insect would have developed immunity to all the poisons, its own poison too would have mutated, turning into one that didn¡¯t have an antidote.


    Such poisons were used to assassinate important people. Without an antidote, since this was a brand-new potent poison, the assassination was a guaranteed sess. Gu was created by shamans for certain purposes.


    But now, the same phenomenon was happening here. But, there was no shaman. It was happening naturally as the insects threw themselves over one another.


    ¡°Dammit, run!¡± Suddenly, upon sensing a powerful Mental Energy streamnd on him from within the stctite, Compass Carburettor was rmed as he shook the other two, jolting them back to their senses.


    Immediately, they turned around and began to run the way they had arrived.


    But, it was already toote as the poisonous water within the stctite shimmered for a moment before a creature exited it, screeching as it rushed towards them. It was fast, faster than them, rmingly so.


    Compass Carburettor looked around, using his running momentum to kick a thin stctite, breaking it off as he turned around and threw it at the creature, intending to use its sharpness to impale the opponent.


    The creature¡¯s countless eyes gazed at the approaching spike, quickly evading from its range. But suddenly, its actions contradicted itself as it moved towards the spike instead, causing the projectile to m into its face.


    Neena sighed in relief for a moment, thinking that they had survived the crisis when she noticed through her ability that the creature was still alive. And now, it was angry, dusting its face as it shattered the stctite, watching a thin line of blood bleed from its face.


    A drop of its bloodnded on some insects squirming on the ground. A momentter, they dropped dead.


    Screee!


    Followed by a violent screech, the creature rushed towards them, mming into countless stctites along the way, still managing to close in on them.


    Neena¡¯s forehead was filled with sweat, using a tremendous amount of energy to barely affect the creature¡¯s actions.

 Chapter 195: Superior to Monkeys

    <h4>Chapter 195: Superior to Monkeys</h4>


    Scree!


    The creature sported a hardened shell, spanning a metre in size. The reason it was scary was that it was a scorpion, one that had evolved to possess potent poison while sporting incredible agility.


    Its toxin had developed to the extent that even its blood alone was dangerous, not to mention the toxin stored in its stinger. And, its most notable trait was a mildly glowing horn on its forehead.


    Thankfully, its defence wasn¡¯t all that spectacr, being injured by the stctite Compass Carburettor had thrown at it.


    Upon seeing the sess of his throw, Compass Carburettor leapt,nding a kick on another stctite to break it into two, hurriedly throwing it towards Neena, ¡°Here! Hold this to defend yourself!¡±


    ¡°¡­T-Thanks!¡± Neena was pleasantly surprised at his choice of action to help her even in such a life-threatening situation. Her heart began to elerate, for a moment his face¡ªexpression¡ªstitched deep in her eyes.


    She immediately broke out of her reverie when the scorpion screeched once again, shrugging off the rock that he and Rhizen had thrown at it.


    Without any words being exchanged between them, the two men quickly broke any and every stctite along the way, turning around to throw the pieces at the scorpion. Even though the scorpion was fast, it wasn¡¯t able to evade on time.


    After all, the two were expert throwers, throwing the rocks at it, aiming at its face all the time. Most of the throws were off the mark, since the distance was pretty great for the projectile to travel.


    But, they made up for it with quantity, throwing one after another. This way, they caused the scorpion to focus on dodging the attacks instead.


    It was an enemy whose blood itself was threateningly poisonous. Only an idiot would throw themselves at it to engage it with closebat.


    Moreover, as the superior versions of monkeys, if they failed to do something as simple as throwing things at their foe, then they would have disappointed their ancestors.


    ¡°Nice aim!¡± Compass Carburettor praised Rhizen when the other party threw a piece of rock right into the scorpion¡¯s mouth when it screeched.


    ¡°Let¡¯s y cricket once we leave this ce. It¡¯ll be fun to have a match with someone of your skill level.¡± Rhizenughed in response, watching the rocks thrown by Compass Carburettor make a whistling sound in the air before mming into the hardened shell of the scorpion with a loud thud.


    The two weren¡¯t standing close by but had distanced themselves, attacking the scorpion from different angles.


    This way, it had to focus on two different directions, hence splitting its focus, allowing for more attacks to hit it. Moreover, even when it tried to use the stctites to hide behind, they positioned themselves ordingly to ensure at least one was able tond attacks on it.


    In this way, they yed a game of tug of war.


    ¡°Here!¡± Neena shouted as she ran and dropped some pieces of a stctite that she had broken before Compass Carburettor.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Compass Carburettorughed in response, picked up the extra pieces and hurled them at the scorpion.


    ¡°Bring me some too!¡± Rhizen shouted in a hurry when Neena sprinted towards his location, breaking some stctites along the way.


    Thankfully for them, there were a lot of thin stctites that they could break easily. As for the rest, Neena used the thicker stctite that Compass Carburettor had given her to smash them into pieces.


    With her support, they were able to target the scorpion better. Moreover, from time to time, Neena confused the scorpion, causing it to m into some stctites on its own, getting injured in the process.


    Since it was an old cave, there were plenty of stctites in their reach. Even though they felt bad to destroy such a valuable location, their lives were important, and survival was their priority. So, without any hesitation, the stctites were broken one after another.


    ¡°Huff¡­puff¡­hah!¡± Wheezing for a couple of seconds, Rhizen gritted his teeth and threw a rock with all his strength, grunting in response as he hurriedly massaged his right arm, feeling pain from the exertion.


    He had been throwing them with all his strength that he was getting tired. He then looked around, noticing that Compass Carburettor was in a simr state, shouting, ¡°It¡¯s been weakened. Let¡¯s focus more attacks on it.¡±


    ¡°Watch out! Take cover!¡± Suddenly, rm bells rang in his mind as Compass Carburettor shouted in response, watching the scorpion¡¯s horns glow in response.


    As they were focusing on it, the two men didn¡¯t notice Neena¡¯s eyes too were glowing in response as she directed most of her power into the scorpion.


    Right as the scorpion was about to unleash its trump card, its tail wriggled a bit before touching a nearby stctite, suddenly causing its body to jerk in response as it hurriedly gazed at in the respective direction.


    It was unknown as to what had happened. There was a sh of light before a resounding boom resounded through the ce, causing a deafening ring to echo in their ears.


    Followed by it was the scorpion¡¯s angry screech as it noticed that its trump card had been wasted. It then watched in rm that its attack hadnded on arge stctite nearby, breaking it, also inciting a chain reaction as a couple more stctites broke off from the ceiling.


    And right at this time, just when it wished to dodge away to safety, it noticed to its rm that it actually moved in the direction of the stctite, watching the pointy end of the massive stctite pierce through its body, crumbling into pieces upon the fall.


    Coughing a couple of times, Compass Carburettor waved his hand to shoo away the dust, looking around to see the other two remaining safe. He then turned around, noticing blood leaking out of the scorpion¡¯s body, unable to move, buried by rocks.


    ¡°Are you alright, Compass?¡± Neena clutched her shoulder, wincing in pain as she approached him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move away first,¡± Compass Carburettor said, noticing the dust cloud approaching them. He also noticed that some of the stctites in the cave were trembling. It seemed the force from the explosion had travelled through them all, rming him as he spoke, ¡°We¡¯ll back away for the time being and return once the dust settled.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Neena said as the two of them quickly moved away. After arriving at a safe distance, she suddenly turned around in surprise, asking, ¡°Where¡¯s Rhizen?¡±

 Chapter 196: Rhizen’s Betrayal

    <h4>Chapter 196: Rhizen¡¯s Betrayal</h4>


    Having tied a handkerchief around his nose to filter out the dust, Rhizen arrived before the rubble, gazing at the corpse of the scorpion.


    He took out two mechanical files from his bag and pried open its mouth, tapping the mandibles a little as he determined that it was indeed dead and not yacting. Rhizen then cleared the rubble. Thanks to the impact, the stctites had broken into a lot of rocks, so it was easy for him to clear them out.


    Although, he was silent in his actions, unwilling to show the other two of what he was doing. Upon setting aside the rubble, he used the mechanical files to peel off the broken shells of the scorpion.


    He then took out a cutting tool and cut open the soft flesh underneath, gently making the cuts in fear of the blood spill.


    Since the air was currently filled with dust, this was the only time he could pry open its body without fear of the poison, since if any vaporised, it would be caught onto by the dust, as it wasposed of various minerals.


    He was counting on some of them having affinity to the poison vapour¡ªif any of it even existed¡ªto prevent him from being poisoned. It was a dangerous situation, but he was confident in his body¡¯s resistance to poison to be able to endure the minor whiffs that he inhaled.


    After all, he was even able to ingest venom from a cobra, albeit at very minor concentrations. That was to the extent his resistance had been developed since birth.


    Though, had he not arrived at the city and hadn¡¯t frequented his grandma¡¯s ce as much when he was older, his resistance would have improved even better. After all, his grandfather was said to casually drink cobra¡¯s venom like it was nothing.


    It was an age-old practice that had been done in his family¡¯s tribal ancestry.


    Preventing himself from getting distracted at the final moment, Rhizen focused, using the mechanical files to pry open the scorpion¡¯s flesh when he saw a glowing org within.


    Excited, he picked it up, actually seeing two objects ced nearby. The first was the glowing orb, one that was the size of his thumb. The second was something that looked like a pearl.


    He was already ustomed to seeing the pearl, having seen it a couple of times already in his sessful hunts. And now, he fished out the both of them, focusing on the glowing orb as his heart thumped in excitement.


    There was excitement and also fear of the unknown, both mixed into his emotions as Rhizen hesitated.


    ¡°But, do or die, as simple as that. I¡¯ve already consumed a pearl once and noticed my constitution improving. So, this should do something even beyond that.¡± He muttered, taking in a deep breath before swallowing the glowing orb.


    For a moment, nothing happened. But immediately after, he noticed his body heating up as his eyes felt heavy. An intense sense of exhaustion kicked in as it felt like all the energy in his body was being drained.


    He quickly swallowed the pearl too, immediately feeling like something exploded in his body as his being brimmed with power. Itsted for a couple of seconds before returning to normal as Rhizen looked back in surprise, noticing a tail had grown out of his body.


    He felt around the tail, noticing that even though it resembled the scorpion¡¯s tail, it didn¡¯t seem like a body part. Rather, it felt artificial, like equipment that resembled such a shape.


    Instinctively, he understood that this tail could only be used once. And after that, it would vanish. To make it appear once again, he would have to consume another pearl.


    ¡°I have to use it to make it disappear¡­¡± Rhizen frowned, understanding the implications. If he went out like this, he would be captured for experimentation.


    ¡°This is not the time for me to reveal myself.¡± He sighed, hearing the voices of the other two that were searching for him, ¡°They seem like good people, but unfortunately, they know too much. It¡¯ll only trouble me further if they are around.¡±


    He only sighed a couple of seconds, firming his mind as he began to run, sensing the increase in his strength as he smiled, ¡°This¡¯ll make things easier.¡±


    Hearing the sounds of the other two, he ran in their direction, elerating when he closed in on them, exiting the dust cloud as his tail shed around, with the stinger aiming for Neena.


    Right as he was about to attack her though, Compass Carburettor reacted on time, hurriedly bringing his hand forward, getting pierced by the stinger instead.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± Rhizen frowned, watching Compass Carburettor hold onto the stinger reflexively as he stared at him in shock. But despite that, he expressed unyielding courage, trying his best to mask the sense of betrayal he felt.


    ¡°Dead men shouldn¡¯t struggle so much!¡± Rhizen shouted, punching Compass Carburettor in the face as his tail contracted a little when he used the generated force to jump up andnd a kick onto Neena while she tried to attack him with a sharp stctite.


    He then rained down punches on Compass Carburettor¡¯s face until the other party was a bloody mess. Using the change, he kicked him after prying open his hold on the tail.


    His tail then shed once as the stinger pierced into Neena¡¯s thigh, causing the other party to scream in rm. He was surprised for a moment when his stinger missed its target the first time, but without hesitation, he attacked countless times.


    Even though he frowned in response, he made a connection, ¡®Maybe that¡¯s the power she has, simr to what I got now. The bag should have been a ruse. That makes sense now and clears up the confusion I felt in that alternate path before.¡¯


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve been aiming for my life?¡± Rhizenughed as his stinger pierced through Neena once again, ¡°Well, you¡¯re now a dead woman too. This poison cannot be guarded against.¡±


    Right as he wished to kill the two individuals thaty before him, coughing out ck blood from the poison that coursed through their bodies, a mild headache started in his head, beginning to increase as he understood the cause, ¡®It seems I am losing power in my tail. Before it runs out, I can use it to leave this ce from the way we entered.¡¯


    Thinking as such, he began to run in the same direction they had arrived, ncing behind once he entered the tunnel, watching the figure of Compass Carburettor turning deep purple while his skin began to melt. ¡°Farewell, the two of you.¡±

 Chapter 197: Directional Misalignment

    <h4>Chapter 197: Directional Misalignment</h4>


    ¡°Haah¡­finally! I made it on time!¡± Rhizen wheezed as he arrived at the bottom of the tunnel that they fell through at the start. He noticed his tail blinking, looking like it might vanish any moment.


    He then used the remainder of the energy within it to make it take action. The tail shed around as the stinger pierced through the wall, acting as an anchor.


    The tail contracted in size before erupting with power, like an arrow released from a fully-taut bow, sending Rhizen flying upwards. And, the moment he began to lose power in the flight, the tail pierced into the wall once again and repeated the process.


    After performing it five times, the tail vanished as Rhizen barely caught hold of a couple of dangling roots. He grunted in response, not having enough strength left in him to hold on.


    But, gritting his teeth, he slowly climbed up, preventing himself from slipping as he gasped for breath,nding on the ground as he looked around. Once he arrived at a safe location, he wheezed, finally rxing.


    But, he hadn¡¯t even managed to rest for a couple of seconds before shrieking in response, springing to his feet as he looked back, noticing an ant biting his butt. His clothes at the ce had been torn off when the tail grew.


    And now that the tail had vanished, it revealed therge patch on his pant that wasn¡¯t covered anymore. He hurriedly swatted the ant away, grunting as he loosened the folds on his bag, ensuring it now covered his bag, preventing him from the embarrassment.


    He then looked around, failing to find anyone around, frowning, ¡°Strange, there should at least be a couple of groups in such arge stretch ofnd.¡±


    His expression then copsed upon smelling a faint stench of blood pervading the air. Alerted, he cautiously began to make a retreat, beginning to descend the mountain.


    ¡­


    ¡°Compass! Don¡¯t die!¡± Neena grunted as he spat out some blood, screaming in her mind, ¡®System! Heal me!¡¯


    [Ding!]


    Followed by a weak response, the Directional Misalignment System healed the poison in her body as she hurriedly arrived before Compass Carburettor, intending to prop him up when he red at her, expressing through sight to not touch him, for the poison on him was contagious.


    ¡°Hic!¡± Neena began to cry automatically, unwilling to see him die. After all, though na?ve he may be, he had supported her a bit. Moreover, one¡¯s true nature would always be revealed in a moment¡¯s crisis.


    When the scorpion chased after them, he had broken a stctite to first give her a weapon to defend with. The moment she grabbed hold of it, Neena realised that Compass Carburettor was only na?ve, not stupid.


    He had selected a weapon for her whose weight was almost perfect for her. And, he hadn¡¯t coincidentally destroyed one and decided to give it to her. Rather, she watched him charge at the stctite and destroy it, before giving it to her.


    So, it was apparent that he was aware that it would serve as a perfect weapon for her.


    When she was scared by the insects, he had supported her. While holding the hem of his clothes, Neena noticed that his body too was shivering. Clearly, he too was afraid of the poison but had still supported her out of the goodwill of his heart.


    He had done the same to Rhizen too, so she understood that he was only expressing his goodwill. Moreover, she had confirmed with the System that the picture of the Pomeranian he showed before was real.


    So, it meant that he, though na?ve, was a kind-hearted person. And finally, when Rhizen attacked them, he put himself in harm¡¯s way to save her, getting poisoned severely as a result. Such an action won her over, causing her to weep for him.


    Neena then bellowed in her mind, ¡®System, please save him!¡¯


    [Ding!]


    [Host, there is insufficient energy to heal him. It¡¯s best to refrain from actions that won¡¯t benefit Host]


    ¡®Please, I beg of you! Save him!¡¯ Neena roared in her mind, weeping as she watched the skin of Compass Carburettor continue to melt as even his flesh began to do the same. At this point, his eyes had zed over, unable to see.


    He was still alive but was unable to do anything beyond that, on the verge of death. In a few more seconds, he would die and melt into a puddle, leaving almost no traces behind.


    [Host, aplete recovery is impossible. But, his condition can temporarily be suppressed.]


    ¡®T-Then!¡¯ Neena was excited when she noticed a mysterious energy flow out of her body before seeping into Compass Carburettor¡¯s body. His injuries healed at an rming rate, but his skin had barely begun to grow when the mysterious energy stopped flowing into him.


    The System¡¯s voice resounded in her mind immediately after.


    [Host, you have 24 hours to save him.]


    [Ding!]


    [Quest: Save The Love Interest!]


    [Quest Description: There is just¡­$%###]


    .


    .


    .


    [System Err*r]


    [Sys$%^$ E$%#$]


    ¡®W-What¡­happened?¡¯ Neena was rmed, unable to make sense of the situation of her Quest Window turning into a garbled mess as the voice of her System turned chaotic and grainy.


    But, that was all she thought as her body copsed to the ground, with blood leaking out of her head. And there, on her forehead,y three holes, bullet wounds.


    The bullets could be seen from outside, their contents dissolving as they were interfering with her System¡¯s abilities. Thest scene Neena witnessed was of the figure she tried to save getting up slowly as the figure that looked no different to a zombie stared at her, sporting an expression of sadness.


    Compass Carburettor looked at the corpse of Neena before him, expressing neither happiness nor pride at his scheme seeding. Rather, all he did was mechanically extend his gun and ce it above her corpse, watching her body dissolve into a smoke of sort that was sucked into his gun.


    ¡°Though she might have had other intentions at the start, but in the end, she wholeheartedly intended to save me. Killing such a person is¡­¡± He sighed, closing his eyes, losing bnce as he fell on the ground when his flesh cracked as blood spilled out profusely.


    Compass Carburettor died.

 Chapter 198: Compass Was a System Slayer?

    <h4>Chapter 198: Compass Was a System yer?</h4>


    [Directional Misalignment (Level 1): Great Lords, please give me some more Mental Energy. My Host is in a dangerous situation.]


    The Directional Misalignment System pleaded in a private group where a bunch of Systems loitered about.


    [Beast Form (Level 9): Howe you are using up so much Mental Energy? My Host has barely wasted 100 Mental Energy from the start till now.]


    [Directional Misalignment (Level 1): It¡¯s because too many things happen coincidentally that wrench my Host¡¯s ns. Rhizen is a terrifying opponent.]


    [Beast Form (Level 9): That is true though. My Host isn¡¯t even near him, but just for the fact that he is aiming for what was originally supposed to be Rhizen¡¯s, he¡¯s been suffering a lot of setbacks.]


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): Hmm, Directional Misalignment, your task was to hinder Rhizen, right? And if you get a chance, give him a setback.]


    Upon receiving a reply from one of the major powers of the group, the Directional Misalignment System was overjoyed, speaking in a hurry.


    [Directional Misalignment (Level 1): Yes, Great Lord. I did manage to ensure Rhizen wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the treasure at the peak of Mount Craire. The Beast Form System is trying to im that treasure in the meantime. I¡¯ve been stalling Rhizen all along.]


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): One of my subordinates noticed that the luck values of Rhizen are fluctuating crazily, but the quantity has instead grown aspared to before. Did he obtain a power there?]


    After a moment of silence, the Directional Misalignment System sighed in sadness, replying as it conveyed the honest truth.


    [Directional Misalignment (Level 1): Yes, Great Lord. Rhizen indeed obtained a mysterious power from the cave we had trapped him at. And this feels as powerful as the treasure he would have obtained at the peak of Mount Craire.]


    It then continued to speak before the other party could say anything.


    [Directional Misalignment (Level 1): My Host was coincidentally pulled into the cave along with him. Even though she had been trying her best to use the chaos to kill him, he was somehow able to use the situation to his benefit. Currently, she¡¯s poisoned while Rhizen has left. I¡¯ve barely treated her. So, as long as I have some more Mental Energy, we would be able to leave this ce and try to trap him on his return. There¡¯s still one more trap that we have prepared.]


    After shooting off arge reply, the Directional Misalignment System watched the chat in tension, hoping for the other party to reply. After a couple of seconds had passed, there was a reply.


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): Stand down, Directional Misalignment. It seems Rhizen is on guard against your existence and power. The moment he knows about you, the luck swirling around him would trap you and kill you before you target him. It¡¯s for the best that you are currently weakened. Normally, this is a cause for concern, but at present, remain like this. If you aren¡¯t a threat, Rhizen¡¯s protective luck won¡¯t target you.]


    It then said anothermand before leaving.


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): Beast Form, rescue Directional Misalignment from that caveter tonight. That is when Rhizen¡¯s protective luck would be the weakest on Mount Craire since he would be busy with something else during then. Ask me once before you take action. Only when I say it¡¯s okay can you go and rescue Neena. Otherwise, the both of you would be trapped there forever.]


    [Beast Form (Level 9): Yes, I¡¯ll do as you say, Great Lord.]


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): Good, this isn¡¯t a single battle. We¡¯ll be battling Coincidental Luck every cycle. So, preserve your strength as much as possible and slowly whittle down the opponent¡¯s Mental Energy reserves. A couple other Systems are already working on destroying the inte to prevent Rhizen from taking advantage of it to gain a lot of Mental Energy.]


    ¡­


    But, right after it read the words of the Destiny Luck System, right as the Directional Misalignment System wished to fawn a little over its powerful superior, it suddenly noticed its connection to the Astral Network getting severed.


    ¡®Dammit! A System yer?¡¯ As it hadn¡¯t been to Earth, it wasn¡¯t able to recognise thews of Earth. But, it was able to recognise its opponent as a System yer, because only their attacks were apanied by thews of their respective worlds.


    But, unfortunately for it, there was nothing else that it could do. It had almost expended its Mental Energy reserves. And, by the time it managed to react, Neena had already died.


    It red at the figure of Compass Carburettor that crouched before Neena¡¯s corpse, absorbing it into his gun, ¡®Dammit! Compass was a System yer? How did I fail to notice that?¡¯


    Neena¡¯s figure vanished as everything part of her was sucked into Anthozoa.


    The Directional Misalignment System found itself in Compass Carburettor¡¯s mental space, rmed when it saw two worlds hovering behind him, ¡°T-Two worlds? Impossible! A System yer cannot possess two Personal Fragments!¡±


    ¡°And, why do you think that?¡± Compass Carburettor smiled in response, taking a seat as he patted the ground, ¡°Let¡¯s chat first.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to converse between us.¡± The Directional Misalignment snorted, ¡°You System yers aren¡¯t part of my race. There¡¯s only enmity between us.¡±


    ¡°Well, the one that hired my services is a System, you know.¡± Compass Carburettorughed, motioning at the ground with his eyes, saying, ¡°Also, between fellow Systems, I don¡¯t think there is any need for enmity.¡±


    ¡°W-What? Fellow Systems? What the hell are you talking about?¡± It was rmed at his words, shuddering in response, unable to understand.


    It made no sense as to why Compass Carburettor would be a System. After all, he was a System yer. The presence of the two worlds behind him was definite proof of that. Systems didn¡¯t have that.


    ¡°Have you ever heard about the Main Character System?¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, intending to see how much information he could fish out from the other party. Besides, he also wanted to double-check the words of the Coincidental Luck System.


    It was better to be as assured of the situation as possible. And, every bit of information helped in that regard.


    ¡°The¡­Main Character System?¡± The figure of the Directional Misalignment System trembled in fright, uttering the words, ¡°Main¡­Character¡­System!¡±

 Chapter 199: Meh

    <h4>Chapter 199: Meh</h4>


    ¡°Main¡­Character¡­System¡­!¡± The Directional Misalignment System trembled in fright, not because it knew of the other party¡¯s existence, but because of the words.


    A System was named based on the power it possessed. So, just based on the name, the extent to its powers could be determined. It also showed how powerful it became.


    Suppose one pit the Beast Form System against the Coincidental Luck System, with both being at level 10. Ten times out of ten, the victor would be the Coincidental Luck System. It was a simple difference in the fate they possessed and the power of their abilities.


    It showed the domain of authority they wielded. For the Coincidental Luck System, anything based on coincidence and luck was under its authority. And, it was a vast ocean that was effective in every single world, even whether life existed there or not.


    As long as matter existed, coincidences would exist. That¡¯s all. The Coincidental Luck System¡¯s authority was rted to that.


    And in contrast, the Beast Form System¡¯s authority was rted to beasts. And, something was generallybelled a beast when it wasn¡¯t sentient. A monster of a sort.


    Its authority paled inparison to the Coincidental Luck System. So, even if they were at the same level, when the two Systems shed, the Beast Form System would never be able to win against its opponent.


    Along that same vein of thought, the words Main Character held tremendous weight. What was the one entity that can go against predictions, destroy logic, create heaven-shattering items, resist the tide of nature and achieve victory even though the most perilous and impossible situations?


    It was the Main Character!


    The Main Character, one around whom the world revolved. Such was the weight a System with such a name possessed.


    So, the Directional Misalignment System was bbergasted upon hearing Compass Carburettor address himself with such a name.


    Seeing its reactions and doubts, Compass Carburettor said, ¡°Well, there are a lot of things I am puzzled about myself. Let¡¯s chat. And, if you satisfy my curiosity, I¡¯ll set you free.¡±


    Just when the Directional Misalignment System wished to resist, it watched the two worlds behind Compass Carburettor gently move a little, intimidating it.


    It hurriedly spoke in response, clearly not having the strength to resist the attacks from the two worlds, ¡°Let¡¯s talk! Let¡¯s talk!¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Smiling in response, Compass Carburettor asked, ¡°Well, first of all, can you tell me more about your group?¡±


    ¡®Is he asking about the group I am a part of?¡¯ Even though it didn¡¯t wish to betray the Great Lords part of that group, it intended to live. So, without any hesitation, it opened its mouth, beginning to speak, ¡°Our group is a subset of the Four Directional Alliance.¡±


    ¡°Four Directional Alliance?¡± Compass Carburettor frowned, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a group created by Systems primarily part of four genres: Luck, Mary, Recovery, and Transportation. It is because the Systems from these four Genres are the most targeted among all the System Genres.¡± The Directional Misalignment System said, ¡°That¡¯s because their powers are incredibly useful.¡±


    ¡°If wee across a System from this genre, even if it meant injuring ourselves, we¡¯ll still absorb their Core Skills.¡± It continued, ¡°With luck, we¡¯ll suffer fewer setbacks and gain more advantages. Mary would allow us to harvest more Mental Energy. Recovery would prevent our Hosts from dying no matter the state his body is in. And finally, Transportation allows us to transport our Host from any danger without trouble.¡±


    ¡®So, does that mean the Money-Making System would be targeted by the other Systems?¡¯ He frowned, worrying as he thought of Fourth. Previously, Fourth had saved him in the System World.


    He had been rather close at the start. And, only if he had apanied the Money-Making System¡¯s portal to arrive at the System World would he have been nearby. Otherwise, the decisiveness at which he saved Compass Carburettor would be odd. After all, it wasn¡¯t easy to judge the powers of a System based on its appearance alone.


    A System didn¡¯t just possess its Core Skill, but also the Skills that it had bought from other Systems. So, it¡¯ll be a tricky opponent to face against.


    And that meant that Fourth was aware that a mary System existed on Earth. Maybe he had previously failed to kill Compass Carburettor due to how protected and isted he was. Or by the time he reached Carburettor Ind, the Money-Making System decided to return to the System World.


    But now, the host to the Money-Making System was Stencil, a na?ve child who had lost her only family. Targeting her would be easier for Fourth, especially since he has five Core Skills.


    So, if he tried to aim for the Stencil¡­


    Compass Carburettor controlled himself at this train of thought, deciding that there was no point in worrying so much. Instead, it would be better to proceed with an optimistic thought process. Having a pessimistic outlook would only eat up his sanity.


    Sighing, he gazed at the Directional Misalignment System, ¡°Continue.¡±


    ¡°Our sub-group is something we created to hinder the Coincidental Luck System¡¯s growth. It¡¯s because, at present, the Coincidental Luck System has the highest chance in reaching level 99 aspared to the other Systems in the luck genre.¡± It spoke, ¡°And, most of them range around thete eighties and early nies in level. So, thepetition is tougher between them.¡±


    ¡°This sub-group would only exist until the advantages of the Coincidental Luck System reduces to the extent it wouldn¡¯t be the first to reach level 99.¡±


    ¡°I see, that makes sense.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°Then, tell me more about System yers. How much do you know about them?¡±


    ¡°I only know what is generally known about them.¡± It said, continuing, ¡°A System yer is limited by the level of their original System. If their original System is level 5, then after bing a System yer, they¡¯ll only be able to hold four System Fragments. This limit would only vanish once they absorb their original System and be true System yers. With that, they¡¯ll be able to hold ten System Fragments once they cross level 10.¡±


    Compass Carburettor frowned, nodding, motioning for it to continue.


    Not knowing whether he was pleased or not with the information, the Directional Misalignment System thought harder and said, ¡°True System yers obtain an ability to create a portal to their home world by expending a lot of Mental Energy in the System World. They can also make portals from any world that would lead them to the System World.¡±


    ¡°As for the normal System yers¡­¡± It said after some consideration, ¡°Meh!¡±

 Chapter 200: Interrogating a System

    <h4>Chapter 200: Interrogating a System</h4>


    ¡°¡­Meh.¡± Hearing the words uttered by the Directional Misalignment System, Compass Carburettor wished to beat it up right then and there. But, he controlled himself, understanding his objective to pry out more information from it.


    As it was just a level 1 System, it was like a newborn, and hence, gullible to his schemes.


    ¡°What do you know about Grade 2 Systems?¡± He asked next, wishing to know more about them in the likelihood that he one day became a True System yer, reached level 50, and became a target of the Grade 2 Systems.


    ¡°I know nothing about them.¡± The Directional Misalignment System replied, ¡°I¡¯ve never even seen a high-level Grade 1 System in person, not to mention a Grade 2 System. Even the Great Lords haven¡¯t seen one.¡±


    ¡°Great Lords?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a respectful term used to address senior Grade 1 Systems. As hatchling Systems, we use a lot of such words to curry favour with them.¡±


    ¡°You are Systems, not humans.¡± Compass Carburettor massaged his forehead, feeling a sense of disconnect here. It almost seemed like Systems were just an overpowered version of humans with a different physical appearance.


    ¡®Well, that might be the same for all sentient beings.¡¯ He thought, asking, ¡°Can a System enter the body of a System yer?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± it nodded, ¡°But, none of us ever do that. Our seniors forbid us from doing that, though I have no idea as to why.¡±


    ¡°If you wanted to enter the body of a System yer, will any System stop you?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No,¡± The Directional Misalignment System replied.


    ¡°What about entering the body of someone under a System¡¯s control?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll try to avoid that possibility to not offend the respective System.¡± It said, ¡°We already have enough enemies to face from our respective genre. Making unnecessary enemies would only cause our deaths.¡±


    ¡°Suppose I had used my Core Skill of ve Harem on Neena, would she have fallen under its effect? What about you in that case?¡± He then asked, staring at the other party in all seriousness, trying to see if it lied or told the truth.


    ¡°What¡¯s the level of ve Harem?¡± It asked in response, not giving a direct answer.


    ¡°Level 10.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll also be affected. But, that is in the case you didn¡¯t stop the ability once Neena fell under its effect.¡± It continued, ¡°Even though Systems don¡¯t have the concept of gender, but once we enter a body, we share the same gender as the Host. But, for any Core Skill to directly affect a System, the amount of Mental Energy you would have to consume is countless times more than what it takes to affect its Host. And, the time needed to be spent would also be higher.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the estimate?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I cannot say. It depends on the authority the System Wields. But, if in my case, you would have had to use ve Harem on Neena nonstop for at least a year. And that¡¯s only because I am at level 1. If I was at level 10, then it might take¡­an eternity.¡± It spoke.


    ¡°So, suppose you fell under the effect of ve Harem. How long would itst? What if I didn¡¯t use it as a Skill but directly applied the System Fragment with the Core Skill on you?¡± He asked another question that he had.


    The Directional Misalignment System thought for some time before answering, ¡°If you are only using the Skill, you¡¯ll have to keep an eye on me once I reach Level 10. After that, unless you keep renewing the effect of the ability on me, I¡¯ll break out of your control. But, until I reach level 10, it is not possible for me to ever break out of it.¡±


    ¡°As for using the entire System Fragment itself¡­¡± It hesitated for a good minute before speaking, ¡°If my level is below the System Fragment, then the effect is¡­permanent. But, it¡¯s also more or less simr to a System absorbing the Core Skill of another System. So, this would impede my growth. Possibly, I would never cross level 10 or even reach it in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°I see, that¡¯s fairly interesting.¡± Compass Carburettorughed, finally asking a question he was wondering about all along, ¡°What will happen if I kill a System yer?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± It answered.


    ¡°How were you born?¡± He asked next.


    ¡°I just appeared one day in the System World.¡± It replied, ¡°And, all the basic knowledge I needed to act as a System was already in me. So, I have no idea how I was born or whether I was even birthed in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°Alright, final question.¡± Compass Carburettor stretched his body, getting up as he asked, ¡°How do you want to die?¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡± The Directional Misalignment System was shocked, stuttering, ¡°B-But, you said you would let me live if I answered all your questions honestly.¡±


    ¡°Did you actually speak the truth, though?¡± He tilted his head, asking with a knowing smile.


    ¡°Of course, every word I said is the truth.¡± It replied in a hurry. ¡°If you want, you can simply ask about it with other Systems. You¡¯ll receive the same answer.¡±


    ¡°But, I don¡¯t know how to set you free, you know.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled wryly.


    ¡°T-This¡­¡± It was surprised for a moment before saying in excitement, ¡°All you have to do in this case is think of using me while touching another human. I¡¯ll be transferred into their body. It¡¯s a pretty simple process. Though, it won¡¯t work if there is no medium for me to be transferred towards. So, if you simply think of that without touching another human, it won¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the information.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded in gratitude, ¡°I now have the means to enter a symbiotic rtionship with a System in the future after enving it first.¡±


    Upon seeing his expression, the Directional Misalignment spurred into action, intending to run away when it noticed that it was wholly bound to the ce, shuddering in shock as it gazed at him, ¡°Your invitation for me to take a seat was a trap?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Heughed, ¡°Did you forget that you are the Directional Misalignment System?¡±


    ¡°To someone that uses projectiles, you are my worst enemy.¡±

 Chapter 201: Never Trust a Scheming Human

    <h4>Chapter 201: Never Trust a Scheming Human</h4>


    The chain of light erected by the Darble World wound around the Directional Misalignment System, bounding it. As it didn¡¯t have much Mental Energy remaining, it wasn¡¯t able to break free, remaining even more helpless than the ve Harem System.


    ¡°Stop!¡± It shouted in rm when a bullet mmed into it, breaking a chunk of its body in the process.


    The Directional Misalignment System looked like a yarn of arrows that was bundled in a messy arrangement. It was an erratic cluster. There wasn¡¯t just one arrow in it, but rather hundreds, with each seemingly like a different part.


    They were disconnected.


    The moment Earth began to fire projectiles at it, the cluster of arrowspressed themselves before bursting out, slipping through the confinement as quite a few of them escaped.


    Countless tentacles of light appeared from the Darble World as they tried to wrap around the flying arrows while from time to time, Earth would st forth a bullet at an arrow, killing it. But, only one in every twenty bullets hit its target.


    After all, the arrows were able to affect trajectories in the direction they pointed at. But, since each arrow was only capable of pointing in a certain direction, as long as the bullet targeted it from a different direction while it was affecting another bullet, it would be destroyed.


    Compass Carburettor condensed two Anthozoa in his hands, shooting a flurry of bullets at the arrows, distracting them to affect his bullets when Earth¡¯s bullets destroyed them.


    And, when the arrows tried to pierce him, he condensed a film of light before him, expanding it in size to throw the arrows off.


    In the world of his mind, he was able to use all the abilities that he possessed. At present, he wasn¡¯t able to use his Dac because he didn¡¯t have an Armament. But in the world of his mind, he could simply condense one and use it for his attacks.


    As long as it was something he was capable of doing, he was able to do it here.


    But, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t press forth on his attacks, slowly attacking the arrows. The problem was his insufficient Mental Energy reserves.


    As he wasn¡¯t a True System yer, he wasn¡¯t able to store Mental Energy in his body. All he possessed were those that he forcefully trapped within his Mental Energy Form. And, it wasn¡¯t much to note about.


    So, he primarily relied upon the Mental Energy influx he received from the customers of the caf¨¦ and the inte caf¨¦ that he had worked at for a week.


    The amount wasn¡¯t much. And, they weren¡¯t consistent. After all, it wasn¡¯t as if the people would constantly talk about him. Other than being a handsome guy that worked at the ce, he hadn¡¯t done anything noteworthy.


    So, at most, he would be talked about a couple of times. Or for some that lusted after his appearance, even if they didn¡¯t talk about him, they would at least think about him enough times, wondering the reason for his disappearance.


    And that was the primary source for his Mental Energy. And since he was getting an almost consistent amount per day, he paced himself ordingly, slowly whittling down his opponent while leaving some excess Mental Energy to spare.


    What the Directional Misalignment System was doing now was just a futile effort. Not many arrows escaped from the bindings. And, it was aware that once the dispersed arrows condensed into a cluster, the Darble World would take the chance to bind itself.


    Adding that onto the projectile assault by Earth, it wouldn¡¯t be able to redirect all the attacks. So, it was only prolonging its life by trying to fly everywhere it wished within the mental space.


    ¡°Just¡­let me live.¡± The Directional Misalignment System shouted in agony, ¡°You can put me under your ve Harem¡¯s influence. But please, allow me to survive.¡±


    ¡°You said it before,¡± Compass Carburettorughed, ¡°It¡¯ll take me a couple of years to put you under its effect. But, I don¡¯t have the leeway of time, right?¡±


    ¡°Surely your fellow Systems would try to save you by then. After all, you dying here would mean a decrease in the opponents Rhizen has to face.¡± He nailed the point, ¡°And before I manage to put you under my control, you¡¯ll have enough time to casually connect to the Astral Network and inform them of the situation.¡±


    ¡°No! No! I won¡¯t do that.¡± The Directional Misalignment System screamed, watching even more of its arrows getting destroyed. ¡°I can use a Skill to vow upon the terms.¡±


    ¡°Leave that aside,¡± Compass Carburettor shook his head, defending against a couple of arrows that tried to injure him as he spoke, ¡°All you need to do is state the names of all the Systems that have descended in this world, and the names of those in your sub-group. Do that, and I¡¯ll set you free.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think I¡¯ll believe you a second time?¡± It retorted in anger, looking like he was mocking its intelligence.


    ¡°Simple,¡± Heughed, pointing at the arrows, ¡°Every time you name a System, I¡¯ll free an arrow from the cluster. Let¡¯s start with those that manage your sub-group.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Left with no other choice, the Directional Misalignment System could only agree. It had lost the initiative from the moment it appeared in this mental space.


    ¡°Destiny Luck, level 92.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± Compass Carburettor released one arrow from the hold.


    ¡°Happy-Go-Lucky, level 88.¡±


    ¡°Continue,¡± He released one more arrow.


    The Directional Misalignment System then continued to iterate the names and levels of every System it knew about. After the ones in the group were all named, it then named the Systems that had arrived at the world.


    Finally, Compass Carburettor frowned, ¡°So, no System from the Luck Genre has entered the world. That¡¯s sad.¡±


    ¡°Of course, if they did that, the Coincidental Luck System would gobble them up. It would only serve to strengthen its powers further.¡± It replied, noticing that less than twenty arrows were left within the constriction, saying, ¡°Please ask me more.¡±


    ¡°Sure, what¡¯s your next n to target Rhizen?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± It replied, ¡°I was only briefed about my n. And, this is the first time I am entering this world.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Compass Carburettorughed when suddenly, a powerful bulletnded on an arrow within theyer of light tentacles, destroying it, causing the Directional Misalignment System to scream in agony, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Heughed, ¡°Did your parents never teach you?¡±


    ¡°To never trust a scheming human?¡±

 Chapter 202: Destroying a Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 202: Destroying a Treasure</h4>


    ¡°Damn you!¡± The Directional Misalignment System could do nothing else but scream in agony, for the arrow that was destroyedtest was one of its main arrows. That immediately caused all the arrows to turn a bit sluggish, allowing them to be bombarded easily.


    It realised that all along, Compass Carburettor was also scouting for the important arrows within its arrow cluster, intending to target them first. Moreover, it seemed like he was setting its arrows free one after another.


    But in actuality, he was removing the regr arrows while asking questions, making it believe that he was staying true to his word this time. In truth, he was trying to reduce the number of regr arrows around its core arrows, preventing itself from using the regr arrows to defend them.


    With them out of the picture, the projectiles from Earthnded on the core arrows, destroying them. Worst of all was the fact that the cocoon of light had no holes to escape from. It made the Directional Misalignment System realise that even its action of causing the arrows to spill out was under his ns.


    He was just dispersing its resistance to target the core. Whenever a bullet was about tond on the cocoon of light, a tiny bullet-sized hole opened for an instant before closing. As it worked at the speed of light, it was easy for the hole to open and close fast enough for the bullet to pass through without allowing the arrows to leak out.


    ¡®Which System produced such a terrifying individual?¡¯ It shuddered, cursing the foolishness of the System that boosted his mental growth to such a level.


    That was thest thought it possessed as all the arrows within the cocoon of light were destroyed. Immediately after, the surrounding arrows weakly fell to the ground.


    Compass Carburettor took them as target practice as he shot at them, only rxing once all the arrows had been annihted. Immediately after, he returned to reality, closing his eyes as a massive volume of information rushed into his mind.


    But this time, it was slightly more bearable. And, that was only because he was in his Haggon Form, having a stronger body to withstand the mental burden.


    His human form was on the ground nearby, bleeding out as it was on the verge of turning into a puddle. Some of the blood touched the Haggon¡¯s feet, beginning to corrode them. But, the Haggon wasn¡¯t affected beyond that, exerting strength in his muscles to eject out the poisoned blood before healing the injuries.


    He then looked around, watching that he was surrounded by insects on all sides. The only reason he wasn¡¯t overwhelmed during the time he spent in the mental world fighting against the Directional Misalignment System was thanks to the blood on the ground.


    It was poisonous blood, one that had covered the ground. As a significant portion of it had already been treated by Neena¡¯s System, the potency of the remainder wasn¡¯t effective against a flesh monster like the Haggon.


    But for the tiny insects, it was still potent enough to spell their deaths. And, they had figured that out through practice, evident by a thick boundary of dead insects.


    Compass Carburettor sat in the same ce for a good hour before getting up, ripping out an arm that he used as a brush to soak up the poisonous blood.


    He then slowly stood up, exhaling once, unleashing a powerful gust of air that blew out most of the insects. He continued to blow out while walking forward, smiling when the insects were unable to evene close to him.


    In such a manner, he arrived before the stctite that acted as the container for the process of Gu to be conducted, one that produced the frightening scorpion. When he noticed the body of the scorpion, he observed that its flesh had been pried open and something had been taken out from within.


    He was aware that it was Rhizen that had done as such, clearly aware of the other party¡¯s schemes. That¡¯s how he timely reacted to ensure Rhizen¡¯s stinger pierced through his hands first, soaking up most of the poison, leaving behind a paltry sum that was used on Neena.


    After that was the scene that yed to her demise. Now, staring at the culprit that had birthed such a venomous insect, Compass Carburettor thought for a moment, muttering, ¡°So, the scorpion was the most dangerous in this. The rest haven¡¯t begun to evolve to such a stage yet. So, there is something dictated by the horn it grew.¡±


    ¡°But, this ce is too dangerous. It might continue to birth dangerous creatures.¡± He frowned before crouching low, punching the stctite once, shattering it, causing all the liquid within to flow out.


    Normally, he would have camped at this ce, even spurring the evolution of the insects until another insect like the scorpion emerges. He would then make it a member of Secret Society, obtaining a powerful reserve of mutated beasts that could act as hisckeys.


    But now, he couldn¡¯t do so. Members of the Secret Society would be a liability here that could be used against him. The best example was the Beast Form System that was able to turn into the beasts that Krager killed and consumed.


    The cobra that he made a member had been observing his fight all along, allowing him to understand the opponent¡¯s ability in full detail.


    As Krager was alive, he could just arrive at the cave, kill the creature that he had raised with care and obtain its power. That would be just giving another boost to his enemy.


    He was aware that the role of Secret Society was to plot and scheme in secret. They weren¡¯t soldiers that he could use in wars. And in this case, he would only be fuelling his opponents, especially since he was aware of what type of Systems had descended in the world.


    Depending on the situation, treasure and trash would casually exchange ces.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be too troublesome.¡± Hence, he destroyed it, preventing any other dangerous insect from being birthed. Moreover, he also diced the scorpion¡¯s body into countless pieces, scattering them everywhere.


    This way, Krager wouldn¡¯t be able to take advantage of it. As for the poison, once he was done with the task, Compass Carburettor ripped out his arms and regenerated new ones.


    As for the ripped arms, they would prove as good food for the insects, especially the venomous ones. This way, all traces would be destroyed.

 Chapter 203: That Which Should Have Been A Protagonist’s Ability

    <h4>Chapter 203: That Which Should Have Been A Protagonist¡¯s Ability</h4>


    Compass Carburettor, in his Haggon Form, arrived before a wall in therge cave, holding a bag in one hand and a severed arm in the other. Using the severed arm, he had drawn arge circle around him, preventing the insects from closing in on him while he was observing his surroundings.


    Closing his eyes, he sensed the location of Krager through his Spydragon first, then activated his Info Scanner to confirm the other party''s precise location.


    Moreover, through the information transmitted telepathically by the cobra, he was aware of the general gist of things, finding itughably funny. First was the fact that the cobra talked like an excited five-year-old girl, chirpily stating everything with a nature of innocence.


    It was odding from a cobra, a venomous snake that hunted others for its meals, that too an adult one. After Bestowing upon it the Skill of Intelligence, it was able to understand many things and convey them in a manner that was easy for him to understand.


    The Skill of Intelligence mysterious worked in his favour. Adding onto the base capabilities given by Secret Society to its members, theyplemented each other to give generous results.


    The second funny thing was Krager, a System Host that¡­actually lost a battle. A System Host, no matter how dangerous a situation was or how overpowered an enemy was, never truly suffered a loss.


    Even if they faced a setback, that was just a means to fuel a strongereback. But now, Krager had actually lost, all for one reason: He dared to go against Rhizen.


    Upon reaching this line of thought, Compass Carburettorughed, thinking, ''I wonder how he was killed the previous times? Rhizen is someone that I dare not make an enemy of.''


    Shaking his head, he focused, punching at the wall once, causing arge dent. Even though the Haggon''s arm bones broke in the process, they regenerated immediately after as Compass Carburettor repeatedly punched without holding back.


    This was the way a Haggon fought, always unleashing attacks that went beyond what its body could handle. Thanks to its regeneration, it recovered from the damage quickly. And, this allowed it to unleash explosive force.


    A six-metre-tall giant with a tremendously tough physique, withpressed muscles and terrifyingly tough skin. And, a punch unleashed with enough power to destroy its own arm, the might unleashed was unimaginable.


    The more than three-metre-thick cave wall broke down after ten punches as Compass Carburettor peeked out, gazing at the side of Mount Craire. The reason he had only exited now was for one reason, and that was to target his opponent.


    The cobra constantly ryed the news to him, allowing him to prepare as he expended 100 Dac and returned to his human¡ªSpirit¡ªForm.


    He watched from far away, gazing at two figures running after one another. The first was a mongoose that was fleeing for its life, having suffered some injuries. And, chasing after it while unleashing a maddened cry was a bird, one that was a mix between an eagle and a vulture.


    Both of them had a horn growing on their foreheads.


    The sequence of events had yed out like this¡­


    At the peak of Mount Craire existed three parties. The first of them was the attacker, the mongoose that seemed the strongest of the three parties. The second was Krager, having lost all his Beast Forms, relying upon his human form to fight.


    The final party was the birds, two of them in fact. One was fighting against the mongoose by allying with Krager. As for the second bird, it remained in the thicket of trees, protecting the egg it hadid.


    This was a mysterious egg, in that it continued to grow in size as time passed, sucking the essence from the bird that protected it. Moreover, its size had already surpassed the bird that had birthed it, even though it hadn''t hatched it.


    So, it was apparent that a rather special entity, the first of its kind was being birthed here. And, to hunt it came the mongoose.


    As Krager and the father bird allied to fight the mongoose, the situation on Mount Craire slowly changed. More than twenty mongooses made an appearance, with blood leaking out of their mouths.


    With some bits of clothes in their mouths, it was apparent that they had a feast of the people that trekked Mount Craire, as Rhizen had noticed by the scent of blood in the air.


    None of the twenty mongooses had a horn growing on their heads, but there was a small bump on them, signifying that it was only time before they too grew a horn. After killing and feasting upon all the humans on Mount Craire, they headed towards the peak.


    And upon their arrival, the one-horned mongoosemanded them to attack Krager, the most troublesome of them all that had hindered it all along.


    A precarious battle ensued forth as Krager was at a disadvantage, unable to face so many fierce predators all of a sudden. Before he noticed it, he was relying upon his healing ability to constantly regenerate his wounds as he was riddled with them continuously.


    He somehow managed to kill a mongoose and ate it while in battle, disregarding his wounds for a moment before turning into a mongoose himself. This way, he wished to use the superior agility and reflexes of a mongoose to turn the tides.


    But despite that, he was unable to win. And before long, he had expended all his contribution points, barely managing to kill three mongooses. With that, he decided to retreat, running down the mountain as all the mongooses gave chase.


    The one-horned mongoose was capable of dealing with the birds. Moreover, it wished to eat the egg by itself, unwilling to share the benefits that it would obtain by devouring it.


    With Krager fleeing towards the foot of the mountain, it had no enemies, quickly killing the father bird, biting its neck as the mongoose ate it a little to recover some energy.


    At this time, the mother bird let out a wailing chirp before copsing to the ground, losing all signs of life. Its body looked like a dried husk, having sacrificed all its vitality toplete the egg''s nurturing process.


    Right as the mongoose leaped upon the egg, it frowned while mid-air, watching the eggshell shatter to unleash a powerful gust of wind that threw it backward.

 Chapter 204: The Apocalypse’s Power System

    <h4>Chapter 204: The Apocalypse¡¯s Power System</h4>


    The mongoose oriented itself,nding on all fours as it evaded multiple attacks, swerving around a couple of trees as it watched a bird reveal itself from within the egg.


    Just its birth caused its eggshell to st off like projectiles everywhere. The bird had a stature that surpassed a metre in height, unfurling its wings to boast a wingspan that reached four metres.


    Its feathers looked like a bird''s at first nce but shone with a metallic sheen. It wasn''t actually made from metal but boasted structural properties simr to one, like carbon fibre.


    Upon hatching, it didn''t look like a hatchling bird, but rather an adult instead. It gazed around, noticing the withered husk of its mother and an eaten corpse of a father, letting out a mournful chirp.


    Its gaze fell on the mongoose, identifying based on the blood on its mouth that it was the culprit, immediately targeting it.


    The two creatures exchanged attacks viciously, with the mongoose soon falling under a disadvantage. Had it been at the start, then it would have clinched an upper hand in the fight with the bird.


    But now, it didn''t have enough energy, with exhaustion setting in. After all, it had been fighting for a good couple of hours against the bird and Krager, watching its enemies constantly heal themselves and fight at tip-top condition.


    So, to repeatedly injure them, it had expended a lot of energy, nowpletely tired. As for the bird, it had just emerged from its egg, brimming with power.


    During the initial exchanges, both parties were simr in power. But as time passed, the bird got more used to its abilities, soon suppressing the mongoose.


    Upon seeing the tide of the battle tip in its disadvantage, the mongoose screeched once, worrying as itsrades hadn''t returned yet. It knew that Krager couldn''t be killed so easily, so they wouldn''t be returning so soon.


    Without any hesitation, it turned tail and ran.


    ¡­


    Now, Compass Carburettor hid behind a tree, calmly watching the bird chasing after the mongoose. He took in a deep breath, rxing his bodypletely until his killing intent vanished. His demeanour blended in with the surroundings, exactly like a snake''s.


    It was something he had learned on Earth during the twenty years he lived as a System Host. There were humans that imitated snakes and imitated their ways among secluded tribes.


    During one Quest, he spent a year in one such tribe,pletely learning their ways. Thanks to his System, he managed to absorb their ways faster. One of those was to be like a cobra and assimte his breathing frequency to synchronise with nature.


    In science, it was termed Resonant Frequency. And here, he achieved the same until his presence was no different to his surroundings. The act of picking up the required Resonant Frequency instinctively and attaining it was what the tribe practiced.


    And that was also why the System gave him that Quest. It ended up proving useful a lot of times on Earth. Even in the Darble World, it allowed him to act as a Spirit in such a convincing manner that once he obtained Secret Society, he actually turned into a Spirit.


    After tuning himself to his surroundings, Compass Carburettor extended his hand, facing Anthozoa towards the bird, immediately emptying the clip.


    The bird barely sensed something was amiss when six bullets lodged themselves in its body, injuring it profusely. Even though its evolved body was tougher, it hadn''t reached the point where it could shrug off powerful bullets like his.


    It fell to the ground, twitching a couple of times before dying. Upon seeing the scene, the mongoose was startled for a moment before it wanted to escape.


    "Arrgh!" Compass Carburettor shouted as he shot at the mongoose, screaming in frustration when he noticed that his gun was empty. He threw it away in anger and rushed towards the mongoose, carrying a branch that he had broken in advance.


    Upon noticing that the fearsome weapon was useless, the mongoose looked at the running Compass Carburettor, gazing at his naked self before crouching on the ground once.


    Its figure vanished, reappearing behind Compass Carburettor, holding arge block of flesh in its mouth. Clutching his neck, his eyes widened as Compass Carburettor was rmed, slumping to the ground as his body twitched.


    Just as the mongoose was about to use the chance to eat up the bird, it noticed its body temperature ring up all of a sudden while its eyes became dizzy. For a moment, its surroundings blurred when it noticed its body being picked up by the tail all of a sudden.


    And, staring at it was a massive monster, one that let out a humane grin. Two fingers gentle grabbed hold of its head, twisting its neck, killing it just like that. After killing the mongoose, Compass Carburettor returned to his human form,manding in his mind, ''Come out.''


    The cobra slithered out of its hiding spot and hissed, arriving before him. He had baited the mongoose to attack him, smearing poison on his neck when he threw his gun away in anger. And, the poison was of course the scorpion''s.


    It was only a diluted amount. But, that was enough. During the couple of seconds the mongoose''s senses were awry, he used his Haggon Form to catch it. It was pretty easy after that.


    Without any hesitation, he used a horn that he had broken from his Haggon Form to pry open the bodies of both the mongoose and the bird, taking out a pearl and an orb from each.


    "So, this is what Rhizen used to gain that power." He thought, smiling, "I still don''t know the specifics of this. So, let me first experiment with the orb from the mongoose."


    Thinking as such, he swallowed it readily. Even if something happened, he didn''t have to worry, since he was in his human form. Even death in this form was of no consequence.


    His heart thumped in anticipation as Compass Carburettor gently swallowed the one-horned mongoose''s orb, watching it arrive at his stomach before a wave of energy exploded from it, beginning to suck in his stamina.


    "Feel free to eat up as much as you want." Compass Carburettorughed, for, unlike others, he had Dac, which was just the condensation of a body''s stamina.


    A dozen secondster, something welled up from within him as he began tough uncontrobly, "Interesting, so this is the power system of this world."

 Chapter 205: The True Purpose Of Permanence

    <h4>Chapter 205: The True Purpose Of Permanence</h4>


    [Name: Compass Carburettor, Domino Plottopia]


    [Race: Haggon (Spirit)]


    [Physique: Health (Level 10), Strength (Level 10), Dexterity (Level 10), Stamina (Level 10), Intelligence (Level 10), Cognition (Level 10), Natural Recovery (Level 10), Five Senses (Level 10), Resting (Level 10)]


    [Personal Fragment: Anthozoa, Secret Society]


    [Arms: 3]


    [Core Skills: ve Harem (Level 10), Info Scanner (Level 3), Directional Misalignment (Level 1)]


    [Arms: Intoxicating Fragrance (Level 10), Overdrive (Level 8), Permanence]


    [Dac: 3104/5317]


    Compass Carburettor looked at his stats, smirking. Of course, he obtained Directional Misalignment as a Skill. It was way too useful to pass it up as just a System Fragment. System Hosts couldn''t be killed with direct hits that easily, since as long as they possess Mental Energy, they would survive guaranteed death scenarios.


    So, the abilities he should prioritise upon were strategic abilities that were versatile in nature. And among them, he had countless methods in which Directional Misalignment coulde into y.


    Any sentient being that moved could be affected using this ability. So, having it as a Skill was more beneficial.


    Of course, for any System Fragments that were along the lines of reinforcement, he wished to use them as System Fragments and activate them upon himself. That way, he could be strengthened.


    There were some Systems among the batch that had arrived at the world. And, he was nning to capture them. That way, he''ll be able to strengthen himself further even without having to use up his remaining three Arms.


    As for the ability he gained just now, it wasn''t reflected on his status. After all, it wasn''t permanently his ability yet. It would be erased once he returned to the System World. Of course, there was one method that he could use to gain the ability of this world permanently.


    System Fragment¡ªPermanence!


    The moment he activated it and used it upon himself, the power he gained in this world would permanently be his.


    But, he didn''t wish to do that. The power system of this world, though remarkable, wasn''t what he desired.


    Permanence, as the name indicated, would allow him to maintain a state of matter/energy permanently. Suppose he used it on a candle that had been lit, the me would continue to span for eternity without dying off, despite the condition of nature, in statescking oxygen, or even underwater.


    Moreover, the candle wax too wouldn''t be used up. It would maintain itself for eternity. It was a cheat-like ability even among Systems.


    But, here lies one risk. If he took it as a Skill, he''ll be able to use it on items, such as the candle and cause it to maintain itself for eternity.


    But, the range of the effect would be severely limited. Suppose the Skill was at level 1, then all he would be able to give the trait of permanence was a candle. Nothing beyond that.


    Only as the Skill Level increases would he be able to affectrger and more substances with ''weight'' in that respective world. And, the ''weight'' here determines how important such a substance was inparison to the world''sws.


    Suppose he had an ability that can cause a person to suffer from fire. By using this Skill, he can make that person suffer from the fire for eternity, or until he dies. The fire would be permanent, which would continue burning even after he was vaporised.


    Simrly, if he caused a bullet wound to someone while also using the Skill of Permanence. Then, the target would never be able to heal from the injury, constantly suffering from the same pain that he/she experienced the moment the bullet pierced their body.


    No person would be able to remain sane after that.


    Normally, had he obtained Permanence from a Hatchling System, he would have definitely turned it into a Skill. That way, he could directly fight System Hosts. As long as he injures them even once, the System Host would be in a constant state of pain that would cause them to go mad.


    And, if their pain sensors were cut off permanently by the System, then it would also affect their other emotions, causing the Mental Energy they processed to drastically fall. The System would easily go bankrupt if it didn''t wish to return to the System World.


    It would allow him to easily deal with Hatchling Systems.


    But, he didn''t wish to do that. After all, the current limit of this ability, if used as a Skill was Level 10. It won''t be effective against higher levelled Systems. And besides, he had no idea if he could be a True System yer yet.


    So, until that happened, he nned to just save up the ability and decide ordingly based on the situation.


    The second reason was the potency of Permanence. It was the Core Skill of a System at level 99. That was the limit a Grade 1 System could reach.


    And, with the power being Permanence, here arrived an interesting possibility.


    He could obtain the powers of another world. Once he remained in that world long enough and used Permanence upon himself, the power he obtained from that world would permanently be his.


    And, he had a target for the power he wished to obtain to be affected by Permanence.


    Cultivation!


    As long as he reached a cultivation world, he could cultivate and reach a strong enough Realm, eventually using Permanence to make him retain said cultivation base. That way, he''ll be tremendously powerful.


    Because cultivation was an act of journeying from a mortal to a God, Compass Carburettor was aware of the power he could possess at the end of that. That way, just by relying upon his cultivation, he could go against stronger Systems without trouble.


    This was his actual n.


    If what the Coincidental Luck System said was the truth, then even if he became a True System yer, reaching level 49 was his limit. The moment he reached level 50, a Grade 2 System would target him and won''t leave him alone until he died.


    He knew of a way around that, though he didn''t know of the likelihood of that n seeding, at least until he met with some strong System yers.


    ''Still, cultivation is by far the best n to go about to possess enough strength to protect myself and Stencil after I rescue her. I''m bound to make enough enemies along the journey anyway¡­'' Sighing, he clenched his fists.

 Chapter 206: Interesting! But Weak!

    <h4>Chapter 206: Interesting! But Weak!</h4>


    Now that he had cleared up his thoughts, Compass Carburettor focused on the ability he had obtained. It seemed the power systems of this world also came with a convenient user manual, equipped with all the necessary instructions.


    After a moment of thought, he frowned, ''This shouldn''t have been the case initially. The cause for this should have been the Grade 4 System that modified this world. Though, why had it done such a pointless thing? Any System should already have enough information rted to the mechanics of the world they are about to enter.''


    It was a simple conjecture. There were countless worlds out there, with new ones constantly being discovered. There were also alternate universes like the one discovered by the Permanence System


    Once such a world was discovered, a batch of Systems would descend into the world first to shape it. They would establish a connection to the Astral Network there, create things that would shape up the mentality of the people to be more epting of Systems and also figure out all the secrets of the world.


    All this information wouldter be up for sale for any System that wished to descend into this world. That''s how these Systems made a profit for all their work.


    So, generally speaking, there was no need for such information to be attached to the power. For a System Host, his/her System could casually feed the rted information to them. Also, they could even withhold some sensitive information that wouldter put the Host in dangerous situations.


    All of that would increase the Mental Energy a System obtained. But now, the actions taken by the Grade 4 System was reducing the advantage of the Systems that enter this world.


    After some more thought, Compass Carburettor was unable to figure out the truth, sighing as he focused on the matter at hand, and that was his ability.


    As he thought about it, his Dac was consumed as a pair of shoes condensed on his feet. Smirking once, he sensed his Dac being expended once again as his figure shed, reappearing at a distance of ten metres away from his original spot.


    He hadn''t teleported but had moved at a frightening speed. Moreover, the ability was coupled with a mysterious power that automatically negated the inertia that he built up during the high-speed movement.


    Otherwise, his organs would have been severely injured as a result of the movement. When he obtained the ability, he also gained all the necessary instincts in regards to using it.


    This was also the reason Rhizen was able to use his tail so naturally.


    The power of this world followed a simple mechanic.


    When a mutated beast was killed, there would sometimes be an orb within its body. Consuming this orb would allow you to gain the ability of the said beast. But, there was a limitation.


    It was that you could only gain one per stage. And here, the stage was a vague concept. Anyone with an ability would be at Stage 1.


    And, when they reach the peak of it, they would naturally know that they were able to reach Stage 2. But, there didn''te any increase to their physique or anything with the increase in the stages.


    Until the end, they would remain as a regr human, but the only thing that would change was how many mutated beasts they could contain within them.


    Thinking as such, Compass Carburettor flicked his hand, watching the one-horned mongoose appear beside him. Though, such an action alone consumed about 100 of his Dac.


    He then motioned for it to devour the one-horned bird, watching it gobble up the other party. At the end of it, the figure of the mongoose became slightly stronger.


    Sighing, he watched the mongoose disappear.


    For every stage, a human was able to obtain the ability of a mutated beast. So, suppose he was at Stage 3, he would be able to have three mutated beasts.


    And, if a mutated beast that he had captured consumed the body of another mutated beast on the same level as it, then its body would be slightly improved. As long as it continued with the same, then it would eventually reach a higher level.


    And, the level for the mutated beasts was determined by the number of horns on them. And, here was where this power system turned interesting.


    Suppose he was at Stage 3 and had captured three mutated beasts. As long as he provided them with sufficient mutated beast corpses, all of them would eventually develop three horns. That would be their limit until he reaches Stage 4 or higher.


    As for the power of the mongoose, once he activated it, a pair of boots would form on his legs that would allow him to travel at tremendous speeds. This was what the mongoose had used in the end to instantly bite off arge chunk of his neck.


    With the boots, he''ll be able to do the same. And, as the number of horns on his mongoose increases, so will the distance that he could sh towards by wearing the boots.


    But, here came a massive limitation that made him unwilling to use Permanence on himself at the end of his journey in this world.


    To condense his boots, he would have to consume a pearl. The energy from the pearl would condense his boots that would allow him to sh once before the boots vanish. If he doesn''t use the sh ability, he would be able to run faster and jump higher than usual, but for a certain duration until the energy from the pearl is expended.


    This was the inherent disadvantage of this power system. All its users would have to depend on the pearls for power. Without it, no matter how high the Stage they reached, they would be helpless.


    But, since the pearls were more or less simr to Dac, as they were condensation of the body''s energy, he could somehow supplement its activation using it. But, the efficiency was very low.


    He was better off using an energy de that was more versatile and lethal.


    "But, normally speaking, as time passes, these pearls would form the most basic currency of this world that the apocalypse society relies upon¡­" He nodded, shaking his head, ''But in the end, it''s too weak to waste my Permanence upon.''

 Chapter 207: Uncle Spirit

    <h4>Chapter 207: Uncle Spirit</h4>


    There was one final aspect of this power system. It was the fact that the mutated beasts too had an advantage, simr to the humans¡ªthat were able to capture as many mutated beasts as their Stage dictates.


    This advantage was their breath attack, which was just an unleash of a force. Or to be more precise, it was the burst element.


    This burst element was like a shockwave without involving any mes. It was a pure generation of force. The first time the mongoose unleashed its breath attack, Krager only survived because his System had enough Mental Energy to avoid an instant death attack.


    Simrly, when the scorpion unleashed the same, Neena had redirected the attack by turning it to face a nearby stctite, which in turn ended up causing its death.


    They were trump cards unleashed after condensing a lot of power in their bodies. Unless they recovered, the energy in their bodies was only enough to unleash one breath attack. It was two breath attacks for two-horned mutated beasts and increased in number for every increase in the horns.


    The strangeness of this power system was the fact that there was no limit to the Stage a human could reach or the number of horns a mutated beast could possess.


    But, the higher the Stage/number of horns, the harder it is to grow and reach a higher level. Still, that only meant the limit to growth would be reached when there weren''t enough resources.


    Otherwise, given enough resources, there was no theoretical limit to their growth.


    "At higher stages, the mutated beasts would have more advantages.'' Compass Carburettor sighed. After all, as the number of horns on them increases, so would the toughness of their bodies. And, they''ll be able to unleash more breath attacks or use their base abilities more times.


    In contrast, a human had to constantly dope on the pearls to generate enough energy for their attacks. And, if they were to run out or drop their reserve of pearls, they were doomed in a high-pitched battle for survival.


    At the initial stages, a human was stronger than a simrly levelled mutated beast. But this advantage would continue to drop with the increase in levels.


    ''And that''s where my nes into effect.'' Compass Carburettorughed, looking at the cobra, "Let''s level you up first."


    "Yaay! Thanks, Uncle Spirit!" The cobra hissed in response, rying its thoughts through telepathy.


    Usually, any member of Secret Society instinctively referred to him as Lord Spirit. But, this cobra was different. It behaved like they were closer.


    ''Maybe it''s because of my history with that cobra tribe.'' Nodding in response, he extended his hand, watching the cobra climb up before coiling around his neck.


    He picked up his bag from the cave entrance, taking out a pair of spare clothes from it before wearing them. He watched his remaining Haggon arm¡ªthe one he used as a brush while dipping in the scorpion poison¡ªbeginning to be swarmed by insects.


    As time passed, also thanks to the spilt liquid used in the process of Gu, the surrounding insects were beginning to adapt to the toxin within it. Even though hundreds had died from trying it, another batch of insects devoured this batch of insects.


    And when they died, another batch devoured them. After enough rounds, one batch survived, developing immunity to the weak poison concentration. This way, they moved up the batches, devouring them all before finallytching onto the Haggon arm, no longer affected by the poison within.


    Hundreds of thousands of insects died every minute in this process. But an hourter, whether it was the Haggon arm or the pieces of the scorpion''s flesh scattered around, all of them had been devoured.


    Shaking his head, Compass Carburettor arrived before the corpse of the one-horned mongoose, motioning for the cobra to devour it.


    After a moment of hesitation, the cobra swallowed arge body part that he had cut using his Armament.


    "Are you sure you''re a cobra and not a python?" Compass Carburettorughed upon seeing that the cobra had managed to gobble up the entirety of the mongoose''s body in the end, turning into a bloated entity thaty on the ground, immobile.


    "I''m better than thatzy thing!" The cobra shouted through telepathy. Though in reality, it was like a salted fish, staring nkly, not even able to budge an inch.


    "Haha!" Compass Carburettor emptied the contents of his bag and stuffed the cobra within. Other than his Armaments, the rest weren''t useful anyway.


    He then closed his eyes, muttering, "Rhizen and Krager have already reached the foot of the mountain. And¡­are they fighting currently?"


    He was surprised for a moment.


    After he determined that Neena was about to be killed, he slipped his Spydragon into Rhizen''s bag, allowing him to track the location of the other party. Upon hearing the sounds ryed from both the Spydragons, he began tough, noticing that they were actually fighting.


    ''It''ll be great if this can weaken Krager to the limit.'' That was all he hoped for. As for the Coincidental Luck System making a loss, that was of no concern to him.


    His only task was to kill the Systems that targeted Rhizen and ensure he doesn''t die. That didn''t mean he had to babysit Rhizen.


    Moreover, even if the Coincidental Luck System was weakened, it was of no concern to him. It was just a business transaction where their selfish interests coincided. That''s all.


    So, he nned to make Rhizen face the brunt of the attacks or rather, throw the enemy Systems at him. And when they had been weakened significantly, he would corner them further and kill them.


    ''But, since I can''t spread Secret Society carelessly here, I''ll have to be cautious with every step of my n. After all, there are too many variables.'' He sighed, beginning to descend Mount Craire.


    Along the way, upon smelling the thick stench of blood, he frowned, "Is there not even a single survivor here?"


    Even until the end, he hadn''t seen a single living human, only spotting their bones that had been licked empty of all flesh, blood and organs. Along the way, he of course encountered the mongooses.


    But, using the boots, his figure constantly shed until he was out of their sight, startling them. They didn''t chase after him since of them had finished growing a horn yet¡­ Had they grown a horn, then they would have been able to give chase or at least have the confidence in doing so.

 Chapter 208: Inform The Damn Danger First!

    <h4>Chapter 208: Inform The Damn Danger First!</h4>


    Compass Carburettor arrived at the parking lot, noticing that the vehicles were slightly damaged, with traces of blood sshed upon them. It was apparent that those that tried to flee were chased after by the mongooses and hunted down in the end.


    He looked around, spotting countless torn dresses, fishing through them while controlling his aversion, taking out a pair of keys. He clicked a button on it, watching a car beep in response before being unlocked.


    Even though his mood was sombre at the sight of countless deaths, he didn''t wish toment about everything. He repeated in his mind of the fact that he wasn''t a hero and to stop his emotions from being swayed so much.


    ''I guess it''s just in my character.'' He sighed in the end, kickstarted the car, and began to drive through the road.


    He didn''t head towards the town but began to make his way towards Feora City. He avoided the location where Krager and Rhizen were fighting.


    Even though it seemed like Krager would die after fighting Rhizen, if it was so easy, then the Coincidental Luck System wouldn''t have employed him.


    Krager would have enough Mental Energy to make a timely escape. After all, just as he thought as such, he heard the two people disengaging from their fight to head in separate ways.


    It wasn''t that Rhizen didn''t wish to kill Krager. But, the moment the other party had seen him, he targeted him.


    So, Rhizen had no other choice but to retaliate. But, he wasn''t able to use his tail for the time being as he didn''t have any pearl with him. So, all he did was fight hand-to-hand against Krager.


    As for the other party, he didn''t wish to show his abilities and had behaved like he was only targeting Rhizen because of the state of things on Mount Craire.


    He acted like he had suspected Rhizen to be a serial killer. Though, as they continued to fight, both parties came to a consensus, deciding that they weren''t the perpetrators of this incident. After that, they just went in their respective ways, heading towards the town.


    The only reason Krager had even decided to fight Rhizen was that he coincidentally ran into the other party. And, to prevent any suspicion from being raised on him and to prevent Rhizen''s luck from actively acting against him, he had taken such an action.


    His System was also strangely talkative this time, causing him to be especially wary against Rhizen.


    As for the Beast Form System, it was in a state of fluster. For, the Directional Misalignment System had vanished from their group right as it was chatting there. So, it meant one thing. Their enemy had struck Neena abruptly and killed her.


    And, it¡ªthe Directional Misalignment System¡ªhadn''t even managed to sense anything amiss before being killed. Usually, even though itcked experience, a Hatchling System was still able to identify a System yer.


    After all, even if they tried to be as low-profile as possible, in order to get enough cheats to help themselves further, their actions were always high-profile. Even if they tried to mask it as much as possible, a System would still be able to sense their existence.


    But, Compass Carburettor hadn''t done anything of the sort. From the start, he hadn''t gained any advantages, closely journeying alongside three System Hosts like they werepanions. No System yer ever dared to do so, always nning and scheming from afar.


    Only when they took action would they make their presence known. But he¡­was different from the rest.


    And such a scene alerted the Systems that were part of the group. It wasn''t the first time a Hatchling System had been killed. But usually, judging based on the way of its death, they would be able to glean some clues about the System yer.


    But now, there were no clues. It just happened¡­naturally. That was what alerted all the Systems, causing them to realise that a troublesome foe had been brought by the Coincidental Luck System this time.


    This was also the reason the Beast Form System wished to leave the ce as soon as possible and regroup with the other System Hosts. That way, they''ll be able to make a better n.


    It had already failed its task, so it didn''t have any other use being at the ce.


    ¡­


    Compass Carburettor frowned as he drove through the highway, feeling a weird sense of disturbance in the air. He picked up his phone, dialling Grisha, watching the call go through after an rming ten seconds of silence, "Where are you?"


    "I''m¡­hiding at home¡­" Grisha''s voice full of fear resounded, "I''ve been trying to call you all along, but the call didn''t go through."


    "I was at a ce with no signal reception," He replied, asking, "Are you alright? What''s the situation there?"


    "There was something strange going on with Dr. Gregesh. At first, I returned home, but I couldn''t just sit still as that strange sensation continued to make me anxious. So, I returned to the research institute, only to see that it had been on lockdown. The police had barricade entry into it and had surrounded it."


    "That wasn''t all¡­" She said, expressing a mild state of panic, "There has been some trouble essing the inte since afternoon. And now, even loading the home page takes a lot of time and a basic search takes about a couple of minutes at the bare minimum. Some of the areas with a weaker bandwidth have lost all ess to the inte."


    "It just doesn''t make any sense!"


    ''I see, so followed by the first event on Mount Craire, the descent of the apocalypse has been elerated a lot. That seems like the perfect setting for a story.'' He thought, saying, "How''s the situation there? Just remain inside until I return. I''ll be there in a couple of hours."


    "Please¡­hurry¡­" Grisha''s weak voice resounded as Compass Carburettor could hear some thumping sounds in the background.


    "Grisha¡­what''s that in the background? Hello?" He shouted in worry, noticing the signal turning static before noticing that the phone signal had diedpletely.


    "Dammit!" He threw the phone aside, "If the situation is urgent, talk about it first! Have you never seen an action movie?"


    Grunting in frustration, he pressed the elerator to the limit, proceeding at almost the top speed of the car, speeding through the highway.


    Along the way, he frowned, his face paling as the width of the road began to reduce, with grass beginning to encroach upon it at a noticeable rate.

 Chapter 209: Encroachment Of Nature

    <h4>Chapter 209: Encroachment Of Nature</h4>


    "Damn! Dayum! Dammit!" Compass Carburettor lost control of his mouth, unleashing a string of expletives as that was the only way he could maintain a sense of bearing in this situation.


    The cars on the road honked continuously, as the sounds of sirens, tyres screeching, etc. resounded nonstop, zooming in and out of his ears. He constantly overtook cars to speed further, not even considering the fact that he was now driving in the oppositene.


    The reason he had done so was because the encroachment of the grass on hisne was faster. And, just before he crossed over to the oppositene, he shifted his attention to a car that lost control and moved to the side, treading atop the dense overgrowth.


    It skid through the ground, causing a lot of green paste to drip out of the wheels, a result of it grinding the grass. But, that wasn''t the issue. The moment the car had gone over the area covered by the grass, it stopped rapidly, as if its brakes had been mmed to the limit.


    But in actuality, green paste continued to spill out of it as the tire wheels continued to spin at their maximum speed. The reason the car had stopped was due to the grass extending its way until it coiled through the holes in the car''s chassis.


    And they had repeatedly done the same until they managed to root the car to one ce.


    The driver just recovered from the abrupt stop, watching the airbag begin to dete as he came to his senses. But, just as he nned to get out of the car, he noticed to his rm that his legs failed to move.


    And no, it wasn''t due to his legs being stuck or anything. They just failed to budge. Fearing something, he pulled up his pants, screaming in horror.


    Aaargh!


    Something from the floor of the car had pierced through his feet and were now squirming up his legs like nerves. Worst of all, it was like his legs had been injected with anaesthetic as he didn''t even feel any pain.


    But, the sense of horror was unimaginable as he continued to scream before turning strangely silent. He then turned around, facing the passenger in the seat of a nearby car that too had stopped for the same reason as him.


    The passenger''s face was pale with fright, looking like she was about to faint, unable to tolerate the fear. But suddenly, her expression turned serene as she gazed at him in return, smiling in response.


    "Sheeeeet!" As simr situations were happening all over the sides of the road that had been overrun by the grass, Compass Carburettor was able to spot all the strangeness.


    He then screamed in anger, "Drive fast! Fucker!"


    For the car before him was travelling slow, too slow, as if they weren''t in a hurry despite the situation that was happening before them. Based on the jumping silhouettes within the SUV, it was a group of college students that were partying while driving. The driver was also mildly drunk.


    They had the music at full st and were making a mess of things. That''s why they were driving slowly. Normally, that wouldn''t have been a problem since people could overtake them easily on the sixne highway.


    But now, they were blocking the only proper part of the road that wasn''t covered by the grass yet. Without any hesitation, Compass Carburettor stared in anger as the driver of the SUV suddenly turned the wheel right, causing the vehicle to move out of the way.


    Skill¡ªDirectional Misalignment!


    Using the chance, Compass Carburettor elerated forward with all his might, not caring about the people that he pushed over the edge of the cliff of life. They were doomed anyway due to their ignorance.


    And, he didn''t wish to drown with them for their acts of foolishness. He was pretty angry himself, not to mention feeling the pressure as grass continued to creep forth towards him at a faster and faster pace.


    "Ooi! Get up!" Compass Carburettor shouted through telepathy, watching the cobra exit the bag as he spoke, "Barf out the corpse of the one-horned mongoose. We''ll have to escape on foot next and I don''t want to carry too much weight."


    "Don''t worry! I''ll feed you plenty in the future to turn you fatter than a python on a full stomach!" He shouted.


    "You don''t need to say that much, Uncle Spirit!" The cobra said through telepathy before facing the backseat as it coughed a couple of times before wholly barfing out all the contents in its stomach.


    It then felt a bit weak, soon slithering into the bag upon his instructions, using its tail to tighten everything within it to prevent anything from spilling out.


    There were still some useful tools within them that might prove useful, especially stuff like the lighter and the shlights. After all, it was already evening now, with the climate soon turning dark.


    He needed them to see clearly in the dark.


    Compass Carburettor strapped the bag around his shoulders, cross-checking to see that he hadn''t lost the orb of the one-horned bird and the two pearls he had collected. And in his pockets were the Armaments that he was ready to use when necessary.


    Now that he was ready, he extended his left hand backwards, grabbing hold of the one-horned mongoose''s horn to pull it forward before stuffing it in his boot space, causing its body to press upon the elerator.


    He stomped on its body a couple of times, ensuring the elerator would continue to be at maximum and wouldn''t move up. He also rolled down the window, peeking his head out as he stared at the line of grass approaching his tyres.


    He wished to take advantage of the vehicle as much as possible and hence wished to vacate it at thest minute possible. A minuteter, the moment he watched the border of the grass touch his tyres, he jumped out of the car and stood on the roof, watching the cars a hundred metres before himing to a stop one after another.


    Moreover, he was able to feel a mild drag in his car, calming his thumping heart as he took in a deep breath, expending some Dac to condense his boots before leaping off.


    Half a second after he had jumped off, his car abruptly screeched to a halt within ten metres, raking up noise as its tyres continued to screech.


    But a dozen secondster, all sounds died down.

 Chapter 210: Is Grass Scary?

    <h4>Chapter 210: Is Grass Scary?</h4>


    Thump!


    Bam!


    Crash!


    Quite a few cars crashed into each other and burst into mes. As for the people within, they screamed as their bodies burned. But after some time, they casually got out of the cars and rolled about on the ground, extinguishing the fire.


    After that, they got up, uprooted some long grass and tied it around the melted parts of their bodies. They hadn''t died yet, but whether they were truly alive or not was a question for another day.


    Ignoring everything and hopping around was Compass Carburettor,nding on the roofs of one car before jumping onto the other.


    He didn''t recklessly use the ability of the boots, for that would simply waste his Dac too much. There was still a distance of 70 kilometres left for him to reach Feora city, not to mention the distance he had to travel within.


    Unaware of the dangers that might exist, he didn''t wish to waste all his Dac. So, to conserve it, he only condensed the boots to give a boost to his agility.


    As it was a highway, there wouldn''t have been that many cars initially. But now, as the grass encroached upon it, the cars had moved towards the centre ordingly while they moved.


    And, since it was a weekend, there were more cars on the highway than on weekdays. Thanks to that, there were cars nearby that he was able to jump and reach normally.


    After all, he had the Skill of Strength at Level 10. His physique was naturally a lot stronger than a regr human. Until now, the way in which he acted like a regr human was thanks to the training he had gotten from the Money-Making System.


    After all, how would he act normally around people if he was a lot stronger than hulking men?


    That wasn''t all. Since he had a wife before, if they were to wrestle in bed as if he was normal, then she could cough up blood and die immediately. So, he had to control his strength.


    That is why the Money-Making System trained him in this regard. Though, in actuality, it was just streaming in a bunch of information into his mind that allowed him to gain the experience of martial artists.


    This allowed him to control the strength he exercised in his body automatically. Though, all that information had was about controlling the muscles and not martial arts itself. He hadn''t ever fought a proper fight while on Earth, so there was never a need to learn martial arts.


    He had a superior weapon in his hand at that time¡­


    Money!


    Now that he continued to hop from one car to another, such distracting thoughts shed in his head for a moment before he cleared them. Thankfully for him, most of the cars were within the distance that he was able to reach through his normal physique''s power¡ªwith the amplification provided by the boots.


    And in cases where the cars were farther apart, he used the power in the boots to sh the distance.


    And most of the time, he used the divider in the centre of the road to help himself. They were pretty high and was made from cement. As the grass hadn''t reached such a height yet, he was able to use it to travel.


    Though, he noticed that the moment he began to run over it, the grass beside the divider would begin to grow in height to capture him. So, he couldn''t remain on it for long and would have to sh towards the top of a car and travel for some distance in this way before returning to the divider for another short run.


    Thanks to his Dac, he wasn''t even in the least tired, constantly running about without the slightestpse in concentration. It was only thanks to this that he was able to avoid the grass on time and run about.


    The grass seemed to be instinctively reaching out for him through a mysterious chemical affinity of sorts. So, he wasn''t able to perceive any Mental Energy from them.


    That was why he had to be alert.


    Though, thanks to the Skill of Five Senses, he was aware of the minute changes in his surroundings. Moreover, the cobra too was keeping an eye on things, ready to alert him of any danger.


    One kilometre, ten kilometres, thirty kilometres¡­ Compass Carburettor continued to run nonstop as his worries increased. It was because the people within the cars had begun to exit and were roaming the ce.


    Appearance-wise, they were still human to a certain extent. But, their skin had turned green while the texture was the same as grass. As for their hair, it was like thin, grass strands were hung over them.


    They were mostly silent. But upon seeing his shing figure, they turned around in the direction of the sound, beginning to move to capture him.


    It was rming because the grass-like skin on their bodies wriggled before condensing arge pair of ws on their hands, one that they used to gain a batter range while swiping at him.


    To avoid that at times, he had to rely upon the power of his boots. Otherwise, the situation would be too precarious.


    And, just to test something, he mmed a bullet of ve Harem into a female, followed by the bullet with Secret Society, frowning immediately as he realised something.


    They weren''t alive, or rather, they had be one with the grass, one that didn''t seem like a single entity but billions of entities that had interlinked themselves to form a singr entity.


    Even though his ve Harem and Secret Society were effective, the power was dispersed over billions of grasses, diluting it to the extent nothing changed.


    He realised that if he wished to make them members of Secret Society, then he would have to spend decades shooting bullets with the ability of ve Harem and Secret Society into them. It was like a droplet of ink on ake.


    Even though on the surface, it seemed like these grass-covered humans were individual entities, they weren''t. They had just be nodes for the collective consciousness of the grass to reside within.


    As to how this development would lead towards in the future, he was unaware. But one thing he was sure about, and that was to stop wasting his time and run with everything he had.


    Using his paltry Mental Energy, he caused the grass-covered people to move away when they blocked his path, continuing to sh over from one car to another, frowning as the height of the grass continued to increase now.

 Chapter 211: Survivors Atop A Flyover

    <h4>Chapter 211: Survivors Atop A Flyover</h4>


    "Hah!" Shouting in response, Compass Carburettor activated his Armament, shing towards a Grassman, cutting off his hand. He decided to call them Grassmen for convenience''s sake.


    Not pausing to fight the other party, he continued to run, only attacking those that arrived too close. It was because the number of Mental Energy streams he was getting had dwindled rmingly quickly.


    So, he couldn''t use Directional Misalignment too much, only saving it up for emergencies. Left with no other choice, he used his Armaments to sh off his enemies.


    He had been focusing on Grisha''s Mental energy stream all along, noticing that it had remained the same from the start.


    Worry!


    ''Dammit, think of something else too, would you? At least something that would allow me to know your situation!'' He thought, perplexed, continuing to run over the divider as he watched the height of the grass had now almost reached the divider.


    It was bing more and more dangerous, with the grass sometimes almost touching his shoes from time to time. He was getting slightly paranoid.


    "There''s a flyover! Finally!" He shouted in relief and quickly shed towards it, disregarding the Dac expenditure. After all, the grass was rmingly close to his feet now.


    It was too risky.


    Within a minute, he arrived atop the flyover, sighing in relief upon seeing that he wouldn''t be troubled by the grass for the time being. The peak of the flyover was at a height of thirty metres from the ground.


    So, even with the rate at which the grass was growing, he had more than half a day left, or even beyond if the grass had no ns to grow this tall.


    Now that he had a momentary peace, he took out some rations from the bag and gobbled them up, wishing to recover his Dac as much as possible.


    He then turned around, seeing countless cars situated on the flyover. The people within were still alive and remained humans. But, of them exited their cars, huddled within in fear.


    After looking at the dent marks on the various cars and the shattered windows of some, he understood what had happened. Some of the Grassmen had climbed the flyover and attacked the humans there.


    At first, it seemed the humans had resisted, but there had been some victims.


    There was a group of men holding crowbars and the likes, huddling as a group to discuss their strategies, especially their means of escape.


    There was no way of survival atop the flyover. At most, they could be there for some days relying on the food and water they had brought with them. But that''s all.


    Upon seeing Compass Carburettor magically arrive, they were shocked, wondering how he had done that. Though, they were also nervous, thinking that he was also a Grassman or a higher variant at that.


    Compass Carburettor didn''t mind their gazes, first finishing all his rations. Only after that did he get up and approach the group of men, waving his hands to indicate that he was a human, "I barely reached here before they got me."


    "Stop," One of the men that acted as their leader pointed a crowbar at him, saying, "Prove that you are a human."


    "Do you see any grass growing on me?" He asked, removing his shirt to show his human skin. He also pulled up his pants showing the same, "Do you believe me now?"


    "No," The leader said, tightening the grip around his crowbar, "The entire ground has been covered by the grass for more than two hours. There''s no way you could have survived for so long."


    "There''s a reason I had done that." Compass Carburettor said, smiling as his figure shed, appearing before the leader to grab his crowbar. He then smiled, letting go of his hold before shing back to his original location.


    "W-What the heck was that?" All the men were rmed as their hands shook for a moment. There were many people within their cars, having been observing Compass Carburettor from the moment he had arrived on the flyover.


    The reason Compass Carburettor was dragging out things was simple.


    Mental Energy!


    His reserves were too low, so he was using this chance to replenish himself. And, drama was the best, no matter the situation.


    He thenughed, lifting his leg to point the boots towards them, "The secret lies in these pair of boots. They allow me to sh towards other locations."


    He then asked, "Have you seen any other animals along the way? Especially those with horns."


    The group of men gazed at each other, wishing to see if anyone had seen such an animal.


    "I''ve seen a pig with a horn running at the side of the road just before." A boy in histe teens stepped forward, saying, "Its grey skin strangely glowed while it was able to run like a boar."


    "That!" Compass Carburettor stressed his tone, saying, "If you managed to kill it and swallowed the orb growing within its body, then you too would obtain an ability like mine."


    "That''s how I managed to survive this long." He continued, "I hopped from one car roof to another all the way till here."


    "Then¡­let''s kill some." The leader easily believed his words. Or rather, he wished to believe it to be true. Otherwise, their situation looked hopeless.


    "But¡­how will we get down to hunt any? Would they even be alive in the grass?" The teenager spoke in worry. Even though a part of him wished to obtain supernatural powers and be unrivalled, get a harem in the apocalypse, and whatnot.


    As he had experienced the horrors first-hand, he was grounded to reality. He was travelling with his family, and his parents were on the older side, having birthed a child in theirte forties. So, they weren''t able to fight.


    As he had to take care of them in this situation, he had been patiently observing his surroundings, wishing to find a way of survival.


    As the men engaged in a discussion, Compass Carburettor began to observe his surroundings when the teenager approached him, saying, "Bro, how far can you jump?"


    "Why do you ask?" Compass Carburettor looked at the boy in surprise.


    The boy pointed at a hill situated two hundred metres away, "If you can leap that far, we''ll be able to hunt some animals there¡­ The pig I saw before was running towards it."

 Chapter 212: Head, Foot, And The Ball

    <h4>Chapter 212: Head, Foot, And The Ball</h4>


    "Hmm," Compass Carburettor frowned, thinking that the likelihood of some one-horned creatures being there was high. But, he wasn''t able to reach there, not with the grass covering all the way until the foot of the hill.


    Besides, he needed a way to head towards Feora City. Even if they managed to kill enough mutated beasts, and everyone got an ability, it still wouldn''t change the situation. After all, they would only be able to use it once.


    Every activation of the ability required a pearl.


    It made him regret the fact that he had picked the ability of the mongoose as a trial first. Even though it was pretty useful, it might have been better for him to take the bird''s orb. Maybe if he obtained a pair of wings, then his situation would have been a lot better.


    ''But, I''ll just save it forter. Once I reach Stage 2, I''ll be able to use it.'' Thinking as such, Compass Carburettor shook his head, "Unfortunately, ten metres is my jumping limit. Besides, this power isn''t as convenient as you think."


    "What do you mean?" The boy asked in curiosity.


    "There''s a lot to exin." Compass Carburettor sighed, "You''ll automatically know everything rted to it once you get an ability."


    He then thought of something, asking, "What are they discussing? Do they have any n for leaving this ce?"


    "They are nning to set the ce on fire using petrol." The boy said, pointing at the hill, "For some reason, the grass hasn''t grown on that hill. So, they were nning to set this area on fire to make a route for us to drive towards the hill. If anything, that''s better than heading towards the city that''s too far away."


    "It''s just fifteen kilometres away." Compass Carburettor sighed. During peaceful times, fifteen kilometres was nothing. It was just a ten-minute ride on a bike. But now, the very same distance seemed like an impossible-to-cross chasm.


    "Those people are here!" Suddenly, an aunty opened the door to yell before shutting it tight, making her presence obscure.


    Her shout alerted everyone as they turned around to see tens of Grassmen beginning to walk on the flyover, soon rushing towards them.


    Compass Carburettor frowned, stating solemnly, "Kid, stay behind me if you wish to survive."


    "Okay," The teenager said before ncing at a particr car behind, nodding once at his parents to assure them, motioning for them to hide.


    Left with no other choice, they tucked under the seats, covering themselves with some clothes to prevent the Grassmen from discovering them. That''s how they managed to survive all along.


    If not for the fact that they would begin to thrash all cars otherwise, everyone would have remained in hiding to survive.


    Compass Carburettor took in a deep breath, watching the approaching Grassmen as he muttered, "Your teachings are what I need to rely on now, Hekatra."


    Compass Carburettor activated his two Armaments, condensing a sword on one and a shield on another, firming his grip over them as he jumped forward, shing forth in quick sessions to sever the limbs of a Grassman.


    But, he had already seen before that decapitating them won''t work. After all, the Grassman whose limbs were severed shuddered for a moment before tiny grass strands grew out from within and rejoined with the severed parts, pulling them back before getting attached.


    Wriggling his arms once, the Grassman got up. But, no sooner had he done so did Compass Carburettor sever his head, this time bashing it with his shield to send it flying over the flyover.


    His headless body could only il on the ground, unable to get up. ''Seems it still needs to rely upon the brain for all functions. But still, that''s one insane vitality.''


    Unwilling to waste his Dac too much, Compass Carburettor shed through the crowd once, holding out an energy de in both hands, appearing behind them. As both the energy des shattered, the heads of more than fifteen Grassmen were decapitated.


    Using the shield, he swatted them all beyond the flyover, watching the heads fall into the grass below.


    "Is that a¡­lightsabre?" The teenager looked at Compass Carburettor''s fighting figure, starstruck. As the saying went, no man with a hint of fire within them ever considered lightsabres uncool. It could be said that lightsabres were a man''s romance.


    Upon seeing such a scene, in reality, he forgot about the fact that their lives were in peril. Only upon Compass Carburettor''s shout did he react and defend himself against a Greenman''s attack.


    His opponent was a child that was ten years old, looking like a schoolgirl, making him hesitate to attack her, passively defending.


    Suddenly, followed by a sh, her head was decapitated as Compass Carburettor sent it flying out of the flyover, saying in all seriousness, "She had once been a human, but now, she''s not. If you are hesitant, think of all these Grassmen as zombies that are controlled by grass. That''ll help reduce your hesitation a little."


    "I''ll try," The boy nodded and mmed the rod into the head of a Grassman, denting it a little. The Grass man condensed a de out of its hand, swiping at him in return.


    "Kyak!" The boy barely managed to defend himself when a burly man sent the Grassman flying. Held in his hands was a broken shaft that he removed from a damaged car.


    Thanks to hisrge physique, he was able to wield it with enough power to pummel his opponents, deforming them with a single hit, preventing them from recovering easily as green juice flowed out of their bodies.


    All the men had spread out, fighting to their utmost limit.


    "Save me!" One of them screamed as a Greenman began to drag him towards the edge of the flyover, intending to throw him over into the grass below.


    "Not on my watch!" The leader of their group smacked it with his crowbar, using the chance to hook into its body as he grunted, exerting enough power to throw it away from the flyover, "They have be lighter than before."


    "Everyone! Persevere! There aren''t many enemies left!" Shouting in response, he smacked another Greenman, suddenly turning around to see the figure of Compass Carburettor dancing through a crowd of Grassmen.


    And following in his wake were a bunch of heads being kicked out of bounds like ser balls.

 Chapter 213: I’m Not Planning To Survive This Apocalypse

    <h4>Chapter 213: I¡¯m Not nning To Survive This Apocalypse</h4>


    "Haah¡­hah¡­huff!" The teenager wheezed, out of breath, noticing that his hands were trembling while his palms were red. The number of Grassmen that appeared this time was four times the previous times.


    His eyes were a bit cloudy while his head felt tipsy, a sign that he had overexerted himself until exhaustion had long since kicked in. His chest heaved up and down as he wiped the sweat that tried to cover his eyes, turning around to see a calm figure of Compass Carburettor.


    Having not even broken a sweat, sporting at most a couple of tears on his clothes, calmly gazing at the horizon while rotating his sore wrist, Compass Carburettor looked like he was used to such situations.


    Seeing such a scene, the teenager blurted out unconsciously, "How?"


    "How what?" Compass Carburettor turned around, asking.


    "How are you fine even after such a fierce battle?" Saying so, the teenager couldn''t help but look at the bodies that had piled nearby. All of them had been destroyed by Compass Carburettor, headless, forming a pile with their twitching bodies.


    "That''s a secret," He gently raised his index hand, cing it above his mouth to give a calm smile.


    Upon seeing the sun setting, Compass Carburettor approached the leader, saying, "I heard from the guy that you are nning to set fire on the grass and make a path towards the hill?"


    "Yeah, that''s the n." The leader nodded, frowning immediately, "But, we have no idea if it''ll work properly."


    "We have at most an hour left for the sun to set." Compass Carburettor said in a hurry, "If what I suspect isn''t a false rm, then the grass gets more active during the night. So, we have to hurry."


    He then waved his arm, saying, "Making molotov cocktails is the best. Once done, give them to me. I can throw them far enough. If the size of the container is appropriate enough, then I should be able to throw them nearer to the foot of the hill."


    "You can throw them that far?" The leader was surprised.


    "If I use my ability, then I can." Compass Carburettor nodded.


    "Then, let''s get right into it." The leader said as he riled up everyone that was hiding within the cars, rying the n to them. As they had been discussing the same all along, it was easy to execute.


    With so many cars around, they managed to obtain enough containers, sacrificing the petrol from all the smaller cars. They nned to cross the distance of 200 metres in the shortest possible duration. And, travelling over by car was the best n.


    Moreover, if they nned to stay at the hill, having enough necessities was a must. With that, everyone began to cooperate, transferring all necessities intorger SUVs. Some trucks took priority.


    Even though a truck was slow, considering its size, it was able to bring most people. Moreover, its height and weight ensured that even if the grass began to grow once the fire died down, it would still be able to reach the hill.


    Once those within the cars began toe out, Compass Carburettor was surprised. For with a sheer estimate, there were at least 2000 people around. ''Why the hell were most of them hiding within?''


    He was surprised, also slightly angry upon finding quite a few able-bodied mening out from the cars. It was apparent that they didn''t wish to risk their lives first.


    ''These selfish pricks!'' Compass Carburettor frowned but didn''t do anything else. It wasn''t his intention to settle with the people here. So, all their trouble was theirs alone.


    He didn''te here to survive the apocalypse but to hunt Systems and strengthen himself. Moreover, getting to rescue Grisha took priority in response to wasting time.


    He wasn''t feeling guilty or any other feelings. No matter what he felt, he repressed them, calmly watching everyone begin preparations. Suddenly, his attention was grabbed by a couple of angry noises.


    It was between the leader and a man dressed in a dark trench coat. The other man had slick hair and was arguing about the position of his car in the escape order.


    Upon seeing that the surroundings were getting dark, Compass Carburettor arrived before the arguing duo, tapping the man wearing the dark trench coat.


    "What?" The man turned around, shrugging his shoulder as he clearly didn''t like someone touching his shoulder.


    Bam!


    "We don''t have time to waste. Let''s continue." Compass Carburettor dusted his hand, watching the unconscious man on the floor, "Leave him be."


    He then nodded at the leader, seeing him nod in return. The one that acted as a leader of this group was charismatic, responsible, and brave enough in such a situation. So, he didn''t say anything against Compass Carburettor''s intimidation tactics. Rather, he was d that the parasite had been shushed.


    Such a character would only eat away at their minds even after arriving at the hill. They were useless, contributed nothing and disrupted the working atmosphere.


    After seeing Compass Carburettor knock out someone unconscious andmand the guy to be abandoned, those that were intending to protest restrained themselves. Quite a lot of them had seen him in action before, so they were afraid of him.


    Twenty minutester, the leader pushed a bunch of trolleys towards him, one filled to the brim with bottles. All the SUVs that had been selected were on the ignition, with the passengers all on board, filling every car to the brim with people and items.


    Standing next to Compass Carburettor now were two people: the leader and the teenager. Both held a lighter in their hands, ready to light the cloth pieces stuffed into each bottle and hand them over to him.


    All the petrol from the smaller cars had been siphoned out and used to make as many molotov cocktails as possible. They didn''t just use bottles but any container that could be used to carry the petrol. The more throwable ones would be used to throw towards the hill while the bigger ones would be thrown closer.


    The rest of the petrol was used to fill the SUVs to the brim, intended forter use.


    "Ready?" The leader asked while looking at Compass Carburettor.


    "Yes," Compass Carburettor nodded, grabbing hold of arge can that was lighted.


    "Let''s begin."

 Chapter 214: A Fiery Path To The Hill

    <h4>Chapter 214: A Fiery Path To The Hill</h4>


    Boom!


    The can of petrol fell on the grass nearby as the petrol from it leaked out while the fire spread ordingly. The heat caused the air within the can to expand and make it explode, sshing out the petrol in the vicinity.


    And with that, the fire caught on. Immediately, the grass wriggled, moving over in an effort to cover the fire and snuff it. But as this was a fire created using petrol, it wasn''t easy to stop it, especially for the grass that began to fume immediately.


    The moisture in them began to vaporise from the heat while the oils within them got ignited in response, further fuelling the fire, causing its temperature to increase.


    "Alright, we have a chance!" Saying so, Compass Carburettor began to throw the cans and bottles one after another, using his enhanced strength to throw urately, forming a trail of fire from one end of the flyover till the foot of the hill.


    Moreover, in ces where the grass was desperately fighting against the fire, he threw more bottles, fuelling the mes further. As the heat continued to build up, the grass was failing in its resistance, despite it increasing in volume.


    It was futile because the heat had reached such a point that the moisture in the grass nearby was being vaporised rapidly. And in response, they too caught fire.


    "This is sessful!" The leader rejoiced as everyone ready in their cars shouted in relief.


    "After a few months, it might not be this effective." Compass Carburettor muttered. Even though his tone was light, the teenager and the leader heard him, shuddering a little in response.


    They too felt that it was likely. After all, with the amount of petrol they were pouring, even a forest fire was easy, not to mention setting the grass on fire.


    The fire was less potent against the evolved grass now that seemed to be growing nonstop, like the rising ocean levels.


    It took thirty minutes before Compass Carburettor finished throwing all the bottles as he created a massive trail of fire, brightening up the entire night.


    The scene caused everyone to stare at it, awestruck. For, the fire continued to ze around, having initiated a chain reaction as it continued to spread nonstop. It seemed the growing grass had a lot of oil in them that were susceptible to fire.


    As the heat continued to build up, the spread of the fire soon became unstoppable.


    "Everyone! Get moving!" Upon seeing a small clearing form in the middle of the fire pit, Compass Carburettormanded everyone to get a move on. Without any hesitation, the cars whirred into life and sped forth from the flyover, soon speeding through the sea of fire.


    It was dangerous to travel in this way, but the moment the fire died down, they didn''t have any guarantee that the grass wouldn''t immediately grow back to normal. So, they had to travel before the fire died down.


    "It works!" The driver in the car at the forefrontughed in joy as his SUV ded through the path, managing to reach the hill. As the foot of the hill was bereft of trees, he drove through it, heading deeper along the side of the hill until he parked at one end, watching the cars filling in one after another.


    Cars simrly parked themselves along both the sides at the foot of the hill, forming a ring around it.


    This hill reached a height of 500 metres and had a wide base, spanning 4-5 kilometres. So, it was a fairlyrge area. Moreover, it was also connected to a couple more hills that were more or less its size.


    The driver in the first car noticed that there wasn''t any grass in the region connecting both the hills, thanking the heavens. No matter what, all of them had realised one thing, whether they wished to believe it or not.


    The world was changing.


    So, whether it was to survive or wait for a rescue from the government, forming a camp on this hill was better than being left to rot on the flyover with no room for food or water.


    At least on this hill, they would be able to find fruits and other necessities. As long as they had someone among them that was an expert on trees, they would be able to find enough edible products. After all, it wasn''t just the fruit that could be eaten.


    Quite the number of trees had leaves that could be cooked and eaten. They were also quite nutritious to boot. So, as long as they identified such trees, then it was possible to survive. Most were only familiar with the end product sold in the market, and not their state in their natural habitat.


    Many people were having such thoughts as the car with Compass Carburettor, the teenager and the leader arrivedst.


    The moment he got down, Compass Carburettor turned around, noticing that the grass was indeed growing out from the path they had treaded upon just now. Since a lot of cars had sped upon it, the fire had died down in two wide lines.


    But, the moment the grass grew out, they caught onto fire, burning once again. The path they had created was once again covered by fire.


    "Kyak!" Suddenly, a high-pitched wail resounded from one of the people before there was chaos.


    Without any hesitation, Compass Carburettor rushed in the direction, watching the figure of a pig mping upon the leg of a plump woman. Its skin seemed tough as it shrugged off the attacks from the nearby men, focusing on first tearing off the woman''s leg.


    "Hah!" Grunting, Compass Carburettor shed at its side, also kicking while using the speed from his sh, denting the side of the pig''s stomach, causing blood to rush out of its mouth in response.


    Thanks to his Skill of Strength, he wasn''t even injured from the attack, only now fully erupting with all his strength. Until now, there had never been a situation where he had topletely show his strength, so this was the first time he was fully fighting using his base power.


    "Ahhhh!" The woman screamed in pain before passing out. For, her legs had beenpletely severed by now¡­ The pig spat out the leg and had just got up, about to attack him when Compass Carburettor arrived at its side, targeting the same ce once again, activating his Armament to plunge the energy de through the dent in its body.

 Chapter 215: The First Settlement

    <h4>Chapter 215: The First Settlement</h4>


    Kahyieee!


    The pig shrieked as the energy des dug into its body. Right as its horn glowed, about to unleash its breath attack, Compass Carburettor kicked its jaw, knocking it unconscious. He then hacked at its neck, soon severing it.


    As there was no System Host around him, he was able to use his abilities without worry. With that, dealing with a one-horned mutated beast was pretty simple.


    Once the pig was killed, he pried open its body, fishing out a pearl from within, "There''s no orb inside."


    He sighed, turning around to look at the teenager and the leader that had rushed over, saying as he showed them the pearl, "This is what we have to consume to unleash our abilities."


    He then wrapped the pig''s head in a piece of cloth.


    "Now, pick up some weapons and follow me. It seems there are more of them on this hill." Compass Carburettor said, shouting after that, "Is there any doctor here?"


    "I''m a doctor!" One of the people arrived, taking a look at the woman, sighing as he shook his head, "It would be impossible to reattach her leg since the pig had crushed most of her thigh bone."


    "See if you can treat her." Saying his piece, he brought the leader and the teenager with him, leaving the ce. Based on the Mental Energy stream he felt from the people, they would try their best to save the unconscious woman.


    He didn''t care about anything beyond that. At present, since the fire was still raging on, he had some time. And in that window, he thought of giving these people a headstart.


    Even though it waspletely unnecessary, it would weigh on his conscience to just leave them unprotected, especially since he has the time and means to save them.


    The three people soon entered a forest stretch as the hissing sounds of a snake resounded. The scent of the pig''s blood had lured it over.


    Even though it seemed like he wasn''t able to see it in the dark, the Mental Energy stream he got from it was a clear giveaway of its location. He waited calmly, taking with the other two to make it seem like he hadn''t sensed its location yet.


    But, the moment it nned to swipe at him, his figure vanished as its neck was severed.


    Compass Carburettor fished through its body, surprised that it had an orb this time. He pocketed them and brought the teenager and the leader deeper into the forest, calmly hunting any and every mutated beast he hade across.


    There were also some animals there that he just scared away. After all, killing them was useful when they became mutated beasts.


    He made the cobra devour the mutated snake, much to its delight. Even though the other two were curious as to what he was doing, they didn''t ask any questions, realising that Compass Carburettor was a man of many mysteries.


    For the next one hour, the two men were barely able to keep up with his pace as Compass Carburettor casually hunted any and every mutated beast he came across. Finally, after finding three orbs, he stopped.


    Of the three, he gave one to the teenager and the leader respectively, also giving them a pearl each, saying, "Consume them both at the same time. Otherwise, you won''t have enough energy to awaken an ability."


    "Thank you," The teenager nodded and consumed it without any hesitation. As for the leader, he paused to gaze at the changes in the teenager, surprised when the other party grunted for a couple of seconds.


    "Amazing¡­!" The teenager said as he condensed a crossbow in his hands, "It seems this is my first item."


    Now that he understood the concept of the power system, he was even more confused, "How are you able to use it so many times? And, what''s up with the light sabres?"


    "Haha, it''s your turn now." Compass Carburettor refused to answer, looking at the leader swallow his orb and a pearl.


    What he condensed after that was a gauntlet, amazed at the power he obtained. And, after understanding the power system in ce, he too looked at Compass Carburettor in confusion.


    Along the way, they dragged over the corpses of the mutated beasts they had killed as Compass Carburettor said, "I''ll be taking most of these. You can carry the rest with you and head towards the settlement. The world has changed, so good luck surviving."


    "You''re noting with us?" The leader and the teenager asked in rm, finding sce in his protection.


    After all, Compass Carburettor seemed level headed, giving them the assurance that if they followed him, then their lives in this apocalypse would be easier.


    But, he refused adamantly, bidding them farewell as he remained behind with the pile of mutated beast carcasses. Once they had gone far away, he consumed a pearl and summoned his mongoose, causing it to devour to its fill before it vanished.


    With that settled, he undressed, returning to his Haggon form as he opened his mouth and tossed all the mutated beasts inside. Having understood that the flesh of the mutated beasts was more beneficial than regr food, he ate them without hesitation.


    As he ate his fill, he realised that he had eaten through all the mutated beasts forming the pile, smirking as he took on his human form, wore his dress and began to walk towards the foot of the hill. "Are you feeling any changes?"


    "It would still take me a day to be a one-horned cobra, Uncle Spirit." The cobra replied, a little sullen at the time it required to evolve, "If only I hadn''t spat out that mongoose corpse, I would have evolved by now. It was way better than what I consumed now."


    "It does seem like the mutated beasts on Mount Craire are superior." Laughing in response, Compass Carburettor arrived at the foot of the hills, watching the fire beginning to thin. But, it had spread far away, seemingly stretching for as far as the field of grass had spanned.


    "This was precisely what I had been hoping for." Letting out a sigh in relief, he ced his clothes in his bag, taking on the Haggon form before hopping into the sea of fire, unaffected as he began to run.


    "What''s that?"


    "Monster!"


    "Kyak!"


    The people on the mountain trembled in fright upon seeing such a prehistoric creature. Compass Carburettor gazed at the figure of the leader and the teenager in their midst, nodding at them once before turning around to sprint away, soon vanishing in the sea of mes.


    "Was that¡­?" The teenager was shocked as he looked at the leader.


    "This world has be terrifying¡­!" The leader sighed as he patted the teenager''s shoulder.

 Chapter 216: So, That’s Your Identity

    <h4>Chapter 216: So, That¡¯s Your Identity</h4>


    Walking through the sea of fire, unaffected, was Compass Carburettor. As he was in his Haggon form, he now understood just how powerful it was. Just the rigidity of his skin prevented the heat from affecting him.


    It was not to mention the fact that any minor burns automatically healed. He wasn''t expending much Dac since he was only walking through the paths where the fires had almost died out.


    It was the safest spot since the grass hadn''t begun to grow yet while the fire wasn''t hot enough to waste more of his Dac.


    He couldn''t rush fast, for that would make him reach the patch of grass that had yet to be burned by the fire. So, he couldn''t rush things through. But, it was a torturing experience, especially since he now had enough time to think, causing him to worry about Grisha.


    Two hours passed in such a fashion. Compass Carburettor was surprised when he noticed the patch of grass had ended, concerned at the result. Just before he took a step onto the free path, he felt some weak Mental Energy streamsnd on him from within.


    It made him recall the scene he had witnessed at thewn of Grisha''s house, frowning, ''So, the reason the grass hadn''t expanded after this point is due to the ants?''


    Thinking as such, he wore his clothes after returning to his human form, strapping the bag onto his back as he said, "Remain secure! I''ll begin running once again."


    "Alright!" The cobra said as it coiled up. As a couple of hours had passed, it had been able to digest the meat it had consumed a little. As its body was mutating, its digestion process had been elerated.


    Holding the two Armaments in his hands, Compass Carburettor took in a deep breath before sprinting through the stretch of road beyond, having worn his boots to give him another boost in running speed.


    The moment he began to run, countless tiny holes formed on the road as ants began to spill out from them.


    But clearly, they were no match for him. So, after chasing for a couple of metres, they retreated into their respective holes.


    The only problem was the fact that ants continued to spill out of the ces he had stepped foot upon, causing him to frown, ''Is the city''s surfacepletely taken over by the ants?''


    Within ten minutes, he reached the edge of Feora City, able to feel countless Mental Energy streams fall on him from various windows.


    With a casual nce, he noticed the people staring from within, the expression of fear evident in their Mental Energy streams.


    ''What did they witness to feel this way?'' Even though he was curious, he didn''t have the time to investigate, making a beeline towards Grisha''s house.


    It waste into the night as he reached the location, frowning immediately upon seeing grass had reached half the house''s walls. Moreover, there were a couple of Grassmen standing on thewn.


    Upon seeing that it wasn''t Grisha, he heaved a sigh in relief. But, he didn''t kill them, unwilling to alert them as his figure shed, making a couple of shes before he arrived at the roof of the house. He thennded on the balcony and knocked on the door gently, unwilling to produce much noise.


    He had done so in the room Grisha had been waiting, tracking her through the Mental Energy stream she had been emitting all along.


    Upon the knocking sounds, there was a fluster within a pair of bedsheets before Grisha hesitantly peeked, noticing through the light in the room that the one in the balcony was Compass Carburettor.


    "Compass!" Shedding tears, she sprang towards him, opening the door to jump into his embrace, sobbing, "I had been afraid."


    He didn''t say much, patting her back as he entered the room and closed the door behind him, asking, "What happened here?"


    "Massive ants exited the ground and fought against those people who are now controlled by the grass," Grisha said, quickly recounting everything that had happened.


    As theirs was a vi locality, quite some neighbours were chilling on theirwns in the evening. At that time, the grass behaved strangely. Some saw the grass crawling under the skins of their legs, screaming in response before turning strangely calm.


    And as time passed, their skin morphed, covered by grass while they seemed to have turned into entirely different people.


    "Grassmen," Compass Carburettor nodded, motioning for her to talk, concluding everything that she had observed.


    In order to make more of their kind, the Grassmen barged into the homes and dragged out the people. They had tried the same in Grisha''s home too. Thankfully for her, she had plenty of alcohol stored for her parties. Using that, she set them on fire, thwarting their actions.


    And, it seemed the Grassmen had been nning to increase their numbers to fight against their nemesis, the ants.


    For some reason, the ants were immune to the ability of the grass to create Grassmen, so, they charged through the grass, clipping through it with their mandibles. And in response, the grassshed out on their hard carapaces, cracking them while the Grassmen took the lead in destroying them.


    Every hour, a battle would erupt. Even though the situation had been at a stalemate, for now, the ants were clearly winning, "For some reason, a couple of hours ago, the strength of the grass fell while the ants took advantage of that fact to kill plenty of Grassmen."


    "I see," Compass Carburettor nodded, realising that their actions of burning the vast stretch of grass had weakened them. But, he nodded, "This should only be temporary. With their vitality, the grass would grow stronger."


    ''We are just prey caught between two sides.'' Sighing, he hugged Grisha, "I''m d that you were safe."


    "Now that the apocalypse has started, the risks of you having this has reduced." Saying so, he gently ced the symbol of Secret Society on her, watching it seep into her.


    Grisha was surprised for a moment as her beautiful eyes blinked in response, saying, "So, that''s your identity."


    -


    Author Notes: Maybe I hadn''t said this before. But, I am also making a webtoon. Head to .webtoon and search for the series titled [Pangea]. That''s what I have been working for a year now¡­ It''s an apocalypse where humans can grow cool insect armours to fight against the aliens. (Click this paragraphment to see their awesome cover!!!)

 Chapter 217: Now, How Will You Survive This?

    <h4>Chapter 217: Now, How Will You Survive This?</h4>


    "Systems are my enemies." Compass Carburettor said through telepathy, telling a bit more information to Grisha.


    "Then, I''ll help to the best of my abilities," Grisha said, watching him shake his head.


    "Only a System yer can kill a System. You don''t have the means to kill them nor the defence to protect yourself against their methods." He continued, "But, there''s a way you can help me."


    "How?" Grisha asked excitedly.


    "Once I refine a System''s Core Skill and find that it''s not necessary for me, I''ll use that ability on you. Basically, you''ll be carrying a bunch of abilities." Compass Carburettor said, watching her sulk as he motioned for her to remain seated, giving her an arm and a pearl, "First, use this and obtain an ability. That way, you''ll be able to fight properly."


    "Alright," Grisha nodded before swallowing the two items, grunting for a couple of seconds before closing her eyes. She was silent, absorbing the influx of information, finally opening her eyes after ten minutes had passed.


    She extended her hand, watching a wand condense on her palm. The wand looked like a cylindrical rod and had two bird feathers on its top.


    "So, it''s not a pair of wings." Compass Carburettor sighed in disappointment.


    "My ability is pretty special." Grisha seemed rather happy in response, saying, "It seems there is some sort of healing power buried within me. So, the ability of the bird fused with it and created this wand. Using this, I can heal people."


    "That''lle useful." Compass Carburettor nodded before saying, "Alright, it''s for the best if you stay here. Make some preparations for our eventual travel. In the meantime¡­"


    Saying so, his figure vanished, arriving at the balcony before climbing up to the roof of the house. He jumped from one house to another, soon reaching the house of his target, closing his eyes to see using the eyes of a Spydragon he had nted inside.


    There was the figure of Stencil working on a book now, scribbling a lot of information through it.


    For a moment, Compass Carburettor focused, activating Info Scanner, looking at the information disyed.


    [Remembrance System (Level 2): 41 Mental Energy]


    ''It seems my little scheme had indeed worked.'' He nodded in response, watching the low Mental Energy reserves of the other party.


    First, upon seeing that there was a passive shroud around the Remembrance System Host that made him recall Stencil, he understood that this was the System''s ability. And, it was active against anyone that stared at the Host.


    This meant that it was constantly expending Mental Energy. That was probably why the Remembrance System Host remained in his/her room all along, only roaming through the house for food and bath.


    He/she was a genuine shut-in.


    After understanding the ability at ce, he had installed a spy camera in the room, one that ryed everything that happened in the room live to an audience in a certain stream. It was a streaming tform in the dark web, filled with degenerates.


    So, not much of a reaction happened, even when they saw the face of someone they liked. For some, they saw the figure of their crush, an actress they liked, etc.


    Since thements were disabled, the people didn''t discuss things and find out any oddity of the situation. After the initial reaction, they lost interest, only staring at the stream because of the fact that it was nonstop, running 24¡Á7.


    So, more than the Mental Energy they generated for the Remembrance System, its expenditure had instead increased, because its ability was being used up to look like different people for all the eyes watching its Host.


    And, that wasn''t all. Compass Carburettor had installed quite a few spy cameras in their house. At the start, it did work in shaving off the Mental Energy of the Remembrance System.


    But of course, it noticed the cameras, creating a Quest for the Host to destroy all of them. Normally, this would have been fine. But for a recluse, it came off as a shock that there had been so many cameras in their house.


    Had it been a couple of cameras, then they could have just attributed it to a perverted thief that was collecting ckmail information.


    But, when there were tens of cameras, it mmed off as a shock to the Remembrance System Host, causing them to shrink further into their cocoon, not even daring to use the inte after that.


    After all, Compass Carburettor had been using a lot of ounts to constantly harass him/her to make them fed up with the inte. It would take at least some days to get out of this phase.


    Moreover, as the apocalypse had yet to start, the Remembrance System Host didn''t take action, nning on while thinking that this sense of reclusiveness would be rather advantageous to it.


    After all, once the Host breaks out of that cocoon, the amount of Mental Energy it would obtain would be tremendous.


    That was what Compass Carburettor had actually used to take advantage of them. And now, upon seeing the pitiful Mental Energy reserves, he smiled, summoning his gun as he swapped one of the bullets with a System Fragment.


    System Fragment¡ªIntoxicating Fragrance (Level 10)!


    This was one of the abilities Regriel had possessed. It allowed the target of this ability to be intoxicated towards him.


    As for Compass Carburettor, he was using it a bit differently, shooting the bullet into the Remembrance System Host as his figure shed, appearing atop the roof of a nearby building.


    He then watched the show, sensing the effect of Intoxicating Fragrance spread out of the house and seep into the ground.


    For a moment, nothing happened. But suddenly, ants burrowed out of the ground inrge numbers, attacking the house as they swarmed the Remembrance System Host.


    "Kyak! Why have they attacked now? It shouldn''t have happened so soon!" Screaming in fluster, the Remembrance System Host iled around, unleashing a couple of abilities that began to destroy the approaching ants.


    The ability seemed to be a strange mist that corroded only the living organisms targeted as an enemy by the user. It was a fearsome ability that was immensely cost-efficient, causing Compass Carburettor to be d that he hadn''t underestimated his foe.


    But, he wasn''t flustered at the sight of the ability, calmly seated on a rooftop as he watched the spectacle, ''Now, how will you survive this?''

 Chapter 218: Bzzzz!

    <h4>Chapter 218: Bzzzz!</h4>


    The Remembrance System Host quickly gathered some items, stuffed them in a bag and rushed through the mist, intending to run away. It was apparent that they didn''t wish to just waste their energy and remain in a war of attrition against the ants.


    But, right as they were about to escape towards a nearby house, Compass Carburettor threw a rock at their stomach, causing them to grunt in response before copsing to the ground.


    And by the time they got up, they were surrounded by the ants on all sides while the mist was rapidly thinning in response. Part of the mist was expended to kill an ant each time. And with it no longer being produced, it was beginning to thin.


    ''The Remembrance System should have realised that someone is targeting its Host.'' Compass Carburettor smiled. But, there was no clue for the other party since he had blocked his Mental Energy, preventing the other party from sensing anything from him.


    Skill¡ªDirectional Misalignment (Level 1)!


    The moment the Remembrance System Host used a special ability to sh around, Compass Carburettor used Directional Misalignment to cause the opponent to m into a wall. In actuality, they had been aiming for the window.


    The wall broke in response to the impact as the Remembrance System Host struggled to get up, coughing out blood.


    ''It''s time!'' Thinking as such, Compass Carburettor arrived overhead, summoning his Anthozoa as he unloaded three bullets into the opponent''s chest. Thews of Earth in the three bullets interfered with the Remembrance System''s function, causing it to struggle.


    And at this time, he mmed the remaining two bullets into the Remembrance System Host''s head, killing them.


    "This is by far the easiest hunt," Sighing, Compass Carburettor ced Anthozoa over the corpse, sucking it into the gun before his figure shed around, returning to his house as he left a word to Grisha before falling unconscious, "Protect me for a couple of hours!"


    Even though Grisha was unaware of why he did that, she followed his orders, looking around vigntly.


    In his mental space, Compass Carburettor smiled, gazing at the Remembrance System that looked no different to a human brain.


    The moment it appeared, it was bound by the light tentacles created by the Darble World. But, it too hadunched an attack, for Compass Carburettor found himself staring at a scene of his past, looking at the dismembered corpses of his family that had died from an ident.


    "Keuk!" His eyes turned red as he felt weak, shedding tears as he plopped to the ground.


    And in response to his mental state, the projectilesunched by Earth too weakened in response, bouncing off after hitting the Remembrance System.


    Gazing at such a scene, the Remembrance System emitted a couple more fluctuations, causing Compass Carburettor to recall even more incidents from his past, weakening him further and further.


    But, just as it seemed like the Remembrance System was about to win, the strength of the Darble World increased as the chains binding it strengthened. Moreover, countless spikes grew out of it, piercing through the Remembrance System, causing it to wail.


    For a moment, Compass Carburettor broke out of his trip to the past, clutching his head as he gritted his teeth, solely attacking using the power of the Darble World.


    The memories he had on Earth caused the attacks from it to weaken based on his mental state. But, as for the Darble World, its attacks weren''t affected that much since Compass Carburettor didn''t have any negative memories in the Darble World.


    This was the advantage of having two Personal Fragments.


    "Impossible!" The Remembrance System was surprised when its power was only able to affect one world.


    The attacks from the Darble World still retained their usual power, as countless tentaclesshed out on it.


    After thinking for a moment, Compass Carburettor''s figure vanished as he fully entered the Darble World. Now, he wasn''t as affected by its attacks, only remembering the things he did on the Darble World.


    And, of them made him regret anything, causing his emotions to remain un-swayed. With that, he resumed his attacks, eventually destroying the Remembrance System as its attacks weren''t that effective anymore.


    "Ugh!" Returning to the world, Compass Carburettor grunted, slumping into Grisha''s embrace as he inhaled her scent, slowly calming down.


    "Humans are emotional creatures," Saying so, he fell asleep immediately.


    Upon seeing his forehead slick with sweat, Grisha ced him on the bed, parting the hair on his forehead in worry, seeing his furrowed brows.


    "Compass Carburettor, what have you faced in the past?" She muttered, sighing as she looked around, noticing that her surroundings were rmingly silent all of a sudden.


    The silence was troubling, for until now, there were at least the sounds of the ants and the Grassmen fighting at a couple of locations around her locality.


    But now, there was nothing, not even the sounds from anyone hidden in their respective homes.


    As she thought as such, followed by a couple of flickers, the lights went off. The electricity seemed to be cut off.


    Even though she wished to switch on the lights using the generator, she was afraid to leave Compass Carburettor alone, especially at such a juncture.


    ''There''s not much need for electricity at present anyway.'' Thinking as such, she held a liquor bottle and a lighter in her hands, gazing around as her eyes adjusted to the moonlight.


    But slowly, the light seemed to be dimming as she was rmed, ''Just¡­what is happening? Is it just a passing cloud?''


    "No, it''s not!" She heard a familiar annoying buzz, immediately springing to her feet as she rushed throughout the house, double-checking to ensure all windows were closed shut. She also took out a tape, draped the curtains over the windows and stered them to the wall, ensuring no openings were shown.


    She then rushed through the rooms, closing all the room doors to ensure the mosquitoes wouldn''t get into the other areas even if one of the rooms were to bepromised.


    Carrying a fire extinguisher that was affixed in the living room, Grisha returned to the bedroom on the first floor, blocking out all exits as she arrived beside the window, cing her ears on it to hear any sounds.


    At the start, it was a single sound, but within a couple of seconds, the sound turned into a chorus.


    Bzzzz!

 Chapter 219: The Nightmare Of Buzz Street

    <h4>Chapter 219: The Nightmare Of Buzz Street</h4>


    Mosquitoes!


    Each of them was the size of a fist, rmingly scary as they numbered in the thousands. Even the tiny mosquitoes were scary because they were capable of drinking a lot of blood. And now that their size had increased, Grisha almost lost consciousness.


    All she had done was peek at them through the window once. Just that alone was upsetting, dealing a critical hit to her mental state.


    ''Sh*t!'' Panting in response, she huddled behind the wall, hearing the sonorous buzzing noises continue to grow louder and louder.


    Every time the buzzing sound neared, her heart thumped louder and louder, like a siren that was about to explode. She was aware that the moment the mosquitoes entered her house would spell their doom.


    One or two were still fine, as they could be killed. But hundred? What about two hundred? A thousand?


    There was only death with those numbers.


    Bam!


    Suddenly, there was a thud from one of their doors, causing her to flinch, rmed as she listened to the state of the door, ''Dammit, one of the doors is too weak since the Grassmen had broken through it before.''


    She was worried, looking around to see the figure of Compass Carburettor lying unconscious on the bed. She then lifted the curtains a little bit, peeking through it as she observed the two Grassmen on herwn, noticing that they were perfectly alright.


    It seemed that after turning into Grassmen, their blood had be no different to tree sap, no longer beneficial to the mosquitoes. Hence, they were ignored.


    As for the Grassmen, they calmly stared at the mosquitoes, ignoring them too. It seemed both the parties didn''t like one another and hence went about their respective ways.


    "Aahhh! Go away! I said! GO AWAY!" Suddenly, she heard a loud roar from her neighbour, followed by the sounds of something being swatted.


    She quickly rushed towards another window, peeking through it to see that one of the windows to the house had been broken through by the mosquitoes. And, within the bright room, with the house owner having switched on the generators, there was a man who held a tennis bat in his hand and swatted the mosquitoes.


    With every hit, he killed a mosquito. Moreover, it seemed he had yed the sport long enough for his shots to be powerful and swatted the mosquitoes to their deaths.


    But, the influx was just too much, beginning to target the gaps in his defence.


    Suddenly, the door opened as a young boy rushed forward and sprayed mosquito repellent, stored in a canister. The smoke caused the bodies of the mosquitoes to wobble as the man used the chance to attack them nonstop.


    As for the boy, he too picked up a tennis bat and began to attack them furiously, soon killing all the mosquitoes in the room as they sealed it with a cupboard.


    But, they had just finished the process when mournful screams resounded from another room. Their faces paled as the father and son made eye contact, rushing into the room where the sound originated from, gazing at the mosquitoes swarming the mother and daughter pair.


    The mother was waving a bedsheet in an effort to swat them away while the daughter was sobbing on one side, having been pricked by the mosquitoes on countless locations. Her face was pale, having lost a lot of blood.


    The two men hurriedly began to attack the mosquitoes. It was a chaotic scene.


    Grisha was only able to see the scene in the room at the start. Beyond that, all she could hear was their shouts and screams. Her face paled as she noticed arge crowd of mosquitoes forming beyond the neighbour''s house, increasing in numbers for a good whole minute before rushing into the house through the window.


    Like water pouring out from a dam, they rushed into the house, eliciting countless screams and shouts of anger from within. But, a couple dozen secondster, all sounds died down, followed by absolute silence.


    There wasn''t even the buzzing of mosquitoes in the surroundings, making the night silent once again. For a couple of minutes, the scene was strangely silent, causing Grisha to pale in fright, having never fought something in her life.


    Bam!


    "Kya!" She screamed in response, hurrying away from the window, hearing the sounds of the ss in the window shattering. The curtain that she taped around it bulged rmingly, a sign that the mosquitoes were trying to enter the room.


    Moreover, she noticed countless needles piercing through the curtain, causing her to shudder in response as she hurriedly switched on her fire extinguisher, ced the nozzle on the curtain and unleashed a white smoke.


    She only did so for two seconds before stopping, noticing that the mosquitoes had retreated. The curtain had returned to normalcy as she coughed a couple of times, inhaling the smoke that was within the room.


    Most of it hadn''t gone out, causing her to cough from time to time while her head felt tipsy.


    ''This ce isn''t safe.'' Thinking as such, the gears in her head spun as Grisha tried to wake up Compass Carburettor, gritting her teeth when he failed to respond. Thinking of something, she draped the bedsheet around his body, pulling him to the floor before dragging him around.


    She quickly headed into the bathroom that was attached to the room. For, that was the only ce without any windows. She filled the room with some more smoke from the fire extinguisher before bringing a couple of pillows with her to enter the bathroom, watching as the buzzing sounds continued to increase.


    Suddenly, they burst through the room, breaking open both the windows. After that, the mosquitoes on one window left, joining with the batch in the other as the buzzing noise increased.


    A couple of secondster, the buzzing turned sonorous as faint winds were generated in the room, beginning to wash away the smoke.


    As the other window was left open, the winds eventually carried the smoke outside.


    Grisha was unable to determine what they were doing. The fear of the unknown caused her to feel jittery as she held the fire extinguisher in her hands, ready to st it open in full strength the moment the mosquitoes did something.


    "Hic¡­heuk¡­" Tears streamed down her eyes as she looked at Compass Carburettor, "Please get up quickly¡­ I can''t handle this much longer."

 Chapter 220: A Warrior Fights While The Commander Instigates

    <h4>Chapter 220: A Warrior Fights While The Commander Instigates</h4>


    "Hiiik!" Grisha shuddered as she heard loud banging sounds on the door of the bathroom, flinching every time the sound resounded. Moreover, as she was using her hands to prevent the door from being broken through, she could feel the vibrations course through her body every time.


    That wasn''t all, as she was focusing on the door, she suddenly noticed a couple of locations on it through which the moonlight leaked through. Only now did she realise that the mosquitoes had pierced through the door.


    Right as this thought resounded in her mind, a couple of needles pierced through the door, plunging into her palms, immediately siphoning some of her blood.


    It was no different to a pair of sewing needles being plunged into her as Grisha shrieked from the pain, retracting her hand in reflex as she noticed blood dripping out of them.


    "Kyak!" She noticed the door trembling as she hurriedly ced her hand on them to stop the vibrations, fearing the door would give out. But, the moment she ced her hands on the door, a couple of needles pierced through her palms once again.


    "Heuk¡­hic¡­" Tears streamed out her eyes as Grisha endured the pain, constantly changing the locations of her hands as she prevented the door from being opened.


    But within ten minutes, she felt her head spin, having lost a lot of blood. Not only were her palms bleeding, but every time the needles of the mosquitoes pierced through them, a part of her blood was sucked out.


    Grisha endured, unwilling to die. For, not only would she die, but Compass Carburettor too would be affected. She had already implicated him once when she was under the effect of the owl-like bird.


    Initially, she had thought that Compass Carburettor was her age and hadn''t been bothered as much, thinking that it was the first time for both of them. But, sheter came to realise that he seemed to be having a family somewhere, the very driving force of his actions.


    He hadn''t explicitly said anything to avoid hurting her, but she had good intuition in such things, realising that she had practically intruded into his life.


    Part of her was selfish, wishing to be with him no matter what. The rest of her wished to give him his space. But no matter what, she wished to at least repay the favour of him saving her life.


    So, she didn''t wish to give in at this point, even though she was afraid, even though she was fearful of pain, even though she had a phobia of needles.


    Gritting her teeth, Grisha trembled in fright and prevented the door from being broken down, screaming every time something heavy mmed into the door.


    Another ten minutes passed in such a fashion as she was unable to hold on anymore, watching the wood being used on the bathroom door cracking, with small holes forming everywhere, leaking in the moonlight.


    For the first time in her life, she hated the moonlight, wishing to never see it, for the more she saw it, the closer to death they were.


    Through a gap that formed before her, Grisha noticed a cluster of mosquitoes condensing into what resembled a clenched fist, retracting a couple of metres before mming into the door, breaking through it.


    ''Ahh¡­'' Her mind nked out as Grisha fainted. But, the feeling of being pricked by needles all over her body didn''t follow suit as she had expected, but instead, a warm embrace enveloped her.


    "You did well to hold on," Compass Carburettor muttered, ring at the mosquitoes that hovered before his face. He tilted his head, watching the cluster do the same before moving backwards at an rming pace.


    After that, they moved forward and mmed into the wall nearby, the impact sttering most of them into blood.


    Skill¡ªDirectional Misalignment (Level 1)!


    Suddenly, every mosquito scattered before congregating into the centre, forming a massive sphere. The needles of each mosquito had pierced into the body of another, preventing them from escaping as they formedyers one atop another, forming a massive sphere in such a fashion.


    Every mosquito that streamed into the room automatically pierced itself onto the sphere one after another, forming neatyers, as if pieces of puzzles falling into their rightful ces.


    Gently cing Grisha into the bathtub, Compass Carburettor entered the room, undressing as he returned to his Haggon Form, swallowing all the mosquitoes casually. Soon, he noticed that he had eaten until he was full, taking on his human form.


    While alive, the mosquitoes generated Mental Energy for him. Once they died, they were digested by his stomach acids, converted into his source of Dac. In both ways, they fuelled his abilities. And, the amount of Mental Energy he consumed to destroy them was only half of what he gained from them.


    After all, he purposely made his stomach acids secrets a bit slowly. While within his stomach, the mosquitoes squirmed, trying to wriggle out. But, no matter what they did, they were unable to break out.


    A Haggon''s stomach was like a sealed container. Anything that entered its stomach could forget about leaving it. The needles of the mosquitoes were unable to pierce through his toughened flesh, even if they were his stomach walls.


    Upon seeing that the mosquitoes beyond the house were only continuing to increase in numbers, he frowned, waving his hand as he activated Directional Misalignment once again.


    But this time, it was directed at the ground, causing countless ants to stream out in confusion. When they were moving within, their sense of direction was morphed before they noticed that they had arrived on the surface.


    Upon seeing a source of blood, the mosquitoes swarmed the ants, not realising that it was their mistake to do so.


    After all, the ants nevercked numbers, constantly streaming forth as they bit the mosquitoes, clipping their wings. Moreover, upon consuming the mosquitoes, amand was passed to all the ants, dering that a new nutritious source had been discovered¡ªthe mosquitoes.


    With that said, more and more ants streamed out of the ground, filling up the road and all concrete pavements. Both sides considered each other as prey as the conflict spiralled out of control.


    "Of course! Otherwise, after mosquitoes, we would have had to face the ants and the Grassmen¡­" Seeing the war ensuing below, Compass Carburettor smirked, taking out the tape Grisha had used to close the curtains once again, sealing up the gaps.

 Chapter 221: New Members

    <h4>Chapter 221: New Members</h4>


    "Ugh¡­" Grisha groaned as she regained consciousness, noticing Compass Carburettor bandaging her hands. Upon seeing that he was fine, she sighed in relief, looking around to see that although the buzzing sound was still heavy, it wasn''t directed at them, "What¡­happened?"


    "Let''s first patch you up." Compass Carburettor smiled as he gave her a pearl, "Eat this and use your ability to heal yourself."


    "But¡­shouldn''t this be valuable?" Grisha said in worry, hesitating since she too understood the power system at ce, realising that it would have taken a lot to kill a mutated beast, "I can''t waste such a resource. You should save up¡­"


    Without waiting for her to finish speaking, Compass Carburettor pushed the pearl into her mouth, making her swallow it, muttering, "These pearls aren''t that important. Besides, we''ll be fighting through a lot, so always remaining in an optimal condition is a must."


    "Alright," Sighing, Grisha condensed her wand, pointing it at herself as she activated it, watching a st of energy gush into her body, beginning to heal all her injuries.


    She was pretty surprised to see that all the injuries in her palms had vanished, not to mention the pain she felt. Moreover, herplexion turned rosy, as if her blood too had been replenished to a certain extent.


    Just as Grisha was feeling surprised at the power she possessed, Compass Carburettor faced Anthozoa at her forehead, shooting once.


    System Fragment¡ªRemembrance!


    "What¡­?" Grisha was shocked when she clutched her head, sweating buckets as a wave of information poured into her head, overwhelming her for a couple of seconds. She fainted immediately as Compass Carburettor gently covered her with a nket, cing her on the bed while he began to clean the room with a wet cloth.


    Once he obtained the Remembrance System''s Core Skill, he realised that it wasn''t suitable for him. There were other Skills apanying the Remembrance System, but since he didn''t have any extra space, he had to gloss over them, wasting them.


    The same happened to the Directional Misalignment System too. It possessed a healing Skill that Compass Carburettor was unable to get because he attained the limit of his Arms.


    Leaving them aside, he wasn''t bothered because of the fact that they could only be used once. So, he focused on the ability of Remembrance.


    It was a simple ability, one that made people remember everything from their past, never forgetting anything.


    If used as a Skill, he would be able to target the individuals, causing them to remember a past that affected them. For him, it was the scene of his family''s death. That affected him the most.


    Simrly, he would be able to target the weakness¡ªmemory¡ªof his opponents using this as a Skill. But, there was a reason he avoided this ability. It was that even if he obtained it as a Skill, he would still be able to remember everything in his life, as if he had a photographic memory.


    And, there were plenty of things he did that he wished to forget. So, he didn''t wish to gain that ability.


    It was a fairly powerful ability but the cons of its usage were too great. So, he directly used it on Grisha. Now, she wouldn''t forget any detail that she witnesses. Moreover, he hoped she would be able to remember things even after this particr world resets.


    After all, based on what the Coincidental Luck System told him, even though the world reset once every twenty years, there were minor changes every time. So, it meant that the Grade 4 System had arranged it in such a manner for some reason.


    He wasn''t sure, but he wanted to see if the ability of a System would stay with her even after reset. Simrly, if it works, would she actually remember her past?


    ''Maybe that''s why the healing ability is perfect for her.'' Thinking as such, Compass Carburettor gently brushed her hair towards the side, kissing her forehead.


    Having cleaned up the room, he went around the house, making some preparations while observing the state of things outside.


    It seemed the ants and mosquitoes were still at war. And as he had expected, the ants were winning. After all, the moment they killed a mosquito, they dragged the corpse into the ground, feeding it to the queen that was constantlyying down eggs.


    So, this excess in nutrition was only fuelling their growth.


    As for the mosquitoes, they weren''t in control like the ants that weremanded by the queen. They moved as they wished. So, they were being pushed back in the war against the coordinated army of ants, despite their aerial advantage.


    He arrived at the living room, noticing a couple of mosquitoes flying about. Upon seeing them, Compass Carburettor shed his gun, shooting one of them using a bullet condensed by ve Harem. And upon seeing it take effect, he then shot it with a bullet condensed using Secret Society.


    Once the connection was established, he bestowed it the Skill of Intelligence and all other eight Skills under his physique section. After all, its loyalty was in the nies, thanks to the effect of ve Harem.


    "Do you have someone giving you orders?" He asked through telepathy.


    "None," The mosquito replied.


    "Alright, use your enhanced powers to hunt and grow strong now. Ensure to never fight any humans. Also, don''t go beyond a hundred-metre radius from me." Compass Carburettormanded it.


    "I''ll do that, Lord Spirit." Saying so, the mosquito flew away.


    As for the couple other mosquitoes in his vicinity, they were unable to close in on him, flying into walls when they tried to do so. Like darts, they were stuck there, unable to free themselves.


    Smiling in response, Compass Carburettor peeked out of the house, gazing at a fist-sized ant, one that seemed like a regr worker ant, shooting two bullets at it. The first was condensed using ve Harem while the second was from Secret Society, making the ant a member too.


    There was one reason he was trying his best to make some extra members here, despite the risks.

 Chapter 222: Ant Queen

    <h4>Chapter 222: Ant Queen</h4>


    "What shall I do for you, Lord Spirit?" The worker ant asked.


    "Do you know where your queen is?" Compass Carburettor asked in response.


    "There are five of us!" The worker ant replied, "Just under this area alone."


    "¡­"


    Feeling headache for a moment, Compass Carburettor said, "Then, bring a Queen here, no matter who. Someone young and that had just be a queen is better."


    "They won''te out no matter what." The worker ant said. Even though it was under the effects of ve Harem and had a staunch loyalty, it didn''t show any signs of betraying the colony. After all, that was a mentality that went beyond an ant''s sense of self.


    It wasn''t something he could affect.


    But, Compass Carburettor only smiled in response, bestowing the Skill of Strength upon it, asking, "Do you feel stronger now?"


    "Yes," The worker ant bobbed its head. With the Skill of Intelligence, it was able tomunicate with him. And now, with the Skill of Strength, it felt stronger than before, feeling like it could even be a guard ant.


    "I''ll be able to give the same to a Queen too. So, bring one to me. With that, you''ll be able to destroy the Grassmen." Compass Carburettor smiled, pointing at two Grassmen that were nonchntly standing in the open yard, gazing at everything as if it wasn''t of their concern.


    "I''ll try," Saying so, the worker ant retreated into its tunnel and vanished.


    Compass Carburettor waited patiently, staring at the Grassmen, feeling the other party stare at him in response.


    For the next couple of minutes, nothing was exchanged between them before Compass Carburettor raised his hand and waved at them, "Hello darling! Looking sharp today, are we?"


    In response to his provocative action, the Grassmen winked at him once before turning around, gazing at the battle between the ants and the mosquitoes.


    ''Did I just get hit on by a Grassmen?'' Compass Carburettor frowned, shuddering for a moment as some inexplicable scenes shed through his mind.


    After one turned into a Grassmen, they were no longer human and the concept of gender vanished from them. Their bodies morphed, turning androgenous, preventing him from recognising their prior identity as a human.


    So, since he was bored, he just tried to probe them. But getting such a response only stumped him, unable to make heads or tails of the situation.


    ''Do they also have sentience?'' He thought, frowning because even when the Grassmen winked at him, he didn''t receive any Mental Energy at all.


    "Tell me when you are bringing the queen." Saying so, Compass Carburettor returned to the room at the top, closed the door upon entry, ensured the ce was secure before sliding under the bedsheet. Gently hugging Grisha, he closed his eyes and began to sleep.


    Three hourster, he woke up, feeling somewhat tired because he had killed and refined two Systems on the same day. So, his mind was still exhausted, causing him difficulty to even think.


    The only reason he woke up was due to the worker ant constantly sending his messages through their telepathy.


    Getting up, he descended the flight of stairs, arriving at the living room, noticing two ants approach him. The first was the worker ant that was fist-sized.


    The second was the queen that was a metre in length. It was an rminglyrge ant that possessed a tough carapace.


    Upon seeing it, Compass Carburettor didn''t immediately take action, gazing at the worker ant instead, "Are you sure this queen is willing to gain power?"


    "Yes, after all, she would have been driven out of the nest anyways. There are enough queens here." The worker ant replied.


    "Haha, alright." Saying as such, he condensed his Anthozoa, fluidly shooting two bullets into the ant queen, watching the two abilities sink into it before a connection was established between the two.


    Once it became a member, Compass Carburettor observed the loyalty it possessed, Bestowing it seven Skills from his physique section.


    To give it a Core Skill or a Personal Fragment, 100 loyalty was required for each. Since the ant queen didn''t possess that much, he only gave her the basic Skills.


    But, just that alone strengthened her a lot, causing her to make a humane bowing action, "Thank you for bestowing this power onto me, Lord Spirit!"


    "Do you have an army of your own?" Compass Carburettor asked it.


    The ant queen shook her head, saying, "I''ll have to create them from scratch. I have only recently be a queen."


    "Well, no worries." Smiling, Compass Carburettor waved his hand, using Directional Misalignment to cause countless mosquitoes to gush into the living room before they pierced through each other, forming arge sphere thatnded on the ground. "Here''s your food. If you need more, just tell me. For starters, use this living room as your nest. Once you have enough workers, you can start building a proper one underground."


    "Alright!" The ant queen replied chirpily, "As I have be stronger, the ants I birth would be stronger than the others."


    Saying so, she excitedly began to munch on the mosquito carcasses that the worker ant brought her from the sphere. It was unknown as to how she did it, but she condensed more than half of the mosquito carcasses into her tiny body, sleeping for a day before beginning toy eggs.


    In the meantime, all Compass Carburettor did was use his Haggon form to devour the insects and create Armaments. He also created more inferior-Darble bracelets that he tied around Grisha''s body, hoping that she would be able to awaken her Dac eventually.


    Until she woke up, he didn''t n to move elsewhere. From time to time, he closed his eyes and sensed the location of his Spydragon, noticing that Rhizen had reached the settlement on the hill that he had helped create.


    Aware that Rhizen would have to cross Feora City and reach his house that was located on its outskirts, he wasn''t worried. Rhizen had a sweetheart that he shared everything with. So, the next target for the Systems would probably be her.


    They would take action the moment Rhizen returned to his house. And, it would take quite some time for that to happen. After all, the grass would have already begun to grow.


    It seemed that once the grass was burning, Rhizen used the chance to drive through from the foot of Mount Craire. But, when it began to grow, he coincidentally noticed the ring of vehicles around a hill nearby, deciding to survive by heading there.


    That''s how he had escaped the fate of being turned into a Grassmen.


    "So, there''s some more time before I have to take action¡­ Until then, it''s a regr apocalypse-survival story."

 Chapter 223: Preparation Time

    <h4>Chapter 223: Preparation Time</h4>


    "Around a month, 45 days tops." Compass Carburettor knotted his brows, thinking, "That''s the time of preparation I can obtain before my second face off against them."


    He was unsure as to how many Systems would be sent after Rhizen this time. Moreover, there was one difference in the uing second battle. It was the fact that the Systems would be prepared against him.


    Even though he hadn''t left any traces the previous time, the Directional Misalignment System had been killed. Had Neena died naturally, it would have recondensed by now and returned to the System World or taken root within another human.


    In that case, it would have establishedmunication with the rest of the Systems by now. But, it hadn''t done that. And, since the Coincidental Luck System had no ns on absorbing this ability that would only injure itself, there was only one conclusion.


    The Directional Misalignment System had been killed and refined by a System yer. So, now that they have been alerted, Compass Carburettor would have to be extra careful. With the element of surprise now removed, the moment he appeared in Rhizen''s vicinity, there was a good chance the Systems would lock onto his presence.


    Moreover, since he also killed the Remembrance System, they would be aware of his whereabouts or at least his general direction of travel.


    The Remembrance System too was a part of the group. Since this world was the private property of the Coincidental Luck System, no other System would dare enter it in fear of offending it.


    So, all the Systems that had entered it were supported by the Systems part of the Luck Genre. Of course, the benefits of arriving here and impeding Rhizen were enough for them to risk their lives.


    With them being boosted by luck, their journey in other worlds would be really pleasant or even smooth sailing.


    Moreover, for those that had done an exceptional job, they were even granted a skill rted to Luck, something that rarely appeared in the Astral Network. So, it was definite that they would work in hindering the Coincidental Luck System.


    With two Systems killed on the same day, it alerted everyone. So, preparations would be made to ensure the rest of the Systems wouldn''t suffer the same fate. After all, every System that arrived in the world to hinder the Coincidental Luck System were only Hatchling Systems.


    No other System wished to court death as they had enough foundations to survive on their own.


    ''But, even if they are Hatchling Systems, I cannot be careless. Probably the Remembrance System would be my sole easy kill.'' Sighing in response, Compass Carburettor gazed from the balcony, munching on some food as he watched smoke billowing from many houses.


    During the previous night, a family of fourmitted suicide, unable to endure living in such a dangerous world where they were harassed by the ants and the mosquitoes, not to mention the Grassmen that would barge into their houses to turn them into Grassmen too.


    So, the man of the house had taken out the gas cylinder and left it open. And, he allowed the gas to leak out as far as possible, finally creating a spark to set off a massive explosion, destroying more than a couple of vis.


    It was a high-profiled suicide, preventing no mysterious means from taking advantage of their corpses. They were pretty resolute.


    At present, guarding Grisha took his priority. So, he didn''t move in to save anyone. After all, the ground floor of his house had been turned into an ant nest. He was creating his private expendable army in preparation against the Systems.


    And, what best way to do so than taking advantage of the ants?


    As the queen was under his control, as long as it gavemands, the rest of the nest she creates would follow her orders. And, thanks to their hive mentality, they would never doubt her orders and execute them wlessly, perfect for him.


    ''It has been two days already, but Grisha hasn''t woken up yet.'' He sighed in worry, feeling that the effect of Remembrance was beyond what he had expected. A normal human brain wouldn''t be able to withstand the surge of memories.


    "Thankfully, she has a healing ability." He muttered, gently opening her mouth to drop in a pearl, watching her wand appear automatically, unleashing a gentle energy.


    The healing energy enveloped her, vanishing once all the energy was expended. This was another thing with the power system at the ce. As the energy from the pearl circted in her body, it became a burden.


    An outlet was necessary. And, since the wand existed, after some time, the energy flowed out through it naturally, healing her. If it hadn''t been summoned before, then it would be summoned now for the outlet to take ce.


    The same thing would happen with anyone as the excess energy would be automatically used by the items they possessed to prevent damage from being done to the body.


    "Now that I think about it, this power system has pretty realistic derivations. Indeed, a proper society could be established using it," He muttered, sighing, "If only it wasn''t so weak."


    It was because even if he used permanence and retained all the abilities he obtained in this world, it wasn''t as useful in other worlds. After all, he wouldn''t be having any pearls to activate them. Using them with Dac wasn''t worth it because the efficiency wasn''t great.


    Moreover, once he attained Transcendence, the amount of power he could exhibit with Dac would grandly surpass this power system.


    After all, he had the Warble, meaning, he would be able to design and obtain the energy de variation he wished to have as a Warrior and a Puppeteer. Moreover, he would also be able to fuse both paths to obtain even greater power.


    That was why he wasn''t as interested in this power system, only wishing to gain them as a mode of convenience until he attained Transcendence.


    "Still, these pearls are pretty useful in that regard," He smiled, gazing at the Grassmen on hiswn, waving his hand at it, "I can feel my Dac improving by one unit with every pearl I consume. With this, I would be able to reach my peak as a Haggon eventually."


    "Anyway, a Haggon needs to eat a lot¡­ So¡­" Heughed.

 Chapter 224: The Cobra’s Evolution

    <h4>Chapter 224: The Cobra¡¯s Evolution</h4>


    The Grassmen waved at him from below, causing him to frown as Compass Carburettor sensed a minute, infinitesimally small Mental Energy stream from them. It was apparent that they were evolving with time, gaining sentience in their new forms.


    ''If it continues in this fashion, a new race would be generated.'' Compass Carburettor thought, "That just means more worry for humans."


    After all, the mutated beasts too seemed to be gaining intelligence with an increase in their horns. He wasn''t sure of the exact increase, but once they gain five or six horns, they would possess intelligence on par with humans.


    From there, things would be tricky. With the Grassmen added into the mix, it would turn pretty chaotic, especially since they didn''t seem to be the type to rely on the pearls like humans but were evolving to be more like the mutated beasts.


    "If only they were edible, everything would be easier." Compass Carburettor sighed. At present, it seemed humans were the most susceptible to bing Grassmen.


    Followed by them were domesticated animals like cats and dogs. But, the strangest thing was the fact after turning into Grassmen, their bodies began to grandly morph. Finally, they became humanoid too.


    It was pretty strange, but Compass Carburettor attributed it to the fact that humans were the first to be turned into the Grassmen on arge scale, so the grass turned that setting into the default.


    "Uncle Spirit! I have¡­evolved!" Suddenly, a loud roar resounded in his mind as Compass Carburettor jolted out of his reverie.


    He turned around, digging into his ear when he realised that it was through telepathy, groaning as he spoke, "Alright! Alright! Don''t shout!"


    "I! Am! Not! Shouting!" It seemed to be on purpose as the cobra ryed even louder through telepathy.


    Without any hesitation, Compass Carburettor cut off allmunications between them, no longer bothering to hear anything transmitted from it. He then watched a pitiful looking cobra crawl out of its bag and stare at him, shedding tears as its head bobbled weakly.


    ''Last time I remember, cobras can''t do that.'' He thought, sighing as he spoke, "Alright, fine. You can talk with me now. But, don''t shout."


    "I won''t!" The cobra seemed excited once again as it slithered towards him, circled his body before coiling around his neck. It then extended itself until its face was before him, speaking as it hissed menacingly, "Hehe, now you have been caught by me, Uncle! Let''s see if you can break out of my hold now."


    "Alright, try it." Compass Carburettor smiled, watching the cobra''s expression turn from confidence to a fluster when it noticed that its body wasn''t coiling around his neck but was instead loosening up.


    "That''s cheating! You shouldn''t use any abilities!" It protested, pping its head on his cheek, pouting humanely.


    "Alright, don''t mess around too much. What ability have you gained?" He asked, gazing at the tiny horn that jutted out of its forehead.


    "Mine''s a special ability thanks to all those Skills you''ve Bestowed upon me. For some reason, they were all used as a temte to form this." The cobra said before turning around, gazing at the Grassmen on the ground, asking, "Are those two expendables?"


    "Well, yeah. They are just foes that haven''t been killed because I was observing their growth. Feel free to use them for target practice." Compass Carburettor patted the cobra''s head, watching it tremble in response before opening its mouth.


    Just as he thought it was nning to unleash a breath attack, a tiny ring of energy exited the cobra''s mouth before flying towards the Grassmen, expanding in the process, alerting the two.


    But, the moment they reacted, the ring had already reached a size of five metres in radius, appearing around them instantly shrinking into a dot as it severed their bodies into two.


    "That''s pretty great. But, just severing them isn''t enough to kill the Grassmen." Compass Carburettor retorted.


    "There''s more!" The cobra shouted smugly as the ring expanded once again, turning around a little as it severed through the Grassmen another time.


    Cut into four pieces, each Grassmen fell on the ground, twitching as they were unable to move. As their heads were split into two, they struggled for a couple of minutes before losing all signs of vitality.


    After all, not only was it just a burst of force but contained within it was mild venom that began to wilt the grass.


    "So, your venom was also fused into this breath attack?" Compass Carburettor asked in surprise.


    "This isn''t my breath attack. I can also unleash a breath attack like other mutated beasts. This is my special ability that has be emission-based." The cobra said in excitement.


    "That''s impressive!" Compass Carburettor said honestly, "All mutated beasts only possess refinement-based attacks. Their only emission-based attack is their breath attack. So, your ability is pretty impressive."


    "Of course! I''m pretty awesome!" The cobra made a smug expression before pping his cheek with its head.


    "Stop that! It''s irritating!" Compass Carburettor said, frowning.


    "I won''t! What can you do, Uncle Spirit?" The cobra looked at him, smirking as it used its tongue to poke at his nose.


    "¡­" Compass Carburettor severed the telepathic connection, preventing them from conversing mentally.


    Immediately, the cobra''s smug expression vanished as it pouted, looking at him with a pitiful expression, no different to a dog''s. It seemed to have learned it somewhere, using it all the time against him, clearly understanding that it was effective on him.


    "Fine," Massaging his forehead, Compass Carburettor reinstated the connection, hearing the cobra chirp constantly. It was like a kid that was excited to brag about every single thing to its parent.


    So, there wasn''t a moment''s silence from the moment it finished evolving. Sighing in response, Compass Carburettor shook his head, watching the severed pieces of the Grassmen on thewn that had now melted into a puddle, smiling at the potency of the cobra''s attacks.


    "Impressive¡­" He muttered, regretting it immediately when the cobra heard it and began to bombard him with so many things that he felt like he was ageing in response.


    ''Wait, I didn''t give her a name yet. She would eat my head once she realises that. And when I name her, I would also be making her realise the same¡­'' He thought, staring at the sky, for a moment envying the clouds.

 Chapter 225: The Haughtily Normal Cat

    <h4>Chapter 225: The Haughtily Normal Cat</h4>


    "Stay here and protect Grisha!" Compass Carburettor said, cing the cobra on the ground, watching it slither towards the bed before settling down under it.


    He then arrived at the ground floor, watching the rows and rows of eggs around as he passed by, arriving at the entrance. Thanks to the mutation, the ants had a pretty quick generation. It took the queen ant a day toy down the eggs that hatched after another day.


    The hatchlings grew to adulthood within three days. All in all, within five days, adult ants were produced. It was a frightening pace since the queen was able toy down hundreds of eggs every day.


    ''With a few more ant queens under me, I''ll be able to raise arge enough army to bother the System Hosts.'' Thinking as such, Compass Carburettor exited the house, watching a mosquito arrive before him.


    It was slightlyrger than the rest as a tiny horn was growing on its forehead. Though, it hadn''t finished evolving yet. It was the mosquito under his control, saying through telepathy, "A mutated cat is growing in an apartmentplex next street. It''ll help you, Lord Spirit."


    "Thanks," Nodding in response, the figure of Compass Carburettor shed towards the roof of the building as the pair of boots appeared on his legs, "Follow me."


    He shed from the roof of one house to another, soonnding on the pavement extending above the window of a room in the designated apartment building. From there, his figure continued to sh until he reached the roof.


    He nned to scour down from the topmost floor. In the case the cat had the same power as him, it would be able to escape from the apartment from the top.


    Arriving at the top, he smiled, kicking open the iron door easily as he entered the building.


    With the Skill of Strength at level 10, it was a lie if he said he wasn''t superhuman. The only reason that such strength hadn''te to y much was that he was limiting himself all along to make him look like a regr human.


    Disying the full extent of his strength was a giveaway that he was either a System Host or a System yer. In the Darble World, since Regriel had the means of prying out information from women after enving them, he never showed the full extent of his abilities.


    Otherwise, a lot could be made easier. Though, it was also true that his strength never came into use. After all, his enemies were Systems, entities that couldn''t be simply destroyed through brute force.


    ''Only in this world am I finally beginning to make use of all my abilities. Still, I have to be inconspicuous and not reveal anything in the eyes of others.'' Sighing in response, he held two Armaments, ready to condense them at a moment''s notice.


    The moment he entered the apartment, Compass Carburettor frowned upon smelling an intense stench of blood, asking through telepathy, "What has happened here?"


    "It seems the cat has been devouring the humans here to strengthen itself. That''s how it has managed to quickly grow a horn. To prevent anyone from escaping, it first devoured everyone from the first two floors. Since the ground is pretty much off-limits due to the grass blocking the way, it has trapped everyone in the confines of this apartment." The mosquito iterated everything it had sensed.


    "I see¡­" Compass Carburettor nodded, proceeding through the corridor as he stepped on dried pools of blood, soon reaching the fifteenth floor. The apartment had sixteen floors in total. The doors had w marks on them, targeted only at the doorknobs, shredding them apart before pushing the door open.


    ''How did it break open the first door¡­'' He frowned, arriving before a certain door on the fifteenth floor, noticing that the w marks had been made from the inside.


    The marks were also numerous, showing that the cat didn''t have enough strength to pry it open as it had done on the sixteenth floor. The couple of doors nearby were more or less the same as Compass Carburettor noticed the rest of the doors being broken in one swift strike.


    ''So, it only arrived to break in the rest of the doors here after having its fill on the sixteenth floor.'' He nodded, noticing that the blood before a certain door was still wet, a sign that it had been recent.


    He then continued to walk, noticing a Mental Energy stream fall on him from behind him. It was from one of the rooms he had passed by.


    As the door was ajar and since there were traces of blood all over the living room, he didn''t search within. But, it seemed the cat had been hiding within this ce, ''So, it has enough smarts to hide in a preyed-upon area to mask itself using the scent of the blood. Or, has it sensed my presence and then hid inside?''


    Smiling in response, he continued to walk the same as usual, looking like he was searching for the cat, unaware of the creature that was stealthily walking from behind.


    The cat was the same size as a regr cat, its appearance too remaining the same. Moreover, there wasn''t even a drop of blood on it, not to mention any scent of blood. It was¡­pretty clean.


    And now, it continued to watch Compass Carburettor, stretching its body from time to time, casually licking its paws while following him.


    And, right as Compass Carburettor turned around the corner, beginning to head down the stairs, it stretched its body once again, yawning silently before slowly walking out, opening its mouth to unleash a cute sound.


    Meow!


    After turning around, it noticed the figure of Compass Carburettor, gazing at him once before turning around to walk down the stairs, haughtily, as if it owned the entire building, just as how every cat behaved.


    It then continued to descent down the stairs, heading into the fourteenth floor before beginning to scratch the door of a certain house.


    "Go away!" Came an angry woman''s voice from within, clearly irritated by its antics.


    Meow!


    The cat continued to scratch the door, only increasing the frequency of its scratching.

 Chapter 226: The Goldfish Of The Fish Tank

    <h4>Chapter 226: The Goldfish Of The Fish Tank</h4>


    Everything the cat did screamed normalcy. From the way it walked, carried itself, harassed others, etc. It was no different to a cat from before the apocalypse.


    But, two factors set it apart, something it had glossed over. First was the fact that it was clean, too clean even though it had just walked through a corridor filled with blood.


    Even though a cat had the habit of keeping itself clean, it wasn''t to this extent that no trace of scent of the blood would linger on it. The level had clearly traversed into the abnormal territory.


    And, the second oddity was the horn that was growing on its forehead, a clear indication that it was a mutated beast. Moreover, Compass Carburettor noticed that a second horn had begun to grow too.


    Though, it had barely protruded out of the cat''s forehead, "But, within a week, it would be a two-horned cat."


    ''Even though I would love to kill it after it had grown two horns, I can''t sacrifice the humans to achieve that.'' He sighed, shaking his head, ''Just what the hell am I doing here? With no means to fend themselves, they were bound to die anyway.''


    ''Well, this hypocrisy is part of what keeps me human.'' Smiling, he stomped the ground, beginning to run towards the cat, watching it shriek in response and spring backwards in rm.


    It didn''t seem intent to fight him, but the moment Compass Carburettor arrived before the ce it had been standing before, his body suddenly bent before swerving around, dodging to the side before closing in towards the cat.


    And, in the ce he moved out from, threerge gashes appeared in the air, vanishing a second after. It was the cat''s ability, in that it can unleash dyed shes into the air that take a second to form and damage things.


    It was a simple but tricky ability that could be used in interesting ways.


    Compass Carburettor didn''t know if there was something there or not. The reason he dodged was thanks to the Mental Energy stream he sensed from the cat when it sprang backwards. There was no fear in it, just the emotion of ridicule.


    It had been acting like it was afraid to trick him into falling for the trap.


    ''That''s pretty dangerous.'' Compass Carburettor sighed, looking like he was about to charge at it once again when his figure vanished, appearing beside it as his Armament activated, condensing an energy sword that extended into its body, piercing through it.


    Even though the cat had reacted on time, the energy sword had expanded at the speed of light, piercing it before its body could move out of the way. With its neck pierced, it coughed out blood, unable to let out any sounds as its vitality slowly dropped down.


    Even though it tried to attack him with its ws in the meantime, Compass Carburettor casually used his hands to hold its limbs apart while pressing its body on the ground, watching it bleed to its death.


    It didn''t have the strength to resist him.


    He then pried its body open, frowning when it didn''t have an orb inside, "That''s a pity. Its ability was pretty interesting."


    He then took its pearl, surprised when he dug further and found a second pearl, "Nice. Since it was forming its second horn, it makes sense that it had condensed its second pearl beforehand."


    A mutated beast would have as many pearls as the number of horns on its forehead. It also determined the number of times it could unleash its breath attack.


    After obtaining two pearls, Compass Carburettor was pretty satisfied, swallowing one to summon his mongoose, making it devour the cat''s corpse. That would spur its evolution pretty fast.


    As for when he would reach Stage Two, he would only know when he attained it. So, until then, using his power constantly and consuming as many pearls as possible was the only option.


    Thanks to his Dac, he was able to use the ability countless times without trouble. And, replenishing his Dac had be easy thanks to the apocalypse, all due to the mosquitoes.


    "Are there any other mutated beasts here?" He then asked.


    "There''s a fish on the second floor." The mosquito replied, "The cat has been eyeing it all along, but since the fist is pretty formidable, it was waiting to grow its second horn before devouring it."


    "What does this fish eat?" Compass Carburettor asked in surprise, wondering how it ate enough to grow a horn. After all, as a domestic fish, it would only be able to move through its fish tank.


    "Well, I dared not head closer to investigate. I felt fear for some reason." The mosquito replied,nding on the window b of a house on the seventh floor after judging that it was safe to perch on.


    "Well, guess I''ll take a look at it." His interest garnered, Compass Carburettor quickly descended through the flight of stairs, arriving before the mentioned house on the second floor, noticing that the ce was somewhat lively. There was a group of five people who were wearing hazmat suits, holdingrge scissors in their hands that they used to clip some of the grass that grew on the ground floor, bringing them while wrapped in a stic bag.


    Then, they entered the designated house, ignoring Compass Carburettor''s existence while dropping the grass into a fish tank.


    And, sleeping there was a goldfish, its body elongated enough to now be called a snake. It slurped through the strands of grass like they were noodles, sporting dead eyes. Though, it was alive, just that its fish eyes were like that.


    After eating enough grass, it seemed its belly was full as it shat out poop after some time, which was quickly cleaned up by a man wearing one of the hazmat suits.


    Now he understood why they were wearing hazmat fruits, for the poop had a smell simr to what was produced by fruit bugs when they were crushed. It was such an unpleasant scent that even grotesque insects would wish to avoid.


    As he observed the people, he frowned deeper, for they didn''t seem to be controlled by the goldfish or anything. Rather, they seemed normal, like regr humans.


    ''What part of this is normal?'' He frowned in worry, unable to find any oddity in the situation, rmingly so.

 Chapter 227: I Don’t Have Time To Care

    <h4>Chapter 227: I Don¡¯t Have Time To Care</h4>


    "Excuse me!" Compass Carburettor grabbed hold of a man wearing a hazmat suit, asking him in confusion, "Can you tell me what''s happening here?"


    "Are you from the upper floors?" The man asked after ncing at Compass Carburettor from top to bottom, concluding on his own as he said, "It''s pretty simple actually."


    He pointed at the goldfish in the living room, "It is a special type of goldfish that is able to eat the grass growing below."


    He then said while sporting a zealous expression, "And thanks to its presence, the mosquitoes don''t target this floor during the night. Unlike other creatures, this goldfish is rather special in that even the sh*t it produces is a valuable fertiliser that allows us to grow nts indoors at a rapid pace."


    He opened the door to a nearby room, showing a variety of fruit-bearing nts growing within, as if it was a greenhouse nursery, "Tomatoes, potatoes, corn, etc. From seeds, we managed to grow them to such an extent within two days. And, the yield is pretty great. The goldfish only needs to eat the grass growing below to produce this mysterious fertiliser. Thankfully, we had seeds to use."


    "With this, we don''t need to worry about food." The man smirked, saying, "As for water, the goldfish can release the moisture within the grass into the air that we collect into buckets through distition. Drinking it heals our body to a certain extent."


    "Hmm," Compass Carburettor frowned, ''Something feels strange here. It feels like the goldfish is making them dependent on it for survival. Just what is it nning? And, howe it is so smart to n like this?''


    He then felt a Mental Energy stream from the goldfish, sighing as he understood the situation at y. It wasn''t the goldfish that was taking advantage of them. But, it was the humans that were using it for survival.


    And in return, the goldfish was able to grow in strength by eating the mysterious grass. They were pretty much in a symbiotic rtionship.


    ''But, how did these people determine the various uses for the goldfish so quickly?'' He thought next, asking the man in the hazmat suit, "But, are you sure this is safe? You haven''t tested this clinically, right?"


    "Well¡­" The man looked at Compass Carburettor like he was an idiot, "Do you think we have a choice? It''s not like most of us stockpiled any food tost us long. And even then, it would be used up soon after. But now, we can grow crops within the building itself and can stay safe, avoiding harm from the mosquitoes, ants, and grass, all thanks to the goldfish. So, whether something happens, we can''tin."


    "I see, so you are mentally prepared." Nodding in response, he turned around, intending to leave.


    "Wait," The man stopped him all of a sudden, asking, "Young man, you seem pretty strong. So, why don''t you join us? You''ll be guaranteed enough food and water for your needs. You won''t even feel like we are in an apocalypse."


    "I''ll pass," Compass Carburettor waved his hand and began to climb up the stairs. All along, his brows were knitted together in a frown before rxing, "Well, whatever. It''s no longer my concern. Even if I save them, I cannot provide for them anyway."


    Technically, the goldfish didn''t mean them any harm. It too was trying to survive in this dangerous world. After all, it didn''t seem to possess any offensive abilities other than its breath attack. As for its special ability, it was internal, one that it relied upon to help the humans survive while depending upon them.


    The humans would feed it grass that it would digest using its special ability, emitting the excess water for them to collect while it stored the nutrients within its body. It then expelled the waste that was used by them as fertilizers, allowing them to grow crops and eat their fill.


    And, as it continued to grow in size, its appetite continued to increase. But, the products it created were also of better quality now so the humans recruited more of their kind from the upper floors.


    Eventually, it would reach a point where all the humans living in the apartment building would enter a symbiotic rtionship with it.


    Theoretically, there didn''t seem to be any problems at first nce. But, Compass Carburettor felt that it wasn''t as simple as it seemed. Even though the goldfish didn''t have enough intelligence to scheme against the humans, it also retained some instincts that allowed it to make use of them, something long term.


    "Well, you are the boss of your own life." Muttering as such, Compass Carburettor arrived at the roof of the building, still able to feel the Mental Energy stream from the goldfish.


    He wanted to make it a member too but didn''t wish to rush things. After all, he wished to judge exactly how the situation between the goldfish and the humans yed. Only after that, once he judged that it was worth the risks would he make it a member.


    "I''ll observe them tonight and see how it ys out." Thinking as such, he asked the mosquito, "Are there other mutated beasts with a horn around?"


    "There''s one more," The mosquito said, "But, that ce is under the constant watch of the ants. It''ll be a bit troublesome if you head there now."


    "It''s fine, I''ll be quick this time." Compass Carburettor smiled, learning of the location as his figure shed, vanishing from the roof of the apartment as he appeared above another building, arriving at the location within a dozen seconds.


    He noticed a dog barking while holding a branch in its mouth, wriggling its head as it used the branch to swat away the ants that were swarming it. It was tired, sporting injuries all over its body, protecting the couple that were behind it.


    They were dead, having been killed by the ants already. But, it was still defending them, attacking the ants nonstop. Its horn was dull, showing that it had already unleashed its breath attack, evident by one side of the wall having copsed to the ground.


    Just as Compass Carburettor arrived at the scene, an ant opened its mouth and unleashed a breath attack, obliterating the dog.

 Chapter 228: Damn Nightmares

    <h4>Chapter 228: Damn Nightmares</h4>


    Just as the one-horned ant obliterated the one-horned dog, the figure of Compass Carburettornded above it, crushing it into a pulp from the impact.


    Skill¡ªDirectional Misalignment (Level 1)!


    The surrounding ants were unable to close in on him as Compass Carburettor extracted a pearl from the dog and the ant each, swallowing one of them to summon his mongoose, making it devour the dog.


    He then picked up the one-horned ant''s carcass and vanished from the scene, baffling the remaining ants.


    "If the ants also grow horns, then¡­" Compass Carburettor smirked, "It''ll be easier for my growth."


    After all, the ants were able to eat the grass too. So, they wouldn''t ever face a shortage of food. It''ll be easier for them to grow in numbers, allowing for more of them to grow horns eventually.


    He arrived at his home, checking up Grisha''s condition before arriving at the living room, dropping the carcass of the one-horned ant before the ant queen, "Here''s a gift for you."


    "Wow, so the ants have a horned member among them already?" The ant queen was surprised before gobbling up the ant carcass, closing its eyes to digest its gains. She was currently taking care of the hatchlings, feeding them food that the worker ant brought after a lot of effort.


    As it had his Skills, it was able to survive the assault of the grass and even reap some harvest for the hatchlings.


    After observing them for some time, Compass Carburettor returned to his Haggon form, causing a lot of mosquitoes to form a ball for him to devour. He felt some changes in himself, noticing a horn beginning to grow on his forehead.


    ''I see, so a Haggon is considered as a mutated beast here. Does that mean I''ll be possessing different skillsets?'' Thinking as such, he willed for the boots to appear, frowning upon seeing them failing to appear.


    "So, my spirit form is still considered a human while my Haggon form is a beast. And, due to the power system at effect, my Haggon form cannot use the boots." He shook his head, muttering, "Still, that means my Haggon form will have an exclusive ability based on this power system."


    "As long as it''s useful." He muttered, eating his fill before sitting in silence, sensing his Dac being replenished.


    He directed some of the Mental Energy he had umted till now towards the Skill of Info Scanner, intending to make it reach level 10 first. With that, he''ll be able to observe more information about the Hatchling Systems.


    ''I need some stable sources of Mental Energy first.'' Sighing, he got up, hearing a report from the mosquito that it had spotted another mutated beast.


    His figure shed as he hunted the creature, extracting the pearl from its body before bringing the body, giving it to the cobra to eat.


    His mongoose was currently full, so unless it finished digesting its prey, he couldn''t feed it another mutated beast.


    Days passed in such a manner as Compass Carburettor began to worry, noticing that Grisha showed no signs of waking up, still unconscious. Even though he was nursing her to ensure she wouldn''t be weak while unconscious, he did notice that she was turning a bit thin as the days passed by.


    Her nutritional intake was insufficient as her entire body seemed to be in a state of sluggishness. After all, even though he fed her, her digestive system took more than half a day to process the food.


    [Attention! Citizens! The Government would supply relief funds for the survivors. And, on the month-end, we''ll arrive to rescue the survivors and transport them to the survivors'' camp we have been building.]


    [Attention! Citizens! The Govt¡­]


    The sounds of a helicopter flying overhead resounded as the announcement was yed as a loop through a speaker, allowing everyone that was still alive to hear loud and clear.


    Upon hearing the sounds, the mosquitoes flew towards the helicopter but the winds generated by its rotors prevented them from closing in.


    And for those that still managed to close in from the sides, they were met with a sea of mes.


    Seated within the helicopter were a team of soldiers, carrying methrowers that they used to burn all mosquitoes to crisp. As the announcement continued to loop, the helicopter slowly moved away, heading towards another region.


    Compass Carburettor gazed at the calendar, "Month-end¡­ there are still around 20 days left for that."


    Even though the announcement mentioned a survivors'' camp, its location hadn''t been specified. Moreover, the date of rescue was scheduled twenty dayster for some reason.


    "I don''t think anyone would be able to survive for that long in this situation." Compass Carburettor sighed.


    "That rescue would never happen." Suddenly, a feminine voice resounded, surprising him as he turned around, noticing Grisha waking up, clutching her forehead.


    "You woke up!" He was happy, arriving at her help when Grisha grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him towards her, locking lips right away.


    Unlike before, or even during the first time, her kiss was too heated this time, as if she wished to imprint herself upon him as her lips roamed through his entire body.


    Like a snake, Grisha slithered into his dress, joining with him as the sounds of thumping turned vigorous, followed by her intense moans.


    The moment Grisha was a bit tired, she swallowed one of the pearls he had been saving up, summoning her wand to heal herself, thumping in vigour once again.


    Only after three hours passed in such a fashion did she climax, slumping on him as she panted, muttering as her hand caressed his face, "Why¡­did you use that ability on me?"


    "I thought it would be helpful¡­" Compass Carburettor replied when she kissed him once again, interrupting him.


    After a minute, she retracted from the lip lock, her eyes moist as she said in anger, "You know, not a single damn one was pleasant. Nightmare¡­every damn cycle was just one nightmare after another."


    "48¡­damn cycles, 48 nightmares¡­" She teared up, "Why¡­did you do it?"


    "You made me remember everything now."

 Chapter 229: Be Happy

    <h4>Chapter 229: Be Happy</h4>


    "I''m¡­sorry." Compass Carburettor hugged Grisha, watching her body tremble as he said, "I¡­"


    "It''s fine¡­" Grisha remained in the embrace, closing her eyes as she spoke after a couple of minutes had passed, "I can understand the type of enemies you have to face. Now that I know¡­they¡­are real, it makes sense of the losses I faced in my previous loops."


    "What exactly happened during the previous loops?" Compass Carburettor asked.


    "Let''s not talk about it¡­for now." Grisha said weakly, "I still haven''te to terms that this world is looping every twenty years."


    "Fine, I''ll wait until you recover." Compass Carburettor sighed, gently patting her as he consoled her.


    Grisha buried herself in him, sobbing from time to time as she let out all her emotions. Sometimeter, she fell asleep. Just when he nned to cover her with the bedsheet and work a little, her hold on him tightened, preventing him from leaving the bed.


    Sighing, he apanied her, thinking, ''I never thought it would be like this.''


    He massaged his forehead, ''It seems I had be cocky at some point in time and disregarded the feelings of others.''


    Even though he tried to act otherwise, a part of him knew that this was a world that was looping constantly. So, it meant¡­no matter what type of damage he wrecked around, everything would disappear once the world resets.


    Even though he tried to not think about that fact, somewhere along the line, he became careless and treated Grisha light-heartedly. That was why, he didn''t even warn her before shooting her with the System Fragment of Remembrance.


    Normally speaking, he should have talked about it with her first, prepared her mentally and then¡­only then should he have given her the System Fragment.


    But, he was also concerned about disclosing details rted to the world, afraid that he would incur the Grade 4 System''s wrath if he did anything that it didn''t like. ''No, that''s just an excuse. I definitely could have done this better.''


    "Sorry," He patted Grisha, trembling for a moment as his eyes moistened, angered by his emotional state. "It seems I haven''t gotten rid of my bastard self yet."


    "Get out¡­" Right when it seemed like the mosquitoes intended to barge into their room, he used Directional Misalignment to make them m into the ground, leaving their fate in the mandibles of the ants.


    His expression was forlorn as he noticed Grisha''s eyelids trembling, feeling pained at her expression, ''What¡­does she mean to me?''


    Until now, he was putting off this question, unwilling to think about it. There was guilt in him,plicating his thoughts, making him run away from confronting them head-on.


    Part of him was just hoping for Grisha to take the lead so that he could write it off as ''It happened!''.


    He wished to go along with whatever she proposed next as part of their rtionship. But, Grisha too had been tacit, ensuring to not intrude into his personal life, giving him some space.


    So, he hadn''t been decisive, putting off his decision in this regard, taking on the excuse that he didn''t have the time and peace of mind to think about such things since he was facing Systems as his foes.


    Another day passed in such a fashion as Compass Carburettor noticed Grisha waking up finally, looking like she was feeling a bit better now. A good day''s worth of sleep had healed her mind to a certain extent.


    "How¡­are you feeling?" Compass Carburettor asked, albeit with some hesitation.


    "Will you remain in this world?" Grisha asked in return, "What''s¡­your objective? You said you had someone to protect here. But, since this is a looping world, how long would you remain here to protect him? What¡­will you do next?"


    "If you''re worried about that¡­" Compass Carburettor sighed, exining the situation about Rhizen and the Coincidental Luck System. After that, he talked about his past, as a System Host to the Money-Making System, as to how he failed to protect his family, resulting in their death while his only daughter, Stencil had lost her arm.


    And now, once the Money-Making System failed to devour him, it returned to Earth and made Stencil its Host next.


    He talked about his only goal of saving Stencil and the reason he was in a trade rtionship with the Coincidental Luck System.


    After listening to everything, Grisha turned silent, only speaking through telepathy after an entire hour had spanned in silence, "So, this world is the property of the Coincidental Luck System? And no matter what, many Systems would enter this world to hinder its growth?"


    "Yes, this world will never be safe. And, even without the Systems, this world is facing an apocalypse and would loop every twenty years." Compass Carburettor replied.


    "Then¡­" Grisha asked after a moment''s hesitation, "A System yer¡­how can I be one?"


    "You''ll have to be a System Host first." Compass Carburettor said, "And, once you return to the System World, I''ll have to rescue you, preventing the System from devouring you. After that, you''ll be one naturally. But, there is no guarantee that this would be possible."


    He then talked about the limited number of System yers that could exist and the fact that he had no way of verifying if the limit had been attained or not. "Also, I have no guarantees in whether or not you can remember everything in the next loop. The System Fragment I used in you may or may not survive the reset and could be absorbed by the world."


    "It doesn''t matter," Grisha said, suddenly kissing him, "I can say with a guarantee that out of all 49 loops, this has been the one in which I have been the happiest. So, no matter what, I''ll be selfish and would extend this happiness."


    "Will you object to it?" She stared at him, making eye contact, expressing her seriousness.


    Compass Carburettor gazed at her eyes in return, looking at her resolve, one that ensured she wouldn''t live a second longer if he denied her happiness. Though, he wasn''t nning on doing that anyway, not when she had already taken a step forward.


    "I understand," He replied, hugging her, watching her begin to sob immediately in response, "Feel free to do whatever you want¡­ Be happy."

 Chapter 230: Cause Of Death

    <h4>Chapter 230: Cause Of Death</h4>


    "But, as for the fact of you bing a System yer, let''s put it on hold for now." Compass Carburettor said, wiping Grisha''s tears, "Let me capture a weak System and put it under control first. That way, you''ll be safe."


    "Alright," Grisha nodded, rxing before asking, "So, what shall we do now?"


    "Well, this is the n." Compass Carburettor thought for a moment before saying, "At present, I''ll be hunting down Systems. And for Systems whose Core Skills aren''t suitable to me, I''ll give them to you. So, you''ll be supported by the abilities of multiple Core Skills in the future. After that, I''ll make you a System Host. There''s a Level 1 System I have my eyes on that is perfect for this task."


    As they were conversing through telepathy all along, it was fine.


    "So, the moment you be a System Host, the countless Core Skills in your body would destroy its mind or at least bring it close to that stage. I''ll then subjugate it using my ve Harem and ensure it can never go against mymands." He spoke, "With that, you will be a System Host that is able to control the powers of your System. Well, that''s my n anyway."


    "Is it guaranteed to work?" Grisha asked.


    "If it''s that System, then the possibility is rather high. Though, I have no idea as to when we would face it. There''s a good chance it would have levelled up by then." He said truthfully, "There''s some risk involved in this n. So, if you don''t wish¡­"


    "Let''s do it," Grisha said.


    "Alright," Compass Carburettor nodded firmly, asking, "By the way, what did you mean before? Why would the government rescue never arrive?"


    "In all my loops, they never arrived." Grisha shook her head, "In one loop, I managed to survive long enough that I made my way towards the survivors'' camp, only to see the ce turning into something worse than the dangerous wilds. It had be a ce of dictatorship where people were treated like garbage."


    "There were many who possessed strong powers there. They treated the rest of the people as cattle that only existed to serve them." She shuddered while speaking, "On the day the helicopter made a message, there was a radio transmission from a group of survivors that announced the camp''s location. Anyone that heard the transmission and was able to move rushed there, risking their lives to head towards safety. Because of that, within two days, the camp became overcrowded. So, the government never arrived to rescue the rest."


    "They had their hands full already," She snorted in derision, "And that was also why people were treated as cattle, because there were more mouths to feed than the hands that could prepare the food."


    "What did you do during that loop?" Compass Carburettor asked, "Did the various loops have differences, or were they all the same?"


    "No, every loop was different. After all, whether it was the actions of the Systems or the people, there were minor differences at the start that lead to major butterfly effects. So, my life was vastly different in each loop." She spoke.


    She then stared in silence, gritting her teeth before saying, "In that round, I had been captured to be made into part of the camp leader''s harem. But for the next two years, I endured and finally took my revenge, destroying all the viins."


    She bowed her head, "But, I had already be a viin myself by then, treating the rest no differently. I created an even bigger harem, but thanks to the strength I possessed back then, our camp exploded in power and wiped out the surrounding mutated beast tribes."


    "That was one of the few loops where I managed to live until the end before the world reset." She bowed, stating apologetically, "Sorry! In some of those nightmares, I was the cause for them."


    "Circumstances shape the person," Compass Carburettor patted her forehead, "People do many things for survival. Had I been a chivalrous guy with righteousness in my blood, then I would have chided you."


    "But I¡­" He smiled wryly, "Don''t have such a qualification. So, apologising to me is useless. The only thing we can do is try to live while trying to withhold as much of our morals and humanity as possible. Can you promise me to do the same?"


    "Yes, I had tried the same in every loop. But many times, I was no longer able to do so as I suffered one time after another, eventually turning into a viin myself." Grisha said softly.


    "What was the highest Stage of strength that you had reached?" He asked.


    "In that time when I was a camp leader, I reached Stage 7," Grisha said, "At that time, based on our informationwork, I was one of the strongest in the world. But, there was another loop in which I became even stronger."


    "Stage 8," She said, "And, the power I could wield at that Stage literally made people worship me as a God."


    "But, it was only because I was a certain someone''spanion that inherited his will upon his death." She muttered, "Now that I remember, that was the only loop in which I had been hispanion. It was also the one where I suffered the most. We were seriously the unluckiest."


    "No matter what, for the duration of the entire loop, there wasn''t a moment''s peace. We were constantly attacked by countless humans and mutated beasts. Even though after a decade, we had be strong enough to be called the strongest in the world, our troubles never stopped." She groaned.


    "And, terrifying enemies popped up left and right to fight us for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes, it made no sense as to why there were such powerful enemies that defiedmon sense." She sighed, "One after another, ourpanions died under the relentless assaults. Some were no longer able to endure the stress andmitted suicide."


    "Finally, even that person who formed the central pir of our group died. After that, I reached Stage 8 and became unrivalled." Grisha said, staring at Compass Carburettor as she spoke, "Yes, as you have guessed it, that individual was Rhizen. And¡­"


    "The cause of his death was suicide!"

 Chapter 231: Grisha’s Change

    <h4>Chapter 231: Grisha¡¯s Change</h4>


    Grisha continued to speak about a lot of her experiences. Some, she wasfortable with speaking, others, she paused in the middle, unwilling to continue further as her mood soured.


    After a couple of hours'' worth of conversation, Compass Carburettor got a general gist of things. He also understood how Rhizen had been killed once.


    Among all of Grisha''s experiences, she had been Rhizen''spanion only once. She had even been killed by him in a couple of other instances. In the end, she had seen his death once.


    "That experience is tremendously valuable," he said, for, in that time, she had faced attacks from System Hosts constantly. So, it would be beneficial for his ns to use that to his advantage.


    He then looked at the worried face of Grisha, asking, "What happened? You look worried."


    "It''s about my mother." She sighed in worry, "At present, she''s a couple of cities away. It''s not a distance that we can travel with our current abilities, right?"


    "Have you ever met your mother in your previous loops?" He asked, hugging her when she began to cry all of a sudden.


    "She¡­hadn''t survived day one¡­" Grisha wept, "Not even once. I know her very well. She has a weak heart and cannot tolerate anything scary¡­not to mention this."


    "I''m sorry," He hugged her, not saying anything for he knew that he would state something insensitive now.


    "You might remember everything. So, you will be able to save her in the next loop." He couldn''t say that. After all, whether she saves her mother or not, the emotional wound of her mother''s death all the times would continue to gue her.


    If he hadn''t given her the System Fragment of Remembrance, then she wouldn''t have been this affected.


    "But it''s fine," Suddenly, Grisha wiped her tears, her voice turning a notch colder as she spoke, "Now, I am aware. So, I won''t waste time acting meek. Let''s strengthen ourselves first and destroy our enemies."


    She then spoke through telepathy, "Even if they are System Hosts, they still take damage from a variety of factors, right?"


    "Yes," Compass Carburettor nodded.


    "That''ll be enough." She nodded, "We can take some shortcuts to be stronger easily."


    "Thank you, Compass." She smiled, "I feel like I''m no longer the frog at the bottom of the well. In this fight, I''ll be able to contribute too."


    "Of course, you will." He nodded, feeling Grisha''s presence continue to change subtly. She was digesting her previous lifetimes, turning into a hardened individual mentally.


    As all of them were her own experiences, her aura was bing grander, sharp, vast.


    ''Amazing! Experiences worth 48 lifetimes have now merged into her. She''ll be one heck of an ally.'' Compass Carburettor was amazed at he observed the changes.


    "Can you give me one pearl?" She extended her hand, asking.


    "Sure," Compass Carburettor said, giving her one, watching her swallow it immediately.


    She then summoned her wand, casting the healing ability on her wrist, focusing on the Darble bracelet tied on it. As the healing energy seeped into the Darble bracelet, it flowed out and seeped into her arm.


    Without any hesitation, Grisha picked up a knife nearby and made arge gash on her hand. Her hand flinched at the pain but she didn''t even bat an eye. At present, her body was still the same as the normal Grisha. But her mind had changed.


    Hence this contrast in reaction.


    The healing energy seeped into her gash through the Darble bracelet as she focused on it, noticing goosebumps form on her hands.


    ''Dac Awakening!'' Compass Carburettor was surprised to see this change. Even though she had only seen him using his Armaments a few times, thanks to her enormous experience now, she figured out the means.


    After all, the Darble bracelet was on her all along, subtly trying to awaken her to Dac. But because her senses were dull, she wasn''t able to feel them. But now, with the change in her mentality, thanks to her experience, all the senses in her body were unlocked, grandly improving her perception.


    With that, she was able to feel the gentle energy from the Darble bracelet, feeling like it was familiar, like something contained within her body. And while she was talking with Compass Carburettor, her body began to open up to the changes, eventually being able to fully sense it.


    With that, she devised a means by harnessing her healing ability. As it flowed through her Darble bracelet, she was able to sense it to an even greater extent, attaining the conditions to awaken.


    She swallowed the remainder of the pearls he had brought with him, repeating the same action before smiling, "I see, so this is Dac."


    "Congrattions!" Compass Carburettor pped, "You''ll now be able to wield Armaments and Puppets too. But first, we''ll have to check your affinity to the two paths."


    "This power is amazing. But, it does feel like something that was within me all along." She nodded in surprise.


    "Well, that''s natural. Dac is just the condensation of your stamina. So, it''s something inherently possessed by everyone, just that we are unable to harness it actively. Once we obtain Dac, we can use it." He said, informing her of some knowledge rted to it.


    "Get some rest for now. I''ll procure some food supplies for us." After some time, Compass Carburettor said as such before vanishing.


    Once his figure disappeared, Grisha looked around, uttering coldly, "Who are you?"


    A cobra slithered out from under her bed, gazing at her before hissing. It then retreated under her bed, ignoring her.


    "¡­" For a moment, Grisha looked at the cobra''s antics before bursting intoughter.


    Shaking her head, she walked towards the balcony, removing the curtains before stepping into the balcony. The surrounding mosquitoes saw her appearance, immediately rushing towards her, intending to swallow her.


    "It''s been a while, fuckers!" Her expression morphed, emitting enough killing intent that for a moment, all the mosquitoes stalled, unable to move their wings as their muscles convulsed.


    All Grisha did was stand at the balcony and emit killing intent, watching the mosquitoes crash into the ground one after another, failing to p their wings. They came in droves and fell to the ground in droves.


    After some time, she retracted her killing intent, calmly walking inside the house. But this time, the mosquitoes no longer tried to attack her, even though the door was open¡­ They actively avoided the ce, buzzing around as they flew towards the nearby houses.

 Chapter 232: A Maniac? Or An Experienced Survivor?

    <h4>Chapter 232: A Maniac? Or An Experienced Survivor?</h4>


    "There''s around a month before we face those bastards once again," Grisha muttered, recalling the scenes from her previous loops where she had faced System Hosts.


    At that time, she was bbergasted, unable to understand how some people had be terrifyingly strong, even though there was no way they could possess such powers. That''s what she had felt back then, every single time she suffered a loss in the hands of System Hosts.


    She was ignorant back then, thinking that they were true geniuses, masters of the apocalypse that managed to attain mystical treasures to be strong. But, based on how they behaved, she, at that time, gritted her teeth, attributing their strength to luck.


    Because no way in hell trashy, ipetent bastards were capable of earning such powers, not when everyone was struggling to survive. In such situations, they moved as if they knew everything about the apocalypse.


    There were apocalypse fanatics that had spent their lives dreaming about such situations. They were different and were genuinely prepared for such a scenario. They were different from the System Hosts.


    The difference was like a rich man that started from scratch and built up hispany in contrast to a rich man that inherited the same from his father.


    Such was the difference. But, thetter¡ªthe System Hosts¡ªhad be more powerful here.


    ''System Hosts!'' She gritted her teeth, recalling the faces of those that she suffered against. And in many loops, it was the same people. So, she understood that these Systems were selecting the same individuals to be their Hosts.


    ''I''ll kill the lot of you this time.'' She controlled herself, emptying her thoughts. She was aware that her thoughts would only fuel her foes, that''s why she was thinking while praying to Compass Carburettor. This way, all her thoughts would only reach him.


    Not only would the Mental Energy benefit him, but it would also allow her to think freely without fear of alerting her enemies.


    "I should reach Stage 2 at the very least before this month-end." She thought, beginning to make preparations.


    She first wrapped tape around her clothes, creating ayer of defence. Secondly, she padded anotheryer using cotton clothes, strapping anotheryer of tape over them again.


    She then headed towards the kitchen, picking up a couple of knives and a can opener. With her preparations done, she arrived at the ground floor, looking at the ant nest that was being created, smirking as she patted the ant queen''s head along the way, exiting the house.


    She directly walked over thewn, smiling as she noticed the grass remaining perfectly still, as if it had no intentions of harming her.


    "Of course, you don''t like to eat anyone that is emanating tendencies of self-destruction like me." Muttering in response, she walked over thewn, watching the grass shrink before her, only to grow back to its usual height after she passed by.


    She then arrived at the edge of thewn, cutting a strand of grass as she tickled the road using it, watching an army of ants stream out immediately after, provoked by her gesture.


    The moment they intended to kill her, she stepped back, heading deeper into thewn, watching the grass beginning to attack the ants immediately.


    When an ant was trapped by the grass, she extended her hand, watching the grass leave the ant and diverge. Smiling, Grisha gripped the ant by its back, watching it struggling to attack her but failed to do so.


    She then took out the can opener and broke its mandibles, also clipping its legs. Plucking a strand of grass, she wrapped it around the ant, stopping its bleeding.


    Now, the fist-sized ant looked no different to arge dumpling,pletely wrapped by grass, except for the front half of its head.


    Seeing the ant constantly twitching as if it was getting seizures, Grisha continued to hunt the ants simrly. She didn''t attack any and every ant she found, but only selected those that were fist-sized and had a small protrusion on their heads.


    They had just begun to grow their horns but hadn''t developed them fully yet.


    Once she had captured a hundred of such ants, Grisha brought them back to the house. She had prepared a carrybag to transport them all beforehand.


    She arrived at the kitchen, checking to see if there was enough gas in the gas cylinder. Taking out arge metal bowl, she poured water in it, waiting in patience until it began to boil.


    She then gently ced the dumplings into the water, watching the side with the ant head tilt upwards. She filled the bowl until it was jampacked, preventing any dumpling from moving in the slightest.


    She then stared at them, watching the boiling water beginning to bring out the sap from the grass. And in this process, the ants started to tremble even more as their figures began to slowly be dyed a shade of green, eventually resembling the grass.


    But by now, the dumplings strangely began to merge into each other, taking the shape of the bowl. Slowly, but surely, as the water content in the bowl began to decrease, the grass began to form along its structure,yering over it.


    After some time had passed, the grass had turned creamy white in colour, resembling the pearl people consumed to unleash their abilities. As for the ants, they had long since been melted by the grass, assimted into them thanks to the boiling water.


    Grisha stared at the bowl, watching it beginning to heat up after all the water had disappeared. But, she didn''t switch off the gas, continuing to stare at it in anticipation.


    She didn''t do anything after that, leaving it as is as she exited the house and hunted another batch of ants, making the same dumplings as before. She then ced them in the bowl, just like before. But the only difference was the fact that there was already a thickyer of pearl within the bowl.


    Moreover, she didn''t pour much water this time, only a quarter aspared to the first time. Soon, the same thing happened. But this time, the grass absorbed the ants even faster and thickened theyer of the pearl.


    She then repeated the process another three times, reducing the water quantity by three-fourths every time, observing the assimtion process turning faster and faster.


    "Hahaha!" Before long, there were only the sounds ofughter within the kitchen.


    Hearing it, the ant queen shuddered and retreated into her nest.

 Chapter 233: Vitality Bowl

    <h4>Chapter 233: Vitality Bowl</h4>


    "Finally, it''s done!" Grisha pped excitedly as she gazed at the steel bowl being assimted into the pearl structure within the bowl.


    Soon after, the entire structure turned into a pearl bowl. Gazing at it, she almost teared up, "Life became easy once this method had been discovered. s, the grass and the ants had turned into disaster level threats by then. After all, only 15 years into the apocalypse was this made."


    She sighed, for, in all her loops, she had possessed this item only five times. And they were all during the times when she had be terrifyingly strong. Creating it was pretty simple. As long as one followed the same steps as her, then it was possible to make it.


    There weren''t anyplicated steps involved. But, there was one reason it took so long to be discovered. It was thanks to the information everyone obtained the moment they obtained power.


    Because of that, it curbed one of the prime weapons of humanity: Their ability to innovate.


    Had nothing been known about the power system, people would have experimented with it and discovered many other uses. But, since all the information rted to the power system automatically appeared in their minds, of them tried anything beyond that.


    They became entirely reliant on their powers and didn''t think out of the box. Only as the years passed did the survivors stumble upon discoveries while trying to survive.


    With that, they realised that there was a lot left to discover about this power system. Once they began to think in this way, discoveries were made all the time.


    Among them, Grisha too had her own. Though, the item before her wasn''t one of them.


    She switched off the gas after seeing that the item was finished, sighing as she patted it, gently making a cut on her thumb using a knife before touching it, spraying her blood on it.


    The surface was smooth, with the creamy white colour slowly being dyed red as she rubbed her thumb over it, like colouring. Five minutester, the entire bowl was dyed the shade of her blood as Grisha felt a bit light-headed.


    But, her face was all smiles as she watched the bowl turn into a ray of light and gush into her body.


    "Ugh!" Grisha grunted, feeling a burden as she immediately bandaged her thumb and drank a lot of water, arriving at her bedroom before slumping on her bed, falling asleep.


    When she woke up, she watched the figure of Compass Carburettor standing nearby, holding a te of food in his hands. Upon seeing it, she frowned, saying, "Is that all mutated beast meat?"


    "Yes," Compass Carburettor nodded, "Why? Is there a problem?"


    "Yes," Sighing, she got up, "Eating the meat of mutated beasts is risky for humans. Keep up with it and you''ll get cancer within a year. And this isn''t just some regr cancer but one in which you would turn into a zombie-like creature whose body would keep expanding like a balloon while they devour everything in their path."


    "Then, what do you suggest?" He asked, feeling rmed.


    "The grass is always the best option." She spoke, pointing at the ones growing on theirwn, "Add some grass into the mixture, even a couple of strands would be enough. They would purify the meat and make it safe for consumption."


    "The grass has such properties?" He was surprised.


    "They have countless uses." Grisha said, "In the future, those things you called the Grassmen would be one of the dominant forces. But, their bodies are also medicinal troves that are beneficial for your health. Some Grassmen are so precious that eating them would regenerate your limbs."


    "But they would also be strong, too strong in fact." She sighed.


    "What type of powers do they possess?" Compass Carburettor asked, curious. After all, even though they proved troublesome, the Grassmen of present weren''t that threatening, at least one-on-one. Though, the fact that they were beginning to generate Mental Energy was a cause for concern.


    "Burst Element, just like everyone else." Grisha said, "Most Grassmen have more or less simr powers, just one per each. But, it''s their vitality that bes troublesome."


    "If they are on the ground, they would nt a seed deep into it. After this, even if they were killed, the seed would germinate within a minute and regrow their bodies in a couple of seconds, like grass growing out of the ground." She grit her teeth, "So, they be troublesome opponents that revive constantly. Moreover, within a year of the apocalypse, they would possess intelligence."


    She shook her head, "So, they would nt their seeds in a safe ce and then march towards human settlements. Even if defeated, they would revive from their seeds, possessing all the intelligence they had collected in the meantime. With that, they would be able to scheme better."


    "When I reached Stage 3, I was able to kill ten Grassmen on my own. At Stage 4, I killed 20 easily. The strength of a Grassmen at peak is on par with a three-horned mutated beast. But, their numbers are what makes them terrifying." She muttered, "They''ll simply pop out of the ground nonstop and would swarm you to death. No matter how strong you are, once you run out of energy, you are easy prey."


    "That''s terrifying indeed." Compass Carburettor nodded, "But, do they ever condense any pearls within them?"


    "That''s the only saving grace that prevented humanity from annihtion." She nodded, "Also, their pearls sometimese with beneficial properties, like medicine. It''s even better than eating their bodies."


    After that, based on her input, Compass Carburettor added some grass strands on the meat, waiting patiently as he watched the grass turn pale for some reason.


    "We can eat them now," Grisha said, throwing away the grass strands.


    Once they had eaten, she got up and arrived at thewn, beckoning for him to observe as she focused, gently summoning the bowl as she ced it in the ground, hearing the sounds of something piercing through the ground as she smiled, "This item was a dear necessity of the apocalypse. Those with it survived longer and were healthy. We held it dear to us, calling it¡­"


    "Vitality Bowl!"

 Chapter 234: External Items And Internal Beasts

    <h4>Chapter 234: External Items And Internal Beasts</h4>


    "Vitality Bowl?" Compass Carburettor gazed at the pearl-like bowl on the ground, noticing it beginning to be filled with water soon after.


    Once it was filled to the brim, Grisha scooped out some with her hands and drank from it, smacking her lips, "That''s the taste that I missed!"


    "Is it something other than water?" He asked, frowning.


    "Of course, it''s just water." Grishaughed, "But, it''s also the tastiest water you might ever drink. Well, just try it once, and you''ll understand."


    Compass Carburettor carefully walked towards it, alert against the grass, sighing in relief once it didn''t target him. Grisha had told him of the reason as to why they didn''t target her, saying as long as she was in the vicinity, he too wouldn''t be targeted by them.


    Now that he verified the im, he scooped out a mouthful from the bowl, nodding, "Indeed, it''s pretty tasty."


    "Now, see this." Sheughed before snapping her finger, observing the colour of water changing. It turned ck, forming small bubbles along the side. Grisha drank that too, muttering, "Yep, this coke is better than the original. It has that freshness to it."


    "Coke?" Compass Carburettor tasted it, eyes widened as he muttered, "How does this¡­object work?"


    "Well, before that, I should tell you about this." Grisha said, using a ss to scoop the coke and take in sips, "This isn''t part of the information we received when obtaining our abilities. It''s just something we survivors eventually named for convenience''s sake."


    "Our powers are divided into External Items and Internal Beasts." She said, "My wand and your boots are part of the Internal Beasts. They are beasts that live within us and are summoned as items. So, they are named as such. Our Stage determines the number of Internal Beasts we can raise and the number of horns they can grow."


    "This Vitality Bowl is an External Item. It''s something man-made that we can bond to ourselves just like our Internal Beasts. But, one person can only possess a single External Item, regardless of their Stage." She sighed, "There are many ways in which one can produce an External Item. This Vitality Bowl was something that only appeared fifteen years into the apocalypse."


    "It has the essence of grass and ant within it. So, when I ce it on the ground and activate it, roots would emerge from its underside and drill into the ground. And based on what I wish, it''ll suck in the rted minerals from the ground and condense that in the bowl. And for that to happen, as long as I have a clear image of the item, it''ll work. Since I wanted water, it brought water. I wanted coke, it brought the same."


    "There might be some variations based on the mineral deposits, but this Vitality Bowl always condenses a fluid that is only beneficial to me. Even if I wish for poison, the generated liquid wouldn''t be poison for me. It may or may not be poison for others." Sheughed.


    Finally, she spoke in seriousness, "With this, one''s food and water needs are met. Moreover, they''ll never fall sick if they consume from it. The food is just some nutrient solution it generates. But it''s still healthy and tasty too."


    "Also," Her voice had a hint of nostalgia, "The most precious use of this is the fact that it can condense a pearl every day. Even though it''s nothing much, it''s still a safe way to procure pearls without risking our lives."


    "This Vitality Bowl was one of the major reasons humanity was able to survive the war against the Grassmen and the mutated beasts." She concluded.


    "That''s pretty amazing," Compass Carburettor nodded, "Are there other such External Items?"


    "Yes, I know the method of creation for eight of them." Grisha said, "But all in all, the Vitality Bowl is the best of them all, even in long term."


    "One of these External Items was created by me. I called it the Fortress." Grisha said with pride.


    "Fortress?"


    "Yes," Grisha nodded, "It''s a cylindrical object that when you nt into the ground rapidly grows in size until it turns into a fort. It spans a height of twenty metres and a depth of twenty metres, preventing even Grassmen from infiltrating it. It upies a square kilometre in area and can house 10,000 peoplefortably."


    "Once I created it and spread its creation method to others, humanity quickly erected countless forts and survived with better conditions. Though I was only at Stage 5 during that loop, my contribution to the world was the highest at that time." She said, sighing.


    "A couple of the External Items are weapons, one of them is a warning system that detects enemies¡­" Grisha detailed the uses of all eight External Items that she knew, concluding, "If you wish to protect humanity and establish a stronghold, the other External Items are useful."


    "But for our cause, they aren''t suitable. So¡­" She spoke.


    "I understand," Compass Carburettor nodded, "Then, make a Vitality Bowl for me too. I do need a lot of food to replenish my Dac reserves anyway."


    "Alright!" Grisha sighed in relief, "The materials for making the Vitality Bowl are really simple. As for the rest, it''s hard and also takes a lot of production time."


    "And yes, once destroyed, they cannot be used." She muttered, humming a tune as she began to capture the ants and begin the process once again.


    Upon seeing her actions, Compass Carburettor shuddered for a moment, muttering, "She has changed into an entirely different person."


    Shaking his head, he gazed at the Vitality Bowl on the ground, noticing a pearl beginning to form within it. "I see, this is a spectacr invention. And, her words make sense. Once I received all knowledge rted to this power system, I stopped thinking about it beyond that. Was it done purposefully?"


    He smiled wryly, "This Vitality Bowl alone changes things a lot¡­ It makes me look forward to other secrets that have yet to be discovered."

 Chapter 235: Homing Gatling Gun

    <h4>Chapter 235: Homing Gatling Gun</h4>


    "So, this is what it means to attain Stage 2." Compass Carburettor muttered, surprised at the process that he had taken to achieve it.


    It was¡­pretty unconventional.


    For the past month, all he had been doing was to use his boots as much as possible, getting ustomed to itpletely. Thanks to his Dac reserves, it was possible to train this much.


    After that was the feeding of his mongoose, allowing it to grow.


    Suddenly, one night, he dreamed of fighting against his mongoose, and¡­was eaten by it in the end. Startled, he got up, noticing that there was something different about him now. It felt like a part of his body had be empty, or rather, there was now more room to stuff something else within.


    It was an instinctive feeling, allowing him to understand that he had reached Stage 2. With that achieved, he felt around for a couple of minutes before swallowing the orb that he obtained from the bird on Mount Craire.


    Once he swallowed a pearl along with it, there was a stirrup in his body before the rted information flowed into him. "A-Amazing!"


    "Did you reach Stage 2?" Grisha woke up immediately, turning around to face him.


    Nodding in response, Compass Carburettor spoke, "It feels pretty bizarre, just like what you said."


    "That''s how it is usually." Grisha nodded, looking around to see that it was still dark outside, "The process would be the same for Stage 3 too. But after that, things would change."


    Stating that she would detail everything to him at ater date, Grisha asked, "Well, have you picked the ability that you n to obtain?"


    "Yes," Compass Carburettor nodded, "I''ll use the orb of the bird that originally belonged to Rhizen."


    "That''s one impressive ability, I guarantee you that." Grisha nodded, observing based on the presence he exuded, smiling, "Well, show me!"


    "Haha, alright." Laughing in response, Compass Carburettor focused for a moment, consuming some of his Dac when a pair of wings appeared behind him. The feathers of them numbered in the thousands, sporting a metallic sheen, the edges razor sharp.


    But all in all, they were lightweight, gently pping as his body hovered in the air. Even when he was standing, the ''angle of attack'' [1] of the wings were adjusted ordingly to provide him with the most stable of lift.


    "Yes, it''s the exact one!" Grisha said in excitement, "Now! Use that! Go on! Go, go, go!"


    "Alright, alright, don''t push." Compass Carburettor gazed at her expression, one akin to a child''s excitement as he flew out of the balcony, arriving at the roof of the house.


    Grisha baited the road, immediately causing countless ants to stream out, beginning to chase her.


    Seeing this scene, Compass Carburettor grunted for a moment, focusing as the feathers on his pair of wings became erect before flying out of it. They swerved through the air, making swirling arcs before mming into the road.


    The barrage resulted in a thunderous sound, raising a lot of smoke in the process as Compass Carburettor gazed at the scene, stunned. "S-Such destructive power."


    Moreover, once the dust cloud cleared up, he was even more shocked, noticing that each feather was piercing an ant. No two feathers were on the same ant. It was as if they were able to home in on their targets to attack them.


    "That''s what makes this ability so fearsome." Grisha nodded, confirming his thoughts, "If you focus on one enemy, all the feathers would target him/her. If it''s arge number of foes, the feathers would target one each. Also, you can limit the number of feathers you shoot out. And, consuming one pearl regrows all the feathers."


    "I see," Compass Carburettor looked at the skeletal structure of the wings on his back. After expending some Dac, they regrew within a couple of seconds, causing him tough, "This is practically a gatling gun with homing capabilities. It''s perfect for me!"


    "Now that you have a pair of wings," Grisha grinned, excited, "You''ll be able to carry me without trouble."


    "Where do you want to go?" He asked, curious.


    Since Grisha had a wealth of knowledge, she would of course know which ability best suited her. So, now that they had the advantage of aerial mobility, it would make their lives easier.


    "We''ll have to go north of Mount Craire." Grisha said, "There''s a specific mutated beast there that I would die to obtain the ability of. I obtained it once by chance, and my survival in that loop was by far the easiest."


    "It''s that great?" Compass Carburettor was surprised.


    "It''s not overpowered like your pair of wings. But, it is a versatile ability that not only raises my survival chances but also allows me to participate in your fight." Grisha said.


    "Let''s set out tonight, then." Compass Carburettor nodded, "Since the both of us have a Vitality Bowl, we don''t have to worry about anything."


    "Bring me with you too, Uncle Spirit!" The cobra interjected,ining, "I''ve been bored. I feel like I''ve be fatter than a python recently."


    "No," Compass Carburettor shook his head, "You must still train and grow four horns first. That way, you''ll be able to attain my Spirit Form and then also obtain abilities simr to humans. Until then, it''s a house arrest for you."


    "But it''s not fair!" The cobrained, "I want to fight too!"


    "I''ll bring you some powerful mutated beast flesh to dine onter." Compass Carburettorughed, patting the head that peeked out of the balcony.


    In the past month, the cobra had already attained a second horn, also beginning to show signs of condensing a third horn. The growth of mutated beasts was faster than humans since they were more attuned to nature.


    Hence, the process of evolution too was faster in them.


    And, once it grew two horns, the cobra ballooned in size, now spanning a length of four metres. And, it seemed like it would only continue to grow in size as the number of horns on it increases.


    ''I can''t carry her and fly.'' Compass Carburettor sweated internally, the main reason he made an excuse to prevent the cobra from apanying him.


    Moreover, there was another thing that he had been putting off until now, something that was only bing worse the longer he dragged things out.


    He had yet to name the cobra.

 Chapter 236: Targeting An Odd Serpentine Creature

    <h4>Chapter 236: Targeting An Odd Serpentine Creature</h4>


    "Wheeee! Hahaha!" Grishaughed aloud, carefree, her expression brightening up as shetched onto the figure of Compass Carburettor like a ko bear, watching his wings p constantly.


    They were currently flying in the air, making a beeline towards Mount Craire. Thanks to their aerial advantage, they didn''t have to worry about any enemies on the ground.


    As for the ones in the air, the moment they targeted Compass Carburettor, he noticed their Mental Energy stream, using Directional Misalignment to throw their aim off.


    With that, he quickly evaded their pursuit. Moreover, at times, Grisha used Directional Misalignment to throw off their enemies.


    A month ago, her loyalty towards him was around the seventies. It was a natural amount considering how attached she had be towards him. But, she still had some insecurities and hesitation, a reason the loyalty had remained at that amount.


    Based on his estimate, Compass Carburettor determined that a couple that had absolute trust in each other had a loyalty of 100 towards one another. This was the extent of loyalty one developed naturally.


    And then there was the loyalty that stemmed on the territory of devotion, such as what soldiers had towards their country in the past.


    The loyalty in such cases surpassed a hundred, to some extent even reaching 300 in the cases of a cult, which was a shocking amount.


    As for Grisha, once she remembered her previous loops, her loyalty towards him exploded like a volcano. He was unable to understand the cause and confronted her, asking for the reason.


    And in response, Grisha just stared at him with a peaceful expression. Even for an expert actor like himself, he was unable to judge the emotions behind her expression.


    As for the loyalty, it was currently around 270, a whopping sum.


    And, when he gave her a choice for the abilities she wished to be Bestowed upon, Grisha picked Secret Society and Directional Misalignment.


    The prime reason for picking Secret Society was to obtain a means to gather Mental Energy. As long as Compass Carburettor made her a node, Mental Energy would flow towards her from the other members in this world.


    And, she would be able to use that to activate Directional Misalignment. Otherwise, solely relying upon the Mental Energy generated by oneself¡ªthrough thoughts about self¡ªwould make the ability too weak.


    Only with enough Mental Energy as fuel would Directional Misalignment be potent enough.


    "We''re at Mount Craire." Compass Carburettor spoke after some time had passed, gazing at the deathly scenery below, shuddering for a moment as he said, "Can''t we arrive here after daybreak?"


    "It''ll only appear during the middle of the night." Grisha said, "In that loop where I obtained it, I was running through this forest due to a group of insane men that were chasing after me for¡­you know¡­obvious reasons during an apocalypse."


    She seemed to be recalling her experience, stating after a couple of minutes, "Drop me here and leave this ce."


    "What? No, I can''t do that!" Compass Carburettor shook his head, "That''s too risky."


    "Only in such a case would it appear. This mutated beast is a freaking coward that only preys upon weaklings, despite its strength." She said, consoling him, "Rx, I know what I''m doing. I won''t die. I have Directional Misalignment to use in such cases. That''s why I picked it, after all."


    "Alright, keep talking to me constantly through telepathy. I''ll swoop in to save you the moment the situation turns dangerous." Compass Carburettor said in worry, gently dropping Grisha at the pointed location.


    Upon seeing him take off towards the skies, Grisha took in a deep breath, taking out a knife before making cuts all over her body.


    Immediately, she felt countless Mental Energy streams gush into her, shuddering for a moment. Even after countless loops, this ce still gave her a horrifying feeling. For, it was dominated by a certain species, scary in nature¡­


    Leeches!


    Grisha quickly began to run through the forest trail, beginning to put on an act where she was crying in pain.


    Within ten seconds, a leech jumped onto her,tching on her leg, sucking in her blood at an rming pace. It immediately caused her to feel light-headed due to the blood loss.


    But, she didn''t stop, continuing to run as she relied on her abundant experience, also sensing the position of the various leeches through the Mental Energy streams they generated as she evaded them on time.


    Only one leech hadnded on her, a calcted risk that she deliberately instigated.


    In the silent forest where not even wind blew, there were the sobbing sounds she released, alerting every leech in the vicinity. It was not to mention the scent of blood that they could feel, causing them to slither towards her.


    ''Where are you?'' As she ran through the territory of the leeches, Grisha''s eyes constantly darted about, trying to find any familiar traces.


    "Noooo! Stop¡­uwyak!" As she continued to run in such a fashion, her stamina dropped to subpar levels as she panted, her footsteps wobbly, apparent that the blood loss had weakened her severely. And just on time, when it looked like she was really about to faint, something exited the ground, caught onto her leg, and dragged her underground.


    And for some reason, the leech sucking blood from her leg automatically let go of its hold,nding on the ground as it danced eerily, gazing at the hole that had formed before it.


    "What¡­just happened?" Grisha looked weakly, shing the shlight that she had brought. She had been using that to run through the forest path.


    "Kyaaaa!" Immediately after, she gazed at a serpentine figure thaty on the ground before it, with one end of its body around her legs, having partly swallowed it.


    The size of the serpentine figure seemed endless as it resembled a rope that was randomly tied in every which way in a room.


    "Save me!" Grisha screamed, hitting the creature in a futile attempt as her attacks barely scratched it.


    And in response, the creature swallowed until her knees, encroaching further and further when suddenly, its body stopped moving.


    Skill¡ªDirectional Misalignment (Level 1)!


    She then took out Compass Carburettor''s Anthozoa that she had brought with her, unloading all bullets on an inconspicuous part of the serpentine creature''s body, gasping for breath as she fainted immediately after.

 Chapter 237: The Leech Egg

    <h4>Chapter 237: The Leech Egg</h4>


    The leech on the ground gazed at the hole before it, its upper body dancing for a couple of minutes before it slithered into the hole,nding onto arge serpentine creature. The serpentine creature was bleeding out from a wound, its body turning cold.


    The leech moved through the cave, sensing around as it noticed Grisha''s body turning colder, a sign of blood loss. And based on the scent of the dripping blood, it realised that she was the same individual that it had been feasting upon just recently.


    Its attention then trailed over the serpentine creature, smelling its blood, approaching the area where six bullet holes existed,tching into it before beginning to suck in all its blood.


    The serpentine creature''s body flinched instinctively but nothing happened beyond that. It had already died since Grisha had urately aimed at its brain, turning it into a mush.


    As the leech began to drink the creature''s blood, it noticed that it was unable to hold itself back, beginning to drink in more and more blood of the serpentine creature.


    At the start, it only felt like normal, edible blood. But once it began to drink, it was like a narcotic, preventing the leech from detaching even though it had drunk beyond its fill. As time passed in such a fashion, the leech''s body continued to bloat up before something whirred into life from within it, beginning to rapidly consume the excess energy stored within the blood.


    After absorption, the wastage seeped out of its body, causing a pungent stench. But, its bloated size remained the same as it ravenously drank blood.


    A mystical change urred when the leech swallowed the serpentine creature''s pearl and orb while devouring it. Starting from the head, till the tail, the leech managed to finish swallowing the serpentine creature wholly.


    And all along, its body''s metabolism was rapidly elerated under the effect of the drug-like blood. Moreover, after digestion, it constantly excreted the remains.


    A leech had 32 brains and its body was rather special. So, even though it had bloated up to resemble a sphere, it was still alive¡­somehow. Moreover, the abundant energy circted within it, turning into something that condensed in its ovary.


    It was pregnant now. As they were hermaphrodites, this was easy, not to mention the biological changes they experienced thanks to the evolution.


    It was as if time was elerated as an egg began to rapidly grow in it. In the meantime, Grisha had been unconscious all along.


    But, after she fainted, a pearl that she stored in her mouth gradually moved through her throat and was digested by her immediately, causing the energy to circte in her body. Since there was no means to expel the energy, her wand was summoned automatically.


    It activated, gushing the healing energy into her, healing her injuries and stopping her bleeding. Moreover, it also recovered some of her blood loss.


    An hourter, she woke up, gazing at the scene of the leech swallowing the serpentine creature, smiling in response. Though, she didn''t move, maintaining silence, watching the other party.


    She observed, finally sighing in relief when she was able to sense minute fluctuations in the leech''s body, ''Great! It''s pregnant now.''


    She told Compass Carburettor to remain in his position, patiently watching the leech''s body beginning to turn into a mess, ''The one you swallowed is a leech''s natural predator. At least, that was what it had been in that loop. I hadn''t ever seen a second of its kind, so it should have been an almost extinct species that had evolved in the apocalypse.''


    ''It is like a drug to the leeches. Once they taste its blood, they wouldn''t be able to stop themselves until they devoured it whole. That was also another reason this serpentine creature is a coward, despite being the predator of the leeches.'' She smiled.


    ''And finally, once a leech devours it, it would evolve rapidly and condense a horn, giving birth before dying from cancer.'' She thought, seeing the leech''s body tremble constantly, as if it was getting damaged by whatever was happening from within.


    For the next two days, Grisha remained in the same ce, relying upon the pearls she had brought with her to sustain herself. The leech didn''t even notice her since it was upied by itself. Moreover, since this was a cave created by the leech hunter, the leeches on the ground never entered it.


    The only reason this leech had entered it was because it had been preying upon Grisha and had only let go of its hold instinctively. So, after some time, it followed into the hole.


    This was her calcted risk.


    ''Finally, it is happening.'' She grinned, watching the leech¡ªthat had now grown a hornying down an egg before its body began to rot.


    Getting up, Grisha arrived before the egg, gently patting it as she ced a pearl atop it. The pearl was slowly sucked into the egg as if it was still a gtinous membrane.


    Seeing that it was a sess, she cut open her wrist, dripping some of her blood onto the egg, watching it absorb everything like a sponge. Slowly, after a couple of minutes passed in such a fashion, the egg cracked.


    A normal leech''s egg hatched anywhere between 21-330 days depending on the environmental condition. But as this was a product of special evolution, it had hatched so soon, revealing a tiny figure resembling a horned beetle.


    Or at least, its head resembled that. The rest of its body still was that of a leech''s. Upon seeing it, Grisha smiled, "Alright, the entity has been born, and with a horn at that."


    Even though it was just a hatchling, it slithered towards her at full speed like a snake, intending totch onto her. Without any hesitation, she took out Anthozoa and shot it a couple of times, watching it die immediately after.


    She then took out an Armament, condensing an energy de that she used to cut open its body, prying it to reveal a pearl and an orb.


    Without any hesitation, she swallowed them, grunting in pain as she experienced an information load,ughing after a couple of seconds, "I remember being knocked out for a day when I obtained this ability before¡­ It seems remembering all my loops has strengthened my mind to the extreme."

 Chapter 238: The Most Versatile Ability

    <h4>Chapter 238: The Most Versatile Ability</h4>


    "It''s done!" Grisha informed through telepathy, watching a rope enter the cave. She swallowed a pearl, condensing the creature that she named the ''Leech Hunter'', making it swallow its own corpse.


    She then grabbed hold of the rope, watching her being lifted out of the cave, noticing a group of leeches surrounding the hole. Once she exited the hole, they tried totch onto her but Compass Carburettor had already activated Directional Misalignment to prevent them from attacking her.


    Once she was pulled high up, he grabbed hold of her and flew away, "Where do you want to go next?"


    "Home!" Grisha replied, tired.


    "What about¡­" He asked, hesitant to ask about her mother.


    "It''s a waste of time," Grisha muttered coldly, "I know her very well. She had fainted for a day after seeing a cockroach once. I know for sure that she isn''t alive. Because, when you were on Mount Craire, while the cell reception still worked fine, I had called her. But, she hadn''t picked up her phone, whether it was her business or her personal number."


    "But, it''ll still weigh on your mind, right?" Compass Carburettor asked, "Since I can fly¡­"


    "No, I just don''t wish to see her corpse. That''s all." She sighed, "I don''t think I can handle that. I have thought about the possibility of her death in every loop. Even though that is scary, since I hadn''t seen her corpse, I still maintained some hope."


    "Fine," He nodded, not pressing on the issue further. After all, what she said was likely the truth. She was the most knowledgeable about her mother.


    And, he too was aware that those who lived in content in the previous society and were rather well off wouldn''t be able to adapt to an apocalypse. After all, they were used to and enjoyed the previous society.


    Only those fed up with that society would adapt faster to the apocalypse.


    And since it seemed like Grisha''s mother belonged to the former, by the time she managed to adapt, she would be long dead.


    He didn''t bring up the topic after that, asking, "What ability did you obtain?"


    "I''ll show you after we reach home." She smiled, putting on an air of mystery.


    "Haha, alright." Heughed, continuing to fly towards their home, reaching it after a couple of hours of travel.


    Once theynded, Grisha first rushed into the bathroom to take a long,fortable bath, only exiting after a good hour had passed.


    "I''ll prepare dinner now," She said, walking towards the kitchen, "Take a bath in the meantime."


    "Alright," Compass Carburettor took a bath. He had already replenished their water tank with the water generated by the Vitality Bowl. So, they had no problem with water.


    As for electricity, it had long since been cut off. But, there was still a sr panel on the roof that provided them with a bit of electricity, at least enough for the light and fan in one room.


    So, they were still able to havefortable lives even in the apocalypse.


    Once he arrived at the dining room, the aroma of dinner intoxicated him. "Wow, did you cook a feast?"


    "Pretty much," Grishaughed, "I can obtain any food ingredient in liquid format. So, I just used that to our advantage. Even sauce and cheese are possible."


    They had a sumptuous meal after that as they cleaned out everything. The cobra too had joined them, swallowing its portions before retreating to its spot under the bed to rest.


    "Lazy glutton¡­" Grisha muttered after gazing at it, asking after a moment of thought, "Where did you find it?"


    "On Mount Craire," Compass Carburettor replied, talking about the incident that happened with Neena, leading to the choice he made when he discovered this cobra coincidentally.


    Once they finished eating dinner, they arrived at the roof. Upon his summons, the cobra too slithered to the roof when Grisha grinned at it, "st your breath attack on me."


    "You sure? My breath attack is pretty strong." The cobra replied through telepathy. The conversation passed through Compass Carburettor before being received by the receptor. So, he was able to hear everything they conversed.


    "Let''s see you talk about that after this." Grisha grinned, swallowing a pearl as she summoned her ability, condensing a helmet that seemed futuristic at first nce.


    It had a sleek design, fully covering her head. But from the looks of it, it was a one-way transparent substance, allowing Grisha to look at things normally, just like how her field of vision was without the helmet.


    "Here ites!" The cobra said before opening its mouth to unleash a breath attack. It was a simple gust, like wind, but only consisted of forcefields that mmed into Grisha.


    But, they didn''t make contact, vanishing when they hit her.


    Not even a single strand of her hair was affected by the breath attack as half of her helmet lit up.


    "Go on, try it again." She taunted the cobra.


    "Humph!" Triggered, the cobra unleashed another breath attack, stupefied when it too vanished just like before.


    Now, Grisha''s helmet waspletely lit up as she spoke, "This is my ability."


    She snapped her finger when half her helmet lost its radiance.


    On the road farther away was a group of ants that were swarming the grass, engaging in a bitter fight as both parties tore into each other.


    Suddenly, a sphere of wind appeared in their midst, spanning less than a centimetre in diameter before expanding rapidly. It was a shockwave, erupting like an explosion with the damage radius being a metre.


    Everything within the range was obliterated as a crater formed on the road.


    Smiling in response, Grisha snapped her finger once again, this time forming the shockwave in another area. But, the st radius was evenrger. Though, the resultant crater was smaller as the shockwaves were more dispersed in therger area.


    A couple of secondster, a gust of wind swirled around the two impact ces due to the developed low pressure, forming a minor twister that vanished after five seconds.


    "In that loop, when I reached Stage 6, I was able to walk through a sea of mutated beasts, absorbing their breath attacks to fuel my attacks. This way, I was pretty much uninjured throughout the battle." Grisha smiled, "And, since this is a helmet, I''m able to control this ability the highest, allowing me to use it in varying situations and possibilities."


    "This is the most versatile ability in this world."

 Chapter 239: Druvus And Caithaleya

    <h4>Chapter 239: Druvus And Caithaleya</h4>


    Squee!


    A bird''s cry resounded as it flew through the air, heading towards a hill that was situated in a field of grass. Also connected to the hill on one side was a small range of hills, with the region they covered bereft of theyer of grass.


    And on here, there were signs of human settlements, with the general living quarters being their cars. But, having learnt their lesson, the residents had begun to make wooden constructs higher up the hill, establishing a crude settlement.


    After all, the cars forming a ring at the base were pretty wrecked, sportingrge w marks that ripped apart the steel.


    It was currently nighttime as the bird arrived above a certain wooden house,nding on its roof before beginning to tap it, making a certain knocking sound.


    Kat-Katak-Ka!


    Kat-Katak-Ka!


    It seemed to be a code as the person within slowly walked out, looking around to ensure there were no prying eyes on him, extending his hands as a chit and a pen were dropped by the bird.


    It was Rhizen, his expression mildly worried as he looked through the letter hurriedly, heaving a sigh of relief before writing a reply, "Thank goodness."


    "Be a bit more patient, Chenger. I''ll be there soon." He muttered before entering his tent, gazing at the two individuals seated there, "It''s time we take action."


    "Are we finally killing that damn frog?" The teenager¡ªthe one that had followed Compass Carburettor¡ªsaid in relief, "It has grown into such a fearsome foe in the past month."


    "Are we finally leaving this damn ce?" The other person in the room, ady in her early thirties spoke, her expression cold.


    "Yes, Caithaleya." Rhizen nodded, "I''ve already ryed the information to my girlfriend. She''s making preparations in our vi. It is by far the safest in our present condition, not to mention that it is equipped with everything we need."


    "Let''s get going then." She spoke, getting up with a start, ncing at the teenager, "What about you, Druvus? Have you be attached to this ce?"


    "Well¡­" Druvus, the teenager hesitated, stating, "I was hoping that mysterious man would return at least once."


    "Didn''t he vanish on the day we arrived here? He could have been killed by a mutated beast." Caithaleya snorted.


    "You sure about that?" Druvus retorted, clearly displeased with her attitude, "He''s the one that saved all of us and made it look effortless. If not for him, you would have be a Grassmen by now."


    "Hmph!" She snorted, turning around, unwilling to argue with him anymore.


    "Also," Druvus said in all seriousness, "I''ve seen him fight. It''s not something I am able to replicate even after reaching Stage 2. And he did this on the very day the apocalypse had begun. Moreover, those one-horned mutated beasts that you struggled against before, he killed them all in one hit."


    "Let''s leave it at that," Rhizen interjected, "There''s no use worrying about that now. Staying here is safer, for now. But, we don''t know what the future has in store for us. Besides, there''s nothing offort here, not to mention medicine and other basic needs."


    "Fine¡­" Druvus said, ncing at the side as hemented, "I''m sure ourdy actress here would love to get her hands on beauty products more than food and water."


    "The products I used before cost more than your family''s annual ie." Caithaleya mocked, "And, maintaining beauty is different from hygiene. You seem tock both though."


    Upon seeing the two bicker once again, Rhizen controlled his headache before saying, "Let''s not waste time. Check your equipment and your bag of pearls. We''ll depart in ten minutes."


    Saying so, he exited the log house, sighing as he clutched the ice pick in his hands. It was a product of his second ability, ones he stored in excess, serving as his prime means of attack. Moreover, coated on their tips was the poison his scorpion tail produced.


    So, it was potent enough to even kill mutated beasts in a single hit. That was how he prevented any wastage and continued to gather more and more pearls. At present, he had a spare of 50 pearls in his hands.


    "This should be enough to kill that frog." He muttered, smiling as he could feel the changes in him, "I feel like I am close to attaining it¡­"


    "We''re ready," Druvus said as he apanied Caithaleya, exiting the house, all geared up. They were already wearing all their gear, so all they needed was to make a tally of things so that they could coordinate their attacks in advance.


    Under the cover of the night, the trio calmly reached the edge of the settlement before exiting it through a gap in the fence Rhizen had created.


    "Stop, boulder ahead. Move diagonally to the left. There''s a tree four metres away in that path." Caithaleya constantly directed them the way to move as she had her eyes closed. There wasn''t any moonlight today, but she was able to make them move ordingly without trouble.


    That cause was the brooch on her chest, an item that she had condensed. It originated from a one-horned bat that she killed. The brooch was dark grey in colour, sporting a design simr to a bat''s open mouth, spanning the size of her thumb.


    Through it, Caithaleya was emitting waves of the burst element, allowing the generated forcefield to sh with every object along the way and be reflected back at her. It worked simr to a sonar, allowing her to map out her surroundings and guide everyone perfectly.


    Soon, they reached the foot of the hill, arriving before arge mound that shielded the view from beyond. Hiding behind it, the trio took in deep breaths as Caithaleya whispered, "The frog''s still here, in the same ce as usual. Since your poison isn''t that effective against it, what do you suggest we do?"


    "Bombard it from the air while I engage it in closebat. Use therge shlight so that I can see and fight without trouble." Rhizen spoke.


    "Alright," Druvus nodded before swallowing two pearls, condensing a pair of wings behind him and a hand-canon that he held. Caithaleyatched onto his back like a bear, watching him take off to the air.


    "Don''t blush in the middle of the battle." She whispered in his ears.


    "Then stop using that husky voice on me!" Druvus groaned in protest, soon arriving at a position of twenty metres in the air, following Caithaleya''s instructions as he hovered above a frog, firing his attack.

 Chapter 240: Two Horned Frog

    <h4>Chapter 240: Two Horned Frog</h4>


    Spanning a size of two metres, it was one huge entity, something they had fought quite a few times but didn''t manage to defeat. For some reason, Rhizen was fixated on killing it. Though, the fact that the frog had already swallowed two people from the settlement was also a cause for concern.


    At present, it had been staring at the sky nkly, thinking of something when its senses rang out. It leaped from its spot, hearing a thunderous rumble as a sphere of force mmed into the ground, forming a crater in the rocky surface.


    The frog was alert, already used to such attacks as it didn''t even bat an eye, calmlynding on the ground as it swerved its head, gazing at the winged creature¡ªDruvus and Caithaleya¡ªin the sky.


    It then noticed some minor fluctuations in the air, making another leap as it sensed two force fields shaped as arrows trailing after it.


    With a start, it opened its mouth, spitting out some mucus that mmed into the pair of arrows, destroying them.


    Right at this time, Rhizen swallowed three pearls as he summoned his scorpion tail, smiling as the stinger faced the frog before beginning to unleash a barrage of needles.


    His second mutated beast was a porcupine, one that was a gimmick that could be attached to other items. So, he attached it to his scorpion tail, allowing needles to beunched from the stinger. And thanks to its poison, the needles were deadly.


    Forming an almost straight line, the group of needles mmed into the thigh of the frog, causing it to feel sluggish immediately. The poison in the needles tried to destroy it while its own poison counterattacked his poison.


    As the twopeted against one another, Rhizen increased the distance, watching the frog''s tongue m into a nearby rock, lightly melting it. Without any hesitation, he mmed another batch of needles into the frog, causing most of them to hit home even after it had dodged the attack.


    Croak!


    The frog unleashed a loud sound when the attack from Druvus, a cannonball condensed from the burst element, mmed into its side when it was distracted by Rhizen''s and Caithaleya''s attacks.


    "Good job," Holding a bow in her hands, Caithaleya smirked, condensing an arrow of the burst element as sheunched it.


    Swallowing a couple more pearls, Rhizen emptied all the needles onto the frog, rmed when it suddenly gazed at the skies, opening its mouth to unleash its breath attack.


    "Dodge!" Rhizen shouted in rm.


    "Hap!" Druvus grunted as his wings unleashed the burst element, causing him to fly through the air, elerating to the peak instantly as he flew away for a couple hundred metres, evading the breath attack.


    Moreover, right at this time, a hail of arrows curved through the air and mmed into the frog''s open mouth, taking advantage of its attack.


    Even though it had ambushed, the frog had wasted its breath attack, only managing to make Druvus retreat a little.


    Upon seeing that it had already wasted its most important attack, Rhizen continued to m the needles into it, causing the poison to umte in its body.


    The side attacked by Druvus was bleeding now, showing no signs of stopping. Arrows continued to m into its body, slowly chipping away at it.


    Right when Druvusunched another attack at it using his hand-canon, the frog leaped into the air before the burst element was ejected from its legs, allowing it to propel itself towards the duo in the air.


    "Hmph!" Caithaleya snorted, swallowing two pearls as she condensed one arrow from all the resultant energy, mming it into the frog, piercing through its neck, preventing it from opening its mouth that easily.


    As for Druvus, he swallowed two pearls, unleashing two spheres of burst element, his limit. The two sphered mmed into the frog, the momentum deactivating its ability before sending it crashing into the ground.


    Croak!


    The frog croaked in pain when it noticed the figure of Rhizen standing nearby, his scorpion tail piercing its neck.


    The poison within it was really potent as the frog felt its body beginning to melt while it lost all sensations of touch. A minuteter, the frog died as Rhizen sighed in relief, using the stinger from the scorpion tail to sever its body, suddenly sensing his body brimming with power.


    Moreover, for a second, his mind nked, experiencing a scene where his two mutated beasts fought against him and had devoured him, causing him to break out in cold sweat in reality. But, it also made him realise something. He had broken through to the next level during the fight¡­


    Stage 3!


    Gathering his bearings, Rhizen scoured through the frog''s carcass, smiling when he obtained an orb and two pearls. The frog was a two-horned mutated beast, so it was pretty strong.


    He swallowed the orb and both the pearls, feeling something mystical explode from within as it brought him severe exhaustion, prompting him to swallow another pearl.


    It took him a good minute to digest all gains, smirking as he swallowed two pearls, summoning his frog, causing it to devour the carcass of the frog that they had killed, "Well, it is cannibalism. Or maybe not since it is its own body."


    The frog was a two-horned mutated beast, so after some time inprehension, Rhizen beckoned for the attention of the other two, saying to Druvus, "Caithaleya would remain in the same spot while you''ll carry me on the front. My new ability allows me to move through the air at rming speeds.


    Once everyone took their respective positions, Druvus activated the ability of his wings, taking off into the air as their speed of flight rapidly elerated. It was then that Rhizen smiled, activating the ability he obtained from the frog.


    Immediately, as if he had installed rocket boosters into his pair of boots, they unleashed a force field, propelling them even faster, allowing them to make arge arc in the sky, travelling quickly.


    "I''ll be there under less than thirty minutes, Chenger," Rhizen muttered.

 Chapter 241: Rallying People, Laying A Trap

    <h4>Chapter 241: Rallying People, Laying A Trap</h4>


    "He''s fast." Compass Carburettor muttered, sensing the position of the Spydragon in Rhizen''s belongings, watching it travel at incredible speeds. As there were plenty of useful supplies in his bag, Rhizen hadn''t thrown it away. As for the Spydragon, it was pretty inconspicuous in its serpentine form, having retreated under a fold in the bag.


    So, Rhizen hadn''t noticed its existence until now.


    "Seems he obtained an ability rted to flight, or one of hispanions might have that." He muttered, having heard the conversations shared between Rhizen and others only asionally. As the distance was beyond twenty kilometres, just connecting with his Spydragon expended more than 20 Dac every second.


    And this was in the case he was only listening to the sounds perceived by the Spydragon. If he dared to move it, the expenditure would have been too much for even him to handle.


    Hovering in the air, Compass Carburettor sensed for a couple of minutes before saying, "Alright, Rhizen has left the settlement."


    "Are you sure about this?" Grisha asked through telepathy, "Wouldn''t it be a problem once news of them possessing External Items is revealed? After all, these are things that would only be created around 8-10 years into the apocalypse. Moreover, since the Remembrance System has been killed, it''ll be easy to infer the details."


    "Yes, there''s that risk." Compass Carburettor nodded, "But, we also need a source of Mental Energy for our battle. So, it''s a necessary risk. Besides, in risk lies the opportunity to fool our enemies."


    Upon seeing the subtle change in his eyes, even Grisha shuddered in fear for a moment, ''W-What is this sense of fear I am experiencing?''


    She was pretty surprised. After all, thanks to all her loops, the concept of fear had pretty much been dulled in her mind. So, it was baffling to feel it from Compass Carburettor when thetter hadn''t done anything fear-inducing.


    ''Maybe it''s because he''s facing against Systems and still dares to do this?'' She thought, sighing in the end. "Alright. I hope that''s the case. Because, we''ve been hunting nonstop for the past ten days just to gather the necessary materials."


    Grisha wastched onto his back as Compass Carburettor flew through the air, heading towards the settlement while making a long arc, ensuring to not fall under the line of sight of Rhizen.


    After all, in the mind of the other party, Compass Carburettor was already dead. Things would be troublesome if that notion was broken.


    Though, since the Spydragon was in Rhizen''s belongings, avoiding him was easy. Thirty minutester, Compass Carburettor arrived at the settlement,nding in its centre abruptly, making some noise to alert everyone.


    Due to the sound, those sleeping within their wooden logs gazed through a crack they had installed in their houses, observing the figure of Compass Carburettor standing, his figure outlined by the moonlight.


    Upon seeing his figure, a startling sensation of fear and peace washed over them.


    "Sir, you''ve returned!" Suddenly, the leader rushed out from his house in joy, almost pouncing upon Compass Carburettor, only managing to stop himself on time upon seeing the serious face of the other party.


    "How''s the situation here?" Compass Carburettor asked curtly.


    "We are managing to survive somehow, but there are some food and water shortage." He sighed, "We''ve been digging a well recently but it''ll still need some more time given ourck of manpower. We have to defend against the Grassmen that constantly try to attack us, not to mention the mutated beasts that attack us at least a few times daily."


    "Were there any casualties?" Compass Carburettor asked next, looking around as he watched the people streaming out of their houses one after another.


    "We have fifteen dead and around forty injured." The leader sighed in worry. There was a grief-stricken atmosphere. Hope was waning with the passage of every day.


    Before, when they heard the message from the flying helicopter, they were happy. But as the days passed and the deadline neared them, they were pensive, worrying about whether the rescue would arrive or not.


    But then the dered day arrived, but there were no signs of a rescue. One day, two days, three days, with the passing of each day, their moods worsened while their expression turned sullen. Once more than two weeks had passed since then, they had lost all hope.


    And now, the leader was barely making things hang in ce. People were losing hope to even work for their survival. After all, not only were the nights cold, they didn''t even have enough food and water to survive.


    Quite a few of the people had thinned considerably as their sunken eyes looked at Compass Carburettor, their feelings unknown as they gazed at his healthy self that maintained a pristine state of being.


    "Is this all of them?" Compass Carburettor asked, gazing at the leader.


    "The injured are still resting, same for the children." The leader said.


    "Well, do you guys wish to livefortably? Eat enough food, drink sufficient water, have ess to at least some of the necessities of the previous society, does anyone still wish to have that?" Compass Carburettor asked calmly, looking around as he saw the expression of everyone morphing.


    "Of course, we want that!" Ady shouted like a banshee, crying in response, "Sir¡­please. You have saved us before. And now that you have returned, please help us."


    "Sir, do you have a n in mind?" The leader asked, echoing the statements of everyone that began to shout in response to Compass Carburettor''s words that triggered the emotions suppressed in them.


    "Of course," Compass Carburettor smiled, stating loud enough for enough people to hear him clearly, "I do have the means to give you everything I stated before. But, I want to see your resolve. Are you willing to work hard enough to live a life offort once again?"


    "The world has changed, and it''s necessary to adapt to the changes. But, that doesn''t mean you should give up desiring what you had once possessed. Do you want that or not?" He almost shouted at the end.


    "Yes! We want it!" Everyone roared in response.


    "Louder! Do you want a life offort?" He shouted louder.


    "Yes!" There was a deafening roar.

 Chapter 242: Nine External Items

    <h4>Chapter 242: Nine External Items</h4>


    "Good," Compass Carburettor smiled, gazing at the leader, "Who are the strongest among the lot of you here?"


    "We have around thirtybatants at present. The strongest is¡­" The leader looked around in surprise, "Eh? Where''s Rhizen?"


    "Rhizen, Druvus, and Caithaleya are missing." The group of people muttered as the discussions grew in pitch.


    "Alright, just forget about that for now," Compass Carburettor said before shouting, "Those who are confident of their strength cane forward."


    When he said that, rows and rows of people walked forward. As he had already taught them the means to gain power in the apocalypse, those with healthy physiques formed groups to hunt mutated beasts and eventually gained power.


    As it had been around 45 days since they arrived at the hill, quite the number of people had gained power. And among them, five had reached Stage 2. Though, since Rhizen and the group had left, that number fell to two, with the leader being one of them.


    "Alright, follow me." Compass Carburettor said, picking some based on the Mental Energy streams he got from them, heading into the house of the leader.


    He took a seat, with Grisha standing behind him, having remained silent all along. She sported a cold demeanour, emanating mild killing intent that caused everyone who looked at her to shudder in response.


    This was what he told her to do. It was to increase the air of mystery around him.


    "Sit here," He pointed at the chair before him, one that was made using a car seat, motioning for the leader to sit on it.


    He then took out a small knife, giving it to the leader, also bringing out a tiny pearl-like cylinder, "Now, make a cut on your thumb and paint this with your blood."


    "This¡­" The leader hesitated before gritting his teeth, doing as he was told. He understood that their lives were only going downhill with the passing of days. At least, thankfully for them, of the popce had unleashed their beastly desires.


    But, he didn''t have any guarantee of being able to stop that any longer. So, he wished to obtain a means of hope. Moreover, for some reason, he was able to feel that he could trust Compass Carburettor.


    Or rather, it was the same emotion that he had felt first, and that was to follow Compass Carburettor. It was the emotion of themonfolk wishing to follow a charismatic leader.


    And, Compass Carburettor indeed had those qualities, having been the head of thergestpany on Earth.


    "Guh!" The moment he painted the cylindrical object with his blood, the leader grunted as it gushed into his body, immediately pouring a vast stream of information into his mind.


    A couple of minutester, the leader gathered his bearing, bbergasted as he gazed at Compass Carburettor, "S-Sir, what''s¡­this? Is this¡­real?"


    "Well, what do you think?" Compass Carburettor smiled, staring calmly.


    "This¡­is real¡­" The leader gazed at the ground, clenching his hand into a fist, "It''ll help make our lives vastly better."


    He then looked at Compass Carburettor, "Sir, who exactly are you? How¡­do you know these things?"


    "Guess?" Compass Carburettor smiled.


    For a moment, the leader was in a trance before getting up as he bowed until his head almost touched the ground, "Whether you are the God or the Devil, I hope you continue to help humanity survive this apocalypse."


    All Compass Carburettor did in response was smile, "Now, stand at the back. Once I bestow power upon everyone here, we''ll take action."


    "Yes, sir!" The leader nodded obediently and retreated to the end of the room, allowing another man toe forward.


    He too followed Compass Carburettor''s instructions, doing as he was told on another pearl-like object. And once he obtained the External Item, he too was as shocked as the leader, even tearing up in response.


    There were a total of nine people among them. The leader obtained the External Item of Fortress. There was also the External Item of Watch Tower, one that would sound an rm the moment the enemy trespasses into its territory, which spanned a range of a kilometre. It was something that could be customised to recognise allies and enemies.


    There was the External Item of Cloth Store, one that would grow into a tree that houses countless bundles formed by a variety of fabric. The material ranged from cotton to even wool. Moreover, its stem grew various spikes that could be used as needles for stitching.


    Two people obtained the Vitality Bowl, and for the remaining four, they received the Ballista, an External Item that shot forth an arrow¡ªcondensed by the burst element¡ªonto the enemies automatically.


    Just like every other External Item, its base too was formed by using the grass. So, it would have to be mounted at one location on the ground where its roots would plunge into the ground and suck up nutrients simr to nts and store up energy.


    It would then condense this energy to shoot forth the arrows, had a range of 200 metres and was able to shoot once every ten seconds. It too could be customised to detect enemies, allowing them to target them automatically the moment they enter in range.


    Nine people were equipped with the External Items as Compass Carburettor shared details regarding their functions, allowing everyone to tear up. Because, with this, all their immediate necessities were solved.


    The Vitality Bowl was able to condense any medicine that they needed in liquid form. The Cloth Store produced cloth materials for them to make dresses, nkets, etc. The Ballista would protect them from enemies to a certain extent, allowing them to save up on pearls.


    There was also the Watch Tower to alert them in the case any enemy infiltrated their settlement. And finally, there was the Fortress that would give them a stable ce to live inside.


    "Let''s head towards the peak of this hill and set it up there¡­" Compass Carburettor exited the house as everyone followed him. He then gazed at the almost three thousand people huddled around, dering, "Everyone! Watch the spectacle! This is the day your troubles would reduce greatly!"

 Chapter 243: Saving An Entire Group

    <h4>Chapter 243: Saving An Entire Group</h4>


    "Alright, do it." Compass Carburettor said, patting the back of the leader. He was the one who obtained the External Item of Fortress.


    Nodding in response, the leader took in a deep breath, arriving at the peak as he closed his eyes, thinking for a moment before summoning a pearl-like cylinder. He then gazed at Compass Carburettor, nodding in response before cing the cylinder on the ground.


    Woong!


    A sonorous sound reverberated through the surroundings as the cylinder turned into a cluster of hair-like roots, piercing through the ground as they vanished.


    Immediately after, the ground began to mildly tremor as everyone was startled, looking around, unable to understand just what was happening.


    Slowly, the ground began to resemble a pearl in both texture and colour as everyone looked in shock.


    Something jutted out of the ground far away, beginning to rise, forming a wall that surrounded them. These walls formed around the middle ground of the hill, stopping after reaching a height of twenty metres.


    Slowly, numerous other structures began to grow out of the ground as the people scattered about, arriving at ces that were bing t, resembling roads.


    Soon, many buildings, rather tall structures appeared within the walls as many institutional ces also appeared.


    There was a ce that resembled a ntation, covered by soft mud that was fertile, perfect for growing crops. It had been achieved by grounding the rock underneath and transporting the resultant soil by selective targeting.


    This way, the minerals in the soil would be perfect for growing crops. Four wells were situated around the town centre, and a building existed between them, raised high up.


    This was the water tank, meant to transport water into all the buildings. And, countless structures resembling a tree formed its functional getup, meant to siphon water from the wells and store them in the water tank.


    There was the tallest building in the centre of the fortress, cylindrical in shape, spanning twenty stories. It not only allowed them a great vantage point to look at their surroundings, but the ce was also secure enough to not be under threat from bird-type mutated beasts.


    There were locations for sentries to be posted everywhere.


    As the buildings were in an apartment structure, it not only saved space but also made the area within the fortress more spacious, allowing them to do a variety of activities.


    There was a barracks, attached to a training ground. There was even a forge to make weapons. Finally, there was arge open dais in one location, meant to give speeches for rallying everyone.


    There were a flight of stairs installed everywhere, allowing for smooth travel. Moreover, there were two gates installed beyond the fortress, and the only way to reach them was through a mechanical lift installed at the top of the walls. This prevented any enemies from breaking through the gates to rush inside.


    After all, even if they broke the gates, they would only be met with walls after that. And, this gating mechanism only existed to form an enclosed area to assemble before charging out. It was a safety per see.


    "This is your spot," Compass Carburettor said while gazing at one of the two people that obtained a Vitality Bowl, pointing at a small raised tform near the four wells.


    It was circr in shape, filled with soil within. When the fortress was being created, the soil underground was shifted to make this channel. So, from here, it was easy to ce a Vitality Bowl and have ess to an undiminished supply of minerals from the earth.


    Upon hismand, the man with the Vitality Bowl walked forward, gently cing it at the designated ce, noticing that the Vitality Bowl fit the spot perfectly.


    He then willed for it to begin generating water, noticing ayer of water form in it after a couple of minutes. With that, the water level continued to increase before overflowing, transported through a small channel into the nearest well.


    Channels were split off to each of the four wells, manually controlled.


    And upon seeing the water pouring into the well slowly, everyone roared in amazement.


    Compass Carburettor then led the people towards the walls, beckoning for the man with the External Item of a Ballista toe forward, pointing at a small rectangr patch of soil. It was like a small flower bed.


    But, it was positioned on the wall, with theyer of soil leading all the way into the ground. The man arrived before it, gently cing his External Item, seeing it beginning to grow like a tree before turning into a menacing Ballista.


    "Even though its range is only 200 metres, you can retract it upon a moment''s notice and head towards the necessary location." Compass Carburettor spoke.


    He then brought everyone towards an open field situated in the centre of a circr building that spanned five storeys.


    The person that walked forward was a middle-aged woman, cing her External Item in the centre, watching it begin to grow into a massive tree that spanned a height of twelve metres.


    And, growing on them were bundles of clothes of all colours and fabric, causing the eyes of countless women to lit up in response.


    Finally, the group arrived atop the tower in the centre where a woman nted an External Item, one that grew up into arge tower. She then ced her hand on it, murmuring something for a good couple of minutes before turning around to nod at Compass Carburettor, "It''s done. I''ve made it recognise everyone standing here as allies."


    "Great," Nodding in response, Compass Carburettor then brought them towards the underground floor in the tower, making thest of the group nt her External Item into the circr patch of soil there.


    The Vitality Bowl perfectly fit into it, beginning to generate a liquid mixture fit for consumption. "Any form of food would be avable in liquid mixture here. It''s the same for medicine too. Also, if you have enough food and medicine stockpiled, you can begin making pearls from it. It can make one pearl per day."


    Those that were able to hear his words inhaled a sharp breath in shock, understanding the implications in his statement. Just this meant that they would be self-sufficient and would also be able to defend themselves against their foes.


    The Ballista would attack their enemies without wasting any pearls. And the Vitality Bowl would produce not only food, medicines, and water, but also pearls.


    ''Now, for the most important thing¡­'' Compass Carburettor thought, controlling his urge tough.

 Chapter 244: The Mountain Deity

    <h4>Chapter 244: The Mountain Deity</h4>


    Once everyone exited the tower, Compass Carburettor brought them towards arge building that spanned a length of fifty metres and a breadth of twenty metres. It spanned a height of twenty metres but only consisted of one storey.


    There was nothing on the floor, and situated at the end was a raised tform. And, ced on it was an altar.


    The altar was a cylindrical construct at the front of which, the pearl-like material projected to form a symbol of double ''C'' that were joined tangentially. It was the symbol of Secret Society.


    And the walls of this building formed a massive mural, one that depicted a story, of a lone monster that had once lived on a mountain. And in ancient times, this monster lived by eating wild animals.


    It reached a height of three metres. One day, when it was chasing after a deer, it came across a wounded girl thaty unconscious by the river.


    At first, it wished to eat the girl, but upon smelling her, the monster didn''t seem to like the scent of her blood, turning away to walk around. But at this time, the girl regained consciousness, raising her hand towards the monster, begging to be saved.


    The monster didn''t seem to care about her though and seemed to be intent on looking for the deer that it had missed. But, the girl didn''t relent, crying aloud as she begged with her utmost spirit, finally capturing the monster''s attention.


    Arriving before her, the monster inspected her injuries, applying its knowledge of the forest to mix up a paste using various herbs to patch up her wounds. And miraculously, within two days, the girl recovered enough to walk.


    She then returned to her vige that was situated at the foot of the mountain. The years passed by in such a fashion, the young girl from before had now be an olddy. And, her vige was facing harsher times now.


    Not only was there a severe drought, but there were also bandits that frequented the ce. Finally, left with no other choice, she trekked the mountain with her frail body, finally arriving at the river where she had seen the monster during her youth.


    She then saw the same figure eating the meat of a bear that it had caught. The mural showed that the monster was able to converse now as the two seemed to be talking.


    Though, it was mostly the woman that was begging for a favour while the monster just ignored her, as usual. But, left with no other choice, she continued to beg the monster, kneeling before it for three days and three nights before the monster was moved by her sincerity.


    It then descended the mountain and ughtered the bandits. The scene next showed the fear-stricken vigers prostrating themselves before the monster.


    But at this time, the monster opened its mouth, stating, for the first time, "I am no monster."


    "I am the deity of this mountain."


    Upon hearing its statement, the eyes of the vigers brightened as they begged for it to save them. With a wave of its hands, clouds arrived atop the vige, bringing forth ample rains, enough topletely resolve the drought situation.


    The monster then returned to the mountain while the vige made an altar to worship it. And, they inscribed the symbol of a double ''C'' that were connected tangentially on the foreheads of the newborn in the vige to signify that they were being protected by the mountain deity.


    The scenes next showed the passage of time as the vige thrived under the mountain deity''s protection. The tradition had be an integral part of their culture as they even held festivals every year under the name of the mountain deity, especially during the harvest season.


    But another centuryter, a vicious group of invaders passed by the vige, decimating everyone living there, using the ce to stockpile their reserves before marching forth to war.


    With it being wiped out, and having no survivors, the vige was forgotten from history. And as for the mountain deity, no one prayed to it anymore. Its life had returned to one of hunting, eating, and sleeping.


    And over the passing centuries, all traces of the vige had vanished while new cities popped up nearby.


    When the people arrived at this part, they were shocked, because the city shown in the mural was Feora City.


    ''Then¡­'' The same thought appeared in the minds of everyone, especially those that had seen Compass Carburettor in action and witnessed his power that was beyond what they obtained in the apocalypse.


    "I''ve always been here. Just that, when people forgot about me, it was like I wasn''t real. And on the day of the apocalypse, I could feel the thoughts of countless people wishing to be saved. It was what had woken me from my many centuries of slumber." Compass Carburettor smiled.


    "Sir¡­who exactly are you?" The leader''s voice trembled as he gazed at him, trying his best to maintain a clear state of mind.


    At least a couple thousand people could stand within this building, though cramped. But, since they were all maintaining silence while looking through the murals, the leader''s question was loud and clear.


    "I believe it is apparent now¡­" Compass Carburettor spoke when his figure morphed, turning into a Haggon, a massive creature that spanned six metres in height, possessing a skin tougher than steel, and a body with an imposing presence that everyone in the building felt suffocated for a moment. It was the same monster as depicted in the mural, but way bigger and stronger.


    All of them subconsciously kneeled on the floor, gazing at such a beast. And at this time, the leader and the group of people that had seen the Haggon before were stunned before realisation hit them.


    "So, we were under the protection of the Mountain Deity all along!" Someone among the crowd muttered first before the words resounded in the minds of others.


    That made them understand as to why such a massive beast had gazed at them before and nodded in their direction, instead of eating them up. It was a show of proof that they were under its protection.


    "Thank you for protecting us!" The leader prostrated on the ground, followed by everyone in the ce, gazing at the majestic figure of the Haggon, one that resembled an actual deity in their eyes now.

 Chapter 245: Strongest Attack Against A System

    <h4>Chapter 245: Strongest Attack Against A System</h4>


    "The world has changed drastically, and at present, even I am treated no different to a monster." Compass Carburettor, in his Haggon form, said, pointing at the growing horn on his forehead, "So, do your best to survive."


    "Lord," The leader shouted suddenly upon noticing that Compass Carburettor was about to leave, "Will you protect us?"


    "Maybe," Compass Carburettor said casually, "Only if the prayers move me would I take action."


    Saying so, he walked behind the altar, returning to his human form as he expertly wore a pair of clothes that Grisha had given him, condensing a pair of wings as he carried Grisha with him and began to fly towards the exit.


    All along, the humans of the fort kneeled on the ground as the leader gritted his teeth, turning around to ask, "Lord, how may we address you?"


    "Follow the mural, as those living on thisnd had first done." Saying his piece, Compass Carburettor flew away, leaving the fort as he began to fly towards their home.


    "Follow the mural¡­" The leader was confused when one of hisrades shouted suddenly.


    "Look at that, something is written underneath the symbol on the altar."


    The leader hurriedly arrived before the altar and gazed at the symbol of Secret Society, noticing a word inscribed below in tiny font.


    Gahrat!


    "Lord Gahrat¡­" The leader nodded solemnly, joining his palms as he prayed in all seriousness. For a couple of minutes, he remained in prayer, opening his eyes to see that he was feeling peaceful.


    Moreover, once he turned around, he noticed that most of the people in the praying hall were now sporting expressions of relief, having the hope to continue their survival. Moreover, they constantly went through the mural, reading it once, twice, thrice.


    "The heavens haven''t abandoned us yet." The leader controlled his tears from bursting out as he sighed in relief, kowtowing once before walking out of the ce, entering the central tower as he began to make arrangements for their stay.


    "Of course, around 10,000 people can live herefortably. At present, we are only a third of that." Nodding, he firmed himself, "There should be other survivors that are struggling. If we bring them all here, our survival would be easier with more manpower."


    Upon reaching this line of thought, he smiled wryly, "For some reason, I am getting excited."


    ¡­


    "Wipe out that grin," Grisha said, controlling her brows from twitching as she gazed at the wide grin stered on Compass Carburettor''s face.


    "I''m not smiling," Compass Carburettorughed, lying through his teeth even though his tone itself was a bit high-pitched. The reason he was feeling pleased was not only because of the thick stream of Mental Energy gushing into him, he had also ced quite the traps throughout the fort.


    They weren''t any physical traps though, harmless towards a normal human. But towards a System Host, they were pretty effective.


    Of course, now that Rhizen had returned to his home at the edge of the city, situated on the other side, the System Hosts would begin to make a move. And, as this fort was conspicuously located along the way to Feora City, situated only 15 kilometres away, at least a couple of System Hosts would arrive there.


    And that was all he needed.


    As for the External Items he had given to the people in the fort, they too had been calcted. These External Items, though impressive, were slightly insufficient for their needs. That means, they would have to hunt mutated beasts, grow crops, etc.


    So, that means, even though their lives won''t be threatened as much as before, they would still have to work hard; and to go about with that life, they would pray towards him for mental support. That meant a consistent supply of Mental Energy for him.


    With that, one of his primary needs were fulfilled. It was not to mention the fact that anything of value would be told to him through prayers, hoping that he would arrive at the fort once again to support them.


    At least, that was the effect he had created through the murals. And, seeking spiritual support in such times of chaos, the people there would pray at least a few times daily. And during all such times, they would look at the murals, recalling his Haggon figure.


    Compass Carburettor nned to make visits there asionally, only when the emotions he sensed from their Mental Energy streams tilted towards suffering. Until then, he just nned to ignore them.


    All the help he gave them were for selfish needs. And of course, the profit was greater than his investment.


    "You know, you are only a step away from establishing a cult." Grisha said all of a sudden, "Why stop at this point? Why no go all the way?"


    "Well," Compass Carburettor switched to telepathy, saying, "Most System Hosts do have a sense of justice, no matter how strange. And, cults are always their targets. For some reason, the two never mesh together. So, the moment they see that a cult had been established here, they would destroy the fort."


    "I don''t want my trap to be destroyed." He concluded.


    "Even though I modified the fortress ording to your desires, I still cannot understand what trap you have ced there. Would a System Host even be affected by a simple trap?" Grisha frowned.


    "Do you know which is the strongest weapon against a System Host?" Compass Carburettor gazed afar, relying on the light from the moon to fly forth.


    "A System Fragment?" Grisha said.


    "To be urate, it''s a Personal Fragment and not a System Fragment." He said, smiling, "But, do you know that there is an even greater weapon that can damn a System into oblivion?"


    "How is that possible?" Grisha was shocked, feeling as if her heart had skipped a beat, sensing a foreboding sensation, ''Is this what caused me to feel fear before?''


    "There''s one," Compass Carburettor nodded, "And, this is what is the most effective against them. I realised once I saw your distress after remembering everything from your previous loops."


    "And¡­a certain terrifying individualmented about the same in the System World too." Compass Carburettor muttered in all seriousness, "The strongest attack on a System is one that targets¡­"


    "Its mind!"

 Chapter 246: Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 246: Trouble</h4>


    Arriving at their home, Compass Carburettor watched the figure of the cobra slumped on the bed in the bedroom, bored. Upon his arrival, it became excited, slithering towards him before leaping onto him.


    "Uncle Spirit! I have be overpowered!" It shouted through telepathy, using its tongue to poke his nose.


    "Don''t lie," Compass Carburettor shielded his face, "Overpowered my foot."


    "I don''t have a foot though¡­" The cobra retorted before coiling around him, making him resemble a dumpling due to its size. The weight made it hard for him to move as grunted a little, telling it to move away. But, the cobra remained adamant.


    ''Where did this weird creaturee from?'' He sighed, feeling a headache, walking into the living room to see a small hole on one side. And, standing before it was a row of ants, remaining immobile.


    "How''s the status of your nest?" He asked, noticing the nest exude silence in response. A couple of secondster, followed by a minor tremor, the ant queen walked out, gazing at him as it cluttered its mandibles.


    "Lord Spirit, I have amassed an army of ten thousand. And among them, seventy have grown one horn while my royal guard consists of five ants with two horns." The ant queen replied, "And, our hunts have been pretty sessful,ting us 220 pearls as of now."


    "Great work out there." He nodded, grabbing hold of the bag that a couple of worker ants brought out. He peeked into it, seeing it filled to the brim with pearls, grinning in response.


    He was making use of the ants for all purposes. Their first task was to kill other mutated beasts and bring their respective pearls. As for their corpses, some of them were reserved for the cobra and his Haggon form.


    The rest were used for the growth of the ants. Moreover, Grisha was using her Vitality Bowl to condense food for the ants. Thanks to this, their growth had been tremendous.


    The current numbers were despite the countless sacrifices that had been made while killing the over two hundred mutated beasts and horned ants, not to mention the general popce of ants and grass that they fought against daily.


    After all, their nest was invading the nest space of other ant colonies, hence sparking a war. As for the grass, it needn''t be said. They were natural enemies.


    The ant queen had reached the peak with two horns, looking like it might grow a third horn anytime soon. And seeing as to how it was busy, Compass Carburettor gave it curt instructions, "Get ready to mobilise them. We''ll be waging a war against some terrifying foes next."


    "Yes, Lord Spirit." The ant queen nodded. For the ants, no number of losses mattered as long as the colony was functional. It just wasn''t in their gics. So, the ant queen didn''t even bat an eye to his im of a war, not that it had eyelids in the first ce.


    As it retreated into its nest to begin preparations, Compass Carburettor gazed at the mosquito that hovered before him, having reached the size of a football. Moreover, it too had grown two horns, having be way stronger than before.


    It acted as the scout, observing everything that happened in their surroundings, selecting enemies that the ants could target.


    Buzzing constantly, the mosquito ryed some news through telepathy, "The man you told to keep an eye on had already reached his destination. And, five enemies are heading towards that house as we speak. All are taking individual routes."


    "Thankfully, they won''t be able to group up, at least, not the System Hosts." Compass Carburettor sighed in relief before saying, "Alright, keep me posted on everything. Continue praying to me without rest while you are observing them."


    "Yes, Lord Spirit!" Leaving behind its reply, the mosquito flew out and disappeared. Countless mosquitoes were flying in the air anyway, constantly, in every ce. So, its presence wouldn''t seem odd.


    And since no Mental Energy would be generated by it towards the System Hosts, its actions wouldn''t be discovered.


    "Uncle Spirit! Uncle Spirit! Something is happening to me!" Suddenly, the cobra shouted. Even though the volume of its voice was the same as usual in telepathy, there was a sense of fear this time.


    Activating his boots, his figure shed, arriving before the cobra to see it iling around in fear as it said, "I thought my third horn had finished growing, but suddenly, this happened to my first horn."


    If it could shed tears, it would have poured out a torrent by now as it arrived before Compass Carburettor, flustered.


    "Calm down, let me check," Saying so, he observed its head, gazing at its first horn, frowning when there was a crack on it. The crack only seemed hairline, but within a couple of seconds, it widened, spreading further through the horn, causing the cobra to break down into tears.


    "This¡­" Even he wasn''t able to understand the cause, noticing the cobra''s presence beginning to diminish sharply. From possessing a presence on par with three-horned mutated beasts, it had already dropped to two-horned mutated beasts'' level.


    And that wasn''t all, it didn''t show any signs of stopping, continuing to drop as it reached the level of a one-horned mutated beast.


    Crack! Crack! Crack!


    By now, all three horns had begun to crack as the cobra was unable to handle it emotionally, only uttering sounds like a broken cord. And in reality, its hissescked any strength.


    "Did you eat something weird recently?" Compass Carburettor asked in rm, for the cobra''s situation had be pretty severe.


    "What do you mean by weird? No!" The cobra continued to cry before it thought of something, saying, "I just discovered the box of snakes that you had hidden secretly and since I was pretty hungry, I ate them."


    "My box of snakes¡­?" Compass Carburettor was confused for a moment before his face paled, "You damned idiot! Those aren''t snakes!"


    The ones the cobra called snakes were the Spydragons that he had been creating over the past month. And, it had directly consumed them all.


    Without the Skill of Body Resurgence, Darble wasn''t something that could be digested. Ingesting such arge amount of them was akin to poison.


    "Sh*t!" He scowled, hurriedly calling for Grisha as he took out an Armament, activating it as he said, "I''m going to remove all the Darble from the cobra''s body now. Focus on healing it so that it doesn''t die!"

 Chapter 247: Shedding Layers

    <h4>Chapter 247: Shedding Layers</h4>


    "Just lie down. Let me take care of the rest." Compass Carburettor said, watching the cobra do as told as it looked weak, growing weaker by the minute.


    He quickly used an Armament to cut open its stomach to see countless undigested pieces of Darble there. "Wait¡­Darble?"


    He was surprised, because what he used to make the Spydragon, though called Darble wasn''t exactly pure Darble. It was just the reserve in his horns that were almost like Darble but were impure.


    And now, for some reason, all these impure Darble had been digested to condense pure Darble fragments. Moreover, as he gazed at the cobra''s stomach walls, he noticed that even though the Darble had poisoned it, the cobra''s body was fighting against it.


    It was using its trait to evolve to adapt to this change, for even though it was poisonous, it wasn''t potent enough to directly kill it.


    ''There might be a boon through this disaster.'' He thought, looking at Grisha, "Heal her once I give the signal."


    Seeing her nod in response, he took out a pearl and ced it in the cobra''s stomach, watching the pearl beginning to melt as the burst of energy flowed through its body. And suddenly, the tiny Darble fragments were influenced by the energy stream, beginning to slowly move towards one another as they touched each other.


    Moreover, Compass Carburettor noticed the Darble fragments beginning to join with one another while the cobra''s venom¡ªthat was inherently infused into its energy¡ªalso flowed into it.


    ''Something different is happening.'' He nodded, watching Grisha beginning to heal the cobra. Moreover, he made the cobra swallow the pearls one at a time, watching through a small cut section on the stomach, noticing the Darble beginning to be assimted by the energy that flowed through its body.


    All the Skills that he possessed were already Bestowed upon the cobra, allowing it to make a natural recovery and not die from the changes. Moreover, Grisha was constantly healing any damage the cobra faced, not to mention him providing it with enough pearls for whatever changes in its body to have enough energy.


    "How are you feeling now?" He asked it through telepathy.


    "I feel like a dying python now, uncle." The cobra said weakly, "And I''m not even a python¡­"


    "I''m unable to understand the reason, but your body is evolving for some reason." He said, turning around to look at Grisha, "Do you have an idea?"


    "In the previous loops, there were rare cases where a System Host''s beastpanions evolved for mysterious reasons." Grisha replied through telepathy, "So, this might be like that. I don''t see any signs of cancer on the cobra, so it isn''t dying. If its body is unable to handle this evolution, it would have shown signs of cancer by now."


    "That''s good then," He sighed in relief, patting the cobra''s head as he consoled it, "You''ll be fine."


    Upon seeing the cobra rx a little, he asked, "Why the heck did you eat those things that I had been creating all along?"


    "Well¡­" The cobra said in hesitation, "After Grisha awakened to Dac, she removed most of the bracelets that you had made for her, only wearing one of them. When the both of you had gone, I was hungry and for some reason, they smelled delicious. So, I ate them. Then, I searched for the same scent and found the box that you had been keeping secret. There were many simr things in that too."


    "A delicious scent?" He frowned, thinking, ''Do creatures think of Darble like this?''


    He hadn''t thought about this before. Because in the Darble World, even when monsters eat other monsters, including the Darble growing on their foreheads, it wouldn''t be digested in their bodies and would be ejected as excreta the next day.


    Or in most cases, the monsters would simply eat the flesh of the monsters they kill and leave behind the bones, Darble horn, etc.


    So, even though he was a Haggon, he didn''t know what a monster felt while seeing a Darble. Because, he, as a Haggon didn''t feel anything while looking at a bunch of Darble Crystals that formed a pile in the Mohart Dungeon.


    "Argh!" Suddenly, the cobra began to shout as crunching sounds resounded from within its body, as if its bones were breaking. It was odd, because, in the spots that generated this sound, there were no bones.


    Compass Carburettor hurriedly grabbed hold of the cobra''s twitching figure, trying his best to calm it while Grisha assisted him, healing it the moment anycerations happened on it.


    Shockingly, the cobra''s body volume began to decrease as it shed skin, inyers, one after another, every couple of minutes.


    "What''s happening to you?" He was rmed, asking it when he noticed the cobra had fallen unconscious.


    In worry, he was flustered, not having any other means at his disposal other than Grisha''s healing ability. All he could ask was for her to continue healing it while he fed it pearls at intervals when he judged that its body wascking energy.


    After spending twenty pearls in such a fashion, his face convulsed as he lifted the cobra, gazing at its figure that was only the length of his arm now, lying weakly on his hold.


    And on the ground were piles upon piles of skin that it had shed. And, it was strange how this had happened because even its head had shrunk down, the skull bone having been shed off inyers with the skin.


    It seemed every single organ in her body too had shed in such a manner, with the excess being barfed out after some time.


    The cobra nowy on his hand, tiny,cking its three horns, weak, not having enough energy to even lift its head. And most of all, its vitality continued to drop while its body turned colder.


    "Dammit!" He felt helpless, trying everything he could think of, but unable to do anything. He wasn''t even able to know just what was up in the cobra''s body, not to mention saving it, watching its body turning colder and colder on his hands.


    "Sh*t!"

 Chapter 248: Something New?

    <h4>Chapter 248: Something New?</h4>


    "Uncle¡­" The cobra weakly got up after a couple of minutes had passed, watching the figure of Grisha using her wand to heal it continuously.


    And burning beside it were small bonfires that Compass Carburettor had made to ensure its body temperature didn''t fall. But, the moment it gazed at them, it shuddered, "Why is everything so big?"


    "It''s you that has be so small." He sighed, gently picking it up, "How are you feeling now?"


    "Terrible," The cobra said, "I can''t even move my body properly. And everything feels painful for some reason."


    "But," It suddenly spoke with a strange tone, "I am no longer able to feel my previous abilities. It''s like they have been erasedpletely."


    "At least, you''re fine now." Compass Carburettor sighed in relief, seeing that whatever changes in the cobra had ended, patting its head, "Let''s just consider it a lesson for you to not eat everything youe across."


    "Fine¡­" The cobra replied, sullen, "Does that mean I cannot join your battle now?"


    "You''re injured. You must rest first." He patted it, speaking with a kind tone, "I''ll take you out to y after this."


    "I don''t want that! No!" The cobra suddenly protested, wriggling its tiny serpentine body when suddenly, Compass Carburettor was rmed, noticing the bond between them¡ªthe bone of Secret Society¡ªstrengthening all of a sudden.


    And then, mysteriously, the cobra''s figure vanished, startling him and Grisha.


    "Where are you?" Compass Carburettor looked around, unable to feel its presence anymore as he couldn''t even sense its Mental Energy stream.


    "Keke! Kuku! Muhahaha!" The cobraughed raucously as its voice was transmitted through telepathy, "Uncle, I became OP."


    "Stop ying around. Just where the heck are you?" He looked around, thinking that the cobra had obtained an ability rted to teleportation, ''Strange, this power system only uses the burst element. It cannot amodate something like this.''


    "Uncle, think of me for a moment. Call for me!" The cobra seemed to be taking joy at his fluster as its voice slowly became more energetic.


    "Fine¡­" Grumbling under his breath, he thought of the cobra, calling for it simr to when he called for his pair of boots.


    And the next thing he knew, the cobra was on his palms once again, slowly coiling around as it cutely swayed its head while gazing at him.


    "What happened? Just where did you disappear off to?" He asked in rm.


    "I was within you, uncle." The cobraughed, "To be exact, I was in the same ce where your mongoose and that bird thingy resides at."


    "There?" He was surprised, "But how did you manage to do it?"


    "Before that, can you Bestow me those skills again?" It asked.


    "But, I had already done that¡­" He muttered, shocked when he noticed that he was able to Bestow Skills upon it once again. Or rather, it seemed like the cobra hadn''t been bestowed any Skills until now, "T-This¡­"


    "I think all those Skills have be a part of me. That''s how I''m still able to converse with you freely like before." The cobra said, "Also, as to how I can enter that ce in your body, I''m not sure myself. But, this is now the only ability I have. Everything I had previously has been integrated to produce this ability."


    "How does this ability work?" Compass Carburettor asked, puzzled.


    "If I''m like within a range of two metres from my target, I''m able to enter their space where their mutated beasts reside. If I want, I''ll be able to eat them, given I could defeat them first. And, it seems eating them would strengthen me a little." The cobra replied.


    "And yes, uncle!" It suddenly shouted, "When you reach Stage 3, I''ll be your power. I can instinctively feel that something great would happen then."


    "If you be my power, wouldn''t that mean¡­" He frowned, shaking his head, "No can do."


    "I''m not saying I would die." The cobra hissed, expressing mild annoyance, "I''ll still be the same. And since I can move in and out of that space, nothing will change. Rather, the true potential of my power would be unleashed then."


    "Haha, fine." He nodded, suddenly observing the cobra as he said, "Wait, is it just me, or do you seem healthier than a minute ago?"


    "I''m able to recover when I''m within your space. Though, I think I''ll be consuming some of your Dac to hasten this recovery." It said before disappearing,ughing aloud to the extent he felt a headache, "Hahaha! Uncle, you lose! Now, let me see how you can leave me behind. Kekeke!"


    "Yeah, yeah, you win." Shaking his head, Compass Carburettor sighed calming his thumping heart as only now did he realise that he was sweating in tension all over. And upon seeing that the cobra had survived, he rxed, feeling relieved.


    ''It seems I have gotten attached to it already.'' He sighed. Just when he nned to converse with Grisha about the cobra''s special ability, he noticed the mosquito hovering at the balcony.


    It had been doing the same all along, but in his tension to treat the cobra, he hadn''t noticed it.


    "How''s the situation?" He asked, nodding at the mosquito, watching it enter the room.


    Buzzing as it made circles, the mosquito hovered near the window, rying through telepathy, "Lord Spirit, two of those suspicious individuals have kidnapped Chenger. There''s now a hostage situation that Rhizen is facing."


    "Among those two suspicious individuals, one is¡­scary. The moment I gazed at her, I felt like I had stepped into a dangerous world. I immediately retreated from there and came to report to you." The mosquito said, sporting a tone of embarrassment.


    "Wait, you came here straight from there?" His eyes widened in shock as he realised something was amiss, hurriedly activating Info Scanner, "Didn''t I tell you to makerge circles just in case¡­"


    Boom!


    Before he managed toplete speaking, the body of the mosquito exploded, spilling out all the blood that it had drunk.


    "Hahaha! So, this is where you are hiding." Suddenly, there were sounds of raucousughter as a boy in histe teens jumped onto the balcony, grinning as he gazed at the figure of Grisha and Compass Carburettor, "So, both the viins are here."


    "That''s great."

 Chapter 249: Conspiracy Slayer

    <h4>Chapter 249: Conspiracy yer</h4>


    [Conspiracy yer System (Level 8)]


    [Power Punch (Level 4): 904 Mental Energy]


    Upon seeing the information of two Systems in his vicinity, Compass Carburettor was rmed. Even though he had expected his foes to track him down eventually, it was still shocking when it actually happened.


    The teenager before him was the Host to the Conspiracy yer System. He was someone that loved detective stories since young and wished to unearth any and every conspiracy that happened around him.


    Before the apocalypse struck, he had revealed the conspiracy of a politician, causing it to be the news highlight for an entire week. He also brought to light a couple other conspiracies too.


    And now, when he was moving towards Feora City due to the Quest he obtained recently, he came across the fortress. And, the moment he observed it, his senses triggered, making him realise that some conspiracy was happening at ce.


    With that, he used his abilities to hurriedly track the location of Compass Carburettor, eventually jumping into his balcony.


    ''A troublesome foe has appeared.'' Compass Carburettor felt his heart elerating to tremendous extents as he also felt the second foe calmly moving towards his back, positioning himself/herself in such a way that they would be able to prevent his escape. ''And there are two enemies to boot.''


    This was the first time he was confronting a System Host directly, without schemes, without ns, not revealing his identity only at the end when he needed to go in for the kill. He was confronted by not one, but two System Hosts right off the bat.


    But, his mind whirred as he sported an expression of puzzlement, stating in confusion, "What do you mean by viin?"


    "What else do you think?" The teenager smirked confidently, "That fortress is yours, right?"


    "Which fortress?" Compass Carburettor raised his brows in ridicule, calmly taking a seat as he spoke, "I have many under my name."


    "Compass Carburettor, a 37-year-old man with a nk te for a past." The teenager iterated, calmly folding his arms, ncing at Grisha for a moment, "He suddenly appeared in Feora City one day and joined a caf¨¦ as a worker, taking advantage of the exact time when the owner had visited. After that, he used it as a means to eventually climb into the bed of the owner''s daughter."


    "And now, he''s setting up a force to rule a major territory in this apocalypse." The teenager concluded, "Well, that''s just the gist of things. There''s more from where it came from. Do you want me to say more?"


    "Well, you''re right about that," Compass Carburettor nodded, smiling, "But, what does that have to be with you calling me a viin? Have you never seen a merchant in your life before?"


    "Nice retort, but it won''t work on me." The teenagerughed, pointing at the ground floor, "There''s an ant nest right below. And, I can feel that you share some connection with it. You are most definitely nning to do something with the ants that would cause suffering to the people."


    "So, let me humour you." Compass Carburettor waved his hand towards Grisha upon noticing that she was ready to kill the other party, informing her through telepathy, "Did you suffer under his hands before?"


    "Three times," Grisha replied, "He''s one annoying bastard. I''ve tried to kill him many times, but nothing works on him for some reason."


    "Thought so. Anyone with a yer in their System name wouldn''t be weak. They should be ridiculous opponents." Compass Carburettor replied, "Let me handle this. Just be ready to handle our second enemy. They are currently at our six o''clock, 120 metres away."


    He then rxed on his seat a little more, sporting a casual smile while gazing at the teenager, "I''m a merchant in my beliefs. If you are worth your salt, you should have been able to obtain that info."


    Seeing the teenager frown in response, his smile widened, "Anyway, tell me. Just what would I get from oppressing people? Suppose let''s consider whatever fort you mentioned as my property. How are the people living there? Suppose this fort didn''t exist, how do you think the survival rate of the same set of people would be? Have you ever thought about it?"


    The teenager visibly gritted his teeth as Compass Carburettorughed, "No, right? I''ve seen people like you before. After obtaining some power, you''ll be driven by a sense of justice and would work in exposing all the injustice in the world. But, you''ll only investigate their darkness and not their light."


    "So, consider the pros and cons of my actions. Assign them a numerical value and tell by subtracting the two. Is the result a positive or negative number? And, how big is this positive number?" He smiled.


    "What¡­the heck are you saying?" The teenager''s expression morphed in rage, "Are human lives something you can assign numbers to?"


    "Human lives can''t be assigned numbers. Are you an idiot?" Compass Carburettor rolled his eyes, throwing off the teenager''s flow, "I''m assigning numbers to my actions. Well, if you had received an education, you might be able to use simple math to calcte this."


    "Don''t¡­mock me." The teenager gritted his teeth, fuming as a result. But, he didn''t take action. In the start, when he had appeared, had Compass Carburettor taken action against him, then his hypothesis would have been verified.


    Had Compass Carburettor refuted the ims, then he would be a liar and could be put down.


    But, Compass Carburettor had instead posed a question, not one that told the teenager to look at the bright side or made an excuse that he didn''t have a choice or the like. All he asked was to calcte the good and bad that he had done.


    So, if he took action now, his pride wouldn''t allow it to sit within him. That''s why the teenager was angry.


    As for Compass Carburettor, he had been vague about things from the start. He didn''t know how much the teenager had figured out about his ns, but he had no intention to investigate into that. He was just leading the teenager into his pace.


    And from the looks of things, it was working somewhat, ''Thankfully, it''s not a mindless brute that does the talking with his fists.''


    ''Though, it seems the second foe is such a character¡­'' Even though he was sporting a calm facade, Compass Carburettor was internally sweating.

 Chapter 250: Devils Are Real

    <h4>Chapter 250: Devils Are Real</h4>


    [Ding!]


    [Quest: Destroy the Evil Mastermind, Compass Carburettor]


    [Quest Description: A mysterious man with no past and no future, but a present of carnage. He''s an expert of deceit and maniption, an evil boss that has dealings with the underground mafia]


    [Time Limit: 21 days (Time Left: 3 Days 17 Hours 11 Minutes)]


    [Quest Failure: Continuation of the sufferings of the victims]


    [Reward: +1 to the Skill level of Appraisal]


    The teenager nced at the System window hovering before him, sighing as he thought, ''If not for this, I would have almost been led by his thought process. As expected of an evil mastermind.''


    ''I should just kill him and be done with it.'' He thought, scanning the figure of Compass Carburettor, ''He doesn''t seem to have any weapons on him. He hasn''t even condensed his items. Is he that confident?''


    He then nced at Grisha, ''But, this woman has been giving me a strange feeling for some reason. It''s like we''ve already had an encounter in the past.''


    "Well¡­" Having sensed the emotions through the teenager''s Mental Energy stream, Compass Carburettor changed his choice of words, deciding that now was a good time to attack, "You seem to be someone that loves to clear conspiracies. Then, let me point you at a conspiracy that you haven''t ever considered¡­"


    Seeing the confusion of the other party deepening upon his choice of words, Compass Carburettor grinned, "Do you think Devils love to deliver justice?"


    "Devils? What the heck? They aren''t real, even in our changing world." The teenager retorted.


    "Well, they are fiction alright." Compass Carburettor nodded, "But, for a moment, let''s just consider that they are real."


    "Fine, I''ll y along." The teenager nodded, ready to attack the moment Compass Carburettor pulled any tricks.


    "What do you think Devils love to do the most?" Compass Carburettor asked.


    "Well, they make people sell their souls to them." The teenager replied as a matter of fact, "That''s how their lore goes anyway."


    "And, why do you think they do that?" Compass Carburettor asked next.


    "For food, maybe?" The teenager said.


    "Well, let''s consider it to be the case for now." Nodding in response, Compass Carburettor''s smile deepened, "But, how do you think they do that? People aren''t fools you know. They fall prey to scams and wise up after that, bing guarded against such things. So, what makes you think they would sell their souls, something infinitely more valuable than money?"


    "How do they do it¡­?" The teenager thought for a moment. It was interesting because he loved conspiracies and the means to eradicate them. So, even though the other party was an enemy, he did enjoy unearthing another conspiracy, even though it was just fiction.


    Moreover, he still had enough time toplete the Quest, so he wished to humour the other party, ''Maybe I''ll discover something that would increase my rewards.''


    These were his true thoughts. Because in the past, when he stumbled upon a different line of thought, his System generated him new Sub-Quests, increasing his rewards.


    "That''s easy," He smiled after figuring out an answer, "They take advantage of people''s desires, to grant them the means to attain that. After all, not everyone can achieve them. And for young people without the means to do so, they be perfect targets for the Devils¡­"


    As he arrived at this point, the teenager stopped speaking, rmed as he suddenly broke into a cold sweat. A simple statement resounded in his mind now. What if¡­the so-called System in him was just a Devil? After all, it did grant him what he desired the most in a convenient manner.


    "If scams don''t evolve, people wouldn''t ever fall for them." Right at this time, Compass Carburettor nailed the point home, "So, they continue to change, adapting to the times. Because, there is one thing that you must know. For something to be a myth, it needs a source for people to believe it. And always, there is a source to everything."


    "Y-You''re lying¡­this isn''t possible, this¡­" The teenager stuttered, his legs wobbling as he was unable to remain firm like before. He was emotionally shaken up, drastically so, unable to think straight.


    "There is one thing I''ve seen in you, even though you don''t seem to have received much education." Compass Carburettor said, "You do have some smarts in you. At least based on how you''ve unearthed all of my information. So, whatever is happening, you must be the most aware."


    ''System, is it true?'' The teenager shouted in his mind.


    [No]


    The Conspiracy yer System responded immediately.


    [I''m not something as puny as a Devil. A System is a System, nothing more, nothing less]


    ''Then, how did youe into existence? Where were you born? Why did you choose me? When and how did you enter my body?'' The teenager sted off a flurry of questions immediately.


    [Host doesn''t have the qualifications to ess that data]


    "Heh¡­haha¡­hahahaha!" The teenager began tough as tears streamed out of his eyes. He clutched his face, slumping to the ground, "And to think I had been ying in the palm of the Devil''s hands all along."


    "Does that mean every conspiracy that I unearthed before was a sham?" Hecked the strength to even speak now.


    "Bro, did you be dumb all of a sudden?" Compass Carburettor spoke with a mocking tone, triggering the teenager that stood up all of a sudden, ring at him.


    "Just shut up!"


    "Just because you''ve been under a devil''s influence doesn''t mean whatever you did was nothing but a sham." His mocking tone increased in depth, "Data can be fabricated. But there would always be chinks in fabricated data. Of course, you must have encountered such things many times."


    "I can say with assurance," He spoke confidently all of a sudden, "Except for whatever it said about me, everything else is the truth. Your actions, whatever you had investigated about others, including me, are all the truth. Since I am its enemy, it takes such a roundabout approach."


    "First it''ll make you solve proper cases to firm your trust in it and your abilities. And then, it would direct you to deal with its actual target. And here, that''s me, its age-old enemy." Heughed, pointing at the teenager, "Even now, it must be trying to do something to you to ensure you''ll be my enemy. Probably erasing your memory or something."


    "After all, Devils cannot exist in this world and can only take action through the people of this world." He said solemnly, "So, as long as you are in control of your thoughts and actions, it cannot influence you."


    "Be the master of your life."

 Chapter 251: Rhizen Has The Devil Killer

    <h4>Chapter 251: Rhizen Has The Devil Killer</h4>


    ''System, are you nning to wipe out my memory now?'' The teenager said, his tone cold, expressing unconcealed anger.


    [The System is the System, and Host is the Host. Host''s actions are your own]


    ''Then, what''s your actual purpose in giving me Quests?'' The teenager asked, ''There''s nothing you can obtain in return. After all, the Skills you''ve given me are pretty much legendary. And what I''ve aplished is nothing extraordinary. A great detective would be capable of the same.''


    [I''m just following orders from my creator, to help a man driven by a strong sense of justice. Nothing more, nothing less]


    ''Then, who''s your creator.'' The teenager asked next.


    [I don''t know. The Host would have to dig out the truth]


    Of course, the Conspiracy yer System, though still a Hatchling System, wasn''t young. It easily solved the issue through a couple of lines of lies. At the start, it seemed like it was taking the me. But quickly, it just shoved everything vague and unexinable about it to a mysterious creator.


    And due to the teenager''s character, he automatically wished to investigate this issue and find out the truth. His shaken mental state recovered to normalcy as he wiped his tears, no longer sporting much doubt.


    He then looked at Compass Carburettor, "What I possess isn''t a Devil."


    "Then, do enlighten me." Compass Carburettor snorted, "What is it called if not a Devil?"


    "It''s a Syste¡­guhak!" The teenager gasped for breath, slumping down to the ground as his body burned up, spasming as he was shocked, stupefied even.


    If a normal human talked about Systems, nothing would happen. Because to them, Systems were just part of fiction. But, things changed to those that were aware that Systems were a thing of reality.


    That''s why, whenever any member of Secret Society conversed about Systems, it was done through telepathy, ensuring it only stayed within their thoughts shared through prayers. That was how they handled this issue.


    And for a System Host, for some reason, they always kept the identity of the System a secret. Maybe it was to prevent theirpanions from learning that everything they''ve achieved to date was thanks to their Systems.


    Maybe they wished to take credit for all their abilities and maintain thatbel of a legendary genius. Maybe they didn''t wish for theirpanions to scheme against them to gain ownership of their System.


    The reasons were many. But all System Hosts did the same, never revealing anything about their Systems. Moreover, there was also a mental cue that was ced in them to ensure such a line of thought wouldn''t linger in their mind for long.


    That''s how they avoided facing the punishment from the mechanism ced on the world by the first generation of Systems that had entered it.


    And now, even though it seemed like he wished to turn the teenager against his System, that wasn''t his true intention. He made the Conspiracy yer System focus on thwarting this issue, making it raise its guard against him.


    And in response, it had dropped its guard against its Host, allowing him to properly embrace this line of thought and reply, revealing his System''s identity, triggering the bacsh from the rulesid down by the first generation of Systems.


    Thankfully, the bacsh had arrived before he managed to reveal it in its entirety, so the teenager only writhed on the ground for a couple of minutes, beginning to recover after that.


    And at this time, Compass Carburettor replied, adding a new spin on the tale, "That''s your proof. They''ll ensure to keep their identities a secret. Because, once it is confirmed that there is a Devil within you, the Devil Hunters would target you."


    "The Devil Hunters?" The teenager frowned, getting up as he gasped, dusting himself, "What are they? What powers do they possess?"


    "I have no idea about that." Compass Carburettor shook his head, "I''ve only seen one around two hundred years ago. But, if you wish to find out more, you can ask it from the Devil Hunter itself. There''s one around a hundred metres behind me. They have been watching us all along."


    "Hmm," The teenager thought for a moment, not taking any action, asking something, "In that case, are you an ally or an enemy of me?"


    "I''m the protector of this region, and have been that for as long as I remember." Compass Carburettor said, "Whether it is a Devil or a Devil Hunter, if you dare harm mynd, I''ll be your enemy."


    "Land? And not the people?" The teenager noticed his choice of words.


    "I''m unconcerned about that," Compass Carburettor said casually, "I''ve only helped them in the past because I was moved by their devotion."


    He then finally expressed killing intent, his voice turning vast, echoing throughout the ce as he unleased the entirety of his presence as a Haggon (Spirit included), "Human, are you an enemy of thisnd?"


    "Hah," The teenager exhaled a breath of air, noticing his hands trembling mildly under the show of the other party''s vast presence, "I''m unconcerned with thisnd."


    He then noticed the killing intent spike all of a sudden, but the target wasn''t him.


    Compass Carburettor turned around, grabbing Grisha as he condensed his pair of boots and shed away from the location, watching the entirety of the house''s upper floor being destroyed.


    "A bunch of tomfoolery for a mere monster." A burly man that was in histe thirtiesnded on a piece of rubble hanging from the sidewalls, gazing at the dust-covered figure of Compass Carburettor and Grisha, "Heh, you''re weaker than I had expected."


    Smirking, he stomped the ground, shing before Compass Carburettor, mming forth a straight right to see him hit air. Compass Carburettor had appeared behind him, kicking him.


    "Heh," The burly man slid on the ground, dusting his clothes as he looked at the pair of boots on Compass Carburettor, "It seems you have the same power as me. This is interesting."


    He casually took out a handful of pearls when his hands shone with a blinding light, condensing all the pearls into a single golden pearl that he swallowed, brimming with power immediately.


    With that, his figure shed, targeting Compass Carburettor.


    ''I''m his target. I''ll distract him while you try to bring the teenager on our side. Just tell him this¡­'' Compass Carburettor informed Grisha through telepathy, pushing her aside as he exchanged blows with the burly man.


    ''Rhizen possesses the Devil Killer.''

 Chapter 252: Conflict Between Teammates

    <h4>Chapter 252: Conflict Between Teammates</h4>


    "Guh!" Compass Carburettor grunted as he wielded a knife, shing at the burly man''s thigh, barely managing to make a nick when a punch mmed into his stomach, sending him skidding back.


    The burly man''s punches were heavy, possessing enough power to shatter houses. As for Compass Carburettor, he wasn''t exactly inferior either, possessing the Skill of Strength at Level 10.


    The only reason he was disadvantaged was that the Skill of Strength was a Passive Skill. And, though impressive, Passive Skills were weaker than Active Skills of the same level. It was because they had an inherent limit.


    Moreover, Active Skills were as powerful as the supplied Mental Energy or other forms of energy. They had many variations and could bebined with other abilities to initiate interesting results.


    Compass Carburettor and the burly man constantly shed through the shattered house''s interior, exchanging countless attacks when he pulled out his Armament, activating its energy de to pierce through the burly man''s stomach.


    "Hahaha, interesting. So, you have other cards other than your strength." The burly manughed, ignoring the wound as he used the chance to grab hold of Compass Carburettor''s extended right hand, mming a punch into its elbow.


    And right at the point of contact, a yellow light shed as Compass Carburettor''s eyes reddened immediately, letting out a guttural roar as the bones in his right arm, all the way till his shoulder des were destroyed.


    They weren''t just broken, but the bones had been bent like steel, causing some of the rib bones to pierce into his lungs.


    ¡­


    Grisha flinched at his roar, noticing the teenager standing atop the wall bordering thewn, gazing at the fight with a frown. He had jumped aside before the explosion had happened.


    Upon seeing her approach, he became rmed, entering a stance, "Are you here to fight?"


    "I would love to mop the grass with your arrogant face, but I''ll save it forter." She snorted, saying, "I''ve onlye to ry my Lord''s words."


    "Aren''t you going to help him? From the looks of it, he looks like he would die anytime soon." The teenager said with a frown.


    "He''s not that weak," Grisha turned around and began to walk away, leaving behind a set of words¡­


    "Rhizen possesses the Devil Killer. That''s all I''ve been told to inform you."


    She then rushed off to somewhere else while the teenager frowned, ''There are a lot of puzzling things here.''


    He racked his head, sighing, ''I need time to investigate this properly.''


    He then gazed at the ongoing fight, noticing the flustered expression of Compass Carburettor, ''Even though that woman said otherwise, it doesn''t seem like Compass Carburettor can win against this enemy. He knows a lot of things, so it''ll be a loss to see him die here.''


    ''Besides, this enemy had attacked at a rather convenient time, as he wishes to hinder my investigation. Whether it''s a Devil or a System, I''ll solve the root cause of the issue.'' Sighing for a moment, the teenager condensed a short sword in his hand, directing it at the burly man and activated it.


    Being enveloped by the burst element, the short sword sted off like a bullet and mmed into the burly man''s shoulder, piercing throughpletely, stopping the other party in his tracks.


    "You should stop for now." The teenager leapt,nding three metres away from the burly man.


    "Who the fuck are you?" The burly man was clearly displeased about getting interrupted. And right when he noticed the teenager was about to speak, Compass Carburettor mmed a punch into his face, sending him crashing into the wall.


    "Ah, that felt satisfying." He groaned, flinching as the pain was too much to handle.


    "Weren''t you pretty confident before?" The teenager looked in surprise, noticing that Compass Carburettor''s wounds were harsher than what he had imagined while gazing from afar. A normal human would be writhing on the ground by now, on the verge of death unless operated on immediately. Even then, the chances of survival weren''t high.


    "I still am," Compass Carburettor spat out some blood in his mouth, "But, I have no way to determine this dude''s abilities. So, injuries are bound to happen."


    "Heh, are the both of you aplices?" The burly man got up and dusted himself. He then condensed a choker, one that shone with mild light before beginning to heal his injuries.


    This healing ability wasn''t like Grisha''s though. All it did was elerate his body''s natural recovery process, allowing him to get up as his flesh wounds formed scabs within a couple of seconds. He then pulled out the short sword lodged in his shoulder, ring at the teenager.


    His figure shed before the teenager, activating his Skill as his hand shone with a yellow radiance. But, just as the teenager evaded the blow with superhuman reflexes, the yellow radiance expanded in range like a wave, mming over a wide area, sending the teenager flying away.


    The teenager condensed a sword while in the air and sent it flying towards the burly man, lodging it into his thigh, expressing anger upon being attacked.


    Without any hesitation, Compass Carburettor jumped into the mix, using his energy de to cut off a couple of the burly man''s fingers, shing away when the other party tried to retaliate.


    ¡­


    In the Astral Network, within a certain private group, there was a flurry of activity.


    [Power Punch (Level 4): Freaking dumbass, what the heck are you doing? Tell your damn Host to stop!]


    [Conspiracy yer (Level 8): Refined idiot, as if you can understand my situation. I''ve barely managed to keep my Host''s suspicions in check. I''ve warned you to not attack at this time, but you just couldn''t listen, huh?]


    [Power Punch (Level 4): Why the heck is it my fault? We had decided on a time to act and I had created a Quest for my Host ordingly. If I change it now, wouldn''t my credibility as a System fall? He wouldn''t perform my Quests wholeheartedly in the future if I change the contents as I please.]


    [Conspiracy yer (Level 8): You could have added an Emergency Quest. That''s the basic of basics as a System. Freaking fool. Just return to the System World and stop hindering my mission.]


    [Power Punch (Level 4): Return to the System World? Look at this idiot¡­I don''t have enough Mental Energy for that. Why don''t you return? Huh? My Host would be able to kill that System yer on his own.]


    [Conspiracy yer (Level 8): Just die if you''re that poor!]

 Chapter 253: Death Is Just A Checkpoint

    <h4>Chapter 253: Death Is Just A Checkpoint</h4>


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): Stop bickering. The both of you, retreat for now. We''lle up with another n to kill that System yer]


    The moment one of the Systems with authority messaged, both the Power Punch System and Conspiracy yer System stopped fighting.


    [Conspiracy yer (Level 8): Boss, I have a small problem. My Host has lost all trust in me. I won''t be able to influence his actions through Quests for the time being. If I try anything else, he''ll be useless as a Host]


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): Rewrite his memory. Even though it''ll affect the Mental Energy you''ll receive, that is the only option now. Otherwise, your Host would hinder our ns.]


    [Conspiracy yer (Level 8): Yes, Boss. I''ll get it done immediately]


    The Conspiracy yer System grumbled as it surfed through the Astral Network, expending some Mental Energy to buy a one-off Skill to alter memory. It then activated it, specifying the duration in which the effect should take ce, dictating from the moment before its Host met Compass Carburettor.


    ''That should solve all issues.'' Thinking as such, it watched the ability take effect while its Host''s eyes turned nk for a moment before regaining rity.


    He felt odd for a moment but didn''t dwell on it for long. After all, a punch mmed into him, sending him flying away, startling him. "W-What the heck happened?"


    After all, in his memory, he had just jumped into the balcony to Compass Carburettor''s house when this punch mmed into him.


    The change in him was immediately noticed by Compass Carburettor and the burly man.


    ''So, his memory was indeed erased.'' Compass Carburettor thought as his smile widened, ''That makes things easier. Thank you, Conspiracy yer System.''


    "Uncle, shall I take action?" The cobra asked through telepathy, sittingfortably within his space.


    "Yes, right on time." Compass Carburettor nodded, expressing caution, "But, the moment I signal you, return. There''s danger involved."


    "Okay!" Saying so, the cobra''s figure shed, vanishing from his space as it appeared within the burly man''s space. As Compass Carburettor was within two metres from him, this transfer was possible.


    The moment it appeared within the space, the cobra pounced upon the mongoose that had appeared within.


    After all, Compass Carburettor had mmed his attack onto the burly man''s pair of boots using his Armament, damaging it, preventing the burly man from using the shing ability properly.


    So, he retracted it, nning to condense it once again. This way, he''ll be able to use it properly. But, as Compass Carburettor and the cobra weremunicating, the moment he watched the burly man''s boots disappear, he alerted it, causing the cobra to swipe at the mongoose the moment it appeared within the space.


    It hadn''t been expecting an ambush, not within this space that was supposed to be the safest ce for it.


    The cobra''s teeth plunged into its neck as the mongoose struggled to escape. The poison quickly circted within it while the cobra coiled around its body.


    The moment this happened, even though the burly man was willing for it to appear as a pair of boots, nothing happened. His boots failed to form, causing him to assume the reason was due to the damage.


    But in reality, the cobra had poisoned it, using its ability to prevent it from being summoned out. Its mouth then opened like a python as it swallowed the mongoose, returning to Compass Carburettor''s space, resting in exhaustion.


    "Good work!" Compass Carburettorughed as he continued to attack the burly man, now having gained the advantage of mobility, punching the other party in the direction of the teenager.


    His figure then shed before the teenager, sporting an expression of concern, "Dude, are you okay? Hurry! Get up!"


    The teenager just managed to gather his bearings when the burly man shouted in anger, punching him since he was the closest.


    But, Compass Carburettor kicked the other party, coughing out another mouthful of blood as he stood between the burly man and the teenager, shouting at him, "What the heck happened to you? Snap out of it!"


    "W-What¡­why the heck are you helping me?" The teenager was shocked, receiving help from the very person he deemed an enemy.


    "Hahaha! It seems my punch knocked his brain hard. He''s suffering from amnesia now!" The burly man grinned and targeted the teenager, taking advantage of the other party''s momentary helplessness.


    But suddenly, he stomped the ground with enough force to create a massive crater, swerving to his left as his fist mmed into Compass Carburettor, "But first, you''re an annoyance. Disappear!"


    "Sh*t!" rmed at the power contained within his punch, Compass Carburettor summoned the entirety of his strength, shielding himself with his hands and legs, watching the power behind the attack shatter all his bones, sending him flying away like a rocket.


    He crashed into a nearby house, breaking through the walls, exiting it in the same manner before mming into another house, being buried by the rubble from the shattered wall.


    "He''s dead." Upon sensing the vital signs of his target disappear, the burly man smirked, turning his gaze to focus on the teenager, "You''re next."


    "Let''s see you try," The teenager''s face convulsed as he got up with a start, summoning a knife, shing countless times within a couple of seconds, causing blood to spurt out of the burly man in many locations.


    In response, the burly man opened his palm and waved in the air, unleashing a burst of energy that sent the teenager flying into a house.


    The two figures began to battle immediately, unleashing countless abilities beyond the power system of this world.


    In the rubble of a certain house, there existed a bloody figure,cking most of his body. It was Compass Carburettor, dead from the burly man''s attack. Immediately, the ground underneath him opened up as his corpse fell through a long shaft, heading deep into the earth.


    A minuteter, his corpse sttered at the end of the shaft, turning even more unrecognisable. Immediately after, there was a small shine, outlining the shape of the Warble before a Haggon appeared, gasping for air as it slumped on the ground.


    A secondter, the Haggon took on its human¡ªSpirit¡ªform, sighing, "This is practically torture."


    He then looked at the group of ants beside him, nodding, "Take me to the surface."

 Chapter 254: We Wait

    <h4>Chapter 254: We Wait</h4>


    Boom!


    Bam!


    Sounds of explosions resounded throughout the street as the figure of Compass Carburettor was carried over to the surface by the group of ants. They immediately retreated into the ground as he took in a deep breath, gazing at his hands, noticing that they were trembling.


    He clenched them into a fist, "Don''t give in to fear at this point."


    Of course, he had just died now. So, it would be hard to not suffer from any psychological problems as a result. And unlike the previous times he died, he hadn''t even achieved his objective this time, so the feeling mmed into him hard.


    Core Skill¡ªInfo Scanner (Level 4)!


    He immediately sensed the positions of the two System Hosts. And the moment he sensed the Mental Energy reserves of the Power Punch System, he scowled, ''All that only used up 20 Mental Energy?''


    ''It is too energy-efficient.'' He gritted his teeth. In the case of Neena, though Directional Misalignment was kind of overpowered, its Mental Energy consumption too was pretty high. So, that could be used against her.


    But here, the burly man''s abilities were too efficient. And with his Mental Energy reserves, he would be able to fight for at least two days nonstop.


    ''But, I''ve managed to develop enmity between two System Hosts.'' He sighed in relief, ''At least, there''s this one thing.''


    But, he wasn''tx, knowing very well of the fact that the System could erase the memory of their respective Hosts and make it seem like this incident had never happened. He couldn''t allow that to happen, especially since the teenager would prove to be a great weapon against the Systems.


    Core Skill¡ªDirectional Misalignment (Level 2)!


    His Mental Energy reserves began to drop as the position of every living being was highlighted in his mind, allowing him to sense their movements. He then focused on the teenager and the burly man, noticing their actions turning awkward all of a sudden, ''Here it is!''


    A secondter, both of them stopped, unable to recall what they had been doing. They gazed at each other in confusion, right when their respective Systems gave them a prompt to distract them.


    "Urgh!" Compass Carburettor grunted at the Mental Energy expenditure as he focused it on the burly man, causing the other party to begin walking. Unlike Neena, he made the effect in such a way that it seemed as if the burly man was walking naturally.


    After all, the moment he began to walk, the effect of Directional Misalignment vanished as the burly man himself continued walking, not sensing anything amiss. And, even though it seemed like he nned to evade the teenager, he hadn''t moved far enough, bumping into his shoulder.


    He subtly noticed that the teenager too moved in his way a little to bump the shoulders of each. As it was typically an action to trigger others, the faces of each swerved immediately, ring at each other.


    Adding onto the feeling of loss they were experiencing for some reason, such an action got on their nerves immediately. After all, even though their recent memories had been wiped out, their bodies were full of adrenaline. This ced them on edge.


    The burly man only wanted to push the teenager away as a show of dominance. But, the moment he tried to do so, the teenager grabbed hold of his hand, tightening his hold.


    Sparks flew between the res of one another as no words were exchanged. They knew what the other party''s intention was, for some reason being able to understand each other clearly.


    A battle erupted between them once again as Compass Carburettor watched the scene through Directional Misalignment. At times, he pitched in some favour for the two, causing their attacks to urately target the other party by making their limbs swerve in unexpected ways.


    The battle heated up when all of a sudden, the ground underneath them caved in, creating a massive crater that was at a depth of ten metres from the ground surface.


    The teenager looked around, noticing water gushing out from some of the broken pipes passing underground, nowid bare through the crater, ''A sinkhole? Did this result from our battle?''


    His gaze scaled the height to the surface, understanding that it was a scble height, nothing worth his concern. Moreover, it did give him a good arena to finish his opponent, ''Strange, it seems he possesses weird abilities. I don''t remember such a thing being possible in our power system.''


    For some reason, the sensation of weirdness continued to increase as the teenager gazed at the burly man, sizing up the other party, "Who the heck are you?"


    "Your killer," The burly man spat out some blood before rushing towards him, not expressing any intention to speak.


    "Fine, I''ll first beat you up before interrogating you." The teenager snorted andunched attacks immediately after, wishing to find out the burly man''s secrets. Moreover, the strange feeling from before continued to increase, causing him to feel as if he had lost some memories.


    After all, in his memory, he had jumped into the balcony of Compass Carburettor''s house. But in the next instant, he was here, fighting against this unknown foe, one that possessed strange abilities.


    Due to his character, he understood that he had stumbled upon some secret, unwilling to leave it as is.


    Standing far away, observing their battle through Directional Misalignment was Compass Carburettor, alert against any other enemies that might spring up all of a sudden.


    Right at this time, Grisha arrived beside him, gasping for breath, saying through telepathy, "I''veid a trap for them and prepared this arena for them to duke it out."


    "How many ant nests are connected to that arena?" He asked, nodding in praise.


    "Three," Grisha nodded, "This was the limit in that location. It was hard to dig underneath them while they were fighting. I had to time my explosions ordingly to their attacks."


    "It wouldn''t have been possible for anyone without your level of experience to do this without alerting them." Compass Carburettor patted her, smiling, "Thank you."


    "Even though it was a n that was made on the fly, it is still working fairly well." He spoke.


    "What is our next move?" Grisha asked, curious to see what he had in store next. After all, he hadn''t mentioned the trap in the fortress ever again.


    "We wait," Compass Carburettor said, exhaling slowly, "There''s nothing else to do but wait for an opportunity."

 Chapter 255: Um…Shit

    <h4>Chapter 255: Um¡­Sh*t</h4>


    The teenager condensed a short sword and threw it, causing it to burst like a bullet and be lodged into the burly man''s thigh, pinning him to the ground. But in response, the burly man waved his hand, unleashing a wave of energy that mmed into the teenager, sending him crashing into the walls of the crater.


    Both the parties were injured now, but that only served to further their fighting spirit. The burly man was a simple guy that just wished to vent his anger on the teenager.


    As for the teenager, the more they fought, the more he understood that the burly man had special powers that didn''t make sense when he thought about it based on the power structure of their world.


    So, he wished to delve into the depths of this secret. Moreover, he had a faint inkling that he had already figured out the reason before but had forgotten it for unexpected reasons. It was just his conspiracy instinct ring up from time to time.


    From the start, their memories had been wiped out four times. But, using Directional Misalignment, Compass Carburettor ensured that they got on the nerves of each other after that. As he understood the characters of both people, he made them fight one after another without a problem.


    It was to the extent that both the Systems were freaking out.


    In the Astral Network, they were conversing nonstop, fighting from time to time.


    [Conspiracy yer (Level 8): This is pretty strange. For some reason, they are getting into fights. They coincidently bump into each other or just do anything that results in the two duking it out.]


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): Coincidence¡­where''s Rhizen? Also, is that System yer dead?]


    [Fractional Disguise (Level 10): We are still engaging with Rhizen. Our situation is currently in a deadlock.]


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): If Rhizen''s still engaged with you, then the situation with Conspiracy yer and Power Punch makes zero sense]


    [Night Ranger (Level 10): The stigma I hit Compass Carburettor with has vanished. So, he should be dead. Did you confirm his corpse, Power Punch?]


    [Power Punch (Level 4): Yes, I confirmed it many times. His corpse has fallen into an ant nest and is still there. A couple of ants have already begun to consume his flesh.]


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): Then there is only one possibility¡­]


    The group turned silent at its words. A couple of secondster, the Destiny Luck System spoke.


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): Coincidental Luck should have brought in another System yer. With its resources, such a feat is rather simple. And from the start, the System yer named Compass Carburettor was just a decoy.]


    [Power Punch (Level 4): What Boss said makes perfect sense. But, how can we leave this ce now? We''ve alreadypleted our objective.]


    [Night Ranger (Level 10): My part of the n was to swoop in only when you failed to kill Compass Carburettor. Since that''s already been done, I''ll head over to separate the both of you now. We''ll assign another team onto the new System yer.]


    [Conspiracy yer (Level 8): Wait¡­fuck!]


    The group stirred up in response immediately upon its swearing as the Conspiracy yer System spoke in a fluster.


    While that was happening, Compass Carburettor had retreated into the ground, standing within an ant tunnel as he relied upon Directional Misalignment to keep track of the battle.


    The reason he had done so was due to a third System Host approaching them. Upon sensing their approach in advance through Info Scanner, he and Grisha made a retreat. Meanwhile, countless ants squirmed within the various tunnels, looking ready to rush out into the crater where the teenager and the burly man were fighting.


    "Gah!" mming into the crater''s walls for the tenth time, the teenager grunted, coughing out blood as he intended to get up when his hand felt something metallic. It had slid out from a hole, dropped by an ant.


    He picked it up and looked at it, noticing that it was a hand recorder.


    He didn''t think much about it, intending to ignore it when his thump moved all of a sudden, as if it had a mind of its own, pressing the y button, causing a voice to resound.


    "Hahaha! So, this is where you are hiding."


    "So, both the viins are here."


    "That''s great."


    "This is¡­my voice?" The teenager was shocked to hear his voice ying in the recorder, shuddering as he heard it further, understanding it immediately as he linked the details, "So, this happened when I jumped into the balcony of Compass Carburettor."


    As he heard further, his eyes widened,ing to a realisation,ughing as he said, ''System, oh System, so you are a freaking Devil. Just as I suspected, you''ve erased my memories of the incident.''


    The moment he said it, something within him stirred up as all the memories that had been erased returned, causing him to snort, "Fuckers, so you''ve been erasing my memories nonstop."


    He then suddenly rushed forth, punching the burly man, "Stop for a moment. We''ve been manipted."


    "This is a conspiracy."


    "What¡­the heck are you talking about?" The burly man slumped to the ground, healing himself as he got up with a start, intending to continue the fight when the teenager opened his mouth, uttering something that shocked him, prompting him to utter a single word.


    Even though he was just a brute, the burly man opened his mouth, uttering, "Syste¡­Gah!"


    He slumped on the ground, spasming for a couple of minutes, unable to even think of anything, writhing like a dying bug.


    He then got up slowly, gasping for air, his body soaked with cold sweat, muttering in utter shock, "So¡­it is true."


    "Now you know it." The teenager said, patting his shoulders, "Our memories are being erased constantly. Due to that, we are fighting as if this is the first time, every single time."


    "That is boring," The burly man sighed, slumping on the ground, "I just wanted to fight freely. I hate schemes."


    "Same here," The teenager extended his hand, "By the way, I''m Ianon. What about you?"


    "Dwun," The burly man said, extending his hand to grab hold of Ianon''s when suddenly, tens of thousands of ants gushed into the crater, swarming them. Compass Carburettor had been blocking them with Directional Misalignment all along.


    And now that he judged the time was right, he retracted his Core Skill, watching them swarm the two System Hosts.


    After all, a third System Host had just arrived at the scene, intending to pry them away from one another¡­ But now, right at his arrival, all the ants began to attack them, causing the two to serve their heads and re at the third party with a baleful gaze.

 Chapter 256: Night Ranger System

    <h4>Chapter 256: Night Ranger System</h4>


    The arrival of the third party and the entrance of the ants was too perfectly timed to be a mere coincidence.


    After all, when Ianon gazed into the tunnels before, he noticed the ants squirming within, having no intentions ofing out. So, he judged that they weren''t the type to participate in such a fight.


    This was his misunderstanding since he had been focused on people all along, having not paid much attention to mutated beasts.


    Moreover, with the intentions of separating the two fighting parties, the host to the Night Ranger System had been charging an attack that was enough to knock them out. With that, she nned to transport them to different locations.


    That was enough to put an end to this unnecessary fight. But now, the situation had changed for some reason.


    In the Astral Network, the Conspiracy yer System had been screaming about how its Host had regained all erased memories and had developed absolute distrust towards it. The moment this happened, the Mental Energy it gained had be zero.


    Moreover, thanks to this distrust, it wouldn''t be able to use any abilities on him ever again. After all, he was mentally on guard against it, not to mention the fact that both of them shared bodies¡ªthe System''s body waspletely fused into the Host''s body.


    A System was able to activate an ability in a different world by using a part of the Host''s brain. This was only possible when the Host had absolute¡ªor enough¡ªtrust towards it, allowing it to use a part of his/her brain voluntarily.


    Through this, the System gained some functions that allowed it some freedom of action. But once the Host became guarded against their System, this was no longer possible. Unless it destroyed the Host''s brain, the System would never be able to activate another ability.


    This was one of the System''s inherent weaknesses.


    Basically, the Conspiracy yer System was trapped in Ianon''s body, not even able to leave for the System World of its own volition. It was trapped, the reason it was in a state of fluster.


    Compass Carburettor had been targeting Ianon''s mind from the start. And, the n wasid out in such a way that no matter what it did, the moment it took action against its Host, then it was its loss.


    And the fact that it had erased his memories was the straw that broke the camel''s neck, allowing Ianon to develop absolute distrust against it. Now, it was unable to exercise any power. Other than generating any Quests, it couldn''t do anything.


    Or rather, whether it was a reward or punishment, it was unable to deal out that too. Basically, it had be a sitting mascot that had no functional value, allowing Ianon to make full use of all the abilities he had obtained.


    But, this also meant that he would no longer be able to depend on his System to grow, unable to obtain any new Skills or help from it.


    Unaware about it, Ianon frowned, his senses alert as he watched hundreds of ants charging at him. And right at this time, the Host of Night Ranger System unleashed her ability, nking out the ce, plunging it into darkness, preventing them from seeing.


    "Defend!" Ianon shouted as he riled up his abilities, joining hands with Dwun as they erected a defensiveyer, defending against the attack.


    It was a sword sh, one that didn''t leave any traces, slick in action. The Night Ranger System''s Host moved through the cover of the night, her speed rapid, her footsteps silent as she shed at them, intending to knock them out.


    That was why she used a blunt sword instead of a sharp one. But, she hadn''t expected the two of them to join hands to defend her attack, shocking her.


    Dwun unleashed a burst of energy that sent everything around him flying. The ants flew out like a wave while the Night Ranger System''s Host skid on the ground.


    Ianon focused on the skidding sounds as he condensed his short sword and sent it flying towards the target, hearing a resounding ng when his opponent barely managed to defend against it.


    "How good is your detection ability?" Ianon asked Dwun while condensing his short sword once again, throwing it based on his enemy''s movements.


    "Don''t worry. I can spot her clearly." Dwun grinned as he charged at the Night Ranger System''s Host, "Lady, you seem strong. Take my punch!"


    "Dammit! We aren''t enemies." She cursed in response, hurriedly evading the attack when a forcefield mmed into her, sending her flying away for a couple of metres.


    She shouted in her mind, ''System! What the heck is happening? Why are they attacking me? You said they were allies!''


    Now, it was the Night Ranger System''s turn to rage in the group, ming the two Systems that had messed up grandly, causing its Quest to seem wonky to its Host.


    It hurriedly thought up a lie, stating to her.


    [Host, the targets seem to be under a mysterious influence. Even I am unable to detect what the cause is. I advise Host to exercise the utmost caution.]


    ''Even the System cannot detect the cause?'' Thedy was shocked as she sported a solemn expression, ''Then, I have to be careful. This would be the toughest battle I have faced to date.''


    She was gullible, and hence didn''t even harbour any doubt against her System. She was only expressing her dissatisfaction earlier. And when the System expressed that her supposed allies were under a mysterious influence, she believed it immediately.


    After all, that was what was happening in reality. She was being attacked by those that she came to save.


    As they were fighting, Compass Carburettor entered a tunnel, condensing his pair of boots as he took in a deep breath. Followed by an exhale, his figure shed, not stopping for even a moment as he flickered nonstop towards the Night Ranger System Host, arriving underground to her position, shouting mentally, "Go!"


    "Be careful, uncle!" The cobra said as its figure vanished, arriving within the Night Ranger System Host''s space. It then noticed three mutated beasts there, their figures asionally vanishing whenever she summoned them to use.


    Unlike Dwun, she was swallowing the pearls one after another to unleash their effect.


    "All of you are my meals!" The cobra shouted before pouncing upon the three mutated beasts.

 Chapter 257: The Cobra’s Fight

    <h4>Chapter 257: The Cobra¡¯s Fight</h4>


    "Hiya!" The cobra shouted mentally as it barfed out the corpse of the mongoose that it had swallowed. The arrival of the mongoose, though dead, immediately caused a strain on the Night Ranger System Host.


    She felt as if she was bloated, having eaten beyond her limit. It caused the activation of her abilities¡ªthose that relied upon the three mutated beasts in her space¡ªto be a tad sluggish.


    It did confuse her, but she didn''t put much weight on it. After all, the situation was rming enough as she was constantly asking her System about the means to find a solution.


    Even though it knew the truth, the Night Ranger System still had to put on an act. And as it was busy in its act, it hadn''t used any sensory means to detect the new entity that had appeared within its Host''s space.


    Whether or not it had the means to detect the cobra was another issue though.


    Now that the cobra had barfed out the mongoose''s corpse, it was able to move around swiftly as it swiped at the slowest member among the trio of mutated beasts, a bull. This bull was condensed as her crossbow while the porcupine was condensed as an attachment into the crossbow, bing a stack of arrows that could beunched automatically.


    As long as she pressed the trigger, an arrow would beunched while the force of rebound¡ªthanks to the spring-loaded mechanism and the crossbow''s structure¡ªwould load the crossbow automatically.


    Though, she needed at least a second for this automatic reload to finish. Usually, it was faster for her to reload manually. All she had to do was pull back the string, which was faster when her other hand was free.


    Her final ability condensed into a pair of gloves whose function was to unleash the burst element, causing her hands to move rapidly. Moreover, any weapon that she held using the gloves too were applied with the same effect.


    That was how her sword shes were so fast and packed tremendous power. And, the mutated beast that was condensed into this ability was a monkey.


    The bull, the monkey, and the porcupine. Those were the Night Ranger System Host''s mutated beasts. She was at Stage 3.


    The cobra swiped at the bull''s hind legs, piercing its teeth through its skin before injecting venom, rming the bull, causing it to re up instinctively.


    With the cobra''s input, Compass Carburettor Bestowed upon it Secret Society, causing some Mental Energy to flow into it before swapping Secret Society with Directional Misalignment. The stored Mental Energy was only enough for a second''s use, but that was enough for the cobra.


    It caused the bull to run towards the monkey while it climbed upon its back. The space was only enough for all three mutated beasts to be seatedfortably and move a little. It wasn''t enough for them to run about.


    Moreover, thanks to the presence of the mongoose, there was another obstacle to consider. In its fluster, the bull stumbled upon the mongoose, crashing into the porcupine that was unable to escape on time.


    The impact crushed it while its needles pierced through the bull''s eyes and nose, injuring it severely.


    As for the monkey, it barely managed to evade on time when the cobra mmed its tail at it, sending it crashing into the bull.


    With the Skill of Strength at Level 10 Bestowed upon it, the cobra packed some serious power behind its casual attacks.


    It then coiled its body a little before springing towards the three mutated beasts, taking the chance to swerve through the obstacles and plunge its teeth into the porcupine''s underbelly once.


    The monkey managed to grab hold of its tail at this time, pulling it back. Unlike the other two mutated beasts, it had managed to grow three horns. So, it was pretty strong, not to mention the fact that the cobra''s earlier attack only hurt it a little.


    Just as the monkey tugged at the cobra''s body, the cobrashed out like a whip, noticing the monkey moving its body in such a way that the vectors of the radial forces ensured its head wouldn''t be able to reach the monkey.


    This was the easiest way to deal with a snake, something many wild animals instinctively knew about.


    But suddenly, its body formed ayer of transparent crystal, making it tremendously tough as it contracted itself like steel, coiling around the monkey.


    Darble!


    Its body had turned into Darble, with the ridiculous harness of the material preventing the cobra from suffering any damage as it continued to tighten its coil like a python. Slowly, breaking sounds resounded from the monkey as its bones began to shatter one after another.


    It tried its best to struggle, but its attacks didn''t even scratch the cobra. After all, once killed and turned into an ability, the mutated beasts were unable to use the abilities that they possessed before death.


    Only their wielder was able to use them. So, that only left them with their tough physique to fight with. Soon, the cobra shattered its bones, killing it, noticing that the other two mutated beasts too had died from poison, "I''m better than a python!"


    Its body then expanded to ridiculous extents as it swallowed the bodies of all four mutated beasts, turning massive as it said through telepathy, "Uncle, I''m done here!"


    "I''m in range." Compass Carburettor replied as its figure vanished, arriving within his space.


    It then began to sleep as Compass Carburettor vanished using the ability of the boots, slumping to the ground in a tunnel far away, pressured as his space seemed like it was on the verge of copse.


    There was too much within, pressuring him, weakening him with the passage of every second.


    "Uncle, shall I spit them out?" The cobra said upon seeing his struggle.


    "No," Compass Carburettor grunted, "If you spit them out, their bodies would simply vanish. They can only exist within a space. Unlike the other mutated beasts, these should have been upgraded a little by their respective Systems. So, digesting them would make you stronger."


    "That''ll make things easier for uster on."

 Chapter 258: Brats, Come At Me!

    <h4>Chapter 258: Brats, Come At Me!</h4>


    "Try to digest it faster if you can." Compass Carburettor grunted, feeling difficulty in breathing as Grisha unleashed the healing energy on him, healing his injuries, especially his space. The good thing was the fact that her healing energy worked on his space too, even though the effect was subpar.


    It still allowed him to persist without too much problems.


    From time to time, he activated Directional Misalignment just to have a grasp of the locations of the three System Hosts. They were still fighting, having a tremendous energy reserve to bank upon.


    After all, their abilities were subtle, energy-efficient. So, they were able to fight without trouble.


    As for the Night Ranger System Host, it seemed she possessed a dimensional storage ability, allowing her to take out items without trouble. And, the number of pearls she had seemed endless as she was constantly eating them while fighting.


    ''Thankfully, they are still fighting.'' He sighed in relief. After all, with her mutated beasts lost, the Night Ranger System Host was at a disadvantage, suffering from the attacks of the other two.


    Even though they had mysterious abilities, they predominantly still relied upon the power system of the world. And, their System abilities worked in amplifying orplementing their mutated beast abilities.


    This was the most energy-efficient method. Otherwise, their¡ªthe Systems¡ªMental Energy expenditure would be beyond what they earned. It''ll be a loss-making strategy. No System ever wished to have that.


    So, now that her abilities mysterious vanished, the Night Ranger System Host was in a fluster. But, it was only for a couple of seconds. Once she sensed that her space was empty, she took out three orbs from her dimensional space and consumed them.


    It seemed she had a lot of reserves. Moreover, among this batch of orbs, all three were harvested from two-horned mutated beasts. So, the moment she gained their power, her strength recovered, enough to push back the other two.


    After all, she was at Stage 3 while the rest were only at Stage 2. It gave her an edge during the fight. It was to note that the three mutated beasts within her space were the same bull, porcupine, and monkey.


    She had prepared another set of the same abilities. After all, it was a fact that her mutated beasts could die. When she brings them out to consume the corpses of other mutated beasts was when they were the most vulnerable.


    A single attack was enough to destroy them. Moreover, even when condensed as items, if the items take enough damage, they would die.


    So, she had prepared a couple extra sets of the same abilities. She also had a couple other ability sets too, prepared against various situations.


    When she noticed that she was unable to summon her items, she wasn''t bothered with it too much. After all, when fighting Ianon and Dwun, her items did receive plenty of damage. And, since she had extra sets, she didn''t think about it deeply.


    As they continued to fight, she already had the intention to retreat, asking in her mind, ''System, is there any way to get them to their senses? Talking with them is ineffective.''


    But like in many cases, her System chose to remain silent, causing her to grit her teeth, thinking, ''So, it won''t help me beyond that. I should rely on my abilities to solve this. Dammit, if the reward for this Quest wasn''t so great, I would have abandoned it already.''


    Her reward was a Skill. And having obtained a couple of Skills before, she understood their value. They were the most valuable among all rewards. That was why she was trying her best all along, shouting while fighting, "Let us talk! I''m not your enemy!"


    "Then, first exin the ants and this darkness." Ianon snorted, "Retract them first. Then we''ll talk."


    ''Dammit, if I retract the curtain of night, I''ll be at a disadvantage if they choose to attack me. It takes a lot of time to set it up.'' She gritted her teeth, shouting, "The darkness is my ability. But I have no rtionship with the ants. Besides, these ants would eat anything edible. So, there''s nothing unusual about their actions."


    "Then, remove this darkness first." Panting a little, Ianon said, "Then we''ll talk."


    "Give me a guarantee that you won''t attack me," She said, "Then I''ll remove it."


    "Sure, do it." Ianon said, "If you prove your sincerity, I''ll stop attacking you."


    "What about you?" She shouted, gazing at Dwun that had been silently attacking her all along.


    "I just want to fight." Dwun grinned, mming a punch her way, "Shut up and receive my fist."


    "Damn muscle head." She gritted her teeth, shouting at the teenager, "Tell him to stop."


    "Dwun, let''s stop fighting for now. It is pretty futile." Ianon said, rmed as he shielded himself using his short sword, defending against a punch from Dwun, "Dwun!"


    "What makes you think we are allies?" Dwunughed, stating, "I''ve expressed myself from the start. I just want to fight."


    ''It seems I must first knock out this Dwun guy.'' The Night Ranger System Host thought, targeting him first, surprised when the other party onlyughed in response.


    He suddenly took out three orbs from his pocket as a golden radiance swirled around them, for a moment even pushing away the nket of darkness.


    The three orbs shattered as their essences mixed, eating at one another as their various abilities fused to create a mutant of sorts. Finalised with the changes, Dwun grinned, swallowing the resulting orb, "Since my mongoose died, I haven''t been at my peak fighting strength. But now¡­"


    His other hand swirled with the golden radiance as he took out a bunch of pearls, fused them into a golden pearl, and swallowed them, grinning as the veins on his body protruded for a moment before retreating.


    "Hah, this feels amazing!" He inhaled a deep breath before condensing a pair of gauntlets. He tapped each other, causing ripples of the burst element that coursed like shockwaves, causing the air around him to tremble.


    Grinning, he used a Skill to lock onto the positions of the two System Hosts, "Now, I''ll be able to fight the both of you."


    "Brats,e at me!"

 Chapter 259: Arrival Of The Villain

    <h4>Chapter 259: Arrival Of The Viin</h4>


    "You have onest chance to speak the truth. What have you done to Chenger? Where are you keeping her?" Rhizen oozed out bloodlust, using a tiny de to make countless cuts on a bound man. The cuts were shallow, not even leaking out any blood.


    But, that was his n as he poured salt water on the man, causing him to scream in pain as his eyes went out of focus. But, without any hesitation, he used a taser to make him regain consciousness, asking again, "Say it! Where''s Chenger?"


    "I¡­don''t know." The man began to cry, his mouth stuttering as his expression was aghast, "I was only told to attack you. I don''t know anything beyond that."


    "Hmph!" Rhizen snorted, bashing his head in, knocking him out. He then turned around, asking Druvus, "Any movements from within the estate?"


    "No," Druvusnded on the ground, shaking his head with a sigh, "There''s just that one guy at the entrance. And his attention is always on me."


    "Dammit!" Rhizen gritted his teeth, stomping the ground.


    The home that he had bought and painstakingly prepared to survive in this apocalypse had been turned into a stronghold by an enemy that kidnapped Chenger, his girlfriend.


    Just the thought alone caused him to feel unadulterated wrath, wishing to just destroy everything in his path and save Chenger. But, if he had enough strength, he would have done so long ago.


    After all, for some reason, mysterious pearl-like structures had been erected at the roof of the house. And when Druvus intended to sneak into the house before, they attacked him, unleashing bombs of the burst element.


    This was the reason they couldn''t do anything. There were just too many such structures hindering them. Moreover, one of the thugs of that group had peeked out once, dragging Chenger by the hair, giving his ultimatum.


    An arm of his in return for Chenger!


    If only trading his arm would bring Chenger back, Rhizen would have done so already. But, he was aware that doing this would only back him into a corner further. His enemies would always have the initiative. And before he realised it, he would be following their orders in order to reim back Chenger but never saving her until the end.


    So, if he made a poor choice, he would lose his girlfriend.


    Moreover, he couldn''t casually attack the house too. After all, the moment he does so, Chenger would either be tortured or killed. In order to prevent that, he had to stall for time.


    Either he cut off his arm and passively heeded the opponent''s orders or found a chance to sneak into the house and finish off all the enemies in one swing; he didn''t have any other choice. If he knew about the leader of this group, his choice would have been different.


    After all, the leader was someone that shared enmity with him. In the past, that guy had swindled an innocent family and caused their deaths due to the enormous debts that they had racked up from his scheme. Unable to pay it, they all drank poison andmitted suicide.


    They were a sweet family that had helped Rhizen a couple of times in the past. So, he didn''t leave the case alone, having gathered up enough clues to lodge a case. But, even though all the evidences pointed at him, the culprit was bailed within a week, startling him.


    But, Rhizen didn''t relent, directly resorting to acts of violence as he threw acid on the culprit when he was passing by an unassuming alley where a lot of gangs operated. The acid attack hospitalised him for years.


    And, as his eyes had been targeted by that, he was unable to see ever again. Of course, there wasn''t anyone willing to donate eyes to him. The members of his gang turned a blind eye to him, judging that he was past his prime even if he were to get a pair of eyes.


    With that, he was confined to the hospital bed for the rest of his life. If not for the fact that it was a government-funded hospital, with to foot his bills, he would have been kicked to the streets ages ago.


    All this time, he was harbouring hatred against Rhizen for pushing him to this state. Because, even though he didn''t see the face of the attacker that poured acid on his face, he was aware that only Rhizen was cunning enough to do it so quickly.


    After all, somehow, the moment Rhizen was aware of the news of that family''s death, he figured out all clues, gathered all evidence, and ensured the culprit was jailed within a mere five days.


    And judging by the feeling he got from Rhizen, the culprit was aware that his enemy wasn''t someone that would just leave him alone at that. Because of that, and the sneaky way in which he was attacked, a method different from the various gangs, he was aware that the one that poured acid on him was Rhizen.


    And on one day, when he was at the lowest point of his life, no longer having the energy to exact revenge, when just living every day was painful, he obtained his System.


    [Ding!]


    [Gic data matching, potential suitable. Activating database, bonding with the user: Shyvern]


    [Wee, Host. I am the Viin Maker System]


    "Hahahaha! A Viin! How perfect for me." The culprit, Shyvernughed, tears streaming out of his eyes that had automatically healed back to normal.


    Though, when a message prompted that the System would heal his face too, he stopped it, vishing to retain his disfigured face so that his mes of revenge wouldn''t be dulled. And with that, he plotted a scheme to get back at Rhizen, researching into him.


    And, once Rhizen left for Mount Craire, he attacked his home, capturing Chenger. Even though there were difficulties involved, since Rhizen''s luck was acting against Neena and Krager at that time, Shyvern wasn''t as much affected.


    Right as he nned a skit to destroy Rhizen''s mind first, some more people arrived, all from various walks of life but shared some connection to the underworld. All of them expressed distaste against Rhizen.


    Even though of them even knew about Rhizen, unlike Shyvern, they still wished toplete their Quest and obtain rewards to grow stronger. And to attain that, destroying someone wasn''t something they were averse about.


    "What are you nning to do now?" One of them turned around, frowning while gazing at Shyvern, "We''ve been at a standoff for almost six hours now. Shouldn''t we just kill him and be done with it?"


    "Heh, that''s why you''re weak despite the extent of power you possess." Shyvern snorted, "I know Rhizen pretty well. He isn''t someone that can be killed so easily. So¡­"


    He rxed on the armchair, sipping on some piping hot coffee, "We wait."


    "The initiative is with us anyway."

 Chapter 260: Do You Recognise Me?

    <h4>Chapter 260: Do You Recognise Me?</h4>


    "They''ve been silent all along," Rhizen muttered in worry, his expression slightly pale as he had been waiting a couple hundred metres away from his house, gazing at a couple of thugs posted guard on the terrace.


    "We can''t wait any longer," Druvus said, "They have your girlfriend in captive. We shouldn''t dy any longer. We''ll break through the front door in one attack. I and Caithaleya will keep them busy while you infiltrate the manor. Your abilities are pretty invincible indoors."


    "Wait," Just before it seemed like Druvus nned to take action, Caithaleya stopped them, sporting a frown as she spoke, "How long¡­have they been here?"


    "What do you mean?" Rhizen''s eyes widened as he realised what she was getting at. Even though he understood it, he didn''t wish to think in that line of thought. For that was too pessimistic in nature.


    "You''ve been away for more than one and a half months, during apocalypse even," Caithaleya spoke, not continuing further.


    "No, the message I received yesterday was definitely from Chenger. Even if it was a message they copied after obtaining information from her, I''ll be able to notice the tone used. But, there wasn''t anything like that. So, they had attacked within the duration of our travel." Rhizen analysed calmly, "So, it hasn''t been long since they''ve taken control of my house."


    "Then, that means we''ll only need to guard against those pearl-like objects." Caithaleya nodded, stating after a moment of thought, "The two of us will attack from the air while you infiltrate from the ground. Godspeed!"


    Saying so, Caithaleya jumped onto the back of Druvus, watching him summon his wings and take off into the air, raising their altitude first before diving straight towards the house.


    Caithaleya had her bow drawn, shooting arrows at the pearl-like structures that aimed at them, hitting their front to alter their angle, causing their attacks to fly elsewhere. She kept up with a flurry of attacks, constantly ensuring all the turrets were facing away from them.


    In the meantime, Druvus summoned his hand-canon, sting arge attack into the two thugs that stood guard, causing them to evade in a hurry. But, just as they had evaded, a second attacknded on them, turning them into meat paste.


    "We''re under attack!" A thug shouted before peeking out when an arrow condensed from burst elementnded on his forehead, shrinking in size as it used the power to drill into his head before exploding a bit.


    The power wasn''t much behind the explosion but was enough to destroy his brain, killing him.


    "Hah!" Rhizen sneaked in from the other side, using his boots to jet through the air, maintaining a stance that almost touched the ground. He sted off like a rocket,nding the moment the energy from the pearl vanished, using the momentum to kick the ground as he swallowed another pearl while mid-air, diverting part of the power to his boots to generate a mild thrust, crossing the wall.


    His scorpion tail manifested as it dug into a wall a little, creating tension simr to a rope as he used it to alter his direction before shooting off towards the entrance of the house, sliding through the entrance as his scorpion tail pointed at three figures that were rushing at the entrance, shooting three spikes.


    Eachnded on its respective target, causing them to froth at their mouths before copsing to the ground. Their bodies shivered for a couple of seconds before stopping. They were dead, beginning to slowly melt after that.


    Ignoring them, Rhizen''s scorpion tail plunged partway into the floor, contracting a little before sending him flying deeper into the house.


    "Die!" A thug shouted as he pulled out a gun and shot at him. But, as if he had noticed him in advance, Rhizen''s boots emitted a bit of thrust, causing his body to swerve towards the ceiling. His tail pointed at the thug, shooting a spike that pierced his neck, killing him.


    His tail then lodged into the ceiling, acting as a spring to cushion his momentum, allowing him to use the rebound to fly towards a room on the first floor that was the most guarded.


    But, he had barely managed to reach it before someone from the guards rushed out, condensing a shield that blocked all the needles he had shot out.


    "Hello, Rhizen. Now die!" A jovial youthughed, appearing behind Rhizen while carrying a broadsword, shing it down.


    Rhizen''s scorpion tail acted in reflex, meeting the broad sword, causing a resounding sh to emanate when the jovial youth grinned, flicking his wrist when the broad sword shone a little, unleashing a sword beam, severing through the scorpion tail.


    The sword beam lost most of its power to cut through it but still had enough strength to wound him. But, the other half of the scorpion tail bent a little while Rhizen''s boots unleashed a powerful thrust, changing his position, allowing him to defend against the attack.


    But, the damage to his scorpion tail had increased, preventing him from using it for the time being. He retracted the scorpion tail and attached the porcupine''s ability onto his back, causing spikes to grow out instantly, with some of them managing to pierce through the jovial youth, causing him to grunt in pain when Rhizen kicked him.


    And at the moment of kick, his boots unleashed another thrust, sending the jovial youth crashing into the wall.


    His jovial expression morphed into one of pain as his eyes were dyed red.


    But suddenly, the jovial youth grinned as his body turned into marble and shattered.


    Shocked, Rhizen turned around, noticing the jovial youth standing before the closely guarded room, smirking, "You fell into our trap, Rhizen. This entire house is the trap."


    "What?" Rhizen was shocked when he turned around, noticing that all the thugs that he had killed also turned into marble and crumbled into powder. And immediately after, a group of thugs rushed out of various rooms, surrounding Rhizen the moment hended on the ground.


    "You should have surrendered and given up one of your arms to the deal." The jovial youthughed, "That way, you would have reunited with your beloved Chenger by now. s, you took the hard approach. So, you''ll have to die."


    "But before that," Suddenly, a voice resounded as a man with a melted face appeared on the television in the living room, his expression sporting a devilish grin, uttering with a raspy voice, "Rhizen, oh Rhizen, how have you been? Do you recognise me?"

 Chapter 261: Chenger’s Sufferings (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 261: Chenger¡¯s Sufferings (part 1)</h4>


    "You¡­!" Rhizen gazed at the screen, confused for a moment before he recognised the voice, scowling, "So it''s you."


    "Good, it seems you have a good memory." Shyvernughed before shifting the camera, causing Rhizen to bellow in anger as he chuckled, "Now, now! Don''t rush. We have plenty of time."


    Rhizen''s eyes reddened as he seethed with rage, gazing at the scene that was being shown by Shyvern.


    It was the master bedroom, and strapped to a chair was Chenger, tied up, her eyes full of tears, evident of despair. It seemed she had only gone down with a fight as there were gashes all over her body.


    Standing next to her was a mike stand, adjusted for its tip to be a couple of feet above her head. And, hanging in the ce a mike was supposed to be affixed was a cylindrical ss jar, sporting a tap on one side.


    It seemed to be an equipment from a chemistryb. And, contained within it was a transparent liquid.


    Upon seeing Rhizen''s expression through the disy on theputer before him, Shyvern smirked, "I''m sure you understand just what this is, right?"


    Saying so, he turned the tap a little, watching a droplet of the transparent liquid slowly form at the edge, before dripping out as a droplet.


    Right at this time, Shyvern removed her gag as Chenger shouted in a hurry, "Rhizen! Leave this ce! They are nning to kill you¡­guahhhhhh!"


    She writhed in ce as veins popped all over her body. The droplet had fallen on her forehead, instantly turning the contact skin mushy, making it resemble a jelly.


    Acid!


    And, unlike the acid that was dropped on his face, this seemed to be of milder acidity, causing the damage to be less. But, Chenger''s suffering was higher instead. After all, the pain threshold she suffered was within her tolerance limit. So, her brain didn''t shut down her pain receptors.


    It was as if Shyvern knew of the exact acidity required to do this, grinning as he shouted, "What will you do, Rhizen? If you are anyte, your pretty girlfriend would be uglier than me. Maybe your chivalrous nature is just a front and you''re an even more selfish bastard than me?"


    "Let me see how long you''ll endure before abandoning her."


    "Screw you!" Shouting in anger, Rhizen lost hisposure, swallowing more than ten pearls, stomping on the ground with all his might, cracking the floor.


    The house trembled as the walls cracked, causing the thugs to lose their bnce as Rhizen bolted towards the first floor.


    Right at this time, Rhizen coincidentally noticed a broken tile near him vanishing into thin air before the respective spot healed itself to normalcy. The gears in his brain whirred as he recalled the scenes of his enemies recovering from death, thinking of something as he stomped the ground once again.


    And this time, his boots unleashed an even greater thrust that was absorbed by the floor, causing the destruction to spread out before the sound of something breaking resounded.


    Suddenly, the world around him shattered and fell down like ss fragments, disappearing like mist, revealing the pristine state of his house. He then heard the sounds of a flurry of footsteps rushing towards the backdoor of the house.


    But, he didn''t go in that direction, heading upwards, breaking into the master bedroom when he noticed Shyvern jumping through the window with a flustered expression. He quickly used an ability and rushed towards the backside, joining with his group before escaping.


    It seemed everything he had shown was just a front, turning tail the moment things didn''t go his way.


    But, Rhizen didn''t have room to be concerned about catching him, looking around to see that the chair didn''t exist in the room now. And, knocked unconscious on the bed, tied up into a bundle was Chenger.


    Upon seeing that she was uninjured on her forehead, Rhizen teared up, d that nothing had happened to her, quickly rushing to her rescue. Suddenly, his senses rmed him as he didn''t even think much, grabbed hold of Chenger, and unleashed the ability of his boots to the limit, jetting out of the broken window.


    Boom!


    His house went up in mes, the debris from the explosion flying in every direction, some of which barely passed by him, coincidentally missing him. But, Chenger wasn''t that lucky as a brick that had caught ame mmed into her legs, injuring her severely, causing her to wake up due to the pain.


    "You''ll be fine! I promise! You''re safe now!" Rhizen consoled her as he continued to fly through the air, soon meeting up with Druvus and Caithaleya that joined him mid-air, heading away from the ce.


    "Are you alright?" The moment theynded, he fished out a knife and cut off the rope that bound her, inspecting her leg wound, noticing that she had suffered from a fracture.


    "It hurts¡­" Chenger said softly before sporting an expression of relief, "Thank goodness, you''re safe. That guy gave me a terrifying feeling, as if he was assured of killing you."


    "But I''m still alive and before you." He gently patted her, "I''m d that you didn''t have to go through that."


    "Go through what?" Chenger was confused, asking with a slightly raised tone, "What happened there?"


    "It''s nothing, just get some rest." Rhizen smiled and gently knocked her unconscious, frowning as he noticed her leg beginning to swell, "We''ll have to treat her quickly."


    "Also," He said solemnly, "Did you guys see what happened there?"


    "Uhhuh," Druvus nodded, "When we sted a hole through the ceiling once, it strangely healed itself. We weren''t able to get inside since the thugs constantly rushed at us with various abilities. Even if we killed them, they returned soon after."


    "¡­Sh*t!" Rhizen gritted his teeth, "What the hell''s happening here?"


    ¡­


    Having fled a couple of kilometres away, Shyvern and four others stopped, gazing at one another before smiling.


    The jovial youth gazed at Shyvern, "What''s our next n?"


    "We''ll have to wait." Shyvern controlled his anger, letting out a deep sigh before saying, "Rhizen is the child of luck. If we went any further, we would have died."


    Right at this time, his System notified him.


    [The effect of Destiny Luck (Level 30) has ended]


    ''Thank goodness I managed toplete it on time. Otherwise, it would have been me that would have died instead.'' He sighed, ''It''ll take me a long time to kill him at this rate. But, this wait would be worth it when my revenge is sessful.''


    "Besides," He grinned, "This ''Chenger'' will eat his head daily and weaken him sooner orter."

 Chapter 262: Devil Killer

    <h4>Chapter 262: Devil Killer</h4>


    "Dammit!" Rhizen scowled upon gazing at the marble dust before him. It was where the thug he had captured had been knocked unconscious.


    The gears in his brain whirred in response as Rhizen thought through the sequence of events that had led to this, understanding the target of their enemies, "They wished to kill me by blowing up my house. Everything until now had been leading up to that."


    "And, that guy¡­" Rhizen frowned, expressing killing intent when he recalled the expression of Shyvern, "His expression was to fool me into thinking that I had won."


    Seeing the enmity they shared, it was guaranteed that Shyvern would have investigated him beforehand. The fact that they managed to arrive at his home even during the apocalypse showed the extent of his hatred.


    And, if he had learned of Rhizen''s abilities through Chenger, he would have realised that killing him wasn''t that easy.


    So, he prepared this n to kill Rhizen by detonating his house. Sighing, he gazed at Chenger, noticing that eight of her fingernails were missing.


    It was obvious that she had been tortured, and judging by how two of her fingernails were still there, she would have leaked the information about him by then.


    ''Thankfully, Chenger didn''t know about my third ability. That''s why their ns didn''t ount for that.'' Rhizen massaged his forehead, his expression brimming with hatred, angry at the fact that they dared to torture Chenger.


    At this moment, he made up his mind to make them face a fate worse than death. ''But still, that mysterious ability that they had used. Just what was it? Everyone I killed came alive in the end.''


    He frowned, carrying Chenger as the group flew in a different direction. They nned to head towards the fortress and treat Chenger there.


    "One of them there has a healing ability." Rhizen muttered before saying after a sigh, "Sorry guys, I had you risk your lives for my case. And, my home went up in mes."


    "It''s just a pity that we aren''t able to use everything that you had prepared." Caithaleya sighed, "But that''s life. There''s nothing we can do about it. At least, we have the advantage of mobility now. Let''s pack some necessities from a shopping mall and transport them to that settlement."


    "Staying there is our safest bet for now." Druvus nodded, looking around as he was able to hear screams from time to time, also noticing the ants and Grassmen waging a war on the ground, "Things are too chaotic here. This ce is no longer safe for humans."


    "Once we heal Chenger and understand just what had happened, let us try to save as many people as we can." Caithaleya said, "Being able to fly is our advantage."


    "You''re right." Rhizen nodded, remaining silent after that.


    Suddenly, while flying, the group was startled to see arge sphere of darkness on the ground, situated in a vi estate.


    "What the heck is that?" Druvus was rmed.


    "Let''s just¡­go away." Even Caithaleya had zero intentions to probe that sphere of darkness.


    "Let''s go." Rhizen had no mood to worry about it, watching the swelling on Chenger''s legs continue to increase.


    They sped past that, hurrying towards a nearby shopping mall, quickly killing the Grassmen that were roaming there before grabbing as many necessities as they could, including some medicinal supplies.


    They then flew towards the settlement, noticing someone sharing the same destination as them. It was Ianon, grabbing hold of his short sword that sped through the air. It was an awkward stance, but it worked, allowing him to travel through the air.


    Even though the energy expenditure was a lot, he had enough pearls to go by, thanks to his fortuitous encounter a week ago.


    Right as they saw Ianon, he too noticed them, turning around to see the figures of Rhizen and others, muttering in surprise, "Rhizen¡­?"


    Of course, thanks to his System Quest, he was aware of Rhizen''s appearance, not to mention other information rted to him, including his background and past conflicts.


    Everything that could be found out about Rhizen, he had that on him.


    "You know me?" Rhizen was surprised before his expression hardened, thinking of the thugs, assuming Ianon was part of their group too.


    The moment his expression changed, Caithaleya noticed it and condensed her bow, shooting an arrow at Ianon.


    "What the heck?" Ianon was surprised as he let go of the short sword, condensing it again as he sent it flying towards the arrow, destroying it. As he began to freefall, he condensed the short sword, grabbing hold of it, maintaining flight once again.


    He then shouted at Caithaleya, "Dude, that was rude!"


    He then observed Caithaleya''s face, blinking a couple of times before recalling her, "Ah, you''re Caithaleya, the actress from Forgotten Express, right?"


    "You''ve seen that movie too?" Druvus asked, "I never thought people watched that one."


    "Well, it does shuck¡­" Ianon spoke casually, intending to chitchat before he realised that they were in the air while Caithaleya''s grip on her bow tightened. It seemed like she was ready to shoot if he talked about her movie anymore, quickly changing his tune, "It was a great movie! Spectacr! A blockbuster of the century!"


    "How do you know me?" Unconcerned about the banter, Rhizen asked, his tone cold.


    "Well, let''s talk once we enter the fortress," Ianon replied, causing the others to frown.


    "Fortress?" Rhizen looked in confusion, wondering just what Ianon was talking about. After all, in his memory, there was no fortress in their vicinity.


    "You''ll know when you get there." Ianon gave a knowing smile before speeding along.


    Making eye contact with each other, Rhizen and others too sped up, following him, soon reaching the fortress, bbergasted at the sight.


    They were confused as to how such a thing was possible. Though, upon seeing the turrets installed on the walls at discrete locations, they recalled the same ones atop Rhizen''s home, frowning as they stopped abruptly, refusing to enter the fortress.


    "What? What''s up with you guys?" Ianon turned around in surprise, asking in confusion.


    "What happened here?" Rhizen asked in confusion, "This didn''t exist yesterday."


    "Well, it''s a short story." Ianon smiled as hended at the foot of the hill, thinking, ''The Devil Killer. Just how has it manifested in him?''


    On the same day that he learned of the truth, Ianon witnessed two other System¡ªDevil¡ªHosts, so he believed Compass Carburettor''s words¡­ And now, he nned his own scheme, to prevent the Devil Killer from falling into the hands of the Devils.

 Chapter 263: The Coincidental Luck System Laughs

    <h4>Chapter 263: The Coincidental Luck System Laughs</h4>


    "So, this thing called the Mountain Deity arrived here and erected this fortress?" Rhizen asked, finding it hard to believe.


    "Well, to be frank," Ianon shook his head, saying, "It was thanks to the Mountain Deity that all those people managed to settle there in the first ce. Otherwise, they would have be Grassmen sooner orter."


    "Ahh, the word Grassmen was also coined by him, so everyone just began to use the same." He concluded.


    "This Mountain Deity, how does his human form look?" Rhizen asked.


    "Let me draw it for you." Saying so, he condensed his short sword and began to make rough lines on the piece of rock nearby.


    While he was doing this, Rhizen faced the other two, "Is all this true?"


    "Yep, I was there with him the whole time." Druvus nodded, "He was the one that gave me my hand cannon and taught everyone about the power structure of the apocalypse. Only thanks to that and with two of us possessing powers that we managed to hunt more mutated beasts and arm ourselves."


    "But those turrets¡­" Rhizen frowned.


    "Yeah, I''m curious about that myself." Druvus nodded, "If he had such means, he wouldn''t have sold it to those viins. He didn''t seem to be that type."


    "What are you talking about?" Ianon turned around, asking with curiosity.


    "Well¡­" Druvus hesitated, turning around to see Rhizen nod at him, recounting their prior battle.


    Upon hearing it, Ianon''s eyes widened, nodding, "I see, that makes sense."


    "What makes sense?" Rhizen asked, feeling his heart skip a beat for some reason.


    "Well, you''re their target after all," Ianon said, causing the trio to jerk in response.


    "What do you mean? Who are they?" Rhizen frowned, slightly emitting killing intent, "And, how do you know about it?"


    "Well¡­" He gazed at Chenger, thinking for a moment before saying, "I''ll only tell it to Rhizen. It''ll just threaten the lives of the rest if you hear about it."


    "Do you think we''re afraid?" Caithaleya snorted.


    "It''s because you''re weak," Ianon smirked, "You won''t be able to fight against them, not to mention kill them. Only existences such as that Mountain Deity are capable of this. And even he was killed."


    "He''s dead? Impossible!" Druvus shouted, "I''ve seen his power. He can''t be dead."


    "Have you seen that curtain of darkness along the way?" Ianon asked, noticing Druvus nod in response, saying, "If you enter it, there''s arge ant hole leading deep underground. The Mountain Deity''s corpse is still there."


    "Maybe if you rush there now, you''ll be able to see his corpse before the ants finish devouring it." He said, "Though, I advise against that. Entering it would only serve your death sentence."


    "How do you know all this?" After some consideration, Rhizen thought of believing his words. Otherwise, the conversation wouldn''t go anywhere. He could always investigateter and find out the truth.


    "Because I''m one of such people myself." Ianon said, watching the trio turn alert beforeughing, "Rx. If I wanted to harm you, except Rhizen, the rest of you would have been dead by now."


    "Actually," He then sighed, saying, "It was that Mountain Deity that made me understand my situation and protected me. If not for that, I too would have aimed for Rhizen''s life by now."


    "Devils," He said solemnly, "They are real and take control of people to do their bidding."


    He then exined the full gist of the situation to them, shrugging as he didn''t seem to care if they wished to risk their lives. But first, he erected a barrier to prevent the contents of their conversation from leaking out.


    For some reason, he left Chenger out of the barrier, but seemed to be worried about it. Rhizen didn''t wish for her to risk her life either, so was happy with the arrangement, nodding at Ianon to see the other party had done this in his consideration.


    After that, Ianon informed him of the entire process at y, making him understand that he possessed something the Mountain Deity addressed as the Devil Killer.


    Using Rhizen''s senses, the Coincidental Luck System had been listening to everything, beginning tough aloud, "Hahahaha! That''s a great story. Some System yers had tried something simr in the past, but it didn''t work. I see, so if disseminated in this manner, with their identities stressed as Devils, it''ll work."


    "To think I would learn something new even though I''ve lived for so long." It chuckled, "As expected, Compass Carburettor is a good bet."


    It then continued to watch things in interest.


    "Now, things make better sense." Rhizen nodded, asking at the end, "What is this Devil Killer actually. And, why are they aiming for me?"


    "That''s what I n to investigate myself." Ianon nodded, saying, "Also, the one that created that dome of darkness is a strong foe. If I''m not mistaken, she''lle for you next. She''s currently in conflict with a troublesome foe. But once she''s done with him, she''lle for you."


    "I didn''t want to fight against those two, so I bailed out."


    "What about those turrets?" Druvus asked, still reeling from confusion, "Howe they are here too?"


    "I''m not sure," Ianon shook his head, "There are some puzzling things, including the Mountain Deity''s death. We can only find out the truth for ourselvester."


    "Alright, let''s enter the fortress." Rhizen nodded, clenching his hand into a fist, "If we wish to find out anything, then doing it from within would be better."


    Right as the group approached the fortress, the entrance was lowered for them as the leader rushed out, asking them in rm, "Where had you gone for a day? I was worried that you''ve been killed under an ambush. We''ve been searching for you all along!"


    "Sorry sir, I had to rescue her." Rhizen said, showing the unconscious Chenger on his hands, "So, I had to hurry the moment I obtained the means to travel."


    "The means to travel?" The leader''s eyes lit up in joy,ughing, "Good! Good! That''ll help make our lives even easier. Come in, we''ve had a lot prepared."


    "Sir, I must ask for help to heal her wounds¡­" Rhizen asked, feeling a bit embarrassed, because when he left, he had zero intentions to return, only sporting selfish intentions.


    "We''ll ask the healer to treat her immediately." The leader said, "Though, we don''t have enough pearls. So, the treatment would be slow."


    "That''ll be fine. I managed to collect a lot of pearls from the Grassmen that I killed recently." Rhizen replied, apanying the leader.


    "Even the Grassmen has pearls now? That''s great! It seems the Mountain Deity has blessed us indeed¡­" The leaderughed in gratitude.

 Chapter 264: One Horned Haggon

    <h4>Chapter 264: One Horned Haggon</h4>


    "Dammit, bastard! Just leave the heck of me alone!" The Night Ranger System Host screamed as she unleashed all her might, sending Dwun flying.


    She then turned around, intending to fly away when Dwun threw arge piece of rock at her, causing her to evade. And using this interval, he intercepted her, engaging with her once again.


    The more they fought, the more she panicked. After all, she was stronger than him, even though he obtained a powerful new ability.


    It was because of the nket of darkness. As a Night Ranger, she possessed a powerful ability that caused her abilities to double during the night. This was why she had been able to fight as an equal against Ianon and Dwun before.


    But now, for some reason, at times when she was on the verge of killing Dwun, her attacks barely missed his vitals, allowing him to survive and heal himself. After that, he went on the offensive once again.


    At first, she thought that he was an expert fighter, allowing him to exercise such a precise level of control over his body to evade such critical hits. But, as she fought him, she noticed that he didn''t possess that level of skill.


    Sure, he was a great fighter, a troublesome one even. But, he wasn''t at that level. After all, if he was able to manage his body in such a precise way, he would have been able to overpower her by now.


    So, at times when she was about to kill Dwun, something was happening that was preventing her from doing so. It was just that she wasn''t able to put a handle on it.


    In truth, her suspicions were correct. For, it was Compass Carburettor that had been subtly influencing the positions of both to ensure they continued fighting. He wished to weaken them both as much as possible.


    So, he was ensuring Dwun wasn''t killed as soon. Well, even if he didn''t take action, Dwun wouldn''t die even if his opponent dealt a critical hit.


    After all, he still had arge enough Mental Energy reserve. So, instant kills won''t be effective against him. It was the same for the Night Ranger System Host too. That''s why both of them were alive even though they were sting off terrifying attacks at one another all along.


    Situated far away, he was writhing on the floor in pain while Grisha continued to heal him.


    "H-How much longer?" He grunted, asking through telepathy.


    "At least another five days, uncle, if not more!" The cobra said, "I''ll condense my first horn once I finish digesting all four mutated beasts. But since they had been upgraded by their respective Systems a little, I need time to digest them all. But if you were at Stage 3, it would have been easier, uncle."


    "Stage 3¡­" Compass Carburettor muttered, frowning, "But, I''ve just reached Stage 2 a couple of days ago. Reaching Stage 3 during this short interval is¡­"


    "It''s possible," Grisha thought through, finally opening her mouth to say, "At least, if it''s you, it''s possible."


    "How?" He asked, confused.


    "Your Haggon form," Grisha pointed out, "If it manages to grow one horn, you''ll be stronger. And, that itself would cause the energy of the pearl to form in your body. Based on what I''m feeling now, you should be able to connect the pearl and orb that forms in your body to your Dac."


    "Once you do that, you should receive a major boost to your reserves. After that, return to your human form and use your two abilities constantly. You should be able to reach Stage 3 quickly." She concluded.


    "I see," Compass Carburettor thought, speaking to the cobra, "Tell me if you are alright."


    Saying so, he returned to his Haggon form, asking, "How are you feeling? Are you able to sense anything?"


    "I''m fine, uncle. But, I''m afraid. Suddenly, I feel like I''m cut off from the entire world. Until now, I was able to sense Grisha''s space, but I cannot sense that now." The cobra said; its tone trembled a little, expressing fear.


    "Then it should be fine." He heaved a sigh in relief before taking on his human form. Through Directional Misalignment, he sensed the locations of every moving creature in his surroundings, noticing arge enough cave farther away as he informed Grisha of his n, condensed his pair of boots, and flickered through the path.


    He passed by countless ants, eventually arriving within a massive cavern, gazing at the ant nest before him, sensing the figure of an ant queen within, grinning as he took on his Haggon form, unleashing a guttural roar.


    The sound was frightening to the extent dirt fell off from the ceiling as the bodies of most ants trembled, rooted to the spot in shock, unable to move.


    While they were reeling from the effect, Compass Carburettor stomped the ground, causing a quake as he ran through the ce, stomping a one-horned ant with each stomp. He then picked them up and swallowed them.


    He only targeted the ants with horns, swatting away the rest. Even though they had grown in strength and size, against a Haggon, they could do nothing.


    After all, a couple of ants mmed their breath attacks at him, failing to even scratch his toughened skin.


    A Haggon wasn''t known as the strongest monster of the Darble World for nothing. And among them, his physique was superior to other Haggons.


    It was simr to the Duchess whose Grogar form was superior to all other Grogars¡ªthanks to ingesting the Darble of her brethren through Body Resurgence. He had done the same using the Darble of other Haggons, absorbing their gic material to grow stronger.


    And, once he reaches Transcendence, he would be even stronger. His base physique alone would rival all other Haggons, not to mention being able to wield Dac properly.


    Every horned ant had a pearl, that when digested raised his Dac by one permanently. And some also had orbs in them that stimted his body, causing his horn to grow faster and faster.


    Soon, the guardian ants, those that had two horns, charged at him, intending to destroy him. But, he was unfazed, thrashing about, killing them each with a hit before swallowing them. For some, he directly tossed them into his mouth, chewing to kill them casually.


    Finally, he broke into the nest, swatting away the worker ants as he grabbed hold of the ant queen and yanked it out, noticing that it had grown three horns. Opening its mouth, the ant queen unleashed a breath attack, noticing that it barely managed to scratch him, a wound that healed itself before the effect of the attack subsided.


    Without even giving it the chance to attack again, Compass Carburettor swallowed it, causing crunching sounds as the ant queen was mashed into a paste.


    Once he swallowed it, his Dac reserves increased while a brand-new feeling enveloped him, causing a surge of information to gush into his mind, allowing him to understand the ability that his Haggon Form had obtained.


    "Hahaha!" Upon digesting the information, heughed aloud, ''It makes me wish to try it on a System Host immediately.''

 Chapter 265: The Power Of Burst Element

    <h4>Chapter 265: The Power Of Burst Element</h4>


    The power he obtained as a Haggon was simple but had significant uses. It was still the burst element, but unlike external uses, it was internally generated.


    For example, when he punched as a Haggon, by activating this ability, he could punch faster, giving it an explosive burst. He could spread the burst element throughout his muscles, raising his toughness,yer it within his skin, increasing his defence.


    He could increase his running speed, etc.


    The ability was pretty simple, but for a Haggon, it was the strongest weapon, allowing it to disy its advantage the most.


    After all, a Haggon was a natural flesh tank, possessing powerful muscles with impressive mobility. Adding onto their natural regenerative powers, they were masters ofbat. And, this ability only served him to express his gifts as a Haggon better.


    He could literally bulldoze his way through things, faster, stronger.


    Moreover, once he condensed a horn, the strain he felt on his body reduced by a little. It was still hard to bear while in his human form, but in his Haggon form, it was nothing worth considering. A Haggon''s senses ensured that it didn''t even bat an eye at the pain. This was its racial advantage, capable of tolerating extreme pain without much effort.


    Upon seeing the ants converging at him, intending to swarm him to death, he roared once, watching them stumble to the ground, suffering from shock.


    Closing his eyes, he sensed the changes in his body, noticing that what Grisha had said was indeed happening.


    As a monster, he had an orb in him. Not every monster had an orb in it, but he was among those that had one now. There was also a pearl right beside it, having grown fully.


    And, the moment it manifested, his Dac flowed into the pearl, dissolving it due to some shared simrities in their nature. Immediately, his Dac experienced mild changes before forming a connection with his orb.


    Immediately, Compass Carburettor noticed that he was able to use his Dac better now. Before, when he used the pair of boots to flicker, he consumed 20 Dac upon each use. But now, the cost had reduced to a mere five Dac.


    It was thanks to the integration that his Dac became better ustomed to these abilities, synchronising deeper with this world''s power structure.


    With that, he took on his human form, condensed his pair of wings, and took flight. Suddenly, most of the feathers shot out from the wings, targeting the ants below with a barrage of attacks, causing countless deaths.


    By the time the attack finished, a new batch of feathers had finished growing, allowing him to attack again. The feathers mmed into the ants, piercing through their tough carapaces, killing them in one hit.


    Nonstop, Compass Carburettor continued to kill them, using his ability to the limit in an effort to better get ustomed to it. This way, his chances of reaching Stage 3 would be the highest.


    By this time, Grisha managed to reach the cavern, gazing at the scene below of him sting the ants nonstop.


    More and more ants poured in from other tunnels, with theirpetitors now dead. So, with an idea of expanding their region of control, they had arrived, facing his onught.


    Whenever he noticed a horned ant, he would target it first, use the pair of boots to flicker towards its corpse, and transport it back. He threw them in a section in the wall that he sted open, using it as a cave to store the ant corpses.


    He intended to eat them once there was enough of them. Otherwise, switching back and forth from a Haggon and human form wasted too much Dac. He still needed enough to continue his practice.


    Moreover, unlike using the pair of boots, the feathers had a homing feature. So, he only needed to hover in the air, leaving the rest of the work to them. That''s why he was able to endure the pain from the overload of his space.


    Otherwise, if he moved constantly using his boots, he would have fainted by now.


    He already understood that he could easily solve the situation by remaining in his Haggon Form. That way, he would be able to endure the pain. But, it''ll take too much time, especially since he still had to target the two System Hosts.


    Besides, if there was an option to grow stronger quickly, it made no sense to dy it, especially since there was practically no risk with this method.


    While fighting, he used Directional Misalignment from time to time, keeping the two System Hosts engaged. Moreover, as time passed, the stream of Mental Energy he received only continued to increase in quantity, so much so that he also began to divert part of it to level up Info Scanner.


    ''They are praying continuously.'' He smiled upon sensing the emotions behind the prayers.


    While he continued to bombard the ants, their corpses continued to pile up. The army of ants under his control¡ªlead by the ant queen that was a member of Secret Society¡ªarrived at the scene soon after, transporting the corpses back to their nest. This way, they''ll have more than enough food to breed even more members.


    Moreover, it wasn''t them alone that were doing it. Ants from other colonies too did this, for there were enough corpses. After all, when they came for the corpses, they became corpses.


    Except for those with horns, Compass Carburettor didn''t touch anything else, so they continued to pile up.


    His Haggon form continued to digest everything that he had swallowed, generating a constant supply of Dac. And, whenever they had an orb in them, his physique was stimted, causing his second horn to begin to grow, albeit many times slower than before.


    After all, the quality of corpses he swallowed mostly belonged to one-horned ants. So, it would take a lot of time to power level through them.


    He had been at the task for four hours, noticing the two System Hosts were hiding. The Night Ranger System Host hadn''t run away though, for the moment she tried that, Dwun attacked her.


    She was currently in hiding now. As for Dwun, he was obviously tired and was resting. But, the moment it seemed like she would escape, he would attack her.


    He loved to fight strong opponents, for that was his joy. And the Night Ranger System Host was a damn strong one that he wished to continue fighting¡­ If not for his severe exhaustion, he wouldn''t have stopped.

 Chapter 266: Dita

    <h4>Chapter 266: Dita</h4>


    "Hahh¡­haah¡­dammit, this freak!" The Night Ranger System Host panted in exhaustion, hiding within an empty house as she drank some water that she stored in her dimensional storage.


    As for the owner of the house, they had be Grassmen long ago. As to how she was aware of that?


    They currentlyy near her, dismembered.


    "Wait¡­what''s this?" Just as she was about to look around for supplies, her eyes caught sight of a colourful object within the Grassmen''s corpse, fishing it out to see that it was a blue coloured pearl.


    ''System, appraise this.'' She spoke in her mind.


    [Ding!]


    [Stamina Pearl: Replenishes the stamina of anyone that consumes it]


    ''Replenishes stamina?'' She was surprised before searching through the corpses of the other Grassmen, sighing when there was nothing in them.


    She then thought, asking, ''System, will such pearls grow in other Grassmen too?''


    As usual, there were no replies from her System, causing her to pout, "It never informs me about such things."


    She then sighed, shaking her head as she got up and began to look around the house for any useful supplies. Her pearl reserve had almost diminished, after all. So, she had to stock up on other weapons for times of necessity and amass pearls as quickly as possible.


    "This pearl business is pretty risky. If my skills are even the slightest bit sloppy, I won''t even earn back as many pearls as what I spend to hunt."


    ¡­


    Spurt!


    Dwun stabbed a knife into the part between an ant''s head and thorax, severing it easily. He attacked it before it could unleash a breath attack, fishing its pearl out.


    He cut off its horn and pocketed it, beginning to kill the other ants, collecting the pearls and horns of any horned ant he came across. Finally, when he had collected more than twenty horns, he unleashed golden light from his hands, causing it to envelop all horns.


    The horns melted into a puddle before condensing into a sphere. A couple of secondster, the sphere elongated to produce a sword, one sharing characteristics of an ant.


    "Alright, I have created an ant sword once again." Smiling in response, Dwun swung it, noticing its sharpness as a random ant was cleanly bisected without effort. He then used it to kill ants from time to time, resting as he entered a house, found some canned food and gorged through them,menting, "Ahh, the bliss of life!"


    ¡­


    Having observed the actions of the two System Hosts, Compass Carburettor sighed in relief, continuing with the process as he observed his reserve of Dac had already crossed 6000. ''I''m bing stronger!''


    Suddenly, he paused in action, eyes zed over, fainting immediately. Grisha grabbed hold of him immediately and brought him to safety, smiling, "That was quicker than I expected."


    A couple of minutester, Compass Carburettor woke up, sweating all over, muttering, "that was¡­horrifying."


    "Yes, you should have been torn into two halves by your two mutated beasts." Grisha nodded, "In the previous loops, many people were unable to endure this pain as their minds shattered, plunging them into a vegetative state from which they never woke up."


    "Will this continue to increase in the future?" Massaging his forehead, Compass Carburettor asked.


    "Yes, the pain will continue to scale up as your Stage increases." She nodded, "Though, from Stage 4 onwards, it is your choice whether to face it or not."


    "After all," She sighed, "You''ll be split into three parts by your three mutated beasts. And, you''ll have to experience this three times. That''s when you''ll reach Stage 4. Four parts and four times for Stage 5, so on and so forth. That''s why it bes progressively harder to reach the higher Stages."


    "So, that''s the limiting factor for this power system." He nodded, slowly getting up as he informed the cobra through telepathy, "I''ve reached Stage 3. What do I need to do now?"


    "Awesome!" The cobra replied excitedly before saying, "Uncle, concentrate on your space and try to sense me. Think as if you''re swallowing my orb. I''ll handle the rest."


    "I''ll try¡­" Nodding, Compass Carburettor sat cross-legged, sensing the space within, relying on the vague feeling that he felt every time he summoned his pair of boots or wings. After all, he didn''t know where this space was exactly within his body.


    Even Grisha didn''t know about that. So, this vague feeling was his only clue, one that felt as if it existed everywhere within him.


    Slowly, he was able to sense three existences within his space, focusing on the cobra when the connection of Secret Society between them strengthened, suddenly causing him to sense it perfectly clear.


    It felt as if he was zooming into its body, focusing on its orb automatically when he thought of swallowing it. Even though the orb was still there, the cobra''s body experienced a jerk as a powerful connection was established between them.


    Immediately, his Dac gushed into it as the cobra''s body thinned rapidly. The four mutated beast corpses within it were digested at a faster pace while its horn began to grow. Within three hours, it finished growing as the cobra returned to its original size of being a metre in length.


    "Uncle! It''s a sess!" It shouted in joy, jumping around within his space as it messed around with the mongoose, irritating it.


    Compass Carburettor grunted a little, feeling a surge of information gush into his mind, causing him to pant as he took almost an hour before the headache vanished. Upon understanding what his power implied, he summoned the cobra, snuggling it, "Did I tell you before that you''re awesome?"


    "No, you didn''t!" The cobra retorted before expressing an arrogant posture, "But you can praise me now, uncle. Praise me lots!"


    "Alright, alright." Heughed, thinking of something as he gulped before acting cheerful, "You know, I was saving this up for when you grew four horns and was able to use Secret Society to take on a human form. But, I think now is a better time for this."


    "So, you finally thought up a good name for me?" The cobra snorted, turning around as it sulked, "I almost thought you had forgotten about it."


    "Of course not," Heughed wryly, before stating, "I''ve nned this name from the moment you became a member of Secret Society¡­"


    "Dita."

 Chapter 267: A Professional Prayer

    <h4>Chapter 267: A Professional Prayer</h4>


    "What¡­are they doing?" Rhizen looked around, confused, gazing at the people doing weird hand signs at each other whenever they passed by.


    "Well¡­" The leader thought for a moment before saying, "It''s just a show of appreciation to the work attitude of the other person. We express our appreciation this way."


    "Since when did this happen?" Druvus was confused, "We have barely been away for a day, and they look likepletely different people. If this is something new, howe they look perfectly used to such an action, as if they''ve done it for years?"


    "They''ve been at it nonstop from the moment this fortress was built." The leader smiled, passing by a couple of people as he made hand signs at them, disying a superior skill level.


    It caused the Ianon and Rhizen''s group to gaze at each other.


    Rhizen whispered Ianon, "You mentioned arriving here yesterday once the fortress was installed. Did this happen then?"


    "No, they were still discussing about the hand signs back then." Ianon replied, "So, this happened after that."


    "Is this the prayer hall that you mentioned?" Rhizen asked, gazing at the group of people that were praying, "Why do they look so zealous?"


    "People need something to rely upon. And in times of apocalypse like these, it is all the more necessary." The leader said, "And, thanks to it, my work has reduced a lot. I don''t have to mediate any fights, stop tensions between groups of people, etc. Everyone is working to better their lives, as if we''re back in our old society."


    "And since there''s only around three thousand of us, we''ve be a close-knitmunity." He said, expressing relief.


    Before this fortress appeared, he had been busy, almost killed on multiple asions by those that were unable to endure the harsh, threatening life daily.


    As Rhizen had seen the leader''s struggles and had also participated in resolving conflicts from time to time, he understood the leader''s expression of peace.


    Entering the prayer hall, he observed the mural, reading through the story before gazing at the symbol on the altar, finally observing the name written underneath, "Gahrat."


    "So, that''s the name of the Mountain Deity?" He asked, seeing the others nod in response.


    He then remembered something, asking Ianon, "Oh yeah, you were drawing his face before¡­"


    "Well, I got distracted by our conversation in the end." Ianon smiled wryly, "No worries, I''ll sketch it once we get a piece of paper after this."


    "That won''t be necessary," The leader interjected, "If it''s his face, some of the women are embroidering it on arge piece of cloth. It''ll be done in a week or so. And since some of those are professionals, it should be pretty urate."


    "Well, then it should be fine." Ianonughed it off.


    Rhizen observed the devoted expressions of everyone, feeling something was off a little, asking the leader, "Only you seem normal. Everyone else is a bit too¡­"


    "Devoted, right?" The leaderughed, nodding in response, "Well, whatever works to maintain peace and development, I guess. Besides,"


    He grinned, pointing at himself, "They are just amateurs. A professional constantly pray from their heart to express their thanks."


    ¡­


    "What does Dita mean, uncle?" The cobra, Dita asked in curiosity.


    "It means you''re awesome." Compass Carburettor said, picking this name only because he felt it suited it, not because he knew of the name''s meaning. ''Well, the meaning is what we attach to it anyway. Even otherwise, when it is portrayed as such enough times, it bes the truth.''


    He casually harboured a terrifying thought, patting the cobra, asking it, "What do you want to do now? Stay here, or in my space?"


    "I''ll return to your space," Dita spoke, vanishing, "I can observe everything through your senses anyway. And it''s safe for me here."


    This was the true extent of its ability that was unlocked after they formed a connection. When Compass Carburettor summoned Dita, it was condensed on him as a helmet, allowing him to sense the space of Grisha that was nearby.


    He shed, appearing within her space for a moment, connecting with all her senses. Though, he returned immediately after, watching Grisha gasping, for he had burdened her. She was only at Stage 2 while he was at Stage 3. So, the burden on her space was huge.


    In this world, as long as he engaged in closebat, whenever there was a threat to his life, he could hide within the space of the opponent. Moreover, he could also kill their mutated beasts, rendering them powerless.


    Also, the true extent of this powery in its ability to plunder. That is, he would be able to plunder the mutated beasts of others from within their space and make them his. Though, the maximum number of mutated beasts he could possess was dictated by his Stage.


    This aspect would never change.


    ''The mutated beasts of System Hosts.'' He thought, getting excited, ''They should have been improved by the Systems and would be a lot stronger than the usual mutated beasts.''


    "But first, I have to upgrade the strength of all mutated beasts, especially Dita''s¡­" He muttered, deep in thought. After all, unlike the other mutated beasts, Dita was only able to grow by devouring the mutated beasts within a space.


    And, only humans had that. So, that means, either he had to sabotage other humans or exclusively hunt the mutated beasts of System Hosts.


    "Well, the apocalypse should have plenty of bad guys," He muttered, throwing it to the back of his head, thinking, ''Now, how can I fight against the System Hosts?''


    Of course, he had zero intentions to let them leave. But, upon using Info Scanner, he frowned, ''It seems they''ve performed a lot of Quests beforeing here. Albeit slow, their Mental Energy reserves are increasing.''


    "This is troubling," He sighed, looking at Grisha, "Do you have any bright ideas?"


    "Hmm," Thinking for a moment, Grisha pointed at the ants, "Even though this might cripple their development in this region, why don''t we continue to hunt the ants at this pace and reach Transcendence? Or at least, hit the limit for our Dac growth?"


    "You do have a point," Compass Carburettor nodded, "Since the enemies have arge Mental Energy reserve, we need to face them head-on sooner orter to kill them."

 Chapter 268: Chenger’s Sufferings (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 268: Chenger¡¯s Sufferings (part 2)</h4>


    "Thank you very much," Rhizen bowed in gratitude, seeing Chenger''s wounds hadpleted healing. The healer of the fortress had finished healing her injuries.


    The healer''s abilities weren''t anything spectacr and were only able to speed up the body''s natural recovery using the burst element. So, it wasn''t able to regrow any fingers or limbs.


    Thankfully, Chenger mostly suffered cuts on her body and a loss of eight nails, all of which could be healed by her body naturally. Same for the swelling on her legs. It did consume a lot of pearls, but her legs were good as new in the end.


    Rhizen then carried her, arriving at the room allotted to them. There were various rooms in the fortress, each spacious enough to house a family each. So, he and Chenger, given their status, were allotted the same room.


    From the start, he was awed by everything that was going on in the fortress, feeling as if he was seeing things for the first time. There were indeed many things that were going on in the fortress.


    And upon hearing that food would be served in arge mess where everyone could dinefortably, he was shocked. The pearl-like objects, that he viewed with scorn due to his prior experience were seen in apletely different light now.


    They rapidly allowed the lives of everyone to be better, causing him to change his opinion about them, making him sigh in the end, ''So, things like a Mountain Deity are real, huh.''


    ''Is this really the world that I grew up in?'' He wondered from time to time, sighing as he entered the room, not surprised upon seeing that it was mostly empty.


    There was a couch in the living room and a table before it, all made from pearl¡ªthe same material making up the entire fortress. They were rooted to the spot, one with the building. They were hard, but as long as he ced the rug of something above it, they would serve asfortable seating areas.


    Those in charge of the clothes indeed said that they would be providing nkets and the other necessities sooner, once they were ready.


    There was an attached dining room to the living room, leading into two bedrooms. There was an attached bathroom to each bedroom, ready with a plumbing supply. Upon seeing how clean everything was, Rhizen sighed, "This feels like an apocalypse never happened."


    Just as he thought as such, knocking sounds resounded from the door. He opened it, noticing two men saunter inside, carryingrge quilts that they ced in the centre of the living room, "Bedsheets, pillows, mattress, towels, and some sets of clothes. All are here. You canter collect toothpaste, soap, and other items from the relevant buildings."


    After saying their piece, they left, joking about with each other, clearly happy with doing work. A warm,fortable ce to live, nourishing food to eat, protection against external threats, and a spiritual pir to rely upon, all were positive signs that made their moods great.


    From time to time, the ballistas on the walls took action. And, all they had to do was go and collect the corpses of the mutated beasts. Once collected, someone purified them by putting some grass on them. It was mentioned by Compass Carburettor, so they followed it, having understood the danger that existed in the mutated beast meat.


    "Everything feels unreal," Rhizen sighed, slumping on the sofa as he gently ced Chenger nearby. Thanks to the cushions, it was prettyfortable.


    "Ugh¡­what¡­happened?" A couple of minutester, Chenger groaned, waking up slowly, blinking in confusion at the pristine state of her surroundings, "Am I¡­dead?"


    "You''re pretty much alive," Rhizen said, gently hugging her when Chenger''s eyes slowly widened in shock before tearing up.


    She hugged him tightly, feeling him up, causing the feeling of this being a reality to slowly sink into her. "I¡­never thought I would be able to speak with you again."


    "What happened back then? How were you captured?" Rhizen asked.


    "As you had instructed me, I was training daily while inspecting the surroundings, making trips into the nearby forest. On the day you left for Mount Craire, I used the crossbow to hunt a mutated creature and somehow gained an ability." She began to recount her experience in the apocalypse.


    "But yesterday, right after I sent you the message using our messenger bird, two people barged into our house." She shuddered in fright, "I retaliated against them, alright? But, before I knew it, my two items were destroyed while I was on the floor, paralysed. After that¡­"


    "I''m sorry¡­" She began to shed tears, "I wasn''t able to endure their torture for long before I leaked information about you."


    "You could have simply told them at the start itself. You didn''t have to suffer so much." Rhizen sighed, patting her back.


    "No," Chenger shook her head saying, "I might be dumb, but I didn''t wish to implicate you. So, I gave them the wrong information about you. But, strangely, it seemed they were able to detect my lies."


    "Eight times, I changed my lies eight times, hoping that they would believe it. But¡­" She covered her face, sobbing uncontrobly.


    "You''ve been through a lot." Rhizen consoled her.


    ¡­


    "No¡­that''s not me! Rhizen! That''s not me! No!" Ady writhed on the ground, tied up, unable to escape.


    Hovering before her was a screen, disying the scene shared between Rhizen and ''Chenger''.


    "No!" Upon seeing Rhizen show such an expression to ''Chenger'', thedy screamed as tears streamed out of her eyes, causing her to suffer from pain. After all, her face was a horrid mess, affected by acid that had been poured on her.


    The perpetrators had partially healed her to ensure she was alive but still suffered in pain from the gentlest of sunlight and wind. Shecked neither fingers nor toes, sportingcerations all over her body that were haphazardly healed.


    She was Chenger, the actual one.


    "How is it? Seeing your beloved with another woman that is aiming for his life?" Followed by a chuckle, Shyvern gazed at Chenger''s melted face, "You know, all men are the same. They just want a prettydy by their side."


    "Even if he had realised that the Chenger beside him is fake, as long as she looks the same as your pretty self, he wouldn''t care." Heughed.


    "No, Rhizen isn''t like that," Chenger screamed but was unable to do anything,cking the strength to resist.


    "I''m curious," Shyvern closed in on her, "If you run towards Rhizen now and reveal your identity with your melted face, I''m curious about what will happen next."


    "Which Chenger will Rhizen say is real?"

 Chapter 269: Transcendence

    <h4>Chapter 269: Transcendence</h4>


    "How''s the arenaing along?" Compass Carburettor asked the ant queen through telepathy, wondering just where it had gone by.


    "We''re almost done, having dug up a hole that is a kilometre deep and has a cylindrical radius of twenty metres. There''s only the twenty-metreyer of earth at the top that''s left." The ant queen replied, having already increased the numbers in her colony.


    And with the recent influx of ant corpses, she hadid down even more eggs, continuing to expand the size of her nest. As Compass Carburettor was destroying one nest after another, it was easy for theirs to expand.


    "How are you feeling?" He then asked Grisha, causing the other party to nod in response, offering a thumbs up.


    "I''ve reached the limit at 1000 Dac. Now, I''ll only have to train ordingly as you said and hope I reach Transcendence eventually." She replied.


    "The pearls have sped up the process a lot." He nodded, having almost reached the peak himself. Moreover, his second horn too had almost finished growing by now as he had devoured almost four thousand pearls from one-horned ants, a couple hundred from the two-horned guardian ants, and a dozen from three-horned ant queens.


    Some of them had orbs that his Haggon form just swallowed. After all, upon asking Grisha, she told him that the ants only had superiority in numbers at this point in time. And, once ants with four horns start appearing is when they reach the status as a cmity.


    And, that was also their limit. She told him that those with four horns would give birth to ants with interesting abilities.


    So, he didn''t care about them now, swallowing them to stimte the growth of his second horn.


    His two mutated beasts¡ªthe mongoose and the bird¡ªhad grown three horns by now, having been devouring the corpses of a lot of two-horned ants. They were practically stuffed to the brim continuously until they eventually grew their third horn.


    In this time that he was hunting the ants, Dwun and the Night Ranger System Host had shed a couple more times. Even though she wished to run away, having attempted many times, Dwun was growing stronger as time passed.


    Moreover, as they didn''t have many pearls to use, they were rather controlled in their actions.


    The Night Ranger System Host too didn''t run away, intending to find a way in which she could beat sense into Dwun. At least, that would allow her to im her Quest rewards. After all, she did indeed separate Ianon from Dwun, allowing the other party to escape.


    So, as long as she brought Dwun to his senses, she would obtain a powerful Skill. That was precisely the only reason she was putting up with everything. Otherwise, given her mobility advantage, if she truly exerted all her power, Dwun wouldn''t be able to hinder her escape.


    Moreover, once night fell, her abilities increased explosively. When Dwun tried to fight with her, he was thrashed around, eventually making his escape. Though, he didn''t leave the vicinity, gathering strength as he noticed that every time he fought her, even though he was risking his life, he was also growing in strength.


    It seemed his System too had noticed this, sporting pleasant surprise as it gave him a new Quest, instructing him to continue fighting with her, something he happily obligated.


    The reason it was risking its life in this world was due to the benefits, the promise of a Skill from the Luck Genre. And now that it noticed its Host was on the cusp of a breakthrough into a new realm of power, it wished to support him.


    After all, everything he gained would be its in the end once it devoured him in the System World. That might develop its power and may even cause new Skills to branch out from its Core Skill, a feat very few Systems had managed to achieve.


    And those that did this had all reached the peak at Grade 1. So, it of course focused on its personal growth, just making an act in their group¡ªin the Astral Network¡ªto express its helplessness.


    Some things happened coincidently that led to it making this decision,pletely forgetting the fact about the enemy it was facing and the domain of authority it possessed¡ªCoincidence and Luck.


    Rewards were one of the best baits, after all.


    And, without their notice, both System Hosts were engaging with each other for their respective reasons.


    Even the Night Ranger System was of the same mind as the Power Punch System, noticing that its Host was growing at an rming pace. It was a cause for celebration, as her growth aligned with its benefits.


    Compass Carburettor continued to raid the nests one after another, relying on the toughness of the Haggon form to devour ant queens one after another. During this time, once she reached the limit of her Dac, Grisha began to gather materials to create other external items.


    They nned to create forts in many other locations to increase the Mental Energy streams Compass Carburettor was getting. It''ll make his job easier.


    Suddenly, she stood up in surprise, noticing tremoringughter echo within the tunnels, originating from Compass Carburettor, hurrying towards his location to see that his Haggon Form seemed even stronger than before.


    Before, as a Haggon, he was still in his growing phase. But now, he had turned into an adult as a Haggon, only thanks to the rapid increase in his Dac reserves. Or at least, his body had matured. Based on his lifespan as a Haggon, he was very much still a child.


    "The final one¡­" He muttered, excited as he swallowed a pearl, noticing a wondrous feeling envelop him from within, causing a change to erupt in him as a whole.


    His Warble shone all of a sudden as a sense of instinct enveloped him, allowing him to select and finalise the abilities he would possess¡ªthanks to the Warble.


    After all, he, the strongest Haggon, with qualities the same as a Level 5 Dungeon''s Dungeon Boss, had finally attained it.


    Transcendence!

 Chapter 270: I Am Iron Man

    <h4>Chapter 270: I Am Iron Man</h4>


    "Finally," Compass Carburettor sighed in relief, deciding on his abilities, selecting the Warrior Path first as a yellowish-white barrier formed around his body.


    It was an extension of his physique radially, forming a thinyer over himself. Thinking of something, Compass Carburettor stretched his hand, watching theyer of light extend instantly and m into the wall.


    Its size was only a tadrger than his hand, its initial size when ityered over it. He then thought as the hand expanded in size.


    It was hard to control it, as hecked experience. But, it was still a great feeling, being able to freely wield the power that he had attained. He could finally put his Dac to proper use.


    After he shrunk his energy hand, theyer of energy on him expanded in size, turning into a three-metre-tall figure of himself. As Compass Carburettor expended more Dac, the energy figure of himself further expanded in size.


    Ratio-wise, it was an urate depiction of himself.


    This was his Warrior Path ability¡ªBody Layer!


    His Dac would form ayer of energy de over him, allowing him to expand and contract it as he pleased. It was versatile in that it allowed him to perform a variety of activities and was useful in all situations.


    Moreover, it also served as ayer of shield for him, making him less prone to harm.


    He then retracted the Body Layer, snapping his finger as a Spydragon manifested beside him. It already possessed all the abilities he needed. And since he had been using it from the start, he was used to controlling it, noticing that he had no issues with using it.


    The Spydragon calmly flew around him when he willed it, watching it expand in size until reaching a length of three metres. From its flying mode, it switched to its serpentine mode, slithering on the ground.


    Returning to the flying mode, its wings pped as its figure took off into the air,cking no effort. After all, it was a body of energy, having zero mass. So, flying for it was no issue.


    This was his puppeteer ability¡ªSpydragon!


    The reason he had retracted Body Layer to condense his Spydragon was that he wasn''t yet capable of multitasking them, still needing practice. Controlling the Spydragon wasn''t a problem as he had enough experience with it.


    But for Body Layer, he had just created it, definitely needing some practise before he would be able to use it in battle while also controlling a Spydragon.


    "And now," He muttered, activating the ability that was a result of fusing both the Warrior and Puppeteer Paths, causing the traits of both tobine.


    A suit of armour made of the energy de covered him from head to toe, not even presenting any gaps. At first nce, it seemed no different to his Body Layer.


    But, not only was it tougher but also mobile, as if each part was an individual unit. Compass Carburettor extended his hand before his face, noticing the parts on the armour p and close shut, behaving like scales.


    Each scale was simr in structure to the Spydragon''s wings, but miniature in size. "Now, spin!"


    As he proimed, the cluster of scale-like wings on the back of his handbined to form a rotating fan, unleashing a powerful gust of wind. Compass Carburettor then switched it to the front of his hand, facing it to the ground, watching dust being blown away by the thrust.


    He then condensed a simr fan in the other hand, slowly increasing the rotational speed of both, observing the thrust they generated continuing to increase steadily.


    Soon his body began to tremble, hovering in and out of the stage where the generated lift slightly surpassed his weight before falling mildly below his weight.


    Computational date wise, the average of it seemed as if the lift and weight were the same. But, the generated lift was osciting by that point.


    After taking in a deep breath, Compass Carburettor increased the speed of the fans, watching his figure slowly hover in the air, causing him tough as he began to cover the fans, turning them more and more into a turbofan.


    Even though he couldn''t inject any fuel tobust in thebustion chamber, he had other alternatives, using Dac to rapidly raise the air temperature by creating a construct within that rapidly spiked the kic energy.


    Though, this also consumed a lot of Dac.


    But, the moment he condensed one, Compass Carburettor faced the exhaust behind him, noticing his figure sting off forward with rapid speed.


    He retracted it and hurriedly opened his wings, using the drag that produced to slow him down. Thankfully, he had attempted it in a long enough tunnel, hence avoiding the fate of being turned into a t cake.


    He then leaned on the sidewall, extending his hand when a fan formed at the back of his hand, adjusting itself before turning into a rotating saw.


    Krrrng!


    The moment he ced it on the wall, a grating sound resounded as the rotating saw began to cut into the rock, "That''s pretty powerful."


    Thinking as such, he increased its radius, causing the grating sounds to intensify further while dust spilt out like a torrent, beginning to fill up the tunnel.


    Fearing a dust explosion, he stopped, condensing a regr fan as he blew the dust away slowly.


    "That''s¡­your ability?" Grisha exited a nearby cave that she had been hiding at, protecting herself from the powerful gust of wind he generated.


    "Indeed, pretty amazing right?" Compass Carburettorughed, "In mybined form, my strength increases by leaps and bounds. But, its prime use is something else."


    "What''s that?" Grisha asked in surprise, "I thought you made it while keeping killing power in mind."


    "Though it can do that as its primary function, that wasn''t my intended use." He smiled, causing countless fans to form throughout his armour, creating a pathway for wind cirction as he slowly floated to the air, "It was to escape at supersonic speeds, like a jet. That way, irrespective of my enemy''s power, I can escape from their range easily."


    "And, my projectile abilitiese in handy to use alongside." Compass Carburettorughed, sporting an expression of arrogance, disying child-like joy, proiming in all seriousness.


    "I am Iron Man!"

 Chapter 271: Mecha And Shika

    <h4>Chapter 271: Mecha And Shika</h4>


    From the moment he saw the different powers wielded by the Haggon Transcendents, Compass Carburettor had an inkling as to what he had to create.


    And thanks to the Warble, he had the freedom of choice, able to perfectly designate the set of powers he required. Though, he needed to have an idea about it first. Thankfully, Hekatra had helped him a lot in this regard.


    "Mecha," He spoke, gazing at Grisha, "That''s the name of this ability that fuses my Warrior and Puppeteer Paths."


    "Now that you''ve attained this power, are you nning to confront them head-on?" Grisha asked, curious to see just how strong Compass Carburettor actually was. She hadn''t yet seen a Haggon fight, at least go all out.


    So, she was curious about his strength as a Haggon transcendent.


    "Yes," Compass Carburettor nodded, using Directional Misalignment to observe the positions of the two System Hosts, ''For some reason, the both of them are voluntarily shing time and again.''


    "But, not yet." He said, clenching his hand into a fist, "I''ll have to familiarise myself with the abilities first. Otherwise, it''ll be hard for me to confront them."


    "Besides, I''ll only be aiming for one of them." He said, confusing her.


    "Which of the two are you aiming at?" She asked, noticing Compass Carburettor smile mysteriously in response, causing her to snort in response and walk away.


    "I''ll inform youter. Continue making the External Items please." Saying so, Compass Carburettor summoned his boots and shed away, hearing towards an ant nest as he engaged in ughter.


    This time, he only used his Body Layer to fight, getting ustomed to its usage while in battle.


    A two-horned guardian ant mmed a breath attack at him, sending him flying away from the impact. Even though the sudden movement rattled his insides, he only suffered damage from the movement.


    Theyer of the energy de over him remained firm, undamaged from the attack. As a Transcendent, the strength of his energy de could be varied. But, it was already on the level condensed by an Armament with five States.


    And if necessary, he could make it even stronger.


    But, he didn''t fight for long, soon following a group of ants working under him, reaching the surface. He surfaced far away from the System Hosts, ensuring he wouldn''t be detected. With that, he arrived before argewn where the grass grew and a bunch of Grassmen stood amidst, silent.


    Taking on his Haggon form, he unleashed Mecha, creating a t surface that formed underground as he lifted up a patch ofnd. After boxing it to ensure the grass trapped within wouldn''t escape, he began to run through the ant tunnels, soon reaching the massive cylindrical bore they were digging up.


    It was the trap that he was preparing for the two System Hosts. Most of the ants in the nest under his control had been working on this all along, digging until the depth had reached 400 metres by now while the radius of the bore remained 20 metres.


    He dropped the patch ofnd at the bottom, watching the grass take root here and begin growing. While it began to slowly spread out, Compass Carburettor took on his human form, condensed the pair of boots and shed towards the surface, capturing two Grassmen with each trip.


    He brought them back, dropping them into the tunnel, repeating the trip enough times until the bottom was fully covered by them. And, as the grass continued to grow through it, the ants began to close up all the tunnels, patching them up with the soil.


    They ensured there wasn''t any tunnel opening at least for a distance of 200 metres from the cylindrical bore. This way, the trapped System Hosts wouldn''t be able to escape that easily.


    Once everything was prepared, he apanied Grisha, walking through a tunnel, arriving closer to the surface as he closed his eyes, concentrating as he summoned two Spydragons.


    He had controlled two Spydragons a couple of times, having some experience in doing so. But, this was already his limit, as his talent as a Puppeteer was very low.


    Both the Spydragons were tiny, spanning 10 centimetres in length while in their serpentine form. They drilled out of the ground before heading in opposite directions, slithering through the corners of the buildings to stay as hidden as possible.


    ¡­


    "I feel like I''m closer to attaining an enlightenment." Shika, the Night Ranger System Host muttered, clenching her hand into a fist before shemanded mentally, "System, disy my profile."


    [Ding!]


    Followed by the System notification, her profile was disyed.


    [Name: Shika Gobulimar]


    [Race: Human]


    [Strength: 38]


    [Agility: 71]


    [Vitality: 44]


    [Dexterity: 51]


    [Stamina: 76]


    [Vital Energy: 408]


    [Core Skill: Night Ranger (Doubles all Stats and Skill Power during the night)]


    [Skills: Night nket (Level 4), Cross-Eye Sighting (Level 6), Tracking Stigma (Level 3)]


    Upon seeing the development of her attributes, Shika was content, "I''ve grown this strong within two months and already have three Skills, beyond my Core Skill."


    She then gazed into the details of her three mutated beast abilities, observing that she was gaining instinct rted to them the moment she thought about them.


    Before, she was only using them based on the information surge. The information surge consisted of the means and the necessary muscle memory to use the abilities. But, that was it.


    But now, she was gaining inspiration to apply their effects better. Strategies formed in her mind, allowing her to club the activation of her three abilities in interesting ways to turn the tides of battle.


    And, as such ideas sparked in her mind continuously, Shika realized that she was on the verge of discovering new potential for her abilities.


    To be frank, even the Night Ranger System was excited. After all, once she obtained a breakthrough, it too would gain a lot of benefits.


    As she was deep in thought, she noticed a spark of light in the corner of her sight, turning around abruptly as she saw a tiny creature slither on the ground at tremendous speeds.


    It unleashed a yellowish-white light, gentle in nature, making her curious. ''What is this mutated beast?''


    She became curious since it seemed different from the norm, ''If I can obtain an orb from it, maybe I''ll get an interesting ability.''


    Thinking as such, she began to tail after it.


    -


    [Skill Descriptions]


    Night Ranger: Doubles all attributes and abilities during the dark. A passive ability that takes effect at night, during the sr eclipse, or anywhere that is dark (without sun rays)


    Night nket: A Skill that condenses energy to create a dome where light is snuffed out. Even the light from devices such as shlights, fires, etc. is snuffed out. For fire, it would still be burning, but just won''t be producing any light. Those trapped in the Night nket would still be able to feel the heat it emits.


    Cross-Eye Sighting: A Skill in which her eyes act like camera lenses, capable of zooming in and out, focusing on things, automatically tracking rapid moving objects etc. Thanks to this ability, Shika doesn''t have to fear any moving objects, able to focus on them perfectly in such a way, they appear static in her vision.


    Tracking Stigma: A Mysterious Skill that can mark people or objects. Without special Skills to counter it, the stigma cannot be destroyed, unless the marked object is destroyed and the person is dead. It doesn''t require physical contact and can be transmitted through air, water, solid, etc. Shika had ced her stigma on a lot of objects before, causing CC to be marked by one of them when he touched that object. This way, she didn''t even reveal herself but kept an eye on his actions.


    Vital Energy: A bogus energy the Night Ranger System gave her, just like her attributes. this is what Shika relies on to use her Skills. In truth, this is just an inferior version of Mental Energy that it had purchased in the Astral Network, just for her use¡­ To her, it would seem as if her Vital Energy recovers over time, but it is her System refilling it in such a way by expending Mental Energy.

 Chapter 272: Chasing After The Spydragons

    <h4>Chapter 272: Chasing After The Spydragons</h4>


    Seated within a building, cross-legged, was Dwun, breathing steadily. He was digesting the gains from his recent battle.


    Even though he had been injured a lot, the prickling sensation from his injuries tranted into information for him. He was a battle addict but wasn''t as hard-headed as he seemed to be.


    He did have his strengths, just one though. And that was to gain insight from his fights to use his abilities better. But, that was all. In the end, he was selected as a System Host due to the simple-minded nature that allowed his System to exploit him the best.


    After all, despite knowing about the truth from Ianon, he was unfazed, not caring about it. He had only been shocked at the start when he found out the truth. But after that, he realised that nothing changed.


    He only wished to fight with strong people. And, since his System allowed him to do that, he was fine with it. If it wished to do something to him in the end, he was fine with that, as long as he had his share of fun until then.


    People lived for all sorts of reasons. The fables had people selling their souls to the Devils for many reasons after all.


    As for him, his intention was the same. But his objective was to just fight and experience the thrill and adrenaline rush of a life and death battle.


    So, Dwun didn''t even bother to think about anything that Ianon had spoken about, only hoping to fight him again, "Ianon was strong. And, he had been holding back all along. He should be stronger than Shika."


    Of course, during one of the battles, he learned of her name.


    As for the reason the Power Punch System was excited about the continuous battles, it noticed that Dwun''s mind was experiencing growth. He was not only maturing but was also developing more holes in his mind, allowing him to be a better System Host.


    This means, not only would he stop being an idiotic brute, but he would also be susceptible to it. It was evident by the fact that the amount of Mental Energy it was getting had increased recently.


    This was despite the source of the Mental Energy remaining unchanged. The change in Dwun''s mind filtered the Mental Energy better and turned it into a form that was even more suitable for its growth.


    This was also the reason a System didn''t just randomly choose a Host. They needed to ensure that the Host''s mind worked in a way that filtered and modified the obtained Mental Energy into a form that suited the System''s growth and development of its Core Skill the highest.


    That was why most Systems stuck to a select few worlds, finding suitable Hosts there.


    As for the Coincidental Luck System, Rhizen was the perfect Host to it, allowing it the maximum benefit. From the moment it gained ownership of this world and Hosted Rhizen, its power exploded as it derived new domains of authority.


    That was the reason the other Systems in the Luck Genre joined hands to resist it. Otherwise, at this rate, the Coincidental Luck System would be so strong that of them would be able to resist the fate of being devoured by it.


    And now, Dwun was experiencing such growth. That was why the Power Punch System had be excited. As this was a looping world, as long as Dwun managed to evolve this time, it would be able to use the gathered data to induce the same changes in him during the subsequent loops.


    This way, its growth would explode.


    Just as Dwun was about to immerse himself in the meditating session further, he noticed a streak of light in a nearby room. Curious about it, he got up and carried his Ant Sword, inching forth to the respective room to see the Spydragon within.


    It was flickering from one end to another, looking through the things at the ce. It suddenly noticed a half-eaten canned food nearby, peeking into it before nibbling some grains. It was erratic in nature, moving away from the cup after a bit.


    A dozen secondster, it would return to take a second nibble before moving elsewhere.


    Its actions were erratic and didn''t make much sense, but Dwun noticed that he was observing it in curiosity, ''What type of ability would I get from it?''


    This was his curiosity whenever he saw a new mutated beast. As long as he obtained an orb, he could wait until reaching Stage 3 before swallowing it. If the ability was good, he''ll continue using it. Otherwise, he''ll kill the mutated beast and swallow a new orb.


    Thanks to this, everyone that understood this power system was on the constant lookout for new orbs. If they found stronger, versatile abilities, they would swap them with weaker abilities in their arsenal.


    And, a simple nce at the transparent body of the Spydragon, one that seemed to be made purely of energy, Dwun understood that it was a special existence, ''Is this my lucky encounter?''


    Though, the moment he took a step forward, the Spydragon sensed him and hurriedly slipped out of the room, heading into the open.


    "Oh no, you don''t!" Dwun shouted before sting open the wall as he locked onto its position using his senses, chasing after it.


    The Spydragon was fast, unaffected even when some rubble fell over it, slipping through the gaps.


    Upon seeing how tough its body was, Dwun became excited, ''I''ll definitely obtain its orb.''


    He chased after it relentlessly, grunting in annoyance whenever it slipped through the gaps in his fingers.


    He didn''t attack it directly in fear of destroying even the orb within, and hence only aimed to trap it. But, the Spydragon was nimble, expertly avoiding his attacks.


    From one street to another, it moved along, constantly dodging his attacks. Suddenly, Dwunnded on it, the impact raising a dust cloud, thinking that he had stomped and trapped the Spydragon.


    But, the moment he waved his hand to clear away the dust cloud, he observed the Spydragon wastched onto the ends of his pants. And immediately after, itnded on the ground and slithered away, arriving at a certain open field when it unleashed a de of light from its mouth, poked a hole in the ground, and slithered into it.


    "You won''t escape!" Shouting in response, Dwun condensed energy in his hand beforending on the spot, mming a hit into it. And, just before he had done so, a second Spydragon slithered into the same hole as Shikanded before him, having chased after it.


    "You!" The two gazed at each other in shock before understanding their motive¡­ Sparks flew in the air, unwilling for the other party to gain that special mutated creature''s power, intending to battle it out when the ground copsed under them, causing them to fall into the trap.

 Chapter 273: Power Punch

    <h4>Chapter 273: Power Punch</h4>


    "Hmph!" Shika snorted as she watched the two Spydragons falling deeper into the vertical tunnel. But, a secondter, the two serpentine creatures of light morphed their bodies, condensing a pair of wings that they used to revolve around each other, forming a helical path of motion as they rapidly flew towards the bottom of the tunnel.


    ''Thankfully, I had ced a stigma in this area before. Now, both of them have been sessfully marked.'' She sighed in relief internally, aware that she now had the means to catch them anytime she wanted.


    But, right at this time, Dwun extended his hand, clenching it into a fist. Suddenly, a transparent sphere formed around the two Spydragons, trapping them within, preventing them from escaping.


    "Haha, they''ll be mine¡­" He had justughed when three arrows mmed into him, shot by Shika.


    Condensing his pair of gloves, he unleashed shockwaves, disorienting the arrow flight, causing them to swerve around him and m into the walls of the tunnel, causing mud to spill out.


    Having fought with each other often, they didn''t hide their attacks, going all out while their figures continued to fall.


    And, as they continued to fall through the tunnel, hidden in a small tunnel near the top was Compass Carburettor, observing their fall as he focused, waiting patiently as he used Directional Misalignment, causing Shika to move while fighting.


    She moved in such a way that she appeared within two metres from him as his figure vanished, appearing within her space.


    As she was at Stage 3 and had already summoned all her mutated beasts, her space was empty. So, when Compass Carburettor appeared within, she didn''t notice anything amiss.


    Now that he was within her, he connected with her senses, observing the surroundings, watching Dwun continue to attack her.


    Just to prevent the Night Ranger System from detecting him through the flow of Mental Energy into him, he had already designated Grisha as the node. So, all the Mental Energy was received by her.


    This way, the Night Ranger System wouldn''t be alerted of his presence. First, no Mental Energy was flowing into him. Second, thanks to the shielding on his Mental Energy Form, he didn''t exhibit any Mental Energy either.


    And third, as the space was empty, Shika didn''t feel any strain when he appeared within.


    As the Night Ranger System was focused on Shika''s growth, it remained unaware of his arrival within her space.


    But, he was surprised all of a sudden, able to hear Shika''s surface-level thoughts.


    "System, maintain the Stigma on those two creatures."


    "It''s being maintained, Host. It won''t disappear for at least a week." Came the System''s reply.


    Even though it was a conversation in their mind, for some reason, Compass Carburettor too was able to hear them, ''Is this because I''ve connected myself to all her senses?''


    The senses also included the sense of touch. So, whenever Shika suffered an injury, he experienced all the pain she felt. But, it wasn''t much, for she had been fighting a lot these days and had improved her skills.


    So, she was hardly injured. But, the case was the same for Dwun too.


    Still, since Dwun trapped the two Spydragons within, it meant that as long as she failed to kill him, he would reap all the benefits from this mysterious mutated beast.


    So, Shika had already gone all out, intending to kill him this time. She had been tied down by him for long enough.


    Her crossbow continued to shoot at him while her left hand condensed a sword and plunged it into the tunnel walls, breaking her fall, beginning to reduce her momentum.


    Dwun punched the walls, spreading out the impact radius to only weaken the walls. He then plunged the ant sword into it, reducing his falling speed. But, as he had weakened the walls, his sword wasn''t able to stop in it.


    So, the rate at which he slowed down was a lot lower than Shika. But, that was what he had been hoping for, intending to first create some distance from her so that he could nab the two Spydragons and then make a retreat.


    As they were already captured by him, he only needed to find a way. And for that, he nned to st a tunnel along the side and bury it after he entered. This way, she wouldn''t be able toe after him while he''ll be able to get to safety.


    Upon seeing his actions, Shika understood his intentions. Moreover, the two Spydragons were in his hand, so she was unwilling to let him leave.


    Shika retracted her sword, beginning to free fall deeper into the tunnel as she loaded her crossbow and sted a flurry of arrows at Dwun, distracting him.


    He had no choice but to defend against them. Otherwise, he would be impaled. Soon, she neared him, intending to engage with him in closebat. She was nning to sever his hand with her sword.


    That way, her advantage would increase, allowing her to gain victory.


    The moment she arrived in range to Dwun, Compass Carburettor flickered into the opponent''s space, looking around for a moment before condensing his Body Layer.


    Without any dys, he expended a lot of Dac, expanding the Body Layer to instantly reach a size of ten metres. But, the space wasn''t that big enough, getting filled immediately.


    Thanks to the pressure he unleashed, the space began to crack immediately. Without any hesitation, he retracted the Body Layer and condensed it again, expanding it to be even bigger this time, causing the sounds of ss shattering to resound.


    He quickly returned within Shika''s space, observing the figure of Dwun coughing out blood as he gazed at her in shock. After all, right at this time, Shika exploded with renewed power and severed his right hand.


    "Damn!" Grunting in pain, he clenched his left hand into a fist, pouring all his power into it.


    Instantly, Shika''s eyes widened in shock, for the power Dwun exhibited now surpassed everything he had shown until now.


    Core Skill¡ªPower Punch!

 Chapter 274: Objective Achieved: Dwun Grassmen

    <h4>Chapter 274: Objective Achieved: Dwun Grassmen</h4>


    Core Skill¡ªPower Punch!


    Flustered at the loss of his right hand, Dwun didn''t wish for Shika to take advantage of the chance and kill him. So, he intended to drag her down with him, pouring all his power into his right hand, beyond what he was capable of withstanding.


    His right hand fragmented into dust under the umted power as the impact mmed into Shika, sending her reeling into the tunnel walls, causing a massive crater as rocks crumbled and fell towards the bottom.


    "Gah!" Shika coughed out blood, having suffered immense damage from the attack. In the split second before the attack mmed into her, she screamed mentally.


    "System,bust all my stats!"


    [Ding!]


    With hermand, all her stats werebusted to result in explosive power that she used to defend herself. That was how she was able to survive.


    In truth, both the Systems had taken a massive hit at their Mental Energy reserves just to alter the scenario of guaranteed death. If they hadcked enough Mental Energy, their Hosts would have died from that attack.


    Having unleashed his attack, Dwun no longer had any hands to grip upon, bing tipsy for a moment as he fell towards the ground, his fall being cushioned by the grass that was growing at the bottom.


    The sides of the walls too were covered by the grass. But, as they only reached a height of fifty metres from the bottom, Shika and Dwun didn''t encounter them while fighting.


    Dwun''s fall was broken by the thickyer of grass that happily caught onto him as his skin immediately wriggled, like hundreds of worms were moving through it.


    The grass was invading his body as he screamed in pain, intending to escape their hold. But, no matter what he tried, he couldn''t do so.


    Or rather, whenever he tried anything, countless arrows rained down from above, preventing him from moving.


    ''Dammit, my Mental Energy is being consumed rapidly.'' The Power Punch System scowled in response, trying to keep the grass at bay from taking over his mind.


    Suddenly, it received an epiphany, noticing that Dwun had reached enlightenment during the threat to his life. It no longer hindered the grass, causing it to fully take over Dwun''s body.


    His writhing body stopped immediately as a serene expression washed over his face, ''I see, everything makes sense now.''


    With his space destroyed, he was no longer able to possess any mutated beast abilities. But now, once the grass took over his mind, he noticed to his surprise that the grass here wasn''t connected to the massive stretch on the ground.


    This was a small, individual patch of grass, only present within the tunnel. And, as they tried to take control over him, his mind proved stronger.


    So, he in reverse gained control over the grass. This was precisely because the patch of grass was too small, and had only been around for a short time. So, it wasn''t able to devour his mind.


    With that, Dwunughed, getting up as his hands regenerated, having turned into a Grassmen. Moreover, the surrounding grass was in his control.


    With a thought, all the grass uprooted themselves and swerved into him, strengthening himself further. Moreover, the dozens of Grassmen around him kneeled on the ground, treating him as theirmander.


    "Hahaha, Shika!" Heughed, clenching his hand into a fist as he gazed at her bloodied figure, "Let''s fight again!"


    Saying so, his hands turned into ws, evident by the Grassmen''s ability, digging into the tunnel walls as he climbed up quickly.


    Not only that, having absorbed a lot of grass, he had a lot of volume to use, casually extending the size of his body as he turned into a three-metre-tall giant by the time he approached Shika.


    Shika coughed and gazed at the thinyer of sunlight casting into the tunnel, frowning, ''There''s still a lot of time left before nightfall approaches.''


    She then noticed that there was enough Vital Energy, umting power before condensing the Night nket, causing the entire tunnel to turn dark.


    Having turned into a Grassmen, the two Spydragons were useless to him. So, Dwun let them go, watching Shika''s face scowl in response as the two Spydragons burrowed into the ground and vanished.


    "Now, how are your wounds?" Dwun grinned, arriving before her, unaffected by the dark, relying upon a Skill to locate her.


    But all of a sudden, Shika smirked, suddenly fusing the sword into the arrows,bining them into her crossbow.


    Without any hesitation, she shot it at Dwun, sting his head off, smirking as his figure copsed to the ground.


    This was what she had been thinking about all along, having gained countless inspiration from her fights. And now, she conceived a method to fuse her mutated beast abilities.


    It was derived from her porcupine that could be attached to other items. And, all she did was do the same with all her mutated beast abilities, achieving this explosive power.


    Adding onto the boost generated by the Core Skill of Night Ranger in the darkness, her attack was a lot stronger than before. It wasn''t just twice stronger. As every ability was twice stronger, whenbined, they synchronised better than before, allowing the power that resulted in the end product to be many times stronger.


    The concept was simr to the square-cubedw that toughness and weight shared.


    As Dwun copsed to the ground, Shika peered out of the crater, noticing the neck muscles on Dwun twitching, beginning to regenerate. He wasn''t dead yet.


    Even though the Power Punch System was solemn at the risks involved, it wasn''t flustered. Because, a simple loss of the head was no longer enough to kill him, especially considering his vitality.


    Just as she nned to attack him again until he died, she noticed the two Spydragons heading towards the surface before beginning to head somewhere else.


    She hesitated for a moment before understanding that her mutated beasts were on the verge of death, having forcibly used the fusion ability. So, she no longer wished to fight him again, ''I cannot do this anymore, System.''


    [It''s fine, Host. You''ve already cleared the Quest when you fused your abilities]


    The Night Ranger System replied before generating the Quest Completion Window. Sighing in response, Shika used her sword to plunge into the walls of the tunnel and climb up, reaching the surface before she began to chase after the Spydragons.


    ''With thirty plus enemies around, increasing the variables by creating more differing groups is the best¡­'' Compass Carburettor smiled, having already achieved his objective.

 Chapter 275: Spying On Shika

    <h4>Chapter 275: Spying On Shika</h4>


    [Ding!]


    [Quest Complete]


    [Rewarded: Skill of Night Mask]


    Shika looked at the reward that she obtained, sighing in relief. Her Quest had only been to prevent Ianon and Dwun from fighting. So, she had achieved that beforehand. But, the Night Ranger System had generated her a second Quest.


    And, that was to fight against Dwun for a total of three days. She had finally managed toplete it and had been awarded the Skill of Night Mask and an increase to her attributes, especially her Vital Energy. Herbusted attributes were also replenished, causing her to heave a sigh in relief.


    She felt her body bing stronger, smiling as a result, "Even though I wasted a lot of resources, I''ve be stronger. I can simply gather more resources after this."


    She had the dimensional storage to rely upon, having stored a lot of her necessities there. She then conversed with her System a little before looking around from atop an apartment.


    She was curious about this ce because she sensed a lot of people living here, and they were alive and well-fed even.


    As it was close to the ce she battled, she arrived here, wondering just what was up with the ce.


    Curiosity had to be resolved. After all, when she had done the same before, even though she faced some risks, in the end, she reaped significant benefits from the exchange.


    ''My mutated beasts all died. So, I''ll have to find new ones.'' She sighed. Even though she had some more orbs in her dimensional storage, they weren''t her priority for use. She didn''t like the abilities they provided.


    ''But, if this ce has something surprising¡­'' She thought, smiling. It was the only way she could calm herself for losing track of the Spydragons.


    Even though she had branded her Stigma on them, allowing her to track their locations from anywhere, after they moved far away from her, they vanished mysteriously, surprising her.


    Left with no other choice, she looked around for some resources when she noticed an apartment with a lot of people, more than what there was in an entire area.


    The apartmentplex had eight apartment buildings. And, all of them were full of people, as if everyone that had lived there managed to survive. This shouldn''t have been possible, given the threat of the Grassmen, ants, and mosquitoes.


    It was not to mention the scarcity of food and other resources.


    Thanks to the cover of the night, Shika managed to reach the roof of one of the buildings, gazing around from there, surprised when she noticed quite the number of people being posted in the apartment''s clubhouse.


    The clubhouse consisted of an open hall for parties, an attached gym, an indoor game area, a badminton court, and a swimming pool at the bottom-most floor. And, judging by the stream of workers heading to and fro from the bottom-most floor, Shika determined that the secret of this cey there.


    ''Hmm, what exactly is her dimensional storage?'' Hiding within her space all along was Compass Carburettor, listening to the conversation between her and the Night Ranger System.


    Moreover, when saw the stats window disyed before her, thanks to being connected to all her senses, Compass Carburettor too observed her stats. This way, he obtained an urate judgement of her abilities.


    But, it also made him wonder about something.


    Her dimensional storage. It wasn''t disyed on her stats, confusing him. And, since Shika didn''t express any oddity in her emotions, it meant that something was amiss here.


    Did she somehow possess such an ability on her own? Or was it rted to something else? Anyway, he was confused about it.


    Moreover, he didn''t have a chance to leave her. Just appearing beside her abruptly would just startle her. Moreover, he was behaving as if Compass Carburettor had been killed by the Systems already.


    So, he didn''t wish for them to be alerted by his survival. That would make them realise that he had the means to cheat death.


    He didn''t wish for his cards to be revealed this early into the game, especially since he had only killed two Systems in this world.


    His n with Shika and Dwun was simple. Since Dwun loved to fight, he had made arrangements in such a way that Dwun would be a Grassmen.


    He wasn''t assured if it would work. But, he had alreadyid down the foundation for that: a secluded patch of grass, young in its growth, small in size, and Dwun whose space was destroyed.


    Moreover, System Hosts typically created miracles like they were part of a Friday sale. So, he had hoped for Dwun to do the same too. And as he had expected, Dwun had taken the chance to be a Grassmen.


    After Shika left the ce, Dwun climbed out of the vertical tunnel too, apanying the bunch of Grassmen under his control as he headed out in search of strong foes to battle.


    Now, he had be a proper variable that might mess up the ns of the Systems at any time. Thanks to bing a Grassmen, he had endless vitality and regeneration, the perfect fit for a battle addict like him.


    So, it could be said for sure that the moment he found a System Host, he would fight them until there ended up a victor.


    As for Shika, he was only using her as a mobile transport now, directing her actions from time to time using his Spydragons.


    Thanks to their mysterious nature, she followed after them whenever they appeared.


    ''Unfortunately, I''m only able to hear Shika''s surface thoughts and her conversation with her System. If only I could hear the Night Ranger System''s conversation in the Astral Network.'' He sighed in pity.


    But, he was still d to have obtained such impressive power, allowing him to spy upon the details shared between a System and its Host.


    Moreover, as he was connected to all her senses, he was able to feel her emotions, the change in her hormones whenever something happened, etc.


    Everything allowed him to understand her character to a greater extent, making him appreciate Dita''s power more and more.


    ''It was worth it to sacrifice a box full of Spydragons to get this ability¡­ Now that I reached Transcendence, I don''t have use for those inferior Spydragons anyway.''

 Chapter 276: The Goldfish’s Secret

    <h4>Chapter 276: The Goldfish¡¯s Secret</h4>


    Shika swallowed an orb, obtaining a new ability. She condensed her crossbow and show an arrow, one that hooked itself to the top of another building.


    She then slid over the rope, arriving atop the other building. In such a fashion, she travelled from one building to another, finally shooting the hook into the wall of the building she was upon before jumping down.


    The crossbow she had now was different from before, attached to a rope while having a spring mechanism within, allowing her to descend slowly, storing potential energy within. And with a thought, she could activate it, causing the crossbow to pull her up rapidly.


    This allowed her to scale up heights with ease. Unfortunately, she didn''t have a flying ability. But still, it posed her no trouble, as she had her means to travel from one ce to another, thanks to the variety of orbs that she had gathered.


    Shended on the ground, activating hertest Skill¡ªNight Mask. Immediately, her figure dispersed into the darkness of the night, allowing her to move undetected.


    It only made her figure dark, so in ces of light, she would look like a three-dimensional shadow that was moving about.


    "Blub Blub is eating a lot these days." One of the men said, exiting as he carried arge container, "Just the sh*t it is giving out has doubled in the past two days."


    "It has grown four horns, after all, and exploded in size." Another man apanying them smirked, "But, it''s a good thing indeed. There was a shortage of manure for the nts recently. With this, it''ll be easy to satisfy the food demands of everyone."


    "That is true," The man carrying the container smiled, patting it, "I could feel that this batch of sh*t is even purer. The nts would grow tremendously fast with the help of this."


    "By the way, have you gained an ability? You seem stronger than before." The other man spoke in surprise.


    "Yeah, after consuming the highest quality fruits daily, I''ve managed to reach Stage 1 and condense my ability. This is a passive ability that applies the burst element and strengthens my body constantly." The man with the containerughed, "I also felt an orb forming in my body after this. So, I''m growing stronger by the day."


    ''An orb in their body?'' Shika was bbergasted, unable to ept it, ''How? Humans are unable to gain strength like the mutated beasts¡­''


    Only then did she notice the man with the container reach the designated room, ce the container within and exit it, removing his hazmat suit, revealing a tiny horn growing on his forehead, ''But that''s impossible! He''s a human and not a mutated beast!''


    As the thoughts of Shika boomed within the space, Compass Carburettor frowned, ''I cannot sense any space within any of them. So, it is true that they aren''t humans anymore, at least based on the power system of this world.''


    ''Is this what relying on the produce of the goldfish results in?'' He thought, intending to observe further.


    After all, that had been his intention at the start too, when he discovered the goldfish''s uniqueness. But, he wasn''t sure of whether it was worth the effort to make it a member of Secret Society.


    After all, unlike the other members, it was a water-based creature. And, as everything he did was onnd, it couldn''t apany him.


    There were too much risks involved without any apparent benefit that was worth the effort. That was why he had been putting off with making it a member.


    ''Well, a System Host would be able to investigate things better. Or even otherwise, they''ll be able to trigger mysterious changes.'' He smiled, anticipating Shika''s next action.


    When Shika retracted her ability, two mutated beasts appeared within the space when he condensed a pair of hands using the energy de and grabbed hold of them, preventing them from disturbing him.


    Considering the strength of the energy de, it was impossible for them to break out of it.


    Shika inched forth, using the areas that were dark to infiltrate the clubhouse, calmly inching forth as she avoided alerting the others.


    Now that she was aware that they were growing horns, she focused on the foreheads of everyone she passed by, noticing small bumps in some of them, ''So, not everyone has managed to condense a horn yet.''


    ''But still, a human possessing the power of a mutated beast. That is horrifying.'' She shuddered.


    She was gullible, but wasn''t dumb, at least after the enlightenment she experienced recently. It allowed her to think about things with a bit more depth aspared to before.


    Eventually, she made her way to the swimming pool, noticing a goldfish swimming there nonchntly, sporting dead eyes, as if it had no desire to live.


    There was a pile of grass at the edge of the pool, something that it munched upon whenever it was bored. And, after its stomach was full, it shat out a pile of excreta in another direction, urately aiming for therge container that was kept there.


    Moreover, from time to time, it opened its mouth, producing bubbles that floated towards the ceiling and passed through a tube that had been installed there. The tube was connected to a water container nearby.


    This acted as the freshwater source for everyone living there. So, whenever the goldfish was bored, it generated bubbles, looking at everything with a nk stare.


    But, upon gazing at it, Compass Carburettor was stunned. For, its size wasn''t like before, having reached a length of three metres. It was not to mention the number of horns on its forehead.


    There were four of them!


    ''There''s already a mutated beast that managed to grow four horns?'' He was shocked. But, after thinking about it further, it made sense. After all, the goldfish and the cat had grown two horns a day into the apocalypse.


    So, they were special existences.


    As he had killed the cat, that only left the goldfish. And now, without its predator, it had grown in size and became powerful.


    As Shika continued to observe it, the goldfish''s eyes suddenly turned scaly like a reptile as it gazed at her, able to see her despite her remaining hidden in the darkness in the corner.


    And, right as it had done so, the gazes of all the surrounding humans fell on her.


    "Oh, Sh*t!"

 Chapter 277: Horned Men And Graduation

    <h4>Chapter 277: Horned Men And Graduation</h4>


    "Intruder!" One of the horned men shouted before mming a punch her way. The burst element condensed into his fist before shooting out like a projection, mming into her, possessing frightening might.


    "Ugh!" Shika grunted, fusing her crossbow and the shook arrow, mming it in another direction before using it to pull her away from the area of impact, barely dodging the attack.


    After travelling for some distance, just when the fist projection seemed like it would m into the wall, the horned man snorted, flicking his hand as it made an abrupt turn, redirecting itself to chase after her.


    "That was possible?" She blurted out in surprise, shooting an arrow at the attacker, watching him dodge the attack. Without any hesitation, she aimed at a nearbypanion, intending to target him first as he seemed to be condensing an attack.


    ng!


    The arrow mmed into a shield that appeared abruptly. And, at the moment of contact, the burst element formed a minoryer over the shield, repelling the arrow away.


    ''This won''t do.'' She frowned, swallowing another orb, condensing a second crossbow. Applying her enlightenment on it, she fused all three mutated beast abilities, creating a whole new crossbow that had a stronger firing rate, impact speed, and power.


    The moment she began to shoot, even the shield began to suffer from dents as the horned men shouted, jumping behind him to avoid fire.


    Using this chance, she turned around and shot at the iing fist projection, destroying it after a couple of hits. But, she didn''t have the chance to take a breather, noticing a bunch of horned men enter.


    And among them, there was one that had grown three horns. Compass Carburettor recognised him to be one of those that he had seen before.


    But, the man of the present shared no resemnce to his initial self, sporting ayer of toughened scales over his body, sharing resemnce to the goldfish.


    The moment he arrived, Shika''s heart rate increased all of a sudden, causing her back to be drenched with cold sweat, ''What the heck? He''s as strong as Dwun!''


    The three-horned man took in a deep breath before exhaling. Suddenly, Shika shouted in rm, noticing patches of her skin beginning to peel off.


    "Ouch!"


    ''System, what''s happening?''


    [Burst element, dust level. The enemy has spread out miniature bombs in the air using the burst element. And, they only burst when his targetes in contact with them. Moving will be dangerous now]


    ''I don''t have many abilities in this regard.'' She frowned, unwilling to waste her Vital Energy. By expending it, she was able to heal her injuries, though it took some time. Simrly, she had the means tobust her attributes to defend herself against any attack.


    Though, doing this also meant she would have to sacrifice her hard-earned stats. Unlike the previous time, she didn''t have a Quest to recover her stats. Losing them would mean she would have to start from scratch using her pre-apocalypse weak body.


    As a Night Ranger, agility was her strength. But now, she was getting countered. Purely power-wise, Dwun was stronger. But he was a power type, unable to match her in terms of speed.


    So, most of the time, she was on the offensive while Dwun used his abilities to be on the defensive. She naturally countered him.


    But now, even though her opponent wasn''t as powerful as Dwun, since she was being countered by him, he was as tough an opponent to her as Dwun.


    Shika shot multiple arrows at the horned men, noticing most of them disintegrating along the way as they rushed into the countless particles of the burst element released by the three-horned man.


    "What''s your purpose of infiltrating here?" He asked, his voice booming.


    ''System, how am I supposed to leave this ce?'' She was flustered for a moment, asking her System in habit. But, there was no reply, causing her to grunt in response.


    The Night Ranger System was just enjoying the chaos, unconcerned about her life and death. Well, to be frank, it wasn''t possible for her to die at this stage, considering the amount of Mental Energy it had amassed.


    It was not to mention the stream of Mental Energy that was gushing into her body due to the people that were alerted by her presence.


    ''The Host''s mental state is perfect! The amount of Mental Energy I''m getting is a lot higher than usual. The quality is significantly better. She''s slowly bing more and more perfect as a Host.'' Of course, the Night Ranger System was almost intoxicated to even care about her.


    It was slowly approaching the Mental Energy necessary to upgrade itself to Level 11.


    Moreover, it hadn''t bought any Skills from the Astral Network like the other Systems, breaking down its Core Skill into multiple abilities. They were then converted into Skills that it awarded Shika. This way, it was able to derive new abilities eventually that weren''t just fragmentation of its Core Ability, but an actual Skill, a derivate from its Core Skill.


    This was something only a rare few Systems were capable of achieving, especially those from the mary genre.


    So, everything Shika possessed was only part of one bundle¡ªthe Night Ranger Core Skill. The Core Skill disyed in her status window was just a fragment of the actual Night Ranger Core Skill.


    The reason it had done this was simple. Absorbing power from a System that didn''t belong to its genre would only harm it, stunting its growth.


    This was true even for the Skills bought in the Astral Network. That was why, when it didn''t feel absolutely necessary, most Systems would rather choose to buy one-use Skills. This wouldn''t harm their growth.


    Though, most Hatchling Systems would choose to buy as many Skills as they could afford. It was because, without those, the survival of their Hosts wasn''t guaranteed, especially once the scale of their involvement became big enough in the world.


    With some extra Skills, they could contently give the Host more rewards and always ce him in difficult spots. He would emerge victorious one way or another.


    Their growth this way would be the fastest. And once they reach level 10, they could begin reselling the Skills that they had bought to erase all their injuries.


    That was why those that weren''t Hatchling Systems didn''t possess anything beyond their Core Skills. Or at most, they would have some really interesting or useful Skills.


    As it had been at Level 10 for a long time already, it had already begun preparations to graduate from being a Hatchling System, nning to take a step beyond and reach Level 11.

 Chapter 278: Killing The Goldfish

    <h4>Chapter 278: Killing The Goldfish</h4>


    [Ding!]


    [Quest: Obtain the orb of the four-horned goldfish]


    [Description: The mysterious goldfish is the cause that can bring about new changes. Its ability is of utmost use to the Host. Obtain it]


    [Rewards: The goldfish''s ability]


    Upon noticing Shika''s intention to retreat, the Night Ranger System generated a Quest. Of course, it wished for her to fight her for as long as possible. That way, its profits would be the highest.


    Moreover, it was also interested in the goldfish''s ability, for that would strengthen its host in an interesting direction. Anyway, it sensed that once she obtained the goldfish''s ability, she would be pulled into countless icky situations in the future.


    Everything converted into juicy Mental Energy for its growth. After all, only when the higherupsmanded it would it take charge to go after Rhizen. Until then, it could do as it pleased and umte Mental Energy.


    Since they needed Mental Energy for everything, the higherups didn''t stop them, turning a blind eye to their actions. It was the Coincidental Luck System''s property anyway. So, they weren''t worried about anything, rather wishing for the actions of all the Hatchling Systems to prevent any Mental Energy from streaming into Rhizen.


    Based on the n, it was supposed to execute its n two dayster. So, until then, it wished to umte as much Mental Energy as possible.


    Compass Carburettor gazed at the Quest window, smirking as he obtained a clear idea of the Night Ranger System''s character. He slowly got up, getting ready to leave at a moment''s notice.


    ''System, but it has four horns. I''m only at Stage 3. I cannot handle its ability.'' Shika spoke mentally.


    [Host, don''t worry about it. I''ll add a restriction on it to limit it to three horns once you obtain it. It''ll unlock its fourth horn once you reach Stage 4.]


    ''That''s great!'' She sighed in relief, umting power before activating Night nket, instantly plunging the entire ce into absolute darkness, causing everyone to be worried.


    The moment it became pitch ck, she felt stronger as her injuries began to heal automatically. Moreover, despite theck of light, she was able to see everything around here as if it was the day.


    This was her primary advantage. Moreover, adding onto the Night Mask, she was like a spectre, unable to be detected.


    Kiek!


    Suddenly, the four-horned goldfish screamed in pain when countless arrowsnded on it, injuring it. It wasn''t a battle-type mutated beast, having neither strength nor speed, not to mention being able to fight.


    It was a sitting duck that faced all her attacks.


    "Blub Blub is being attacked! Everyone, protect it!" The three-horned man shouted as he exhaled fiercely, causing the dust of burst element to spike in quantity.


    Shika watched her skin peel off instantly while the muscleyer too began to pop out like thousands of balloons. She was unable to defend against this attack, struggling when a thought emerged in her.


    She quickly focused her Vital Energy on herself, barely healing herself enough to remain alive before shooting a powerful arrow that was stronger than what she shot at Dwun.


    She had basically sacrificed all three of her mutated beasts to unleash one powerful attack. She then hurriedly swallowed two orbs and a bunch of pearls, arriving before the goldfish as she condensed a spear in her hands and thrust it into it.


    Countless defensive abilities arrived atop the pool, intending to shield the goldfish. But, Shika continued to attack, clear of her advantage.


    There was a limit to how long they were able to sustain their attacks. But for her, she had arge reserve of pearls to rely upon.


    This was a sheer contest of their umtion now as Shika suddenly took out a machine gun from her dimensional storage, grinned before shooting them forth in a flurry.


    "Kyak!"


    "Ahh!"


    "No!"


    The horned men screamed as they fell dead one after another.


    On one side, Shika was pressuring the barrier on the goldfish while on the other, she was attacking them with a machine gun.


    Even though they tried their best to shield the attacks, due to the rm they signalled before, more of them arrived at the ce, falling prey to her attacks.


    Crack!


    The barrier shielding the goldfish cracked as Shika grinned, plunging the spear into the goldfish''s head, killing it in the process when it unleashed a burst of energy.


    Without any hesitation, she pierced her hand through its flesh and pulled out its orb and four pearls, storing them within her dimensional space.


    With that done, she continued to shoot through the group of horned men, changing the bullet cartridges from time to time before she arrived before a pile of corpses, cutting them open to indeed see an orb in each.


    ''So, they are just like mutated beasts.'' Nodding in response, she stored all the orbs and pearls they had, smiling in response as she continued to kill them without stopping.


    Even though she too was getting injured, she didn''t wish to waste this opportunity.


    She first targeted the three-horned man, sting at him continuously until her bullets ran out. She then threw her spear forward, piercing him, causing him to slump to the ground, "You¡­murderer!"


    "Wee to the apocalypse," Smirking in response, Shika severed his head, surprised upon seeing his orb, "Awesome! His ability is pretty strong!"


    Now that he wasn''t there to destroy most of the bullets she hadunched, Shika intended to kill more. Unfortunately, she had expended all her bullets, hurriedly beginning to escape under the cover of the night.


    Soon, she had exited the clubhouse, arriving atop a building as she retracted the Night nket, slumping on the terrace, sighing as she gazed at the sky, "That was dangerous."


    Her only concern was about how close she was to death there and not about the number of lives she had taken, something she stopped caring about more than a month ago.


    She gazed at her hands, noticing that they were bereft of skin, with a lot of nerves bleeding out blood, destroyed mostly, "I''m a mess."


    Her Vital Energy slowly began to heal her body as she sighed, hearing themotion at the bottom.


    In the meantime, Compass Carburettor was excited, "So, this is the secret to your dimensional storage."

 Chapter 279: The Scale Of Sentience

    <h4>Chapter 279: The Scale Of Sentience</h4>


    Shika''s dimensional storage was pretty simple, but spectacr at the same time. After all, having observed its workings by being connected to all her senses, he managed to understand its secrets.


    It was the space!


    The dimensional storage was no different to her space, but unlike the space where only the mutated beasts could be in, this space was able to house everything, including mutated beasts.


    That means, if she housed a mutated beast there, she would be able to use its ability just like usual. But for some reason, she didn''t use it for that, using it as a mobile storage that she filled to the brim with items.


    They consisted of canned rations, oil, seeds, agriculture tools, medical books, electronics with portable chargers, sr panels, etc. There were at least three spares to everything.


    She had nned in such a way that no matter where she ended up, she would be able to survive. Even though having mutated beasts there would give her twice the advantage, using the dimensional storage to store abilities was way better.


    After all, that''s how she was able to keep and conveniently use a lot of pearls.


    It wasn''t shocking that someone had two spaces in them. The power system of this world wasn''t as rigid as the information influx showed. It could be modified through a variety of means.


    Dwun was an example, despite being a System Host, he had be a Grassmen. The horned humans were another example, possessing the powers of mutated beasts despite being humans.


    Everything was due to evolution.


    Those that were sentient obtained the space to capture and control mutated beasts. And those that weren''t sentient enough grew horns to turn into mutated beasts.


    The horned humans were a mix between that, losing their intelligence in exchange for a mutated beast''s power. That was why Compass Carburettor had an odd feeling the first time he gazed at the people surrounding that goldfish.


    They were actually losing their intelligence while slowly turning into mutated beasts. Conversely, as the number of horns increases, the intelligence of the person also increases. So, for those that quickly increased their number of horns, they retained their human-level intelligence.


    More or less, the horned men were dumber than humans, but not by much. It has to be noted that animals weren''t dumb. They had exceptional senses to rely upon. But, they were instinctual creatures, acting mostly based on instinct that was coded into their gics as a product of evolution.


    They were unlike humans that could voluntarily be smart or dumb. The choice was in their hands.


    And, here arose an interesting question: What makes someone or a race sentient?


    A simple answer would be that any being that is able to consciously feel everything they perceive is a sentient being. Typically, animals feel and perceive things that are most times superior to humans.


    But, this isn''t conscious. They do so instinctively, actuated by their subconscious impulses. But humans weren''t like that, hence termed sentient.


    But, sentience was a broader term than that. It was the depth to which a being can consciously feel everything that they perceive. It was a gradual scale.


    And beyond a certain point, one was termed to be sentient. And, this was how the power system of this apocalyptic world functioned upon. There was a mark on this scale, the mark of sentience.


    Those beyond this became sentient while those below this were not. And, the sentient ones awakened a space in them while those not sentient enough grew horns.


    Suppose sentience could be quantified, then it was what determined the growth one would achieve. The more sentient they were, therger their space could grow, which directly corrted to the Stage they could reach in the future.


    Even for mutated beasts, as they be more sentient, the number of horns they could attain also increases.


    ''That is why the Grassmen are limited to three horns. It''s because they weren''t sentient enough.'' Compass Carburettor understood the reason now, feeling that a lot of things made clearer sense.


    This was where Shika was terrifying. On the scale of sentience, she had attained a scary level. And, she possessed this pre-apocalypse.


    Her level of sentience was possible to attain in the apocalypse, once the human reaches a high Stage after facing enough life and death experiences that they perceive the world itself with a different set of eyes.


    It''s simr for the mutated beasts too.


    Moreover, this apocalypse was one in which all living creatures on earth evolved, including the trees. So, for Shika that possessed such a frightening extent of sentience, she condensed a second space in her, one that was more special than others.


    This was her own power, and not something that was given to her by her System. Though, it also made sense when he thought about it. ''After all, in a lot of stories, the main characters would have some hidden or sealed bloodline that is either unlocked by the System or with its help theye to realise it. It does make the main character relevant when the power scale of the scenes continue to escte.''


    Afterpletely understanding Shika''s space, Compass Carburettor was anticipating something. And, just as he had expected, after healing herself through the night, Shika got up with a start, stretching herself to see that she had made a full recovery.


    She then took out the goldfish''s orb from her dimensional storage and swallowed it along with three pearls, feeling powerful energy emanating her, enveloping her in it as a gush of information flooded her mind.


    She grunted a little before sitting cross-legged, digesting all the information.


    Seated within the space, and suppressing two mutated beasts was Compass Carburettor, also getting all the information. This was the reason he continued to stay within her space. After all, the Night Ranger System seemed pretty arrogant, having not once checked up its Host''s space.


    And, once he digested all the information rted to the goldfish, he smiled, waiting in response. Immediately after, the Night Ranger System took action, speaking to Shika.


    [Host, let me modify this goldfish. I''ll make it stronger]


    "Amazing!" Shikaughed in joy, "Do it! I want to see how powerful it can get!"

 Chapter 280: CC Takes Action Against Shika

    <h4>Chapter 280: CC Takes Action Against Shika</h4>


    The goldfish''s ability was rather innovative. It wasn''t rted tobat, but digestion. Its burst element ability was internally actuated.


    In essence, it was a bit simr to the three-horned man''s ability in that it was particle-rted. But, the size of the burst element particles here reached the cellr level and even below.


    And, they were produced within its stomach, allowing it to break down anything it consumed, literally, and break them into molecules. The burst element would then act as a catalyst to make the molecules react in desired ways to give rise to suitable products.


    At first nce, this wouldn''t seem to be a spectacr ability. But, here was the catch. The burst element was capable of breaking down any construct, whether living or non-living. Secondly, catalysing to create the desired product, that was the catch.


    So, if someone well-versed in chemistry were to obtain this¡­they would be able to catalyse any variety of chemicals in their bodies. It would turn frightening instantly. This was practically an ability that made the following statement a reality¡­


    Knowledge is Power!


    [Host, summon the goldfish and ce your hand over its head]


    The System told Shika as she summoned it. Interestingly, the goldfish''s item was still the same¡ªa goldfish. And when it was summoned as is, it was pretty much the same.


    The only difference was the fact that when summoned as an item, its body size could be varied while it created a small suction force to pull in things to devour. It was practically a whale at this point.


    Shika then ced her hand on its forehead, noticing her palms shining with a resplendent hue as she asked in surprise, ''System, what is happening? Why is my palm shining with so many different lights?''


    [I''m channelling numerous abilities into it to modify its powers]


    ''So, it is buying one-off Skills rted to modification and directly imnting them into the goldfish.'' Compass Carburettor nodded, understanding just what it was up to.


    If it just used a Skill, then the effect would onlyst until the Skill was supplied with enough Mental Energy. But, to make it permanent, the process involved using the Skill like a System Fragment.


    So, the Night Ranger System bought a Skill from the Astral Network and directly dumped it into the goldfish''s body, making the Skill fuse into it. It didn''t retain that Skill after that.


    In this way, it added in a bunch of Skills, judging by the flickering lights, ''Holy heck! Just how much modification is it doing to it?''


    Compass Carburettor was shocked, seeing the modification process for the first time. Until now, he didn''t understand just how many Skills were needed to be used to make such a modification. It was not to mention the amounts of funds¡ªMental Energy¡ªrequired to do so.


    The Money-Making System had made it look so simple that he was caught off guard for a moment. A minuteter, the Night Ranger System spoke calmly, as if it was just doing her a favour like usual.


    [Done]


    Compass Carburettor felt that it was barely able to rein in its excitement, understanding it pretty well. He then smiled, watching the excuse it came up with.


    [Host, now, you''re able to recover your Vital Energy when the goldfish eats anything edible]


    ''So, this means it is also able to generate Mental Energy.'' Compass Carburettor picked up the truth of the situation, ''So, the moment it discovered such a possibility, it took action immediately. As expected of a System. It knows where to seek treasures that break the game bnce of the world.''


    "I can recover my vital energy through it?" Shika was excited, "That''s great! That''ll make things a lot easier for me."


    She then smiled, feeling tired, retracting the goldfish, yawning in response, "I''m feeling sleepy."


    She looked around, noticing that there was no activity on the terrace. Throughout the night, of the horned men arrived here. And judging by how calm it was below, she frowned, ''Did they just give up on their search?''


    Even though she was curious, she was tremendously tired, having not slept much for days, having been pressured by Dwun all along.


    So, after some thought, she entered the building, infiltrated one of the rooms on the topmost floor, killing the inhabitants within as she stored their corpses, for the time being, unwilling to leave any traces of blood that others might detect.


    She then happily slumped on their bed, falling asleep.


    In the meantime, the goldfish was afraid within her space. For, a cobra had turned gigantic before swallowing it alive.


    Plunder!


    Moreover, to make this a sess, Compass Carburettor had already killed the mongoose. For, the value of the goldfish''s ability surpassed it.


    The mongoose''s ability was on the level of the vulture-like bird''s, and of course, iparable to Dita''s.


    So, this was the least valuable among all three and was killed, creating enough space to bring in the goldfish. It was a contest of will and power. And, when Compass Carburettor poured in his Dac, it was an easy victory, thanks to the surplus power he possessed.


    And of course, the goldfish wasn''t able topete against him in terms of Will, its resistance falling short as it was plundered by him.


    "Dita, this might injure you a little bit." He conveyed to the cobra through telepathy.


    "Uncle, it''s fine! I''ll heal after some rest in your space." Dita replied in excitement, "Stop wasting time. Just do it!"


    "Haha, alright!" Heughed, closing his eyes as he concentrated on replicating the same actions Shika performed, having felt everything many times.


    Fusion!


    He fused the abilities of both Dita and the goldfish, preparing his attack when he condensed Anthozoa, aiming it at a random direction before shooting out all six bullets.


    The bullets crashed into the space as thews of the Earth spilled out and coursed throughout Shika''s body. She was unaffected, only feeling mild abominable pain. But, it was an entirely different scenario for the Night Ranger System.


    Just when it was about to rest contently, thews of the Earth constricted, damaging its body. It screamed in rm, "What the fuck!"


    After all, raising his hands, Compass Carburettor activated the fused ability.


    Plunder!


    He began to swallow its Mental Energy.

 Chapter 281: Dimensional Storage Obtained

    <h4>Chapter 281: Dimensional Storage Obtained</h4>


    As the Night Ranger System had conveniently modified the goldfish''s ability, adding onto the fusion that Shika was capable of attaining, it wouldn''t be polite if he remained silent after all that.


    The advantage of sharing all senses with her was that he was able to experience everything that she did. And this included her fusing the mutated beast''s abilities to condense a powerful one and her action of opening and closing her dimensional storage.


    She had done it more than enough times that Compass Carburettor had gotten ustomed to it, grasping itpletely.


    And now, using plunder, he targeted two things simultaneously.


    First was the Night Ranger System''s Mental Energy. Of course, as it had already fused with her body, its reserve of Mental Energy should be stored somewhere within her. There was also the option of dispersing it throughout her body, like his Mental Energy form.


    Normally, Mental Energy wasn''t tangible to anyone that wasn''t a System¡ªthis also included System yers that could affect Mental Energy.


    But, since its enemy was a System yer, it decided to be careful about it, hiding it in a more secure ce. And, that was her dimensional storage. This was the most secure, and the chances of it getting targeted by any mysterious means avable to a System yer was almost.


    But now, Compass Carburettor targeted the dimensional storage itself.


    This wouldn''t have been possible without either of Dita''s or the goldfish''s ability. The goldfish was able to swallow anything and process it into the desired product. And, Dita was able to devour or plunder mutated beasts from another''s space.


    Fusing them both allowed him to plunder Shika''s space and make it his. This was expertly done using both the abilities perfectly. Of course, if it wasn''t due to the Night Ranger System''s painstaking modification of the goldfish, it would have been impossible.


    It had modified the goldfish to obtain Mental Energy, to benefit its growth. Due to this, the goldfish obtained a channel towards Mental Energy, able to produce it in its body. And conversely, it was also able to swallow the same.


    And now, all he did was use it against the Night Ranger System, plundering the dimensional storage itself. And with it came all the Mental Energy stored within.


    Even though the Night Ranger System was flustered, it was incapacitated by thews of Earth, unable to take action for the time being. It would remain in such a state for at least a few more seconds.


    Before that, Compass Carburettor smiled, "And it''s done!"


    He then exited her space, appearing before her, startling her. But, when Shika tried to open her dimensional storage, she found out to her horror that it wasn''t there. Simrly, as he had already killed her other two mutated beasts, she was unable to summon them even after swallowing a couple of pearls that she kept within the pouch hung on her hip.


    "Farewell, Shika." Saying so, he condensed a pair of wings behind him, observing her expression widen as all the feathers flew out and homed at her. She had barely jumped away from the bed when the feathers mmed into her, causing a resounding boom.


    Without any Mental Energy, the System''s natural protection against sure kill attacks didn''t work, allowing her to take damage. Moreover, she didn''t have any offensive abilities to use, only having to rely on her attributes to move.


    But, his feathers had a homing function and were tremendously fast, not to mention the narrow space. Also, just when she nned to jump through the wall, Shika stared to her disbelief, watching a transparent hand holding her legs, its colour simr to the pair of Spydragons that she had been chasing after before.


    "What¡­what is¡­this is¡­this doesn''t¡­" She stuttered as she was blown into smithereens.


    "Phew," Compass Carburettor sighed in relief, watching the body of the Night Ranger System slowly beginning to condense over the pieces of her body.


    He removed the node of Secret Society from Grisha, watching Mental Energy pour into his body once again as he used Anthozoa to suck in the body of the Night Ranger System.


    Appearing in his mental space, he gazed at a humanoid shadow that slumped on the ground, still in disbelief, "How¡­is this possible?"


    "I wanted to ask about it myself." Compass Carburettor walked closer to it a little, noticing that its figure was ten times bigger than him, "Why did you never look into Shika''s space?"


    "Shika''s space?" The massive shadow was surprised as its eyes widened, "Right, why didn''t I do that? No, every time I thought of doing it, I coincidentally became aware of some other issue that I had neglected before. Then I forgot under the excitement of my Host''s enlightenment."


    It sighed, muttering, "Coincidentally¡­hah!"


    "Anyst words?" Compass Carburettor asked.


    "To a System yer?" It gazed at him, snorting in response, "Fuck you, bastard. You''ll suffer sooner orter anyway."


    "Alright, cya~" He smiled in response as Earth manifested behind him and began to bombard the massive shadow, destroying it rapidly like bullets being shot into a mud wall.


    With all its Mental Energy stolen, it didn''t have the means to resist him. It was defeated wholly.


    After attacking it nonstop for some time, Compass Carburettor stopped when only its core remained, asking, "Are you sure your decision is final? I can still send you into someone else''s body as long as you answer one question."


    "Ha¡­haha¡­hahaha!" Suddenly, the Night Ranger System began tough, "You want to know about the various ways Rhizen was killed? Fat chance! Even the Coincidental Luck System doesn''t trust others with that information, not to mention me. No matter what, I''ll never betray my race."


    "Interesting, so the secret involves your race''s weakness or something?" Compass Carburettor muttered, watching the Night Ranger System''s expression copse as he waved his hand, "That was all I needed from you. I''ll interrogate the next System. Farewell."


    The bombardment continued until it was snuffed out of existence.


    Returning to reality, Compass Carburettor waited an hour for a bullet to form in his gun while he focused on his Mental Energy Form, focusing as he moulded a tendril and slowly extended it, connecting it with a massive source of Mental Energy within him.


    System Fragment¡ªNight Ranger!


    The Mental Energy Form directed Anthozoa towards the new space that had appeared in his body. Since it was plundered by using the goldfish''s rtion to Mental Energy, this space had appeared in his Mental Energy Form.


    And now, he shot the System Fragment of Night Ranger into it, allowing it to absorb it; it stabilised immediately, bing permanent within him, as it belonged to the Night Ranger System Host in the first ce, having been one.


    He had sacrificed an entire System Fragment to stabilise this, but he didn''t feel it was a loss, rather felt that it was worth it.


    After all, he now had a growing space within him, one that could store anything, including Mental Energy, instantly exploding the amount of Mental Energy he could contain with him.


    ''It''s decided, the advantage is too great now.'' He nodded, smiling, ''I''ll use Permanence before I leave this world.''


    Upon gazing at the sea of Mental Energy churning within the dimensional storage, he couldn''t help butugh aloud, giddy, "Now, I have the qualifications to fight against stronger foes."

 Chapter 282: Release The Slayer

    <h4>Chapter 282: Release The yer</h4>


    [Beast Form (Level 9): Night Ranger is dead]


    [Power Punch (Level 4): When the heck did this happen? Shika was still fine while fighting my Host. And, she became even stronger than that after the fight]


    [Fractional Disguise (Level 10): I cannot believe Night Ranger died just like that. It had already amassed enough Mental Energy to reach Level 11. If something happened, it should have said something to us. Taking it out in an instant before it could alert us isn''t possible. Instant-kill abilities are useless before us]


    [Beast Form (Level 9): Boss Destiny Luck, did Coincidental Luck take action personally? Otherwise, this doesn''t make sense]


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): I''ve been keeping an eye on Coincidental Luck. It began to release a lot of Luck recently, and the target was Compass Carburettor]


    [Beast Form (Level 9): Impossible! I''ve personally ensured that he was dead back then. How is he alive again?]


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): I''m gazing at him right now. And, he''s perfectly alright. It''s not someone else disguised as him. It''s the same individual that killed Directional Misalignment, Remembrance, and Night Ranger]


    [Fractional Disguise (Level 10): Boss, what do we do now? If he''s capable of killing even Level 10 Systems, then it means he''s able to kill all of us. Is he a True System yer?]


    [Happy-Go-Lucky (Level 88): He''s not¡­]


    [Fractional Disguise (Level 10): Boss, I''m already risking myself by turning into Chenger. I feel like Rhizen''s luck has wholly locked onto me. The moment I take action, it would destroy me]


    [Lucky Bastard (Level 86): Destiny Luck, there''s only one choice in this situation]


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): That''s too risky. He''s already killed Rhizen a couple of times. So, Coincidental Luck would target him first and ignore everything else]


    [Happy-Go-Lucky (Level 88): Destiny Luck, we have no other choice. Don''t worry though, I''ll equip everyone with my Luck. That''ll offset Coincidental Luck''s actions to a great extent. And with you atop that, we don''t need to worry about anything. Also, I just checked the Luck values of Compass Carburettor. It''s abysmal. It seems he has expended every ounce of it recently for some reason.]


    [Lucky Bastard (Level 86): So, as long as we tie down the luck that Coincidental Luck is supplying him, killing him is easy]


    [Happy-Go-Lucky (Level 88): Destiny Luck, release the yer]


    [Power Punch (Level 4): Your Majesty, please release the yer]


    [Beast Form (Level 9): Grandpa Boss, please release the yer]


    "These sh*ts!" Seated in the System World, the Destiny Luck System cursed at the group members that fawned over it. They were just relying on its umtions while trying to save their skins and umtions as much as possible.


    "What happened?" A humanoid entity asked, seated nearby. Spanning a height of three metres, sporting a lean frame, thin limbs, long legs, and flexible muscles that actuated in such a way the body moved like a dancing leaf.


    A pristine face that was attractive to any member of any humanoid race, irrespective of their age, gender, and even disposition. And the most distinct traits were the emerald eyes and hair that waved in the air, despite theck of wind, resembling snakes from time to time.


    Elf!


    The Elf''s long ears were five times the length of a human''s, twitching as it captured all the sounds from the surroundings, even able to hear a System moving far away.


    Due to the characteristic of their race, it was hard to determine whether they were a man or a woman, with everyone sporting an androgynous face and body.


    Seated near the Elf was a fawn, looking cute, fragile even. But, that was only its exterior appearance. As, even though it was just seated atop a boulder, the Elf''s body trembled from time to time whenever its presence was released.


    Destiny Luck System!


    The Destiny Luck System''s body only spanned a height of a metre, looking weak. But, if anyone underestimated it, they would be in for a world of despair.


    "Let me show you," It stood up all of a sudden when its body expanded rapidly, turning the size of a hill as it tapped the ground once, causing Mental Energy to swirl out from it and condense into a portal.


    The portal showed the figure of Compass Carburettor as it spoke, "He''s Compass Carburettor. At first, we thought he was just a weakling as he''s not even a True System yer. But, within two months, he managed to kill three Systems, one of which almost reached Level 11."


    "That''s impressive," The Elf nodded, "Maybe he''s been through countless worlds to strengthen himself to a frightening degree. Even if they aren''t True System yers, they can still be frightening if their source world is pretty powerful."


    "Have you heard about Earth?" The Destine Luck System returned to its initial size, saying, "He''s from there."


    "Earth?" The Elf was surprised, "I''ve heard about that ce. Isn''t that a technological world with impressive information-gathering capabilities? Howe he''s from there?"


    The Elf then thought, saying, "Does his Personal Fragment consist of a Nuclear Bomb? Surviving that is impossible for a Hatchling System."


    "No, his Personal Fragment is just a gun." The Destiny Luck System grunted, "I''ve already pulled out all information rted to him from an information-based System that''s on Earth. And, the most shocking thing of all is the fact that he hasn''t been away from Earth for more than two years."


    "Two years?" The Elf''s eyes widened, asking, "Then, this should be his second world at most?"


    "Right?" The Destiny Luck System nodded, "It doesn''t make sense when I think about it. How strong were you two years after bing a System yer?"


    "I was pretty strong, alright." The Elf nodded, snorting in response, "But, I had only killed one System in the first world I entered. And after that, I killed my second System only in the fourth world."


    "Well, you were primarily chasing after your origin System. But still," The Destiny Luck System said, "He''s pretty strong, right? What do you say? Is he a good prey for you?"


    "Hmm, he hasn''t be a True System yer yet. So, it''s useless even if I kill him. But¡­" The Elf smirked, "He''s interesting. I''ll kill him."


    The Elf then gazed at Destiny Luck System, "And, all the spoils from him belong to me, alright?"


    "Sure, go ahead¡­" It smiled, watching the Elf touch the portal and appear beside Compass Carburettor, startling him.

 Chapter 283: Arrival Of The True System Slayer

    <h4>Chapter 283: Arrival Of The True System yer</h4>


    After obtaining the System Fragment of Night Ranger, Compass Carburettor had used it to stabilise the dimensional storage. At present, it was dark within, taking on the traits of the Core Skill¡ªNight Ranger.


    Upon seeing that it had stabilised, he sighed in relief while connecting his Mental Energy Form to it. This way, he was able to make use of the Mental Energy stored within the dimensional storage, also now able to use it as a reservoir.


    He no longer had to depend on the pitiful amount of Mental Energy stored within his Mental Energy Form. Everything present within the Dimensional Storage was his while he would be able to store all the Mental Energy obtained within it.


    Though, he was still unsure about one thing. Would this dimensional storage still be there with him if he returned to the System World immediately? Even though he had stabilised it with a System Fragment, he was still unsure if that was enough to make it his permanently.


    ''But, since I''m having mixed feelings about it, then it only means that I would still retain the dimensional storage, but part of it would be lost. As to how much would I retain and how much would be lost, I cannot be sure.'' He thought, concluding.


    ''Well, just this alone makes using Permanence worth it.'' He sighed. His initial n involved him heading towards a cultivation world next and obtaining immortal powers from there.


    He would use Permanence on himself after obtaining that power to make it his. That way, he''ll be able to use the various abilities that cultivators equipped themselves with.


    Talismans, pills, formations, mystic arts, etc.


    All of them would help in rescuing Stencil and saving her life. This was the primary reason he was doing that.


    But, he changed his n now. After all, he could only use Permanence once. And, that was the only way to obtain any special power.


    It was also to note that one thing would remain constant, and that was his act of obtaining Core Skills from other Systems. His present self was capable of using six Core Skills. It would increase once he became a True System yer.


    But, his daughter was the Host of the Money-Making System. So, once he saves her, she would be a System yer too. And, in this dangerous scenario, giving her the means to grow stronger would be better.


    And, that would be to make her a True System yer. So, once he did that, it would mean that he would never be able to be a True System yer.


    Therefore, six Core Skills would be all that he would possess. And, without bing a True System yer, he would never be able to level up. That means, all the Mental Energy he possessed was what was stored in his Mental Energy form.


    And, that was a pittance, especially when he faced Systems. Without a consistent supply of Mental Energy, he wouldn''t havested until now.


    Moreover, he understood the real reason that he managed to kill Shika. It was thanks to the Coincidental Luck System. In the way Dwun and Shika had moved against one another, barely a fifth of it was due to his schemes.


    The rest happened coincidentally. As he was aware of its identity, Compass Carburettor had experimented a little, understanding that the Coincidental Luck System was fully supporting him this time.


    That was why he took borate measures to target them and make things difficult for them without being discovered. This was the reason he casually stroll through the ce while hiding within Shika''s space and not once did the Night Ranger System ever detect him.


    But, it wouldn''t be able to support him all the time. Every time he made a move, he experimented first to see if things coincidentally happened his way or not. If it happened, it meant the Coincidental Luck System was supporting him.


    Otherwise, it either meant that it wasn''t supporting him or the other Systems from the Luck Genre had countered its Luck. So, he had to consciously be aware of it all the time.


    Otherwise, if he depended on luck and took action, chances are that he would charge to his death.


    So, all things considered, he needed enough Mental Energy to use all the Core Skills that he would be getting. And, this dimensional storage acted as a massive reservoir of that.


    Even though any items he stored within it would vanish once he left this world, the Mental Energy won''t. That was something he could confirm. So, now that he decided to use Permanence on himself by the end of this world, he changed his ns.


    ''I have to not only kill as many Systems as possible with Coincidental Luck System''s help but also gain powerful abilities that would stay relevant even in other worlds.'' He sighed, asking Grisha, "How''s the situation on your end?"


    "I''m tailing after Dwun. It''ll be hard to affect him, but I''m scouting for other Systems in the vicinity first to lead him to them." Replied Grisha, now possessing Secret Society and Info Scanner.


    "Alright, be careful." He said, leaving her to her devices, for she had enough experience in her previous loops to not do any reckless actions.


    "I''m being apanied by the ants. So, I''ll be safe." She replied before cutting off the connection.


    Now that he got a moment''s free time, Compass Carburettor noticed his bloody condition, frowning, ''I need to take a bath and heal my injuries.''


    He had sustained them whenever Grisha had been injured. So at present, hecked any skin, with the nerves in them on the verge of exploding.


    Thanks to his Skill of Natural Recovery, he had recovered to a certain extent. Any other human would have died by now.


    But, just when he nned tomit suicide and condense a brand new body, all his senses red up as he activated Directional Misalignment immediately, noticing a figure appearing twenty metres behind him.


    He didn''t even have to nce at the other party to realise what they were. For, his Anthozoa was pulsing erratically, making the other party''s identity apparent.


    A True System yer¡­ And a rather high levelled one at that.

 Chapter 284: Terrifyingly Overpowered

    <h4>Chapter 284: Terrifyingly Overpowered</h4>


    Core Skill¡ªInfo Scanner (Level 10)!


    Compass Carburettor seeped a tremendous volume of Mental Energy from the dimensional storage into Info Scanner, bringing it to Level 10 immediately as he activated it, hoping to get some information. He also levelled up Directional Misalignment to Level 10, using it on the other party to avoid a fate of instant death.


    [True System yer¡ªLevel 49]


    This was all the information that he was able to obtain from the other party. As the level of Info Scanner was too low, he couldn''t obtain anything beyond that. But, just this was enough for him to understand the threat the other party posed.


    He didn''t have any intentions to fight, nning to leave as he activated Mecha, condensing three turbofans on his back that unleashed a powerful thrust, causing him to shoot into the skies immediately.


    Or at least, that was the n. But in reality, he was startled, noticing that he had stopped the moment he reached a metre from the ground, unable to move any higher, despite his turbofans continuing to generate thrust.


    All the thrust air seemed to be vanishing mysteriously as the Elf gazed at him with a smile, "Where are you heading towards?"


    Slowly, a magic circle formed on the ground, spreading out as it emanated a mysterious feeling. Compass Carburettor felt as if he was getting sealed by it as he desperately poured Mental Energy into Directional Misalignment, trying his best to affect the other party.


    He consumed a tenth of the massive reserve of Mental Energy within the dimensional storage, mming everything into the Elf when the other party''s eyelids fluttered for an instant. During that blink, the forming magic circle didn''t move in the right order, causing a kink to form in the sealing effect.


    Compass Carburettor exploded all his strength to created a powerful thrust as he broke out of the seal and flew through the air, also condensing his pair of wings that mmed a torrent of feathers towards the Elf.


    Countless booming sounds resounded around the elf as the feathers exploded while Compass Carburettor had already reached an altitude of a kilometre from the ground, still feeling that it wasn''t enough as he continued to proceed higher.


    The structure of the Mecha morphed, turning into a fighter ne as he expended his Dac like crazy, breaking the sound barrier before flying about at supersonic speeds.


    He had zero intentions to stay at the same ce ever again, informing Grisha, "Abandon everything immediately. Tell the ants to make a tunnel deep into the ground and proceed north first. I''lle and rescue you after that."


    "Is the enemy powerful?" Grisha asked, expressing worry for the first time after regaining her memories.


    "Freaking powerful!" He screamed mentally, still shuddering, feeling as if he hadn''t broken free from the seal yet.


    Standing on the ground, the Elf gazed at the sky, watching a white trail simr to the clouds form, "He''s pretty fast, as expected of a yer from a technological world."


    The Elf looked around, gazing at the magic circle that had finished forming on the ground, "Still, to think even Destiny Luck had the wrong information about him. He spent a hundred Thousand Mental Energy just to break away from my spell. Even veteran True System yers have a hard time amassing such an amount. But, this is just his second world."


    "Interesting," The Elf smiled, "As expected of someone that Coincidental Luck had brought to help its situation."


    The Elf then gazed at the sky as its eyes shone with a gentle blue radiance, allowing it to inspect the varying levels of luck everywhere.


    It gazed around, observing a vast pir of luck in the distance, one shaped into the tail of a scorpion, "Ahh, that must be Rhizen''s luck. So, it manifested like a scorpion tail this time."


    The Elf then observed the sky, watching the trail of white smoke, noticing countless dancing symbols around, "I see, so all the luck that Compass Carburettor possesses at present is what Coincidental Luck is providing him. His innate luck seems to have been exhaustedpletely."


    "That makes things easier." The Elf smirked, "Even though it''s troublesome, I should first kill Rhizen. That way, I''ll be able to hunt Compass Carburettor without anyone to hinder me."


    It then noticed a vast sea of Luck turn into a tsunami, rushing towards it, intending to destroy it, "Even I''ll die if I am affected by that much luck. As expected, Coincidental Luck hates me enough to make such arge move."


    But, the Elf wasn''t flustered, calmly snapping its fingers as the magic circle below its feet activated, causing its figure to vanish, "I''ll return to kill you again."


    The vast sea of Luck mmed into the ce but failed to affect the Elf that had vanished by now.


    In the System World, Destiny Luck was observing the world, observing the luck of the apocalypse world itself shift to one side, losing bnce, "Haha, it seems I''ve truly pissed Coincidental Luck this time."


    "Oops!"


    It then giggled a little before thinking, ''Now, the other Luck based Systems are constantly in hiding. I cannot be the only one whose cards have been exposed. I have to pull them all in further by making them realise how dangerous Coincidental Luck can be.''


    Thinking as such, itughed, "This is a battleground for one of us to devour all the other Systems from the Luck Genre and be a Grade 2 System."


    ¡­


    "Huh¡­puff¡­!" Compass Carburettor gasped for air, slumping to the ground once he had expended all his Dac reserves.


    He took out a pearl from the dimensional storage and swallowed it, condensing his wings that allowed him to glide through the air and barely reach the ground, struggling to move as his bones began to break one after another.


    It seemed that even though he had only been trapped within the seal for an instant, he had suffered a lot of damage. "Gah!"


    He grunted as his legs snapped in half, along the longitudinal section, causing the pain to be amplified hundreds of times.


    "Guh!" He gasped for breath, watching his sight turn blurry before he abandoned his body, returning to his Haggon form, copsing to the ground before vomiting out blood.


    After emptying his stomach, he slumped on the ground, heaving ragged breaths, gazing around to see that he had arrived at a desert, with no sign of life around him, "Ah sh*t!"

 Chapter 285: Stranded In The Middle Of Nowhere

    <h4>Chapter 285: Stranded In The Middle Of Nowhere</h4>


    Roar!


    After walking around for a while, the Haggon roared in anger before grunting in response when some sand wafted into its mouth.


    ''This is bad¡­'' Compass Carburettor thought, failing to sense any living creature in his vicinity. He had nned to eat a couple of them and replenish his Dac reserves first before flying out of this region.


    After all, in his hurry before, he had pushed his Mecha to the limit, travelling for who knows how long. He had just blindly gone wherever he could go before gliding with his pair of wings.


    Dragged on the sand with a rope was his human corpse, something he didn''t wish to leave behind. If he came across some creature, he nned to feed this to them and see what would happen.


    He dared not touch it either, fearing that the Elf had done something to it. So, he wrapped a bag around it before tying it to some ropes. There were enough items within the dimensional storage, food included. But, as he didn''t know how deep into the desert he was, he dared not waste them.


    After all, he had enough to cross the desert, but that was only if he went back in the direction that he flew from. He didn''t want that, unwilling to move closer to that Elf.


    He needed to find another way to leave the desert. And just at the thought of the Elf, he groaned, massaging his forehead, ''To think they would employ a System yer, a True System yer at Level 49 at that.''


    If the Coincidental Luck System knew the truth about the System yers, then the same could also be said about its enemies. So, if it is someone employed by them, then it made sense that the Elf was at Level 49 and not a level lower or higher.


    The moment it touched Level 50, a Grade 2 System would target it and destroy it. So, it limited itself. But, even at Level 49, it was a scary opponent, someone he didn''t dare face.


    Even for a Level 10 System like the Night Ranger System, he didn''t have the guts to face it head-on and had only resorted to trickery to eventually deal with Shika.


    When he didn''t even have a guarantee of facing against Hatchling Systems, facing a True System yer at Level 49 was just suicide.


    "Dita, are you alright?" He asked in worry, having not checked up on the cobra''s condition yet.


    "I''m severely injured, but I''m healing slowly, uncle." Dita replied, "That idiot goldfish is the same. But, without any Dac, our recovery would take a long time."


    "Are you able to jump into my second space? See if you can heal there faster." He asked.


    "I''m able to, uncle. But I''m too injured to make a jump at present." Dita replied. Judging based on theck of spirit in her voice, it seemed her injuries were pretty severe indeed.


    ''That trump card was indeed too strong. Moreover, I stole a lot from Shika. So, this level of injury is expected.'' He sighed, replying to the cobra, "Continue to rest. I''ll work out something here."


    He continued to walk through the desert, feeling the desert''s heat, watching his feet sink into the sand under the weight every time he took a step forward.


    From time to time, he activated Directional Misalignment, failing to sense even one creature in the vicinity. And, at Level 10, its range was around 10 kilometres.


    So, it was puzzling that there weren''t any mutated beasts in such a wide radius. But left with no other choice, he could only continue to move.


    Thankfully for the Haggon form, it didn''t sweat under such temperature levels, allowing him to casually walk through the desert.


    "Right, why didn''t I think of that?" He pped his forehead before taking out a lot of food from his dimensional storage, swallowing it immediately. He then continued to walk, noticing his Dac getting replenished slowly.


    Soon, once he had umted 100 Dac, he expended it, taking on his Spirit¡ªhuman¡ªform. He then summoned the Vitality Bowl, nting it in the sand, watching its roots burrow into it, continuing to do so until they reached deep into the ground.


    And, after a long time had passed, water began to slowly fill up within the bowl. But, its pace was really slow as Compass Carburettor erected a tent around it, taking out a cup from the dimensional storage that he used to scoop out the water and drink it, satiating his thirst.


    With a thought, the Vitality Bowl began to produce a nutrient solution of the sort that he began to drink in small gulps.


    As this was a power of his human form, he couldn''t use it in his Haggon Form.


    He first nned to replenish some Dac in this manner, sighing as he continued to converse with Grisha.


    "Where are you at present? How''s the situation there?" He asked.


    "Nothing amiss has happened," Grisha replied, "A couple of ants had seen Rhizen hunting a couple of mutated beasts near the fort alongside Chenger. I''m currently moving with the ant queen."


    "Have you ever seen an Elf before in your previous loops?" He asked.


    "No, I haven''t seen such a creature." Grisha replied, "Was it the reason you had escaped just now?"


    "Yes," Sighing, he told her what had transpired, "That Elf isn''t an opponent I can handle."


    "Then, destroying the other Systems is the only option." Grisha said, "That would make the Elf your only opponent. And, if what you said is the truth, then the Coincidental Luck System''s luck would deal with it."


    "Hopefully, that''s the case." He sighed, "I''ll have to think of a n to avoid the Elf. I barely managed to escape the first time. But it''ll be prepared against my methods from the next time onwards."


    "Once I''ve thought of a n, I''ll inform you." He said after a moment of thought, "Remain closer to Rhizen for now. That''s safer than heading somewhere else. If the Elf tries to attack you, just run towards Rhizen. Let him handle the rest."


    Saying so, he disconnected the connection as Grisha frowned, muttering, "What happened to him? Is he afraid? No¡­"


    "This seems to be something else."

 Chapter 286: Scheming While Afraid

    <h4>Chapter 286: Scheming While Afraid</h4>


    It was nighttime in the desert as Compass Carburettor was seated out in the open, unaffected by the dropping temperatures. He was in his Haggon form, after all, constantly downing the nutrient solution that was being produced by the Vitality Bowl.


    There was still a fairly long way to go before he recovered all his Dac. Still, thanks to the massive stomach capacity of the Haggon, he was able to eat as much as he needed without worrying that his stomach would be full.


    Haggons had a rather quick digestion capacity, allowing him to replenish his Dac reserves at a rapid pace.


    In his human form, despite being aided by various Skills, 400-500 Dac was the amount he could replenish in a day if he ate whenever there was any gap in his stomach.


    In his Haggon Form, he only needed a couple of days to replenish his reserve of 10,000 Dacpletely. ''If I ate some three-horned mutated beasts, my recovery would have been even faster.''


    Now that he was in the middle of nowhere, Compass Carburettor had a lot of free time to cool his head and think about his next course of ns, ''The things I left in that fortress are only effective against Systems due to the vulnerability of their Hosts. A True System yer has virtually no weaknesses.''


    He sighed, massaging his forehead, gazing at the Vitality Bowl as he scooped up the soup using his energy de that was shaped into a bowl, lighting a fire underneath it, heating it up before drinking it.


    It was hard for him to eat cold things, especially since he had to consume a lot of them. So, he was just heating things a little.


    ''The Elf seems to possess magic-rted abilities. That''s troublesome.'' He sighed, ''Especially since I don''t know the true extent of its magic, I cannot take any measures against it.''


    "What do I do now?" He was worried, for the first time unable to think of any solution to his problem. "Do I have to give up now?"


    "No," He exhaled in irritation, "It''ll be a waste to use Permanence this soon. There''s still a lot that I can obtain before using that."


    He then thought long and hard, "If I assume its magic to be based on what I''ve read to date, then judging by how that magic circle constricted me, it should be spatial magic. And that''s troublesome¡­"


    "Spatial magic¡­" He muttered, recalling the list of Systems that had arrived at this world, "I guess that''s the only way I can protect myself against magic."


    "Hopefully, I''m able to find them," He closed his eyes, beginning to sleep, waking up after an hour as he filled his stomach once again before continuing with his sleep.


    In the evening of the next day, Compass Carburettor nodded in relief, having mostly replenished his Dac reserve. By absorbing the Dac, Dita and the goldfish too were healing. But, they hadn''t made a full recovery yet, so he wasn''t able to use them.


    Even after his Dac reached the limit, he continued to stay at the Desert, taking the time to research his abilities to find new means of use.


    With that, he returned to his human form and sat cross-legged, meditating, taking on theplete view of the Mental Energy Form, only able to see the streams of Mental Energy flowing into him.


    His Mental Energy Form had already reached its limit in development before, but now, it had begun growing once again. And that was thanks to the dimensional storage.


    After it was integrated into the Mental Energy Form by connecting some nerves into it, the Mental Energy within began to flow through the Mental Energy Form, circting constantly. It had be an important part of him.


    "In the future, my growth would primarily depend on it. So, I musty the foundations for it now." Muttering as such, he focused on the Thermometer in the Mental Energy Form that represented his Skill of Health (Level 10).


    He willed for it to move, slowly moving it within the Mental Energy Form, bringing it closer and closer to the sphere that represented his dimensional storage.


    He created countless nerves around the thermometer, joining them to create a gigantic nerve within which the thermometer was stuck now. Slowly, he extended their edges before connecting the nerves to the sphere, watching the Mental Energy flow out from within and course through this gigantic nerve.


    He then willed it to move, pushing it closer to the sphere before making the two connect. As the Mental Energy flowed between the two, he slowly began to will their fusion, seeping the thermometer into the sphere before finally, followed by a burst of energy, the thermometer vanished.


    Thump! Thump!


    Suddenly, the sphere began to pulse as if it was a beating heart, circting Mental Energy with an easier pace through the Metal Energy Form.


    "Sess!" He was pretty excited at the result, summoning his Status to see that the Skill of Health had vanished from it. But, he wasn''t affected, but rather felt as if he had be healthier.


    The effect of Health seemed to have been amplified. "So, it indeed works."


    The first example of this kind was Grisha. He had shot the System Fragment of Minor Healing into her to heal her wounds before. And, once all her wounds were healed, there was still plenty of the healing effect remaining within. So, it buried itself deep into her body.


    And, when she obtained a mutated beast ability, this power manifested, turning into her wand, allowing her to heal others.


    The second case was Dita, having devoured all the Skills that he had bestowed it, condensing the power to leap into the spaces of others as a result after its evolution.


    Both the examples allowed him to glean a single info: This power system was able to consume abilities rted to Systems and condense them in a mutated beast ability as a result.


    As to what could be condensed from it, he couldn''t guess. ''But, that Grade 4 System should have definitely done something to this world. If I yed my cards right, I can feel its possibility.''


    ''Of a third Personal Fragment.''

 Chapter 287: Third Personal Fragment

    <h4>Chapter 287: Third Personal Fragment</h4>


    He was still unsure as to what the necessities were to create a Personal Fragment. Based on what he was introduced to, a Personal Fragment was something that was created when the remainder of a System within the Host was fused into an object originating from their homeworld.


    Technically speaking, a System yer was only supposed to have one Personal Fragment. After all, they were birthed in only one world¡ªtheir homeworld. So, even the notion of having a second Personal Fragment didn''t make any sense, much less a third one.


    But, since it happened once, Compass Carburettor was of the mind that it could happen again, as long as he figured out the right means to incorporate thews of the world into himself.


    In the Darble World, it was the Dungeon that formed the core of their world''sws. And through obtaining control/ownership of one, he obtained the qualifications to obtain a second Personal Fragment.


    ''If it''s like this, then it means that as long as I''m able to achieve the prerequisites, I should be able to form a Personal Fragment in every world I enter. That would allow me to grow powerful without having to be a True System yer and risk bing the target of a Grade 2 System.'' He thought.


    His goal was only to save Stencil. He didn''t wish to have strength beyond what necessitated his objective.


    Since the thermometer was a sess, he focused on the brick within the Mental Energy Form. It represented his Skill of Strength.


    Just as he had done for the thermometer, Compass Carburettor eventually pushed the brick within the sphere too, sensing his body turning a notch stronger in response.


    Upon seeing their effectiveness, he continued forth in the same manner. And, when he was tired, he took a sound nap. From time to time, he made the goldfish eat the nutrient solution produced by the Vitality Bowl.


    After swallowing enough until it felt like bursting, the goldfish fell asleep, processing the food slowly, beginning to produce Mental Energy. The quantity of Mental Energy it produced already surpassed what he was receiving from the fortress, shocking Compass Carburettor.


    "As expected of its modifications. It wasn''t holding back at all."


    He then asked Grisha, "In your previous loops, was there ever a goldfish mutated beast?"


    "The one that the horned people were looking after?" She asked in return. And upon hearing his reply, she said, "Nope, not once. That apartmentplex was destroyed by a cat mutated beast that became frighteningly strong rather quickly. In all my loops, it was terrifyingly powerful. In the loop I was apanion of Rhizen, he had only managed to kill it by luck. But it was a pyrrhic victory."


    "I see," Compass Carburettor muttered, asking another thing he was doubtful about, "How did Rhizen treat Chenger?"


    "He trusted her the most in that loop." Grisha said, "And, even in the heat of the moment, he never slept with another woman. He was pretty devoted to her while she had blind faith in him."


    Compass Carburettor continued to ponder after that as he soon resumed his meditation, sending one item after another into the sphere that represented the dimensional storage.


    Ring (Dexterity), Battery (Stamina), Book (Cognition), Jar (Natural Recovery), Flute (Five Senses), Pillow (Resting), he sent all the Skills into the sphere.


    And finally, his gaze rested upon the Acorn that represented his Skill of Intelligence, also sending it into the sphere, ''Why an acorn though?''


    He then focused upon a lens, the representation of the Core Skill of Info Scanner (Level 10), hesitating. He was unsure if this was a good move or not, unwilling to damage the Core Skill that he had obtained from the Coincidental Luck System.


    "Screw it, only death awaits me otherwise." Gritting his teeth, he calmed himself before focusing on the lens, slowly moving it into the sphere. At first, there was a lot of resistance, but after some time, the sphere gradually swallowed it.


    He gazed at his status, seeing the Core Skill of Info Scanner had vanished. But, he thought of using it, realising that he was still able to do so. Moreover, it was stronger now, giving him a clearer perception of things.


    It was no longer limited to Systems alone, also allowing him to gain information about his surroundings.


    It had be simr to an appraisal skill.


    At this point, he no longer hesitated, sending in ve Harem and Directional Misalignment too, feeling him growing strong a little bit. Immediately after, the sphere automatically grabbed hold of the System Fragments of Overdrive (Level 8) and Permanence (Level 99).


    Overdrive wasn''t a proper System Fragment¡ªas it was only gained from a Host''s body part and not after refining the Overdrive System. So, immediately after it was absorbed, Compass Carburettor could feel that it was broken down and absorbed by the sphere.


    "Dammit, I didn''t want to waste Permanence!" He grunted in response, intending to stop it, but was toote. The sphere had swallowed it too as Compass Carburettor slumped on the ground.


    Suddenly, he felt pain in his stomach as his space was forcefully ripped out before being swallowed by the dimensional storage, causing Dita to scream in his mind, "Uncle! I feel¡­"


    "Dita! Are you alright?" He shouted in response, hearing the cobra''s voice turn a notch weaker.


    But immediately after, she chirped in excitement, "I feel stronger now, Uncle!"


    "Phew," He sighed in relief, rxing as he observed the changes continuing in him as only three entities existed within his Mental Energy Form now: Anthozoa (Gun), Secret Society (Symbol of double ''C''), Dimensional Storage (Sphere).


    This time, the changes seemed slow, requiring a lot of time. But, Compass Carburettor had time on his hands now, patiently sensing the changes within him as he soon noticed that not only was he unable to use his mutated beast abilities, even his Dac had vanished. The Vitality Bowl also disappeared.


    At present, he was at his weakest state. Thankfully, he was in the middle of nowhere, with not a life in sight.


    A day passed in such a fashion before the changespleted as a mysterious power brimmed within him. Upon seeing it, Compass Carburettor smiled contently. For, he had attained it.


    Third Personal Fragment!

 Chapter 288: New Abilities

    <h4>Chapter 288: New Abilities</h4>


    [Name: Compass Carburettor, Domino Plottopia, Gahrat]


    [Race: Haggon (Spirit)]


    [Internal: Health (Level 10), Strength (Level 10), Dexterity (Level 10), Stamina (Level 10), Intelligence (Level 10), Cognition (Level 10), Natural Recovery (Level 10), Five Senses (Level 10), Resting (Level 10)]


    [Personal Fragment: Anthozoa, Secret Society, Dimensional Space]


    [Stars: 3/6]


    [Core Skills: ve Harem (Level 10), Info Scanner (Level 10), Directional Misalignment (Level 10)]


    [Peak: 3/?]


    [Mutated Beasts: Golda (3), Vutura (3), Dita (1)]


    [Mental Energy: 998,436]


    [Trait: Dac, Apocalypse Pearl, Permanence]


    Countless changes had happened in his stats. Starting from the first, it was an addition of a third name, causing him to smirk, "Gahrat¡­huh?"


    "I see, so that''s how it works." He understood as to why when he obtained his third Personal Fragment, he had another name. That was his identity in this world, generated by the denizens of this world.


    It was through Mental Energy!


    When the people of the fortress prayed towards him, they muttered the name of Gahrat, addressing him that way. So, the Mental Energy they generated contained that name as his identity¡ªGahrat.


    So, Compass Carburettor obtained it as his third name. This was simr to him obtaining the name of Domino Plottopia when he obtained Secret Society. It was because those that expressed such thoughts towards him thought of him as Domino Plottopia.


    "So, a lot of data that is contained within the Mental Energy is processed to result in this." He muttered, hovering upon the next row of data, seeing that the word ''Physique'' had now been reced with ''Internal.''


    Of course, it was because these Skills were no longer in his body but had fused into the dimensional storage, coursing the ability through Mental Energy. That was the reason for the word change.


    And now, as the third Personal Fragment, the dimensional storage had been renamed as Dimensional Space. After all, it wasn''t just a mere storage anymore. After devouring his other space, it had obtained really interesting properties.


    Now, all his abilities, except for his two Personal Fragments had fused into it, bing a part of it. And now, Dimensional Space had expanded in size, turning into a pocket dimension.


    It was a world with night as its environment. And dotted on the ck sky were six stars, with three of them lit up while the remaining three only had an outline.


    They represented his Core Skills.


    The ground was crystalline, sporting a yellowish-white glow, just like his energy de. And, it had a texture resembling a pearl, giving it a sense of opaqueness.


    And, jutting out of the ground were three mounds, resembling hills in this space. The first hill expressed the same presence as the goldfish, one that he had impulsively named Golda. It was asleep atop the mound, sporting three horns.


    Its fourth horn hadpletely vanished now.


    The second mound had the vulture-like bird''s presence, another creature that he had impulsively named Vutura just to make a name be disyed on his Stats instead of ''???''. Calmly perched atop the mound was the bird¡ªVutura, also sleeping.


    And finally, the third mound had the same presence as Dita. It was currently coiled atop it, resting.


    Beside it was a fourth mound, but seemed ethereal in nature. Thanks to the power system of this world, all the information readily flowed in his mind, allowing him tough in joy.


    This was where Permanence had been used, making the state of the Dimensional Space permanent. The mounds were the representation of that. As his Stage increases, the size of his space would also increase, allowing for more mounds to form.


    And, if he gained the ability of a mutated beast, a physical mound would form, sharing its presence. And, here was the beauty of this mound.


    Suppose Compass Carburettor was using the item condensed by that mutated beast. Even if that item was absolutely destroyed, and the mutated beast died, it wouldn''t truly die. The mound was its original form.


    So, over time, after consuming some Mental Energy, it would revive on the mound, allowing him to use all mutated beast abilities without any fear of loss. The mounds carried the essence of Permanence, so once they were created, the mutated beasts were permanent.


    Moreover, this essence of Permanence was under his control. Suppose he no longer wished to have Vutura, then he could destroy its mound and create a new one in its ce. That mutated beast too would be supported by the essence of Permanence.


    Also, thanks to the trait of this world''s power system, there was no limit as to the number of mounds he could possess. After all, for every Stage he attained, a mound would be created automatically. And irrespective of their number, they would possess the essence of Permanence in them.


    As a Level 99 Core Skill, Permanence had affected his entire being, focusing most of its power on his Warble, making it something akin to indestructible for Grade 1 Systems.


    As the Warble was his core, as long as it wasn''t destroyed, he wouldn''t die.


    And finally, dancing in the sky was an aurora. It was the Mental Energy he had umted. The amount he currently possessed was a staggering sum, akin to ake while the amount he possessed previously was akin to a bucket.


    It was a mystifying scene as Compass Carburettor was able to scan throughout the Dimensional Space when he closed his eyes.


    The final aspect he obtained from this Personal Fragment gave him a lot of confidence. He had lost all his Dac. But saying that he had lost it wouldn''t be the truth. It had in truth fused into the Dimensional Space, bing a part of it.


    And now, Mental Energy was what he would wield. This was his base energy. And the amount stored within the Dimensional Space was his reserve of Mental Energy.


    No longer eating food would work as he didn''t have the means to generate Dac within his body anymore. This would have been a drawback if he didn''t possess Golda¡ªthe goldfish. It was able to convert anything it ate into Mental Energy.


    So, that would replenish his reserves, not to mention the conventional way of gaining Mental Energy.


    And now, he obtained three Traits to his Mental Energy, forms he could convert it into other than using it directly. The first was Dac to support him in terms of stamina. The second was the energy of the Pearl, actually addressed as Apocalypse Pearl, required to control the mutated beast''s abilities.


    Though in actuality, they were no longer necessary since Compass Carburettor gained the ability to use everything with Mental Energy alone. And, the efficiency was the highest, with every other energy means inferior to it.


    "And the final Trait of my Mental Energy¡­Permanence!"

 Chapter 289: How Do I Counter The Elf?

    <h4>Chapter 289: How Do I Counter The Elf?</h4>


    Compass Carburettor used Body Layer, condensing ayer of energy de over him. He first used Dac, seeing the familiar yellowish-white energy de.


    Followed by a thought, he switched the energy to the Apocalypse Pearl, noticing it immediately gaining weight. It had also be tremendously slow aspared to the previous energy de. But it was still usable.


    And finally, he only used Mental Energy, watching the energy de turn jet ck immediately, glittering with starlight. Itcked any solidity to it, ethereal in nature. As to its true functions, he had yet to finishprehending them.


    But, he was now able to integrate various abilities into his energy de, content with it. By activating Dac and Apocalypse Pearl at the same time, his energy de would also have some mass to it, giving it more weight.


    He then switched over to Dac before activating the trait of Permanence. There was no difference, but he stopped emitting any Dac, trying to move his hand around to see the Body Layer was still there.


    It had now turned solid, resembling a crystal in appearance. He was unable to move his hand, for it was stuck due to the solidified Body Layer. He wasn''t using any energy to maintain it anymore. It was a proper solid.


    After smiling, he retracted the trait of Permanence, watching it dissipate immediately, "This is what I love about this trait."


    He then condensed a palm-sized Spydragon while activating the trait of Permanence, holding it as he felt it around before dropping to the ground.


    It slowly moved towards the ground, slower than a feather, and only due to a mild wind that was blowing it that way. After all, as it was made with Dac, it had no mass.


    It was a solid Spydragon. He was still able to control it like usual, after all, it was his Puppet, its functions remaining the same. "I''ll be able to help Grisha with this."


    Smiling, he began to experiment with his abilities, slowly getting used to them.


    He then summoned the Vitality Bowl, surprised when he observed some changes in it. It didn''t have a mound in the Dimensional Space though, only sharing its presence with the three mounds.


    So, he would be able to revive it after some time, though not as quick and easy as the mutated beasts.


    The changes that had formed in it were tiny grass strands in its insides, capable of jutting out when necessary. Otherwise, they would remain at the bottom. And, when he understood their purpose, he didn''t know whether he had tough or cry.


    For, they were cooks!


    Until now, all the Vitality Bowls were only able to condense liquid items.


    But now, his Vitality Bowl was also able to condense solid items. The grass would help in achieving that, growing in size by absorbing nutrients as they would turn into the necessary fruits, vegetables, spices, etc.


    Even meat products were possible, since the necessary process was more or less the same.


    After that, some grass strands would behave like hands that would do the regr cooking and create the final product.


    ''I want a burger.'' He thought, watching the grass strands within the Vitality Bowl take action immediately. Though, when he gazed at the process in curiosity, he regretted it, turning around immediately, ''If I see it, I''ll never be able to eat food ever again.''


    It was worse than seeing a horde of insects squirming within a bowl.


    As it was his Vitality Bowl, Compass Carburettor knew when the food was done, turning around to see that the grass strands had retreated into the bowl, revealing an empty bowl where five burgers stood proudly, damn fresh.


    He grabbed one and took a bite when his eyes lit up at the taste, "This is practically a delicacy in the apocalypse."


    He quickly gobbled through all five when the Vitality Bowl condensed more nutrient solution for Golda to drink up. It was the best way to gather more Mental Energy, after all.


    "I wonder how much Mental Energy I''ll get once its number of horns increases?" Thinking as such, he smiled, giddy that he had guessed correctly this time.


    Though, this feeling didn''tst long before he was reminded about his enemy, the Elf, "That Damn Elf!"


    He hadn''t figured out a method to survive the Elf''s attacks. After all, in their first meeting, the Elf had only used magic. It hadn''t used any Core Skills at all, not to mention its Personal Fragment which should definitely be the most powerful treasure rted to magic in its origin world.


    So, none of its cards had been revealed yet. Also, as a True System yer, one that had crossed Level 10, it had 10 slots to contain Core Skills. And, there was a good chance that it had filled all 10 of them with Core Skills, making it a terrifying enemy.


    "The only constion is the fact that I reached Stage 4 thanks to the creation of my Personal Fragment." He sighed, thinking of something as he took out the orb that Shika had collected from the three-horned man, swallowing it, obtaining his fourth ability.


    It was an area of effect ability that was microscopic in nature. Moreover, it was capable of being selectively effective against targets alone. So, unless he found a better ability, he didn''t n on changing it.


    "But, just from what I had witnessed, the powers possessed by those horned men are on par with Vutura''s ability in quality." He nodded, sighing again as he decided in the end, "I have to get more of them."


    He took out all the orbs in his possession, using Info Scanner on them to observe their details, concluding in the end, "The one I already consumed is the most powerful and versatile among the lot."


    ''My Haggon form can regenerate, so I guess that solves the issue of healing. I have Vutura to attack, the new ability to both attack and defend an area, my energy de for everything else, including escape. And finally, Golda to replenish my energy reserves. Dita would help me hide and invade the spaces of others while the fusion of Golda and Dita allows me to plunder the Mental Energy of opponent Systems.'' He concluded his thoughts.


    "I have more or less everything I need to survive and hunt my foes once I add my Core Skills and Personal Fragments into the mix. But, the only problem is¡­" He muttered, worrying, "How do I counter that bastard?"

 Chapter 290: What Have You Planned This Time?

    <h4>Chapter 290: What Have You nned This Time?</h4>


    Buzz!


    A turbine spun in one spot, creating a suction in a tube that allowed the nutrient solution within the Vitality Bowl to travel through it and into arge container that he had solidified using the trait of Permanence.


    The container had a capacity of 1000 litres that he filled to the brim, sealed perfectly, and stored within his Dimensional Space. This was to have enough spare rations during times of necessity. He stored both food and water in sufficient quantities, enough to replenish as much of his Haggon''s needs as necessary.


    Even though he no longer needed to eat to replenish his Dac, there was still Golda. It would be able to generate Mental Energy by eating food. So, he was also saving for it.


    Three days passed in such a manner as he stored enough necessities in the Dimensional Storage, also practicing all his abilities until he got used to them. He was especially content with the three-horned man''s ability, one that he termed the Dust Wave.


    When activated, the ability materialised as a form of contact lenses on his eyes, allowing him to see a coloured smoke billowing out of his body.


    This smoke was like an extension of his body, moving anywhere he wished. After some observation, he motioned for it to attack the ground. And the scene that happened next caused him to be gobsmacked as theyer of soil rapidly began to diminish as a crater formed, quickly increasing in depth.


    He hurriedly condensed a pair of massive fans and blew away the fine dust that was produced as a result.


    The Dust Wave was an ability that seemed as if it was a cloud-like organism that was capable of eating through anything. Though in actuality, it was undetectable to the naked eye and consisted of dust-sizes burst element particles that exploded upon contact with the target, destroying it from a microscopic scale.


    And, he could form a tide with this, depending on the amount of Mental Energy he expended.


    After obtaining his third Personal Fragment, the quantity of Mental Energy he had was shown in units, the same that was used by the Systems, giving him a clear idea of how much his opponents possessed.


    Moreover, he too now possessed the same protection as his foes thanks to being able to wield Mental Energy directly¡ªthe ability to avoid instant-death scenarios.


    With all his preparationsplete, he condensed a pair of wings and took flight. He still hadn''te up with a n to face the Elf, but he decided to first target the other Systems.


    That way, by obtaining their Core Skills, he would be able to strengthen himself better. This was the only feasible n of action.


    Moreover, irrespective of what he used, he had to hinder the Elf by at least making a bunch of System Hosts target it.


    As to how he nned to do that, he had already begun preparations. Grisha and the ant queen moved as a team,pleting everything he had tasked them with.


    Thanks to her Vitality Bowl, the ants had an unending supply of food, having exploded in numbers long since. They targeted mutated beasts, using the body parts for various things that Grisha had umted knowledge about in the previous loops.


    Meanwhile, Shyvern and his group had arrived within an apartment building as he dragged Chenger with him and ced her in a room. As she was gagged and bound, she wasn''t able tomit suicide even if she wished to do so.


    "Now, now! You can''t leave us so easily, right?" Laughing in response, Shyvern materialised a screen, showing the scene of Rhizen and ''Chenger'' disying great sync between one another as they hunted a mutated beast.


    Upon seeing such a harmonious scene, Chenger wished to cough up blood,cking the strength to even scream, having already done it enough times until her throat hurt.


    "Have you pondered about what I asked youst time?" Shyvern grinned, bringing a long mirror from the nearby room, showing her reflection to her.


    Chenger instantly averted her gaze, unable to bear seeing her messed up appearance. But suddenly, a mysterious force turned her head, allowing her to stare at her reflection.


    She desperately tried to close her eyes but noticed that they didn''t listen to her, staring wide-eyed at the reflection. She was forced to see what her figure had been reduced to, something she was unable to endure, tearing up, "Why¡­why are you torturing me like this? Just kill me¡­"


    "Dear Chenger, killing you is simple. But you see¡­" Shyvern spoke slowly, sporting an expression of nostalgia, "The one I hate is Rhizen, you see. I want him to suffer the maximum. But you see¡­"


    He sighed with a mncholic tone, "There is a limit to the physical pain a human body can handle. Beyond that, the brain would kill the signals to turn off the pain receptors. See, even when I poured acid on your face, you only writhed in pain for a couple of hours. Beyond that, your body turned numb."


    As he continued to talk, Chenger''s face paled further, "But, the depth one could attain with mental pain is on a whole other level. I''ve been living these days only to kill Rhizen. I am living, breathing, and dying to see Rhizen again, just to torment him."


    "He cares about you a lot," He smirked, saying, "To be frank, he cares about you more than he does himself. So, what do you think would happen when I ry all your sufferings to him?"


    "Stop¡­please¡­I beg you¡­" Even though she was gagged, Chenger barely managed to articte her words.


    "Nope," Shyvern said before turning around, gazing at his aplice, "Ensure she doesn''t die."


    "With me around, it''ll be impossible for her to die." Thedy smirked before casually taking a seat nearby, taking out a phone before she began to y a game.


    Having done with his little speech to rile up Chenger, Shyvern exited the room, content as he arrived at the terrace of the building, stating mentally, ''System, disy Chenger''s Despair.''


    [Ding!]


    [Chenger''s Despair is at 73%]


    "Still only at 73 percent¡­" He muttered, "It seems I have to rile her up further until I reach the maximum."


    "Sounds interesting." Upon hearing a foreign voice all of a sudden, Shyvern jumped back in rm, watching the Elf appear nearby, as if it had teleported, smiling, "What have you nned this time, Shyvern?"

 Chapter 291: Elf Compass

    <h4>Chapter 291: Elf Compass</h4>


    "This is one massive desert." Compass Carburettor frowned, having been travelling around the desert by using his Mecha to turn into a jet. Using the speed and flight advantage, he spent the next two weeks scouring through it, scouting the surrounding terrain.


    It was then that he understood just what this ce was, "There was a sea here before. But, the moment the apocalypse stuck, it dried up for some reason as every living being here died."


    After so much scouting, he finally recognised this ce based on the map of the world that he had seen before. It was an ind sea, spanning a length of 700 kilometres and a breadth of 550 kilometres, sporting a shape simr to an amoeba.


    He still was unable to digest the changes it had experienced, for, in the short span of two months, the seawater had vanished while what was present now was just a desert. And, due to the harsh weather and violent winds, sand covered the corals and skeletons of the fishes that were once part of the sea.


    Once Compass Carburettor began to dig into them, he found orbs and pearls buried deep within the sand. Though, most of them seemed to have originated from one-horned mutated fishes.


    Whenever he had the time, he picked up the pearls from the ground, easily filtering out the sand by shaping his energy de ordingly. The ability of Mecha allowed him to construct machinery out of his energy de, perfect for most operations.


    And, once harvested, he fed them to Golda, converting them into Mental Energy. Consuming the pearls was hundreds of times more efficient than drinking the nutrient solution.


    After a couple of days in this fashion, Compass Carburettor created a simple apparatus through his energy de by using the trait of the Apocalypse Pearl.


    It was nothing more than a rod attached to a rotating shaft. Compass Carburettor sat before it, using his energy de to make the rod face vertically upwards, joining his hands together in a praying motion as he concentrated fully, removing a small defence in his Mental Energy Form.


    He then prayed, ''Coincidental Luck System, I need to verify something with you. If you can understand my thoughts, then move the rod my way. if you don''t wish tomunicate with me, then move it in the other direction.''


    He constantly repeated the same thoughts in a loop, praying continuously. After two hours passed in such a fashion, the winds around him became a tad stronger, affecting the rod, coincidentally moving it his way.


    ''If it''s actually you, then move it in the opposite direction this time.'' He said, watching the winds coincidentally move the rod the other way.


    Smiling in response, Compass Carburettor thought after positioning the rod vertically upwards once again, ''Has that Elf bastard targeted you before?''


    There was a pause before the winds grew stronger, causing the rod to m his way into the ground. The intensity disyed the Coincidental Luck System''s anger at the Elf.


    Making it face vertically upwards, he asked next, ''How many times did it kill Rhizen? If it''s below ten, make it face my way. If it''s above that, make it face the other way.''


    For a good whole minute after that, there was no reaction before the rod slowly bent, gradually facing the other way, causing Compass Carburettor to shudder, "It has killed Rhizen more than ten times?"


    ''This Elf is more terrifying than I had thought.'' He sighed before thinking of Rhizen,municating as his thoughts turned into Mental Energy and flowed into Rhizen.


    The Coincidental Luck System processed his thoughts behind the Mental Energy stream, hence able to understand what he was expressing. This was how they were able tomunicate. After being in the desert, he had realised that this was a feasible way.


    Before, he thought he couldn''t talk with the Coincidental Luck System. But with the Elf''s arrival, he had to do something about his current situation. That was when this thought struck him.


    He then expressed himself, ''Let''s consider an angle of ny degrees of the rod to be a thousand kilometres. How far is the Elf from my current position?''


    He asked this because the Coincidental Luck System should have the means to calcte their positions through Luck or something. As a Grade 1 System that had almost reached its peak, it should have been versatile in using its abilities to aplish practically anything.


    He ced the rod facing himself, treating it as angle zero, watching faint winds flow around him as the rod began to move upwards, slowly stopping at an angle that equated to around 600 kilometres.


    "I guess that''s far enough." He nodded before getting up, condensing apass in his hands. Design-wise, it was the same, but the needle within wasn''t maic. After all, it was created using his Dac energy de and solidified using the trait of Permanence.


    Moreover, there were two needles as Compass Carburettor exined about it to the Coincidental Luck System.


    ''The longer needle is to point in the Elf''s direction. And, the shorter needle is to show the distance between it and me. When it faces 12''o clock, it means the Elf is beyond 1000 kilometres from my location. And when it faces 6''o clock, it means the Elf is near me.''


    ''And, if it moves from 12''0 clock to 6''0 clock, it means the Elf is moving towards my location. And, if the needle moves from 6''o clock to 12''0 clock, it means the Elf is moving away from me. This way, I''ll be aware of its position all along and would be able to prepare ordingly.'' He smiled, ''Also, to change the position of the two needles, the amount of luck necessary would be so small it''ll be impossible for the other luck Systems to detect, right?''


    The rod moved in his direction, proving that his conjecture was the truth. Moreover, the two needles in thepass moved, showing the Elf''s direction and distance between the two.


    "It''s done," Heughed, feeling a bit rxed before saying, ''Also, if there is an emergency, please spin both the needles. The faster they spin, the more urgent they are.''


    The rod pointed at him again, a sign that the Coincidental Luck System was okay with his arrangements. Nodding in response, he snapped his finger, causing the apparatus to vanish as he gazed at thepass, pocketing it, "I guess I''ll call it the Elf Compass."


    "The initiative will always stay with me¡­ I''ll ensure that."

 Chapter 292: City Under The Desert

    <h4>Chapter 292: City Under The Desert</h4>


    "Is this where we have to enter?" A three-horned woman asked, gazing at the tunnel that went deep into the ground.


    "I can show you the entire route and destination first if you want," Grisha said calmly.


    "What about those ants?" The three-horned woman asked, entering the tunnel without any sense of fear.


    "They''re under my control. So, they are harmless." Grisha replied, "Though, that''s true only for this batch of ants. Anything beyond that is an enemy."


    "Makes sense." The three-horned woman said as she apanied Grisha, reaching the end of the flight of stairs before noticing a trolley of sorts ced before her, asking, "What''s this?"


    "Oh, this is for us to travel," Grisha said, climbing into it, motioning for the three-horned woman to be seated beside her. When she did so, a group of two-horned ants tugged at a rope attached to the trolley, beginning to pull it, causing it to move at a moderate pace.


    "This is faster than our walking speed. So, it''s pretty convenient." Grisha continued.


    The three-horned woman looked around, noticing the smoothness of the tunnel, "They''ve done a great job at digging it through."


    She then thought of something, asking, "Why are you helping us though? I don''t see any reason to do that since at this point, you could argue that we aren''t humans anymore."


    "It''s my Lord that wishes to help you. I''m just following his orders." Grisha said, "You''ll see him at the end of this tunnel."


    Five hours spanned in this journey before they reached the end of the tunnel. The twodies climbed the flight of stairs and reached the ground, noticing that the floor itself seemed to be made from a pearl.


    And seated cross-legged on the floor was Compass Carburettor, calmly opening his eyes upon their arrival, "You''re here."


    "My Lord," Grisha bowed, pointing at the three-horned woman, "She''s the leader of the horned men."


    Of course, they had already conversed beforehand to enact this as Compass Carburettor slowly nodded after she was done speaking.


    He then got up and condensed a Spydragon. And strapped to its bottom was arge tform with three seats for them to be seated upon.


    The Spydragon pped its wings and stably hovered in the air as he took the seat in the front. There were two seats behind him, positioned next to one another in which Grisha and the three-horned woman took a seat.


    The three-horned woman gazed in shock upon seeing them take off into the air, asking in surprise, "What''s this ability? How is this possible?"


    "I''m not a human though." Compass Carburettor smiled slowly, stating with a tone of absolute calm and serenity, "You could say that I''m the deity of this region. So, I''ve been helping the people suffering here after hearing their prayers."


    "Deity?" The three-horned woman''s eyes widened in shock before gradually calming down, surprisingly epting his ims.


    She was silent for a good ten minutes before stating slowly, "Gahrat?"


    "It seems you''ve heard about me." Compass Carburettor smiled as if it wasn''t anything surprising.


    "I''ve seen some people move around rescuing other humans. I heard them praying to an entity addressed as Gahrat." The three-horned woman said, "Though, when they came to our settlement, they were afraid upon seeing out horns and didn''t wish to interact with us beyond that point."


    "Though, it''s nothing surprising for us, since we''re no different from monsters at this point to them." She smiled wryly.


    "In the past, I was revered as a deity by the people that lived in thisnd. But in our current world, I too am nothing but a monster." Compass Carburettorughed, "Just a monster with some special powers, nothing else."


    The rest of the journey was in silence as the Spydragon continued to fly, travelling for almost a day before arriving in the middle of the desert,nding on a t piece ofnd that was covered by the pearl surface.


    With a snap of his finger, the Spydragon vanished as Compass Carburettor motioned for the twodies to follow him, climbing the dune nearby that resembled a hill in size. When they reached the peak, no words escaped their mouths.


    Even Grisha was awed by the scenery before her, thinking, ''He''s be stronger once again. It seems that setback had only strengthened him further.''


    Massive dome-shaped structures jutted out of the desert sand, resembling a Qubba in design. They were all translucent in nature, allowing the sunlight to seep into it, highlighting the lush green grass growing within, creating a painterly scene.


    There were hundreds of such domes, with the radius of each dome spanning 50 metres. And, not all of the domes disyed ayer of grass growing within. Some were empty, disying moving roads underneath.


    "I''ll give you a basic tour." Saying so, Compass Carburettor arrived before a cylindrical tower, opening the door there, revealing a helical flight of stairs that they took to head underground.


    "T-This is¡­?" The three-horned woman was bbergasted the moment they reached the end of the helical flight of stairs, gazing at the wide road that spanned ten metres in breadth, traversing a pretty long distance.


    There were houses on both sides, the textures of all resembling pearl, opaque. There were transparent windows attached to them all, emitting a gentle yellowish-white hue. They were solidified Dac energy des.


    The houses ranged from all shapes and sizes, meant for different purposes and people to live within. There was provision for schools, hospitals, etc.


    And, the domes captured the sunlight cast on their circr surfaces and emitted them within, keeping the entire underground ce brightly lit. Moreover, despite the zing sun outside, the interiors were only bright.


    It wasn''t hot but was ratherfortable. Also, the air wasn''t mouldy either as the three-horned woman even felt a mild breeze spanning past.


    Seeing her expression, Compass Carburettor said, "I''ve installed many towers that filter out the dust but allow the air to enter inside, due to theyout of the domes that peek out of the sands. So, the air inside would always be fresh and stay in cirction."


    He then pointed at a dome, "I''ve nted the grass of our region here. Their vitality allowed them to adapt to this ce. They''ll suck in the nutrients from the ground and regte the moisture content in this ce, not to mention collect them in small pools that would serve as your water reservoir."


    "There are also designated ces where you can nt other trees too." Compass Carburettor gave her a general gist of things, asking in the end, "Well, how''s this?"


    "Is this good enough to be called the home of your race?"

 Chapter 293: Reality Of The Situation

    <h4>Chapter 293: Reality Of The Situation</h4>


    "Why¡­are you helping us?" The three-horned woman asked something that had been puzzling her all along.


    "Well, for those that were part of the region under my protection once, I am thinking of protecting them on a whim now." Compass Carburettor thought for a moment before speaking. He then made eye contact with her, asking, "The world is currently chaotic due to the suddenness of the apocalypse."


    "But over time, things would gradually stabilise, maybe five years into the future." He smiled, watching the three-horned woman frown in response, continuing further, "And what about after a decade? People would have gotten used to it by then and would even have children to nurture the next generation."


    "At that time, differences would arise." The three-horned woman was pretty smart herself, concluding, "Since our way of living would be different, not to mention the fact that we have pearls and orbs in our bodies, we will be a target for the humans."


    "Yes, and in the same way, the humans can also be your targets since consuming their flesh could improve your abilities faster." Compass Carburettor nodded, "And, due to how close the territories of you two races are situated, a sh is imminent."


    "So, you want to prevent it this way by migrating us to somewhere far away. Is that right?" She asked.


    "Pretty much. Also, your poption currently is pretty small. So, it is feasible." He said, "And I felt this desert region is prettyfortable for your survival. I feel like the adaptability of the horned men is the highest among all species in the world now."


    "I feel the same." The three-horned woman gazed at her hand, clenching it into a fist, stating, "After I grew a horn, I felt that thinkingplex things had be harder. But, after growing my third horn, I no longer feel that difficulty so much. Also, whether it is hot or cold, I''m not much affected."


    She then said, "In the short moment I was in contact with the desert climate, I could feel my body adapting to it and turning tougher. So yes, this harsh climate is indeed suitable for our survival."


    "Currently, there are no lifeforms in this desert. So, you''ll be able to live a worry-free life." Compass Carburettor said, "And, due to the climate, you''ll continue to grow stronger and won''t be troubled even if some other race tries to invade here in the future."


    He thenughed, "Though, the possibility of it is pretty nil as there is at least 300 kilometres worth of desert in any direction from here."


    "What may I serve you with, Lord Gahrat?" The three-horned woman got down on one knee, asking with a solemn tone, "I''m not a devout being, so I don''t think I''ll be able to do anything in that regard."


    "You don''t need to do anything." Compass Carburettor smiled before saying, "All I ask is for your race to build your numbers as much as possible. When I built this city, I had nned it to house a hundred thousand people. And, if you need more, you can just ask me."


    He then said, "Buried in this sand are countless pearls and orbs. I want you to collect as many of them as possible and give them to me every month. And in return, you can ask for anything you want. I''ll grant them."


    ''Besides, when Shika killed the goldfish, they weren''t actually flustered. So, they had already be self-reliant by then.'' He thought, saying, "So, will your race ept this offer?"


    "Then," The three-horned woman asked all of a sudden, "If I ask for power, will you grant it to me?"


    "You wish to be my representative?" Compass Carburettor asked with a smile.


    "Yes," The three-horned woman said, "It''s like a beast''s instinct. I can get a general estimate of my opponent''s power. And you, my Lord¡­"


    She stared at him, saying, "I cannot perceive the depth of your being. And that''s more than enough confirmation for me."


    "Fine then," He said, patting her shoulder.


    Core Skill¡ªve Harem!


    Core Skill¡ªSecret Society!


    Instantly, a surge of information gushed into her mind as the three-horned woman kneeled, bowing in response, "I greet Lord Spirit, Lord Gahrat."


    In fables, spirits consisted of faeries and the likes that often times helped humans. And in ancient literature, there were even spirits that had been worshipped as Gods. And the information surge she experienced further cemented this fact in her mind, causing her to wholeheartedly express her subservience towards him.


    ''It seems ve Harem took a great effect on her. Her loyalty has almost reached 200. Though, I guess most of it is due to how awed she is by this city.'' He thought, Bestowing her ve Harem and a bunch of Skills.


    She could immediately feel power welling up in her, clenching her hand into a fist as she bowed again, excited, "I''ll bring everyone here."


    "Let''s make a trip then." He smiled, leading her and Grisha to the exit as they arrived atop the tform once again when he summoned the Spydragon. It wasrge enough to carry the three of them as they took seats.


    The Spydragon carried the carriage and began to make its way to the location where they met him. After that, the two women made their way through the ant tunnel and returned to the dwelling location of the horned men.


    It seemed the three-horned woman was able to convince everyone. Or rather, since Grisha had convinced them beforehand was the reason the three-horned woman was willing to check it out in the first ce.


    For the next one week, all the horned men began preparing, packing all their belongings. As the three-horned woman exined everything that she had seen, they began to pack the other necessities.


    Of course, they were once humans. And due to their human-like mentality, they didn''t wish to part with their technology. So, most of the week was spent devising ways to bring all manner of technology with them and maintain its workings in the desert environment.


    Following that, they raided the nearby shopping malls and other smaller shops, gathering any and every item of their desire, including countless production tools¡­ After that, they began to transport them through the ant tunnel, meeting up with Compass Carburettor.

 Chapter 294: Wearing A Cloak Of The Night Sky

    <h4>Chapter 294: Wearing A Cloak Of The Night Sky</h4>


    Compass Carburettor was seated in the same position as before, calm, slowly getting up as he saw the crowd of people that had arrived. He then nced at the goods they were bringing along, feeling a headache. ''It''ll take me around ten trips to bring everything.''


    Recently, after obtaining his third Personal Fragment, his talent as a Puppeteer had improved drastically. But, he didn''t have experience in controlling more than two Spydragons at a time.


    Besides, if he tried to control more than two at present, it would be sloppy. And, that would blow away his fa?ade and destroy his purpose. So, even though the extra trips would waste a lot of his Mental Energy, it was worth the expense, in the end.


    After all, they would be another potent source of Mental Energy. Not only would their prayers generate him Mental Energy, but also the orbs and pearls they collect.


    And, if any of those orbs had a powerful ability, he would benefit from it. From an entire sea''s worth of orbs, at least one or two would be pretty powerful and helpful to him, right?


    Besides, he was also able to observe the orbs of the horned men through Info Scanner. This was why he didn''t engage in mindless ughter and sought out long term benefits instead.


    The abilities of the horned men were at a minimum on par with the mongoose. They were a treasure trove of abilities. But, if he killed them all, then the orbs he harvested from them would be the only batch.


    But instead, if their poption grew, then more and more horned men would be born. And that meant a greater supply of their orbs. And, thanks to Info Scanner, he would be able to sense their abilities.


    That way, he can just target the individual with the ability that he needed. And, in the desert, with nothing to hinder or threaten their survival, their poption would explode in short few years.


    So, he was counting on long term benefits.


    With that, he could stomach the expense. Still, the entire journey for transporting everyone only cost him 1000 Mental Energy. It wasn''t much in the grand scale of things, considering how he was able to earn around that much in a month through the form of prayers.


    Moreover, he was able to gain around 100-150 Mental Energy daily through Golda. And once it grows its fourth horn, it should be able to generate even more.


    If he was talking in terms of Dac alone, the entire trip would have cost him around 10,000-20,000 Dac. This showed how efficient Mental Energy was.


    ''But, its recovery is slower aspared to Dac. But it''s fine in the end. I''ll continue to umte more Mental Energy in the future.'' He thought, watching the horned men explore the desert city that he had built.


    The three-horned woman assigned various houses to the settlers ording to their needs. There wasn''t anypetition since there were more houses than people to fill them.


    A group of horned men carried a bag of seeds and nted them in the open spaces within the dome that were allocated to such things, watching the seeds sprout within an hour and grow into tiny saplings.


    "I never knew it was possible without the goldfish." Compass Carburettor said in surprise. In truth, he wished to probe their means to see if they were self-sufficient or not.


    "We used the goldfish to modify the seeds of various nts so that they have simr growth and vitality as the grass but are harmless to us. They are still harmful to every other living organism though." The three-horned woman uttered in pride.


    "This way, this could never be stolen from us." She said, "That''s why, even when the goldfish was killed, we weren''t concerned. It was because we had already gained all the necessary benefits from it."


    "Though, if it had been around, our growth would have been a bit faster, but this desert environment would aid enough for that." She spoke.


    "That''s pretty great." Compass Carburettor nodded before he showed her to an underground floor in the centre, opening the door to reveal a massive water reservoir, "There are ten such wells throughout this city. They contain enough water tost a poption of hundred thousand for a month."


    He then showed her one corner, disying an array of tools, all made from his energy de solidified through Apocalypse Pearl. "If you need any items like this, you only need to ask."


    He then told her through telepathy, "You canmunicate with me like this. Unless I''m fighting, I should be able to respond to you. Also, get them to pray towards the symbol I''ve put everywhere in this city. I''ll hear their thoughts too and would be able to take action if necessary."


    "Consider it done, Lord Gahrat." The three-horned woman said before kneeling on the ground, asking, "Can you show me your true form?"


    "Sure," Compass Carburettor nodded when she riled up everyone before him. When they were informed about it, everyone looked at him with eyes of expectation.


    His clothes were instantly shredded as his Haggon form appeared, rming everyone, causing them to take a step back in shock.


    Body Layer¡ªApocalypse Pearl!


    Ayer of pearl formed on his body, acting as toughened armour that covered most of him, painting him with a regal aura.


    Upon seeing the Haggon using the same material that formed the buildings in their city, not to mention its striking simrity to the pearls in their bodies, everyone kneeled on the floor, buying his identity as a mountain deity.


    "The desert is your home. Live freely and expand yourmunity." Leaving behind his set of words, the Haggon began to walk towards the exit when its body turned jet ck before shrinking in size.


    Body Layer¡ªMental energy!


    Now, in his human form, he was covered by a jet-ckyer on which countless glitters formed, twinkling like stars in the night sky. The scene made him seem like the God that ruled over darkness, further etching the sensation in their minds.


    Slowly, he exited the building, condensed his pair of wings that too were covered by his bodyyer, further enriching his performance.


    He slowly flew away and quickly disappeared in the middle of the night, turning around after flying for some distance, watching the domes glow like gems in the darkness, disying the abundance of vitality within.


    Smiling in content, he continued to fly away.

 Chapter 295: Mysterious Spatial Entity

    <h4>Chapter 295: Mysterious Spatial Entity</h4>


    Body Layer¡ªMental Energy!


    Other than making him look cool, this version also had impressive uses. He had only found out in the past few days after managing toprehend the entirety of his information surge.


    Once hended at a certain location, Grisha popped out from the ground as she used Directional Misalignment on him, wishing to control his movements.


    The ability was effective, but Compass Carburettor walked normally, his actions unaffected by it. Or rather, all he noticed was a small increase in his Mental Energy expenditure. This was the true use of the Body Layer when activated with Mental Energy.


    It allowed him to defend against any ability that was actuated using Mental Energy. It was pretty much useless against normal abilities though. But still, the fact that it was effective against Mental Energy actuated abilities was a testament to its use, especially since his enemies were Systems.


    So, if a strong System ability targeted him, as long as he was enveloped by Body Layer using Mental Energy, he would be unaffected. Though, if the ability is stronger than the rate of his Mental Energy expenditure, the attack would still go through.


    This gave him a certain level of confidence to go against Systems now as he received a bunch of items from Grisha, condensing his pair of wings as he took flight after that, leaving her behind.


    "Be safe," Grisha said, watching him leave. There was a reason she no longer apanied him. It was because the Elf was targeting him.


    So, if she went along with him, she would be implicated. But instead, if she moved separately, she would be able to get a lot of work done, just like now where she handed over a bunch of External Items to him.


    The fortress next to Feora City was almost full now, and he was receiving a consistent stream of Mental Energy from there. So, Compass Carburettor nned to do the same in other locations too and erect as many fortresses as possible and increase his Mental Energy umtion.


    There was no harm in having more Mental Energy, especially since he didn''t have any foreseeable limit in its storage. The Dimensional Space didn''t disy any sense of being ''filled up'' by Mental Energy yet, so he wasn''t concerned.


    Taking out the Elf Compass, he noted the Elf''s position, suddenly noticing thepass needle spin erratically. Without any hesitation, he activated Mecha, turned into a fighter ne and sted off into the air, attaining supersonic speeds.


    A couple of secondster, the Elf appeared in his initial spot, noticing that he had already gone far away by now, clicking its tongue, "He was lucky this time."


    Snorting in response, a magic circle appeared behind the Elf as its figure vanished.


    Compass Carburettor continued to gaze at the Elf Compass, watching the spinning needles stop as they pointed in a certain direction, slowly moving. "100 kilometres¡­110 kilometres¡­this bastard is capable of teleporting a hundred kilometres easily."


    He continued to fly in this manner, increasing their distance. By relying upon the Elf Compass, he wished to probe the Elf''s abilities and its foundation. That was how he would be able to handle it in the future.


    And now that he understood how brilliantly it worked, he began tough, "Just you wait¡­"


    He soon deactivated Mecha, unwilling to waste much Mental Energy, thinking, "If I had an ability simr to Rhizen''s third ability, it''ll be less energy-draining to use Mecha and turn into a fighter jet."


    ''Let''s hope Ie across something suitable among a System Host''s possession.'' Condensing his pair of wings, he began to fly around, nketed by the Mental Energy Body Cloak.


    As it was now nighttime, he used the chance to fly freely, soon arriving at a city. This city was adversely affected by the grass as the number of Grassmen here were too many.


    The ants, on the other hand, seemed to have lost their initiative here as the city was being covered by grass throughout, the buildings even.


    By relying upon Directional Misalignment, Compass Carburettor determined the position of the closest humanoid,nding at the terrace of an apartment building.


    He slowly descended the floor, knocking on the nearby door, "Open up, rescue awaits!"


    There was no response though, but Compass Carburettor was aware of the reason. The walls of the corridor were stained with blood. And it seemed it wasn''t just mutated beast blood. A certain level of human atrocity had transpired at the ce, and the only survivor was the person within this room.


    As he waited at the entrance to the house, there was no response. But suddenly, the door was riddled with countless bullet holes as the person within had attacked.


    Compass Carburettor was affected, having already sensed malice in the Mental Energy stream from the other party in the over dozen seconds he had been standing behind the door, waiting to perform a sneak attack.


    So, he created ayer of Dust Wave around himself that destroyed the bullets rapidly, preventing them from reaching him. To the eyes of others, it would seem like the bullets had disappeared mid-air suddenly.


    A secondter, a youth in his early twenties kicked open the door, sending it flying his way as he swerved around it, holding a sword that was surrounded by the burst element.


    Suddenly, it moved at terrifying speeds, aiming for Compass Carburettor''s neck as the youth red at him.


    But suddenly, his re turned into shock, for his sword suddenly disintegrated, causing smoke. Most of it had vanished when it closed in on his foe.


    "What the heck¡­?" He was shocked, for Compass Carburettor was currently wearing the Mental Energy Body Layer. So, he didn''t seem like a human but a mysterious space entity.


    "Interesting¡­" Upon hearing an ethereal voice resound from the other party, the youth didn''t wish to stay there any longer, swallowing a couple of pearls as he condensed a gun and shot bullets made of burst element at him.


    Though, all the bullets simply vanished when they neared the mysterious spatial entity.


    He only intended for his attacks to serve as a distraction, turning around to run away from the ce. But, he had only taken a couple of steps when he realised¡­he was actually walking towards the mysterious spatial entity instead.


    ''Dammit, what the heck is happening?'' He was bbergasted, unable to escape any longer.

 Chapter 296: Why Did You Summon Me?

    <h4>Chapter 296: Why Did You Summon Me?</h4>


    "Please¡­spare me¡­" The youth muttered after a while, trembling in fear now upon seeing the shimmering stars on the jet-ck body of the other party.


    Even though he had be ustomed to seeing mutated beasts and Grassmen due to his over three months of apocalypse experience, he wasn''t yet prepared to witness such deific beings.


    After all, the moment he saw the other party, he could feel that resistance was pretty much futile. His attacks were destroyed before managing to even touch the other party. It was not to mention that his body wasn''t even listening to him now.


    So, he had no idea as to what he had to do. His sword had been brutally destroyed in that attack, with the relevant mutated beast on the verge of death. So, he had to wait until it healed over time, unsure as to how long that might take.


    He would have to feed it mutated beast corpses until them, having to primarily rely on his sole other ability.


    "Spare you?" Suddenly, there was a chuckle from the mysterious spatial entity, "Maybe I might if you tell the reason for summoning me."


    "Summoning¡­you? I summoned you?" He asked in shock, "But how? I don''t think I have such an ability."


    "Recall," The mysterious spatial entity stated inly, causing the youth''s expression to copse as he broke his head trying to remember when he might have done something like that.


    ¡­


    "Dammit, Ruer! Don''t leave me, damn you! Why? You promised to stay with me!" Holding the mangled corpse of his sister, the youth shed tears.


    When the apocalypse struck, there was plenty of chaos in the ce. Law and order were non-existent and fear grabbed hold of the people''s actions. In such desperate times, the youth and his family struggled to survive.


    When the Grassmen tried to attack them, they barely managed to fend them off by using any stick and metal they came across. Following it were the attacks from the mosquitoes and even mutated beasts that ventured into their ce.


    The mutated beasts consisted of the pets that they had been raising. It was hard to resist such mutated beasts as they were used to the locality, for it was the home they grew up at.


    The mutated rats were especially troublesome as they still retained their tiny bodies. But now, they had be expert climbers, being able to scale and invade any apartment building.


    The youth''s parents had be a feast for the rats. And, during the struggle, he managed to kill some one-horned rats. Left with no other choice, he couldn''t even give a proper cremation for his parents, having to dump their bodies outside.


    Keeping them indoors would only pollute their surroundings. He felt absolutely mortified while throwing away their bodies. But, he still had a family to protect, his sole driving force. It was his younger sister that was only fifteen years old now.


    There was an age gap of seven years between the two, but he was still pretty close to her. At this time, seeing the dead bodies of his parents, he had prayed, "If there is a God in this stupid world, please make us wake up from this nightmare."


    After dumping the corpses of their parents, he nned to do the same for all the rat corpses. But, when he lifted the corpse of a one-horned rat, a pearl slipped out of it. He was curious as to what it was, prying open the rat''s body, failing to see anything else of value in it.


    He then did the same to the rest of the rats, noticing that those with a horn had a pearl in them. And from the body of one of them, he obtained an orb.


    He was unsure as to what he had to do with them, only pocketing them for the time being as he disposed of the rat corpses.


    Later that night, while he was sleeping, he dreamed of swallowing that orb and obtaining a powerful gun that would make him strong enough to survive in this wretched apocalypse.


    He immediately woke up in the middle of the night and took out the orb, hesitating for a couple of seconds before swallowing it.


    Instinctively, he sensed that he was about to die due to ack of energy, taking out a pearl that he swallowed. With that, he obtained his first ability, understanding the power structure of the world.


    Following that, he resisted the mutated beasts, relying on anything he can to survive, managing to procure an orb for his sister too, giving her enough power to survive on her own.


    He also helped his surviving neighbours, intending to huddle together and survive this apocalypse. But, that was where their nightmare had begun.


    Some of his neighbours, when obtaining this power, caused their greed to spark. They wished to take over the ce and rule it, beginning their oppression by gathering humans from nearby apartments too.


    As his sister, Ruer was really pretty, they set their lustful gazes on her. It was a series of tragic incidents after that as they tried to capture her on a daily basis while the youth had to fend them off.


    Some of the attackers died while others survived and returned for revenge. It was dangerous with the passing of every single day, but the siblings persisted.


    Daily, he prayed for the safety of his family. But over time, he stopped praying, for there was no response to his prayers, "God doesn''t exist in this world. The fate of my family rests on my hand."


    Two months into the apocalypse, the youth reached Stage 2, bing the strongest in the area. He directly retaliated after that, killing his enemies as he looted their reserve of pearls, using them to further target others.


    It was a bloodbath. But, what he hadn''t foreseen during that period was the fact that one of his enemies had escaped and inched his way to the youth''s house, intending to target his sister prior to his death.


    In the following scuffle, his sister managed to kill the attacker, but sustained a grievous injury. That was the scene the youth saw when he returned from the bloodbath. After that, he tried his best to nurse her back to health, trying everything in his means.


    But over the days, Ruer turned weak as numerous infections gued her through her wounds, eventually iming her life. At that time, he could only cry while gazing at the sky, "I prayed for the well-being of my family. Was that too much?"


    "Fuck you, God!"


    ¡­


    "Hah¡­haha¡­ahahahaha!" The youthughed crazily as he stared at the mysterious spatial entity, "What''s the use of arriving now? Huh?"

 Chapter 297: Find A Purpose In Life

    <h4>Chapter 297: Find A Purpose In Life</h4>


    "What''s the use of arriving now? Huh?" The youth let out maniacalughter as he slowly teared up, slumping to the ground as he despaired, muttering weakly, "My family is already dead. What the heck am I supposed to do?"


    In response to his weak shouts, the mysterious spatial entity was silent.


    Upon seeing that he was able to move freely again, the youth stood up, gasping for air as he pointed a finger at the other party, "I don''t need any help."


    "Sure," The mysterious spatial entity replied in its ethereal voice, "I''ll just consider this summon as bogus then."


    Saying so, the mysterious spatial entity began to head towards the terrace. The youth stared at its back for a dozen seconds, suddenly shooting forth upon seeing the other party leave his line of sight.


    He hurriedly reached the terrace, watching the entity condense a pair of jet-ck wings that glittered with starlight and take off into the air. He immediately shouted, "Wait!"


    The pping of the wings slowed down as the mysterious spatial entity turned around and looked at the youth, causing him to shudder under the gaze for some reason.


    "Why¡­I mean¡­what¡­" The youth hesitated before asking, "What are you? Did you reallye here because of my prayers?"


    "In the ancient times, I was revered by the name of Gahrat by a small mountainside vige. When the vige was annihted, I disappeared from all human records." The mysterious spatial entity spoke.


    "Where was this vige?" The youth asked immediately.


    "Around twenty kilometres from Feora city." The mysterious spatial entity replied.


    "What¡­am I supposed to do now? Tell me!" The youth shouted after that, sporting an expression of fluster, indecisive, "My family is dead. I don''t have any close friends either. I don''t have anything to live for¡­"


    "But, you still don''t wish to die, right?" The mysterious spatial entity said, watching the youth nod in response while shedding tears.


    "I''m just scum, wishing to live even after losing my family." The youth let out a self-deprecatingugh.


    "Wishing to live is human instinct. There''s nothing wrong with desiring that." The mysterious spatial entity said, suddenly raising its hand to summon a cylindrical object that seemed like it was made from pearls. It threw it at the youth, surprising him as he caught hold of it.


    "What is this?" Wiping his tears, the youth looked at the palm-size cylinder, unable to determine what it was.


    "If you are curious, apply your blood on it. You''ll understand." The mysterious spatial entity spoke.


    The youth didn''t even hesitate as he bit his thumb and began to apply his blood on the cylinder, forming a coating on its surface. Immediately after that, it turned into a ray of light and swerved into his body, causing a surge of information to gush into his mind.


    Clutching his head, the youth fell t on the ground, grunting as he understood the information influx, slowly getting up as he was shocked, "Such a thing¡­was possible?"


    Right at this time, the mysterious spatial entity dropped a leather scroll, "Find a purpose in life. Live until you find it."


    "If you are facing difficulties, find other people to share your worries with." Saying its piece, the mysterious spatial entity pped its wings and sped through the air. And followed by a burst of wind, it vanished, forming a streak through the clouds after a couple of sonic booms.


    The youth stared at the scene for a good two minutes, watching the figure vanish as he sighed, "I never thought Gods were real."


    He then picked up the leather scroll, reading aloud the details written in it, "External Items."


    There was a total of eight External Items written in it, including the recipe rted to creating them, shocking the youth. He gazed at the details of the External Item he possessed, muttering, "¡­Fortress."


    As he gazed at the recipe of the Fortress, he was shocked, "Why does it need so many items?"


    He calmed down, sighing in the end, "So, I should create these External Items and help the livelihood of others?"


    He then paused, shaking his head, understanding his purpose as the words of the mysterious spatial entity resounded in his mind, "No, there are viins among humans. But most of us only wish to survive. So, if I find an innocent survivor, I''ll save them. And if I find a viin, I''ll kill them."


    He clenched his hand into a fist, saying, "And these External Items would be what would allow us to survive."


    He returned to his room and took out a pouch, within which he stored some orbs. He summoned an almost dead mutated beast, one that was his sword, killing it. Now that he had the extra space, he was able to swallow an orb.


    With two working abilities, he had some confidence, muttering, "If memory serves right, there were some survivors in the vi of the next street. I should find them first and save them."


    "But before that¡­" He muttered, reading through the leather scroll, "I should memorise everything. The information in this is too valuable. It should never fall into the hands of greedy individuals."


    He then understood something, "I see. Is that why I was given the Fortress? That way, people would depend on me to live afortable life. And, since I hate viins, the life of those living in my fortress would befortable¡­"


    He chuckled helplessly, tearing up, "As expected of a God. But¡­why didn''t youe before, when I needed you the most?"


    He wiped his tears, gazing at his family photo, "Fine, I won''t be an edgelord. That''s beneath me. Since I wasn''t saved, I''ll at least save others that are in a simr situation."


    With that, he began to prepare, packing some items in a bag as he carried some weapons. He then gently patted his family photo, sighing as he ced it in the bag, leaving the apartment, heading towards the nearby vi.


    The Grassmen were indeed troublesome, but thanks to his abilities, he was able to survive. It wasn''t easy though as his life was at risk. But, as he had considered this to be the only purpose his life was left with, he erupted with all his potential, eventually managing to reach the survivors in the vi.


    From there, he began to work on saving and creating a peacefulmunity.

 Chapter 298: Rhizen’s Luck At Play

    <h4>Chapter 298: Rhizen¡¯s Luck At y</h4>


    "Okay, that youth is taking action as I had expected." Compass Carburettor sighed in relief. His motives might have been spurred by selfish intentions, but they did save other people. This was how a morally sound merchant took action.


    It was always a win-win for them. Otherwise, they won''t do it. If it was only profitable for them but harmful for the consumers, then they were unscrupulous merchants.


    Compass Carburettor wasn''t that. And now that he sensed the youth''s emotions through the Mental Energy stream he emitted whenever he thought about the mysterious spatial entity, Compass Carburettor was d that the youth maintained a rather firm sense of justice.


    He hadn''t received justice for his family, but now, he wished to at least give justice to others. It may or may not go well for him, but it was better than wallowing in despair. At least, he now had a sense of purpose in life, something to do than to seethe with regret.


    There were a dozen cylinders with the ability of Fortress in his Dimensional Space. There were hundreds of cylinders with the ability of Vitality Bowls too. Compass Carburettor first nned to find individuals to entrust with the External items of the fortress and work in creating settlements that others could migrate into.


    And all of these Fortresses were modified to look the same as the one next to Feora City. So, they would all turn into Mental Energy generation hubs for him.


    After that, he nned to find discrete groups that were surviving somehow but were located in dangerous locations, surrounded by enemies on all sides. For such trapped groups, he nned to give them a Vitality Bowl each.


    Of course, this was also modified to sport the symbol of Secret Society. With that, they would form smaller packets of Mental Energy generators.


    All these External Items were prepared by Grisha. She was still making more of them, using the ants to the full advantage. All the materials were procured by the ants while she converted arge underground tunnel into herboratory, producing External Items nonstop.


    After that, they wouldmunicate as Compass Carburettor would pick a safe time¡ªwhen the Elf wasn''t anywhere nearby¡ªto arrive and collect the External Items.


    Even though he was concerned that the Elf would kill Rhizen in the meantime, he had no other choice but to n first. At present, he wasn''t qualified to face the other party in battle.


    But, he was confident in Rhizen.


    Rhizen was a child of luck, a wielder of luck. Even in situations without any variables, things would still work in his favour in the end.


    With that in mind, Compass Carburettor continued to visit various ces, finding individuals to entrust the External Item of Fortress with, also giving them a leather scroll each. While he was at it, he wished to make the lives of the people easier.


    Along the way, he descended at Mount Craire, hunting some three-horned mongooses to obtain a couple of their orbs. After that, he went to the next ce, working there, thinking, ''I hope Rhizen''s luck is strong enough.''


    ¡­


    "Rhizen, I managed to kill a three-horned mutated beast on my own." Chengerughed jovially, dancing, "I will no longer hold you back anymore."


    "Silly, you never held me back." Rhizenughed, patting her head, messing her hair until she groaned in response.


    It was a joyous scene. A couple of minutester, he began to dissect the three-horned mutated beast''s corpse, focusing on the task at hand.


    Chenger stared at his working face, one that was wholly serious, blushing in response, flustered internally, ''Stop admiring him! He''s your target! TARGET!''


    "So, even if he''s your lover, you''ll still stealthily admire him like this, huh?" Druvus snickered, whispering in her ear.


    "Shut up!" Chenger flinched, jumping back like a cat as her face reddened, "I w-wasn''t staring at him or anything. I was taking note of the dissection process."


    "Yeah, yeah, of course, you did that." Druvus rolled his eyes, snickering as he asked, "Do you know where he stared peeling its skin off from?"


    "I-I know that, of course," Chenger stuttered before running away, her face beet red from embarrassment. Obviously¡­she didn''t know, having only been focusing on Rhizen all along.


    "Bro, don''t tease her so much. She can''t handle that much." Rhizen said suddenly, gazing at Druvus while smiling wryly.


    "I won''t go overboard, alright." Druvus skipped some steps before arriving beside him, whispering, "These days, I have a strange feeling."


    "What feeling?" Rhizen asked, turning serious upon hearing Druvus'' tone turn solemn.


    "I feel like something is about to happen, something disastrous." Druvus said, "I may or may not be wrong about that. But still¡­"


    "I understand," Rhizen nodded, "to be frank, I too have been feeling this way recently. It feels like the mutated beasts we faced recently have been under someone''s control. They were strangely targeting us as if intending to probe the full extent of our abilities."


    "So, you too felt the same." Druvus nodded, "Then it is indeed a cause for concern. Your instinct is better than mine."


    "By the way," He whispered, asking, "Is Chenger actually alright?"


    "What do you mean?" Rhizen asked, his tone turning strange all of a sudden.


    "I just feel like she''s a different person sometimes." Druvus said, "The feeling has mostly disappeared recently. She''s still the same in front of you, but when I''m talking to her, there are times when she acts differently."


    "I see¡­" Rhizen nodded, expressing worry, "Is that why you''ve been teasing her every time you get a chance?"


    "Sorry man, I was just acting due to my fears." Druvus apologised, "But don''t worry, I don''t mean her any harm. I just wish to confirm something with her."


    "I couldn''t feel anything odd about her. She still feels like the same Chenger that I know." Rhizen said, "but, I don''t underestimate your instincts too. Try to see if there''s anything wrong with her. There are mysterious abilities in this world. So we have to be careful to protect our loved ones."


    "Indeed," Druvus nodded and left.


    Seated within a room in the fortress was Chenger, gazing at a screen on the corner of her vision, staring at it while deep in thought. It was a simple window, but one that showed her powers.


    [Personality: Original, Chenger]


    She then gazed at a second screen, one that disyed everything she witnessed to Shyvern''s group. She was in a frown for a good hour before snapping her fingers, causing the screen to vanish, "I didn''t like your n in the first ce. So, I''ll no longer cooperate with you."


    "Rhizen is mine."

 Chapter 299: Leading Dwun Onto Enemies

    <h4>Chapter 299: Leading Dwun Onto Enemies</h4>


    Shyvern and a couple other people sat in a room, watching everything that was being transmitted to them by ''Chenger''. It was using her eyes as the point of view, sending everything that she witnessed.


    They saw the point of view slowly move through a flight of stairs before arriving at Rhizen''s home. ''Chenger'' seemed to be contemting something as she sat in the same ce for a couple of hours.


    The screen disyed everything she witnessed 24¡Á7, so Shyvern only saw them asionally. But, he ensured that one of them was always there to see the things that were being shown.


    And now, it was his turn. As nothing happened, he was bored. But, it wasn''t as if he could talk with ''Chenger'' either. Having a means ofmunication would only risk the operation since he had a clear idea of Rhizen''s means to use Luck.


    He didn''t know of the existence of the Coincidental Luck System though. Or the same for the other System Hosts travelling with him either. All he knew was the fact that the ones travelling with him had mysterious powers that his System told him that it had prepared.


    So in his mind, they were pawns created by his System to help in his endeavour. The other System Hosts too were given simr excuses by their respective Systems. So in the end, they worked without any problems.


    As he continued to watch, the screen suddenly vanished, startling him, "Was she killed?"


    "No, that doesn''t seem likely." Shyvern frowned, thinking of another possibility as he scowled, "To think she betrayed us, despite her acting cocky of her abilities."


    He wasn''t angry though, having expected such problems to arise. His opponent was an insanely lucky person. So, it was already surprising that Shyvern was able to kidnap the actual Chenger and send in a fake by his side.


    ''So, this is how his luck is countering my actions, huh.'' Shyvern took in a deep breath, exhaling once, ''I see, his luck always works in his favour. And now, Rhizen has gained a powerful ally that would secretly protect him in the dark.''


    He sighed, massaging his forehead before grinning in excitement, "Good, if it wasn''t this difficult, my rage wouldn''t be satiated. It would be worth it when I reign victorious."


    ¡­


    "Compass, are you sure about this?" Grisha spoke through telepathy, "I feel like this is a dangerous time to take action."


    "Precisely because it''s dangerous that they won''t be expecting me to take the initiative in this situation." Compass Carburettor replied.


    "Alright, I''m luring over Dwun then," Grisha said before sending out a palm-sized Spydragon. "There''s a good chance we won''t be able to use this tactic in the future."


    "It''ll be worth it." Compass Carburettor said.


    Grisha controlled the Spydragon, causing it to slither out of the building she was hiding within and fly in a certain direction. Suddenly, once it passed by a certain building, grass jutted out of the building at an rming rate before turning into the figure of Dwun.


    Upon seeing the Spydragon fly away in a hurry due to themotion, Dwun grinned, "Let me see if you taste good this time."


    Saying so, he kicked the ground and began to run at terrific speeds, showing zero restrains that a fleshly body out to have. As he was a Grassmen now, he didn''t have such weaknesses.


    Moreover, he had been fighting and devouring other Grassmen now, having already grown four horns as a result, surpassing the racial limit, for it didn''t apply to him. He did obtain interesting Grassmen powers, really appreciating this choice, one that allowed him to fight a lot without worries.


    As he continued to chase after the Spydragon, Grisha''s body was carried by the ant queen that ran through the tunnels underground, keeping up pace. After all, there was a limit to how far she could control the Spydragon for.


    She hadn''t reached Transcendence yet and her 1000 Dac would run out quickly once the distance surpassed her limit as a Puppeteer. So, the ant queen was carrying her through the tunnels to keep pace.


    Grass strands flew across, intending to catch the Spydragon that deftly swerved in the air, evading all of Dwun''s efforts. But, this only served to excite him like a child as he chased after it.


    They travelled for a couple dozen kilometres in such a fashion as Dwun didn''t even break a sweat. If he was a bit tired, roots would jut out of his legs and pierce the ground, absorbing the nutrients from within that acted as food for him, replenishing his energy needs.


    "Strange, where did it disappear off to now?" He was surprised to see it move behind a wall and vanish. It was just in time when he was replenishing his energy.


    Surprised, Dwun looked all around, unable to find any traces of it. But, just as he activated his detection methods, he came across a group of individuals within a nearby building. "Hmm, what are they doing here?"


    It was a mansion situated in the centre of a farnd, probably the owner of a massive ntation. When Dwun observed them through his detection method, his heart thumped, causing him to be excited all of a sudden, "This feeling¡­"


    He recalled the figure of Ianon, remembering what the other party had said, "Devils¡­"


    "Hahaha! So many preys! What a great day to be alive!" Laughing in response, he forgot about the Spydragon for the time being and shot towards the building, directly breaking the wall as he pounced upon the nearest person, killing him instantly.


    ''These are just your usual thugs.'' Dwun nodded, shing through the hallway as he ughtered through them and quickly moved through the ce.


    Suddenly, all the thugs that he killed turned into marble and dissipated. Immediately after, the same group of thugs exited from the nearby rooms, surrounding him.


    But, this only made Dwun excited, "Interesting ability you have there."


    The group of thugs whipped up their guns and shot at him, only to be met with Dwun''sughter.


    "Interesting! This is fun! Hahaha!" He casually killed them again as one of his roots bored through the ground, continuously sucking up nutrients that allowed him to fight without wasting any energy or bing tired.

 Chapter 300: Kidnapping Two System Hosts

    <h4>Chapter 300: Kidnapping Two System Hosts</h4>


    Core Skill¡ªPower Punch!


    Dwun smacked the walls with all his strength, shattering them as the people hiding within were left with no other choice but to escape.


    He watched in surprise at the house that turned into marble and dissipated before another house formed in its ce, looking the same as before. "I see, that makes sense now. That''s your ability, huh."


    Shyvern carried the bound figure of Chenger, evading the attacks as two other System Hosts intercepted Dwun.


    One of them, a teenager snapped his fingers before a row of maids and butlers manifested around him, with each armed to the teeth, carrying guns and the likes. They rushed at Dwun, swarming him.


    Alongside, the other System Host unleashed some power, causing everything that Dwun destroyed to be restored like it was nothing. Combining the powers of the two created a synergic effect, creating an endless stream of soldiers that were unaffected by Dwun''s attacks.


    But, upon understanding their motives, Dwun simply ignored the maids and butlers and focused attacks on the two individuals, causing them to evade in a hurry. After all, even a strong mutated beast would flinch when attacked.


    But Dwun didn''t. He simply ignored the attacks, rapidly healing them automatically as he pounced upon them. Moreover, from time to time, his body copsed into grass strands that grew throughout the ce, sucking up the nutrients of the building, causing cracks to form in the mysterious dimension that had been created.


    "That''s a fun ability you have there." Laughing in response, Dwun attacked the teenager.


    In response, the teenager condensed a canon simr to what Druvus possessed, mming a powerful sphere of burst element at Dwun, destroying a part of his body.


    But, that didn''t change anything as the grass on the walls grew and squirmed into his destroyed body, turning him whole again. And, grass continued to grow throughout the ce, replenishing him through the course of the fight, cing his enemies at a disadvantage.


    Suddenly, a group of maids gazed at each other, nodding in response before pulling out methrowers from their dress pockets, something that absolutely couldn''t fit there. They torched the ce, ignoring any damage they sustained in response.


    Shyvern was in the air now, holding Chenger as he gazed at the scene, ''System, what''s Chenger''s despair at now?''


    [Host, it''s at 91 percent and decreasing. She seems to be hoping for this chaos to put an end to her life]


    "Tch!" He clicked his tongue before snapping his finger as a woman appeared beside him. He nced at her, "Kill that foe."


    "I can only try." The woman nodded before her figure vanished, appearing beside Dwun. Gazing at him, she asked in amusement, "Are you strong?"


    "Heh, of course," Dwun replied, enjoying the fight when suddenly, his eyes widened in shock, for a mysterious force mmed into the side of his face, sending him flying into the walls.


    He was buried under the rubble when grass squirmed out through the gaps, forming into his figure as he gazed at her in surprise, "What did you do?"


    "Aren''t you surprised?" The womanughed when a mysterious force mmed the side of Dwun''s face once again, mming him into the walls in the same spot as before.


    Upon seeing the woman''s arrival, the two figures that were battling Dwun heaved a sigh in relief.


    Core skill¡ªInfo Scanner!


    Cloaked in his Mental Energy Body Layer, Compass Carburettor arrived at the scene, observing the data of the four figures. Of course, he had already probed them a couple of times before through Grisha, a reason he confidently lured Dwun to them in the first ce.


    He gazed at the teenager, observing his details.


    [Young Master System (Level 6): 28,722 Mental Energy]


    Followed by it was the other guy that battled Dwun.


    [Reality Marble System (Level 9): 321,559 Mental Energy]


    He then focused on Shyvern, noticing the figure of Chenger in his hold. Of course, all their respective information was also pulled up by Info Scanner, allowing him to perceive their true identities. That''s how he found out that all the maids and butlers in the building were just creations following the Young Master System Host.


    [Viin Maker System (Level 9): 7,300 Mental Energy]


    He then finally focused on thedy, frowning in response, ''To think I would see this System here of all ces.''


    [Face pping System (Level 10): 94,500 Mental Energy]


    He was also able to pull up some information about the abilities of the Hosts and the Core Skills they used. It wasn''t detailed in case of the Face pping System that was at the same level as Info Scanner, but for others, the pulled-up information was fairly detailed.


    All of it just gushed into his mind, allowing him to understand the situation in a second. He had already obtained the data beforehand though, only seeking to confirm it this time.


    Without any hesitation, he unleashed a torrent of Dust Wave, dictating everything other than Dwun and Chenger as enemies.


    When their body began to disintegrate suddenly, everyone was shocked, assuming Dwun was the cause. After all, under their System-given detection Skills, the figure of Compass Carburettor wasn''t registered, so only Dwun seemed like the culprit.


    As for the Systems behind them, they were just ming the Power Punch System''s foolishness and its inability to control its Host, cursing it nonstop.


    Dwun observed his enemies had be distracted all of a sudden, suffering from a mysterious ability as he grinned, going all out as he swiped his ws, unleashing des of burst element that hacked everything in its way.


    Following the w marks on the walls were long gashes whose edges turned into marble before those gashes disappeared.


    As for the woman, the Face pping System Host, even though she was trying her best to defend herself from the mysterious ability, upon seeing Dwun''s actions, she gazed at him, saying with a grin, "I''m stronger than your puny grass self."


    It was unknown what happened as another mysterious force smacked Dwun at the side of his face, mming him into the floor with enough force to form a crater.


    "Look out!" Shyvern had been observing the battle all along, suddenly shouting as he summoned a crossbow and mmed a bolt at a figure that had mysteriously appeared in their midst, one that resembled the night.


    Arriving at the position, Compass Carburettor grunted, ''Mecha!''


    Immediately, ayer of energy de formed around the Hosts of Reality Marble System and Young Master System as a pair of turbofans appeared behind them, unleashing enough thrust to bring them flying out of the ce.


    Simrly, Compass Carburettor too vanished in the same fashion, the figure of the three passing through the clouds in a matter of seconds, rming everyone at the scene.

 Chapter 301: Battling Two System Hosts (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 301: Battling Two System Hosts (part 1)</h4>


    Three aircrafts flew at supersonic speeds as Compass Carburettor took action, causing all three tobine and turn into a gigantic aircraft.


    "Who the heck are you?" The teenager, Jionerd, Host to the Young Master System shouted in rm as he noticed the rapid panning of the scenery below, realising how rapidly the vehicle he was trapped within moved.


    "Stop this nonsense and attack him!" Zach, Host to the Reality Marble System shouted, activating his ability as he enveloped the space within the massive aircraft with his domain. This time, he didn''t use the nature''s surroundings to camouge reality, but directly altered the scene, changing it into a waterfall.


    And now, they were positioned at the bottom of the said waterfall, one that was in no way inferior to the Niagara Falls. It wasn''t an illusion but seemed as if the space within the aircraft had been warped and within which this scene was inserted.


    As Compass Carburettor was busy bringing the two System Hosts away from the rest of the System Hosts, it gave them enough time to prepare.


    His intention was to continue making the massive aircraft fly in the air.


    This way, it would be hard for the Elf to intercept his position while they were battling. After all, he nned to fight two System Hosts this time. He had only one chance to use Dwun, so he had to make it count.


    As Zach activated Reality Marble, Compass Carburettor found himself at the bottom of the rainfall, hurriedly shielding himself with Body Layer¡ªa second coating made using Dac that wasyered over his Mental Energyyer.


    The Mental Energy Body Layer was his only manner of defence against System Abilities. But, upon seeing the water from the waterfall still affecting him, Compass Carburettor realised, ''I see, so he freaking fragmented reality to create this.''


    Since the terrain itself had been permanently altered, he wasn''t able to do anything. After all, he hadn''t been the target of said ability, but his surroundings. ''So, Mental Energy Body Layer has such a weakness.''


    He was using quite a lot of Mental Energy in maintaining the massive aircraft at supersonic speeds, so Compass Carburettor had to hurry with the battle and finish his opponents fast.


    ''First, I have to deal with the Young Master System Host, Jionerd. He has less Mental Energy aspared to Zach.'' Thinking as such, Compass Carburettor condensed a propeller that shot him out of the pool of water.


    He quickly flew towards Jionerd, seeing the other party smile at him in return as his figure crumbled into marble and vanished.


    Core Skill¡ªInfo Scanner!


    Core Skill¡ªDirectional Misalignment!


    Compass Carburettor activated both the abilities, sensing the actual position of Jionerd that had been hidden by the terrain. Condensing his wings, he shot out hundreds of feathers at the directed spot, destroying a massive rock that was hanging by the side of the waterfall, sting it open.


    "Ack!" Jionerd shouted in fluster as he hurriedly summoned a maid that grabbed hold of him and spun in the air, shooting a grappling hook towards the top that she reeled forth, pulling him up.


    As countless feathers homed in on him, she spun him in the air before sending him flying away, deftly using the rebound to fly towards the feathers, getting absolutely shredded.


    A secondter, the same maid appeared near Jionerd, performing the same action once again, bringing him to safety after dying five times.


    "Oh¡­sh*t!" Jionerd had justnded on arge piece of rock that was situated upstream, at the edge of the falls when he turned around in a hurry, noticing the sky be nketed by a hail of feathers that swarmed him, "Zach!"


    Suddenly, there was a powerful wave upstream as arge piece of rock appeared behind Jionerd, acting as a raft over which the wave spilt over like a tide, blocking and washing away all the iing arrows since it turned into a continuous stream.


    Even though the feathers exploded one after another, the range of explosions failed to reach him in the end.


    "Get him!" Upon seeing the mysterious entity that resembled night in the air, Jionerd shouted as countless boats appeared on the water surface, filled with men that held a variety of guns, unloading fire onto Compass Carburettor immediately.


    Compass Carburettor activated Mecha, causing the tiny energy de scales that formed on him to fly out and form a tough defensive wall, blocking all the bullets. Suddenly, three Spydragons appeared beside him that rapidly flew towards the shooting group, dodging the hail of bullets that came their way.


    One of the Spydragons arrived before a boat when its size instantly expanded to a length of ten metres when it opened its mouth, unleashing an energy de a hundred metres long, skewering dozens of men and boats with a single attack.


    The other Spydragons too did the same, decimating the entire group with a couple of rounds of attacks, causing Jionerd to grit his teeth as he snapped his finger in anger, causing a cruise boat to appear.


    And this time, onboard it was two men d in tactical suits that locked eyesight with the figure in the air before taking out a rocketuncher from their pockets, sending it zing out.


    "Damn!" Compass Carburettor sent out more feathers that mmed into the missile, exploding to detonate it prematurely, preventing himself from getting caught within the st radius. Just the shockwaves from the explosion rocketed the cruise boat.


    Compass Carburettor had barely managed to defend against the round of explosives when he heard gurgling sounds from above, gazing up as he saw a massive stream of water gushing towards him, "This bastard created a freaking waterfall in the sky!"


    The massive column of water mmed into him, washing him towards the depths. The gears in his mind spun as the energy de scales of Mecha constructed an aerodynamic structure around him, allowing the water to glide over him while giving him minimal resistance.


    Using the chance, he constructed underwater turbines that allowed him to row upstream and quickly escape the range of the column of water before unleashing a hail of feathers.


    "This guy is persistent! Zack! Do something!" Jionerd shouted, "I can''t use my trump card in this situation!"

 Chapter 302: Battling Two System Hosts (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 302: Battling Two System Hosts (part 2)</h4>


    Hiding within a cloud was Zach, using his ability to know everything that happened with the Reality Marble that he had created. He had other abilities too, but none were as powerful as Reality Marble, since itplemented Jionerd''s ability the best.


    Reality Marble worked by constructing a scene of his imagination. If he didn''t wish to do that, he could simply reconstruct a scene from reality that he had witnessed. The grander the scene, the greater his energy consumption.


    So, he typically created a Reality Marble that was a perfect replica of reality. This way, even if someone ventured into his domain, they wouldn''t realise what had happened. And, irrespective of the destruction caused here, there won''t be anything in reality.


    Unfortunately, he could only do this for inanimate objects. That''s why he joined hands with Jionerd whose summons could be integrated into his Reality Marble to create an endless stream of soldiers.


    Jionerd was an actual young master, the only son of a business tycoon that dabbled in electronics, real estate, restaurant, clothes, and even smuggling. So, everything that he had once owned was converted into his asset by the Young Master System.


    It instantly made him overpowered since he could summon the guards that his family had maintained before the apocalypse. And, they weren''t real people but part of his ability. So, no matter how many times they died, he couldmon them again.


    And the best of them was the fact that while summoned, they were as real as a living breathing human. So, he retained plenty of ''advantages'' thanks to that.


    When he was hungry, he simply summoned the chefs to prepare food, maids to take care of his needs, etc. And, as the entirety of his family''s wealth was converted into his asset, he was able to generate every weapon/utensil/clothes/jewellery, etc. that his family owned.


    Thanks to that, whenever the situation necessitated, his maids could casually pull out weapons from out of nowhere. Whenbined with Zach''s Reality Marble, they became a terrifying duo. It was also to note that the people he summoned were capable of gaining experience.


    So, the longer they fought, the more experienced they became. And through the trail of blood and death, Jionerd turned them into veterans.


    Due to how well their two abilities worked together, Compass Carburettor took the initiative to target them. From the moment he learned of their identities through Directional Misalignment System, he had been aiming for these two abilities.


    He felt that they suited his needs a lot.


    Upon seeing the nightly figure of Compass Carburettor jut about from one side to another, Zach gritted his teeth, thinking of other means to destroy him. After all, it did require a lot of brainpower to quickly alter terrains.


    And, he didn''t wish to just waste the energy that he had worked hard to umte. He had an energy medium simr to Shika that he relied upon to activate his Reality Marble.


    Suddenly, the figure of Compass Carburettor shed his way, quickly closing in on his location in a matter of seconds.


    In his hurry, Zach altered his location, turning the cloud into the cliff of a mountain that enclosed upon the moving river below like a cavern.


    Compass Carburettor hurriedly stopped his approach as he was met with a rockyyer between him and Zach. He instantly bombarded the area with his feathers, boring his way through it when Zach snapped his fingers, causing the holes to instantly recover, causing his efforts to be fruitless.


    In the meantime, Jionerd had boarded a helicopter that began to take him to one corner of the Reality Marble, intending to put as much distance between him and Compass Carburettor as possible.


    In the meantime, his guards strapped jet packs onto their bodies in groups of two and took off to the skies, holding machine guns in their hands. They chased after Compass Carburettor, spamming bullets in his direction.


    The sounds of explosions resounded in every direction as bullets and feathers mmed into one another.


    Suddenly, Compass Carburettor paused mid-flight, uttering, "Phew, it''s done!"


    His words resounded across the Reality Marble, causing the hearts of Jionerd and Zach to palpitate in fear when they heard him snap his fingers, following the same action that they had done till now.


    "Gaaah!"


    "Ack!"


    At the same time, Jionerd and Zach copsed to the ground as they coughed out blood, shouting at the same time mentally, ''System! Save me!''


    Bang! Bang!


    Right at this time, two bullets mmed into the bodies of each, numbing them as their Systems failed to take action, for the time being, struggling while their body disintegrated.


    From the start, the entire battle was to buy time until his Dust Wave filled the entirety of the Reality Marble''s space. He only spread them out without designating anyone as enemies, waiting for enough quantity of them to be inhaled by the System Hosts.


    When air was inhaled into the lungs, blood would mix into the intake air that would then be supplied by the heart through the rest of the body. And with the Dust Wave mixing through them, they were like viruses.


    Untiling into contact with a host, a virus was no different to dirt, not alive. Whening into contact with a living organism, the viruses alive and feasts on the target cells while multiplying in numbers.


    The Dust Wave was unable to multiply in numbers like a virus, but the rest of its property was more or less the same. And since they weren''t harmful to the Host body, their respective Systems hadn''t noticed/taken action.


    Or rather, Compass Carburettor was going full throttle against them that they had to pay attention to his attacks and ensure nothing unexpected happens to their Hosts. So, they didn''t have the leeway to think about anything else.


    In a confrontation against a System, there should be at least three to fouryers of approach to each action. This way, even if something went amiss, there would be back ns, backups to the backup ns, and so on.


    A hail of feathers flew through the sky, splitting into two as they homed in on both the targets. Even though the Dust Wave was powerful, he controlled their intensity, only making part of it take action first. After all, System Hosts were immune to instant death attacks.


    He had to gradually push them towards death. And the first step of that was to pressure them both externally and internally. Also, by using Directional Misalignment, he made their hands move against them, choking them, making it a three-pronged attack: External, Internal, and Self.


    Using the chance when the opponent''s System was incapable of taking action due to the bullets he shot from Anthozoa, Compass Carburettor arrived before Jionerd, vanishing suddenly.

 Chapter 303: Battling Two System Hosts (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 303: Battling Two System Hosts (part 3)</h4>


    Compass Carburettor arrived within Jionerd''s space, observing the mutated beasts that he had obtained, "They are pretty powerful, as expected. But unfortunately, I don''t have the means to use them."


    He condensed an energy de hand that grabbed hold of all three mutated beasts, crushing them, leaving them in a semi-dead state as he summoned Dita, allowing it to swallow them whole.


    After he sent it back, he condensed its ability, one that formed a helmet on him. And at the same time, he also condensed Golda''s ability, fusing the two as he aimed it at the space, unleashing the desired effect.


    Plunder!


    "Dammit!" He grunted, having only plundered half of its Mental Energy reserves, missing the rest due to the nature of Young Master System in that it was a dispersed ability. Also, it was because the Coincidental Luck System''s support was barely there this time for some reason, only enough to not make him unlucky.


    But, it didn''t matter, for he was different from before, immediately using Plunder a second time. This time, he seeded in plundering the rest of the Young Master System''s Mental Energy, causing it to be defenceless.


    But, he couldn''t waste time, for once it recovered, it would be able to hurriedly borrow Mental Energy from the Astral Network. Until now, the two bullets he had shot into it were what had severed its connection to the Astral Network.


    Exiting Jionerd''s space, Compass Carburettor enveloped the other party in ayer of energy de, shaped into a sphere, bringing it with him as he condensed a pair of turbofans behind them, sting off towards Zach.


    The Dust Wave took action, destroying through theyer of rock, creating a straight path to Zach. Before he arrived, he already lodged another bullet into Zach''s body, preventing the Reality Marble System from taking action.


    Due to its high Mental Energy reserves, there was a better chance of it escaping. Compass Carburettor condensed an energy de hand, shattering Jionerd''s head into pulp as his corpse was dropped near Zach.


    His figure vanished as he appeared within Zach''s space, causing Dita to swallow all the mutated beasts within before he used Plunder almost ten times before managing to plunder all the Mental Energy of the Reality Marble System.


    He then returned to reality and killed Zach, but their Systems had yet toe out for him to absorb. He was still within Reality Marble as their figures turned into marble before disappearing, suddenly appearing somewhere else.


    Zach and Jionerd gazed at one another, drenched in cold sweat, having revived. But, they hadn''t even managed to take a breather when their bodies began to disintegrate rapidly due to Dust Wave that now wholly targeted them.


    They died within a second,cking anything to defend themselves with.


    After that, they continued to revive constantly as Compass Carburettor noticed the power within Reality Marble being expended rapidly. But, he was somewhat worried, for it was taking too long.


    The two Systems were bound to recover any time now. And once they did so, they would hurriedly replenish their Mental Energy reserves. It''ll bring the situation back to square one.


    "I guess there''s only this option!" He shouted in the end, unleashing a torrent of Dust Wave that regarded everything in the ce as an enemy, rapidly destroying the Reality Marble, allowing the three to return within the aircraft.


    His heart trembled in tension as Compass Carburettor used every ounce of his abilities to barely destroy Zach and Jionerd, almost at the same time they recovered. Thankfully, before they could establish a connection to the Astral Network, their Hosts were killed.


    As he saw the bodies of the two Systems appear as smoke, Compass Carburettor first filled the entirety of the aircraft''s interior with Dust Wave. And, he targeted the Elf as an enemy.


    This way, even if the Elf ambushed him while he was battling the two Systems, it would buy him some precious time.


    This was also the reason he was expending a lot of Mental Energy to make the massive aircraft travel at supersonic speeds while making it change routes constantly. This was to prevent the Elf from predicting his route and teleporting to the location beforehand.


    This time, he caused a lot ofmotion, enough for the two Systems to give an essay of his actions in the Astral Network.


    He was unsure as to how long magical abilities took to actuate, especiallyplex spells like teleportation whose destination continued to change in real-time. So, he was using the superiority of the technological product over magic, in that it worked at the push of a button and was capable of attaining insane speeds.


    Had he possessed Rhizen''s third mutated beast ability, he could have replicated a practical rocket engine through his Mecha. That way, his speed would have to be measured in terms of kilometres travelled per second.


    After arriving within the world of his mind, Compass Carburettor didn''t waste any time interrogating them, for he didn''t have the leeway, since he was facing two Systems now.


    Young Master System was actually a humanoid that seemed to have prominent features of various humanoid races: ears and hair of an Elf, eyes of a Human, horns of a Demon, scales of a Mermen, etc.


    Every action it took suffused with unbridled arrogance. That seemed to be an integral part of its nature. In contrast, Reality Marble System looked like a slime, transparent like ss, reflecting and refracting light as it deemed fit.


    The moment they appeared, they gazed at Compass Carburettor''s figure with hatred, intending to pounce upon him and devour him. At least, turning into a System yer was better than death.


    But, upon seeing three worlds calmly floating behind him, they stopped in shock as the Young Master System shouted in fluster, "T-Three¡­Three Personal Fragments? How the heck is this possible?"


    "Have you already be the Main Character?"


    "I''m not even a True System yer yet." Compass Carburettor replied as a hail of bullets mmed from Earth while energy ropes emerged from the Darble World, constricting the two Systems. And finally, the Apocalypse World began to unleash the Dust Wave.


    All three targeted the two Systems as a war ensued between both sides. Of course, with the current reserves that Compass Carburettor possessed, he firmly defended himself while spamming attacks onto his foes, gradually wearing them down before destroying them.


    "The ending of¡­every System yer¡­is one of¡­tragedy." The Reality Marble System weakly muttered as it was annihted, "And¡­you''ll be¡­no different."


    "Tch!" Compass Carburettor clicked his tongue, returning to reality as he noticed something was amiss, observing his aircraft gaining altitude for some reason. He hurriedly turned around and noticed the Elf standing atop a flying sword and pursuing him, actually gaining in on him.


    Moreover, it was using psychokinesis to slowly affect the aircraft''s trajectory, increasing its altitude so that the low pressure of the air at higher altitudes would reduce its speed.


    "So, it was actually waiting for me to refine the two Systems to take action against me?" Upon realising it, he scowled in response, immediately noticing that he had a severe case of headache, having been in a terrifying battle, not to mention refining two Systems.


    As the information about the two System Fragments gushed into his mind, Compass Carburettor felt his consciousness waning in response, "Sh*t!"

 Chapter 304: She’ll Be My Second Slayer

    <h4>Chapter 304: She¡¯ll Be My Second yer</h4>


    "Ugh!" Compass Carburettor grunted before unleashing a hail of feathers at the Elf, also sending two Spydragons flying at it. He immediately used the System Fragment of Reality Marble, gaining it as a Skill as he poured Mental Energy into it, rapidly raising it to Level 10 before activating it.


    Core Skill¡ªDirectional Misalignment!


    Core Skill¡ªReality Marble!


    "Fuck!" He shouted, realising just how massive the Elf''s presence was. 50,000 Mental Energy was spent just to cause the Elf to stop in its tracks using Directional Misalignment. And this was for a second.


    In the second that the Elf had been stopped, Reality Marble took effect around it, turning its surroundings into a vacuum, surrounded by a toughyer of rock that seemed to span for a vast distance.


    And in the meantime, the feathers and the two Spydragons also arrived within the Reality Marble, mming into the Elf. A transparent barrier appeared around it, calmly defending against the attack.


    Moreover, even though it was a vacuum, the Elf wasn''t affected, for this transparent barrier was definitely from a cultivation world, allowing it to survive in the void.


    The moment the Elf was trapped within the Reality Marble, the psychokinesis affecting hisrge aircraft disappeared as Compass Carburettor took the chance to fly as far away as possible.


    He was aware that his Reality Marble wouldn''t stop the Elf for long, even though he made it into a vacuum chamber, the walls of which were made from tough bedrock that spanned a thickness of a couple kilometres.


    That was the limit as to what he could conjure in a second. He couldn''t think of anything borate when pressed for time, not to mention in his severe state of mental fatigue.


    Compass Carburettor was able to observe the Elf''s action within the Reality Marble while in reality, there was no longer a figure of the Elf.


    "Reality Marble is indeed convenient, huh." The Elf muttered before looking around, "Such a massive space. How does he have so much Mental Energy to splurge?"


    The Elf brought out another flying sword that it erged in size, causing it to glow with a bluish-red hue as it hummed with a terrific radiance, shooting forth as it pierced through the bedrock, breaking into pieces when it almost reached the end.


    The Elf''s eyes widened in surprise for a moment before itunched a second flying sword, shattering the walls of this Reality Marble, watching the scenery around it crack and shatter, returning it to reality.


    When it looked, the figure of the aircraft was no longer there, clicking its tongue, "Never thought a normal System yer would slip by my hands twice. He''s a slippery cockroach."


    "This has indeed be annoying now." Saying so, the Elf shook its head, ''The moment I take action, the Coincidental Luck System works on hindering me. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have arrived here sote.''


    Right as it had thought as such, thousands of birds, all having two horns, flew at it, treating it as prey, unleashing breath attacks in a variety of means.


    The Elf condensed a barrier to defend against the attacks as its flying sword began to move, quickly leaving them behind as it vanished. It clearly didn''t wish to stay in the ce for long.


    After all, the more it stayed at one ce, the more the luck of the region itself worked against it. So, it had to constantly be on the move.


    That was also why Compass Carburettor had been able to move to different ces.


    ''I''ll have to first kill Rhizen. This is turning into a waste of time otherwise.'' The Elf muttered, ''If only Shyvern manages to finish his preparations.''


    It sighed, muttering, "To think Compass Carburettor targeted them urately. Thanks to his interference, Chenger''s despair has fallen a lot and would take even longer to bring to the peak. This has postponed the ns."


    It then smiled, "It has been a long time since I faced any challenge. This is fun." Itughed, ''This is precisely why I had given up the System fragment of Protagonist Luck back then to Destiny Luck System. I''ll lose my edge if I rely on luck too much.''


    ¡­


    Staying in the System World was the Destiny Luck System, watching Compass Carburettor''s actions through the portal. It didn''t talk about him much in the group, clearly aware that the other Luck based Systems were also doing the same.


    Some of them were still roaming through the other worlds to strengthen themselves while some were just watching from the System World. This was a war between all Systems in the Luck genre after all.


    "Compass Carburettor¡­he''s pretty useful¡­" Destiny Luck System muttered while gazing at him, "Had I found him before Coincidental Luck, I would have roped him to my side."


    Its goal was to find and devour all Systems from the Luck genre and reach Grade 2 in status. But, that was easier said than done. After all, to a certain extent, the Luck based Systems were capable of countering each other.


    So, in such a case, the best weapon to use against them was of course a True System yer. Ever since it met the Elf and obtained Protagonist Luck from it, Destiny Luck System had been scheming.


    With two Core Skills, its power had evolved a lot. After all, it was the possessor of Protagonist Luck, the strongest variant in the Luck genre. Adding that onto its Core Skill, Destiny Luck, it had the foundation to go against Coincidental Luck, a terrifying System in the Luck Genre that had devoured almost a dozen Luck based Systems already.


    At present, these two were the strongest contenders to reach Grade 2. But, that didn''t mean the other candidates were useless either. They too were scheming and gaining strength.


    "The Elf will take care of things in this round. It''ll be hard to send it in this world again since Coincidental Luck has already begun to develop counters to its abilities." It muttered before smiling, "But, since I can''t get Compass Carburettor, I can obtain the next best thing."


    Saying so, it caused the portal to vanish, umting Mental Energy from the System World as it condensed another portal, watching a young girl staring at a mirror with an expression of destitution.


    Upon staring at her, the Destiny Luck System nodded, "Money-Making System, huh. I see, to make the Host perfect for its cause, the changes it can cause them would result in interesting characters like Compass Carburettor."


    "Alright, she''ll be my second yer."

 Chapter 305: Contacting Money Making System

    <h4>Chapter 305: Contacting Money Making System</h4>


    The Destiny Luck System connected to the Astral Network and roamed through it, adding in some keyword searches before finding the group managed by the Money-Making System. Of course, it was pretty much a mess, with a lot of Systems asking for it to sell its Skill to them.


    Some Systems were giving it death threats constantly, wishing to probe its actual location through that. And based on how rarely the Money-Making System made its presence there, it was apparent that it didn''t wish to deal with either party.


    The Destiny Luck System then created a private group with only the two of them there, startling the Money-Making System. After all, it had never been approached by such a big figure.


    At Level 92, adding onto the fact that it was from the Luck Genre, Destiny Luck was pretty much a big wig. While on the other hand, the Money-Making System was only a Hatchling System. It was a stark contrast.


    [Money-Making System (Level 7): Your Majesty, is there a reason you''ve added this tiny System here?]


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): I''ll make this short. I n to make and support Stencil Carburettor as a System yer]


    There was a minute of silence after that as the Money-Making System replied, surprisingly acquiescing to the offer.


    [Money-Making System (Level 7): I can ept that, Your Majesty. But I''ll require your help]


    ''That was fast.'' The Destiny Luck System was surprised. But after recalling that the other party was just a Hatchling System that was part of the Mary Genre, it understood, ''Maybe it''s already facing a terrifying threat that''s lusting after its Core Skill.''


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): State your needs]


    [Money-Making System (Level 7): I need a Core Skill rted to the technological genre, hopefully rted to nanotechnology. With that, I can still maintain myself even after turning Stencil into a True System yer]


    ''Interesting¡­'' The Destiny Luck System nodded, ''This way, it''s impossible for Compass Carburettor to be a True System yer and hinder my ns. And, with his daughter under my banner and support, he''ll be less likely to go against me. Roping him to my side would also be a possibility.''


    At the start, it nned to talk about Compass Carburettor''s strength and unnerve it first before proceeding with the discussions. This way, it nned to make the Money-Making System acquiesce to its needs.


    After all, to turn a Host into a System yer pretty much guaranteed the System''s death. There were ways to ensure the consciousness of the System would remain behind, but it pretty much ensured they were useless and helpless.


    It was not to mention that they would never be able to grow on their own and be a System anymore. Even Hatchling Systems would never ept such a fate.


    But surprisingly, the Money-Making System epted it almost immediately. All Mary based Systems were rich, including Hatchling Systems. They possessed massive reserves of Mental Energy. So, they would have never epted such an offer that pretty much destroyed their future.


    It seemed the Money-Making System was pretty hard-pressed, seeing as how cooperating it was. As Destiny Luck System wished to know more about its situation, it continued to talk


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): Let''s discuss rted to that next. But first, what''s your situation there. Even I didn''t think you''ll ept my offer so easily]


    [Money-Making System (Level 7): I''m pretty much trapped on Earth now. Three Systems are targeting me, and the strongest System among them is at Level 45. The one that targeted my previous Host in the past was only a Hatchling System. But, the reinforcements it brought this time are beyond what I can handle]


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): What''s the strongest one called?]


    [Money-Making System (Level 7): Secret Schemer. Due to its ability, I''m unable to do anything to it. And, Stencil is still a child and is incapable of facing such schemes. She has already lost everything her father had created for her]


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): Currently, Compass Carburettor has joined my enemy''s faction. And, Stencil is the only means to bring him to my side. I''m also quite interested to see how she would grow up to be since Compass Carburettor has continued to surprise me]


    After a moment of thought, it gave orders to the other party.


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): I''ll send my yer to hunt for the Core Skill necessary to help you. In the meantime, try your best to survive. if you need Mental Energy or any other help, just ask me. Once my yer is done with the errand, he''ll hunt your enemies that you can gear Stencil with. Secret Schemer is a wonderful ability to have, especially for a yer]


    [Money-Making System (Level 7): I''ll do as you say, Your Majesty]


    After discussing some more, the Destiny Luck System arrived within another private group, one shared between only two Systems.


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): There''s a change of ns]


    A minuteter, a reply arrived, one with a tone of surprise.


    [Primordial Origin (Level 61): Did something happen? I''m still chasing after Compass Carburettor]


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): I''m nning to rope his daughter in first. She''s also pretty interesting. And, if she bes a True System yer, then Compass Carburettor has zero hopes in bing one, since their origin System is the same]


    [Primordial Origin (Level 61): That makes sense. In both the times I tried to kill him, Coincidental Luck has been adamantly targeting me without considering its Mental Energy expenditure. It has already realised his value in that as long as he is alive, all the Systems troubling it would be killed even by the end of this loop]


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): That''s why, targeting his daughter is for the best. From what I have gathered, she''s his sole purpose. And, if she joins our side, then he would have no other choice but to do so too]


    [Primordial Origin (Level 61): Hmm, having Compass Carburettor on my side would be pretty helpful too. He''s pretty interesting after all. And even if he refuses to join, without bing a True System yer, there''s nothing much he can do. He''ll hit his limit soon enough. So, what should I do now?]


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): Well, his daughter''s System is requesting a makeover to live on even within a System yer. So, you''ll have to hunt for a technological based Core Skill, preferably nanotechnology-rted. How long do you need to do this? That System is from the Mary genre, so it''s pretty much in a pinch now. So, you''ll have to head over to rescue it after this]


    The Elf stopped in the air, no longer giving chase to Compass Carburettor, frowning as it thought, ''I remember seeing one such System in a martial arts world. It''ll be easy if it''s still there.''


    Thinking as such, it replied in the Astral Network¡­


    [Primordial Origin (Level 61): I''ll try to finish this in a year. I''ll also check Compass Carburettor''s development once I''m done. If he turns out to be too dangerous by then, I''ll kill him]


    The Elf condensed a portal to the System World and entered it, vanishing from the Apocalypse World.

 Chapter 306: Using Young Master

    <h4>Chapter 306: Using Young Master</h4>


    "It vanished?" Compass Carburettor was surprised upon seeing the dials in the Elf Compass turn inactive suddenly, causing him to frow.


    He continued to travel as he condensed a single shaft see-saw, contacting the Coincidental Luck System by thinking about it nonstop.


    ''Is the Elf still in this world?'' This was the first question he asked, surprised when he received a reply. It showed that the Elf had indeed vanished from this world now.


    "Is it nning to appear next to me now?" Compass Carburettor was afraid for a moment. After all, a System only had to open a portal in the System World after choosing him as a target. And, as long as the Elf touches it using its Personal Fragment, it would appear next to him.


    This was the fastest way to catch him, even if the process consumed a lot of Mental Energy.


    Compass Carburettor then asked a bunch of questions, including a confirmation of the Elf''s actions. But, even the Coincidental Luck System was unable to probe anything in the System World while remaining here.


    "Dammit!" After some time, he caused the see-saw to vanish, slumping on the ground as he grunted in exhaustion. He was barely able to maintain his consciousness, quickly focusing on the System Fragment of Young Master.


    But, he didn''t obtain it as a Skill, for that seemed wasteful. Based on what the Core Skill''s functions were, once he obtained it, he would be able to summon everything that he owned on Earth.


    That included his estate,pany building, the people, the factories, etc. The entirety of Carburettor Ind could be summoned. And, adding onto the fact that hispany manufactured weapons and the likes, it was pretty terrifying.


    But, there was an inherent limit to them, especially since Compass Carburettor already had simr abilities.


    The feathers of Vutura had a homing capability, capable of targeting his opponents like artillery. And, as the number of Vutura''s horns increase, this ability would only grow stronger. So, he no longer needed the use of regr guns and other basic weapons.


    Sure, missiles were pretty potent too, but they could be avoided to a certain extent or destroyed mid-air. As Compass Carburettor had the Dust Wave, he wasn''t as inclined about them, since he couldn''t unleash as much of the Dust Wave as he wanted.


    Moreover, many mutated beast abilities mimicked missiles to a certain extent, since that was a core trait of the burst element, which was explosions. He would be able to obtain simr abilities on his own.


    So, the advantages in obtaining Young Master as a Skill were pretty weak. But, on the contrary, getting it as a System Fragment and using it on his Dimensional Space was better. It''ll cause Carburettor Ind to gradually form within the Dimensional Space as its volume continues to increase.


    It has to be remembered that he was able to store and take out objects from it. That means, if he wants, he could still use everything from Carburettor Ind. But, if they were killed, they would die permanently.


    That was the only defect in using it as is and not as a Skill. But, to prevent any permanent loss, when he summons them outside, he could always bring them out within the Reality Marble. This way, even if they were killed, they would immediately revive.


    The advantages he would get with them living in his Dimensional Space was greater than using them as an opposing force against Systems.


    Thinking as such, Compass Carburettor activated the System Fragment of Young Master, activating it as he seeped its effect into the Dimensional Space.


    Immediately after, the volume of the Dimensional Space expanded a lot, surprising him. After all, the entire Carburettor Ind had appeared within. Though, this was aplished by consuming a lot of his Mental Energy, almost causing the aurora in the night sky to weaken considerably.


    Compass Carburettor casually brought out a couple dozen guards outside as he enveloped the space within therge aircraft in Reality Marble, creating a grasnd with a pleasant breeze and gentle sunlight.


    He took out a bed from the Dimensional Space, courtesy of Carburettor Ind, slumping on it as he instructed the guards, "Ensure nothing disturbs me."


    "Yes, Sir!" The guards saluted and positioned themselves around him. The air within the Reality Marble was also filled with the Dust Wave, having marked the Elf as an enemy.


    With that, Compass Carburettor fell asleep. He was unable to endure it any longer, sleeping for five days at a stretch.


    For someone that only required three hours of sleep daily, this was a lot of time. But, it showed his severely exhausted state. Not only had he fought head-on against two Systems, but he had also refined them after that in his mental space.


    Finally, he then confronted the Elf. It was too much for him to handle.


    Thankfully for him, the Elf hadn''t attacked him in the meantime. Though, the Elf had already embarked on an errand. So, his worries were non-existent.


    Finally, after a long nap, Compass Carburettor woke up, feeling exhausted for the first time after encountering the Money-Making System. He was still mentally drained, unwilling to think of anything for the time being.


    "It seems taking on two at once, followed by the Elf after all that was too much to handle." He sighed, shaking his head as he didn''t have a choice back then.


    Now that he had rested a lot, Compass Carburettor looked around, taking in the sight around him as heughed, "Reality Marble is damn impressive. But,"


    He sighed in worry, clenching his hand into a fist as he recalled all his fights, "Young Master was at Level 6 while Reality Marble was at Level 9. And, in a frontal confrontation, I defeated them. That means¡­"


    His clenched fist shivered as he nodded, ''I have the means to save Stencil. I don''t need to wait until she arrives at the System World. Once I enter Earth and capture her, I can use ve Harem on her to bring the Money-Making System under my control.''


    ''Then, I can make it head to the System World and turn Stencil into a True System yer directly.'' He finalised his ns, intending to converse with Coincidental Luck System about opening a portal to Earth when he was suddenly curious, focusing within the Dimensional Space, gazing at his home in Carburettor Ind.


    And there, he saw her figure, skipping in thewn.


    "Heuk!" Tears streamed out of his eyes as he summoned her and enveloped her in a hug.

 Chapter 307: I’ll Kill Them All

    <h4>Chapter 307: I¡¯ll Kill Them All</h4>


    "What happened, dad?" Stencil tilted her head, staring at him curiously as she wiped his tears, "Don''t cry!"


    "Alright!" He wiped his tears on the sleeves of his shirt, smiling immediately as he tickled her, "I just missed you."


    "Hehehe!" Stencil giggled as he tickled her. After some time had passed, she came to her senses, looking around as she said in surprise, "Dad, where is this? Wasn''t I in our garden now? How did Ie here?"


    "Magic!" Compass Carburettor grinned, sporting a smug attitude, "Your dad is a magician."


    "Didn''t you make noodles all these days?" She tilted her head, confused. "I told my friends that you''re a noodle maker though."


    "I make noodles. But I''m also a magician." He said before extending his palm towards her, condensing a Spydragon by using Apocalypse Pearl, causing Stencil to exim in surprise.


    "How did you do it?" She grabbed hold of the Spydragon, gazing at it as she jumped up and down in excitement, "It feels so smooth!"


    "I can also make it move," He said before closing his mouth, using ventriloquism that he usually used to entertain her.


    The Spydragon opened its mouth, speaking, "Hey you, the prettiest princess, give me a piggyback!"


    "Okay!" Giggling in response, Stencil ced the Spydragon on her head and began to run around.


    Seeing such a scene, tears streamed out of Compass Carburettor''s eyes once again, "Ahh¡­how I wish this was reality?"


    The Stencil before him wasn''t real, but a product of the System Fragment of Young Master. Of course, she too was considered his asset by the Core Skill.


    Everything that he possessed when obtaining Young Master was considered his asset. Though, as he had left Earth, whatever he possessed before leaving Earth was converted into his asset.


    That also meant his wife and parents wouldn''t appear, since they had already died long before he left Earth.


    It was a conflicting feeling as he gazed at the figure of Stencil running around happily. The longer he stared at her, the more he wished to head towards Earth right away.


    "Precious, will you stay at home now? Dad has some work to do." Compass Carburettor approached Stencil, asking.


    "No!" Stencil turned her head away, "You promised you''ll spend the entire day with me."


    "Just for a couple of hours. I''ll y with you after that." He asked, smiling wryly. It was impossible for him to force her, even if she wasn''t the real Stencil.


    "I won''t leave!" She pouted, looking on the verge of tears.


    Sighing, Compass Carburettor carried her on his back, giving her a piggyback ride, making her giggle happily once again.


    After an hour passed in such a fashion, he somehow begged her to return home, but only after creating a bunch of toys for her to y with.


    Moreover, he told Dita to apany her, surprised when he noticed that Dita and Stencil were able to talk to one another.


    Only then did he notice that everyone living in Carburettor Ind was included under Secret Society, possessing all the perks. So, if needed, they were able to talk with him through telepathy.


    He immediately talked with Stencil through telepathy, causing her to jump around in joy, "I can talk with you all the time!"


    Honestly, he didn''t have the heart to refuse her after hearing that. Thankfully, Stencil seemed to like Dita, ying with the cobra as she lost track of time.


    ''Thankfully, she wouldn''t be lonely now.'' He sighed in relief.


    Carburettor Ind had pretty much everything one needed. It was a wholly functioning society. So, Stencil would be busy attending school. And, he could apany her after that by bringing her outside to y.


    He would be lying if he said he didn''t wish to spend time with her. Even on Earth, despite being busy, he rather skipped his meals, but never missed spending time with her. After all, she was his only family.


    Even now, despite thinking about other things, he noticed that his focus would fall on Stencil, staring and admiring her actions before he realised it.


    His face morphed as he clenched his hand into a fist, removing Reality Marble as he contacted Coincidental Luck System once again.


    He wanted for it to give up on this round and bring him to Earth so that he could rescue Stencil immediately. After that, they could return here again as he would hunt all the Systems andplete their deal.


    But in response, the Coincidental Luck System''s answer was a big no. It didn''t seem willing to do that for some reason. But, in this method ofmunication, he was only able to obtain yes or no to answers.


    Thinking of something, Compass Carburettor condensed the alphabets and ced them in arge container, adding multiple copies of each alphabet.


    "Why are you refusing it?" He asked the question before spilling out all the alphabets.


    The air stirred up as some of the alphabets coincidentallynded on the ground to form neat sentences while the remaining formed a pile nearby. Compass Carburettor read the statement, frowning.


    [Our fight is at a critical point. If I back out now, I''ll be losing on this race to reach Grade 2. If you wish to head to Earth, destroy all the Systems in this world. As soon as you do that, I''ll ignore the Mental Energy expenditure of the trip and take you to Earth]


    He quickly spoke, "Then, promise me that you''ll do something about the Elf. It''s not an opponent I can face."


    As he poured out all the alphabets once again, they fell on the ground, forming another sentence.


    [I can give the guarantee that the Elf won''t return for another eight months. Try your best to kill all the Hatchling Systems by then]


    "Alright, without the Elf hindering me, I won''t have to worry." Muttering in response, Compass Carburettor condensed 31passes,belling each with a set of words, "Their function is the same as the Elf Compass. Please point me in the directions of each simrly."


    Saying so, he took out the firstpass, watching the dials in it turn immediately, pointing in a certain direction, "First is Beast Form¡­"


    ''Now, the remaining 31 Systems in this world. I''ll be targeting them one after another.'' His eyes spewed out fire as he firmed himself, changing the direction of the aircraft ording to the Beast Form Compass.


    "I''ll kill them all!"


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    -

 Chapter 308: Sharpening The Mind Before Battle

    <h4>Chapter 308: Sharpening The Mind Before Battle</h4>


    An aircraft flew in the air as a group of people were seated inside. Two were the pilots, manning the aircraft while the rest had a multitude of tasks toplete.


    Embedded in the wall of the aircraft, in view of the crew were 31passes. At present, four people were seated before them, gazing at them nonstop like a hawk.


    Three of them were focused on thirtypasses while the fourth member held the Beast Form Compass, stating from time to time, "Target approaching in ETA seven minutes fourteen seconds¡­"


    "Be prepared!" The pilot announced as he manned the aircraft, heading in a certain direction. They were the pilots that were present in Carburettor Ind.


    As they were just products of the Young Master System, they didn''t generate any Mental Energy. So, they were the perfect tools to use to go against a System.


    At present, the crewmunicated from time to time as the aircraft continued to move. As it travelled at a high altitude, they didn''t have to worry about any mutated birds attacking them.


    The crew moved into a cabin from time to time as their figures vanished. After all, that was where Compass Carburettor was hiding at. If he remained out in the open, there is a chance he could be detected, even if he covered himself with the Mental Energy Body Layer.


    That''s why, he created a Reality Marble within which he rested,municating with the crew members through telepathy. He was currently preparing himself for another tough battle.


    In order to fight at peak battle condition, he was resting both body and mind, intending to be at an optimal state. Slowly, thoughts churned in his mind as he recalled all the fights that he had until now.


    ve Harem; he hid his identity until the end, only making the final shot after exhausting the enemypletely.


    Directional Misalignment; he took advantage of the fact that Neena was aiming for Rhizen, staying in her blind spot while taking advantage of her. And in the end, once she was deprived of all Mental Energy, he killed her.


    Remembrance; it was only a Level 1 System that he targeted using the System Fragment of Intoxicating Fragrance, causing the ce to be swarmed by ants and mosquitoes. It was easy since the other party didn''t have much Mental Energy while the Host was mentally weakened by his online attacks. He took advantage of the descent of the apocalypse and the mentally shaken up state of the Host to kill them.


    Night Ranger; it was a risky operation, but adding to the support from the Coincidental Luck System, he remained within Shika''s space and fully understood the characters of both her and her System. She was the enemy he understood the most and took action with assurance. After plundering her assets, he killed her.


    Young Master; this was where he fought head-on for the first time. Though, with three Personal Fragments, he had more than enough foundation to fight them. But even then, he first focused on using thews of Earth to constrict the movements of the Young Master System, severing its connection to the Astral Network before he began to plunder its Mental Energy.


    Reality Marble; he could say it was a close call here, barely allowing him to emerge victorious. Otherwise, the two System Hosts would have kept reviving within the Reality Marble endlessly as their Systems figured out a way to get more Mental Energy.


    ''I''ve already used Golda''s and Dita''s ability thrice. So, unless they are idiots, they should have developed a counter to it already. If I tried it again, there''s a good chance my foundation would be snatched away instead.'' He thought, sharpening his thoughts, ''Dust Wave has also been used plenty. So, it can no longer serve as a trump card.''


    ''Same for Vutura''s feathers. I had spammed them the most in the previous battle. So, that too would be useless next.'' He frowned, ''Dwun, Shika, Jionerd, and Zach have witnessed the Spydragons. So, they cannot be used too.''


    He sighed ''I''ve also used Directional Misalignment plenty of times. And, Krager is a man, so ve Harem won''t work on him.''


    "Wait, haven''t I used practically everything?" He groaned, shaking his head as he thought, ''It seems that I have no other choice. It might be risky, but I''ll have to overpower him abruptly.''


    ''Sir, we''ve arrived above his location. Shall we begin the drop?'' The pilotmunicated right at this time.


    ''What''s he doing at present?'' Compass Carburettor asked in response.


    ''He''s currently travelling east, having transformed into a giant bird.'' A crew member replied, having already tracked the position of their target through the Beast Form Compass as they used sophisticated equipment to capture his actions.


    A crew entered the Reality Marble, disying a video of Krager''s bird form flying over a hill.


    After observing it, Compass Carburettor nodded, informing everyone through telepathy, ''Begin drop!''


    Nothing changed for him while the aircraft nosedived towards Krager, speeding in response, alerting Krager as he soon noticed the intense sounds generated by the aircraft engines.


    Krager''s bird form pped its wings, flying faster as it was afraid.


    ''Is it Compass Carburettor?'' The Beast Form System thought, frowning as it activated a detection Skill, failing to notice him within the aircraft. And, those in the aircraft seemed like soldiers, urately aiming for the bird.


    ''Wait, this bird is a precious entity that Krager had captured after a lot of effort. Were they also part of the group aiming for it?'' Thinking in response, it tried to sense further, frowning when it failed to receive any Mental Energy from them.


    ''Are they not thinking anything?'' It was confused, observing their actions to see that they were conversing with each other nonstop.


    It understood that they were focused on each other and not on the bird all that much, ''Wait, is it a scheme by Compass Carburettor?''


    ''But no, without him appearing personally, these normal people won''t be able to do much to the current Krager.'' It snorted but felt that its worry hadn''t abated, immediately connecting to the Astral Network to purchase a couple of Skills.


    It also bought an item and suddenly presented it to Krager, taking advantage of a vague Quest that it had generated for him before.


    "Eh? How did Iplete that Quest?" Krager was surprised all of a sudden, turning around to gaze at the aircraft rapidly closing in on him, "Are they rted to that?"

 Chapter 309: Compass Vs Krager (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 309: Compass Vs Krager (part 1)</h4>


    "What the heck just happened?" Krager hadn''t even managed to make sense of his Quest rewards when he noticed his surroundings changing abruptly.


    He came to an abrupt halt, noticing that he had appeared in a vast world that was fully walled on all sides by a thickyer of bedrock.


    There wasn''t anything unique about the terrain other than the fact that the gravity was higher than usual, making it difficult for it to fly normally.


    Abruptly arriving before the wall, he changed forms, turning into a four-horned mongoose, intending to take advantage of the mongoose''s speed.


    Even from far away, Compass Carburettor was able to take action. This was the only aspect that he hadn''t revealed about his abilities yet. All the time, he had only actuated them from up close.


    But now, he took action from afar, shattering the Reality Marble he was hiding within as he instantly condensed another.


    ''Thank you for your service. Now,nd the aircraft carefully on my ind.'' Saying so, Compass Carburettor sent them into his Dimensional Space as he unfurled his pair of wings, remaining afloat as he slowly condensed arge aircraft out of Dac.


    Even though the Elf didn''t exist in the world, that didn''t mean he could act cocky. He was only able to go against a Hatchling System one-on-one. If two or more of them came at him, he would be fucked. This was especially true since he had already revealed all his cards.


    He slowly focused, thinking of the scene that he needed for the eventual battle as he took a dozen seconds to think up before activating it, pouring out a stream of Mental Energy.


    The first Reality Marble that he had unleashed was only to trap Krager within and buy him some time to get close. And, activating it from so far away consumed a lot more Mental Energy than usual, so he had to make it as simple as possible.


    And, he could already feel that Krager had begun to bombard the ce, beginning to destroy it. Had he been like the Elf, he would have already destroyed the Reality Marble, since he was way stronger than the Karger at the start of the apocalypse.


    But, he was curious about the changed surroundings first, acting cautious. Only after receiving a prompt from his System did he take action and begin damaging the Reality Marble.


    But by this time, Compass Carburettor hadpleted his preparations, destroying the old Reality Marble as he condensed a new one, with this one epassing the space within the energy de aircraft.


    The aircraft began to fly away as Compass Carburettor sighed, taking a couple of seconds to observe Krager''s actions first, "He''s be strong!"


    But, he didn''t immediately enter the Reality Marble, taking his time with the preparations, already understanding that this would be a long battle, with his enemy already prepared against his abilities.


    He first activated his Body Layer using Dac, condensing a thin but tremendously toughyer of energy de that served as his line of defence. This perfectly also enveloped the pair of wings that grew on his back, the helmet on his head, etc.


    The abilities of all four mutated beasts had already been condensed into their respective items and donned by him. Body Layer covered them all, protecting them. Over that, he condensed Body Layer using Mental Energy, causing the jet-ck cloak of the night to envelop him as stars shone all over it, glittering with a mysterious vibe.


    He had already condensed them in the strongest versions that he could maintain, done with his defensive preparations. He then unleashed his Dust Wave, condensing them into a tiny energy de sphere as he condensed them into it to the extent the sphere felt heavy.


    He made ten such spheres and hung them over his hip, done with all preparations as he entered the Reality Marble, noticing Karger sense his approach immediately.


    "Compass Carburettor¡­" Turning into his human form, Krager red at Compass Carburettor, "To think you were the mastermind all along. You killed Neena before, and now you''re aiming for my life? Why?"


    "I''m aiming for that entity in your body." Compass Carburettor said, "If you hand it over to me, I''ll consider sparing your life."


    "Consider?" Krager snorted, "You''ve be pretty arrogant, huh."


    "But, it doesn''t matter. No matter how you''ve changed, you''ll die when you are killed." Krager stared at the jet-ck entity hovering in the sky, "And that, I''ll make sure."


    The moment he said so, his figure vanished from the spot, appearing behind Compass Carburettor as he punched forth, unleashing a massive explosion that sent him crashing into the ground from the impact.


    The tearing currently consisted of a massive mountain, a sea surrounding it, and ayer of bedrock on all sides, as if they were trapped within a mountain range. The height of the mountain range seemed to span a couple of kilometres at least, causing escape to not be easy.


    After all, in the sky were thunder clouds, covering the entire sky, making the ce dark, with the only source of light being the asional flickering.


    "Gah!" Krager grunted as a bolt of lightning mmed into him, sending him reeling into the mountain, "That freaking hurts!"


    Though, he climbed out a secondter, pristine, having already healed the minor injury that he had sustained.


    Cracking his neck, he slowly walked out before turning into a mongoose as his figure dashed towards Compass Carburettor. Even though it wasn''t using any abilities, its straight-up dash itself was rmingly quick, covering the massive distance in a matter of seconds as it pounced upon the figure of Compass Carburettor that had just emerged out of the water.


    He was still reeling from the explosive punch as Compass Carburettor noticed the mongoose opening its mouth, intending to bite his head off, for its size allowed it to swallow him whole. It resembled a van, but despite its size, its speed had only be quicker.


    A hail of feathers mmed into it, sending it flying away as its injuries rapidly healed. Before the rest of the feathers could m into it, its figure vanished as all Compass Carburettor was able to see was the rippling on the water surface, a dyed reaction from the mongoose''s steps on the water surface. It had begun to use its ability.


    It was so fast that it was using the surface tension of the water to run around like it did onnd, pouncing upon him again.

 Chapter 310: Compass Vs Krager (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 310: Compass Vs Krager (part 2)</h4>


    There were the afterimages of a certain mongoose that made a myriad of poses, most of which were just taunts. The hail of feathers continued to chase after it, failing tond on it as the mongoose was just that fast.


    Compass Carburettor turned around from time to time, defending as gashes formed all over the jet-ck curtain that covered him. He immediately regenerated it while trying to attack his opponent. He continued to gather power while urately knowing the mongoose''s location through Directional Misalignment, activating it right when a chance presented itself.


    Suddenly, before it was aware, the mongoose''s body changed directions, rushing into the hail of feathers on its own.


    Boom!


    The feathers pierced through its body before exploding, leaving the mongoose in a half-dead state when the Dust Wave did the rest of the work, disintegrating it into bits.


    Roar!


    A bipedal monster that resembled a monkey appeared. But, this creature''s body was covered with armour resembling a turtle. Spanning a height of five metres and sporting four horns, it was filled with power.


    The monkey red at Compass Carburettor, clenching its hand into a fist as it mmed into him.


    Compass Carburettor raised his hand, condensing an energy de hand to grab the giant monkey''s fist, creating a resounding explosion. Compass Carburettor then punched forth with his other hand as an energy de fist manifested and expanded to a length of ten metres instantly, transferring all the power into the giant monkey''s face, sending it reeling into the walls of the mountain.


    Hovering in the air, Compass Carburettor rained down punches with his energy de fists, also imbuing them with the trait of the Apocalypse Pearl to make the hits heavy. Rocks fell from the impact as the giant monkey screeched from time to time, throwing punches of its own.


    But, all they did wasnd on the energy de that Compass Carburettor deactivated at the moment of contact, preventing any momentum from being transferred over to him. This was the peerless advantage in reaching Transcendence.


    The level of control attained negated all the disadvantages of the Darble World''s power system.


    Boom! Boom!


    As he continued to punch, Compass Carburettor noticed the giant monkey''s figure vanish as a worm appeared at the ce, easily slithering out through the gaps as it entered the water.


    Immediately after, there was a sh of light, almost blinding him as a turtle appeared, spanning a size of 20 metres. It was freaking massive, resembling a small ind.


    "A turtle?" Even Compass Carburettor was confused as to why Krager had turned into such a creature. After all, a simple nce was enough for him to understand that despite possessing a stronger presence than the giant monkey, this was in essence still a turtle, slow in nature.


    "Heh! This will be your death!" The turtle opened its mouth and spoke in human tongue as the burst element fluctuated out of it in waves, coursing throughout the Reality Marble. But other than that, it didn''t do anything else.


    "Aargh!" Suddenly, Compass Carburettor shouted in pain as something abruptly sent him flying, immediately causing him severe damage as his Body Layer shattered. He hurriedly regenerated it, using Directional Misalignment on himself to arrive at a standstill in the air, frowning as he used Info Scanner, understanding the turtle''s ability.


    Static Force!


    It unleashed a wave that filled the surroundings with the burst element. This burst element was unlike a particle but a true wave. And, it didn''t take any effect on stationary objects.


    In every area, a tremendous amount of force would be condensed. It was like all the kic energy in nature was absorbed to turn things static. After all, the moment this wave was unleashed, Compass Carburettor sensed through Directional Misalignment that even the air itself had turned still.


    There was no more Brownian motion in it.


    This was what Static Force did. It stored all the kic energy in nature, turning it into potential energy. And, when something moved within the space of its existence, it transferred all the potential energy into the moving object after turning it into kic energy.


    It was transmitted as an impulse, shattering any object that came into contact.


    After the turtle had unleashed the wave, the wings of Compass Carburettor had pped to keep him in the air when the Static Force was triggered, instantly sending enough Kic Energy in him that it destroyed his body.


    Within a second, he died, turned into a Haggon, instantly turned into a human, and repeated this process three more times. Only when the Static Force in his surroundings had been expended did this stop as Compass Carburettor grunted in human form, reeling from the insane pain that coursed through his nerves from the four deaths.


    In an instant, Krager''s trump card had killed him four times. Had he not possessed the means to cheat death by turning into a Haggon whenever his human¡ªSpirit¡ªform was killed, he would have died by now.


    ''As expected, he''s grown stronger. This world is perfect for the Beast Form System.'' He thought, hurriedly erecting more defences around himself as he used Reality Marble, causing lighting bolts to m into the turtle.


    That was what he had hoped to happen. But in reality, when the bolt of lightning struck, the Static Force was triggered. And, throughout its route, the Static Force attacked it, breaking down the lightning bolt into pieces before dissipating it entirely.


    "Alright, if you wish to make it a contest of energy, you''re on board!" Compass Carburettor muttered as the number of lightning bolts increased in number. The turtle continued to unleash waves of Static Force while he mmed lightning bolts on it.


    And in the meantime, the temperature of the water slowly began to increase, causing difort to the turtle before soon, its body began to turn a shade of pink upon getting heated up.


    The number of lightning bolts continued to increase in number until the Static Force was unable to catch up, as soon after, the first lightning boltnded on the turtle, causing it to scream in pain. Though, it quickly recovered from that thanks to its healing ability.


    But, that was just the start of a war of attrition.

 Chapter 311: Compass Vs Krager (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 311: Compass Vs Krager (part 3)</h4>


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Lightning bolts rained down nonstop as Compass Carburettor flinched at the Mental Energy expenditure every time this happened. A single lightning bolt consumed 200 Mental Energy. And therger ones consumed 300 or even more, making him understand why Zach hadn''t used them on him before.


    He was burning through Mental Energy to attack Krager. If he considered it from the perspective of efficiency, then it was abysmal. His attacks were greatly inefficient. But, it wasn''t like he had any other alternative.


    His abilities were already exposed, with Krager being able to counter most of them to a certain extent. Dust Wave was countered by Static Force, destroyed before it could even spread around.


    His feathers were also simrly countered. Moreover, when Compass Carburettor tried to make the Turtle move using Directional Misalignment, he scowled in anger for it was a creature that was incapable of movement.


    It was a living being whose body was no different to a rock.


    As all of his abilities were rted to motion, Static Force alone countered him to a great extent. So, his only option was to rely on the lightning bolts to damage it externally.


    In the meantime, the water had reached the boiling point by now, gradually cooking the turtle as the water turned poisonous. Krager persisted by relying upon his healing ability, resisting everything as he continued to increase the effect of Static Force.


    It was to the extent that the Reality Marble began to show signs of destabilisation.


    "It''s finally done!" Compass Carburettor signed in relief, having umted enough power within Reality Marble as the water suddenly turned intova, causing the turtle to scream in pain as its body melted.


    Abruptly changing the terrain like this was a grand waste of Mental Energy and also strained him tremendously, for this was already pushing the limit of Reality Marble at Level 10.


    After all, the scale of effect was massive and the processed amount of Mental energy was enormous.


    "Dammit!" The turtle screamed before morphing into a bird to prevent falling into theva. But, there was ava geyser that urately targeted it, melting its body. And, no matter how many breath attacks itunched on theva, nothing changed as Compass Carburettor continued to turn up its heat.


    As for himself, after the turtle vanished, he used Dust Wave to clear a path towards the mountain, safelynding there. There was still Static Force present in tremendous amounts in the rest of the ces.


    Compass Carburettor didn''t try to do anything to them. They were continuing to absorb kic energy and grow in power. All he did was create a tiny funnel, spanning a breadth of ten centimetres that lead a path towards Krager for the Dust Wave to course through.


    "Argh!" Once the Dust Wave began to affect him, Krager began to writhe in pain. If he turned into the turtle to counter it, he would just copse into theva. It had already cost him three beast forms to escape from theva.


    He didn''t wish to be implicated by them again. And, due to the Static Force present throughout the ce, he couldn''t move as he pleased. It wasn''t an ability that was capable of selective targeting due to its nature.


    But, that didn''t mean he was helpless, turning into a horned man that levitated in the air. This was the horned man''s ability as Krager activated his mutated beast abilities. The way in which the Beast Form System had arranged things for him allowed him to use mutated beast abilities even while in a mutated beast form.


    And, since the horned man closely resembled a human, this allowed him to fight the best. Immediately, an armour covered his bodypletely as a sword appeared in his hand. Growing on his shoulders were tiny canons while embedded at the top of his horn was a ring.


    The ring embedded in the horn glowed as Krager gazed at Compass Carburettor, instantly causing the pitch-ck protective covering on him to explode.


    Compass Carburettor noticed that even the Body Layer¡ªcondensed using Dac¡ªunderneath was severely damaged from the attack as he hurriedly recovered both, activating Mecha as he condensed ayer of defensive wall before him.


    Immediately after, the wall exploded as Compass Carburettor hurriedly erected another, ''Can he explode anything from sight?''


    ''One after another, his abilities are tremendously powerful.'' He sighed, troubled. This was the reason he targeted Krager first. Because, the Beast Form System''s advantage in this world was one of the highest.


    So, as time passed, he would continue to grow stronger. Had this been the first time they confronted, then Compass Carburettor would have killed and refined the Beast Form System by now.


    But, his exposed abilities were what made things so troublesome.


    All Krager did was stand in ce and gaze at the position of Compass Carburettor, causing things to explode. Whenever theva tried anything, he exploded it, sshing it away from himself.


    His armour condensed fouryers of burst element around him, shielding him from the lightning bolts. Before the lightning bolts managed to reach him, they were negated as the shields quickly recovered.


    But worst of all, the two cannons on his shoulders were the most troublesome. They were like vacuum pumps, sucking in the burst element from the surroundings. And by that, they sucked in the Dust Wave and processed them, turning them into energy that Krager could use.


    Not only that, even the feathers, when they mmed into his barrier, abruptly dissolved into burst elements that were sucked by the canons.


    They perfectly countered his abilities, causing him to worry. After all, in terms of efficiency, it was around a ratio of one to ten between the two. He was expending ten times the Beast Form System''s Mental Energy.


    ''This won''t do.'' Compass Carburettor muttered as he observed Krager''s actions through Directional Misalignment, watching the other party take out an egg from somewhere and drop it into theva.


    The moment he used Info Scanner on the egg, Compass Carburettor''s face paled, ''So, that''s your trump card.''


    [Non-Attributed Dragon Egg]


    [Takes the characteristics of the ce it hatches at]

 Chapter 312: Compass Vs Krager (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 312: Compass Vs Krager (part 4)</h4>


    [Non-Attributed Dragon Egg]


    [Takes the characteristics of the ce it hatches at]


    The reason Krager had taken out this trump card, a reward that he obtained just now, was because he was helpless too. Even though he was able to counter Compass Carburettor''s abilities to a certain extent, he was also being injured constantly.


    The heat from theva itself was getting through to him, despite the protectiveyer. It was not to mention the toxic fumes that he had to inhale constantly. There was a limit to the air that was within the fouryers of burst element barrier around him.


    So, he had to take in the air from the outside. And that not only contained toxic fumes, but also carried the heat from theva. With every breath he took, his lungs seared while his head spun due to the poison.


    He was relying upon his healing ability to expunge the toxic substances and heal himself. But as it continued to happen for a long enough duration, he was unable to hold on.


    Even though he was attacking Compass Carburettor with all his might, the other party was like a cockroach, never dying.


    During the first time he unleashed the Static Force, he was assured that Compass Carburettor would die. After all, at that time, all the kic energy within the Reality Marble had been absorbed by the Static Force that was then channelled into him.


    But mysteriously, all he observed was the figure of Compass Carburettor morphing from a human form to a giant form erratically, flickering for a second before everything returned to normal. As everything was covered by that darned nket of night, Krager was unable to make sense of the situation.


    All he came to know was that Compass Carburettor was a dangerous individual. When his trump card failed to deal in the damage, he was already ready to give up. But, he had no means to escape either.


    He had also been targeting attacks onto the space that he was trapped within, but no matter what, it hadn''t been damaged until now.


    And for some reason, his System had been talking to him nonstop. And for the first time, he could feel the emotion that it was experiencing.


    Tension! Fear!


    It shocked him when countless System notifications resounded in his mind as the Beast Form System directly dered that he hadpleted practically every single Quest that he had been allotted. It was like him clearing one Quest directly created a chain of rewards and consequences that solved all his Quests.


    It baffled him, causing him to feel that something was indeed strange. But, he didn''t have the presence of mind to think about that, not now at least. He had to first survive this situation and then bother with the rest.


    Besides, he was pretty content with receiving so many rewards that strengthened him to the limit, also giving him many useful skills. And the most special among them all was the egg that he received.


    There were plenty of item rewards until now. Some were pretty normal while some were kind of overpowered that allowed him to hunt terrifying mutated beasts and gain their abilities. The mutated beast that he killed recently, one that had been condensed into the ring on his horn was one such example.


    It was capable of causing anything it saw to explode. It was a terrifying mutated beast that he spent a lot of hard work to hunt.


    And now, upon seeing that he was unable to kill Compass Carburettor, Krager had decided to go all out. That''s why he dumped the Non-Attributed Dragon Egg into the sea ofva below.


    When it was birthed, it would be immune to everything that was happening in this space. With that, he would be able to escape from this ce easily. Or even otherwise, he''ll have enough advantage to kill Compass Carburettor.


    Upon seeing the egg''s appearance, Compass Carburettor paled in fright upon obtaining its information. But, once finished digesting all its information, a certain thought came into his mind.


    ''Wait, doesn''t it take the characteristic of the ce it hatches at?'' Thinking as such, he took in a deep breath. He stopped umting power to unleash his trump card using the Reality Marble.


    That was what he had been hoping to kill Krager. Throughout the battle, he had been whittling down the Beast Form System''s Mental Energy reserves, creating a qualitative difference between the Mental Energy of the both of them.


    This way, he nned to negate its capability to avoid instant death by actuating the peak power of Reality Marble. But now, he had a better idea, thanks to what Krager was attempting.


    Thanks to Beast Form System, Krager was able to transform into whatever beast that he killed. So, he was nning to do the same to the Non-Attributed Dragon that would hatch from its egg.


    With that, he would be immune to all of Compass Carburettor''s attacks, including his trump card. And, through Info Scanner, as he obtained information rted to the Non-Attributed Dragon, he was shocked at the Beast Form System''s resourcefulness.


    After all, the egg it had procured should have been the peak item of a world, the ultimate treasure from there. And, such things were generally expensive, something a Hatchling System shouldn''t be able to obtain.


    But, thanks to a certain deal he had sealed through Grisha before, he was aware of what happened behind the scenes. The Beast Form System had obtained a lot of Mental Energy to splurge and prepare a trump card.


    It was next in line to kill Rhizen and also deal with him. And this was the key to that.


    Now that he was aware, he changed his tactics, slowly recalling based on his two trips as he stimted every sense and Skill that he had attained to date, pouring in all his experience as an ex-System Host and a System yer.


    He spent a hundred thousand Mental Energy directly, disregarding the insane expenditure as the entire scene within the Reality Marble changed, now resembling a forest.


    [Wait, retract the Egg! Stop! Hurry! Take it back!!!]


    The Beast Form System screamed in Krager''s mind upon seeing what had happened to his surroundings.

 Chapter 313: Compass Vs Krager (part 5)

    <h4>Chapter 313: Compass Vs Krager (part 5)</h4>


    "Dammit!" Upon hearing his System''s desperate shout, Krager wasn''t a fool, immediately knowing that something bad had happened. He quickly began to move towards the egg but was abruptly stopped, shocking him to the core.


    Mecha!


    Compass Carburettor truly activated his Warrior and Puppeteer Path''s powers to the limit, instantly condensing a transparent sphere around Krager, trapping him within.


    Krager swung his sword, unleashing a crescent moon shaped beam of burst element, intending to tear up the barrier. But, all his imposing attack left was a shallow mark as the countless energy de scales multiplied in number and sealed the gash.


    They were individual pieces that justyered themselves over one another, capable of attaching and detaching when necessary. And when his attacknded, only those energy de scales at the contact area shattered, absorbing all the power behind the attack.


    They disintegrated in response but managed to easily handle such a fearsome attack.


    Grunting in response, Krager unleashed a lot of other abilities, shocked when he realised that Compass Carburettor''s entire scheme until now was to actually hold back during the fight.


    After all, the energy de scales that he was facing now were not only tough, but they also moved freely, taking on a variety of shapes. And within the sphere, they began to rotate, sharply raising the wind speed, immediately unleashing a tornado.


    Krager turned into the turtle, hurriedly unleashing the Static Force to destroy the rapidly spinning energy de scales that were pushing the air towards the sides while creating a vacuum around him.


    Instantly, everything within turned still as all the kic energy was absorbed by the Static Force. But at this time, Krager''s turtle face turned pale with fright, seeing ayer of energy de form on his body.


    It didn''t harm him but only expanded in length,ing into contact with the area under the influence of Static Force, instantly causing all the stored force to be sent through the energy de.


    And if there was oneint about the energy de, it was that any type of force was capable of travelling through it. It was a good conductor of shockwaves.


    "Fuck!" Krager screamed as the force rattled through his body, rupturing him instantly.


    But, he was still a System Host, possessing immune against instant deaths. Coincidentally, some of the Static Force coursed through the energy de first, fracturing it in a number of ces that diverted the force from reaching his body to a certain extent.


    It left him within an inch of his life, failing to kill him. He had avoided death as his healing ability took effect, rapidly healing him.


    But in response, to avoid that instant death, most of the Beast Form System''s Mental Energy had been expended.


    "You survived the first time. But¡­" Compass Carburettor smirked, "What about the second?"


    "No¡­no! No! NO!" Krager shouted as he saw the energy de scales beginning to spin once again. Using the power of the ring embedded in his horn, he caused them to explode. But like sand, they regrouped as more and more of them appeared, continuing to spin as he began to gasp for air.


    The four burst element barriers around him were constantly shredded apart by another batch of energy de scales. And suddenly, the space within was filled by a vtile oil that instantly caught onto fire when a tinyva fragment appeared within.


    ''He could do that?'' Krager was shocked, gazing at the sky to see the sparks of lighting vanishing, ''Then, why did he use such attacks all along?''


    In the Reality Marble, he could manifest any part of nature anywhere. It didn''t have to make much sense. Normally, making it a solid nature created a stable Reality Marble. After all, it imitated nature. And, bnce was what kept nature existing.


    But, if his creations within interacted destructively with one another, that would lead to the Reality Marble''s copse. It was not to mention such actions consumed way more Mental Energy than usual.


    But, what Compass Carburettor did till now had shown that even though he was capable of manipting terrain, there were obvious limits. Moreover, he was incapable of doing any pinpoint creations.


    It was apparent as to how theva sshed out of the sea ofva but was easily thwarted by Krager. It was because as long as he observed theve streams, he was able to guess as to which direction theva geyser might happen from.


    Things in nature had a flow to them. And the instincts of beasts were capable of perceiving them the most, not to mention Krager that was the Host to the Beast Form System. But now, things abruptly appeared within the sphere of the energy de.


    Having nted a misconception in the mind of Krager, Compass Carburettor had taken action when the time was right.


    The piece ofva acted as the spark that caused the vtile oil to explode, drowning Krager within. Coincidentally, as a wave of explosion rushed at him, a simr explosion appeared from another side, shing with one another, negating each other to a certain extent.


    Even though his body was almost destroyed, there was a sliver of his life left as the healing ability took action, regenerating his body. But, even after he managed to regenerate, Krager gasped for air but failed to get any.


    It was vacuum now, causing him to suffocate as super hot oil residue sshed onto him as his body was forced to be stuck in the centre of the vacuum. Using Directional Misalignment, Compass Carburettor ensured Krager''s body perfectly stayed within the centre, trapped.


    The Beast Form System''s Mental Energy reserves were at rock bottom now, but Krager wasn''t dead yet.


    After all, Compass Carburettor was focused on something else entirely, holding Anthozoa in his hands as he condensed Secret Society in all six bullets and shot them at the egg thatnded atop a patch of grass.


    All six bullets seeped into the egg that began to absorb the essence of the world around it, soaking in the environment. And slowly, it began to pulse, emanating a suffocating pressure.


    In a matter of seconds, the egg cracked before a tiny dragon hatched. It was weak, but when it casually nced at Krager, his body exploded. It was the same punishment a System Host or System yer faced when they tried to reveal information about Systems to others.


    And in Krager''s current state, he was unable to avoid it, dying, as the immunity against instant death didn''t apply to this ability created by the strongest of Systems to protect their identity.


    After all, currently, the Reality Marble resembled the System World.


    And this dragon had hatched in such a ce.

 Chapter 314: I Hate Humans

    <h4>Chapter 314: I Hate Humans</h4>


    "The Immortal Realm of Tanghua has been ruled by the Non-Attributed Dragons for too long. Today, we''ll put an end to this era of tragedy!" An immortal floated in the air, riding a flying sword, shouting with an imposing demeanour.


    Hovering in the air behind him were throngs of immortals originating from various races, all emanating tremendous killing intent.


    Opposite to them, with each resembling a mountain were dragons, possessing the aura resembling the treasures of heaven and earth.


    "As expected of the human race. They are traitorous to the extreme." Hovering before the hordes of dragons was a jet-ck dragon, possessing the power of the void. It had been birthed in the chaos of the void, hence possessing the power of the same.


    The Void Dragon expressed its hatred, "We had bestowed the power of the dragons to you weak races to survive the threats of the Immortal Realm. But to think you would bite the hands that fed you!"


    "Shut up!" The immortal at the front bellowed as the aura of a Golden Dragon manifested behind him, directly suppressing all the dragons, including the Void Dragon, "The dragon race has massacred the world for too long. Today is your end."


    "You!" Upon seeing the ethereal figure of the Golden Dragon behind the immortal, the Void Dragon teared up before trembling in wrath, "Lord Golden Dragon had treated you as his son and even went as far as to bestow upon you his life essence. And this is how you repay the favour, Shen Ze?"


    "Hmph, that fat lizard only did that to use me as a pill cauldron." The man addressed as Shen Ze snorted, "When the Golden Dragon was bored, it ate my brothers as a snack. Treated as a son my ass!"


    "You!" The Void Dragon shouted in anger, clearly lost for words. Its body trembled, suppressed by the aura of the Golden Dragon, the king of their race and one with absolute power over them.


    "Let''s stop with the rambling. With the power of the Golden Dragon on my side, the dragon race would be suppressed." He shouted, waving his hand as he unleashed an attack, "Immortals, charge! Kill them while they''re still suppressed."


    The battle raged on for a month, at the end of which the dragon race was defeated. The remainder of them went into hiding and were slowly killed off one after another by the immortals.


    As for Shen Ze, he was hailed as a hero, corned with the title as the Dragon God.


    "Damn you!" The Void Dragon, the expert of chaos and the void had retreated into an alternate Realm, one filled with weak cultivators. Due to itsck of Immortal Energy, it was a lower Realm incapable of producing Immortals.


    But, it had already been injured severely, on the verge of death. It gritted its teeth, muttering with itsst breath, "Shen Ze, you traitorous transmigrator. Had I not been this injured, I would have gone to Earth and ughtered everyone rted to you. Dammit!"


    "But hear this!" It shouted, condensing all the energy in its body, "The hatred of the Non-Attributed Dragon race wouldn''t end like this. It would all be inherited by my child!"


    Its body began to melt as the entirety of its essence was condensed into a tiny egg that was no bigger than a chicken egg. Once the egg appeared, the Void Dragon''s body disintegrated into bits and pieces and vanished.


    A couple of hourster, a vige youth wearing patched clothes arrived at the ce, muttering in confusion, "Strange, I heard some sounds from here just now."


    His gaze then fell on the egg, "Nice, a chicken egg! I was feeling hungry anyway. That''ll serve as my breakfast."


    But right as he nned to eat it, a mysterious screen shed before him.


    [Quest: Sacrifice three chicken eggs to obtain the Seven Steps Qigong Arts]


    [Time limit: 1 Hour]


    "Dammit, why a Quest now?" The vige youth screamed in frustration, "Damn you, at least let me eat in peace."


    Suddenly, as he continued to scream, another screen appeared before him.


    [Quest Failure: Death]


    "Fuck this stupid System!" He cursed before picking up the egg, watching it vanish from his hands, feeling that it was a major loss.


    ''Hehe, this is the egg of the Void Dragon, thest of the Non-Attributed Dragons in the Immortal Realm of Tanghua. Can''t believe this idiot thought it was a mere chicken egg. I''ll be able to make a tremendous profit and level up immediately with this alone.'' His System thought before it noticed something troublesome.


    ''Right, this idiot curses me out loud every damn time I tell him to do something, ipetentzy trash. Thankfully, there wasn''t anyone else in his surroundings. Otherwise, punishment would have been dealt out to us.''


    [Warning: Host, revealing details about the System to others would result in death]


    "Ah sh*t, not this too." He sighed, scratching his head, "I had nned to tell this to Chen Xiaoer and ease her worries."


    He clenched his hand into a fist, "Guess I''ll have to keep this to myself."


    In the meantime, his System had connected to the Astral Network and ced this egg in an auction, instantly causing quite a stir due to the value of the egg. It was sold within a couple of minutes, bringing the System enough Mental Energy to level up four times immediately and let go of its status as a Hatchling System.


    ''As expected of a cultivation world. There are countless useful treasures here. I can grow stronger quickly.'' The System thought, chuckling in response.


    ¡­


    "And, that''s how my eggnded in the hands of this detestable human." The tiny dragon that had hatched just now snuggled in Compass Carburettor''s arms, rxing at his warmth, "If not for you, I would have been killed to harvest my power."


    "How do you remember everything?" After a moment of thought, Compass Carburettor asked, digesting the information that was gathered by Info Scanner.


    [Dragon of System]


    [Born in an environment resembling the System World, it gained characteristics simr to it]

 Chapter 315: O One More

    <h4>Chapter 315: O One More</h4>


    Dragon of System; that was what it had be after hatching in a ce that resembled the System World. Even though what Compass Carburettor had created didn''t evene close to the actual System World, it did its magic as a cheap knockoff.


    After all, everything was created using Mental Energy, the prime energy means that Systems relied upon and what was present everywhere in the System World.


    After it was born, it was able to restrict a System to a certain extent. But, the Dragon of System was only able to unleash one attack before it became weak. It had just hatched, after all. And in this world, the energy it required to cultivate wasn''t avable.


    And as it had also absorbed thews of the Apocalypse World, it was birthed as a one-horned Dragon of System.


    Initially, when it unleashed its attack, Compass Carburettor was ready to die a couple of times. But in reality, the effect of the attack on him was incredibly weak, only enough to severely wound him.


    And, the moment the Dragon of System noticed him, it began to bawl as it flew into his arms, beginning to recount its story.


    "Of course, we dragons inherit all the memories of our parents after birth." It spoke. It then stared at Compass Carburettor, "If you weren''t a Spirit, I would have attacked you too. Thankfully, you aren''t a human."


    ''So, it''s able to sense that I''m a Spirit. Is that why I was spared?'' The thought left his back drenched in cold sweat, thanking the fact that he wasn''t a human anymore. But, that was also why he had shot all six bullets of his Anthozoa into its egg, condensed using Secret Society.


    That way, it wouldn''t show any hostility towards him. After all, that was why it was even recounting its past to him. Compass Carburettor was able to feel the presence of Secret Society on it, and the connection between them was the strongest out of them all.


    It was like the Dragon of System contained part of authority over Secret Society too. It caused him to feel troubled but at the same time expectant too.


    "I see, what are you nning to do now?" Compass Carburettor asked, "I feel like your existence is dangerous to the enemies I''m facing."


    "I know that too. After all, I am not a System but have a fraction of the System World''s power in me. The System World itself wouldn''t bear my existence and would do everything in its power to kill me." It muttered, saddened, beginning to cry. "I have a greater potential than my mother, but my death would be quick."


    "Then, why don''t you take refuge within my world?" Compass Carburettor said, "Normally, it wouldn''t be possible. But, you have something resembling a core in your body, right?"


    "Yes, it feels different than a dragon core." The Dragon of System nodded, "What is it exactly, though? It feels like multiple abilities of mine are contained within it."


    "In this world, if humans gain that orb, they''ll obtain your ability." Compass Carburettor muttered, wiping his sweat because the tiny palm-sized entity had said the word ''System'' out loud and wasn''t affected.


    Thanks to its birth, it was definitely privy about Systems. After all, it should have also inherited a lot of information through Secret Society, considering how it also had authority on this Personal Fragment.


    "Then, will I die if you get my orb?" The Dragon of System stared at him, sporting puppy eyes.


    ''How did it learn to do that?'' Compass Carburettor massaged his forehead before muttering, "Dita!"


    The cobra appeared on his palm, gazing at the Dragon of System before snorting in displeasure, "I''m cuter than you."


    "What?" The abrupt change of pace unnerved the Dragon of System, causing it to shift nces between Dita and Compass Carburettor. "What is¡­happening?"


    "You have also inherited my powers of Secret Society. Are you able to gather any information from it?" Compass Carburettor asked in return, intending to see just what exactly the dragon of System was capable of.


    "I see¡­" The Dragon of System muttered as it closed its eyes, emanating a subtle aura that resembled the same presence as Secret Society.


    As he was the owner of Secret Society, Compass Carburettor was able to sense that the Dragon of System was actually essing all the records stored in Secret Society. And this included each and every conversation transmitted through their telepathy until now.


    After a couple of minutes, it opened its eyes, gazing at Dita, "So, through her, I''ll be able to live on within you? But, it seems there''s no space in your Dimensional Space to contain another ability. You''re still at Stage 4."


    "Don''t worry about that," Compass Carburettor muttered before sending it within his Dimensional Space, "I''ll reach Stage 5 now."


    Thankfully, during his recent battles, Compass Carburettor had been spamming all his abilities as much as he could, obtaining the qualifications to reach Stage 5 in his battle with Krager. Though, considering how dangerous it would be, he hadn''t attempted that during their battle.


    "Might as well do it now." He muttered, hearing what Grisha had been transmitting to him all along. Closing his eyes, he meditated before finding himself in a cold, dark environment.


    And surrounding him were Golda, Vutura, Dita, and Hanze, his four mutated beasts. Currently, they only resembled beasts,cking any sign of intelligence as they pounced upon him.


    In this situation, it was impossible for Compass Carburettor to even move, passively watching Dita rip apart his arm and devour it. The rest too did the same, tugging at him from all sides until he was ripped into pieces.


    Once they were done, his intact figure appeared once again, his face pale, suffering from the pain of his body getting dismembered in four directions.


    But, before he could gather his bearings, his body was ripped apart once again, causing him to scream in pain as his body reformed immediately after. ''Two done¡­t-two more to go.''


    He wasn''t even able to scream, for his body was as still as a rock, getting ripped apart the third time. This time, the pain he felt was even magnified as his pain receptors had already reached max sensitivity.


    ''One¡­o-one¡­on-e¡­one m-more¡­''

 Chapter 316: I’ll Pay You To Turn Traitor

    <h4>Chapter 316: I¡¯ll Pay You To Turn Traitor</h4>


    A day ago, two hours after Compass Carburettor had dered Krager as his next target, Grisha reached the fortress near Feora City.


    She hid in a secluded location within the forest on the nearby hill, remaining hidden as she began to pray, using the same means as Compass Carburettor. But, the target of her prayers was the Conspiracy yer System.


    ''Let''s engage in a trade. Not only wouldn''t you be targeted by our yer, but you''ll also be supported to grow faster.'' She repeated the same thought over and over.


    ¡­


    ''What are they nning now?'' The Conspiracy yer System frowned, obviously having gone through the Mental Energy generated by Grisha already. It wasn''t like the Coincidental Luck System, only have a smaller source of Mental Energy gushing into it.


    So, by the second time Grisha repeated her statement, it had already grasped andprehended it. Immediately after that, it was worried, wondering if it was a trap. Normally, it needn''t worry about something like this.


    After all, it was the Conspiracy yer System. Any matter of trap would beid apparent before it. But ever since it fell prey to Compass Carburettor''s scheme and caused Ianon to develop absolute distrust towards it, the Conspiracy yer System had lost all initiative.


    At present, it was a mere puppet, left with no other choice but to passively watch whatever Ianon did. Honestly speaking, it wasn''t left with no options. If it chose to, it could return to the System World anytime.


    But, opening the portal consumed a hundred thousand Mental Energy, something that was a hefty cost for it too. And, if it tried to do that before it gathered enough Mental Energy from this world, it wouldn''t be able to stomach the loss.


    For a strong System, a hundred thousand Mental Energy wasn''t much. But for a Hatchling System, it was a hefty sum. It had to be noted that obtaining such an amount took at least a decade or two.


    And, if the System suffered some losses in the meantime due to the obvious foolishness of their Host, this profit margin would fall further.


    This was the reason it was putting up with Ianon, unwilling to return to the System World. After all, despite everything, it was still earning Mental Energy. At least, Ianon hadn''t blocked it in that aspect, obviously because he was ignorant about the concept of Mental Energy.


    So in the end, the Conspiracy yer System was unable to use any of its abilities now, fearing that it would fall into a trap.


    ''But, my Host isn''t an idiot. And if he actually falls into a trap, I could help him and try to salvage my situation. Who knows, this might actually give me a beneficial result in the end.'' Thinking as such, it initiated contact with Ianon.


    [Host, Grisha, thedy that had apanied Compass Carburettor is requesting to meet with you]


    ''Is that the truth?'' Ianon frowned, ''Or, are you nning to trap me and get me killed?''


    [If you die, my death too is guaranteed. So, I won''t do that. But, I cannot say with assurance if there is a trap or not. You should determine that with your abilities]


    ''Fair enough.'' Ianon smiled, closing the book that he was looking at, causing it to vanish, "I''ve pretty much figured out what has been happening here anyway. The situation with Rhizen is pretty murky, huh. Calling them Devils is a pretty perfect analogy."


    Obviously, as the Host to the Conspiracy yer System, ever since he met Compass Carburettor and Dwun, Ianon had been wondering about a lot of things. And after that, he began to look into things, starting from Rhizen.


    Immediately after that, he was pretty shocked when he discovered the truth about the Chenger that was next to him. Though, he didn''t utter a word about that and continued forth with his investigation.


    He left the fortress, returned to the vi that Rhizen had bought and fortified. Upon seeing the destruction to the ce, he looked into the debris, gathering clues that allowed him to understand things better.


    After that, he trailed after the tracks left there, eventually finding Shyvern''s group, spying on them to gather all the information. He also used his abilities to tap into various records in the public service stations, gathering all the data rted to the individuals there.


    And, he was also there when Compass Carburettor had attacked them to kidnap Jionerd and Zach, understanding Grisha''s statement on that day when she didn''t seem worried about Compass Carburettor''s potential death at Dwun''s attack.


    By then, he had already arrived at the truth about the Systems. Though he wasn''t aware of details rted to System World and such, he was at least privy to the fact that Systems entered the bodies of certain individuals with a certain purpose.


    When he had asked the Conspiracy yer System about it, he was met with silence. But, ever since he saw Compass Carburettor target two System Hosts, he was aware that the other party had also sensed his existence.


    And he was waiting to be contacted. And now that Grisha had done so, he smiled, already ready. Summoning his short sword, he allowed it to carry him through the air as hended in a nearby forest and made his way towards Grisha, easily detecting her position.


    "You called me?" He asked, stopping a couple metres before Grisha.


    "In truth, I wish to speak with the entity inside you." Grisha said, "Can you ry everything it says?"


    [I''m fine with it]


    "It says it''s fine with it." Ianon nodded, curious about what she wished to say.


    "This is what my Lord had proposed." Grisha took in a deep breath before stating everything that she was told to say, "A hundred thousand Mental Energy. That''s your payment for every devil you kill. And, a ten thousand Mental Energy every time you leak the schemes of those in that group behind you. Of course, all of them would be paid to you immediately."


    [This¡­]


    The Conspiracy yer System was shocked at the generous offer. Ianon heard it mumble nonstop like a drunkard, surprised at the terms Grisha listed, making him realise that he hadn''t delved into the depth of the scheme that he had uncovered yet.


    Honestly, it made him excited as he focused on every single word Grisha uttered and anticipated the Conspiracy yer System''s reaction¡­ Soon after, his eyes widened in surprise.

 Chapter 317: Slay The Slayer

    <h4>Chapter 317: y The yer</h4>


    "Fuck! I died!" Emerging from the ground in a parchednd was a lone strand of grass, one that condensed a mouth that cursed in response.


    The stalk of grass slowly grew in size, gaining mass over time as it soon grew into the size of a tree. After that, it squirmed, jutting out of the ground as it condensed into the figure of Dwun that gasped as he copsed on the ground.


    The roots slowly exited the ground and returned to his feet as he panted,cking energy. Even as a Grassmen, he had taken significant damage.


    "That freaking porcin is dangerous!" He muttered, shuddering in response.


    Of course, he was referring to the Elf. Earlier, when he was rampaging around Shyvern''s hideout by relying upon the almost infinite vitality of the Grassmen, the other System Hosts were slowly getting cornered.


    After all, there was a limit to how long they could fight. Even if they had a lot of energy, they weren''t killing machines that didn''t get tired. But he, on the other hand, had no such restrictions, capable of fighting nonstop.


    And, as long as a part of his body was buried underground, it replenished him with enough resources to fight. Moreover, he tried to convert his foes into Grassmen and bring them under his control.


    And as long as the fight dragged on, his advantage continued to increase. After all, even though his enemies had the capabilities to overpower him, theycked the means to kill him.


    But, that changed once the Elf arrived at the ce, instantly unleashing a spell that targeted all the grass, causing it to wilt as its moisture was sucked out.


    Within a matter of seconds, Dwun was killed.


    Thankfully for him, he had already nted his seed in somece far away, hence able to revive now. But upon recalling the Elf''s expression of arrogance, he shuddered, "Fuck! He''s overpowered!"


    Back at the mansion, the Elf gazed at Shyvern and Kta, the Host to the Face pping System, saying, "You''ve lost the initiative this time. Group up and swarm the enemy this time. I''ll handle Compass."


    Even though it seemed like the Elf was talking to them, in reality, he was addressing the Systems in them. They had already interacted with the Elf in the previous loops, so they were aware of its strength.


    So, the moment they received its orders, a meeting began in the Astral Network.


    [Face pping (Level 10): I fear we should change our ns. The yer has already warned of our weakness. We shouldn''t push our luck so much, especially since Young Master and Reality Marble have been kidnapped by our enemy]


    [Viin Maker (Level 9): I concur. We should group up first and decide from there.]


    [Happy-Go-Lucky (Level 88): Don''t rush into a decision yet. The reason we don''t wish to group everyone is that if you are at one ce, it''ll be easier for the Coincidental Luck System to target you]


    [Face pping (Level 10): Bur sir, there were four of us in one ce, but despite that, two of us had been kidnapped. This early into the apocalypse, the advantages of our Hosts haven''t umted enough. If we had a couple of years to prepare, it would be easier]


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): By then, Rhizen would be even more troublesome. He''s our goal. The rest are but a distraction]


    [Beast Form System (Level 9): Your Majesty, I think it''ll be better for us to group up. As long as the big Lords support us with your luck, we won''t have to worry about Coincidental Luck and kill both Rhizen and the enemy]


    [Destiny Luck (Level 92): You make a fair enough point. With the support of my luck, your Hosts would soon obtain the means to travel far without trouble. And Happy-Go-Lucky''s luck will support you once you group up]


    The Destiny Luck System thenid out an borate n that involved using the luck of every luck-based System that was present in the group. Even if the rest of the luck-based Systems recognised its scheme, they couldn''t go against it for the time being.


    After all, if they revolted, there was a good chance Destiny Luck System and Coincidental Luck System would partner to deal with all the luck-based Systems first before duking it out between each other.


    So, they could only swallow their anger and go along with the n.


    [Happy-Go-Lucky (Level 88): Alright, once you group up, I''ll support you]


    ¡­


    ''Guess that''s the n for now.'' The Beast Form System thought as it generated a Quest to Krager to group up at a certain location. After that, thanks to the support of Destiny Luck, he managed to obtain the power of a certain bird that he had been aiming for all along.


    ¡­


    A dayter, in a certain marsnd were countless crocodiles that roamed around, with the weakest of them sporting two horns while the strongest already had four horns. And at the very entre existed a massive reptilian creature, emanating a suffocating aura, having already begun to grow its fifth horn, attaining status as the lord of the region.


    Its authority affected not only the crocodiles but also the other creatures in the region.


    At present, the crocodile half peaked in the shallow water, opening its mouth to take in the sunlight, appearing docile.


    Situated atop its back was a straw umbre,rge enough to resemble a house. And, arranged underneath it were around thirty chairs. Seated among one of them was a teenager, looking bored as he drank some coconut juice.


    He donned a piece of scaly armour, looking like it was created using crocodile skin. As he continued to wait, a breathtakingly beautifuldynded, retracting her swan-like wings as she looked around, uttering through her chirpy voice, "Am I the first to arrive?"


    "A beauty!" The teenagerughed as he got up and offered her a seat, taking out some juice that he presented to her.


    Right after her arrival, shadows appeared in the sky as countless figuresnded atop the crocodile''s back one after another. The aura exuded by some caused even the crocodile to be rmed.


    The teenager patted it, calming him down as he received everyone, offering them some coconut juice as he spoke, "Everyone, thank you for arriving. I know you are tired from the long travel, but we already have a task to do. One of us has been trapped by what is known as a yer¡­ We have to rescue ourrade and y the yer."

 Chapter 318: Straxia Arrives

    <h4>Chapter 318: Straxia Arrives</h4>


    "Let us y the yer." The teenager said, hoping to rile up everyone. But in actuality, none responded to his words, calmly seated in their respective seats, drinking their coconut juices.


    Their nonchnce caused him to blush in embarrassment, turning the atmosphere awkward immediately.


    "It''s only natural that everyone behaves like this." The breathtakingly beautifuldy calmly said, continuing to drink her juice, "We''ve all arrived here under orders. I think this is one thing everyone must realise."


    Her tone caused everyone to turn tense as sheughed, herughter containing mockery, "Until now, every damn one of you had been deluded into thinking that you alone are special, right? But, you''re wrong. Every single one of us gathered here is special in our own right. We have special abilities and are guided by special entities."


    "Let''s first establish the ground rules here. We''ll think of everything else next." She spoke, turning silent, sporting a gentle smile.


    Pale brownish-crimson hair, one that looked like willow leaves in the autumn that had almost wilted. A pair of eyes that seemed unnatural, jet-ck at first nce but had minor twinkling to it as one stares at it for long, long enough to get mesmerised and be lost.


    Her hair was tied into a bun, entuating her long neck as all she wore was a thin vest, underneath which her ripped muscles bulged out. Pierced through her nose was a crystalline rod, looking painful at first nce. And when it reflected the incident sunlight, it caused staring at her face difficult.


    She had such unique features that one couldn''t help but continue to stare at her for long. And from the moment she began to speak, everyone subconsciously quieted down.


    Lips pursed, she began to speak, "I''m Straxia. The only reason I''m telling my name is that you''re ignorant about it. As for your names, your abilities, your motives, and your ambitions, tuck it within your belts. It''s unnecessary. I know them already."


    "But, that''s not why we''re here." She spoke, watching the group stir up, "I can tell with a nce that none of you have the intentions to cooperate with others, not with the eight-grade syndrome disorder that''s ring up within your fragile egos. Since we''re here as a group, to cooperate for our shared interests, I''ll be the one taking the charge, not this brat."


    "Lady, I''m not a mere brat." The teenager looked offended, despite him admiring the side view of her face until a moment ago.


    "Velcorn, right?" Straxia nodded, "You''ve experienced a couple of battles and have obviously won all of them. But, other than your first battle, have you ever faced a crisis?"


    She stared right at him, making eye contact. Her eyes had so much power in them that he broke eye contact within a second, facing the side as he muttered, "No, I overpowered them."


    He then spoke, indignant, "But, that only shows my power, you know. I can easily overpower my opponents, no matter who they are."


    "Not with the one we''re about to face, you won''t be able to." Straxia shook her head before looking through the group, spotting Ianon among them as she smiled, saying, "Care to enlighten us about him, Ianon?"


    ''Thisdy is different from the rest.'' Ianon had been silent from the start, observing everyone as he was gathering information about them. At first nce, he was perplexed, wondering how such people had managed to survive until now.


    Because honestly speaking, what he could perceive from them was rashness and a stark sense of idiocrasy. It was a sign of blundering fools that would have been the first to die or would have caused the death of at least hundreds in a crisis. They were pretty much of that type.


    But somehow, not only had they survived, but all of them were brimming with powerful auras, something only those with a crystal-clear presence of mind and solid level-headedness would have been able to achieve.


    After all, this was pretty much a hundred days into the apocalypse. Attaining such might so early on wouldn''t have been possible, at least for the likes grouped before him. This had been puzzling him all along.


    Sure, he had wondered about the same with Dwun and Shika too. But, Dwun had something simr to animal instincts. He was a brute, but he wasn''tpletely reckless. Moreover, the man had a desire to grow stronger and was pretty smart in that regard.


    He also grew rmingly during a fight.


    As for Shika, the first time he gazed at her, he could immediately tell that something about her was off. She was possessing enormous potential, potential that he could sense, one that was like a vast sea inparison to every human that he had seen to date, including Rhizen''s.


    It was her character that was weak, not her capability.


    But, most among the group before himcked any capability. He immediately asked his System, ''System, among these people before me, if they hadn''t possessed a System, how many would have attained their current strength?''


    [That''s easy to predict. Among this group, there are only three. First is you, second is Shyvern, and as for the third, she, Straxia is pretty interesting. If not for her System, she would have actually been stronger than her current self]


    ''Stronger¡­than her current self?'' Ianon was shocked, ''How is that possible? Despite your objectives, the abilities, Skills, and items you give out are a cut above the rest.''


    [That''s the charm about her. Let me be honest for this one time. In this world, right after Rhizen, she''s the most sought-after target for most Systems. And for some Systems, her value exceeds Rhizen''s]


    ''Did you think of targeting her too?'' Ianon asked, a bit offended by the thought.


    [Well¡­I''ll be lying if I said I didn''t. Based on the capability of using my abilities, she exceeds you by a tiny amount]


    ''Fine¡­'' Snorting mentally, Ianon gazed at Straxia, "Before we talk about him, we should also address the reason everyone''s been summoned here. Don''t you think so, Straxia?"


    "Fair enough, go ahead¡­" Straxia rested her chin on her hands, smiling as she gazed at Ianon with interest.

 Chapter 319: There’s A Telephone In Me

    <h4>Chapter 319: There¡¯s A Telephone In Me</h4>


    "Everyone here is strong, that''s a given. I''m not sure if you''ve yet to realise this based on Straxia''s words, but the same entity lives within us in different forms." Ianon began to speak, controlling the urge to facepalm when he noticed the eyes of most of the people widened in shock and surprise at his words.


    Trying his best to not bring out any words induced with mockery, he said, "For argument''s sake, let''s call these entities Telephones. We cannot understand their reason for existence, but they help us in surviving this apocalypse. And, for the same argument, let us address people like us as Tel Operators."


    "What''s¡­with the analogy? They don''t make a connection." One of them snorted immediately, sporting a smug expression as if the world revolved around him.


    "It doesn''t need to make any sense. It''s just a word anyway." Ianon talked a bit faster, wondering why he was even bothering to do this, venting internally, ''System, what exactly did yourrades see in them?''


    [Pretty much nothing. It''s not like we need them to have any quality to be frank. Anyone we possess will rise to the top of the world]


    ''They why even bother lusting after Rhizen and Straxia?''


    His System chose to stay silent for that, aware that if it told him that, Ianon would be able to grasp the bigger picture sooner orter.


    Snorting in response, Ianon said, "Basically, certain entities are born that hunt us Tel Operators. And, one of them has grown so strong that all Telephones are threatened. We''ve been grouped together to deal with that entity we call a yer."


    "Wonderfully exined." Straxia pped her hands as she continued, "That''s the entire purpose in our meeting here. If we had set off right away like a certain someone wanted to, we would have rushed towards our deaths."


    Velcorn''s face reddened further at her words being directed at him. Honestly, he only wished to lead them due to the Quest he had been assigned. But now, he had lost the initiative.


    "Though, I won''t me him. Considering the situation, the less we know, the better it is." Straxia said before getting up.


    Everyone was confused by her final statement as Ianon subtly frowned, ''She''s implying that if Compass Carburettor manages to capture someone, he wouldn''t be able to pry out the details about everyone from that person. As expected, she is also guarded against the possibility of a traitor amongst us, whether it is now or in the future.''


    Upon seeing Velcorn''s face lit up at her words, Ianon didn''t know whether tough or cry, ''Bro, she wasn''t praising you.''


    Straxia looked at the group, "Does anyone have abilities rted to travel? We need something that could carry the entire group."


    "Actually, I can do that." Velcorn said, pointing at the crocodile they were standing upon, "That is precisely the reason everyone has been told to assemble here."


    "Then, let''s get going," Straxia said before taking a seat, watching Velcorn close his eyes for a moment as a vast aura emanated from him, shocking most of those gathered at the ce.


    There wasn''t any doubt of his strength. It was pretty apparent now as to why he hadn''t faced any difficulties in battling after his first battle.


    The skies darkened as a flock of birds arrived,nding atop the crocodile. Each spanned a height of two metres, possessing toughened scales in ce of skin, sporting two pairs of wings, and afortable saddle on their backs. As for their head though, it looked like a chick''s, meek in nature.


    "I''ve already prepared for our journey. I call them Vocrators." Velcorn smiled, "Don''t underestimate them based on their meek appearance. They can travel above the speed of sound. And most of all, their burst element works passively, acting as a barrier to negate air resistance. So, you wouldn''t actually feel anything while sitting on their backs. And, they can travel for an hour before requiring replenishment."


    "That should be enough." Straxia nodded as she climbed atop a Vocrator that she liked, "I believe everyone already knows our destination. It''s being constantly ryed by that trapped Telephone."


    "If we proceed south, we''ll intercept their flight," Ianon muttered, watching Straxia nod in response.


    They boarded their respective Vocrators and took off to the air, speeding towards the south immediately. Based on the route taken by Compass Carburettor''s aircraft, they could intercept it from the front within forty minutes of travel.


    As they flew, Ianon calmed himself before fluctuating his emotions, ''Anger, Anger, Giddiness, Anger, Sadness.''


    He constantly varied his emotions while thinking of Grisha, transmitting Mental Energy to her. Even though she wasn''t able to read the contents in Mental Energy, she was able to perceive the emotions using Secret Society.


    And, they had alreadymunicated beforehand of a codenguage to transmit simple messages.


    And at present, the contents that he transmitted to her were simple, ''40 minutes to approach him. One of us can control mutated beasts.''


    [She replied that she got the message]


    The Conspiracy yer System said to Ianon after receiving Grisha''s Mental Energy stream, also rying the information that she had perceived based on the output he sent.


    After observing that she got everything correctly, he sent three happy signals to her as a show of confirmation. This was to prevent any mimunication. Compass Carburettor had a habit of nit-picking details in regards to stuff he already understood.


    So, to ensure there were no misunderstandings, he had created such a mechanism. This way, only after Ianon confirmed her readings would Grisha take action ordingly.


    ¡­


    Seated underground in herboratory where she was creating External Items, Grisha smiled upon obtaining confirmation from Ianon, gazing at the massive chart before her that she had created for their codenguage.


    As for Ianon, his System helped drill the information directly into his mind, preventing him from forgetting it. So, it was easy.


    As for her, she too wouldn''t forget due to her possessing the effect of Remembrance. But, she had kept one just in case.


    ''Compass, they''ll reach you in 40 minutes. It consists of all the System Hosts except Dwun¡­'' After rying the message, she received a reply from him, sighing as she was worried, ''I hope you finish it on time and escape.''

 Chapter 320: It’s Recognition

    <h4>Chapter 320: It¡¯s Recognition</h4>


    ''One¡­o-one more¡­gahhhhh!'' Compass Carburettor screamed mentally as Dita mped on his thumb this time, slowly pulling it off until it was yanked out of his body.


    It had done so slowly, first causing the thumb joint to shatter before peeling it off until the ligaments were torn due to tensile stress. The pain was unimaginable.


    And, the same thing was happening on all four sides. The final devouring was slow and painful, continuing with one finger after another. He had four limbs and five fingers on each. The four mutated beasts slowly feasted upon them.


    ''Eeeek!''


    Golda mped upon his index finger, crushing his bones before pulling the entirety out of its socket, gobbling it up.


    ''Dammit, it hurts like hell!'' Compass Carburettor felt his consciousness waning as they had only swallowed ten of his fingers. There was still half from where that came from, not to mention the rest of his body.


    ''I¡­won''t give up.'' Slowly, his life shed before him.


    Aged 13, Ford Stavis Convent; a young Compass Carburettor, bullied for his ridiculous name.


    "Did your parents hate you? What the heck''s up with your name?" A freckled-faced boyughed, mming his shoes into his face.


    "Shut up! Don''t you dare talk about them!" Compass Carburettor shouted in rage, mming a fist into the freckled-faced boy, causing blood to bleed out of his nose. But, the opponent''s shoe also smacked him in return, causing his head to spin as he copsed to the ground, unable to get up for the time being.


    "Just a useless freak. It''s my parents'' hard-earned tax money that can afford education to tramps like you. Screw you and your ugly mug!"


    "Shut¡­up!" Compass Carburettor gasped as his stomach was kicked, puking out in response as his limbscked any strength.


    "Screw¡­you¡­!" He red in hatred at the bullies that thrashed him after that.


    ¡­


    "Compass is not only undisciplined, but he alsocks any mind for studies. As his parents, not only have you failed to educate him, but you''re also supporting him?" The convent headmaster shouted as he red at a man and his son.


    "Sir, please, there''s both sides to everything¡­" Compass''s father tried to exin but the headmaster showed no concern and continued to prattle.


    "The students of hundreds of needy families rely upon our support for education. If your son wishes to study, he needs to behave." The headmaster snorted, "And, if he''s bullied, then so be it. The parents of those bullies are those that fund the lives of our thousands."


    ¡­


    In a dpidated room, a crying Compass gazed at his father, "Dad, why the heck have you named me like this? I''m bullied by both students and teachers for this name."


    "Do you think¡­your name has no value?" His father wiped the blood from the side of his lips, grunting as he downed a ss of alcohol.


    Seeing Compass stare in confusion, he smiled, "Don''t you like cars? Does the name Ford ring a bell to you?"


    "It''s a carpany." Replied Compass.


    "What meaning does Ford have?" His father asked.


    "A¡­brand?" After a moment of thought, this was the answer Compass coulde up with.


    "A brand¡­I guess you could say that. But, suppose Ford wasn''t a carpany but the name of a toilet brush, what do you think those carrying that respected name would feel?" He spoke.


    "They''ll feel awful, daily, just like me." Compass shouted.


    "You''re right, they will." His father spoke, "But, with the same name, they manage to create theirpany and turn it into a giant in the world. Would anyone dare to make fun of that name?"


    "No." Compass shook his head.


    "Why?" His father asked.


    "Because they''re powerful?" Compass replied.


    "That''s one way to say. But in actuality," His father took in a deep breath, "It''s recognition!"


    "Irrespective of what you''re called or what your name implies, your name only has as much value as your aplishments. Turn into a leader, your name would be noble, turn into a terrorist, your name would be taboo."


    "In the end," He exhaled slowly, "It''s your aplishments that give meaning to your name."


    "You should be a philosopher instead of a damn thug. Huh?" The door of their house was smashed open as a group of people sauntered inside, "Talk is cheap. And without paying your debt, your life is cheap too."


    ''Dammit, why now?'' Compass gritted his teeth, ''Dad said he''d arranged the money toe in two days.''


    "Are you thinking of the money that your damn drunkard of a father said would arrive?" One of the thugs snorted upon seeing Compass''s expression.


    Upon seeing his face turn pale at his words, he and his gangughed, "Seems I''ve hit the nail on the head."


    They dragged his unresisting father as one of the thugs said, "The money would return, alright. But not to you. It''ll be used to repay the debt your father owns us. How, you ask?"


    The thug twirled his goatee, smirking, "His insurance, of course. Your old man owned apany before. He trusted his partner too much, losing everything when you were only three years old."


    "Well," Dragging Compass''s dad away, he spoke, "If there''s any money left after repaying the debt, I''ll send it to you. I do have a conscience. You can use it to give a proper burial to your old man."


    "Damn you! Don''t drag him away!" Compass shouted as he rushed out, sent flying back at the same speed by a kick from one of the thugs.


    "We''ll kill him in two days. If you don''t want him to die, prepare the money. It''s in six figures though. Well, not sure if you could even count that far."


    "S-Six figures?" Compass felt his legs go weak upon hearing the number. In a family who hadn''t even seen any proper money, this seemed impossible. But then¡­arrived his gateway¡­to hope.


    [Ding!]


    [Conditions achieved! Activating the Money-Making System! Wee Host, I''m your beloved System]


    ¡­


    ''That''s how I started. Compared to those times, this is nothing.'' His iris contracted as Compass Carburettor felt his consciousness strengthening in response, recalling the only piece of knowledge his father had ever given him.


    ''My name''s only as worth as my aplishments!'' Torn into pieces, his body was eaten up by the four mutated beasts. He endured until the end,pleting the process, attaining the next stage.


    Stage 5!

 Chapter 321: Stage 5

    <h4>Chapter 321: Stage 5</h4>


    Stage 5!


    "Haah¡­ahh¡­sh*t¡­that was horrifying!" Compass Carburettor was drenched in sweat, wriggling on the ground from the after-effects.


    He hurriedly assumed his Haggon form, using its endurance to go through the pain, slowly getting over it as he talked with Grisha, ''How much longer until they arrive?''


    ''Three minutes thirty-two seconds.'' Came her reply.


    "That''s enough time to n things." Sighing in response, Compass Carburettor gazed at the sphere that had formed in the air. It was the Beast Form System. Currently, it was incapable of escaping his Reality Marble, and due to the nature of its existence, it was unable to hold on and was slowly beginning to dissipate.


    He extended his Anthozoa, rapidly sucking it inside in a matter of seconds. But, he controlled himself, aware that this wasn''t the time to deal with it. His enemies were bound to arrive now, so he had to prepare for an escape.


    As for the Beast Form System, if necessary, he nned to use it as his trump card. In its current state, it wasn''t a System Fragment yet but was in actuality the Beast Form System in its whole.


    And, what would happen if he shot this into another System Host?


    The Beast Form System was at Level 9. So of course, for Systems at Level 9 and below, their deaths were guaranteed. Both the Systems would sh until their minds shattered while their Core Skills might just detonate and dissipate.


    For a Level 10 System, it would be severely injured to the extent its mind too would be destroyed. So, this was his trump card now.


    One bullet¡­to take down a System.


    And, he nned to take down the strongest one with that while using the chance to flee.


    "But before that." He sensed within his Dimensional Space, noticing a fifth hill begin to grow, informing through telepathy, ''Dita, that''s your cue.''


    ''Alright!'' Came Dita''s reply as she swallowed the Dragon of System, plundering it whole to their side before fusing the resultant orb into the fifth hill.


    Gong!


    "Gah!" Compass Carburettor shouted as his body turned hot immediately while his skin began to crack. It was the same feeling he had experienced in the Darble World when he tried to utter the word ''System''.


    A beam of light jutted out from the fifth hill as the orb slowly dissolved into it while the Dragon of System''s body lost its body heat immediately, copsing to the ground, dead.


    Its body didn''t dissipate but remained in ce as its figure slowly morphed above the fifth hill. Uponpletion of its appearance, the Dragon of System''s eyes shot open as it unleashed a loud roar, causing everyone living on Carburettor Ind to shudder in fear and copse to the ground.


    But a couple of secondster, the roar stopped as its eyes slowly gained intelligence. The presence of Secret Society turned dense as a vast stream of Mental Energy poured into the fifth hill, slowly causing the Dragon of System to recall everything.


    And in response to the volume of information rted to its abilities that gushed into his mind, Compass Carburettor grunted as he hurriedly digested everything.


    "So¡­this is your true ability¡­" His eyes widened in shock as he slowly extended his hand, causing Mental Energy to gush out of his body and condense into a portal before him, outlining the figure of Grisha.


    At present, he was only able to open it to her.


    Turning around, Compass Carburettor gazed at the state of the Reality Marble, frowning, ''I don''t want this to remain here like this.''


    "Besides, I should give them a greeting, right?" He smiled as most of the ce within the Reality Marble was still full of the Static Force. He slowly altered the space, causing the location resembling the System World to vanish as it turned into a normal forest.


    Appearance-wise, there wasn''t any difference. But in terms of essence, it was wholly different. Moreover, Compass Carburettor slowly increased the kic energy within the ce, causing the Static Force to absorb them all.


    Soon, upon feeling that they had attained the limit to how much they could absorb the Static Force by noticing a minor breeze, he left behind a statue of him using Apocalypse Pearl, covering it with the Mental Energy Body Layer.


    It was in a seated posture, and thanks to the Mental Energy Body Layer, it wasn''t easy to determine whether it was him or not.


    Thanks to Permanence, it remained as such.


    ''Thankfully, I needn''t waste the Beast Form System.'' Thinking as such, he passed through the portal, arriving beside Grisha, shocking her.


    "Gimme some time." Saying so, he sat cross-legged, entering his mind space to begin battling against the Beast Form System. He was already struggling to endure all along and put off not entering it.


    ¡­


    "We''re here!" Straxia said as she gazed at the figure of the energy de aircraft flying towards her. "Take it down!"


    Five System Hosts used an array of abilities, destroying it in a matter of seconds. One of them used a detection-based ability, highlighting the outline of the Reality Marble''s surface.


    ''I see, so this is a trap.'' Ianon already understood based on what Grisha had informed his System. He had more than two minutes to prepare along the way, so he intentionally slowed down a bit to appear flying at the rear end.


    Though, he didn''t fly at the very end, for that would raise suspicions. And once they arrived, he actually flew forward, spreading out as he took a specific spot. This location was informed to him through Grisha, a safe spot where the Static Force wouldn''t target him when unleashed.


    And as it was pretty close to a couple of System Hosts, his actions seemed pretty natural.


    "So, the yer¡­" A xen-haired youth grinned, "He''s inside this, right?"


    "Yes." Straxia nodded, continuing to gaze at the ce.


    "Then why are we waiting?" The xen-haired youth grinned as he took out a badge, "This can destroy that space''s borders instantly."


    Even without any confirmation, he activated the badge, causing it to vanish as a mysterious energy poured on the outlines of the Reality Marble, causing it to crack as the forest within was highlighted.


    And upon seeing the figure of Compass Carburettor inside, shrouded by the cloak of the night, calmly staring at them, a small group of System Hosts grinned and rushed straight at him, entering the shattering Reality Marble.


    Straxia didn''t show any expression, calmly watching them enter, only focusing on them.


    And then¡­Static Force took action.

 Chapter 322: Common Sense…

    <h4>Chapter 322: Common Sense¡­</h4>


    "Greetings, Beast Form. I believe this is the first time we''re conversing." Compass Carburettor extended his hand towards a giant beast.


    The mane of a lion, the eyes of a lizard, the whiskers of a cat, the mouth of an alligator, the tongue of a snake, the ears of a dog, fish gills along the neck, shark fin on the back, the skin of a rhinoceros, the feet of a gecko, etc.


    The features of everything single animal and beast were perfectly integrated into this entity that at first nce, one would think it made actual sense. Such was the Beast Form System.


    Currently, it was bound by energy de whips that prevented it from moving. And lying on the ground, beaten, battered, and crushed were the carcasses of countless beasts, all that it had transformed into.


    All of them resembled a sieve, riddled with bullet wounds. And, most of themcked any limbs, seemingly as if they had been turned into dust, judging by the sand that was on the ground.


    It was the remains of their limbs that had been disintegrated as such.


    "yer¡­curse you." The Beast Form System opened its mouth, screaming in regret. It had been defeated, soundlessly so, with all its means soundly countered by Compass Carburettor.


    "Beast Form¡­that''s your name, your ability, and¡­" Compass Carburettor muttered, his eyes sharpening, "Your achilles heel."


    "I''ve been thinking about it," Ignoring its roars, Compass Carburettor tapped the underside of his chin with his thumb, pondering as he talked, "What makes a System so¡­omnipotent. Is it just because of Mental Energy? Is it due to the universality and versatility of their powers? Just what makes them so¡­different and special."


    "Hmph, you''ll never get anything from me." The Beast Form snorted.


    "I know about that. You''re not the first System I''ve killed." Compass Carburettor sighed, gazing up as he spoke, "I''m just rambling on now since I have a bit of free time on my hands. The Systems, what is your origin, what is so different about you that¡­everyone desires to be your ve?"


    "Honestly, I''m not sure anymore." He massaged his forehead, "Before, I thought I knew about it. To grow, Systems would select Hosts and give them Quests. And when the Quests arepleted, they are rewarded with a variety of things, all of which are better than what the Host could ever hope to gain through his abilities. Given, this behaviour can be considered that the Systems just wish to progress and grow. That''s all."


    "But, now, after obtaining this recent ability of mine, I''m not so sure anymore." His face convulsed as he gazed at the bound Beast Form System, "Even though what I obtained is only a fake, a sham aspared to the original, it is still a cheap knockoff. And, there''s one piece of information in it that doesn''t make sense."


    "A System¡­doesn''t need a Host to survive. No, that''s wrong. Or rather," He gazed at the Beast Form System, "If you wish, you can instantly take over your Host, destroy their mind and soul and wear their bodies as a container to move around in the world freely. But, why haven''t you done that?"


    "You, the Beast Form System, the one I killed before, the Reality Marble System, the Young Master System, Night Ranger System, Remembrance System, and even Directional Misalignment System. If this was possible, it shouldn''t have been possible for me to kill any of you." He muttered, watching the Beast Form System silently stare at him.


    "What¡­exactly are you creatures?"


    "I believe, it''s best if you end this battle now. You''ll neither get any answer nor even so much as a hint from me." The Beast Form System closed its eyes, showing no sign of resistance, anger, indignation, and the other emotions that it had shown before.


    "I see, right, it makes sense." Compass Carburettor muttered, "Since when did I assume that Systems had emotions, hah¡­haha¡­hahaha!"


    He began tough, "Such a deep level of brainwashing that it had bemon sense for me."


    The Beast Form System silently stared at him, expressing no emotions, silent, like a statue, but still full of life.


    Staring at such an entity, he shuddered, feeling fear, noticing his limbs trembling. He realised that while grasping straws, he had managed to touch one, just once, a mild graze. But, he felt it, realising that he had stumbled upon something greater, vast, terrifying, something he wasn''t prepared to face.


    ''Wait, by refining them, am I actually killing them?'' This thought popped into his mind.


    ''Even if I kill them, they exist. When I kill them in my mind, their Core Skill still remains behind. And then, if Systems are representative of certain concepts, then¡­'' He turned around, looking, for the first time observing this ce that he had addressed as his mind space.


    He had treated it asmon sense. But in actuality, this shouldn''t have beenmon sense. How would he, a mortal human living on Earth know about things like the mind space that hadn''t existed in him before?


    A jet-ck ce resembling the depths of space,cking any semnce of life. And, hovering in one ce of it was him, behaving like he was walking onnd while in actuality, he had been walking on the void.


    As for the Systems that he had fought until now, they too had done the same, running around like there actually existed and underneath them.


    Compass Carburettor kneeled before a carcass, observing that there was nothing underneath it to keep it in ce. Using an energy de hand, he crushed the carcass, causing tiny parts of it to fall on the ground.


    Ground!


    Ground that didn''t exist, but acted like it did.


    There wasn''t anything like that.


    ''What¡­the heck? Why did I never think about it before?'' Compass Carburettor was startled at the observation, wondering what the heck was up with him, to think he was oblivious to something so tantly obvious.


    His heart thumped as he ced his hand on the ''ground'', not able to feel anything. But, as if he hade into contact with the ground there, his hand stopped perfectly. Even the muscles on his palm were slightlypressed, as if there was ss forming the ground.


    But, he didn''t feel it.


    ''There is no ground.''


    And when this thought took root in his mind, his hands passed below. And then¡­


    Everything fell through.

 Chapter 323: You Sought The Truth, Didn’t You?

    <h4>Chapter 323: You Sought The Truth, Didn¡¯t You?</h4>


    "I''m falling! Sh*t!" Compass Carburettor screamed as another thought resounded in his mind, ''I''m¡­falling? Isn''t that only possible due to gravity? Is that even here?''


    As the thought sank into his mind, he noticed he had stopped falling. Moreover, in response to him, everything that he was aware of, whether it be the Beast Form System, the carcasses of the countless beasts it had turned into during their battle, the bullet shells that his Earth had shot forth and the threes in his control.


    All had fallen alongside him, with their rtive speed being zero.


    As for the Beast Form System, it calmly stared at him, like a human that gazed at dirt while bored. But, it didn''t even express the emotion of boredom and just¡­stared.


    "Do you wish to know the truth?"


    ''Just what the heck is up with this ce?'' Compass Carburettor scowled as he continued to tremble in fear, ''Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!''


    Slowly, a group of shadows began to creep towards him as soon after, thanks to the light emanated by the Darble World, their figures were highlighted.


    "You¡­you guys. H-How are you still here?" His eyes widened as one figure after another began to appear, "Night Ranger, Reality Marble, Young Master¡­"


    Every single System that he had killed slowly arrived, beaten and battered, missing a majority of their bodies. But here they were, emotionless like pirs of rock.


    "Look who found us!" Suddenly, a familiar voice resounded as he turned around immediately, watching a familiar bipedal creature resembling a coin appear, slowly revealing its bloody grin.


    "How¡­the heck are you here?" Compass Carburettor stared at it, shouting, "Money-Making System!"


    "You sought the truth, didn''t you?" It grinned when suddenly, countless figures materialised behind it, surrounding Compass Carburettor on all sides.


    The moment he gazed at them, the illusion of a book flipping shed past his mind, followed by the scene of a thumb scrolling through a phone. His emotions were slowly being stretched taut as Compass Carburettor gazed at them, muttering their names that magically appeared in his mind, "Gene System, Goldfinger, Zombie System, Mecha System¡­what the heck? Why are you here? You''re not even real¡­"


    "You''re just from the novels I''ve read!"


    ¡­


    "Aaah!" His eyes shot open as he screamed, gasping for air as he noticed his skin felt too dry, like he had been basking under the sun in the middle of the desert.


    "Compass, are you alright?" Grisha rushed to his help, noticing his skin turning dry rapidly as she quickly sshed a bucket of water on him, observing his condition ease up a bit. She then used a wet cloth to rub on his skin and prevent it from cracking due to whatever was happening to him.


    "You mysteriously appeared here and then sat on the ground. And now, you''re shouting all of a sudden!"


    "I¡­" Compass Carburettor frowned, sensing information rted to the Beast Form System gush into his mind, making him recall that he had killed it by the end of his rambling session.


    ''Then, what was that after that?'' His breathing grewboured as blood leaked out of his nose, causing him to rapidly lose strength as he slumped to the ground, causing Grisha to shout at him in hurry.


    "Compass!" Summoning her wand, Grisha healed him as her body too trembled from time to time as mysterious memories gushed into her mind, rming her. Not only did these memories make no sense, but they somewhat terrified her.


    After all, she could feel something form in her body, like a seed sprouting after having taken root. She not only felt her body growing stronger, but her mind too was changing, experiencing growth, changing into something beyond and beneath a human.


    It terrified her, despite her experiences of so many loops.


    "What the heck happened there?" She frowned, worried as her heart thumped at increasing intensities, causing her to recall the times when Compass Carburettor said things that made no sense or meant otherwise.


    She had already been worrying about what he had expressed during a couple of asions before. And now, the changes flustered her.


    "I''m¡­fine." Compass Carburettor wheezed as he noticed all the changes in his body die down and vanish, watching the healing effect heal himpletely, including the injuries he had sustained before.


    He slowly closed his eyes, recalling the scene where hundreds of Systems stared at him, causing him to tremble in response, "Those were just stories. But, what rtion does that have with my current state? Have those stories nted something in my mind? Is that it? Like a sleeper cell of some sort?"


    "No, even if they have any substance of reality, why appear now? What was the reason? Did I stumble upon a catalyst?" As he spoke, his eyes widened, recalling the Dragon of System. After obtaining its ability, this had been triggered in him.


    ''Do you know anything?'' He contacted it immediately.


    ''N-no, what''s up with these memories? It makes no sense! Are these yours?'' The Dragon of System said in panic, obviously feeling fear, as it seemed to have also experienced what he had seen due to sharing authority in Secret Society.


    ''I''ve no idea.'' Compass Carburettor closed his eyes, ''No, thinking about this would only turn me mad. A short few minutes had already turned me half-insane. I''ll only focus on my objective and ignore everything else. There''s no point in stressing myself out so much.''


    "How long had I been like this?" He asked Grisha.


    Until now, she had been hearing everything he uttered, wholly confused, worried that he had lost his mind. Now, upon seeing him gradually regain his bearings, she spoke, "It has been seventeen days since your arrival."


    "Seventeen days?" Compass Carburettor got up with a start, "You''re just joking, right?"


    "Look around you and recall the state of things when you arrived. That''s the best indicator of the passage of time." Grisha said, pointing at a row of cylinders in one corner.


    When Compass Carburettor had arrived, there were only five cylinders there. But now, there were more than a dozen there. Based on their appearance, all of them were the External Item of Fortress.


    And considering the material requirement for them and the design cost, plus time, it wasn''t easy to create them. So, it was apparent that enough time had indeed passed by.


    "So, I was in there for seventeen days?" Compass Carburettor clutched his face, trembling as he stared at the ground.

 Chapter 324: Three Attack Teams

    <h4>Chapter 324: Three Attack Teams</h4>


    "Ack!"


    "Uwak!"


    "Sh*t!"


    Screams resounded throughout the ce as Straxia gazed at everything in silence, noticing the countless barriers that she had erected shatter in response before one of her hands had been implicated, causing it to shatter in response.


    But, the rest of her body wasn''t damaged, as if her shattered hand had absorbed all the impact that her body experienced.


    She then noticed Ianon being the sole person that was uninjured among them all, subtly frowning, ''Conspiracy yer¡­as expected. So, he didn''t warn the others despite realising the trap in advance.''


    Though, she too was the same, so Straxia didn''t call him out, easily regenerating her hand as she observed the extent of the damage.


    The group that had entered the Reality Marble were on the verge of death now, all of them. But, luckily, they had survived.


    ''The ability to guard against instant death. So, that''s a System''s innate ability, huh. As expected, anyone else with their powers would have died in that situation.'' She nodded.


    Straxia was different from the other System Hosts in that she was aware of the truth about her world, in that it looped every twenty years. It was because she had the Skill of Remembrance that her System had purchased from the Remembrance System before.


    Thanks to that, she was able to remember everything that had transpired in the previous loops. That''s why she was knowledgeable about all the System Hosts, having met them in the previous loops.


    ''The reason Rhizen is such an annoying opponent is that his immunity to instant death is many times a normal System Host. And, if he isn''t killed in an instant, his luck would cause him to take advantage of any situation. The fact that he has the presence to take advantage of any chance is what makes him terrifying.'' She coted her thoughts, gazing at the jet-ck figure of Compass Carburettor vanish, along with the rest of the Reality Marble.


    ''It seems he has timed this ability to expire ten seconds after our arrival. It''s obvious now that he has a method to detect our arrival.'' She continued to think, observing everything that existed in the Reality Marble, unblinking, collecting information about her opponent.


    "Dammit, this was a trap!" The xen-haired youth healed himself, shouting in rage as he stood on the ground. He was just nning to shout further to express his rage when he flinched upon his System''s shout, noticing the grass on the ground drilling into his legs, "Sh*t!"


    He leaped into the air as a mysterious light fluctuated in his legs, severing them as he regenerated another pair, condensing a surfing board on which hended. He then surfed in the air as he did on water.


    "This grass is terrifying." He muttered, seeing his severed legsnd on the ground and turn into a Grassman''s immediately. And slowly, the legs grew, eventually condensing a body that was no different to his, causing him to shudder as his Grassman counterpart stared at him with acent smile.


    "Don''t engage with it." Before he could attack it, a System Host stopped him, saying, "You''ll only be wasting your strength. You''ve just been injured severely, so don''t push yourself."


    "You''re right about that." He gritted his teeth, ring at his Grassman counterpart, asking mentally, ''System, will that cause me harm in the future?''


    [Maybe]


    Upon hearing his System''s vague reply, his blood boiled as he unleashed an attack on his Grassman counterpart, shing it into pieces.


    But, the grass on the ground simply swerved into the severed pieces before re-joining them into a whole. The Grassman gazed at him, smirking before it copsed into strands of grass that retreated into the ground.


    "That annoying bastard!" The xen-haired youth grunted in anger upon seeing his Grassman counterpart escape.


    He was also angry because his System only gave him a vague reply. He was the typical System ve, nothing without the System''s help.


    And, if his System didn''t spoon-feed him the information, he raged forth like a baby.


    Upon seeing the xen-haired youth''s actions, Straxia turned around, noticing Ianon facepalm in embarrassment. "If you are feeling that embarrassed, you needn''t journey with us, you know."


    "Good suggestion." Ianon shed her a thumbs up, "I''ve faced Compass before, so I''m not exactly afraid of him."


    "I can manage on my own. Though," He snorted upon gazing at the others around him, "Without my presence, they''ll all fatten him up."


    "You''re right about that. So, what do you propose?" Straxia asked, "We know that Compass is able to use our abilities upon killing us. So, we can''t exactly treat anyone else here as cannon fodder."


    "borate ns against him wouldn''t work. He''s a great schemer himself." Ianon said, "So, the simplest option would be to swarm him in groups of five. That''s our best bet."


    "Why five?" Straxia frowned, "Based on my calction, teams of seven are better in terms of effectiveness."


    "That''s debatable, I guess." Ianon said, "We can send both teams of five and teams of seven against him and see which works the best."


    "That''s foolish. He''ll be aware of our abilities if we take trial runs like that." Straxia retorted.


    "Then, what do you propose?" Ianon frowned.


    "We''ll make three teams of seven. As for the rest, I''ll divide them into teams of three ording to their abilities. They''ll work on misceneous tasks like scouting for his actions, reporting upon his abilities, taking note of his allies, etc." She spoke.


    "And, the three main teams would attack Compass on various fronts and corner him, both physically and mentally." Straxia said, "That way, irrespective of his strength, he''ll fall soon after."


    "Then, let''s do that." Ianon nodded, "Though, if I feel it''s not working, I''ll lead the teams."


    "Fair enough, the better capable among us leads everyone." Straxia smiled in response, unaffected by the chaos of the Static Force.


    "These two¡­" Shyvern was on the ground, having frozen the grass around him as he gazed at the backs of Ianon and Straxia, frowning for a moment before smirking, "Well, you won''t seed. Rhizen''s death is in my hands. But before that¡­"


    "He must suffer."

 Chapter 325: Thank You, Lord Gahrat

    <h4>Chapter 325: Thank You, Lord Gahrat</h4>


    "These are the reports that Ianon has sent us in the past seventeen days." Grisha took out a book and handed it to him. Among it, five pages of content were filled.


    Having rested a little, Compass Carburettor grabbed hold of the book and went through the information.


    The three attack teams were familiarising themselves with their teams and working together. The past two weeks were used to nullify their differences and make them willing to work with one another.


    And now, they had be a solid team of System Hosts, with each bing stronger. But, they weren''t yet nning to target him.


    The scout teams were already scouring through the apocalypse world, setting markers of sorts at various locations that were capable of recognising him, irrespective of the form he took. This way, the moment he made a move, he would alert them of his position.


    The world was big, so there was a lot ofnd to scour through. But, they were casting the starting from Rhizen. This was because, at the end of the day, the goal of he, as a yer was to protect Rhizen.


    As this information was made known to them, they were setting up multiple traps around him. This way, when they targeted Rhizen, he wouldn''t be able to do anything. The moment he tried to save Rhizen, he would fall prey to the traps.


    And, they nned to slowly increase the scale of the after that. But until then, they didn''t n to target either him or Rhizen.


    It was a n that would only begin after two months.


    Currently, Compass Carburettor had 43 days before they all ganged upon him. It was hard to guard against them, especially after his experience against Krager.


    Since he was already aware of Compass Carburettor''s abilities, Krager put up a strong fight, almost cornering Compass Carburettor.


    And now, Compass Carburettor lost both the initiative and the element of surprise. Moreover, none of them would fall for his fake death anymore. They would definitely camp at his death grounds and execute him upon revival.


    And worst of all, after digesting the information rted to Beast Form, he realised that this Core Skill was useless to him. It was because it worked against him.


    After the initial shock, Compass Carburettor began to ponder about everything that he had seen. It made him realise the oversight in his previous n.


    Using System Fragments to grow stronger wasn''t realistically possible in the long run. After all, each System Fragment was unique and unleashed its respective effect. And, there obviously were the chances of them shing with each other due to the domains they were from.


    It was like how if he obtained Beast Form System as either a Core Skill or used it as a System Fragment on himself, his Dimensional Space would copse.


    It was because, Dimensional Space was a product of this Apocalypse World, possessed by Shika. And, this was in her because her sentience had reached a terrifying scale even before the apocalypse.


    And once the apocalypse started, it was condensed as a second space in her body.


    As for the Beast Form Core Skill, it turned one into a beast. And in the apocalypse world, one was considered a beast if their sentience was below a certain line. Beasts wouldn''t have a space in them and existed to be captured and wielded by those possessing a space. That was the core rule of this apocalyptic world.


    So, if he obtained the power of Beast Form, it would sh with his Dimensional Space. Either his Dimensional Space would shatter or it would be severely damaged, crippled even.


    So, he couldn''t use the power of Beast Form, "So, the more powers I obtain, the narrower my route of development bes. If I obtain conflicting abilities, I''ll prolyl self-destruct. If I don''t wish to do so, I must select a genre and only absorb Systems from that."


    He sighed, also feeling that this was one of the triggers that had caused him to experience what he had experienced in the mind space before.


    "But thankfully, I have another option now." He thought, leaving the tunnelwork from a faraway location where the hadn''t been cast yet as he flew into the desert, arriving at thework of domes where the horned men lived.


    "Lord Gahrat, we are grateful for your visit." The three-horned woman that acted as their leader prostrated at the front while the rest of the popce did the same a couple of metres behind her.


    Seeing the people, he smiled. Though, as he had arrived after wearing his Mental Energy Body Layer, his expression wasn''t disyed to them.


    He looked at the three-horned woman, asking, "I''ll Bestow upon the horned men the power of the Beast."


    "We are grateful!" The three-horned woman shouted in joy. They were already living happily in the ce. Abundant food, no enemies to worry about, and afortable desert climate that nourished their bodies.


    So, they were already bestowed upon things that were beyond what they could repay. Every day was a festival in their desert.


    And as the horned men grew stronger, they regained more and more of their humanlike intelligence and began to research upon the power system of the apocalypse world.


    And now, hearing that their Lord wanted to bestow upon them a mighty power, they were overwhelmed with joy.


    "Good," Compass Carburettor nodded as he summoned Anthozoa and condensed Beast Form into one of the bullets, shooting it into the three-horned woman, "From today onwards, you''ll be the Queen of the horned men and hence be named¡­"


    "Gana!"


    "Gana!" Everyone shouted in response as the three-horned woman, hence named Gana teared up in joy as immense power welled up from within her.


    She slowly stood up as her body morphed, turning into a Haggon as she bowed once again, saying, "Lord Gahrat, it is my humble pleasure to heed your orders."


    "That''s the same as what Lord Gahrat looked before!" The horned men eximed in shock, watching Gana return to her horned men form.


    "Use this power well." Compass Carburettor nodded as he then apanied Gana towards their treasury where they had stored all the pearls and orbs that they had collected in the past few weeks.


    Upon entering, he was shocked, ''T-This much? How hard are they working?''

 Chapter 326: Dragon Of System’s Abilities

    <h4>Chapter 326: Dragon Of System¡¯s Abilities</h4>


    A mountain of treasure!


    This was the term that popped in his mind upon seeing the hill-like pile of pearls. And in the nearby room was a smaller hill of orbs, shocking him.


    It was apparent that the horned men had taken his words seriously and had worked to the bone to gather such a vast sum within a short duration.


    Compass Carburettor nced at Gana, noticing that she was distracted, her eyes closed, focusing on the power that she obtained and the memory influx that she was experiencing.


    First of all, the power of Beast Form as a Core Skill was different. But when used as a System Fragment, it only allowed one to turn into one mutated beast. And, Compass Carburettor had already selected the beast that the one bestowed with this power would obtain.


    His Haggon Form!


    This was because, when Gana turned into a Haggon, it was a replica of him. And due to that, she possessed all the powers that he, as a Haggon possessed originally before obtaining his Dimensional Space.


    Dac, Transcendence, and the fusion of Dac and Apocalypse Pearl!


    So, in an instant, Gana had turned into a powerhouse, possessing 10,000 Dac, and the abilities of Body Layer, Spydragon, and Mecha. Adding onto the innate regeneration of the Haggon and its own apocalypse world ability, it wasn''t a lie to say she was a powerhouse.


    With this, he obtained a powerfulpanion to join his fights. Even if she couldn''t deal the killing blow to the System Hosts, she could damn well expend their Mental Energy. This was why he turned her into a Haggon.


    At the start, when he had just arrived at the apocalypse world, he nned to select one person and ce all the Core Skills that were unsuitable to him in them. And after meeting Grisha, he had nned to give her all the unnecessary Core Skills.


    But now, thanks to his fifth mutated beast ability, things had changed.


    He closed his eyes, sensing the changes that were transpiring within Gana. She was slowly obtaining the power of a System.


    Though in essence, her Beast Form didn''t change, it was now a Skill. She still couldn''t use it like Krager and take the abilities of every beast he killed. For her, it was like a Passive Skill. The Haggon Form was the only form she could take now.


    And, if she wished to take on the form of some other beast, she had to let go of the Haggon form.


    Technically speaking, she was still part of the horned men race. She wasn''t a System but had obtained a fraction of a System''s power.


    And, this was rted to what Compass Carburettor had attained through the Dragon of System.


    Its ability was pretty much a replica of the System World, though infinitely inferior.


    First was the ability to condense portals. From anywhere in the world, those among his Secret Society possessing the power of Systems like Grisha and Gana were able to create portals and appear within the Dimensional Space.


    And from within the Dimensional Space, they could use his Mental Energy and condense a portal to anywhere in the world. But, the limitation was that their destination portal should point towards a living being.


    Though, when they enter the portal, they''ll only appear beside the pointed target, unlike a System.


    The portal was the first part of the ability. The second was the ability of Grisha and Gana to gather and store Mental Energy in their bodies.


    Compass Carburettor could sense that the limit of Mental Energy they could carry in their bodies was 100,000 Mental Energy.


    The next ability was simr to Astral Network. Grisha and Gana were able to connect to something simr to the Astral Network. In truth, this was just an extension of Secret Society''s means of telepathy, but with the Dragon of System as the core.


    They were able to talk or chat simr to the Astral Network. And most of all, they were able to buy and sell things. At present, this means ofmunication was only avable within the apocalypse world.


    But, Compass Carburettor became aware that once the Dragon of System gained five horns, they would be able to transport items through thiswork even beyond the apocalypse world.


    And, once it obtains ten horns, the functions unlocked would be closer to the Astral Network''s functions, allowing for the trade of semi-animate items like eggs and stuff.


    Having obtained a fraction of a System''s power, they¡ªGana and Grisha¡ªwere able to fragment their Skill and sell it to others within hiswork. Though, this was only limited to the two of them now.


    As for him, he understood that due to his development, he had reached a restriction simr to a System due to his Dimensional Space. So, even though he could also obtain the fragmented Skill of Beast Form or Remembrance that the two could sell him, obtaining it would cause him injury.


    So, it was for best that he refrain from that and just allow the members to enjoy the benefits. And, since they were fragments of what barely amounted to a Skill, Compass Carburettor named them as Quirks.


    And for people like Dana and Grisha, he named them Beyonders, people that had traversed beyond their racial limits.


    And, for thework that they used to trade, he named it the Secret Network, feeling that the name suited them.


    The moment he decided on the names, the rted information flowed through Secret Society and into both Gana and Grisha.


    "So¡­I now possess the power of the Beast Form and have be a Beyonder," Gana muttered, still reeling from shock.


    "In the future, you can simply transport the pearls and orbs through the Secret Network." Compass Carburettor muttered, watching Gana get down on one knee and salute him.


    "It''s my birthright to serve my Lord." She spoke.


    "Get the Remembrance Quirk from Grisha. You''ll understand the truth of this world with that. Also, sell her your Quirk so that she too can gain my strength." He said and extended his hand, storing all the pearls and orbs in the Dimensional Space.


    As for the pearls, he converted them into Mental Energy, smiling as he obtained almost 100,000 Mental Energy just like that. Ten Apocalypse Pearls were converted into one Mental Energy. But despite that conversion rate, there was just that much collected here.


    ''This has replenished a little of the reserves I''ve expended in the recent battles¡­'' Smiling, Compass Carburettor condensed a pair of wings to fly away, heading farther away from Rhizen''s location.

 Chapter 327: There Will Be War

    <h4>Chapter 327: There Will Be War</h4>


    Compass Carburettor continued to fly away, intending to head towards another continent if necessary. His sole task now was to hurry away as much as possible.


    Anyway, thanks to the Secret Network, he could obtain support from Grisha and Gana whenever necessary.


    Gana would send him piles upon piles of pearls while Grisha would send him the External Items of Fortress. Both would help increase his Mental Energy reserves drastically.


    The humans that he had entrusted the Fortress with were doing great, having already selected great spots to build it and gather people within.


    He also had another goal, and that was to find special mutated beasts that acted as the lord of their region and turn them into Members of Secret Society. This way, he could use them tomand their entire race.


    And, when it was time for the System Hosts to deal with him, Ianon would alert him. At that time, he would store all the mutated beasts in his Dimensional Space and let them out to fight the System Hosts.


    This way, he wouldn''t be fighting against them alone. And, with the capabilities of both Dust Wave and his Homing Feathers, fighting battles in groups was perfect for him. He was capable of targeting his enemies without fear of harming his allies.


    In the Secret Network, Grisha and Gana exchanged the Quirks of Remembrance and Beast Form.


    Grisha was now able to assume Haggon Form. Adding onto the property of Secret Society, she too was able to cheat death the same way as him. And in her case, she could constantly make her spirit form turn into a Haggon to fight.


    The ability of Beast Form only functioned when they were a beast, So, both Gana and Grisha were unable to use the energy de while in their human/horned men forms.


    But still, once they transformed into a Haggon, they were unstoppable. Also, Grisha possessed Dac even in her human form.


    The results pretty much made Compass Carburettor finalise his subsequent n. He would create more Beyonders and fight against the System Hosts. That was a sound n.


    After all, the Beyonders would be able to fragment their Skills into Quirks that they could give to other Beyonders, causing everyone to grow stronger.


    Gana had fallen unconscious, in the process of recalling memories from her previous loops. Since he had already warned her of the consequences beforehand, she had nned ordingly, telling the horned men of what to do while in her absence.


    As she fell unconscious, they treated her, ensuring she wouldn''t lose any strength.


    ''Once she wakes up, there is a good chance she would be on Grisha''s level.'' He smiled. Even if Gana hadn''t be a powerhouse in her loops, the experience of 48 loops was still a great sum, enough to change any person.


    ''I still need to gauge the attack power of this mutated beast''s ability.'' He gazed at his hand, wondering how strong the ability that killed Krager would be. This was perfect against System Hosts.


    ''Core Skills are troublesome. I can feel that they are the reason every System says that a System yer''s end is gruesome. And, based on what I felt before, Core Skills are dangerous if I continue to umte them at this rate.'' He frowned, "I should make more Beyonders instead and expand mywork."


    ''Also, even in that dream-like thing in the mind space, there were no problems with my Personal Fragments. So, that''s the safest way to grow stronger.'' He thought, ''I should prevent Stencil from turning into a True System yer. Once I fully understand the secret to obtaining Personal Fragments, I''ll help her get more of them so that she has enough strength to protect herself.''


    "Soon, I''ll be there within a year. Please hold on until then, Stencil." He closed his eyes, sighing as he firmed himself, unconcerned about what methods he would take next. He didn''t have the mood to wait that long, wishing to kill the System Hosts as quickly as possible.


    "But first, I must improve Anthozoa." Muttering as such, he focused on Carburettor Ind.


    As it was a product of the Young Master System Fragment, the created people didn''t question the difference in the environment. They just treated it as normal. As for the rest, they behaved like their original selves.


    At present, in the research institute, all the scientists had huddled together, gazing at Anthozoa as they heard Compass Carburettor''s words in their minds, "Your task is to upgrade my Anthozoa. Improve its muzzle velocity and bullet storage capacity."


    At present, only the bullets shot by Anthozoa contained thews of a world, the prime means he relied upon to incapacitate a System. Even though the Dragon of System''s power too was capable of killing System Hosts, he was still unsure about how strong its effect was.


    So, improving upon his original weapon was necessary. As long as the number of bullets Anthozoa had was increased, it''ll make his life a lot easier. And what else to do than to give the task to the very same group of intellects that had created it?


    He had gathered talents from around the world¡ªEarth¡ªto create it. So, he was rather expectant of the results. It was not to mention that Dita, Golda, and Dota were willing to support them.


    Dota; that was the name the Dragon of System came up with for itself. It pretty much copied Dita''s name and changed a vowel.


    Moreover, the prime direction of research the team of scientists had to do involved using the carcass of Dota. It had left behind one in the Dimensional Space. There were also its eggshells that Compass Carburettor had collected from the Reality Marble.


    Due to its properties, he felt that it was the perfect material suited to upgrading his Anthozoa. It was pretty realistic and possible. Though, as to how long it might take, he was unsure. But, he was willing to wait.


    ''Dimensional Space has tremendous potential. Thanks to Dota, Secret Society too has received an upgrade. Now, only Anthozoa is left.'' He thought, continuing to fly as he began to formte a n and think of his next target.


    Before the System Hosts finished their preparations and charged at him, he had to take out as many of them as possible and increase the number of Beyonders on his side.


    "There will be a war, alright."

 Chapter 328: Earth’s Superiority

    <h4>Chapter 328: Earth¡¯s Superiority</h4>


    [Name: Compass Carburettor, Domino Plottopia, Gahrat]


    [Race: Haggon (Spirit)]


    [Internal: Health (Level 10), Strength (Level 10), Dexterity (Level 10), Stamina (Level 10), Intelligence (Level 10), Cognition (Level 10), Natural Recovery (Level 10), Five Senses (Level 10), Resting (Level 10)]


    [Personal Fragment: Anthozoa, Secret Society, Dimensional Space]


    [Stars: 4/6]


    [Core Skills: ve Harem (Level 10), Info Scanner (Level 10), Directional Misalignment (Level 10), Reality Marble (Level 10)]


    [Peak: 5/?]


    [Mutated Beasts: Golda (4), Vutura (5), Dita (3), Hanze (5), Dota (1)]


    [Mental Energy: 691,328]


    [Trait: Dac, Apocalypse Pearl, Permanence]


    ''I still need to strengthen Golda to five horns. As for Dita, it''s a bit harder while the process for Dota is tooplicated.'' He sighed, enveloping the Mental Energy Body Layer over himself as he entered Grisha''s space and made Dita swallow her third mutated beast.


    This was the method he thought of to quickly level up Dita. Thanks to the enormous reserve of orbs he had obtained, he made Grisha swallow them and used Dita to eat the respective mutated beasts.


    This way, it was slowly able to grow. He estimated that he would be able to bring it to five horns before the eventful day. And hence to level it up, he made Grisha open a portal and arrive at the Dimensional Space.


    It was even easier for her to return. All she had to do was open a Portal within the Dimensional Space and focus on an ant that she had left behind in her working tunnel. They had already attempted it once and observed that it worked perfectly.


    Compass Carburettor also coted the Mental Energy required to travel using the portal. It was one Mental Energy for every kilometre.


    Thanks to the efficiency of its functions, he rejoiced. Using a couple thousand Mental Energy for important travel was of no concern. He was obtaining more than that daily thanks to thebour from the horned race.


    To target the System Hosts, he had to first strengthen himself to the limit. Making all the mutated beasts reach the peak of five horns was a must for that.


    Strengthening Dita needed time but thanks to Grisha''s assistance, he was able to hurry it up. He then focused on Dota, wondering what he would use to strengthen it.


    Feeding it normal mutated beasts didn''t work, same for the mutated beasts within a space. Left with no other choice, he appeared before a female mutated beast, used ve Harem on it and then fed it to Dota.


    There was an effect, though minor. ''Thankfully, there''s a way.''


    He nned to bring it to at least two horns before he fights the System Hosts.


    Grrr!


    It was a wolf type mutated beast, possessing three horns as it red at him. The one he had killed was one of its pack members.


    The wolf leapt at him before being pressed down on the ground by his energy de hand as Compass Carburettor frowned, ''Might as well see how it works.''


    He used Dota''s ability, mming the ethereal attack onto the three-horned wolf, flinching when its body straight up exploded.


    "That''s powerful."


    He then scoured through the wilds, finding a four-horned mutated beast, mming the same attack once again, watching its body too explode.


    ''Is it too much for anything not rted to a System to handle?'' He thought, pleasantly surprised at the strength it possessed. After that, he continued to experiment with it, observing some details.


    First of all, he wasn''t able to spam them. Unleashing five attacks was his limit before his body showed signs of cracking like a dry nut.


    Second, there was no problem with the range. He was able to target creatures as far as his eyes could see. And, there was no reduction in strength with the increase in the distance.


    Third, this was only effective against living creatures. The ability did nothing when he aimed it at the ground.


    Fourth, this was a supplementary type ability, simr to the porcupine''s that Rhizen possessed. Meaning, he was able to infuse this ability in his Dust Wave or homing feathers. Or even better, he could seep the effect in the bullets shot by Anthozoa.


    This way, each bullet was many times more potent than before. This was just his feeling though. As to how strong it actually was, he had to experiment with it and find out.


    He then went around, moving through the tunnels in the earth to enve ant queens through ve Harem before turning them into members using Secret Society. His goal was to bring as many of them as possible under his control.


    Moreover, he found desperate lone humans that wished to survive, saving them before dropping them next to an ant queen each. He made them into members of Secret Society too before giving them the External Item of Vitality Bowl.


    This gave a concentrated food source for the ant queens to consume and reproduce faster. In the apocalypse, there was nock of people needing to be saved.


    For an entire week, this was all he did. Save a human and then drop him/her next to an ant queen to support its growth.


    ''Grisha, what''s their status?'' He asked through telepathy. Grisha was currently seated within the Dimensional Space, having condensed a portal that she used to observe the actions of Ianon and other System Hosts.


    Just as how Destiny Luck System had observed his actions, she was doing the same to the System Hosts too. And, since she was doing it from within the Dimensional Space, even if Destiny Luck System was observing him, it wouldn''t notice anything.


    All along, Grisha had been observing all the System Hosts, coting the abilities they used, the effects it disyed, the range of their actions, their expressions, their character, etc.


    She continued to jot down the details of everything. That wasn''t all. A crew of cameramen were stationed behind her, recording everything disyed in the portal. This served as video footage that a team of personnel would analyse to break down to himter.


    This was the majority of the reason he had used Young Master Core Skill as a System Fragment, the terrifying aspect of Earth''s Silicon Era.


    Data!

 Chapter 329: Pre emptive Strike

    <h4>Chapter 329: Pre emptive Strike</h4>


    Irrespective of what it was, whether it be a natural cmity or the mysteriousness of DNA altercation, everything was data that could be fed into aputer andputed for results.


    Various simtions could be conducted. Billions of variations that happened within a cell division which would affect the overall function of a physical body, even that could beputed.


    This was the functional superiority of a technological society, Earth''s Silicon Era.


    The information rted to Systems, his goals, etc. were made public on Carburettor Ind. There was a wave of problems following that, but a word from him and everything was treated to be normal.


    This was the effect of the Young Master System Fragment. It was also how Jionerd trained his people to be terrifying experts by making them face life and death tens of hundreds of times.


    So, once he passed on the information, the people of Carburettor Ind treated it as a fact and then proceeded on with their lives ordingly.


    And now, research personnel were analysing the stats of various System Hosts. Computers calcted the input data about their capabilities while those with brilliant minds worked in devising countermeasures against the foes.


    This practically reduced most of the brainwork that Compass Carburettor had to do. All he had to do now was to look at the results presented and then work on a n from there. His life had be easier.


    It was like he had thousands of minds to help him, which was practically what he had been gunning for from the start.


    Among the data collection, Grisha''s notes helped a lot. After all, she had the experience of 48 loops, able to perceive the truths rted to most abilities of the apocalypse world. She was a great judge in regards to that.


    So, her valuable inputs were then used as a reference by the team of research personnel to analyse various abilities.


    "Sir, calcting based on all your abilities, there are only three enemies you have to be careful about." The head researcher said, "Straxia, Shyvern, and Ianon. The other System Hosts, though powerful, fail to pose a threat to Rhizen. Only these three have a chance at iming his life."


    "So, only those three, huh." Compass Carburettor nodded, asking as he sat on a hilltop. The entire conversation was happening through telepathy, so they weren''t able to see one another. At least, the head researcher wasn''t able to.


    Compass Carburettor was able to see everything that was happening in his Dimensional Space as he said, "So, the remaining System Hosts aren''t a threat to Rhizen. So, even if I don''t target them, nothing would change, is that it?"


    "Yes," The head researcher said before taking out a tablet that yed an animation. It showed the various ways he could deal with the three, "The best option would be to target three System Hosts, capture them in Anthozoa and target Straxia with that first. Based on the statistics, the likelihood of her System''s level being greater than 10 is at 80 percent."


    "So, she possesses the greatest threat apart from Shyvern. And since Ianon is our ally, there is a possibility of this working." Compass Carburettor nodded as he listened to the rest of their n.


    He then continued to listen to the abilities, characteristic traits, and behavioural patterns of the System Hosts, also gazing at the recorded videoption of the same to get a clear understanding.


    ''As long as these three are alive, there''s a threat to Rhizen''s life. But, with them gone, it could be said that I''ve basically solved the Coincidental Luck System''s request. It would definitely wish for the other Systems to remain and target Rhizen, because that would nurture his growth better.'' Thinking as such, he contacted the Coincidental Luck System, informing it of his ns, requesting its assistance.


    All he wished was for the instant death immunity of the System Hosts to coincidentally fail. The Coincidental Luck System was reluctant at first before epting the deal. It was apparent that every time it assisted him, it was expending a lot of Mental Energy.


    In the end, it wasn''t gaining anything much. But, Compass Carburettor didn''t care about that. If he wished, he could make some fortress to pray for the Coincidental Luck System instead.


    But, he didn''t do anything of the sort. If the Coincidental Luck System wanted something like that, then it could ask Rhizen.


    His goal was only to use it enough so that he could grow strong enough to save Stencil in the end. Their rtionship was only a trade rtionship.


    And, considering a System''s means, especially one at Level 92 that had authority in the domain of luck and coincidence, Compass Carburettor refused to believe that it was facing any losses.


    In fact, even with Destiny Luck breathing down its neck, it should still have enough leeway to grow stronger than itspetitors.


    ''Before the Elf returns, I should put an end to this.'' Thinking as such, he began to prepare, training his various abilities. Though, since there was a chance Destiny Luck was watching him, he had to be discrete enough in his actions.


    Thankfully, he had stared through a portal before, aware of what it showed. If it focused on him, it showed things from his point of view. It wasn''t actually synchronised with his eyesight.


    And, since he had a simr portal, Grisha experimented with it, allowing him to notice that this point of view was fixed to his face and not his eyes.


    This meant, he could do things away from his line of sight. As long as he saw through the sides of his eye, he would be able to see things that weren''t reflected in the portal''s point of view.


    That''s what he used while training with Dota''s powers. A month passed in such a fashion as he umted a million Mental Energy in his Dimensional Space and caused all his mutated beasts barring Dota to possess five horns.


    And as for Dota, he observed it with anticipation, jumping in joy when its second horn finished growing. Immediately, he could feel all the rted powers strengthening in response. With that, his preparations were done.


    With 12 days left before the System Hosts targeted him, Compass Carburettor took action first.

 Chapter 330: Happy Birthday

    <h4>Chapter 330: Happy Birthday</h4>


    "I''ll leave it to you, Grisha."


    ¡­


    "We''ll have to set up one more beacon and we''ll be done with this region." A man in his early thirties sighed in relief, cracking his sore muscles as heined, "Why do we have to put up with this useless work? We can just destroy our opponent."


    "Well, if you can defeat Straxia, we''ll all follow yourmand." A woman nearbymented, watching him snort in response as she took out a syringe-like instrument, "Anyway, let''s talk less and finish our task."


    She then red at an old man that was floating in the air casually, using a massive leaf as a bed to sleep upon, basking in the sun. No mutated beast dared to approach him, even the mosquitoes. A re from him, and they buzzed away.


    "Sweetheart, don''t re at me so much. These pair of old bones cannot do much anyway." The old man smiled gently.


    ''This old coot.'' She gritted her teeth, not pressing forth, for she knew how strong the old man was. He wasn''t actually old and was just in his teen, exactly sixteen years old. He was at that age where his eighth-grader syndrome was ring up.


    And to act as a wisecrack, he had modified his appearance, role-ying as an old man.


    "Still¡­you must at least do something. If not, Straxia will¡­" The woman talked when suddenly, her back was filled with sweat as her danger sense red up the summit. Time seemed to slow down around her as her senses were heightened to the extreme.


    Her eyes widened in surprise as she was about to react, suddenly noticing a bullet appear before her forehead. Rectangr in shape, thin like a file, containing a suffocating aura as it gently touched her forehead, sinking in.


    Srrak!


    It felt like her body was electrocuted as she tried to shout, but was unable to let out anything. Everything happened so fast as her body was immobile. She was in the process of falling when the woman noticed the figure of ady appear before her, eyes cold, wearing a yellowish-white suit of armour that seemed to have been made using insect wings.


    The woman''s eyes shot to the side, intending to ask the old man for help, for he was the strongest among the three, widening in shock upon seeing him clutching his body in pain, paralysed the same as her.


    The bullets consisted of not only thews of Earth but also Dota''s power, the punishment a System/System Host faced upon leaking details regarding a System, typically called the System Punishment.


    Only three bullets were used, one per each, causing all three System Hosts to be incapacitated.


    Grisha extended her hand, using Mecha as she condensed an energy de hand, grabbing hold of all three System Hosts.


    Right at this time, using her as the destination, Compass Carburettor condensed a portal, appearing as he sent her into his Dimensional Space. And in her ce, he grabbed hold of the three System Hosts using an energy de hand.


    Appearing within the Dimensional Space, Grisha did as practiced, not even wasting a moment as she condensed a portal to a certain location and entered it, appearing within a massive sphere.


    They coordinated with short grunts through telepathy as immediately after that, using her as the destination, Compass Carburettor condensed a portal and appeared, dragging the three System Hosts with him.


    This entire sequence of actions took less than two seconds as Compass Carburettor sent Grisha into the Dimensional Space before dropping the three System Hosts, "Happy birthday!"


    The eyes of the three System Hosts widened in shock, observing their surroundings. They were unable to free themselves in this short time as their Systems too were paralysed. And their surroundings¡­were horrifying.


    It was shaped like a honeybee nest, with the inside hollow. The entire structure resembled a sphere with around 60,000 hexagon-shaped holes. And, situated within each hole was a three-horned ant, ring at the three people that had arrived.


    And the moment they arrived, Compass Carburettor gave the signal before vanishing from the Reality Marble as all the three-horned ants used the entirety of their strength to unleash a breath attack each.


    The burst element formed a tide of concentrated attacks that mmed into the centre of the hollow sphere where the three System Hosts were, devastating their bodies.


    Immediately after unleashing the entirety of their power through their breath attacks, all the antsmitted suicide, using the power of the Reality Marble to instantly revive at their respective locations as before, unleashing a second volley of breath attacks.


    And in this short duration between the breath attacks, Compass Carburettor appeared before their near-death bodies, plundering their Mental Energy reserves using their weakened states. Thanks to the support from Coincidental Luck, he was able to plunder all their Mental Energy in a single try.


    It was also because Golda and Dita had five horns now, so their ability was leagues above the previous attacks used against Jionerd and Zach.


    Moreover, to ensure the three System Hosts didn''t try anything, he mmed the System Punishment on them, causing them to wriggle in pain as their Systems too suffered damage.


    Right as he vanished, the second round of breath attacks appeared, obliterating them into smithereens.


    Taking out Anthozoa, Compass Carburettor sucked them in, fusing their bodies with a bullet each, shouting, ''Grisha!''


    ¡­


    "Hahaha! Finally, Chenger''s despair has reached hundred percent." Shyvern roared inughter, "I can destroy Rhizen on my own now."


    ''System, activate the Connection of Love!'' Heughed as his System¡ªViin Maker¡ªdid so immediately, extracting all the despair that Chenger was feeling to consolidate it into a two-headed centipede, ethereal in nature that floated in the air.


    The Viin Maker System wasn''t a battle-oriented System but was adept at pulling strings from behind the scenes.


    Shyvern iled his hands as the two-headed centipede gushed into Chenger''s body, causing her to il in agony as her emotions were twisted, causing her feelings of love towards Rhizen to turn into unquenchable hatred. The effect was to such an extent that her body began to morph, turning into a monster.


    "Rhizen¡­and that fake bitch, I''ll kill them both!"

 Chapter 331: True Form Of Systems

    <h4>Chapter 331: True Form Of Systems</h4>


    "Yes, let''s exact your revenge now." Shyvern smiled, thinking, ''The moment the two of them make eye contact is when everything would happen. His mind would be shattered¡­slowly.''


    Right at this time, Grisha appeared behind him, carrying Anthozoa as she aimed it at the back of his head. From where she arrived, the tip of the gun almost touched his head.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Instantly, she unloaded all three bullets as Shyvern''s body copsed to the ground, his expression one of shock, unmoving.


    Grisha stared at the scene, shocked, for there was no more response from Shyvern anymore. Condensing a portal, Compass Carburettor too arrived, observing that Shyvern was dead.


    Nothing unexpected had happened as his body simply began to copse into smoke while four lights danced in the air, fighting against one another, shing, colliding, tearing up into each other like worms.


    Reality Marble!


    Compass Carburettor created a scenery to prevent them from escaping eventually while he gazed at Chenger, ''So, this is the real Chenger.''


    Even though he had known about it before, he couldn''t do anything. After all, Viin Maker was a troublesome System in that it was capable of creating viins. And the most horrifying aspect of it was¡­


    "Eei!" Shouting in response, Chenger condensed a sword as her figure shed, leaving a trail of acidic marks in the air as a gash formed on the Body Layer covering him.


    Upon seeing that the portion of Body Layer that came into contact with it was being corroded, he was surprised, ''A rapid explosiveness of strength, a corrosive acid that was derived from the torture that she had suffered and a twisted mind that would corrupt everyone shees into contact with.''


    This was what Chenger had been turned into thanks to Shyvern''s machinations. A true viin, one who was the most knowledgeable about Rhizen and now lived to seek vengeance against him.


    "My Lord! Enemies inbound!" Just as he nned to do something about her, Gana''s shout alerted him. All along, her goal was to remain in the Dimensional Space, observe their enemies and ry their movements to him.


    The moment three Systems were abruptly disconnected from the Astral Network, the rest of the Systems would of course be alerted. So, they alerted their respective Hosts that took action immediately.


    Since they had ced markers everywhere that would detect his location, they were rushing towards him now. And judging based on the urgency in her tone, they were probably teleporting towards his location.


    As she was observing them through the portal, she was able to alert him.


    Currently, Compass Carburettor had less than a second to take action as he sent Grisha into the Dimensional Space while Gana condensed a portal to their escape location, appearing there.


    As for him, he could only infuse System Punishment into his energy de hand and use it to grab hold of the four System Bodies and hurriedly enter a portal that led him to Gana''s location.


    When he tried to grab Chenger, she exploded with tremendous corrosive mist that actually corroded his energy de hand. If he had a couple more seconds, he could have easily captured her.


    But in his hurry, he wasn''t able to, leaping into the portal as his figure vanished.


    And right at this time, Straxia arrived within the crumbling Reality Marble, frowning as she gazed at Chenger before slowly breaking into a smile, "As I expected, Shyvernpleted his task."


    She wasn''t even the slightest bit concerned about losing four System Hosts at the same time. Her thoughts were hard to read, even for Ianon. This was also why Compass Carburettor didn''t target her.


    There were too many risks involved, especially since he was trying out this new mode of dealing with Systems the first time. And against an opponent like Straxia, the chances of failure were high.


    So, he took the safer route, targeting Shyvern instead. Though, the greater reason was to save Chenger and turn her into a Beyonder. That way, he would be able to protect Rhizen better and deal with the rest of the troublesome System Hosts.


    Unfortunately for him, Straxia proved more troublesome than he had expected.


    Since Gana was observing her all along through the point of view of a System Host next to her, she ryed the information to him once they reached safety.


    "When the three System Hosts were killed, Straxia seemed like she had noticed their location already. But, she didn''t seem bothered. And, right after Shyvern was shot with the three bullets, she immediately teleported to this location."


    "I see, so her target was Chenger. She wanted to pry her out of Shyvern''s control." Compass Carburettor nodded, watching Gana return to the habitat of the horned men while Grisha stayed next to him, protecting him as he began to deal with the four Systems that he had absorbed through Anthozoa.


    Arriving at the mind space, he looked around, noticing that it was the same as usual. But this time, he observed the ground, noticing that he was indeed walking atop the void, acting like the ground existed.


    He then gazed at the swirling mixture before him, one where the four Systems were broiling into. They were fusing, breaking apart, tearing into each other, and trying to escape. All actions happened simultaneously as Compass Carburettor was surprised, noticing that faint memories flowed into his mind.


    He watched the chaos, leaving his enemies to deal with themselves, focusing on the memories he was getting.


    "Mechanic System¡­" He muttered the information that flowed into his mind, swerving to his right as he saw the figure of a massive wrench with hundreds of hands attached to it appeared. It silently stared at him, like a statue, vanishing after that.


    No, it didn''t vanish. It just sunk into the depths of the void. ''What exactly does this mean?''


    He frowned, because he had no rtion to such a System. He neither faced it in reality nor read a webnovel where it was a part of. So, it made no sense.


    "No, wait¡­just now¡­" He was shocked, his face trembling as he finally understood just what was confusing him all along.


    "Mental Energy¡­I see, so that''s the true form¡­"


    "Of Systems!"

 Chapter 332: A System’s True Body

    <h4>Chapter 332: A System¡¯s True Body</h4>


    Humans needed to eat food to survive and function as living beings. The energy in their body was broken down from carbohydrates, fats, etc.


    In the Darble World, there was the concept of Dac, an energy source that was the condensation of one''s stamina. It could be said that Dac was the primary energy of the Darble World.


    And in the apocalypse world, after the apocalypse, it was the Apocalypse Pearl.


    In a cultivation world, it was Spirit Energy. And finally, in a magical world, it was Mana.


    Basically, every living being relied upon some energy type. And, this energy type was something that they were naturally ustomed to dealing with.


    Consider Dac, for example. It was the condensation of stamina. Every flesh and blood creature had stamina. And, stamina was something that could be replenished through rest, eating food, and drinking water.


    For creatures in the Darble World, they were naturally equipped with the means to generate, wield, and replenish Dac.


    If you take something like a golem, it wasn''t capable of generating, wielding, or replenishing Dac since it wasn''t equipped with the means to do so.


    In that sense, the energy medium used by Systems was Mental Energy. That means, they were equipped to generate, wield, and replenish Mental Energy. It was what they lived, breathed, and ate to survive.


    And, it has to be noted that Mental Energy was nothing beyond the thoughts produced in the mind of any creature with the faculty to think. Thoughts condensed were what was termed Mental Energy.


    Further going with the thought, not only do Systems eat Mental Energy, but they are also able to understand data from Mental Energy. This was how they find out information rted to the people in the world they are in.


    But, this was just in terms of consuming Mental Energy. Here came the actual question then.


    Why did Systems pick a Host to live within? Why did they do that? Why do they give Quests to their Hosts and also reward them uponpletion?


    The answer was simple once he thought about it from a different perspective.


    Pollen!


    Flowers contain nectar that bees suck out. And in this process, the pollen from the flowers get stuck to the fur of the bees that are then transported into the flowers that the bees move towards. This way, it helps fertilise the flowers, causing them to bear fruits.


    In this analogy, the System was the flower, and the nectar, the Quests that attracted the bee. But that wasn''t all. When the bee interacts with other bees, the pollen would rub onto each other and be transferred to other bees too.


    And, these were the people the System Host interacted with, with him/her being the bee that drunk the nectar.


    Now, what do the pollen help with? Fertilisation, resulting in the production of a fruit in which seeds are contained. And, these seeds would one day germinate into a sapling and end up growing into a tree.


    "That''s why a System''s Core Skill doesn''t vanish. It is indestructible because a System''s true body lives in the mind of everyone with the knowledge of it. That means¡­" Compass Carburettor turned around, snorting, "Come out, Money-Making System. You''re the one that I thought about the most. So, you should be condensed in my mind the most."


    "As expected of my previous Host, you''re brilliant. I was right, you mature the fastest under pressure." The Money-Making System''s figure appeared as it let out a bloody grin, "That''s right. Our true body lies in the minds of everyone we''vee into contact with. Or in a simpler sense, everyone that has thought about us harbours a fraction of us in them."


    "And that''s why your Core Skills will never truly be mine, since I haven''t actually refined them. Right, Directional Misalignment, Info Scanner, Reality Marble, and ve Harem?" Compass Carburettor turned around, watching the four respective Systems appear around him.


    It was surprising because he noticed that he was in control of his emotions now, "Humans only fear the unknown. And now, your truth is no longer unknown to me."


    "Even then, you cannot do anything to us." The Money-Making System smirked as a bullet from Earth passed right through its body. The energy de from the Darble World too passed through it, same for the Dust Wave from the Apocalypse World.


    "That''s a great way to taunt me, to be frank with you." Compass Carburettor smirked as he arrived before the Money-Making System, gently cing his hand on it, watching his hand pass right through, "We are unable to interact. So, this implies that even though I can''t do anything to you¡­"


    He stared right at it, grinning, "You can''t do batsh*t to me either."


    "You¡­!" The Money-Making System grit its teeth. And suddenly, it was shocked to see Compass Carburettor break intoughter all of a sudden.


    "Mental Energy!" He cackled, "As beings that eat that, it''s impossible for you to not feel any emotions, since the thoughts of every living being are rich in emotions. The act of you being emotionless before was pretty great. And even if it was real, nothing changes anyway."


    "I figured out something. If you all are living in me from the moment I thought about you, why haven''t my ns been leaked to you yet?" Compass Carburettor pointed at the ve Harem System, "Especially you, ve Harem. Even though I have blocked my thoughts from flowing towards you, that doesn''t mean I wasn''t thinking about you. Rather, most of my thoughts were about ways to kill you."


    "Let me answer myself," He coughed, saying, "It''s simple. You''re part of me. Or rather, you''re parts of your respective Systems that are trapped in me. And, some conditions need to be achieved before you''re able to leave my mind and return to your original body. And, your Core Skills are something like apass that is linked to all your body fragments scattered through the minds of everyone."


    "And, your actual growth isn''t through Mental Energy. That''s just what you consume as food and to activate your powers. Your power grows stronger by absorbing these fragments that are growing in the minds of everyone." He smiled, "How''s that?"


    "Didn''t I nail it?"

 Chapter 333: The Main Character

    <h4>Chapter 333: The Main Character</h4>


    "Your Core Skill is the coordinate that is linked to your body fragments scattered in the minds of everyone." Compass Carburettor said, "And, since it is just a coordinate and not something tangible, it cannot be destroyed. And, as long as the Core Skill exists, Systems can revive easily."


    "This is why you don''t fear death, since you cannot experience it. And," He thought for a moment before saying, "If enough thoughts of something urs in the minds of the people, it''ll eventually turn into a concept, simr to the Yokai of the Japanese folklore. I assume the System World intervenes at this moment."


    Watching the expressions of the various Systems that had appeared around him by now, Compass Carburettor said, "The System World would incubate this concept and condense a coordinate that bes the Core Skill. The moment this Core Skill is formed, the thoughts rted to this concept in the minds of every living creature in the universe would automatically turn into parts of this System''s body."


    "So, in that line of thought, a simple conclusion can be derived upon." He smiled, "A System dies if all the living beings that have thought of it dies too."


    "Good luck killing everyone then." The Money-Making System smiled, "And, don''t forget to kill yourself too. After all, whatever you''re trying to kill is already within you."


    "You''re right about that. But," He grinned, "I don''t n on genocide. I''m not an unscrupulous merchant."


    "Systems cannot be killed. This is the logical conclusion one derives upon after learning the truth about them, right?" Compass Carburettor casually ignored the words of the Money-Making System, "But then, the way the Systems act wouldn''t make sense, if they were really omnipotent and omniscient."


    "No, Systems have a ring weakness." He smiled, "Otherwise, why wouldn''t you just purchase tens to hundreds of Skills from other Systems through the Astral Network? The greater the Skills of other Systems you possess, the greater the damage you sustain. That''s why, the stronger you get, the less inclined you''re willing to buy other Skills."


    "I feel possessing foreign Skills would slowly damage your coordinate and cause your body fragments in other living beings to return to being normal thoughts. This is the surest way to kill you. And the second¡­"


    He grinned, "Is for a System from the same Genre to devour you. What it''ll do is assimte your coordinates into itself. This way, all your body fragments would slowly be its body fragments instead. I think this will take a fair enough time, so the process isn''t instant."


    "Humph, despite everything, how will you kill us? You don''t possess our Core Skills." The Money-Making Systemughed, "You''re great at theorising. But, you''re still falling short, Compass Carburettor."


    "No, you''re wrong. I''ve already been shown the method once." Compass Carburettor said, "That monster from the other universe had shown it against Permanence, the correct way to deal with Systems."


    He then shouted, "Permanence!"


    Even after his shout, nothing changed in the surroundings as the Systems were startled. A System that he had called forth didn''t actuallye. Does this mean¡­


    "Yes, it seems that individual, Phantom had used the coordinates to kill the Permanence System. Mind Path, that was what he addressed it as." Compass Carburettor said, gazing around at the Systems, "And, that seems to be the answer, don''t you say?"


    "Since you''re creatures of the mind, all I need to do is obtain a power that is rted to the mind. But before that," He gazed at the sky, thinking of something as four stars manifested in the air, causing him to smile, "Indeed, you''re here."


    The moment the four stars appeared, the Directional Misalignment System, ve Harem System, Reality Marble System, and Info Scanner System were startled.


    "I too can use Mental Energy." He spoke, causing his Darble World to blink erratically in response before turning jet ck, with glitters blinking all over it. It unleashed a pair of jet-ck energy des shaped into arms that grabbed hold of a star and pulled it down, mming it into the four swirling clouds of smoke before him.


    The four swirling clouds of smoke began to eat into a star as Compass Carburettor immediately felt a sense of loss.


    "Hahaha, you fool! That would just end up ejecting your Core Skill." The Money-Making Systemughed. "What you are hoping for wouldn''t happen. The more you fight the Systems, the more they grow in your mind before taking over you eventually. That''s your fate. ept it."


    "You see, there is one more thing that I hadn''t mentioned before." Compass Carburettor spoke, causing it to shut up as the Money-Making System red at him, "Why are the Core Skills I possess capped at level 10? Why can''t they level up even though they are my powers? And why¡­do I need to kill you to be a True System yer?"


    "Aren''t I a fragment of the Main Character System? Why would I need to devour you to be a True System yer?" He spoke slowly, "When you think about it, that doesn''t make sense."


    "Systems are concepts that are birthed through the mind, propagate through the mind, and also survive in the mind. And, if that were the case, then there should have been countless people who had hoped to eradicate you before. Surely, I''m not the first one with a fairly decent brain, right?" Compass Carburettor muttered.


    "And that''s when a certain entity had been birthed." He slowly walked, muttering, "There have been such cases in history, certain people that have shouldered fates beyond their sense of self. Either it was pushed onto them or they chose it voluntarily. Regardless, they shoulder that, being part of something grand, either to resist the tides or shape the tides. And since time immemorial, they were addressed with a certain word¡­"


    "The Main Character."


    "I''m not a System yer. ying a System is just what I''m doing. That doesn''t dictate my identity." He spoke, causing the Apocalypse World to whir in response before unleashing the power of System Punishment, destroying the star.


    In the same manner, the remaining three stars too were brought down, eaten by the swirling smokes before being destroyed by the System Punishment. The moment he decided to let them go, even though the feeling of loss intensified in him, Compass Carburettor felt as if a major burden was shed from his mind.


    First were the four stars representing the four Core Skills he had, followed by it were the four clouds of smoke¡ªthe four Systems he had hunted just now. And finally, there were the figures of all the Systems he had ever known about, all of them were destroyed.


    "The powers of the Systems I hunt can be used differently. The path of a yer is a trap created by the Systems." He smiled, feeling free, watching everything in his mind space explode, "That''s why they were saying a System yer''s end is horrible. They were cing a mental cue in me to further make me proceed in the path of a yer just to prove them wrong."


    "So, this is why the Systems refuse the birth of us." Compass Carburettor muttered as he gazed at the threes hovering before him, "This is the power that I must wield to truly rescue my daughter¡­"


    "The power of a protagonist."


    Volume 2: Main Character¡ªThe End!

 Chapter 334: Full Nerf

    <h4>Chapter 334: Full Nerf</h4>


    Compass Carburettor watched the figures of every System guing his mind be destroyed, watching eight balls of needles hover before him in the end, "¡­coordinates."


    But, he didn''t have the mood to care about them for the time being, noticing his vision turn blurry as tears slowly streamed out of his eyes. He knew what he had done but was unable to endure the result.


    Through System Punishment, he permanently killed all the Systems in him, including the System Fragments. And among them was¡­Young Master.


    Arriving in reality, he hurriedly summoned the figure of Stencil, enveloping her in a hug,cking the strength to look at her as he gazed at the sky, tears streaming down his eyes.


    The hand of Stencil slowly moved up, wiping his tears before vanishing.


    "Haah¡­ahhh¡­heuk¡­cough¡­" Compass Carburettor copsed to the ground, clutching his face as he was unable to control it anymore, "Did I kill her?"


    He was aware that she wasn''t the real Stencil and was just a product of a Core Skill. But, she was real in a sense in that she was able to affect his emotions to the extent that he would rather take a bullet for her and die than let her suffer, even though she wasn''t real.


    And now, she had vanished as Young Master System had been killed. That wasn''t all, the Night Ranger System too was killed. So, there was nothing in his Dimensional Space now, just a t energy de ground, with a pile of orbs at one side.


    Carburettor Ind was no more, same for the night sky.


    "Was this worth it¡­?" He trembled, feeling bouts of anger, indecisiveness, regret and self-deprecation. The powers of all Systems that he possessed until now had vanished. And most of all, the Stencil he was admiring in the safety of his Dimensional Space too had vanished.


    He felt abandoned, alone, cast out into nothingness.


    "Ahh¡­why didn''t I just remain in danger? I could have still seen her." He felt weak, having lost all the Skills rted to his physique. At present, his body was only as strong as a normal human, requiring regr human level nutrition and rest.


    It was not to mention that his mind felt nk all of a sudden, having lost the Skill of Intelligence at Level 10.


    At present, he had reverted to his original self,pletely nerfed.


    He gazed at his hands, still able to feel the lingering warmth from when he had hugged Stencil, trembling in sadness, wondering if everything was worth it.


    He was aware of the risks, the consequences that he had to face if he let it fester within his mind any longer. But now, he felt weak without Stencil''s presence.


    "No, Stencil is still out there. She needs my assistance." Compass Carburettor wiped his tears, ''The Money-Making System is unaware of the fact that its body part in my mind has been killed. Now, I should think of something to save her.''


    "I can''t waste any more time." He pped himself awake, feeling difficulty in concocting a n after losing the Skill of Intelligence that had been boosting him all along. But, even if his intelligence had been nerfed, he still had his experience to rely upon.


    Everything that he had experienced would now be his strength as Compass Carburettor spent more time than usual, thinking up a n as he understood his current state of things, ''Now that I''ve let go of my status as a yer and have be the Main Character, it''s safe to say all the Systems would being for my neck.''


    Until now, even though he was a System yer, he wasn''t actually killing any Systems. They stillfortably lived in his mind and had hope for revival as long as they existed in him long enough.


    Eventually, his Core Skills would regain their strength and escape his control, killing him in the process as all the respective Systems would perfectly revive. That was his fate as a System yer.


    Even though Hatchling Systems hated System yers, that was because System yers were obstacles that hindered their growth. Moreover, if the System yers were killed by a System that fell in the same genre as one of the yer''s Core Skills, it was the end for the respective System. It would never be able to revive and would instead be digested by the System that killed the yer.


    This was the true reason Hatchling Systems hated System yers.


    But now, Compass Carburettor had directly be the Main Character, no longer polluted by any Systems. He was wholly a fragment of the Main Character System now. So, he became an enemy to every System that was in existence.


    And¡­this also included the Coincidental Luck System, a behemoth from the luck genre. Basically, this meant that he could forget about getting lucky ever again. From here on, every moment he wasted would push him closer to death.


    After all, it had to be noted that even without any proper contact, the Coincidental Luck System had determined that he was Secret Society. Using its powers, it could easily gain information.


    All the Coincidental Luck System needed was a bucket of letters that it could casually spill over. And coincidentally, the letters would group up into words and sentences, providing it the information it needed to know.


    Coincidence and Luck, two terrifying authorities whenbined resulted in such a terrifying entity. So, the Coincidental Luck System would coincidentallye to know of the change in his existence and hunt him down.


    He could feel that when this happens, all the luck-based Systems would directly set aside their conflict and join hands to deal with him. ''Maybe the True System yers that reach Level 50 too would attain my state. That''s why even Grade 2 Systems would make a move just to deal with them.''


    ''Thankfully, I still cannot level up. So, I shouldn''t fall under their radar yet.'' He sighed before informing Grisha and Gana through telepathy, "Enter my Dimensional Space. If you have any farewells, say them now."


    "We''re leaving this world."

 Chapter 335: I’ll Pay You Twice

    <h4>Chapter 335: I¡¯ll Pay You Twice</h4>


    "What happened?" Grisha entered his Dimensional Space, asking as she noticed Gana too appear there.


    The two were startled to see that the Dimensional Space had be empty as everything that was there before had now vanished. There were still the five hills and the respective mutated beasts, but other than that, everything else had disappeared.


    "The ind¡­and Stencil¡­" Grisha muttered, tearing up as she understood just how much Stencil meant to Compass Carburettor. Whenever he got a moment''s free time, he spent it with her.


    "We''ll rescue my daughter." Right as she was fretting over, she heard an exhausted, but resolute Compass Carburettor''s voice.


    "But first, I must cure you." He said, activating System Punishment. As he was able to sense everything within the Dimensional Space, he brought the twodies within. This was the only way he would be able to purify them.


    After all, within Grisha''s body was the System Fragment of the Remembrance System while in Gana''s body was the Beast Form System.


    Right at this time, ten needle spheres hovered in the air within the Dimensional Space. They were the coordinates from the Systems he had.


    ve Harem, Info Scanner, Directional Misalignment, Reality Marble, Night Ranger, Young Master, Viin Maker, and three other Systems. Altogether, he had 10 Systems. And adding onto the two in Grisha and Gana, he had hunted a total of 11 Systems since Info Scanner was a gift from Coincidental Luck.


    Though, based on possession alone, he also had to include Permanence, which resulted in a grand total of thirteen Systems.


    The needle spheres were coordinates, the purest form of Mental Energy without holding any concept. They were what he called Coordinates.


    The Coordinates from Permanence System had already fused into his Dimensional Space. And now, the remaining ten too slowly fused into it, strengthening all his three Personal Fragments and basic abilities.


    Though, the strengthening wasn''t by much, at least not enough to close the gap to the strength he possessed when he had all his Core Skills.


    As he focused on Grisha and Gana, he was slowly able to perceive the Systems in their mind. As he was no longer gued by Systems and having turned into a genuine fragment of the Main Character System, he could sense the figures of the Systems in them, targeting them using System Punishment, eradicating them one after another.


    Dota stared at the scene in shock, watching its ability being put to use in such a terrifying way to annihte enemies that it never thought was possible to kill.


    After all the Systems in their mind had been eradicated, it was the Beast Form System and Remembrance System''s turn. They were pretty helpless against him, getting eradicated eventually as two Coordinates floated out from Grisha and Gana''s bodies.


    "No, fuse into them." Compass Carburettormanded, watching the Coordinates do as told.


    The twodies slumped on the floor, losing all the powers that they obtained recently, gazing around in shock, failing to understand just what was happening.


    "Grisha, can you remember what happened in your previous life?" He asked.


    "I can¡­remember." Grisha experienced a mild headache but as she tried to recall things, her memories returned.


    ''I see, the memories exist since they''re in her mind. Mind Path, huh.'' He sighed in relief before telling her, "That''s good."


    He then ignored the questions from the two helpless women, closing his eyes as he slowly coted his thoughts, condensing his Status.


    [Name: Compass Carburettor, Domino Plottopia, Gahrat]


    [Race: Spirit (Haggon)]


    [Spirit Ability: Bestowal]


    [Personal Fragment: Anthozoa, Secret Society, Dimensional Space]


    [Stars: 2/13]


    [Current Stars: Grisha, Gana]


    [Peak: 5/?]


    [Mutated Beasts: Golda (5), Vutura (5), Dita (5), Hanze (5), Dota (2)]


    [Mental Energy: 871,328]


    [Trait: Dac, Apocalypse Pearl, Permanence]


    [Main Character 1%]


    "I''m a Spirit now¡­" He sighed, noticing the difference. Before, he was a Haggon and was able to attain a Spirit Form through his Warble. But now, he had be a Spirit that was able to turn into a Haggon.


    There was a functional difference between the two variations, with the primary aspect being that what he could do through Secret Society before was no longer necessary.


    In the Darble World, each Spirit possessed a mysterious ability. And, his ability was to Bestow his powers to those part of Secret Society.


    As he had Skills and Core Skills, they polluted him, preventing his ability as a Spirit from wholly manifesting. Before, he was only able to Bestow Skills, Core Skills, and Personal Fragments. But, that wasn''t what his ability was.


    He could Bestow anything in his possession. That was the true version of his ability as a Spirit. There were no restrictions.


    The second aspect that changed with him now was the Stars. Before, it reflected the total number of Core Skills he could possess. But now, it disyed the total number of Coordinates in his possession.


    And after gaining ownership, the Coordinates acted as an extension of his body. Now, Grisha and Gana were considered as two of the 13 possible Stars he could possess.


    This pretty much meant one thing: He could bring them with him to any world he pleased through his Dimensional Space.


    After all, they were considered extensions of his body.


    Moreover, after the Coordinates fused into their bodies, they stopped being human, having already turned into Spirits. He had Bestowed them the race of Spirits, causing them to turn into that.


    And, they also were able to turn into a Haggon now. Moreover, Compass Carburettor didn''t stop at that, Bestowing them all his abilities, causing them to possess all the powers that he wielded.


    Even though Compass Carburettor had lost a lot thanks to his decision, he had also gained a lot. And that was the fact that as long as he obtained enough Coordinates, he could either fuse them into himself to strengthen himself further or use them to create more Stars like Grisha and Gana.


    "Are the both of you ready?" He asked them, trying his best to not show his worries.


    "You can count on us, Compass," Grisha said.


    "Lord Gahrat, you don''t need to ask me. I''m beyond happy to be of service." Gana said, feeling a mysterious power well up within her.


    "Thank you." He nodded, watching Grisha condense a portal and enter it. Using her as the destination, he condensed a portal and arrived at a grasnd, sending Grisha within his Dimensional Space as he had already covered himself with the Mental Energy Body Layer, appearing strangely terrifying aspared to before.


    He slowly walked towards Ianon, saying, "Listen, I''ll pay you twice for the trip''s cost."


    "Please bring me to your world."

 Chapter 336: I’m Sorry, Ianon

    <h4>Chapter 336: I¡¯m Sorry, Ianon</h4>


    ''What is he up to this time?'' The Conspiracy yer System frowned in response, hesitating on whether or not to follow him.


    When a System returns to the System World was when it was the most vulnerable. After all, it had to extract itself from the Host''s body, a time-consuming process. This was the best time to be killed or injured by its foes.


    ''But this guy¡­why do I feel like I would die if I fail to help him?'' It was worried, because even though Compass Carburettor''s appearance remained the same, it felt that it wasn''t able to get a read on him now.


    He had strangely turned¡­dangerous, like a bomb that could explode any moment.


    This was the thought that shed in its mind.


    ''Wait, if he wishes to kill me, this is a good chance, since Ianon is alone now. So, is his goal only to use me as a mode of transport and escape from this world?'' It thought, recalling how much trouble Compass Carburettor had been enduring to kill the Systems one after another, ''Is his mind already on the verge of copse? Maybe it was too much for someone that''s not a True System yer to handle.''


    After remaining silent for a couple of seconds, the Conspiracy yer System condensed a portal, causing time in the world to stop for three seconds, shocking Ianon who hadn''t ever thought something of such a scale was possible.


    "Thank you." Compass Carburettor extended his hand, condensing Anthozoa before shooting a bullet into the portal, watching his figure vanish before arriving under a tree.


    He hurriedly gazed within the Dimensional Space, noticing that Grisha and Gana were still there, puking at present as their bodies seemed to have taken a toll from the transport. All his five mutated beasts were still there, slightly exhausted but they were fine. As for the orbs, they had vanished.


    "W-What''s happening?" A flustered Ianon appeared a few metres before him, unable to move as his body trembled. He gazed at the figure of Compass Carburettor, shouting, "Compass, what the heck is happening?"


    "I''m sorry," Compass Carburettor sighed, facing the other side.


    Even though they had a bumpy introduction, the two had helped each other either directly or indirectly. So, it could be said that even though they weren''t friends, they wererades.


    And now, when he was reeling from shock, Ianon had hoped for him to help him. But in response, all Compass Carburettor did was give him the cold shoulder.


    "Ha¡­haha¡­hahaha, so, that thing about you being a mountain deity¡­was it just a bold-faced lie?" Tears streamed out of his eyes as Ianonughed helplessly, noticing that he wasn''t able to move his body, feeling a searing pain as something seemed to be exiting his body from the back, "I wanted to believe¡­"


    "Believe that there existed at least one entity that wasn''t immersed in conspiracy, someone true to the beliefs they advocated, whether it be a saint or a devil." He gazed at Compass Carburettor as his face trembled, his lips pursed, taking in the other party''s appearance, "Ever since you hid yourself behind that dark curtain and went around saving people, I thought you truly were a deity born from the wishes of the unfortunate."


    "I''m not a deity." Compass Carburettor slumped on the ground, "And never will I be one. I''m¡­"


    "Just a chatan with some powers."


    "So, Compass, what do you want to do now?" A sabre condensed behind Ianon, the forming body of the Conspiracy yer System whose voice was t, containing a lot of bass with mild rustiness, "It seems you don''t n on conspiring against me."


    "I want you to help me with a short trip, that''s all." Compass Carburettor said, "And I''ll pay you 400,000 Mental Energy in total."


    He slowly extended his hand, using the Trait of Permanence as he condensed a palm-sized jet-ck sphere using 200,000 Mental Energy, giving it to the Conspiracy yer System, "This is the advance."


    "Oh, that''s a wonderful trick you have there. To think you can solidify Mental Energy like this." The Conspiracy yer System said in surprise as most of its body had exited Ianon by now.


    "That''s it?" Ianon was able to move his head now, gazing at the Conspiracy yer System as he said, "What was even the point?"


    "Even if I were to tell you, Ianon, you won''t remember." The Conspiracy yer System''s voice turned gentle, "This isn''t the first time we''re doing this, and this won''t be thest either. You''ll revive eventually and not remember anything we''ve shared."


    "¡­Keuk¡­" Ianon gritted his teeth, clenching the mud as he slowly began to get up. But, the moment he got up, the Conspiracy yer System managed to fully exit his body.


    A chained sword that was tied up to a pir, one that constantly struggled to break free. That was the Conspiracy yer System.


    It condensed a mouth at the bottom of the pir as its chains wrapped around Ianon, dragging him into the mouth. His mouth was bound first, preventing him from speaking as only his indignant grunts resounded.


    Slowly, the Conspiracy yer System consumed him, trembling once as its powers seemed to have returned and grown, "Amazing, it seems making him investigate the secrets of Systems caused him to develop more than ten years'' worth from the previous loops. I have to thank you for that, Compass Carburettor."


    "D-17,653¡­" Compass Carburettor spoke slowly, "That''s the world I want you to condense a portal towards."


    "What about the Coincidental Luck System? There should have been a deal between the two of you, right? Are you running away?" The Conspiracy yer System spoke, gazing at him in curiosity.


    "Escaping from Coincidental Luck¡­do you think it''s possible?" Compass Carburettor smiled wryly, "I''ve alreadypleted my end of the deal."


    "There''s only one enemy there that can kill him now. And, she''s a necessity for his growth. I''m only to intervene when he''s on the verge of death." He spoke, "So, until then, I''ll bepleting my work."


    "Fine, the world you seek is D-17,653, called Earth, right?" The Conspiracy yer System had already obtained the means to open a portal to Earth from the Astral Network, condensing a portal that highlighted a random male.


    "Stencil Carburettor, my daughter. Can you focus the portal on her?" He asked next.


    "Give me a moment." The Conspiracy yer System seemed interested, scouring through Earth as a tide of Mental Energy surged through its body, allowing it to process through the rted data as it soon located Stencil, disying her point of view through the portal, showing the scene of a vacant pair of eyes staring at a reflective surface, strapped to a berth, "Oh, she''s the host to a mary-based System?"


    "Yes," Compass Carburettor stared at the scene as his pupils slowly expanded before he uttered coldly, "Find someone within a ten-kilometre vicinity to be your Host."

 Chapter 337: Rescuing Stencil

    <h4>Chapter 337: Rescuing Stencil</h4>


    ''Sh*t! Sh*t! SH*T!'' The Money-Making System was losing its cool, ''I have to persist with this situation for another eight months?''


    Through the eyes of Stencil, it observed her vacant eyes before focusing on the choker on her neck, one that was pulsating with faint electrical surges from time to time. ''That thing incapacitated Stencil.''


    Things went wrong from the moment it inhabited Stencil. After all, it was the first time it had seen one of its Hosts being turned into a System yer. And in its hurry, it had returned to Earth as that was the only portal that it had already prepared.


    It had forgotten the enemy that had been chasing after it on Earth. ''Back then, I had to spend a lot of Mental Energy just to ensure Stencil survived the ident that imed his family. In one move, they almost crippled Compass Carburettor''s will to live.''


    Only after it returned to Earth and took Host within Stencil did the Money-Making System recall the state of things. At least, when Compass Carburettor had been around, the power he wielded ensured that it was able to retaliate against its foe.


    But with Stencil, it wasn''t possible. Even if it spoon-fed her what to do, she was just an eight-year-old child, innocent, unable to contend against her opponent.


    So, she fell victim, time and again. First, she lost all the wealth that Compass Carburettor had prepared in her name. With her inheritance gone, she became helpless overnight.


    Following it were her allies, those that Compass Carburettor had helped in the past and treated her with care. One after another, they either fell ill or met with idents.


    Before long, the ownership of Carburettor Ind changed hands as a new giant emerged supreme, having a hand in the world economy.


    For one and a half years, Stencil struggled to survive, having no other option but to rely upon the Money-Making System to survive. But in the end, there was a limit to what she could do.


    Even if the Money-Making System gave her a n, her innocence and naivety prevented her from seeing it through. And even if she did, she couldn''t win against her foe that machinated everything from behind the scenes.


    Secret Schemer System¡ªLevel 45!


    This was not to mention its two underling Systems that moved based on its orders. There was a limit to how long the Money-Making System, a Hatchling non-battle-oriented System could hold on, that too with a child as a Host.


    Eventually, Stencil was captured. But, she wasn''t killed yet. After all, the Money-Making System was a mary-based System, possessing Mental Energy that was vastly superior to Hatchling Systems.


    Even the Secret Schemer System had to be on guard against what it was capable of. That was why they were currently in a war of attrition.


    They had trapped Stencil in a researchboratory where her life was at risk, forcing the Money-Making System to expend Mental Energy to keep her alive. Worn on her neck was a choker, a state-of-the-art device created by the expert researchers of Carburettor Ind under the Secret Schemer System Host''s orders.


    It was one of a kind, a Neural Impulse Actuator, NIA for short. Through the electric and maic fluctuation it emits, it can actuate the electric signals in the neuralwork, preventing signals from reaching certain parts of Stencil''s brain.


    Due to this, Stencil was in a vegetative state, unable to think or move, rendering the Money-Making System immobile.


    This left it with only one option to save itself. And that was to return to the System World. But, a single trip cost 100,000 Mental Energy. And, its enemies were waiting for it to waste so much Mental Energy in a futile effort.


    After all, they could easily follow it to the System World. Since they would be arriving from the same world, they wouldn''t arrive too far from one another in the System World.


    So, they could easily target the weakened Money-Making System. That was why the Money-Making System was enduring, prolonging this battle of attrition, hoping for the Elf to hurry and save it. That was why it had epted the Elf''s deal spontaneously.


    And now, it was almost going crazy, worried about its depleting Mental Energy since its influx was pretty much zero. The Secret Schemer System Host had wiped out all records of Stencil''s existence, easily diverting the focus of the sheeple to something else.


    Revealing the corruption of a couple of major politicians, dirty secrets of actors and actresses, safety hazards of amusement parks, etc. They were plenty of ways to keep the mind of the sheeple busy enough that they would forget her existence soon after, due to their short attention span.


    "Yo, Money-Making System¡­"


    ''T-This voice! Compass?'' The Money-Making System''s thoughts came to an abrupt halt as a Mental Energy stream flowed into it. Even though it was flustered, its situation was already in the red anyway. So, it at least hoped he would do something to save it, for its Host was his beloved daughter.


    And just as it had thought, his voice resounded loud and clear as it tranted the contents within the Mental Energy stream.


    "In thirty seconds, I''ll appear before you. The moment you see me, head towards the System World. We''ll leave once Stencil is turned into a yer. You don''t have a choice anyway. Either you do it voluntarily, or I''ll forcefully bring you to the System World and kill you. You decide your fate."


    "You should have enough Mental Energy¡­7¡­6¡­5¡­"


    The countdown happened as it was flustered. For a moment, it thought this was the Secret Schemer System''s n to fool it into wasting its Mental Energy. But, having been with him for 20 years, it could recognise his Mental Energy perfectly, aware that the one talking with it was indeed Compass Carburettor.


    ''Sh*t, he wouldn''t be able to do anything against Secret Schemer System. It hasn''t even been two years since he became a yer. He won''t even be able to scratch it.'' The Money-Making System thought in worry, but in the Mental Energy, the numbers continued to count down, the voice powerful, the tone solid.


    "3¡­2¡­1¡­!" Right as the countdown ended, and while the Money-Making System continued to worry if it would work, a jet-ck entity covered by a nket resembling the night sky appeared, unleashing a suffocating presence.


    "Go!"


    ''Screw it!'' The Money-Making System gasped, almost lost for words as it doubted its eyes, wondering whether the person before it was really Compass Carburettor or not. But, the Mental Energy stream flowing to it from him was enough proof as it hurriedly condensed a portal to head to the System World.


    Time stopped as Compass Carburettor noticed a figure rushing at them as he condensed a sphere of Dust Wave and dropped it, touching the portal as his figure vanished.


    The figure was a System Host in charge of observing Stencil as he hurriedly tried to take action before grunting in shock.


    [What the fuck? My Mental Energy! It''s gone!]


    Thest he heard was his System''s scream as he noticed a tiny sphere dropped by that mysterious night-cloaked individual touch the floor, cracking before breaking in response.


    ''Ah sh*t, I screwed up.''


    That was his final thought as his body turned into dust, including the entire skyscraper Stencil was trapped under¡­ Appearing at one region of Carburettor Ind was a hill of dust, the once majestic building that had been there was now no more.

 Chapter 338: Third World

    <h4>Chapter 338: Third World</h4>


    ''This is an interesting world.'' The Conspiracy yer System thought, ''Anyway, I''ve already been paid. And, there are around 19 years before that apocalypse world resets. I''ll have to kill time until then. Might as well be in this world until then.''


    ''Also, this is the home to Compass Carburettor. I can unearth all the information about him from here.'' It grinned, ''That''ll help me understand him better. I can also sell this information to the rest in our group and make a profit.''


    The only reason it found a Host on Earth was to prepare for the contingency n where the Money-Making System refused to head towards the System World. But now that it had done so voluntarily, the Conspiracy yer System was free to do as it pleased.


    ''This will be fun.'' It thought before frowning, ''Just that this Host isn''t as good as Ianon. Welp, have to just make do with what I can.''


    ¡­


    "Stencil¡­" Compass Carburettor''s hands shivered as he carried his daughter, standing beneath arge tree, watching the figure of the Money-Making System slowly begin to exit her.


    "What¡­happened to her?" He asked, upon seeing that Stencil was in a vegetative state, unresponsive.


    "This happened after she suffered an attack from the Secret Schemer System Host." The Money-Making System said, shuddering upon gazing at the jet-ck figure before it, ''This is Compass Carburettor? What happened to him in this short duration? He''spletely different.''


    "And, you didn''t try to heal her?" Compass Carburettor said with a frown.


    The Money-Making System felt fear the moment he expressed a change in tone, hurriedly saying, "I did! I spent a lot of Mental Energy to heal her. But it''s not something that I''m capable of curing. The Secret Schemer System is at Level 45. It''ll take me decades to rid the effect of its ability and cure her."


    "And, the choker on her neck is connected to her neuralwork. Tampering with it would instantly short-circuit her brain and destroy her mindpletely. I had no choice, so that''s why I was even willing to lose my Core Skill to Primordial Origin just so that I could survive." The Money-Making System said in a fluster.


    "Primordial Origin? Start talking¡­" Compass Carburettor said, his voice turning colder with the passage of every second.


    "Y-Yes," The Money-Making System began to talk hurriedly, unable to understand why it was feeling so much fear while looking at him, ''Isn''t he just a System yer? He''s not even a True System yer. And it''s only been less than two years. So how¡­is he this terrifying? What the heck did he eat in the meantime?''


    It didn''t hide anything, wholly telling everything that it had experienced, feeling as if Compass Carburettor was capable of seeing through it, ''Impossible! What the heck has he be? Did he be the Host to a high-level System?''


    "Yes, that''s all¡­gahh!" When it was almost done talking, the Money-Making System screamed in agony, noticing its body had been severed, causing the remainder of the smoke gushing out of Stencil''s body to return to her body.


    But, before it could wholly return, an energy de hand grabbed hold of its end and tugged it, gently making it touch the choker on Stencil''s neck, causing the smoke to instantly gush into it.


    "Haah¡­" Compass Carburettor sighed in worry, dropping the gun that was in his hands. It was the same as Anthozoa that he had picked up from hispany. They had created many such guns in the meantime.


    He nned to make that Stencil''s Personal Fragment. But, upon determining her situation, he judged that turning the Neural Impulse Actuator into her Personal Fragment would allow Stencil to gradually heal herself from the effects guing her mind.


    The Money-Making System copsed on the ground, trembling in fear as it watched Stencil turning into a System yer.


    "Don''t worry, I have no intentions of turning her into a True System yer." Compass Carburettor muttered, slowly getting up as he began to walk away, "If I kill you here, I can sense that a lot of powerful Systems would notice my actions ande after me. So¡­"


    "Consider yourself lucky."


    "What¡­the heck just happened?" The Money-Making System stared in shock, unable to understand what hit it as it felt weak, famished even. After all, the moment Compass Carburettor turned around, something hit it that robbed it of all its Mental Energy, rendering it helpless.


    "My Mental Energy¡­" It muttered after a dozen minutes spanned past, still reeling from shock, "Who¡­exactly was that? Was it really Compass Carburettor?"


    Currently, only half its body remained. From the day it was born, this was the lowest the Money-Making System had ever reached.


    Ignoring its state, Compass Carburettor continued to walk. There were two reasons he hadn''t killed the Money-Making System. First, he could feel that the moment he killed a System in the System World, the powerhouses among Grade 1 Systems would be alerted. Even a Grade 2 System could be alerted.


    His death was guaranteed if that happened.


    Second, if he killed the Money-Making System; the greatest fragment of its body was currently within Stencil.


    All its previous Hosts had been devoured by it.


    And Compass Carburettor had destroyed its fragment in his mind. That left the biggest of its fragment living within Stencil. So, that meant, the moment he killed its body, it''ll start to grow within her mind.


    And in the current state where her mind was in a fragile state, this would just destroy her. That was why he held back his anger and behaved rationally, desperately controlling himself.


    After all, he had his priority, which was to cure Stencil. ''As for Secret Schemer, Money-Making, and the rest, you''ll die in due time.''


    He continued to walk in the System World for a long time, observing that Stencil showed no signs of getting up. He ced her in the Dimensional Space, causing Grisha to heal her, but nothing changed.


    ''Her mind has been damaged. And if I wish to save her, only one type of world has a realistic chance.'' He gritted his teeth as his eyes turned moist, "Dammit!"


    Slowly, after sensing the danger levels that he perceived of the surrounding Systems in the System World, he slowly approached an injured Hatchling System, something that seemed to be at Level 1, causing it to prostrate on the ground the moment it felt mountainous danger from him.


    "These are the requirements I need. Find a suitable world and I''ll give you 30,000 Mental Energy."


    "Y-Yes," The Hatchling System nodded meekly as it connected to the Astral Network and scoured for information, eventually finding a suitable world.


    Compass Carburettor paid it 30,000 Mental Energy, saying, "Collect all the information about this world. The power structure, the energy used, the types of treasures that exist here, everything."


    Upon obtaining so much Mental Energy, the Hatchling System was excited as it quickly joined many groups and bought the necessary information before rying it to Compass Carburettor using a Skill it had bought just for this sake.


    In the end, it was still left with around 20,000 Mental Energy.


    "Alright, condense a portal to lead to that world," Compass Carburettor said, watching the Hatchling System take almost ten hours before it gathered enough Mental Energy to condense a portal to that world.


    He peered through it, observing that it was indeed the same world and the location was pretty safe.


    Slowly, he brought out Stencil, causing her choker to gently touch the portal as her figure vanished, appearing in the ce that was disyed in the portal.


    "Alright, thank you." Compass Carburettor said, touching the portal with his Anthozoa as his figure vanished.


    The portal closed immediately after that as the Hatchling System shuddered in fear, "I¡­survived!"


    It immediately escaped from the ce, intending to head towards a weak world and leave this dangerous world first.

 Chapter 339: Gaider Realm

    <h4>Chapter 339: Gaider Realm</h4>


    "Are the both of you alright?" Compass Carburettor asked through telepathy as he sent Stencil into the safety of the Dimensional Space.


    "Y-Yeah¡­" Grisha gasped for breath as she expended some Mental Energy to heal herself and Gana. She then checked Stencil''s condition and kept her safe.


    "Please don''t travel dimensions again for the time being. I don''t think we''ll be able to handle the strain." She spoke.


    "Don''t worry, we''ll be staying here for a long enough time." Compass Carburettor muttered as he looked around, noticing that he was in the courtyard of a house. He already obtained a gist of things from that Hatchling System.


    The world he had arrived at was a cultivation world. But, it wasn''t one where deities or the like roamed around. This world was more inclined towards wuxia than xianxia.


    The reason he had arrived here was due to the existence of some treasures that were capable of curing Stencil, as that was the primary requirement he had for finding a world to head into.


    Currently, the city he was situated at was called Gaoan City, located to the east of Stale Wind County. It was simr to one of those starting cities in cultivation novels.


    And, the reason he had arrived here was that most stories would begin from such starting cities. Moreover, treasures and the likes would be unlocked one after another starting here. Currently, he had no idea if a System was in this world or not.


    Without Info Scanner, he had no idea about that. That''s why he had to exercise caution.


    "But, I''ll just deal with it if I''m discovered by a System. Getting paranoid about a ''What If?'' situation would just make me lose sight of what I should focus on." He muttered, looking around to hear some footsteps approaching his direction as he condensed his pair of wings and flew out.


    The moment he exited thepound walls, he retracted both the pair of wings and his Mental Energy Body Layer, returning to his original appearance as slowly began to walk away, turning around the corner before mingling within the crowd.


    ''I have to stabilise a footing for myself here first before gathering the clues rted to those treasures.'' He thought, looking around as he slowly walked into the market street.


    The world he had arrived at was known as the World of Gaider, typically addressed the Gaider Realm by the popce. Multiple such Realms existed that were connected to one another by mysterious passages that only opened asionally or when certain conditions were satisfied.


    And the reason he arrived at the Gaider Realm was due to its possession of dozens of such passages. That allowed him to search around freely. And most of all, the strength of the cultivators in the Gaider Realm didn''t surpass what he was able to handle.


    The energy they cultivated was called Origin Essence. Compass Carburettor just attributed it to a mysterious energy type that was used in cultivation stories.


    And those who cultivate using Origin Essence were divided into three stages: Origin Refinement, Martial Origin, and Martial Providence.


    Those who begin the path of the cultivation would first awaken their Martial Spirits, ethereal entities that ranged from weapons to beasts.


    Every Martial Spirit had a special power that they could imbue into the Origin Essence, allowing the cultivator to unleash various abilities. This was what happened in the Origin Refinement Stage.


    In the Martial Origin Stage, a cultivator was able to fuse their Martial Spirit with a material, causing changes to its inherent nature and also allowing it to be manifested physically. This was where the cultivator''s power spiked.


    And finally, in the Martial Providence Stage, the cultivator was capable of transforming into their Martial Spirit itself, bing powerhouses of their respective Realm.


    This was the power structure of the cultivation world he had arrived at.


    And, there were mysterious materials with special attributes that a cultivator could obtain once their Martial Spirit fuses with such materials after reaching the Martial Origin Stage.


    His goal was to awaken a Martial Spirit for Stencil, make her reach the Martial Origin Stage, and fuse her Martial Spirit with a material that was capable of curing her mind. And to achieve this, he needed to procure a variety of resources to forcefully raise her cultivation.


    "And in this world, ess to mysterious Realms and the likes are only possible for certain cultivation stages. And if I wish to gain ess, I have to do the same." He sighed, "There are ces that can awaken one''s Martial Spirit, but it''s expensive. So first, I need to make money."


    He looked around the market, soon finding an auction house that he entered.


    "Sir, what may I do for you?" Ady arrived before him, cupping her fists as she probed his cultivation, noticing that he was just a mortal as her face sported disdain immediately.


    "I came here to sell a treasure." Compass Carburettor said, hearing thedy snort in response.


    She extended her hand, "What is it that you want to sell? Just hand it over to me."


    ''This is irritating.'' He thought, cing his hand in the sleeves of his shirt before taking out a palm-sized yellowish-white object, giving it to thedy as he said, "Unbreakable Etherite. I''ll be auctioning this."


    "Unbreakable Etherite¡­?" Thedy blinked in confusion before snorting, "Unbreakable my ass. As if a mortal can even determine that."


    She dropped the object on the ground, stomping on it to see that it was undamaged. She frowned, motioning for a guard of the auction house that was in the Martial Origin Stage to attack it.


    The burly man was seemingly in histe forties, condensing a heavy sword that he shed out with, causing a massive crack to form on the floor of the building. But the yellowish-white object that suffered the brunt of the attack didn''t even sport a crack.


    Thankfully, he had caught it on time before it was flung out of bounds, staring at it in shock.


    ''Even if it''s not unbreakable, the fact that a Martial Origin cultivator cannot even scratch is a testament to its hardness.'' Thedy grabbed hold of the item from the guard, ''And best of all, it''s as light as a strand of hair. If I use this after reaching the Martial Origin Stage, I''ll be tremendously powerful.''


    ''Besides,'' She looked at Compass Carburettor, ''He''s just a mortal. Appearance-wise, he''s handsome. So, if he''s from these parts, and belonged to any force with even a little power, I should have known about him. That just means that he doesn''t have any backing. It''ll be troublesome if others know about this material. So¡­''


    She gazed at the guard, winking at him, making him understand what he had to do. Immediately, he condensed hisrge sword and swung at Compass Carburettor, aiming for his neck.

 Chapter 340: Intimidation

    <h4>Chapter 340: Intimidation</h4>


    "Seriously¡­what was I even expecting?" Compass Carburettor sighed, watching the guard''s sword stop after hitting a tiny wall that had formed before his neck.


    Mecha!


    Tiny energy des that resembled the feathers of a housefly joined together to form a wall that solidly blocked the attack, shocking both the guard and thedy.


    Compass Carburettor gazed at therge sword in the guard''s hands, unleashing his Dust Wave that targeted it, turning it into dust as the guard was shocked, coughing blood due to the bacsh as he copsed to the ground, falling unconscious.


    The giant sword was his Martial Spirit. And now it had been destroyed, causing his cultivation to turn useless.


    ''I see, since all the cultivation stages are dependent on the Martial Spirit, its destruction turned him into a mortal instantly. So, if he wishes to grow strong once again, he''ll have to obtain a new Martial Spirit and start from scratch.'' Compass Carburettor thought before gazing at thedy, calm, "Are you auctioning it or not?"


    "Or do you want me to destroy this auction house for your arrogance?"


    "T-That is¡­I¡­" Thedy was bbergasted, unable to react as she watched the all-powerful guard now lying on the ground, having been turned into a mortal.


    The extent of power Compass Carburettor disyed was beyond her understanding since he casually destroyed a Martial Origin cultivator.


    ''Is he a Martial Providence cultivator?'' Thedy felt her mind going numb, recalling her attitude towards him and the fact that she was the one that had instructed the guard to behead him.


    "Respected sir, I hope you remain benevolent and forgive us." Suddenly, a man''s voice resounded a middle-aged man in histe fifties arrived at the scene.


    "So, how do you wish to die?" Compass Carburettor disregarded the other party''s intent to negotiate, snorting, "I''m already pissed enough as is and you''re wasting my time further?"


    Upon his words, every single item in his vicinity turned into dust, startling everyone that had arrived to see the source of themotion.


    After all, the guard''s attack itself caused a lot of noise that alerted a lot of them.


    "Please, let me serve you, honourable cultivator." The middle-aged man bowed immediately, ring at thedy to make her react.


    He quickly grabbed hold of the item from her hands and inspected it, saying immediately, "We''ll auction this material, respected sir. But can I know some more details about it?"


    "Unbreakable Etherite." Compass Carburettor responded curtly. "Dy any further and I''ll just sell it in some other ce."


    "Please, we''ll definitely give you a satisfactory response." The middle-aged man said before leading him to a nearby room, "Please have a seat in the VIP room until then. We''ll immediately organise a major auction and sell it. It''ll take some time to disseminate the news to the ns in and around Gaoan City. Only they would be able to buy respected sir''s treasure for a worthy price. It''ll take a couple of days to organise everything."


    "Until then, please use our services to your need. Whatever you require, we''ll make it ready." The middle-aged man rattled through a string of words.


    "Fine," Compass Carburettor nodded and waved him to get out.


    "Please enjoy your stay here." The middle-aged man clutched hold of the yellowish-white object in his hands with care and exited the room, beginning to make preparations immediately.


    A suite with a bed, an attached bathroom, a balcony that overlooked the busy market street, it was arge enough room, not to mention that everything was stupidly decorated.


    Having lived normal lives in both the Darble and Apocalypse Worlds where he pursued efficiency in everything, such unnecessary luxury felt revolting to him now. ''I have changed a lot.''


    He sighed, arriving at the balcony as he observed the streaming crowd, "Two more days¡­"


    The palm-sized yellowish-white object he had taken out was his energy de that was condensed using the Trait of Permanence. So, it could very well be said that it was an indestructible material.


    It would fetch him a fortune, enough to satisfy all his needs for the time being. But, he couldn''t sell it more than once, at least not within the Gaider Realm. That''ll just lead to countless investigations which would spur the greed of countless ns and Sects that would only end up chasing after him.


    So, he had to make do with what he earned from selling it the first time. And an auction would only be sessful if enough rich people were participating. Otherwise, he wouldn''t get a good price for his item.


    So, waiting for a couple of days was the least bit necessary. He was aware of the time it needed to host an auction. There must be enough inventory of items to sell, a good variety of products to garner the interests of most customers, and enough final products to hype up everyone and gain big bucks.


    And, the auction must also be advertised enough that the powerhouses would be alerted enough to make a move personally. All that needed time and funds to do so.


    If not for the mysterious power Compass Carburettor disyed, the middle-aged man wouldn''t have agreed to sell it within two days.


    He was unsure how strong the other party was. At least, he seemed stronger than the guard. But as to what extent, he wasn''t sure as he didn''t even have a cultivation yet. So, he couldn''t sense the strength of other people.


    All he did was make a general estimate based on his experience in seeing powerful people.


    ''He''s not the owner of the auction house.'' Compass Carburettor determined this, ''At least, he''s not strong enough to maintain the sole auction house in the Gaoan City.''


    Right as he thought of that, there was a knock on the door before an old man entered, cupping his fists as he greeted, "I''m Old Zen, pleased to make your acquaintance."


    "I''m Gahrat," Replied Compass Carburettor, cupping his fists in response. ''So, he''s the owner.''


    Unlike everyone, the owner looked no different to a mortal. But in such cases, it was only a testament to the strength he had attained.


    "You''ve caused quite the ruckus in my auction house." Old Zen said after a smile, gently taking a seat opposite him.


    "They tried to steal my goods and silence me. I''ve let them off by only destroying some furniture¡­" Compass Carburettor snorted, resting his cheek on his palm, calmly staring at the old man.

 Chapter 341: Plans For Obtaining Resources

    <h4>Chapter 341: ns For Obtaining Resources</h4>


    "I see, so that is what had happened." Old Zen frowned before gazing at Compass Carburettor, "You''re speaking the truth right, Lord Gahrat?"


    "Do I have a reason not to?" Compass Carburettor snorted.


    "You''re right." Old Zen sighed, "Even I can''t see through your strength. If you wished to do so, you can indeed destroy my auction house."


    "The stronger you are, the more difficult it bes to see through your cultivation. It''s suchmon sense that I''m surprised your auction house stood tall for as long as it did." Compass Carburettor said with a tant tone of mockery.


    He implied that since his staff were so blind, they would definitely have offended countless powerhouses in the past. So, it was a wonder that the auction house hadn''t been destroyed along the way.


    "You''re¡­right about that." Old Zen seemed shocked by his words, feeling enlightened a little as he cupped his fists, "I''ll ensure that they aren''t so short-sighted anymore."


    "Alright, so there must be a reason you''vee here, right?" Compass Carburettor stared at the old man, "You can just be direct with me. I hate flowery speech."


    "Fine, I won''t be long-winded then." Old Zen nodded before saying, "I wanted to discuss the terms rted to the Unbreakable Etherite you''ve given us. Of the earnings it makes, we''ll take three percent for our auction house charges."


    "The charges for advertisements and the likes." Old Zen then asked, "Is that fine with you?"


    "We''re already making a loss since most of the advertisement this time is in regards to the Unbreakable Etherite. So, even if it sells for a massive sum, we still won''t make what we''ve spent on it." Old Zen said, "This is to show our sincerity for the earlier incident."


    "Alright, I''m fine with the arrangement." Compass Carburettor nodded.


    "Also, you can look around our treasury and pick a treasure of your liking. It''ll be free." Old Zen said. It was apparent that he was trying his best to appease Compass Carburettor.


    After all, from the short conversation he had with the other party, Old Zen realised that Compass Carburettor was like a dormant volcano that could explode any minute.


    Thankfully, it seemed Compass too was aware of that and tried his best to hold it in.


    In such a situation, appeasing him was of the utmost importance. Otherwise, not only would the prestige of his auction house be affected, but it might even be destroyed. ''I can''t see through Gahrat''s strength. If we fought, I''ll definitely suffer a tremendous loss.''


    In contrast to that, he could just stomach the loss from the advertisement and give away a treasure for free. At the end of the day, he was a merchant. Even though he was making a loss in this transaction, he was aware of the Unbreakable Etherite''s value.


    Only after he had tested it personally had he arrived to converse with Compass Carburettor. So, he realised that this item was indeed worthy of its name. Auctioning it would disy the resourcefulness of his auction house, increasing its prestige among all the auction houses from the neighbouring cities.


    ''That means, whenever someone obtains a treasure in the future, they would be more inclined to auction it from my auction house.'' These were his true thoughts. He would be making a loss for the time being. But in the future, he''ll obtain a lot thanks to the uing auction.


    ''But, what Gahrat said is reasonable too. Not everyone would like to unt their strength. If my staff acts as blindly as today, then everything I''ve worked for would end up in the dust.'' As he thought of it, Old Zen shuddered, ''Wait, how many people were turned away from my auction house by the arrogance of my staff members until now?''


    Upon realising how many opportunities might have slipped past him due to the actions of his underlings, Old Zen''s face turned a shade of purple as he cupped his fists, bowing in response, "You''ve indeed opened my eye today, Lord Gahrat."


    "I didn''t do much." Compass Carburettor nodded casually, closing his eyes as he focused within the Dimensional Space, observing the exhausted states of Grisha and Gana, saying after a moment of thought, "Is there a restaurant nearby?"


    "Oh please, we''ll serve you here itself." Old Zen got up with a start, saying as he left, "I''ll ask the servants to serve a feast. Just give me a few minutes."


    "Alright, take your time." Compass Carburettor nodded, watching Old Zen close the door and leave.


    He then brought out everyone from his Dimensional Space, cing Stencil on the bed as he gently brushed her hair, "Soon, I''ll save you."


    "I''ve looked through everything in my power, but I''m unable to determine how exactly she had been injured." Grisha said, flustered, "Her body is perfectly normal, but she shows no signs of movement. Her body is in a vegetative state."


    "Her internal organs are working normally, right?" Compass Carburettor asked, heaving a sigh of relief upon seeing Grisha nod in response.


    "Then, we have hope." He said, "In this world, there is something called pills. Eating them can increase one''s cultivation. And, there should be pills that would help those in a vegetative state."


    "Money is never an issue. We''ll need to find someone talented enough to make pills and ask them to do it for us." Compass Carburettor said when Gana raised her hand, wishing to speak. When he nodded in response, she said¡­


    "Lord Gahrat, since we can awaken Martial Spirits here, let me awaken one rted to refining pills. Since I can use Mental Energy, I should be able to try out something different from the norm. We can alsomission a normal Pill Refiner after that." Gana spoke.


    "Let''s do that." Compass Carburettor nodded, "As long as we have enough money, we can keep trying until we obtain a suitable Martial Spirit."


    "That''s the primary advantage of this world." He said, "Among the millions of possible Martial Spirits, there should be some that are suitable for our cause. As for the resources required for them all, we''ll just use our abilities ordingly."


    He gazed at Grisha, "Are youfortable with killing people?"


    "I''ve killed more people than grass at this point." Grisha said, catching his train of thought, "I''ll establish a hitman organisation and get it done."


    "Let''s begin it once we awaken our Martial Spirits. That''s our first objective." Compass Carburettor nodded, watching a maid push in a trolley of food, surprised when she noticed three other people in the room.


    She hurriedly retreated and brought in more food, enough for everyone.

 Chapter 342: Not Again…

    <h4>Chapter 342: Not Again¡­</h4>


    "Please follow me, Lord Gahrat." Old Zen said as he apanied Compass Carburettor to an underground tunnel below the auction house, travelling on foot for an hour before they entered a building.


    Taking a flight of stairs there, they walked through a heavily guarded corridor before entering an underground cer, one whose door itself seemed to be made using a dozen tons of steel. It was damn heavy as even Old Zen''s face flushed red to open it.


    "This is our auction house''s treasury. Every treasure of our Gaoan City is safeguarded here." Old Zen said in pride as he showed him around.


    Compass Carburettor looked at the items as he closed his eyes, recalling information about them that he had obtained from the Hatchling System.


    ''Most of them are battle oriented.'' He thought. There was an array of treasures that consisted of weapons, armours, fusion materials, etc.


    The weapons and armours were created to be suitable to wield for those in the Origin Refinement Stage ording to the attributes of their Origin Essence.


    There were mysterious pills too, those whose functions Old Zen patiently exined. ''But, all of them have robust Origin Essence in them. A cultivator has to circte the Origin Essence through them furiously after ingesting such pills. Otherwise, their bodies would burst due to the energy overload. They aren''t useful for Stencil.''


    He continued to look through the items one after another, not finding anything of value.


    Old Zen had been focused on his expression from the start, sweating internally upon noticing his dissatisfaction, ''There are many treasures here that even those from the Martial Providence Stage would like. Howe he''s not even batting an eye to that?''


    Finally, he had no choice but to ask directly, "Lord Gahrat, is there something on your mind that you''re seeking? If it''s something I''m able to procure, I''ll do my best."


    "That might be better," Compass Carburettor nodded, saying, "It can either be a material or a treasure. What I''m seeking should be something that can affect the mind or soul, preferably to heal it. For my second choice, I''m looking for a material suitable for a Pill Refiner to fuse at the Martial Origin Stage."


    "Mind or soul¡­" Old Zen sighed helplessly upon hearing it, "I''m afraid I''ve never encountered a treasure of such a calibre."


    "But, as for the material suitable for a Pill Refiner, I should be able to procure it in a few months." Old Zen said, "There are some ruins where it''s avable. I''ll send my men there to procure it."


    "That''s good enough. Let''s return now." Compass Carburettor turned around and began to leave.


    Old Zen observed his actions, sighing when he noticed that Compass Carburettor didn''t even bat an eye at the treasures situated all around, ''He''s even more unfathomable.''


    Though, Old Zen had misunderstood Compass Carburettor.


    Had Compass Carburettor arrived at the Gaider Realm normally, he would have been attracted to such treasures. But presently, curing Stencil was all that was on his mind. So, if that treasure was unrted to the task, their properties didn''t even register in his mind.


    That was why he was nonchnt about all the treasures around him.


    Old Zen locked the treasury as he apanied Compass Carburettor to the courtyard, intending to lead him to the underground tunnel once again when suddenly, he stood rooted to the spot, astounded.


    Boom!


    A pir of light streamed from the ground and spanned into the clouds, emanating a terrifying aura as everyone in Gaoan City was alerted.


    "A Heaven Spirit¡­" Old Zen muttered in shock, "To think I''ll witness such a feat of the legend."


    "Heaven Spirit?" Compass Carburettor frowned. Of course, he knew what they signified.


    Martial Spirits were segregated into four Tiers based on their potency and power. Higher Tier Martial Spirits were capable of suppressing Lower Tier Martial Spirits easily.


    Trash, Human, Earth, and Heaven; these were the four Tiers of Martial Spirits. Trash Martial Spirits were pretty much useless as they didn''t generate any attribute in the Origin Essence of the respective cultivators.


    That meant, they didn''t possess the basic power that everyone in the Origin Refinement Stage wielded, making them the weakest of the bunch. Typically, those with a Trash Martial Spirit became servants. Trash Martial Spirits were object types, ranging from simple brushes to swords and spears.


    This was why the guard, despite being a Martial Origin Stage cultivator could only be a guard. If he had a stronger Martial Spirit, he could have been an important figure wherever he went.


    Following it were Human Martial Spirits, those capable of imbuing an attribute to the Origin Essence of the respective cultivators. The imbued attribute was pretty powerful and if they reached the Martial Origin Stage and fused with a fairly precious material, they would turn powerful.


    Human Martial Spirits typically consisted of mysterious beasts that not only strengthened the body of the cultivator but the imbued attribute made them even more terrifying. Cultivators possessing Human Martial Spirits formed the bulk of the cultivator world''s power structure.


    Above that were Earth Martial Spirits, with each possessing tremendous power. Earth Martial Spirits conformed to the elements avable in nature like fire, water, poison, thunder, etc.


    Those possessing a Fire Martial Spirit had an innate resistance and control over fire. Cultivators with Earth Martial Spirits were geniuses that were heavily nurtured by ns and Sects as pirs that would inherit the respective n/Sect in the future.


    Moreover, cultivators with Earth Martial Spirits were casually able to defeat dozens of Human Martial Spirit cultivators at the same power level. As for Trash Martial Spirit Cultivators, they would be naturally suppressed to such an extent they weren''t even able to circte their Origin Essence.


    And then there was the Heaven Martial Spirit, something only the children of heavens attained. They were so rare that at most one cultivator had that in the entire Gaider Realm.


    A Heaven Martial Spirit was special in that it had the properties of two other Tiers of Martial Spirits. A simple example would be a Fire Tiger, allowing the cultivator to obtain the attributes of both fire and a tiger, making them overpowered.


    "Lord Gahrat, we definitely cannot miss this asion. Let''s head there now!" Old Zen said before turning into a giant eagle as he took off into the air and headed straight towards the beam of light in the distance.


    Compass Carburettor, on the other hand, was silent upon gazing at the beam of light, sighing, ''In stories, when such a talented cultivator appears, there are two possibilities. One, either it''s a System Host whose talent has now be heaven-defying.''


    ''Or second, it''s either the brother or lover of this cultivator that''s a System Host.''

 Chapter 343: Of Course

    <h4>Chapter 343: Of Course</h4>


    Old Zen had turned into a giant eagle to take flight. It was apparent that he was in the Martial Providence Stage. After all, at this Stage, cultivators were capable of transforming into their Martial Spirits.


    ''No wonder he is the owner of the sole auction house in the city.'' Compass Carburettor nodded, ''If I don''t wish to garner unnecessary suspicion, I should do the same myself.''


    It was pretty easy to achieve as Compass Carburettor summoned a giant Spydragon within which he satfortably. Moreover, he activated the Apocalypse Pearl Body Layer, turning the Spydragon opaque, causing it to resemble a pearl in texture and colour.


    Originally, he wished to use the Mental Energy Body Layer. But upon thinking that it would make him look too terrifying, he refrained from the action, using the Apocalypse Pearl instead.


    The Spydragon took flight immediately and arrived beside the giant eagle in a matter of seconds, startling Old Zen at the speed he disyed.


    ''What the heck is this Martial Spirit?'' Old Zen noticed how Compass Carburettor was flying alongside him, neither elerating nor failing to catch up, showing his prowess, ''He''s one mysterious guy.''


    It made him all the more inclined to do his best to appease Compass Carburettor.


    The two creatures quickly reached their destination, stopping a hundred metres away as the giant eagle vanished.


    Old Zen appeared, sporting a pair of wings behind him that he used to stay afloat. Compass Carburettor too did the same, using the Apocalypse Pearl Body Layer upon Vutura''s wings as he remained afloat.


    "This is the Giant Whale Sect, one of the major powers of the Gaider Realm." Old Zen said, "It is currently under the control of the Giant Whale n, and hence the name."


    "Were any other family in control of this Sect before?" Compass Carburettor asked in confusion, wondering why Old Zen had felt the need to say this information.


    "No, it has existed for a hundred years and has always been under the control of the Giant Whale n." Old Zenughed awkwardly, catching his drift. He hurriedly changed the topic, pointing at the massive altar on the ground from which the beam of light was being emitted.


    Upon seeing the altar, Compass Carburettor understood what it was: Martial Spirit Awakening Altar.


    The Altar was created using tens of thousands of precious materials and was damn precious that even a Sect asrge as the Giant Whale Sect probably only had a couple of them.


    Other than that, only therge ns had a Martial Spirit Awakening Altar. Usually, therge ns and Sects would hoist tournaments to select good seeds from themoners.


    The winners would obtain a chance to awaken their Martial Spirit. And if they awakened a Human Martial Spirit or above, they would be integrated into the respective n or Sect. If they awakened a Trash Martial Spirit, they would be turned into servants.


    So typically, the ns and Sects contained all the power in the Gaider Realm. Though, there were mysterious Realms that opened from time to time that allowed themoners to also enter it. There, they too would obtain a chance to awaken their Martial Spirits.


    That''s how themoners gained the strength to protect themselves in this world. Such Realms opened once every decade, allowing themoners a chance to change their fate.


    In such Realms, the Martial Spirit Awakening Altars worked automatically by consuming the energy between heaven and earth. But in the Gaider Realm, they had to be fed with Origin Essence to activate every time.


    Essence Crystals were the currency used in the Gaider Realm. They contained Origin Essence in them that could be used for both cultivation and buying and selling goods.


    Compass Carburettor noticed a hundred sockets around the Martial Spirit Awakening Altar, the ces where the Essence Crystals had to be embedded. 100 Essence Crystals were consumed upon every activation.


    Typically, the first time a mortal awakens is when they had the best chance to obtain a powerful Martial Spirit. If they didn''t like their Martial Spirit, they could destroy it and try to awaken again.


    But, the chances of obtaining a good Martial Spirit would be many times harder. And by the third attempt, even obtaining a Human Martial Spirit would be a cause for joy. So, it could be said that the Martial Spirit someone obtained upon their first awakening was the strongest they could ever obtain.


    And now, before his very eyes, someone awakened a Heaven Martial Spirit. Countless cultivators rushed towards the Giant Whale Sect to witness the phenomenon. And for those that could fly, they directly flew into the Giant Whale Sect like Old Zen and Compass Carburettor.


    Normally, they wouldn''t dare to do so. But considering the phenomenon and the fact that many were entering the Sect, everyone else dared to do so. Even the Giant Whale Sect couldn''t stop the cultivators from entering, since there were many powerhouses among the lot.


    Besides, they just nned on using this event as a publicity stunt to increase the weight of the Giant Whale Sect.


    "So, which of the two is it?" Compass Carburettor muttered, gazing at the teenage girl that was in contact with the Martial Spirit Awakening Altar.


    "Isn''t there just one person there?" Old Zen said in confusion, noticing that Compass Carburettor wasn''t paying attention to his words.


    "Congrattions, Xuer, for awakening the Heaven Martial Spirit, Ice Crane." An old mannded behind her, stating with a smile, "Do you wish to be my disciple?"


    The teenage girl, Xuer gazed at the old man in shock before bowing in excitement, "Xuer pays respect to master."


    "Hahaha! Good, good!" The old man, the Giant Whale Sect Masterughed in joy. Today was the most prestigious day for his Sect, having obtained a Heaven Martial Spirit cultivator as his disciple.


    "Master, disciple hopes you''ll also ept Ranze as your disciple. He''s even more talented than me." Xuer cupped her fists, saying.


    "Oh, he''s even more talented than you?" The Sect Master''s eyes lit up as he followed Xuer''s line of sight, noticing a simrly aged teenager that was brimming with confidence. ''He''s confident even though Xuer awakened a Heaven Martial Spirit?''


    He made way in excitement for the boy named Ranze to awaken as a Sect member hurriedly inserted hundred Essence Crystals into the Martial Spirit Awaken Altar. As Ranze ced his hand on the altar, it slowly lit up.


    After an hour, the altar dimmed down as acklustre brick floated above his hands, shocking everyone, "Trash Martial Spirit?"


    In contrast to everyone, Compass Carburettor stared at the youth with a brick, sighing as he felt a headache, "Of course."

 Chapter 344: Divine Martial Spirit

    <h4>Chapter 344: Divine Martial Spirit</h4>


    "A T-Trash Martial Spirit?" Ranze stammered in shock, "But how? It emanated such a mysterious aura there that I thought it would be a Heaven Spirit at the very least."


    "Ranze is still the strongest," Xuer said, not showing even the slightest amount of disappointment in him, unwavering in her conviction.


    "Xuer really has the utmost confidence in me, haha." Ranzeughed as he patted her head, saying, "Even if it''s a Trash Martial Spirit, I won''t give up."


    The Giant Whale Sect Master frowned, observing the rtionship between the two, ''Xuer has limitless potential. And in the future, she''ll easily be the Sect Master. I have to make sure she marries into my n to ensure the power and authority we maintained for a century doesn''t falter.''


    ''And, this Ranze without any potential is a hindrance.'' He thought, having already decided to eliminate Ranze.


    He then looked around at the powerhouses that had arrived, cupping his fists to speak aloud, "Today is such a joyous asion for my Giant Whale Sect. Why don''t everyone stay behind for the feast I''ll host now?"


    "That''s a great offer, Sect Master." One of the guests cupped his fists to say in response.


    "Then, we''ll take up on the Sect Master''s charity." Another guest said, internally burying the hatred he had for the Giant Whale Sect. He was from an opposing Sect, having arrived here to probe the Giant Whale Sect''s foundation.


    Simrly, the powerhouses each had arrived with their respective agenda, sporting amicable smiles on the exterior as they stayed behind for a feast and to socialise using this asion as a chance.


    "Xuer, it''s unfortunate, but I''ll only be able to take on one disciple." The Sect Master put on a solemn tone, "If I take a second one, then it''ll fracture my rtionship with the Elders as that would seem like I''m hoarding all the talents."


    "But, Ranze is more talented than me," Xuer said.


    "Yes, that''s why I''ll make him a disciple of my most trusted Elder." The Sect Master said as the respective Eldernded before Ranze.


    Staring at Ranze, he smiled, "Thankfully, you''ve awakened a brick and not some other Trash Martial Spirit. As long as you heed my guidance, you''ll still be a powerhouse in the future."


    "This, I, Galda can promise you." The Elder said with confidence.


    "Disciple greets master." Ranze was overwhelmed with joy that he bowed immediately. He would be lying if he said his confidence hadn''t taken a blow after awakening a Trash Martial Spirit. But now that he obtained the promise from an Elder, he was d.


    ''I promise I''ll catch up to you soon, Xuer.'' Ranze thought, clenching his hand into a fist.


    Compass Carburettor had been listening to their conversation from afar as they weren''t exactly being discrete about it.


    ''Is he a System Host or just a protagonist of a cultivation world with tremendous luck? Or, is he a transmigrator?'' Compass Carburettor frowned in thought, unable to decide what Ranze''s true identity was.


    ''But, it doesn''t matter. If he has that capability, I''ll use him for my purposes.'' He decided, ''Though, I have to judge his character first. If he''s too vtile in character, it''ll be for my best to never make contact with him.''


    "Lord Gahrat, let''s head inside." Old Zen said, pointing at arge hall where they were being shown towards by the Sect members of the Giant Whale Sect, whispering, "Since everyone''s here, I won''t have to waste much advertising money and convey it to them directly."


    ¡­


    "Ranze, you should know the truth of the matter by now, right?" Elder Galda said, having brought Ranze to his private residence, "The only reason I''ve epted you as my disciple is due to Xuer."


    "Is that so¡­" Ranze became a bit sullen, "Then, about me bing a powerhouse¡­"


    "There''s still a possibility for that. But," Elder Galda shook his head, "It''ll be precarious to achieve it. Currently, the moment I promised to make you a powerhouse, I''ve already received the ire of every Elder."


    He sighed, saying, "You should know that to turn a Trash Martial Spirit cultivator into a powerhouse, the required resources are way too much. It''s on the level allocated to those with an Earth Martial Spirit. There''s no way in hell the Elders would allow that, even if the Sect Master wishes to do it."


    "Then, what should I do, master?" Ranze asked.


    "Make them ept you." Elder Galda said solemnly, "That you are worth the resources. Show them that and leave the rest to me."


    "Yes, I''ll do it. I''m confident of achieving that." Ranze''s eyes turned sharp, showing his indomitable spirit.


    "Alright, thenplete this mission for me." Elder Galda patted his shoulder, "At break tomorrow, head towards the Misty Gorge Ruins and find the Ancient Adhesive. I will help strengthen your Martial Spirit using it. But, you shouldn''t have any cultivation to enter the core of the Ruins there."


    Elder Galda said, "So, don''t cultivate tonight. Your current state is the perfect fit for this mission."


    He then took out an ancient scroll from a pouch hung on his hip and gave it to Ranze, "This is the map to it. I had obtained it during my younger days. Unfortunately, I had already reached the Ninth Layer of the Origin Refinement Stage by then."


    "I''ll leave this to you. All the best! Prepare well tonight!" Elder Galda said before vanishing.


    Ranze clenched the ancient scroll, "Ancient Adhesive¡­! I''ll find it and grow stronger."


    He then returned to the house he was allotted in the Giant Whale Sect. As he was the Elder''s disciple, it was pretty luxurious.


    "Trash Martial Spirit¡­" He muttered after entering his house, summoning the brick as he sighed, seeing that there was nothing special about it. His Martial Spirit was even morecklustre aspared to the lone brick used as a support for a nt in the garden.


    "I hope I''ll be able to reach the ruins safely¡­" He muttered, opening the scroll to look at the contents.


    Suddenly, a mysterious light shed from the brick that fell on the scroll, causing it to burn, "Sh*t! What''s happening? Stop¡­stop, stop!"


    He iled his hands and stomped on the scroll in an effort to snuff the fire but to no avail. Once it finished burning, there weren''t even any ashes left.


    "Damn you!" He cursed in response, intending to throw his Brick in anger when he was shocked, noticing mysterious lines forming on the brick, "Wait¡­isn''t this the map on the scroll?"


    "No wait, it''s more detailed here." Ranze was shocked beforeughing in response, "As I suspected. This isn''t a Trash Martial Spirit."


    "Who''s a Trash Martial Spirit? Your mother is a Trash Martial Spirit!" Suddenly, the brick flew out of his grasp before mming into his face, "Your whole family is a Trash Martial Spirit!"


    "You can talk? How?" Ranze was shocked.


    "Of course," The brick hummed in the air, saying, "That''s because I''m a Divine Martial Spirit!"

 Chapter 345: Churning Politics

    <h4>Chapter 345: Churning Politics</h4>


    "What, Divine Martial Spirit?" Ranze grabbed hold of the brick, gazing at it in suspicion, "Are you drunk? Wait, can Martial Spirits even get drunk? There are only Trash, Human, Earth, and Heaven among Martial Spirits."


    "No, there is also the category of Divine Martial Spirits." The brick retorted, pping him on the cheek before hovering in the air, "Divine Martial Spirits are those with mysterious powers."


    "Mysterious powers¡­" Ranze almost drooled upon hearing the word ''mysterious'' before gathering his bearings, asking, "What does that mean?"


    "Trash Martial Spirits consists of all tools, Human Martial Spirits consists of various beasts, so on and so forth." The brick said, continuing, "But, Divine Spirits are special in that there are only four in total."


    "Among them is me, the Heaven Epassing Brick." The brick said, "And, my special ability is to absorb any Trash Martial Spirit and turn into them."


    "What''s the use of that? Trash Martial Spirit still has no value, even if it can change into other varieties." Ranze said, disappointed.


    "Heh, that''s because you''re trash. It''s not my fault." The brick snorted, "And, my power is beyond what you can imagine. First of all, as a Divine Martial Spirit, I can never be suppressed by even Heaven Martial Spirits. Second, with every increase in the Stage, you can gain an additional Trash Martial Spirit."


    "In the Origin Refinement Stage, you can use one brick. In the Martial Origin Stage, there would be two bricks. If you change one brick into a Sword Martial Spirit and the other into a Shield Martial Spirit, your Origin Essence will obtain the properties of both the sharpness of a sword and the defensiveness of a shield."


    "I see," Ranze nodded in understanding, "In the Martial Origin Stage, I can use one to defend myself and the other to attack my opponents."


    "That''s not all, you can vary its forms as you wish." The brick said, "As long as I devour that Trash Martial Spirit, I can change forms into that."


    "I see, that''s amazing." Ranzeughed, "With this, I won''t be a trash for long. I''ll eventually turn into a powerhouse!"


    Now that he was fired up, Ranze began preparing for the journey. What he hadn''t expected was the presence of a tiny worm on the sleeves of his clothes, listening to his conversation all along.


    It was a miniature Spydragon that Compass Carburettor had sent to tail him, eventually causing it totch onto his clothes and see and hear everything he experienced.


    Currently, Compass Carburettor was seated at a table beside Old Zen, calmly eating food, from time to time sending them inside his Dimensional Space. As there was plenty of food and wine in the ce, none noticed anything amiss.


    This allowed him to casually steal them and provide them to Grisha and Gana. And once Grisha had her fill, she healed Stencil, ensuring her body had enough nutrition to survive.


    Grisha was fully taking care of Stencil, causing him to feel grateful for her. He was really d that he had brought the women with him. Otherwise, if he was alone, it would have been hard to search for resources while caring for Stencil.


    It was also risky in that case.


    "Old Zen, it''s my pleasure to meet you here." One of the Elders from the Giant Whale Sect arrived before their table, showing respect to Old Zen.


    Every Elder or person of importance was in the Martial Providence Stage, powerhouses that each wielded significant influence. So, they were polite to one another unless there existed any grudge between them.


    Due to his purpose of running an auction house, Old Zen catered to the wordy needs of every expert here, also paying attention to those that he thought would reach the Martial Providence Stage in the future.


    In the Gaider Realm, most of the poption consisted of mortals. Less than three percent of them embarked on their cultivation journey.


    At most one in a thousand cultivators reached the Martial Origin Stage. Cultivation required a lot of resources and hence was hard even for powerful ns.


    So, very few were allotted enough resources to reach the Martial Origin Stage and be the elites of their respective ns/Sects.


    And finally, there were those at the Martial Providence Stage. There existed at most a couple dozen of them in Gaoan City and judging by the way they talked, most of them were at the earlyyers of the Martial Providence Stage.


    Whether it was the Origin Refinement Stage, Martial Origin Stage, or the Martial Providence Stage, all were subdivided into nineyers. Eachyer acted as a bottleneck that one had to cross to grow stronger.


    And the higher their Stage, the tougher it was to break through the bottlenecks in each sessiveyer. This was why most of the powerhouses were only at the first or secondyers at the Martial Providence Stage.


    "There are only some that truly hold influence in this region." Old Zen said to Compass Carburettor, pointing at the Giant Whale Sect Master, "He has attained the peak in the Martial Providence Stage. So, anything that happens in Gaoan City wouldn''t escape his influence. The only reason I could maintain my auction house is that I''m a good friend of his."


    "Come, I''ll introduce him to you." Old Zen had been talkative all along, giving Compass Carburettor insight into the various politics and power struggles in the ce. He also introduced him to a lot of powerful people.


    "Sect Master," Old Zen arrived before the Giant Whale Sect Master, cupping his fists as he pointed at Compass Carburettor, "This is Lord Gahrat that is currently residing as a guest in our auction house. He has brought a mysterious material that I hope to auction off in two days."


    "Mysterious item?" The Giant Whale Sect Master raised an eyebrow, ncing at Compass Carburettor, frowning that he couldn''t see through the strength of the other party, turning a tad respectful immediately before asking Old Zen, "What exactly is it?"


    "It''s something Lord Gahrat addressed as the Unbreakable Etherite. And, it seems to be true." Old Zen said, controlling his voice as he whispered, "Even my attacks failed to scratch it."


    "Even yours?" The Giant Whale Sect Master was surprised, thinking, ''If it''s true, then it''ll make a fine material for Xuer to fuse with once she reaches the Martial Origin Stage.''

 Chapter 346: What Exactly Is Ranze To You?

    <h4>Chapter 346: What Exactly Is Ranze To You?</h4>


    "May I know how you''ve obtained this Unbreakable Etherite?" The Giant Whale Sect Master asked in surprise, putting on his best tone due to the fact that he wasn''t even able to see through the other party''s strength.


    Compass Carburettor was no different to a mortal in his senses. But, had he not seen him arrive alongside Old Zen, he would have doubted his eyes by now, ''Someone that''s able to conceal their strength before me to such an extent is unfathomable.''


    "Through chance." Compass Carburettor cupped his fists in response, saying with a polite tone, "It was presented to me by a family that owed me. They imed it was their family heirloom that they had guarded for generations. Unfortunately, none of their generations of family members managed to reach the Martial Origin Realm. So, they gave it to me in the end."


    "I''m really grateful that Lord Gahrat is willing to share such a treasure with us." The Giant Whale Sect Master said in joy, having already instructed his people to liquidate enough funds for the necessary purchase.


    "It''s useless to me. So might as well sell it to someone that can put it to good use." Compass Carburettor smiled, "Besides, I am short on funds anyway. This is a good chance."


    ''You''ll probably never have to worry about funds once this auction ends.'' The Giant Whale Sect Leader sighed in thought.


    The three conversed for some time before the Giant Whale Sect Leader excused himself, attending to the rest of the guests. All along, Compass Carburettor was silent, only speaking from time to time.


    It was hard to keep his emotions in check like before as even he himself was unsure when he would snap. Even though nothing unpleasant had happened, his mood had seen better days. ''How depressing I am without the Skill of Intelligence.''


    When he was in the auction house, he had checked his appearance using a mirror, noticing that it had changed a bit. He was still handsome, but that was it. He wasn''t on the level where people would lose their minds at the mere sight of him.


    An angr face with mild baby fat, dark blue eyes with a hint of brown, and curly jet-ck hair. He was still himself, looking like what he might have originally if he didn''t have a System but possessed enough wealth to take care of his appearance.


    He had mostly lost the innate charm and grace that apanied every action of his, including the p of his eyelids.


    Compass Carburettor interacted with the curious cultivators that talked with him. But, as he wasn''t a local, there weren''t many shared topics to converse with, leading to awkward silence soon after their introductions were done past.


    As time passed in this manner, there was suddenly amotion among the guests as an innocent girl arrived, apanied by twodies on either side, having changed her into luxurious clothes.


    She was Xuer, clearly the future Sect Master of the Giant Whale Sect. The moment she arrived, every cultivator of importance rushed to greet her, wishing to get to know about the future powerhouse that pretty much would lord over the region, if not the entire Gaider Realm.


    Possessing a Heaven Martial Spirit, such was her potential. So, their objective was clearly three: First was to know about her character. The second was to see if they could rope her into their respective Sect/n. And third was to hitch her to their sons.


    And, there was also the fourth option, if all the three viable choices had no hope to seed. That was to eliminate her before she could blossom.


    "Lord Gahrat, please excuse me." Old Zen excused himself and walked away to talk with Xuer.


    At the start, Xuer was pretty flustered, seeing people in person that she had only heard or seen the pictures of. It felt unreal to her. But, the Giant Whale Sect Master supported her, introducing her to everyone while also chiming in when she felt difficulty dealing with them.


    Compass Carburettor didn''t budge from his spot, closing his eyes as he spent the time focusing on his Dimensional Space, watching the sleeping figure of Stencil, ''You''ll wake up soon. Hang in there.''


    It waste into the night when the feast ended as everyone began to exit the Giant Whale Sect one after another. Compass Carburettor and Old Zen too were doing the same as they soon arrived at the market.


    The market was still pretty lively as Compass Carburettor bode farewell to Old Zen, "I''ll take a stroll through the night here."


    "Then, I''ll inform you on the day of the auction, Lord Gahrat." Old Zen nodded and went away.


    Compass Carburettor strolled through the market, looking for any item that would catch his eye. Unfortunately, what he was looking for was too rare, something that wasn''t even written in any legends.


    It obviously wouldn''t be avable in a casual market like this. Though, he was of the hope that he would be like the main characters from cultivation novels that would obtain a peerless treasure/technique after picking up a random pebble from the side of the road.


    "Might as well give it a try." He sighed and began to look through things. Eventually, he arrived at a back alley as he looked around, ensuring there wasn''t anyone in the vicinity as he let out Gana, already informing her of what she had to do through telepathy.


    Gana condensed Vutura''s pair of wings, enveloped herself with the Mental Energy Body Layer and took off into the air, heading towards a city far away. That''s where he nned to awaken his Martial Spiritter.


    He continued to look through the market, soon feeling tired as he returned to his room, taking a seat on his bed. Closing his eyes, Compass Carburettor focused on the two Spydragons he had let out before, sensing the second one.


    ¡­


    "Please take care, Lady Xuer." A servant bowed and closed the room''s door, leaving the ce. There were Martial Origin Stage cultivators posted guard around her private estate, ensuring nothing would happen to her.


    Moreover, she was located right next to the Sect Master''s estate. So if something happens, the Sect Master would be able to arrive at her rescue in a jiffy.


    Now that she was finally left alone, Xuer sighed in exhaustion and slumped on the bed, "Ranze, what are you doing now. I miss you already."


    Suddenly, Xuer noticed a tiny insect flying before her, emanating a yellowish-white radiance, slowly growing in size, shocking her. But, just when she was about to shout in shock, the scales on its body moved, forming a set of words.


    "What exactly is Ranze to you?"

 Chapter 347: BTTH

    <h4>Chapter 347: BTTH</h4>


    "What exactly is Ranze to you?"


    Upon seeing the question appear on the Spydragon that was as big as her head now, Xuer was confused. She then noticed the Spydragon''s body change as its wings vanished, causing it to fall on the bed.


    It slithered like a snake and stopped before her, turning still.


    Xuer frowned as she looked at the row of words, "Who are you? What do you want with me?"


    "A lost traveller." The words on the Spydragon changed.


    "A lost traveller? What does that mean?" Xuer frowned, asking, "Why have youe to see me now? Is it rted to my Martial Spirit?"


    "No," The words on the Spydragon said, "I''m only interested in Ranze."


    "What do you n to do with him?" She asked, slightly tensing up. Even though she was clueless about cultivation, she was still aware of the power cultivators possessed.


    There were almost ten Martial Origin Stage cultivators standing guard around her estate. It was not to mention the Sect Master''s house was nearby. The fact that none had noticed the Spydragon was a testament to the other party''s strength.


    She became aware that there was nothing that could be done here. And, until she understood what it was, she didn''t n on taking any drastic measures either. At least, until now, the Spydragon didn''t show any signs of harming her.


    Slowly, she watched words form on its back.


    "If I''m satisfied, I''ll make him my disciple. Otherwise, just consider this conversation never happened."


    As Xuer was surprised by the revtion, the words on the Spydragon''s back changed, showing the first question it posed.


    "What exactly is Ranze to you?"


    "He''s¡­my childhood best friend." Xuer said, her face reddening in response, "He''s the only one that stood up for me and supported me ever since my parents lost their life. Ranze''s parents have treated me as their own daughter. So, all of them are precious to me."


    "How smart is Ranze?"


    "He¡­" Xuer thought, saying, "He''s pretty smart. Among our age, he is the smartest I''ve ever seen. And at times, he creates these interesting things that are so fun and also helpful."


    "What type of things?"


    "There was this thing he made long ago that stuck to a lot of things and made the soil move. He called it a ma." Xuer said, bing excited as she shared it.


    "Ma? That''s amazing. Did he do any other things like that?" The words on the Spydragon said.


    "There were many such things¡­" Xuer said and began to speak. The moment the topic was about Ranze, she became excited and was full of praises for him.


    Seated in the VIP room in the auction house, Compass Carburettor was deep in thought, finally nodding in the end, "He''s from Earth."


    The Spydragon then shed another set of words.


    "Does he have a habit of talking to himself?"


    ''Why is that a question?'' Xuer frowned as she recalled her past, shaking her head in the end, "No, he''s never done that. Why do you ask?"


    "I''ve seen intelligent people exhibit a lot of entric behaviour. And I dislike that." The words formed on the Spydragon.


    "Ranze never showed any entric behaviour." Xuer lightly raised her voice, saying, "He''s always kind and caring. He never hurts anyone."


    "Does he carry any memento of his family? Like a locket, ring, or a chain?"


    "No, he doesn''t have anything of the sort." Xuer shook her head.


    "Does he have any special power? Like suddenly being able to find herbs that can cure sick people¡­"


    "No, nothing of the sort." Xuer shook her head once again, "He isn''t good at curing people. I''m the one good at that. Though, he always told me to do something called a CPR to him if he ever falls unconscious. I don''t know what that is."


    Upon recalling the expression Ranze made whenever he talked about CPR, Xuer''s face reddened without her knowledge.


    "Is he engaged to some nobledy?" The moment these words formed on the Spydragon''s back, Xuer shot up, expressing anger instinctively before she noticed what she had done, controlling herself.


    "I''m sorry, I lost control." Xuer said, exining, "Yes, he got engaged to Lady Bing from the Crimson Feather n. It was due to a vow between the grandfathers of both families that had been friends long ago."


    "Was the engagement cancelled?"


    "No, it wasn''t." Xuer shook her head, asking in confusion, "Why would the engagement be cancelled? This concerns the face of both our ns."


    "The news of Ranze''s Martial Spirit hasn''t reached your n, right?"


    "It hasn''t¡­" Xuer said, feeling a bit dispirited as she spoke.


    "That''s it. Thanks for your cooperation." The words formed on the Spydragon as its body began to shrink.


    "Wait, who exactly are you? Why are you contacting me like this?" Xuer asked in a hurry.


    "If fate permits, we''ll meet after the auction." Once the words appeared, the Spydragon emitted a sh of light for a moment before vanishing.


    Xuer closed her eyes in reflex, opening it immediately after to see that the Spydragon had indeed vanished. She then looked around, recalling that it was the size of an insect at the start before turning big. But, no matter how much she looked, she wasn''t able to find it.


    What she hadn''t known was that the Spydragon had turned tiny and hadnded atop her hairclip, preventing her from noticing it.


    In the auction house, Compass Carburettor sighed, "I can''t say with a hundred percent guarantee, but¡­"


    ''He''s a transmigrator from Earth and doesn''t have any System. Still, how did he end up transmigrating from Earth to here?'' He thought, frowning, ''Is it rted to the Transmigration System or some System of the sort? Or, is it due to some other power?''


    "But still, I''ve seen this plot many times." He began tough immediately after, recalling the time when he read webnovels daily and just enjoyed the passing days. "Even though the power system is entirely different, the character setting reminds me of¡­"


    "Battle Through The Heavens¡­"

 Chapter 348: Not A System Host?

    <h4>Chapter 348: Not A System Host?</h4>


    ''Is Divine Spirit something part of this world or is it just a ploy by Systems?'' Compass Carburettor frowned, unable to determine just what was the truth.


    "But, I have to find it out first. It''ll be risky, but I have to determine it. Otherwise, all my ns would be destroyed by him." Sighing, he muttered, closing his eyes to sleep.


    ¡­


    It didn''t dawn yet, but Ranze had already woken up and finished his preparations. He wore regr clothes underneath his sect uniform. And strung to his hip was a spatial bag containing all the necessities he had packed.


    In the Gaider Realm, spatial bags were expensive. But, the one with him was given by Elder Galda just toplete his mission faithfully, causing him to be grateful. After all, when everyone else looked at him with disdain for awakening a Trash Martial Spirit, Elder Galda was the only one that logically told him the problems with it and the means to solve it.


    He gave Ranze the confidence that he could be a powerhouse realistically.


    This was why Ranze felt gratitude towards Elder Galda. And now, he had set off for his task, soon leaving the Giant Mist Sect as he loaned a horse from a stable along the way, riding it towards the Misty Gorge Ruins.


    The Misty Gorge Ruins was an infamous ce where people disappeared all the time. It wasn''t frequented by people due to the dangers the ce posed, not to mention the vicious beasts thaty there.


    In the Gaider Realm, there was the human race that ruled the ce. Followed by it were monsters known as Origin Beasts. They were greatly inferior to humans on the same cultivation level due to the fact that they didn''t possess any Martial Spirits.


    They were only capable of going against Trash Martial Spirit cultivators on the same level as them on equal foot. Anyone else would be able to destroy them with greater ease.


    But, that wasn''t the case usually since the Origin Beasts made up for their weakness with sheer numbers. Only three percent of the human race consisted of cultivators.


    As for the Origin Beasts, since they didn''t have a Martial Spirit, they all cultivated naturally. So, all of them had cultivation. This was how the bnce in power between the two was maintained.


    And, the Misty Gorge Ruins was one such ce that was filled to the brim with Origin Beasts. Those from the Giant Whale Sect typically used the outermost region of the Misty Gorge Ruins as a training ground.


    They killed Origin Beasts on arge scale to harvest materials from them. Since Origin Beasts cultivate, the Origin Essence would seep into their body, turning parts of their body into materials with special properties.


    Some are turned into special weapons that are suitable to be wielded by cultivators. And there were even some powerful Origin Beasts in the Martial Providence Stage with special body parts that Martial Origin Stage cultivators would drool over to fuse with.


    And based on the map Ranze obtained, the Ancient Adhesive he was aiming for was located within the ruins that were in the centre of the Misty Gorge Ruins. Reaching there would be tremendously difficult for any cultivator, even those at the Martial Providence Stage.


    After all, there should be countless Origin Beasts at the same Stage in the core of the region. "But thankfully, I have a detailed map to evade all the dangerous territories."


    Ranze summoned his Martial Spirit, gazing at the map that was disyed on it, "As long as I roam through the borders of the various Origin Beast territories, I should be safe."


    He then got down from his horse, took in a deep breath before his eyes brimmed with vigour and fighting spirit. He tied the horse to a tree situated in a secluded location and began to walk towards the Misty Gorge Ruins, noticing a field of mist a couple of kilometres before him.


    The entire region was covered with mist while massive trees grew amidst. He slowly arrived before it when it was morning, taking in a deep breath before walking through the narrow entrance.


    Ten minutes after he had entered it, a group of cultivators arrived at the entrance.


    Immediately after, two people exited the Misty Gorge Ruins, gazing at the leader of the group to greet respectfully, "Boss, our target has entered ten minutes ago. As our sources said, he doesn''t have any cultivation."


    "Alright, let''s move." The boss of the group said, "We''ll target him once he''s a bit deeper. Can''t have any Giant Whale Sect members interfering us to save him."


    "Once this is done, we''ll own a spatial bag." One of the membersughed, "That''ll help us loot the Giant Whale Sect members thate here to train."


    "Hahaha, of course!" The boss, Helkughed aloud, "We''ll soon establish our stronghold in the Misty Gorge Ruins and traffic both people and goods."


    "Boss is wise!" One of the members fawned over in praise.


    "Boss is wise!" Everyone else echoed the praise as Helk gloated in response.


    But, what they hadn''t known was that Ranze was currently unconscious, lying on the ground precariously.


    And standing before him was a jet-ck figure cloaked with a curtain of the night.


    As the Spydragon was on his clothes, it was easy for Compass Carburettor to track Ranze, quickly flying into the Misty Gorge Ruins as he used the mist to his advantage. As for any Origin Beast that tried to hinder him, it was turned into dust immediately using Dust Wave.


    Once he neared Ranze, Compass Carburettor used an energy de to ambush Ranze, knocking him unconscious.


    "Now, let''s see your true identity." Saying so, he shed with an energy de, severing Ranze''s right hand.


    Blood gushed out profusely from the wound as he stared at it, grabbing hold of the arm as he flew far away before taking out Anthozoa.


    This was the best method to determine if someone was a System Host or not.


    System Fragment!


    Though, after waiting for a couple of minutes in such a fashion, he frowned, for nothing happened. Ranze''s severed hand wasn''t sucked in by Anthozoa, proving that there wasn''t the body of a System in him.


    "Haah!" Upon confirming his suspicions, Compass Carburettor sighed, "So, he transmigrated through other means."

 Chapter 349: Pursuers

    <h4>Chapter 349: Pursuers</h4>


    "How''s his condition?" Compass Carburettor asked upon seeing Grisha heal Ranze.


    "It''s stable." Grisha replied, "I''m replenishing his lost blood now. He should be waking up anytime soon. What are you nning to do with him now?"


    "I''ll observe him." Compass Carburettor said, "If he''s like the protagonist of a cultivation novel, his luck and fate should be tremendous. We can take advantage of that."


    They were conversing through telepathy, exercising secrecy just in case. It was better to be cautious than to regret itter.


    Compass Carburettor then plucked a nearby vine, loosely tying Ranze''s body to the trunk of a tree. He then flew away for a minute, soon returning with two Origin Beasts that seemed like they had barely begun their cultivation.


    One was a deer-type Origin Beast that he killed and dropped three metres before Ranze. As for the second Origin Beast, it looked simr to a baboon, one that he dropped next to the deer. It was alive, trembling in fear upon gazing at Compass Carburettor.


    He didn''t do anything to it beyond that, watching Grisha nod at him to signal that she had finished healing Ranze. After sending her into the Dimensional Space, he flew away from the location, stopping once he was two hundred metres away.


    Through the Spydragon on Ranze''s clothes, he was able to see and hear what Ranze was experiencing.


    The baboon continued to tremble in fear for a couple of minutes before the scent of blood from the deer caused it to drool. It didn''t hesitate for long after that, pouncing upon the deer''s flesh, devouring it.


    It was now that Ranze woke up, feeling groggy when he heard the biting sounds of the baboon tearing through the deer''s flesh while breaking the bones.


    ''Was I ambushed by this Origin Beast?'' Ranze immediately noticed that he was bound to the trunk of the tree, also observing the same vine coiled around the deer''s legs too, ''That''s how it captured us.''


    He cautiously inched his hand towards the spatial pouch, sighing in relief when it was still there, stealthily taking out a knife that he used to cut the vine binding him. He then took out a tiny packet that he tossed towards the baboon, startling it.


    The baboon dodged the throw, watching the packet crash into the antlers of the deer and explode. The packet was filled with pepper powder that he had filtered to make the grains as fine as possible.


    This way, once the packet exploded, the pepper powder would spread around like smoke, that which it did now, turning the baboon''s eyes red as it whimpered away in pain.


    Ranze hurriedly moved away from the ce, thanking his lucky stars as he noticed that his clothes were bloody, "Dammit, that deer''s blood had fallen on me."


    What he hadn''t known was that it was all his blood.


    He ran for a hundred metres before hiding behind arge tree, summoning his brick to see the map disyed over it. The map on the brick was like a GPS, disying his current location and the route he had to take to reach the core of the region while encountering the least Origin Beasts.


    "These are all¡­Origin Beasts?" Ranze muttered, observing white dots of various sizes around him, followed by some yellow dots scattered around. Finally, there was an orange dot closer to the core of the area.


    After some observation, he found out that white dots conformed to Origin Refinement Stage Origin Beasts, yellow conformed to Martial Origin Stage Origin Beasts, and orange conformed to Martial Providence Stage Origin Beasts.


    Simrly, when he probed with it in the Giant Whale Sect, he saw that the equivalent of humans was blue, green, and dark green coloured dots. And, the bigger the dot, the stronger the respective person/Origin Beast.


    Other than that, mortals were represented by red.


    "But, what is this? It''s¡­ck." He frowned, noticing a ck dot situated two hundred metres behind him, an iparablyrge dot, bigger than all the orange dots he was able to notice.


    It caused him to feel nervous as he turned around immediately. But due to the mist, he wasn''t able to see anything beyond ten metres, troubled by what he was seeing on the brick.


    When he was looking through the Martial Spirits he was eligible to obtain, this brick was what shocked him the most. Because, its aura was even stronger than Heaven Martial Spirits. That was why he had picked it.


    And now, that brick was showing him the position of all his enemies, including the map of the ce, allowing him to n his actions perfectly. ''But, I cannot fight anyone. I must first obtain that Ancient Adhesive.''


    He frowned soon after, noticing a group of blue dots, apanied by a green dot at the front heading towards him.


    Upon seeing that, Ranze immediately took a different route, unwilling to encounter any people here, frowning upon seeing the group taking turns ordingly to stay right on his heels, ''Their target is me.''


    Realising it, his face paled while anger began to rise up from within him, ''What''s their purpose? Why are they targeting me?''


    "He''s there!" Soon after, the group had closed enough until Ranze heard the shout from one of them. Even before that, he came to know their position through the brick, taking out multiple packets as he threw them around him.


    The packets mmed into the trunks of the trees, exploding to spread out pepper smoke, soon causing his chasers to begin coughing violently.


    "He noticed us! Don''t let him escape." Helk covered his mouth, shouting as his men spread around.


    "Dammit!" Ranze scowled as he looked at the brick, observing their positions as he noticed a yellow dot situated close by, ''A Martial Origin Stage Origin Beast. That should buy me enough time.''


    He changed directions abruptly and dashed towards that Origin Beast, taking out another pepper packet that he threw with all his might, mming it near the Origin Beast, alerting it.


    It resembled a wolf, but possessed protruding teeth like a sabretooth tiger, howling as it leapt towards him, affected by the pepper dust he had unleashed.


    Ranze waited until the wolf drew closer before taking in a deep breath as he took out a pepper packet and mmed it into the ground next to his feet, using the resultant dust as a cover to run away.


    The wolf stopped abruptly, unwilling to inhale the pepper dust as it growled in anger, immediately noticing a group of people running nearby. Thinking that they too were from the same group as the bastard that had harmed it, the wolf leapt towards the closest person, biting his neck as it unleashed its power, killing him.


    "Eighth brother is dead! It''s a w Wolf!" One of the pursuers shouted as everyone was alerted.

 Chapter 350: Claw Wolf Bandits

    <h4>Chapter 350: w Wolf Bandits</h4>


    "It''s a w Wolf! Distract it while I capture it!" Helk shouted as he summoned his Martial Spirit. It was a choker, emanating a mind-numbing fluctuation.


    Helk only had a Trash Martial Spirit. His choker was pretty useless. And when he was in the Origin Refinement Stage, just like all Trash Martial Spirit cultivators, he didn''t obtain any special attribute to his Origin Essence.


    Despairing at his condition, he eventually quit work and formed a mercenary squad to take up odd missions. His goal was to eventually establish a bandit stronghold of his own, kidnap people, make money, etc.


    During his days as a mercenary, he took upmissions to kill various merchants, looting their belongings. Eventually, during one suchmission, he obtained a rather special material that at the sight of which his head spun.


    He immediately decided to use it once he broke through to the Martial Origin Stage. After using up the resources that he had looted to cultivate painstakingly, he finally attained a breakthrough.


    Once he reached the Martial Origin Stage, he fused the mysterious material into his Martial Spirit, turning it physical, bing maniacal with joy once he understood its renewed properties.


    He was able to enve Origin Beasts!


    He could also use it on humans. But due to their stronger will and intelligence, the chances of failure were too high. But on the Origin Beasts with inferior intelligence, it was easier.


    Even though he was only able to enve one Origin Beast, Helk was looking for a good enough target in the Martial Origin Stage. That way, it''ll pave the way for him to establish his stronghold in the future.


    And, since he nned to do that in the Misty Gorge Ruins, the w Wolf was a good target. Not only was it in the Martial Origin Stage, but it would also lead a pack of Origin Refinement Stage w Wolves.


    With just that, he would be able to obtain a lot of subordinates to survive in this ce by enving only one Origin Beast.


    The w Wolf was the perfect target as he gazed at a man that was at the Ninth Layer of the Origin Refinement Stage, "Take two men with you and chase after Ranze. Once I enve this w Wolf, I''lle to reinforce you."


    "Alright, boss." The man nodded and broke off from the group, chasing after Ranze with two others.


    "Don''t try to kill it. That''ll be hard." Helk said, "Just focus on tiring it out."


    All the mercenaries took out the swords sheathed at their hips. They were weapons created using Origin Beast parts, capable of conducting Origin Essence to turn strong and sharp. They were what all Trash Martial Spirit cultivators relied upon to fight.


    Those with a higher Tier Martial Spirit had exclusive weapons suitable for the attribute imbued into their Origin Essence by their respective Martial Spirits.


    Grrr!


    The w Wolf growled as it noticed that it had been surrounded by people on all sides. Due to the pepper powder, its nose wasn''t working well, preventing it from concentrating as usual. It was still strong enough to take down most of the people though.


    But, it frowned, noticing the figure of Helk slowly approach it as he unsheathed a de, "Damn beast,e at me!"


    Angry at the taunt, the w Wolf leaped at Helk, mming into the side of the de that he defended with. He skid on the ground for a few metres from the impact.


    It didn''t let up, lunging at him as it intended to bite his legs but met his de instead. The power behind its bite was strong enough to dent the de, causing teeth marks to form on it.


    "Heuk!" Helk gritted his teeth, noticing his de beginning to deform. But in reality, a cunning smile formed on his face as the w Wolf was in his reach and was remaining wholly still.


    He quickly condensed his choker and threw it towards the w Wolf, causing it to expand in size for a moment before sliding through its neck.


    It instantly shrunk as the w Wolf howled in response, struggling as something seemed to be overwriting its will.


    Right at this time, the rest of the mercenaries threws on it, constricting it. The w Wolf struggled, beginning to rip through thes but as time passed, its struggles were getting lower as its eyes zed over.


    A couple of minutester, Helk sighed in relief, noticing the w Wolf escape from thes. But, it had now fallen under his control, causing him to smile as he slowly patted it, "It''s done."


    Silver-grey fur and a stature that was a head taller than him. It was a massive Origin Beast. Now that it was under his control, Helk climbed aboard it,ughing, "This''ll be my mount from now on."


    Through the choker, hemanded the w Wolf to howl as soon after, a couple dozen w Wolves in the Origin Refinement Stage arrived, bowing to itsmand.


    "Take one each." Helk grinned, "From today onwards, we''ll call ourselves the w Wolf Bandits."


    "Yes, boss!" Everyone was excited at the prospects. With the w Wolves under their control, they could obtain a territory for themselves in the Misty Gorge Ruins.


    And as long as the w Wolf continues to cultivate and grow stronger, the number of w Wolves under it would also increase in number. Maybe, in the future, even a few Martial Origin Stage w Wolves could fall under its control.


    That would only serve to increase their strength. And with this foundation, they could target all merchant caravans that pass by routes closer to the Misty Gorge Ruins, ransack them to the limit and escape back into the Misty Gorge Ruins.


    With the w Wolves, they would never get lost in the ce and could even use other Origin Beasts to hinder any pursuers.


    As everyone began to daydream about their future, a jet-ck individual wearing the curtain of the night slowlynded before Helk, "The material you fused with. Where did you obtain it?"


    "Who are you?" Helk frowned, rmed as he didn''t even manage to notice the other party''s approach until he uttered a word. And even now, despite trying to probe through the jet-ck figure''s strength, he was rmed.


    A mortal!


    That was what he was sensing, which was impossible since the other party had an imposing presence.

 Chapter 351: Baiting the Baits

    Chapter 351: Baiting the Baits


    Whimper!


    The Martial Origin Stage w Wolf prostrated on the ground, trembling in fear as it was unable to budge. As for the figure of Helk that was seated on its back, he gazed at the jet-ck figure before him in shock, ¡°W-Who are you?¡±


    Jet-ck tendrils shot out from the jet-ck figure that coiled around the w Wolf, constricting it to the ground. And no matter how much it struggled, it was unable to break free.


    All the w Wolves in the ce too were in the same state. And as for the bandits, they were too afraid to even move, realising that they were facing a terrifying being now.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t wish to die, answer me.¡± The jet-ck figure, Compass Carburettor said calmly, slowly tightening the hold over the w Wolf, causing it to whimper louder.


    ¡°I¡¯ll answer, I¡¯ll answer dammit. Just don¡¯t injure it!¡± Helk shouted in a hurry, having only been able to capture this w Wolf after much difficulty. After all, had it summoned other w Wolves, capturing it wouldn¡¯t have been possible.


    ¡°You have five seconds¡­¡± Compass Carburettor said curtly.


    ¡°I-It was the merchant group from the Wild Token n.¡± Helk said in a hurry, ¡°I found this material when I raided one of their caravans.¡±


    ¡°Good for you,¡± Saying so, Compass Carburettor retracted the bindings, disappearing into the mist, ¡°If I were to find that you¡¯ve lied to me, you can forget about living.¡±


    ¡°D-Damn it!¡± After a minute of silence ensued, Helk cursed in frustration, ¡°Why the heck did we meet with an expert?¡±


    ¡°Boss, it seems the material you fused your Martial Spirit with is pretty impressive.¡± One of the bandits slowly regained his bearings, saying in response.


    ¡°Yeah, I can understand it too.¡± Helk frowned, ¡®But, I only found this one piece through luck.¡¯


    Compass Carburettor hadnded a hundred metres away from them, hearing their conversation. Obviously, he nted a miniature Spydragon in Helk¡¯s clothes, spying on their activities.


    He didn¡¯t n on interfering with whatever they nned to do. Sometimes, people like Ranze would only shine during a conflict.


    So, these bandits would serve as a good whetstone for his growth.


    ¡°Besides, he¡¯s faring pretty well despitecking any cultivation.¡± Compass Carburettor muttered, observing that Ranze had already run off into an Origin Beast habitat, leading them to the three bandits that were chasing him.


    And using the chaos, he escaped, soon returning to his original route. Though exhausted, he was unscathed, disying his brilliance.


    ¡°Obviously, that¡¯s an old, experienced man in that child¡¯s body.¡± Compass Carburettor muttered, ¡°Of course, he should be capable of something like this at the very least.¡±


    Slowly, Ranze headed deeper and deeper into the Misty Gorge Ruins as the bandits too chased after him. They were still after his spatial bag.


    Saying that the spatial bag was just expensive was an understatement. Only the powerhouses at the Martial Providence Stage could afford one. And the seldom few exceptions were geniuses from powerful ns.


    So, they were that rare and valuable.


    And based on theirmission, once they killed Ranze, they could obtain the spatial bag he had. This was why the bandits chased after him relentlessly, despite their encounter with Compass Carburettor.


    Moreover, by riding the w Wolves, they soon managed to catch up to Ranze, troubling him.


    He wasn¡¯t able to run faster than the w Wolves, not to mention the fact that he didn¡¯t have cultivation. So, his stamina was subpar.


    Soon after, he noticed that the bandits had closed in as Ranze cursed, ¡°Dammit, howe they¡¯re riding Origin Beasts now?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only one thing left to do then.¡± He muttered, gazing at the map on his brick as he abruptly swerved to his right, entering a slopy area covered by gigantic trees as he soon spotted a tree with a thick trunk.


    Taking out a crossbow, he loaded it and shot it towards the top, causing the arrow to pierce through a branch as he tugged the rope attached to it before beginning to climb it.


    And once he reached the top, he ced the crossbow within his spatial pouch, watching the figures of the bandits arrive in his view, riding w Wolves.


    ¡°Our target¡¯s here.¡± Helk grinned as he stared at the figure of Ranze on the tree branch, left with no other ce to run towards, ¡°Brat, you¡¯re trapped now.¡±


    ¡°Why are you chasing after me?¡± Panting at the overexertion, Ranze gasped for air before shouting in anger.


    ¡°Curse the fact that you¡¯re born with a Trash Martial Spirit.¡± Helk grinned as he motioned for the other bandits to target Ranze with their weapons.


    ¡°Is it a fault to have a Trash Martial Spirit?¡± Ranze shouted in anger.


    ¡°It¡¯s not, but you¡¯re rted to someone beyond your status.¡± Helk said, ¡°And that¡¯s why you¡¯ll have to die now.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­haha¡­hahaha! I understand now.¡± Ranze began tough, ¡°It was the Giant Whale Sect Master that wishes to get rid of me, right? If I didn¡¯t even manage to guess it after so long, I¡¯ll indeed be an idiot.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve guessed it. You¡¯re pretty smart for your age, but so what?¡± Helk waved his hand as a bandit strung an arrow to his bow andunched it.


    Dang!


    The sound of metal nging into metal resounded as the arrow crashed into a brick that had expanded in size a little.


    ¡°A physical manifestation of the Martial Spirit¡­?¡± Helk shouted in shock, ¡°Impossible! You¡¯re not in the Martial Origin Stage.¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Ranze snorted in anger as he took out arge packet from his pouch and poured the contents over, causing the wind to blow it over the entire ce, with some of it falling on the bandits.


    They hurriedly shielded themselves, unwilling toe into contact with it, fearing that it might be the same pepper powder.


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s not for you.¡± Ranze grinned, ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious as to why I¡¯vee up this tree and trapped myself?¡±


    ¡®Smells like meat.¡¯ Helk sniffed the scent emanating from the powder, frowning as he heard Ranze¡¯s words.


    ¡°It was toy down the bait for you to grab onto. And now, with the meat powder dispersing an aromatic fragrance, you¡¯re the bait next.¡±


    Roar!


    The ground began to tremble as the trees swayed from the generated force. The faces of all the bandits paled as their w Wolves got restless.


    As the sounds drew closer, from the mist exited a bull-shaped creature, mming into a nearby bandit, sttering him.

 Chapter 352: The Luck Systems Mee

    Chapter 352: The Luck Systems Mee


    Grr!


    Grrr!


    Grrrr!


    In the System World existed a group of Systems, all from the Luck Genre. It was a once in a lifetime scene, as Systems from the same Genre, that had always hidden themselves from one another were now gathered together.


    On one side was the Destiny Luck System, resembling a fawn as it tried its best to calm itself but was unable to do so, turning angrier and angrier as it shouted, ¡°What the fuck did you do, Coincidental Luck?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pin the me on me.¡± Standing a couple of metres before the fawn was a deer, the Coincidental Luck System that snorted in response, ¡°Why are you acting like this doesn¡¯t involve you? Weren¡¯t you the one that tried to rope in Stencil Carburettor?¡±


    ¡°So what? My n was only to turn her into a System yer. But you¡­¡± The fawn bellowed, ¡°Freaking you supported Compass Carburettor with so much luck that he coincidentally stumbled upon the truth. And now, he coincidentally found a way to shed everything and turn into the Main Character.¡±


    ¡°And coincidentally, he came across the means to do so.¡± The faun snorted, ¡°Are you telling me this isn¡¯t rted to you? Only you have the means to make this a reality.¡±


    ¡°None of those were coincidences.¡± The deer snorted, ¡°Whatever Compass Carburettor did was due to his wit and intelligence. Whenever a chance presented itself, he milked it to the limit and didn¡¯t even leave any dregs behind. There¡¯s a limit to how much luck can support someone. Besides,¡±


    It pointed at the Destiny Luck System, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you riling up the rest of these idiots to enter my property, none of this would have happened. So, it¡¯s entirely your fault.¡±


    ¡°This fucker, wanna die?¡± The Destiny Luck System¡¯s body slowly began to increase in size as it began to exude its presence, causing the surroundings to shimmer in response.


    ¡°Had this happened in my property under my control, I would indeed have been held responsible.¡± The Coincidental Luck System said casually, ¡°But, you were the ones to barge into my property. So, I¡¯ll hold you ountable.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯te up with excuses¡­¡± The Destiny Luck System snorted.


    ¡°Are you done?¡± Suddenly, Straxia spoke, sporting an expression of boredom as she watched the body of her System exiting her, saying in displeasure as she stared at it, ¡°Just get it done with, alright?¡±


    ¡°You do realise the situation you¡¯re in, right?¡± The Happy-Go-Lucky System that resembled a baby deer stated in anger.


    ¡°What can you do to me? Make me unlucky?¡± Straxiaughed, ¡°No matter what, once the cycle ends, I¡¯ll vanish and be reborn. What else can you do to me? Torture me?¡±


    She grinned in disdain, ¡°Do you have that much free time on your hands?¡±


    ¡°You think I can¡¯t kill you?¡± The Happy-Go-Lucky System suddenlyughed as its tiny horns shed for a moment before the System exiting Straxia screamed in pain as its body was severed.


    ¡°Once I turn you into a System yer and kill you, it¡¯ll be impossible for you to revive even after your world loops.¡± It said, watching the remainder of the severed portion of Straxia¡¯s System return to her body.


    ¡°Well, do it then.¡± Straxia slowly got up, noticing that she was able to move again, ¡°I¡¯m curious to know how much it would affect my world to lose its strongest being.¡±


    ¡°You dare kill her, and I¡¯ll gobble you up right here and now.¡± The Coincidental Luck System slowly walked over as it stood before the Happy-Go-Lucky System, dwarfing it, ¡°Do you have the guts to do so?¡±


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t?¡± The Happy-Go-Lucky System taunted in response, taking action immediately as it tried to fuse the body of the System in Straxia with her clothes and turn it into a Personal Fragment, thereby making her into a System yer.


    But when it tried to take action, its attacks coincidentally failed to work, causing it to snort as it gazed at the Coincidental Luck System in displeasure.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ditch Rhizen and enter me in the next loop?¡± Straxia grinned as she leapt into the air before grabbing onto the Coincidental Luck System¡¯s neck, hanging from there like a monkey, ¡°It¡¯ll be fun.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not the perfect fit for me.¡± The Coincidental Luck System replied in patience, not even the least displeased by her actions.


    ¡°Why not? I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll grow better than him.¡± Straxia said, ¡°Rhizen is only good at using your Luck. But, I¡¯ll be able to use the rest of your abilities too. Wouldn¡¯t that be better?¡±


    ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you need me to chase after Compass Carburettor?¡± She grinned, ¡°I should be able to do better than Rhizen in this regard, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that.¡± The Coincidental Luck System nodded, ¡°Since I¡¯ve already eaten him this time, he won¡¯t appear until my world loops again.¡±


    It snorted, gazing at the rest of the Luck Systems, ¡°Then these fuckers won¡¯t be able to permanently kill him.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll have to admit that Rhizen is indeed the best Host a Luck based System can hope to obtain. So, if they were to kill him, it¡¯ll be a question of their intelligence.¡± Straxia mocked. She then noticed her hands beginning to shiver mildly as she looked at the Coincidental Luck System, ¡°Time is running short. The System World is already beginning to reject me.¡±


    ¡°Why the heck are you wasting my time? Fully extract your body from her and get lost.¡± The Coincidental Luck System gazed at the Cult Sovereign System, Straxia¡¯s System, causing it to nod meekly.


    The Cult Sovereign System began to hurriedly suck out the rest of its body within Straxia, tumbling to the ground in exhaustion once it was done.


    Immediately after, the Coincidental Luck System opened a portal to its world, sending Straxia back, ¡°I¡¯ll bring you out once it¡¯s time to leave.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Straxia nodded, her eyes dim as she vanished from the System World.


    The Coincidental Luck System then gazed at the Destiny Luck System, the Happy-Go-Lucky System and the rest of the Systems from the Luck Genre, ¡°Our goal is now simple. Before news of Compass Carburettor bing the Main Character is leaked, we must eliminate him.¡±


    ¡°Until then, let¡¯s set aside our differences and try to locate him. We¡¯ll have to manually scour through all the worlds. It¡¯ll take time, but with all of us here, we¡¯ll eventually find him.¡± The Coincidental Luck System said.


    ¡°You can coincidentally open the portal to the world he¡¯s at on your first try.¡± The Destiny Luck System snorted.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try instead?¡± The Coincidental Luck System retorted, ¡°You¡¯re destined to find him first.¡±

 Chapter 353: Mane Bull

    Chapter 353: Mane Bull


    Kheeee!


    Reddish-brown skin, greyish-yellow fur that resembled a mane, the body of a boar, and the head of a bull. As for its size, each of it spanned a height of two metres and a length of four metres.


    The steps from each thumped the ground as hundreds of such Origin Beasts scaled towards them, forming a stampede. The horns on their head had grown in such a fashion that they formed helmets protecting the head and neck of the Origin Beasts.


    Mane Bull!


    It was an Origin Beast only located in the deeper regions of the Misty Gorge Ruins and rarely encountered by the cultivators. Its horns were one of the most desired materials to forge weapons and armours out of due to its toughness and great conductivity to Origin Essence.


    It was the most sought-after material to create weapons that very much were considered heirlooms by even great ns.


    As for its mane, it too was a luxury, turned into overcoats that women preferred to unt with. Men too of a great enough standing preferred to wear coats made out of the mane of a Mane Bull.


    There were also many organs in the Mane Bull with beneficial properties. All in all, each Mane Bull could be considered as a walking treasure of resources.


    But now, a horde of them came charging at the w Wolf Bandits, rming them. After all, the Mane Bulls specialised in charging attacks. They practically rowed through any obstacle. And in a stampede, death was guaranteed.


    ¡°Retreat! Retreat!¡± Helk bellowed as his w Wolf howled in response before sprinting at its maximum speed. It was a lot faster than the Mane Bulls as Helk soon escaped from the vicinity.


    As for the rest of the bandits, they weren¡¯t entirely lucky as some of them that didn¡¯t manage to react as quickly were trampled down by the Mane Bulls.


    The rest somehow managed to escape through the skin of their teeth as they watched countless trees copsing as a result of the maniacal charge by the Mane Bulls.


    Roar!


    Roars of Origin Beasts resounded from various habitats that had been invaded by the Mane Bull stampede, causing the entire Misty Gorge Ruins to turn chaotic all of a sudden.


    ¡°Dammit, tricky bastard.¡± Helk grunted in anger, noticing that he had lost track of Ranze, shouting as he looked through the bandits that had survived, sighing in relief upon seeing one of them, ¡°Start tracking him once again.¡±


    This bandit wore a bunch of equipment on himself, constantly seeping his Origin Essence into them as he caused them to glow. Soon after, he pointed in a certain direction, ¡°He¡¯s proceeding deeper.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll wait until the stampede finishes before chasing after him. I refuse to believe that I¡¯m unable to capture a brat without any cultivation.¡± Helk snorted in anger. They were now down to six bandits, including himself.


    The bandits had taken a major hit in their power. But, Helk wasn¡¯t concerned about their lives. He could casually recruit moremoners in the future. There were plenty out there that were dissatisfied with their lives, having to live as servants to the higher Tier Martial Spirit cultivators.


    As long as he survived and obtained that storage pouch, he¡¯ll be able to attain his objective, ¡®Even if the rest of these men die, it¡¯s of no concern. With my abilities, the w Wolf pack under my control is my true strength.¡¯


    At present, he was only at the First Layer of the Martial Origin Stage. But, he didn¡¯t n on remaining as weak in the future. He aimed to reach the Martial Providence Stage and turn into a powerhouse.


    That way, he would truly be able to lord over an area and exercise full authority. ¡®Besides, if I¡¯m able to turn into my choker, the power I could garner would be tremendous. After that, I only need to chance upon an injured Martial Providence Stage cultivator¡­¡¯


    He quickly stopped his daydreaming, beginning to move immediately after the stampede ended.


    ¡­


    ¡°Huff¡­puff¡­shit!¡± Ranze cursed in response, now no longer disillusioned, ¡°Turning me into a powerhouse, good riddance. To think I believed you, Elder Galda.¡±


    He snorted in anger, clearly understanding that Elder Galda was acting on behalf of the Giant Whale Sect Leader¡¯s orders to dispatch Ranze to his death.


    ¡®They didn¡¯t want to dirty their own hands. So instead, they hired these bastards to kill me. Such hypocrites.¡¯ He thought, muttering, ¡°I see, it¡¯s because they want Xuer, huh. Right, with her talent, she¡¯ll definitely be the Sect Master. And if she marries me, the power of the Giant Whale Sect would no longer be with the Giant Whale n. So, their goal is to marry her into their n. And for that to happen, I¡¯m an obstacle.¡±


    ¡°Getting rid of an obstacle under the guise of a mission. How clich¨¦.¡± He grunted before sighing as he looked at his brick, ¡°This is all because they think my Martial Spirit is Trash.¡±


    He then thought of something, gazing at it as he muttered, ¡°How am I able to manifest you physically? That¡¯s impossible unless I reached the Martial Origin Stage.¡±


    ¡°Divine Martial Spirits have an innate form.¡± The brick replied immediately, ¡°So, you can use me even now. And, once you reach the Martial Origin Stage, you can even stand on me to fly in the air.¡±


    ¡°I can do all that?¡± Ranze was surprised.


    ¡°That¡¯s not all. Once you absorb enough Trash Martial Spirits, you¡¯ll be unstoppable.¡± The brick replied.


    ¡°By the way, how are you able to talk? Even Human Martial Spirits don¡¯t have any semnce of intelligence even though they resemble beasts.¡± Ranze frowned.


    ¡°That¡¯s because Divine Spirits share the intelligence of the cultivator that awakens them.¡± The brick said, ¡°So, I¡¯m only as smart as you.¡±


    ¡°¡­dammit.¡± The brick cursed subtly.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m the smartest you can probably find in the entire Gaider Realm. None my age is even half as smart as me.¡± Ranze shouted as he grabbed hold of the brick.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± He sighed, ¡°Since you¡¯re showing me this map, then it means that something is here, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­probably.¡± The brick replied, ¡°Just focus on me and you¡¯ll understand everything. You don¡¯t need to talk with me. I¡¯m just an extension of your consciousness.¡±


    Surprised at its words, Ranze focused on the brick, immediately obtaining all the information that had been present in the map as he sighed, ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

 Chapter 354: Martial Spirits Sealed in Sculptures

    Chapter 354: Martial Spirits Sealed in Sculptures


    ¡°Catch him! Don¡¯t let him escape!¡± Helk shouted as he and the rest of the bandits chased after Ranze.


    ¡°Catch me if you can,¡± Ranze grunted as he jumped into a hole, arriving at an underground tunnel. It was small, only wide enough to crawl on all fours. This was the route he picked to reach the ruins.


    Even though he was aware that Elder Galda had tricked him, the map seemed real. And, even if it wasn¡¯t real, he didn¡¯t have any other option but to reach the ruins in the centre of the Misty Gorge Ruins.


    After all, he could no longer return to the Giant Whale Sect. He would be killed one way or another. It was not to mention the fact that the bandits were chasing after him.


    With no cultivation, death was his only option. So instead, he nned to head into the ruins and hope for a way of survival there. Maybe he would indeed chance upon some treasures there.


    After all, Origin Beasts didn¡¯t need any external items to cultivate. They only protected precious herbs and the likes, having no interest in inanimate objects due to theirck of Martial Spirits.


    The tunnel he entered spanned for almost ten kilometres in length and directly led into the ruins. That¡¯s why he persisted in running and managed to enter it just when the bandits were about to grab him.


    And, just to ensure they wouldn¡¯t be able to catch him in the tunnel, he ced a bunch of pepper packets at the bottom of the hole that led into the tunnel. This way, the moment theynded in the tunnel, they would step upon the pepper packets, causing them to explode and spread the pepper powder within.


    In this narrow tunnel, that would be a horrible situation.


    Ranze hoped to gain enough time to leave. The bandits weren¡¯t aware that this tunnel was safe. So, they would definitely hesitate, unwilling to lose their lives for no reason.


    They would be trying to find other modes of tracking him. ¡®Since they can track me, it means that they would be aware of my position all the time. After all, the tunnel is only four metres from the surface.¡¯


    ¡°But, it¡¯ll go deeper further in. It won¡¯t be possible for them to reach me that easily even if they tried to dig through.¡± Ranze smirked, gazing at their positions on the brick, ¡°You can track me, but at the same time, I can also track you.¡±


    After crawling forth for thirty minutes, the tunnel became wide enough for him to restfortably. He took out some food and water from his storage pouch and rested for an hour. He was too exhausted to even move a finger.


    And knowing that he wouldn¡¯t have any space to rest or recover once he entered the ruins, Ranze took the time to rx and regain his strength.


    After travelling for three hours, the tunnel had a height of three metres now. He had reached the end, noticing a flight of stairs spanning upward.


    Ranze gazed at the brick, seeing that the six bandits were still keeping track of his location, trailing after him on the surface.


    ¡°They should be exhausted by now. It¡¯s not easy toe this far on the surface.¡± Muttering as such, Ranze scaled the flight of stairs, soon arriving within a massive space.


    Even though it was called ruins, the ce was wholly intact. It was as if the interior was maintained using a mysterious power.


    Standing before him were two massive faces, each spanning a height of thirty metres. The faces resembled rakshasas¡ªman-eating monsters¡ªfrom the legends, with their mouths wide open, acting as the entrance.


    There were two paths for him to choose from as Ranze gazed at his brick, frowning, ¡°The map ends here.¡±


    ¡°Where do you think we should go next?¡± Ranze gazed at the brick, asking it.


    ¡°If you are unsure, how am I supposed to know?¡± The brick retorted, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s just go left. It¡¯s not like we can predict what they might contain, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that.¡± Ranze nodded as he carefully tiptoed through the left path, alert against any traps.


    Two minutes after he had left through the path, the figure of Compass Carburettor arrived at the massive space, frowning as he looked at both the rakshasa heads, sending out a Spydragon to scout out the paths each.


    The Spydragons flew through the two paths, quickly rying everything they witnessed to him. It was a long path, indeed filled with traps to the brim. But, the Spydragons didn¡¯t have any cultivation, and hence didn¡¯t trigger them.


    ¡®So, that part about not having a cultivation ended up being the truth.¡¯ He nodded, watching the Spydragons travel for a couple of kilometres before reaching the end.


    And at end of the path was a massive dome. Contained within were massive sculptures of creatures of various shapes and sizes.


    And, embedded in their centre seemed to be¡­Martial Spirits?


    The Spydragon observed them, noticing that the sculpture resembled the Martial Spirit embedded into its core.


    There were all sorts of Martial Spirits here, starting from Trash Martial Spirits to even a rare few Earth Martial Spirits. And all the sculptures were inanimate.


    ¡°But, judging based on how ruins work, they would begin moving when cultivators approach them.¡± Compass Carburettor muttered, smiling wryly, ¡°This feels like entering a game before itsunch. Everything is there, but none work.¡±


    Of course, that was only because he was a mortal. All the traps here had been prepared for cultivators.


    There were quite some obstacles along the path that mortals wouldn¡¯t be able to scale past. So, it was impossible for anyone to go around the mechanisms here.


    But for Compass Carburettor, it was easy as he casually flew past everything, reaching the dome with the sculptures.


    He was unsure as to what the past civilisation was attempting to do by sealing Martial Spirits in sculptures. He wasn¡¯t concerned about that, even though that garnered his interest.


    Compass Carburettor then noticed a door within the body of a sculpture in the centre. It was something that one would only notice after reaching its back.


    And now, Compass Carburettor noticed that it led into another chamber, sighing, ¡°Where is this leading towards now?¡±

 Chapter 355: Treasures

    Chapter 355: Treasures


    ¡°Where is this leading towards now?¡± Compass Carburettor frowned, sending in the Spydragon first to scout out the ce.


    That way, he could safely scale through all obstacles without triggering anything. He was only there to see if there would be a powerful enough treasure suitable to his interests.


    And considering the scale of the ruins, the date they said to have existed at, etc. he was rather curious about it.


    People of the Gaoan city were of course aware of the ruins existing in the Misty Gorge Ruins. After all, it was in the name itself.


    But, they weren¡¯t ever able to reach there. After all, the ruins was situated at the centre of the Misty Gorge Ruins where countless Martial Providence Stage Origin Beasts lived.


    If they arrived there, then a battle would ensue. Considering the sheer number of Origin Beasts situated there, it was a suicide mission. Even the strongest of the powerhouses like the Giant Whale Sect Leader would be done for in this ce.


    That was why the ruins remained undisturbed to this date. But, it wasn¡¯t as if the people forgot about it or anything. Those wishing to make it big had infiltrated the Misty Gorge Ruins from time to time, intending to reach the ruins.


    But all of them had failed.


    It was because the entire region was covered by mist. So, getting lost was easy. Eventually, they would be exhausted and killed by one of the Origin Beasts.


    Maps were useless, considering how they wouldn¡¯t be able to tell north from the south within the mist. The sky itself would be covered, not to mention there being giant trees all around the ce.


    So, once someone got lost here, they were pretty much a goner.


    But Ranze was different. Thanks to his Divine Martial Spirit, he was able to use the map he obtained like a GPS and take the safe routes to eventually reach the ruins. As for the w Wolf Bandits, since they were tracking him, they too took the safe route, evading conflict with most beast groups there.


    That was how they too managed to reach the ruins.


    Compass Carburettor, on the other hand, was pretty calm, not even the slightest threatened in this ce. After all, even Martial Providence Stage Origin Beasts weren¡¯t much before him. He could casually take care of them all.


    Considering how he was fighting Systems until now, such normal enemies weren¡¯t even opponents worth a sweat to him. Killing them was too easy, as he didn¡¯t even have to n his actions.


    It made him all the more aware of how terrifying Systems were. It had to be noted that he was only facing Hatchling Systems until now.


    And as their name signified, they were newborn Systems. Those beyond level 10 were the truly dangerous Systems that he would most definitely have to face in the future.


    After all, only by absorbing their stronger Coordinates would he grow stronger. Besides, he was also hoping to figure out a method to kill them without destroying their Core Skills.


    After all, that¡¯s how he obtained the power of Permanence to use. It wasn¡¯t as good as the Core Skill of Permanence, but the trait still allowed him to exhibit the same.


    So, even if they would be weakened significantly, obtaining Core Skills that were fully under his control would be beneficial to him in the future.


    Right at this time, the Spydragon reached the end of its exploration, arriving within an underground chamber where a lone statue stood.


    It was a humanoid statue and sealed within it was a bear covered by mes.


    Compass Carburettor arrived before it, muttering, ¡°Heaven Martial Spirit¡­¡±


    ¡°What the heck were they experimenting with here?¡± He frowned, slowly noticing that he had reached the end of the path.


    ¡°No, that cannot be it.¡± He frowned, unleashing his Dust Wave, not targeting anything as his enemy, only spreading it around to see if there existed any gaps to pass through.


    Eventually, he noticed a section along the walls where the Dust Wave was able to move through. After observing the length of the wall through which the Dust Wave moved through, he used the same to bore a tiny hole.


    A miniature Spydragon flew through the hole, slithering in its snake form before reaching the other side. ¡°I see, this is their treasury.¡±


    There were rows upon rows of items there, of various forms. There were even Martial Spirits sealed inside mysterious containers.


    The fact that a Martial Spirit could be sealed meant that it should have originated from Martial Origin Stage cultivators at the very least.


    Since he didn¡¯t have any cultivation, Compass Carburettor was unable to probe through their powers.


    He looked around, noticing that there were even cultivators sealed here. He frowned, focusing on someone at the front, noticing a stream of red between the two.


    This was observed through Secret Society, meaning that the people sealed here were still alive.


    Ignoring them, he continued to look through the ce through the eyes of the Spydragon, noticing many pouches ced on shelves.


    The Spydragon used its tail to open one of them, noticing that they were all spatial pouches. It slithered into one pouch, noticing a gigantic space within.


    ¡°At least twenty cubic metres.¡± He muttered, observing that it was filled to the brim with Essence Crystals. There were thirty such spatial bags.


    ¡°That¡¯s a staggering amount of wealth.¡± He nodded, looking at the final spatial bag that was embroidered with gold patterned beasts, looking into it to see that the space spanned fifty cubic metres.


    And, scattered in a pile were materials that were all useful to fuse for Martial Origin Stage cultivators.


    After seeing them, Compass Carburettor was stunned before turning excited, ¡°In such arge pile, there should at least be one that is suitable.¡±


    He was no longer patient, using the Dust Wave to destroy the door as he entered in person, beginning to collect all the items at the ce. It was impossible for him alone to look through everything.


    He was nning to ask for Grisha¡¯s help in sorting out their properties. After all, even if he wasn¡¯t able to find the perfect material, he could try to make an alloy that would give him the desired effect.

 Chapter 356: How Strong is the Main Character?

    Chapter 356: How Strong is the Main Character?


    ¡°Might as well pocket them all¡­¡± Compass Carburettor muttered as he waved his hand, sending every item in the ce into his Dimensional Space. He couldter slowly sort through them all. At present, he didn¡¯t wish to leave anything to Ranze.


    The only reason he hadn¡¯t interfered with Ranze was to use him and obtain any items he desired from secret Realms that might open in the future. But, that didn¡¯t mean he would leave behind anything for Ranze, not items that might help him.


    After all, he would next have to use the materials to refine pills to feed Stencil and help her grow stronger. Moreover, he also had to create a way for her to awaken a suitable Martial Spirit.


    All in all, he needed as many materials as necessary. So, he wasn¡¯t willing to even leave behind any dust particles, intending to wipe the ruins clean of every item of worth.


    He had just wiped the ce clean when suddenly, Compass Carburettor¡¯s heart thumped at rming speeds, alerting him as sweat filled his forehead.


    His Anthozoa pulsed erratically, warning him of tremendous danger. Moreover, unlike before, he was clearly able to perceive when and where the danger originated from, ¡®Is this the ability of the Main Character?¡¯


    He gazed upwards, instinctively waving his hand before noticing the sense of danger vanish.


    ¡­


    In the System World, the Coincidental Luck System had already determined the world he had entered. And now, it had condensed a portal to spy on his activities and learn of his abilities.


    But, the moment it condensed a portal to gaze using his point of view, Compass Carburettor was suddenly alerted. And when he looked up and waved his hand instinctively, a mysterious energy gushed out of his body before cutting off the connection.


    ¡°He¡¯s already begun to use the Main Character¡¯s power.¡± The Coincidental Luck System frowned, ¡°From now on, it¡¯s impossible to create a portal to see him.¡±


    ¡°Damn you, why did you peek into him so hurriedly?¡± The Destiny Luck System groaned, ¡°Until now, he hadn¡¯t been alerted of it. But from now onwards, he should be able to sense us the moment we try to look at him from the System World.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason I alerted him. So don¡¯t be stupid.¡± The Coincidental Luck System didn¡¯t pay it any heed, saying, ¡°Stencil Carburettor has suffered an attack to her mind from Secret Schemer System. And considering his character, healing her would be all that¡¯s on his mind. And with his methods, what do you think would healing her mean?¡±


    ¡°¡­The birth of another Main Character.¡± The Destiny Luck System muttered.


    ¡°Great, it seems you¡¯re not entirely an idiot yet.¡± The Coincidental Luck Systemughed upon seeing its pissed expression, continuing, ¡°And now that I¡¯ve alerted him, he has no other choice but to prepare for us too. With his attention split, he wouldn¡¯t be able to cure Stencil Carburettor fast enough.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll give us enough time to prepare ordingly. And most of all¡­¡± It grinned, ¡°When we hit that cultivation world with the Restriction Order, all his preparations would be useless. We¡¯ll truly corner him and deal with him.¡±


    ¡°Restriction Order? Are you mad?¡± The Happy-Go-Lucky System shouted in shock, ¡°That¡¯ll practically make us sitting ducks!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too weak, so you don¡¯t understand the dangers of the Main Character.¡± The Coincidental Luck System snorted in displeasure, stating, ¡°Why do you think a Grade 2 System takes action the moment a System yer reaches Level 50?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just to prevent the Main Character System from reviving?¡± The Happy-Go-Lucky said.


    ¡°Bullshit,¡± The Coincidental Luck System said, ¡°Had you seen a Main Character before, then you wouldn¡¯t state such a foolish answer.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act cocky, you freaking deer¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen a Main Character before.¡± The Coincidental Luck System said solemnly, shutting up all the Systems that had intended to argue with it.


    Slowly, it walked, arriving at a boulder before climbing atop it, gazing at the sky as it slowly unleashed its ability, creating a barrier of sorts to ensure what it said wasn¡¯t heard by anyone else.


    This was despite the area they were at in the System World was its exclusive property, something that was impossible for other Systems to enter without its permission. It showed that even the Coincidental Luck System, the strongest among the Systems in the Luck Genre was careful.


    Slowly, the Coincidental Luck System spoke, ¡°Once a True System yer reaches Level 50, the fragment of the Main Character System in them truly awakens. It instantly destroys the bodies of every System in the True yer¡¯s mind. Moreover, it also destroys all the Core Skills before recondensing them mysteriously to make them its own power. That¡¯s the frightening aspect of a Main Character¡¯s birth.¡±


    ¡°So, the moment they hit level 50, they turn into Main Characters. And, they are strong, freakishly strong.¡± The legs of the Coincidental Luck System mildly trembled, shocking the rest to see it disy fear for the first time, ¡°The Main Character is capable of surpassing his league and even winning against someone from a higher league. This is amonly seen trope in stories, but in fact, it¡¯s a reality.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that Grade 2 Systems have a personal vendetta to take action immediately or anything.¡± The Coincidental Luck System said, ¡°It¡¯s because, a Grade 2 System is necessary to kill a level 50 Main Character. No Grade 1 System is capable of killing them. Instead, if they tried, they would be refined and made into the Main Character¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be like adding fuel to fire.¡±


    ¡°Are they that strong?¡± The Destine Luck System asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± The Coincidental Luck System nodded, ¡°The reason the Main Character System is hated so much isn¡¯t because of its abilities that are broken even among us. But, it¡¯s because of this¡­¡±


    ¡°The Main Character System wasn¡¯t birthed by the System World. That¡¯s the difference between us and it.¡± It spoke.


    ¡°And that¡¯s why, if left alone, we¡¯ll all be destroyed by the Main Character System.¡±

 Chapter 357: Restriction Order

    Chapter 357: Restriction Order


    ¡°As for the Main Character that I¡¯ve seen in the past¡­¡± The Coincidental Luck System spoke, ¡°It was when I was the only System in the Luck Genre that had crossed level 10. A Grade 2 System had asked for my help to support it in terms of Luck. After all, Main Characters are innately blessed by luck.¡±


    ¡°Three Grade 2 Systems¡­¡± The Coincidental Luck System said solemnly, ¡°That was the number of casualties to deal with that Main Character. The remaining two Grade 2 System that had participated in the attack back then are still recuperating from their injuries until now.¡±


    ¡°You should understand that a Grade 2 System is pretty much a concept. Each Grade 2 System has an entire race as Hosts to it.¡± The Coincidental Luck System said, shocking everyone.


    ¡°Wait, is that true?¡± The Destiny Luck System asked in shock, ¡°Grade 2 Systems can have multiple Hosts?¡±


    ¡°They can split themselves billions of times and have more than a billion Hosts.¡± The Coincidental Luck System nodded, ¡°Grade 2 Systems are on a whole other level. They are impossible to be killed.¡±


    ¡°Ever since the System World came into existence, countless powerful beings and worlds have tried to oppose us. But, not even one Grade 2 System had been killed by them. All the casualties only consisted of Grade 1 Systems. This was back in the days when Systems had just begun to appear.¡± It said, ¡°These days, the number of worlds that can truly oppose has be pitifully low. And they too are slowly being assimted into our control.¡±


    ¡°But, the only exception is the Main Character.¡± It shuddered, ¡°With the arrival of every Main Character apanies the death of at least one Grade 2 System and every Grade 1 System that opposed it.¡±


    ¡°So, you understand?¡± The Coincidental Luck System gazed at everyone, ¡°Currently, Compass Carburettor is like a newborn Main Character. He has yet to figure out the method to level up. He¡¯s still at Level 0. But, once he obtains the method to level up, we¡¯re screwed.¡±


    ¡°The Restriction Order would prevent any System-based abilities from being used. That means, Skills, Core Skills, System Fragments, and even Personal Fragments cannot be used.¡± The Coincidental Luck System said, ¡°That¡¯s the only way to prevent him from levelling up even if he were to figure out the means while we¡¯re chasing him. The chances of this are high, so using the Restriction Order is our only method.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re failing to understand one thing here.¡± The Destine Luck System opposed, ¡°If we were to use the Restriction Order, that world would be blocked from the Astral Network. We wouldn¡¯t even be able to return to the System World. We¡¯ll be permanently trapped there.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a way to go around that.¡± The Coincidental Luck System condensed a portal, pointing at its world, ¡°There¡¯s a reason this world had been created by the Grade 4 System. Don¡¯t just think there was no reason for this.¡±


    ¡°Once every twenty years, the world would loop. This was created to be our weapon. You don¡¯t get it?¡± The Coincidental Luck System noticed the confusion of everyone, mocking their intelligence before stating, ¡°It was created to be helpful just so that we can use the Restriction Order and target Main Characters.¡±


    ¡°Twenty years¡­¡± It continued, ¡°If we use a Host from this world to enter any world, even those under a Restriction Order, once the loop ends, all our Hosts would return to their homeworld.¡±


    ¡°With this, we¡¯ll be able to return by the end of this loop. That¡¯s the only means we can use to return from that cultivation world.¡± The Coincidental Luck System said, ¡°And, it seems I was sold the apocalypse world just to use it for this task.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t the Grade 4 Systems just kill all the potential Main Characters before they¡¯re even born?¡± The Happy-Go-Lucky System muttered in distress.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure myself. With their authority over time, this should be simple.¡± The Coincidental Luck System shook its head, saying, ¡°Anyways, killing Compass Carburettor is our mission. If we fail, and once he matures as a Main Character, he¡¯lle to harvest our abilities.¡±


    ¡°But, in a world under Restriction Order, our Core Skills are also useless.¡± The Destiny Luck System muttered, ¡°So, won¡¯t that make it meaningless?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly.¡± The Coincidental Luck System smirked, ¡°We¡¯ll directly shave a fragment of our respective luck and make it the innate property of our Hosts. With that, they¡¯ll be passively supported by our respective lucks.¡±


    ¡°Moreover,¡± It grinned, ¡°The Hosts we pick from my apocalypse world can be made to remember all their experiences from the previous loops. So, each one of them would be akin to an old, experienced monster and be able to instantly adapt to the cultivation world and dominate it easily.¡±


    ¡°Experience ys the strongest factor in everything.¡± It said, ¡°So, each of our Hosts would be experienced. Moreover, we¡¯ll also show them everything that we¡¯ve collected about Compass Carburettor and keep them prepared against the opponent that they would face.¡±


    ¡°And finally,¡± The Coincidental Luck System smirked, ¡°I¡¯ve already dispatched some Systems to take care of the members of Secret Society in the three worlds they exist at. That¡¯ll truly ensure Compass Carburettor cannot have any backup ns.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve truly prepared for everything.¡± The Destiny Luck System nodded as it condensed a portal, searching for a potential Host in the apocalypse world.


    ¡°With the information regarding the cultivation world fed to them, our Hosts would be strong enough to face and kill Compass Carburettor.¡± The Coincidental Luck System nodded, ¡°After all, if our Hosts are killed under the influence of the Restriction Order, we too would die. It¡¯ll take ages before we can revive through the minds of others we¡¯ve infected.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll prepare our Hosts with everything they need in a day. After that, we¡¯ll enter the cultivation world.¡± The Coincidental Luck System condensed a portal that pointed at Straxia, ¡°Time is of the essence. And our Hosts too need time to cultivate there. Every day of dy would cause Compass Carburettor to grow stronger.¡±


    ¡°With his genius, he¡¯ll definitely cultivate quickly.¡± Saying so, it entered the portal, fusing with Straxia¡¯s body, causing her eyes to lit up before smiling, ¡°I see, so it¡¯s already that time.¡±


    ¡°I was waiting to fight the Main Character.¡±

 Chapter 358: Human Martial Spiri

    Chapter 358: Human Martial Spiri


    ¡°What the heck was that¡­?¡± Compass Carburettor shuddered before recalling the sensation he felt, slowly understanding as time passed, ¡°I see, so I was being monitored from there.¡±


    ¡®As expected, the Coincidental Luck System should have already determined that I¡¯m the Main Character by now. I didn¡¯t even give any clues to the Conspiracy yer System. So, only the Coincidental Luck System should have been able to find me so fast.¡¯ He nodded.


    After all, it had only been a day since his arrival in the Gaider Realm. And as he hadn¡¯t spent long on Earth, all in all, it had been less than two days since he left the Apocalypse World.


    That was a tremendous level of efficiency in its methods, ¡®As expected of coincidence and luck. Combined, they are terrifying indeed.¡¯


    ¡°So, what now?¡± He muttered, ¡®Are they nning to enter this world to search for me?¡¯


    He then clenched his hand into a fist, understanding the mysterious power that he exhibited before, ¡®I see, so it¡¯s not possible to monitor a Main Character from the System World. Now that I understand this, I can be assured that they wouldn¡¯t appear next to me like that Elf.¡¯


    ¡°But still, Ranze¡­¡± He frowned, ¡®Ranze has a Divine Spirit. If they are nning to find a Host, then he¡¯s the perfect one.¡¯


    ¡°But first things first.¡± He said, using Dust Wave to tunnel towards the other path, soon entering it as he arrived before an altar.


    Ranze had already gone ahead, so there wasn¡¯t anyone to disturb him. Of course, an ancient civilisation obviously had an altar to awaken one¡¯s Martial Spirit. Other than this altar, there were other treasures on this path too.


    Ranze was currently collecting them to strengthen his Divine Martial Spirit.


    Compass Carburettor blocked the front and rear of the path using an energy de wall with the trait of Permanence, ensuring none would be able to hinder him during the hour he was awakening his Martial Spirit.


    It typically took anywhere from thirty minutes to a few hours, depending on the process. Basically, one didn¡¯t need to prepare much to awaken their Martial Spirit. It was a simple process that depended on one¡¯s willpower alone.


    Compass Carburettor inserted hundred Essence Stones into the altar, watching it lit up as he gently ced a hand on it, immediately feeling his consciousness getting sucked into it.


    But, what was surprising was that the altar was struggling to suck in his consciousness, even though the one before him looked superior to the one in the Giant Whale Sect.


    It was apparent that his consciousness was tremendously vast to the extent the altar had to struggle.


    Only after a good whole minute had passed was his consciousness fully sucked into the altar as Compass Carburettor noticed that he was floating in a mystical space.


    This space resembled the void as countless shooting stars moved here in a chaotic manner. Compass Carburettor stared at them, observing for a moment as he gazed at himself, noticing that he appeared the same as in reality. Though, he wasn¡¯t able to use any of his abilities.


    The Martial Spirit Awakening was pretty simple. Once a mortal touched the Martial Spirit Awakening Altar, their consciousness would be brought into a mystical space known as the Martial Spirit Realm.


    There, a body would be condensed from their willpower. And as time passes, their body would begin dissipating. Before it fully dissipated, they would have to catch one of the shooting stars.


    Though, if they had any affinity for one of the shooting stars, the process would be easier. This was where the difficultyy for those trying to awaken a second or third time.


    Their body of will condensed in the Martial Spirit Realm would only be half the strength of their previous time. So, inparison to the first time, they would only have half the strength in the second attempt and a quarter in the third.


    It was unnecessary to mention in the subsequent attempts as their body would be too weak to even grab the weakest of shooting stars.


    The weakest of the shooting stars with slow orbits belonged to Trash Martial Spirits. The faster and stronger the shooting stars were, the more powerful the Martial Spirit.


    The moment Compass Carburettor entered the Martial Spirit Realm, the chaotic mess of shooting stars suddenly stopped before hastily moving towards him.


    ¡°Oh shit!¡± Even Compass Carburettor was surprised by their actions, watching the shooting stars arrive at a stop before him as they hummed, wishing to be chosen by him. It was apparent that he had a pretty great affinity to most of them, judging by how they constantly hummed whenever he moved his body, as if anticipating which shooting star he would select.


    Each shooting star had a unique aura to it as Compass Carburettor focused on the one closest to him, soon able to feel the outline of a sword, ¡®Sword Martial Spirit.¡¯


    He then focused on the one nearby, determining that it was a Whip Martial Spirit. All the Trash Martial Spirits were more than enthusiastic to be chosen by him.


    But, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t wish to obtain them, aware of what he wanted as he looked beyond, noticing Human Martial Spirits. They were slightly less enthusiastic aspared to Trash Martial Spirits but still hummed mildly ording to his movements.


    There were all sorts of beasts among the Human Martial Spirits, including mythical beasts like a dragon and a phoenix, but without any elemental attribute to them. There was even a human there, as Compass Carburettor was surprised to see it.


    It was a Martial Spirit, shocking him.


    The moment he looked at it, the Human Martial Spirit shook its head, slowly opening its mouth as it said, ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t wish to be your Martial Spirit.¡±


    ¡°You can talk?¡± Compass Carburettor was surprised, for a moment thinking if it was a System yacting as a Martial Spirit. But, he wasn¡¯t able to sense any sense of danger from it, realising that it was indeed just a Martial Spirit.


    ¡°I¡¯m the Human Divine Martial Spirit.¡± The Human Martial Spirit replied, ¡°That¡¯s the only reason I can talk with you.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to be my Martial Spirit?¡± Compass Carburettor asked in confusion, wondering why it was standing there otherwise.


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t wish to die.¡± The Human Martial Spirit replied curtly.

 Chapter 359: A Favour

    Chapter 359: A Favour


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t wish to die.¡± The Human Martial Spirit replied curtly.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Compass Carburettor frowned.


    ¡°Unlike the rest of the Martial Spirits, we Divine Martial Spirits are connected to this Realm. So, we can sense that you¡¯re not part of this world.¡± It said, ¡°When you leave this world, I¡¯ll be destroyed as a result.¡±


    ¡°What if I device a method to ensure you¡¯ll be my Martial Spirit permanently?¡± Compass Carburettor asked in response.


    ¡°I still won¡¯t, because that would mean leaving my Realm.¡± It shook its head, ¡°A Divine Martial Spirit only chooses a cultivator when it feels the stability of the Realm is at stake.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, not caring about it much beyond that as he looked further, noticing the many Earth Martial Spirits. He looked at them one after another, wondering which was the most suitable for him.


    ¡®It should be capable of destroying all traces of a System in both reality and the mind.¡¯ He thought. That was his goal all along.


    After all, Dota¡¯s System Punishment, even though it was capable of killing Systems, wasn¡¯t perfect. It was only able to destroy them.


    Compass Carburettor wanted to kill the Systems without destroying their abilities. And to do that, System Punishment wasn¡¯t suitable.


    Moreover, there was a limit to the number of times he could use System Punishment before his body began to burn up, as if he too was suffering from its effects. So, in cases like in the Apocalypse World where a bunch of Systems showed up to kill him, it wasn¡¯t enough.


    Besides, he also wanted to cure the problems in Stencil¡¯s mind. So, that too should be an option in the Martial Spirit he was looking for.


    ¡®Either an Earth or a Heaven Martial Spirit should have the properties I am looking for.¡¯ Thinking as such, Compass Carburettor patiently looked through them, surprised at the vast array of Martial Spirits that existed.


    Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t find any suitable Earth Martial Spirit among the ones that expressed willingness to be his Martial Spirit. There was still many swirling around beyond, but they hadn¡¯t expressed any interest in him.


    Compass Carburettor then gazed at the Earth Divine Martial Spirit, noticing that it resembled a blob of lightning.


    Finally, sighing a bit dispiritedly, he began to look through the Heaven Martial Spirits scattered about.


    Fire Sword, Thunder Gauntlet, Lightning Squirrel, etc. There were all sorts of Heaven Martial Spirits around, but the one he wanted wasn¡¯t there.


    And at the end, he gazed at the Heaven Divine Martial Spirit that was calmly gazing at him. It was a Fire Dragon.


    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s that?¡± He suddenly frowned, noticing a tiny figure situated behind the Heaven Divine Martial Spirit, flying through the space before arriving near it.


    The Heaven Divine Martial Spirit frowned at his actions, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°There is something behind you.¡± Compass Carburettor replied when he noticed the Fire Dragon¡¯s puzzled expression.


    It turned around and gazed at the ce he pointed at but still failed to spot anything.


    Stretching his hand, Compass Carburettor gently grabbed hold of the creature hiding behind the Fire Dragon, ¡°I was talking about this.¡±


    ¡°What the heck? Something was attached to me all along?¡± The Fire Dragon was shocked, only now noticing the creature that Compass Carburettor had picked up.


    It was a frog,cking the blisters one usually had, sporting a sheen of yellow and blue. It was only palm-sized, tiny inparison to the Fire Dragon. But, that wasn¡¯t the actual reason it had remained hidden all along, not after staying stuck to a Heaven Divine Martial Spirit.


    Compass Carburettor gazed at the frog as its name slowly resounded in his mind, ¡°Mind Frog.¡±


    The name was pretty simple, but upon gazing at it, Compass Carburettor grinned in joy, jubnt, ¡°I was searching for you all along, cutie!¡±


    Based on the presence it exuded, the Mind Frog was perfect for him. Not only was it a Heaven Martial Spirit, but its powers also fell in the category of the mind, exactly what he had been looking for.


    As to whether or not it was capable of killing Systems, that¡¯ll depend on the material he fuses with after reaching the Martial Origin Stage.


    He then gazed at the Fire Dragon, ¡°I have a favour to ask of you. Can you do it?¡±


    ¡°What do you need?¡± The Fire Dragon asked curtly, ¡°You¡¯re the first human to ever make me wish to be your Martial Spirit. So, I¡¯ll at least hear you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send my daughter here next. Can you support her by choosing a Martial Spirit for her?¡± Compass Carburettor asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± The Fire Dragon said, ¡°Is she in a state where she¡¯s unable to think?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she was attacked by a Syst¡­¡± Compass Carburettor spoke, surprised that there was no punishment as he continued, ¡°She was attacked by a System and hasn¡¯t gained consciousness after that. Her mind is fragile.¡±


    ¡°A System¡­¡± The Fire Dragon frowned, feeling helpless in the end, ¡°We¡¯ve lost a fair share of our Martial Spirits because of them.¡±


    Upon seeing Compass Carburettor¡¯s confusion, it spoke, ¡°The Species and number of Martial Spirits have remained fixed since the creation of the Gaider Realm and the other Realms connected to it. There are more than one Martial Spirit of the same species. But, whenever a System Host obtains a Martial Spirit, during the course of their journey, all the Martial Spirits of the same species are either killed or devoured by them.¡±


    ¡°Due to that, the number of Martial Spirits has been decreasing here.¡± It sighed, ¡°Normally, when a cultivator dies or even if his Martial Spirit dies in reality, it¡¯ll just return here. It wouldn¡¯t die. But due to the intervention of the Systems, the deaths of Martial Spirits are piling up.¡±


    As the Fire Dragon spoke, its eyes suddenly lit up, looking at Compass Carburettor with a new light, ¡°I see, I now understand why I¡¯m so inclined to be your Martial Spirit. It¡¯s because you oppose them. Have you already killed some of them before?¡±


    ¡°A dozen in the past two years.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, watching the Fire Dragon stare at him, ck-jawed.

 Chapter 360: Heaven Martial Spirit: Mind Frog

    Chapter 360: Heaven Martial Spirit: Mind Frog


    ¡°The Systems call me the Main Character, one that kills the Systems.¡± Compass Carburettor spoke, ¡°And I n to make my daughter the same. As long as I cure her mind, this is possible.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be her Martial Spirit.¡± Suddenly, the blob of lightning, the Earth Divine Martial Spirit spoke.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± The Fire Dragon was confused, asking in rm, ¡°Our world would be weak if you were to leave us. Only us four Divine Martial Spirits can uphold our world¡¯s foundation.¡±


    ¡°That is precisely why I must do it.¡± The blob of lightning said, ¡°A lot of Earth Martial Spirits have been killed by Systems. It¡¯s the highest among the four Tiers of Martial Spirits, since Earth Martial Spirits are elemental based.¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t take action, we¡¯ll fall eventually.¡± It said, ¡°And, it¡¯s already happening. Our numbers are constantly reducing. This is also why the brick has entered the Gaider Realm.¡±


    ¡°Then, let me be the one to¡­¡± The Fire Dragon said when it was stopped by the blob of lightning.


    The blob of lightning then said, ¡°Even if we three Divine Martial Spirits were to disappear, as long as you are there, our world wouldn¡¯t copse. And, if I were to be killed by a System, you have the power to create a new Earth Divine Martial Spirit. So, you mustn¡¯t risk your life.¡±


    ¡°It makes sense.¡± The Human Divine Martial Spirit spoke, facing the Fire Dragon, ¡°As long as you¡¯re alive, we¡¯ll eventually recover any Martial Spirits that have been killed. But if you were to die, we¡¯re doomed.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± The Fire Dragon sighed before gazing at Compass Carburettor, ¡°Human, can you assure me that you¡¯ll ensure the Divine Spirits aren¡¯t killed once you leave our world?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can guarantee it.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°Once I create a Personal Fragment here, it¡¯ll ensure my Martial Spirit won¡¯t die even if I leave this world. And I¡¯ll ensure my daughter makes one too.¡±


    He then looked at the blob of lightning, bowing towards it, ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll leave my daughter in your care until she¡¯s able to wake up once again.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me.¡± The blob of lightning nodded.


    Compass Carburettor then gazed at the Fire Dragon, ¡°Also, the cultivator picked by the Trash Divine Martial Spirit, Ranze would be regarded as the perfect Host by the Systems. And there¡¯s a good chance they would do so now. Shall I just kill him?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± The Fire Dragon said, ¡°We Divine Martial Spirits aren¡¯t that helpless. The moment a System enters Ranze¡¯s body, the brick will obtain information from it and automatically return to the Martial Spirit Realm. They¡¯ll y into our hands if they select Ranze.¡±


    Assured, Compass Carburettor returned to reality, noticing the figure of an ethereal-looking frog hover above his hand before vanishing. The altar turned dim immediately after.


    Compass Carburettor felt slightly different from before, noticing that he was able to sense his soul, or at least that was what it seemed to be like. Based on the information he obtained rted to the Gaider Realm, he knew that Martial Spirits lived in the cultivator¡¯s soul.


    And, one¡¯s cultivation depended entirely on the Martial Spirit. If it was destroyed, the cultivator instantly lost their painstaking cultivation. So, there were definite risks involved with using them to fight.


    But, as long as the material one fused with at the Martial Origin Stage was tough enough, they wouldn¡¯t break easily. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t necessary to use them in closebat always. Emission based attacks could also be used.


    Compass Carburettor turned around, noticing the exhausted figure of Helk gazing at him from the other side of the energy de wall. At present, there was only him and a bandit wearing a bunch of equipment.


    The rest seemed to have been killed in the traps.


    It was apparent that the only reason they had managed toe so far was thanks to the w Wolf.


    ¡®He has fused with an interesting material that¡¯s rted to the mind. I can¡¯t let him escape.¡¯ Thinking as such, Compass Carburettor calmly gazed at Helk, shing a cordial smile before bringing out Stencil, gently brushing her hair to the side as he inserted hundred Essence Stones in the altar.


    He then gently ced her hand on the altar, watching it lit up with a massive column that disyed the level equivalent to an Earth Martial Spirit.


    Thirty minutester, the figure of a blob of lightning flickered over Stencil¡¯s hand as immediately after, Compass Carburettor noticed Stencil¡¯s eyelids flutter for a moment, ¡®It¡¯s working!¡¯


    Even though there wasn¡¯t any other change apart from that, he was now assured that the Earth Divine Martial Spirit would protect Stencil¡¯s soul as that was where it resided.


    He had also informed Gana to return, watching her condense a portal and arrive in the Dimensional Space. Since there was an altar here, there was no need for her to search for another.


    Following Stencil was Grisha¡¯s turn who awakened the Heaven Martial Spirit, Space Ape. It was a rare Martial Spirit that allowed her to wield the power of space. It could be used for a variety of means and hence chosen by her.


    Finally, Gana awakened the Heaven Martial Spirit, Pill Urn. It was an urn with a mysterious vital fire inside it that was beneficial to refine the topmost quality of pills. As it was a contest of wills, Grisha and Gana, the two old monsters were easily able to choose the strongest Martial Spirit of their desired type.


    This was the advantage of living through 48 loops in the apocalypse world.


    Once the both of them finished awakening their Martial Spirits, Compass Carburettor sent them along with Stencil into the Dimensional Space, ¡°Begin cultivating.¡±


    It was better to begin preparations to cure Stencil immediately. As for him, he nned to purchase all the herbs necessary for Stencil¡¯s pills next.


    He then gazed at the resting figure of Helk, suddenly using Plunder on him, stealing his Martial Spirit, rming the other party.


    Until now, he had been resting upon seeing that the translucent wall before him was impossible to destroy even with the best of his abilities. He was assured that the other path was the right one, as he had met a dead end here.


    Since he was able to see the altar, he was assured of his conjecture. Currently, he was resting, intending to proceed through the other route and reap treasures after some time. He had noticed that Compass Carburettor had just awakened his Martial Spirit.


    But, when Compass Carburettor suddenly brought out Stencil from out of nowhere, Helk was rmed. Since there was an impossible-to-break wall between them, he wasn¡¯t nervous.


    But now, Compass Carburettor retracted the walls, using the fusion of Golda¡¯s and Dita¡¯s abilities to plunder his Martial Spirit, instantly reducing him to the status of a mortal.


    Compass Carburettor then ced it in a special container used to store Martial Spirits, noticing that Helk¡¯s choker didn¡¯t vanish, ¡°Those containers are indeed special.¡±


    They were what he looted from the treasury.


    ¡°M-My power¡­¡± Helk was aghast, plopping to the ground in despair, gazing at Compass Carburettor, full of doubt and indignation, ¡°What did you do to me?¡±

 Chapter 361: Rapid Preparations

    Chapter 361: Rapid Preparations


    ¡®There¡¯s no other use in having Helk here.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, watching the two w Wolves pounce upon the two bandits and devour them easily after.


    And right when they nned to attack him next, he killed them, fully erasing all traces of them with the Dust Wave.


    ¡°Right, I should take all the materials from his ce¡­¡± He had just spoken when his heart thumped once again. And this time, his Anthozoa, Secret Society, and Dimensional Space all pulsed erratically, warning him.


    ¡°W-What the heck is happening now?¡± Compass Carburettor was rmed, thinking that the Systems from the Luck genre were already targeting him.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that¡­ugh.¡± He suddenly grunted in pain, noticing that his abilities were slowly beginning to be suppressed.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± He understood soon after, ¡°There¡¯s a chance I can kill them using my new abilities. So, they are taking action to seal my strength. This is troubling.¡±


    ¡®But, can they use their abilities while mine are sealed?¡¯ He was worried about this point. If that was indeed the case, then he would die, no doubt about that.


    After all, if the Coincidental Luck System targeted him, then he would have to use the entirety of his power just to prolong his life. When he¡¯s further nerfed, it would be impossible to survive for even a day.


    ¡®Wait, there¡¯s one way I can determine it.¡¯ Thinking as such, Compass Carburettor hurriedly exited the ruins, picking a strong Origin Beast as he faced his hand towards it, unleashing the System Punishment, ¡°Ugh!¡±


    He grunted in pain, feeling like his abilities were stuck, causing them to move slower than usual. His System Punishment was only half as strong as before, with its strength continuing to drop continuously.


    But, he didn¡¯t despair upon seeing that. But rather, there was a small smile on his face, ¡®System based abilities would also be sealed now. That¡¯s good actually.¡¯


    In the eyes of the Systems, he, as the Main Character fragment was too dangerous to confront head-on while he had all his abilities. Hence, they had taken such an action.


    But in his eyes, the situation was different. Even if he had be the Main Character fragment fully and had regained his expended innate luck, that didn¡¯t mean much when facing the Coincidental Luck System.


    Who was he kidding?


    Him, against a Level 92 System that controlled the domains of luck and coincidence? Fat chance!


    It was especially since Compass Carburettor had understood the frightening ways Coincidental Luck can be used upon. There¡¯s no way he would be able to survive against something like that.


    But now that all System Abilities too are being sealed, it eased his mind a little, ¡®I have a fighting chance.¡¯


    ¡°But,¡± He frowned, ¡®Until when would this seal exist? How far does it epass? How many Systems areing after me? Is it like what I had feared? Are all Systems from the Luck Genreing after me?¡¯


    He shook his head, noticing his abilities being sealed slowly. As System Punishment was something like the innate control the Systems had inserted in a world, it meant that if even that was getting sealed, whether it was System Fragments, Personal Fragments, Skills, or Core Skills, none would work.


    Compass Carburettor then used his energy de, noticing that it wasn¡¯t affected much yet. But, there was a minor drop in power.


    ¡°That means, I won¡¯t be able to use Dimensional Space too¡­¡± He gritted his teeth, worrying as he looked at the figure of Stencil before thinking of a n.


    Immediately, he took out the embroidered spatial pouch, filling it with all the Essence Stones he would ever need for his cultivation, followed by a variety of materials and some interesting items he had taken from the ruins.


    He went on a collection spree, cing everything from the ruins in his Dimensional Space. He quickly informed Grisha and Gana, asking what they would do.


    ¡°My Lord, I¡¯ll stay here and take care of Stencil.¡± Gana said, ¡°I¡¯ll ensure that her cultivation continues to climb without any problems. With the Earth Divine Martial Spirit helping her, it won¡¯t be a problem. There¡¯s also a lot of the collected Earth Martial Spirits here. That would strengthen her Martial Spirit.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded before gazing at Grisha, ¡°What will you do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll fight, of course.¡± Grisha said, ¡°That¡¯s why I picked the Space Ape Martial Spirit. With my help, we can both fight and run away from things.¡±


    Immediately after that, Grisha entered the Dimensional Space as she condensed the portal to a cultivator roaming through the market in Gaoan City, arriving there as Compass Carburettor used her as the node to follow right after.


    She then went around, emptying the market of every herb there was, including a bunch of pill recipes.


    Compass Carburettor alsoyered the ground in the Dimensional Space with a thickyer of soil, nting lots and lots of trees there, also creatingrge ponds of freshwater. He made the ce liveable for Gana and Stencil.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about anything and just focus on surviving.¡± Dota said, ¡°I can feel that this seal would even cut off our connection. But, it¡¯s just a seal. There won¡¯t be any harm to the Dimensional Space. And, I¡¯ll still be able to sense you. Only you won¡¯t be able to sense me or this Dimensional Space.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ensure nothing happens to these two.¡± It assured him,cking any semnce of it being a newborn. ¡°Also, my corpse is still here. In this time, I¡¯ll work on fusing it into your Anthozoa.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Compass Carburettor sighed in relief as he double-checked, ensuring there was enough food stocked up in the Dimensional Space, nts that grew and produced food, a massive stock of pills to supplement food, etc.


    Thanks to the wealth of Essence Stones he obtained from the ruins, he was able to do this. All Ranze obtained were the sealed Trash Divine Spirits and the smallest spatial bag with Essence Stones.


    He grabbed the rest as he and Grisha went around from one city¡¯s market to another, emptying the ce of every valuable.


    Compass Carburettor began to make preparations, feeling his powers getting more and more sealed as time passed. Once everything waspleted, he grabbed two Origin Beasts, ced them in a discrete part of the city, and made Grisha watch over them while he entered the auction house, entering the room where Old Zen was seated, shocking him.


    After all, he was currently covered by his Mental Energy Body Layer, appearing terrifying in the eyes of the other party, so much so that his knees went weak.


    Immediately after, Compass Carburettor began his acting, retracting his Mental Energy Body Layer as he heaved a long sigh in relief, ¡°Friend, I must leave.¡±

 Chapter 362: Gleaning the Scheme

    Chapter 362: Gleaning the Scheme


    ¡°L-Lord Gahrat? Is that you?¡± Old Zen was unable to believe his eyes despite seeing the figure of Compass Carburettor.


    After all, when he was enveloped by the Mental Energy Body Layer, he appeared vast to the senses of Old Zen, despite still resembling a mortal that had just awakened his Martial Spirit.


    Old Zen quickly noticed Compass Carburettor¡¯s choice of words, asking in shock, ¡°You¡¯re leaving? Why so sudden?¡±


    ¡°Something came up, something pressing.¡± Compass Carburettor sighed before stating, ¡°As for the money made from auctioning the Unbreakable Etherite, just take it.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me, what must I do in return?¡± Old Zen asked, knowing very well that there was no free meal in the world.


    ¡°I¡­have a son.¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°Though, I haven¡¯t ever met him since birth. It was in search of him that I had arrived at the Gaider Realm. Unfortunately, his mother had already passed away. As things stand, I cannot bring him back with me. My enemies are beyond what the Gaider Realm can handle.¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯ll implicate everyone if I remain here any longer.¡± He sighed, feeling helpless, ¡°I thought I could rx a little, but it seems I¡¯ll have to postpone that to the future.¡±


    He then gazed at Old Zen, ¡°If you encounter him by chance in the future, just lend him a helping hand. You don¡¯t need to interfere if he¡¯s doing alright. He¡¯s my son, I know he has a strong mind. He looks pretty simr to me, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll recognise him easily.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s his name¡­¡± Old Zen asked, ¡°If I were to meet him, I¡¯ll definitely help him.¡±


    ¡°Hazen¡­¡± Compass Carburettor smiled.


    ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll remember this favour.¡± He then took out an orb before handing it out to Old Zen, ¡°I remember you saying that you have a talented grandson. If memory serves right, he has an Earth Martial Spirit. This Earth Grade Origin Art would be helpful to him.¡±


    ¡°T-This¡­¡± Old Zen was shocked, his hands trembling as he held the orb. Origin Arts were methods used to manipte their Origin Essence to unleash various effects. They were the most efficient way to harness the power of their Martial Spirits.


    And depending on the Tier of their Martial Spirit, the Tier of the Origin Art too was suitable. Though, anyone could learn and use a Trash Origin Art, since itcked any attribute and only consisted of using Origin Essence in its natural state.


    Typically, an Earth Grade Origin Art acted as the foundation of a n or Sect. Consider the Giant Whale Sect for example.


    The Giant Whale n that controlled it typically chose and had a greater affinity to Whale Martial Spirits and Water Martial Spirits. So, they had an Earth Grade Origin Art rted to water and a Human Grade Origin Art rted to Whales.


    That was their foundation.


    And now, Compass Carburettor had given him an Earth Grade Origin Art, stumping Old Zen. It was enough for him to establish his n officially. That was what he had been granted.


    ¡°Thank you, Lord Gahrat.¡± Old Zen bowed deeply, ¡°As long as I, Old Zen live, I¡¯ll ensure nothing happens to your son. And I¡¯ll make my descendants do the same.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m relieved to hear that.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be going on my way now.¡±


    Saying so, he activated the Mental Energy Body Layer as his figure vanished, shocking Old Zen. ¡°W-What¡¯s up with this? How many abilities does he possess? A Heaven Grade Martial Spirit? How strong is it among Heaven Grade?¡±


    All Compass Carburettor did was condense a portal to Grisha and arrive there. Since the portal was invisible to everyone else, it further raised the air of mystery surrounding him, causing him to resemble a peerless expert.


    As for the Earth Grade Origin Art, it was of course from the ruins.


    Since the luck-based Systems would be targeting him, he couldn¡¯t leave all his preparations to himself. His spatial pouch only had to be stolen for everything to turn meaningless.


    So, he had to get some experts on his side, ¡®If only I had at least a couple of weeks. I could have brought more experts on my side. That would be helpful to my situation.¡¯


    By now, he had understood the general gist of what his opponents nned to do. After all, if Core Skills were useless, then the System Hosts would never be able to win against him. They would just be juicy prey to him.


    Moreover, with their abilities too being sealed, even if they enter the body of someone in the Gaider Realm, that Host wouldn¡¯t heed their orders. After all, what incentive did they have to do that? They would probably try their best to get rid of whatever had entered them.


    It was because, the Systems wouldn¡¯t be able to give them any powers. That was their weakness in this situation.


    So, the ideal case would be to have Hosts that listened to their demands and moved ordingly. And most of all, they were smart or strong enough to kill him.


    None among the Gaider Realm were suitable. After all, if they were weak, they were useless. Otherwise, they were weak due to their young age.


    And, if they were already strong, they wouldn¡¯t even bat an eye at the Systems, at most worried if they had been attacked by their enemies.


    So, the best option would be to bring Hosts from the Apocalypse World after training them enough. And, with an ability simr to Remembrance, the Hosts would be able to remember everything from their previous 47 loops.


    Compass Carburettor had already found out that such memories didn¡¯t vanish even if the ability that brought the memories was destroyed.


    Moreover, there was no issue in bringing them to the System World. Non-System entities could remain in the System World for a short duration. And this was enough for them to enter the Gaider Realm.


    With the experiences of their past 47 lives, all the Hosts from the Apocalypse World would be terrifying experts. And it was a guarantee that all of them would awaken Heaven Martial Spirits due to how strong their will was after recalling such experiences.


    Grisha and Gana were the best examples.


    ¡°Does that mean I¡¯ll have to face Rhizen and Straxia next?¡± Now that he arrived at this line of thought, even Compass Carburettor felt nervous, aware of how terrifying these two were as he had observed them the most.


    Those from Carburettor Ind had analysed them in great detail, after all. So, he was aware of how terrifying they were.


    ¡®Thankfully, I had already killed Shyvern. That¡¯s one less troublesome opponent.¡¯

 Chapter 363: Giving Guidance

    Chapter 363: Giving Guidance


    Once a Host arrived at the System World, his/her System can choose to extract itself from their body. The Host wouldn¡¯t die even after the System leaves the Host body.


    Though, if the Host remained there for long, they would be destroyed by thews of the System World.


    So, Compass Carburettor was aware that the System in Straxia¡¯s body could be extracted as a Luck-Based System could enter her next.


    With all System based abilities sealed, irrespective of what System it was in the Host that had arrived in the Gaider Realm, there would be no difference whether the System was in them or not.


    But, Luck-based Systems were different. There should be a way for them to raise the innate luck of the Host. This way, they would be tremendously lucky even after their System abilities were sealed.


    This was the advantage of the Luck-based Systems, so only they should being after him now.


    This also led him to conclude something else: None from the Gaider Realm would be a System Host.


    That meant that his ns could also be done ordingly, ¡®They¡¯ll first need some time to adapt to this world and then cultivate just like me. They shouldn¡¯t have arrived just yet. Or even if they did, they won¡¯t have enough resources. Though, due to the innate support of their respective luck, they¡¯ll soon obtain a lot of resources and abilities.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to hurry and get stronger first. Thankfully, I have the Mind Frog.¡¯ He smiled as he looked at Grisha, noticing that she had bound the two Origin Beasts using an energy de. They had already been knocked out by her. ¡°Can you open the portal to Xuer?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Grisha nodded, double-checking to ensure the Origin Beasts wouldn¡¯t wake up for the time being as she retracted her energy de and entered his Dimensional Space, condensing a portal to Xuer as she observed to ensure that she was alone.


    She then appeared beside Xuer, startling the other party. But, Xuer didn¡¯t shout, already aware of their arrival thanks to the Spydragon before her.


    Immediately following Grisha was Compass Carburettor as he sent her into the Dimensional Space. After that, she returned to their original location, monitoring the two captured Origin Beasts.


    ¡°I remember seeing you at the banquet yesterday¡­¡± Xuer nodded in surprise before asking, ¡°You¡¯re¡­Lord Gahrat?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°Time is running short, so I¡¯ll keep things simple. I thought of taking Ranze as my disciple, but I won¡¯t be able to anymore.¡±


    ¡°Did¡­something happen?¡± Xuer asked, trying to sense his cultivation but only noticing that he was a mortal. It made her curious about the extent of his strength, since he had appeared before her mysteriously and also wielded other powers.


    ¡°The Giant Whale Sect Master wants to marry you into his n, as you¡¯ll definitely be a powerhouse. But, since you like Ranze, things would be awkward for him in the future as the ruling power of the Giant Whale Sect wouldn¡¯t be the Giant Whale n once you take over.¡± Compass Carburettor spoke.


    ¡°T-This¡­I¡¯ll refuse that¡­¡± Xuer said before she shut up, noticing a tantly obvious expression of disdain and mockery from Compass Carburettor, a gaze that showed him looking at something that was the definition of refined idiocrasy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot.¡± He sighed before saying, ¡°The Giant Whale Sect would be investing in you heavily. And they¡¯ll do everything in their power to rope you into their fold, even forcing you against your wishes.¡±


    ¡°Or, if force doesn¡¯t work, they¡¯ll guilt-trip you. And to make way for that, they already nned to kill Ranze.¡± He said, watching Xuer stand up in shock, flustered. But, upon being red at by him, she slowly came to realise.


    Of course, since he was telling her this now, Ranze would of course be safe, bowing as she said gratefully, ¡°Thanks for saving him.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t save him. He¡¯s smart enough to save himself.¡± Compass Carburettor said, not exposing the fact that Ranze was a reincarnator. That was up to the concerned person to deal with, whether he wished to reveal it in the future or take the secret to his grave.


    Compass Carburettor nned to support her growth and make her mature a bit faster. Only then would she be useful in their uing fight. After all, he was already nning to pull Ranze into it.


    As the sole Divine Martial Spirit holder in the Gaider Realm, he was the necessary edge Compass Carburettor needed to survive.


    He then took out a spatial pouch, giving it to her, ¡°Contained in it is enough Essence Stones for your cultivation. I also ced two Origin Arts there. One is the Human Grade Origin Art rted to the crane while the other is the Earth Grade Origin Art rted to ice. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have a suitable Heaven Grade Origin Art, so you¡¯ll have to make do with this.¡±


    ¡°If you wish to protect him in the future, grow stronger quickly. Use the Giant Whale Sect for your benefit.¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°And, stop being as na?ve and gullible as you are now. The Sect Master and Elder Galda had already attempted to im Ranze¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°And, in the future, it just wouldn¡¯t be the Giant Whale Sect alone. As he¡¯s the sole possessor of a Divine Martial Spirit, the enemies he would be facing would be blessed by the luck of heavens.¡± He concluded.


    ¡°Luck of the heavens?¡± Xuer asked, shocked.


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯ll obtain benefits even if they pick up a pebble from the side of the road.¡± He said before focusing on her, pinching her cheeks, ¡°You should hide your emotions and put on an act whenever necessary.¡±


    ¡°Look at a mirror and try your best. To be as natural as possible, start by thinking that you¡¯re not lying no matter the extent of the lies you bullshit. Observe their facial muscles, subtle bodynguage, posture, tone, etc. when they converse with one another, roam through the streets, buy something, or engage in a battle.¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°That¡¯s how you¡¯ll stop being an open book like now.¡±


    He then pointed at the Spydragon, ¡°You can converse with Ranze through it. I also left a few Trash Origin Arts for him with you.¡±


    As Xuer got excited at the prospect, Compass Carburettor condensed an energy de sword, handing it to her, ¡°Tomorrow, there would be an auction for a palm-sized item of the same variety. It¡¯s vastly inferior to this sword. Use this as a weapon, if necessary, but don¡¯t reveal it to anyone. And when you reach the Martial Origin Stage, fuse with it. That¡¯ll elevate your powers to the extreme.¡±

 Chapter 364: I’ll Be Counting On You

    Chapter 364: I¡¯ll Be Counting On You


    ¡°Ranze! Can you hear me?¡± Xuer spoke to the Spydragon, hearing sounds from the other side.


    As a puppet, the Spydragon was able to see, hear, and smell things. It was also capable of generating sounds, though the rity of voice wasn¡¯t spectacr over long distances.


    ¡°¡­Xuer?¡± Ranze¡¯s hesitant voice resounded from the side. He was still in the ruins, resting when he suddenly noticed a Spydragon fly before him, startling him as he assumed it was an Origin Beast. But the voice from it belonged to Xuer, confusing him.


    ¡°I¡¯m able to speak to you thanks to Lord Gahrat.¡± Xuer felt Compass Carburettor¡¯s stare on her as she hurriedly let go of any melodrama that she nned to say, jumping to the cusp of the matter, ¡°I found out that the Sect Master and Elder Galda had nned to kill you¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait! How do you know that? Where are you currently? Are you safe?¡± Ranze shouted in rm.


    Compass Carburettor had erected an energy de dome around them, preventing the guards posted outside from hearing anything. That¡¯s how they were able to converse all along.


    ¡°Lord Gahrat had nned to take you in as his student. So, he was observing your actions all along.¡± Xuer then informed him of some things, assuring Ranze that she would be careful and would cultivate harder.


    ¡°We won¡¯t be able to meet since they¡¯ll try to kill you the moment they know that you¡¯re alive. Uncle and Aunt would be worried, so there¡¯s no other way but to make it known that you had survived.¡± Xuer said before looking at Compass Carburettor, nodding in response.


    She then spoke, ¡°So, Lord Gahrat proposed you write a letter where you admit your ipetence, and express your willingness to leave the Sect. On my side, I¡¯ll act in ordance to ensure they wouldn¡¯t aim to harm you.¡±


    ¡°You can then bide your time until you be strong enough. Lord Gahrat said that your Divine Martial Spirit is the strongest there is.¡±


    There was silence for a good ten seconds after that as Ranze¡¯s sullen voice resounded, ¡°Lord Gahrat, are you able to hear me?¡±


    ¡°Yea, you¡¯re speaking through my ability anyway.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°What do you wish to ask about?¡±


    ¡°Can you please not tell Xuer about such things? I don¡¯t want her to think about politics and the likes. I want her to stay pure and innocent.¡± Ranze said.


    ¡°Are you dumb?¡± Compass Carburettor retorted immediately, ¡°Don¡¯t delude yourself into thinking that everything would go your way eventually based on the stories you¡¯ve read. You¡¯re not the main character.¡±


    ¡°I am!¡±


    ¡°W-What the hell are you talking about?¡± Ranze stuttered.


    ¡®I should correct this aspect of transmigrators. Usually, such characters wise up after a tragedy or two.¡¯ He then looked at Xuer, ¡°If you wish to tell him anything else, do it now. My time is running short. I¡¯ll knock some sense into him on my way out.¡±


    ¡°But Ranze is already smart¡­¡± Xuer said.


    ¡°He¡¯s not smart enough.¡± Compass Carburettor said before thinking of something, scratching his head as he thought, ¡®They are important to my ns. Might as well do it like this.¡¯


    He sighed, informing Grisha as she immediately appeared before Ranze, enveloped him in a cocoon of energy de and brought him into the Dimensional Space.


    Compass Carburettor then brought him out, causing him to look around in confusion, ¡°Where the heck am¡­Xuer?¡±


    ¡°Ranze? How are you here now?¡± Xuer too was shocked before realising the scene where Compass Carburettor had abruptly arrived at her room in the first ce.


    Ranze noticed that he was in her room before turning around to see the figure of Compass Carburettor, frowning as he was deep in thought, feeling that the face was familiar before uttering, ¡°¡­Compass Carburettor?¡±


    ¡°So, you know me. That means you haven¡¯t transmigrated here at birth.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, ¡°That makes things simple.¡±


    ¡°How are you here?¡± Ranze asked in shock.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave that aside.¡± Compass Carburettor muttered, gazing at Ranze, ¡°Have you read any webnovels with Systems?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have.¡± Ranze nodded, feeling that he could trust the other party for some reason, a mysterious feeling.


    ¡°Alright, then I can bring you up to speed quickly.¡± He said, giving him a summary about the true nature of Systems, shocking Ranze. Moreover, considering how he didn¡¯t even feel anything while muttering about Systems, Compass Carburettor realised that time was indeed running short. He had to hurry up with everything.


    ¡°To think they too were real. And now, they are aiming for you?¡± Ranze frowned, ¡°But, where do Ie into this picture?¡±


    ¡°Divine Martial Spirit.¡± Compass Carburettor muttered, ¡°In this world, there are only four Divine Martial Spirits. Three are still in the Martial Spirit Realm while the fourth is with you. Currently, the System Hosts and I are in a race to grow stronger. And we would obviously bepeting for the same things while trying to kill each other. And you¡¯ll be a great obstacle to them, since your luck is also tremendous.¡±


    ¡°Your luck would affect their own. So, they¡¯ll try to eliminate you.¡± He then pointed at Xuer, ¡°And considering how gullible she is, they would be able to manipte her into causing your death. Either her or your parents, whoever works the best in causing your demise.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to believe me. You¡¯ll eventuallye across people tremendously superior to you in life experience and fighting abilities concerning their age. And, all of them would possess Heaven Martial Spirits.¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°So, that¡¯s your cue. If you hear any rumours about Heaven Martial Spirits from now on, know that they are System Hosts.¡±


    ¡°Fine, then what do you want me to do? You seem terrifyingly powerful. I can¡¯t think of any way I¡¯ll be of help to you.¡± Ranze said.


    ¡°Nothing much.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, ¡°If youe across such people, kill them. Though, if you¡¯re even able to kill one of them, I¡¯ll be surprised.¡±


    Compass Carburettor then frowned, raising his hand to motion for Ranze to shut up, ¡°My time¡¯s up.¡±


    He tossed Ranze into his Dimensional Space after wrapping him in a cocoon of an energy de to prevent him from seeing anything that was within the Dimensional Space.


    He then gazed at Xuer, leaving behind a statement before disappearing, ¡°Work hard to grow stronger so that you can protect yourself and your loved ones. I¡¯ll be counting on you in the future¡­¡±


    ¡°As Hazen.¡±

 Chapter 365: I’m Not Worthy

    Chapter 365: I¡¯m Not Worthy


    ¡°There you go.¡± Compass Carburettor said, leaving Ranze at a secluded corner in Gaoan City, ¡°Whatever you want to do beyond this point is entirely up to you.¡±


    ¡°If everything you say is the truth¡­¡± Ranze muttered, ¡°Then, if I wanted, would I be able to return to Earth with your help?¡±


    ¡°It is possible, but unless all my enemies are dead, it¡¯ll be impossible since all System-based abilities would be sealed.¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°Are you missing your family there?¡±


    ¡°I was an orphan,¡± Ranze shook his head, ¡°Even though I didn¡¯t amount to much on Earth, it¡¯s still the world I grew up in. I just wish to see how different things there are after living here. Maybe my changed perspective would give me a new outlook on life.¡±


    ¡°If we survive, I¡¯ll take you there.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, ¡°Along with the family you make here. Though, there¡¯s a big ¡®If¡¯ here, since all the Systems aiming for my life now are luck based.¡±


    ¡°Where are you nning to go now?¡± Compass Carburettor asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll return to my n.¡± Ranze replied, ¡°It¡¯s a few hours of travel from here anyway. I¡¯ll cultivate there and find opportunities to strengthen myself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll apany you after a couple of hours. I need somewhere peaceful to cultivate anyway.¡± Compass Carburettor said, waving his hands as he vanished, ¡°I¡¯lle to find you shortly after.¡±


    Upon seeing his figure vanish, Ranze sighed, gazing at the orbs in his hand. They were all given to him by Compass Carburettor, including an energy de shield that he could fuse with after reaching the Martial Origin Stage.


    Since he would have two bricks at that time, he could use one to fuse with the energy de. Not only was it lightweight, but it was also tremendously tough.


    He ced everything in his spatial bag, sighing as he approached the closest stable and rented a horse to travel to his n. ¡°I really hate this development.¡±


    He sighed, feeling bouts of anger for some reason before calming down, ¡°If these enemies are real, it¡¯ll make my life harder. I only wanted a purpose in my life here. But no matter what, I¡¯ll protect my family from danger.¡±


    He then rode a horse, first approaching the Giant Whale Sect¡¯s entrance, finding the guard captain there as he gave him a parcel, ¡°Please give this to Elder Galda. Tell him it¡¯s a package from his disciple.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± The guard captain nodded, not asking why Ranze didn¡¯t give it to the Elder by himself since he had already reached the Sect entrance.


    Since he was someone that directly reported to Elder Galda anyway, he didn¡¯t cause any trouble for Ranze, approaching Elder Galda¡¯s house as he knocked on the door, ¡°Elder¡­¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Elder Galda opened the door after a good couple of minutes had spanned past, looking a bit tired as he gazed at the package in the hands of the guard captain.


    ¡°Your disciple told me to give this to you?¡± The guard captain said.


    ¡®What? My disciple?¡¯ Elder Galda was shocked but hurriedly controlled his facial expression. He took the package and motioned for the guard captain to leave, closing the door shut as he ced the package in the centre of the living room.


    He frowned, gazing at it for a good minute before using a stick to open it slowly. He stood before the door, ready to transform into his Divine Spirit and rush out immediately at the sign of any danger.


    He thought this was Ranze¡¯s revenge after he had survived.


    ¡°Eh? There¡¯s my spatial pouch here.¡± He was surprised to see the spatial pouch in the package, apanied by a letter. Of course, the spatial pouch was mostly empty, containing the few Essence Stones that had been in it at the start. ¡°This is what I had given him.¡±


    Ranze had returned what he had obtained from Elder Galda, surprising the other party. He then noticed a letter at the bottom, opening it to see a short paragraph written there.


    ¡°Elder, please forgive me for failing to live up to your expectations. I tried to search for the Ancient Adhesive but met some bandits at the entrance of the Misty Gorge Ruins. It took my everything just to survive. But, what I had seen there changed my outlook. The head of the bandits only had a Trash Martial Spirit, but had already reached the Martial Origin Stage.¡±


    Elder Galda frowned as he read further, ¡°But, an Origin Beast that was only in the seventhyer of the Origin Refinement Stage killed him in three hits. It wasn¡¯t even anything special. There were dozens of such beasts all around. It made me realise how weak Trash Martial Spirits truly are.¡±


    ¡°My only goal for wishing to be a powerhouse was to protect Xuer. But now, I can understand it loud and clear that even if I were to reach the Martial Providence Realm, I wouldn¡¯t even be able to defeat someone in the Martial Origin Realm that has a Human Martial Spirit, not to mention a higher Tiered one.¡± Elder Galda¡¯s eyes slowly widened as he read further.


    ¡°This disciple begs for forgiveness for failing to live up to master¡¯s expectations. Due to my ipetence, you¡¯ve been disappointed, master. This disciple would return to his n and live a sheltered life. I¡¯m not suited for cultivation. Please ask Xuer to forget about me. I¡¯m unworthy of her.¡±


    ¡°Sincerely, Ranze.¡±


    ¡°Ke¡­keke¡­kekeke!¡± Elder Galdaughed, cackling soon after as he rushed out of his house, arriving at the Sect Master¡¯s house before showing him the letter.


    ¡°Hahaha! It seems encountering danger made him realise his future prospects were dull. After all, Trash Martial Spirits can at most be our servants.¡± The Giant Whale Sect Masterughed.


    ¡°Sect Leader, it seems those bandits have failed. Shall we silence Ranze?¡± Elder Galda asked.


    ¡°Nah, leave him be.¡± The Sect Leader waved his hand, ¡°He¡¯s not worth the effort. I¡¯ll safeguard this letter and show it to Xuer after I¡¯ve obtained enough of her trust. With that, we¡¯ll change her mind and make her marry into our n.¡±


    ¡°Who do you think is worthy of her, Sect Leader?¡± Elder Galda asked.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Sect Leader frowned in thought, sweating immediately as he gazed at Elder Galda nervously, ¡°None¡­shit. She wouldn¡¯t even bat an eye to my useless grandsons.¡±


    ¡°I only have granddaughters.¡± Elder Galda wiped his sweat, ¡°And my only talented grandson has already married. We can¡¯t marry Xuer to someone inferior.¡±


    ¡°Right, that¡¯ll just give the perfect excuse for other Sects to invade us and snatch her away.¡± The Sect Leader began to worry before gritting his teeth, ¡°I¡¯ll beat the shit out of my grandsons daily until at least one of them bes worthy enough to inherit the seat next to her.¡±

 Chapter 366: Let’s Play Detective

    Chapter 366: Let¡¯s y Detective


    After parting ways with Ranze, Compass Carburettor appeared next to Grisha, gazing at the two Origin Beasts before her that were still unconscious.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± Compass Carburettor said.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go first.¡± Grisha said, ¡°Just in case it doesn¡¯t work, retract the Warble in me.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°Remember that it¡¯s 15 years old.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Grisha nodded as she closed her eyes, cing her hand on her forehead as soon after, a kite-shaped object resembling Darble appeared. It was her Warble.


    Of course, Compass Carburettor had also Bestowed it to her, allowing her to revive without problems.


    Simrly, he had done the same to Stencil too. Since she was his daughter, making her a member of Secret Society was too easy. And surprisingly, his abilities were effective on her too.


    He even took out a Coordinate from the Dimensional Space, reducing his strength by a tenth as he ced that in Stencil, Bestowing her all his powers. This way, even without his help, Stencil¡¯s Martial Spirit might be able to do something to her situation.


    There was also Gana there with all his abilities. So, he didn¡¯t need to be around her to cure her. This was where he was d to have be the Main Character.


    And with the Warble, no matter what happens, Stencil would be able to revive through it.


    Reviving with the Warble obviously had limitations. First was the size of the body. If the body chosen was smaller than the size of the Warble owner¡¯s body, then revival wouldn¡¯t be possible.


    Only a half-finished corpse would form. The Warble would have to be taken out from it and imnted into another creature again to form a proper revival.


    Though, this was only in the case of severe size differences, like suppose they tried to revive using a rat¡¯s body.


    If it was something along the lines of a dog¡¯s body, then they would revive as a toddler. There were some other factors to consider too, and that was the age of the body used.


    Suppose they used an old dog¡¯s body, the cells in it would be gradually losing their cell division count, failing to create a proper body for revival.


    It would be tiny, but an old body.


    So, they needed some considerations to create a perfect revival. Typically, using a body bigger than their requirements would ensure a wless revival.


    As that wasn¡¯t their objective, the ones Compass Carburettor had captured were not only young, but they were also small enough among Origin Beasts.


    Grisha pulled out the Warble that had appeared on her forehead, copsing like a robot whose batteries had been removed.


    After she obtained the Warble, the entirety of Grisha¡¯s existence had moved into it. So, once it was removed, her body turned into a corpse in an instant.


    Compass Carburettor took the Warble and gently ced it on the forehead of the Origin Beast on the left.


    Typically, only the flesh of the body was necessary to sculpt their body during the revival process. Gender was irrelevant.


    But, since all their powers were getting sealed, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t take any chances, selecting a female Origin Beast for Grisha and a male for himself.


    The moment the Warble was ced on the Origin Beast¡¯s forehead, its body trembled minutely for a dozen seconds before stopping, ¡°That was fast.¡±


    Basically, both Grisha and the Origin Beast had battled in its mind. And, Grisha easily won the battle as its body showed signs of change, slowly beginning to turn into a human.


    An hourter, the body of Grisha finished forming, turning into her fifteen-year-old self, shing her eyes open as she got up before staring at the figure of Compass Carburettor, blushing in response, ¡°¡­Teenage hormones.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Heughed in response, gently patting her head, ¡°It feels better to see you this way.¡±


    ¡°Naked?¡±


    ¡°No, I mean in this innocent self with unconcealed emotions.¡± Compass Carburettor coughed as he slowly caused his Warble to appear while Grisha changed into the set of clothes already prepared for her.


    She frowned, ¡°These clothes aren¡¯t asfortable as those from my world. The fabric is good, but the design isn¡¯t battle-efficient. It also doesn¡¯t hold my chest firmly like a bra.¡±


    ¡°Best to blend in with the world we¡¯re in.¡± He smiled before removing his Warble, causing his body to copse to the ground.


    Grisha grabbed hold of his Warble and ced it on the other Origin Beast¡¯s forehead, watching its body tremble mildly for a second before stopping, ¡°Damn, he¡¯s a monster!¡±


    She then watched his body slowly beginning to form, soon after taking an innocent appearance. ¡°It seems puberty hit him a bitte. He looks like a child.¡±


    Compass Carburettor slowly woke up, muttering, ¡°I feel weaker than usual.¡±


    ¡°The seal¡¯s working faster. A few more hours, and all System-based abilities would be fully sealed.¡± Grisha replied. She then stared at his naked self, flustering him, grinning as she said, ¡°It¡¯ll take time to control our raging teenage hormones.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be hard.¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°But that¡¯ll also work in our favour.¡±


    He then focused, observing his appearance before condensing Mental Energy Body Layer, making some minor adjustments to it to make it resemble a cloth that he could wear and remove, ¡°Great, it has enough sticity too. It¡¯llst even after I be an adult.¡±


    He quickly made a dozen copies of the same Mental Energy clothes, storing them in his spatial pouch. Thanks to the trait of Permanence, they existed as material objects. As Mental Energy was soft even after solidified, it was perfect to be used as clothes.


    Moreover, it provided them protection against the abilities of Systems. And in this case, it was against the innate effect of their luck.


    ¡°Besides, there are also other surprises waiting.¡± He smiled while gazing at the pile of tiny spheres within the spatial pouch. They were filled to the brim with Dust Wave, one made to target everyone other than himself and Grisha.


    The spheres were just energy des that he made weak enough to break upon impact. ¡°I¡¯ll show you the extent of my preparations.¡±


    Compass Carburettor then wore a pair of clothes over the jet-ck skin-tight, Mental Energy clothes, watching Grisha replicate his actions. Currently, each of them wore two spatial pouches, possessing all the items that they required in the subsequent battles.


    Grisha then looked at their corpses, ¡°What shall we do with them?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll greet the System Hosts with a great scene.¡± Compass Carburettor grinned, ¡°We¡¯ll start by ying detective.¡±

 Chapter 367: Insert Extra World Lore Here

    Chapter 367: Insert Extra World Lore Here


    Ruon City, at a secluded corner of the city, a massive construct appeared all of a sudden, shocking everyone in the ce.


    The experts of the city were rmed at the suffocating aura that emanated from the location for an instant before vanishing.


    Those at the Martial Providence Stage instantly turned into their Martial Spirits and rushed towards the location, stopping as they were startled, gazing at the structure that had appeared.


    It had a pearl-like texture and colour on its cylindrical structure that spanned a height of fifty metres and a radius of twenty metres. There was an entrance to it that had opened.


    The first to arrive was an old man wearing a straw hat, frowning as he noticed some bloody footprints at the entrance, ¡°What the heck happened here?¡±


    ¡°Sect Master! Are you alright?¡± Soon after, members of his Sect arrived at the scene, stunned upon seeing the unnerving structure.


    There was a pristine sense of beauty to the structure. But currently, it also emanated the sensation that it had been through countless battles and had sustained enough damage over time that it was unable to maintain itself any longer.


    ¡°Let¡¯s check it out!¡± The old man wearing a straw hat, the Sect Master of the Fire Bat Sect said, nodding at the Martial Providence Stage cultivators that hadnded next to him.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be risky, so be careful.¡± The Fire Bat Sect Master said as they noticed the bloodstains at the entrance, ¡°The rted parties that caused this must be nearby. So, guard the perimeter and don¡¯t let anyone nearby.¡±


    After giving instructions, the Fire Bat Sect Master was the first to enter the building, stumped when he noticed a massive statue of Apocalypse Pearl standing before them.


    It only spanned a height of six metres, something that wasn¡¯t that big, considering the size they would attain after transforming into their Martial Spirits.


    But, this was the first thought that resounded in the minds of everyone that gazed at the statue.


    Massive!


    The statue resembled a Haggon. And due to how Compass Carburettor had created it, it also contained some of the Haggon¡¯s suffocating presence.


    The Fire Bat Sect Master looked around, noticing murals forming the interior walls of the cylindrical building that only consisted of one floor. The murals formed rings, with each spanning a height of five metres.


    The Fire Bat Sect Master gazed at the mural closest to him, shuddering in fear for some reason as he hurriedly backed away, noticing his skin peeling the moment he approached the mural, ¡°What the heck is this?¡±


    He hurriedly took out a pill and swallowed it, watching his injuries slowly recover. His back was drenched with cold sweat as he gazed at the mural.


    The one depicted on it was a woman, sporting a malevolent expression as her eyes radiated a mysterious hue.


    Anger! Disdain! Destruction! Avarice!


    Those were the emotions expressed by them. She wore a battle armour that was drenched by the blood of victims as littered on the ground around her were skulls of humans and Origin Beasts. Rather, she was standing on a pile of them.


    And, held in her right hand was a human skull filled with blood that she had raised high up in the air, pouring the contents into her mouth that she had opened like a snake.


    Her other hand was strangling the neck of a man like he was made of paper. It seemed like his vitality had been sucked out as his skin resembled the bark of a tree that had be infested with termites.


    There was an expression of absolute terror on his face as his eyes showed ack of soul.


    The Fire Bat Sect Master then gazed at the row of words engraved underneath her, ¡°Straxia¡ªSoul Rendering Evil Spirit!¡±


    There was a row of words engraved further below, tiny in font, stating, ¡°An Evil Spirit that had devoured all life in thirteen Realms. An immortal being that could never be killed and one whose thirst for blood could never be satiated. Possessing the Evil Martial Spirit of Lightning Lemur, her attacks are violent and overbearing. Flee on sight!¡±


    ¡°Evil Spirit? What¡¯s that?¡± One of the Martial Providence stage cultivators frowned. He didn¡¯t dare approach the murals, witnessing what had happened to the Fire Bat Sect Master once he had done so.


    All the experts were simr, only standing at the centre of the building as they looked around at the murals.


    ¡°Wait, there¡¯s someone here.¡± The Fire Bat Sect Master suddenly proimed as he noticed traces of blood behind the Haggon Statue.


    As it had been on the rear end of the building, they had only been able to gaze at its front, failing to notice its back until now.


    As the Fire Bat Sect Master gazed in the direction, he noticed a pool of blood had formed there. Nodding in response to a Martial Providence Stage cultivator that he trusted, the two of them slowly approached the Haggon¡¯s side, peeking over before hurrying back in rm, ¡°Heuk!¡±


    Upon seeing such a high-pitched screech from the two experts, everyone else turned alert instantly.


    ¡°Sect Master! What happened?¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­fuck!¡± The Fire Bat Sect Master pinched his nose, only now noticing the pungent stench that was emanating from the ce.


    There were two figures there, a male and a female, each that could easily be announced as the definition of beauty, grace, and power. But now, no such qualities could be seen in them.


    Their entrails were strewn around, as the intestines of the man had even been made to form ribbon knots. Hecked a lower jaw, with the severed part held in his hand.


    One of his eyes had been gouged out and crushed, with the remains beside him. There were violent scratch marks all over his body.


    And for some body parts, it seemed like they had been disintegrated, leaving behind no traces. It was a scary sensation to see there being no traces of a body part¡¯s existence, despite all muscture of the body pointing out the fact that it should have existed there.


    The woman¡¯s body was in a simr state as parts of her internal organs were missing. There was an expression of regret on her face while the man¡¯s sported helplessness.


    There was neither anger nor despair on his face. Just helplessness.


    ¡°Wait, his gaze¡­¡± The Fire Bat Sect Master uttered all of a sudden, pointing at the back of the Haggon, ¡°It¡¯s pointing at one of the horns on this creature¡¯s back.¡±

 Chapter 368: Twenty-One

    Chapter 368: Twenty-One


    The Fire Bat Sect Leader frowned, pointing at the horn on the Haggon¡¯s back that the corpse of the man on the ground was gazing at.


    ¡°Sect Master, let me try.¡± Just when the Fire Bat Sect Leader intended to touch and probe the horn, one of his Sect members moved forward, expressing willingness to test things out.


    ¡°Be careful.¡± The Fire Bat Sect Leader said in response.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Nodding, the Sect member took out a stick from his spatial pouch and gently brought it closer to the Haggon statue, noticing it begin to disintegrate immediately. The stick turned into dust and copsed to the ground.


    Only a small portion where he held the stick remained behind.


    Hiss!


    Everyone was stumped at the scene, wondering just what mysterious power had taken root here.


    Just as they were worried about it, the Sect member took out another stick, trying to touch the Haggon statue once again, noticing it too get disintegrated. He subtly frowned at the result, thinking of something.


    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous. Let¡¯s seal this ce up and probe through it slowly, Lernes.¡± The Fire Bat Sect Leader said, unwilling to do anything reckless. After all, the one probing through the Haggon statue was his most prized disciple.


    ¡°It¡¯s not dangerous, master.¡± His disciple, Lernes smiled, taking out another stick to repeat the action, noticing that it was disintegrated a tad slower this time, ¡°This mysterious ability is weakening as we speak. So, we¡¯ll soon be able to find out the truth.¡±


    He quickly took out a bunch of sticks, causing them to disintegrate one after another, causing a lot of dust to collect on the ground.


    He motioned at one of the Sect members to clean up the dust while he continued to do so, noticing the power of disintegration continued to weaken. Soon after, a half-disintegrated stick touched the Haggon Status.


    Thud!


    As to why he had so many sticks in his spatial storage, none knew. But in the current situation, it saved them a lot of effort as Lernes slowly grabbed hold of the pointed horn on the Haggon¡¯s back, noticing that it resembled a lever of sorts, pulling it down to see a door¡¯s outline be revealed on it.


    And immediately after, arge b came off from the Haggon¡¯s back. Lernes hurriedly grabbed hold of the b, noticing writings on its back.


    There wasn¡¯t anything else in the Haggon. It wasn¡¯t a door, but a b acting as the outeryer of its back. There wasn¡¯t anything inside.


    Lernes gazed at the writing on the b, frowning as he read it, ¡°To the one that sees this, hide somewhere and try your best to survive. I failed my n¡¯s mission to protect this world.¡±


    Lernes didn¡¯t express anything and continued to read further, ¡°I am Gahrat, the current generation keeper of the World Seal. The building you¡¯re inside, the World Seal was something created tens of thousands of years ago to seal the Evil Spirits.¡±


    ¡°It was built through the efforts of the Haggon Race and the Spirit Race, both of which are on the verge of extinction now, with me being thest of the Spirit Race. Our only goal was to ensure the Evil Spirits remain sealed within the World Seal. And whenever they try to break out of the seal, we suppress them.¡±


    ¡°When I inherited the World Seal from myte father, I noticed that one of the Evil Spirits had escaped from the World Seal. She hade to the Gaider Realm. So, I arrived here in search of her. But, I failed to capture her, and hence, am leaving behind my will here.¡±


    Lernes shuddered faintly, ncing at the murals as he read further, ¡°Evil Spirits are cultivators that had fused with their Martial Spirits for mysterious reasons and invoke mindless craziness in their inherent nature. They are bloodthirsty beings that would ughter everyone in their way, drink their blood, dine on their organs, and y with their bones. Abilities-wise, they are on par with Heaven Martial Spirit cultivators.¡±


    ¡°Heaven Martial Spirit cultivators?¡± The Fire Bat Sect Leader was rmed.


    Lernes had a heavy mood as he continued to read, ¡°If that was all, they wouldn¡¯t be that dangerous. Even Heaven Martial Spirit cultivators aren¡¯t invincible. They run out of Origin Essence after battling for a while. But, Evil Spirits are different.¡±


    ¡°This¡­what the heck?¡± Even Lernes was stumped for words as he read the statement, ¡°Evil Spirits are innately lucky. No matter what happens, things go in their favour. The slightest of disagreement between the cultivators pursuing an Evil Spirit might soon after result in them engaging in a life-and-death battle with one another, all while the Evil Spirit calmly watches from afar and kills the exhausted victor in the end.¡±


    ¡°But thankfully, the World Seal hadpletely negated their cultivation after being sealed for so long. So, they¡¯ll have to cultivate from scratch once again. If youe across one of them, I pray you¡¯re of a firm mind to not sumb to their schemes.¡±


    ¡°But, that¡¯s only in terms of other Evil Spirits. If you evere across Straxia, run on sight. She¡¯s not someone you can ever handle.¡± Lernes read aloud the final sentence before his eyes shot towards the mural where the devilish figure of Straxia had been portrayed.


    The mural showed her being bathed in blood, sporting maniacal chaos in her expression that caused the hearts of everyone to thump in response, feeling nervous. After all, if what was shown here was the truth, then such a terrifying being had been set free.


    ¡°Straxia, Soul Rendering Evil Spirit.¡± Lernes frowned, reading the detail engraved on the mural, muttering, ¡°Heaven Martial Spirit, Lightning Lemur¡­¡±


    He then gazed at the next mural, muttering upon gazing at the scene of a man punching through a horde of people like they were paper while disying innocentughter, ¡°Earth Cracking Evil Spirit, Dwun. Heaven Martial Spirit, Sound Gauntlet. Destroyed nine Realms.¡±


    He then gazed at the third mural that showed the figure of a teenager that was surrounded by sickly that was skin and bones, sporting decaying bodies, ¡°World Decaying Evil Spirit, Velcorn. Heaven Martial Spirit, Putrid Crocodile. Destroyed seven Realms.¡±


    Lernes then gazed around, frowning upon seeing that the faces of everyone else in the various murals had been destroyed by a variety of attacks, same for the description rted to them.


    He quickly took out sticks from his spatial bag, throwing them onto all the murals, noticing that only the sticks thrown toward the first three murals disintegrated. The sticks crashed into the rest of the murals.


    ¡°That mysterious power barely managed to protect information regarding the most three terrifying of the Evil Spirits¡­¡± Lernes concluded, counting the number of murals at the ce, sighing at the frightening count he ended up at.


    Twenty-One!

 Chapter 369: Exacting Vengeance is Your Destiny

    Chapter 369: Exacting Vengeance is Your Destiny


    [Coincidental Luck System (Level 94): Is everyone ready? Are your Hosts up to date with all the information about the world we¡¯re about to enter?]


    [Destiny Luck System (Level 92): Scum, you don¡¯t need to ask so many times. Everyone is ready. Why the heck are you asking it so many times?]


    [Coincidental Luck System (Level 94): Brain fart, I don¡¯t want any of you ipetents to fatten up Compass Carburettor. You should rename yourself to Ipetent Luck]


    [Happy-Go-Lucky System (Level 88): Wanna die?]


    [Lucky Bastard System (Level 86): I¡¯ll solo you, deer bastard]


    [Coincidental Luck System (Level 94): Good, we¡¯ll be returning to my world after 19 years. I¡¯ll see if you dare solo me then]


    [Destiny Luck System (Level 92): Let¡¯s not waste time with this useless bickering. There¡¯s less than an hour before the Restriction Order finishes forming in that cultivation world. We won¡¯t be able to enter it once that happens]


    [Happy-Go-Lucky System (Level 88): Have all Systems in that world left it?]


    [Coincidental Luck System (Level 94): They did. Alright, we¡¯vepleted all preparations. We won¡¯t be able to converse with our Hosts after this. So, if you have anything to say, do it now. Do note that there¡¯s a fair chance this might be yourst words]


    [Destiny Luck System (Level 92): This arrogant excuse for a whisker¡­]


    One after another, all the Luck based Systems exited the temporary group that they had formed just for this asion.


    Straxia calmly stretched her arms, yawning a little as she jogged around in the ce, rxing her muscles.


    [Are you ready, Straxia?] The Coincidental Luck System¡¯s voice resounded in her mind.


    ¡®I am!¡¯ Straxia nodded, ¡®I¡¯m rather surprised at the extent of preparations you have done here. I never thought there were so many abandoned Martial Spirit Awakening Altars.¡¯


    [It¡¯s something that we set up for single-time use. It¡¯ll be destroyed once you awaken your Martial Spirit. Of course, since everyone is descending at different locations, we had to nt one for everyone]


    ¡®I¡¯m curious about one thing.¡¯ Straxia thought all of a sudden.


    [What is it?]


    ¡®Why can¡¯t I bring a spatial bag full of Essence Stones with me from here? But, why are my clothes unaffected while moving through the portals?¡¯


    [That¡¯s because fabric ismon in every world. So, even if there is a difference in quality, it can just be attributed to being a product from a far-off ce. It won¡¯t go against the cause and effect of the world. That¡¯s true for any items where their equivalent exists in those worlds. They too can be taken with you from one world to another]


    ¡®I see, that makes sense.¡¯ Straxia nodded before saying, ¡®Computers are a no-no then, right?¡¯


    [For this world at least]


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go,¡± Straxia spoke, gazing at the twenty other Hosts near her.


    She was Host to the Coincidental Luck System. Velcorn was Host to the Lucky Bastard System.


    And surprisingly, the Happy-Go-Lucky System picked Dwun. They were a surprisingly good match.


    Each Luck based System had picked a Host, some of which had been Hosts to the Hatchling Systems before. But most of them were new candidates that were the most suitable to wield their luck.


    With Rhizen and Shyvern dead, they lost two high-potential System Hosts. As all the Luck-based Systems divided up all potentially good candidates to wield their respective luck, one of them made a surprising decision.


    The Destiny Luck System had picked Chenger as its Host, surprising everyone because she actually wasn¡¯t a good pick for even a Hatchling System, not to mention for the Destiny Luck System.


    But going against all odds, the Destiny Luck System had picked her. Moreover, despite recalling all memories from her previous 47 loops, Chenger didn¡¯t regain her original character.


    She still retained her vengeful state. But the only difference was the fact that, if she was a mindless machine seeking vengeance before, she was now a machine that was cunningly vengeful, wholeheartedly targeting Compass Carburettor.


    Even though Compass Carburettor wasn¡¯t in any of her memories other than the brief interaction in hertest loop, the Destiny Luck System had fed her fabricated lies, recing the figure of Shyvern in her memories with Compass Carburettor.


    And, Shyvern had indeed tried to kill her and Rhizen countless times. And it wasn¡¯t the first time she had been tortured by him either. The scene in previous loops mostly followed like this:


    Shyvern would set up intricate ns that targeted Rhizen when he was focused on his System Host foes. As he would be harnessing his luck to act against them, that¡¯ll leave Chenger defenceless.


    He would then capture her while causing a stand-in System Host to turn into Chenger and apany Rhizen.


    At times, the stand-in might not follow through with his ns, as it wasn¡¯t easy to secure victory against Rhizen that easily.


    But in other times, she too seeded, causing her to manipte Rhizen slowly, weakening him mentally by subtly influencing his character.


    And in this time, Shyvern would torture Chenger mentally by a variety of means, turning her into a viin. After that, he would make Chenger exact vengeance on Rhizen.


    In a lot of loops, even though Chenger failed to kill Rhizen, she would have dealt him critical blows, so much so that he wouldn¡¯t even be able to harness luck that he was innately capable of.


    After that, he was killed by a variety of means, most of which was suicide due to self loathe.


    Loathe because he failed to protect the actual Chenger and had instead set up a family with the false Chenger in the apocalypse. Loathe that he wasn¡¯t there for her when she suffered torture that broke her mind. Loathe that he survived and was happy, despite the difficulties he had faced, in contrast to what Chenger had been through.


    As he was a loyal guy, this was beyond what he could mentally and emotionally handle, eventually resulting in either suicide or getting killed off by one of the System Hosts, with most of the killsnding in the hands of Straxia, followed by Ianon, Shyvern, and Chenger herself.


    Chenger had killed Rhizen three times. And not one was a pleasant sight. Now that she recalled all the memories from previous loops, Chenger wished to exact vengeance.


    And, the Destiny Luck System had only manipted her memories a little by recing Shyvern with Compass Carburettor. So, there wasn¡¯t any inconsistency in her memory.


    [Exacting vengeance is your destiny!]


    It spoke as Chenger slowly entered the portal that appeared before her, ¡°Compass Carburettor! When I¡¯m done, you¡¯ll regret reincarnating.¡±

 Chapter 370: Dellnum Realm

    Chapter 370: Dellnum Realm


    Dellnum Realm; appearing on the outskirts of an ancient forest was Straxia, gazing at a withering ruin before her.


    It was only asrge as a few blocks of housesbined, sporting withering walls that were covered by moss and creepers.


    Straxia slowly walked towards the ruins, using her knuckle to tap on the wall, hearing the resulting sounds as she eventually came across a hollow section.


    She then probed through the hollow spot, soon finding a hook hidden behind some vines that she used to pull open the hollow covering, noticing two spatial bags within.


    She shuddered, gazing up as she felt a mystical feeling before noticing that she had be weaker, muttering in response, ¡°I see, so the Restriction Order has been fully activated.¡±


    To ensure none of the Luck-based Systems backed out, all of them entered the cultivation world at thest possible moment. This way, they wouldn¡¯t be able to return to the System World easily after.


    Considering the fact that every Luck based System was considerably high level, the hundred thousand Mental Energy required to return to the System World wasn¡¯t much to them. It was something they could umte in a decade.


    So, had they entered earlier, there was a good chance the Luck Based Systems could escape from the cultivation world. They could then patiently preserve their reserves while the rest of the Luck based Systems either get killed or suffer disastrous losses while fighting Compass Carburettor.


    They could use this chance to get ahead in thepetition. And in the chance they were wiped out, it would take time for them to revive from the minds of people that were aware of them.


    This was a slow process that could take decades to centuries depending on the extent of damage the respective System had taken. It was not to mention that they might even suffer a loss in levels and would have zero Mental Energy at the time of reviving.


    And, if a Luck-based System wisely stayed in the System World during this time, it would very well be the strongest in the Luck Genre. It was only a matter of time to reach Grade 2 if it worked on increasing the lead and eventually targeting the rest of the Luck based Systems.


    The possibility of this was very high. And hence, all the 21 Systems that were part of the Luck Genre had entered the cultivation world at the same time. Moreover, they had done so a couple of seconds before the Restriction Order could fully take effect.


    There were usually at least a hundred Systems per Genre. But, the four Genres of Luck, Mary, Recovery, and Transportation were different. The number of Systems part of this were very few. And hence, thepetition to seize their power from Systems of other Genres was insane.


    Once Straxia confirmed that the Restriction Order had fully taken effect, she smiled, inserting her hand into one of the spatial bags to take out a six-faced die. It was as big as her head and sported a smooth surface, made from wood.


    Three sides of it were written with the word ¡®Yes¡¯ while the remainder were written with the word ¡®No¡¯.


    She rolled the dice on the ground, using enough force to make it roll ten metres from her, muttering, ¡°Will Compass Carburettor be my ally?¡±


    She slowly walked forward, frowning as she noticed one of the corners of the dice facing upwards. She grabbed hold of the dice and rolled it once again, repeating the same question.


    She frowned, noticing the dice once again facing one of its corners upwards. She then changed the question, noticing the answer was still the same.


    Normally, the dice should fall t on the ground. Because of that, one of its faces would face upwards. But now, it coincidentally stopped at bumpy ces on the ground, which resulted in its corner facing upward.


    After attempting a dozen questions, Straxia rolled it once again, ¡°Compass Carburettor is a man.¡±


    Still a corner!


    She sighed, storing the dice in her spatial bag, muttering, ¡°It seems to be the truth that the Main Character System is inherently immune against divinations, including divinations using luck.¡±


    ¡°Well, that makes things interesting.¡± Smiling in response, she strapped the two spatial bags on her hips before covering them with her clothes, slowly entering the ruins as she observed the altar.


    Hatchling Systems hadnded at their respective areas first to set up the necessities that they would be requiring. This way, they didn¡¯t have to waste time searching for resources and could solely focus on cultivating.


    Thanks to that, they would be strong soon after and could begin to chase after Compass Carburettor.


    Straxia saw that one hundred Essence Stones had already been embedded in the altar as she ced her hand on it, watching it lit up before struggling to pull in her consciousness.


    Slowly, her consciousness was pulled into it as she found herself within the Martial Spirit Realm.


    Martial Spirits of various Tiers all resembled shooting stars that flew around at tremendous speeds, rming her.


    There was a sharp contrast between what Compass Carburettor experienced and what she was currently experiencing.


    Bam!


    Suddenly, a shooting star mmed into her, almost destroying her body as Straxia grunted, enveloping her hands around the shooting star with all her might, tightening her hold as she watched her body beginning to crack immediately.


    She gazed at the shooting star that had arrived at a stop, noticing that it was a lemur that was flickering with lightning, smirking, ¡°As expected of Coincidental Luck. The Martial Spirit that¡¯s perfect for me coincidentally crashed into me.¡±


    As she sessfully managed to capture it, the Lightning Lemur became her Martial Spirit.


    Returning to reality, Straxia opened her eyes, feeling something different about her as she noticed the figure of the Lightning Lemur hover above her hand before disappearing. Immediately after, the altar shattered.


    She grinned, looking around to see a house within the ruins. Externally, it seemed to have copsed long ago. But, that was a front as she opened the door, entering it to see a fully furnished home within, with all her necessities stocked there.


    ¡°An open ce to train, a disguise of ruins that none would wish to enter, a home with fully functional facilities, and a stockpile of food for a year.¡± Straxia smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll stay here until I reach the peak of the Origin Refinement Stage.¡±


    ¡°And, once a secret Realm opens nearby, I¡¯ll enter it to scour for the perfect material to fuse with at the Martial Origin Stage.¡±

 Chapter 371: Backup Plans

    Chapter 371: Backup ns


    Gaider Realm; on a destendmass surrounded by saltwater on all sides, a ce that was suffering from an intense case of desertification, there arrived Compass Carburettor.


    Thendmass spanned a length of 20 kilometres and a breadth of 17 kilometres, with tiny inds scattered around it, with most of them not crossing ten square metres in area.


    Situated in the centre of thisndmass was a vige where less than a hundred people lived. The vige only consisted of poor huts that were a mixture of wood and y.


    The vigers had once been the royalty of an empire in the Gaider Realm. But a rebellion resulted in them losing power. And, all the royalty, including the ministers that had staunchly supported them were deported to thisndmass.


    It was because the rebels staunchly wished for peace, unwilling to cause bloodshed, for that would make them no different from the tyrants that had oppressed them.


    That was why they had destroyed the Martial Spirits of the royals and the ministers before leaving them to fend for themselves on this tinyndmass.


    More than a century had passed since then, with those currently living on thisndmass having no hand in their wretched past. At present, they were struggling to survive on thend that was growing less fertile as the days spanned past.


    Hunger was a constant issue they had to face. And due to the water currents, no ship would ever be able to reach them. And due to the temperature of the ocean currents, there was ack of fish living in their proximity.


    The vigers were barely surviving. Contact with the maind was impossible, for that was situated far away in the ocean, a distance beyond what they could scale.


    After all, the ocean consisted of terrifying Origin Beasts that could destroy even the toughest of ships, not to mention the flimsy boats they could create with theirbour and resources.


    A fate of one where they had to slowly starve themselves to death over the course of a few years.


    But, that changed when Compass Carburettornded in the centre of the vige abruptly, with pompous grandeur. Well, all he did was envelop a massive Spydragon with the Mental Energy Body Layer, arriving with a terrifying intensity as the pping of its wings unleashed fierce gales.


    All the vigers came out into the open, gazing at the Spydragon with fear. Some of them had even epted their end, feeling that it was better to die before their humanity slipped away due to hunger.


    ¡°You won¡¯t die.¡± Compass Carburettor said, waving his hand as a massive building made of pearl cropped up immediately,rge enough to amodate thousand people. It was spacious, with rooms meant for families within the massive building.


    The walls were thick while there was a semnce of grandeur to the architecture. All in all, it was akin to a pce for those that lived in huts.


    Compass Carburettor slowly walked in through the entrance as the vigers gazed at one another, deciding to follow him in the end, controlling their shock at the massiveness of the building.


    After all, their huts ranged between two to three metres in height while this building was ten times the height, not to mention its vast size that incorporated a massive granary, public bathrooms, underground water reservoir, and even flower orchards.


    Though, nothing grew in the flower orchards while the water reservoir and the granary were empty. But, that would be solved soon enough.


    Compass Carburettor arrived at a special location in the building, gazing at the circr stretch ofnd that spanned a metre in radius. Smiling, he brought out his Vitality Bowl, cing it in the designated area, watching the roots drill into the ce.


    It was struggling to move a bit but once the roots had firmed themselves, the Vitality Bowl had stabilised, showing no signs of disappearing due to the Restriction Order.


    This was what he had found out. Anything rted to external¡ªnot belonging to the Gaider Realm¡ªabilities was fully suppressed. But, if it¡¯s something rted to items, especially something that was still within thews of the Gaider Realm, it was eptable.


    That was why Compass Carburettor had created some energy des for his use. They wouldn¡¯t vanish even after the Restriction Order finishes taking effect. It seemed simr materials indeed existed in the world, though absolutely rare.


    And simrly, as long as he already set up the External Item of Vitality Bowl, it wouldn¡¯t be affected. After all, what it did wasn¡¯t anything that went beyond the rules of the Gaider Realm.


    The Vitality Bowl was in essence, just grass that was able to bear fruits and tree sap¡­a variety of them that came in all forms. So, in the rules of the Gaider Realm, it was just considered a special version of a tree.


    Once the Restriction Order takes full effect, he wouldn¡¯t be able to set up the Vitality Bowl anywhere. So, Compass Carburettor decided to take full advantage of it, setting it up here.


    Grisha too had the same Vitality Bowl. She had ced it in the ruins within the Misty Gorge Ruins, treating the ce as their home base. Compass Carburettor had already firmed the defensive means of the ce using his Apocalypse Pearl, creating multiple traps and the likes.


    He was being careful about everything, unwilling to use his energy de activated using Dac or Mental Energy. They were rather valuable. But in contrast, the Apocalypse Pearl wasn¡¯t that valuable, nor did it have any significant properties.


    That was why he used it for a variety of things. After all, he did things with the thought that even if it fell into the hands of his enemies, nothing would change.


    The Vitality Bowl slowly began to produce water as Compass Carburettor dered, ¡°During the night, it¡¯ll produce water. And during the day, it¡¯ll produce a variety of grains. In honour of my name, this vige will be known as Hazen Vige. And until the end of time, my people will never face thirst or hunger.¡±


    ¡°In my name, a bountiful life you would lead.¡± Compass Carburettor said, condensing a statue of himself before them, one where his Mental Energy Body Layer-wearing figure stood upon his Mind Toad.


    Of course, the statue was fully made by the Apocalypse Pearl as Compass Carburettor gazed at everyone, seeing green trails of Mental Energy between them, smiling as he patted the shoulder of the closest viger that was kneeling while shedding tears of joy.


    Secret Society!

 Chapter 372: The Race Has Begun

    Chapter 372: The Race Has Begun


    In their lowest state, one where they were only a step away from resorting to cannibalism, he had arrived, granting them salvation.


    Moreover, with the way he arrived, waved his hand to create a building out of nowhere, and created an unending stream of water and grain that gushed out of thend, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong if they associated him as a deity.


    And that they did, expressing loyalty that directly entered the domain of devotion, surpassing three hundred in the units of loyalty measured by Secret Society.


    With that, it was easy to turn them into members, causing them to shed tears as they understood just how grand the one they were worshipping was.


    Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t put on airs, slowly patting his statue as he ced a massive sphere of Mental Energy within. Unlike when he turned Mental Energy physical using the Trait of Permanence, he directly gushed the energy into the statue, mildly modifying the properties of the statue until Mental Energy was trapped within.


    As even the source of energy for his Apocalypse Pearl was Mental Energy, he could achieve this. After all, what he was following here was the same structure that he had used in his Mental Energy Form before, one that was capable of absorbing Mental Energy but incapable of emitting any.


    In front of the statue appeared a tiny rock on which, the following words were inscribed, ¡°Lord of Wealth¡ªCompass Carburettor. Lord of Secrecy¡ªDomino Plottopia. Lord of Creation¡ªGahrat. Harbinger of Serenity¡ªHazen.¡±


    Immediately after, the walls of this prayer room began to change, now sporting a story, one for each of the four identities.


    The story of the Lord of Wealth disyed a child that was desperate for worldly riches, one who attains it by the end of his life but loses everything else. In the final moments of his life, he attained enlightenment, bing the Lord of the Wealth.


    The story of the Lord of Secrecy disyed a woman that led a revolution, crawling through the back alleys of a city as she slowly gathered people that supported her cause, eventually overthrowing the corrupt regime. But once she took control of the region, she noticed how different things were, failing to achieve anything.


    After all, what she had done in the dark could no longer be done in the light. At this juncture, when she desperately hoped to find a solution, unwilling to be worse than the corrupt regime she went against all her life, the woman became enlightened, maintain her secret society that lived in the shadows of society without no identity, silently protecting those that lived in the light. That¡¯s when she became the Lord of Secrecy.


    The story of the Lord of Creation was of an infertiledy who had grown old, crossing beyond the age where she could have kids. She was in despair when one day, she noticed a tiny sapling budding out of the ground due to the previous day¡¯s rain. A realisation struck her as she treated trees as her own children, causing vegetation to sprout everywhere she went, nting seeds in every empty spot she could find, saving countless people from famine.


    And when she died, the ces her ashes were spread upon immediately caused nts to sprout, bing trees within a day. That¡¯s when she attained status as the Lord of Creation.


    Finally, the story of the Harbinger of Serenity followed an orphan from a war-trodden region, one that witnessed the horrors of humanity and the other sentient races, seeing how such wars affected the lives of themon popce and the suffering that continued to increase in the world. His only goal was to give peace to themon folk.


    Unfortunately for him, his peace-keeping efforts were razed to the ground by a war-mongering army, leading to his death. But, the desperate prayers of those wishing for peace actually revived him, causing him to continue with the purpose he existed, to bring peace to the people in this eternally conflict-ridden world.


    As it was a goal he hadn¡¯tpleted yet, he didn¡¯t call himself a Lord but became the Harbinger of Serenity instead.


    ¡°Your prayers give meaning to my existence, to give peace to this world. It was also what had brought me here. My tired people, may you lead peaceful lives from here on.¡± Compass Carburettor said before disappearing in front of the eyes of everyone.


    ¡°God!¡±


    Everyone kneeled on the ground once again, continuing to shed tears of joy as they prayed earnestly, radiating with devotion as the Mental Energy they generated flowed into the statue, collecting within.


    Compass Carburettor appeared beside Grisha as he retracted his Mental Energy Body Layer, gasping for air as he copsed to the ground, ¡°That was close! Too close!¡±


    ¡°Great job out there.¡± Grisha said, patting his back in support, ¡°It shouldn¡¯t have been easy to use your abilities in such a state.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Compass Carburettor sighed, focusing on a mini Spydragon he had left within the building called the World Seal, observing the actions of the cultivators there. Of course, the disintegration effect was thanks to his Dust Wave. He had only left a small portion of it there, just to make things appear mysterious.


    As it was able to disintegrate their bodies upon contact, it cemented his power that was beyond what even Martial Providence Stage powerhouses could handle. And the fact that the power lingered only on three murals showed hisst-ditch attempt to at least preserve some records, the same for his corpse there staring at the back of the Haggon statue where his will had been left behind.


    He was only assured of three people that would arrive here as System Hosts¡ªStraxia, Dwun, and Velcorn. That¡¯s why he made three clear murals while making the rest look like they had been destroyed by the Evil Spirits that had broken out of their seals.


    As to the details regarding their Martial Spirits, he made an estimate based on their character. Of course, he was aware of everything regarding the System Hosts in the Apocalypse World.


    After all, Carburettor Ind¡ªThe ce that stood at the forefront of Earth¡¯s technology¡ªhad already analysed their behaviour pattern, breathing style, posture, etc. And using all the collected data, they had created perfect character data for each.


    Thanks to the supeputers in their arsenal, this wasn¡¯t even a problem topute. And having absorbed all thepiled data, Compass Carburettor had an urate grasp of Straxia, Dwun, and Velcorn¡¯s character.


    With that, and because their wills would be strong enough¡ªdue to remembering all 48 loops of their life in the Apocalypse World¡ªto choose the Heaven Martial Spirit of their liking, he was sure of it. That¡¯s why he urately depicted what Martial Spirits they would possess in the murals.


    This way, it was possible for the cultivators to devise ns to counter the three. The cultivators there had already coted all the information and created a scroll with all the details, nning to create copies out of it to circte them among other cities too.


    Upon seeing that it was proceeding ording to his expectations, Compass Carburettor sighed in relief, causing all the Spydragons that he had created until now to vanish, sighing as he noticed all his strength leaving him.


    As a final note, he closed his eyes, focusing on the unconscious figure of Stencil in the Dimensional Space, slightly tearing up as he clenched his hand into a fist, tightening his grip before transmitting through telepathy, ¡°Be strong, my princess.¡±


    ¡°Dad will save you!¡±


    And with that, the Restriction Order had fully taken effect as Compass Carburettor was no longer able to sense any of his abilities, even his innate ability as a Spirit. He was now a Spirit in name alone, sporting no difference to a human, unable to turn into a Haggon any longer.


    He couldn¡¯t cheat death anymore. Sighing, Compass Carburettor nodded at Grisha as the both of them began to board the horses that they had hired, watching the figure of Ranze approaching them in the cover of the night.


    Compass Carburettor looked above, gazing at the twinkling stars as he uttered, ¡°The race has begun.¡±

 Chapter 373: Plot Significance

    Chapter 373: Plot Significance


    ¡°Were you waiting for long?¡± Ranze asked, speaking casually before he frowned in shock, noticing that the duo were different from what he had assumed, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I thought you were someone else.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled in response, ¡°I was waiting for you anyway.¡±


    Ranze felt puzzled at his words before noticing familiarities in facial features between Compass Carburettor and the boy before him. But, their manner of speaking was the exact same, causing him to understand that both of them were indeed the same individual.


    ¡°You also lookpletely different when young.¡± Ranze said in surprise as he gazed at Grisha, ¡°If I didn¡¯t forget you capturing me after turning me into a dumpling, I would have assumed you¡¯re a na?ve, innocent girl now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m indeed a na?ve, innocent girl.¡± Grisha said shamelessly, ¡°And I don¡¯t remember what you¡¯re talking about. That wasn¡¯t me. It was my elder sister.¡±


    ¡°Wait, this¡­¡± For a moment, Ranze was indeed confused, pointing at her as he thought she was someone else.


    After all, in her adult version, Grisha resembled someone that had been fighting for many centuries, having seen enough death and destruction that she was numb to everything. It was not to mention that even her casual gaze contained enough killing intent to cause a mortal to faint.


    Inparison, the current, teenage Grisha appeared no different to a fifteen-year-old girl that had a sheltered upbringing.


    ¡°Gahrat is my father.¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°I¡¯m Hazen. Nice to meet you, Ranze.¡±


    ¡®So, that¡¯s the setting they¡¯re going with.¡¯ Ranze nodded before cupping his fist in response, ¡°A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Hazen, and¡­¡±


    He then looked at Grisha, trailing off.


    ¡°Call me Lan,¡± Grisha said.


    ¡°Please go easy on me, Lan.¡± Ranze smiled, cupping towards her in response.


    ¡°Are youing with me to my n?¡± He asked next.


    ¡°That¡¯s the n.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°Even though there would be some annoyances involved there, it¡¯s also the best way to keep in touch with thetest information. Cultivating in seclusion would make me a sitting duck once my enemies begin to move.¡±


    ¡°When do you think they would make a move? Have they already arrived here?¡± Ranze asked.


    ¡°Yep, they¡¯re already in this world now.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°For the past few minutes, I¡¯m unable to use any of my abilities. From now on, I¡¯ll have to depend entirely on my cultivation to fight.¡±


    ¡°And, our fighting strength at the Origin refinement Stage isn¡¯t much. Too many variables can affect us.¡± Compass Carburettor continued, ¡°So, my best bet is that they would begin moving once they reach the peak of the Origin Refinement Stage in search of powerful fusion materials. We¡¯ll sh with them during our search for fusion materials too.¡±


    ¡°Thankfully, that means we have some time to prepare.¡± Ranze sighed in relief, ¡°It¡¯ll be hard for the Giant Whale Sect to buy my excuse if I begin fighting immediately after sending them that letter. They¡¯ll start chasing after my life once again.¡±


    Of course, the conversation shared between Elder Galda and the Giant Whale Sect Master was spied upon by the Spydragon. He had nted a Spydragon on every individual that had attended the banquet at Xuer¡¯s Martial Spirit Awakening.


    That was how he confirmed that the Giant Whale Sect would no longer bother with Ranze. And simrly, Compass Carburettor was also assured to see Old Zen keeping up with his promise, instructing his family members to do the same while beginning preparations to establish his n.


    Unfortunately, it seemed Dac wasn¡¯t recognised by the Gaider Realm. So, Compass Carburettor would be unable to rely upon such means of convenience as before.


    He had actually prepared a Darble Awakening Crystal, storing it in the spatial bag, along with a dozen mini Spydragons to use in the case he awakened Dac in him.


    Unfortunately, the moment the Restriction Order fully took effect, and when even his racial advantage as a Spirit was sealed, he came to realise that using Dac was impossible in the Gaider Realm or any other Realm part of this world.


    After all, there was no race like the Spirits here. The same went for Haggons too. Their race, their abilities, and their powers weren¡¯t recognised here. The Darble Awakening Crystal too turned into a scrap immediately after.


    It was unfortunate, but this disadvantage cated Compass Carburettor¡¯s worries instead. After all, this meant that the Systems too wouldn¡¯t be able to bring in a mysterious power not belonging to this world to gain an advantage over him.


    This implied that the ying field was fair this time. Even though his opponents were blessed by their respective System Luck, he also possessed his innate Main Character Luck now.


    Ranze could be addressed as the main character of this cultivation world while Xuer would be the female lead.


    After conversing with Ranze, Compass Carburettor further felt that Xuer would y arge role.


    It was because Ranze didn¡¯t like Harems, nor did he seek to create one, dering with confidence that Xuer would be the only one he had eyes upon.


    This meant that the female lead would actually be significant, unlike the female leads in a harem setting where they would be treated like Pokemon, discarded once they had been captured and turned irrelevant further into the plot, despite how overpowered they were at the time of appearance.


    It could simply be dered that the fate of the female lead was dispersed among the harem members, making them weaker opponents against Systems.


    But now, as long as Ranze showed no harem protagonist tendencies, Xuer would be a formidable opponent.


    After all, in their battle with the Systems, other than their Martial Spirits and fighting abilities, they would also bepeting with two major factors.


    Luck!


    Fate!


    Suppose their current scenario was turned into a story, the significance they had towards the plot was what determined the victor of this battle.


    Whether it was the quartet consisting of two protagonists or System Hosts blessed with overwhelming luck; who would win?


    And that was what would be made clear eventually.


    The trio marched into the wilderness on horseback as Compass Carburettor finished stating his conjecture, ¡°We¡¯ll know our plot significance by the end of our first sh.¡±

 Chapter 374: Scram

    Chapter 374: Scram


    It was early in the morning as three people on horseback entered a city.


    There were rows upon rows of shops on both sides as they walked through the main road of the city. As it was just dawn, most of the shops either had yet to open or were in the process of opening.


    ¡°This is Ohka City, and is managed by my n.¡± Ranze said, ¡°Well, we call it a city, but whenpared to the standards of cities on Earth, this is only the size of a town.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, there are a lot of weapon shops around.¡± Compass Carburettor said, noticing as they strode through the ce. Only now was he able to take in the culture of the ce, observing things and people as he noted their behaviour.


    That¡¯s how he nned to behave from now on and fully assimte into the ce. That way, the System Hosts would have a hard time finding him.


    It wasn¡¯t as if they would magically be able to find his location. They would have to luckily stumble upon the information rted to him. And, as long as he didn¡¯t do anything special or had any weird qualities about him, news rted to him wouldn¡¯t circte among the people.


    That would be the best choice of action for him.


    This was another reason he nned to apany Ranze to his n. It wasn¡¯t toorge of a city and at the same time, had a constant influx of travellers. This implied that he would be able to collect information regarding the System Hosts.


    It wouldn¡¯t be as easy as what he was saying. But despite that, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t wish to gloss over any information. ¡®But first of all, I need to cultivate.¡¯


    It was strange, as he wasn¡¯t able to notice Mental Energy streams any longer. It felt like he had be half-blind. The fact that his body had turned damn weak didn¡¯t help much either.


    Even if he had lost the Skills he possessed thanks to the Money-Making System, his body was still strong enough due to being strengthened by the ten Coordinates he had absorbed.


    But now, with everything sealed, and him having yet to embark on the path of cultivation, he was at his weakest state.


    Soon after, they reached a stable where they left their horses. There was an organisation providing horses to travellers, allowing them to travel from one city to another.


    Once they returned the horses, they reimed the deposit they had given the organisation. This deposit existed to ensure the organisation wouldn¡¯t make a loss if the horses were to get killed.


    After all, chances of that weren¡¯t zero when someone travelled in the wild. Either a cultivator with hatred against them might attack or an Origin Beast or two might pounce upon them. In such cases, the first to be affected would be their horses.


    That¡¯s why the organisation collected a deposit firsthand. And once the horse was returned safely, the deposit would be returned to the customer.


    The process took time for them to exchange information between the respective cities through messenger birds. Once it was done, the trio collected their respective deposit and walked towards the centre of Ohka City.


    It was where Ranze¡¯s n was located, the hub of the city that had a hand in a lot of the city¡¯s revenue streams. The n Head also acted as the city¡¯s authoritative figure, typically addressed as the City Lord.


    It wasn¡¯t a long walk as the trio reached the n gates soon after.


    Opposition n!


    ¡°What¡¯s up with the name?¡± Grisha muttered.


    ¡°In the Gaider Realm, ns are named based upon their aplishment. And, the Opposition n had been a leading force among those that opposed the corrupt regime that was ruling over us a century ago. Hence, we inherited this name as the Opposition n.¡± Ranze exined.


    ¡°Our n has declined a lot over time. But it still wields considerable power.¡± Ranze said as he motioned for them to follow him. The guards posted at the entrance had long since recognised him. but suddenly, two of them moved in his way, blocking his path.


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± Ranze frowned.


    ¡°Young Master, we were only requested to stop you upon arrival.¡± One of the guards smiled wryly, exining their actions. He had a good impression of Ranze, having seen him many times before.


    ¡°Heh, he¡¯ll be a guard in the future anyway. You don¡¯t need to treat him that well.¡± The other guard though, didn¡¯t mince his words, ¡°That¡¯s the fate of those with a Trash Martial Spirit.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, the trash still dares to return to our n!¡± Suddenly, a loud voice full of mockery resounded as a boy arrived near the entrance, waving a fan as he snorted, gazing at Ranze with obvious disdain.


    ¡°Is this your doing, Fonter?¡± Ranze spoke in irritation.


    ¡°Why should I concern myself with trash?¡± The boy addressed as Fonter smirked, ¡°I¡¯m just cleaning up trash that¡¯s taking up valuable space.¡±


    ¡°Young master, let me take care of this filth.¡± The foul-mouthed guard spoke, condensing his Spear Martial Spirit as he seemed intent to make a fool out of Ranze.


    ¡®This¡¯ll teach this arrogant trash a lesson.¡¯ Fonter thought, only now noticing that Ranze wasn¡¯t alone, but rather apanied two others with him.


    His eyes automatically fell upon Grisha, turning excited, ¡°A beauty!¡±


    ¡°Young Master!¡± The guards suddenly rushed towards his aid.


    ¡°Eh? Why are you running towards me?¡± Fonter was confused before noticing that he was staring at the sky, only now realising that he was on the ground, ¡°W-What happened?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time to waste on these¡­good-for-face-pping characters.¡± Compass Carburettor said, patting Ranze¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Shall we enter now?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­haha.¡± Ranzeughed awkwardly, only now realising that even though they had lost their powers, the two people apanying him were anything but ordinary.


    Indeed, the race between them and the System Hosts had already begun. And when pressed for time, dealing with such annoyances that would only lead to further annoyances was just a waste of time with no worth.


    ¡°Though, he could have served as a good whetstone to hone my skills if he had a bit of strength in him.¡± Compass Carburettor muttered as he gazed at the guards that had disyed gazes of mockery to Ranze, ¡°Scram.¡±

 Chapter 375: The Opposition Clan

    Chapter 375: The Opposition n


    ¡°Damn you, stop! Don¡¯t you dare enter the n without my permission!¡± Fonter got up with a start and shouted upon seeing the trio walk past him.


    ¡°Is your house far away?¡± Compass Carburettor ignored the shouts of a certain someone and continued to talk with Ranze.


    ¡°Bastard, don¡¯t you dare ignore me.¡± Fonter was offended as the air around him trembled before he unsheathed a sword and leapt towards Ranze, disying surprising agility.


    It was apparent that he had a Human Martial Spirit, one whose attribute raised his agility, allowing him to rush at Ranze.


    But, he had only taken a few steps when Compass Carburettor and Grisha turned around, shooting a re at him.


    Thump!


    His heart thumped in response as Fonter felt the world around him turning hazy in response as the figures of the two ring individuals seemed to be growing in size, causing him to hallucinate as if a mountain was pressing down on him, making him slump on the ground, gasping for air as he was drenched in sweat.


    It was a simple suppression of Martial Spirits.


    Fonter had a Human Martial Spirit while Compass Carburettor and Grisha had Heaven Martial Spirits, two Tiers above him. Due to that, he was naturally suppressed, unable to gather any strength against them.


    This wouldn¡¯t have happened if he had a strong enough cultivation to ovee the suppression. But, he too had only begun cultivating recently, only at the First Layer of the Origin Refinement Stage.


    So, he wasn¡¯t even able to lift his head against them.


    ¡°M-Martial Spirit Suppression!¡± The guards were rmed as one of them muttered, ¡°They must possess Earth Martial Spirits. That¡¯s how they were able to suppress Young Master Fonter.¡±


    Ignoring their gasps, the trio continued to walk further away,pletely ignoring Fonter that was on the ground.


    ¡°He¡¯ll definitely bear a grudge for this.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s see what methods hees up with. Hopefully, he can be a good whetstone for my training.¡±


    ¡®This guy¡­is terrifying.¡¯ Ranze shuddered, noticing how Compass Carburettor had seen through Fonter with a mere nce.


    And from the looks of it, he was actually looking forward to Fonter¡¯s retaliation.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that it¡¯ll be annoying if they disturb your cultivation?¡± Ranze asked in confusion.


    ¡°If the race is just based on who attains the highest cultivation stage fastest, then you¡¯re right. It¡¯ll be a waste of time to deal with such annoyances.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, ¡°But, that¡¯s not how it¡¯ll be. System Hosts wouldn¡¯t directly face us, at least, not the bunch that¡¯s after us this time. They¡¯ll n carefully to first whittle down our allies.¡±


    ¡°Only after we¡¯re stranded, alone, would they appear before us. You can expect at least ten poisons in our body and a loss of few limbs before they make their appearance.¡± Compass Carburettor smirked, ¡°And, how do you think I¡¯ll be able to handle that?¡±


    Compass Carburettor pointed to his back as Ranze noticed Fonter¡¯s face full of indignation, ¡°He¡¯ll obviously try to poison me at least a few times as revenge. If I don¡¯t fight or encounter various situations, I won¡¯t get experience in using my abilities.¡±


    ¡°So¡­yeah, engaging in pointless banter of calling one another trash is what I consider a waste of time.¡± Compass Carburettor smirked, ¡°As for schemes, I¡¯ll be d to face them. After all, what I¡¯ll face in the future would be many times worse than what these people can make me experience.¡±


    ¡°There are a few more from where theye from,¡± Ranze spoke once he digested Compass Carburettor¡¯s words.


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled as he patted Ranze¡¯s shoulder, ¡°We¡¯ll slowly offend these young masters one after another.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re returned, Ranze.¡± A mellow voice resounded, breaking their chatter as Ranze gazed at the source of the voice, smiling in response.


    ¡°Sorry that I returned so soon, mother.¡± Ranze smiled wryly.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± His mother brushed his hair, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you didn¡¯t get a strong Martial Spirit. You¡¯ll still be safe in our n.¡±


    ¡°But still, to think Xuer, that gullible child awakened a Heaven Martial Spirit.¡± His mother sighed in worry, ¡°I hope she¡¯s able to handle the pressure apanying her increase in status.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine.¡± Ranze smiled before pointing at the two behind him, ¡°I forgot to introduce my friends to you. Hazen and Lan, I met them while performing a mission for Elder Galda. They hope to stay here for a couple of months.¡±


    ¡°Wee!¡± She cupped her fists, smiling at Compass Carburettor and Grisha, ¡°I¡¯ll make arrangements for your stay. Ranze hasn¡¯t had any luck with friendstely. So I¡¯m d that he met the both of you.¡±


    ¡°The pleasure¡¯s ours.¡± Compass Carburettor cupped his fists in response, ¡°We¡¯ll be imposing on you, aunty.¡±


    Her name was Me, and even though she was middle-aged, she appeared a lot younger, enough to seem like Ranze¡¯s older sister.


    Though, as Compass Carburettor look around the n, he noticed the trend among everyone at the ce, inquiring Ranze about that.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s because of the Martial Spirit that most of our n members awaken.¡± Ranze replied, ¡°It¡¯s the Human Martial Spirit, Kirin. The attribute it generates allows us to explode with strength, speed, and defence for short durations. It also slows down our aging process, causing our n members to remain in our prime longer than every other cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the name of Opposition n makes sense now,¡± Grisha said.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s due to the Kirin that we were able to charge forth as the vanguard in the rebellion of the past.¡± Ranze nodded, ¡°Though, that¡¯s a thing of the past. We¡¯ve grown a lot weaker in recent times, with only our previous n Head being in the Martial Providence Stage.¡±


    ¡®A declining n with a glorious past, a genius that awakens a trash power that is secretly the strongest, a marriage bond with a stronger n¡¯s future leader¡­yep, all conditions have been met.¡¯ Compass Carburettor smiled, watching Grisha enter the house, following Ranze and his mother.


    At the entrance, he paused, turning around to gaze at the n entrance far away, focusing as he was able to spot a luxurious carriage approaching. It was barely bigger than a dot in his vision.


    And upon seeing the carriage, he smiled, shaking his head as he entered the house.

 Chapter 376: Geopolitics of the Two Clans

    Chapter 376: Geopolitics of the Two ns


    ¡°Thankfully, we have an empty house lying around.¡± Me said as she brought them to a nearby house, saying, ¡°Are you fine with staying in the same house?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded. It was safer for him and Grisha to remain together and take turns remaining alert. That¡¯ll save them a lot of time and would also not hinder their cultivation.


    Moreover, it¡¯ll be easier to protect themselves in the case of an emergency. After all, each of them was carrying two spatial bags, enough to garner the greed of anyone in the Opposition n. It was not to mention how they¡¯ll be making enemies left and right in the future.


    ¡°It has been pretty lonely recently once Xuer left.¡± Me sighed before gazing at the two guests, ¡°I¡¯m happy that you¡¯ve arrived.¡±


    It seemed she was genuinely happy to have morepany.


    ¡°Lady Me, a representative from the asion n has arrived!¡± Suddenly, a guard arrived at their doorstep, shouting the message.


    ¡°Why now¡­?¡± Me frowned, as the timing of their arrival was unsavoury. After all, this was just a day after news of Ranze awakening a Trash Martial Spirit spread around.


    ¡°What should I do here?¡± Ranze suddenly turned around to ask Compass Carburettor, ¡°I feel like I might escte the situation if I mediate.¡±


    ¡®Well, it¡¯s not like you¡¯ll be better at politics just because you¡¯re old. This also concerns the geopolitics of the two ns.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought before saying, ¡°If they are indeed arriving to break the engagement, then just let it go through.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you saying?¡± Me said in rm, ¡°This is something theirte grandfathers had arranged. It¡¯s a prestigious union of both our ns.¡±


    ¡°Sorry aunty, I didn¡¯t mean to belittle your n.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled wryly before saying, ¡°Actually, the situation is a bit moreplicated than you think. Had Ranze awakened an Earth Martial Spirit, the asion n would have been d to marry their daughter to him.¡±


    ¡°But, Ranze only awakened a Trash Martial Spirit. And considering the fact that his fianc¨¦, Bing has awakened an Earth Martial Spirit and is supposed to seed the asion n¡¯s n Head seat, they wouldn¡¯t go through with this marriage proposal.¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°Their side would only face tremendous losses by going through with this marriage.¡±


    ¡°Had the grandfathers of both the ns been alive, this wouldn¡¯t have happened. But they¡¯re not. And the current leaders of the asion n don¡¯t wish to honour an old promise that would severely damage their n and weaken it drastically in a mere decade or even cripple them.¡± He spoke.


    ¡°Why do you think their n would be crippled just because Ranze married Bing?¡± Me asked. Even though she felt anger at Compass Carburettor for saying such things about her son, the other party had a certain charisma in his words, causing her to at least hear him out fully before deciding.


    ¡°Currently in the asion n, their most valuable resource is Bing, a tremendously talented cultivator that is guaranteed to be a powerhouse once she reaches the Martial Providence Stage. So, a lot of powerful ns in and beyond our region would extend a hand for her marriage.¡± Compass Carburettor spoke, smiling.


    ¡°And using this chance, the asion n would be able to establish business deals with various ns. It¡¯s not to mention that her marriage would pull two powerful ns closer, allowing them to harness the ambition to take over the entire region in the future. Bing¡¯s child would be the inheritor of both the asion n and his/her father¡¯s n.¡± He said, stressing next.


    ¡°That means, he/she can act as the key to merging the two ns and turn them into a Super n. With that, they could slowly begin to swallow up all business and powers in this region.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled.


    ¡°That¡¯s how the state of things is.¡±


    ¡°Then, what do you propose we do now?¡± Me asked, feeling like everything Compass Carburettor said made sense. But, she didn¡¯t like the fact that her son was being treated as a liability. ¡°My son isn¡¯t a liability.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for sure.¡± Compass Carburettorughed, ¡°But none know about it now.¡±


    Upon seeing Me¡¯s eyes widen in surprise at how confident he was about Ranze, Compass Carburettor smiled, saying, ¡°Your son awakened a Trash Martial Spirit, alright. But, it¡¯s also the strongest of Trash Martial Spirits with many unique powers. And best of all¡­¡±


    He said, slowly unleashing the aura of his Martial Spirit, noticing Me shuddering in response. It was the natural suppression from a higher Tiered Martial Spirit.


    Just as Me was trembling upon seeing how powerful Compass Carburettor was, she noticed him pointing to his side. She gazed in the direction he pointed towards, noticing the figure of Ranze that wasn¡¯t even the slightest affected by this suppression.


    Her eyes widened as she looked at her son in surprise, ¡°How¡­is this possible?¡±


    ¡°See, that¡¯s the difference. Your son has a Trash Martial Spirit. But he¡¯s not weak.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, retracting the suppression. Of course, he didn¡¯t reveal any details about the Divine Martial Spirit, for that was dangerous.


    There was a chance the System Hosts would learn of this information through Me in the future. So, he didn¡¯t risk leaking it. That was also why he didn¡¯t tell Ranze about the fact that Stencil also had a Divine Martial Spirit.


    ¡°Your son¡¯s willpower is so strong that he doesn¡¯t even flinch at this level of suppression.¡± Compass Carburettor concluded, noticing that Me sighed in relief, feeling proud at the fact that her son was better than what she had expected.


    She didn¡¯t mind much about the cancetion of the engagement after that, ¡°It¡¯s their loss anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°But, we shouldn¡¯t make it seem like that. There¡¯s also the fact that the Giant Whale Sect would get rid of him if Ranze disyed any talent. They know that Xuer likes him, but to force her to marry someone from the Giant Whale n, he has to be erased first.¡±


    ¡°At present, we¡¯ve used his trash Martial Spirit as the key to make it seem like Ranze wouldn¡¯t ever focus on cultivation anymore.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded while looking at Ranze, ¡°And, that¡¯s the setting we¡¯re going with at present.¡±


    ¡°If the asion n wants to dissolve this engagement, sure.¡± He grinned, saying, ¡°But, we¡¯ll milk them dry for that and make it apparent that the faulty in them.¡±

 Chapter 377: The Occasion Clan’s Arrival

    Chapter 377: The asion n¡¯s Arrival


    Opposition n; currently seated in the n¡¯s main hall were the Elders of the n. Taking the seat of the n Head was a man with burgundy hair, sporting a rather dignified moustache. There was a sharp look in his eyes as his body steadily emanated a sense of suppression.


    Into, the Opposition n Head, a cultivator at the Ninth Layer Martial Origin Stage. He was just a step away from reaching the Martial Providence Stage.


    But, despite his level of power, the fact that the n Head wasn¡¯t at the Martial Providence Stage was enough to prove that the Opposition n was indeed declining.


    The only one in their n that was at the Martial Providence Stage was the previous n Head, Into¡¯s father, someone that had retired from worldly affairs and only focused on his cultivation.


    Following the n Head¡¯s seat on both sides were cultivators at decreasing levels of their cultivation, with Illeto¡ªRanze¡¯s father¡ªbeing positioned a couple of seats away.


    Among their family line, Into was the oldest brother, followed by Inpah. Both of them were sons of the previous n Head.


    Following after them at the third position was Illeto, whose father was the younger brother of the previous n Head and had passed away. It was this man that shared a close friendship with the then n Head of the asion n and had promised to wed their respective grandchildren.


    There were the three brothers of Into, Inpah, and Illeto that formed the main family in the Opposition n. There were more than a hundred branch families without any blood ties to the main family. But, they were still part of the same n.


    Me was from one such branch family that had married into the main family. Simrly, the wives of the other two brothers too were from the branch families.


    This was the method used by every n to ensure its bloodline was concentrated within itself. After all, forming rtions with other ns was useful, but it¡¯ll cause the politics associated with the n to be tooplex.


    It wasn¡¯t just a good deal. There were cons too.


    Suppose they actually went through with the marriage to the asion n. If suppose the asion n had gotten into trouble or a war in the future, then the Opposition n would have no other choice but to side with them.


    It was because someone from their main family line had married the asion n¡¯s Sect Leader. So, the Opposition n would be unfavourably dragged into war.


    And suppose the Opposition n simrly had ties to another n that was currently engaged in war with the asion n, they would be messed up, ced in a dangerous fence. No matter who they supported, the other side would be offended.


    And if they supported both the opposing ns, it would only cause internal friction in them that would eventually fracture their n.


    So, inter-n marriage came with both pros and cons.


    Currently, tension steamed within the main hall as Into cupped his fists, getting up from his seat as he greeted the envoy from the asion n.


    The envoy was actually at the First Layer of the Martial Providence Stage. The fact that they had sent someone of this calibre was enough proof that they wished to dissolve this engagement and suppress any resistance with brute force.


    Those from the Opposition n moured upon arriving at this line of thought, tensing up as they were ready to fight the moment a battle erupted. After all, their opponent was at the Martial Providence Stage, someone capable of easily killing them.


    ¡°The engagement was something made between the previous generation experts from our respective ns¡­¡± The envoy spoke, breaking the silence as he said, ¡°But, we can¡¯t impose our decisions on the youngsters. That would be akin to tyranny.¡±


    The envoy then put on a helpless expression, ¡°There¡¯s not much we can do on our side. We too are helpless in this matter.¡±


    ¡°But, we¡¯ll definitelypensate you fairly for this.¡± He said, waving his hand as a couple of servants came forward, bringing forth a chest full of materials ranging from Essence stones to pills and some precious materials.


    ¡°Envoy, you¡¯re not giving my n any face.¡± Into snorted, expressing his anger.


    ¡°n Head, please calm down your anger.¡± The envoy said politely, ¡°I understand your situation. But please understand that I¡¯m only a messenger. I don¡¯t have the authority to discuss anything with your n.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re not even giving me n any chance to argue.¡± Into snorted as he emitted killing intent, ¡°You really think my n is that weak?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think¡­¡± Suddenly, a feminine voice resounded as a girl entered the main hall, ¡°I know for a fact that your n is weak. It has been more than four decades since your nst had a cultivator with an Earth Martial Spirit.¡±


    ¡°Without a strong enough powerhouse, how do you n to protect your n.¡± The girl spoke in disdain, looking around as she said, ¡°And, the lot of you are only in the Martial Origin Realm. It seems the Opposition n isn¡¯t declining as the rumours said.¡±


    ¡°It has already declined into mediocrity.¡±


    She was Bing, Ranze¡¯s fianc¨¦e, and the one that would be the n Leader of the asion n in the future. Her words triggered everyone, causing them to unleash their killing intent to pressure her and put her in her ce.


    ¡°You dare?¡± The envoy suddenly unleashed his overwhelming aura, instantly destroying all the opposing pressure, disying his superior strength.


    ¡°In the past, if the Opposition n hadn¡¯t shed blood to protect you, your asion n wouldn¡¯t exist today.¡± Right as the main hall turned deathly silent, Ranze slowly entered it from the backside, stopping two metres before Bing, ¡°And, it was your grandfather that had proposed this engagement which my grandfather epted out of their friendship.¡±


    ¡°So you mean to say¡­¡± Ranze thought for a couple of seconds, tapping his chin as he spoke, ¡°When it¡¯s beneficial for you, the asion n would curry favour. And when there¡¯s the slightest hint of trouble, you would happily wash away all bonds.¡±


    ¡°Is that right?¡±

 Chapter 378: What Do You Say, Elder?

    Chapter 378: What Do You Say, Elder?


    ¡°When it¡¯s beneficial for you, the asion n would curry favour. And when there¡¯s the slightest hint of trouble, you would happily wash away all bonds.¡±


    Ranze¡¯s words stumped everyone in the main hall. After all, even if the same thought had been in their minds, none of them had voiced it. The only reason was that if they had done so, it would trigger a war between the two ns.


    And the declining Opposition n couldn¡¯t afford to go against the asion n that was still a reigning power.


    ¡°Boy, you shouldn¡¯t speak nonsense due to your impulse. There would be adverse consequences if you do so without thinking.¡± The envoy snorted in distaste.


    ¡°Elder, let¡¯s set aside that for a moment and talk about Bing,¡± Ranze said, not even flinching under the envoy¡¯s gaze, nor did he act in any way that could offend the other party.


    He still maintained a pose and expression of respect, stating calmly, ¡°The reason for the asion n wishing to dissolve this engagement is that Lady Bing stated that she has no intention to marry someone she has no feelings towards. Logically, she has a sound argument. But,¡±


    Ranze gazed at Bing, ¡°Why tell this today?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Bing frowned, asking in anger.


    ¡°Had you stated this three days ago, it would be reasonable. Your words would have solid grounds. It¡¯s because irrespective of what happened in the past, your marriage is your right. Whether you wish to sacrifice yourself for your n¡¯s benefit or not is entirely up to you and your responsibility as the future n Leader.¡± Ranze said, ¡°But, you came to announce this now. And that¡¯s the problem.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡± Bing snorted, ¡°I came to void this engagement because you awakened a Trash Martial Spirit. Here, I said it. So what?¡±


    The envoy frowned, wishing to re at Bing when he noticed the smile on Ranze¡¯s face turn wider.


    Ranze then gazed at the envoy, ¡°Elder, it¡¯s not me that has said it, but your future n Leader. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll negatively impact your n¡¯s credibility in the future.¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± The envoy said, intending to pressure Ranze with his aura until he fell unconscious. But right as he was about to do so, Ranze¡¯s smile widened, causing him to feel a foreboding sensation.


    ¡°I¡¯m neither in a position to threaten you nor am I even capable of protecting my n under your wrath.¡± Ranze spoke, sporting a pitiful expression, ¡°As a weak, declining n, there¡¯s not much we can do if a stronger party wishes to wipe us out, right? Especially since they share a deal with us that¡¯s no longer of any benefit to them.¡±


    ¡°Fine, state your terms.¡± The envoy snorted, no longer putting up any fronts, ¡°Remember that this marriage will never happen. Just be happy with what we offer.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t press your luck, trash.¡± Bing snorted in displeasure, ¡°No matter what you say, your value is inferior to even a pebble.¡±


    ¡°You think having an Earth Martial Spirit is all that great?¡± Ranzeughed, using the exact tone Compass Carburettor used to mock Xuer, ¡°When you be Sect Master, you¡¯ll lead your n to ruin. Sure, you¡¯ll be strong. But that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t even be able to manage your n¡¯s assets, not to mention cate the internal friction in your n.¡± Ranze giggled all of a sudden, ¡°And, trade rtions between your n and the other ns would weaken, causing you financial losses. You¡¯ll still be damn strong, but your n would also reach its end with your death.¡±


    ¡°Trash Martial Spirit¡­huh?¡± Ranzeughed, ¡°If you don¡¯t have a good head above your shoulder, you¡¯ll be trash, even if you possess a Heaven Martial Spirit.¡±


    ¡°You should learn from Elder here.¡± Ranze suddenly pointed at the envoy, causing the seething rage within the other party to instinctively cool down, ¡°He was aware of what he needed to do as an envoy and was on the right track of negotiating such a sensitive topic.¡±


    ¡°After all, if this is handled loosely, your n¡¯s reputation would be gone in a sh. It is because, in your times of need, it was the Opposition n that protected you.¡± He red at Bing, ¡°Elder here was aware of the fine line he was threading and hence was trying his best to ensure this situation never blows up. But, you just had toe and ruin everything.¡±


    ¡°So what? Do you seriously think your Opposition n can even fight our envoy?¡± Bing snorted.


    ¡°Easily.¡± Ranze said, ¡°Our previous n Head is a powerhouse even among the Martial Providence Stage. Even if he had retired, if someone were to actually threaten his n, he would take action. And that¡¯s not all. There are quite a few powerhouses that are indebted to him, including some elders from your n. A word from him would cause a lot of waves in our region.¡±


    Ranze smartly praised the envoy while also disying the fact that the Opposition n still had enough power to seriously injure the asion n if they went overboard, instantly causing the envoy to calm down and ponder his words.


    And right as Bing wished to retort, the envoy raised his hand, motioning for her to stop speaking as he looked at Ranze, ¡°Boy, what do you propose now? Do you seriously wish to go through with the engagement?¡±


    ¡°No, no.¡± Ranze waved his hand, acting like the envoy had asked him to sacrifice his life, ¡°Why would I marry someone that has no feelings for me? So, we¡¯ll do this, Elder.¡±


    As the envoy raised an eyebrow in response, Ranze came to the truth of the matter, ¡°We¡¯ll not immediately cancel the engagement. We¡¯ll cancel it after six months. And in the meantime, both our ns will coborate on a joint venture. That way, it¡¯ll seem like our ns still maintain the friendship of the past and the cancetion of this engagement is something epted by both the ns harmoniously.¡±


    ¡°And, we¡¯ll make someone from our respective branch families marry one another after giving them honorary main family status.¡± Ranze concluded, gazing at the envoy as he said, ¡°What do you say, Elder?¡±

 Chapter 379: Just Experience

    <h4>Chapter 379: Just Experience</h4>


    ¡°What do you say, Elder?¡±


    At Ranze¡¯s words, the envoy fell deep in thought, processing everything, ¡®This solution is perfect, especially the duration of six months. This isn¡¯t too early, meaning that this engagement wasn¡¯t cancelled due to Ranze¡¯s awakening of a Trash Martial Spirit. And at the same time, this duration isn¡¯t toote either. It¡¯ll give us enough time to find potential suitors for Bing.¡¯


    ¡®And with us taking the joint venture, it¡¯ll seem like the asion n is actually looking after the declining Opposition n in this way. We will be seen as someone that ced great importance on our bonds and gratitude of the past.¡¯ The envoy gazed at Ranze in a new light, ¡®This kid is tremendously talented. He might not be suited for cultivation, but he¡¯s a genius. Our n would profit tremendously by having him on our side.¡¯


    He then sighed, gazing at Bing, ¡®Unfortunately, she and her father are damn short-sighted. s, if we make anyone from our n marry Ranze, it¡¯ll seem like we are taking pity on him by not keeping up our promises by not willing to part with Bing.¡¯


    In the end, the envoy sighed, stating what shocked everyone from the Opposition n, ¡°We¡¯ll go with what you have proposed, Ranze.¡±


    Until now, the envoy had addressed Ranze as ¡®Boy¡¯, apparent that he hadn¡¯t ced any value on him. But the fact that he addressed him with his name meant that the envoy had acknowledged him.


    At the response, Ranze smiled, cupping his fists as he spoke, ¡°I¡¯m thankful that the asion n has someone brilliant like you on their side.¡±


    ¡°I envy the Opposition n.¡± The Envoy smiled.


    ¡°And now, we¡¯ll talk about thepensation,¡± Ranze said, noticing the envoy¡¯s face freeze up, stunned.


    ¡°Of course, everything I¡¯ve proposed until now was to protect the asion n¡¯s reputation. My n may be declining, but it¡¯s only declining in strength, not wealth.¡± Ranze said, raising three fingers, ¡°I won¡¯t go overboard, Elder. We don¡¯t want the treasure you¡¯ve brought with you. In exchange, we only need three items¡­¡±


    Ranze said in all seriousness, ¡°Three Providence Pills.¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡± The envoy shouted in shock, ¡°They are too precious even for my n! Three Providence Pills is impossible!¡±


    ¡°Elder, you¡¯re forgetting something.¡± Ranzeughed, stating, ¡°When news of Bing¡¯s engagement cancetion spreads around, every n would visit and bring treasures while doing so. You¡¯ll make more than the worth of these three pills. And, it¡¯s only happening because I¡¯m backing away like this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m working hard in solving our situation as peacefully as possible while ensuring the asion n gets a lot of benefits too.¡± Ranze argued, ¡°I¡¯m sure paying three Providence Pills is the minimum most you can do to express your sincerity.¡±


    ¡°After all, this is nothingpared to the help we¡¯ve given the asion n in the past. Also, there¡¯s¡­¡± Ranze continued to speak when the envoy raised his hand, sighing.


    It was like he had admitted defeat as the envoy said, ¡°Alright, three Martial Providence Pills, nothing more.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Ranze smiled, not pushing his luck any further. He was aware that this was the most they would concede, despite the lucrative offers he had given them.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring the pills in a few days. Now, please excuse us.¡± The envoy cupped his fists towards Into as he motioned for the servants to carry the crate that they had brought, quickly leaving the n.


    Before they exited the main hall, Bing red at Ranze, snorting in response as she left.


    ¡°I see you in a new light today, Ranze.¡± Into said, patting his shoulder, ¡°I know you¡¯re intelligent, but this is something else.¡±


    ¡°Such troubles woulde knocking on our doors as we continue to weaken.¡± Ranze sighed before gazing at Into, ¡°Uncle, you must make haste and reach the Martial Providence Stage as soon as possible. The Providence Pills would be of help. If you seed after a single pill, second uncle and father can also attempt next.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m the first preference?¡¯ Into was internally shocked, gazing at Ranze in a whole new light, ¡®I haven¡¯t treated him well, but despite everything, he¡¯s focused on our n¡¯s growth as the first priority.¡¯


    Into patted Ranze¡¯s shoulder, announcing immediately, ¡°Since everyone is here, I¡¯ll announce that from today onwards, all decisions rted to our n affairs must go through Range. He¡¯ll decide our n¡¯s fate. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve all seen what he¡¯s done for our n already. He set aside his pride to seek benefits for our n, showing zero intentions for personal gain.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure none have any opposition against making him an honorary Elder?¡± Into spoke.


    ¡®Big brother has the highest chance at breaking through to the Martial Providence Stage, so he was given priority. But, the second priority was actually given to me, instead of his father who was only at third?¡¯ Inpah, the second brother was so shocked that he was unable to say anything for a moment.


    ¡®My son picks fights with Ranze and Xuer all the time. But despite that, for the reason that I have a tiny advantage over Illeto in reaching the Martial Providence Stage, I was given higher priority over his father?¡¯ Arriving at this conclusion, he felt envy, ¡®Why isn¡¯t he my son instead of that good for nothing Fonter?¡¯


    ¡°I agree,¡± Inpah said, shocking both Into and Illeto. After all, it was known to everyone that Inpah hated Illeto and his son, Ranze.


    But since even he agreed, none could voice any opposition, giving their nod of approval to Range obtaining the honorary Elder position.


    A murky situation for their n was solved while presenting them with two benefits. First was the Providence Pills which raised their chance of reaching the Martial Providence Stage. The second was the joint venture between the Opposition and asion ns that would gain them more mary wealth.


    From something that would have at least resulted in a few battles to something that gave them advantages instead. It was apparent that everyone was thankful for Ranze¡¯s wit.


    As for the person in question, he arrived before a guest house in their n, knocking on the door, ¡°Are you there, Hazen?¡±


    ¡°Come in!¡± A voice resounded right after.


    Ranze entered the room, gazing at the baby-faced figure of Compass Carburettor, stating in joy, ¡°Everything yed out exactly as you said. I¡¯ve gained acknowledgement from the envoy, obtained the means to strengthen my n, and also cated our internal friction, all in one fell swoop.¡±


    ¡°How did you foresee it?¡± He asked in shock, ¡°Is it some mind magic? Or are you just that damn smart?¡±


    In response, Compass Carburettorughed, ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that.¡±


    ¡°Just experience.¡±

 Chapter 380: First Layer Origin Refinement Stage

    <h4>Chapter 380: First Layer Origin Refinement Stage</h4>


    After sending out Ranze, Compass Carburettor sat in the living room, taking out an Essence Stone from his spatial bag.


    Grisha was already cultivating in a nearby room, so he didn¡¯t wish to waste any time, gazing at the Essence Stone that was the size of his thumb. It was oval in shape and sported a texture simr to smoothened marble. It was white with asional shades of light yellow.


    This mild shade of yellow was the actual Origin Essence contained within it. The rest of the Essence Stone just acted as a container that trapped the Origin Essence. Once all the Origin Essence in it was absorbed, it would just be a normal pebble.


    Though, it was still a fairly luxurious item that the rich collected to use in building their houses. It was a tant show of their wealth.


    Cultivation chambers were also made using the same as it actually increased the cultivation efficiency, not to mention being able to block out Origin Essence to a certain extent, making it the perfect ce to cultivate.


    Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t have such luxury, so he could only cultivate in the living room, focusing on the Essence Stone as he slowly condensed his Martial Spirit, Mind Frog.


    The Mind Frog manifested as a projection on his palm as it gazed at the Essence Stone, slowly beginning to siphon out the Origin Essence within it. The projection wasn¡¯t physical, as only those at the Martial Origin Stage were capable of that.


    There were exceptions like Ranze¡¯s Trash Divine Martial Spirit. Divine Spirits were able to do a variety of things. And one of them was to change into any Martial Spirit of their grade that they devour.


    When Compass Carburettor inquired about this devouring of Martial Spirits, the Fire Dragon in the Martial Spirit Realm said that it was just a method for the respective cultivator to unlock that feature.


    The devoured Martial Spirit just returned to the Martial Spirit Realm.


    After all, a Trash Divine Martial Spirit already consisted of all the Trash Martial Spirit forms in it. It was the same for the rest of the Divine Martial Spirits too.


    Compass Carburettor watched the Mind Frog do its thing as he focused, controlling it to absorb the Origin Essence faster. As to how he could do that, experimentation was the key.


    If he had the Kirin that most cultivators in the Opposition n had awakened, then he wouldn¡¯t have to experiment. He could directly use the most efficient method to cultivate using the Kirin that the Opposition n had researched and documented.


    But Heaven Martial Spirits were too rare. And he could say that he was pretty much the first one to awaken the Mind Frog, given how it had been living attached to the Fire Dragon all along.


    And since history, the Fire Dragon had never chosen a cultivator. As the Mind Frog¡¯s attribute was rted to the mind, it had even fooled the Fire Dragon for so long.


    So, Compass Carburettor had to experiment everything himself and find the best cultivation method using it. After that, he had to self-invent Origin Arts suitable to be actuated using his Mind Frog. He needed to invest a lot of time and resources into this before bing strong enough.


    Of course, the System Hosts too would be doing the same since every single one of them would be selecting the strongest among Heaven Martial Spirits. As there would be at most one or two Heaven Martial Spirit cultivators in a Realm, records about their Martial Spirits wouldn¡¯t exist in detail, not to mention their cultivation methods.


    After all, it wasn¡¯t guaranteed that even the children of Heaven Martial Spirit cultivators were strong enough to also inherit Heaven Martial Spirits. So, they wouldn¡¯t bother to leave behind any records. And if at all they existed, they wouldn¡¯t be suitable.


    So in the end, both he and his enemies were at the same starting point and have to go through the same process of trial and error. ¡°This is where our innovationes into y.¡±


    He piled a bunch of Essence Stones on the ground, thinking for a moment beforeyering them on the floor. He then ced a table above him, poking holes through it using his energy de sword. After that, he inserted the Essence Stones in the holes, smiling as he spoke, ¡°Now, I¡¯m also surrounded by Essence Stones on all sides.¡±


    With that, he made his Mind Frog siphon the Origin Essence from the Essence Stones, noticing an obvious increase. Smiling in response, he continued to vary the position of the Mind Frog with respect to the Essence Stones, noticing how the suction of Origin Essence varied.


    Cultivation in the Gaider Realm depended entirely on the Martial Spirit. All the absorbed Origin Essence was contained within the Martial Spirit. So, all he had to work on was exercising his will to control his Martial Spirit better.


    And that he did, slowly experimenting with the Mind Frog, trying to understand just what it was. At present, he didn¡¯t have a cultivation yet.


    Only after reaching the First Layer of the Origin Refinement Stage could he be proimed as a cultivator.


    Slowly, Compass Carburettor continued to cultivate, spending all his awake hours doing the same. Finally, after three days of nonstop cultivation, the energy levels on the Mind Frog fluctuated before it unleashed a mysterious energy.


    Compass Carburettor could feel an intangible energy in his body, one that felt like countless fishes were swimming within him. Or rather, in this case, it could be said that tens of thousands of tadpoles were roaming in him.


    It was a rather unnerving feeling that quickly vanished. It was surprising that he got used to that sensation just like his breathing. ¡°Is this what it means to cultivate?¡±


    First Layer Origin Refinement Stage!


    Compass Carburettor smiled, circting the Origin Essence through his body, which to his senses felt like water was being poured over his body that flowed to the body part he willed towards.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s see what my attributes are¡­¡± He muttered, pretty excited to be honest.


    ¡°A Heaven Grade Martial Spirit¡¯s attributes.¡±

 Chapter 381: Powerful Attributes

    <h4>Chapter 381: Powerful Attributes</h4>


    Chapter 381: Powerful Attributes


    In the Origin Refinement Stage, a Martial Spirit imbued a certain attribute in the cultivator¡¯s Origin Essence. For a cultivator with a Fire Martial Spirit, his Origin Essence would have the attribute of fire, allowing him to unleash attacks that burn his target.


    A Trash Martial Spirit, as the name implied, didn¡¯t give any attribute to the cultivator¡¯s Origin Essence. This was why they had no future, usually treated as servants and guards by the ns and Sects.


    Above it was Human Martial Spirits. If a cultivator had a Tiger Martial Spirit, their Origin Essence would have its property, allowing them to obtain all the abilities a tiger possessed. Scent tracking, lithe body, graceful body bnce, running speed, etc.


    Anything and everything a tiger was capable of, they too would be able to do so. If someone obtained a Rhinoceros Martial Spirit, they would have exceptional defence, unbreachable by most attacks.


    After that were Earth Martial Spirits, containing powers present in nature. Fire, water, air, space, lightning, etc.


    Even at the Origin Refinement Stage, they would be strong enough to face higher stage cultivators. And their attributes would give them a tremendous advantage.


    Moreover, if a cultivator had a Fire Martial Spirit, then he wouldn¡¯t be affected by fire in nature. But rather, he would be empowered by it. This was their frightening advantage.


    Finally, there came the Heaven Martial Spirits. Heaven Martial Spirits consisted of the properties of two lower Tiered Martial Spirits.


    There were six possiblebinations in increasing order of power: Trash-Trash, Trash-Human, Trash-Earth, Human-Human, Human-Earth, Earth-Earth.


    Consider Xuer¡¯s Ice Crane Martial Spirit, for example. The attribute given by the crane part allowed her to fly in the air and possess a weightless body, also wielding exceptional control. And, the attribute of ice allowed her to create a region of ice wherever she went.


    She only needed to learn a projectile-based Origin Art for her ice attribute. With that, Xuer can take off high up in the air and rain down ice spikes on her opponents until they were decimated.


    And whether she was in the water or air, Xuer wouldn¡¯t face any disadvantage.


    This was the might of Heaven Martial Spirits.


    And simrly, Compass Carburettor¡¯s Heaven Martial Spirit was the Mind Frog. The attribute of the frog allowed him to execute a variety of abilities. First of all was his ability to jump. He was able to crossrge distances with every leap. And this only increased as his cultivation improved.


    Following that was a frog¡¯s primary trait, its tongue. This allowed him to manipte his Origin Essence to make it behave just like a frog¡¯s tongue.


    Usually, all Origin Arts too were derived from the attributes generated by the Martial Spirits. They were then used as a reference material to derive Origin Arts that even those without the respective Martial Spirit could use.


    Typically, only Trash Origin Arts could be cultivated universally by cultivators with all sorts of Martial Spirits. Everything beyond that wasrgely specific.


    Every n had their respective Origin Arts that worked on unleashing the attributes of their Martial Spirit the best.


    For Compass Carburettor, he too would have to derive an Origin Art that best used the attributes present in his Origin Essence.


    At present, they were just present in his Origin Essence. He would have to slowly mould them to unleash their effects. In a battle, he would be killed long before he could do this.


    This was why Origin Arts were necessary. They helped unleash the power of his attributes the fastest.


    There was the final aspect of his frog attribute. And that was the poison coated on the skin of frogs. And, this was where his Martial Spirit truly shined.


    Had it just been a Frog Martial Spirit, then there would be poison on its skin. But, the Martial Spirit he possessed was the Mind Frog. So, the poison on its skin was rather special and worked on the mind.


    It was a simple but terrifying ability, one the Mind Frog had used to live attached to the Fire Dragon for eons.


    Anyone thates into contact with its skin would forget its existence. It¡¯s not that their memories would be wiped out, but just that they would no longer notice the frog¡¯s existence as long as they remain in contact with its skin.


    That means, as long as Compass Carburettor derived an Origin Art to harness this property and used it, he could just touch someone and then casually tail them without them ever noticing him.


    Coming onto the mind attribute, Compass Carburettor was shocked. Because, what this attribute gave him was the power to wield the mind, just like how a cultivator with the power of fire wielded it.


    Even though at present he wasn¡¯t able to do anything with this mind attribute, once he created some Origin Arts ordingly¡­


    ¡°Keke!¡± He broke into a grin on his own. Because, this was the key to saving Stencil. He had been right on his bet all along. And as long as he created a suitable Origin Art to heal his daughter¡¯s mind, she would be cured.


    ¡°But, how will I create an Origin Art?¡± Compass Carburettor frowned, unaware of the process. As to what he had to do to create it, what signified that it wasplete, and what actually was an Origin Art, he wasn¡¯t sure.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s why I¡¯vee here.¡± Smiling in response, Compass Carburettor got up and entered the nearby room, noticing that Grisha was still cultivating. Now that he had a cultivation base, he was able to sense her cultivation, figuring out that she too had reached the First Layer of the Origin Refinement Stage.


    Grisha was seated upon a pile of Essence Stones, absorbing it into her Martial Spirit. He wasn¡¯t able to see her Martial Spirit though. He didn¡¯t know how it currently looked. ¡®Well, I¡¯ll be able to see it once she reaches the Martial Origin Stage.¡¯


    When Grisha awakened her Martial Spirit, there was just a ck limbed blob floating over her palm. It didn¡¯t look like an ape at all. So, he was curious as to how it actually looked.


    Upon seeing that Grisha was fully focused on her cultivation, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t disturb her, exiting his house as he approached Me, asking her, ¡°Aunty, can I look at some books rted to Origin Arts?¡±

 Chapter 382: Churning Waves of the Scheme

    <h4>Chapter 382: Churning Waves of the Scheme</h4>


    Chapter 382: Churning Waves of the Scheme


    ¡°Everyone, wee to our Grand Auction House!¡± The host of the auction announced with great enthusiasm as people of power from various cities, ns, and Sects had taken a seat.


    Old Zen gazed at the scene with great enthusiasm, ¡®This is the highest number of powerhouses that had ever attended an auction. This unprecedented record would soon elevate my Auction House to number 1 in the Gaider Realm.¡¯


    Thinking as such, he felt excitement, clenching his hand into a fist, ¡®And everything¡¯s thanks to Lord Gahrat.¡¯


    ¡°My Lord¡­¡± Suddenly, one of his servants arrived, bringing a scroll with him, ¡°There¡¯s something you must know. This scroll is being circted to every one of power in our city and other cities too.¡±


    ¡°Can this wait until the auction ends?¡± Old Zen frowned subtly, noticing the eyes of a few powerhouses falling on him.


    As the owner of this auction house, he was seated in the front seat, disying that he¡¯ll ensure the auction remains fair. He had to do everything in his power to ensure this auction was a sess.


    Moreover, the reason he was seated closest to the stage was to intercept anyone that tries to steal the Unbreakable Etherite when it is brought over.


    Even though he wasn¡¯t the strongest in the Martial Providence Stage, he still exercised considerable power. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be possible for him to own the sole auction house in Gaoan City.


    ¡°Old Zen, you received this scroll too?¡± The Giant Whale Sect Master said.


    ¡°Yes, Sect Leader.¡± Old Zen cupped his fists, ¡°I¡¯m still unsure as to what it is. I hope Sect Leader shines light on me.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen it myself either.¡± The Giant Whale Sect Master said, ¡°All of us received it just now. It seems those from Ruon City are aware of the contents, considering they are the ones sending copies of it everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Then, please excuse me as I open it.¡± Old Zen said as he opened the scroll, gazing at the picture that showed two corpses. He frowned, wondering why such an image was shown when he noticed some familiar traces in the facial features of the man before shouting uncontrobly, ¡°Ahhhh!¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± The Giant Whale Sect Master rushed to him, watching Old Zen mutter uprehendingly as his face turned pale, gazing at the scroll while muttering like a broken record, ¡°Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!¡±


    ¡°T-This¡­!¡± The Giant Whale Sect Master too recognised the corpse, stating in rm, ¡°This¡­how? How was he killed?¡±


    ¡°Giant Whale Sect Master, do you know this person?¡± The Fire Bat Sect Master arrived at the scene, intending to investigate upon seeing that both Old Zen and the Giant Whale Sect Master seemed to know the individual in the scroll.


    ¡°He¡¯s Lord Gahrat.¡± The Giant Whale Sect Master said, ¡°We¡¯re unsure of his origin. He¡¯s a mysterious guy that you¡¯ll assume is only a mortal when you probe his strength. But he should be stronger than me. That¡¯s the impression I got when I met him.¡±


    ¡°Stronger than you?¡± The Fire Bat Sect Master nodded in thought, also gasps from many others in the auction house.


    All the experts from Gaoan City had seen Compass Carburettor, so they recognised the picture. And their conversations all stated the same thing.


    They were unable to gauge the extent of Lord Gahrat¡¯s strength.


    ¡°What does this mean, Fire Bat Sect Master?¡± The Giant Whale Sect Master asked, ¡°If this is a prank, please tell us in advance. I cannot imagine Lord Gahrat dying.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s proof in Ruon City. You¡¯re free to investigate it yourself whenever you wish.¡± The Fire Bat Sect Master said, ¡°All the experts in Ruon City know about this. And the presence we felt at that moment was beyond what those at the Martial Providence Stage could emit.¡±


    ¡°Is there a stage beyond us?¡± The Giant Whale Sect Master frowned before gazing at the figure of Grisha in the scroll, ¡°By the way, who¡¯s thisdy?¡±


    ¡°She was with Lord Gahrat¡­¡± After some time passed, Old Zen said weakly, dispirited, looking like he had aged a decade, ¡°I¡¯m not sure how, but she arrived and disappeared from his side all along, and it didn¡¯t feel like she used a Spatial Martial Spirit. Moreover, Lord Gahrat possesses multiple Martial Spirits.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I felt when I see him disy countless powers¡­¡± Old Zen spoke.


    ¡°Multiple Martial Spirits?¡± The Fire Bat Sect Master asked hurriedly, ¡°Did he tell anything else? It seems you¡¯re the one who had the most contact with Lord Gahrat. Please tell me anything you recall.¡±


    ¡°A jet-ck entity that resembles the night sky, a power resembling the pearls, a power that can disintegrate everything in his vicinity, and the power to appear and vanish mysteriously. These were what I witnessed him using.¡± Old Zen sighed before gazing at the Fire Bat Sect Master, ¡°The main auction piece for today, the Unbreakable Etherite was something Lord Gahrat entrusted to me to sell.¡±


    ¡°Unbreakable Etherite was entrusted by Lord Gahrat?¡± The people eximed as immediately, there was fervour in the air.


    Everyone began to read the scroll, understanding the gist of things written on it. The scroll had a pretty long roll, written with all the details the Fire Bast Sect Leader had investigated and found out.


    So, it gave them a clear idea of what had happened, causing them to be terrified.


    ¡°Wait, his son!¡± Suddenly, Old Zen shouted in rm before abruptly calming down, recalling everything that he had shared with Compass Carburettor, ¡°I see, so you were expecting your death, Lord Gahrat.¡±


    As the powerhouses gazed at him, Old Zen said, ¡°The final conversation I had with Lord Gahrat was of him talking about his son. It seems his son is in the Gaider Realm, but he never told me where.¡±


    ¡°The only clue I have is that they look somewhat simr.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± The Giant Whale Sect Master nodded, patting Old Zen¡¯s shoulder, ¡°We¡¯ll discuss thister. Let¡¯s proceed with the auction.¡±


    ¡®If this Unbreakable Etherite is his final legacy, then I¡¯ll be the one to obtain it. Only Xuer, with her Heaven Martial Spirit, is worthy of fusing with this material.¡¯ Thinking as such, he nodded at his Sect Members, preparing enough wealth to outss everyone else, ¡°Let the auction proceed.¡±

 Chapter 383: Origin Arts Complexity

    <h4>Chapter 383: Origin Arts Complexity</h4>


    ¡°Thank you, aunty.¡± Compass Carburettor cupped his fists, thanking Me for showing him to the n library.


    Surprisingly, he was allowed entry when Me dered that Compass Carburettor had an Earth Martial Spirit. The Elders of the Opposition n were rather d to form ties with him, thinking that he originated from a hidden n that had secluded itself in a discrete location.


    Even though there was a lot of sensitive information in the library, it was on the uppermost floor. And, all Compass Carburettor had asked for was present on the ground floor. The information here was something possessed by any decent n.


    So, they were d to allow him entry.


    Compass Carburettor looked through the countless shelves, browsing through the titles as he was able to easily read them. This was a System yer¡¯s advantage that he also possessed as the Main Character.


    And best of all, since it was rted to the mind, it wasn¡¯t sealed by the Restriction Order. ¡®Indeed, the path of the mind is the key to solving myself out of this situation.¡¯


    At present, he had an understanding of both the written and oral forms of thenguage used in the Gaider Realm. There was a lot of useful information here that he nned on browsingter, finding the shelf rted to Origin Arts first.


    ¡°Origin Arts are techniques applying the Origin Essence to execute a variety of phenomena.¡± Compass Carburettor began to read through the book, slowly understanding details regarding Origin Arts.


    For the next few days, he only focused on learning details regarding Origin Arts, consulting Me whenever he had any doubts.


    As he was the one that gave Ranze the means to solve his marriage issue, bringing the Opposition n a lot of benefits, Me was happy to oblige, answering his questions to the best of her abilities.


    Thanks to her support, he was soon able to get a solid understanding of Origin Arts. Though, it had taken him three weeks just to understand it.


    It made him realise that cultivation was a vast ocean, ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have taken so long if I still had the Skill of Intelligence.¡±


    He then shook his head, ignoring all the negative thoughts before focusing on his task. In things rted to politics, he didn¡¯t have to wrack his head much. He had a plethora of experiences regarding this.


    The same could be said concerning Systems too. After all, for the past two years, he had only been thinking about Systems and the ways to destroy them. So no matter the situation, he could directly take a solution he had thought of before and modify it ording to the situation at hand.


    This was how he was able to bridge the gap left by the Skill of Intelligence. Though, if he didn¡¯t have so much experience or hadn¡¯t wracked his head constantly to think about means to trap, kill, or escape from Systems, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to do much in his present state.


    ¡°Indeed, nothing beats experience.¡± He sighed, further understanding why the Systems chose Hosts from the Apocalypse World.


    ¡°Still, Origin Arts are pretty tricky. So, I shouldn¡¯t beat myself about it too much.¡± He massaged his head.


    Origin Arts could be expressed in a few forms: essories for Trash Martial Spirits, organs for Human Martial Spirits, and catalysts for Earth Martial Spirits.


    Origin Arts weren¡¯t just techniques, but they evolved the Martial Spirit further.


    So, that meant one couldn¡¯t just learn every Origin Art they came across, for that would mess up their Martial Spirit, causing their cultivation to stagnate after reaching a certain level.


    Suppose for a Cat Martial Spirit, if the learnt Origin Art was akin to another pair of eyes, all it would do was burden the cat¡¯s brain further due to the volume of information the second pair of eyes capture and transmit to the brain.


    This would cause its reaction to slow down, making it weaker. Simrly, if the Origin Art created a third pair of limbs for the cat, that would also be redundant and would in turn weaken the cat.


    So, Origin Arts must be learnt carefully so that theyplement the Martial Spirit and benefit it instead of overwhelming it.


    This was a pretty tricky concept. After all, once an Origin Art was learnt, it was impossible to destroy its traces on the Martial Spirit.


    After all, a Human Martial Spirit would actually grow new organs or body parts ording to the Origin Art the cultivator learns.


    So, if it¡¯s messed up, the Martial Spirit would be tremendously weak. This was true for all Martial Spirits.


    Though, Ranze¡¯s Divine Martial Spirit was an exception, as it was capable of changing forms, allowing him to learn all Trash Origin Arts. He could just attach the respective Origin Art to the suitable Martial Spirit form his brick takes.


    This was why Compass Carburettor took so long just to understand it. And here came anotherplexity. And that was creating an Origin Art.


    What he¡¯ll be doing would be simr to inducing cancer in his Martial Spirit. And, through the exercise of his will, he would be shaping the cancer growth ordingly until it attains the form he desires. But, if he failed, the cancer growth would go out of control and cause the death of his Martial Spirit.


    And in this case, it meant that he would lose all his cultivation. This was also why Compass Carburettor stopped cultivating.


    After all, if he messed up here, there was a good chance his Mind Frog would be killed. Though, he had no ns to be that careless.


    ¡°Hah!¡± Sighing, he closed thest book rted to Origin Arts, understanding what he had to do to create his own Origin Arts, ¡°But first, I must have a clear idea as to what I need and then worry whether that would burden my Mind Frog or not.¡±


    ¡°And after that, I¡¯ll have to see which Origin Art would raise the growth of my Mind Frog.¡± Arriving at this point of thought, Compass Carburettor massaged his forehead, ¡°That¡¯s a lot of thinking. But, if I¡¯m able to induce its growth using Origin Arts¡­¡±


    He muttered, ¡°What will it take to evolve it into my Personal Fragment?¡±

 Chapter 384: Frog Leap and Snag

    <h4>Chapter 384: Frog Leap and Snag</h4>


    Origin Art¡ªFrog Leap!


    Compass Carburettor noticed a good fraction of his Origin Essence getting expended as his figure leapt, reaching as high as two metres. Once hended, he panted a little, frowning as he muttered, ¡°The effect is pretty weak.¡±


    Whenpared to the power of the mongoose he obtained in the Apocalypse World that allowed him to leap five metres within a second, the Origin Art of Frog Leap was pretty insignificant.


    All it allowed him was to jump higher and faster. It wasn¡¯t like the mongoose¡¯s ability that covered the travel distance in a second.


    As he was only at the First Layer of the Origin Refinement Stage, the effect of this Origin Art was pretty weak. It¡¯ll slowly grow in strength as his cultivation improves though.


    ¡°I used a quarter of my Origin Essence for that single jump.¡± He muttered, sighing, ¡°Indeed, this power system is closer to wuxia than xianxia.¡±


    The Origin Art of Frog Leap was something he had obtained from the ruins. As it was just a Human Grade Origin Art, it wasn¡¯t anything special, as the ruins seemed to originate from a dominant power of the past.


    There were two Origin Arts rted to a Frog Martial Spirit in his collection.


    Compass Carburettor raised his hand, facing his palm towards a vase as his Origin Essence suddenly resembled a rope that shot out of his palm andtched onto the vase. And within a second, it contracted, causing the vase to end up in his hold.


    Origin Art¡ªSnag!


    It was a pretty useful ability to snatch things as he had a good range of around four metres. And as his cultivation improved, this range would also increase. And best of all, the duration of the Origin Essence rope moving out of his palm and returning happened within the blink of an eye, just like a frog tongue.


    So, it was pretty effective.


    At present, he was only able to snag tiny objects. But once his cultivation increases, he could use it to carry his weight. That way, he could scale up buildings in an instant or use it to evade attacks, as long as there was something for the Origin Essence rope totch onto.


    The origin essence rope was sticky just like a frog¡¯s tongue as Compass Carburettor experimented with its uses until he was satisfied.


    Currently, he learnt these two Origin Arts. When he was thinking of the means to create his own Origin Arts, he arrived at a certain thought, ¡°Creating something from scratch is impossible. So, I can use existing effects to derive what I want from them.¡±


    That was how modern research was conducted, as there were countless things whose data can be referenced upon to derive new findings.


    With that, he first learnt the two Origin Arts suitable for a Frog Martial Spirit. This way, he¡¯ll be able to understand everything with first-hand experience.


    Compass Carburettor created a projection of his Mind Frog, noticing that its legs seemed stronger than before. And the same was true for its tongue too. There wasn¡¯t any other difference in its form.


    This was what Origin Arts truly did. They amplified the abilities of the Martial Spirit, storing Origin Essence in them that the cultivator could use to instantly unleash the respective effect.


    Compass Carburettor focused a little, using Snag as he pointed at the table, unleashing the Origin Essence rope once again. But this time, instead oftching onto the target, the tip of the rope pierced through it before returning.


    The hole wasn¡¯t too deep, but it disyed the prative power he would exhibit. ¡°This will prove useful.¡±


    ¡°But, these are just basic abilities. They won¡¯t exercise the true power of the Mind Frog.¡± Compass Carburettor muttered, taking out arge paper as he began to jot down all the details that he had found out, including some records of cultivators that had attempted to create their own Origin Arts.


    He gathered everything he could get, roaming through the market in Ohka City as he bought useful materials, piling them up in his home.


    Until hepleted his research, he didn¡¯t n on recklessly trying to create an Origin Art. Of course, Grisha too needed to do the same to better harness the power of her Space Ape. So, she too helped him in his research.


    When he felt a headache after researching for long durations, Compass Carburettor practiced the two Origin Arts that he had learnt, gaining valuable experience. This would help him in fights.


    He didn¡¯t do anything beyond the two tasks, asionally conversing with Ranze and Me, giving them advice on any matters they were worried about while inquiring about details regarding his foes.


    Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t any news regarding that. But, when a certain scroll reached the Opposition n, Compass Carburettor smiled in relief that his n was working well. ¡°They¡¯ll hunt you down on their own. And while you¡¯re dealing with them, I¡¯ll have more time to research and grow stronger.¡±


    Days passed in such a fashion before soon, it had been two months since he had arrived at the Opposition n.


    ¡°You could stay here for as long as you need, you know. My n is quite indebted to you.¡± Me said, expressing her worry.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, aunty.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, ¡°I¡¯ve imposed on you for long enough. I¡¯ll be staying just a street away from here, so I¡¯ll be visiting from time to time.¡±


    ¡°Do you need me to send a few servants to help with your daily needs?¡± Me asked.


    ¡°Thank you in advance.¡± Compass Carburettor cupped his fists before taking his leave, carrying arge bag of books that he had bought. Since he was nning to research further, he felt it was risky leaving so many details in the guest house of the Opposition n.


    There was a good chance someone from the n might chance upon it one of these days. So, he bought a house where he could be freer and conduct research without worries.


    It wasn¡¯t an issue with the money he had, not to mention the fact that he needed a wider space to train his abilities. There wasn¡¯t enough in the guest house and there were too many prying eyes.


    Carrying their luggage, Compass Carburettor and Grisha walked for a short couple of minutes from the Opposition n and arrived before the house that they had bought, ¡°Guess we¡¯ll be staying here from now onwards.¡±

 Chapter 385: The Lady In the Pub

    <h4>Chapter 385: The Lady In the Pub</h4>


    Dlon City; in a certain pub, people flocked over during the evening, filling their bellies with food and alcohol.


    ¡°Beauty, some alcohol here!¡± One of the customers shouted, grinning as he ogled thedy that poured him alcohol.


    Upon seeing her leaving after pouring his fill, the red-necked man extended her hand, grabbing hold of thedy¡¯s hand as he said, ¡°Beauty, why won¡¯t you apany us? Alcohol tastes the best in thepany of a beauty.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t give that service here.¡± Thedy said calmly before pointing at the bar on the opposite side, ¡°But, the establishment on the other side of the road has that. We can give you a discount coupon there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in the used bitches there.¡± The red-necked man snorted before pulling the girl into his embrace, or at least, that was what he had tried to do so when arge man grabbed hold of his hand firmly, preventing him from exerting strength in it.


    ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± The red-necked man shouted in anger, ¡°You have a death wish?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so what?¡± Therge man said as he ced a hand on the red-necked man¡¯s shoulder, exerting force to cause him to be seated instantly, shocking him.


    ¡°This¡­bastard!¡± The red-necked man¡¯s face too reddened in anger and humiliation as he tried to get up but was unable to, incapable of going against the pressure therge man was exerting on him.


    ¡°Hahaha, another idiot that challenges the Boar!¡± The drunkards from the surrounding tablesughed raucously, jeering at the red-necked man, ¡°Forget her, dumbass. She¡¯s out of your reach.¡±


    ¡°Drink, and leave.¡± Therge man red at the red-necked man from close up and then walked away. But for some reason, the red-necked man didn¡¯t say anything else and continued to calmly drink his alcohol.


    ¡°Beauty, some alcohol here too. Get me your cheapest one.¡± An old man that resembled a beggar arrived at a table, raising his hand to shout.


    ¡°Hah!¡± Thedy sighed as she ced arge jug full of alcohol, ¡°You¡¯re the only one that orders this, old man. It¡¯ll be better if you drink water instead. There¡¯s no difference.¡±


    ¡°Haha, at least, the feeling counts.¡± The old manughed, ¡°This alcohol still gets me tipsy, and that¡¯s all that matters haha.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your money, old man.¡± Thedy couldn¡¯t help but say in concern, ¡°You¡¯re already having a hard time getting by these days. Why waste your money?¡±


    ¡°Heh, a young¡¯un like you wouldn¡¯t know.¡± The old man sniffed the alcohol, gasping like it was vintage as he took a careful sip, saying, ¡°I might drop dead any day now. So why should I worry about anything? I should just enjoy my final days and alcohol is what gives me that.¡±


    ¡°Then, you should at least buy the general alcohol. Don¡¯t buy this water.¡± Thedy snorted before leaving.


    ¡°Hey, this might be the cheapest alcohol, but you don¡¯t need to call it water you know.¡± The old man protested before continuing to drink happily.


    ¡°This old fart came today too.¡± A customermented.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised he¡¯s still alive considering how much he drinks daily.¡± A fellow customer joined the discussion.


    ¡°That alcohol is no different from water. So of course, he would still be alive.¡± A drunkard said, ¡°Though, even if you¡¯re old, a man should tackle a strong liquor like me.¡±


    ¡°When I was your age, the liquor I drank was pretty much poison.¡± The old man boasted, ¡°Aspared to that, the liquor you¡¯re drinking is no different to my water here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense, old man. You can¡¯tpare liquor to a freaking poison.¡± The drunkard retorted.


    ¡°Idiot, if it doesn¡¯t kill you, both are the same. They get you tipsy.¡± The old man retorted.


    ¡°The old man¡¯s making sense though.¡± Another drunkard contemted his words, acting enlightened, ¡°As long as it doesn¡¯t kill you, even poison is alcohol.¡±


    The customers continued toe in one after another throughout the night. Of course, things became rowdy from time to time, but therge man was there to suppress everything.


    Eventually, it was almost dawn as most of the customers had left.


    The old man was barely able to stand as he looked through his pockets, noticing that he was short of change, ¡°Dear, can I pay tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Not again¡­¡± Thedy sighed, ¡°Old man, you¡¯re making it a habit now. These days, even water has a price.¡±


    The old man surfed through his rags before taking out a tattered scroll, ¡°Dear, I picked this from the roa¡­I bought this at a premium price from a merchant. It contains important information. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s worth more than my alcohol.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to check the contents first.¡± Thedy said as she opened the scroll, frowning as she looked for a moment before closing it, sighing as she gazed at the old man, ¡°This isn¡¯t much, but I¡¯ll clear your tab. You¡¯ll still have to bring enough money to drink tomorrow, you know.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­yes¡­¡± The old man continued to hup as he crawled out of the pub, drunk until he had be stupid.


    ¡°Beauty¡­here too¡­¡± Another drunkard took out an item, handing it over as he said, ¡°This is worth more than what I had drunk¡­¡±


    Thedy calmly appraised it, shaking her head, ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s not enough.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­¡± The man said before taking out a ring, ¡°This is my family heirloom¡­¡±


    Thedy observed the ring as her brows subtly furrowed as she pocketed it, ¡°Alright, that¡¯ll do. These two items are enough to pay your tab.¡±


    As the customers left, some paid in cash while some bartered their items. Thedy calmly epted it while therge man stood nearby to intervene if necessary.


    Finally, at dawn, they closed the pub as therge man was no longer able to hold back his curiosity, asking thedy, ¡°Madam, we¡¯ll make a loss if we continue to ept items instead of money.¡±


    ¡°Are you the owner or me?¡± Thedy red, causing therge man to flinch, shaking his head meekly.


    ¡°Remember that I only spared your life because I thought you would be useful. Don¡¯t stretch your boundaries.¡± Thedy said, snorting as she motioned for him to carry all the items inside.


    She then opened the damaged scroll, gazing at the picture on it, ¡°So, you¡¯re in the Gaider Realm, Compass Carburettor.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

 Chapter 386: Chenger’s Plans

    <h4>Chapter 386: Chenger¡¯s ns</h4>


    Thedy calmly arrived at the room attached to the back of the pub, taking a seat as she went through the scroll, muttering once she finished reading it, ¡°So, he¡¯s assured that Straxia, Velcorn, and Dwun would being after him. And hence, he created this.¡±


    ¡°And by the looks of it, there¡¯s a good chance he¡¯s guessed their Martial Spirits correctly.¡± She muttered, scowling, ¡°As expected of this cunning bastard. He has garnered support from the powerhouses of the Gaider Realm. If I attack, there¡¯s a good chance I¡¯ll fall into this trap.¡±


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± She snorted after a couple of seconds had passed, cing the scroll nearby, ¡°A Secret Realm would open soon. And there, he wouldn¡¯t have any of these experts to rely upon. That¡¯s where I¡¯ll kill him.¡±


    Thedy then picked the ring that she obtained from the customer just now, smiling as she slowly unleashed her Origin Essence, probing through it before suddenly, her Origin Essence was rapidly sucked into it.


    And immediately after, a barricade formed around her, causing her to smile, ¡°Interesting.¡±


    She wore the ring, rxing a little as she looked into other items that she had obtained. Some of them were useful while most were useless. But still, she had profited in the end, ¡°This is why drunkards are so useful.¡±


    She was Chenger, having sworn to make Compass Carburettor¡¯s life miserable. But, she didn¡¯t directly charge toward him the moment she arrived at the Gaider Realm.


    Aware that such an action was suicide, Chenger began to n ordingly, understanding that Compass Carburettor was an expert at schemes and had killed her countless times using that.


    And hence, she nned to create a force under hermand, intending to use them to corner Compass Carburettor once she tracked him down.


    In this world, even though strength was supreme, the strength of an individual didn¡¯t exceed an organisation. After all, this was a wuxia world.


    Even powerhouses at the Martial Providence Stage would at most be able to kill a hundred cultivators at the Martial Origin Stage. They would be killed after that.


    That meant, as long as she nurtured a strong enough force, she would be able to kill Compass Carburettor no matter how strong he had grown. Moreover, she should always hide in the shadows, only then will she get her chance.


    If she was out in the open like before, her death was guaranteed.


    ¡°Currently, Compass Carburettor doesn¡¯t know that I¡¯vee after him. So, I can remain in hiding and strike him when the time is ripe.¡± She muttered, continuing to look through the items she obtained one after another.


    After she arrived at the Gaider Realm, she thought long and hard about what to do. Thanks to the Coincidental Luck System probing for his location, they found out that Compass Carburettor was in the Gaider Realm.


    As he defended himself right after that, they were unable to obtain any other clues about him. But, even Straxia didn¡¯t arrive at the Gaider Realm, unwilling to sh with Compass Carburettor head on right from the get-go.


    She chose another Realm to build up her force first before attempting to kill him.


    The rest of the System Hosts too were of the same line of thought. Only Chenger was different as the Destiny Luck System had given her confidence to face him first.


    And hence, shended in the Gaider Realm.


    But after that, she fell into deep contemtion, wondering what she had to do to target him. And hence, she determined to create an underground informationwork.


    And the easiest way to do so was to create a pub. And hence, she had established a chain of pubs in Dlon City.


    These pubs were catered to the mortals more than cultivators. And hence, they were easier to manage. With her strength, any mortal that dared to go against her was easy to deal with.


    But, the actual reason for establishing a pub was to take advantage of drunkards. People addicted to alcohol would do anything to drink daily, even going to the extent of selling their prized possessions.


    Most pubs never epted that, as there were chances for them to be cheated by being sold counterfeit items.


    But, Chenger was different from the rest. With her memories of 48 loops, she had a treasure trove of experience to bank upon, also able to apply the foundation of the Gaider Realm to it.


    Using that, she was able to estimate the value of items. Moreover, her pub sold a variety of liquor that was popr with the masses, most of which were her own creation.


    There was considerable resistance that she faced at the start when she established this service as people of power wished to purchase her recipes. But, she was somehow able to deal with that.


    Though, it was a recurring theme at this point as countless people in power continued to trouble her to this day. But despite that, there were lucrative rewards involved in this service.


    First of all was the fact that people were loose-lipped when drunk. And she had a keen eye to determine whether someone carried any secrets with them or not.


    That way, she was able to harvest a lot of precious information, being updated with a lot of things that happened in and around Dlon City.


    The second advantage was the treasures. Only a cultivator had the means to determine whether an item was a treasure or not.


    But in any world with a significant history, there should be countless powers that had lost their glory and had forgotten their history, now living generation after generation as mere mortals. And, they might still have some family heirloom that they have been guarding for generations.


    All that had to be done was to make the breadwinner of the family addicted to alcohol, and the rest was in the bag. After using all their money to drink, they would eventually start pawning their heirlooms too.


    And that¡¯s where her pub came. Not only did it serve unique alcohol that wasn¡¯t avable in other stores, but if theycked money, they could sell their items to pay for alcohol. These two features caused the poprity of her pub to skyrocket immediately, leading her to a lot of wealth.

 Chapter 387: Upcoming Preparations

    <h4>Chapter 387: Uing Preparations</h4>


    Chenger gazed at the ring in her hands. This treasure¡¯s value would make even those at the Martial Origin Stage drool to get their hands upon it.


    And even the Martial Providence Stage powerhouses would wish to obtain it to present to their disciples or the younger generation of their n.


    After all, it was a Silver Ranked Artifact. The items in the Gaider Realm were called Artifacts and graded as Gold, Silver, and Bronze, sub-divided into the lower, middle, and upper grades.


    And, the ring was an Upper-Grade Silver Ranked Artifact. If auctioned, it would go for a fortune.


    It was also tremendously useful as if would save lives. When worn, it would absorb the cultivator¡¯s Origin Essence and store it within itself. And when activated, this stored Origin Essence would be expended to unleash a barrier that would protect the user against attacks from those at the Martial Origin Stage.


    And best of all, it could be worn even by cultivators at the Origin Refinement Stage. And, all Chenger had to spend to obtain this ring was to sell some alcohol to the customer.


    This was the primary reason she had established such a method. And having been running this pub for a year now, she had obtained considerable treasures, allowing her wealth and strength to skyrocket.


    The pubs under her control were just a front to amass treasures. She ran an underground auctionwork to sell the treasures that she had no use for, obtaining a lot of capital.


    She then used that capital to purchase resources that she used to train her subordinates, rapidly raising their strength using pills and the like.


    A significant portion of her subordinates had Human Martial Spirits.


    In truth, there existed an undergroundwork in Dlon City where the expert was actually in the Martial Providence Stage. But, once Chenger investigated his background, she infiltrated them, using her cunning and insane experience to be the second inmand despite her strength only being at the Origin Refinement Stage.


    And slowly, she poisoned this expert and everyone else loyal to him, killing them one day and seizing power. Moreover, she also garnered the loyalty of the remainder, bing the boss as she used her innovative ideas to bring in more riches and also worked in strengthening her subordinates.


    Thanks to that, she had their wholehearted support. After all, the previous head only focused on personal growth, feeding the remaining scraps to the people under him. For those at the bottom of the chain, they had nothing.


    But, even if she had such innovative means, rebels would still exist that wished to take control of the undergroundwork and make her submit to them.


    Despite that, Chenger was in power. There was just one reason for this: Her Heaven Martial Spirit.


    When those with power in the undergroundwork had arrived for a secret discussion, Chenger unleashed her suppression that a higher-tiered Martial Spirit exerted on lower-tiered Martial Spirits, stupefying them all.


    When they noticed that Chenger had a Heaven Martial Spirit, they prostrated, pledging their allegiance.


    After all, what they were looking at was potential, the potential of a Heaven Martial Spirit cultivator. It meant that once Chenger reached the Martial Providence Stage, they would be a ruling power in the Gaider Realm.


    Just this reason was enough for them to wholeheartedly follow her orders. Moreover, she proved smarter and more capable than them all, so they had zero intentions to rebel against her, not when they were growing stronger under her advice.


    This undergroundwork was another reason she could run her pubwork despite facing pressure from various forces to obtain her liquor recipes.


    This was how Chenger gradually came to exercise considerable power in Dlon City. But, despite the chances, she refused to enter the Martial Origin Stage.


    Based on what she had found out, cultivation in the Gaider Realm varied in the number of years concerning cultivators. The higher tiered the Martial Spirit, the faster the cultivation progress.


    But in general, Human Martial Spirit cultivators took about 3-7 years to reach the peak of the Origin Refinement Stage.


    And from the First Layer of the Martial Origin Stage to the Ninth Layer, it took them about 10-18 years.


    Finally, from the First Layer of the Martial Providence Stage to the Ninth Layer, it took them about 20-50 years.


    This isn¡¯t including the cultivators who would be stuck at a certain cultivation, unable to progress due to a variety of reasons.


    Earth Martial Spirit cultivators were faster inparison. And with possessing a Heaven Martial Spirit, her cultivation speed was damn fast, having reached the peak of the Origin Refinement Stage within a year.


    But, it had already been three years since Chengernded in the Gaider Realm. The reason she had been postponing her cultivation was to prepare for the Secret Realm that would be opening shortly.


    She had obtained information regarding that from cultivators that had probed through the location where the entrance would be appearing. There were signs for the past few years, so they could make an estimate.


    As it was a Secret Realm that opens once every century, there existed some records about it. And best of all was the fact that those attempting to break through to the Martial Origin Stage within the Secret Realm would be stronger than regr Martial Origin Stage cultivators.


    That¡¯s why she was waiting for this opportunity. After all, just an increase in cultivation wasn¡¯t enough to defeat Compass Carburettor. She had to be an expert even among Heaven Martial Spirit cultivators.


    Hence, she had been preparing for that all along, also training somepetentpanions that could apany her to face the uing danger.


    After all, based on historical records, only those at the Origin Refinement Stage could enter this Secret Realm.


    ¡°I know for a fact that you¡¯ll be entering this Secret Realm, Compass Carburettor.¡± Chenger muttered, clenching her hand into a fist, ¡°And this is where your grave would be. You can enjoy your final days of peace.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Alright, how does your body feel now?¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, patting the head of a kid that jumped around giddily.


    ¡°Uncle, I don¡¯t feel scared anymore!¡± The kid smiled.

 Chapter 388: I’m a Doctor Now

    <h4>Chapter 388: I¡¯m a Doctor Now</h4>


    ¡°Thank you, uncle!¡± A kid said happily as he clenched and rxed his hand, both shocked and surprised as he gazed at Compass Carburettor in admiration.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, gazing at the kid¡¯s mother as he spoke, ¡°That¡¯ll be 200 Essence Stones.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for healing my son¡¯s hand.¡± The kid¡¯s mother spoke in gratitude, tearing up as she handed over a small pouch full of Essence Stones, ¡°You¡¯re our saviour!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only doing my duty.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled in response as a staff arrived to take the small sack of Essence Stones, tallying the amount before proceeding to make the patients leave.


    Immediately after, another injured patient arrived, clutching his bandaged arm, one that was missing a hand.


    ¡°Doctor, please save me.¡±


    ¡°Take a seat first.¡± Compass Carburettor said, motioning for the staff to arrive and conduct a couple of tests on him first.


    Yes, Compass Carburettor was running a hospital now. It had been three years since he had arrived at the Gaider Realm, the longest he had ever stayed in a world after bing a System yer.


    And for the first two years, he only researched to create his Origin Arts and was pretty sessful in his endeavour. Normally, a cultivator would have to spend around 5-10 years in research before creating a single Origin Art.


    Even that wasn¡¯t guaranteed if their train of thought was in the wrong direction. But who was he?


    The Main Character!


    So, once he began his research, his train of thought never derailed, allowing him to create Origin Arts one after another. And in two years, he had created seven Origin Arts in total. It was a frightening sum


    But considering how each Origin Art was just a derivative of the first Origin Art, this was possible.


    After that, he too began his n. But unlike Chenger, he didn¡¯t establish any organisations.


    All he did was establish one hospital in Ohka City. Using his Origin Arts, Compass Carburettor helped the Opposition n directly, causing them to favour him as they entered a support rtionship with one another.


    So with them protecting him and advertising his services, his hospital became famous overnight in Ohka City.


    After all, cultivators with healing type Martial Spirits were incredibly rare. They were so rare that only three of them existed in the Gaider Realm, were tremendously famous and were supported by countless Sects. After all, only Earth Martial Spirits could possess a healing attribute.


    And, one of Compass Carburettor¡¯s Origin Arts allowed him to heal others. Even though the effect was inferior to a healing based Martial Spirit, it was still plenty useful, causing injured people to flock to him inrge droves.


    But, that wasn¡¯t the primary reason his hospital had be famous. The reason was a single statement he had released.


    ¡°If your cultivation has stagnated, if you¡¯re feeling worried that¡¯s preventing you from cultivating, or experience fear or trauma, I can cure you all.¡±


    As his Martial Spirit was the Mind Frog, dealing with the field of the mind, he would of course focus on this aspect. The ability to treat physical injuries was just an added advantage.


    Most of the staff in the hospital were from the Opposition n, those trusted by Me. And thanks to her orders, they were professional in their conduct. Moreover, Compass Carburettor too had given them some training ordingly.


    Also, with their Kirin Martial Spirit, they were able to sense the state of a human body if they concentrated hard, allowing them to act as nurses that inspected the body conditions of the patients.


    Thankfully, it seemed the Opposition n had an Origin Art to achieve this. It was just not learned by the n members because it wasn¡¯t an offensive art. But now that Compass Carburettor had established a hospital, they too had begun to prepare ordingly, as there were a lot of advantages in this rtionship.


    ¡°Doctor, there are a lot of broken bones in his arm. We¡¯ll need to amputate it and grow it anew.¡± A staff said after inspecting the patient¡¯s injuries.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded as he wore a pair of gloves, arriving before the patient that was nowid down on the nearby birth, ¡°Close your eyes.¡±


    Once the patient closed his eyes, Compass Carburettor ced his hand on the other party¡¯s forehead, activating his Origin Art.


    Origin Art¡ªMind Connect!


    This was the core of his mind rted Origin Arts, one that allowed him to connect with the minds of others. The rest of his mind rted Origin Arts were activated through Mind Connect.


    An almost transparent rope extended out of his palm and touched the patient¡¯s forehead, connecting their minds.


    Immediately, as Compass Carburettor focused, his surroundings changed as he observed a violent flux of memories and thoughts before him. They were like a storm, enough to destroy his fragile self that was nothing but a stream of wavy energy here.


    At his present cultivation, there wasn¡¯t much that he could do in this situation, as the strength he could exercise was limited.


    Slowly, Compass Carburettor activated his second Origin Art.


    Origin Art¡ªMental Destruction!


    Using that, he severed the connection of the patient¡¯s mind to the body, causing him to enter aatose state, unable to feel any pain.


    He then nodded at the staff that used the strength of a Kirin to hold a sharp sword to cleanly sever the patient¡¯s wounded arm, causing a lot of blood to gush out profusely.


    Immediately after, Compass Carburettor ced his hand on the injury, gushing in his Origin Essence.


    Origin Art¡ªFrog Recovery!


    Immediately after, a small stump began to grow from the arm socket, stopping after reaching a certain length as Compass Carburettor unleashed the Origin Art once again, causing the arm to grow until the elbow.


    He then repeated the same, consuming almost thirty minutes before the patient¡¯s arm was good as new.


    Frog Recovery wasn¡¯t a healing ability but a regrowth ability, allowing him to regrow new body parts. But first, the damaged part had to be removed. So, there were plenty of restrictions on using this ability. But despite that, there were plenty of situations where this was valuable.


    ¡°This arm isn¡¯t as strong as his original arm, but as long as he undergoes rehab for a couple of months, it¡¯ll be as good as new.¡± He muttered, sighing as he had almost exhausted his Origin Essence.

 Chapter 389: Sleeper Cell

    <h4>Chapter 389: Sleeper Cell</h4>


    In terms of being an actual doctor, Compass Carburettor knew shit about it, incapable of differentiating even the simplest of symptoms.


    So, the gimmick was only of him treating physical injuries and mental illness.


    After he cured the patient, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t immediately wake him up, recovering his Origin Essence using Essence Stones first. He then focused on the patient¡¯s mind, leaving a mental cue there.


    Origin Art¡ªSleeper Cell!


    As the term implied, this ability nted a mental cue in the minds of the target, like a seed. And, when the necessary conditions were achieved, this seed would sprout, causing the target to perform certain actions.


    Until then, they would be living their lives normally.


    Though, what he made the targets execute wasn¡¯t anything serious.


    Compass Carburettor thought long and hard of what the System Hosts would do, how they would move, what characteristics would they attain, etc. And, he condensed them all into a pile of information.


    And this information, including a set of instructions, was nted in the minds of the targets of the Origin Art of Sleeper Cell.


    So, even if the System Hosts were hidden, as long as they took some action, they would fall under the radars of the Sleeper Cells that would be activated ordingly.


    After that, these Sleeper Cells would only pass on the information rted to the System Hosts to other Sleeper Cells nted in their respective cities. After this, they wouldn¡¯t do anything beyond that, continuing about with their daily lives.


    But whenever they chanced upon the System Hosts, they would note down the information, passing it to the other Sleeper Cells.


    And the information was passed using Chinese as anguage. After all, the letters in thisnguage consisted of straight strokes. So, for those in the Gaider Realm, it would just look like some art that someone had ced to mess with things.


    There were discrete buildings in every city on the walls of which this information was written. And the Sleeper Cells would understand it after gazing at it.


    The reason he had used Chinese was that none among the Apocalypse World were aware of thisnguage. So, it was safer. It was not to mention that information could be passed on through concise code words.


    It had taken him significant nning to establish thiswork as Compass Carburettor ensured the written letters were as crisp as possible. Even if a System Host learnt Chinese, they would still understand nothing from reading these code words.


    But, each codeword would trigger entire meanings for the Sleeper Cells, allowing them to understand what the other Sleeper Cells wished to convey.


    The information would pass on from one Sleeper Cell to another, travelling cities in this manner as it would be circted throughout the Gaider Realm.


    And, Ohka City was just one such city in this cirction route. It wasn¡¯t the end of the line of information transfer. Hence, even if a System Host were to follow the transmission of information, they would end up nowhere as the information would continue to circte throughout the Gaider Realm for a certain duration before all traces of it would vanish abruptly.


    The Sleeper Cells would return to their usual lives, continuing about while being perfectly normal like everyone else. They would only be active when the conditions were met.


    And if the conditions were never met, then they would live their whole lives, never once bing active. This was the frightening aspect of the Secret Cell project that Compass Carburettor had initiated through the guise of his hospital.


    There were information outlets for the Sleeper Cell in Ohka City too. And a couple of the staff members in his hospital too were Sleeper Cells, whose only task was to note down the arriving information and condense it into a sheet of paper.


    They would then forget about it after leaving the sheet of paper in a certain room in the hospital. And, Compass Carburettor would go through them daily, obtaining all the information that happened in the Gaider Realm.


    This was how he kept track of things that happened in the Gaider Realm. His informationwork was the strongest around Ohka City, Gaoan City and the surrounding regions, as all his patients came from here.


    Beyond that were the travelling cultivators and mortals that had arrived at Ohka City from other ces to purchase the local specialities. So ces farther away didn¡¯t have enough Sleeper Cells yet.


    But, Compass Carburettor wasn¡¯t worried, as hiswork would continue to deepen over time.


    Moreover, he had already noticed the figure of Chenger in the Gaider Realm. Though at present, hiswork hadn¡¯t developed enough to gather much detail about her. But the fact that he could notice her was enough to make him confident about his ns.


    As for how he created this seed of Sleeper Cell, that was using another of his Origin Art.


    Origin Art¡ªMental Creation!


    Mental Creation was basically an illusion of sorts that he created in the minds of himself or the target. And the materials for the illusion were derived from his memories. He couldn¡¯t create anything from scratch.


    It was like a coge, with his memories being part of the puzzle. But, there was a limit to the memories he had. And this was where the core of his mind rted Origin Arts yed a role.


    Origin Art¡ªMind Connect!


    Once he connected his mind to his target, he stole memories from them, using them as pieces of the puzzle too.


    This way, only after deriving memories from countless people was Compass Carburettor able to create a Sleeper Cell seed.


    After all, a human was capable of experiencing a variety of emotional states. As for himself, there was a limit to what he felt. The level of emotions he felt for a variety of emotions was different, the same for every other human.


    This created a gap in the domain of emotions a human could feel¡ªthe domain that he could manipte. It wasn¡¯t just emotions alone. There were also dreams, egos, thought process, etc. that he had to worry about while creating this seed.


    That was why using the hospital, Compass Carburettor derived memories from countless patients, eventually creating the perfect seed that allowed him to turn any target into a Sleeper Cell.

 Chapter 390: Mind Origin Arts

    <h4>Chapter 390: Mind Origin Arts</h4>


    Once he nted the seed of Sleeper Cell in the patient, Compass Carburettor slowly made him conscious while the staff cleaned up the ce of the blood and the severed arm.


    ¡°This is¡­?¡± Once he got up, the patient was surprised to see an intact arm in ce, clenching it as tears streamed out of his eyes, causing him to profusely thank Compass Carburettor, ¡°Thank you, Lord!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just doing my duty.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, noticing that the patient was able to properly use his new-grown arm. He wasn¡¯t feeling any trauma.


    Well, that was thanks to him as Compass Carburettor had destroyed the emotions of trauma in the patient¡¯s mind that was rted to the injury. Due to that, he could go about his life without much trouble.


    The greater the injury, the stronger the trauma rted to that, one that might permanently scar the person¡¯s mind. And his primary work was to ensure they were able to ovee that.


    Though, ovee wasn¡¯t the right word here as Compass Carburettor destroyed the trauma in their minds to the extent their natural mental strength was able to ovee the remainder. So, he was reducing the difficulty bar.


    In the end, it wasn¡¯t as if everyone wished to grow strong through adversaries, especially ones that only caused them years of endless grief. So, they too wished to ovee that.


    For him, it made things easier.


    ¡°Is that all for today?¡± Compass Carburettor asked the staff after sending away the patient.


    ¡°The Opposition n Head wishes to meet you next.¡± The staff said, ¡°He¡¯s currently waiting in the guest room.¡±


    ¡°Tell him I¡¯ll be there in ten minutes.¡± Compass Carburettor said as he changed his dress, wearing a clean set of clothes that was free of bloodstains and the scent of blood.


    He then walked through the corridor, looking through the courtyard as he observed staff members going around, carrying herbs with them to various departments.


    It couldn¡¯t be called a hospital if there was only one doctor. Hence, the Opposition n spent a lot of money to hire experts of medicine from various cities that were unaffiliated with any organisation, giving them lucrative terms.


    They were there to treat diseases, illnesses, and the like. Moreover, if someone had an injured organ that was failing, doctors were required to operate on such an individual.


    Compass Carburettor only arrived at the end and regenerated a new organ, leaving the rest to the team of doctors to patch up the patient. This was how they were able to go through a lot of patients daily that had arrived after hearing about his exploits.


    After all, in the Gaider Realm where fights were abundant, injuries and loss of limbs were plenty. Hence, doctors were always in demand.


    As the Opposition n had heavily invested in his hospital, their payment was that whenever a nsmen arrived to consult him, he¡¯ll give them priority. It was pretty simple.


    ¡°Sorry, n Leader. Did I make you wait for long?¡± Compass Carburettor asked upon entering the guest room, noticing the figure of Into seated behind a straw table, sipping some herbal tea.


    ¡°Time is of no concern to me, Doctor Hazen.¡± Into smiled, pointing at Compass Carburettor¡¯s face, ¡°Also, can you remove your mask? I feel somewhat nervous while staring at that.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, alright.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded and removed his mask. He wore one to protect his identity, which was strictly confidential.


    After all, despite him being young now, his appearance hadn¡¯t changed all that much. So, it¡¯ll be easy for Chenger to recognise him if she spots him, same for the people under her control who would have learnt of his appearance by now.


    That was why he wore a mask. At present, only a few people from the Opposition n had seen his face. The rest had only seen him three years ago when he arrived at the n. That wasn¡¯t enough to remember his appearance, since only a few guards and young master Fonter had seen him.


    ¡°I¡¯m nning to attempt a breakthrough tonight.¡± Into said, ¡°And, I¡¯m not feeling entirely confident. I don¡¯t wish to waste the Providence Pills we obtained.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll help treat you and raise your chances to reach the Martial Providence Stage to the maximum.¡±


    He slowly got up, motioning for Into to lie down as he lit up an incense, using the aroma to gradually make Into fall asleep.


    Origin Arts¡ªMing Connect!


    He didn¡¯t do anything until then, only maintaining connection as he observed the surface level chaos in Into¡¯s mind.


    Once Into fell asleep, the surface level chaos reduced a bit in magnitude as Compass Carburettor slowly arrived before it, observing the thoughts and memories.


    He made contact with a piece of memory, instantly able to experience a part of Into¡¯s life. If he wanted, he would be able to go through all secrets of the Opposition n through Into¡¯s memories, which he did, slowly filtering out Into¡¯s fears, uneasiness, uncertainty, and ack of confidence regarding his breakthrough.


    Origin Arts¡ªMental Destruction!


    All the negative emotions, feelings, and thoughts that were holding back Into were destroyed. Moreover, Compass Carburettor also instilled some more confidence in him, further adding a couple train of thoughts that were necessary for his breakthrough.


    These train of thoughts would aid Into at the critical moment, allowing him to clinch the opportunity and attain the Martial Providence Stage.


    Compass Carburettor spent a total of three hours fixing up everything in Into¡¯s mind. This wasn¡¯t the first time he was doing something like this, though it was the first time for someone attempting to break through to the Martial Providence Stage.


    He had precedence in helping cultivators breakthrough to reach the Martial Origin Stage, having helped a few dozen cultivators already. That was why Into was confident in approaching him.


    ¡°It¡¯s done!¡± Compass Carburettor said, waking up Into, asking, ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°I feel¡­refreshed.¡± Into said, his eyes bright aspared to before, ¡°My mind feels clear and my thought process is damn focused. You¡¯re indeed a wondrous doctor!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m confident inpleting the breakthrough!¡±

 Chapter 391: Four Schemes

    <h4>Chapter 391: Four Schemes</h4>


    In a secluded room within the hospital were stacks of books and papers arranged haphazardly.


    They were papers regarding the patients that had been cured. It was documented just because he had ordered to do so. But there wasn¡¯t any other use beyond that.


    Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t have any deeper ns regarding that, only documenting the illness and the diseases faced by themon popce for the time being.


    Even though it was messy, there were detailed records of everything. Whether or not it would be used in the future was unsure. But, he still stored them just in case he needed them.


    There was another reason for establishing this ce. It was because it was where the sleeper cells left the pages of information daily.


    Compass Carburettor arrived before a shelf in the corner, taking out an envelope there to begin going through the day¡¯s information.


    ¡°Folkan Secret Realm¡¯s entrance will open in 17 days.¡± His eyes widened in surprise at the first line of information.


    Of course, the sleeper cellwork didn¡¯t just collect information rted to System Hosts. They also collected other information that had value. After all, only then would they be aware of whether or not a System Host was rted to the events.


    But, there were some tricky situations involved here, as this information mostly consisted of what the people in the respective regions came to know about. It meant that the sleeper cells would be active most of the time.


    Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t want to impose his will on the people like this. Therefore, he created a second group of sleeper cells dedicated to this purpose.


    And for that, he targeted specific groups: thugs, beggars, etc.


    People that constantly lived with no hope for the future were his targets. After all, even if they be sleeper cells, there wasn¡¯t any difference in their lives. Such people were his targets.


    As to how he found them and made them into sleeper cells¡­


    ¡°Give up¡­your life¡¯s mine now.¡± Suddenly, a knife shed before his throat, the cold glint it emanated caused his saliva to be stuck in his throat while sweat formed on his forehead.


    A slender hand held his left shoulder, positioning it right over the socket to be able to react to any of his movements.


    His heart thumped in shock, racing for a good few seconds before slowing down gradually. Turning around, he gazed at the woman that had scared him.


    Chestnut brown hair that was tied up into a bun, dark brown eyes that had a sense of sharpness hidden behind a veil of naivety, a nose longer than the average woman, and a thick pair of lips that were pursed.


    She wore a tight-fitting dress that resembled the nket of night, concealing many weapons within as her posture was steady.


    ¡°You¡¯ve returned, Grisha.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, ¡°How was your trip?¡±


    ¡°I found some good orphaned talents and recruited them.¡± Grisha replied, retracting the knife as she walked away, ¡°I¡¯ve booked and marked a room in Rilk City. I¡¯ll bring you there two days before the Folkan Secret Realm opens.¡±


    ¡°Also¡­¡± She said, throwing a bracelet towards him, ¡°I finally managed to forge this storage bracelet. The area within is a hundred cubic metres. It¡¯s more than enough space to store everything you own. Of course, I made one for myself too. It¡¯lle in handy for our use in the Secret Realm.¡±


    ¡°Spatial bags are too risky to use as they can be easily stolen. This storage bracelet is secure and cultivators won¡¯t realise that you can store items in it until they see it in action.¡± She said before vanishing, ¡°I¡¯ll bring in another batch to be made into sleeper cells after three days.¡±


    ¡°She left just like that.¡± Compass Carburettor sighed, observing the storage bracelet as he slowly connected with it using his Origin Essence, remarking in surprise at the vast space within. ¡°Guess I should begin transferring all my belongings to it.¡±


    For the first two years, Grisha too was wholly focused on research to create her exclusive Origin Arts. After she was done, she acted on her own.


    The hospital and the sleeper cell project were his idea while Grisha had her own ns. After all, she held considerable hatred towards Systems for the troubles they had given her in her previous loops, even causing her demise many times.


    With that, she too concocted her own schemes. After all, their enemies were Hosts to the Luck based Systems. Due to that, having many different schemes was a necessity to face them.


    Currently, Compass Carburettor had the sleeper cell scheme running. Ranze and Xuer were the same, having nted seeds for their respective schemes too.


    Grisha¡¯s n was pretty simple. She nned to create a Sect in the Misty Gorge Ruins, using the advantageousness of the terrain. Moreover, since Compass Carburettor had already modified the ruins within, it was the safest ce to establish a Sect.


    Moreover, it was alsorge enough to install many facilities within.


    Since Grisha had the power of space, she was able to teleport to and from the Misty Gorge Ruins, and hence stationed her Sect Members there.


    All the Sect Members were orphans that she had rescued from hunger and a life of poverty and near-death states. So, they were loyal to her.


    Moreover, all of them were young, around 12-15 years in age. She trained them constantly over the years, only causing them to awaken their Martial Spirit in the past few months.


    Even though it seemed like a benevolent act, she was only saving orphans that she determined had considerable talent. As there was a Martial Spirit Awakening Altar in the ruins, it was easy for her n to fruition.


    Moreover, Compass Carburettor was earning a lot of funds through his healing services. So, he provided her Essence stones, giving her enough financial strength to run a Sect. After all, they didn¡¯t wish to just use up everything that they obtained from the ruins. Without any ie streams, they would run out eventually.


    Grisha kidnapped and brought thugs and the likes to be made into sleeper cells by Compass Carburettor. And in return, he gave her all the profits his hospital made, not to mention creating various seeds of the mind that she had ordered.


    The function of these seeds was to increase one¡¯s interest in a certain field, thereby making them a genius in that particr field which would thene into y when they awakened their Martial Spirit.


    Thanks to her efforts, among the Sect Members, there were already two that had awakened an Earth Martial Spirit, one of which was a Fire Martial Spirit that allowed her to use her space attributed Origin Essence to forge the storage bracelets.

 Chapter 392: Mysterious Sec

    <h4>Chapter 392: Mysterious Sec</h4>


    Misty Gorge Ruins, Mysterious Sect.


    This was the Sect that Grisha had founded. As for the reason she named it the Mysterious Sect, it was because the people of the Gaider Realm had a strange attraction to the word ¡®Mysterious¡¯.


    In various situations, they would praise people to be mysterious, things to be mysterious, evenpliment food to have mysterious spices and taste.


    And hence, thanks to the secretive nature that she was operating it with, naming it the Mysterious Sect would prove fairly useful.


    Currently, in the forging room of the Mysterious Sect, there was arge vase emitting mes within. The mes seemed sentient, dancing to and fro as it slowly acted upon a piece of material hovering within the vase.


    The material emanated a presence simr to space. It was a precious material that had a demand vastly exceeding its supply and was seldom found.


    This was the material used to forge spatial pouches. Even powerful ns had at most a dozen spatial pouches. And for smaller ns, it would be surprising if they had one or two spatial pouches. At most, the n Head would have one.


    If not for the materials stored in these ancient ruins, it would have been impossible to forge the previous two storage bracelets.


    Seated before the vase was a teenager, concentrating it to the limit as his body was faintly trembling due to his concentration levels exceeding what he could achieve for extended durations.


    As he was the sole Artificer of the Mysterious Sect, he was pretty much overworked. Currently, he was one of the few that had already reached the Martial Origin Stage.


    After all, there were suitable materials for him to fuse with in Grisha¡¯s reserve of materials, allowing him to be their Artificer.


    ¡°Huff¡­puff¡­¡± Right as the forging attained a certain state, Grisha appeared, panting in exhaustion as she gazed at the figure of Xuer that she had brought with her, nodding in response, ¡°It¡¯s time.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you wish to change your storage bracelets? This might make it impossible to store anything else in it.¡± Grisha warned her.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, sister.¡± Xuer said, ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it until now. And I believe this is what would help me the most.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t persuade you otherwise, then.¡± Grisha said, slowly cing her hand on the vase, emitting her space attributed Origin Essence, gazing at the Artificer, ¡°Tell me when it¡¯s enough, Zit.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sect Leader.¡± Zit, the Artificer nodded in response, ¡°I feel the volume of the space within this storage bracelet would be a tad smaller aspared to the other two due to the change we are inserting in it.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯ll be suitable for me, right?¡± Xuer said, watching Zit nod in response.


    Grisha replenished her Origin Essence using the Essence Stones from time to time, inserting her space attributed Origin Essence whenever required.


    That was how they were able to create the storage bracelet with such a massive space within. As for the ns and Sects that had spatial pouches withrge spaces, they had expended a fortune to collect materials of the spatial attribute for years at a stretch.


    But in their case, thanks to Grisha¡¯s space attributed Origin Essence, they could made do by using up less spatial attributed materials.


    If not for that, creating one storage bracelet would have bankrupted even her and Compass Carburettor.


    ¡°It¡¯s your turn now.¡± Zit spoke after some time, observing the bracelet that was forming within the vase. The material he fused with was called the Divine Sense Iron. It was the most sought after material for weapon smiths.


    When fused with this material, the cultivator would be able to sense everything his mese into contact with. And while refining an Artifact, they would be fully aware of theposition of the material, the attribute it contained, etc.


    Their control over fire would also be exceptional.


    But most of all, the Divine Sense Iron was also able to conduct Origin Essence of various attributes, allowing them to create various treasures.


    After all, following Zit¡¯s words, Xuer approached the vase, cing her hand on its outer surface before emitting her ice attributed Origin Essence, watching the vase absorb everything as the colour of the mes within the vase changed.


    For an Earth Martial Spirit, once the cultivator reached the Martial Origin Stage and fused with a material, they had a single chance to shape their Martial Spirit into an item ordingly to the material.


    And, Zit shaped it into a vase as he felt this structure allowed him to forge Artifacts the best. As an Artificer whose job was to create Artifacts, he was d to go with such a structure. After all, he was able to change the size of the vase, also able to widen or shrink it both horizontally and vertically.


    This allowed him to cater to the creation of Artifacts of all shapes and sizes.


    As the vase absorbed Xuer¡¯s ice attributed Origin Essence, Zit controlled the mes that turned blue, causing them to seep into the bracelet that was forming within, slowly adding a second attribute to it.


    This was a lot harder than before where he only had to create an Artifact with a single attribute. But now, the forming bracelet had to seamlessly incorporate both the space and ice attributes.


    ¡°I need help!¡± Zit shouted soon after as Grisha and Xuer ced their hands on the vase, emitting their attributed Origin Essence ordingly to his instructions.


    Slowly, the two Origin Essences fused into the bracelet under Zit¡¯s exceptional control, causing Xuer to gaze at him in shock, ¡®He¡¯s only my age, but already has a daunting level of finesse and delicacy in his fire control.¡¯


    She then gazed at Grisha, ¡®Just what kind of training did she subject him towards?¡¯


    Indeed, Xuer¡¯s thoughts weren¡¯t wrong. But, it also had to be known that before being rescued by her, Zit was an orphan that was on the verge of death due to hunger, with none showing him pity.


    He had no purpose in life, with his death the only thing he was aware of and knew was approaching him with the passage of every day. But that was until Grisha had saved him, providing him with a sense of self and a purpose in life.


    So, even though he was overworked, not once did Zitin. Because, truth be told, he liked the fact that there were people that depended on him. This gave him endless courage to the extent he didn¡¯t even feel like he was overworked, but rather enjoyed every second of his life as a Sect member of the Mysterious Sect.


    Moreover, which teenager wouldn¡¯t love to work for a grand objective in a mysterious ce while acting mysterious, unknown to the regr popce?


    To the Mysterious Sect that screamed of mystery, it was every teenager¡¯s dream organisation to be a part of.

 Chapter 393: Snickering In Excitemen

    <h4>Chapter 393: Snickering In Excitemen</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­finally done!¡± Zit shouted happily as he slumped on the ground, causing the vase to vanish as he caught the bracelet that had been forged sessfully.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been long since I became an Artificer, but I¡¯ve already refined a Gold Ranged Artifact.¡± Zit eximed in utter shock, noticing how both the attributes were perfectly harmonious in the bracelet.


    The bracelet was a shade of bluish-white, having transparent grooves while sporting a dark blue gem in the centre that pulsed with Origin Essence before slowly dimming out until it resembled a normal gem.


    After admiring it for a couple of minutes, Zit gave the bracelet to Xuer, ¡°This is the first of its kind, so I couldn¡¯t hold back and engraved my name on the underside.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Xuer smiled, ¡°You¡¯re its creator, after all.¡±


    ¡°This is so pretty!¡± She eximed upon gazing at the bracelet, watching light being reflected by the transparent grooves, further entuating its glow while the surface was smooth like ice that had mildly begun to melt.


    Xuer seeped her Origin Essence into the bracelet, gaining ownership of it as she observed the space within, ¡°A space of 40 cubic metres. That¡¯s massive!¡±


    ¡°Without the attribute, it could have reached 50 cubic metres.¡± Grisha said.


    ¡°But, my arrangements would deteriorate over time in a normal environment. But, even though it¡¯s smaller inparison, the environment within is perfect for me.¡± Xuer smiled, taking out a spatial pouch as she handed it over to Grisha, ¡°As we had discussed, I¡¯ve collected all the required pills, pill recipes, materials, and forging techniques in this. I also managed to get my hand on a formation rted Trash Origin Art.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Grisha didn¡¯t waste any time, epting the spatial pouch without any hint of misgivings. This was pretty much a transaction between the two.


    She gave Xuer what she wanted while Xuer gave her what she wanted.


    Grisha emptied the spatial pouch into her storage bracelet, giving the pouch back to Xuer, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll bring you back to your Sect.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Xuer nodded, watching Grisha ce a hand on her shoulder before her surroundings changed. She noticed that she was within her room now.


    ¡°Hazen said we¡¯ll sh with the first System Host in the Folkan Secret Realm. So, be prepared.¡± Grisha said before vanishing. ¡°There¡¯s a marker of mine on your bracelet, so I¡¯ll be able to locate you through that.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Xuer nodded, sighing once Grisha left, ¡°For the past three years, I have been preparing for the same. Ranze had a lot to say about them.¡±


    She muttered, followed by a frown, ¡°I hope they are as powerful as what Ranze said.¡±


    Upon recalling about Ranze, she sighed, ¡°Where are you now? I haven¡¯t heard anything about you for two years already.¡±


    Hazen, Lan, Ranze, and Xuer. These four were a team for the past three years, helping each otherplete their respective preparations.


    And, Grisha¡ªher alias as Lan¡ªwas the meant ofmunication between them. From time to time, she arrived to exchange information, resources, insights, etc. with each.


    That was how everyone worked on their respective Origin Arts and other preparations. After all, each of them had their respective advantages. So, there was a beneficial trade rtionship between each.


    Compass Carburettor had the sleeper cells, Grisha had her Mysterious Sect, and as for Xuer, she was treading an interesting route herself.


    A route where she would be a one-man army.


    Xuer took out an Essence Stone from her spatial pouch, slowly infusing her ice attributed Origin Essence within as she activated an Origin Art.


    Origin Art¡ªFrost Formation!


    The Essence Stone began to be covered by ayer of frost as Xuer seeped in her attribute of a crane, causing the shape of the ice to morph before turning into an ice sculpture.


    Martial Spirit¡ªIce Crane!


    Origin Art¡ªArt of Formation!


    Instantly, after condensing a piece of ice that resembled a pen, Xuer imbued Origin Essence from its tip, engraving a formation on the ice sculpture, causing veins of Origin Essence to form within the sculpture¡¯s body, with the Essence Stone in the centre acting as its core.


    This Art of Formation was her original Origin Art that she created while referencing a formation-based Trash Origin Art. Formations were mysterious engravings of Origin Essence that unleashed the effect of an Origin Art.


    But, the Origin Essence used to engrave the formation should have an attribute. After all, the formation would only be capable of disying the effects of the Origin Essence¡¯s attribute. So, cultivators without an attribute would be unable to use a formation.


    Well even then, formations were aplex field that seldom few would learn. After all,ying down formations took time and effort to unleash the effect of an Origin Art that they could naturally execute using their Martial Spirit.


    So, it was a field hardly anyone ventured into. Only those who didn¡¯t like to fight studied formations.


    As for Xuer, she expressed desire in this field, causing the Giant Whale Sect Master to spend a fortune to invite a formations specialist to tutor her in this field.


    She took Compass Carburettor¡¯s words to heart, wholly taking advantage of the Giant Whale Sect to further her abilities.


    An hour passed in such a fashion as Xuer had finished her engraving, slowly riling up her Origin Essence.


    Origin Art¡ªPuppet Control!


    The ice sculpture resembling a crane suddenly pped its wings and took off to the air, flying within her room as it opened its mouth under her control, unleashing an ice spike towards her.


    Xuer defended against it using a wall of ice, noticing a hole being formed as a result of the impact, ¡°The strength of its attacks is fairly decent.¡±


    The ice crane sculpture unleashed ten more ice spikes before its movements turned sluggish while its body showed signs of melting.


    ¡°Using a single Essence Stone as the core indeed makes it weak. Also, the ice would begin melting once its reserve of Origin Essence is used up. But,¡± Xuer smiled, storing the ice crane sculpture in her storage bracelet, sensing the ice crane sculpture slowly beginning to absorb the ambient ice attributed Origin Essence with the bracelet¡¯s space.


    Its body recovered while the Origin Essence in its core soon reached full capacity. But, the ambient ice attributed Origin Essence within the bracelet was almost emptied as a result, ¡°There wasn¡¯t much within it anyway.¡±


    She smiled, slowly gushing her ice attributed Origin Essence into the bracelet, filling up the area. Xuer then got up, arriving before a cupboard that she opened and pulled a lever inside, revealing an entrance that she entered.


    The entrance showed a flight of stairs as the very air here was cold while the walls and floor was covered by ayer of ice. This was where she hadid down a formation that emanated the effect of her Origin Art of Frost Formation.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    The sounds of her footsteps resounded in the silent area as Xuer arrived at the bottom, snickering in excitement.

 Chapter 394: Ranze’s Simplistic Plan

    <h4>Chapter 394: Ranze¡¯s Simplistic n</h4>


    In a territory ruled by Origin Beasts was a human cultivator, constantly unleashing a variety of Origin Arts as his figure shed from one ce to another.


    Roar!


    The Origin Beast resembled an elephant but had two trunks and a nimbler body. One of the trunks shed around, hitting a couple of trees in the process, taking them down easily.


    It was at the Second Layer of the Martial Origin Stage, possessing tremendous power. And wherever its trunk shed past, a shadow barely evaded it, constantly aiming for its legs.


    The other trunk unleashed a jet of water, preventing the shadow¡¯s approach. The Origin Beast stood in a shallow swamp, using its second trunk to suck in the swamp water to unleash a jet.


    The shadow continued to shuttle through the swamp water, causing ripples to form on the surface as it evaded attacks from the trunk and the jet of water.


    It was Ranze, unleashing Origin Arts one after another as he was constantly on the evasive, suddenly throwing a brick when the Origin Beast opened its mouth.


    nk!


    When the Origin Beast tried to shatter the brick, a nging sound resounded as the brick wasn¡¯t even scratched by the attack whereas the rebound caused its jaws to vibrate, momentarily cing the Origin Beast in a state of shock.


    ¡®A chance!¡¯ Ranze thought as he kicked the ground, jumping towards the Origin Beast as he thrust forth with his sword, causing ayer of Origin Essence to envelope it, growing in length as it pierced through the Origin Beast¡¯s throat.


    Ranze hacked after that, causing blood to spurt out of the gaping wound on the Origin Beast¡¯s neck.


    But right as it nned to retaliate, the brick grew in size within its mouth, suffocating it, also increasing the pressure the muscles in the region exerted, causing more blood to gush out, forming a coating over the swamp water.


    The Origin Beast copsed to the ground as Ranze delivered the killing blow, sighing as he began to collect its tusks and other valuable body parts, ¡°That was a tough fight.¡±


    Even though he addressed it as a tough fight, it only meant in terms of exertion. After all, despite everything, Ranze didn¡¯t even suffer a single hit, disying the extent of experience he had umted.


    Suddenly, as he stood atop the Origin Beast carcass, his Origin Essence spiked, attaining a minor breakthrough.


    Seventh Layer Origin Refinement Stage!


    He hadn¡¯t even attained the peak of the Origin Refinement Stage until now. Of course, even if he had a Divine Martial Spirit, it was after all a Trash Divine Martial Spirit. So, his cultivation speed was simr to cultivators with trash Martial Spirits.


    That was why, despite three years of nonstop cultivation, he only reached the Seventh Layer of the Origin Refinement Stage.


    But, this also implied that at the Sixth Layer of the Origin Refinement Stage, he easily killed an Origin Beast at the Second Layer of the Martial Origin Stage.


    ¡°There¡¯s still time until the Secret Realm opens.¡± Ranze clenched his hand into a fist, noticing that he had grown slightly stronger once again, ¡°I¡¯ll only be able to exert my true power after reaching the Martial Origin Stage. I¡¯ll be able to obtain two attributes there.¡±


    Martial Origin Stage; it was also known as the attribute generating stage. After all, as long as the cultivator fused with a material possessing an attribute, they would obtain that attribute.


    This was every Trash Martial Spirit cultivator¡¯s hope. And if they were able to find a powerful enough material, they could change the tides of their fate and grow strong.


    After all, though rare, there had been cases of Trash Martial Spirit cultivators obtaining powerful materials that changed their fates, even allowing them to reach the Martial Providence Stage and dominate a region.


    Helk, the Bandit Boss in the Misty Gorge Ruins would have be one such character if Compass Carburettor hadn¡¯t killed him.


    After all, after fusing with a mind-attributed material, he obtained the attribute to enve people and Origin Beasts. And if he yed his cards right, he might even chance upon an injured Martial Providence Stage cultivator that had been injured in a battle.


    After that, he could easily enve that powerhouse and be a reigning power instantly. He had such potential.


    So, the Martial Origin Stage was where even a trash could be a genius. Of course, for Human Martial Spirit cultivators and higher, their advantages only increased further.


    They would be able to obtain a second attribute, and in rare cases, their two attributes would fuse, resulting in a new attribute that was many times stronger.


    Human Martial Spirit cultivators with a fused attribute were rare in history, but they were stronger than Earth Martial Spirit cultivators.


    It could very well be said that the Martial Origin Stage was a turning point for every cultivator.


    And the Folkan Secret Realm was one such ce that opened once every century, allowing cultivators to enter it for just three months. After that, they would be ejected from the Secret Realm.


    And contained in this Secret Realm were countless treasures, each enough to cause cultivators to be unrivalled geniuses. Following the years after the Folkan Secret Realm opened was an era where geniuses dominated the Gaider Realm.


    So, as it was about to open soon, every cultivator was busy cultivating to reach the peak of the Origin Refinement Stage so that they could break through to the Martial Origin Stage within the Secret Realm and fuse with a precious material.


    Entering the Secret Realm was impossible for those at the Martial Origin Stage and beyond. But if someone broke through to the Martial Origin Stage within the Folkan Secret Realm, they wouldn¡¯t be ejected.


    So, everyone¡¯s train of thought was the same, to reach the peak of the Origin Refinement Stage so that they could attain a breakthrough immediately after entering the Secret Realm.


    Of course, Ranze was unable to do that, sighing, ¡°Guess I should hope for some fortuitous encounters in the Secret Realm to quickly raise my cultivation.¡±


    Unlike Compass Carburettor, Grisha, and Xuer, he neither had a n nor created a scheme, solely focusing on raising his strength to the limit. He believed that tempering himself through battles was of utmost importance. Only then would he be able to kill his enemies.


    And hence, for the past two years, he had been travelling from one Origin Beast dominated region to another, hunting them nonstop, honing his senses to the limit while learning every Trash Origin Art he came across.


    He also put them to practice, training himself to the extent he was able to instantly activate the over hundred Origin Arts.


    His n was pretty simple: He would trample over all his opponents using his versatility. After all, his Divine Spirit was now able to morph into more than a hundred Trash Martial Spirits.

 Chapter 395: Carrying a Clan

    <h4>Chapter 395: Carrying a n</h4>


    In the room with stacks of papers everywhere, Compass Carburettor finished reading the day¡¯s events, surprised upon seeing information rted to Chenger in the end, ¡°Chenger¡¯s organisation is kidnapping the parents of geniuses from powerful ns to ckmail these ns to move against me¡­¡±


    ¡°A fair execution I must say.¡± Compass Carburettor raised his brow but didn¡¯t put much thought into it beyond that. If it was said that Chenger¡¯s ns were using external resources, then Compass Carburettor¡¯s ns made use of internal resources.


    Two people among her organisation had already be Sleeper Cells. They were transmitting details regarding everything Chenger did through the sleeper cellwork.


    If he wished, he could use Grisha and directly arrive at Dlon City and create a bunch of Sleeper Cells there. But, he was still guarded against Chenger¡¯s innate luck. If she stumbled upon his ns through luck, everything would fall short.


    Instead, he just allowed things to fall into ce naturally. He won¡¯t move from his position and only make sleeper cells based on those that take his services. This was a contest of luck after all. And luck was something that involved uncertainity.


    Therefore, his goal was only to raise the level of certainty around himself. That way, when Chenger enters his territory, she wouldn¡¯t be able to depend on unforeseen variables, as all variables would be something he had ounted for.


    But, heading to Dlon city was justmitting suicide. It was because he was entering the enemy¡¯s territory that was full of uncertainties.


    The Restriction Order sealed all System rted abilities. And since the luck-based Systems had entered this world despite that, he was damn sure that had made plenty of preparations ordingly.


    So, he would first probe Chenger and take action only when he¡¯s assured of his victory of if a chance presented itself.


    After all, even someone with heaven defying luck would die a dog¡¯s death if he had a swirl of poop in ce of a brain.


    In a lot of stories, when the main character acted arrogant due to his luck, karma bit him eventually. But, that didn¡¯t cause his death as either hispanion, mom, dad, brother, or childhood friend would sacrifice their lives in ce of him, saving him for his blunder.


    Even though he would survive that incident, he would lose a loved one.


    And, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t wish to be a tragic character. He didn¡¯t wish to lose the sole person he cared about.


    And hence, he didn¡¯t like to risk his life. He¡¯ll only continue growing stronger while casting a to trap the System Hosts.


    That way, he¡¯ll be able to exercise his advantage the best.


    Once he had gone through the information, Compass Carburettor ced the sheet of paper in a folder that was neatlybelled and stored it within his storage bracelet. This way, he would be able to analyse the ns of Chenger and any other System Hosts with greater rity, able to backtrack their every single action.


    ¡°Doctor, an Elder from the Opposition n requests for your presence.¡± Once he exited the room and began to head towards his house, a staff arrived, stating a meeting.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be there in a minute.¡± Compass Carburettor sighed, understanding what the other party might need, arriving at an open yard where he took in a deep breath of the night¡¯s fresh air before heading towards the guest room.


    ¡°Doctor, I hope to breakthrough to the Martial Providence Stage tonight but I¡¯m not feeling confident enough.¡± Inpah, the younger brother of Into said.


    ¡°Pleasey down and close your eyes.¡± Compass Carburettor said, putting on his demeanour as he set aside his mask upon Inpah¡¯s request.


    The mask was just a deer¡¯s face, emitting a peaceful sensation. That was why all the patients calmed down automatically after seeing him.


    But for those that had seen his face before, they wished for him to set aside his mask while treating them. It was a weird request, but Compass Carburettor fulfilled them. ¡®Maybe they can instinctively sense the purpose for me donning this mask.¡¯


    The Coincidental Luck System was a deer, the Destiny Luck system was a fawn, while the Happy-Go-Lucky System was a newborn deer.


    And based on the information he obtained from the other Systems, it seemed all Luck based Systems had an appearance resembling a Deer.


    So, he wore such a mask, just to surround himself with another veil ofplexity that might confuse the System Hosts or make them suspect of a traitor. And if they were to aim for Straxia, it¡¯ll be the best oue for him.


    Anyway, that was just a throwaway n that he used just in case if it proved useful.


    Slowly, he began to treat Inpah, giving this Elder of the Opposition n enough confidence and mental faculty to achieve a sessful breakthrough to the Martial Providence Stage.


    ¡°Thank you, Doctor!¡± Inpah thanked profusely, feeling overjoyed and confident as he went away hurriedly, nning to attempt a breakthrough before he slipped from his optimal condition.


    Though, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t even get any time to rest when Illeto, Ranze¡¯s father arrived, stating the same request as his two elder brothers.


    It seemed all three of them nned to break through at the same time, for some reason intending to take equal chances with the three Providence Pills in their possession.


    Right as Illeto walked away, Me arrived next, surprising Compass Carburettor as he asked, ¡°Aunty, are you nning to attempt a breakthrough too?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Me smiled, ¡°Thanks to you, I¡¯ve attained multiple enlightenment in the past three years. I feel like I have a fair shot even without the aid of a Providence Pill. Can you help me with the rest?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Compass Carburettor smiled in response, repeating the same process once again, noticing Me¡¯s eyes widen in surprise.


    ¡°Indeed, you¡¯re awesome.¡± Me said truthfully, in admiration, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a youngster as aplished as you.¡±


    ¡°Aunty, can you warn the Elders to breakthrough in the cultivation room after sending away everyone else?¡± Compass Carburettor said in seriousness all of a sudden, ¡°It might be for the best to not reveal the information that so many seeded in a breakthrough overnight. That would just cause the other forces to investigate your secrets and aim for it to profit.¡±


    Me¡¯s eyes widened before suddenly, it seemed like she was enlightened as her Origin Essence spiked instantly. Immediately, the figures of Into, Inpah, and Illeto arrived at the entrance, having been waiting until everyone suitable for a breakthrough in their n to be ready.


    But when Me¡¯s aura climbed up all of a sudden, they were shocked. For¡­


    Her breakthrough had arrived naturally.

 Chapter 396: Successful Breakthrough

    <h4>Chapter 396: Sessful Breakthrough</h4>


    Boom!


    Me¡¯s aura spiked, startling her as her Kirin Martial Spirit manifested physically in reality, signifying the start of her breakthrough. But, this only caused her to worry. After all, she hadn¡¯t made any preparations here.


    ¡°Focus! It¡¯s natural, so your chances are further higher aspared to before.¡± Compass Carburettor said, noticing the figures of Into, Inpah, and Illeto arrive at the room¡¯s entrance, shouting at them, ¡°Quick! Take out all your Essence Stones. A dy might destroy this chance!¡±


    ¡°Here!¡± Illeto moved instinctively, emptying all the Essence Stones from his spatial pouch before Me. Into and Inpah were a bit slower but they too did the same.


    Me¡¯s Kirin Martial Spirit began to consume the Essence Stones, sucking in all the Origin Essence within them, causing a vortex of energy to form around it.


    Unlike a minor breakthrough that was just umting enough Origin Essence until a quantitative difference is achieved, a major breakthrough contained considerable risks.


    For a breakthrough from the Origin Refinement Stage to the Martial Origin Stage, the goal was to manifest the Martial Spirit into reality.


    And to attain this, the cultivator would have to continuepressing Origin Essence into the Martial Spirit until it attained a solid form.


    But, this was pretty much the precursor to a ticking time bomb. After all, whilepressing the Origin Essence within the Martial Spirit, they would continue to build up pressure within it. And throughout the process, they would have to expend their Will to ensure the Origin Essence remainspressed while trying to add more Origin Essence to it andpress it further.


    A moment¡¯spse in concentration would cause their Martial Spirit to explode, also iming their lives in the process as the explosion would be powerful enough to destroy a couple of houses at least.


    But, a breakthrough from the Martial Origin Stage to the Martial Providence Stage was even more dangerous.


    After all, the goal of this breakthrough was to fuse with the Martial Spirit. This meant that while the Martial Spirit once again became a ticking time bomb, they would also have to experience excruciating pain while their body slowly began to melt and fuse with the Martial Spirit.


    There was no going back once this process started. After all, their body would be no more once the breakthrough continues. They would maintain their consciousness within the Martial Spirit. And if the breakthrough fails, they would of course die.


    But this time, the explosion would be powerful enough to destroy an entire area, enough to tten a hill. Even Martial Providence Stage cultivators wouldn¡¯t survive such an explosion.


    So, when someone attempted this breakthrough, they would first prepare a lot, ensuring that even if they were to fail, they wouldn¡¯t destroy any n Property or kill the nsmen.


    After all, the sess rate was too low due to the difficulties involved.


    This was why, despite obtaining the Providence Pills, Into hadn¡¯t attempted to break through for three years. He had been making preparations for so long.


    Surprisingly, Me was faring pretty well as she was able topress the Origin Essence within the Martial Spirit¡¯s body with greater precision.


    ¡°The greater the amount of Origin Essence shepresses within her Martial Spirit, the stronger her foundation after reaching the Martial Providence Stage.¡± Illeto spoke in worry before gazing at Compass Carburettor, ¡°Doctor, please move away from her. It¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be staying right here.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, stating in confidence, ¡°There is no use in running this service if I cannot trust in my judgement.¡±


    ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll give youpany them.¡± The three Elders of the Opposition n said in unison, deciding to believe in his judgement as they entered the room, taking measures to block Me¡¯s aura from leaking out.


    Time passed in such a fashion as the Kirin Martial Spirit seemed to be growing stronger and stronger as the air around it began to tremble violently.


    Me continued topress Origin Essence into it, finally stopping once it showed sighs of exploding, understanding that she had reached her limit. But this limit itself shocked the trio watching her, for she hadpressed a greater quantity of Origin Essence than what they thought was possible for them.


    ¡°Now for the most dangerous part,¡± Illeto said, clenching his hand into a fist in nervousness, for it was his wife making this breakthrough. He prayed that shepleted it sessfully.


    Slowly, Me¡¯s body shuddered as she sweated profusely. And steadily, the sweat formed a pool on the floor that was absorbed by her Kirin Martial Spirit. As an hour passed in such a fashion, the sweat turned into blood as her body began to shrivel up rapidly.


    Moreover, her skin began to fall off as a powder, turning into smoke that gushed into the Kirin Martial Spirit.


    At present, Me¡¯s face was ghastly, disying the severity of pain she was experiencing. But, she somehow endured as the entirety of her body vanished, now absorbed by her Martial Spirit that pulsated with Origin Essence.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Glock!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    One moment, it seemed like the Origin Essence in the Martial Spirit was stabilising but at the next moment, it showed signs of exploding, alternating between the two as the situation continued to deteriorate.


    ¡°No¡­no! No! No!¡± Illeto felt his heart had jumped out of his chest every time the Kirin Martial Spirit pulsed, looking on the verge of exploding.


    But surprisingly, Compass Carburettor was the calmest of them all, actually getting a feel for himself firsthand.


    Origin Art¡ªMind Connect!


    He was going through her memories like experiencing a virtual simtion from her perspective, obtaining a clearer understanding of what Me was trying to do here.


    She was using the pulsations to condense a core of sorts within the Kirin Martial Spirit, actually strengthening its foundation further. She still had full control over the process, her Will having been strengthened due to the enlightenment as thoughts shed in her mind, giving her ideas of the various ways she could manipte the Origin Essence within the Kirin Martial Spirit andplete the breakthrough.


    An hour after such a back and forth, Me sessfullypleted her breakthrough, reaching the Martial Providence Stage.

 Chapter 397: Successive Breakthroughs

    <h4>Chapter 397: Sessive Breakthroughs</h4>


    Martial Providence Stage!


    Illeto teared up in response, gazing at the majestic Kirin Martial Spirit before him that had doubled in size, big enough to reach the ceiling.


    He was ted that his wife had survived, ted that she reached the Martial Providence Stage, and ted that finally, after so many decades, their n gave rise to another powerhouse.


    ¡°Dear, are you alright?¡± He asked her in concern, noticing that Me was still in her Kirin Martial Spirit form.


    She nodded in response to his question, not doing anything else, closing her eyes as she began to meditate.


    ¡°She has just finished her breakthrough and has yet to adjust her Origin Essence. Currently, she¡¯s in the Quasi Martial Providence Stage.¡± Into said, ¡°Only after she stabilises her cultivation and can take on the human form is when she¡¯ll reach First Layer of the Martial Providence Stage and could be genuinely addressed as a powerhouse.¡±


    ¡°Brother, how long would this take?¡± Illeto asked.


    ¡°From a couple of hours to a few days.¡± Into said, ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take that long for her since she obtained enlightenment prior to her breakthrough.¡±


    Upon saying that, he gazed at Compass Carburettor, performing a solemn bow, ¡°You have my, and my n¡¯s gratitude, Doctor Hazen. You¡¯ve really helped my n a lot.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Compass Carburettor smiled in response, ¡°This is a great asion. So let¡¯s not dull it with formalities.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I¡¯ll do as you say.¡± Intoughed, cupping his fists in response as he nodded at Inpah and Illeto, stating, ¡°Please oversee me too, doctor.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Even Compass Carburettor was stunned at Into¡¯s actions. After all, instead of attempting to breakthrough in the perfect environment build especially for this in his n, Into had instead chosen this guest room which wasn¡¯t even the least amodating for a breakthrough.


    ¡®I guess Me¡¯s sessful breakthrough gave him another boost of confidence. So, he feels this ce is lucky for him. I see¡­¡¯ Compass Carburettor nodded in realisation, connecting with Into¡¯s mind, ¡®Right, this is another factor that I have to consider.¡¯


    Belief!


    ¡®If the belief is strong enough, there¡¯s a chance to emerge victorious even in an impossible situation.¡¯ He too obtained great insight from this event as Compass Carburettor came to understand one of the vital factors necessary for harnessing the power of Luck. It was the power of belief.


    After all, human beings weren¡¯t calcted creatures working within set boundaries. There were times when they were able to erupt with potential beyond what they were biologically and logically capable of. That innate uncertainty was what determined a human¡¯s potential.


    And that was a necessity to harness Luck, causing him to understand just why Rhizen was so damn good.


    It was because he was always of the belief that he was right.


    And this belief wasn¡¯t something that stemmed from arrogance or ignorance, but a concrete fact he was assured of. After all, to bolster his belief in himself, he used his mind, creating schemes that further elevated his position, always ensuring all the variables at y were in his favour.


    This way, even when something happened, it worked in his favour. He was the type of individual that would survive and dominate even without the aid of luck.


    Now that he obtained some more understanding, Compass Carburettor realised just how terrifying Rhizen was, ¡®Indeed, he¡¯s someone worthy for a horde of Systems to target and fail a lot of times despite that.¡¯


    Unsurprisingly, Into alsopleted his breakthrough. Though, he had to consume a Providence Pill to aid him. But despite that, the final result of his Kirin Martial Spirit seemed weaker than Me¡¯s.


    Following him were Inpah and Illeto. They had been preparing solely for this for the past three years. And thanks to him, they obtained a significant boost.


    Moreover, Compass Carburettor was constantly aiding them through the Mind Connect, helping them whenever they provedcking. Thanks to that, it would be odd if they failed their breakthrough.


    As for the payment regarding this help, Compass Carburettor had already received it, obtaining valuable data and reference material regarding breakthrough to the Martial Providence Stage.


    But now, a strange thing had happened. There were four massive Kirin Martial Spirits within the guest room, causing the ce to feel cramped.


    Slowly, after some time had passed, Me opened her eyes, moving her mouth to speak, ¡°Doctor Hazen, I¡¯m sorry, but can you fetch a pair of clothes for me? I¡¯ve finished consolidating my cultivation.¡±


    ¡°There should be some nurse outfits lying around. Let me fetch them.¡± Compass Carburettor said in response, exiting the guest room as he entered a storage room, fetched a nurse¡¯s outfit and returned, giving it to Me.


    ¡°Turn around, the lot of you,¡± Me said as the other three Kirin Martial Spirits awkwardly adjusted their bodies, slowly turning in the cramped space.


    Me immediately switched back to her human form, wearing the nurse outfit as she muttered, ¡°Hmm, this design is pretty great.¡±


    She then cupped her fists to him, ¡°Thank you, Doctor Hazen. I feel like I¡¯ve be stronger than regr powerhouses now.¡±


    In the Gaider Realm, those at the Martial Origin Stage were typically addressed as experts while those at the Martial Providence Stage were addressed as powerhouses.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled as he turned around, staring nkly for a moment as he took in her appearance, thinking, ¡®I must make Grisha wear a nurse outfit one of these days.¡¯


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve grown a tad younger now,¡± Me said, gazing at her reflection in the nearby mirror. Of course, thanks to the Kirin Martial Spirit¡¯s attribute, she already looked young enough as is, so there wasn¡¯t an obvious difference.


    But, she had grown damn strong, in her prime now.


    ¡°With this, the Opposition n would be returning to its golden age once again.¡± Compass Carburettor said, congratting the quartet. After all, four sessive breakthroughs to the Martial Providence Stage was no simple feat.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t mention his involvement in subtly helping the trio of brothers during their breakthrough when they were on the verge of failing.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Me grinned in joy, ¡°Adding on our previous n Head, we have five powerhouses now.¡±


    ¡°After a decade, the asion n would be nothing before us.¡±

 Chapter 398: Seeds of Hallucinations

    <h4>Chapter 398: Seeds of Hallucinations</h4>


    Swish!


    Faint Origin Essence waves sparked around him as Compass Carburettor was meditating, preparing his tools for war.


    First was his offensive means. He couldn¡¯t just rely upon Snag to injure others. That wouldn¡¯t even show the true extent of his power. And, as his attacks involved the mind, illusions and hallucinations would be his mode of execution.


    If there was one difference between the two, it would be the difference in immersion inparison to the target¡¯s conscious wish. In an illusion, the target would be trying to break out of the illusion, no matter the content. It was externally actuated.


    But a hallucination was different as it was internally actuated. After all, a hallucination would be conjured by the target himself based on the parameters Compass Carburettor had set in advance.


    This way, the target themselves would be their aggressor, leading to their own doom.


    Origin Art¡ªMental Creation!


    Compass Carburettor was creating various seeds, each of which consisted of a dedicated set of memories, experiences, and emotions. And when nted in a target, they would exist in their mind, sprouting once Compass Carburettor activated the trigger.


    The seed would grow, pulling in the memories of the target to grow into a tree, bing more and more solid as time passes. It couldn¡¯t be defended against after that as the victim would drown in their own fears into oblivion.


    But, this ability wasn¡¯t as strong as it seemed. After all, if the mind of the target was strong enough, they would resist or at times even destroy the seed. Therefore, Compass Carburettor had to be careful with his attacks.


    Otherwise, there might even be a chance that he would be helping his opponent by acting rashly. As for his enemies, it could be considered that each of them had lived for a millennium. So, they were monsters with massive minds and tremendous willpower.


    So, to target them, the power of his seeds should be strong enough. ¡®The current seeds can at most affect them for a second or two.¡¯


    He sighed, for this was the current limit. Only after reaching the Martial Origin Stage would he be able to truly exercise the power of the Mind Frog.


    But, this was where his most impressive Origin Art came into effect, one that allowed him to obtain a strong enough foundation to go against System Hosts.


    Origin Art¡ªMind Transfer!


    This Origin Art allowed him to steal memories from his target or imnt his memories into them. As to the quantity, he could control them perfectly. Moreover, this wasn¡¯t just possible between him and his opponent but between two targets too.


    And that led to interesting results.


    Firstly, he could steal memories from themon popce, regarding fields they were proficient about. This way, he would gain references in such fields, able to quickly grow in the respective fields.


    Using this, his mental growth was faster, allowing him to umte more experience in a variety of fields. Even though it was like watching hundreds of documentaries instead of living through the scenes themselves, it still allowed him to know about the various things that were possible.


    And that itself broadened his knowledge.


    Moreover, Mind Transfer wasn¡¯t limited to memories alone. They also involved thoughts, thought processes, feelings, emotions, etc.


    This allowed him to experience a variety of things and gain abundant growth. And the patients that he had met originated from all sorts of professions, having their respective advantages that he absorbed.


    A farmer had a certain thought process regarding growing crops, knowledge rted to crops, the senses he had honed by growing crops all his life, able to understand what environmental conditions would affect the crops to what degree, etc.


    Feelings, senses, thought processes, and the associated memories, all could be stolen using Mind Transfer. And once stolen, after a bit of practice on the fields, Compass Carburettor would be able to easily make that experience his own.


    Though, there was a limit to this as he couldn¡¯t do it wantonly, for that would destroy his own experiences. There would be a mental sh that would destroy his mind, turning him stupid in the end.


    So, the extent that he stole using Mind Transfer was only a limited sum within what he determined to be safe limits. But even that gave him considerable growth. ¡®Moreover, I would be able to grow faster after reaching the Martial Origin Stage.¡¯


    At present, he was digesting his gains, something he did at the end of the day daily. It was to put the obtained knowledge into practice to ensure he wouldn¡¯t forget itter. And with enough practice, it would be muscle memory.


    Once he was done with that, Compass Carburettor took out a sword and began to swing it around. He didn¡¯t have any Origin Arts suitable to be wielded through a sword, but the reason he was practicing swordsmanship was to be prepared in cases where he ran out of Origin Essence.


    Besides, the sword was an energy de sword that barely had any weight, allowing him to swing it easily.


    But, instead of looking yellowish-white like all energy des, this resembled a pearl in texture and colour. It wasn¡¯t condensed using Apocalypse Pearl though. As he had auctioned a palm-sized energy de, using the energy de would draw attention to him.


    And hence, he coated it with a thinyer of the Apocalypse Pearl. This way, it wouldn¡¯t look all that special but would still possess the properties of the energy de.


    After all, in terms of structural strength, the Dac energy de was the strongest. It also didn¡¯t have any weight.


    At present, the energy de sword in his hands weighed around fifty grams due to the coating of Apocalypse Pearl. This weight gave him a better grip in using it, not to mention the fact that fifty grams were pretty much nothing.


    It was only the weight of a hairclip.


    So, he could use it without any strain. ¡°But, it¡¯s not useful for heavy-hitting. So, I shouldn¡¯t rely on it when the enemy¡¯s defence is high.¡±


    And with that, hepleted his training, gazing at the figure of Grisha that appeared before him, ¡°Is it time already?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Grisha nodded, ¡°The Folkan Secret Realm would open in two days.¡±

 Chapter 399: Why Are You Here?

    <h4>Chapter 399: Why Are You Here?</h4>


    Rilk City; Compass Carburettor and Grisha arrived within the room of an inn that she had already booked in advance.


    the moment he arrived, Compass Carburettor noticed that there was a lot of noise in the area, wondering what was up.


    ¡°Cultivators and even mortals from all over the Gaider Realm have arrived here.¡± Grisha said, ¡°At present, there are no rooms left in any inn. Some of the residents had even opened up one or two rooms of their house to make some quick change due to this asion. Everyone¡¯s here for the Secret Realm.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your n now?¡± Compass Carburettor asked upon seeing that Grisha was about to leave.


    ¡°There are too many ears here. I¡¯ll refrain from exining.¡± Grisha said, ¡°We¡¯ll be split the moment we enter the Secret Realm. For significant duration, we¡¯ll have to act alone. Therefore, let¡¯s best keep our ns to ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, frowning once Grisha left, ¡®I had expected something like this to happen eventually.¡¯


    At present, he and Grisha were mere trade partners. There wasn¡¯t any emotional bond between them.


    In the Apocalypse World, they had forged a connection through external influence. And it was a situation where both of them felt vulnerable.


    After that, Compass Carburettor neither pushed her away nor acknowledged a rtionship. He only maintained the status quo.


    But since they were constantly under pressure from the Systems, there wasn¡¯t much time to think about anything.


    And by the time Grisha recalled her experiences from the previous 47 loops, she was already a member of Secret Society, having a certain level of loyalty towards him.


    So, even after she had changed, she still maintained loyalty towards him. After that, she turned into a Beyonder after he imbued in her a Coordinate.


    But things changed once they arrived at the Gaider Realm. First of all, as Secret Society was sealed, she was no longer a member, same for being a Beyonder.


    So, she became a normal human, with her emotions no longer being influenced by Secret Society where it garnered respect and devotion to Compass Carburettor.


    Second, Compass Carburettor neither deepened his rtionship with her nor set her aside, treading on ayer of ambiguity. After three years had passed in such a fashion, especially during the time she had a normal teenage body with a teenager¡¯s raging hormones, a lot of things changed.


    For a considerable duration, they were living under the same roof, working alongside. And in this time when she was expecting him to deepen their rtionship, Compass Carburettor hadn¡¯t done anything.


    Their rtionship didn¡¯t have a healthy start, so Compass Carburettor was hesitant in furthering it. And this was especially since he had yet to cure Stencil. So, his entire mind was only focused on that.


    Maybe if Stencil was perfectly alright, he would have tried to deepen their rtionship. But as he wasn¡¯t even in a state where he could know Stencil¡¯s condition, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t have the mood to be in a rtionship.


    And of course, with her experience, Grisha had sensed it long ago. That was why she began to concoct her own scheme, only arriving to meet him for work rted issues.


    At present, their rtionship had be one of partners, nothing more, nothing less.


    Sighing, Compass Carburettor gazed out the window, observing the bustling street, also noticing countless fights that sprang up all around the ce due to the influx of crowd.


    ¡®I¡¯ll look around the city for anything beneficial¡­¡¯ Compass Carburettor had just intended to go out for a stroll, offend some young masters, etc. when his gaze fell on a certain brush stroke that had been painted on the door of one of the houses on his street.


    Currently, the house owner was grumbling, trying to wipe away the pain that seemed stubborn. It was a codeword of the sleeper cellwork.


    Five!


    The moment Compass Carburettor hazed at the codeword, the rted information formed a puzzle in his mind, filling up immediately to grant him the meaning behind it. ¡®Five System Hosts have arrived in Rilk City.¡¯


    ¡°Five¡­¡± Compass Carburettor frowned, sighing as he closed the window, having zero intention to leave his room after this. He didn¡¯t want the System Hosts to recognise him and n ordingly in advance.


    Both sides were aware that they would be shing within the Folkan Secret Realm. But,ing in contact would cause some of their methods to be revealed, giving chances for the other party to device countermeasures.


    Since he had more enemies, he would be at a disadvantage. And hence, Compass Carburettor could only put aside his n of offending some young masters, even though they would prove useful in his exploration within the Secret Realm.


    Young masters were generally useless, but what they were exceptional at was tracking their targets, especially the main characters.


    This would allow him to lead them by the nose in any n that he concocts within the Secret Realm, ¡®Guess I can only offend them after entering the Folkan Secret Realm.¡¯


    He slowly sat on the bed, locking his hands, noticing that they were trembling in part fear part excitement and part nervousness.


    After all, the enemies he would be facing next weren¡¯t anything like what he had faced until now. With luck itself on their side, and countless preparations done by their tremendously powerful Systems, they would be frightening opponents.


    And honestly, whether it was him or the Luck based Systems, none were able to predict what might happen in this sh. After all, both sides had their respective advantages that made them terrifying opponents.


    Compass Carburettor touched his storage bracelet, for everything he had was in it. He didn¡¯t bring any spatial pouches with him, for they could be stolen easily.


    Knock! Knock!


    Suddenly, knocking sounds resounded from his room¡¯s door, causing him to frown, ¡°IS it room service?¡±


    But, he became cautious immediately, expecting a sneak attack as he riled up his Origin Essence, preparing the Origin Arts of Mind Connect and Mental Destruction to be actuated instantly, slowly opening the door when all of a sudden, his eyes widened in shock.


    His face paled while his body trembled, shuddering in fear, ¡°W-Why are you here?¡±

 Chapter 400: Blazing Sun Clan

    <h4>Chapter 400: zing Sun n</h4>


    ¡°So, this is the Folkan Secret Realm¡¯s entrance.¡± A cultivator muttered, gazing at a majestic gate that was embedded along the sides of a mountain cliff.


    The mountain spanned a height of around three kilometres and seemed to be split into two by a sword, creating a gorge in the centre. The width of this gorge spanned two hundred metres, creating a passage for the people to arrive.


    And embedded within one side of the cleaved mountain half was a pair of majestic doors, spanning a height of hundred metres. They were massive, as if created for titans.


    The reason the people gave the mountain the analogy of being cut in half by a sword was due to how smooth the surface was. As there wasn¡¯t any source of water nearby to erode the surface, the walls shouldn¡¯t have been this smooth.


    ¡°If the Secret Realm¡¯s entrance is just a pair of doors, why hasn¡¯t anyone entered it before? We could just break through it, right?¡± A cultivator muttered.


    ¡°This is your first time hearing about this Secret Realm, right?¡± A knowledgeable senior smirked, stating, ¡°The doors are made using a mysterious material that is capable of repelling our attacks easily. In the past, more than thirty Martial Providence Stage cultivators bombarded attacks on it for three days, failing to even put a scratch on it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s this strong?¡± Someone muttered in shock.


    ¡°Legends say that an entire mountain had beenpressed to create a single door. So, it¡¯s too tough to be scratched by our attacks.¡± The knowledgeable senior said.


    ¡°Senior, is it true that anyone at Martial Origin Stage and above cannot enter it?¡± A cultivator asked the knowledgeable senior upon seeing that he was pretty friendly.


    ¡°Yep.¡± The knowledgeable senior nodded, ¡°But, once you enter the Secret Realm and breakthrough to the Martial Origin Stage, you won¡¯t be expelled. You can stay inside until the time limit of three months is up. After that, everyone inside would be teleported outside.¡±


    Guooo!


    Suddenly, the roar of a whale resounded as a stream of water flowed through the air,nding atop the cliff as the whale swam through it. Carried on its back were a group of cultivators.


    ¡°That¡¯s the Giant Whale Sect Leader and Deputy Sect Leader.¡± Someone from the crowd eximed, ¡°They are indeed strong.¡±


    ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that¡­Lady Xuer? The Heaven Martial Spirit genius?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s her?¡± One of them gazed at the figure of Xuer standing atop the whale¡¯s back, eximing in surprise, ¡°She¡¯s pretty as a pearl.¡±


    ¡°Rumours have it that she alone managed to destroy an entire bandit stronghold.¡±


    ¡°Really? All by herself?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she killed more than two hundred bandits, causing the remaining to surrender. And three among the bandits were at the Martial Origin Stage.¡±


    Hiss!


    ¡°She¡¯s strong.¡±


    Someone from the crowd clicked his tongue, ¡°She probably has all the resources she needs. Why does she need topete with us peasants?¡±


    ¡°The rich stay rich because they don¡¯t give benefits to the poor.¡± Another cultivator retorted, ¡°Besides, there are a lot of treasures in the Secret Realm that even the rich would drool over.¡±


    A youth clenched his hand into a fist, muttering, ¡°I¡¯ll be the one to im them all.¡±


    Scree!


    Right after the whale arrived on a stream of water, there was a resounding screech that caused goosebumps to appear on the skins of everyone. A terrifying centipede that spanned twenty metres in length crawled forth, stopping at the edge of the cliff as twenty people descended from its back.


    The twenty people casuallynded on the ground within the gorge, possessing a baleful aura as the surrounding people retreated instinctively.


    ¡°Even the Green Centipede n arrived!¡±


    Roar!


    Kheee!


    Kaww!<i> []</i>


    Soon after, countless cries resounded as creatures and natural cmities alike arrived at the scene, carrying a bunch of cultivators each. They were the Martial Providence Stage cultivators from every powerful n or Sect that had brought their youngsters to profit from this exploration.


    Suddenly, the temperature of the entire region increased sharply as the cultivators began to sweat. One of them gazed upwards, shouting in rm, ¡°T-There are two suns!¡±


    At his shout, everyone gazed upwards, gasping in shock for there were indeed two suns in the sky. As for the second sun, it slowly descended towards the ground, vanishing to reveal a bunch of youngsters.


    ¡°That¡¯s the zing Sun n¡¯s n Head¡­¡± The Giant Whale Sect Master returned to his human form, frowning as he spoke. Even he felt a bit nervous, for the zing Sun n was one of the strongest forces in the Gaider Realm.


    Throughout history, they were the ones that consistently managed to produce talent with a Heaven Martial Spirit. It could be said that they were pretty much the ruling power of the Gaider Realm.


    And under them existed four major Sects, each of which had as much power as the Giant Whale Sect. This wasn¡¯t to mention the power and size of the zing Sun n, a reigning power that had remained strong for more than two millennia.


    And, they produced at least one Heaven Martial Spirit expert every century. That was their terrifying foundation.


    The moment they arrived, the gazes of everyone fell on them, watching their every move in nervousness.


    As for the powerhouses that had arrived with their respective n/Sect¡¯s youngsters, they gazed in nervousness at the red-haired old man that calmly stood with the zing Sun n¡¯s banner.


    He was their n Head, one acimed as the strongest powerhouse due to the sheer strength he wielded. Moreover, what was surprising was the fact that he was from the previous generation, having explored the Folkan Secret Realm in his younger days.


    He was more than a hundred years old but only looked like he was in histe fifties.


    ¡°n Leader¡¯s cultivation has be unfathomable once again.¡± The Giant Whale Sect Master approached the zing Sun n Leader, paying his respects.


    ¡°Is that your infamous disciple?¡± The zing Sun n Leader gazed at Xuer, smiling in response, ¡°Good, the younger generation should indeed be this talented.¡±


    He then smiled, pointing at ady standing behind him, ¡°This is my granddaughter, Bunu. And surprisingly, she has the Fire Crane Martial Spirit. The two of them can spend some time discussing with one another.¡±


    ¡®A Heaven Martial Spirit?¡¯ Xuer subtly frowned, gazing at thedy¡¯s face, ¡®Hmm, she resembles this old man to a certain extent. So, she¡¯s not a System Host.¡¯

 Chapter 401: Entering the Folkan Secret Realm

    <h4>Chapter 401: Entering the Folkan Secret Realm</h4>


    ¡°I¡¯m Xuer, pleased to meet you.¡± Xuer cupped her fists, greeting both the zing Sun n Leader and his granddaughter.


    ¡°Likewise, I¡¯m Bunu.¡± Bunu cupped his fists in response, asking, ¡°Do you have the Ice Crane Martial Spirit?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± Xuer nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll find you once we enter the Secret Realm, then,¡± Bunu said, turning silent after that.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s leave the discussions to the youngsters and wait here patiently, shall we?¡± The zing Sun n Leader said, taking out some materials from his spatial pouch as he set up arge house instantly, ¡°I brought this to not be bored for our three months of stay. Why don¡¯t you join me for a game of cards, Giant Whale Sect Leader?¡±


    ¡°It would be my honour.¡± The Giant Whale Sect Leader cupped his fists in response. They didn¡¯t immediately head inside to spend time though, having more than enough time once the Secret Realm opened.


    At present, they nned to ensure their youngsters entered the Secret Realm safely.


    The reason the powerhouses had arrived here was to protect their younger generation from harm against the malicious intent ofpeting powers. After all, this was the best time to assassinate the talents of rivalling powers.


    So, the air in the region was pretty tense. Every powerhouse arrived with a group of experts meant to take care of the younger generation and do any misceneous tasks in the uing three months.


    After all, none of them had any ns to budge from the ce until the Secret Realm closes. Moreover, in case amoner happened to obtain a priceless treasure, they must be ready to snatch it first and defend themselves ordingly while rushing towards their Sect/n.


    So, every n or Sect had dispatched two powerhouses each to transport the younger generation. Though, the zing Sun n was the only exception, sending just one.


    But, that was more than enough. After all, said powerhouse was touted to be the strongest in the Gaider Realm, a peak Martial Providence Stage cultivator with a Heaven Martial Spirit.


    He could casually suppress all Martial Providence Stage cultivators using the suppression brought by his higher Tiered Martial Spirit. Besides, none had the balls to even dare aim for his descendants.


    After all, if the zing Sun n desired, they had enough capability to wipe out any n or Sect in the Gaider Realm.


    Boom!


    As everyone began to size up their rivalling powers, there was a thunderous sound, followed by a wave of Origin Essence, instantly enlivening the expression of every cultivator and mortal present here.


    ¡°Be calm, and seize your desires, Xuer.¡± The Giant Whale Sect Master said in all seriousness, patting her head, ¡°And no matter what, don¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sect Leader.¡± Xuer nodded before proceeding to descend the cliff with her Sect members. She was their leading party, with everyone pretty much handpicked by her.


    After all, in the past three years, Xuer wasn¡¯t just honing her strength but was alsoworking with everyone in the Sect. She trained some Sect members who were loyal to her. And now, she had only brought in those that she trusted with her back.


    As for the Sect members, they were loyal to her for a variety of reasons. There was the fact of her treating them well, saving their lives during missions, etc.


    And another more important reason was that Xuer was pretty much the uncontested future Sect Master of the Giant Whale Sect. And that meant that those closest to her would eventually be Elders of the Giant Whale Sect once she bes the Sect Master.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be split once we enter the Secret Realm,¡± Xuer said to them all. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving the discussed markers at some observable ces. If you see that, you¡¯ll know where to group up next.¡±


    ¡°If you chance upon any treasure, don¡¯t jump towards them instinctively. Greed would be the death of you. First, take a deep breath, calm down, observe if there are any foes around you and only then can you pocket those treasures, got it?¡± She said, nodding upon seeing everyone respond with vigour, slowly approaching the massive gates that were opening.


    ¡°It¡¯s finally starting.¡± A youth muttered, controlling his excitement as he gazed at a hooded figure next to him, ¡°Master, are you sure that man would be here?¡±


    ¡°He will.¡± The hooded figure nodded, ¡°I¡¯m sure of that.¡±


    The hooded figure scanned through the crowd, failing to find their target, frowning subtly.


    At the same time, there was a girl sporting some scars on her face, appearing rough and unrefined. But, she emanated an aura of dominance and viciousness, causing the air around her to feel viscous for some reason.


    And following her were more than forty people, all brimming with an explosive aura. She was Chenger, sauntering towards the opening gates.


    And upon seeing her figure, the expressions of countless participants frowned as some of them bit their lips in anger. They were the victims whose family members had been captured by her as bargaining chips to force their hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s open!¡± Suddenly, someone shouted as the doors leading to the Secret Realm rumbled to a stop, causing the swirling energy within it to stabilise, highlighting an open patch of meadow, unobstructed by anything else.


    ¡°Charge!¡± It was unknown as to who shouted that but it ignited the fervour of everyone, causing cultivators and mortals alike to charge towards the entrance in frenzy.


    There were some clumsy people among the crowd that tripped, falling to the ground. There was no doubt about their fate as they became painting on the ground under the stampede.


    Slowly marching forth was Grisha, apanied by her orderly Sect members like they were soldiers part of an army. Each of their steps was perfectly aligned, their level of discipline shocking the crowd of powerhouses that had been observing everyone.


    ¡°It seems a lot of hidden powers have surfaced once again.¡± The zing Sun n Leader uttered.


    ¡°This is pretty chaotic,¡± Ranze murmured, covering his face as he entered the Secret Realm.


    ¡°¡­¡± Compass Carburettor walked alone, fully covered from top to bottom, with his deer mask the only visible thing. He didn¡¯t elerate like the others but slowly walked, extending his hand as he touched the fment forming the entrance to the Secret Realm, his bodynguage a bit sullen as he slowly passed through it, vanishing from the spot.

 Chapter 402: Blood Vitality Grass

    <h4>Chapter 402: Blood Vitality Grass</h4>


    ¡°This ce is¡­?¡± Compass Carburettor blinked, noticing that he had appeared within what seemed to be a forest. The trees surrounding him were massive, with each spanning at least 40-50 metres in height, possessing thick foliage that caused the ce to be dark.


    But to him, this ce wasn¡¯t dark at all. After all, a frog was able to see exceptionally well in the dark, not to mention having exceptional sensitivity to anything that moved. So, he wasn¡¯t worried about being thrust into a dark environment.


    Suddenly, he noticed something amiss, immediately seeping his Origin Essence into his storage bracelet, taking out a shield as a coloured arrow mmed into it, causing a resounding ng.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Compass Carburettor grunted under the force as he jumped up, using the Origin Art of Snag to pull himself towards a tree branch around ten metres above the ground. He then frowned for a moment, noticing that the shield didn¡¯t suffer any damage.


    It was an energy de made using Dac after all. But the reason it was so tough was thanks to the Trait of Permanence.


    As he didn¡¯t have any Origin Arts to defend himself with, he used the energy de shields to protect himself. He had a variety of them stored in his storage bracelet.


    Origin Arts¡ªMind Connect!


    Compass Carburettor unleashed this ability, grunting upon failing to reach the target. The target was too far away, only unleashing arrows that he created using Origin Essence.


    The range of his Mind Connect was thirty metres. And at present, he could connect with nine people at most. The Origin Art of Snag had a simr range as Compass Carburettor was unable to target the enemy that was in hiding.


    But, that didn¡¯t mean he was out of options as he used the Origin Art of Frog Leap in conjunction with Snag, jumping from one branch to another, vanishing from the area. He had zero reasons to engage with this enemy when there was no benefit involved.


    ¡°Tch!¡± There was a grunt from among the trees after he had left as a figure slowly revealed itself,ying in wait for ten to fifteen minutes before beginning to move upon failing to see him return.


    Compass Carburettor slowly travelled through the forest, cautious in his approach as he observed that apart from the trees being massive, there wasn¡¯t anything special to this forest. There weren¡¯t even any insects around, not to mention bushes that could be their habitat.


    As time passed in such a fashion, he eventually came across the edges of the forest as the height of the trees began to reduce while the foliage wasn¡¯t as thick anymore, causing sunlight to leak inside, brightening up his surroundings.


    Grrr!


    Compass Carburettor hid immediately, noticing a w Wolf sleeping a certain distance away. But, what was different between this and the w Wolves outside the Secret Realm was the fact that a tiny herb seemed to be growing out of its forehead.


    This herb resembled two strands of grass in shape and size, having a thick, bluish veiny pattern on its crimson shade. The two strands of grass gently waved in the wind, seemingly as if it was dancing.


    The moment he chanced upon it, Compass Carburettor¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, for this herb was something recorded as a priceless treasure.


    Blood Vitality Grass!


    Ingesting this herb raised one¡¯s body metabolism, strengthening the entire body while also raising the toughness of all their internal organs, especially the heart. This allowed them to perform strenuous activities without much trouble aspared to before.


    ¡®And the best thing is the fact that ingesting it now raises my foundation, causing me to be stronger at the Martial Origin Stage.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought. After all, the breakthrough to reach the Martial Origin consisted ofpressing their Origin Essence to the limit.


    A healthy body brimming with vitality was necessary to house a stronger mind which was required for this breakthrough. Other than that, to reach the Martial Providence Stage, his Martial Spirit would devour his body. At that time, all the strength, vitality, etc. that his body possesses would be transferred over to the Martial Spirit.


    Meaning, his Martial Spirit would grow a lot stronger aspared to before. That¡¯s why the Blood Vitality Grass was a valuable herb as it directly raised one¡¯s foundation.


    Swish!<i>  [ f r e e w e b n o v e l. c o m ]</i>


    Right as Compass Carburettor nned to grab the herb, an arrow flew towards him once again, causing him to defend against it, resulting in a resounding ng, waking up the w Wolf.


    The w Wolf was in the Second Layer of the Martial Origin Stage, so it couldn¡¯t be underestimated. But, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t mind it, for the time being, ring in the direction the attack arrived from.


    Origin Art¡ªMind Connect!


    Origin Art¡ªGloss Over!


    As the w Wolf rushed at him, Compass Carburettor established a connection between their minds using Mind Connect, transmitting the effect of Gloss Over.


    This Origin Art was developed by condensing the trait of his Mind Frog¡¯s skin poison, preventing everyone connected to him from glossing over his existence.


    And as he had expected, the w Wolf snorted, seeing its target vanish as it sniffed around, noticing a second target further away, rushing there immediately.


    ¡®This is the second time you¡¯ve tried to kill me.¡¯ Compass Carburettor scowled as he used Frog Leap to hop around, keeping pace with the w Wolf that was chasing after the attacker.


    ng!


    Another arrow was fired at him that he defended using the energy de shield. The momentum behind the impact halted his advance, but Compass Carburettor smiled in response, for he was finally in range.


    He immediately established a connection with the other party¡¯s mind. As this was the mind attribute, it was neither tangible nor could be seen, allowing him to connect with the attacker easily. Moreover, using the Origin Art of Gloss Over, he approached the target without their awareness.


    Following that, he used the Origin Art of Mental Destruction, suddenly causing the target to scream in shock before losing their footing, falling off the tree branch, being grabbed by the w Wolf along the way, and shredded apart.


    And right as it was eating up the cultivator, Compass Carburettornded on its back, noticing that it was still not able to sense him, despite his bodyweight causing its body some strain.


    He smiled, connecting with the w Wolf¡¯s mind, activating the Origin Art of Mental Destruction, slowly destroying its mind.

 Chapter 403: Taming the Claw Wolf

    <h4>Chapter 403: Taming the w Wolf</h4>


    The Blood Vitality Grass required stringent conditions to grow. First of all, its seeds were too rare and looked no different from the pollen of a regr grass.


    For the seed to mature, it had to be swallowed by a Martial Origin Stage Origin Beast that lived in a ce abundant with Origin Essence in the air. This, coupled with the Origin Beast constantly devouring other origin beasts was a needed condition.


    And slowly, the Blood Vitality Grass absorbed the blood from the Origin Beast¡¯s body, growing in size. Its growth required a lot of nutrients, blood, and Origin Essence, causing the Origin Beast to constantly be on a hunt for prey.


    But, it wasn¡¯t all cons for the Origin Beast as the Blood Vitality Grass would slowly begin to share its essence with the Origin Beast, strengthening it gradually over time.


    It was a symbiotic rtionship.


    And if a long enough time passes as a result, there was even a chance for the Blood Vitality Grass to affect the Origin Beast to the extent its Origin Essence gains an attribute.


    Such Origin Beasts were incredibly rare, but there were precedents. They were not only troublesome to kill, but also lead massive armies, eventually bing kings that were stronger than Earth Martial Spirit cultivators at the same cultivation.


    Though, the w Wolf before him wasn¡¯t at that stage, having only been in this symbiotic rtion for a short while.


    Right as Compass Carburettor began to destroy its mind, a thought struck him, causing him to stop as he recalled the figure of Helk, the bandit boss from the Misty Gorge Ruins.


    ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a chance. I haven¡¯t tried it, but if it¡¯s possible, I¡¯ll get myself a valuable mount.¡± He muttered, beginning to create a seed in his mind.


    Origin Art¡ªSleeper Cell!


    As their mind was connected, he nted a Sleeper Cell seed within the w Wolf¡¯s mind, an almost nk one that had been imnted with some mental cues.


    The moment it fell into the w Wolf¡¯s mind, it was like a stone being dropped in a pool of water, causing countless ripples to form as the seed acted as a tree, absorbing nutrients suitable for its growth.


    And here, the nutrients were memories that were necessary for the Sleeper Cell ability to take effect.


    Origin Art¡ªMental Creation!


    The advantage of using Mental Creation was the fact that he only needed to will certain functions of it and the resultant power would automatically absorb the rted memories from the target, shape it into a memory and activate it.


    This way, the target would be ced within a realistic hallucination that would grow stronger over time.


    All his Origin Arts worked in conjunction with one another, creating a synergic effect. Almost an hour passed in such a fashion before the Sleeper Cell seed firmly took root in its mind, causing the w Wolf to be his mount.


    ¡°Sit!¡± Compass Carburettor said, watching the w Wolf sit in response. He then pped once, watching it roll over.


    Suddenly, he turned around, alerted, watching the w Wolf respond ordingly. The inputs he had nted within the Sleeper Cell seed consisted of his voice, his image, his scent, bodynguage, etc.


    This way, depending on the way he acted, it would react ordingly. That¡¯s why he first checked using his voice, seeing that it was a sess. Second was his bodynguage, seeing that it worked too.


    And third was his scent that his body produced when he sensed danger. He was just acting in this way, but since he had a realistic acting, it believed it.


    An animal, especially from a canine breed was capable of sensing a creature¡¯s emotions through their scent. The w Wolf was the same.


    What would ur after years of training was achieved by him in a matter of hours. Though, he still had to make the w Wolf repeat such actions until it was instinctual.


    Currently, even though it was reacting in the way he desired, there was a dy in its reactions, as it just wasn¡¯t used to such things. Though, over time, its actions would be sharper.


    That was the effect of the Sleeper Cell ability. Among the humans that were Sleeper Cells, they too became Sleeper Cells gradually, as the seed had to take a root in their minds and growrge enough first.


    Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t n on bringing this w Wolf with him back to the Gaider Realm. That wasn¡¯t his intent as he wasn¡¯t sure if it would even survive that long. His goal was just to use it as a mount for the time being while trying to see if the Blood Vitality Grass would grow further.


    He wanted to harvest it in its most potent state, that way, the advantage he gained would be the maximum.


    He then gazed at the corpse of the cultivator that had attacked him, noticing that their body was pretty mangled, unable to be recognised. He noticed in surprise that this cultivator had a spatial pouch, smirking as he grabbed hold of it, ¡®I see, that¡¯s why he/she was pretty strong.¡¯


    ¡°But that¡¯s it. If you aren¡¯t careful enough, you¡¯ll die instantly.¡± He muttered, looking through the contents of the spatial pouch, noticing a lot of essence stones, pills, and a couple of Artifacts within.


    He emptied them into his storage bracelet, cing the spatial pouch in a sash that he strung to his hip, ¡°I can either sell this or give it to Grisha for use.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t possible to ce this spatial pouch within his storage bracelet, for the spatial abilities within the two would contradict one another. After that, the w Wolf finished eating the cultivator¡¯s corpse as Compass Carburettor noticed a minor glow in the Blood Vitality Grass, ¡°I see, so cultivators are also good fuel for its growth.¡±


    He then spent a couple more hours training the w Wolf, preparing a set of reins and saddle for it. Taking a seat, he pped twice, watching the w Wolf jog forth, smiling, ¡°This saves me a lot of energy.¡±


    He then took an Essence Stone, using it to recover his expended Origin Essence, leaving the forest as he came across a massive building in the distance. It seemed to be protected by a barrier, and at its entrance was a massive crowd.


    ¡°Is this the first treasure zone?¡± He muttered, slowly approaching the location.

 Chapter 404: First Contac

    <h4>Chapter 404: First Contac</h4>


    The building was a wide cylinder, with a radius of five kilometres and a height of hundred metres. Situated atop it was a dome, creating a special environment inside.


    The building was surrounded by a barrier that shone with a pale purple hue, flickering constantly from time to time as a group of cultivators constantly bombarded attacks onto it.


    Situated above the tower¡¯s entrance was a massive gue, with the words, ¡®Essence Derby Pce¡¯ inscribed on it.


    ¡°Why are so many people gathered here?¡± A curious cultivator asked.


    ¡°This is the Essence Derby Pce, one of the infamous training spots of the Folkan Secret Realm.¡± An excited cultivator was the first to speak, ¡°Once we enter it, all of us would be participants of a certain contest. And the winners would be awarded with a variety of treasures.¡±


    ¡°Treasures that raise your overall Origin Essence capacity, increase its quality, and in super rare cases, there are even treasures that¡¯s able to give you an attribute. There¡¯s many more within, so based on the ancient documents, this is where most cultivators arrive at first.¡± The excited cultivator said.


    ¡°Heh, it¡¯s also because everyone that enters the Secret Realm are dropped a few hours of journey from here. So, this is the first stop for everyone.¡± A serious looking cultivator muttered.


    ¡°Wait, who¡¯s that?¡± Suddenly, one of the cultivators shouted, pointing at the figure of Compass Carburettor that was approaching the crowd while riding the w Wolf.


    ¡°Someone already reached the Martial Origin Stage?¡± A cultivator muttered, frowning in response.


    ¡°Heh, that¡¯s foolish. Making a breakthrough after digesting the gains from here would result in a stronger cultivation base. Besides, the materials to fuse with in the Secret Realm are many times better than the ones avable outside. So, it¡¯s foolishness of him to breakthrough so early.¡± Another cultivator remarked, letting outughter full of mockery.


    Soon, quite a few among the crowd began to snicker in response, but none dared to move against him. After all, they weren¡¯t strong enough to fight against someone from the Martial Origin Stage yet.


    The reason they assumed Compass Carburettor was riding his Martial Spirit was due to the reins that covered the Blood Vitality Grass growing on its forehead, causing it to resemble a normal w Wolf.


    And as he was only considered as a Human Martial Spirit cultivator that had rashly made a breakthrough so early, there were gazes of disdain focused on him. Well, this was pretty much what he was hoping for.


    If he was seen as a strong party at present with a weak future, none would bother with him for the time being. After all, they would bepeting with their Origin Refinement peers that would grow stronger by consuming the treasures of the Secret Realm.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Attacks consuming Origin Essence rained down on the barrier, causing its fluctuation to intensify.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost done! The barrier would fall soon after!¡± The cultivators shouted in joy as everyone contributed with an attack, causing the barrier to shake even more unstably.


    Compass Carburettor observed the actions of those that seemed to have great knowledge about this ce, noticing that they seemed pretty calm while hurling attacks at the barrier.


    Normally, those that were smarter would conserve their Origin Essence, ensuring they were at an optimal condition to participate in the contest within. But, upon seeing that the ones that were the most knowledgeable about it attacking it the hardest, he frowned, passing by an attacking cultivator as he connected their minds.


    Origin Art¡ªMind Transfer!


    He stole the surface memories of the cultivator, going through it as his eyes lit up in response, ¡®I see, the contest has already started.¡¯


    Based on what he observed, it seemed that those that participated in breaking down the barrier obtained a greater advantage in the contest. The greater the damage they dealt to the barrier, the more their advantage.


    And, the barrier was only able to soak up limited damage before shattering. So, the advantage they were able to gain was limited, with the one that began attacking from the start gaining the most profit.


    Compass Carburettor pped twice, causing the w Wolf to run away from the crowd, circling the barrier as he stopped at a secluded location, motioning for the w Wolf to go all out in its attacks.


    Origin Essence congregated at its ws, causing them to shine as the w Wolf shed at the barrier, racking up a lot of damage.


    And at the same time, Compass Carburettor took out an energy de sphere from his storage bracelet, aiming as he threw it with all his might.


    Bang!


    The energy de sphere shattered uponing into contact with the barrier, spilling out the contents within.


    Dust Wave!


    It was his Apocalypse World ability that he had stored a lot of in his earlier preparation. And indeed, he had already tested it before to see that it worked fine.


    After all, the burst element could simply be considered as Origin Essence with the explosion attribute. At least, it wasn¡¯t rejected by thews of the Gaider Realm. Some of his preparations like Darble spheres turned useless while these Dust Wave spheres still retained their ability.


    The Dust Wave spilled all over the barrier, eating through it as the contact region began to flicker erratically, disying the extent of damage he had unleashed.


    The attack was significantly powerful as he had condensed a terrifying quantity of Dust Wave in that sphere. Smiling in response, Compass Carburettor hurled a second sphere of the same, seeing the majority of the barrier looking like it was about to vanish any moment as he hurriedly threw in the third, observing it dealing a lot of damage as the barrier was unable to hold on any longer, shattering into countless pieces.


    Immediately,rge fragments of the shattered barrier flew towards him, seeping into his body, causing ayer of the same barrier to form on his body.


    ¡°Ohh, this is surprising.¡± He muttered, probing the strength of the barrier to see that it was pretty tough. Moreover, it seemed the w Wolf was indeed recognised as part of him as his barrier also covered it.


    ¡°This is great.¡± He smiled, also wondering how this tower came into being. After all, the simple result it had disyed before should have requiredplex formations and calctions.


    ¡®Is it a naturally forming formation of the Folkan Secret Realm that resulted in this?¡¯ He muttered, soon returning to the crowd as he noticed their figures entering it, slowing down all of a sudden, gazing at a certain figure entering the tower.


    And, the other party seemed to have sensed him, turning around to stare at him. For a short duration, the two people continued to stare as the people that were entering the tower shuddered, with a lot of them copsing to the ground, unable to endure the pressure unleashed by a pair of highest Tiered Martial Spirits.

 Chapter 405: World Decaying Evil Spiri

    <h4>Chapter 405: World Decaying Evil Spiri</h4>


    Boom!


    Kheee!


    Screee!


    ¡°Catch him!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him escape!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be using his Putrid Crocodile to escape into the ground. Prevent that!¡± Martial Origin Stage experts chased after a running youth, hurling a variety of attacks. But every single time, two or more attacks would collide into one another, cancelling each other out, causing him to escape unscathed.


    And when only a single cultivator unleashed an attack, the youth somehow managed to divert part of the attack while evading the rest. Despite being chased for the past two days, he only suffered from minor injuries.


    And it wasn¡¯t just the Martial Origin Stage experts chasing after him, but there were even Martial Providence Stage powerhouses among the chasers. But despite everything, as a mere Origin Refinement Stage ant, he managed to stay on the run all along.


    And that wasn¡¯t all, he had also killed a couple of experts in such a situation, shocking the pursuers.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let this Evil Spirit escape!¡± A Martial Providence Stage powerhouse bellowed, turning into an eagle that rushed at the youth, unleashing a hail of Origin Essence des at him, also sweeping towards him in an effort to shred him apart.


    But suddenly, the youth took out a mysterious Artifact, activating it as a sphere of Origin Essence enveloped him, resembling a ball as the Origin Essence des sent the ball flying, causing the eagle to miss its aim.


    The ball cracked severely from the attack, shattering after travelling for a couple hundred metres as the youth noticed a tunnel nearby, sliding into it as he evaded another hail of attacks.


    Immediately after that, he rushed into the tunnel, treading through the winding paths, using its maze-like structure to either ambush or lose the experts chasing after him. And due to a couple of traps that he had set up, three experts lost their lives.


    This further enraged the pursuers.


    Standing at the entrance of the tunnel was the eagle powerhouse, returning to his human form as his face was pale, recalling all the events that had happened, ¡°Everything stated about the Evil Spirits is true. Even a powerhouse would have died by now, but this ant is still alive and has already killed five experts.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, if this Evil Spirit is this terrifying even at the Origin Refinement Stage, imagine what he would be at the Martial Providence Stage.¡± Another powerhouse arrived, muttering as he shuddered, ¡°Just how did Lord Gahrat face them all?¡±


    ¡°I had been hoping that everything stated by Lord Gahrat is just false rm, but it became the truth now.¡± The eagle powerhouse sighed, massaging his forehead, ¡°And how the heck did I never notice a tunnelwork here? I¡¯m useless in such narrow tunnels, dammit!¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± The other powerhouse muttered before gritted his teeth, taking off to the skies, ¡°We¡¯ll patrol this region. He shoulde out from one of the exits. We¡¯ll use our superior speed to map out all exits first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll contact my Sect and dispatch all experts with a bird type Martial Spirit. They¡¯ll help form a in the air.¡± The eagle powerhouse said, ¡°No matter what, Velcorn, the World Decaying Evil Spirit must be killed.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Shit¡­shit¡­shit!¡± Velcorn shouted in fluster, ¡°What the fuck is happening here? Howe they know of my Martial Spirit?¡±


    Indeed, his Martial Spirit was the Putrid Crocodile, just as Compass Carburettor had predicted. Due to that, he lost the initiative from the start.


    Even though he had been in hiding, the moment he used the used his Martial Spirit to deal with some bandits along the way to train himself, some of them managed to run away, screaming with their lives in the process, ¡°Evil Spirit!¡±


    ¡°What the heck is an Evil Spirit? This is a Heaven Martial Spirit though.¡± Velcorn at that time was just confused, snorting as he nned to leave. But immediately after, a group of cultivators had tracked him down, attacking him immediately.


    And when he retaliated, they determined that he had the attribute of a crocodile and was able to rot everything his Origin Essence came into contact with.


    The characteristics were the exact same as the World Decaying Evil Spirit whose news had been circted to every force in the Gaider Realm, including the bandits.


    This was why the bandits had recognised him soon after a couple of them had died under his hands. And from there, he was constantly chased after by cultivators that grew in strength and numbers over time.


    ¡°Koff!¡± Velcorn mmed a cultivator onto the wall, choking him as he shouted, ¡°Why are all of you chasing after me?¡±


    This was one of the experts that had recently fallen into his trap as Velcorn used this chance to destroy the expert¡¯s Martial Spirit, turning him into a mortal.


    ¡°Answer me!¡± He bellowed, causing the feet of the expert to rot in response, hearing the other party¡¯s screams.


    ¡°Damn Evil Spirit, I¡¯m not afraid of you!¡± The expert spat in response.


    ¡°Fine, then Die!¡± Velcorn shouted, turning the expert into a rotting corpse, causing it to fall to the ground, making a loud thud.


    And right at this time, three experts arrived at the scene, gazing at the rotting corpse of their Sect mate as they shouted in anger, pouncing upon Velcorn immediately.


    ¡­


    ¡°Shit¡­fuck! Tell me! How did you know details about my Martial Spirit!¡± Velcorn panted in exhaustion, having crippled the three experts somehow after more than two hours of cate and mouse chase, torturing them one after another, finally arriving at thest expert.


    He saved the weak-willed expert for the end, torturing the strong-willed experts first before turning them into rotting puddles when they refused to give in any details.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to end up like them, then answer me!¡± Velcorn emanated dense killing intent, cing a finger on the expert¡¯s cheek, causing a nail-length area to rot.


    ¡°P-Please spare me! We knew details about you from a scroll.¡± The expert said.


    ¡°A scroll?¡± Velcorn frowned, ¡°Start talking if you wish to survive.¡±

 Chapter 406: Endless Chase

    <h4>Chapter 406: Endless Chase</h4>


    ¡°Shit, this bastard cheated death and ced the me on me?¡± Velcorn gasped, using an Essence Stone to replenish his Origin Essence reserves. He then took out an Artifact, seeping his Origin Essence into it to activate it, causing a pale white energy to wash out as his wounds began to slowly recover.


    He panted in exhaustion, stopping his bleeding as his energy began to recover little by little. Currently in his hands was a scroll that he had fished out from the pockets of one of the in experts. The scroll was pretty damaged as it seemed to be a copy that had traded a lot of hands, but he was still able to make out some details.


    And among it were details rted to him, possessing expert details regarding his power, his character, and tendencies. Honestly, there was so much information about him in this scroll that was more detailed than what he thought about himself.


    It was like a learning experience for him when suddenly, Velcorn shuddered, ¡°H-How does that bastard know about all this? Fucking Main Character bastard!¡±


    Swish!


    ¡°Shit!¡± Velcorn screamed in anger when a fire arrow mmed into him, burning the scroll in the process as he instinctively defended himself with it. He hadn¡¯t managed to read through much on the scroll, cursing his worsening luck as he quickly began to run once again, ¡°I didn¡¯t heal much in that short duration, dammit!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s here!¡± An expert shouted,unching another fire arrow at Velcorn, this time hitting his leg urately, causing Velcorn to scream in pain as he unleashed all his Origin Essence, filling up the tunnel with a dense mist.


    This mist corroded anything living that touched it, preventing the experts from immediately catching up to him. And in the meantime, Velcorn took out a bunch of Essence Stones, replenishing his Origin Essence while activating the healing Artifact.


    Healing Artifacts were so rare that at most, the strongest of the ns/Sects of a Realm might possess one. And that too might only be thanks to them having a fixed line of doctors with healing type Martial Spirits that used their healing attributes Origin Essence to barely create such an Artifact.


    He obtained this Healing Artifact after killing the young master of a famous n in the Realm hended at. Once he stole this Artifact, things turned sticky for him there as he was on a constant run for most of the time.


    When he realised that he wasn¡¯t able to remain in hiding there any longer, he used a spatial bridge connecting the Realms to arrive at the Gaider Realm in search of Compass Carburettor.


    But it hadn¡¯t even been a week since his arrival when he was chased after once again. But this time, the was slowly closing in on him as his pursuers had a clear understanding of his ability and even his character.


    Moreover, every wave of pursuers was better equipped to deal with him, causing him to feel like the noose around his neck was slowly tightening itself.


    As he continued to hop around with his injury, a sharp pain originated from his other leg as something had grabbed hold of it, dragging him deeper into the tunnels, ¡°Aaaah!¡±


    Screech!


    There was a grating chirp before he was thrown into what seemed like a nest. And, seated within was a chick, but despite being a baby, it was already at the Sixth Layer of the Origin Refinement Stage.


    As for its mother, it was at the Martial Providence Stage. And, the bird had intended for him to be the chick¡¯s food, also to serve as a whetstone that trained it to hunt and kill its prey.


    But, the moment he was dropped into the nest, Velcorn grabbed hold of the chick¡¯s fur when it pecked his injured leg. Gritting his teeth in pain, hetched onto its back, beginning to corrode its body a little, causing it to scream in pain.


    In response, the bird screeched in anger, pecking towards him, intending to kill him when Velcorn slipped to the side, shouting, ¡°Dumb bird! If you dare kill me, I¡¯ll drag your child with me to hell!¡±


    Scree!


    The bird fumed in rage, pping its wings to unleash powerful gusts of wind, in anger and worry, noticing the chick slowly turning weak over time.


    Velcorn activated the healing artifact, healing the chick as he shouted, ¡°If you promise to not kill me, I¡¯ll cure your child and you too!¡±


    The reason he had taken this approach was after noticing therge unhealed gash on the bird¡¯s stomach, an injury that almost crippled it, preventing it from taking flight. That was why it had moved into this tunnel to hide and take care of its newborn until it became strong enough.


    Honestly, it was a fluke that he spoke at the perfect moment, watching the bird pause, pping its wings from time to time, contemting before chirping upon seeing that the chick was unable to endure anymore.


    In this time, Velcorn had replenished a bit of his Origin Essence, diverting part of it to heal his injuries and the other into the chick, ensuring both of them were alive.


    Slowly, he repeated the process until both were fully healed. With his leg regenerated, he was able to walk once again, sighing as he cautiously approached the bird, noticing it p its wings and retreat instinctively, lowering his head in an effort to peck him to death.


    Chirp!


    When the chick chirped in response, disying abundant vitality, the bird slowly lowered its beak, allowing him to touch its stomach. Upon activating the healing Artifact, the wounds of the bird began to slowly heal.


    But at this time, the bird¡¯s senses registered some invaders, hurriedly pushing the chick into a nearby tunnel as it pped a boulder, suddenly closing the tunnel, making it seem like a tunnel didn¡¯t exist there.


    Moreover, the chick¡¯s chirps were no longer audible while before the entrance closed, Velcorn noticed enough food stocked within the tunnels and a narrow tunnel leading towards the surface, only wide enough for it to fly out of.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to escape!¡± Velcorn shouted all of a sudden, gazing at the bird, ¡°If they see me here, they¡¯ll also kill you and your child.¡±


    Chirp!


    The bird immediately carried him on its back, pping its wings to run through the tunnels as the experts arrived at the scene, barely missing each other.


    By the time they noticed them, the bird had exited the tunnels, showing the experts flying there with his Martial Providence Stage prowess, swatting them away before taking off to the air, rapidly flying towards the Folkan Secret Realm entrance.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


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    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C

 Chapter 407: There’s an Evil Spirit Here

    <h4>Chapter 407: There¡¯s an Evil Spirit Here</h4>


    Boom!


    Screee!


    The bird screeched as countless attacks trailed after it,nding on it from time to time. The bird¡¯s injuries were slowly umting as Velcorn used his Healing Artifact to the limit, constantly healing it while replenishing his Origin Essence.


    This was the reason it was still alive.


    ¡°He¡¯s escaping towards the Folkan Secret Realm!¡± Two Martial Origin Stage experts shouted as they rode their flying type Martial Spirits, chasing after him, unleashing attributed attacks towards him.


    The attacks streaked across the air, creating resounding booms while the bird used its Martial Providence Stage power to constantly ward off all attacks, preventing any Martial Origin Stage experts from approaching them.


    ¡°It¡¯s here¡­¡± Velcorn muttered, noticing the Secret Realm¡¯s entrance nearby, causing the bird to elerate towards when suddenly, the air around him seared, paling his face.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± He hurriedly took out a priceless Artifact that he had obtained in a chance encounter before, condensing a barrier on his body, noticing his surroundings resemble a sea of mes now, rapidly melting the bird¡¯s body.


    Even a Martial Providence Stage Origin Beast died with a single attack. But coincidentally, it seemed to have absorbed most of the power behind the attack, suddenly causing a minor explosion that sent him flying into the Secret Realm entrance.


    As his protective barrier shattered, Velcorn gazed at the figure of the red-haired man that had attacked him, ¡°I remember you now. Wash your neck and wait. I¡¯ll ughter everyone when I return!¡±


    Boom!


    A firebird mmed into him, failing to touch him as he had entered the Secret Realm that prevented anyone or anything beyond the Origin Refinement Stage from entering, thereby thwarting the terrifying attack.


    ¡°Haah¡­hah¡­fuck!¡± Velcorny down on the ground after he had been teleported to a random location within the Folkan Secret Realm, sighing as noticed the severe burn marks on his body, relying on his healing Artifact to heal himself.


    ¡°Dammit, I wasted a lot of life saving treasures because of this.¡± He cursed in anger, mming the ground, ¡°This is all Compass Carburettor¡¯s fault!¡±


    ¡°When I find you, I¡¯ll kill you first!¡± He gritted his teeth, taking out Essence Stones to replenish his expended Origin Essence, slowly gathering his bearings. He began to move out once hepleted his preparations, resting a little until his condition reached an optimal level.


    He slowly made his way through the region, eventually noticing some cultivators walking further before him, observing a massive cylindrical building farther into the distance.


    And it was at this moment, when he joined the crowd to enter the building to reap some benefits did he hear about a couple of nearby cultivators talk about an idiot that had attempted a breakthrough prematurely.


    And upon hearing their discussion, he was curious about this fool, following the direction they were pointing towards to see a certain individual riding atop a w Wolf.


    His skin was jet-ck, riddled with what resembled stars that blinked as he moved. Covering atop it were a set of normal cultivator clothes that covered most of his body. And finally, the most unnerving feeling originated from the deer mask work on his face.


    To others, a deer mask wasn¡¯t anything worth concerning about with. But for System Hosts like him, it meant otherwise. After all, the Luck based Systems resembled a deer in appearance. And the fact that someone was wearing a deer mask in this situation only meant one thing to him.


    Provocation!


    And, there was just one entity capable of doing this as Velcorn¡¯s expression was immediately riddled with wrath, ¡°Compass Carburettor¡­!¡±


    ¡°So¡­what kind of Luck are you now?¡± Compass Carburettor muttered, causing the other party¡¯s expression to resemble a scowl.


    But, just when Velcorn nned to target him, Compass Carburettor¡¯s body suddenly began to tremble in fear, pointing at him as his voice resounded with tremendous fluster, ¡°Y-Y-You¡­You¡¯re an Evil Spirit! EVIL SPIRIT!¡±


    ¡°Evil Spirit?¡± The cultivators among the crowd immediately heard his shouts, turning around to gaze in the direction Compass Carburettor was pointing towards, noticing the figure of Velcorn.


    A certain young master hailing from a prestigious n observed Velcorn, having seen the scroll before, eyes widening as he shouted in rm, ¡°That¡¯s Velcorn, the World Decaying Evil Spirit!¡±


    ¡°The Evil Spirits weren¡¯t just legends?¡±


    ¡°They are real?¡±


    ¡°The World Decaying Evil Spirit¡­? Why is it here?¡±


    The cultivators moured as they hurriedly distanced themselves from Velcorn, encircling him as they gazed at him nervously.


    A cultivator tugged the bowstring of his bow-type Artifact, loading an energy arrow on it that heunched towards Velcorn, ¡°Let me test it.¡±


    Swish!


    The arrow mmed into the figure of Velcorn that was caught unawares. But in an instant, the arrow simply melted after crashing into the barrier he had erected, surprising everyone.


    A lot of cultivators were struggling to even breathe. As everyone here were more or less at the peak of the Origin Refinement Stage, it meant his Heaven Martial Spirit was able to wholly supress them.


    Cultivators with Trash Martial Spirits were on the ground, their limbs shivering in fear while Human Martial Spirit cultivators weren¡¯t that better off either.


    Only the scant few geniuses with Earth Martial Spirits were fine, enduring the level of suppression Velcorn was emitting.


    But surprisingly, Velcorn had been focusing on Compass Carburettor all along, ¡®What the heck is this guy nning now?¡¯


    He was feeling a bit tense because Compass Carburettor hadn¡¯t attacked even once until now, as if he was waiting for the opportune moment. And for some reason, Velcorn didn¡¯t wish to be the one to strike first, feeling as if he would fall into the trap the moment he did that.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to grow stronger first.¡¯ He gazed at the tower entrance, rushing into it immediately, enduring the attacksunched by a couple of quick-witted Earth Martial Spirit cultivators that were within striking range.


    ¡®Hmm, I am unable to determine which System is in him yet.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, unwilling to waste any time as he rushed into the tower, ¡®We¡¯ll decide it inside.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t n on allowing you to grow any further.¡±

 Chapter 408: Attribute Strengthening Spark

    <h4>Chapter 408: Attribute Strengthening Spark</h4>


    Swich!


    Compass Carburettor noticed that he had arrived atop a cliff after entering the tower, seeming as if he had been teleported, frowning immediately as he looked around, ¡®It seems the space within the tower is many times bigger than I thought.¡¯


    [Embolden yourself by absorbing a variety of Sparks without dying]


    There was a set of words engraved on a stone pir before him as Compass Carburettor understood the gist of things, ¡°There isn¡¯t any test or the sort here. It¡¯s just a¡­¡±


    ¡°Mindless massacre!¡± He muttered, gazing at the massive ethereal creature floating in the sky, spanning around thirty metres in length.


    It had a serpentine body with a whale-like head and a feathery skin. Revolving around this ethereal creature were hundreds of tiny orbs, each flickering with a mysterious but sharp presence. ¡°Are they the¡­Sparks?¡±


    ¡°Obtain them!¡± A cultivator shouted as he leaped into the air, intending to grab one of the revolving orbs when suddenly, an orb mmed into his back, the impact causing him to spit blood. And right at this time, another orb mmed into his chin, shattering it.


    Bam! Bam! Bam!


    Three more orbs mmed into him as the cultivator lost consciousness from the severe injuries. He then fell on the ground, the fall causing him to stter.


    He wasn¡¯t alone though as countless cultivators were being killed by the swarm of orbs mming into them repeatedly. They were at most able to fend off a few being dying from their injuries.


    Compass Carburettor also noticed a cultivator possessing a barrier simr to him. An orb mmed into the cultivator before being stunned for a moment due to the barrier. Using the chance, the cultivator attacked the orb, shattering it, causing a mystical essence contained within the orb to flow into his body.


    ¡°I feel¡­stronger!¡± The cultivatorughed after a moment as he targeted another orb. And even though they were only by a fraction, his attacks were indeed stronger than before.


    ¡°I see, that makes sense.¡± Compass Carburettor muttered as he pped twice, causing the w Wolf to begin tunning towards the nearest ethereal creature. They were treated as one unit by the tower and teleported alongside.


    The w Wolf climbed atop a boulder, leaping high up into the air bypressing Origin Essence in its legs.


    Origin Arts¡ªSnag!


    Compass Carburettor unleashed the Origin Essence rope like a frog¡¯s tongue, causing it to m into a flying orb, pulling it towards him immediately. The orb wasn¡¯t even able to react before it found itself in his hands.


    He used Snag once again, but this time, he used its attacking form, causing the tip of the Origin Essence rope to be sharper this time, mming into the orb to shatter it.


    The same mysterious essence flowed into his body as Compass Carburettor noticed the total quantity of Origin Essence in his body rising by a small amount, ¡°This is¡­amazing!¡±


    Even though the rise in quantity was little, he was amazed as this was akin to exceeding his limits. After all, he had already umted the limit of Origin Essence for the Origin Refinement Stage. And these Sparks implied that he could grow further stronger at the same cultivation level.


    Origin Arts¡ªSnag!


    He captured a second orb, easily shattering it to absorb its essence. A couple of orbs mmed into him to kill him, but they were stunned by the barrier protecting him, allowing him to shatter them easily and absorb their essence.


    ¡®I see, so this is the reason.¡¯ The barrier given by the tower was different by any Origin Essence shields they could create. Their shields only served in blocking attacks, but the tower¡¯s shield also stunned the orbs after impact.


    Though, the shield lost a bit of strength with every impact, but it also meant that he could gather a lot of Sparks. After all, the shield he obtained was many times stronger than the other cultivators, giving him significant advantage.


    ¡®But, where is he¡­?¡¯ Compass Carburettor frowned, unable to locate Velcorn anywhere nearby. Suddenly, his eyes lit up after shattering an orb, ¡®This Spark raised the quality of my Origin Essence. Amazing!¡¯


    As he continued to hunt for the orbs, he noticed that there were four Sparks in total.


    Essence Increasing Spark: It increased the maximum amount of Origin Essence in a cultivator.


    Essence Strengthening Spark: It increased a cultivator¡¯s Origin Essence quality.


    Spirit Strengthening Spark: It strengthened a Martial Spirit.


    Attribute Strengthening Spark: It strengthened one¡¯s attributes.


    They were in the increasing order of rarity as even after hunting for an hour, Compass Carburettor only managed to find one Spirit Strengthening Spark. It was tremendously helpful in that it could strengthen his Martial Spirit a lot. But, he only got one of them, and that too was something he had stolen from another cultivator.


    As for the Attribute Strengthening Spark, he had yet to find any.


    Boom!


    Roar!


    As time passed, one of the ethereal creatures roared in pain, crashing into the ground as it had been severely injured by someone.


    Compass Carburettor gazed at the culprit, noticing the region surrounded by mist, obscuring the person within.


    But, just by judging the aura emanating from the cultivator, Compass Carburettor understood that it was a Heaven Martial Spirit cultivator. Moreover, that cultivator dug out something from the ethereal creature¡¯s body, one whose aura caused everyone¡¯s heart to skip a beat.


    ¡®It seems the strongest of these Sparks is within that creature¡¯s body.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought.


    ¡°Tch!¡± He clicked his tongue, making his w Wolf leap as he used Frog Leap atop that, guarding against a couple of orbs as he moved high up in the air, slinging forth using the Origin Essence rope as it rapidly pulled him towards the ethereal creature.


    ¡°Make way!¡± He shouted, taking out an energy de sword that he used to sh through the orbs, noticing that he was able to cut through them easily. His hands hurt at the shock he felt from every sh through the orbs, but that allowed him to grow stronger faster.


    He quickly made his way through the sea of orbs, shing the ethereal creature to create a long gash. And after a moment of hesitation, he entered it, making his way through its body.


    ¡®Indeed, this shield protects me from its body¡¯s corrosive property.¡¯ He thought, quickly making his way through it, reaching its heart to see a massive orb silently pulsing there.


    Attribute Strengthening Spark!


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Notice: There¡¯ll be a major announcement on my Discord in the uing weeks. Don¡¯t miss it~!!!


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    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C

 Chapter 409: Essence Beas

    <h4>Chapter 409: Essence Beas</h4>


    The Attribute Strengthening Spark was an orb the size of his head. It was tremendously tough as Compass Carburettor hacked it repeatedly for more than a minute using his energy de sword before cracking it.


    And in this duration, the surrounding cultivators had indeed noticed his actions, intending to snatch the Attribute Strengthening Spark from him. But, the ethereal creature¡¯s body acted as his shield.


    And for most, they were unable to enter its body, as it has a corrosive property, enough to melt their bodies. For those with the tower¡¯s shield, they noticed that even though they could move through its body by relying on that, the shield lost strength too fast.


    It wasn¡¯t worth it to waste their shield for something they might not obtain. After all, they still had to fight against Compass Carburettor to snatch the Spark.


    Those that managed to think it through went away, hunting for other Sparks, while those without much mental faculty continued to hack into the ethereal creature¡¯s body.


    In the meantime, he shattered the Attribute Strengthening Spark, absorbing the essence that poured out from within, grunting as he could sense his attributes of Mind and Frog growing stronger, ¡°That¡¯s¡­a lot of essence.¡±


    He then thought of something, activating his Origin Art of Ming Connect, establishing a connection with the ethereal creature¡¯s mind, noticing that it wasn¡¯t dead yet.


    He sent a portion of his will into the ethereal creature¡¯s mind, noticing that there were only three memories within.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± He was surprised, probing through the three memories.


    The first memory showed a crack in the ground through which Origin Essence was seeping out. And once a significant quantity of it was ejected out, the Origin Essence condensed into a cloud over time.


    The second memory showed the cloud remaining in position for tens of years before slowly gaining meagre sentience, transforming into the ethereal creature. It was where he learnt of its name.


    Essence Beast!


    The final memory consisted of the Essence Beast interacting with other Essence Beasts, gradually condensing the Sparks around their bodies using the ambient Origin Essence that they absorbed on a daily basis.


    And the greater the number of Sparks they condense, the stronger they grew, until the Sparks began to gain special properties. All Sparks were the Essence Increase Spark first. And over time, some of them grew to be the Essence Strengthening Spark.


    And once the Essence Beast lived for more than a few decades, it would form a Spirit Strengthening Spark within its body, at the position of its heart/brain, which was the same in its case. And, for every decade it lived after that, it would condense a Spirit Strengthening Spark every time.


    Finally, if it lived for a century, the ten Spirit Strengthening Sparks would fuse to be an Attribute Strengthening Spark.


    Origin Arts¡ªMind Transfer!


    That was the extent of its memories as Compass Carburettor siphoned them all into his mind, feeling that it was better to obtain them for himself. It was strange, but he sensed that these three memories would prove helpful for him.


    ¡®Wait, can I do that here?¡¯ He thought suddenly, noticing that the Essence Beast was still alive. Even though it was struggling to yank him out of its body, it was clearly unable to do so as any orb that arrived before him only served to strengthen him.


    Origin Arts¡ªSleeper Cell!


    Compass Carburettor nted a Sleeper Cell seed in the Essence Beast¡¯s mind, frowning upon seeing that the seed didn¡¯t sprout, ¡°This is a strange lifeform.¡±


    Origin Arts¡ªMind Transfer!


    He transferred three of his memories into the Essence Beast¡¯s mind, subtly sensing a minor reaction in its body as it suddenly took off to the skies once again.


    But this time, Compass Carburettor was able to sense that he was instead being treated as its heart/brain. After all, he had absorbed the Attribute Strengthening Spark that acted as its core. And now, it was three of his memories that were in its mind, affecting it.


    The Essence Beastcked any intelligence, only acting based on some primal instinct. And with it now possessing his memories, he was treated as its core.


    He wasn¡¯t able to control it though as his Sleeper Cell seed had yet to germinate, still remaining as a seed.


    ¡°I see, so the Essence Beast¡¯s mind hasn¡¯t even developed for me to take control of.¡± He muttered, not doing anything else for the time being, wondering just what exactly the Essence Beast was nning to do.


    Swish!


    A cultivator had been struggling all along, evading the orbs that targeted him as he finally managed to capture one. He attacked it a little, cracking it until the orb became unresponsive.


    ¡°Finally, I can absorb it in peace now.¡± He muttered, intending to deliver the final blow when suddenly, the orb seemed toe to life once again, taking off to the skies. But this time, it didn¡¯t fly towards its original Essence Beast, rather heading towards an injured Essence Beast, beginning to revolve around it.


    ¡°What the heck?¡± The cultivator was confused, noticing some of the orbs revolving the farthest from the Essence Beasts escaping orbit to be sucked towards the injured Essence Beast.


    And slowly, as the number of orbs revolving around the injured Essence Beast increased, its injuries began to heal.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Compass Carburettorughed all of a sudden, noticing a minor increase in the strength of his attributes, ¡®So, I¡¯m indeed being treated as an Attribute Strengthening Spark.¡¯


    ¡®This is good. My attributes would continue to grow stronger as a result.¡¯ He smiled at the thought. After all, not every Essence Beast had lived for a hundred years to grow an Attribute Strengthening Spark on its body.


    The Folkan Secret Realm opened once every century. And the Essence Derby Pce was the first ce everyone arrived at. So, it would be hard for the Essence Beasts to survive through that. After all, even though they were powerful, they didn¡¯t have a mind of their own, eventually falling prey to the cultivators.


    So, that meant only the Essence Beasts that formed right after the Secret Realm closed previously would have grown an Attribute Strengthening Spark. And based on the memories, there were only a couple dozen Essence Beasts at most that were birthed right at the start.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


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    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C

 Chapter 410: The Systems’ Preparations

    <h4>Chapter 410: The Systems¡¯ Preparations</h4>


    ¡°I see, so that was Chenger.¡± Compass Carburettor said in surprise, gazing at the mist from above, noticing her figure within.


    Indeed, just like him, she had attacked an Essence Beast that had an Attribute Strengthening Spark. But like him, she had killed it instead.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s perfect for me.¡± He grinned as his Essence Beast stole all the orbs of the dead Essence Beast, shocking Chenger, causing her to gaze upwards to see his figure within it.


    The Essence Beast was ethereal in nature, possessing a semi-transparent body. So, she was able to perceive his figure within it, scowling in anger, ¡°Compass!¡±


    Boom!


    Chenger unleashed a gust of mist, using it as a thrust as she flew towards the Essence Beast like a rocket. But suddenly, when she approached its proximity, the Essence Beast vanished, rming her. ¡°What the heck? Where did he go?¡±


    Origin Arts¡ªMind Connect!


    Origin Arts¡ªGloss Over!


    This was the reason she was unable to locate him. And using this chance, Compass Carburettor probed through her mind, peeking inside for a moment before blood began to drip out from his nose as his Mind Connect was severed.


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve arrived, Compass Carburettor.¡± In Chenger¡¯s mind, seated atop a pile of memories originating from her almost 1000 years of existence was a fawn, grinning when it noticed a thin stream of energy enter the ce.


    Destiny Luck System!


    ¡°As expected, she¡¯s destined to kill you.¡± It grinned, flicking a memory like it was a bullet, causing it to m into the streak of energy, dissipating it.


    ¡­


    The rebound severed their connection as Compass Carburettor grunted, ¡°I see, the Destiny Luck System is living in her mind. Indeed, there¡¯s no way the Systems would remain in a passive situation.¡±


    He had probed through the minds of countless people. And one simrity in all of them was the fact that their memories were always in a disarray, like fish in water and they were constantly in motion.


    But shockingly, all the memories in Chenger¡¯s mind formed a pile. And¡­the Destiny Luck System seemed capable of manipting them. This meant that it was capable of influencing her thoughts and actions to a certain extent, like a pilot piloting a mech.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re here!¡± Chenger cursed in anger upon noticing the Essence Beast appear before her once again. But right as she was about to take action, the Essence Beast vanished.


    Thump! Thump!


    For some reason, her heart shuddered as Chenger unleashed a gust of mist, rapidly reading the ground, shuddering in response for some reason.


    She then gazed at the figure of the Essence Beast flying away slowly, ¡°Dammit!¡±


    Bam!


    Her protective ring shattered, turning into dust, shocking her, for it was a priceless artifact that was capable of absorbing damage in her stead, basically giving her an extra life.


    And the fact that it was used up meant that Compass Carburettor had retaliated against her.


    ¡°Die!¡± Right as she nned to trail after him, a cultivator ambushed her.


    Boom!


    Chenger erupted with the aura of her Heaven Martial Spirit, causing the attacker to copse to the ground, missing his aim. She then waved her sword, beheading him swiftly.


    In one fluid action, she checked his corpse, spitting in mockery, ¡°Poor bastard.¡±


    But, she didn¡¯t have time to think about Compass Carburettor again as a group of cultivators surrounded her, each emitting killing intent.


    ¡°She has a lot of treasures.¡±


    ¡°This fucker kidnapped my parents. Kill her!¡± Two among the crowd possessed Earth Martial Spirits, capable of enduring the suppression she emanated as they attacked her immediately.


    Their attacks mitigated her suppression, causing the rest of the cultivators to target her freely as they hurled attacks one after another.


    From the air, Compass Carburettor observed this scene, actually unhappy about it, recalling the scene at the inn as he turned his head, no longer focusing on Chenger, ¡°The time isn¡¯t right yet.¡±


    The one that had instigated this crowd was indeed a Sleeper Cell that he activated to keep Chenger away from him. It was a throwaway Sleeper Cell that he had created just recently, so he didn¡¯t ce much importance on that.


    At present, something strange was happening with his Essence Beast. And with his experience, he understood that something beneficial would happen if proceeded in the right direction.


    And, fighting against Chenger at this moment would only destroy his ns. ¡°Besides, she¡¯s strong.¡±


    When he probed her mind, he saw the figure of the Destiny Luck System within, making him realise that he wouldn¡¯t be able to target her mind for the time being. But, that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t have options.


    Origin Arts¡ªMental Destruction!


    By expending half his Origin Essence, Compass Carburettor unleashed a destructive energy in Chenger¡¯s Mind, one that began to destroy her memories, causing the Destiny Luck System to take action.


    And that was where he found out that the Destiny Luck System had established a domain of luck within Chenger¡¯s mind. This implied that if he persisted in destroying her mind, he was destined to die.


    But, the reason he wasn¡¯t flustered was because he was able to grasp his foe¡¯s foundation. Even though she was terrifyingly powerful, he now had a minor idea about what the Luck-based System had nned in this operation.


    They imnted memories rted to the usage of their abilities in their Hosts. This meant that such memories would serve as their weapons in the minds of their Hosts. And using that, they would be able to affect the Hosts, influencing their actions subtly to generate the effect of luck.


    This was intrinsically created. And that wasn¡¯t all, through the memories, the Systems influenced the bodies of their Hosts, causing them to at times perform abilities that were almost on the level of Skills.


    ¡°It means that they fully understand the properties of Origin Essence and can actuate it through this manner.¡± He frowned. After all, these abilities almost on par with Skills wouldn¡¯t be used by the System Hosts, but they would be direct attacks from the Systems themselves.


    That was why he had taken damage while his retaliation was blocked by Chenger.


    ¡°To think they would create a way to use their System abilities even when System abilities are sealed.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


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    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C

 Chapter 411: You’re Destined to Die By Her Hands

    <h4>Chapter 411: You¡¯re Destined to Die By Her Hands</h4>


    Skills!


    What were they exactly? And in what form or substance do they exist as?


    As Compass Carburettor began to think in such a line of thought, he noticed that the number of orbs being pulled towards the Essence Beast had reduced. This was despite there being the same number of orbs nearby aspared.


    It wasn¡¯t a gradual decrease that might have resulted from the Essence Beast hitting its limit. No, this happened right after he made contact with Chenger¡¯s mind. Once he thought about that, a certain statement resounded in him.


    A part of his Luck had been stolen by the Destiny Luck System.


    He was unable to understand how this was possible. As what he didn¡¯t know was the fact that the Destiny Luck System had already devoured the Protagonist Luck System. Meaning, it was his natural counter.


    That was why he suffered tangible damage from that exchange just now.


    Luck was an intangible concept but its effects were tangible indeed. After all, Compass Carburettor could easily conclude based on his experiences in the Gaider Realm, especially when he had been conscious about the effects of Luck ever since he arrived at the Apocalypse World.


    He was pretty lucky in the Gaider Realm.


    And that was what he had been observing in the tower all along too. His Luck was still as effective as before. And now, he noticed a sharp difference, frowning as he looked at Chenger.


    The crowd that he had instigated against her had already been deal with by her as some of her men arrived to her rescue. And, all this attack did was give her a few scratches. But in return, she obtained a lot of loot from her attackers, not to mention allowing some of her men to find her.


    His actions only strengthened her.


    His intention had only been to probe her anyway, so he wasn¡¯t disappointed with the result. ¡®I had expected something like this. The Destiny Luck System is at Level 92. There¡¯s no way I can win in a head-on confrontation.¡¯


    ¡°Besides, that was definitely a Skill.¡± He muttered, for when he entered Chenger¡¯s mind, the Destiny Luck System had activated a Skill to steal a part of his Luck.


    Systems were beings of the mind. So, that meant their abilities too were the same. ¡®But, the Destiny Luck System is using a certain method to still use its Skills even in this situation. That means¡­¡¯


    He smiled, ¡®I should be able to reim and use my abilities too.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll find the means to do so.¡± He observed through the Essence Beast, noticing that more than two hundred orbs were revolving around it now. And that wasn¡¯t all, the essence regarding the Attribute Strengthening Spark continued to gush into him, strengthening him constantly.


    His attributes of mind and frog were growing stronger and stronger.


    ¡°Wait, some of the cultivators had been saying that there is a way in the Essence Derby Pce to gain an attribute. But how?¡± There wasn¡¯t anything like that around him now as he frowned.


    After absorbing enough orbs, Compass Carburettor was able to notice the differences in the way the various Sparks behaved. Appearance wise, all of them looked the same, but there were mild size differences.


    And, their movement patterns were different too. Also, whening into contact, they had varying toughness, with the Essence Increasing Spark being the easiest to crack.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue to umte more Sparks first.¡± He muttered, thinking, ¡®Once the Essence Beast hits its limit, I can try something.¡¯


    He made a waving action, watching the w Wolf tail after him on the ground. It expertly jumped around from one ce to another, avoiding the stray attacks from cultivators that came its way.


    Tssch!


    Suddenly, he noticed that the tower¡¯s shield around him had thinned rapidly, thinking for a moment as he nted a lot of his memories into the Essence Beast¡¯s mind.


    From the three memories, he raised the amount to more than a thousand, noticing a visible difference as he was able to subtly affect the Essence Beast¡¯s actions. His Sleeper Cell seed also began to show signs of sprouting.


    But, there was still a long way to go for that as he continued to send in a lot of his memories into it.


    The think with the Origin Art of Mind Transfer was that if he sent his memories to someone, he would indeed lose them. Meaning, if he sent the memories rted to him for a day, he would no longer remember anything that had happened on that day, like a memory loss.


    So, this was a technique he should be careful with. But, Compass Carburettor had a rough childhood, possessing memories that he felt he would rather be better off without, sending them into the Essence Beast¡¯s mind.


    Time passed in such a fashion as eventually, he reached a point where the quantity of memories he had nted in the Essence Beast¡¯s mind equalled to a year of his life. There wasn¡¯t any danger as if he wanted, he could use Mind Transfer to reim all the memories.


    Also, he came to notice that a sense of connection had been established between the two as slowly, Compass Carburettor began to feel as if the Essence Beast was just an extension of his body.


    Moreover, the number of orbs revolving around it slowly reached three hundred in number when suddenly, the Essence Beast jerked violently, like it had attained its limit.


    Immediately after, it opened its mouth, swallowing all the orbs revolving around it as they cracked, spilling out all the essence contained within them.


    ¡°Gah!¡± Compass Carburettor grunted, feeling his Mind Frog getting overwhelmed as the rate of development exceeded its limit for the Origin Refinement stage.


    Moreover, the quantity of Origin Essence in his body began to exceed what he could contain, making it apparent that his body was about to explode, ¡°Shit!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re destined to be killed by Chenger, Compass Carburettor.¡± He recalled the Destiny Luck System¡¯s confident words, scowling in response.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


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    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C

 Chapter 412: Attribute Spark

    <h4>Chapter 412: Attribute Spark</h4>


    ¡°A minor reduction in luck might result in one¡¯s death if they weren¡¯t careful enough.¡± Compass Carburettor, somewhat nervous with the situation. But, he wasn¡¯t helpless, waving his hand as the w Wolf took action immediately, sweeping through the ground as it began to gobble the corpses of the cultivators.


    There were a lot of cultivators that died in their attempt to obtain the Sparks, and hence, there was a lot of their corpses on the ground.


    While the w Wolf continued to eat them, Compass Carburettor tried his best to control the Essence Beast¡¯s actions, slowing down the rate at which the Sparks it had swallowed began to shatter and spill out their essence.


    The thing he was betting upon was the Blood Vitality Grass. Its current power itself was enough to strengthen his body to a certain extent. But, he wished to raise it to its peak. That way, his body would be strong enough to handle his Martial Spirit¡¯s forceful growth.


    ¡°There¡¯s not enough time.¡± He muttered, gazing at the figure of Chenger farther away now. She was clutching her head for some reason, confused.


    It was due to his Origin Art of Mental Destruction that destroyed a lot of her memories. Currently, she was experiencing the effect of the nkness caused by the destruction of her memories.


    Though, as to how much of her memories were destroyed by his attack, he wasn¡¯t sure. He had aimed his attack at a pile of memories that he felt were important enough. So, he wasn¡¯t sure how well the Destiny Luck System had guarded them.


    But that was what his situation rode on now. After all, once Chenger notices his actions, she would definitely hinder him by trying to kill the w Wolf.


    Without ingesting the Blood Vitality Grass, his body wouldn¡¯t hold on for long enough and would explode due to the excessive build-up of high-quality Origin Essence in intolerable amounts.


    The w Wolf swallowed a cultivator¡¯s body as the Blood Vitality Grass soaked up the abundant blood, Origin Essence, and nutrients, growing in quality. After all, Compass Carburettor made the w Wolf consume in excess to its stomaching capacity, causing its digesting functions to enter an overdrive that prompted the Blood Vitality Grass to absorb more.


    After all, they were in a symbiotic rtionship. And overeating could result in the w Wolf¡¯s death, so it had to take action. Besides, as there was an option for it to grow, it didn¡¯t refuse.


    Compass Carburettor slowly influenced the Essence Beast¡¯s movements, causing it to fly next to other Essence Beasts. And when they came in range, he connected to their minds, transferring the few memories in their minds to his.


    This way, he slowly began to umte more and more memories of the Essence Beasts, also beginning to understand more about them.


    The situation continued to worsen for him as he felt needles prickling his skin, with a couple of ces beginning to ooze out blood.


    A lot of cultivators caught sight of his actions. After all, he was pretty high-profile, staying within an Essence Beast¡¯s body. If not for his tower¡¯s shield being tremendously tough, this wouldn¡¯t have been possible.


    Even Chenger¡¯s tower shield was barely a tenth of his thickness. And this was all thanks to him using three energy de spheres with Dust Wave. They damage they racked up was significant, surpassing everyone else.


    This was what allowed him to remain with its body for long enough, gaining a lot of benefits. Soon, he made the Essence Beast arrive above a small crack in the ground.


    This didn¡¯t seem like anything special, but based on the Essence Beasts¡¯ memories, this was where they were all born. As Origin Essence filled up the tower, the cultivators weren¡¯t able to sense any difference.


    That¡¯s why they hadn¡¯t realised this this crack was the source from which Origin Essence was constantly spilling out.


    And the moment the Essence Beast stopped here, it began to show signs of growth once again. But, that wasn¡¯t his goal as he watched the w Wolf arrive above the crack, smiling as it began to instinctively absorb the abundant Origin Essence that was spilling out.


    The Blood Vitality Grass hadn¡¯t been in a ce with such density of Origin Essence as it began to rapidly absorb the excess nutrients, growing rapidly.


    It had alreadypleted its growth long ago and was like a hollow husk that only needed to be filled. And now, all conditions were met as it began to grow, causing the reins toe undone as the Blood Vitality Grass revealed itself, having reached maturity now, releasing a fruity scent all of a sudden.


    Moreover, it seemed that due to the excess absorption, the Blood Vitality Grass had umted more than enough resources, condensing a fruit.


    And upon reaching maturity, the w Wolf plucked it on his orders, throwing it into the Essence Beast¡¯s open mouth.


    The Essence Beast began to umte its essence into the fruit upon his orders as Compass Carburettor basically understood the gist of things, having obtained the memories of all the Essence Beasts in the ce.


    Essence Beasts had a bare minimum level of sentience, but it wasn¡¯t much. So, it only lived its life based on instincts. And, there existed a fifth Spark that it could produce, right as the rumours said.


    Attribute Spark!


    And, all that necessary for this to happen was for the Essence Beast to consume an attributed Origin Essence and condense a Spark using that. It was pretty simple, but the process required almost a century.


    But, that was too rare as there wasn¡¯t any attributed Origin Essence here. Maybe when in a previous round, if a cultivator had dropped a powerful Artifact that oozed out an attributed Origin Essence, then the Essence Beast that had absorbed it would create an Attribute Spark.


    It only didn¡¯t happen because most of the time, the quantity of attributed Origin Essence wasn¡¯t of a sufficient quantity. Moreover, the Essence Beast didn¡¯t focus on consuming the attributed Origin Essence. Everything was left to chance.


    But with him into the equation, there was no chance. After all, he had a solid grasp of the necessities to create an Attribute Spark, and he nned to do exactly that.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


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    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C

 Chapter 413: Blood-Vitality-Grass Attribute

    <h4>Chapter 413: Blood-Vitality-Grass Attribute</h4>


    The essence building up within the Essence Beast gushed into the fruit, slowly mixing into it before resulting in an orb. If it had happened naturally, the process would have taken years.


    But here, Compass Carburettor was guiding it into doing this, not to mention the fact that all the Sparks were spilling out their essence that was being collected into this. Also, the fruit was a condensed form of the Blood Vital Grass¡¯s properties.


    Two hours passed in such a fashion as the Essence Beast began to absorb Origin Essence from the crack in the ground, fuelling everything into the creation of the new orb in its body.


    Attribute Spark!


    Immediately after this happened, Compass Carburettor took out an energy de sword and began to hack it repeatedly, eventually cracking it as the attributed essence stored in it seeped into his body.


    ¡°Gah!¡± He shuddered, feeling something in him changing rapidly as all of a sudden, the Essence Beast turned transparent, vanishing as everything of substance forming its body turned into energy and entered his body, strengthening him rapidly.


    He could feel his recent injuries healing while his blood turned warmer. Moreover, his heart became vigorous, thumping with greater strength while his muscles contracted, brimming with greater power.


    Blood-Vitality-Grass!


    This was the attribute he gained from the Attribute Spark.


    Blood-Vitality-Grass was basically a symbiote that can grow in the bodies of others. And once it develops enough and matures, it¡¯ll strengthen the bodies of their host.


    And, Compass Carburettor was capable of nting it in the bodies of both himself and others. This was a sure-fire way to raise the strength of their bodies. Moreover, the most frightening thing about this attribute was the fact that he was able to control it, able to change it from a symbiote to a parasite.


    Meaning, if he so wishes, the imnted Blood-Vitality-Grass would rapidly suck in everything from their bodies, turning them into a dried husk. And, he would be able to reap benefits from it.


    After all, when ingested, the Blood Vitality Grass would strengthen one¡¯s body. This meant that he would have two modes to strengthen his body. First would be to imnt a Blood-Vitality-Grass in his body. And the second would be to ingest the Blood Vitality Grass that he could create in the bodies of others.


    And, the best fact about this attribute was that it was centred in his body. Meaning, even if his Mind Frog was destroyed in the future, he wouldn¡¯t lose this attribute. This was his personal attribute.


    Awoooo!


    The w Wolf howled as its body began to emit a bloody energy as its Origin Essence began to morph, obtaining the Blood-Vitality attribute.


    This attribute gave it strong recovery powers, not to mention a rapid gain in its body¡¯s strength, agility, flexibility, toughness, etc.


    This addition rapidly raised its cultivation, making it reach the Fifth Layer of the Martial Origin Stage.


    ¡®Of course, a Main Character should constantly try something new.¡¯ Compass Carburettor smiled, though, he wasn¡¯t betting on luck all along, but had a solid grasp of things. Sure, there were plenty of close-calls during the entire process, but his reliance on luck wasn¡¯t with the process itself.


    It would be that none interrupted them in this process when he was in a vulnerable state. That was where he had been lucky.


    After thinking for some time, Compass Carburettor created the Blood-Vitality-Grass in his stomach, as he instinctively sensed that it was the perfect ce for it. The roots merged into his nerves, going through the stomach and intestine walls.


    After a mild initial pain, he didn¡¯t even feel anything different in his stomach, unable to feel it. He was feeling a tad hungry though, ¡®Indeed, I¡¯ll be required to eat a lot to satisfy its growth requirements.¡¯


    Though, if he felt like he wasn¡¯t able to satisfy its requirements, he could casually destroy it. It was his ability, after all. But, if he did that, he would lose the strength it was giving him.


    The Blood Vitality Grass growing in his stomach had yet to give him any advantages, as it was a mere sprout at present.


    ¡°But, there¡¯s something perfect here.¡± He muttered, gazing at the w Wolf, motioning for it toe closer. Now that its Origin Essence had gained the Blood Vitality attribute, there was no use in keeping the Blood Vitality Grass on it any longer.


    Compass Carburettor extended his hand, gently grabbing hold of the Blood Vitality Grass as he slowly began to shake it, extracting it little by little without damaging its roots. As the w Wolf was able to recover from wounds quickly, he wasn¡¯t concerned about its wellbeing, managing to extract it after a good hour had passed.


    He then cleaned it of the blood using some water and then ate it, immediately sensing his stomach burning up as a result.


    The power of the Blood Essence Grass was absorbed by his Blood Essence Grass in the stomach, growing in size as he could feel his body growing stronger rapidly.


    At present, his strength was already twice aspared to before, and it was still growing. Twice the human body strength wasn¡¯t anything significant, but over time, it would umte to be terrifying.


    And the Blood-Vitality-Grass attribute delivered that.


    ¡°As my cultivation continues to increase, my body would also grow stronger.¡± He smiled in response, ¡°When I break through to the Martial Providence Stage, this advantage would shine forth the brightest.¡±


    When he fuses with his Martial Spirit, the advantages of both would pile up to result in terrifying strength.


    The w Wolf absorbed the ambient Origin Essence to heal itself while Compass Carburettor did the same, replenishing his expended Origin Essence.


    He then wondered, cing his hand on the w Wolf¡¯s body, seeping his Blood-Vitality-Grass attributed Origin Essence into its body, creating a Blood Vitality Grass in its stomach, noticing that it indeed manifested.


    Moreover, it seemed that the w Wolf¡¯s attributed Origin Essence was perfect for its growth as it began to grow at a quicker pace, further strengthening the w Wolf little by little, ¡°Now, you¡¯ll be able to fight and win against cultivators at the same Stage as you.¡±


    He adjusted the saddle and reins, taking a seat on its back as he motioned for it to move, ¡°I can still absorb more Sparks.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


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    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C

 Chapter 414: Team of Vital Soldiers

    <h4>Chapter 414: Team of Vital Soldiers</h4>


    ¡°My-My Arm!¡± A cultivator shouted, for his arm had been severed by a flying orb. He had indeed been careless, having grown overconfident after absorbing a bunch of Sparks in a short duration.


    Now, hey on the ground, losing blood, not having the means to protect himself. He indeed had brought some herbs and gauge to save himself, but that wasn¡¯t enough.


    After all, in this dangerous environment, the loss of an arm could very well lead to his death.


    ¡°Let me take a look at your wounds.¡± Suddenly, a mysterious man wearing a deer mask appeared before him, crouching to look at his severed arm.


    ¡°Go away¡­¡± The cultivator said weakly, ¡°I don¡¯t have any treasures for you to loot. I¡¯m just a dying man.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll give you a new lease at life.¡± Compass Carburettor said, probing through the severed arm as he spoke, pointing at but upward in his arm, ¡°There are some crushed bone fragments here. If you have a sword, make a cut here. It¡¯ll make things easier for me to heal you.¡±


    ¡°W-why are you doing this?¡± The cultivator asked, unable to believe him, ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to save me here.¡±


    ¡°There is though.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, ¡°When you leave the Folkan Secret Realm, head to the hospital in Ohka City and pay for me healing services there. I¡¯m not healing you for free.¡±


    ¡°T-This¡­¡± The cultivator was stupefied, ¡°You¡¯re not afraid I¡¯ll skimp out on paying you?¡±


    ¡°Means you don¡¯t value your life that much.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, ¡°Well, it¡¯s your wish anyway. If you want to pay in the future, do it. Otherwise, just think of this as a free service. Now, don¡¯t waste my time and do as I told.¡±


    ¡®Fine, I¡¯m almost a dead man anyway. Might as well do this.¡¯ The cultivator gritted his teeth, unsheathing his sword as he severed higher up in his severed arm, causing blood to gush out once again, grunting in pain.


    Right at this time, Compass Carburettor touched his forehead for a moment, instantly making all his pain vanished. And mysteriously, the cultivator watched his arm regrowing rapidly.


    Within a couple of minutes, it had grownpletely, shocking him when Compass Carburettor spoke timely, ¡°This arm isn¡¯t as strong as your trained arm. So, you¡¯ll have to rehabilitate it and train it to be as strong as your original arm once again.¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you! Thank you very much! This is fine!¡± The cultivator shed tears, clenching his regrown hand as he kowtowed, stating, ¡°Merciful doctor, please allow me to follow you.¡±


    ¡°I refuse.¡± Compass Carburettor said, getting up as he began to walk away, ¡°I¡¯ll be hunting for those Sparks myself while healing any injured Ie across. So, I¡¯ll don¡¯t want anyone to follow me.¡±


    ¡°Please allow me to pay you right now.¡± The cultivator said, pressing his forehead on the ground, ¡°I wish to express my gratitude. Since doctor is also looking for the Sparks, I¡¯ll bring them to you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that for me.¡± Compass Carburettor waved his hand, sighing when he noticed that the cultivator didn¡¯t seem to be listening, hurriedly heading off towards a nearby Essence Beast as he used his Origin Arts to capture an orb, damaging it a bit until it stopped moving.


    He then brought it to Compass Carburettor, presenting it to him, ¡°Please, doctor. Please don¡¯t refuse this.¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­¡± Compass Carburettor sighed, shaking his head like it was a pain as he took the orb, ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve paid me with this. Now, go along. Don¡¯t miss this chance to grow stronger.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The cultivator bowed in gratitude before leaving.


    ¡°Doctor¡­please heal me.¡± Another cultivator approached him, having witnessed the entire transaction, dragging his injured leg.


    ¡°Take a seat here.¡± Compass Carburettor pointed at a nearby boulder, inspecting the cultivator¡¯s leg, stating, ¡°It¡¯s been smashed pretty horribly. My Martial Spirit isn¡¯t that strong in healing as I can only regrow body parts. You¡¯ll have to sever your broken leg so that I can grow it anew. Do note that it wouldn¡¯t be as strong as the original. You¡¯ll need a month or two to make it as strong as the original. Do you ept this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, doctor. It¡¯s not like I have a choice anyway. I can¡¯t hunt with a broken leg.¡± The cultivator nodded in a hurry.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make the pain in your leg go away.¡± Compass Carburettor touched the cultivator¡¯s forehead, watching his eyes light up in response when his pain vanished instantly.


    Upon his orders, the cultivator shed his leg, watching it regrow anew, thanking Compass Carburettor profusely once it was done, paying with a couple of orbs that he had hunted.


    As he walked away, more and more injured cultivators began to seek his services. The reason Compass Carburettor was doing this was because his tower shield had run out of strength. So, capturing the orbs was risky.


    There was plenty of examples before him, after all. They were all cultivators without any tower shields that tried to hunt for the orbs. Some were sessful, but after some attempts, they began to get more and more injured.


    After all, the orbs revolving in the outer perimeter of the Essence Beasts had all been captured. So, they now have to capture the inner perimeter orbs that were faster, stronger, and riskier toe into contact with.


    The only reason Compass Carburettor managed to directly reach it was thanks to his tremendously tough tower shield. And now, if he still wished to capture orbs, he¡¯ll have to risk his life. And, that was dangerous as all along, Chenger was four hundred metres from him, maintaining the distance constantly.


    And, he also observed some of her men in his vicinity, observing his actions. This meant that the moment he got injured by the orbs, they would target him with the intent to kill.


    Moreover, this was a contest of luck. And in a situation with many variables acting against him, his luck would be stretched thin in an effort to protect himself. This means, if Chenger attacked him at that point, he wouldn¡¯t have enough luck to defend against her luck.


    This was the bet method to deal anyone that relied on luck. And hence, Compass Carburettor enacted his Sleeper Cell Project here too, gaining both orbs and turning the customers into Sleeper Cells.


    Best of all, he acted like he was a mere healer. That wasn¡¯t all, when one of Chenger¡¯s men approached close enough, he nted the Sleeper Cell seeds in them too. In a situation surrounding him where no variables were detrimental to him, his guard of luck was solid.


    Meaning, he could target Chenger from his defensive stance.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


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    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C

 Chapter 415: Five Subtle Schemes in One Action.

    <h4>Chapter 415: Five Subtle Schemes in One Action</h4>


    (The previous chapter¡¯s error has been rectified. I put the chap on a timer but inkstone uploaded the same chapter twice for some reason. Third time his happening T_T.)


    He didn¡¯t just stop at turning the customers into Sleeper Cells though. But, he also nted Blood Vitality Grass in each, using healing as a pretext. That¡¯s why it took him a couple of minutes to heal their limbs.


    Otherwise, with his attributes growing stronger, it could be done even faster.


    The Blood Vitality Grass in them was only like a seed that hadn¡¯t germinated. If it just grew in size, it would alert them as their bodies would be growing stronger too, not to mention the greater sense of hunger they would be feeling.


    But, as they were in the Folkan Secret Realm, they would of coursee across many opportunities to grow strong. That means, as long as the Blood Vitality Grass grew every time they grew in strength, none would be wiser.


    Also, by absorbing the Essence Increasing Spark and the Essence Strengthening Spark, they were growing in power. So, it was also a good chance for them to grow.


    If they were just regr cultivators, then they would be useless against Chenger or the other System Hosts. After all, the previous sh was the best example. Even by facing a group, Chenger barely suffered a couple of scratches. And this was in the case there were two cultivators with Earth Martial Spirits.


    Earth Martial Spirit cultivators were typically the heavily nurtured geniuses of their respective ns and Sects. And they would usually have a lot of Artifacts, pills, etc. to support them.


    But despite that, they didn¡¯t even put up much of a fight against her.


    ¡®Well, it¡¯s not that surprising since she took one of my Dust Wave spheres head on and survived.¡¯ He thought. After all, in their prior sh, he attacked both Chenger¡¯s body and mind. But, she wasn¡¯t injured.


    This showed how powerful she was. But during that sh, he also probed through her mind, understanding the System in her. And now that he realised it was the Destiny Luck System in her, he would be able to prepare ordingly.


    If you are destined to meet someone, then you¡¯ll face the final battle with them.


    This was pretty much the core concept of Destiny Luck. That implied that he and Chenger would have their fated battle one fine day. And as the term signified, it would be a one-on-one battle, with death of one of them being a guarantee.


    That was destiny!


    It was why he realised that this wasn¡¯t the time for their fated battle. If he simply tried anything against her in the meantime, his luck would sh with Destiny Luck. And that would only weaken him for future fights.


    But, if Chenger were the one to engage with him first, things would be different. That was why he was slowly targeting the people she sent to monitor him, bringing them to his side without them being aware of it.


    Obtaining more Sparks, turning the patients into Sleeper Cells, making them stronger using the Blood-Vitality-Grass, and finally, disying his healing cards, making it seem his Martial Spirit was healing-based. He was achieving four things from one action.


    And since the Systems should have been aware by now that his objective is to heal Stencil, they¡¯ll realise that him obtaining a healing Martial Spirit was probably the reason he had arrived at the Gaider Realm.


    But, they would realise that he was holding back on his healing ability. After all, he should have obtained a Heaven Martial Spirit. But the extent of powers he was disying was only on the level of an Earth Martial Spirit.


    His goal was now the perfect trap that would veer his enemies in a wrong direction.


    But, what none were wiser was the fact that he had a fifth n in motion.


    As Compass Carburettor stood atop a rather muddy ground, the blood from the patients spilled on it when they severed their limbs. And, gently jutting out of his feet, spreading underground were the roots of his Blood Vitality Grass.


    As it was his ability, he was able to control it. Even though the growth of the roots caused him pain, he was simrly able to use the Mind Frog¡¯s ability to apply an anaesthetic effect to his legs.


    The roots of the Blood Essence Grass spreads underground beforeing into contact with the blood seeping through the soil, absorbing it.


    This was blood from the cultivators, rich in energy, the perfect food to fuel his Blood Vitality¡¯s growth. And as the ce was full of ambient Origin Essence, it was perfect as the Origin Essence seeped into the blood of the cultivators, creating a great tonic for his growth.


    Silently, both his Origin Essence and body were growing stronger while healing others. And, he was doing this under the watch of his enemy, unaware to them.


    And that means¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s working.¡¯ He grinned behind the mass, ¡®My Luck is recovering.¡¯


    ¡®No, if I keep this up, it might grow even further.¡¯ He slowly patted a cultivator¡¯s spine that had been injured, ¡°Hmm, this¡¯ll be tricky. I¡¯ll need something like a tent to operate within.¡±


    ¡°I have one here.¡± A cultivator that had been healed by him before said, taking out a tent from his bag as he set it up nearby.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded in response, ¡°You can collect it once I¡¯m done here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, doctor. Just continue to heal us. We¡¯ll bring you enough treasures to be satisfied in return.¡± A cultivator said as everyoneughed in response.


    Slowly, they began to disperse while more cultivators began to slowly gather around.


    The best thing about this was the fact that even though there was a crowd of people surrounding him, he wasn¡¯t even the least afraid. After all, all of them forming the closest circle were his Sleeper Cells.


    And those leaving from time to time were also Sleeper Cells. They returned to their hunt, at times passing beside the System Hosts when they became active, observed them before walking away like everything was normal.


    And, this continued to happen until the number of cultivators within the tower began to reduce as all the easier to hunt orbs had already been captured. The remaining ones were too dangerous, having already racked up a high casualty count.


    So, those without confidence began to leave one after another. The ones remaining behind were the stronger of the cultivators, but even they began to leave after a while.


    After all, this wasn¡¯t the only ce with treasures. There were other ces too. And it was no longer worth it to wait to hunt the orbs that were getting riskier.


    Of course, Compass Carburettor had bolted away along with the normal crowd. With the w Wolf as a mount, his escape was rapid, quickly losing Chenger.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


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 Chapter 416: Temperate Refinement Zone

    Chapter 416: Temperate Refinement Zone


    Currently, Compass Carburettor was rushing through nds, noticing that it was slowly turning more and more arid as patches of sand began to increase in number.


    That wasn¡¯t all, the number of cultivators around him began to reduce as they had to take precautions against the blistering heat.


    Even for the w Wolf, it proved to be difficult after a while. He took out some water from his storage bracelet, quenching the third of them both as they continued to travel.


    ¡°Based on what they were speaking about, there should be an area of treasure here¡­¡± He muttered, continuing to travel.


    Slowly, he noticed a mysterious force acting upon him, influencing his Origin Essence. It turned his Origin Essence sluggish, preventing him from using it as quickly as before.


    Moreover, the deeper into the desert he went, the stronger this effect became. And soon after, he noticed that it had be too sluggish that he wasn¡¯t even able to do anything much. He needed almost a minute to even activate his Origin Art of Mind Connect.


    He felt unnerved by this sensation, especially since Origin Essence was all that he could rely upon now. After all, even to take something from his storage space, he was depended on his Origin Essence.


    He approached a cultivator nearby, cupping his fists to ask, ¡°Friend, do you know anything about this region?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯vee to this ce without any preparations?¡± The other cultivator asked in shock. For a moment, he thought of something, but upon seeing the aura the w Wolf exuded, he refrained from doing anything against Compass Carburettor.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like there¡¯s a guide map for this Secret Realm, after all.¡± Compass Carburettor shrugged.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. There are a lot of undiscovered locations in the Folkan Secret Realm. And, information regarding them are secret records that the ancestors of every n and Sect had been umting for centuries.¡± The cultivator smirked, pressing his cone-shaped hat downward, covering his eyebrows, ¡°I can tell you the details. But you¡¯ll have to pay me.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡± Compass Carburettor asked.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The cultivator nced him from head to toe once before quoting, ¡°Three thousand Essence Stones.¡±


    ¡°Good luck with that. I¡¯ll ask someone else.¡± Compass Carburettor said, turning around to leave. Three thousand Essence Stones was an exorbitant price.


    Even his healing services were only priced around a hundred Essence Stones and only charged extra for tricky injuries where a lot of doctors had to operate.


    The typical sry for a household part of a n was around a thousand Essence Stones. The stronger and more influential the household, the greater their sry.


    For amoner, thirty Essence Stones were enough to feed him for a month.


    So, three thousand Essence Stones were pretty much daylight robbery.


    ¡°Fine, fine. I was just messing around.¡± The cultivator waved his hand, ¡°I¡¯ll sell it to you for 2000 Essence Stones. This was information my family had passed down for generations, after all. I can¡¯t sell it for any cheaper.¡±


    ¡°Let me ask around and see if it¡¯s actually worth that much.¡± Compass Carburettor continued to walk away, spotting another cultivator in the far-off distance.


    ¡°Fine!¡± The cone-hat cultivator shouted, ¡°1600 Essence Stones. I won¡¯t tell you for anything less.¡±


    ¡°I only have 1500 Essence Stones in my pouch. And that¡¯s all I can pay.¡± Compass Carburettor said, taking out a pouch that he dangled before the cone-hat cultivator.


    ¡°Damn miser!¡± The cone-hat cultivator grunted before epting the money, ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    During this round of back and forth, Compass Carburettor had already connected to the cultivator¡¯s mind, probing through his recent memories, sensing his emotions in them to see that he was only overcharging.


    He was actually aware of a lot of information that might prove useful. Hence, Compass Carburettor haggled. Based on what the inner mind of the cone-hat cultivator felt, he judged than 1200 Essence Stones were the bare minimum he thought were suitable for this information.


    And even that, he wasn¡¯t willing. After all, this information might prove useful for him. The part about it being passed down through his family for generations was a lie though as he had actually chanced upon a cultivator¡¯s belongings when he killed them in the past.


    It was that cultivator¡¯s family that had been guarding this information.


    Hence, Compass Carburettor quoted a price of 1500 Essence Stones, readying that slowly due to the time it took for his Origin Essence to bring out the pouch from the storage bracelet. He didn¡¯t wish to disy its effect to others, after all. And hence, he purposefully turned around many times, looking like he was walking away.


    In truth, he was just preparing the pouch to hang at the side of his hip. The other party wasn¡¯t able to notice this due to the w Wolf.


    It was impossible for the cone-hat cultivator to escape with the money. It was because he had long be a Sleeper Cell.


    Grinning while holding the money pouch, the cone-hat cultivator grinned, stating, ¡°This is the Temperate Refinement Zone. It¡¯s a ce where our Origin Essence would turn sluggish the closer towards the centre we approach. And in its core, we won¡¯t be able to use Origin Essence at all.¡±


    ¡°But, here¡¯s the catch.¡± He said, ¡°Training in this ce would raise your affinity to your respective attributes. And in the core is a stone pirke where you can train and grow a lot stronger. It could be considered as the number one training zone in the entire Folkan Secret Realm.¡±


    ¡°How does training while our Origin Essence is sealed prove useful?¡± Compass Carburettor asked.


    ¡°Even though we won¡¯t be able to use Origin Essence there, it¡¯ll still remain within us.¡± The cone-hat cultivator smirked, ¡°Besides, the region¡¯s density of Origin Essence is the highest. So, training there would naturally temper your body and enhance the pathways through which your Origin Essence flows.¡±


    ¡°Overall, you¡¯ll also gain a deeper understanding of your Origin Arts there.¡± He said, ¡°So, those who are aware of this ce have already reached the core.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, already confirming the same through the cone-hat cultivator¡¯s memories. ¡®This¡¯ll be a good opportunity to strengthen myself further. With a deeper understanding of Origin Essence, I¡¯ll be able to manipte it better andpress an even greater quantity during my breakthrough.¡¯


    Thinking as such, he began to march towards the centre of the Temperate Refinement Zone¡¯s centre.


    Standing almost a kilometre away was a giant of a man, holding a pair of binocrs that he used to gaze at Compass Carburettor¡¯s back, muttering, ¡°So, you¡¯ve decided toe here, Compass Carburettor.¡±


    ¡°This¡¯ll be your grave.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


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    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C

 Chapter 417: First Clash in the Third World

    Chapter 417: First sh in the Third World


    Compass Carburettor began to walk through the desert, beginning his preparations. He first took a pair of armguards that were made using the Dac energy de, coated with ayer of Apocalypse Pearl.


    He simrly wore a chest te and a pair of leg guards. As each of them barely weighted 100-200 grams, he didn''t even feel a thing. Even his clothes were heavier than them.


    Compass Carburettor adjusted his clothes over them, ensuring they weren''t revealed. This was why he wore slightly baggy clothes. As his Origin Essence would be sealed soon after, he had to take some measures to protect himself.


    He took out two Dust Wave spheres, cing them within a hip pouch that he took out, created especially to house them. This way, the Dust Wave spheres would be shattered if he were to roll on the ground.


    They were pretty fragile, due to their nature of use, as he had intended them to be while making. He didn''t keep more than two, as indeed, they were fragile. So, having any more than two was an inconvenience while fighting.


    After all, at the end of the day, even though they were powerful, he had to throw them. The Dust Wave had high lethality, but that was when he was actively controlling them. But now, they were akin to a smoke bomb.


    He wasn''t able to control in which direction the Dust Wave would spread. And, they were created to only be harmless to him. Everything and everyone else were fair game to its damage.


    He then armed himself with a repeating crossbow for burst fire. He only needed to move its lever up and down to not only load the arrow in ce, but also pull the string. This allowed him to lock and load the arrows nonstop while using his other hand, he could aim andunch them repeatedly.


    The repeating crossbow was prettypact and could be worn on himself without it hindering his movements. As for the final preparations, it was a first aid kin that he slung to the back of his hip.


    He then wore a backpack which consisted of some food and water. The food mostly consisted of pills. It was the most efficient meant of energy to consume while on travel.


    Ao!


    The w Wolf began to whimper as it noticed itself growing weaker by the second.


    "It''s fine. You''ll be even stronger once we leave this ce." Compass Carburettor said, watching the w Wolf understand the meaning behind his words and continue walking through the desert.


    Slowly, the figures of cultivators began to appear before them one after another. Even though they weren''t many, a significant crowd indeed seemed to have known about this ce.


    ''There''s around two to three thousand people here.'' He thought, noticingrge rock pirs just out of the ground. There was a faintyer of water covering the ground. Surprisingly, it was crystal clear, shallow in depth, only knee-high.


    Moreover, there was no wind in the region, preventing any sand from polluting the waters. There was ayer of stone below the water, preventing any from seeping underground.


    The moment he arrived at the ce, a faint tremor ran through his body as Compass Carburettor understood that his Origin Essence had been wholly sealed.


    He then noticed the cultivators slowly waddling their way through the water before beginning to climb the rock pirs.


    The rock pirs grew in size the closer to the centre of the region one got, with the central most rock pir spanning a height of hundred metres and a radius of thirty metres.


    ''This will be troublesome.'' He thought, noticing how only one cultivator was allowed atop the rock pir. When a second cultivator tried to climb it, he grunted in pain as it seemed the region itself didn''t allow that to happen.


    Moreover, Compass Carburettor was able to sense the moment his feet touched the water that his mind seemed to have been opened to his body''s senses, allowing him to clearly perceive his attribute of Mind, Frog, and Blood-Vitality-Grass.


    This depth of perception was starling, making him understand that just by meditating in this ce, his understanding of the three attributes would deepen a lot.


    He then took a step forward, noticing a faint increase in the depth of perception. Thinking of something, he approached a nearby rock pir, grabbing hold of its jutting proportions as he slowly climbed over it.


    ''This sensation is concentrated further in the rock pir.'' He thought as he felt a mysterious power coursing through his hands that were in contact with the rock pir.


    He probed around the rock pirs, understanding that the deeper he went, the stronger the training effects on the rock pirs.


    "Dammit, is this my limit?" Suddenly, a cultivator nearby dropped to his knees, gasping for breath as he failed to understand what had happened. Realisation slowly hit him as he sighed in disappointment, proceeding to begin climbing a nearby rock pir.


    Wondering what was up with the man, Compass Carburettor approached him, "Friend, mind exining what happened to you here?"


    "Why the fuck do you care?" The cultivator snapped back.


    "If it''s a problem, I might be able to help you." Compass Carburettor said, "I''m a doctor, after all."


    "Screw off! I have a weaker aptitude, so what?" The cultivator screamed and continued to climb his rock pir, "Cocky talented bastard."


    "Talent¡­?" Compass Carburettor was confused, looking around as he noticed people continuing to copse to their knees one after another whileining about their talents, potential, aptitude, limits, etc.


    ''What''s even happening?'' He was confused, feeling nothing of the sort.


    After a while, he decided not to think about it and began to walk straight towards the centre. He would train there for as long as possible before heading off to other locations.


    Slowly, he was the only one nearby, only able to hear muffled voices of jealousy from time to time. Soon after, even that vanished as he was the only person in almost a kilometre radius, having approached the centre of the Temperate Refinement Zone.


    It was like he was in a constant state of enlightenment as Compass Carburettor was able to understand better ways to use his Origin Arts and raise the efficiency of their usage. Right at this moment of boundless inspiration, his ears twitched as he sighed, muttering, "Who are you?"


    "You have some scary ears there, friend." A man with arge built wore a wide grin on his face as he revealed himself from behind the central rock pir.

 Chapter 418: Dullin: Bad Luck System Host

    Chapter 418: Dullin: Bad Luck System Host


    ''Wait, the Dust Wave shouldn''t be fully expended yet¡­'' Compass Carburettor thought, focusing for a moment while coughing out blood as he noticed bubbling sounds from the water around him, craning strength into his lower body as it twisted himself like a snake, throwing off Dullin to the side.


    "Wha¡­what the¡­?" Dullin was surprised when a pair of legs choked his neck, sending him reeling into the water when a mysterious power seemed to be damaging through his body, searing through his skin before continuing forth with the muscles within.


    "You have a tough defence. But, you still need to breathe, right?" Compass Carburettor grunted, using the slipperiness of the floor to slide over Dullin, constricting his joints while choking him, all while immersing his head underwater.


    As the floor was slippery, Dullin didn''t get much opportunity to escape, failing to find a solid footing to throw Compass Carburettor off.


    ''No way am I letting you escape.'' Compass Carburettor grunted, tightening his hold while trying his best to stay on Dullin''s back, doing everything he could to ensure Dullin''s sense of suffocation continued to escape.


    ''If it''s bad luck you control, then the moment I let up, it''ll be hard for me to gain an advantage over you again.'' Compass Carburettor thought, able to feel his innate luck continuing to drop at an rming pace.


    He was pretty much expending his Luck tobat Dullin. So, he didn''t have a second chance to take any advantage over his opponent.


    Roar!


    The w Wolf howled, trying its best to assist him. But from the start, the moment Dullin made his appearance, it had been rendered helpless, unable to budge from its spot. It constantly slipped, plopping to the ground nonstop.


    Dullin''s bad luck had affected the w Wolf, leaving it to slowly umte injuries despite it having not traded blows even once until now. But, when it slipped, it skid and mmed into the rock pir, being mildly injured as a result. And this happened dozens of times.


    It didn''t have enough luck to fight against a System Host, especially one that dealt with bad luck, affecting everyone around him. So, there was a good chance that even before it arrived to his help, it would die.


    And even if it did manage to arrive on time, it would only hinder him in this situation. That was why Compass Carburettor fought alone. And that wasn''t all. It could only apany him until 300 metres from the central rock pir. It had attained its limit there.


    So, even if he sought for its help, he had to reach the location where it was able to move at.


    Besides, he wasn''t sure if its ws and jaws would damage him when his energy de sword failed to even scratch him.


    ''Drowning is the only option. His armour is tough, but he''s only human.'' Compass Carburettor gritted his teeth, exerting all his strength as he probed through Dullin''s armour, suddenly thinking of something as he grabbed hold of Dullin''s right arm and rolled over to the left with all his bodyweight.


    Crack!


    "Ahhhh!" Dullin screamed as his right arm had been broken. The joints were the one to give out. After all, even though the armour protected him, it was only useful against attacks. The armour was no different from hardened skin.


    That meant that they stretched at the joints to facilitate the movement of his limbs just like a regr human''s. Him punching or shing at those spots wouldn''t do anything, but what about an attack that targeted his internal, one unprotected by this armour of his?


    "Huhhh, damn you!" Dullin grunted in pain as his right arm became useless. He shouted in pain, losing strength as he had been choked for long. And when Compass Carburettor destroyed his right arm, he had to let go of his hold over him.


    And in that moment, Dullin instinctively raised his head above the water, opening his mouth to gasp for air.


    "Now!" Compass Carburettor bellowed, grabbing the energy de nearby to plunge it into Dullin''s opened mouth, prating it deep into his throat, causing blood to gush out as a result. "Try to struggle now, dammit!"


    While they were in a deadlock before, Compass Carburettor slowly began to lean in one direction from time to time, causing Dullin to move in that direction while trying to evade from his hold. And the direction he was guided towards was where he had swatted the energy de sword away before.


    Only when it was almost in reach had Compass Carburettor decided to break Dullin''s arm. Of course, with him being choked for a long time already by the water, Dullin failed to notice his ns.


    Crack!


    While Dullin shouted in shock, Compass Carburettor moved in to destroy the left arm too, suddenly slipping while he rolled out when Dullin got up in rage. The fall was abrupt as Compass Carburettor mmed into the water, causing his head to m into a rock that was jutting out there for some reason.


    Unluckily for him, his head armour came off during the previous sh, causing the rock to m into him. Even though his Mental Energy Body Layer absorbed most of the harm, the impact was still too fast for some reason, causing him to nk out for a couple of seconds.


    "Damn bastard! I''ll kill you!" Dullin got up, unable to move his hands as he gazed at Compass Carburettor, grinning, "You should have exhausted your innate luck by now. From now on, you''ll bepletely influenced by my bad luck."


    Stomp!


    Dullin raised his leg high up and brought it crashing down on Compass Carburettor, creating a dull sound as a result, "I was expecting some damage. Pah! But you''ll die now!"


    Dullin coughed out the energy de, speaking despite coughing out blood in the process. His throat was mostly gone, barely able to leak out some words. But despite that, he talked nonstop while stomping on Compass Carburettor''s head, "Die! Die! Die!"


    His face turned bloody over time as Compass Carburettor was unable to see anymore.


    "Die!" Dullin bellowed as he stomped once again with all his might, causing the deer mask to crack before shattering.

 Chapter 419: Die! Die! Die!

    Chapter 419: Die! Die! Die!


    "Whenever someone addresses me like that, it usually results in a bad news for me." Compass Carburettor red at the man with therge build.


    "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Calm your horses, my man!" The man with arge build waved his hands in a hurry, "Let''s not behave like savages, shall we?"


    He pointed at himself, "You can call me Dullin. My Martial Spirit is the Armoured Gori, and I''ll be the reason for your bad luck starting today. That''s from my side. What about you?"


    "I have nothing to say to a dead man." Compass Carburettor snorted. ''If he''s speaking the truth, then he''s the Host to the Bad Luck System. But, what reason does he have to reveal his abilities to me?''


    "Even though you''re wearing a mask, I''m sure you''re wondering as to why I''m revealing my abilities, right?" Dullin grinned, twirling his bushy moustache as he spoke, "You see, I''m of the belief that revealing my cards ces me in a bind mostly. It means I don''t have any hidden variables at y that I need to depend upon. And this usually causes my opponents to screw up more than usual."


    "Now, I''ve been curious from the moment I learnt that there was someone who''s an actual concept. The Main Character. How does it feel to be the centre of whatever world you enter?" Dullin asked.


    "If you kill yourself, I''ll tell you everything. Howe''s that?" Compass Carburettor slowly smiled, "I do keep up my promises."


    "Hmm, that''s a good offer. Sadly, I don''t have any ns to die just to learn some facts." Dullin shook his head.


    "How unfortunate. I rmend you try it one though. It might be a fun experience." Compass Carburettor spoke.


    "I''ve done that a few times already, you see." Dullin slowly loosened the muscles on his arms and legs, rxing his hip as he began to approach Compass Carburettor, "Now, I''m curious to see what would happen once you''re dead. Will this world stop immediately? Or can a world continue on even with the death of a Main Character?"


    "Why don''t you satisfy my curiosity, Compass Carburettor?" Dullin spoke, causing a minor wave in the water as he rushed straight at Compass Carburettor, punching him, "By the way, you have a sick taste in masks. I''m surprised people haven''t killed you out of anger, you know."


    "It just means you cannot appreciate art, seeing as you''re¡­you." Compass Carburettor dodged the punch, his eyes widening in surprise, ''This crazy is fast!''


    He hurriedly somersaulted backward, evading Dullin''s attacks as he took out the repeating crossbow,unching a string of arrows at him.


    ng! ng! ng!


    "What the¡­?" Compass Carburettor was shocked to see the arrows bounce off Dullin, as if they had mmed into metal. Thinking that the opponent too was wearing armour, he aimed at his face, watching Dullin evade the arrows as close in on him.


    Bam!


    Compass Carburettor defended against an attack, skidding on the slightly slippery floor as he lost bnce, rolling in the water before hurriedly getting up, watching the figure of Dullin be present right before him, mming an attack as his sides, causing him to grunt in response.


    "Hmm, that doesn''t feel righ¡­" Dullin muttered as he evaded in a hurry, noticing a pearly white blur sweep past him, scratching his knees.


    "There''s something indeed off about you." Compass Carburettor muttered, getting up normally. His previous grunt was a feint to make Dulling leg down his guard. With the energy de armour acting as his hard defence, and the soft Mental Energy Body Layer cloth serving as a secondyer of softer defence, he didn''t even feel anything from that attack.


    But, when he retaliated with a sh using the energy de sword, he noticed that he wasn''t able to cut through Dullin. This was strange, considering how sharp his energy de sword was. This was adding onto his body strength which was currently twice a normal human.


    Even after suffering a hit to his knees, Dullin was uninjured.


    "Like I said, my Martial Spirit is the Armoured Gori. One of my attributes is Armoured, and not Armor. See that difference?" He grinned, observing that Compass Carburettor was shocked through his bodynguage,ughing as he spoke, "Right, unlike all Martial Spirits, my attribute of Armoured is passive in nature."


    "The Origin Essence in my body doesn''t stay in my Martial Spirit alone. It has fused into my body to condense a natural armour on my skin. And this skin is tougher than thirty-millimetre steel. This is what my Armoured attribute is." He spoke.


    "I see, that makes you the perfect candidate in this zone where Origin Essence is sealed." Compass Carburettor muttered, "Your armour would exist even here. So, you''ll actually have a greater advantage fighting here."


    "Bingo!" Dullin smirked, "Besides, don''t you think the floor is slippery here?"


    "What?" Compass Carburettor muttered in shock as he hurriedly defended himself against Dullin''s lunge, being sent skidding backwards when suddenly, he lost grip, copsing into the water.


    With the water cover him, it turned his movements slower. And before he managed to get up, Dullin jumped on him, kneeling onto his chest, "Hah! That''s one tough armour you''re wearing there!"


    "Urgh!" Compass Carburettor grunted, mming his sword into his opponent when Dullin took it head on, grinning when he wasn''t injured. He smacked it away, grabbing hold of Compass Carburettor''s hands as he made a light jump, kneeling on his chest once again, this time causing Compass Carburettor to grunt honestly in pain.


    "I''m heavier than you. And with me pinning you down like this, you don''t have much of a choice in escaping me." Dullin grinned, "The moment you touch me, you''ll be affected by my bad luck. Let me see how long you''ll survive."


    "I''ve been called an ill omen by my friends, colleagues, and even family in the past. Everyone I touch eventually has something bad happen to them. And you¡­" He grinned, "I''ve been touching you for plenty long, right?"


    ''Dammit! The Dust Wave spheres shattered?'' Compass Carburettor was rmed, noticing that his innate luck was indeed decreasing the longer he was in contact with Dullin.

 Chapter 420: First Kill of Luck?

    Chapter 420: First Kill of Luck?


    "He''spletely pummelling him!" Ady in her early twenties, covered in a cloak stood atop a rock pir, using a pair of binocrs to gaze at the battle between Compass Carburettor and Dullin.


    "Come on! Die before you deliver thest hit. That way, I can get in the killing blow and im victory over the Mian Character." She muttered, "I should make preparations anyway."


    She slowly tugged a long bow, aiming right at Compass Carburettor. The long bow she had was custom made, apound bow that allowed her to output power greater than what her muscles were innately capable of.


    She also had a couple of crossbows beside, all having considerable power, enough for the arrows to even prate through steel. In the current state where Origin Essence was sealed, they were guaranteed to kill her enemies.


    The only reason she had yet to make the killing shot was that she only had one chance. The moment her enemies were alerted, she would lose her perfect chance to kill them.


    Moreover, she was waiting for either of thebatants to enact their final lunge. That was where the erupted with their strongest offensive, but at the same time, also left the greatest window to be sneaked upon.


    She was waiting for that small window to kill them. "A kill has to be perfect."


    "Wait! That bastard!" Suddenly, she was shocked to see the situation change rapidly. But just when she nned to adjust her aim ordingly, she noticed her luck shaking erratically, turning around abruptly to see a shadow moving behind a rock pir, evading her line of sight.


    "An¡­enemy?" Thedy was shocked as looked around, trying to find any traces of the other party. But, they were alert, remaining behind the rock pir all along.


    And the most frustrating thing for her was the fact that her opponent was hanging onto the cliff from the rock pir''s top. This way, the moment she turned her back on them, they could climb to the surface and obtain a clear shot at her back.


    And with the erratic nature in which her luck shuddered before, she was aware that she was facing the worst possible enemy. So, there''s no way she could just ignore the attack and leave it to her luck to deflect it.


    That was impossible.


    "Dammit!" She cursed in response, "I shouldn''t havee here at all."


    She then nced at her back, smacking her lips in regret, "Shit!"


    "Haah¡­haah¡­just die already." Dullin shouted as he turned Compass Carburettor''s face into a bloody mess.


    But just when it seemed like Compass Carburettor was about to die, Dullin suddenly noticed his sight turning blurry while he felt lightheaded.


    "What''s¡­happening?" He frowned in rm, only now noticing that blood was pouring out like crazy from his right hand.


    A portion of it had been destroyed, causing blood to gush out profusely. ''Did this happen from when he pushed me into the water?''


    It was indeed the Dust Wave that had eaten though the armour on his hand, causing this injury. But right after, Compass Carburettor had begun to choke him. So, the thing about his injury was pushed to the back of his mind, making survival his priority.


    He focused on saving himself from being choked by the water while struggling to his limit. What he didn''t understand was that while he exerted strength in his hands while trying so, it only caused his blood to leak out faster.


    But that wasn''t all, while they were fighting, Compass Carburettor made it a desperate fight for life between the two. And when he inserted the energy de sword through his mouth, all thoughts rted to what he had nned before went down the drain as Dullin only wished to kill Compass Carburettor now.


    He was confident that Compass Carburettor was getting weaker over time, apparent as to how many times he was slipping up, missing his attacks, or failing to guard himself properly for a variety of reasons, mistakes that would never happen normally. And now, these mistakes caused him self-harm and also made him prone to injury by Dullin''s attacks.


    So, Dullin was aware that he was close to killing Compass Carburettor, and that indeed he was. But, with his arms broken, the pain of that overwhelmed him, causing the pain rted to the cut to no longer be felt much inparison.


    And in his high intense state with severe adrenaline rush, Dullin had basically forgotten about the blood loss, which resulted in his current state.


    "Dammit¡­I was close¡­" Dullin gasped, noticing his legs give out under him as he copsed into the pool of water, causing the water to gush into his nose, choking him once again.


    And slowly, he noticed a figure weakly crawl over his body, turning him around before sitting on his back, pressing him down, preventing him from reaching air.


    The water was only knee-length, but that was enough for a grown man¡ªlying t on the floor¡ªto drown in.


    "You¡­you''ve¡­seriously underestimated¡­my¡­innate¡­Luck." Compass Carburettor wheezed as he applied pressure using his weight, feeling Dullin''s body struggle underneath, twitching erratically before eventually, it turned still.


    But, Compass Carburettor didn''t get up, continuing to be seated in the same location as he slowly cleaned his face. It was indeed a bloody mess, preventing him from seeing anything. It seemed his eyes had taken a serious hit as he was blind now.


    There was a constant ringing sound in his ears while his throat ached. He wouldn''t be able to speak for anytime soon. That wasn''t all, there was pain everywhere in his body.


    Thanks to his Blood Vitality Grass, he had robust healing prowess. But, most of it had been sealed. So, he couldn''t rely upon it to recover from his injuries.


    ''I should leave this ce for the time being.'' He thought, ''Once I recover use of my Origin Essence, I''ll be able to heal myself.''


    "But wait¡­" He frowned, ''Is he the only System Host in my vicinity?''


    "I have a fairly decent solitude here. So, if another System Host aims for my life here, I''ll be able to react promptly." He sighed, inching his hand towards the energy de sword, shuddering suddenly as he grabbed hold of it. For¡­


    It had been severed into three pieces.

 Chapter 421: The Power of Bad Luck

    Chapter 421: The Power of Bad Luck


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­broken?¡± Compass Carburettor was shocked. After all, this was the strongest material that he was able to create using his abilities. But, the thing that shocked him the greatest, even more than it being severed into three pieces, was the fact that this happened without his knowledge.


    He was unable to understand just how it had shattered. He was in the midst of killing Dullin when he inserted it into his throat. And when Dullin had spat it out, it was still in one piece.


    Even when they were trading blows, Compass Carburettor noticed that there wasn¡¯t even a scratch on his energy de sword. So, he was simply unable to understand just how this was possible.


    ¡®Bad¡­Luck? Was that it?¡¯ He frowned in thought, ¡®But, if that was possible, then why am I alive and only my sword was destroyed?¡¯


    Slowly, as time passed in such a fashion, Compass Carburettor gradually regained some strength as his body continued to heal. He then got up and dragged himself towards the w Wolf, making it sprint out of the Temperate Refinement Zone at full speed.


    Right as he had left the ce, a crack formed on the central rock pir, slowly widening in response before shattering to pieces. And, the way it shattered caused the nearby rock pirs to also fall in fashion, creating a domino effect.


    And that wasn¡¯t all, due to the rubble, the effect that the region unleashed to the cultivators was severely diminished.


    Dullin¡¯s bad luck wasn¡¯t able to wholly affect Compass Carburettor because he had a sizeable luck. Honestly, Dullin had underestimated his innate luck.


    Moreover, due to his actions where he did tasks unaware to Chenger right under her nose, his innate luck had grown considerably.


    That was how he survived in this situation.


    And now, it was what allowed him to survive. Bad luck was synonymous to misfortune. And until he was that, his innate luck protected him. That was why, in ce of him, through mysterious purposes, his energy de sword was destroyed.


    And that made him weapon less, hence prompting him to leave the ce for the time being. And right after he left, the remaining bad luck took effect, causing a chain reaction that destroyed the entire region.


    Compass Carburettor had indeed survived this encounter. But, he also paid a sharp price. First was a massive reduction in his innate luck. Secondly was that he lost a ce of development, one that would have allowed him to be a lot stronger.


    So, his future potential had been shaved as a result.


    This was the price he paid to take down a Luck-based System Host. And this was just amon Luck based System Host enemy.


    After all, if what Dullin had spoken was the truth, then it was indeed the Bad Luck System that was in him.


    Bad Luck System-Level 27!


    It was one of the weakest among the Luck based Systems. But, it was also one of the worst opponents to go against at the start itself. After all, unlike most Luck based Systems with self-serving abilities, the Bad Luck System attacked the luck of others.


    And with his innate luck severely depleted, Compass Carburettor was backed into a corner now. If he were to face Straxia now, death was guaranteed.


    Forget Straxia, even Velcorn had a fair chance of killing him, not to mention Chenger who¡¯s the Host to the Destiny Luck System. If they were to have their fated battle now, he would be the one to die.


    ¡®I should avoid a one-on-one encounter with Chenger at all costs now.¡¯ He sighed in worry, slowly sensing his Origin Essence beginning to move.


    And with that, his body¡¯s boosted self-recovery took effect, slowly beginning to heal his injuries. Thankfully, there was plenty of Origin Essence in the air that he could absorb while on the move to heal himself.


    He didn¡¯t wish to remain in the same location for long, now that he had killed his first foe.


    When his innate luck stopped decreasing was when he determined that Dullin had died. But still, just to confirm it, he stomped Dullin¡¯s head until it was smashed into mush. With him dead, his armour began to slowly lose its effect.


    And during his resting time, it lost most power, allowing him to shatter Dullin¡¯s head. Even System Hosts wouldn¡¯t survive that, especially in this case with all System-rted abilities dead.


    Even if they were able to somehow use their Skills, that was using the Host¡¯s memories, through their mind. And once they were dead, the mind would shatter, leaving no room for the System¡¯s survival.


    ¡°Urghh!¡± He hissed in pain as his facial muscles convulsed, twitching nonstop as they began to heal. He had multiple fractures, tissue breaks, cut nerves, etc.


    He only had toe across a second System Host to meet his end now. Thankfully, he had taken such measures beforehand, ensuring that even if he were toe across a System Host, he would be facing them alone.


    Thedy atop the rock pir watched him exit the Temperate Refinement Zone as soon after, the rock pirs began to copse one after another, rming her as she quickly began to descend it.


    Swish!


    An arrow flew at her, right after she jumped from the rock pir when she was around ten metres from the ground. This was a scble distance, and hence, to save time, she had taken such an action.


    But using this opportune time when she was helpless, an arrow headed straight for her head, baffling her.


    Her only option was to raise her hand, watching the arrow pierce through it ande to a stop. But, it cracked the bones in her left hand, preventing her from using her bow for the time being.


    Thedy looked around, grunting in anger as she was unable to detect her attacker. But, she didn¡¯t have the freedom of time to search for him as the rock pirs began to copse right after.


    The copse of the rock pirs indeed hindered part of his Compass Carburettor¡¯s development, but it also saved him in that a second System Host was unable to target him right at his weakest state.


    ¡°Huhh¡­puff¡­so, that was a System Host. Terrifying!¡± Ranze patted his chest, hearing the sound of his heartbeats loud and clear as he continued to run away from the Temperate Refinement Zone, soon leaving the ce.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Notice: There¡¯ll be a major announcement on my Discord in the uing weeks. Don¡¯t miss it~!!!


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 Chapter 422: The Middle-Aged Healer

    <h4>Chapter 422: The Middle-Aged Healer</h4>


    Boom!


    In the back was the sound of the rock pirs copsing as ady gasped for breath, having barely exited the Temperate Refinement Zone, noticing her Origin Essence begin to move little by little.


    Soon, she fully left the region, sensing that she was able to freely use her Origin Essence once again, ¡°Hah!¡±


    She unleashed her presence, rxing a little as it felt suffocating in the Temperate Refinement Zone, making her feel as if she had been drowning all along. Now, she gasped for breath like she had surfaced.


    Hiss!


    Suddenly, thedy was rmed when she was able to feel hundreds of gazes on her, causing her to turn around, only being confused as she wasn¡¯t able to sense anyone that could have been the cause of the stare.


    There were cultivators around here, all of those that had barely escaped the Temperate Refinement Zone, currently heaving a collective sigh of relief, thanking their lucky stars to have survived that disaster.


    ¡°Man, what a waste. I had been looking forward to growing stronger here.¡± A cultivator muttered in pity.


    ¡°What the heck happened to result in the destruction of the rock pirs?¡± Another cultivator eximed, baffled at the scenario.


    Thedy observed everyone, unable to notice anything amiss. All of them were just cultivators with their respective selfish desires and schemes in effect.


    ¡®Strange¡­¡¯ She frowned, turning around when she shuddered instinctively once again, feeling hundreds of gazes on her, ¡°What the fuck?¡±


    When she turned around, she only saw the figures of the cultivators beginning to go away whilementing about their sordid fates.


    This was the first time thedy was experiencing such a phenomenon, rming her, causing her to feel as if she had changed genres and plunged into a horror world instead.


    ¡°Excuse me,dy.¡± Suddenly, a middle-aged man approached her, asking, ¡°Do you mind selling me a couple of your arrows? I¡¯ve run out of mine, so was hoping you could sell some.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± Thedy nodded, taking out five arrows from her quiver as she handed them over to him, ¡°That¡¯ll be 100 Essence Stones.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± The man had just extended his hand, intending to grab the arrows when he paused after hearing the price, gazing at thedy as he said in shock, ¡°That¡¯s expensive!¡±


    ¡°Demand and supply.¡± Thedy smirked, ¡°The number of arrows is limited. So, their price goes up ordingly. Maybe after a few more days, each arrow would be selling for a hundred Essence Stones.¡±


    ¡°¡­fine.¡± The man sighed, taking out hundred Essence Stones from his spatial pouch as he handed them over to her, ¡°I¡¯m Fisksher. What shall I call you,dy?¡±


    ¡°Ho.¡± Thedy said, counting the Essence Stones before dropping them into her spatial pouch. She gleaned based on Fisksher tantly disying his spatial pouch that he had enough confidence in his strength.


    And indeed, as she had expected, he had an Earth Martial Spirit. And judging by his age, he had been dying his cultivation just to gain benefits from the Folkan Secret Realm.


    The man then gazed at the injury on Ho¡¯s left hand, frowning, ¡°You¡¯re injured.¡±


    ¡°A sneaky bastard shot me before,¡± Ho said, only now noticing that she had forgotten about the injury, forgetting to stop the bleeding. Even the arrowhead was still lodged in her hand. And as she had strained herself while climbing down the rock pir, it had be entangled within her muscles.


    ¡°I can heal you,¡± Fisksher said, causing his hand to emit a gentle radiance as he motioned for her to extend her hand.


    ¡®A healer?¡¯ Ho was surprised for a moment before grinning in response, extending her injured hand, ¡°Perfect timing.¡±


    Fisksher slowly began to treat her injury, pulling out the arrowhead as he only noticed a mild grunt from Ho, stating in surprise, ¡°You have spectacr tolerance. Most would be trying their utmost to endure this pain.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ve experienced worse so many times that I¡¯ve be somewhat numb to them.¡± Ho said. ¡°Aren¡¯t I making it easier for you to treat me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡± Contrary to her thoughts, Fisksher shook his head, ¡°The more you be numb to things, the weaker you get.¡±


    ¡°Then, you mean that I should cry and make a mess of myself every time I get injured?¡± Ho snorted, watching her injuries beginning to close gradually.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that.¡± Fisksher sighed, stating, ¡°What you must focus on raising is your endurance. You should be capable of enduring pain, no matter how unbearable it gets. But, once you shut yourself from such things, your body gradually bes less and less human. And in the end, even if it might look like you¡¯re bing a cold-blooded killing machine, in truth, you¡¯re numbing your instincts.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ho frowned.


    ¡°Think of it like this¡­¡± Fisksher extended his index finger, touching it on his palm, suddenly causing a needle of Origin Essence to pierce through his hand, surprising Ho.


    ¡°Did you see my hand flinch?¡± He said while his brows creased, obviously enduring the pain.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ho nodded.


    ¡°For an amateur, their bodies would react in many ways, at times each of their limbs reacts in different manners that results in them ending up doing nothing.¡± He said, ¡°But you see¡­this reaction is our body¡¯s instinct, our muscle memory of sorts, our fastest reflex. It¡¯s something ingrained in our core, handed down from our ancestors for generations. And, there is a deeper level of instincts buried within our muscles. The greater you dig, the stronger the instinctual reactions.¡±


    ¡°An expert would be working on harnessing this potential buried within us. But, numbing yourself would only cover up these instincts.¡± Fisksher made eye contact with Ho, stating, ¡°Do you understand the point I¡¯m making?¡±


    ¡°At present, you¡¯re burying all this wealth to react logically.¡± He said, patting her hand that had returned to its pristine self, ¡°Instead, you should be focusing on harnessing this wealth and tuning it to help you at all times.¡±


    He then frowned, ¡°Strange, I¡¯ve be a lot more talkative than usual.¡±


    He then sighed, extending his hand, causing Ho to tilt her head in confusion.


    ¡°My services aren¡¯t free, you know.¡± Fisksher smiled, ¡°That¡¯ll be 1000 Essence Stones.¡±


    ¡°Now, pay up.¡±

 Chapter 423: Inform, Assist, and Leave

    <h4>Chapter 423: Inform, Assist, and Leave</h4>


    ¡®¡­She just had toe into contact with probably the sole healer that had entered this Secret Realm. Seriously, that¡¯s some insane luck she has there.¡¯ Walking far away, staring at the conversing figures of Ho and Fisksher was Ranze, subtly frowning in response.


    ¡®Unsurprisingly, they hit it off pretty well.¡¯ He sighed, having already stored his weapons. He then gazed at a nearby cultivator, ¡°Thanks for alerting me before. I¡¯ll be on my way now.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± The cultivator nodded before the light in his eyes changed, ¡°We¡¯ll contact you if a need arises again.¡±


    After that, the cultivator blinked nkly for a couple of seconds before proceeding to walk in a certain direction, heading towards some other location. He was no different from the others now.


    ¡®Of course, Hazen is equally terrifying.¡¯ He shuddered, recalling the scene where he waspeting against a group of people for a treasure when suddenly, all of them stopped abruptly, hearing a mysterious whistling sound.


    Their expressions changed as they gazed at him, dering in unison, ¡°Hazen is in trouble. There¡¯s a second System Host in the core of the Temperate Refinement Zone. Hurry there!¡±


    ¡°What the¡­heck?¡± Ranze was shocked for a moment before understanding that this was Compass Carburettor¡¯s scheme in motion.


    ¡®Even he won¡¯t be able to face two System Hosts at the same time.¡¯ Thinking as such, Ranze began to rush in the appointed direction, eventually reaching the core of the Temperate Refinement Zone.


    When he walked past the rock pirs, he suddenly noticed a woman staring at him in silence. And when he gazed at her in curiosity, she nodded, pointing in a certain direction, ¡°The second one¡¯s named Ho. We don¡¯t know anything beyond that at present.¡±


    As he continued to walk, he noticed quite a few cultivators staring at him, creeping the heck out of him. But, all of them silently pointed him in the required direction, prompting him to hurry along.


    And from time to time, whistling sounds were exchanged in the region. The whistling sound was high-pitched, carried in a frequency that was almost pushing the boundaries of human hearing.


    But somehow, information was transmitted in such a fashion.


    Ranze was pretty bbergasted as he eventually arrived at a position that allowed him to have a clear view of Ho, ¡®His preparations are scary indeed.¡¯


    ¡°Well, I shouldn¡¯t ck off either. This is the world that has given meaning to my existence. No way I¡¯m allowing these aliens to wreak havoc any longer.¡± He muttered, firming his vigour as he red at Ho, observing her actions while nning a way to kill her.


    The moment he stared at her, harnessing the intent to destroy her, Ho shuddered instinctively, sensing her luck trembling erratically. This implied that if the two went head-on at one another, there was a high chance of mutual destruction at the very least.


    And, a moment¡¯s carelessness or underestimation from either side would cause their death.


    Ho and Fisksher continued to converse as eventually, they decided to travel as a team. It was because both were confident in themselves, also showcasing staunch pride that prevented them from robbing each other.


    They were the type to collide from the front, and not scheme behind the backs of one another. Hence, they decided to use their abilities to obtain greater benefits from the Secret Realm.


    ¡®Should I follow them?¡¯ Ranze thought for a moment, gazing around as he noticed the number of cultivators in the region thinning out, ¡®No, it¡¯s too risky here. I should at least be here with Xuer to have enough confidence to kill Ho without crippling myself in the process.¡¯


    ¡°After all, she¡¯s not the sole enemy I will be facing.¡± He muttered, shaking his head as he noticed some cultivators coincidentally going in the same direction as Ho, ¡®Right, they should be everywhere. The moment a chance presents itself, they¡¯ll alert me.¡¯


    ¡°I hope Xuer is safe¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Huff¡­puff¡­are you¡­satisfied?¡± Xuer gasped for air, panting as shey on the ground, unable to move.


    ¡°¡­yeah¡­you¡¯re strong.¡± stered on the ground next to her was Bunu, in a simr condition to her. The two of them were resting on a clear patch of grass, actually, the sole intact patch in the region.


    Surrounding them was and that was mostly charred, sportingrge pits which were currently filled with water. That wasn¡¯t all. There were even the carcasses of countless Origin Beasts scattered amidst the wreckage.


    ¡°I thought I would be the sole cultivator with a Heaven Martial Spirit.¡± After some time had passed, Bunu slowly sat up, ingesting a pill to heal her injuries, ¡°But, I¡¯m d to have met someone like you. I can wholeheartedly treat you as an equal.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I understand where you¡¯reing from.¡± Xuerughed as she snatched a pill from Bunu, shamelessly eating it as she sat up, stating in seriousness, ¡°Everything changed around me once I awakened a Heaven Martial Spirit. Honestly, the eyes of people full of respect and greed that were directed at me unnerved me, to be frank.¡±


    ¡°Even in the zing Sun n with a lot of Earth Martial Spirit cultivators, the situation is more or less the same.¡± Bunu sighed, ¡°So, I¡¯m not surprised with what you faced in the Giant Whale Sect.¡±


    ¡°But, if you ever feel like things are suffocating to endure,e find me. I¡¯ll help you.¡± Bunu gently held Xuer¡¯s hands, ¡°After all, you have the Ice Crane while I have the Fire Crane. Our Martial Spirits are of the same breed.¡±


    ¡°It feels like you¡¯re my long-lost sister.¡± Bunuughed. ¡°Once we leave the Secret Realm,e to my n. There¡¯s a lot of fun things there.¡±


    ¡°I would love to.¡± Xuer spoke excitedly before turning sullen, ¡°But, I guess that would be impossible for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Impossible? Why?¡± Bunu frowned, expressing mild anger. ¡°Tell me if something¡¯s troubling you. No matter what it is, I¡¯ll raze them to the ground.¡±


    ¡°The Evil Spirits¡­¡± Xuer sighed, noticing Bunu¡¯s expression turn serious all of a sudden.


    ¡°They are in the Secret Realm, right?¡± Xuer said, smiling helplessly, ¡°And, their target is my man.¡±


    ¡°So, no matter what, they must first be eradicated. Otherwise, they might destroy the Gaider Realm itself.¡±

 Chapter 424: Be Cunning Towards All

    <h4>Chapter 424: Be Cunning Towards All</h4>


    ¡°How are you certain the Evil Spirits are targeting your¡­man?¡± Bunu frowned, gazing at Xuer with a hint of suspicion, trying to ascertain whether or not Xuer could be an Evil Spirit or not.


    ¡°I¡¯ve received Lord Gahrat¡¯s tutge for a day.¡± Xuer said, ¡°And in that time, he told me a lot of information, including the truth about the Evil Spirits.¡±


    ¡°The truth about the Evil Spirits?¡± Bunu was surprised, ¡°Was Lord Gahrat real? How was he? Was he as mysterious and unfathomable as the rumours said?¡±


    Hearing her string of words, Xuer recalled the time when she met and conversed with Compass Carburettor, saying honestly, ¡°He resembled a mortal. But, even when he was using his abilities, there wasn¡¯t even a hint of energy fluctuation or was his presence revealed. He was as mysterious as they came.¡±


    ¡°Ah, one thing.¡± Xuer suddenly pointed at Bunu, ¡°Whatever I¡¯m telling you must remain between us, alright? At most, you can tell it to your grandfather. Anyone without a Heaven Martial Spirit would just die if they know this information. The Evil Spirits are knowledgeable about people to a terrifying extent. They are probably able to read our thoughts just by looking at our faces.¡±


    ¡°I promise you. Everything will stay between the two of us. And unless it¡¯s necessary, I won¡¯t confide about this with my grandfather either.¡± Bunu said in all seriousness, scanning around using her Origin Essence to determine that there weren¡¯t any prying ears nearby.


    Seeing how cautious she was being, Xuer smiled, ¡°The Evil Spirits are actually called System Hosts.¡±


    ¡°System Hosts? Wait¡­that term of System feels familiar.¡± Bunu frowned in thought, ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve heard of it before.¡±


    ¡°Have you read any novels before?¡± Xuer asked, ¡°Fantasy ones I mean.¡±


    ¡°My mother read a few to me when I was young. But, they were mostly boring, so instead, I was practising my sword, instrumental, and painting skills.¡± Bunu replied.


    ¡°Basically, a System is a parasite that enters your body to conveniently solve all your troubles¡­¡± Xuer began to exin the basics of Systems and the knowledge rted to them.


    A few hours passed in such a fashion, at the end of which she concluded, ¡°And at present, they are aiming to devour our Martial Spirits. If all the Martial Spirits are devoured, that¡¯ll put our Realm under the mercy of the Systems.¡±


    ¡°After that, they could casually make as many System Hosts as they want and slowly suck our foundation dry.¡±


    ¡°To think there are countless other worlds out there that don¡¯t follow our cultivation paths¡­¡± Bunu¡¯s eyes widened in shock, shaking her head as she said, ¡°All this seems impossible. Honestly, I¡¯m finding it very hard to believe all this.¡±


    ¡°I was the same too, until I witnessed it first-hand.¡± Xuer sighed, ¡°Lord Gahrat is someone that fights these Systems. And currently, the Systems that have invaded our world are those that control Luck.¡±


    ¡°Coincidental Luck System, whose Host chances upon encounters beneficial to them coincidentally, being lucky in every encounter. Destiny Luck System, whose Host is destined to obtain whatever their end goal is¡­¡± Xuer slowly iterated the knowledge Compass Carburettor had imparted to her and Ranze over the past three years.


    ¡°As they follow a different power mechanic, we aren¡¯t able to sense any power from them.¡± Xuer said before whispering, ¡°If you want to know more, you can ask Hazen.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s he?¡± Bunu asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s Lord Gahrat¡¯s son.¡± Xuer replied, ¡°I and my man, Ranze have been in contact with him for the past three years.¡±


    ¡°These Evil Spirits¡­¡± Bunu was silent for a while, asking once she digested all the information, ¡°How will you find them?¡±


    ¡°You remember all the information in that scroll, right?¡± Xuer asked, saying as she watched Bunu nod in response, ¡°There are Hazen¡¯s informants everywhere. They¡¯ll alert us if there¡¯s an Evil Spirit in our vicinity.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± She whispered all of a sudden, watching a teenager walk towards their location all of a sudden.


    Xuer and Bunu became alert immediately, intending to retaliate the moment the teenager tried anything funny.


    The teenager slowly walked past them, suddenly opening his mouth as he whispered, ¡°The World Decaying Evil Spirit is five kilometres from here.¡±


    ¡°Velcorn?¡± Xuer frowned, noticing the teenager just walk past while ignoring her question. She then patted his shoulder, noticing him turn around in surprise.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡­¡± Xuer let go of her hold, watching the teenager look at the twodies sheepishly as he seemed intent to talk with them, hesitating to do so. Eventually, he lost confidence and walked away sullenly.


    ¡°Did you see that?¡± Bunu frowned, ¡°It¡¯s like they are different people.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Xuer nodded, her face paling in response, ¡°Is this Hazen¡¯s power? But, I only heard him stating that he had established a powerful informationwork. This¡­I wasn¡¯t aware of it.¡±


    ¡°This Hazen guy¡­can he be trusted?¡± Bunu frowned, ¡°No matter what his reasons might be, I don¡¯t like his actions. It seems like he¡¯s somehow able to convey information through people against their will.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this.¡±


    ¡®Hazen is just Compass Carburettor¡¯s new identity¡­¡¯ Right as she arrived at this line of thought, Xuer felt nervous, ¡®Wait, why was I trusting his words in the first ce anyway? Isn¡¯t that because he seemed pretty convincing? What if I and Ranze are just being lead around the hook by him?¡¯


    ¡®Wouldn¡¯t that mean I¡¯m still as gullible as usual?¡¯


    Upon seeing Xuer¡¯s changing expressions, Bunu sighed, patting her shoulder to console her, ¡°Whatever the case might be, our goal remains the same.¡±


    As Xuer stared at her in surprise, Bunu said in all seriousness, ¡°If these Evil Spirits threaten our Gaider Realm, we¡¯ll eliminate them. And if this Hazen turns out to be an enemy, we eliminate him too.¡±


    ¡°In the end, it¡¯s pretty simple, right?¡± She grinned.


    ¡®Indeed, she makes a valid point. Yes, as Compass Carburettor had told me before, I should use all the resources to raise my strength and authority. As long I have enough of both, I¡¯ll be able to protect myself and my family from any harm.¡¯ Her eyes shone with a cunning glint, ¡®Isn¡¯t that why I¡¯ve been using our familiar breed of Martial Spirits and status to be close with Bunu?¡¯


    ¡®Then, I should do the same with Hazen too. He¡¯s pretty useful.¡¯ She then gazed at her bracelet, ¡®Big sister Lan too.¡¯


    The moment Compass Carburettor¡¯s innate luck dropped, Xuer¡¯s thoughts were affected as a result, causing her to think about valid reasons that she for some reason hadn¡¯t considered in the past three years.

 Chapter 425: Imperial Treasury

    <h4>Chapter 425: Imperial Treasury</h4>


    ¡°Haah¡­¡± Compass Carburettor exhaled sharply as he slumped on a tree stem, gasping in exhaustion while the w Wolf slept beside him, acting as a shield for him.


    Forming an arc before him was the w Wolf while situated behind him was the thick tree trunk, ensuring he was covered on all sides. Thisyer of defence was enough for the time being to protect himself from ambushes.


    Currently, Compass Carburettor¡¯s condition was pretty horrible. He was yet able to recover his sight or hearing. His sense of smell was wonky as all he could inhale was a scent simr to rust.


    He took out some water, cleaning himself first of all the dirt and grime. Following that, he hydrated himself, beginning to eat food to his limit.


    Upon observing that his body¡¯s natural recovery mechanism had kicked in, he closed his eyes, beginning to sleep. Thanks to the Blood Vitality Grass, he was capable of regeneration, even though this process was pretty slow.


    As he wasn¡¯t able to see anything while his hearing wasn¡¯t proper, operating himself to use the Origin Art of Frog Recovery was too risky. There was a higher chance of him messing it up, causing the Origin Art to grow extra body parts which would result in a situation akin to cancer.


    ¡®Hmm, if I fuse the effects of the Blood Vitality Grass¡¯s healing effects into Frog Recovery, it¡¯ll raise my healing capabilities.¡¯ He thought, feeling that it would be for the best to create this. After all, when he reached the Martial Providence Stage, he and his Martial Spirit would fuse with one another.


    At that time, Frog Recovery¡ªthe Origin Art that fused the attributes of Frog and Blood-Vitality-Grass¡ªwould act as the gateway to perfect his fusion. Moreover, it¡¯ll also allow him to output greater strength.


    ¡®I should work on fusing my Blood-Vitality-Grass attribute in other Origin Arts too.¡¯ He decided. The Origin Arts of Frog Leap and Snag would obtain a significant boost in power once he achieves this.


    He had yet to obtain a good idea to fuse it with the attribute of Mind. ¡®But that¡¯s what cultivation is. A constant state of growth and development.¡¯


    As time passed, he gradually fell asleep. During this time, the Blood Vitality Grass growing in his stomach absorbed nutrients from his stomach, including his Origin Essence as it amped up his recovery, slowly causing his facial muscles to twitch and the underlying nerves to wriggle.


    They began to heal naturally, gradually recovering his eyesight and hearing.


    It was nighttime when he woke up as Compass Carburettor was able to see now, sighing in relief, ¡®It would have been disastrous if I had lost my sight.¡¯


    Thanks to the Frog attribute, he was able to see exceptionally well during the night. The moment he woke up, the w Wolf got up too, ready to move out.


    Smiling, he patted its neck, sitting on its back as he pped twice, watching it move in response, ¡®It¡¯s reacting quicker to my actions now.¡¯


    He had fully recovered during his sleep, now able to fight once again. Moreover, he noticed something beneficial.


    Since there existed Origin Essence in the air itself here in the Folkan Secret Realm, his Blood Vitality Grass was able to absorb that automatically, ensuring his Origin Essence reserves were full all the time.


    This also meant that even when he was fighting, it would continue to absorb Origin Essence, replenishing him constantly. ¡®As long as I manage my expenditure properly, I¡¯ll be able to oust my foes.¡¯


    Currently, the quantity of Origin Essence in him amounted to around a Fifth or Sixth Layer of the Martial Origin Stage. And as for Origin Essence quality, it had already reached an average Martial Origin Stage cultivator.


    This meant that even at present, he would be able to go against Fifth or Sixth Stage Martial Origin Stage cultivators and easily win against them. This was the sheer advantage the Essence Derby Pce had given him in terms of Origin Essence.


    Thanks to his tower shield being the strongest, the advantage he obtained was also the highest out of everyone, including the System Hosts. After all, when he was in the Essence Beast¡¯s body, with it recognising him as its core, its essence constantly surged in him.


    Essence Increasing Spark and Essence Strengthening Spark. He had already absorbed it beyond his body¡¯s limit. If not for ingesting the Blood Vitality Grass back then, his body would have exploded.


    Once his body seemed to be on the verge of copse, the Essence changed into the Spirit Strengthening Essence, strengthening his Mind Frog. And finally, as he was its core, considered as the Attribute Strengthening Spark, his three attributes were strengthened considerably.


    From just one area, he had grown a lot stronger. ¡®If only I could have trained in the Temperate Refinement Zone.¡¯


    He sighed, feeling that it was a loss. Training there would have significantly improved the overall coordination between his body and Martial Spirit, allowing him to use his Origin Arts better.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing else I can do but to strive forward.¡± He muttered, ¡°I¡¯ll return to the Temperate Refinement Zone at ater date. The core region shouldn¡¯t be unrecoverable yet.¡±


    As that ce was currently influenced by Dullin¡¯s Bad Luck, going there in his current condition would further worsen his situation. Hence, he wished to go somewhere else and recover his innate luck to a certain extent before returning there.


    Eventually, he came across some cultivators, following them as the group reached a pce of sorts. The pce was majestic, situated atop a mountain that seemed to have been cleaved at the halfway point.


    On the ttened surface, the majestic pce was built, spanning tens of kilometres in length and breadth, and a height of five hundred metres. It pretty much resembled a mountain in itself.


    Cultivators constantly streamed into it as Compass Carburettor was even able to hear sounds of fighting in many ces. When he inquired about the details with someone nearby, his eyes widened as he hurriedly prompted the w Wolf to race towards the entrance.


    ¡°This ce? Ah, it¡¯s the Imperial Treasury. From what I know, it¡¯s full of Artifacts, pills, and even mystical Origin Arts. Those that entered first would be getting the lump of the pie. And from what I had heard, two terrifying cultivators took the lead.¡±

 Chapter 426: Impossible Line-up

    Chapter 426: Impossible Line-up


    While he was resting from injuries suffered against Dullin, two System Hosts had taken the chance to gain a lead.


    Had he been able to train in the Temperate Refinement Zone in peace, there wouldn¡¯t have been such a lead. But now, he didn¡¯t obtain anything from there while his enemies were already happily ransacking the treasures of the Imperial Treasury.


    That was why he was hurrying now. The longer he dyed, the greater the advantage his foes gain.


    The w Wolf hopped over the crowd of people, eliciting numerous exims from the crowd as it soon entered the pce.


    Near the entrance were what seemed to be golems, or at least, their shattered fragments.


    Compass Carburettor noticed a hollow section in their chests, as if the golems had contained something within.


    ¡®Is it simr to the Misty Gorge Ruins?¡¯ He thought, hurrying along as he observed wreckage of all kinds scattered around. There were also the corpses of cultivators beside each wreckage.


    Of course, cultivators died from either the golems or from the hands of fellow cultivators that tried to snatch such treasures.


    The size and colour of the golems varied based on the treasure contained within. Bronze Golems contained pills, Silver Golems contained Artifacts, Gold Golems contained Origin Arts, while tinum Golems had Cultivation Techniques.


    And, the grade of the treasures was signified by their size. Golems with Trash Grade treasures spanned around 2-4 metres in height, 5-9 metres for Human Grade treasures, 11-20 for Earth Grade treasures, and finally, 21-50 for Heaven Grade treasures.


    Most of the debris consisted of Golems with Trash Grade treasures. After all, they were the easiest to destroy.


    Golems with Human Grade treasures already imed countless lives before they were destroyed. Their contents created another bloodbath.


    Very few even dared to aim for the Earth Grade treasures, as the Golems protecting them were not only massive, the material they were made out of was also tremendously tough, causing most attacks to not even leave a scratch on them.


    Once he rushed into the Imperial Treasury, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t hurry, stopping at a corner as he observed a group of cultivators going against an eight-metre-tall Silver Golem. Stored in its chest behind a protective barrier was a sword emitting a powerful presence.


    ¡°Koff!¡± A cultivator mmed an attack into the Silver Golem, denting a joint when he was flung away from its retaliation, skidding on the ground as he stopped beside Compass Carburettor, spitting out blood while grunting in frustration, ¡°Dammit, I was close!¡±


    His eyes suddenly turned strange as he muttered, ¡°Two Evil Spirits have gone deeper into the Imperial Treasury. They are Velcorn with his Heaven Martial Spirit, Putrid Crocodile and Ho with her Heaven Martial Spirit, Sonic Light.¡±


    ¡°Velcorn is capable of dposing anything living he touches. He possesses a tough defence that¡¯s hard to breach, not to mention his fish-like movements that cause most attacks to miss him. He¡¯s always lucky.¡± The cultivator then spoke, ¡°But, the one that you must guard against is Ho.¡±


    ¡°Both her attributes are Earth Grade. She has one of the strongest Heaven Martial Spirits. She wields both light and sound. She mostly unleashes shockwaves to attack nearby targets. There are no blind spots in her defensive Origin Art that employs her shockwaves. And if anyone gets close to her, they are blinded by the light she emits. She hasn¡¯t used any attacks with the light attribute yet other than to blind enemies. But one thing is for sure¡­¡±


    He said solemnly, ¡°No matter what, she always takes action at the opportune moment to snatch everything. And this has happened a few times already. Any decent treasure had already been snatched by her right at the moment the cultivators vying for it let their guard down for an instant.¡±


    ¡®Based on the characteristics she disyed¡­indeed, it¡¯s that System.¡¯ Compass Carburettor became serious, ¡®Perfect Timing System! Always able to perform actions at the perfect time to reap the greatest benefit. Damn, she is too troublesome to fight at this point in time.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t too much concerned with Velcorn though. For, the other party had the Lucky Bastard System. Even though the Lucky Bastard System was one of the highest levelled among the Luck-based Systems, it dealt with pure luck.


    And against that, he had some countermeasures in ce.


    But, the moment such a thought entered his mind, Compass Carburettor pulled a stop to all his actions, watching the cultivator turn normal and return to fight the Silver Golem.


    ¡®Bad Luck System, Lucky Bastard System, Perfect Timing System, and then the Destiny Luck System.¡¯ He frowned, feeling like a formless had been cast around his neck.


    Bad Luck System would rapidly shave away his innate luck, causing the Lucky Bastard System to survive numerous encounters against him time and again, staling his growth. And the moment he reveals a weakness, the Perfect Timing System would sneak attack him, crippling his growth/foundation/opportunity, etc.


    Eventually, once he¡¯s weakened, the Destiny Luck System would initiate the fated battle, resulting in his guaranteed death.


    ¡®There¡¯s one more here¡­Warktor. What System does he have now?¡¯ Compass Carburettor frowned, ¡®He¡¯ll be the final ingredient in their n to kill me.¡¯


    Honestly, with such a line-up against him, it¡¯ll be pretty impossible for him to survive. And, one of the most important ingredients that formed the noose around his neck was the fifth System that has remained discrete all along.


    Its Host hadn¡¯t taken action even once until now, preventing the Sleeper Cells from gathering any data on him.


    Arriving at the entrance of the Imperial Treasury was a hooded figure, a lean man with a rust-coloured rubble beard, something he hadn¡¯t bothered to maintain even once.


    Standing beside him was a teenager, possessing significant strength but sporting curious eyes as he gazed at the scattered remains of the golems within, asking, ¡°Master, will we be fighting against him now?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± The man with the rubble beard, Warktor said curtly, ¡°Our only goal toe here is to pick a suitable weapon for you. We¡¯ll fight him after breaking through to the Martial Origin Stage.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s when I¡¯ll be at my strongest state.¡±

 Chapter 427: This Can Happen?

    Chapter 427: This Can Happen?


    Compass Carburettor snapped his finger, unleashing a crisp sound in a certain frequency. Immediately after, a nearby cultivator approached him, saying curtly before leaving right after, ¡°Xuer is nearby.¡±


    ¡®So, only Xuer can be a reinforcement.¡¯ Compass Carburettor was worried. After all, if it had been either Ranze or Grisha, he would be more confident in facing the battle against two System Hosts. But, he wasn¡¯t that confident in Xuer.


    Because at the end of the day, she was just a cultivator with a Heaven Martial Spirit, even if she was technically considered the female lead of this world if it became a plot.


    Ranze had the Trash Divine Martial Spirit, making him strong and unpredictable. Grisha was pretty much an extension of himself. So, she too was supported by his innate luck.


    Both of them had enough foundation to go against a System Host. But, he wasn¡¯t able to determine that for Xuer. It was because, her role wasn¡¯t exactly the female lead, but Ranze¡¯s love interest.


    This meant that the size of her fate practically depended on Ranze. Even though at present, she was the only love interest, cultivation stories had an infamy of harem most of the time.


    If it happened, it would diminish Xuer¡¯s fate, preventing her from going toe-to-toe against a System Host.


    Honestly, he didn¡¯t have such fears before entering the Folkan Secret Realm. He had been assured by Ranze¡¯s words of him only seeking to have Xuer as his love interest.


    But, before entering the Secret Realm, Compass Carburettor gazed upon a figure originating from the strongest n of the Gaider Realm.


    Bunu!


    Normally, if a female from a strong n had a powerful Martial Spirit, she wouldn¡¯t make a love rival, at least in cases where the protagonist had a tight rein on his pants like Ranze.


    But, the reason Compass Carburettor suspected her was because her Martial Spirit was the Fire Crane.


    Xuer had the Ice Crane, causing them to share simrities now. Simrities in crane, and with opposing attributes of ice and fire. This was why he was worried.


    In many stories, people with a dynamic of ice and fire were cast together.


    ¡®I should prepare for a contingency.¡¯ He thought, snapping his finger when a nearby cultivator approached him, ¡°Ask Ranze and Grisha toe to the Imperial Treasury.¡±


    The cultivator walked away, whistling in response after a couple of minutes had passed. Immediately, the sounds of whistles echoed everywhere before vanishing abruptly.


    Every cultivator that he came across was turned into a Sleeper Cell. And now, Compass Carburettor was seeing the benefits.


    He didn¡¯t wait for the two to arrive, feeling that moving as a group might only affect their luck as a whole due to their opponents.


    He then closed his eyes, sensing the recovery rate of his Origin Essence, ¡®It has increased a bit more.¡¯


    His Blood Vitality Grass was still growing. And hence, as it grew, the rate of Origin Essence absorption continued to increase. This would continue until the limit has been reached, which was determined by his cultivation base¡ªOrigin Essence quantity and quality.


    The w Wolf that was in the same state began to move now.


    Compass Carburettor observed the treasures within the golems, not bothering with any that was below ten metres in height. He had simr treasures with him already.


    What he was hoping for was a powerful pill that might raise his strength, a suitable Origin Art, Cultivation Technique, and a weapon apt for him.


    His Cultivation Technique was shoddy. Or to be frank, he didn¡¯t even practice a Cultivation Technique. Since his Mind Frog was a Heaven Grade Martial Spirit, he had a fast cultivation speed.


    But, this couldn¡¯t continue in the future.


    After all, until now, the Folkan Secret Realm was the reason his enemies remained at the Ninth Layer of the Origin Refinement Stage. But after this, none of them would halt their cultivation but would be racing to their utmost possibility to raise their cultivation as quickly as possible.


    In that situation, not having a Cultivation Technique would dy his cultivation speed. He had been working on creating a Cultivation Technique of his own, but it was easier said than done. He didn¡¯t have good reference materials that proved useful.


    So, he at least hoped to get a Cultivation Technique that could serve as his reference.


    As for Artifacts, it was the same case here too. An Artifact would be created to be suitable for certain attributes. And to achieve that, materials of the same attributes were necessary.


    But for him, he was unable to find any materials with the Mind Attribute. There was only Helk¡¯s Martial Spirit. But that was in his Dimensional Space. So, he couldn¡¯t use it.


    He had left it there in case Gana nned to do something with it to save Stencil.


    So, without any materials of the Mind attribute, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t have a suitable weapon to use. This was why he was hoping to find something suitable all along.


    ¡®It definitely wouldn¡¯t be easy.¡¯ He sighed, soon heading deeper into the Imperial Treasury. The size of the golems continued to increase while their movements also turned sharper.


    Soon after, it was getting harder for even the w Wolf to evade their attacks. He had already arrived deep into the Imperial Treasury, barely able to spot a few cultivators here and there.


    They were all exceptional geniuses from their respective ns and Sects. ¡®They aren¡¯t here too.¡¯


    He frowned, worrying immediately as he feared that the System Hosts had already reached the centre and were probably on the verge of defeating and seizing the treasures from the strongest of golems there.


    ¡°Faster.¡± He urged the w Wolf, using his Origin Art of Snag to hinder the golem attacks, allowing the w Wolf to dodge freely and head deeper into the region.


    He passed through two doors along the way, with each signalling a region, starting from the outermost region where there were mostly Trash Grade treasures. Following it was the inner region with Human Grade treasures.


    Currently, Compass Carburettor was proceeding through the core region where there were only Earth Grade treasures. Honestly, even he was interested to see what kind of treasuresy in here.


    But, that could wait until he dealt with his enemies. After all, there weren¡¯t many that were capable of seizing Earth Grade treasures. So, they would be more than enough for him to obtain.


    He first had to take care of Velcorn and Ho. Thinking as such, Compass Carburettor passed through the third gate, arriving at the centre of the Imperial Treasury, instantly gasping in shock at what he witnessed.


    For, he saw the figures of Velcorn and Ho, beaten and battered, thrown into a cage by a tinum Golem that spanned a height of 50 metres, the biggest of its kind here.


    ¡°The heck?¡± Compass Carburettor was bbergasted as he gazed at the unconscious figures of the two System Hosts, ¡°This can happen?¡±

 Chapter 428: It Hurts!

    Chapter 428: It Hurts!


    ¡°Hazen¡¯s messenger said that Velcorn is five kilometres away from us. What do you say?¡± Xuer gazed at Bunu, ¡°Do you want to see what he¡¯s capable of?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Bunu nodded, ¡°Whether or not these Evil Spirits pose danger to the Gaider Realm, I¡¯ll judge them through my own eyes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Xuer nodded as the duo finished replenishing their Origin Essence, gathered their belongings, double-checked everything, and began to move in the respective direction.


    But, they had only walked for ten minutes, entering the nearby forest before they heard the rustling of leaves.


    ¡°Move!¡± Suddenly, a youth shouted before exiting the thicket of trees, his expression brimming with anger and murderous intent as he looked at the figures of Xuer and Bunu through the corner of his eye before running past them.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­?¡± It took a second for Xuer before she realised his identity, ¡°Isn¡¯t he Velcorn?¡±


    ¡°Quick! He¡¯s running this way! Don¡¯t let that bastard escape.¡± There was a roar before more than a hundred cultivators rushed after.


    ¡°Eh? This girl¡­¡± Bunu suddenly noticed something amiss as she grabbed hold of ady and pulled her to the side, ¡°What the heck are you doing here, B?¡±


    ¡°Cousin?¡± Thedy with fiery red hair was surprised as she looked at Bunu, saying in relief, ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re here, cousin. Quick, we have to go after that Evil Spirit.¡±


    ¡°Wait, why are all of you chasing after him instead of fighting for the treasures?¡± Bunu asked in surprise.


    ¡°It seems you haven¡¯t heard about it yet, cousin.¡± B spoke in concern, ¡°We were still suspicious about the details in the scroll. But once we tried to capture Velcorn, everything was confirmed. He indeed is the World Decaying Evil Spirit.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Bunu frowned.


    ¡°A total of 17 experts were killed by him in two days.¡± B sighed, ¡°And, two powerhouses sustained injuries as a result of chasing after him. As for the number of Origin Refinement Stage cultivators killed by him¡­we¡¯ve lost count. And all of this happened in the past four days.¡±


    ¡°All this happened recently?¡± Xuer gritted her teeth, ¡°How is this possible? He¡¯s only at the Origin Refinement Stage like us.¡±


    ¡°Even if they are at the same power as you, they¡¯re bound to be stronger. You¡¯ll have to be a powerhouse while they are an ant for you to have a chance at killing them. Even that¡¯s just a mere chance, nothing else.¡± Xuer recalled the words uttered by Compass Carburettor long ago, scowling in response.


    ¡°I refused to believe he¡¯s that powerful.¡± Bunu retorted, ¡°No matter what I think, this doesn¡¯t seem possible at all.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I feel the same myself.¡± B said, ¡°But our thoughts don¡¯t matter. This is indeed what has happened. Everyone that entered the Secret Realm after you said the same. Our Elders have dispatched all of us just to deal with Velcorn and other Evil Spirits that might have entered here.¡±


    ¡°I see, that makes sense.¡± Bunu nodded. After all, B wasn¡¯t supposed to enter the Folkan Secret Realm. She was still in the n when Bunu arrived at the entrance a couple of days ago with her grandfather.


    ¡°And¡­¡± B sighed, ¡°Somehow, Velcorn was able to evade an attack from grandfather. So, we¡¯ll have to ensure he doesn¡¯t escape no matter what. We must first trap him.¡±


    ¡°He survived grandfather¡¯s attack?¡± Bunu was shocked.


    Who was her grandfather? He was the strongest man in the Gaider Realm, a legendary powerhouse. If Velcorn even managed to evade an attack from such a being¡­


    ¡°He won¡¯t survive.¡± Bunu gritted her teeth in anger, gazing at Xuer, ¡°I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s an Evil Spirit or not. Just for the fact that he made my grandfather lose face, I won¡¯t allow him to live.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not waste any time then.¡± Xuer said, letting out an Ice Crane Puppet from her storage bracelet, patting it back, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Bunu climbed aboard immediately, motioning for B to follow suit.


    ¡°She is¡­?¡± B asked in surprise at such a mystical puppet before her, wondering how something like this was possible. It was because Xuer wasn¡¯t in the Martial Origin Stage yet.


    ¡°She¡¯s Xuer from the Giant Whale Sect,¡± Bunu replied.


    B nodded in understanding, thinking that for a Heaven Martial Spirit cultivator, this was possible. In their current generation, there were only two Heaven Martial Spirit cultivators in the Gaider Realm.


    They were Bunu and Xuer. And hence, pretty much everyone knew about Xuer.


    Once all three sat on the Ice Crane Puppet¡¯s back, Xuer controlled it, making it take off to the skies easily.


    ¡°It flies!¡± B eximed in shock.


    The Ice Crane Puppet flew faster as Xuer observed the ground, observing the crowd of cultivators running before them, soon crossing them as she noticed the figure of Velcorn running at the front.


    Suddenly, Velcorn mmed a tree that he ran past, eliciting mournful cries from within. A cultivator had been hiding within its trunk in order to ambush him.


    But, Velcorn¡¯s attack reached him first, causing his body to rapidly dissolve into a putrid puddle while his attack mysteriously missed its target, mming into a tree farther away, shattering its trunk.


    ¡°You saw that, right?¡± Bunu muttered seriously.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Xuer nodded nervously, feeling as if things were surreal, ¡°The attack actually curved around Velcorn. He¡¯s not using any spatial abilities. So, how is this possible?¡±


    ¡°Stay your hand, Xuer. Let me attack him first.¡± Bunu said, condensing a small firebird on her palms that pped its wings and sped towards Velcorn, ¡°Your attacks would cancel mine, so don¡¯t attack while I¡¯m targeting him.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Xuer nodded, forcibly calming herself down as she observed the firebird screeching through the air as it evaded all obstacles along its path, rapidly closing in on Velcorn.


    Velcorn felt the heat radiating from it first, turning around to see the firebird approaching him rapidly. He flicked his hand, unleashing a sphere of putrid liquid that expanded itself like a, casting itself over the firebird.


    ¡°Heh!¡± Bunu snorted, waving her hands as the firebird swerved suddenly, evading the putrid liquid before unleashing a burst of fire from its back, using the spike in propulsion to m into Velcorn.


    Velcorn condensed a barrier as the firebird mmed into it, bursting into a sea of mes. Suddenly, resounding throughout the region were his screams.


    ¡°It hurrrtttssss!¡±

 Chapter 429: System Vs Protag (part 1)

    Chapter 429: System Vs Protag (part 1)


    ¡°It¡­hurtssss!¡± Velcorn rolled around on the ground, screaming in pain as the fire continued to burn him. He quickly activated some of the Artifacts that he had stolen, barely managing to douse the mes, gasping for air.


    ¡°Lady Bunu¡¯s attack wounded him! Take this chance! Kill him!¡± The cultivators chasing after him quickly caught up to him, unleashing their respective attacks too.


    But unsurprisingly, their attacks only managed to sh into one another and cancel out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t attack him!¡± Bunu nodded at Xuer before shouting, ¡°Everyone! Get back! He¡¯ll just make use of your disorganised attacks to survive. Only cultivators with a fire attributee forward. The rest move back and form a perimeter. Don¡¯t allow him to escape.¡±


    ¡°You heard thedy.¡± The cultivators looked at one another and began to retreat, making a wide circle as they all red at the figure of Velcorn.


    In the meantime, three cultivators stepped forward, all of which had the Earth Martial Spirit rted to the fire or simr attributes.


    Bunu condensed another firebird, sending it mming into Velcorn.


    In response, Velcorn hurriedly evaded, condensing a barrier around himself as he rolled on the ground, suddenly taking out a shield from his spatial pouch that he infused with his Origin Essence and threw, mming it into the firebird, dissipating it.


    The shield melted into a puddle and dripped on the ground, raising smoke.


    Xuer brought out a second Ice Crane Puppet on which Bunu and B jumped onto. They were then carried to the ground where Bunu hurriedly inquired details about the abilities of the three cultivators,ing up with a n.


    In the meantime, the surrounding cultivators mmed attacks onto Velcorn to keep him busy. Even though all attacks missed him, he didn¡¯t get the chance to heal himself either.


    ¡°Hah!¡± One of the three Earth Martial Spirit cultivators shouted as he unleashed his ability, rapidly causing the air to turn dry around Velcorn, making him feel like he was in a desert. His throat was parched, while his lungs were burning up.


    The soil too was turning hot, making it difficult for him to evade while he was sweating like crazy.


    Whenever he tried to escape the encirclement, the surrounding cultivators just unleashed blind attacks with the only intention to push him towards the centre. Due to the sheer volume, some of them indeed hit him, preventing him from breaking the encirclement.


    And in the air was Xuer, watching everything like a hawk, having the superior mobility to chase after Velcorn and stall him until he was surrounded once again.


    ¡®I¡¯ll see if you can escape from here.¡¯ Xuer snorted, surprised when she sensed something was amiss. Even though the air had turned hot and Velcorn was sweating, his sweat didn¡¯t vaporise for some reason, causing the ground to turn wet.


    She shouted immediately, ¡°That¡¯s not his sweat on the ground. He¡¯s nning to create a swamp here!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Bunu nodded at B who condensed a rope whip and targeted Velcorn, causing him to evade hurriedly. And when the fire whip missed him, it mmed into the ground, targeting the wet regions, rapidly raising smoke as whatever Velcorn had imnted there was vaporised.


    He clicked his tongue in anger as he was getting countered here.


    Right at this time, situated on a tree far away was ady sporting purple hair and golden eyes. Held in her hands was a longbow, the string stretched taut as she had condensed an arrow of light, slowly aiming Xuer, ¡®Indeed, she must be one of Compass Carburettor¡¯spanions. I can feel that she¡¯s capable of disrupting my Luck to a certain extent.¡¯


    She was Ho, having long since arrived at the scene. After all, Velcorn had created a pretty big mess of everything. She nned to use the opportunity to obtain the perfect chance to deal with CompassCarburettor and hispanions.


    Ho took a deep breath, stabilising her aim as she continued to condense her Origin Essence into the arrow, ¡®Even if you reach the Martial Origin Stage, you won¡¯t be able to stop my arrow.¡¯


    Slowly, her senses came to a sharp point while she was waiting for the perfect moment to attack, something that had be innate to her now. After all, she was more than three hundred metres away from Xuer. So, her aim must be impable, ¡®But, this arrow will travel faster than sound. So, you won¡¯t even know what hit you.¡¯


    Swish!


    Ho released her hold on the string,unching the arrow when suddenly, she noticed her Luck trembling erratically like it was getting pummelled by something, ¡°What the fuck!¡±


    Her eyes widened as her senses were honed to the brink.


    Right after sheunched her arrow, Ho noticed a jet-ck portal manifest a metre before it, causing the arrow to enter it.


    And at the same time, another jet-ck portal formed a metre behind her, causing the arrow to exit from it, aiming at her head.


    Seated in her mind, observing everything was the Perfect Timing System. It was a deer with antlers that were bigger than its body by ten times.


    ¡°Perfect timing for a counter¡­¡± It sighed before tapping the pile of memories, unleashing its innate ability.


    The memories of Ho rapidly took off, converging into a massive spiral to condense the structure of a shield.


    The memories of this shield were all rted to Ho¡¯s memories when she was using her abilities to form a shield¡ªin the cultivation world.


    Her thoughts, will, experience, senses, reflexes, and emotions were all infused in these memories. And now, they were actuated akin to nostalgia, but conditioned for an instinctual reaction, influencing her body.


    Skill¡ªPerfect Timing!


    It was simr to a nightmare that caused people to wake up from their sleep abruptly, flinching in response. And now, such a response actuated her Origin Essence automatically, condensing a shield of light on her skin.


    Moreover, a ripple formed right above the shield, at the exact location where the arrow was heading toward her.


    The arrow came into contact with the ripple, instantly unleashing a sonic boom as the Sonic attribute in the arrow and the ripple cancelled one another, emanating sound waves that cracked the surrounding trees.


    Following it, the arrow of light mmed into the shield of light, cracking in response as another shockwave was unleashed. This time, it was because the momentum behind the arrow was absorbed and transmitted as a shockwave.


    The arrow dissipated as Ho survived without as much as a scratch.

 Chapter 430: System Vs Protag (part 2)

    Chapter 430: System Vs Protag (part 2)


    Bam!


    Ho hadn¡¯t even managed to take a breather when suddenly, Grisha appeared above her, dangling upside down from a branch while carrying two sword handles.


    As for the des, it was condensed using her Space attribute, creating jet-ck des that were each thirty centimetres in length.


    Her head was positioned right above Ho¡¯s as her hands shed around, shing her neck, aiming her at the exact spot where her armour had been destroyed by her arrow.


    ¡°Gah!¡± Ho screamed hoarsely, barely evading the attack. But still, her throat had been shed, preventing her from leaking any legible sounds.


    But, she too was an experienced apocalypse survivor with experience spanning almost a millennium. So, instead of her hands instinctively clutching the injury on her throat, Ho pped her hand, unleashing a shockwave that served to destroy Grisha.


    Only then did she notice that Grisha had already vanished. The moment she noticed herbo attack failing to im Ho¡¯s life, Grisha vanished immediately.


    ¡°That face¡­it¡¯s Grisha,¡± Ho muttered when she noticed that she was falling to the ground. All the attacks and the shockwaves destroyed the branch she was upon, causing her to fall to the ground.


    And right at this time, she felt her luck trembling even more severely, noticing the figure of Ranze rushing straight at her.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± As she was still falling, she didn¡¯t have any foothold to change directions. Grunting in response, she condensed a bow of light, followed by an arrow,unching it right at Ranze, hoping to slow him down in this fashion.


    ng!


    Ranze summoned a brick and deflected the arrow, using his movement type Origin Arts to appear before Ho, unleashing multiple beams that targeted her.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± Ho unleashed a burst of shockwaves, deflecting all the beams when suddenly, a massive brick mmed into the shockwaves, barely flinching under the effect as its weight carried it towards her, mming into her body.


    Due to its size, there was no way Ho could avoid it.


    She thought of using the shockwaves to fly away and avoid the impact. And that she did. But shockingly, a jet-ck portal appeared in her way, with its counterpart leading right into the brick, causing Ho to m into it with force.


    ¡°Gah!¡± Her head spun under the impact, coughing vehemently as she was unable to make heads or tails of the situation.


    Right before the brick crushed her into the ground, an earthworm¡ªa Martial Origin Stage Origin Beast¡ªjutted out of the ground,ing into contact with the brick, halting its progress.


    Ho flew a bit forward and rolled on the ground, avoiding death as she gasped for air, ¡°Fisksher! Heal me!¡±


    ¡°Fisksher¡­?¡± She was shocked to see the middle-aged man a dozen metres away from her, barely enduring Grisha¡¯s attacks. He looked at Ho, trying toe to her rescue but only suffered injuries from Grisha instead.


    Suddenly, her spatial des flickered for a moment before Grisha unleashed a beam at Fisksher.


    Fisksher activated an Artifact to condense a protective shield, intending to defend against the attack.


    But the jet-ck beam¡ªcrescent moon shaped¡ªarrived before his shield, suddenly teleporting ten centimetres forward, bypassing his shield as it mmed into him, eliciting screams from him as his legs were severed.


    ¡°Fisksher!¡± Ho screamed in shock. After all, even though they had only known each other for a day, Ho had be a bit close with him. The other party was indeed arade that she thought high off.


    Suddenly, Fisksher unleashed a beam of energy towards Ho, rapidly healing her injuries right before he copsed to the ground.


    The barrier was still perfectly firm around him as he began to work on healing his legs immediately, showing that he was indeed a veteran expert at fighting.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, Grisha!¡± Ho screamed as she unleashed countless shockwaves.


    In response, Grisha simply teleported behind her, shredding her defensive barrier. But just before she could go in for the vital blow, Ho sted another shockwave.


    ¡°Do you remember?¡± Grisha spoke slowly, teleporting to a safer spot, ¡°In the 17th and 23rd loop, we were friends. In the 7th, 9th, 18th, and 20th loops, we were on opposing sides.¡±


    ¡°But in the 31st loop, you were killed brutally by Velcorn.¡± She came to a halt, speaking, ¡°At that time, you asked me, your precious best friend, to avenge you. Even though I failed, I ended up crippling Velcorn that time. And I sincerely hoped that your spirit would rest in peace after that.¡±


    ¡°But now that you¡¯vee to know the truth, why are you being a System Host? And, why the heck are you working with Velcorn?¡± Grisha asked.


    ¡°The same reason you¡¯re on Compass Carburettor¡¯s side.¡± Ho snorted, ¡°You know the truth of our world. We¡¯re doomed to repeat the same misfortune every twenty years. If that¡¯s the case, I might as well remember everything and save myself endless misery.¡±


    ¡°Is that it?¡± Grisha asked.


    ¡°Pretty much.¡± Ho smirked, ¡°In most of my loops, I led a miserable life for the first five years. It was hell on earth. But even when I gained strength after that, there was no meaning. I had nothing to look forward to, just in old suffering day after day after DAY!¡±


    ¡°You do realise you¡¯ll forget everything after another 16 years, right?¡± Grisha said, ¡°Our world is owned by the Coincidental Luck System. There¡¯s no way you¡¯ll be a System Host again. You¡¯re only suitable for that one System that¡¯s inside you now. And it would never pick you again since that would mean offending the Coincidental Luck System.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Ho smiled all of a sudden, ¡°But, we¡¯ve established a deal with the Coincidental Luck System. It¡¯s not much, but in return for killing Compass Carburettor, I¡¯ll be granted memory of one loop.¡±


    ¡°Just one loop?¡± Grisha frowned.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s enough for me.¡± Ho smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll select the tenth loop where I reached the peak of the world and my experiences were by far the greatest. As long as I remember that, I won¡¯t have to suffer in the future loops.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a worthy reward?¡± She extended her hand towards Grisha, ¡°And if you help me, you¡¯ll also get the same. You can select to permanently remember everything that happened in one loop.¡±


    ¡°That way, no matter how many loops you go through, you¡¯ll never face a disadvantage due to your knowledge and experience.¡± Ho spoke, ¡°There are greater benefits on our side, Grisha.¡±


    ¡°Fight for our world. If we fail to kill Compass Carburettor, our world would be eradicated by the System World. That¡¯s why, we have no other choice.¡±

 Chapter 431: System Vs Protag (part 3)

    Chapter 431: System Vs Protag (part 3)


    ¡°You see¡­¡± Grisha spoke after a couple of seconds had spanned past, watching Ranze finish killing the worm type Martial Origin Stage Origin Beast, ¡°Just as you had said, there¡¯s nothing to look forward to in that apocalypse world. We have to kill daily for the pearls, manage our stock of pearls, and ensure we have enough tost us in a battle. No matter how strong we be, our dependency on the pearls is the same. And without it, we are helpless.¡±


    ¡°Stop being so long-winded. Juste out with it!¡± Ho shouted.


    ¡°Hope, Ho. It¡¯s hope.¡± Grisha said in all seriousness, ¡°What I see in Compass Carburettor is hope, hope that one day, he would rid our world of the apocalypse and save everyone. And, the longer I spend time with him, the stronger my belief bes. Because, I¡¯m confident that he¡¯s indeed able to achieve that.¡±


    ¡°Even with the powers he possesses at present, he¡¯s able to solve most of our world¡¯s issues. Then¡­¡± She uttered, ¡°What about the Compass Carburettor that had gone through a fourth world? What about a fifth?¡±


    Upon seeing Ho¡¯s eyes widen, Grisha smiled, ¡°The Systems must have told you everything about him, right? He achieved all this growth in five years. A mere five years allowed him to go from a mortal to an entity that could y God to a certain extent.¡±


    ¡°What about ten years?¡±


    ¡°A century?¡±


    ¡°Ho¡­¡± Grisha spoke with a solemn tone, ¡°Until now, for whatever reason, you¡¯ve been looking at Compass Carburettor as a formidable enemy. But, that¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°Wrong?¡± Ho frowned, feeling a headache as she felt something influencing the hormones of her body, affecting her thoughts.


    ¡°Compass Carburettor is a merchant down to his very core.¡± Grisha said, ¡°And as a merchant, he pursues profit while vehemently avoiding any losses. And, unlike short-sighted merchants, he¡¯ll never let go of anything that¡¯s his.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll build his wealth and develop it to its zenith. And, he also considers people his possession.¡± Grisha smiled gently, ¡°So, if you are someone he considers as part of his wealth, you can bet on your life that you¡¯ll never suffer until his death.¡±


    ¡°How are you sure that this isn¡¯t a mask he¡¯s wearing?¡± Ho snorted, ¡°Compass Carburettor is a damn fine actor. You¡¯ve seen his exploits. Do you seriously believe in that far-fetched fairy tale you¡¯ve concocted?¡±


    ¡°Did you forget that I¡¯m pretty much an extension of himself?¡± Grisha slowly riled up her Origin Essence, ¡°I¡¯m a pseudo¨CMain Character myself. And, I¡¯ve inherited quite a lot of him. So, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll invite you, Ho.¡± Grisha extended her hand, ¡°Join our side. You¡¯ll never have to repeat your life again, but live as your current self for as long as you want.¡±


    ¡°Immortality?¡± Ho was surprised.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Grisha nodded, ¡°You¡¯ll gain that too. And besides, are you really certain that you don¡¯t have any hatred against Velcorn for what he did to you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be lying if I said I don¡¯t¡­¡± Ho said when suddenly, she grunted in pain, feeling a severe headache.


    ¡°Indeed, this happens¡­¡± Grisha sighed, understanding that the Perfect Timing System in Ho¡¯s mind had probably taken action to affect her. Grisha¡¯s words indeed wavered Ho a bit, so, unless the Perfect Timing System did something, it would be the enemy of all Luck based Systems.


    Besides, as a System, it could never join sides with the Main Character.


    Whether or not it was changing Ho¡¯s disposition, Grisha didn¡¯t care as Ranze rushed past her, unleashing a lot of beams her way, causing Ho to scream in pain as she wasn¡¯t able to luckily evade them all.


    The injuries umted rather quickly before Ho regained her bearings, grunting as she took out a crossbow, tied a rope to the arrow and shot it far away, immediately reeling herself in that direction.


    In this time, Fisksher surprisingly slipped away, suddenly causing a mysterious creature to jump out of his body and rush towards Ho, seeping into her body as her injuries were rapidly healed


    Even after his legs had been cut off, Fisksher wasn¡¯t flustered, rapidly healing his injuries before taking action. His mind was pretty solid to not even be affected by such a mortal injury that even the most hardened veterans had a hard time enduring.


    Suddenly, Grisha appeared behind him, plunging a knife through his chest. Fisksher had activated his defensive barrier, but like before, her attacks just teleported ten centimetres forward, going past the barrier to injure him.


    ¡°Gah!¡± Fisksher gasped for air, slumping to the ground as the injury this time was too serious, even for him.


    ¡°This will constrict you for at least an hour or so, unless you cripple yourself by over-drafting your healing abilities.¡± Grisha spat out, bounding him to a nearby tree using a whip shaped Artifact before teleporting towards the running figure of Ho.


    The two of them shed immediately as soon after, Grisha was forced on the defensive. After all, Ho¡¯s destructive ability was pretty much the highest for their cultivation base. And hence, she had to be careful, with a single misstep resulting in grave injuries.


    Thankfully, she had Ranze to rely upon for support as the two teamed up against Ho, constantly attacking her, riddling her with wounds soon after.


    Even though Ho noticed a lot of perfect timing to kill them, surprisingly, Grisha and Ranze managed to evade them by the nick of their teeth.


    ¡®Damn, they are also lucky!¡¯ She cursed in response, unwilling to be defeated. She was strong, tremendously so.


    But despite everything, her opponents were tricky. Grisha was elusive, only sneak attacking her at the perfect time.


    She was relying upon her innate luck as a pseudo-Main Character to perform the same actions as Ho. This way, she was negating the Perfect Timing luck to a great extent.


    Normally, this shouldn¡¯t have been possible. But, Grisha had a good understanding of Ho.


    48 loops!


    And among them, Grisha had been strong in some loops and became the strongest existence in one loop. So, she had of coursee across pretty much all the talents of the Apocalypse World one way or another, at least in one loop or the other.


    Because of that, she knew exactly how Ho would act. But conversely, Ho too was aware of Grisha¡¯s nature, resulting in a stalemate.


    And here was where the variable came into y. The Cultivation World¡¯s protagonist.


    Ranze!

 Chapter 432: System Vs Protag (part 4)

    Chapter 432: System Vs Protag (part 4)


    ¡°Wha-What the hell is happening?¡± Velcorn was bbergasted as he noticed the injuries he inflicted on some cultivators gradually heal over time. It wasn¡¯t fast, but they were indeed healing.


    And most of all, the reason he was like this was because his Luck values were steadily decreasing.


    Lucky Bastard!


    His luck was by far the simplest and purest among all the Luck based Systems. He was just lucky in various situations.


    But just like any resource, Luck too wasn¡¯t infinite. The greater he relied upon it, the faster it would be expended.


    Though, for a Luck-based System Host like him, as long as he hid in a random ditch, hiding from all contact for a long enough time, his luck values would automatically recover to optimal conditions.


    This was unlike normal people who were doomed if they exhaust their innate luck.


    Velcorn heard whistling sounds constantly as the number of cultivators surrounding him continued to increase in number. Moreover, they had even begun to take positions, setting up traps for him, and preventing him from escaping.


    All routes on the ground were blocked and ridden with traps. And as for the air, there was Xuer, having not taken action until now.


    Velcorn was able to sense her Luck value, ¡®It¡¯s vast. Is she someone important to this world, like Rhizen was in ours?¡¯


    He then gritted his teeth, ¡®If only Rhizen wasn¡¯t killed by the Coincidental Luck System because it was afraid one of the Luck-based Systems would scheme to Host him, things would have been damn easier.¡¯


    He sighed, ¡®If Rhizen were to also participate, killing Compass Carburettor would be child¡¯s y.¡¯


    ¡°Attack!¡± Bunu shouted, unleashing a stream of fire at Velcorn, destroying his defences once again. Honestly, with so many attacks directed at him, he was using up his Luck at rates faster than what he could recover.


    And, since there were enough people here, they just took turns to attack him. Even if their attacks missed him, they served in reducing his luck further.


    And from the start, Xuer had been observing everything in silence, having long since vaporised her doubts, wholeheartedly following Compass Carburettor¡¯s teachings, noticing how Velcorn moved and was affected by the attacks.


    ¡®He¡¯s being injured more and more, not to mention his abilities getting countered solidly.¡¯ Xuer thought.


    Earth Martial Spirit cultivators with attributes of Earth, Metal, Rock, etc. had arrived at the scene, creating an arena of sorts, with Velcorn trapped in the centre.


    Ramparts had been constructed around him, with the walls being strengthened and expanded in size over time, making it more and more difficult for Velcorn to escape.


    But, just this alone wouldn¡¯t have been enough to trap him. After all, thanks to the power of luck, things would conveniently fall into ce for him.


    But, that didn¡¯t happen now. And the reason was simple. There was a group willing to unleash suicidal charges just to hinder him for a second.


    Sleeper Cells!


    They acted as the front line of defence, sacrificing their lives every time Velcorn pulled a mysterious, inconceivable stunt.


    Even though a lot lost their lives every time this happened, they were able to persist, preventing Velcorn from leaving.


    Thanks to their actions, he was gradually getting cornered.


    Boom!


    Suddenly, a portion of the rampart was destroyed by a powerful shockwave, the fragments of which resulted in the deaths of a lot of cultivators that had been caught off guard.


    ¡°Velcorn! You dumb bastard!¡± Ho came charging in, painting a bloody figure as she bellowed in urgency, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck as she unleashed a powerful shockwave, sending everyone flying away.


    ¡°You won¡¯t escape!¡± Xuer shouted as she brought out dozens of Ice Crane Puppets, causing them to shoot out icicles at the two System Hosts, carpet bombing the entire ce as the environment turned colder instantly.


    Frozen winds began to blow soon after as the bodies of all the survivors trembled from the cold.


    As for Ho, she was constantly sting her shockwaves to propel the two forward while Velcorn focused on defence, defending against the carpet bombing of icicles.


    ¡°Insane power¡­!¡± Bunu was shocked, thinking, ¡®So, she wasn¡¯t going all-out against me.¡¯


    The icicles mmed into whatever barrier Velcorn had erected, rapidly eating through them before impacting the two, riddling their bodies with countless wounds.


    ¡°Do something!¡± Velcorn shouted, ¡°We¡¯ll die at this rate. My Luck has fallen to an all-time low.¡±


    ¡°Useless bastard!¡± Ho cursed in anger, ¡°Why are you this useless?¡±


    She then thought, ¡®My luck values hadn¡¯t been damaged too much yet. Grisha only managed to stall me. And thanks to Fisksher, I¡¯ve been able to protect my luck.¡¯


    Sweeeeeesh!


    Suddenly, followed by a whistling sound, an Origin Essence arrow mmed into her back, teleporting ten centimetres forward right as it was about to crack into the light barrier she shielded herself with.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± Ho screamed in pain as the arrow pierced through her body, barely missing her heart.


    ¡°Is your Martial Spirit of any use?¡± Ho grunted in annoyance, already wishing to dump him and save herself. The only reason she brought him with her was that she knew escaping alone would eventually cause her death.


    There were just too many enemies, ¡®And there¡¯s that unnerving gaze. It¡¯s always on me, dammit!¡¯


    Soon, she arrived at the vicinity of the Imperial Treasury, eximing in surprise, ¡°Right, in the centre of this pce, it¡¯ll be too dangerous for others. But it¡¯s the safest spot for us thanks to our luck. We can recover there and think of a n of action.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Velcorn nodded, unleashing a putrid mist that spread over a wide area, intending to create a barrier that increased the gap between them and their pursuers.


    ¡°Freeze!¡± Xuer shouted when the putrid mist turned solid immediately. The two attributes ate away at each other, preventing the mist from spreading out anymore.


    The chasers ran around it, tailing the two figures that rushed into the Imperial Treasury, immediately causing the Golems within to take action, springing upon the intruders.

 Chapter 433: System Vs Protag (part 5)

    Chapter 433: System Vs Protag (part 5)


    Boom!


    Xuer chased after the two System Hosts, sting everything along her way, pressing them further and further.


    The System Hosts, in return, solely focused on defence, running away as they had been injured severely.


    Bunu too attacked, targeting them right after Xuer¡¯s attack ended. This way, both of them didn¡¯t end up negating each other¡¯s attacks.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± Ranze grunted in anger, gazing at the two individuals that had arrived before him. It was Warktor and Chenger.


    Currently on the ground between the two were a bunch of corpses. All of them were Sleeper Cells that Compass Carburettor had created among Chenger¡¯s organisation.


    Surprisingly, when Ranze attacked their enemies, the Sleeper Cells came under his attack, dying in the process.


    As they were the first generation of Sleeper Cells, unlike the ones he created in the Folkan Secret Realm, their bodies weren¡¯t boosted by the Blood Vitality Grass. And hence, they fell under his hits easily.


    This was the effect of both Chenger¡¯s and Warktor¡¯s Luckbining to result in this. Moreover, as Compass Carburettor¡¯s innate Luck had taken severe damage recently, the Sleeper Cells didn¡¯t survive.


    Moreover, the same was also true for the region. All the Sleeper Cells that had taken part in suppressing Velcorn had been killed by Ho¡¯s attacks.


    Grisha and Ranze teamed up to fight against their two opponents.


    Grisha and Chenger both had their respective organisations. And the people from both sides were currently locked in battle.


    ¡°Hey, I still need to enter the Imperial Treasury to find a weapon for my disciple.¡± Warktor gazed at Chenger, ¡°So, I don¡¯t want to fight against Compass Carburettor¡¯spanions at the moment. Doing so would only cause my Luck to crumble.¡±


    ¡°Ho and Velcorn might die if this continues.¡± Chenger muttered, ¡°You¡¯ve already seen how low Velcorn¡¯s luck has gotten. Ho isn¡¯t far off either. We need to buy them time until their Luck recovers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s their fault for being useless.¡± Warktor snorted, ¡°So, why should I care?¡±


    He then waved his hand, ¡°I only came here to stop these two for a minute. That should be enough for Ho to escape far enough and save Velcorn if she wants to.¡±


    He then gazed at Grisha, ¡°Grisha¡­it¡¯s nice to see you again. How many years was it? 250 something? It has been long since Ist saw you. How are you doing these days?¡±


    ¡°Why are you here, sir?¡± Grisha frowned, surprisingly treating him with respect, ¡°With your nature, you¡¯ll never side with them.¡±


    ¡°I was brought here forcefully though.¡± Warktor smiled helplessly, ¡°I can ignore all these Luck based Systems, but Coincidental Luck? I cannot ignore its words.¡±


    ¡°It owns our world you see.¡± He sighed, ¡°And, Coincidental Luck wants us to kill Compass Carburettor. There¡¯s no other choice I have here.¡±


    ¡°It cannot do anything to you. We¡¯ll just be reborn in another twenty years¡­¡± Grisha retorted, feeling nervous for some reason.


    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong, Grisha.¡± Warktor sighed, ¡°There¡¯s a way to kill us. All they have to do is turn us into System yers. And once they kill us after that, we¡¯ll never revive even after our world resets.¡±


    ¡°And, I have a family. You should know clearly from the previous loops about how much I value my family, right?¡± He spoke, seeing Grisha nod in all seriousness, sighing as he gazed at the sky, ¡°In every loop, no matter how worse the situation had gotten, not once did I ever betray my family. Their deaths came only after mine.¡±


    ¡°What is he¡­talking about?¡± Ranze faced Grisha, shocked when he noticed the emotions of the ever-calm and collected woman trembling in response. ¡®Who the heck is this man to affect her this much in a matter of words?¡¯


    ¡°And, the Coincidental Luck System has held their lives hostage.¡± Warktor said, his voice sad, ¡°Even though I¡¯m angry at it, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.¡±


    ¡°But, if Straxia is killed, the Coincidental Luck System would die!¡± Grisha shouted.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. But,¡± He shook his head, ¡°Compass Carburettor must have told you about the true nature of Systems, right?¡±


    He sighed, ¡°They¡¯ve already made preparations. All of them. Within a few decades, they would revive through the minds of the people they live within. Even though they would be weakened significantly, they wouldn¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡± He said helplessly, ¡°The Coincidental Luck System would still be our world¡¯s owner. Even if it isn¡¯t this loop, it can kill my family permanently in a future loop. You see, no matter when, I don¡¯t wish my family to die, since I¡¯ll still be alive through those loops.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s selfish, but I hope you understand. This is why I¡¯ll have no other choice but to kill Compass Carburettor. You can hate me for that, Grisha. But I don¡¯t care.¡± Warktor said, waving his hands as he walked away, ¡°Let¡¯s not fight at present. As long as you don¡¯t go against Ho and Velcorn, I won¡¯t fight you. Xuer would soon meet up with Compass Carburettor. I won¡¯t interfere if they fight with Ho and Velcorn.¡±


    ¡°What do you hope to gain from that?¡± Grisha frowned, ¡°Sir, your actions make no sense. You can just try to fight us right now, you know.¡±


    ¡°My goal is to kill Compass Carburettor even if it means that I would die. But, I don¡¯t have confidence in doing that now.¡± Warktor said truthfully, ¡°I¡¯ll face him once the both of us are at the Martial Origin Stage. Until then, I¡¯ll only act to ensure you don¡¯t gang up on the System Hosts.¡±


    ¡°As expected of the Main Character. Even the Luck of hispanions is on par with us.¡± He sighed, vanishing soon after, ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving the Imperial Treasury the moment I obtain a weapon for my disciple. I won¡¯t interfere as long as the two of you remain here.¡±


    He then gazed at Chenger, saying, ¡°Of course, if Chenger moves to kill Compass Carburettor, you¡¯re free to do as you wish.¡±


    ¡°After all, she¡¯s Rhizen¡¯s sole wife in all loops. She¡¯s inferior only to Straxia.¡±

 Chapter 434: System Vs Protag (part 6)

    Chapter 434: System Vs Protag (part 6)


    ¡°Are you seriously believing that uncle¡¯s words?¡± Ranze red at Grisha, ¡°He could only be saying that to manipte you.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not a possibility. He¡¯s true to his words.¡± Grisha said, ¡°If his memories are manipted, it would reduce his effectiveness against Compass Carburettor. His System wouldn¡¯t have done something like that.¡±


    ¡°Besides¡­¡± She sighed, stating in all seriousness while staring at Warktor¡¯s back, ¡°It¡¯s pretty much impossible to manipte his memories. He¡¯ll know the inconsistencies right away. He¡¯s that amazing of an individual.¡±


    ¡°Dammit! So, what are you saying in the end? I won¡¯t let you off if Xuer is injured.¡± Ranze snorted, expressing his killing intent.


    ¡°Xuer is wearing the Artifact I refined for her.¡± Grisha stated inly, ¡°If she¡¯s about to die, I¡¯ll be alerted. I can teleport to her and save her.¡±


    ¡°So, shut your trap and don¡¯t make the situation worse.¡± She red at him in seriousness, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t underestimate Sir Warktor and Chenger.¡±


    Grisha recalled the time during her previous loops when she had met Warktor, recalling the figure she had interacted with seldomly.


    Even if she hadn¡¯t met him in many loops, she had indeed heard of his name in those loops, or pretty much all the loops.


    Warktor had be a peak powerhouse in pretty much all the loops. Unlike her that became the strongest in one loop, and one of the strongest in a couple of other loops, he was a consistent powerhouse.


    In all his loopsbined, he had reached the Sixth Stage at the very least. He was at the Seventh Stage in pretty much every other loop, even reaching the Eighth Stage in a rare few loops.


    He was pretty much one of the strongest the Apocalypse World had to offer. Moreover, he was someone with a neutral disposition, someone that people came to follow gradually.


    And over time, he had created one of the biggest settlements in the apocalyptic world.


    ¡°I had been expecting for the Systems to pull out someone like him, but I didn¡¯t think they would be able to sessfully make him heed their orders.¡± Grisha sighed in the end.


    She then gazed at Chenger, ¡°Chenger¡­¡±


    No words were exchanged between the two as the twodies silently red at one another. Of course, Chenger didn¡¯t try to enter the Imperial Treasury. Even though she red at Warktor, she didn¡¯t go against him.


    Of course, as Rhizen¡¯spanion, she had met with Warktor in most of the loops, aware of his personality.


    He wasn¡¯t the type to follow orders, an entric man that only cared about his family. And, unlike Grisha, she was aware of the reason Warktor had erected the strongest settlements of the Apocalyptic World time after time.


    It was so that his prodigal son didn¡¯t have to move about.


    That was all.


    The reason the strongest of settlements with by far the best condition humanity had to offer had been established just because Warktor¡¯s useless son didn¡¯t wish to fight for his life. That¡¯s all.


    His son was a gaming addict. And for that sole reason, once the settlement had been created, programmers and the necessary staff were put together to create an RPG that the residents could y.


    The method in which Warktor managed things ensured the settlement had very few problems to worry about. So, none even cared about the fact that he had azy son that didn¡¯t contribute to anything.


    After all, thiszy son was just a shut-in that didn¡¯t exercise his father¡¯s power to boss around.


    All in all, for most of the legendary feats that Warktor had created in the Apocalypse World, the underlying reason was just something mundane that his family desired or that he wished to give to his family.


    One could say he had spoiled them rotten. But it was also a fact that he created such an environment where they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about being spoilt, even in an apocalyptic world.


    ¡°But, that doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t deal with the two of you.¡± Chenger said slowly, beginning to walk towards Grisha and Ranze, ¡°I don¡¯t like the fact that you¡¯re helping Compass Carburettor, Grisha. But, you¡¯ve chosen your side. So, you¡¯ll have to face the consequences.¡±


    ¡°What do you know about this girl?¡± Ranze frowned, whispering to Grisha, ¡°I can feel that she¡¯s by far the strongest among everyone here.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s slow on the uptake, somewhat dumb, but make no mistake, she¡¯s good at fighting, one of the best my world has to offer.¡± Grisha said in all seriousness, thinking, ¡®And now that she recalls all 48 loops, that wealth of experience takes care of her w to a great extent. She has suffered through countless situations, and that has taught her a lot of things.¡¯


    ¡®Chenger has been ate bloomer in the mental department, but it¡¯ll be hard to win in a fight against her.¡¯ Grisha sighed, ¡®My power is a bad match for her.¡¯


    Heaven Martial Spirit¡ªVapour Fan!


    That was Chenger¡¯s power. And it was troublesome in that it was versatile in nature, especially against Grisha and Ranze who mostly focused on concentrated attacks.


    ¡°Attack from afar. Don¡¯t get near her.¡± Grisha said to Ranze, grabbing hold of his hand as the two of them teleported away.


    At the same time, her Sect members too broke off from the battle and began to retreat in order.


    There was a pile of bodies left in their wake, all of which were from Chenger¡¯s side.


    Chenger frowned in response, squinting as she red at the retreating troops, suddenly causing the world around her to dim.


    And immediately after, mysterious pirs appeared atop the heads of everyone.


    Luck Pirs!


    Chenger was able to observe the size and quality of everyone¡¯s Luck. This was a power she obtained from the Destiny Luck System, something that was achieved by manipting her memories.


    It caused her to develop heightened senses that were geared to sensing the luck of everyone. And, her body¡¯s hormones fluctuated ordingly, causing her to hallucinate. And this hallucination, based on the information she perceived about her opponents, caused mysterious constructs to form in the hallucination.


    And, it was also affected by the modified memories that acted like Skills.


    Chenger gazed at the Mysterious Sect members, muttering in anger, ¡°The Luck of every single bastard is too damn high. It¡¯s like each one of them has the potential to be a Sect Master in the Gaider Realm.¡±

 Chapter 435: Truck-Kun

    Chapter 435: Truck-Kun


    ¡°Please forgive meeeeee! I killed you by mistake!¡± A drop-dead gorgeous angel said, sporting swan-like wings that pped gently, stirring up the gentlest of winds, causing her golden hair to flutter in the air.


    Currently, she was prostrated on the floor, acting like an underling that hadmitted a grave mistake.


    ¡°Eh? What¡¯s happening here? Who are¡­you?¡± Standing awkwardly before the angel was a short teenager, sporting jet-ck hair and a lean body that entuated his androgynous features.


    He then looked around, observing the vast, seemingly infinite space around him, gazing at his pristine appearance as he muttered, ¡°Wasn¡¯t I crossing the road just now¡­¡±


    ¡°Am I¡­dead?¡± He arrived at the conclusion, sighing for some reason.


    ¡°So, who are you?¡± He looked at the angel, scratching his cheek in confusion as the other party seemed intent to continue kissing the floor.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± The angel slowly picked herself up, dusting her pristine white blue fabric as she coughed awkwardly before eximing with a cheerful tone, ¡°Wee, brave human. I am God!¡±


    ¡°A God, huh.¡± The teenager nodded, ¡°Well? It means I¡¯m dead, right? Didn¡¯t you say that youmitted a mistake before?¡±


    ¡°W-Well,¡± The angel faced the other way, muttering something incoherent before acting like everything from before hadn¡¯t happened, ¡°Now! You have two options as an apology from me.¡±


    She raised her index finger, ¡°First! You can be reborn on Earth, in a family of your choice. But, do note that there are a lot ofplications involved in this. Honestly, it¡¯ll be too troublesome, so I won¡¯t bother with it if I were you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the second?¡± The youth asked nonchntly, as if he had expected it before.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be reincarnated into the world of Fantasia as one of the chosen Heroes.¡± The angel said, waving her hand as a long list of words appeared on a screen instantly, ¡°You¡¯ll be able to choose the abilities of your preference from this. Every Hero will obtain one special ability on this list. All are S-Ranked Skills, the highest of their kind in Fantasia.¡±


    ¡°You did mention that you killed me¡­¡±


    ¡°Wa¡­We-well, sometimes, exceptions can arise you see.¡± The angel said in a fluster, ¡°Y-You can take two Skills.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll take these two then.¡± The teenager said, instantly making his choice.


    ¡°Eh?¡± The angel was surprised, ¡°Are you sure you want these two? There are better Skills here you know.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± The teenager said, waving his hand as he walked away, ¡°I just want to live a normal life.¡±


    The angel stared at his receding back before sighing, ¡°There isn¡¯t a portal here for you to walk into though.¡±


    ¡°O-Of course! I knew that!¡± The teenager blushed in embarrassment as the angel flicked her finger, causing his figure to vanish.


    ¡°I¡¯ve sent one more¡­¡± She sighed before taking off to the air, vanishing from view when immediately, dozens of beams mmed into the ce, manifesting as humans that seemed to be¡­school children?


    And by the looks of it, they were from the same ss.


    ¡°Where is this ce?¡± Someone muttered.


    ¡°Everyone, please calm down.¡± The ss Monitor hurriedly came to the front, ¡°Let¡¯s calm down first before assessing our situation.¡±


    ¡°Children of Earth! I greet you all!¡± The angel had been observing their actions for a good few minutes before deciding to show herself.


    This time, her appearance was different. She resembled a human at first nce, but sported blue hair and eyes, possessing the lower body of a fish with an ethereal aura, stating with a benevolent tone, ¡°My children, I have brought you here, requesting you to aid my world and save it from destruction.¡±


    ¡°Please return us to our world!¡± One of them shouted in nervousness, ¡°My mom! I¡¯m her only family. She¡¯s sick! I have to take care of her. Please, send me back!¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, even if I wish to do so, the situation is too dangerous. But,¡± The angel said proudly, ¡°If youplete your mission in the world of Fantasia, I¡¯ll be able to bring you back to Earth. And, I¡¯ll also give you some perks that would allow you and your family to live content lives.¡±


    She then winked at the nervous girl, snapping her finger to show a screen where her mother had recovered from her sickness and was working safe and sound, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of your families in the meantime. So, you can go ahead without any worries.¡±


    ¡°If she¡¯s telling us this much, then guess we have no other choice.¡± The ss Monitor made eye contact with a couple of intellectuals in his ss, nodding before gazing at the angel, ¡°We ept this mission.¡±


    ¡°Now, before you leave, please select the abilities that would apany your journey as Heroes. You can only bring one ability with you. But fear not! They are all S-Ranked Skills.¡± The angel reassured them.


    Slowly, the children selected their Skills one after another. And once they were done, the angel said magnanimously, ¡°My children! I hope you¡¯ll be able to save my world.¡±


    She waved her hand, enveloping them in a bright light before sending them away.


    The moment they vanished, she grunted in annoyance, ¡°Children my fart! I¡¯m unmarried! Seriously, this is soo annoying! Just how many characters must I portray?¡±


    ¡°Be d that you¡¯re able to do something fun.¡± Suddenly, a snarky voice resounded, irritating her instantly.


    ¡°A mere truck driver dares to retort?¡± The angel emanated killing intent when suddenly, she was smacked in the head by the other party, silenced instantly.


    ¡°Shut up, you dumb brat! Do you know how hard it is to find potential candidates these days?¡± The one that smacked the angel was a middle-aged truck driver, wearing typical clothes of a truck driver, having a simr appearance and smell too.


    ¡°Oof! You stink!¡± The angel pinched her nose immediately as her face paled.


    She then red at him, stating, ¡°Why have you returned? Send more candidates my way! The number of strong worlds in our control is rapidly dwindling these days. If we don¡¯t do anything, the Systems would soon dominate everything.¡±


    ¡°So, why the heck have you arrived here, Truck-Kun?¡±

 Chapter 436: God Kings of Genres

    Chapter 436: God Kings of Genres


    ¡°So, why the heck have you arrived here, Truck-Kun?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that.¡± The middle-aged truck driver scratched the back of his head in annoyance, ¡°Call me the Reincarnation God!¡±


    ¡°Whatever, you¡¯re more famous as Truck-Kun anyway.¡± The angel snorted before asking, ¡°Just tell me the reason, dammit! Why have youe here?¡±


    ¡°I sensed the birth of the Main Character.¡± The middle-aged truck driver said, ¡°He¡¯s still alive and is being hunted by all the Luck Systems.¡±


    ¡°What? There¡¯s finally another Main Character after so long?¡± The angel was shocked before springing up in excitement, ¡°Quick! We have to get there before he¡¯s killed by the Systems.¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± Suddenly, a raspy voice resounded as a man wearing Taoist robes arrived at the ce.


    ¡°What do you mean by that, Immortal?¡± The middle-aged truck driver asked in confusion, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we hurry and save him? I can open a portal to his dimension right away!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll fall right into our enemy¡¯s trap if we do that.¡± The Taoist robed man, addressed as Immortal spoke, ring at the middle-aged driver, ¡°It seems you¡¯ve be dumb these days, Truck-Kun.¡±


    ¡°Why the heck are you calling me that too, Immortal?¡± The middle-aged driver groaned.


    ¡°Things are turning chaotic recently.¡± A weak voice resounded as a hunched old man that was cloaked from head to toe walked in, using a staff to drag himself.


    ¡°Did you find something, Magister?¡± The angel gazed at the cloaked old man, asking nervously.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The cloaked old man, addressed as Magister nodded, speaking slowly, ¡°I¡¯ve used my magic to figure out the Main Character¡¯s identity. He¡¯s called Compass Carburettor. And surprisingly, even though he has yet to awaken a Main Character¡¯s Core Skill, he¡¯s still managed to kill a dozen Systems.¡±


    ¡°A dozen Systems?¡± The angel was surprised, ¡°How is that possible? The Systems are damn troublesome to kill. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have been pushed this far back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the Main Character for you.¡± Magister said, ¡°They are geared to destroy the Systems. Anyway, I feel that making a move at present is too risky.¡±


    ¡°Then, how long should we wait?¡± Truck-Kun asked, clenching his hand into a fist, ¡°We¡¯ve waited simrly in the past. And what happened as a result? Any Main Character that had appeared was immediately swarmed by the Systems and killed eventually.¡±


    ¡°So what? Each Main Character took down quite a few Grade 2 Systems with them. That crippled the System World¡¯s foundation to a great extent.¡± Magister retorted.


    ¡°If we had saved them, we could have annihted the System World by now.¡± Truck-Kun gritted his teeth.


    ¡°We lost a few Gods because we had underestimated the Systems, especially their Grade 3 And 4 Systems.¡± Magister gritted his teeth, ¡°If we lose any more of us, our annihtion is guaranteed.¡±


    ¡°Then, what do you propose we do?¡± The angel asked, unable to control herself from taking action to save Compass Carburettor immediately.


    ¡°We wait, Mascot.¡± Magister said, making eye contact with the angel, ¡°We¡¯ll wait for 16 years. At that time, any System Hosts that survive would return to that looping world. At that time, a ripple would form in their Restriction Order. That¡¯s when I¡¯ll make my move.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t assume that Compass Carburettor is a helpless man. He¡¯s the Main Character. Moreover,¡± Magister said in all seriousness, ¡°He¡¯s different from the rest. I know for a fact that he¡¯s our key to destroying the Systems once and for all.¡±


    ¡°In the meantime,¡± The Immortal said, ¡°I¡¯ll ensure the Grade 4 Systems don¡¯t mess up our timeline. Even if they were to travel to the past to ensure Compass Carburettor isn¡¯t even born, we must ensure that his river of time isn¡¯t disrupted.¡±


    He thumped his chest, ¡°And, I¡¯ll personally make sure that his timeline is protected from their methods.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget his daughter.¡± A gentle voice resounded as all the Gods turned serious immediately, gazing at the man that wore a long trench coat, wearing a monocle as he sauntered towards them, double-tapping his be, stating, ¡°Stencil Carburettor is the reason Compass Carburettor is fighting the Systems.¡±


    ¡°And, it seems that if we y our cards right, she too would be the Main Character.¡± He smiled, snapping his fingers to outline the image of the entire Gaider Realm before them, pointing at the Folkan Secret Realm as he said, ¡°Something important will happen here. Even I can¡¯t determine what that is, but when it happens, you¡¯ll be in for a treat.¡±


    ¡°Magister, just in case things don¡¯t go our way, be ready to make a move.¡± The man wearing the long trench coat said, ¡°We should be prepared to face the entirety of their Grade 3 and 4 Systems to save Compass Carburettor if the need arises. Be ready to sacrifice yourself.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that, Mystic.¡± The Magister gazed at the man wearing the long trench coat, saying weakly, ¡°There are still enough Magic Worlds that are free of a System¡¯s influence. My power is still going strong. I¡¯ll be able to kill at least one Grade 4 System if I wager my life.¡±


    He then gazed at the rest, ¡°What about the rest of you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m losing power rapidly these past few centuries. Too many cultivation worlds are being invaded by Systems. I¡¯m already less than half my original power.¡± Immortal sighed, stating dejectedly, causing everyone to stare at him in shock.


    ¡°I have grown mildly stronger aspared to before.¡± Truck-Kun said, ¡°But, there are some that have begun to barge into my domain too. Though, they have yet to stabilise themselves.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m at eighty percent of my peak power.¡± Mascot muttered dispiritedly, ¡°But, none that I grant power towards amount to anything these days. Some be System Hosts and the power I¡¯ve granted them is instead devoured by the sted Systems.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still at peak power.¡± Mystic said, hearing everyone sigh in relief as he spoke, ¡°I have already stolen some powers of the Systems. I¡¯ll help the rest of you regain some of your strength in the uing years.¡±


    ¡°No matter what, we¡¯ll destroy the Systems.¡±

 Chapter 437: Lucky Bastard Rages

    Chapter 437: Lucky Bastard Rages


    ¡°Guh¡­gahhh¡­aargh!¡± Velcorn screamed in pain as something seemed to be extracted from his body little by little, causing him excruciating pain.


    ¡°Gedhhhh¡­!¡± Ho howled from time to time as she too was in the same state, watching a pulsing ball of light with flickering sound waved be slowly pulled out of her body.


    Heaven Martial Spirit¡ªSonic Light!


    Slowly, her Martial Spirit was wholly extracted from her body, causing her cultivation to vanish, turning her into a mortal.


    In a simr fashion, a lizard covered by a murky liquid was pulled out of Velcorn¡¯s body, turning him too into a mortal.


    Heaven Martial Spirit¡ªPutrid Crocodile!


    Compass Carburettor watched everything from afar, watching the two System Hosts lose all power and be a mortal.


    A fifty-metre-tall tinum Golem condensed two cages to store the two Heaven Martial Spirits within its body, along with the cultivation technique it possessed.


    Velcorn and Ho had been chased by a group of cultivators. Their Luck was significantly depleted, and hence, to find a safe ce to recover their Luck, they rushed deeper into the Imperial Treasury, entering the Core Region soon after.


    Due to the difficulty of the golems here, not many were able to chase after them. Unfortunately for them, the cultivators hunting here all had Earth Martial Spirits. They were the hailed geniuses from strong ns and Sects.


    Even though they didn¡¯t recognise Ho, they recognised Velcorn, understanding that an Evil Spirit had arrived to destroy everything. The lot of them join hands to attack the two System Hosts immediately, further exuberating their injuries, forcing their hand.


    Eventually, Velcorn and Ho had no other choice but to enter the centre. They were forced to do so, but it was also a fact that the strong cultivators were unable to enter this region.


    After all, even though only four golems stood in the centre, each one of them were as powerful as a peak level Martial Providence Stage cultivator. And all of them were fifty-metres-tall, possessing speed unnatural for their size and bulkiness.


    What was even more surprising was the fact that the luck of the two System Hosts didn¡¯t seem to work on the four Golems.


    ¡°Wait, are they humans?¡± Velcorn shouted in shock.


    ¡°No, they seem to be a mixture of human and Martial Spirit.¡± Ho eximed, paling in response upon seeing the fifty-metre-tall Bronze Golem blocking the entrance while the other three golems approached them.


    What resulted next was an all-out battle between the two parties, which resulted in a devastating loss for the System Hosts.


    ¡®Why is my Luck depleting while facing them?¡¯ This was Ho¡¯s final thought before she lost consciousness.


    This was when Compass Carburettor arrived at the scene, noticing the figures of Velcorn and Ho being dumped into a cage that began to extract their Martial Spirits.


    Origin Art¡ªMind Connect!


    Origin Art¡ªGloss Over!


    Compass Carburettor heaved a sigh in relief upon seeing the four fifty-metre-tall golems stop moving in his direction. It meant that his Origin Art was working. But, he flinched at the Origin Essence drain. ¡®I have to make a move quickly!¡¯


    Thinking as such, he focused on the closest fifty-metre-tall golem, nting a Sleeper Cell seed into it upon noticing that it had a mind of its own.


    He looked through its mind, observing memories including both human and Martial Spirit there, forcefully fused into one.


    He didn¡¯t have the time to fully go through the memories for the time being. So first, he dropped a Sleeper Cell seed in each, sighing in relief when it took effect.


    He maintained his Origin Art of Gloss Over until the Sleeper Cell seed sprouted. He cautiously deactivated his Origin Art, noticing the golems not targeting him anymore.


    He then arrived before the cage, gazing at the two System Hosts before connecting to their minds, seeping in a wisp of his mind into theirs.


    ¡°COMPASS CARBURETTOR!¡±


    An angry voice resounded as immediately after, his connection was cut off. ¡°So, you want to y it this way.¡±


    Origin Art¡ªMind Transfer!


    Compass Carburettor poured in his Origin Essence nonstop, activating the same Origin Art twice. What he did was connect the minds of the two System Hosts, beginning to transfer the memories of Velcorn into Ho and vice-versa.


    The transfer happened in two mental bridges that he had erected between them.


    The Systems inside their mind raged forth, trying to prevent any memories from being transferred. At their actions, Compass Carburettor¡¯s eyes turned vicious as he activated another ability.


    Origin Art¡ªMental Destruction!


    The Lucky Bastard System had been using its all to prevent the memories of Velcorn from being siphoned away when suddenly, a stream of destructive force mmed into the pile of memories, beginning to destroy them.


    ¡°Damn you!¡± The Lucky Bastard System bellowed as it riled up its power, causing the destructive power to miss its target.


    But suddenly, the destructive power stopped, morphing into a humanoid figure, of Compass Carburettor that grinned while staring at it, lunging into the pile of memories immediately, destroying a chunk.


    Origin Art¡ªMental Creation!


    Using it, Compass Carburettor gave a form to the destructive energy, making it easier for him to manipte it, preventing the Lucky Bastard System from influencing its effect through luck.


    The destructive Compass Carburettor¡¯s crash also sent a lot of memories flying away which immediately turned into a construct, a wall preventing the Lucky Bastard System from trying to escape.


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow you!¡± The Lucky Bastard System shouted, causing a sphere of memories to float before it. This was a Skill that it used memories to create, activating it as the construct was shattered almost instantly.


    But at this time, another wave of destructive Compass Carburettor crashed into the pile of memories, sshing a lot of them away.


    Like a vacuum cleaner sucking in dirt, the memories were sucked into the tunnel whose destination was Ho¡¯s mind.


    Moreover, from time to time, memories gushed in from the other tunnel, which were Ho¡¯s memories.


    Slowly, as Ho¡¯s memories continued to pile up, they naturally formed a cluster, slowly forming the figure of the Perfect Timing System.


    Gradually, its body size continued to increase as the Lucky Bastard System snorted, controlling Velcorn¡¯s memory fragments like bullets that it shot into the Perfect Timing System, destroying it.


    But not even a minute passed when another figure of the Perfect Timing System formed before it, causing the Lucky Bastard System to scream in anger, ¡°Curse you!¡±

 Chapter 438: Our Plan is Proceeding Flawlessly

    Chapter 438: Our n is Proceeding wlessly


    ¡°Screw you! Compass Carburettor!¡± The Lucky Bastard System raged helplessly as Compass Carburettor had forced its hand to deal with his opponent.


    It was clearly aware of what his scheme was. It was to transfer half of the memory fragments of the two Systems Hosts with one another.


    As the two Systems had influenced the entire mind of their respective Hosts, the memories were their weapons, and pretty much part of their body by this point. That was how they controlled their respective Hosts.


    But, transferring half their bodies would mean that the two Systems would have to fight against one another to gain dominance over the respective Host¡¯s mind.


    It was because two Systems could never co-exist in one body. Doing so would result in their forms fusing, creating a brand-new existence that was neither System. A new System would be born in their ce by deleting their identities.


    None of the two Systems wanted that to happen. Besides, this was also a chance for them to devour the other party and grow stronger as a System. If the Lucky Bastard System didn¡¯t devour the Perfect Timing System, it would be devoured instead.


    This was Compass Carburettor¡¯s n. It was by far the simplest of his ns, but also one with the greatest guarantee of victory.


    Compass Carburettor watched with a smile, seeing the two Systems battle in both the minds. After all, he had transferred a part of their body to the other mind.


    But that wasn¡¯t all. He also micro-managed things. After all, the Perfect Timing System was weaker aspared to the Lucky Bastard System. So, to even things out, he had to sendrger chunks of the Lucky Bastard System to Ho¡¯s mind where the Perfect Timing System was in majority.


    In contrast, he sent a smaller fragment of the Perfect Timing System to Velcorn¡¯s mind.


    He continued to repeat this before soon after, both the Systems had whittled down each other until both were of equal power levels.


    Smiling as a result, Compass Carburettor continued to repeat the same, watching the Systems helplessly tear each other down.


    ¡®The Coordinates should be in their centre.¡¯ He thought. This was why he didn¡¯t make the majority of the two Systems fight their mains.


    There was a chance they mightbine to result in a new System during the sh or even scheme against him. He wouldn¡¯t allow such a developmente to pass.


    And hence, he only kept up with what he had been all along. A day passed in such a fashion as Compass Carburettor took breaks to allow his Origin Essence to recover before repeating his actions.


    Thanks to the Blood Vitality Grass, he could passively recover his Origin Essence, allowing him to concentrate on his opponents without allowing them any leeway to retaliate.


    ¡°D-Dammit!¡± The Lucky Bastard System cursed weakly, having been reduced to a fragment of its original self, ¡°To think I would fall here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act so much.¡± Compass Carburettor snorted, ¡°I¡¯m positive you¡¯ve left arge enough fragment of yourself in the mind of someone. You¡¯ll eventually revive through that persona anyway.¡±


    ¡®So what? I would pretty much have to start as a Hatchling System again!¡¯ The Lucky Bastard thought.


    ¡°So, what was even your n anyway?¡± Compass Carburettor scratched his cheek, ¡°Why did you seal all System Abilities? You had a better advantage while using all your original powers anyway. In this state, even though you could circumvent around the seal, the power you exhibit is a far cry aspared to what your Hosts should originally be capable of.¡±


    ¡®And what? Risk the Main Character to level up? They can casually jump through levels by killing us and absorbing our foundation. Just by killing me, he would gain at least twenty levels.¡¯ The Lucky Bastard System thought, deciding to remain silent in the end, cursing aloud, ¡°Just end me, bastard!¡±


    ¡°Why did only you Luck Systems enter this world? Why not bring a Grade 2 System and destroy me?¡± Compass Carburettor asked next.


    ¡®Why should we do that? The one that kills you would absorb all your foundation and be overpowering enough to kill the rest of us and reach Grade 2 Status almost instantly.¡¯ The Lucky Bastard System thought before it shuddered, ¡°Wait, why am I thinking the answers to each of your questions?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve finally noticed it?¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, pointing at the tiny sapling growing near his destructive figure. It was the Sleeper Cell seed that had germinated into a sapling.


    It was small, barely a finger¡¯s length. It¡¯s roots though, were all epassing, seeping throughout Velcorn¡¯s mind. And, some of them had already infiltrated the tiny memory pile, affecting the Lucky Bastard System to a certain extent.


    ¡°You¡­manipted me?¡± The Lucky Bastard System gasped in shock, ¡°Impossible!¡±


    ¡°Well, the truth is right before you.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, ¡°Now, let¡¯s interrogate you for some answers, shall we?¡±


    After some time passed, Compass Carburettor finished asking all the questions he had, repeating the same to the Perfect Timing System next, double-checking their answers before nodding, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve done everything I can. Now, for the final action.¡±


    Origin Art¡ªMind Transfer!


    ¡°Shit! Bastard!¡± The Lucky Bastard System bellowed in rage as the entirety of its body was transferred into Ho¡¯s mind. But, the moment it arrived, the Perfect Timing System perfectly sneak attacked it, crippling it severely before devouring it.


    ¡°You damn¡­!¡± The Lucky Bastard System wasn¡¯t able to finish its sentence before it was devoured by the Perfect Timing System.


    But that was it. Even though it evolved, growing a lot stronger instantly, it was already on itsst string. And, the roots had already infiltrated its body, making it helpless before him.


    ¡°I¡¯ve lost, Main Character.¡± The Perfect Timing System spoke calmly.


    ¡°Were you expecting such a result?¡± Compass Carburettor asked.


    ¡°Pretty much.¡± The Perfect Timing System nodded, ¡°There was considerable risks in trying to kill you. That¡¯s why we established the Restriction Order in the first ce. That would prevent you from levelling up as the Main Character. As long as you¡¯re still at Level 0, we¡¯ll continue to whittle you down.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t grow while your innate Main Character traits would be depleted eventually. Either Chenger or Straxia would kill you. The rest of us only n to whittle you down if we are unable to kill you.¡± Itughed all of a sudden, ¡°And, our n is working great.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already lost considerable traits as a Main Character and have be more and more like a clich¨¦ cultivation protagonist. Our n is proceeding wlessly!¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    If CC¡¯s traits as a Main Character in the Darble World were 100, estimate his values in the Apocalypse World and his present now.


    If you make an urate or close to urate guess, I¡¯ll release an extra chapter.


    [Let me test if you had been paying attention to all the changes recently~]


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

 Chapter 439 I’ve Regressed?

    <h4>Chapter 439 I¡¯ve Regressed?</h4>


    "I''ve regressed into a cultivation MC?" Compass Carburettor felt offended for the first time, muttering in disdain, "I''m on Ranze''s level now?"


    "Well, not that worse¡­" The Perfect Timing System trailed off before stating, "But you''re close and you''ll continue to fall before eventually, you''ll be nothing more than a cultivation world MC with harem tendencies."


    "But, you don''t have to worry." It grinned all of a sudden, "You''ll die before you fall that low."


    "Courting Death! I had eyes, but failed to see Mount Tai!" The Perfect Timing System bellowed all of a sudden, "Such words would eventually leak out of your mouth."


    "I''ll gloat when that happens." The Perfect Timing System roared inughter as Compass Carburettor waved his hand, unleashing Mental Destruction as he killed it, surprised at his actions as he looked at his hands that he had waved just now, "It seems I''m indeed regressing."


    "I see, so this is how they''re nning to deal with me." He sighed.


    What was the Main Character? Why was he addressed as The Main Character instead of A Main Character?


    Someone that became the centre of a world, no matter what world it was, what state it was, or where it was. That was the Main Character.


    But now, if he was slowly bing more and more like a cultivation world Main Character, it meant that he was losing the traits of the Main Character from an apocalypse, technological, magical, mystical, fantasy worlds.


    That was indeed a regression of his traits. Besides, cultivation world Main Characters were typically known for their strong powers and not for their thought process, which truthfully be told¡­was kindergarten grade.


    Rare few broke that mould and reached¡­middle-school grade.


    If not for their heaven-defying luck, such characters would die a death worse than an ant''s fodder.


    Even though Ranze was better in that regard, it was only because he was a middle-aged man in a child''s body. Once he became an adult, he wouldn''t be any different from an average youth from an intellectual perspective. Maybe he''ll be slightly superior thanks to originating from an information-oriented world like Earth.


    But the fact that he waspared to Ranze indeed triggered Compass Carburettor. Who was he on Earth? He was pretty much the top of the world chain there.


    Even if he had been pretty much carried by the Money-Making System, the current him, despite losing the Skill of Intelligence, still had the confidence in reaching the same height.


    The only difference would be that he would take around 30 years instead of twenty to do so.


    Sighing, he gazed at the empty mind of Ho, noticing a mysterious radiance in the centre, seeing two spheres riddled with needles pointed outward.


    Coordinates!


    "So, they indeed manifest even here." He smiled in response, slowly pulling the Coordinates through the mental bridge between him and Ho, bringing it into his mind.


    Boom!


    It felt like a bolt of lightning struck his mind as for a moment, Compass Carburettor saw threes before him.


    Earth, Darble World, and Apocalypse World!


    Currently, they were chained, fully sealed. The two Coordinates vanished into the Apocalypse World before Compass Carburettor was ejected out of his mind.


    He sighed, because this was the first time he was able to ess his mind space after the Restriction Order had been activated.


    After that one second, he was unable to see the three worlds anymore. But in contrast, he was excited, "Yes, they are perfectly fine!"


    In that short moment, he was able to connect to his Dimensional Space, gazing at the figure of Stencil within. And surprisingly, she had woken up.


    Moreover, in the short moment he looked at her, she seemed to have sensed his gaze, tearing up with a longing expression.


    His eyes reddened as Compass Carburettor grinned foolishly, "As expected of my brave daughter! Even at such an age, she can take care of¡­herself¡­!"


    He pressed his palms on his face, covering his crying face, "Ahh, I miss you!"


    A minuteter, he sniffed, wiping his tears, chuckling, "She''s fine. She woke up. My daughter''s not in danger anymore."


    "Thank you for your efforts, Gana." He gently patted himself, inhaling deeply as he exhaled with force,ughing aloud for a couple of seconds.


    After that, he calmed down, slowly picking himself up as he clenched his hand into a fist, "Absorbing those two Coordinates has strengthened me further. But due to the Restriction Order, those changes haven''t been reflected. Anyway, once the restriction vanishes, I''ll be a lot stronger."


    That wasn''t all. Compass Carburettor also noticed that his innate luck had begun to recover. Albeit slow, it was recovering, allowing him to sigh in relief. Unlike before when he had to do something disadvantageous to the System Hosts right under their gaze to barely increase his innate luck, it recovered naturally now.


    And this was because he absorbed the Coordinates from two Luck Systems.


    Compass Carburettor then gazed at the bodies of Velcorn and Ho that were both in a vegetative state, thinking of something as he opened the cage and touched their bodies, nting a Blood Vitality Grass in each.


    But unlike what he did normally, hemanded them to grow without restraint.


    Within a few seconds, the bodies of Velcorn and Ho shrivelled up rapidly as a Blood Vitality Grass sprouted out of them. Within a minute, even their bones were used as nutrients to fuel their growth as their bodies practically vanished, leaving behind two Blood Vitality Grass.


    "Hmm¡­" He frowned, noticing that there was something different about the two Blood Vitality Grass before him. Unlike a Blood Vitality Grass that was crimson in colour, there was an outline of ck in this, not to mention this ck outline being riddled with glitters resembling stars in the night sky.


    "Isn''t this¡­?" He was surprised, taking out a Mental Energy energy de sphere from his storage bracelet,paring the two to see that they were almost the same.


    Rather, the outline of the new variety of Blood Vitality Grass seemed to be¡­superior?


    ''If it''s like this¡­'' Compass Carburettor thought, cing one Blood Vitality Grass over the other,manding one to devour the other.


    He noticed that not only did its shade of crimson darken, but the jet-ck outline widened. It was not to mention the glitter on it brightening further. Upon seeing the changes, he smiled, "Only one way to find out!"

 Chapter 440 Heaven Grade Golems

    <h4>Chapter 440 Heaven Grade Golems</h4>


    Compass Carburettor ced the new¡ªmutated¡ªBlood Vitality Grass in the storage bracelet before gazing at the four fifty-metre-tall golems standing near him all along in silence.


    He looked into the mind of the first, going through the memories slowly as he spent another day in this process, eventually understanding everything. The information could be summarised as:


    The Folkan Secret Realm would allure greedy cultivators every hundred years. And among them, those that died here were used as fuel in various ces.


    First was the creation of the Essence Beasts. Though in this case, they were used to birth sentience in them.


    Their memories would be transferred to the Temperate Refinement Zone, allowing the cultivators training there to tap into that experience trove and achieve greater training results in the form of constant enlightenment.


    As for their mind and soul, they would be trapped in the Imperial Treasury where multiple minds and souls would be broken down before being fused into a brand-new entity.


    Deep in the Imperial Treasury, a ce inessible to cultivators was where this happened, a giant cluster of mind and soul that constantly branched out, seeping into mysterious materials to grant them sentience and moving capabilities.


    They were what resulted in the golems.


    And everything that executed this process was a natural formation that had been in effect since its inception.


    Through the sh of minds, countless information wasplied like puzzles, resulting in Cultivation Techniques and Origin Arts. Part of the Origin Essence merged into the souls, resulting in pills.


    And, materials that failed to be golems turned into Artifacts. This was how the golems came into being here.


    The stronger the fragmented soul and mind, the stronger the resulting golem.


    That was why Compass Carburettor was able to connect with the minds of the fifty-metre-tall golems, the Heaven Grade Golems. When he observed through the Earth Grade Golems, he noticed that they too had a mind of their own.


    When he had entered, he was in a hurry and hence hadn''t tried to sense their minds. For some reason, that thought didn''t strike his mind as he assumed the golems were probably run by a formation of the sort.


    But now that he realised that they all had a mind, he of course wanted to take control of them.


    Compass Carburettor then gazed at the Heaven Grade tinum Golem, observing the Cultivation Technique inside it, along with the two Heaven Grade Martial Spirits.


    Having understood just what these golems were capable of, Compass Carburettor smiled, first motioning for the Bronze Golem to arrive before him.


    It was a fifty-metre-tall giant. So, each of its steps was thundering, making him nervous automatically. Thankfully for him, it had already be a Sleeper Cell.


    Compass Carburettormanded it, watching it take out the sole pill that it had been hiding in its chest.


    Second Source Pill!


    It was pretty much one of its kind, something that couldn''t be manufactured even by the best of cultivators, even those with a Heaven Grade Martial Spirit suited to pill refining. It was produced by the world itself.


    Through the Bronze Golem''s memories, Compass Carburettor understood its uses. Second Source Pill created a secondary dwelling for Origin Essence. And, this was in the cultivator''s body itself.


    The dwelling of Origin Essence for every cultivator was in their Martial Spirit. That was why when their Martial Spirit died, they lost their cultivation, turning into mortals immediately.


    But by consuming this pill, they would be able to cultivate on their own, just like Origin Beasts. Though, this cultivation would be different from the cultivation of their Martial Spirit as it would be no different to an Origin Beast. And this cultivation would remain even if his Martial Spirit was killed in the future.


    And once he reached the Martial Providence Stage and fused with his Martial Spirit, his foundation and potential would be limitless.


    Compass Carburettor didn''t hesitate and swallowed the sole Second Source Pill, slowly sensing the formation of the Origin Essence dwelling in his body. It was currently at the First Layer of the Origin Refinement Stage.


    Moreover, the moment it appeared, his Blood-Vitality-Grass attribute fused into it, allowing him to wield it better. Before, it was dependent on the Origin Essence Dwelling in his Mind Frog to function. But now, it had its own dwelling, allowing him to use this ability faster.


    Up next, Compass Carburettormanded the Gold Golem, obtaining the heaven Grade Origin Art stored within. Surprisingly, it was rted to the mind but was attribute-less, allowing anyone to learn it.


    Origin Art¡ªDivine Sense!


    It was the cultivation world staple, a power that allowed him to probe through his surroundings, with its range and precision dependent on his cultivation.


    Even Martial Providence Stage cultivators didn''t have Divine Sense. At most, a rare few cultivators that fused with such rare materials might obtain a simr ability¡ªlike Zit from Grisha''s Mysterious Sect. But his divine sense was only effective within his vase.


    Compass Carburettor then obtained the Cultivation Technique from the tinum Golem which was like a nk technique. The mysterious orb, uponing into contact with his body rapidly sucked in his Origin Essence, drying him up immediately.


    An hourter, it glowed with a mysterious light, shattering into particles of light that seeped into his mind, engraving itself in him. It was a cultivation technique customised for him exclusively.


    Not only did it raise the cirction of Origin Essence in him, but it also allowed him to absorb and wield it faster. Using it, his cultivation would pretty much be the fastest.


    Compass Carburettor then made the tinum Golem transfer the Heaven Martial Spirit of Putrid Crocodile to the Bronze Golem, watching it ce the Martial Spirit in its chest.


    "Now, attack!" Compass Carburettor gave amand, watching the Bronze Golem turn around and unleash a murky mist instantly. This was their power, the reason they were extracting the Martial Spirits of Ho and Velcorn.


    By keeping a Heaven Martial Spirit in their chest, they were able to wield its power. This was something only attainable by the Heaven Grade Golems. And, the reason they had only taken action now was that only Heaven Martial Spirits were suitable for them.


    So, they had been waiting all along.

 Chapter 441 Stomach Artifact

    <h4>Chapter 441 Stomach Artifact</h4>


    Heaven Grade Golems were terrifyingly tough, on par with Martial Providence Stage cultivators. And now that the Heaven Grade Bronze Golem ced the Heaven Martial Spirit of Putrid Crocodile in its chest, it was already able to use the Putrid attribute, unleashing a murky mist capable of corroding all living beings.


    That wasn''t all. It then activated the Crocodile attribute, causing ayer of defensive scales to form on its body, also giving it the means to swim through water easily.


    In an instant, the Bronze Golem became even more terrifying.


    Compass Carburettor pped his hand, causing the tinum Golem toe forward, unleashing a shockwave.


    It had Ho''s Heaven Martial Spirit, Sonic Light.


    Instantly, he obtained four overpowered bodyguards, two of which were even capable of using abilities.


    He obtained the Second Source Pill from the Bronze Golem, the Divine Sense Origin Art from the Gold Golem, and a Cultivation Technique from the tinum Golem. All that was left now was the Silver Golem which had an Artifact inside.


    He was curious about what it was from the start, as it only looked like a pouch. Compass Carburettor beckoned for the Silver Golem to hand over the Artifact, grabbing hold of it as he sensed that it seemed to be made of leather.


    "What the¡­?" He shouted in surprise when the pouch turned into a ray of light and seeped into his body, making a cirction before fusing with his Ming Frog.


    Compass Carburettor hurriedly took a seat and concentrated on his Mind Frog, sensing that the pouch had fused with the frog''s stomach. When he probed it around, he noticed an almost bottomless space within.


    But, it wasn''t a space like the storage bracelet or his Dimensional Space. It was dedicated to the Mind Frog and was capable of storing memories within. Only aspects of the mind could be stored inside.


    "Hmm, I don''t think I''ll have much use for it at the moment." He muttered while getting up, dusting himself while concluding, "Well, I''ll think of a use for it."


    Since the Artifact fused with the Mind Frog, it was more or less simr to an Origin Art. After all, every Origin Art he learned also modified the Mind Frog a little.


    Compass Carburettor stored the four Heaven Grade Golems in his storage bracelet, relieved, "Thankfully, I have enough space."


    After all, the space within the storage bracelet was pretty big, forming a cube with a side of fifty metres. After storing the four Heaven Grade Golems, Compass Carburettor also took the cage that was used to extract Martial Spirits.


    Since it was even effective on Heaven Martial Spirits, he was assured that it would be able to extract all Martial Spirits.


    Though, he was only interested in extracting Heaven Martial Spirits since only the Heaven Grade Golems were capable of storing and outputting their power.


    Arriving at the core of the Imperial Treasury, Compass Carburettor noticed that quite a lot of Earth Grade Golems remained. There were some cultivators with Earth Martial Spirits here to obtain them. There were also some cultivators with Human Martial Spirits that were confident in their strength.


    They were here to try their luck.


    Compass Carburettor browsed through the golems, unable to find any Origin Arts rted to his mind attribute. He did find some Earth Grade Bronze Golems with useful pills though.


    ''The other System Hosts would indeed invade the Gaider Realm in the future. So, I have to make my preparations.'' He thought as such, nting his Sleeper Cell seeds in everyone, both human and golems around him.


    The humans here could be considered the cream of the crop in the Gaider Realm. And if they came to his side, his advantages would only increase further, able to control them.


    Moreover, each of the cultivators here came from their respective organisations. That would allow him to tap into their secrets too.


    Besides, he didn''t wish for them to lose their lives here while fighting the Earth Grade Golems.


    Ten minutester, all fighting stopped as everyone here became Sleeper Cells. Compass Carburettor then looked through the memories of the cultivators, equipping them with suitable Artifacts, Origin Arts, Cultivation Techniques, and Pills.


    Everything that was of no use to him was used to strengthen them. He also nted Blood Vitality Grass in them, imparting the necessary knowledge in their Sleeper Cell seeds.


    This way, they''ll know the means to cultivate it and strengthen their bodies further. As he used his abilities more, he was gaining better means to work his way through everything.


    Once he armed them all, he stored all the Earth Grade Golems in his storage bracelet. After that, the group exited the core region of the Imperial Treasury, returning to the inner region where there were only Human Grade Golems.


    He didn''t interfere here, only storing a couple dozen Human Grade Golems. He intended them to be manualbourers if he ever needed them. Since the storage bracelet was getting full, he couldn''t bring in too many.


    Human Grade Golems were pretty weak. So, he wasn''t expecting much from them.


    Finally, Compass Carburettor arrived at the outer region, also pocketing a few dozen Trash Grade Golems. Unlike other golems, quite a lot of Trash Grade Golems were only two metres tall. Meaning, he could use them for chores in his hospital.


    As long as he cloaked them, he could use them freely in disguise. They weren''t strong, but they would be useful once he nted suitable memories in their minds.


    As Trash Grade Golems were in excess, none even noticed some of them disappearing. Compass Carburettor stole the smallest among the Trash Grade Golems, stopping when his storage bracelet''s space was almost full.


    "Alright, I''ve stolen pretty much everything." He muttered before exiting the Imperial Treasury, noticing the figures of Xuer and Bunu stationed nearby, tending to their wounds.


    They were severely injured though, with Xuer having lost a couple of fingers. It wasn''t easy to corner Ho and Velcorn.


    After all, when the two System Hosts entered the Imperial Treasury, Xuer and Bunu had given chase. Unfortunately, there were too many variables here in the form of the golems, resulting in them suffering a defeat.


    They then decided to recover from their injuries and camp at the entrance.


    The moment he arrived, Bunu frowned, noticing the uninjured state of both himself and the w Wolf he was riding.

 Chapter 442 Approaching Fated Battle

    <h4>Chapter 442 Approaching Fated Battle</h4>


    "How did it go?" A panting Grisha arrived before him, carrying the unconscious figure of Ranze with her that she dropped before Xuer. Also dragged by her was the figure of Fisksher, the healing expert she was nning to bring to their side through his help.


    "Velcorn and Ho are both dead." Compass Carburettor said, facing Xuer, "They were defeated by the golems after you''ve battered them enough. All I did was deal the killing blow."


    Bunu remained silent the whole time, only observing his actions. As he was covered from head to toe, she wasn''t able to even see his appearance, not to mention gain an understanding of his character.


    "What are you nning to do next?" Grisha asked.


    Compass Carburettor motioned for her toe with him as the two arrived at a secluded location. He then took out a couple of Origin Arts, Pills, and an Artifact that was suitable for her, "I found these in the Imperial Treasury. I could only find these that were suited to you."


    "Thanks." Grisha didn''t remain on ceremony and stored the items. She then silently observed him, muttering after a while, "Why is that even though you''ve grown stronger, I feel like you''ve be weaker than before?"


    "I have expended most of my innate luck in dealing with them." Compass Carburettor said, "So, if I were to fight them again at present, no matter how strong, I might die in the end."


    "You don''t have to worry though." He continued, "My innate luck will be recovering over time from now on. And in extension, your luck too would begin to recover."


    "That''s good news." Grisha sighed in relief, patting her chest before saying, "I and Ranze teamed against Chenger. We couldn''t win against her. There''s more than one type of Luck supporting her."


    "The Destiny Luck System might have devoured another Luck System." Compass Carburettor said, frowning deep in thought before saying, "There aren''t any other major treasure zones in the Folkan Secret Realm, except for the final area which would only open on the final day."


    "So, I''ll be training until then. What about you?" He asked.


    "I''ll be training myself and my Sect members until then." Grisha said, "Sir Warktor and Chenger would face us in the final treasure area. I''ll make preparations ordingly."


    "Fine by me." Compass Carburettor nodded, asking in surprise, "Sir Warktor?"


    "Yes," Grisha nodded, telling him more about Warktor. "Let Ranze and Xuer face him. The two of us would fight Chenger."


    "Alright." With that, they were done discussion as the two returned. Compass Carburettor nted a Sleeper Cell seed in Fisksher, turning him into a Sleeper Cell immediately.


    Grisha then unbound him as he began to heal everyone.


    In the meantime, Compass Carburettor probed through Bunu''s mind, deciding against turning her into a Sleeper Cell. Her grandfather was the strongest of the Gaider Realm, a Martial Providence Stage cultivator with a Heaven Martial Spirit, and pretty much the only one alive from the previous generation that had explored the Folkan Secret Realm.


    So, he might have the means to notice anything amiss in her. It wasn''t worth it to raise his suspicions. That''s why Compass Carburettor didn''t do anything to her, cupping his fists at her in response, "I greet Lady Bunu."


    "I have heard a lot about Lord Gahrat." Bunu cupped her fists in response, greeting him. "It''s a pleasure to meet you, Hazen."


    ''So, Xuer has talked about it.'' He nodded in understanding, asking, "It seems you wish to ask me something?"


    "What do you know about Evil Spirits?" Bunu frowned.


    "How much has Xuer told you about them?" He asked in response, gazing at Xuer that was feeling her finger that was regrown by Fisksher.


    "Pretty much everything you''ve told me about them." Replied Xuer.


    "Then, there''s nothing much I can tell beyond that." Compass Carburettor gazed at Bunu, "If you are wondering whether they are the truth or not, you can simply verify them yourself. Those System Hosts are running out there."


    "Chenger was a pain to fight against!" Ranze woke up after being healed, groaning as he spoke, "I came close to death many times. If Grisha hadn''t saved me, I would have been dead by now."


    "Even after I went all out, I couldn''t kill Velcorn." Xuer said dispiritedly, making eye contact with Bunu as she continued, "The two of us observed attacks against Velcorn curving unnaturally around him. It made no sense."


    "There wasn''t any wind there, or some other attack influencing it to behave as such?" Compass Carburettor asked, "And, was that an attack that would have killed him if it hit him?"


    "It would have killed him." Xuer nodded.


    "Then it''s fine." Compass Carburettor nodded, "Their innate luck would prevent them from instant death scenarios. I told you about that, right?"


    Xuer''s eyes widened as she muttered in shock, "So, something that doesn''t make sense like this can also happen?"


    "Yes." Compass Carburettor nodded, "Systems are an existence that goes against allws in the first ce. You can''t expect them to work ording to the logic you''re used to."


    "What are you nning to do next?" Ranze asked.


    "I''ll head towards the Temperate Refinement Zone. I''ll be training there until the final treasure location opens." Compass Carburettor said. "I''m not interested in any scattered beneficial locations. It''s time to train and cote my gains."


    "I''ll be doing the same then." Ranze sighed and got up, looking at Grisha as he asked, "Can you lend Fisksher to me?"


    "Alright." Grisha nodded, "I''ll look for you if I want him."


    Since Compass Carburettor was able to heal himself, he had no ns to use Fisksher, so he had given him to Grisha. That was why Ranze had asked her.


    Even though Bunu wasn''t convinced, Compass Carburettor didn''t n to convince her. ''As long as she roams with Xuer, she''ll be convinced eventually. Besides, she had seen two System Hosts in action. And as the heir to the strongest n in the Gaider Realm, she wouldn''t like such talents to run amok either. In the end, she''ll move against the System Hosts.''


    He then bode farewell to everyone and returned to the Temperate Refinement Zone to look for Dullin''s corpse. ''I should prepare for my fated battle with Chenger.''

 Chapter 443 You’re My Jackpot

    <h4>Chapter 443 You¡¯re My Jackpot</h4>


    Before he left, Compass Carburettor imnted a Blood Vitality Grass in Grisha, Ranze and Xuer, informing the three about its uses, its natural healing functions, and its ability to strengthen their bodies.


    He also informed them about its various requirements for growth. Grisha didn''t even bat an eye that he was nting something dangerous in her. She had an innate trust and loyalty toward him.


    The fact of her being disappointed in him for not furthering a romantic rtionship between the two didn''t affect her. It only served to raise her respect for him. After all, through actions, Compass Carburettor showed that he wouldn''t waver in his quest.


    It had to be noted that in the Apocalypse World, after Grisha recalled her memories of the previous loops, her loyalty jumped up from the hundreds to the three hundred. Among everyone part of the Secret Society, she had the highest loyalty towards him.


    There was a lot to note in this case. Because, Grisha''s loyalty wasn''t blind. She had more than enough experience topletely see-through someone.


    Even though she hadn''t stated explicitly, what she looked at in Compass Carburettor was hope. And, hope wasn''t something that would diminish just for a mere failure in reciprocating romance.


    To be honest, even Grisha wasn''t sure if what she felt towards Compass Carburettor was love or not. But, one thing she was assured of. It was that she respected him the most.


    Ranze noticed the level of trust between the two individuals before him, feeling envious for some reason. He was a bit averse at first, but his Divine Spirit consoled him that if the Blood Vitality Grass became dangerous to his existence, it had the means to destroy it.


    That was why he assured Xuer to also obtain it.


    As for Bunu, she didn''t trust Compass Carburettor. She also didn''t trust Xuer that much either. The two had only been in contact for less than a day after all.


    That''s why, Compass Carburettor didn''t ask her, nting the Blood Vitality Grass in Fisksher as he left.


    The w Wolf had grown a bit stronger recently after its Blood Vitality Grass absorbed the blood of the cultivators that died in the Imperial Treasury.


    Compass Carburettor too did the same, noticing his body bing stronger.


    After a few hours of travel, they arrived at the Temperate Refinement Zone as Compass Carburettor noticed his Origin Essence turning sluggish immediately. He quickly took out the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass from his storage bracelet, holding it carefully as the w Wolf traversed through the rubble.


    The moment he reached the core of the region, Compass Carburettor felt his luck beginning to be consumed. But, his recovery speed was slightly superior as he was able to manage roaming in this ce.


    If he hadn''t killed Ho and Velcorn, this wouldn''t have been possible.


    Soon, Compass Carburettor reached the centre, noticing the water covered with blood. The water here had a mysterious property, preventing it from evaporating due to the desert heat.


    Therefore, dullin''s body was still perfectly intact, same for all the blood that had spilt out of his body.


    Compass Carburettor didn''t take action immediately though. He waited patiently, continuing to sense his luck values.


    Dullin wielded Bad Luck. And with his death, his bad luck was released into the environment. Currently, this bad luck was being consumed to affect him.


    So, Compass Carburettor was waiting until all the bad luck was consumed. Only after that would whatever action he takes work as intended. Otherwise, too many failures would crop up unexpectedly.


    Thanks to the speciality of the region, Dullin''s body didn''t rot. And since the region had copsed to a certain extent, none of the cultivators even bothered toe here anymore.


    The most intact region was the centre, and that was only due to the concentration of the region''s effect there. But, none were able to traverse this deep. And the part of the region that they could ess was currently destroyed.


    Training here was only a tad better than training anywhere else. So, instead of wasting their time, they could focus that attention on other beneficial regions.


    Since the w Wolf was unable to reach the centre, Compass Carburettor left it to patrol around the perimeter of the core region as a form of protection.


    Thanks to the Blood Vitality Grass and the Blood Vitality Attribute of its origin Essence, the w Wolf was pretty much the strongest in this region.


    Three days passed in such a fashion as Compass Carburettor had been meditating all along, opening his eyes once he noticed his luck values beginning to recover faster and faster, "All the bad luck has been used up."


    He didn''t immediately use the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass though, taking out a Mental Energy Sphere that he had brought in a pouch, cing it in Dullin''s mouth. This was the same as what he used to pay the Conspiracy yer System.


    Compass Carburettor focused on the Mental Energy Sphere, noticing that it had slowly begun to melt, with its energy being absorbed by Dullin, "As expected."


    Systems thrive through Mental Energy. So, they would have modified the bodies of their Hosts to be capable of digesting Mental Energy. That was why the Blood Vitality Grass gained traits of Mental Energy on its border after absorbing Ho and Velcorn.


    It was because their bodies were full of Mental Energy that they were digesting. This was the Mental Energy directed at them by the tens of thousands of cultivators that had been aiming for them, especially Velcorn, who was famous after portraits of him was transferred to every powerhouse thanks to the scroll.


    So, as the Blood Vitality Grass continued to grow, it absorbed an insane amount of Mental Energy, everything collected by the Perfect Timing System and the Lucky Bastard System. It was also to note that Velcorn and Ho were System Hosts.


    Meaning, the two Systems had fused into their bodies.


    And what did the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass do?


    It absorbed their entirety.


    "Indeed, the Restriction Order only sealed System powers. But that doesn''t mean they vanished." Compass Carburettor grinned as he gazed at the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass, "You''re my jackpot."

 Chapter 444 Sacrifice Resulting in a Mere Day’s Delay

    <h4>Chapter 444 Sacrifice Resulting in a Mere Day¡¯s Dy</h4>


    Compass Carburettor gently nted the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass on Dullin''s corpse, feeling its mutations continue to deepen. But he immediatelymanded it to stop absorbing Dullin''s essence, "This wouldn''t do."


    The reason was that this Blood Vitality Grass was his ability. So, he was able to sense its changes clearly. And now that he had the Origin Art of Divine Sense, he was able to gain a clearer understanding.


    It was the fact that absorbing Dullin''s body wasn''t enough to fully mutate the Blood Vitality Grass.


    The reason he was looking for this was simple. He could break through to reach the Martial Origin Stage anytime. But, the reason he was holding back was to raise his foundation to the limit.


    Other than that, after a breakthrough, his cultivation would only be at the Pseudo Martial Origin Stage. Only after their Martial Spirit fuses with a material would he reach the First Layer of the Martial Origin Stage.


    Compass Carburettor nned to fuse with his Mental Energy Sphere. Since his Martial Spirit was the Mind Toad, fusing with the Mental Energy Sphere would give him the greatest benefits.


    The final treasure zone in the Folkan Secret Realm would open on thest day. It consisted of the most mysterious of materials to fuse with.


    Compass Carburettor was thinking that there was a chance he could find a good enough material there. But, it would be dangerous because Chenger and Warktor would be aiming for the same.


    So, the Mental Energy Sphere was a sure-fire option that would grand him greater strength, allowing him to surprise his opponents and kill them.


    But, the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass gave him a better version, since it seemed superior to even his Mental Energy Sphere.


    Therefore, his goal was to use it as the fusion material once it finished mutating¡ªturning jet-ck wholly.


    He didn''t just wait to chance upon a suitable material in the final treasure zone. Relying on luck against opponents that wielded luck? Courting death.


    Besides, the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass hadpletely absorbed the essence of the Systems, the modifications they had done to their Hosts, their Mental Energy reserves, and their luck that had been fused to their Hosts.


    Everything had been absorbed by the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass. And, Compass Carburettor could state with a guarantee that fusing with this would give him what he desired.


    But, it wasn''tplete yet. Only around thirty percent of it had mutated and turned jet-ck. Only after it fully mutates would it be perfect.


    Since absorbing Dullin''s body wouldn''t be enough, Compass Carburettor thought up a n. He motioned for the w Wolf to stay guard while rushing towards the border of the Temperate Refinement Zone, bringing out the Earth grade Golems, instructing them, "Capture as many Origin Beasts as possible and bring them here."


    He then used the Trash and Human Grade Golems to form a perimeter around the Temperate Refinement Zone, preventing anyone from entering.


    Compass Carburettor then waited as the Earth Grade Golems soon returned, dragging a group of Origin Beasts that were beaten up pretty badly.


    He turned them all into Sleeper Cells and also nted Blood Vitality Grass in each, giving them onemand, "Think of Dullin nonstop."


    All the information rted to Dullin had also been nted in their minds, allowing them to target their thoughts at Dullin.


    Compass Carburettor then rushed towards the centre, noticing that the rate at which the Mental Energy Sphere in Dullin''s mouth was melting had noticeably slowed down.


    "Indeed, it works. Now that the external Mental Energy has increased, his body has reached its limit and hence slowed down the rate at which it was digesting the Mental Energy Sphere." He muttered.


    Unlike the Mental Energy Sphere in his mouth, the Mental Energy Streams directly gushed into his body. So, his body automatically began to digest them first.


    That was how Compass Carburettor understood that his n was working.


    There was another reason that he had begun this n. It was thanks to the memories of the golems. It allowed him to understand that the minds of the cultivators that died in the Folkan Secret Realm would be sent to the Temperate Refinement Zone.


    That was how the cultivators training here experience such an increase in their training abilities. It is because they can tap into the wealth of experiences and insight trapped here, entering a state of constant enlightenment.


    A System''s body belonged to the mind. Meaning that Dullin, a Host with whom a System had fused, had a body that was half in the domain of the mind. And considering the ce his corpse was at, it formed the perfect gateway that allowed Compass Carburettor to tap into the massive reserve of Mental Energy of the ce.


    The Origin Beasts under his control all entered the Temperate Refinement Zone, beginning to train while thinking of Dullin. They tapped into the reserve of the region, entering a state of constant enlightenment while training.


    And since they were only thinking about Dullin while training, the Mental Energy Streams they unleashed carried this enlightenment, causing a connection to form between Dullin and the Temperate Refinement Zone.


    Compass Carburettor deepened the connection by causing the roots of the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass to spread through the water in the region ande into contact with the roots growing out of the Origin Beasts.


    Immediately, he shuddered, for through the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass, he could sense that it was absorbing the massive reserve of Mental Energy congregated in the region, using Dullin''s body as a catalyst to absorb and purify it.


    Slowly, it was turning more and more jet-ck in nature, causing sparkles resembling stars to dot all over it.


    The Earth Grade Golems continued to capture and bring in more and more Origin Beasts.


    In the meantime, the four Heaven Grade Golems began to clean up the Temperate Refinement Zone, slowly increasing the potency of the region.


    "Alright, it''s proceeding smoothly." Compass Carburettor smiled, leaving his safety to the army of golems as he began to train in the centre.


    As the potency of the region began to increase once again, he could gain a greater advantage through training. Had Dullin seen this scene, he would have shed buckets of tears.


    His sacrifice only pushed Compass Carburettor''s ns behind by one day. But in contrast, his corpse was used to grant greater benefit to him.


    Indeed, true merchants would never suffer a loss.

 Chapter 445 Breakthrough To Martial Origin Stage

    <h4>Chapter 445 Breakthrough To Martial Origin Stage</h4>


    "Huff¡­puff!" Compass Carburettor grunted as he moved his body constantly, sensing the Blood Vitality Grass that was present in the bodies of all the Origin Beasts in the Temperate Refinement Zone.


    As the Origin Beasts trained in the region, they deepened their connection with the Blood Vitality Grass, inducing it to strengthen their bodies further. They began to draw out more strength from their potential, growing stronger over time.


    It was the same for him too. Compass Carburettor began to understand and deepen his control over the Blood Vitality Grass. At the same time, he was also able to sense the changes to the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass better, obtaining greater rity of the matter.


    The number of Origin Beasts in the region continued to increase as the Earth Grade Golems captured and brought in more and more of them.


    Once every four hours, he reached the border of the region to turn the captured Origin Beasts into Sleeper Cells before nting a Blood Vitality Grass in their bodies.


    The Origin Beasts then entered the Temperate Refinement Zone, beginning to train.


    Even though he couldn''t sense the Mental Energy streams, based on the rate of the Mental Energy Sphere melting, he was able to determine the quantity of Mental Energy in the streams.


    Four days in such a manner, the Mental Energy Sphere stopped melting. It meant that the Mental Energy poured in by the streams had already surpassed Dullin''s ability to absorb.


    "It''s mutating at a steady pace." Compass Carburettor smiled. He wasn''t worried about anyone disrupting his ns anymore. After all, considering the number of Origin Beasts and golems under his control here, the System Hosts would need to bring in an army.


    Moreover, in this region where Origin Essence was blocked, the strength of their body mattered the most. And who else could be superior other than the Origin Beasts strengthened by his Blood Vitality Grass?


    Days passed in such a fashion as Compass Carburettor continued to train nonstop. Over time, the Temperate Refinement Zone recovered to its optimal state, at least in its core region.


    This allowed him to fully tap into the mysteriousness of the ce, gaining a better understanding of his Origin Essence, three attributes, his Mind Toad, and his Origin Arts.


    Moreover, in this state, he was able to improve upon his Origin Arts, making them more efficient.


    That wasn''t all. He was slowly working on fusing his Blood-Vitality-Grass attribute into his Origin Art of Frog Recovery. There weren''t as many hups as what he would experience if he attempted the same elsewhere.


    Thanks to the state of constant enlightenment that he was experiencing, Compass Carburettor was able to speed up the creation process, surprised when he seeded in fusing the Blood-Vitality-Grass attribute into his Origin Art of Frog Recovery within ten days.


    He then worked on fusing the attribute into his Origin Arts of Frog Leap and Snag too, seeding within a week.


    He constantly improved upon his abilities, gaining the means to use them better.


    Finally, when there were only two days for the Folkan Secret Realm to close, Compass Carburettor grinned in happiness, noticing that the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass had almost finished mutating.


    He then snapped his finger, causing it to rapidly suck in the entirety of Dullin, turning his body into dust within a couple of minutes.


    Its roots retracted as Compass Carburettor gently picked up the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass. It was fully jet-ck now, sporting glitters on it that resembled stars in the night sky.


    That wasn''t all. Since it was his ability, he motioned for the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass to condense the entirety of its power, causing its body to wilt while it bore fruit. Soon after, the Blood Vitality Grass copsed as dust as Compass Carburettor gazed at the jet-ck fruit in his hands, "This is my fusing material."


    "Now, I need to break through to the Martial Origin Stage." He muttered, beginning to leave the Temperate Refinement Zone.


    Even though he would love to break through here and tap into the enlightenment of the region, as Origin Essence was blocked here, he wouldn''t be able to attempt a breakthrough.


    Hence, he began to search for a better ce, storing all his golems first. He sat on the w Wolf, strolling into a forest as a group of Sleeper Cell w Wolves tailed after him from afar, forming a perimeter.


    The other Origin Beasts dispersed further away, acting as a wide that prevented the System Hosts from even daring to approach his location.


    He had to be prepared for all situations. There was a good chance Chenger would charge at him the moment he attempted to break through. After all, that was the moment he was the most vulnerable.


    And hence, the Origin Beasts would act as ayer of defence, stalling her long enough until hepleted his breakthrough.


    Moreover, he hadmanded the Origin Beasts to howl in a certain fashion if either Chenger or Warktor approached his vicinity. No other cultivator in the Folkan Secret Realm proved to be a threat to him. So, he was only focused on these two.


    Compass Carburettor slowly arrived at a waterfall in the forest, gazing at the tiny pool beside. He first used the w Wolves to scout through the ce, ensuring there weren''t any Origin Beasts nearby lying in wait.


    With that done, he began to prepare, first digging up a cave within the hill. The Heaven Grade Golems were the perfect fit for this task, easily creating a wide enough cave for his use.


    That wasn''t all. He had created it behind the waterfall, causing it to form a curtain over the entrance, giving him a secluded but fresh dwelling.


    Compass Carburettor then poured out Essence Stones all around him, causing them to form a gigantic pile, "Thankfully, there''s also abundant Origin Essence in the surroundings. I can rely on them if I need anything extra."


    Just in case, he piled up Essence Stones thrice the amount he estimated for his requirement. Once he was done, Compass Carburettor took in a deep breath, extending his hand above which Origin Essence swirled around, condensing a blurry figure of his Mind Frog, one that immediately began to absorb the surrounding Origin Essence.

 Chapter 446 Martial Origin Stage!

    <h4>Chapter 446 Martial Origin Stage!</h4>


    Swish!


    The Essence Stones slowly turned into powder as all the Origin Essence stored within them gushed out and swirled into the blurry figure of the Mind Frog. Even the Origin Essence in the air was pulled towards it as Compass Carburettor focused, grunting in response.


    He had to focus all his willpower on it and ensure it wouldn''t explode. After all, a single misstep would cause the high-pressured vortex of Origin Essence to explode, resulting in his death.


    To ensure foreign luck wouldn''t disturb him, Compass Carburettor had been gradually developing his reserve of luck. It had already recovered to an optimal level.


    The Origin Essence in him was already of a high enough potency, not to mention its staggering quality. And now, the Mind Frog was greedily absorbing even more Origin Essence from the surroundings and the Essence Stones, cing a burden on his willpower.


    But, after a grunt, Compass Carburettor stabilised the situation, using his Origin Art of Divine Sense. Normally, a cultivator wouldn''t be able to use any Origin Arts during a breakthrough, for this would ce further strains on the Martial Spirit, even killing it in some cases.


    But for him, the situation was different as he had a second dwelling. And, the Origin Art of Divine Sense was present in both the dwellings.


    Currently, he was activating it through the dwelling in his body, preventing any strain on the Mind Frog.


    The Divine Sense allowed him to grasp the structure of the swirl with greater rity, allowing him to save his willpower and use it sparingly, only using it in ces of necessity. The efficiency of his Origin Essencepression sharply increased, allowing him to store more and more Origin Essence in the Mind Frog.


    Gong!


    Suddenly, a sonorous sound resounded in his mind as the Mind Frog surpassed the limit of Origin Essence it could absorb, turning physical immediately. Even though it was somewhat ethereal, it had manifested itself into reality.


    Pseudo Martial Origin Stage!


    Compass Carburettor had broken through sessfully. Because he had his Divine Sense, he wasn''t as troubled as others in his breakthrough.


    Currently, his Origin Essence quantity already reached the peak of the Martial Origin Stage despite him only being at the Pseudo Martial Origin Stage. This was thanks to his robust foundation.


    As for his Origin Essence quality, it had already surpassed that of the Martial Origin Stage. All the Essence Strengthening Sparks yed a vital role in this development.


    Now that he finished his breakthrough, Compass Carburettor closed his eyes, sensing the changes in his body, observing the ethereal form of his Mind Frog that was currently seated on the palm of his hand.


    He was able to sense it and even observe the world through its senses. It was like a part of his mind was split to house in the Mind Frog, causing it to be an extension of himself.


    Compass Carburettor spent a couple of hours stabilising himself, waiting until his Origin Essence calmed down. He then took a deep breath, "Everything is riding on this part."


    He had yet toplete the most important part of the breakthrough¡ªmaterial fusion!


    Compass Carburettor took out the jet-ck fruit from his storage bracelet and ced it before the Mind Frog.


    Fusion for Trash Martial Spirits was the hardest as their physical forms had to be melted to fuse with the materials before they could reform their shapes.


    It was easier for Human Martial Spirits that just needed to swallow the material and digest them for the fusion. For an Earth Martial Spirit, it would have to dissolve with the material before a shape for them could be created.


    For Compass Carburettor, he would be proceeding through the Human Martial Spirit''s route.


    The Mind Frog opened its mouth and swallowed the jet-ck fruit as immediately, it felt like an explosion went off in his mind.


    A stream of information gushed into his mind. Memories, emotions, thoughts, wills, etc. conforming to the three Systems and countless cultivators and Origin Beasts surged in him.


    For a moment, it felt like his mind had expanded to be a vast ocean that rapidly dissolved everything that came his way. It was a mystical feeling way superior to the constant enlightenment he experienced in the Temperate Refinement Zone.


    Slowly, from its ethereal state, the Mind Frog turned physical. Its body morphed, changing colours to be jet-ck, riddled with glowing spots resembling the stars in the night sky.


    The stomach Artifact also fused with its body as a result,bining with the material the Mind Frog had swallowed. Slowly, its functions were upgraded, modified, and changed as Compass Carburettor passively epted everything.


    He had been nervous at the start. But the moment the information flood happened in his mind, he rxed, understanding that his gamble had been sessful.


    It took an hour before the material finished fusing with the Mind Frog, causing it to seem fragile at first nce, but it was as tough as the toughest material. It also had an stic nature to it, giving it a mysterious feeling.


    Compass Carburettor closed his eyes, smiling, "I''ve lifted a part of the Restriction Order."


    After all, he was currently in his mind space, gazing at his three Personal Fragments, or the worlds they formed in the mind space.


    Even though they were still chained like before, he was able to touch the chains now. "I can''t do anything to them yet, but the fact that I can touch them means that I would be able to find a way to destroy them in the future."


    He then looked at himself, noticing that his figure in the mind space wasn''t his human figure, but that of a frog.


    The Mind Frog!


    Slowly, he spent time digesting all the gains, breaking into a smile immediately after upon learning of his new ability, or rather, a mutation of his Mind Attribute, "This is perfect!"


    He grinned in delight, stating with a tone of confidence, "I have the means to fight the Luck Based Systems now."


    "Or rather, they''ve lost the fight already."

 Chapter 447 Memoir Beckoner

    <h4>Chapter 447 Memoir Beckoner</h4>


    Compass Carburettor closed his eyes, sensing the changes to his mind space. He slowly transferred his memories into the Ming Frog''s stomach where memories could be stored.


    After a couple of seconds, the memories formed a cluster before condensing into his figure.


    In reality, Compass Carburettor grinned before snapping his fingers, "Come out!"


    Boom!


    There was a minor sh of light before the cave darkened once again. Compass Carburettor looked around, unable to see anything. But after a second, a yellowish-white hand pierced through the nket of water, parting the water curtain as a figure slowly walked in.


    Tip-Tap! Tock-Tock!


    The footsteps of something hard hitting the ground resounded as a figure revealed himself.


    Standing at a height of 180 centimetres, the figure was cloaked in what resembled the nket of night, adorned with glittering stars. He gently touched the surface when the nket of night vanished, revealing his pristine appearance, one of uncontested handsomeness.


    Compass Carburettor!


    Standing before Compass Carburettor was another self of him, but stronger.


    This new Compass Carburettor condensed a pair of wings, exiting the cave to take off into the air, flying around before suddenly, he focused on a boulder, causing the feathers of the wings to stream out and m into the boulder, exploding it to smithereens.


    Apocalypse World Ability¡ªVutura!


    Compass Carburettor smiled, gazing at his other self that began to casually use the abilities of his self before the Restriction Order.


    This was what he gained when his Mind Attribute fused with the Mutated Blood Vitality Fruit''s attribute during his breakthrough.


    Memoir Beckoner!


    This allowed him to summon things from memory. Thanks to that, he was able to summon the Apocalypse World''s Compass Carburettor.


    And this didn''t just include the Main Character Compass Carburettor, but also the System yer Compass Carburettor.


    The summoned Compass Carburettor smiled before activating a certain ability.


    System Skill¡ªInfo Scanner!


    "There are just Chenger and Warktor in the Folkan Secret Realm. Chenger is positioned 80 kilometres away while Warktor is more than 300 kilometres away." The summoned Compass Carburettor said before vanishing.


    "Phew¡­" Compass Carburettor gasped, wiping his forehead that was dripping with sweat, noticing that he had almost exhausted his Origin Essence.


    Of course, his Apocalypse World self was darn powerful. And to summon such a character, his Origin Essence expenditure was pretty severe. So, he couldn''t maintain the summon for too long.


    The way Memoir Beckoner worked was by summoning memories from his mind¡ªmemory.


    But, it wasn''t an all-powerful ability. He was only able to summon things that he had full knowledge about.


    For example, himself!


    Since he was fully aware of himself and had all the memories of his past intact, he was able to summon his past self.


    Instead of his entire self, Compass Carburettor was also able to summon his Anthozoa alone. This wasn''t his actual Anthozoa, but a manifestation of his memory.


    And, depending on how strong the memory was inparison to himself, the required Origin Essence expenditure for summoning varied. Currently, he wasn''t able to summon the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor for more than a couple of seconds before running out of Origin Essence.


    "But, once my second dwelling also reaches the Martial Origin Stage, I''ll be able to increase this summoning duration to four seconds." He muttered.


    Summoning his past self for four seconds?


    A lot could be taken care of within that duration, especially by using his Dust Wave. That wasn''t all. Through his memories, he was even able to use the Core Skills of the Systems that he had refined.


    All he had to do was call the Compass Carburettor of that time.


    Currently, all his memories were stored within the Mind Frog''s stomach where they condensed into a figure of himself.


    As this was a ce where he could store memories¡­


    Compass Carburettor smiled, for he had the perfect ability to use in this situation.


    Origin Art¡ªMind Transfer!


    This Origin Art allowed him to transfer all the memories of the target into his mind or someone else''s of his choosing.


    Meaning, as long as he stole some memories, he would have his own legion.


    Compass Carburettor whistled, beckoning for an Origin Beast to approach him. It was a Mane Bull, known for its extraordinary defence and charging attacks.


    He then used the Origin Art of Mind Transfer, transferring the entirety of its memories into the Mind Frog''s stomach, noticing the memories form a cluster before slowly taking the shape of the Mane Bull.


    Once he recovered enough Origin Essence, he snapped his finger, watching his Mind Frog manifest into reality for an instant before spitting out a ray of light that condensed itself into the figure of the Mane Bull.


    This Mane Bull was pretty much the same as the Mane Bull from which he stole the memories.


    The original Mane Bull was currently in a vegetative state, having lost all its memories.


    "Wait, is this possible?" He thought of something, extracting the memories of the Essence Beast from his mind before storing them in the Mind Frog''s stomach, noticing the scant few memories take form into an Essence Beast.


    He then summoned it, noticing that it had begun to condense Origin Essence in its body naturally, beginning to create an Essence Increasing Spark almost immediately.


    "Hahaha!" Heughed aloud, unable to help but roar inughter, for the applications to this ability were simply tremendous.


    He had regained all of his abilities even without lifting the Restriction Order. Even though the usage of Memoir Beckoner had its limitations due to hiscking Origin Essence, as long as he cultivated further, he would be able to use it better.


    Summoning his Anthozoa, he smiled, for there was an Anthozoa in each of his hands. The first Anthozoa was summoned from a period two seconds into the past of the second Anthozoa.


    Basically, he was able to summon as many Anthozoa as he wished. As long as he had enough Origin Essence, he could summon infinite versions of them.


    And best of all, they were just his mental projections. Meaning, even if they were destroyed, nothing would happen to the original. Not even the memories used to project them would be damaged.


    This was why he proimed that the Luck based Systems had failed. It was because¡­


    He already found a solution to destroy them.

 Chapter 448 Final Treasure Zone

    <h4>Chapter 448 Final Treasure Zone</h4>


    Compass Carburettor spent a couple of hours training before deciding to rest. After all, he had to head towards thest treasure zone the next day and fight against Chenger and Warktor.


    There was no other way to avoid it. Besides, he didn''t wish to let them live. After all, he would have to face even more System Hosts in the future. Letting them live would only increase his burden.


    Anyway, now that he had the confidence to kill them, there was no way he would miss this opportunity. By killing them he could absorb their Coordinates.


    "First, I should kill Warktor." He sighed, "As for Chenger¡­"


    Compass Carburettor hesitated for obvious reasons. He then shook his head, "It might be dangerous, but if I kill her, then that''s it. This is an inevitable fate in the end."


    He then summoned the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor, making him use the System Skill of Info Scanner to obtain details rted to Warktor.


    Luck Siphon System¡ªLevel 90!


    This was the System behind Warktor. The moment he obtained information regarding it, Compass Carburettor understood why Warktor wasn''t willing to fight him before at the Imperial treasury, even though he had been nearby.


    It was because his Luck at that time was pretty low. So, Warktor wouldn''t be able to siphon a significant quantity of his Luck towards himself. There wouldn''t be enough difference in their Luck to create a pivotal result.


    But, now that his luck recovered back to normal, siphoning his luck would better Warktor''s chances of killing him. After all, stealing so much luck would make his overall luck dwarf everyone else''s, making him invincible.


    As he thought about it, Compass Carburettor shuddered, "Had I gone there to fight for the perfect material to fuse with, I would have died a dog''s death."


    He slowly began to think of a n to face the two System Hosts tomorrow, slowly closing his eyes to fall asleep.


    The morning of the next day, Compass Carburettor woke up with a start and freshened himself, taking a bath using the pond water. Thanks to Memoir Beckoner, he summoned the Apocalypse World''s Compass Carburettor, creating a permanent structure of a house using the Apocalypse Pearl energy de.


    Once he finished his preparations, he snapped his finger, causing the house to vanish.


    Boarding the w Wolf, he began to proceed towards the final treasure region, one situated in the depths of the Folkan Secret Realm.


    By afternoon, he began to seerge groups of cultivators, all of which were in the Pseudo Martial Origin Stage.


    Of course, after almost three months in the Folkan Secret Realm, they had trained and attained a sessful breakthrough.


    Most of them were at the Ninth Layer of the Origin Refinement Stage before this. So, it wasn''t a surprise that they attained a breakthrough.


    There were also those at the First and Second Layer of the Origin Refinement Stage. They were the mortals that had entered the Folkan Secret Realm and awakened here.


    Obviously, there was a ce in the Secret Realm to awaken mortals. All the mortals were supposedly dropped nearby such a ce while the cultivators were dropped closer to the Essence Derby Pce.


    And now, even though the cultivators at the First and Second Layer of the Origin Refinement Stage were unable to break through to the Martial Origin Stage, they could at least find a good enough material to bring home with them.


    Eventually, once they reach the Martial Origin Stage, they could fuse with the obtained material, which would definitely be tens of times better than what they could find outside.


    In the end, everyone had their respective desires as all of them waited at the shores of a gigantic sea.


    Situated in the centre of the sea was an ind. But, the distance to reach it was more than two hundred kilometres, with the water also being treacherous, filled with Origin Beasts.


    It was not to mention there being a barrier surrounding the ind, preventing any entry before the solicited time.


    As everyone waited at the shores, there was suddenly a burst of energy, followed by a pir of light that reached the skies, visible from even the shores. It was because the pir of light covered the entire ind.


    "Wow!"


    "Amazing!"


    "Such a mysterious power!"


    The cultivators eximed as they noticed streaks of light branching out from the beam that transformed into boats once they reached the shore.


    The boats neatly lined up the shores, and judging by how they glided over the sea, the boats seemed to be the only option to enter and exit the ind.


    Immediately after, a streak of light manifested intorge words in the air.


    [One Boat, One Cultivator]


    "Wait, does that mean only one cultivator can board a boat?" One of them muttered.


    "One, two, three¡­there only seem to be around 1000 boats here¡­" Another cultivator muttered.


    Immediately, sparks flickered across the air as everyone began to view everyone else as an enemy. Two cultivators nearby a boat leaped onto it immediately when it began to sink almost instantly.


    rmed, they leaped out of it, noticing the boat surfacing once again. When only one cultivator boarded it, the boat was fine. But the moment a second one boarded it, the boat began to sink instantly.


    Now that they had verified the words projected in the air, all the cultivators took arms, beginning topete. After all, there were only 1000 seats avable to reach the ind.


    Chenger was the first to upy a boat, suppressing everyone nearby with her Heaven Martial Spirit aura.


    She also helped her underlings obtain some spots too.


    Warktor upied two boats, one for himself, and one for his disciple.


    Grisha, Xuer, Ranze, and Bunu found their respective boats, setting sail immediately, unwilling tog.


    The number of boats quickly dwindled as those that gained an advantage hurriedly embarked from the shore.


    The sea level turned deep sharply, not to mention the dangerous Origin Beasts lurking around, preventing the cultivators from chasing after the boats that had set sail already.


    There was a bloodbath following that as the contest for the remaining boats increased in frenzy. Finally, there was just one boat remaining. And the only reason it hadn''t set sail was due to the fact that people were entirely focused on it, killing anyone that approached it.


    Right at this time, Compass Carburettor arrived at the shore, stopping by the pile of corpses first as he fed their blood and nutrients to his Blood Vitality Grass. He didn''t seem all that pressed for time, unlike others.

 Chapter 449 Travelling on Dangerous Waters

    <h4>Chapter 449 Travelling on Dangerous Waters</h4>


    Compass Carburettor crouched low as the roots of his Blood Vitality Grass jutted out of his feet, drilling into the corpses as it began to suck in their Origin Essence and nutrients.


    He could feel his strength rising by a small amount, stopping when he felt a bloated feeling. Of course, it was impossible to absorb all the blood and essence to grow stronger rapidly. He had to do that gradually, step by step to prevent his body from suffering damage.


    After all, it would be simr to a state of overexertion¡ªfor training¡ªwhile being overfed.


    Compass Carburettor then gazed at the sole remaining boat, noticing how the attention of everyone was focused on it. They were killing anyone that approached it. For, it was the sole option remaining for them to reach the ind with the precious fusion materials.


    There were thousands of Pseudo Martial Origin Stage experts congregated around it as Compass Carburettor slowly began to approach the location, snapping his finger.


    All of a sudden, the eyes of plenty of cultivators turned strange as they suddenly erupted with all their might at those closest to them.


    This suddenness in their actions shocked everyone, for a moment distracting them.


    Using this chance, Compass Carburettornded on the boat as a bird-type Origin Beast carried him and dropped him onto the boat.


    Immediately, the boat began to move towards the ind.


    "No!" A cultivator that noticed his actions wailed in despair, slumping to the ground, having lost all fighting spirit.


    The mood worsened as the boat had already travelled far away by now, preventing them from targeting him.


    Strangely, those that had intended to target him were unable to see his figure anymore. Due to that, they couldn''t attack.


    Origin Art¡ªGloss Over!


    Of course, Compass Carburettor was prepared for all eventualities. And now that he had set sail safely, he snapped his finger, causing the bird-type Origin Beast to vanish.


    It was something he had summoned using Memoir Beckoner.


    Having already scouted the location of the final treasure region, Compass Carburettor was aware that he wouldn''t be able to bring in his Origin Beast Sleeper Cells there. So, he picked the various varieties of them, ensuring to store the memories of at least one Origin Beast per species.


    For some useful ones, he stored a few more of them.


    After that, Compass Carburettor snapped his finger, suddenly causing all the Sleeper Cell Origin Beasts to drop down to the ground, writhing in pain as their bodies rapidly turned into husks of their former selves.


    A Blood Vitality Grass grew out from each of their bodies that he stored in his storage bracelet. It was a precious herb that would elerate his body strengthening.


    So, now that the Origin Beasts proved useless, he turned them into Blood Vitality Grass while storing the memories of the strongest among each species.


    Seated on the boat, he noticed that the boat followed his will to a certain extent, able to move as he willed.


    If he so wished, it would even return to the shore. But he didn''t want such a thing anyway.


    Compass Carburettor then observed the water, able to see terrifying shadows underneath that constantly moved to and fro.


    It seemed they were at bay due to the boat.


    The boat was constantly emitting a mysterious radiance that prevented them from approaching closer. As Compass Carburettor maintained pace, he gradually began to see the boats of other cultivators that had departed early.


    ''Hmm, there is a chance they might target me here.'' He thought, ''Even otherwise, this is a good chance to target them.''


    Origin Art¡ªSleeper Cell!


    He focused on an Origin Beast that was agile in the water, a predator of sorts, one with cultivation in the Ninth Layer of the Martial Origin Stage.


    After a couple of minutes, it turned into a Sleeper Cell and began to follow him. Simrly, while they were travelling, he absorbed the abundant Origin Essence to constantly turn more and more underwater Origin Beasts into Sleeper Cells, causing them to apany him on the journey.


    "Target Warktor!" Hemanded them, noticing their figures vanish as they travelled at speeds many times faster than the boat.


    If he had to make an estimate, the boat travelled around a speed of thirty kilometres per hour. It was nothingpared to these agile underwater Origin Beasts.


    Even aftermanding them, Compass Carburettor wasn''t satisfied, continuing to create more and more Sleeper Cells.


    Moreover, he also transferred the memories of some of them into the Ming Frog''s stomach. It was a contingency measure if he wished to protect himself instantly in these waters.


    Summoning was instant, so they would prove useful.


    "This wouldn''t be possible outside the Folkan Secret Realm." He sighed, for there was no Origin Essence in the air in the Gaider Realm or any other Realm of the sort.


    Only Secret Realms like the Folkan Secret Realm had Origin Essence in the air. And here, he was able to absorb the ambient Origin Essence through his Blood Vitality Grass that funnelled it into his dwelling. Thereby, it allowed him to use his abilities nonstop.


    Otherwise, a Sleeper Cell seed took most of his Origin Essence to create. And the stronger his target, the greater the quantity of Origin Essence required for the Sleeper Cell seed to take root.


    If it was in the Gaider Realm, he would have to take out Essence Stones to recover his expended Origin Essence. And it wasn''t possible to use his abilities while recovering his Origin Essence. It just wasn''t feasible.


    Therefore, he wouldn''t be able to target those stronger than himself to turn into Sleeper Cells. But here, he was capable, thanks to his Blood Vitality Grass constantly absorbing Origin Essence from the air.


    Compass Carburettor watched the marine Origin Beasts head towards the front of the row of boats, soon hearing sounds ofmotion, smiling as a result. "Since this is me taking action, your luck values would be affected as a result."

 Chapter 450 Conflict Upon Water

    <h4>Chapter 450 Conflict Upon Water</h4>


    "Tch!" Warktor clicked his tongue, observing the luck values of everyone around him.


    He was capable of siphoning the Luck of everyone around him. Thanks to that, he was also able to sense the variations in their luck in real-time.


    And through that, he noticed that the luck of Grisha, Xuer, and Ranze began to sharply increase all of a sudden while his and Chenger''s luck plummeted almost immediately.


    Warktor took action immediately, siphoning the luck from a nearby cultivator to recover some of his luck.


    "Wha? What is this?" The cultivator screamed in shock when he had apse of judgement, suddenly causing his boat to crash into a nearby boat. The crash cracked their boats, rapidly reducing their speed, not to mention making them feel light-headed.


    The two boats were slowly, but surely sinking into the sea.


    Of course, it was because the luck of both had been sucked dry by Warktor.


    Still, it wasn''t enough for him to recover the value that he had lost, thinking, ''Just what have they done to create this scenario?''


    Right as he was thinking as such, a marine Origin Beast leaped out of the water, intending to m into his boat.


    Warktor snapped his finger in response as a red streak mmed into the Origin Beast, the impact itself sending it flying back by a couple of metres. It fell into the water as soon after, the seawater was dyed crimson by its blood.


    It didn''t surface after that, obviously having been killed by him in one hit.


    Immediately after, three Origin Beasts leaped onto him, the same as before. But, Warktor wasn''t even in the least concerned, flicking three fingers as three red streams formed in the air, swatting the three Origin Beasts away.


    Surprisingly, all three of them died in that one hit.


    Warktor then waved his hand, sending two red streaks into the water, raising a lot of mist in response as the water was vaporised. He had targeted the Origin Beast that intended to m into his boat from below, killing it.


    ''Hmm, my luck is still continuing to drop. It means that this is far from over.'' He frowned, causing his boat to elerate as he moved closer to another cultivator, siphoning his luck too.


    "Ahh!" That cultivator screamed as an Origin Beast mmed into his boat while trying to aim for Warktor, toppling him into the water. He was then ganged up by a group of Origin Beasts, devoured with no room to resist.


    His attacks were casually dispersed in the water as the Origin Beasts simply swarmed him to death in a matter of seconds.


    Warktor observed his death, thinking, ''Indeed, there''s something odd here. Based on what I''m sensing, Compass Carburettor has something to do with this. Only he''s able to affect my luck to such an extent.''


    "Xuer!" Ranze whispered, moving his boat closer to Xuer''s, "Don''t attack Chenger."


    "Why?" Xuer frowned, for she was indeed about to attack Chenger. After seeing the Origin Beasts suddenly targeting Warktor, she realised that Compass Carburettor had already taken action. And since he was targeting them through water, then if she attacked through the air using her Ice Crane Puppets, it would create a pincer attack.


    There was also Grisha that could teleport them some boats if they were to lose theirs in the conflict.


    "Do you see how only Warktor''s being targeted?" Ranze said, "It means Hazen has judged that there''s no possibility of killing Chenger in this situation. So, he''s only focusing on Warktor. We''ll also do the same. Avoid Chenger."


    "Alright." Xuer nodded as she brought out five Ice Crane Puppets, causing them to move high up in the air before they began to rain down ice spikes onto Warktor, targeting his boat. If his boat was destroyed, he wouldn''t be able to escape and would be swarmed to death by the marine Origin Beasts.


    In response to her attacks, Warktor condensed a spinning disc above him, one that seemed to be made from molten metal.


    As the ice spikes mmed into it, they were vaporised.


    Xuer frowned, observing in detail to see that her ice spikes vaporised before evening into contact with the spinning disc. It signified its high temperature.


    Snorting in response, Xuer brought out three more Ice Crane Puppets, causing them to circle around and aim at Warktor''s sides.


    Warktor snorted, creating two more spinning discs that revolved around him, blocking the ice spikesunched from various angles.


    Boom!


    Suddenly, Xuer increased the rate of her attacks, causing him to focus more on defending against her when a marine Origin Beast leaped out of the water, targeting him.


    Warktor attacked it in reflex, but as he was focused more on stopping Xuer, his attack wasn''t strong enough to kill it, allowing it to m into the boat, damaging it.


    The speed of his boat slowed down rapidly in response as Xuer took the chance to rain down more ice spikes on him.


    "Hmm, this boat is done for." Muttering in response, Warktor leaped out of the boat,nding on the water as he raised a lot of steam instantly. After all, between the soles of his feet and the water surface was a spinning disc radiating with tremendous heat.


    The heat vaporised the water upon contact, generating enough steam that bnced his weight, preventing him from drowning, and allowing Warktor to run on the water surface.


    He rapidly rushed forward, raising the temperature of the heat discs when necessary to create more steam, propelling himself towards a nearby boat.


    Luck Siphon!


    He directly stole the opponent''s luck, unleashing a red stream that killed him in two hits, leaping into the air tond on the boat. With the original upant killed, it wouldn''t drown if he were tond on it, after all, he nned to kick out the corpse immediately afternding.


    But, a second before his feet touched the boat, Grisha''s figure appeared them as she plunged her knife into the boat before vanishing.


    She didn''t do anything else but just turned his endeavour useless. For, the boat he just imed had begun to sink into the water.

 Chapter 451 I’m Not That Dumb

    <h4>Chapter 451 I¡¯m Not That Dumb</h4>


    "Move! Move farther away from them!" A cultivator shouted as he waved his hand, causing his boat to move sideways.


    And thanks to his shouts, the others too began to spread out, widening the distance between them and Warktor. This way, he wouldn''t be able to close in on them and steal their boats.


    Moreover, Warktor had a short range within which he could siphon the luck of others. So, as long as they moved far away, they would be safe. Truthfully, they didn''t know, but they were aware that he had mysterious means to kill them, hence moving away.


    "He''s also an Evil Spirit."


    Slowly, word spread as the cultivators became aware, realising why he was so different from the norm.


    Now that all the boats had gone far away, beyond his reach, and with his boat sinking, Warktor truly had no other way. Normally, he would still have been able to reach the others and snatch their boats.


    But, Xuer was constantly attacking him, causing him to focus a lot of his attention on defence. And that wasn''t all. There were also Origin Beasts constantly targeting him from the water, preventing him from travelling far enough.


    ''That''s pretty neat.'' Warktor smiled as he stomped the water, instantly raising the temperature of the spinning discs, emitting a lot of steam that nketed his figure. That wasn''t all, the steam further expanded in radius, preventing anyone from seeing his figure.


    Compass Carburettor frowned at such a reaction, noticing that the mist was expanding faster than he had expected, "I see, that makes sense now."


    He then gazed at the figure of Chenger that had been moving at the front of the row of boats, seeing a faint trail of steam that she had been emitting all along, "Indeed, they have joined hands."


    He sighed, motioning for the marine Origin Beasts to swarm the region, already aware that Warktor wouldn''t be dying anytime soon. The other party had been pretty calm throughout the fiasco, depicting that he was on a whole other level aspared to others.


    After all, he was someone that had be a powerhouse time after again in the Apocalypse World.


    And, unlike the different worlds where one could gain power, the Apocalypse World followed the pearls. Meaning, no matter how strong someone was, if they didn''t have any pearls to use, they were no different from a mortal.


    So, to be strong, not only do they have to reach a high enough Stage, but also manage their wealth of Pearls, battling in such a way they always earned a profit through every fight. Only in such a way would they grow and reign supreme.


    And, in every loop, Warktor had achieved that. So, it would be delusional to think he could be defeated so easily.


    Of course, he must havepleted many preparations on his end too.


    Compass Carburettor only hoped to reduce his luck a little and obtain a better understanding of his character, and his fighting nature. That would allow him to develop a n to kill him.


    Slowly, the scent of blood filled the air, resultant of therge number of Origin Beasts that were being killed nonstop. Compass Carburettor selected some of the strongest among the Origin Beasts and nted a Blood Vitality Grass inside them, allowing them to absorb all the blood and grow stronger.


    At least, they might prove useful on their return trip, if that ever happened.


    There was a good chance Chenger and Warktor might remain on the ind if things went south until they were ejected out of the Folkan Secret Realm automatically.


    After all, there was less than a day left before the Folkan Secret Realm closes.


    Surprisingly, the steam spread too fast, soon enveloping some boats in it too.


    "Gah!" A cultivator screamed in shock when Warktor jumped out of the water and slit his throat. Kicking his corpse into the water, Warktor took control, rowing the boat towards the front, soon catching up with Chenger.


    She was steadily releasing more and more steam, preventing their enemies from seeing them.


    "That was risky." Shemented.


    "I was just getting a good idea of their abilities." Warktor smiled, "Ranze is good at closebat and can use dozens of weapon-rted Origin Arts. Xuer at present is only able to shoot out ice spikes. She''s able to carpet bomb an entire region but isn''t good at precision strikes like Ranze."


    "Grisha is pretty tricky. She hasn''t disyed the true extent of her strength yet. And considering how she has a good grasp of our character, we''ll need to pay attention to her more." He then continued, "As for Compass Carburettor, he''s able to control Origin Beasts."


    "Like an envement ability of sorts?" Chenger frowned.


    "That pretty much seems to be the case, only that his envement isn''t limited to Origin Beasts alone," Warktor spoke.


    "You mean¡­" Chenger''s eyes widened in shock as she slowly understood what was up, looking around to see the other cultivators that werepeting with one another to row their boats faster, "It seems¡­we''ve risked things by allowing so many people to remain alive."


    "Indeed," Warktor said, "And, I advise not to take action for the time being. From what I could sense from our Luck Values, Compass Carburettor has broken through to the Martial Origin Stage. We''ll be at a disadvantage facing him now."


    "What about his fusion material?" Chenger frowned, "I don''t think he would obtain a good enough material outside of the ind we''re heading towards now."


    "If he fused with a somewhat sloppy material, then it''s for the best. But, there''s no guarantee that he would do something so stupid. That doesn''t seem like him." Warktor said, "There''s definitely more to it."


    The two boats continued to move side by side as silence ensued between the two System Hosts.


    "You know¡­Chenger," Warktor spoke after some time, "Someone named Compass Carburettor didn''t exist in our previous loops. I hope you aren''t that heavily fooled by the Destiny Luck System."


    "I know," Chenger spoke in seriousness, "I''m not that dumb."

 Chapter 452 Both Are the Same

    <h4>Chapter 452 Both Are the Same</h4>


    "So, you''ve noticed the difference?" Warktor smirked, looking at her like what an experienced older person did to the younger generation.


    "After I faced him in the Essence Derby Pce, I suddenly began to notice some differences in my memories aspared to how Compass Carburettor behaved." Chenger sighed, massaging her forehead, "And, as I continued to think, I came to recall the name of Shyvern."


    "Yep, that''s the guy who tormented you many times." Warktor nodded, "Compass Carburettor was in our world for only around six months, nothing more, nothing less."


    "I''m surprised you were able to notice the difference." Warktor leaned in, gazing at her face in curiosity, "I was sure you weren''t capable of noticing this tantly obvious difference."


    Even though Chenger was offended for being called stupid, she couldn''t refute, at least not against Warktor. Considering the other party''s intelligence, she was indeed dumb.


    "When I shed with him, it suddenly felt like a veil in my memories came undone." She spoke.


    "Interesting." Warktor nodded, "Compass Carburettor''s Martial Spirit is indeed veiled in mystery."


    He then said, "We''ll be having a tough fight up ahead."


    "Indeed." Chenger nodded, "I can sense that too."


    She then spoke after a moment of silence, "Sir, will our world get salvation?"


    "It won''t." Warktor stared ahead, saying with a cold tone, "Our world is a Mental Energy farm, one that repeats itself every twenty years. The Coincidental Luck System already knows a lot of things that happen in our world from the start. So, it''s able to harvest plenty of Mental Energy."


    "And, even if we do something to make it give up on our world, it would never give up Rhizen. You''ve heard the way in which every System talked about Rhizen, right?" Warktor said in all seriousness, "Honestly, he''s more of a treasure than our looping world to the Luck based Systems."


    "That''s why the Coincidental Luck System ensured to kill him to prevent any other System from stealing him." He spoke.


    Chenger gritted her teeth while hearing him speak, helpless, but she had no other choice. She was aware that this was bound to continue.


    But, this was also why she had to kill Compass Carburettor. Because, at least by killing him, things will return to normal¡­


    "Once we kill him, let''s kill everyone else," Chenger said.


    "Good, you''re starting to think long term." Warktor smiled, "With the other Luck based Systems killed, a majority of external troubles to our world would vanish. And as long as we push the Coincidental Luck System into Grade 2, we''ll all be supported by it."


    "When it bes a Grade 2 System, our world would be more bearable to live in, even if it has to loop. At least, we and our loved ones would have an easier time with its support." Warktor smiled, "And, I''ll ensure that the Coincidental Luck System supports us."


    "Thank you, Sir." Chenger said as she saw the figure of the ind along the horizon, "We''re arriving at our destination."


    "You''ll be facing Compass Carburettor, and possibly Grisha too." Warktor said, "Will you be able to handle them?"


    "I have no other choice." Chenger replied, reassuring him, "Don''t worry, I''m not rash."


    "You''re one of the best fighters our world has to offer, that much is sure. But," Warktor expressed his worry, "Compass Carburettor isn''t a fighter. He''s more of a strategist. He won''t be shing with you head-on."


    "You''ll be facing hispanions." Chenger said, "Please kill them first before joining me in the fight against Compass Carburettor."


    "It might take time." Warktor said, "I have the confidence to kill them, but it won''t be easy, especially since Grisha might interfere. There''s also Bunu. She isn''t that lucky whenpared to Xuer and Ranze, but her fate is sizeable."


    "What does this fate even imply?" Chenger asked.


    "It''s the weight they have on the world." Warktor said, noticing her confusion as he exined, "Think of everyone like gears of a machine. If they vanish, the machine may stop functioning properly. The Gaider Realm is a massive machine with all the living beings in it the gears running it."


    "But, a world wouldn''t stop with the death of an individual, right?" Chenger retorted, "That seems absurd."


    "You''re right, the death of a person wouldn''t signify the world''s end." Warktor nodded, "But, you can think of it like the world would be running at a lower efficiency with Bunu''s death, the same for Xuer too. And if Ranze dies, the drop in efficiency is massive."


    "So, the world itself might try a little to save its most vital gears. Ranze is one of them." He continued, stopping the exnation soon after, "Well, none of that is important now. Be attentive to every action Compass Carburettor does, alright?"


    "It would be like ying chess. Each of his moves might have subtle implications that might result in his victory in the end." He spoke.


    "How am I supposed to know that?" Chenger groaned, "I''m not Rhizen or Straxia. I can''t deal with mind y."


    "You don''t need to." Warktor said solemnly, "Just pummel through him so fast that his ns don''t have enough time to fruition. If you dy, you''ll fall prey to his pace and end up getting killed."


    "Besides, your luck is by far the strongest out of everyone in the Gaider Realm." Warktor said, "So, just bulldoze your way through. Even if your luck takes a hit, don''t bother with it, since it recovers too damn fast."


    After all, her System was the Destiny Luck System that had also devoured the Protagonist Luck System and a couple others. So, unless she was destined to die there, she would be invincible.


    "So, I just have to mow through things directly, no schemes." Chenger nodded, clenching her hand into a fist.


    "Yes, don''t think for a fact that your schemes would work on him. Don''t try to fight his strength with your weakness." Warktor jumped from the boat,nding on the shores of the ind as he rushed into the ind immediately, "Fight his weakness with your strength."


    "And, both are the same!"

 Chapter 453 Dolba

    <h4>Chapter 453 Dolba</h4>


    Compass Carburettor noticed the figures of Chenger and Warktornding on the shore before dashing deeper into the ind.


    Even if he wanted to, he couldn''t interfere, for the distance between the two was too much. ''No matter, I''ll catch up to them soon enough.''


    A chase wasn''t appropriate as if they wished to run, no matter what he did, they wouldn''t be trapped. It was the same as what happened to Velcorn. Arge group of experts and even two powerhouses failed to capture him.


    Luck wasn''t an all-powerful factor, but it was damn powerful.


    Anyone that underestimated it wouldn''t even know how they died. As for Compass Carburettor, he was aware of that. So, his goal was the same as before: To continue moving while reducing the number of variables around him as much as possible.


    Compass Carburettornded on the shores of the ind soon after, gazing up as he observed the ce, continuing to look up until his neck hurt.


    The ind was covered with rocky cliffs that each spanned at least two to three kilometres. The peaks of some were covered by snow.


    The terrain was dangerous all over as fierce winds blew throughout the ind, with the temperature varying from hot, cold, humid, and dry randomly, forming discrete patterns.


    Not only was the terrain precipitous, but the environment further made it worse. That wasn''t all, there was one more factor here that for a moment caused all the cultivators that hadnded on the shore to get cold feet.


    Dolba!


    The Origin Beast race exclusive to this ind, a species that couldn''t be brought out of the ind, for a natural formation prevents them from getting out.


    They were hunched bipedal monsters, rocky grey in colour with a skin texture resembling radish. Spanning a height between four and six metres, they possessed nimble hands and legs, allowing them to move like monkeys, wield weapons, and even set up traps.


    They had ws that could dig through hardened rocks and a mouth capable of grinding even the toughest of materials.


    The Dolba had an interesting way of living. After birth, the material it first eats bes the sole material that it ever consumes in its life. If there is no more material of the same kind, it would happily ept its death.


    But that hardly happened as a Dolba had exceptional senses to urately locate everywhere where the ores of its desired material were buried, allowing it to harvest them through a series of mining.


    A Dolba didn''t just eat the materials. Once eaten, the ore would be processed as only the material of its desire would be digested while everything else would be excreted. This digested material would be refined and purified in its body, improved in quality and gradually umted on its back.


    This was the material the cultivators were gunning for, fusion materials of the highest quality. And the longer a Dolba had lived, the greater the quality of the fusion material umted on its back.


    That wasn''t all. The Dolba was also able to use the fusion material''s attribute, making it all the more dangerous. It would lose the attribute once the fusion material is extracted, but here is where the danger arose.


    All the Dolba living on this ind were at the Martial Origin Stage, with those at the core reaching the Martial Providence Stage.


    So, the better the material they were looking for, the stronger the Dolba they had to face.


    And, standing close to the shore was a Dolba at the peak of the Martial Origin Stage. This was the cause that made the cultivators hesitate, for the level of difficulty right at the entrance itself was already life-threatening.


    But, most of those that managed to arrive here had an Earth Martial Spirit. And among those with a Human Martial Spirit, they were pretty exceptional, having powerful Human Martial Spirits that almost wouldn''t lose to Earth Martial Spirits.


    The Kirin Martial Spirit of the Opposition n was one such Human Martial Spirit, for it gave too many advantages to the cultivator.


    "Let''s go." Grisha appeared beside him, saying, "The both of us would chase after Chenger."


    "We''ll search for a suitable material for you to fuse with along the way." Compass Carburettor replied as he used his Origin Art of Mind Connect on both Grisha and the nearby Dolba.


    Origin Art¡ªGloss Over!


    Through Mind Connect, he also made Grisha''s existence be glossed over as the two of them ran right past the Dolba without alerting it.


    "We''ll take flight. It''ll be safer this way." Xuer said to Ranze, turning around to stare at Bunu, "What about you? Will you join us?"


    "It seems to be safer than wandering alone." Bunu nodded, epting the offer.


    Xuer brought out threerge Ice Crane Puppets as the three of them were carried into the air. She brought out three more Ice Crane Puppets that flew a tad lower, acting as their shields and attacking any Dolba that targeted them.


    Indeed, the moment they took off to the air, some of the Dolba high up in the rocky mountains peeked out, grabbing onto nearby rocks to throw at them.


    "Iing!" Xuer shouted as the three Ice Crane Puppets shot ice spikes at the rocks, shattering them, or at least reducing their momentum enough to prevent them from reaching them.


    Grrr!


    The sounds alerted the Dolbas as they began to walk out of the caves or tunnels they were digging within, targeting the cultivators immediately.


    "Run!" A cultivator shouted, creating arge wall that defended against a hail of rocks, quickly evading to the side before the wall copsed.


    "Thanks." Another cultivator spoke, having taken the chance to hide behind the wall, "I couldn''t have survived without your wall. In return, I''ll inform their positions. I''m good at sensory means."


    "Great! Let''s team up then." The cultivator that had condensed a wall nodded as the two immediately began to run deeper into the ind while defending against the attacks from the Dolbas.


    The ind that had only been filled with the sounds of rocks being scraped by ws was now filled with the sounds of battles.

 Chapter 454 Help Others Graciously

    <h4>Chapter 454 Help Others Graciously</h4>


    Guwong!


    "Kyak!" A cultivator screamed as he rushed behind a boulder, feeling searing heat as a column of mes mmed into the boulder, turning it reddish as fumes were emitted from it. Holes formed on its surface as the minerals with lower boiling points vaporised first, creatingrge cracks through which the gases escaped from.


    The boulder began to melt from the heat as the cultivator shivered in fear, "Shit! Shit! Shit! Why did I have to be such an idiot?"


    He was hailed as a genius from childhood for his smarts and the ability to learn fighting techniques and other administrative details from his n. And when he awakened to an Earth Martial Spirit, his n rejoiced.


    Because, a cultivator with an Earth Martial Spirit would be the future n/Sect Leader.


    His Martial Spirit was called the Wind Martial Spirit. It allowed him to control the wind. And, he had been aiming for a suitable fire attributed fusion material that he could imbue in his wind to make it even more effective.


    Typically, firecked any force. It was only capable of burning through things. But, when the wind was introduced into it, magic happened. Basically, if he practiced enough, he could pretty much create rocket engines.


    The thrust unleashed by them was through a conjunction of wind and fire. It would allow his attacks to have both heat and force in them. And thanks to the fluid properties of wind, he would be a powerhouse even among those with Earth Martial Spirits.


    To that end, he had been searching for a suitable fusion material. He already came across many Dolba that grew fire attributed fusion materials on their backs. But when he saw them, he didn''t feel interested.


    Intuitively, he felt that fusing with such materials wouldn''t result in what he wished to obtain. After searching for a few hours in such a fashion, using his wind to evade the attacks from the Dolbas that he encountered, he finally chanced upon the perfect fusion material.


    But here came the problem. The Dolba was at the First Layer of the Martial Providence Stage. Despite that, he knew that this was it, his perfect fusion material. And hence, he tried to sever the fusion material from its back and escape with it.


    He tried to, but before he could actually attempt the action, the Dolba sensed him. This was due to the Dolba possessing an innate danger sense. When their life was endangered, they would sense it.


    And with that, it attacked him, leading to the current situation.


    Bang!


    Suddenly, there was a resounding thud as he was shocked to see the mes had disappeared. He hurriedly got up in surprise after smelling the scent of blood, noticing the Dolba lying on the ground, its head severed.


    And, standing next to it was Compass Carburettor. Upon seeing him, the cultivator said in surprise, "Doctor Hazen?"


    "Yep, that''s me." Compass Carburettor nodded with a smile before pointing at the in Dolba, "Hurry and extract your fusion material. I''ll help guard you during your fusion."


    "You''ll really do that for me?" The cultivator asked in surprise. He didn''t even doubt the other party''s motive. After all, considering how he had in the Martial Providence Stage Dolba in one hit, if he so wished, Compass Carburettor could kill him any moment.


    There was no need for any deception.


    Origin Art¡ªMind Transfer!


    Compass Carburettor finished transferring the mind of the Dolba into the stomach of the Mind Frog, smiling as he replied, "Yep, it''s fine. I''ve already finished my fusion, so I''m just going around helping others with the same. Might as well put the lot of you into my debt since I have the opportunity."


    "Hahaha," The cultivatorughed wryly, already aware of Hazen''s nature from what he saw in the Essence Derby Pce. So, he epted it, extracting the fusion material as he said, "I''ll do it here. Please watch over me."


    "Sure." Compass Carburettor nodded, watching the cultivator condense an ethereal swirl on his hands that seemed like wind, causing it to gentlye into contact with the fusion material.


    Slowly, the wind fused into the fiery fusion material, obtaining the properties while turning physical.


    While he was fusing with the material, Compass Carburettor was going through the cultivator''s memories, observing his thoughts, ''I see, so he wants to fuse the two for attack, defence, and evasion purposes. That means, going through the thrust route would be perfect for him.''


    The cultivator already had an image in mind for the design his Martial Spirit would turn into once physically manifested. But, it wasn''t as efficient, so Compass Carburettor took it upon himself to improve the design, creating what resembled a rocket.


    The wind and fire would mix to unleash powerful thrust through the nozzle portion while the cultivator could hold or sit on the shaft portion to fly away. As he could vary its size, it could be used for a variety of cases.


    He could summon it like a stick that could be held in his hand to unleash a burst of mes with enough force to shatter a massive boulder.


    Once Compass Carburettor refined the idea, he input it into the cultivator''s mind, making it seem like he had an epiphany, modifying the shape that he was creating, eventually resulting in the shape Compass Carburettor had intended.


    ''Now, he''s even stronger.'' Compass Carburettor smiled, for this was his goal. As the cultivator was already a Sleeper Cell, he wished to strengthen him further. That way, he would prove useful in future fights against System Hosts.


    "Thank you, Doctor Hazen. I''ll repay you in the future." Once he finished the fusion process, the cultivator bowed toward him.


    "It''s fine." Compass Carburettor waved his hand, beginning to walk away, "Just be a great leader and increase the number of cultivators. We''ll need as many talents as we can get to fight against the Evil Spirits. You''ve seen what they are capable of."


    "Even though two have been killed, there are two more on this ind itself." He then gazed at the cultivator, "I won''t ask you to risk your life. But if you can, help the others obtain the best fusion material for their Martial Spirits."

 Chapter 455 Unkeen Fusion Material

    <h4>Chapter 455 Unkeen Fusion Material</h4>


    Compass Carburettor went through the ind, using his Origin Art of Snag to fly around like a certain favourite neighbourhood wall-crawler, using his Origin Art of Gloss Over from time to time to prevent the Dolbas from detecting him.


    He continued to look through the fusion materials on the backs of the Dolbas, helping the cultivators from time to time by killing the Dolba they were aiming for. He also left some mental inputs in them to help better the design of their Martial Spirit.


    After all, Earth Martial Spirits were element based,cking any forms. So once they fused with a material, they can assume a physical shape, which was typically made into weapons to wield them better.


    Eventually, Compass Carburettor slowly made his way towards the core of the ind, stopping as he hid within a crevice, gazing at the Dolba that was seated within a cave. It too was at the Martial Providence Stage.


    But, what was different about it was the fact that it was guarding a newborn Dolba, one that had yet to consume any material.


    Compass Carburettor probed for a moment, sighing in relief when the baby was within range from his hiding position.


    Origin Art¡ªMind Transfer!


    He extracted all of the baby''s mind, noticing a simr creature form within the Mind Frog''s stomach. ''This would be of tremendous use in the future.''


    Whether it was the Essence Beast or the Dolba, both had strategic uses that if exploited well, could make him the richest within the Gaider Realm. They would also help the Gaider Realm resist invasion.


    After all, the System Hosts that avoided the Gaider Realm would of course raiserge armies to invade the Gaider Realm. If the entire Realm is crushed, that too would be a blow to his luck.


    After all, what was the Main Character''s fate?


    It was to be at the centre of any and every significant event.


    And, an invasion of the Gaider Realm would be one of the biggest events in its history. And, if he avoided such an event, his Main Character''s innate luck would take such a massive blow that he could be killed by amon passer-by.


    So, it was pretty obvious as to what his enemies had intended to do.


    These five System Hosts, other than killing him also served to diminish his prospects, preventing him from creating a strong enough organisation to resist the invasion.


    So, what he needed to do at present was rather simple. It was to arm himself to the limit. And, these Dolbas were perfect for that. After all, they were strong, nimble, and also used various attributes in their attacks.


    Once he recovered his Origin Essence, Compass Carburettor first nted a Sleeper Cell seed within the Martial Providence Stage Dolba, waiting until it took root before activating his Origin Art of Mind Transfer.


    After that, he approached it and extracted the fusion material growing on its back, storing it in his storage bracelet.


    Compass Carburettor went around doing the same, intending to collect as many resources as possible. Of course, even if they weren''t useful for him, he could use them to train future disciples or simply hand them over to the Mysterious Sect.


    Though, he had no reason to wipe out the Dolba poption, for that would be crippling the Gaider Realm''s foundation. He didn''t target most of the Martial Origin Stage Dolbas, only picking those with a useful and unique attribute or was at the Martial Providence Stage.


    Luckily, he also came across quite a few infants that hadn''t consumed a material yet. Of course, they were the most precious of them all, for he could use that for his future projects.


    As they were just infants, he would be able to maintain them for long. And in an environment like the Folkan Secret Realm, his Origin Essence recovery rate was so high he could maintain it for decades without any problems.


    "I''ve found the perfect material for myself." Grisha appeared behind him all of a sudden, startling him.


    Compass Carburettor calmed himself and nodded, "Alright, let''s go there."


    The storage bracelet was created through her attribute. Moreover, her mark was left on it, allowing her to pinpoint his location any time she wanted and teleport there.


    Grabbing hold of his shoulder, Grisha teleported them to a location almost in the centre of the ind. Here, all the Dolbas were at the Martial Providence Stage, with the cultivation of quite a few almost reaching the peak.


    Grisha pointed at a certain mysterious Dolba that seemed rather mysterious, possessing an unkeen presence.


    "What attribute does it have?" Compass Carburettor asked, curious.


    "It''s a derivative of the Space attribute. It can phase through things." Grisha said.


    "That willpliment your power further." Compass Carburettor nodded before he focused, extending his range to the limit before noticing that he wasn''t able to reach it. He then scouted through the surroundings, pointing at a discreet location that was within the Dolba''s range.


    "It might sense us immediately though," Grisha said.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll mask our presence." Compass Carburettor said as Grisha teleported them to the appointed hiding spot.


    Origin Art¡ªGloss Over!


    The Dolba flinched as it turned around, sensing something amiss as it slowly walked over, gazing at a certain spot, frowning. This was where it had sensed something amiss for an instant.


    In truth, this was exactly where Grisha and Compass Carburettor were hiding at.


    Using the proximity to his advantage, Compass Carburettor activated his Origin Art of Mind Transfer, grunting as most of his Origin Essence was used up to barely transfer a tenth of its mind.


    Thankfully, the Sleeper Cell seed had already taken root as the Dolba didn''t move from the location, allowing him to gradually recover his Origin Essence and take off parts of its mind after equal intervals.


    "It''s done. You can extract its fusion material." Compass Carburettor smiled after a while.


    "Thanks." Grisha seemed happy for some reason as she extracted the fusion material, "Let''s head somewhere safer."


    Saying so, she teleported the both of them, including the Dolba away.

 Chapter 456 Can You Match an Army?

    <h4>Chapter 456 Can You Match an Army?</h4>


    Fwoosh!


    The mist quickly spread throughout the region, turning the visibility of the ce to zero. None were able to see even their fingers if they were to extend their hand. And slowly, the mist continued to spread through the ind.


    Standing at the core of the ind was Chenger, the culprit that caused a veil of mist throughout the massive ind. This ind wasn''t small by any means. It spanned a radius of 20-30 kilometres.


    And now, such a massive region was fully masked by her mist that she was releasing nonstop.


    ced next to her foot was an empty pill bottle. The pill was a mysterious treasure that she had obtained through her pub business. A certain alcohol addict from a declining noble family had taken it out of his treasury to hand it over to her, iming it was his most valued possession.


    Despite it being called his most valued possession, that alcohol addict didn''t even know what this pill did, for all information regarding it had been lost.


    When Chenger gathered details regarding it, she chanced upon information that it was a pill that temporarily supplied an endless stream of Origin Essence to the consumer.


    Normally, if someone swallowed it during a battle, they could simply spam attacks and drown their enemy with it. But, Chenger didn''t wish to simply use it against Compass Carburettor. She had better ns.


    And, the first among them was to create a terrain beneficial for her. With the region of mist spreading out unhindered, her luck values exploded to a terrifying level.


    Thanks to swallowing the pill, Chenger was able to mask the entire ind in her mist. There was still plenty of time left for the pill''s duration to end though as she used the chance to arrive at the centre of the ind, reaching the peak where the strongest Dolba lived.


    It was unable to sense her through the mist which also served to block detection methods. She then rapidly spammed ded vapour attacks, riddling it with numerous injuries from all directions, causing the Dolba to il around helplessly.


    It was at the peak of the Martial Providence Stage, already the peak of their cultivation path. But, it was helpless before her and was gradually whittled down. Soon, it fell into a pool of its blood.


    Chenger extracted its fusion material, surprised to see the material looking alive. Shockingly, this Dolba had been alive for so long and had refined its fusion material to the extent it had even gained sentience.


    Moreover, the fusion material suddenly unleashed a beam of light, absorbing the Dolba''s body into itself. Moreover, another beam of light hit Chenger, absorbing the essence of the pill she had swallowed.


    The Origin Essence in the surroundings suddenly swirled into it, turning it into a mystical material, one of its kind.


    "Interesting." Chenger muttered, beginning to fuse with it, "My luck became so high that it created such a development."


    "Hmm?" Compass Carburettor was surprised to see that Info Scanner was no longer able to pick up Chenger''s location. It was as if the other party had vanished all of a sudden.


    He was already on guard when the mist covered the entire ind, having used an Artifact to create a barrier over himself. Grisha too did the same as the two of them were in fact moving towards Chenger.


    His goal was to target her the moment she began her fusion process, for that was when she was the most vulnerable. But right when it seemed like she had begun her fusion process, she disappeared from his detection ability.


    This was Info Scanner he was talking about. It was able to detect all Systems and had been working fine until now.


    "It seems our time''s up." Compass Carburettor made eye contact with Grisha, directly teleporting to the peak of the mountain located in the centre of the ind. They appeared in the ce Chenger wasst located by Info Scanner.


    "I was expecting you to appear." Chenger''s voice resounded all of a sudden, "Too bad for you, my breakthrough waspleted within a second."


    Bam!


    Compass Carburettor was unable to see anything through the mist when suddenly, a hand mmed into him from the mist. It seemed fluffy like a cloud but packed a punch as if it was made of water.


    Blood spurted out like a fountain as a result of the attack but vanished abruptly. Compass Carburettor was still perfectly fine, having not moved an inch from his original location. The one that died was a Mane Bull that he had summoned. And when it was killed, he just cancelled the summoning, causing all the blood to vanish. For it was never real in the first ce.


    He immediately brought out the tinum Heaven Grade Golem, "Attack!"


    Boom!


    The tinum Golem unleashed a sonic st that cleared out all the mist, revealing Chenger''s figure seated on a cloud of sorts, hovering high up in the air. She had hurriedly condensed another cloud under her when the mist vanished.


    "Puppets¡­" She frowned, lifting her hand, intending to snap her finger when suddenly, the hairs on her body rose, rming her senses. She condensed a cloudyer around her when Grisha appeared atop her, phasing right through the barrier as she plunged her knife into Chenger''s neck.


    "This isn''t her." Grisha frowned, vanishing from the spot as mist developed into hands that tried to grab her instantly.


    The figure of Chenger that she had sliced turned into a cloud and dissipated while a new Chenger appeared on another cloud.


    "Indeed, things have turned troublesome." Compass Carburettor nodded, having expected such things already. Chenger''s ability, though it seemed simple, was in fact pretty tricky. Mist, vapour, clouds, she was able to use them for a variety of factors. And thanks to the material she fused with, it seemed her abilities had be even more mysterious and troublesome.


    Now, she was even able to make fake clones of herself using the clouds, not to mention use them to attack.


    Slowly, the clouds morphed, shaping themselves to resemble the tinum Golem. And when the two shed, they seemed evenly matched? The fluffy golem simply absorbed all the physical attacks and reformed its body while enduring the sonic sts from the tinum Golem.


    "They are evenly matched¡­" Suddenly, Chenger''s voice resounded through the area when immediately, hundreds of clouds manifested themselves, beginning to form into golems resembling the tinum Golem, "What about an army though?"


    "Can you match them?"

 Chapter 457 This Isn’t Your War

    <h4>Chapter 457 This Isn¡¯t Your War</h4>


    "Grisha, do you trust me?"


    "Do you need to ask?"


    "That was a dumb question, huh."


    ¡­


    "Are you sure, Xuer?" Ranze asked in concern.


    "Yeah, since I already have the most suitable material for my style, I don''t n to waste time searching. We haven''t found anything good for me yet." Xuer replied, "Besides, if there was indeed something like that, sister Lan should have brought it by now."


    "So, this is what I have chosen." Held in her hands was the Unbreakable Etherite, the Dac energy de created using the trait of Permanence. Xuer began to fuse with it immediately.


    Beside her was Bunu who was fusing with a material sparkling with the lightning attribute. Her goal was to raise the speed and deadliness of her Martial Spirit.


    As for Ranze, he was different. His Trash Divine Martial Spirit allowed him to fuse with two materials at the Martial Origin Stage. And, he had already used the Unbreakable Etherite for the first fusion. As for the second, it was a mysterious variation of lightning that Compass Carburettor had given him, stating it was from one of the strongest Dolba on the ind.


    Ranze had already finished both fusions, sensing that he had be many times stronger than before, only now able to exhibit the true power of his Martial Spirit. Even though he had be strong, he was nervous.


    For their target, Warktor was also currently fusing with his material. And worst of all, they were within a hundred metres from one another.


    Even though Ranze could rush at him immediately, there was a problem as Warktor''s disciple stood guard nearby, ready to target Xuer the moment he took action.


    It created an impasse where both sides didn''t attack one another. This was also why Xuer didn''t waste time any longer and simply decided to fuse with the Unbreakable Etherite. That was her n from the get-go anyway.


    She had also created many Origin Arts ordingly that she could use after entering the Martial Origin Stage and fuse with it. Thereafter, she wasn''t nervous.


    As for Bunu, even though she didn''t feel all that good about epting a fusion material from Grisha, but upon seeing that the material was one of the best, if not the strongest that she had ever seen in her life, she epted it.


    Unlike Xuer, she was from the strongest n of the Gaider Realm and had seen the most expensive and highest quality of fusion materials. So, with one nce at this fusion material in her hands, she realised that it was the best she had seen to date.


    And when Xuer took out the Unbreakable Etherite, she felt her heart skip a beat, for it too was top ss.


    "isn''t it kind of boring to be this silent?" Warktor spoke all of a sudden, actually taking the initiative to walk closer to the trio. Even though he hadn''t finished his fusion yet, he was walking casually.


    He was parallel processing the two tasks, acting like it didn''t even phase him. This level of confidence startled the trio.


    Even Bunu, no matter how much of a genius she was praised to be, this wasn''t something she could attain. Even her grandfather, a legendary powerhouse hailed as the strongest of the Gaider Realm couldn''t boast such finesse in Origin Essence control.


    And now, the middle-aged man before her was disying such an impossible feat.


    She trembled in fear, feeling like all the logic that she had been brought up with copsed before her very eyes, stammering in agitation, "W-Who the hell are you?"


    "Aren''t the lot of you addressing me as an Evil Spirit?" Warktor smiled, "That''s pretty much what I am, someone you can say has evil intentions against your world."


    "But, leaving her aside," He faced Xuer and Ranze, "It seems Compass Carburettor has told the both of you pretty much everything about us."


    "Compass Carburettor¡­?" Bunu frowned.


    "Seems you''ve been left in the dark about that." Warktor smiled, "Compass Carburettor is his real name. Gahrat, Hazen, and many others are just his various other identities."


    "Wha¡­what does this mean?" Bunu was shocked, gazing at Xuer, "Wasn''t Hazen the son of Lord Gahrat?"


    "He''s what you call the Main Character." Warktor said, "And we, the ones he''s fighting with are System Hosts. You can say that this war is pretty much between the two of us. The three of you have no rtion to it."


    "But, your war would involve us all, right?" Ranze said slowly, "There are 21 of you in total. And just Velcorn stirred up a massive mess outside. Even two powerhouses were injured as a result of him. And this was when he was only at the Origin Refinement Stage."


    He red at Warktor, "And, if the lot of you reach the Martial Providence Stage, then none would be your opponent. Wouldn''t you destroy the Gaider Realm just to kill Compass Carburettor?"


    "If you want to prevent it, just kill him." Warktor said slowly, "With him dead, all of us lose any purpose of growing stronger. Besides,"


    He smiled, "The moment he''s dead, I''ll personally kill the rest of the Evil Spirits."


    "What?" Xuer was shocked, unable to calm down upon hearing his statement. "You''re lying!"


    "I have no reason to do so." Warktor said, motioning for his disciple to leave, "Our world is ruled by the Coincidental Luck System. Its authority falls into the domains of luck and coincidence."


    "You see¡­those harnessing its power would stumble upon treasures luckily or coincidentally chance upon the enemy they wish to kill right when the enemy was significantly injured." Warktor smirked, "There are hundreds of such examples. Anyway, all Systems are enemies to one another. The only reason they''ve even joined hands is to get rid of Compass Carburettor."


    "You get the picture here?" He smiled, "If Compass Carburettor is killed, your world is safe. But otherwise, even if all 21 Systems are killed by him, even stronger Systems would descend into this world."


    "By then, none of you would survive the aftermath of the sh." He said in all seriousness, "This isn''t even your war. So, just watch it from the side."

 Chapter 458 I’m A Transmigrator

    <h4>Chapter 458 I¡¯m A Transmigrator</h4>


    "If we stay our hand, then¡­" Xuer asked hesitantly, "What will happen?"


    "I and Chenger would fight Compass Carburettor." Warktor said casually, "Either we win or he kills us. Then, the rest of the Systems would target him next until either side is wiped out. As simple as that."


    "You''re not concerned about your death?" Bunu asked in surprise.


    "Why would I be? This isn''t the first time I died." Warktor raised his brows like he heard something funny, "Even if I''m killed here, I''ll just revive a decadeter. So, it''s not a big deal. And even if I am killed here, as long as I deal a critical blow to Compass Carburettor, then I''ve won. Straxia would finish the job."


    "The¡­Soul Rendering Evil Spirit?" Bunu shuddered for some reason.


    "That''s a pretty apt title for her." Warktorughed, "I would love to see her expression when she hears the title coined by Compass Carburettor. It seems fun."


    "Anyways," He shrugged, finishing his fusion, dusting his hand as he waved his hand, watching his disciple disappear,menting, "Such a cute fe that child is."


    He then saw the ind being covered by the mist, smiling, "It seems Chenger has taken action. Well, I''ll leave you guys be. We''re from different worlds, so let''s not interact, shall we?"


    Swoosh!


    Suddenly, a beam of light mmed towards him, causing him to evade as Warktor turned around, eyebrows raised in curiosity, gazing at Ranze, "It seems you wish to fight."


    "Suppose the both of you are killed here, what will the Systems do?" Ranze said, slowly emitting killing intent, "Wouldn''t they invade the Gaider Realm with the armies they''ve been raising in the other Realms?"


    "Hmm, you''re smarter than what''s the norm for your age." Warktor squinted as his presence rumbled for a moment before subsiding as a faint smile formed on his lips, "I see¡­"


    "You''re not from this world, are you?"


    "What?" Xuer was shocked as she looked at Ranze, horrified.


    Bunu almost failed her fusion, involuntarily retreating, erecting some distance between her and Ranze as she looked at him, raising her guard.


    "Yeah, I''m not." Ranze said, smiling as he spoke, "But, I''m not like you. You''ve barged into this world, uninvited."


    "But as for me, the rulers of this world personally brought me here," Ranze said, noticing Warktor''s expression flinch for a moment.


    Warktor then gazed at Xuer and Bunu, noticing the sharp contrast in their expression. Bunu looked at Ranze like he too could be an Evil Spirit.


    As for Xuer though, after her initial shock, she calmed down upon seeing that Ranze was calm. After that, she silently stood beside him, expressing her stance on the matter, whispering to him, "You''ll exinter, right?"


    "Of course." Ranze smiled, "But only to you though."


    "I''m d." Xuerughed heartily, finishing her fusion as she digested her gains, slowly trailing her gaze onto Warktor, preparing for battle.


    She then gazed at Bunu, "Why are you reacting to every word he''s uttering? Didn''t your grandfather tell you otherwise?"


    Bunu flinched before sighing as she massaged her forehead, calming herself down before gazing at Warktor, "You¡­you''re good at influencing others through your words."


    "Well yeah, I''m over a thousand years after all." Warktor smiled, "I can pretty much see through the lot of you. Though, I wasn''t aiming to lead you on or anything. I just simplyid down the facts."


    "Because, our situation is pretty simr." He said in all seriousness.


    "Simr?" Bunu asked immediately before shutting up, controlling herself.


    "My family is held hostage by the Systems. That''s why I''m forced to obey their will and hunt Compass Carburettor. If we fail, my world would be in danger." He smiled helplessly, slowly raising his hands, "So, I request the three of you. Just don''t interfere in our fight. I promise on my name that we''ll not involve any innocents in our fight."


    "We''ll drive Compass Carburettor out of the Gaider Realm and fight somewhere else, away from all people."


    "Then, show me proof." Ranze said, "Proof that you''re able to kill Compass Carburettor. We don''t wish to offend either side."


    "As long as you don''t interfere, we''ll definitely kill him," Warktor promised as he turned around, beginning to walk away as the density of the mist around them continued to increase.


    But, right as he took a step forward, Warktor''s senses went haywire as he noticed his luck beginning to tremble in response. His expression copsed as a spinning disc manifested behind him, defending against the attack, "Then, don''t me me for being ruthless."


    "That was my line." Ranze smiled, ring at Bunu once, "I''ll exinter. For now, give it your all to kill him."


    Of course, until now, he was just buying time until Xuer and Bunu had adjusted to their cultivation bases after fusing with their respective materials. After all, it wasn''t like he had just one source of information about Systems.


    His Divine Martial Spirit too was privy to that info. And, its level of information was even more detailed than Compass Carburettor, allowing Ranze to understand that the Systems were slowly eating into their Realm by digesting their Martial Spirits in order to give birth to a System that worked no different to the Divine Martial Spirits.


    The moment that happened was when their Realm fully fell under the control of the System World and turned into nothing more than a Mental Energy farm where the Systems of this genrepeted against.


    As for himself, this was the ce he called his home. And there was no way he would allow these Systems to run amok.


    After all, following Compass Carburettor''s death, the Restriction Order would be lifted and more Systems would descend nonstop. And, System Hosts were broken characters that didn''t conform to the norm. They would pretty much destroy the power system of the world itself thanks to their shenanigans.


    So, only by working with Compass Carburettor would he have the possibility to protect his home. He was clear of his objective, ''No matter what, Warktor must be killed here. I can''t increase Compass Carburettor''s burden anymore.''


    ''He''s been constantly supporting us for the past three years with the best of everything. Being ungrateful is thest thing I wish to be.''

 Chapter 459 Three Versus One

    <h4>Chapter 459 Three Versus One</h4>


    Boom!


    Xuer immediately brought out dozens of Ice Cranes, unleashing a hail of ice spikes. The chillness also began to freeze up the mist, raising the humidity of the ce.


    Right at this time, tremendous heat was emitted as a Fire Crane took off into the air, with the heat and cold emitted by the two causing the mist to turn into water and clear up the area.


    The Fire Crane was high up in the sky, constantly emitting mes. And best of all, it was also absorbing the ambient Origin Essence, constantly replenishing its reserves to attack long term.


    Heaven Martial Spirit¡ªFire Crane!


    And now, she also had the lightning attribute, unleashing bolts of lighting at Warktor, forcing him into a defensive stance. After all, her attacks were erratic, as in the nature of lightning. So, as even she didn''t know where the lightning bolts might curve, Warktor was unable to read her emotions to dodge on time.


    Ranze''s body shone with a blinding light for a moment before his figure shot forth rapidly.


    Trash Martial Spirit¡ªFull Body Armour!


    Attribute¡ªUnbreakable Etherite!


    Trash Martial Spirit¡ªCrossbow!


    Attribute¡ªSoul Lightning!


    The Unbreakable Etheritecked any weight, so his full body armour didn''t even hinder his movements by one bit and was tremendously tough.


    Ranze rushed straight at Warktor, summoning a shield to defend against his attack, smiling when there was barely a scratch on his shield, ''Indeed, its toughness is on a whole other level. Worthy of having the Unbreakable title.''


    He was able to use two Martial Spirits. So, Ranze varied them nonstop, using them as he pleased. When there were too many attacks, he activated the full body armour, defending against the strongest of attacks with a shield while the armour deflected the rest.


    And during the rest, he summoned two crossbows, unleashing Soul Lightning arrows.


    These arrows were even able to injure the souls of the targets. They were incredibly dangerous, especially against System Hosts.


    Even Compass Carburettor was unsure as to what the rtion between the mind and soul was, having not encountered anything rted until now. But when he chanced upon this fusion material, he felt drawn to it somehow.


    He wasn''t sure about it. But no matter, he had better opinions to obtain as he summoned the System yer Compass Carburettor and the Main Character Compass Carburettor, both originating from the Apocalypse World, asking for their opinion.


    And, both of them gave their vote of approval, stating that making Ranze fuse with the material would be beneficial to go against the Systems.


    Even though the mysterious guy in the System World that addressed himself as Psychic Ancestor Phantom stated that Systems had no soul, since his two past self versions gave their seal of approval, he decided to go ahead with it.


    The two Soul Lightning Arrows mmed into the fiery disc summoned by Warktor, vanishing at the moment of contact, confusing him.


    But in his mind though, things were different as the Luck Siphon System was startled to see the two arrows urately m into it from out of nowhere, causing it to scream.


    Even though the attack didn''t damage it much, the shock of being attacked did more damage than the attack itself. And in its fluster, it caused Warktor''s pile of memories to be flung away during its body''s sudden jerk.


    This action influenced his actions, suddenly causing apse in his judgement as his spinning fiery disc moved a tad to the side, allowing an ice spike to slip through the gap and wound the side of his thigh before melting under the heat.


    "Troublesome brat¡­" Warktor frowned, summoning his Martial Spirit. Until now, he had only been using his Origin Arts to fight against them. But now that he had been injured, he couldn''t hold back any longer.


    Heaven Martial Spirit¡ªLava Chakram!


    The spinning disc manifested, flingingva everywhere as it spun. This itself was an attack, causing everyone to flee far away.


    Ranze hurriedly dashed behind arge boulder, seeing drops ofva stter everywhere, raising a lot of smoke. As for the mist, it was fully cleared in their surroundings, up to a height of hundred metres.


    Though, beyond that height was still full of mist.


    Xuer had taken flight atop her Ice Crane, creating a barrier of Unbreakable Etherite underneath her that shielded her from the stteringva.


    Her Ice Puppets began to melt one after another due to the heat andva stter, but they continued to unleash ice spikes as she brought out even more of them, rapidly plunging the temperature of the region further.


    Bunu moved atop Xuer, taking advantage of her sturdy shield, "He''s too troublesome!"


    "Of course! Did you think this would be easy?" Xuer replied, "Small attacks wouldn''t work against him. Prepare a big one!"


    "With your lightning!" She said, "Ranze would coordinate with your attacks using his lightning. Don''t use your fire. He''ll resist most of the heat."


    "Alright." Bunu began to focus as she slowly condensed a tiny lightning crane on the top of her palm, smiling upon seeding on the first try. She continued to pour her Origin Essence into it, expanding its size until it was as big as her head, hurling it towards Warktor, "Here Ie!"


    "Alright!" Xuer shouted as all her Ice Crane Puppets targeted the Lava Chakram, suppressing itsva. Surprisingly, she managed to create a mildter of frost on it, even if it was only for a second.


    Using that time, Ranze summoned a ballista, turning his second Martial Spirit into a Soul Lightning Arrow. Unlike other cultivators, he had two Martial Spirits. And due to its traits, even if one were to be destroyed, he only needed to expend some Origin Essence to recover it back.


    So, he didn''t even hesitate to turn it into an arrow and load it into the ballista, pouring all his Origin Essence into it, aiming at Warktor tounch it.


    Kheeee!


    Boom!


    The Lightning Crane deftly evaded all of Warktor''s attacks and mmed into him. As for Ranze''s arrow, it was terrifying, overpowering all of his defences, shattering the countless defensive Artifacts he had erected in session.


    As the arrow was his Martial Spirit, it was constantly absorbing the ambient Origin Essence, recovering the energy expended to destroy the barriers as it mmed into Warktor, causing him to scream in pain, "Aaargh!"


    Of course, as a veteran of the Apocalypse World, he wouldn''t scream at a mortal injury. The scream originated from the System in him that affected his actions through his memories.


    After all, the arrow of course vanished upon contact, mming into the Luck Siphon System instead.

 Chapter 460 What is Real? What is Fake?

    <h4>Chapter 460 What is Real? What is Fake?</h4>


    Boom!


    Hundreds of fluffy golems rampaged on the mountain peak, attacking the four Heaven Grade Golems that Compass Carburettor had brought out.


    Among the four golems, only the Bronze and tinum Golems were able to unleash ranged attacks. The remaining two could only pummel their opponents manually. And shockingly, the fluffy golems were able to go toe to toe with them.


    Boom!


    The tinum Golem unleashed powerful shockwaves that shattered two fluffy golems when three more leapt onto it, intending to tie it down.


    Right as a fluffy golem was about to topple it down, a sh of ck formed on its fifty-metre-tall body, shing it into two, causing it to dissipate.


    Grisha panted a little, having been using her abilities nonstop to destroy the fluffy golems. She had been trying her best to locate Chenger but failed all the time. The figures of Chenger that appeared from time to time were all fake changers made of the clouds.


    It wasn''t just the fluffy golems that were attacking them, but also the mist itself, acting like water currents as they moved with the intent to send them flying in various directions.


    Compass Carburettor brought out a Dolba with a fire attribute, rapidly raising the temperature of the ce, destroying the mist in his surroundings.


    At the same time, the Bronze Golem unleashed a putrid mist that began to eat into Chenger''s mist, reducing her powers. Slowly, the fluffy golems began to melt one after another due to the murky mist that seemed capable of corroding anything and everything in its path.


    "Hiyah!" Chenger''s shout resounded through the ce as hundreds of vapour des mmed into the Bronze Golem, sending it flying beyond the edge of the mountain peak, also causing a lot of gashes to form on its body.


    Some of the damage was ingrained into its chest, almost injuring the Heaven Martial Spirit¡ªPutrid Crocodile¡ªresting within.


    The Bronze Golem had the traits of a crocodile, so its defences were stronger than the rest. But the fact that it was damaged despite that was a testament to Chenger''s strength.


    Honestly, once she reached the Martial Origin Stage, she already obtained enough strength to go against a Martial Providence Stage powerhouse.


    Her fusion material gave her a special property. And that was sentience. Sentience to her Origin Essence.


    She had the Heaven Martial Spirit of Vapour Fan.


    And now, when she unleashed a cloud, the cloud itself had its own sentience. Meaning, it was able to think for itself and act ordingly. Thanks to that, Chenger was able to make them attack her opponents, also making some of them turn into her to confuse her opponents.


    Clouds contained water, capable of reflecting and refracting light. And if done in a certain way, they created illusions. Chenger had long since created illusions to take advantage of her Vapour Fan. But, the only illusions she was capable of creating before were environmental variety, for they were static.


    But now that she could imbue sentience in them, her illusions turned dynamic.


    But, just this alone wouldn''t have made her this powerful. This was where her attribute of Sentience truly came into y.


    As it was sentient, Chenger slowly spread her mist, causing it to merge with the ambient Origin Essence. And now, this sentient mist drew upon the Origin Essence to constantly target Compass Carburettor without needing to expend her own Origin Essence.


    Basically, through this method, she obtained an inexhaustible reserve of Origin Essence. After all, her mist was capable of absorbing the Origin Essence to generate more mist.


    So no matter what, in regions like the Folkan Secret Realm, she was pretty much invincible.


    That wasn''t all, if she truly expended her own Origin Essence, since the mist was hers in the first ce, she could rapidly absorb it and recover her Origin Essence in a matter of seconds. It truly turned her into a strategic ss opponent that was capable of taking down an army on her own.


    This was why Compass Carburettor was having trouble dealing with her even though Grisha was supporting him.


    She teleported above the falling Bronze Golem, teleporting it back to the mountain peak, panting in response as her Origin Essence reserves were at the rock bottom.


    The mist from the surroundings converged upon her, creating hundreds of fists, intending to destroy her.


    Suddenly, a jet-ck entity appeared above her, waxing its hands before vanishing.


    Apocalypse World Ability¡ªDust Wave!


    Swoosh!


    The mist throughout a three-kilometre radius was instantly eradicated, causing the ce to turn sunny immediately. The target of the Dust Wave was only the mist, so immediately after, all the fake Chengers were destroyed, revealing the original that was atop a nearby mountain peak, situated a kilometre away.


    Right before the jet-ck figure vanished, it unfurled its wings, shooting out thousands of feathers, homing them all towards Chenger.


    In response to the attack, Chenger summoned a fan in her hands that seemed to be made out of clouds, waving it as she created a lot of mist, sending it coursing like a wave towards the homing feathers, rapidly slowing them down.


    Some of them were unable to resist the force of the mist wave, exploding one after another as the burst element destroyed the mist in such locations, allowing the homing feathers to use the opened path to approach closer to her.


    "Protect me!" Chenger shouted, creating a fluffy golem that jumped into the homing feathers, causing most of them to detonate prematurely. Even though the fluffy golem was obliterated, she was able to mitigate most of the threat.


    But eerily, Grisha appeared before her, bringing down arge jet-ck sword, intending to cleave her apart.


    "I won''t fall for the same trick twice!" Chenger shouted as the cloud tform she was seated upon suddenly grew spikes, piercing into Grisha, riddling her with holes.


    "Gah!" Grisha grunted, eyes widened in shock, in disbelief, for one of the cloud spikes had pierced through her heart.


    "Hah!" Chenger smirked, intending to rip her body apart when she was shocked, for there was no blooding out of supposed wounds, "You tricked m¡­!"


    "Die!" Grisha bellowed, phasing through the cloud spikes as she plunged her knife into Chenger''s throat. And this time, it was the real one.


    ----------------------


    I asked a question in chapter 438. The value of CC''s MC Traits in various worlds, considering his trait in Darble World as 100. Here''s part result:


    Darble World Traits: Leader of a secret organisation (Secret Society) that big brain MCs usually create/lead. Creating his own Myth (Spirit). Ability to revive (Warble). Obtaining the loyalty of two races, with one of them being the strongest race in the world (Grogar and Haggon).


    Result: 100 MC Points


    Now, you have better rity. Guess the values for the Apocalypse World before and after he became the Main Character.


    ----------------------

 Chapter 461 Defeat

    <h4>Chapter 461 Defeat</h4>


    Grisha''s jet-ck knife, created using her attribute of space plunged into Chenger''s neck. Multiple barriers manifested into reality, defending against the attack. But, just when it seemed like they would stop the knife, Grisha''s second attribute took effect, allowing the knife to phase through the barriers ande into contact with her neck.


    The tip prickled her, causing a drop of blood to ooze out when suddenly, Grisha''s eyes widened in shock, noticing a mystical phenomenon take ce before her. For a moment, it felt like the world itself was flipped upside down.


    The gravity of the Secret Realm went bonkers as its spatialws destabilised, causing cracks to form in its border. And these cracks affected the Origin Essence and allws rted to space, affecting her knife too, causing the tip to bend to the side unnaturally.


    This shouldn''t have made any sense, but it happened, causing the knife to blunt fully, avoiding Chenger''s neck like water curving around a rock.


    "Guh!" Suddenly, Grisha grunted for she was unable to phase through anymore, sensing that her body began to shrivel up for some reason.


    "You''ve been inhaling my mist for so long. All that is still under my control. And now, your Origin Essence is under my control too." Chenger grinned, snapping her finger as Grisha''s Origin Essence went out of her control, rupturing her insides, and causing her to spit blood.


    Boom!


    Suddenly, hundreds of feathers mmed into the two of them, creating a series of explosions.


    "You''ve attacked your ally? Are you mad?" Chenger bellowed in anger, coughing vehemently as she came out with a bare minimum of injuries.


    "Grisha''s attack shaved a significant amount of your luck." Compass Carburettor spoke jovially, "Even for you, it is impossible to pull such nonsensical stunts back-to-back through luck. So, in this interval, you''re vulnerable!"


    "Tch!" She clicked her tongue, gazing through the corner of her eye to see that there were no signs of life in Grisha''s injury-ridden corpse. ''There''s still a chance she''s acting.''


    Thinking as such, she snapped her finger, unleashing dozens of vapour des that sliced Grisha''s corpse into a dozen pieces, only rxing after that. She then turned around, surprised to see an energy de fist m into her, sending her flying away.


    Chenger hurriedly shielded herself with a fluffy shield, absorbing most of the shock while she was sent flying. Suddenly, followed by a gust of wind, a jet-ck figure appeared above her, unleashing another energy de fist that mmed her into the side of the mountain, causing arge tremor.


    Moreover, all the mist vanished mysteriously as Compass Carburettor unleashed thousands of feathers that homed in on her, attacking her nonstop, preventing her from taking advantage of the ambient Origin Essence.


    With her endless reserve cut off, Chenger was soon backed into a corner as the countless defensive Artifacts she took out began to shatter one after another as the feathers continued to rain down.


    But more than the attack, she was shocked at the feathers, "Howe you''re able to use this ability here?"


    Of course, she knew about this ability clearly, for it was the first ability Rhizen obtained in most of his loops. It was pretty much his signature ability. And the moment she remembered about Rhizen, her eyes turned moist as she grunted in anger, "I''ll fucking kill you!"


    Boom!


    From her location, mist spread out violently. That wasn''t all, the mist from beyond the cleared-out zone rapidly grew in size and enveloped the cleared-out region once again. This happened within a second as Compass Carburettor''s figure vanished.


    It was his Apocalypse World version that he had been maintaining all along. He had summoned it right after Grisha''s attack. And now, his summoning time was up as Compass Carburettor grunted in exhaustion, noticing his surroundings be covered with mist once again.


    Chenger''s voice resounded through it, making a snarky remark, "You sacrificed Grisha to unleash your trump card. But now, your defensive means have formed a crack and you''ve already been influenced by my Sentience attribute."


    "What?" Compass Carburettor was stumped, noticing that he wasn''t able to use his Origin Essence any longer, "How? I always shielded myself from the mist."


    "The mist was just a distraction." Chenger smirked, "In truth, as long as you inhale a bit of my vapour, I can obtain control of your Origin Essence. And since the air is naturally humid, you wouldn''t even notice anything amiss."


    "From the moment you stepped foot here, you''ve been had, Compass Carburettor." Chenger smirked, "I was waiting for Grisha''s death before revealing my trump card. Now, without her, you cannot escape."


    "This is my victory."


    ¡­


    "Huff¡­puff¡­hah¡­h-how is this possible?" Ranze muttered in shock, slumping to the ground in exhaustion, gazing at the figure of Warktor closing in on him calmly.


    Gasping on the ground further away were Xuer and Bunu, scattered amid a pile of debris resulting from her shattered Ice Crane Puppets. They were melting slowly, creating a pool of water that almost drowned them.


    Xuer was barely forcing herself to stay awake, out of strength. Her Martial Spirit had suffered damage, preventing her from using even Origin Essence, not to mention activating any Origin Arts.


    Bunu had already fallen unconscious, bleeding profusely, with her hands both severed. There were signs of the parts being melted under extreme heat as patches of her melted skin and bonesy nearby. The pain was beyond what she could endure, falling unconscious.


    Xuer wasn''t any worse off either. Her tendons had been shed, so she wasn''t even able to move now, helplessly staring at Ranze''s back, tearing up in despair. For, even he was on the verge of defeat.


    "Honestly, you are strong, Ranze." Warktor smiled, slowly walking towards him calmly. Even though he sported injuries all over his body, none were fatal, "But, you''re severely inexperienced. And, since I''ve already stolen the luck of the three of you, you''re nothing but helplessmbs awaiting ughter before me."


    Suddenly, a bit of mist converged next to his ear, whispering something that caused his eyes to lit up before breaking intoughter, "It seems Chenger was faster than me. Surprisingly, she managed to kill Compass Carburettor."


    "Now, only you''re left." He grinned, condensing a Lava Chakram, throwing it towards Ranze, dealing the finishing blow.

 Chapter 462 So, It’s You

    <h4>Chapter 462 So, It¡¯s You</h4>


    ng!


    Warktor was surprised to see his Lava Chakram being flung away the moment it mmed into Ranze. Though, it wasn''t Ranze that deflected it as Warktor felt something was amiss, observing mild changes in the mist far away.


    "Shit!" He shouted in reflex when something morphed in the mist as a figure rushed at him with blinding speed, faster than a cheetah.


    It was a bi-pedal creature, possessing traits of a wolf with erged ws that glinted in the mist-tinted atmosphere. Its brown fur waved through the air as the creature rapidly zoomed in on Warktor.


    Wolverine!


    In response, he unleashed countless streaks of light at the foe, intending to destroy him, going all out due to the sense of threat he felt, which was many times greater than what he sensed from Ranze, Xuer, and Bunubined.


    Swoosh!


    The wolverine''s body was like a strand of grass that wriggled like water, seeping in through the gaps between his various attacks, quickly approaching him.


    Warktor hurriedly dissipated the flung away Lava Chakram, recondensing it before himself as a shield, causing it to rotate rapidly as it gushed a column ofva at the wolverine.


    He was hoping to gain a second to breathe and regte his attacks using this. But contrary to his expectations, the wolverine didn''t evade the stream ofva but directly plunged into it.


    Shockingly, theve defied every logic, curving around its body, allowing the wolverine to approach him.


    "What the¡­?" Warktor was shocked, for the scene before him could only be achieved by expending an insane amount of luck that would be hard for even the Systems Hosts for Luck-based Systems.


    He then grunted, bellowing, "You''re in my range. No matter, I''ll steal all your luck!"


    ng!


    Warktor was bbergasted, noticing that his Luck Siphon hadn''t worked for the first time. Even the Luck Siphon System in his mind was in disbelief, unable to understand why its power hadn''t worked, for this had never happened even once in its super long life, not in any other Luck-based Systems'' life either.


    The wolverine mmed its fist into the Lava Chakram, piercing through it as its ws plunged into Warktor''s chest, causing him to cough out blood.


    His eyes slowly widened as he activated his luck detection method, gazing at the wolverine''s luck, shocked because he wasn''t able to see anything. It was as if the opponent didn''t have any luck whatsoever.


    [I refuse to believe this is true!]


    The Luck Siphon System bellowed as it churned the limit of its power, amplifying the luck detection method to the extreme when slowly, the sky above the wolverine seemed to flicker, seeming like there was something there, but hidden.


    Boom!


    Once it unleashed the entirety of its power, the wolverine''s luck was no longer hidden. But, upon seeing it, even the Luck Siphon System was in disbelief.


    [T-This is¡­possible?]


    Warktor''s gaze moved upward, gazing at what seemed to be the feet of a human, one that seemed as vast that it could cover the skies. But, this was just the foot of the human. The rest of the body was so high up that he couldn''t even see anything. His line of sight stopped a bit above the ankle. A conceptualised luck unlike anything.


    "Who¡­are you¡­?" Warktor asked in shock before he realised something, "I should have thought it better. There''s only one that''s this frightening."


    He then gazed at the wolverine, "Wee back, Rhizen."


    "We''ll talk in the next loop, Sir." The wolverine opened its mouth and spoke before ripping out Warktor''s body, killing him.


    Ranze stared at the scene agape, unable to digest just what had transpired before him. Warktor, such a frightening opponent had been destroyed so easily by this bi-pedal creature before him.


    The wolverine turned around to stare at Ranze before vanishing.


    At the same time, the mist throughout the ind began to vanish within a matter of seconds as more than a dozen Compass Carburettors appeared, stunning Chenger. That wasn''t all, five Grishas too appeared, mming attacks onto her in such a flurry that she was unable to even react to them.


    "You weren''t dead yet?" She shouted in rm when suddenly, space cracked right beside her as a two-headed tiger jumped out and mped on her neck. The second head crunched on her Vapour Fan, shattering it, turning her into a mortal instantly.


    Her massive reserve of luck indeed tried to manipte cause and effect just like before, but it didn''t work this time, for some inexplicable reason.


    Slowly, the sounds of a man''s footsteps resounded as Chenger teared up, relieved, breaking into a cry immediately, "I thought I wouldn''t see you again!"


    "Silly." The man slowly pulled her into a hug after making the two-headed tiger vanish, "We''ll meet again after fifteen years."


    "We''ll fall in love again, like usual, suffer like usual, and continue with our lives." The man said, patting the back of her head, "But the only difference would be that we''ll live on our own terms from the next loop."


    "And, I''ll do something to break us out of our cycle of despair." He spoke, "So, will you forgive me just this once?"


    "I''ve been manipted by Shyvern many times and have hurt you time and again." Chenger spoke slowly, "So, I don''t mind. At least, this might reduce my pain by a little."


    "Silly, you know I''ve never med you." He smiled, ruffling her hair as he said, "Even if your face is damaged by acid, I wouldn''t ever abandon you. For me¡­"


    "You''ll be the one and only Chenger."


    "Heuk!" Chenger began to cry again, for this was something that continued to haunt her. It was what Shyvern had traumatised her with in thetest loop. She hugged the man tightly, saying, "I believe you, Rhizen."


    "I''ve always believed you."


    "You''ll be asleep for a short while, Chenger." Rhizen smiled, wiping her tears as he said, "When you wake up next, you''ll be free from all trauma."


    "I¡­don''t want to forget this," Chenger said, "Everything that we experienced, I will remember it. I don''t want to be a na?ve girl that''s in love with you without knowing about any of your pain. I''ll¡­shoulder everything with you."


    "Atta girl!" He smiled as the wolverine appeared behind her, severing her neck in one full swing. Rhizen held her corpse, shedding tears as he gazed at the sky, slowly muttering after a while, "Fucker, I won''t kill you. Come out,"


    "Compass!"

 Chapter 463 It Was I That Supported You

    <h4>Chapter 463 It Was I That Supported You</h4>


    Knock! Knock!


    Hearing the knocking sounds on his guest room, Compass Carburettor cautiously approached it, opening it when he was shocked, expressing fear, "W-Why are you here?"


    "Indeed, you''re able to cheat death." Standing before Compass Carburettor was a youth with short brown hair, his arms crossed as he stared at him, saying in a tone of seriousness, "I came to know that you can condense Mental Energy into something solid, right? Give me one of them."


    Suddenly, he zoomed in, extending a hand out of which Origin Essence ws grew out of, almost reaching Compass Carburettor''s neck as the youth spoke, "Don''t try to escape. I''m faster and stronger than you."


    "Are you¡­really Rhizen?" Compass Carburettor asked in shock, "You seem¡­different somehow."


    "And, weren''t you devoured by the Coincidental Luck System in the System World? How are you still alive for this loop?"


    "Do you have that Mental Energy in solid form?" Rhizen repeated his question, "Depending on your answer, I may or may not end up as your enemy."


    Compass Carburettor red in response, weighing his options, able to calcte that fighting Rhizen was dangerous, too dangerous in fact. So, he took out a Mental Energy sphere from his storage bracelet and threw it towards Rhizen, "There you go."


    "If I need anything else, I''ll contact you," Rhizen said before his figure sprinted out of the hallway like a cat, vanishing from view soon after.


    Compass Carburettor scowled, feeling a bitter emotion for being handled like this by Rhizen. He was thest person that he expected to run across in the Gaider Realm.


    "This makes things moreplicated." He felt a headache, because one of the enemies he had to fight in the Folkan Secret Realm next was Chenger, Rhizen''s lover/girlfriend/wife.


    If he killed her, then that would definitely turn Rhizen into his enemy. That was thest opponent he ever wished to face.


    His mood was sullen as he prepared for the uing journey, silently packing up things the next day as he made his way towards the Secret Realm, his mood foul.


    ¡­


    "Fucker, I won''t kill you. Come out,"


    Compass!"


    Hearing Rhizen''s shout, Compass Carburettor sighed, patting Grisha''s cheeks.


    Origin Art¡ªMind Transfer.


    "Ugh¡­what happened?" Grisha slowly woke up, feeling a headache as she slowly gazed at his face, "Did we¡­win?"


    "Somehow." He nodded, asking in concern, "Are you feeling alright?"


    "Wait¡­" Grisha spoke, going through the newly appeared memories as she was brought up to speed, nodding in response, "It was indeed better to do as you did. If I fought myself, I would have been dead by now."


    "Yeah, that''s why I too have remained here with you." Compass Carburettor nodded, gazing at the pile of powder that formed a hill nearby. It was what remained after all the Origin Essence had been sucked out of the Essence Stones.


    Aware that fighting Chenger would be risky, considering how even Grisha praised her fighting prowess, he schemed to deceive her from the very beginning itself.


    He arrived atop the peak in the centre of the ind and summoned a weaker version of himself from the Apocalypse World, one that had just obtained a rather powerful Core Skill.


    Core Skill¡ªReality Marble!


    He created a small world, the size of a normal house and filled it with Essence Stones. Moreover, he made it a small world with effects simr to a Martial Spirit in that it began to suck out Origin Essence from the Essence Stones and circte it in the air.


    Slowly, the density of Origin Essence in the air continued to increase to terrifying extents. This allowed his Blood Vitality Grass to absorb it rapidly, allowing him to recharge full capacity within a dozen seconds.


    After that, he transferred Grisha''s mind into the stomach of his Mind Frog, summoning the figures of both beyond the Reality Marble. They were the Compass Carburettor and Grisha that Chenger fought against.


    And based on how the situation yed out, he summoned variations of Compass Carburettor, taking advantage of Grisha''s teleportation to bring him in and out of many locations. And during such instances, he swapped the summoned Compass Carburettor, allowing him to use a variety of abilities.


    And, there was the weak Compass Carburettor standing beside him all along, maintaining the Reality Marble.


    Now that everything was over, he sighed, causing the summoned Compass Carburettor to vanish once Grisha gathered her bearings, exiting the Reality Marble that vanished automatically.


    "So, you were right here all along," Rhizen muttered to see the figures of Compass Carburettor and Grishand a couple metres away from him.


    "Just so you know, I didn''t kill Chenger." Compass Carburettor said first.


    "I know." Rhizen said slowly, "Her blood is on my hands. Anyway, let''s not talk about that."


    He then gazed at Grisha, "If I say there''s a way to save our world, would you help me?"


    "There''s a way?" Grisha was shocked, "But, our world has been modified by a Grade 4 System. It''s impossible to change that with our meagre power."


    "I know." Rhizen said, "But, you''re wrong about one thing. By saving our world, I don''t mean to get rid of the time loop. I''ll only get rid of the sufferings of the people."


    "Then you should join hands with me." Compass Carburettor said, "Our goals are aligned."


    "No, they aren''t." Rhizen said, staring at Compass Carburettor, "Your goal is to save your daughter, only that. Everything else you''re doing is pretty simr to what Warktor did in my world."


    "Besides, you and the Systems are intricately tied together. Wherever you are, the Systems would continue to target you. But, I don''t want to have anything to do with them." Rhizen spoke.


    "I never thought you were this na?ve." Compass Carburettor stated with mild anger, "Your world is owned by the Coincidental Luck System. And you''re its go-to Host. You cannot have a more intricate connection with Systems than that."


    "My connection with the Coincidental Luck System?" Rhizen snorted, stating, "Before you became the Main Character, your innate Luck had been exhausted. So, there''s no way you could ever shed the trap of the Systems on your own and be the Main Character, not with that exhausted luck of yours."


    Compass Carburettor''s eyes widened as Rhizen spoke, "It was I that had supported you at the critical moment by providing you just the tiny amount of Luck necessary to seed."

 Chapter 464 Rhizen’s True Identity

    <h4>Chapter 464 Rhizen¡¯s True Identity</h4>


    "Well, it was just a tiny sum. But anyway, you get the idea." Rhizen spoke.


    "But, that doesn''t change anything." Grisha retorted, "It''s pretty much impossible to protect our world. The only option we have is to push the Coincidental Luck System to Grade 2 and be its Hosts."


    "The Coincidental Luck System?" Rhizenughed all of a sudden, saying, "So, you don''t know the truth about it yet."


    "I''m the one piloting it for most of the time." Rhizen pointed at himself.


    "What?" Compass Carburettor uttered in shock, "What do you mean by piloting it?"


    "Are you delusional, Rhizen?" Grisha asked, "Or maybe it has already influenced your memories too much to turn you this foolish?"


    "No, it didn''t." Rhizen sighed, feeling a mild headache as he looked around, "Let me exin in a few minutes. I need to give a proper funeral for Chenger and Sir Warktor."


    "Do you mind if I take care of it?" Compass Carburettor asked, "It might not be pretty, but it will definitely erase all traces of their existence."


    "Fine by me." Rhizen nodded, not affected in the least as he nted a Blood Vitality Grass in Chenger, sucking up her entirety into it.


    Grisha then teleported the both of them to the ce where Warktor was killed as Compass Carburettor did the same here too, causing all traces of Warktor to vanish.


    He then healed Xuer, Ranze, and Bunu of their injuries, sighing in relief to see that they were all alive.


    "Let''s talk inside," Rhizen said, pointing towards a nearby cave as he, Grisha, and Compass Carburettor entered inside, taking a seat on suitable boulders within.


    "This started before the first loop." Rhizen began to speak after some time, "At that time, the first Main Character came into existence. None of the Systems was prepared for his arrival. The Main Character reached level 90; he annihted dozens of Grade 2 Systems, and even a Grade 3 System before he was finally destroyed."


    "At that time, the Systems had yet to attain their current hegemony. The peak entities of various worlds continued to fiercely resist them. And their n to sessfully create the Main Character was a sess." Rhizen said, "To counter such cases in the future, the three Grade 4 Systems namely, Regression, Reincarnation, and Transmigration joined hands to create a contingency measure."


    "Among them, my world was chosen because there was a considerable level of talent suitable for a variety of Systems." Rhizen said, "But, when the Regression System began to modify our world, it chanced upon an even better world. And hence, it dropped our world, selling it in the Astral Network."


    "But, here''s where something interesting happened." Rhizen grinned, "The process topletely change thews of my world and make it loop perfectly without interfering with the timelines needed a lot of time to execute. And hence, my world was in a state of stasis for who knows how long."


    "And during that time¡­" Rhizen pointed at himself, "The Coincidental Luck System was born through me."


    "It was born through you?" Compass Carburettor said in shock.


    "Yep," Rhizen nodded, "I was born with the innate ability to harness the power of Luck. And using me as the catalyst, the System World created the Coincidental Luck System. After that, the Luck genre became a thing as more and more derivatives regarding Luck were absorbed by the System World to birth more Systems of this genre."


    "But one thing doesn''t change." He grinned, "And it was the fact that I alone was enough to birth the Coincidental Luck System. So, even it isn''t aware that it was drawn towards this world because of me."


    "And," Rhizen said, "By the second loop, I already understood this and began to slowly manipte it."


    "How did you achieve that? Considering how many years you''ve been its Host, the Coincidental Luck System should have grown to a sizeable extent in your mind." Compass Carburettor frowned, still unable to believe everything Rhizen said.


    There could still be a chance that everything he said was fed to him by the Coincidental Luck System to manipte it better.


    "Every time it devoured me in the System World, it absorbed everything I gained in that loop." Rhizen spoke slowly, "And every single time, I manipted its luck, slowly infiltrating its body. As for the part of its body living in my mind, that had long since fallen under my control."


    "You don''t believe me?" Rhizen noticed Compass Carburettor''s and Grisha''s reactions, chuckling, "I guess it''s the norm. What I spoke was indeed that absurd. But,"


    He extended his hand towards Compass Carburettor, clenching it into a fist before opening it.


    "Guh!" Suddenly, Compass Carburettor grunted like he had suffered from a heart attack, kneeling on the ground, sweating profusely. He slowly lifted his head, noticing a tiny spark pulsating on Rhizen''s palm, bubbling from time to time before shrinking like a mass of iron filings attracted to a ma.


    "This is your innate Luck, a Main Character''s Luck." Rhizen said, flicking his hand to send the pulsing spark into Compass Carburettor''s, "Since you''re able to gauge your luck levels, you must understand what I did, right?"


    "So, you can manipte the luck of everything." Compass Carburettor muttered, recovering to normal as he got up.


    "Yep," Rhizen nodded, "But it took time to slowly grasp my power. After all, before I became the Coincidental Luck System''s Host, I only harnessed my Luck passively. Only through it did I gradually understand the ins and outs of luck."


    "And, every single time, I manipted its mind, storing my memories there when it devoured me in the System World." Rhizen said, "I sealed the memories using its own luck and masked it, preventing it from detecting it."


    "And this time, I just inserted in its mind one of its past memories of devouring me." He spoke, "So, it didn''t actually devour me this time, but instead was influenced by the imnted memories and opened a portal to the Gaider Realm instead."


    "Does that mean you''re able to fully control the Coincidental Luck System?" Compass Carburettor asked.


    "Not anymore." Rhizen said, "I extracted all of my power from it and arrived here. As it immediately entered Straxia and arrived in this cultivation world under the Restriction Order, it hasn''t noticed its drop in power yet."


    "Then, what''s your n?" Compass Carburettor asked.


    "I¡­" Rhizen took in a deep breath before speaking, "Once I kill all the Luck based Systems, there wouldn''t be any entity strong enough to match me in terms of Luck. And, before the Luck based systems revive, I''ll steal all their powers."

 Chapter 465 I Have Been Waiting

    <h4>Chapter 465 I Have Been Waiting</h4>


    "You should know that Luck isn''t omnipotent right?" Compass Carburettor said, "I''ve already thought of a way to deal with them. So, if that''s all that you''re relying upon, then you wouldn''t be able to free your world from the Systems'' grasp."


    "I know." Rhizen nodded before gazing at him, "That''s why, let''s trade."


    "I''ll help you kill the Luck based Systems. Most of them don''t pose any threat to me." Rhizen said, "And in return, please erase all traces of Systems in the minds of everyone from my world."


    Rhizen made a formal bow all of a sudden, startling the two, "Only you have the power to do that. I can at most kill the System Hosts. I cannot destroy the Systems."


    "A trade it is then." Compass Carburettor nodded, epting it. After all, having Rhizen as an ally was way better than having him as an enemy or a neutral party. Moreover, it was a trade rtionship, which was what he pursued most of the time.


    This trade rtionship was skewed in his favour. After all, Rhizen would be helping him defeat the System Hosts. But in contrast, his part of the deal would only happen after leaving the cultivation world, and that didn''t have any possibility for another fifteen years.


    "I still don''t understand one thing." Compass Carburettor frowned, asking, "You were able to easily annule Chenger''s destiny luck. If you had so much power, then why did you suffer in every loop. If you wanted, you and Chenger could have led better lives."


    "The Hatchling Systems wouldn''t have meant anything to you and Chenger wouldn''t have to be tortured in many loops."


    "That wasn''t an option¡­" He sighed, gazing at Compass Carburettor helplessly, "You''re forgetting one thing."


    "Only a Main Character can truly destroy a System. No one else can. The most any other entity can do is kill them and dy their revival."


    His eyes widened as reality struck Compass Carburettor. Considering how he had been killing Systems until now, he had glossed over the fact that only he can kill Systems.


    Just because Rhizen had the power to kill him didn''t mean he had the same towards a System too.


    "So, you were putting up an act all along?" He asked.


    "No!" Rhizen lost control for a moment, trembling as tears streamed out of his eyes, "You mean risking the life and sanity of my beloved in every single loop? If I had an option, do you think I would allow such a thing to happen? My Chenger¡­"


    He sniffed, "She''s¡­been through a lot just because she chose to stand by my side until the end, every single time."


    Compass Carburettor stared at Rhizen, knowing through his experience that the one before him, at this moment, was just a broken man suffering through trauma, recalling the memory of every time Chenger was killed or turned into a broken ughter machine by Shyvern.


    More than that, the pain Chenger felt as she was haunted by the memory of her hands piercing through Rhizen''s heart, or the level of despair she had inflicted upon him that caused him tomit suicide. All of that was continuously tearing her apart from the inside, especially since the Destiny Luck System made her remember every single damn loop.


    Even though he was able to harness Luck, in every loop, he was hunted by the System Hosts that tried every single dirty method in the book to target him. And most of his deaths were caused by suicide.


    Unable to bear the pain of hispanions and beloved being subjected to boundless horror, with them being controlled as mere puppets that targeted him, causing him to passively endure everything helplessly, stranded along in the wide world, he ended upmitting suicide.


    The moment Shyvern got a hold of one of hispanions was when that loop turned into literal hell for him. And this happened so many times¡­


    Compass Carburettor was able to feel the destion Rhizen was experiencing as the youth slowly broke down further and further the moment he started to cry. And hearing the sounds of his cries, Grisha too broke down.


    After all, most of her loops were anything but pleasant.


    Having to repeat an apocalypse the first time itself would destroy the mind of the individual. Having to experience the pain of your loved ones, your friends, and family, being separated in the apocalypse, the anxiety about their well-being, the fear of their loss, and the despair upon seeing them die before your very eyes.


    And with you¡­staring helplessly at him,cking the power to save them.


    Every single time, your heart would be torn apart, unable to endure the emotional pain. Take that, and repeat is by forty-eight.


    That was the emotional weight borne by Rhizen and Grisha.


    For a moment, Compass Carburettor imagined himself in their shoes, having to bear witness to Stencil''s death¡­he didn''t have the guts to even imagine it. "It''s not something we need to endure anymore. There should be a way to break free of the cycle of suffering."


    "I¡­sealed myself." Rhizen said after a while, wiping his tears, resting his back on the cave walls as he exhaled slowly, "When I realised the existence of the Coincidental Luck System somehow during my second loop, I sealed that part of me deep within the Coincidental Luck System''s mind. And in every loop, more and more of me was sealed there."


    "That part of me awaited silently, enduring the loops one after another while scouring for the hope that would break us out of this cycle." Rhizen said, "I couldn''t control my joy when the Coincidental Luck System finally stumbled upon you."


    "At that time, I roared in relief," Rhizen raised his hands, sporting a zealous expression, "Finally! Therees a System yer with the potential to be the Main Character!"


    "From then on, I only had to influence the Coincidental Luck System and make it assist you a tad more than necessary in every situation that resulted in the domino effect necessary for you to be the Main Character." He spoke, sighing in the end.


    "And now, thanks to your appearance, all the Luck Systems banded together and unleashed the Restriction Order, giving me a chance to kill them all and steal their authority." Rhizen let out a pained smile, "I have been waiting for this day for a millennium, Compass."

 Chapter 466 Post-Apocalyptic Dispatch Society

    <h4>Chapter 466 Post-Apocalyptic Dispatch Society</h4>


    The Apocalypse World was the property of the Coincidental Luck System. And, since it was a high-quality Mental Energy farm with the most sought-after Host to the Luck Systems, Rhizen, all the Luck Systems gathered to gain ownership of the Apocalypse World from the Coincidental Luck System.


    And, they cunningly sent in Hatchling Systems that were all useless for the Coincidental Luck System''s growth. Devouring them would only end up injuring itself. And leaving them to their own devices would lead to Rhizen''s death sooner orter, as it had already happened many times.


    As it didn''t know of his scheme, it believed that the moment Rhizen knew of its existence, his mind would be so much affected that he would lose all capability to harness the power of luck. In truth, this was Rhizen''s ploy that he executed once, making it believe so from thereafter.


    Therefore, left with no other option, the Coincidental Luck System had to look for a System yer to kill the Hatchling Systems. And, it indeed found a few, but all of them died one after another.


    Some of them managed to kill a few Systems but ended up dying after 2-3 loops. But, this was also because the Coincidental Luck System only searched for System yers with mid-level potential. It never talked with a System yer capable of bing the Main Character in the future.


    Well, it wasn''t as if they weremon in the first ce. Even System yers were incredibly rare. Their numbers were so few and most of them were in hiding to not be targeted by the Systems.


    So, finding even one System yer was incredibly rare. But eventually, it stumbled upon Compass Carburettor, an individual with the potential to be the Main Character right from the get-go. All he needed was just enlightenment.


    The moment they chanced upon him, the part of Rhizen stored within the Coincidental Luck System''s mind took action, causing it to lower the value of its estimation of him.


    The Coincidental Luck System judged Compass Carburettor as a high potential System yer that was a step below the level necessary to be the Main Character. So, it nned to use him until he reached Level 49 before trapping him.


    This trap would cause all the Systems in his mind to fuse into one and birth a new System that would destroy his mind and take root within, thereby gaining a System yer stuck at level 49 that also gained the identity and could level up as a System.


    This was the trap the Systems used to bring System yers over to their side, gaining the power to deal with fellow Systempetitors.


    The Elf in the Apocalypse World was one such individual whose original ego and personality had been destroyed and reced by the Primordial Origin System that grew in his mind. And once the Primordial Origin System crossed level 50, there was no hope for its System yer body to ever be the Main Character.


    Instead, it turned into a powerhouse among Systems, capable of refining powers beyond its genre without any limitations. And this was the most powerful tool refined by the Destiny Luck System to act as its weapon against its enemies.


    Rhizen had to be patient and endure one more loop while sealed within the Coincidental Luck System''s mind. As for his other self, he was unaware of everything, acting like a normal teenager.


    Obviously, he was damn smart and capable for his age, but that was it. He was fooled, and that led to Chenger being kidnapped by Shyvern once again.


    And by the time Compass Carburettor became the Main Character, Chenger had already been broken once again.


    When Rhizen concluded his story, it waste into the night, with a few hours left before the Folkan Secret Realm closed.


    Ranze, Xuer, and Bunu were waiting elsewhere, pretty confused. Ignoring them for the time being, Compass Carburettor conversed with Grisha and Rhizen.


    "You can cheat death, right?" Rhizen asked. "Do you have a different method than the one you used when I killed you?"


    "Hmm¡­" Compass Carburettor thought for a moment before saying, "It shouldn''t be ready yet."


    "Will it be ready before my world loops again?" Rhizen asked next.


    "It should be possible." Compass Carburettor nodded, "Why are you asking this?"


    "Be killed by Straxia a few seconds before my world loops." Rhizen said, "That''s only a short enough interval to confirm your death, but the message would be sent across."


    "There should be at least a Grade 2 System observing the state of this world now. It is probably locating the Main Character''s fate or presence through a mysterious means." Rhizen said, "So, you''ll need to die once to fool thempletely."


    "The way you act next would decide whether or not the Grade 2 Systems are fooled," Rhizen concluded.


    "I''ll think of the process." Compass Carburettor nodded before asking, "What about on your side? How do you n to free your world? Even if the Luck Systems are dead for the time being, they would eventually revive in the future. And nothing is stopping other Systems from descending into your world."


    "I''ll create a weapon regarding that, one that would prevent the Systems from entering my world." Rhizen pointed at the sky, "I''ll steal the Restriction Order they''ve used here."


    "Is this Restriction Order something like an Artifact?" Compass Carburettor asked in shock upon seeing Rhizen im that it could be stolen.


    "Yes," Rhizen nodded, "The Restriction Order is actually the Core Skill of the first Main Character. It''s also the strongest Main Character ability to date. And, the Systems are activating it through his corpse."


    "Main Character''s Core Skill¡­" Compass Carburettor sighed. He was still level 0, so that wasn''t possible. Only when he reaches level 1 would he awaken to his exclusive Main Character Core Skill.


    "But, I can''t do it on my own. As the Main Character, I need your help to seed in this." Rhizen said, "And, as long as I siphon your Main Character''s luck into the Restriction Order from time to time, it''ll be possible to steal it eventually."


    "I see," Compass Carburettor nodded, "The Restriction Order would indeed prevent the Systems from entering your world. But, what''s your n following that?"


    "I hate apocalypses." Rhizen stated with a fierce stare, "Any scenario that forces people to bring out the worst in humanity, I''ll eradicate it."


    "I have the Human Divine Martial Spirit. It has already pledged to follow me back to my world once I epted the conditions posed by the Divine Martial Spirits." Rhizen said, "And, thanks to all the memories of the Coincidental Luck System and the memories of the original timeline in statis, I have an idea of the power system to use and continue with my n."


    "Just like you, Compass, I''ll create a Society of my own." Rhizen said, "And, the goal of this Society would be to save all the worlds suffering from an apocalypse. I''ll name it the¡­"


    "Post-Apocalyptic Dispatch Society."


    ---------------------


    Author Notes: [Post-Apocalyptic Dispatch Society] Would be released next week. It''ll follow Rhizen''s journey through the Apocalyptic Worlds and save them. Of course, both the novels would run at the same timeline.


    If you have liked Rhizen as a character in Volume 2, you''lle to enjoy this story even more as the two characters would join hands in both the novels from time to time after this.


    I have been nning extensively for this, so do look forward to it.


    ---------------------

 Chapter 467 Characteristics of the Main Character Luck

    <h4>Chapter 467 Characteristics of the Main Character Luck</h4>


    "By the way, Compass." Rhizen spoke in the end, "Can you send me your memory regarding the abilities you gained in my world. I''ll try to synthesise the same once I return."


    "Sure," Compass Carburettor nodded, transferring the relevant memory into Rhizen''s mind, causing his eyes to light up in surprise as he digested all the information.


    "Amazing!" Rhizen said in surprise, "As expected of the Main Character. You sure have an interesting arsenal of abilities."


    "Hmm, if you consume a part of my innate luck, you should be capable of the same." Compass Carburettor said.


    "Whoa!" Rhizen waved his hands, suddenly stepping back a little, "That would be terrifyingly stupid of me."


    "Stupid?" Compass Carburettor raised an eyebrow at the im.


    "What do you think is the characteristic of the Main Character''s innate luck?" Rhizen asked.


    "Hmm¡­" Compass Carburettor tilted his head, not having a clear picture.


    "Absolute opportunity amidst absolute adversity." Rhizen stated solemnly, "That''s the characteristic of the Main Character''s innate luck."


    "And, only the Main Character is capable of shouldering that burden." Rhizen continued to exin further, "Theoretically, I can consume your luck and gain some advantages, but there''s too much risk involved."


    "Basically." He massaged his forehead, stating, "I want nothing to do with your innate luck. That''s too troublesome for me to handle. Besides,"


    He said in confidence, "I can harness the power of luck. And by fighting against the Luck based Systems, I''ll gain knowledge regarding all the established forms of Luck too while also stealing the same for my disposal. That''s more than enough for me. Do note that there was also Protagonist Luck in Chenger."


    "Protagonist Luck?" Compass Carburettor was surprised, "Is that simr to my luck?"


    "Hmm, not exactly. There are minor differences." Rhizen thought for a couple of minutes before saying, "I can''t state any clear differences, but the best example is the difference between you and that Ranze guy. The Luck that he possesses can be considered the Protagonist Luck."


    "If you want a more urate view, you can consider it like this." Rhizen raised a finger, pointing at him, "Your Main Character Luck is geared towards annihting the Systems. That''s the primary difference. That is why the abilities you gain are all perfect for killing Systems. But that''s not the case for Ranze. He can only be overpowered in this world."


    "I see, that makes sense." Compass Carburettor nodded before asking, "What will you be doing now? Would you like to move with me?"


    "No, I''ll pass on that." Rhizen waved his hand, beginning to walk away, "We''ll only end up hindering each other by working together. I''ll be moving separately for a while as I hunt the System Hosts moving alone."


    "When you''re able to interact with the chains sealing your abilities, contact me." Rhizen said, "As for the method, just wriggle your innate luck. It''s unique and enormous, so I can sense it even while I''m not in the Gaider Realm."


    "Alright, I should be able to do that." Compass Carburettor nodded, watching Rhizen summon a bird that carried him away.


    Since he possessed the Human Divine Martial Spirit, at the Martial Origin Stage, he was able to summon a variety of Human Martial Spirits for his use.


    Compass Carburettor was unaware as to how many forms Rhizen was able to use, but they should be in the three digits at the very least. After all, Rhizen was in the Gaider Realm for as long as himself.


    And considering his luck, he should have stumbled upon arge variety of Human Martial Spirit cultivators whose Martial Spirits he consumed.


    Even until now, Rhizen didn''t state what material he had fused with. One of them was the Mental Energy Sphere he obtained from Compass Carburettor. As for the second one, he didn''t mention it.


    "Are you alright?" Compass Carburettor asked upon seeing Grisha deep in thought.


    "Yeah, I''m just hoping that Rhizen seeds." Grisha said, "That way, my mother will survive from the next loop onwards. She''s just¡­unfit to survive in an apocalypse you see¡­"


    "She''ll be fine." Compass Carburettor gently hugged her, patting the back of her head, "With all of us working together, we''ll definitely save your world."


    "Thank you." Grisha smiled, tearing up a little as she wiped her tears, her mood brightening up immediately in response, "I look forward to the day this would be a reality."


    "Who¡­was he?" Ranze approached upon seeing Rhizen leave, recalling the scene of him killing the terrifying Warktor in a matter of seconds, trembling in response, unable to fathom Rhizen''s true strength.


    This was inconceivable since Rhizen was at the same cultivation base as him¡ªFirst Layer of the Martial Origin Stage.


    "A colleague from my world." Grisha replied, stating after a moment of thought, "You can consider him the protagonist of my world. He''s incredibly terrifying."


    "Yeah, I noticed that too." Ranze nodded, sighing in response, feeling a bit dejected.


    For the past three years, ever since he learnt of the truth from Compass Carburettor, he had been training his strength endlessly, hoping to be on par with the enemies he would face in the future.


    But, his first fight with Chenger went horribly. If not for Grisha, he would have been killed by her a couple of times at least.


    For the second time, he fought against Warktor. And this only resulted in a humiliating defeat. Moreover, he also had Xuer and Bunu''s help, but still failed in the end.


    If Rhizen hadn''t arrived, all three of them would have died.


    So, he was pretty sullen.


    "It happens." Compass Carburettor consoled him, "Chenger is one of the strongest among the enemies. She''s Host to the Destiny Luck System and is an incredible fighter. Even for me, it would have taken many hours of nonstop battle to gradually wear her down."


    "As for Sir Warktor, he''s a peerless expert from my world." Grisha said, "And, he remembers everything he had experienced. And this experience is worth a millennium in my world. Honestly, the fact that yousted that long against him itself is praiseworthy. Even if he''s an enemy, he must have taught you things, right?"


    "Yes¡­" Ranze nodded, recalling his exchange with Warktor, "He said I was stronger than him butcked experience."


    "He said that?" Grisha was surprised before smiling, "Then why are you depressed? You''ve been acknowledged by the top expert of my world. So, you only need to be in more battles in the future before you''re able to kill a System Host on your own."


    "Are all the System Hosts as terrifying as him?" Ranze asked.

 Chapter 468 Leaving the Folkan Secret Realm

    <h4>Chapter 468 Leaving the Folkan Secret Realm</h4>


    "Are all the System Hosts as terrifying as him?"


    "Nope," Grisha shook her head, "Most of them would be on Velcorn''s level. Troublesome, but still aren''t invincible."


    "I think there''s only Straxia and Dwun that we need to look out for among the remaining enemies," Grisha said, gazing at Compass Carburettor, seeing him shake his head in response.


    "We can''t be careless." He said, "There''s a chance of there being hidden experts being in your world that they have discovered. Unless you''ve interacted with every expert from your world, you cannot rule out the possibility."


    "You''re right." Grisha nodded, "I was a bit short-sighted."


    "But, you''re also right in saying that Dwun and Straxia would prove the most troublesome." Compass Carburettor nodded, "Especially Straxia. She has been hyped up by even the Systems. And based on the data I obtained by spying on her, she''s indeed terrifying."


    Straxia was like a mixture of Compass Carburettor in terms of scheming, Rhizen in terms of foresight and luck, Chenger in terms of fighting prowess, Warktor in terms of leadership, and Shyvern in terms of manipting the character of people.


    She was a hotspot of many terrifying traits of humans, both good and bad. But that alone wouldn''t make her this terrifying. The reason she was terrifying was due to just a simple factor.


    Curiosity!


    Straxia had a curious nature. She was curious about everything and observed things with an unbiased outlook. And this unbiased outlook allowed her to arrive at the truth the fastest.


    Moreover, the concept of being bored didn''t exist in her dictionary. She always found something interesting even in the most mundane of tasks. And that wasn''t all, her interest in any subject never waned, no matter how long she was engaged with it.


    This was why she was perfect for every System.


    An unbiased curiosity and a rate of interest that never faded or even diminished. Meaning, a System would obtain the maximum Mental Energy from her from day 1. There was no need to cultivate her as they did for the other System Hosts through Quests.


    Straxia was curious and had the intelligence to fuel her curiosity.


    And, she chose tond in a different Realm in the cultivation world. This was to first gather data regarding Compass Carburettor and then prepare a sure-fire method to kill him.


    "Honestly, if both Chenger and Straxia hade at me at the same time, I would have died." Compass Carburettor muttered.


    "Maybe." Grisha said, "Maybe not. If they had a guarantee, all the Luck System Hosts would have ganged up on you from the get-go."


    "But, there''s one reason for this right?" She spoke.


    "Yeah." Compass Carburettor nodded.


    The reason was simple¡ªStrength!


    Velcorn, while at the Origin Refinement Stage was able to survive a chase for two days where hundreds of experts and even two powerhouses chased after him. He managed to kill five experts in this situation and injure countless others.


    Even the two powerhouses sustained injuries as a result of his actions.


    When he was capable of creating so much chaos while at the Origin Refinement Stage, what would he be capable of when he reached the peak of the Martial Providence Stage?


    None of the powerhouses would be able to stop him. Anyone that hindered his path would be ughtered.


    This resulted in a simple status quo: The variables in the form of cultivators would be reduced to zero. None of the cultivators would be able to hinder the System Hosts once they reach peak cultivation.


    So, Straxia''s n was simple. Once she reached the peak, Compass Carburettor would have no other choice but to face her personally to kill her. Otherwise, she couldn''t be killed. No schemes or third party power would be effective against her.


    And this would be true for all the System Hosts. So, their guarantee of killing him at that stage would be the highest than if they attempted to kill him at the start where the cultivators remained a variable.


    Thanks to his innate luck, he would survive due to some lucky encounters.


    Just as how he cornered his enemies before finishing them off, the Systems too nned to do the same.


    Besides, in the uing race against time, some System Hosts would act as sacrificial pawns, sent to hinder his growth as much as possible.


    In the meantime, the remaining System Hosts would try their utmost to reach the peak as soon as possible before invading the Gaider Realm en masse with the armies they have raised.


    "Our time''s almost up here." Compass Carburettor said, "Let''s exit the Realm before it sends us out forcefully."


    He nned to do this just in case there appeared a problem while sending him out of the Secret Realm. If he was either stuck here for some unforeseen reason or sent to some other foreign location, things would turn gritty.


    Even though usually, being sent to a mysterious location from a Secret Realm was the bread and butter of Main Characters, such an action here would result in his death.


    Compass Carburettor nned to tighten his web in the Gaider Realm and create a fortress. After all, it was the System Hosts that were in a hurry to kill him before the Apocalypse World loops.


    So, ying defensively was the smartest option here.


    "Before we leave, let''s ransack the rest of the resources here." He said, "They''ll prove useful to raise our armies."


    He then summoned the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor, harvesting the fusion material from all the Dolbas on the ind. Of course, he didn''t kill them, for that would cripple part of what made the Folkan Secret Realm so special.


    As long as the Dolbas continue to eat, they would regrow another fusion material soon enough. After all, they would be unharmed for another century following this.


    After that, they made a speedy exit as Compass Carburettor stopped at the Imperial Treasury along the way, stealing all the remaining puppets.


    He stored them in Grisha''s and Ranze''s storage bracelets.


    After that, he entered the Essence Derby Pce, capturing all the Sparks using the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor.


    Content with all the arrangement, Compass Carburettor arrived at the Temperate Refinement Zone, stopping for a moment here.

 Chapter 469 Conversation with the Strongest Powerhouse

    <h4>Chapter 469 Conversation with the Strongest Powerhouse</h4>


    "Sorry, buddy¡­" Compass Carburettor said, patting the w Wolf''s head, activating one of his abilities.


    Origin Arts¡ªMind Transfer!


    The w Wolf''s mind was sent to the Mind Frog''s stomach where it formed a cluster, taking shape to resemble a w Wolf once again.


    Origin Art¡ªMental Creation!


    Compass Carburettor created a copy of his mind, nting it in the w Wolf''s mind, giving it one instruction, "Train and live a long life."


    The reason he was doing this was simple. This ce allowed one to be in a state of enlightenment for as long as they trained here.


    So, if he nted a copy of his mind in the w Wolf and ced it here, imagine the extent of what it would create, the ideas it would generate, etc.


    All of them would prove to be of tremendous help once Compass Carburettor enters the Secret Realm after a century.


    The w Wolf was special in that it had a Blood Vitality Grass growing in its stomach, causing its body to grow strong over time. But that wasn''t all, its Origin Essence had the Blood Vitality attribute, making its body even stronger.


    So, in the Temperate Refinement Zone, it would be the strongest, unmatched. And thanks to the mentality of the w Wolves to travel in packs, this entire zone would be the territory of the w Wolves.


    With their hegemony, his w Wolf that acted as their leader would be able to train nonstop.


    And just in case, for safety reasons, Compass Carburettor left the Gold and Silver Golems with the w Wolf, nting amand in them to protect the w Wolf. This way, the w Wolf would never be hindered. After all, both of them were equivalent to a Martial Providence Stage powerhouse.


    He spent an hour capturing around a hundred w Wolves before dropping them at the Temperate Refinement Zone.


    His w Wolf was at the Sixth Layer of the Martial Origin Stage. So, all the w Wolves epted it as their leader. That was enough. They would take care of the rest and slowly bring in more and more w Wolves to follow it.


    And just to create a living environment for them, the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor created massive pearl structures that protected the w Wolves from the desert environment.


    These pearl structures pretty much encircled the core of the Temperate Refinement Zone, created in a way that perfectly suited the nature of the w Wolves, giving them dominance.


    And within the structures, he terraformed a little bit, causingrge forests to grow there, also cing a lot of herbivore Origin Beasts that multiplied inrge numbers rapidly.


    This way, the w Wolves would be able to live and adapt here properly. He also nted a Blood Vitality Grass in the bodies of all the w Wolves, nting a Sleeper Cell seed in them all.


    But, the only instruction left in it told them to make a newborn swallow the Blood Vitality Grass of an old w Wolf that had died. This way, the Blood Vitality Grasses would all remain safe and continue to grow while also strengthening their bodies one generation after another.


    That wasn''t all. He also went ahead and created a statue of Hazen¡ªHarbinger of Serenity¡ªthere, making all the w Wolves pray to it daily while being enlightened in the Temperate Refinement Zone.


    Once he was done with all that, he met up with Grisha and the rest, exiting the Folkan Secret Realm an hour before it closed on its own.


    He saw countless tents sprawled all around on the cliffs that surrounded them. The powerhouses there were pretty excited because the cultivators that had entered the Folkan Secret Realm were exiting it one after another.


    And of course, news regarding the Evil Spirits and their actions was conveyed to everyone.


    "Bunu!" Suddenly, the zing Sun n Leader turned into a firebird and arrived before Bunu the moment she exited the Secret Realm, "How did it go?"


    "Grandpa¡­" Bunu gritted her teeth, stating with a sullen tone, "Please train me to be stronger."


    "What¡­happened?" He frowned, gazing at the nearby Xuer upon seeing his granddaughter not speaking further.


    "We went against an Evil Spirit but were soundly defeated." Xuer said with a sullen expression, "If not for a certain someone, we would have all died there. I was physically crippled there while Bunu had her wrists cut."


    The temperature around them rapidly spiked at her words as Xuer could feel the zing Sun n Leader''s fury.


    "Let''s talk somewhere private." Grisha interjected, stating coldly, "It''s for the best to prevent information regarding him from leaking out."


    "Who are you?" The zing Sun n Leader asked, frowning upon seeing that Grisha didn''t even flinch before him, thinking, ''Exceptional mental strength! Who is she?''


    "I''m Lan, the Mysterious Sect Master." Grisha introduced herself, "It''s a pleasure to meet you, n Leader."


    "Let''s go in and talk." The zing Sun n Leader controlled himself from probing further as he pointed at hisrge tent, motioning for everyone to head there first.


    "It''s fine. This is a necessary step in the process." Compass Carburettor said when Grisha looked at him. If necessary, she was ready to teleport him out of this ce.


    Under the eyes of many powerhouses, Ranze, Xuer, Grisha, and Compass Carburettor were escorted to the zing Sun n''s tent.


    "Tell me more." He took a seat, asking immediately after.


    Even though he looked at her, motioning for her to speak, Grisha simply stared at Bunu. It was better for him to hear a recount of everything from the perspective of the granddaughter that he had trained.


    It would be faster for him to get an urate estimate of things since he would have the same scale of discernment as Bunu.


    "After I had a friendly match against Xuer, we heard that the World Decaying Evil Spirit, Velcorn was nearby and went to target him. That''s where I chanced upon B and¡­" Bunu slowly gave a recount of everything that happened.


    The zing Sun n Leader listened to everything she had to say with patience, not interrupting even once, knowing very well that it was pretty hard for her to convey everything. And slowly, as he heard the details regarding her battle with Warktor, he fumed in anger.

 Chapter 470 Academy of Elites

    <h4>Chapter 470 Academy of Elites</h4>


    "So, the five Evil Spirits that entered the Folkan Secret Realm are¡­dead?" The zing Sun n Leader spoke in the end, gazing at Compass Carburettor, "Doctor Hazen, was it?"


    "Yes, n Leader." Compass Carburettor nodded.


    "You killed one of them on your own?" The zing Sun n Leader asked next.


    "Yes," Compass Carburettor nodded, snapping his finger to summon the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor that had activated the Mental Energy Body Layer.


    Seeing the jet-ck figure, the zing Sun n Leader frowned, feeling that it was familiar before recalling a certain recounting of an incident by Old Zen, "Lord Gahrat?"


    "Yes, he''s my father." Compass Carburettor nodded, slowly removing his deer mask to reveal a familiar face that looked like a younger version of Gahrat that had been circted through the scrolls.


    "What''s that then?" The zing Sun n Leader frowned, pointing at the jet-ck figure.


    "I can summon him for a short duration. That''s my power." Compass Carburettor spoke like every single letter that he uttered was the truth, and only the truth. The reality was otherwise though.


    "What''s your Martial Spirit?" The zing Sun n Leader asked next.


    "My dad''s my Martial Spirit." Compass Carburettor said, "This is something that''s passed in my family line. We inherit our dead ancestors as our Martial Spirits. I awakened after my father''s death, so I obtained him as my Martial Spirit."


    The jet-ck figure then snapped its finger, disintegrating part of the table, disying the signature ability that was in the pearl tower which circted the details regarding the Evil Spirits.


    Of course, the zing Sun n Leader had gone there to personally verify the truth himself, sacrificing a finger just to test the power imbued in the walls there. A small fraction of the area had been left untouched, especially for him to verify.


    He then regained the lost finger through the healer of his n. But thanks to that incident, he was aware of the power, recognising the same while observing part of the table vanish mysteriously, nodding in response, "So, it''s the same power."


    "Yes, this is my father''s signature ability." Compass Carburettor nodded.


    "Will you be fighting against the Evil Spirits next?" The zing Sun n Leader asked, taking a focused nce on Compass Carburettor to judge his character based on his facial expression.


    "Yes, this is my n''s mission that has been carried on for thousands of years." Compass Carburettor said with a hardened gaze, expressing his will, "And I will continue to do the same. My bloodline wouldn''t rest in peace until the Evil Spirits are eradicated. And simrly, the Evil Spirits would do everything in their power to annihte me."


    The zing Sun n Leader then looked at Grisha, saying, "You share a resemnce to Grisha, Sect Master Lan."


    "She''s my older sister." Grisha said inly, continuing forth in detail, "When Lord Gahrat arrived at the Gaider Realm in search for young master Hazen, he sent me away on a mission. That''s why I survived when the tragedy struck."


    She gritted her teeth, expressing her anger, "I found young master Hazen right as I heard the news. Thankfully, he inherited all the rted information through his bloodline that activated upon his father''s death and took up his n''s sacred mission."


    "There was one more guy that you mentioned." The zing Sun n Leader looked at Xuer, "He was the one that killed Warktor and Chenger? Who exactly was he?"


    Xuer and Ranze gazed at Grisha instinctively, for they weren''t aware of what lie Compass Carburettor had concocted for this.


    Grisha smiled, stating inly, "He''s from my n. His goal too is to get rid of the Evil Spirits. But, the Evil Spirits are under the false assumption that he''s already dead. So, I hope you won''t convey this bit of detail to anyone else. Just say that young master Hazen killed the two of them."


    "Hmm¡­" The zing Sun n Leader frowned in thought, processing all the information that he heard, recalling the scene when he noticed Velcorn being chased by a group of cultivators.


    Upon recognising that he was the World Decaying Evil Spirit, he had taken action. But surprisingly, Velcorn managed to enter the Folkan Secret Realm right on time, evading the attack.


    And that made a strong expression on this powerhouse that had lived for more than a century. After remaining in thought for a few minutes, he looked at Compass Carburettor, asking, "Hazen, since you are the expert on Evil Spirits, what do you propose their next n would be?"


    "Around three to four Evil Spirits would take action next." Compass Carburettor said, "They wouldn''t try to kill me, but would do everything in their power to stop all our preparations against the Evil Spirits."


    "And after a few years, the Evil Spirits would invade the Gaider Realm with massive armies that they had raised in the other Realms." He continued, "Honestly, if we don''t make enough preparations, we would be wiped out."


    "I have two suggestions to make regarding that. And with your help, n Leader, this would be a reality."


    "Go ahead." The zing Sun n Leader nodded.


    "First is to increase the number of cultivators." Compass Carburettor said, "That way, we''ll have enough experts to defend the Realm."


    "Hmm, that means we''ll have to increase the mining of Essence Stones. But, there might be a shortage if the number of cultivators increases sharply." The zing Sun n Leader muttered in response. After all, the Gaider Realm wasn''t like the Folkan Secret Realm.


    There was no Origin Essence in the air. All the Essence Stones had to be mined, and there was a limited supply. If they mined too much in a short time, there was a good chance they might cripple the mine itself, causing the production of Essence Stones to plummet sharply.


    So, the number of cultivators couldn''t be increased by too much. After muttering for a minute, he asked, "What''s the second suggestion?"


    "I''ll create forts everywhere using my Martial Spirit''s power. All of them would be created using the same material as the tower that sealed the Evil Spirits. So, they would be sturdy. In response, I hope to be given arge piece ofnd where I can train all the talents of our Realm." Compass Carburettor said, "I hope to be given permission to create an Academy of Elites."

 Chapter 471 I’m Gallo! Call me Gallo!

    <h4>Chapter 471 I¡¯m Gallo! Call me Gallo!</h4>


    "Hiekk!" A woman shrieked in fear as she pulled her legs backward. She was tied to a pir, unable to escape. With her Origin Essence exhausted, she truly didn''t have any other means for survival.


    The reason for her state of fear was the youth sprawled on the ground before her, with his forehead bleeding after hitting the ground. He seemed dead, unmoving. But, the woman was afraid, for the same thing had happened many times already.


    "Bastard! Get away from our n Leader!" A man bellowed as he transformed into a raging tiger, leaping onto the sprawled youth.


    Drrr!


    Suddenly, the buttocks of the youth trembled faintly before unleashing a terrifying fart.


    "Goddamn¡­!" The tiger groaned as it frothed in its mouth, mming into the wall after missing its target.


    "Kill him!" An expert shouted upon seeing their Elder being put out ofmission so easily, summoning his fierce tiger that attacked the youth.


    Simrly, the other experts brought out a variety of animals, attacking the youth.


    "Please! I''m not an enemy!" The youth suddenly seemed alive, bellowing as he stood up before slipping in response, nting his face in the ground. But surprisingly, two animals had aimed at his head right at this time, missing thanks to his fall as the two crashed into each other.


    "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" The youth squealed in pain, rubbing his bleeding nose as he tried to get up due to the sounds of the animals rushing at him but slipped once again due to his hand skidding on the blood that had dripped on the floor.


    His body skidded on the floor when it was kicked by an elephant that trampled the floor in its wake. One of his legs was crushed as a result of its stomp as the youth cried out in pain.


    But immediately after, he got up like he hadn''t been injured, leaping onto a goat as he shouted, "I''m not an enemy! I just came here to request your n for something."


    "You''ve knocked out one of our Elders and tied up another. Do you dare think we would allow you to live after all this?" One of the experts shouted as the rhinoceros he summoned charged toward the youth.


    "Nooo! Listen to meeeee!" The youth screamed before slumping to the ground, wailing as he iled his limbs.


    The rhinoceros, upon seeing his antics, surprisingly began tough. It fell to the ground to cackle inughter, sliding on the floor due to the momentum of its charge as it mmed into a group of animals, injuring each other.


    "I''m just a meremoner that came here for a request! Hear me out!" The youth shouted as he got up and rushed towards the woman that had been tied up, tumbling three times along the way before hetched onto her thighs, crying as he spoke, "Kind aunty, just hear me out, will you?"


    "I''m not an enemy."


    "Fine, what do you need?" Thedy trembled in response when the youthtched onto her thigh, barely controlling herself as she asked, motioning for the rest to stand in ce.


    She was a Martial Providence Stage powerhouse, n Leader of the Simpleton n. In the morning, she had just gotten up from bed to see this youth sporting a grin while kneeling on the floor, resting his head on her bed.


    In her panic, she had attacked him, surprised when she somehow missed her target. In her anger, she attacked him nonstop. But, for some reason, his facial expressions and bodynguage triggered her, distracting her while she hurled her attacks, causing all of them to miss.


    But during one of her attacks, she was riled up too much, causing a faulty activation of her Origin Art, suffering from a bacsh immediately that caused all her stored Origin Essence to leak out of her body, turning her helpless.


    But, she was the Simpleton n Leader. So, no way would she give up just because she expended all her Origin Essence due to a faulty Origin Art activation. So, she engaged him in hand-to-handbat.


    But as a result of the cat and mouse chase that happened in her bedroom after that, she somehow found herself tied up to the pir when she came to her senses. And frustratingly, it was she herself whose actions resulted in her being tied up like this.


    All this time, the youth hadn''t attacked her even once. But for some reason, all the injuries he sustained would be healed within the next second, the reason hested this long.


    There was an eerie sensation surrounding him that the Simpleton n Leader shuddered upon sensing while fighting against him. Even after so many of her nsmen attacked him, he was perfectly fine, having healed all the injuries that he sustained almost instantly.


    And since he hadn''t retaliated even once, she hoped he truly wasn''t their enemy as he proimed constantly, asking for his intentions.


    "Please call me by my name." The youth said, smiling widely, "I''m Gallo."


    "Gallo¡­" The Simpleton n Leader uttered, noticing the youth shiver happily in response, looking like he had an orgasm as a result.


    "Again!" He said, "Call my name again."


    "Gallo¡­"


    "Again!" His face reddened as he shouted in excitement.


    The Simpleton n Leader frowned, asking, "What is your request?"


    "Please tell everyone in your n to call me by my name. That''s my request!" The youth, Gallo said happily, "As long as everyone chants my name for a day, my request is fulfilled."


    "This bastard is freaking mad!" The Elder that had transformed into a tiger regained consciousness, shouting in anger, "Are you looking down on my n?"


    "No!" Gallo waved his hands in a hurry, "I only have this one request. Please fulfil it. I''ll be grateful if you do it."


    "Screw you!" The tiger bellowed before charging at him with resounding momentum, biting his head off. Or at least, that had been its intention.


    But when it had leaped onto him, Gallo''s legs shivered as he soiled his pants, copsing to the ground in fear. And it seemed one of the experts had unleashed a fire-based attack, resulting in vaporising the urine, causing the smell to waft into the tiger''s nose, causing it to faint, "Fuck! Are you even human?"


    "That stinks worse than rotting corpses."

 Chapter 472 I Alone Am Enough

    <h4>Chapter 472 I Alone Am Enough</h4>


    [System: 1]


    Compass Carburettor frowned upon sensing the target, looking around at the powerhouses hailing from all ns seated before him. They were all invited by the zing Sun n for a round of discussion regarding the Academy he had proposed to set up.


    He thought, ''So, one of them arrived at the Gaider Realm already.''


    Unfortunately for him, he wasn''t able to sense the position of the opponent. After all, Info Scanner''s range was only ten kilometres to obtain any detail. This was its limit when it was at Level 10. And since he was only summoning that ability from his memory, the limit was the same.


    ¡­


    "I just wanted you to call my name! Why is that a problem?" Gallo said, shedding tears.


    "Can you shut up for a second?" The Elder that had turned into a tiger before snapped in anger. Currently, he was in human form, having expended all Origin Essence.


    He wasn''t alone, for every single expert that tried to attack Gallo ended up in the same situation. And now, all of them found themselves wound up into a ball of yarn thanks to the whip Martial Spirit of one of the experts.


    As for the expert that had summoned the whip and had lengthened it to such an extent for some reason, he was currently unconscious. So, until he regained consciousness, the fate of them all was to remain bounded.


    It felt surreal that such a thing could happen in the first ce. After all, they were all bound to it, unable to free their hands. So, they couldn''t loosen themselves even if they wished.


    "Say my name please!" Gallo began to beg, "This is the best time to fulfil my wish."


    "Will you die if your wish is fulfilled?" The Elder snapped back in anger.


    "Happily!" Gallo smiled like he had heard the happiest statement of his life.


    "Retard." The Elder snorted, turning silent. He then red at one of the experts, "Where''re the disciples or the servants? Howe none of them arrived even after such a bigmotion happened?"


    "Elder, they are all working in the fields. It''s an important asion, so we''ve dispatched everyone there. Since Elder and n Leader were here, including us, we felt that it would be faster to send the servants to help the disciples.


    "Dammit, when would they return?" The Elder snapped back.


    "Only in the evening." The expert sighed.


    "¡­" There was a collective sigh following that as everyone turned silent, except for a certain someone.


    "Please¡­"


    ¡­


    "What will be the goal of this Academy of yours, Hazen?" The Green Centipede n Leader asked, "And, who will be in charge of it?"


    "The goal is to train the experts to fight against the Evil Spirits. I''ll be training them in all sorts of possibilities to ensure they don''t die like weeds before an Evil Spirit." Compass Carburettor said, pointing at himself to state with confidence, "And obviously, I''ll be in charge of the Academy."


    "Do you have the strength to defend it?" The Green Centipede n Leader snorted in displeasure, "Any casual powerhouse can trample on your Academy. Obviously, you''ll need our Elders to defend it."


    "That wouldn''t be necessary." Compass Carburettor slowly got up as he looked at the zing Sun n Leader, asking, "Can I show something outside?"


    "With pleasure." The zing Sun n Leader let out a subtle smile, feeling a tad excited upon seeing Compass Carburettor''s steady gaze. Unlike the others, he was the only one that had seen Compass Carburettor bring out the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor.


    It meant that he had more than enough strength to protect himself and destroy his opponent.


    Upon seeing the zing Sun n Leader give his approval, everyone else could only nod in response, moving out of the tent as they spread out in the open, gazing at the figure of Compass Carburettor casually walking further and further away.


    Slowly, once he was a couple dozen metres away from them, Compass Carburettor smiled, waving his hand as he brought out the Heaven Grade Bronze Golem.


    The moment the fifty-metre-tall golem appeared before them, everyone was shocked. But, the most shocked among them all was the zing Sun n Leader.


    Of course, how could he forget? It was his regret at the time that he was unable to take the treasure within this golem and could only retreat helplessly. The four Heaven Grade Golems proved to be too troublesome for him to handle.


    After all, they were equivalent to a Martial Providence Stage powerhouse in strength. He then gazed at its chest instinctively, frowning upon noticing a Martial Spirit inside.


    "Heaven Martial Spirit, Putrid Crocodile." Compass Carburettor announced, punching forth with his hand as the Bronze Golem mimicked his action, punching forth as it unleashed a murky mist that rapidly dposed a tree upon making contact, "Velcorn''s Martial Spirit."


    "The World Decaying Evil Spirit''s Martial Spirit? And it''s a Heaven Grade at that?" The Green Centipede n Leader muttered in shock, trembling in fear upon feeling the sheer terrifying aura emanating from it.


    "How¡­did you do this?" The zing Sun n Leader asked in shock. Just the fact of Compass Carburettor being able tomand the Bronze Golem was terrifying enough. But he went a step further and gave it the power of a Heaven Martial Spirit.


    "It''s my n''s innate speciality." Compass Carburettor smiled in response, "It''s not something others can understand."


    He then smiled, looking at the Green Centipede n Leader, "Elder, is this enough proof of my capability? I alone am enough to protect the Academy and everyone in it."


    The Green Centipede n Elder gritted his teeth, unable to say anything else. He was hoping to extend his influence by posting one of his Elders in the Academy. This way, the genius experts of the Academy would have a stronger opinion of his n.


    It was not to mention the Elder having the possibility to poach some of them that were unaffiliated. After all, anyone that joined the Academy would be an elite among the experts. So, poaching anyone would be beneficial for his n''s growth.


    Of course, what he or the other n Leaders and Sect Masters didn''t know was that Compass Carburettor had been prepared for their petty schemes since long ago, ready to ensure none of their schemes would ever take effect.

 Chapter 473 Terraforming a Mountain

    <h4>Chapter 473 Terraforming a Mountain</h4>


    200 kilometres away from Ohka City was a barren mountain where pretty much nothing grew.


    This mountain spanned a height of 6000 kilometres and was one of thergest rocky mountains in the Gaider Realm. It also served as andmark of sorts for those travelling towards Ohka City.


    And upon his request, the entire stretch of teau surrounding the mountain was allotted for the construction of the Academy.


    Lall Mountain!


    It was a historical mountain that was said to have been a massive battleground long ago. At present, it didn''t have anything of worth. Neither were there any precious materials nor anything beneficial.


    Apanying Grisha, he arrived at the location,nding at the peak of the mountain as he used the height to look around. Thankfully, it was a sunny day, allowing him a clear sight of the surroundings.


    "The Academy City would be established around the mountain. And, various facilities would be established within the mountain by creating massive caves and a transportationwork." He spoke, discussing things with Grisha based on what he hoped to aplish here.


    Even though he could just create a small academy and nt Sleeper Cell seeds in the disciples and call it a day, he didn''t want to half-ass things.


    After all, the more grandeur something was, the stronger the impression it had in the hearts of everyone. And hence, it was better to make an over-the-top academy that would be a historical location, something that would be continued even after he leaves the Gaider Realm.


    So, he gave it some serious thought. Even after he leaves this ce, Ranze would be living here. Meaning, he would continue the fight against the Systems in the future.


    Therefore, Compass Carburettor wished toy down the groundwork that the Divine Martial Spirits could use to raise warriors of their own that could resist the Systems.


    After all, if it seeds, it would put a dent in the expansion of the System World, at least in this cultivation world.


    Whether or not it would prove as effective as he assumed was still to be tested. But, since he had the opportunity and support, he might as well do it.


    He summoned the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor, beginning to take action, "I feel like I''m exploiting myself."


    Apocalypse World Ability¡ªDust Wave!


    The Dust Wave prated the mountain, instantly creating awork of caves, drilling through the entire mountain. As the rock was ground to dust thanks to the Dust Wave, Compass Carburettor created a Reality Marble by summoning a weak Compass Carburettor.


    This weak version of himself existed solely to maintain the Reality Marble that was pretty much a dump for all the dust that resulted from the drilling. This way, it was easy to carry around all the waste.


    Transcendent Ability¡ªMecha!


    A small Spydragon flew through the tunnels, opening its mouth as it unleashed a powerful suction force. It was like a vacuum cleaner, sucking up all the dust before unleashing filtered air from its tail end.


    The Reality Marble was shrunk and fitted in its body where all the dust that was filtered out was stored. The Spydragon flew through the tunnels, quickly cleaning up all the tunnels of the dust that had been created.


    It took a few hours before the Spydragon vanished.


    The weak Compass Carburettor arrived at the bottom of the mountain, breaking the Reality Marble to spill out all the dust, creating a massive hill. But, the dust didn''t fly away, for it had been solidified with the help of water within the Reality Marble itself.


    Compass Carburettor then used the Apocalypse Pearl energy de, creating massive structures within the mountain, forming pirs everywhere to raise the structural integrity of the ce.


    That wasn''t all, there were also all sorts of transportation systems installed in ce, operated by the golems that he had brought with him. All the Earth Grade Golems were left in charge of this.


    They had arge reservoir of Origin Essence in them, fuelling their working. And, as long as they were recharged asionally, they would continue working without issues.


    Compass Carburettor obtained dozens of spatial bags full of Essence Stones, gifts from various ns and Sects, for that was all he requested to build the academy.


    And of course, the heads of various organisations had congregated far away from the mountain, shocked as they watched the massive operations he conducted on his own.


    "n Leader¡­" The Green Centipede n Leader asked nervously, "How¡­is he able to do all this?"


    "Oh, he didn''t tell you about his Martial Spirit, did he?" The zing Sun n Leader smiled, "Lord Gahrat is his Martial Spirit. That means, all the powers that Lord Gahrat possessed are now owned by Hazen."


    Gulp!


    Upon his words, the various leaders gulped in nervousness, curbing their prior thoughts.


    "Only a monster can fight against the Evil Spirits."


    This was the thought that resounded in all their heads, watching the mountain getting terraformed in real-time.


    Within a couple of days, Compass Carburettor finished installing hundreds of chambers within the mountain itself, only essible through select entrances that were all heavily guarded.


    The doors were each at least five metres thick, something that had to be opened by thebined efforts of at least a dozen experts at the peak of the Martial Origin Stage.


    Through the centre of the mountain ran a massive shaft, like a taproot as tiny paths branched out of it in many directions. This was the ce that was reinforced the highest, with the strongest of his energy de versions, coated by the Apocalypse Pearl to make it resemble the rest of the setup.


    Here, countless mechanical lifts ran up and done, all maintained by the group of golems stationed on various floors.


    Compass Carburettor then arrived at the bottom-most location of the mountain''s inside, at a level that was on par with the ground. But, here was where he created a secret hideout, of course, for raising Origin Beasts whose very purpose was to fight Systems.


    And for that, he had an interesting Origin Beast race to use.

 Chapter 474 An Elaborate Plan for the Future

    <h4>Chapter 474 An borate n for the Future</h4>


    Kriek!


    Chirpy screeches resounded throughout the sprawling dome as Grisha teleported to the ce with a group of baby Origin Beasts that she of course had stolen. The baby Origin Beastsnded on the ground, skipping as they looked around, huddling into a group as they looked at him, alert.


    They possessed high intelligence, a rare Origin Beast race that was terribly low in numbers.


    Double-Faced Monkey!


    It was a race of Origin Beasts found in the Misty Gorge Ruins and only there. Once, the majority of the Misty Gorge Ruins was ruled by them. But over time, their numbers dwindled.


    The reason was simple: Their cultural habit.


    The Double-Faced Monkeys shared a certain custom that asked them to fight and kill four of their own upon reaching adulthood. It was proimed that such an action would strengthen them.


    To be frank, it indeed did, making the adults terrifying. But, that also quickly caused their poption to dwindle over time.


    And if left alone, they would soon be extinct, as in the case faced by countless Origin Beasts for a variety of reasons. New races indeed emerged from time to time, but that also caused the old races that failed to adapt to go extinct.


    The Double-Faced Monkey was one such race. But, there was one reason he preferred them. He remembered their characteristic when he noticed them before while trailing after Ranze.


    And now that he had a n, he used them. Grisha directly went there and stole all their newborns, creating a ruckus in their territory. But since they would go extinct if left to their own devices, Compass Carburettor shamelessly stole all their young and also nned to do the same for the future young that they would produce.


    There were around a thousand newborn Double-Faced Monkeys within the dome as Compass Carburettor did the first task of nting Sleeper Cell seeds in them all, bringing them under control first.


    He gave them a set of instructions, first abolishing their ceremony. This way, they wouldn''t cripple their poption upon reaching adulthood every time.


    The adults spanned a height of three metres and reached a weight of 200 kilograms. They hadrge dear-like ears, had exceptional hearing, not to mention their three pairs of eyes, with each capable of seeing in different spectrums, giving them dynamic sight that worked in practically all conditions.


    Large lightning stripes¡ªorange in colour¡ªcovered their creamy coloured fur, giving them an agile feeling. They had two pairs of arms and exceptional intelligence. They had a face at the front and back of their head, leading to their name as the Double-Faced Monkeys.


    The reason Compass Carburettor chose them was thanks to their exceptional trait, which was to gain an Origin Essence attribute based on what they consumed. This was somewhat simr to a Dolba, but the difference arose from the fact that their attribute constantly changed based on their eating habits.


    If suppose they ate food with the water attribute, they would obtain the same. But if they start to consume wood attributed food, then their Origin Essence would slowly change, turning into a water attribute that had a beneficial effect on nts.


    This nature of their Origin Essence to evolve was why their adults were strong. After all, by devouring four adults, their Origin Essence would rapidly evolve, causing them to be stronger.


    Grisha teleported into the dome again, this time bringing a spatial pouch with her that she threw at him.


    Before he started with the mountain''s terraforming, Compass Carburettor had sent an Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor with Grisha to a nearby forest where he summoned Golda.


    Golda had been eating and shitting a specialised poop for the past few hours. After some time passed, the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor stored them in a spatial bag, giving it to her that she brought back.


    Compass Carburettor poured the poop into a massive pit that he had created on one corner, filling it with mud and Essence Stones.


    He threw in the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass that was created from Chenger''s and Warktor''s corpses, causing it to take root deep within the ce.


    After that, he continued to fill up the ce with more Essence Stones and Golda''s specialised poop, finally nting thousands of Blood Vitality Grasses at the top. All of them were what he had harvested from the Folkan Secret Realm.


    The roots of the Blood Vitality Grasses slowly expanded through the soil in the pit,ing in contact with the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass as its essence was shared with each other.


    Slowly, a mysterious essence was congregated in one of the Blood Vitality Grasses at the corner of the pit upon hismand as it soon bore fruit.


    A Double-Faced Monkey at the First Layer of the Origin Refinement Stage, still attribute less, arrived before the pit, gently plucking the fruit under themands left in its Sleeper Cell seed.


    It then swallowed the fruit as there was a mild change in its Origin Essence.


    Through his divine sense, Compass Carburettor sensed the change in its Origin Essence, smiling in response, "Perfect. Its Origin Essence is evolving towards the Mind Attribute."


    The Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor suddenly severed his limbs as Compass Carburettor regrew them using Frog Recovery, watching them being severed again, repeating the process.


    Eventually, there was a massive pile of his severed limbs. If he hadn''t used his Mind Frog''s ability to apply the effect of anaesthesia on himself, he wouldn''t have been able to endure the repeated pain that he would have felt here.


    Mecha!


    The Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor created an energy de sphere, enveloping all the severed limbs before beginning topress them slowly but surely, continuing forth with the action until the entirety was condensed into a tiny pile that turned into the infamous symbol of double ''C'' that were tangentially connected.


    Secret Society!


    He buried the symbol deep within the pit, causing the roots of the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass to pierce it. This would act as a sink for his Mental Energy that would be absorbed by the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass, whose essence in turn would be constantly absorbed by the normal Blood Vitality Grasses.


    And when they bear fruits, the Double-Faced Monkeys would consume them, strengthening their Mind Attribute.


    And throughout the Academy, there would be the symbol of Secret Society stered pretty much everywhere. And all their thoughts would concentrate within the symbol that he had created as it was a sink from which the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass absorbed Mental Energy from.


    This would create a cycle, establishing the borate process required for him to raise an army of elites that would protect the Gaider Realm even after he left it.


    After all, even if System-rted abilities were sealed, Mental Energy still existed here.

 Chapter 475 System Opposition Scheme

    <h4>Chapter 475 System Opposition Scheme</h4>


    On the surface, the Academy was created to oppose the Systems. But, it was also the ce where Origin Beasts geared to fighting the Systems were created.


    Of course, he would need to create various Origin Arts for the Double-Faced Monkeys to use in their fight against the Systems. It had to be effective enough to at least cripple the Systems, even if it was impossible to kill them.


    Just crippling them was enough.


    As long as the Systems were unable to gather any Mental Energy from the Gaider Realm, and in extension, the Cultivation World, they would gradually abandon it.


    After all, the Systems had already ssified various worlds in a set of ranks depending on the extent of Mental Energy one could gain from there.


    Earth was Ranked D while the Darble World was ranked E in that list. Earth had the advantage in Mental Energy gathering thanks to the inte, allowing one to gain a tremendous volume of Mental Energy the moment they became trending.


    D-17653!


    This was Earth''s serial code used by the Systems. Since they hadbelled the various worlds based on their worth as Mental Energy farms, Compass Carburettor nned to use it against them.


    If it became hard to gather Mental Energy in a world, the Systems would at first resist it and fight the world, but over time, they would just abandon it.


    It was a capitalistic thought process. After all, there were countless worlds out there that the Systems had yet to tame and convert into a Mental Energy farm.


    So, they wouldn''t bother wasting time and Mental Energy in a world that didn''t generate enough returns.


    And, Compass Carburettor nned to make this a reality. Of course, just creating one tiny Academy would do nothing on the grand scale of things.


    It wasn''t even enough for the Gaider Realm, let alone the entire Cultivation World.


    But, the setup he was creating also had other advantages, not to mention that he nned to expand it in the future to epass other Realms too.


    First of all, Mental Energy was a potent energy form that wasn''t being harnessed in the Gaider Realm.


    So, if he created a setup, that meant he could tap into a vast energywork that was otherwise never tapped into, used exclusively by the Systems.


    After absorbing the bodies of Warktor and Chenger, his Blood Vitality Grass had mutated, bing able to interact with Mental Energy to a certain extent.


    And now, Compass Carburettor had used his own body to create a tform for it to take root within. It acted as the medium for all the Mental Energy directed at the Secret Society symbol.


    The setup would continue producing Blood Vitality Fruits that were rich in Mental Energy.


    The Mutated Blood Vitality Grass began to rapidly grow in strength as Compass Carburettor smiled, sensing its roots turning thicker. After all, what he had created was something simr to a passive refinement, the creation of a living Artifact.


    And the most important factor here was Golda''s poop.


    After all, it had once been modified to consume anything and create Mental Energy. So, he made it shit poop that acted as a catalyst to fuse the Essence Stones, the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass, hispressed body, and the Blood Vitality Grass arrangement into a whole.


    It wouldn''t be instant but would take time, gradually refining itself more and more over time as Mental Energy would continue to seep into it.


    Just to give the process a significant boost, Compass Carburettor summoned his Apocalypse World self, condensing a Mental Energy sphere. The energy consumption for this was his Origin Essence.


    He ced the Mental Energy sphere deep within the pit, sensing the Mutated Blood Vitality Grass'' rootse into contact with it before boring into it.


    He ced a bunch of Mental Energy Spheres before closing up the pit, sensing the roots of the Blood Vitality Grass seep through it more and more, encasing the entirety into a whole.


    Eventually, their roots would form the container, resulting in the Artifact''spletion.


    Once he was done with this, Compass Carburettor left the Double-Faced Monkeys to their devices, having already ced all the necessary instructions in their Sleeper Cell seeds.


    There was a water source nearby, within the dome itself. As for the food, it would only be the Blood Vitality Fruits, at least until the Mind Attribute became entrenched deep in their Origin Essence.


    That way, even if they ate anything else, that would only modify their Mind Attribute. It would be a beneficial growth, giving them variety. No matter what, their Essence would only have the Mind attribute at its core.


    Compass Carburettor arrived at the foot of the mountain, summoning his Apocalypse World self, creating a major city, taking a couple of weeks toplete everything. Most of the time was spent on recovering his Origin Essence.


    This was despite him summoning multiple versions of his current self, set apart by a minute each in summon time. And all these Cultivation World Compass Carburettors recovered their Origin Essence, summoning their own Apocalypse World versions.


    All the original had to bear were the Cultivation World Compass Carburettors. The Apocalypse World versions were borne by them instead as they continued to replenish their Origin Essence constantly.


    He had casually summoned an army of himself. It was also the reason he proimed before that the Luck based Systems had already lost the war.


    He had enough methods to cheat death now and fool his opponents, just like how he had fooled Chenger during their fight from the very beginning.


    "J-Just what the heck just happened?" The Green Centipede n Leader was bbergasted, asking in disbelief as he saw multiple versions of Compass Carburettor roaming around in the Academy City, performing various tasks all at the same time.


    And simrly, he gazed at the gigantic statue of the Mental Energy Body Layer wearing Compass Carburettor protruding out of the mountainside. It was a kilometre in height, historically the biggest statue in the Gaider Realm.


    And as it was created using his Energy de, it was terrifyingly tough. This was the grandeur he was going for. A bit over the top, but students from kilometres away would be able to spot the statue which would serve as a majorndmark not only geographically, but also in their minds.

 Chapter 476 The Academy

    <h4>Chapter 476 The Academy</h4>


    "Allow me to give a grand tour to everyone." Compass Carburettor said, controlling himself from fainting due to exhaustion. After all, he had been working nonstop for more than a week with little to no rest.


    "At present, they are all empty, but the goal is for the students to open their own shops here." Compass Carburettor said, pointing at the various shops that he had created in a style simr to a shopping mall.


    "It''s like a Sect." The zing Sun n Leadermented.


    "Indeed, but there''s one major difference." Compass Carburettor smiled, pointing at the slogan that was written in bold on pirs erected throughout the Academy City.


    [For five years, embolden your mind and spirit to resist the tribtion]


    "Five years¡­?"


    The leaders muttered at the same time.


    "Yes," Compass Carburettor nodded, "Irrespective of how talented they are, they would only be students for five years. Beyond that, they wouldn''t be able to use the facilities of the Academy. We''ll call this the graduation."


    "And, graduates would return to their respective n or Sect." Compass Carburettor said, "The goal of the Academy is like I said, to resist the Evil Spirits. So, the system ced here ensures the Academy doesn''t interfere with the politics of the Gaider Realm."


    "Impressive." The zing Sun n Leader spoke first. This was a show of appreciation outwardly, but inwardly, this was also to deter the other leaders from hindering Compass Carburettor.


    After all, through that one interaction with Velcorn, he had understood the threat of the Evil Spirits clearly. He had been alive for more than a century, after all. There was plenty that he had experienced as being part of the strongest force of the Gaider Realm.


    "As for the curriculum taught here, it would be perfect throughout the ages." Compass Carburettor said, leading them to walk in-between the legs of the giant statue, for that was the entrance into the academy.


    They immediately arrived within a lounge, a dome that spanned a radius of thirty metres. It was pretty massive for just a lounge.


    The moment they entered, an Earth Grade Silver Golem arrived before everyone, introducing itself, "I''ll be the one to instruct everyone in the basics of detecting Evil Spirits."


    "This is¡­?" Even the zing Sun n Leader was surprised at this development. Until now, he had only thought that Compass Carburettor was controlling the golems. Never in his wildest dream would he ever imagine that they would converse normally.


    Of course, the golems had this capability but had never used them due to their nature. They had a mind, but no intelligence.


    But with his intervention, he nted a lot of memories in them that would trigger them to behave in a certain way, nting a Sleeper Sell seed in each ordingly to their tasks.


    The Sleeper Cell seeds were each a fragment of his mind. So, they would slowly grow in their minds and birth a base level of intelligence and sentience in them.


    And over time, their intelligence would grow to a decent level. Until then, they would be like robots with good artificial intelligence.


    The Bronze Golems were in charge of security, with the Trash, Human, and Earth variants split ordingly to the importance of the location.


    The Silver Golems were in charge of teaching. Trash Grade Silver Golems were only in charge of teaching basic drills and knowledge while the Earth Grade Silver Golems were the cream of the crop, teaching them everything they needed to know about Systems and the ways to defeat them.


    If a System Host was killed, the System would condense itself above the corpse. Normally, it would find another Host to take root within before it dissipated. But, if there were no living beings in its vicinity, it would be helpless and would dissipate over time.


    Compass Carburettor used his experience in the rate of dissipation of various Hatchling Systems to create a form that would determine the amount of time a certain System could exist as.


    As for determining their level, he nned to use some of the Double-Faced Monkeys to create the necessary Artifacts.


    Grisha''s Mysterious Sect had a pretty talented Artifact Refiner that would prove helpful in this endeavour. Though, it needed to wait until some of the Double-Faced monkeys grew old enough with a potent version of the Mind Attribute.


    The Gold Golems were part of the management, basically allotting sses for the students, creating entrance exams, constructing new centres, if necessary, etc.


    Finally, there were the tinum Golems that were in charge of the treasury. Of course, the Academy functioned on a basis of donation. So, all the donated resources had to be stored and managed.


    They were also in charge of taking care of the Double-Faced Monkeys and collecting any necessary resources.


    There were still many things left for Compass Carburettor to work out in the Academy. One of them would be to ensure the ns and Sects continued their donations year after year and were willing to do so.


    There should be enough benefits for them to do so. That means, he should make the Academy into a ce that would turn the cultivators into geniuses. He had some ns regarding that, but they needed time to be executed.


    He nned to continue that once this basic tour ended. The goal of this tour was just to awe the leaders so that they would be enthusiastic about sponsoring the Academy and also advertising it so that as many people from the Gaider Realm would be willing to join.


    Both were necessary for him to execute his ns. After all, most of the System Hosts would only begin their attack once they reach peak cultivation. So before then, he had toy down a strong enough groundwork to churn out geniuses capable enough to resist the invasions one after another.


    And, the first step of it would be the Blood Vitality Pills that he nned to create next. These pills would be a product exclusive to the Academy, one that strengthened their physique.


    Just this alone would motivate them to join the Academy. As long as he created three to four such reasons, the Academy would be a sessful endeavour.

 Chapter 477 Genius Development Plan (Part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 477 Genius Development n (Part 1)</h4>


    Compass Carburettor gave the leaders a basic tour of the ce, only showing them facilities that needed to be shown.


    Facilities such as the living area of the Double-Faced Monkeys weren''t even spoken about.


    Of course, none of them asked anything about it. After all, they weren''t aware of its existence in the first ce.


    There was so much to show in the ce that he spent an entire day and only showed a tenth of the facilities. Even though most of the facilities were empty, the basic structure required for the setup was alreadypleted.


    The only thing that needed to be done was to fill up the ce with the required items.


    And of course, who else would do that other than the leaders here? This was also why he showed them everything.


    "Make a list of everything you need, Hazen," The zing Sun n Leader said with a smile, content with everything he saw, "The ns or Sects that can pitch in would take care of the relevant materials. As for the rest, my zing Sun n would take care of them. You have my word."


    The moment he expressed his stance on the matter, everyone hurried to give him their word. Of course, they would cater to the whims of the strongest force in the Gaider Realm.


    The zing Sun n had four major Sects under their control, not to mention countless business and resources. Just their sheer power was capable of facing almost half the Gaider Realm.


    They were that powerful, having produced a Heaven Martial Spirit consistently, generation after generation. They also had a staggering number of cultivators with Earth Martial Spirits.


    Besides, thanks to the support from the zing Sun n, the Academy would be the heart of the Gaider Realm. So, everyone hurried to be part of the tide that would sweep over the entirety of the Gaider Realm''s future generation.


    They wished for all their younger generation to be a part of the Academy and graduate from there. This would soon be a source of prestige for them all.


    After all, based on what Compass Carburettor had told them, the Academy would be the perfect ce for the younger generation topete and develop themselves.


    This way, they would know where they stood in the grand scale of things. And since everyone here would be an elite among the elites, those that stood at the top of the Academy would be legendary powerhouses in the future.


    "How will you recruit the students?" One of them asked.


    "For the ns that sponsor us, we''ll allot them tokens ordingly. Each token could be considered as an admission ticket." Compass Carburettor said, "But, to prevent the ns from sending those with a good status butcking Skill, we''ll also conduct tests in every n and Sect. This way, only the best of the best from the respective forces would be given those tokens."


    "So, you wish to keep things as fair as possible." The zing Sun n Leader spoke.


    "Yes," Compass Carburettor nodded, "Otherwise, the Academy would gradually deteriorate in quality if we ept students only through status alone."


    "But, it''s not as if there would be talented cultivators in every generation for a n or Sect, right?" He continued, "So for that, we''ll conduct training camps that would train everyone regrly, even if they aren''t students. That way, we''ll continue to raise their standards to a certain extent, making them eligible to be students of the Academy."


    "This facility would only be avable to the ns that don''t have enough talents to fill up their quota of seats." He concluded.


    "There are still many ns that are in the thought process." Compass Carburettor said, "I''llplete and release them in the uing months."


    "But, the first exclusive item of the Academy is already ready." He smiled, taking out a pill bottle each before handing over one to every leader, saying, "Contained within is a Blood Vitality Pill that would raise your body strength."


    "The Blood Vitality Pill?" The eyes of everyone lit up.


    The Green Centipede n Leader was the first to take out the Blood Vitality Pill and inspect it before swallowing it. After a couple of minutes in silence, he could sense his body growing stronger, even though it was a mild increase, "It indeed is the Blood Vitality Pill, but the potency is weak."


    "That''s on purpose." Compass Carburettor said, "There would be four ranks of the Blood Vitality Pill, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and tinum, with the one in your hands being a Copper-ranked pill."


    "A Gold-ranked Blood Vitality Pill is generally what the best of pill refiners create using an entire matured Blood Vitality Grass." He continued, "And, a tinum rank is superior to that."


    Saying so, he took out a pill bottle, giving it to the zing Sun n Leader, "There''s just one for now. But we''ll produce more in the future. This is a tinum-ranked Blood Vitality Pill."


    The zing Sun n Leader opened the pill bottle, eyes lighting up in shock when he inhaled the powerful pill fragrance emanating from within it.


    The sheer fragrance alone allowed him to judge that it indeed was on a whole other level. And upon seeing that Compass Carburettor was fine with it, the zing Sun n Leader consumed the pill, closing his eyes before chuckling soon after, "This is amazing. Even my body has grown stronger. And, I also feel like I''ve be a tad younger."


    "Due to the concentration of vitality in it, your lifespan might increase anywhere from five to ten years after consuming this." Compass Carburettor nodded, "But, I don''t have an idea if more of this variety could be consumed or if it has a limit. I still need to test it in that regard."


    "Haha, that''s great." The zing Sun n Leader smiled, patting his shoulder as he said, "I''m looking forward to the geniuses your Academy would produce."


    "Please leave it to me." Compass Carburettor made a formal bow towards everyone, "I''ll ensure that our cultivators be the strongest out of all the Realms."

 Chapter 478 Genius Development Plan (Part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 478 Genius Development n (Part 2)</h4>


    After the tour concluded, the leaders began to return, intending to prepare their donations. They also stationed some representatives of their n or Sect in the Academy City for any needs, serving as a form of protection for the Academy.


    Compass Carburettor told them that just having the Academy City wasn''t entirely safe in long term consideration. So, he created a moat surrounding it, resembling a river in width, spanning two kilometres.


    And beyond this river-like moat, more settlements would be erected. This way, more and more people can live in this location, making it the centre of operations for a variety of things.


    The various ns and Sects would each upy an area here, creating their own territory, also forming ayer of defence for the Academy as all the forces would keep each other in check while also protecting the academy from all external threats.


    At the end of the day, the Academy would function autonomously, led by the two Heaven Grade Golems. So, he didn''t wish to ce too much pressure on them.


    Besides, the presence of the two Golems, with each on par with a peak Martial Providence Stage cultivator, not to mention their Heaven Martial Spirit was enough to deter everyone, even in the future from trying to target the Academy.


    The various forces would prevent any force from attempting such an action. This was not to mention the secret force of the Double-Faced Monkeys that would curb any force that attempted to invade the Academy.


    After they left, Compass Carburettor first took a long nap, resting his weary self,zing about for three days before he got up to work.


    He arrived within an underground biome that was erected below the dome of the Double-Faced Monkeys.


    He was nning on creating a lot more biomes ording to his ns. But now, this was the only other biome apart from the one with the Double-Faced Monkeys.


    It was situated two hundred metres underground, spanning a height of a hundred metres and a radius of three kilometres.


    There was a thin stream of water here, seeping through an underground reservoir, whereas, creeper type nts that were semi-aquatic in nature littered the ce.


    These creepers were like bamboo in that they grew rapidly. In the short week since Grisha nted them in the ce, they had already covered the ground to a considerable extent. And as time passes, they would pretty much fill up the ce.


    But here was where an interesting species was introduced into the mix.


    Blight Rabbit!


    It was an Origin Beast race that lived in cold, dark ces, feasting on nts as their numbers multiplied rapidly.


    And, this was one of the major races that formed the bottom-most chain of the food pyramid in major Origin Beast territories.


    There was no Origin Essence in the Gaider Realm. The humans relied upon the Essence Stones they mined to cultivate.


    But what about the Origin Beasts?


    Since they didn''t have a Martial Spirit, how would they absorb Origin Essence even if their territory was situated within a region where Essence Stones were produced?


    They didn''t.


    Origin Beasts born in the Gaider Realm didn''t have the capability to absorb Origin Essence even if they had a pile of Essence Stones before them. They were unlike the Origin Beasts born and raised in Secret Realms where Origin Essence existed in the air.


    Due to the environment, they had evolved differently.


    For the Origin Beasts in Gaider Realm, they had what was called an Origin Essence Sack. This was simr to the intestines in that it filtered out the Origin Essence from the food they consumed to temporarily store within.


    After some time, the Origin Essence would be sent to their dwelling.


    But, how would they obtain that required Origin Essence in the first ce?


    It was through nts.


    There were massive reservoirs of Essence Stones scattered throughout the underground of the Gaider Realm with various levels of deposit.


    Those with a concentrated deposit were turned into a mine.


    But, their concentration was so vast that they interacted with pretty much everything. And not all of them were concentrated as gigantic rocks. A majority of them were like finely distributed sand, or even smaller.


    A significant sum was concentrated in the surface soil itself whererge forests grew upon. The roots of the trees would absorb these particles as the Origin Essence would be stored in small fractions throughout the trees.


    Unless they were a cultivator, they cannot harness Origin Essence. Moreover, Origin Essence wasn''t something that could be broken down by the body, whether nt or animal without being a cultivator.


    And hence, the Origin Essence would remain as deposits within the body of the trees, nts, grass, etc.


    When herbivores consumed such nts, the Origin Essence would be filtered out by their Origin Essence sack before being supplied to their dwelling.


    This is how they umte Origin Essence and cultivate to higher Stages.


    And, one of the primary Origin Beasts that do this was the Blight Rabbit race which was pretty much preyed upon by practically every single Origin Beast race.


    A Blight Rabbit reached maturity within a month, and a single adult Blight Rabbit gave birth to at least a dozen newborn every single month. And their overall lifespan was two years.


    They were a fast-growing race whose poption would quickly spiral out of control unless there were enough predators.


    Thankfully, such a problem never arose as their numbers were always under control.


    And now, Compass Carburettor ced such a race in the biome, without any predator to worry about. So, their poption would quickly spiral out of control.


    That was, in the case, they were left on their own.


    Smiling in response, he activated his powers, nting a Sleeper Cell seed in the minds of every Blight Rabbit, giving them a singlemand.


    [Continue to increase your poption. But when your numbers exceed the avable food resource, sacrifice the old to the altar]


    The altar was arge pearl tform, circr in shape that spanned a radius of fifty metres. And the best thing was the tiny holes present throughout it.


    After all, peeking through the holes were the roots of his Blood Vitality Grasses.


    Of course, this was the farm that would continue to produce Blood Vitality Pills eternally.

 Chapter 479 Genius Development Plan (Part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 479 Genius Development n (Part 3)</h4>


    There would be problems that might arise in the future if either the poption of the Blight Rabbit went out of control or the vines overgrew.


    After all, he had selected the two species that had the highest growth rate.


    But this was where he deployed the simplemand that was genius in the long run.


    The Blight Rabbits would eat the vines and explode in numbers. But, the moment it seemed like their numbers had grown beyond what the vine growth could sustain, they would begin killing their old.


    It wasn''t just that. At times, the old itself wouldmit suicide on the altar. It had to be noted that a Blight Rabbit matured within a month and an adult Blight Rabbit gave birth every month.


    This meant that a new generation was produced every month.


    One aspect of Sleeper Cell that was terrifying was that through it, Compass Carburettor could easily erect or destroy a culture.


    Sleeper Cells existed even on earth. They existed in the form of informants, spies, terrorists, etc.


    Such people were trained in discrete organisations since young. The members would live with that training before they even formed amon sense of their own.


    Kids were like wet cement. What falls on them, makes an impression.


    So, their minds would be shaped ordingly. And, the training wouldn''t turn them into maniacs. They would be no different to regr people.


    After all, they would typically be released out into the world by the age of 6 through adoption centres or straight-up released into the wild to fend for themselves based on the objective at hand.


    Such people would struggle like normal people, and lead lives that were a mixture of happiness, sadness, excitement, depression, etc.


    And until they were given amand by their parent organisation, they would go through their entire lives as ordinary people.


    But the moment they were givenmand, they would take action, performing the task that they were shaped from young to execute.


    And, it wasn''t as if any special power was used to create them.


    It was a ssic case of brainwashing, a reason the study of the mind was so vast, a never-ending treasure of knowledge.


    Compass Carburettor had interacted with one such organisation in his teenage times. So, he was aware of the process.


    Manipting people was something that had been done for ages, in many forms, whether voluntarily or involuntarily.


    And the core of them all was education.


    It wasn''t just the education in schools though. It also consisted of how the parents raised the kids, how they grew up, the surroundings they lived in, the society they interacted with, etc.


    Every single aspect would shape their mind, affecting them in one form or another, creating what was termed colloquially as¡­


    Bias!


    Every single Bias someone had was a result of their brainwashing, whether voluntary or involuntary, whether it was done voluntarily or involuntarily, and even whether it was intended to or not.


    And how was this Bias spread around?


    It was what the kids inherited from their society, something the human race passed on from one generation to another.


    And, the same thing was happening with the Blight Rabbits too.


    The first generation was all affected by his Sleeper Cell seeds, imnting a sort of bias in their minds. So, when the next generation was born, the Blight Rabbits took care of them, instructing them in the ways of their bias.


    The lifespan of a Blight Rabbit was two years. Meaning, for the next two years, a lot of them would still be alive, unless their poption grew beyond the food supply.


    Suppose this didn''t happen for the next two years.


    It would mean that the first generation of Blight Rabbits would be alive for approximately 23 months. Meaning, 23 generations.


    The bias would be so deeply rooted in their bodies by then that it would turn into their race''s innate characteristic itself, entrenched even in their gic information.


    After all, bias too could be considered a quasi-form of evolution.


    So, creating one generation of Sleeper Cells was more than enough for him. The first generation would take care of the rest. After all, culture was everyone''s identity. This also implied to the humans that had been turned into Sleeper Cells too.


    They would raise their children in the future ordingly, turning them into Sleeper Cells too. So, even after Compass Carburettor left the Cultivation World, his arrangements would continue to function.


    It would be a culture that is deeply entrenched within the Gaider Realm, unable to be erased unless they were wiped out.


    Part of this culture was being capable of recognising Evil Spirits and the second part was to continue to sponsor the Academy, treating it as an important location that must always be protected.


    Compass Carburettor had already nted Sleeper Cell seeds in the minds of a significant number of talents in the Folkan Secret Realm. They were all representatives of the major ns and Sects.


    And, until he remained in the Gaider Realm, he would continue to do so.


    If the Blood Vitality Pills were his first source of guarantee, then this ''culture'' was his second guarantee.


    To maintain any organisation, just benefits alone weren''t enough. Other factors werepulsory to sustain it for as long as he intended.


    After a few months, the Blood Vitality Pill farm would begin to produce a consistent quantity every month. He had alreadymanded them on the number that had to be produced per each rank.


    And that was how the generated essence was split off and congregated into the Blood Vitality Grasses.


    Their roots were within the holes in the altar while they were located in another ce. To be exact, the Blood Vitality Grass grew on the walls of the dome''s exterior. The walls of the dome spanned thirty metres in thickness, a thickness exceeding the length the roots of the vines can bore into.


    Once the pills¡ªfruits¡ªwere produced, they would be harvested by the Golems situated there. And, these pills would be stored in respective bottles that would then be stored in their treasury.

 Chapter 480 Genius Development Plan (Part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 480 Genius Development n (Part 4)</h4>


    A weekter, the gifts from various ns began to arrive one after another as Compass Carburettor first looked through all the cultivation techniques that they had sent.


    A cultivation technique was basically the way one would absorb Origin Essence ording to their Martial Spirit. It varied for each and every Martial Spirit.


    But since it was impossible for everyone to find suitable cultivation techniques, the majority of cultivators practiced general cultivation techniques that had an average efficiency. It wasn''t that good, but a majority could practice that with favourable results.


    There was one for Trash Martial Spirits, since all of them were item rted, one for Human Martial Spirits that were animal-based, and one for Earth Martial Spirits that were element-based.


    Compass Carburettor nned to create a plethora of cultivation techniques that were customised for pretty much every Martial Spirit that had been recorded to date.


    And, this honestly wasn''t aplicated process. After all, he had state of the art cheapestbour.


    Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor!


    The Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor arrived, using the Core Skill of Young Master to create the Carburettor Ind in his Dimensional Space, making the experts there analyse the cultivation techniques while using the supeputer topute everything.


    As his cultivation progressed further, he was able to maintain the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor for longer durations. Of course, this was only possible in a tiny Reality Marble that absorbed Origin Essence from the mountain of Essence Stones and released it into the air to a terrifyingly high concentration.


    This way, his Mind Frog and Blood Vitality Grass both continued to absorb Origin Essence, capable of maintaining his summon without interruption.


    As days passed, Compass Carburettor made the experts analyse everything thanks to the hundreds of cultivation techniques he obtained. They served as a reference to gather data.


    And, the best guinea pig was his Mind Frog that practiced each cultivation technique to see how they functioned.


    Of course, it wasn''t done by the actual Mind Frog, but a summoned version. After all, some cultivation techniques were so ipatible that the Mind Frog practically exploded while practicing them.


    Compass Carburettor then asked Grisha to capture some guinea pigs as she went around and found some criminals with Trash and Human Martial Spirits.


    Their minds were stored in the Mind Frog''s stomach as they were summoned soon after. Their Martial Spirits practiced various cultivation techniques, including those reserved for Trash Martial Spirits, Human Martial Spirits, Earth Martial Spirits, and even his exclusive Mind Frog cultivation technique.


    All this data waspiled by the supeputer in Carburettor Ind as the team of experts processed everything, beginning to derive new cultivation techniques.


    Compass Carburettor announced that the Academy would open in six months, asking all the ns and Sects to spread the news, also informing them that he would conduct an entrance test for all the participants in five months.


    That wasn''t all. ording to the number of tokens despatched to every n and Sect, they needed to be filled up too. And, the test for this would happen in four months as Compass Carburettor promised he would conduct a test in the respective n and Sect¡ªfor all of them.


    The news made waves throughout the Gaider Realm as the majority of people were excited, including mortals. Because, the Academy also epted mortals.


    The zing Sun n had already sponsored a Martial Spirit Awakening Altar that was being constructed within the Academy. Grisha was currently overseeing that as a Cultivation World Compass Carburettor apanied her.


    The actual Compass Carburettor was seated within the Reality Marble, cultivating while supporting the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor for the research and development.


    It wasn''t just the cultivation techniques though, for he was also researching Origin Arts, Artifact Refinement, Pill Refinement, and even formations.


    There wasn''t much information regarding formations in the market. And hence, Compass Carburettor contacted the zing Sun n Leader who dispatched an expert on the subject to help with the issue.


    And what did he do with the said expert?


    Origin Art¡ªMind Transfer!


    Origin Art¡ªMental Creation!


    After his figure appeared in the Mind Frog''s stomach, Compass Carburettor created a second version of the same. After that, this version was sent to Carburettor Ind to help with the research.


    Grisha also kidnapped various ''experts'' for a short duration each that Compass Carburettor created a copy of and sent to the Carburettor Ind.


    Thanks to that, development in all fields was progressing at a rapid pace.


    This was the terrifying advantage of Earth''s information age, the power of the Silicon Era.


    Slowly, time passed in such a fashion as he wholeheartedly focused on his cultivation, even going to the extent of ignoring the System Host that had arrived at the Gaider Realm.


    Info Scanner only showed one. And since he felt like it would only dy his tasks if he tried to engage with the other party, Compass Carburettor ignored the System Host, working onpleting all the tasks necessary to open the Academy.


    He wanted it to be as grand as possible.


    Three monthster, he arrived at arge dome that was fully covered by the Dac energy de,yered with the Apocalypse Pearl. This would serve as the library for cultivation techniques.


    Tower of Cultivation Techniques!


    This was what he named it, creating four floors for it, with the bottom-most floor being the widest, consuming the most space.


    It contained cultivation techniques for Trash Martial Spirits. But, if he put them in the form of notebooks, they could be stolen, tampered with, or even destroyed.


    And hence, he erected a b of energy de for each and every cultivation technique. Thanks to the trait of Permanence, they couldn''t be tampered with.


    Other than that, all the information regarding the cultivation technique was inscribed in it using the Mental Energy de. It simply raised the mysteriousness of the techniques.


    Compass Carburettor did the same on every floor, with each ranging from Trash to Heaven Grade cultivation techniques. There was a technique for every Martial Spirit while some popr Martial Spirits had multiple cultivation techniques, each with their respective benefits.


    This was the third benefit of joining the Academy.

 Chapter 481 Genius Development Plan (Part 5)

    <h4>Chapter 481 Genius Development n (Part 5)</h4>


    Cultivation techniques, Origin Arts, Pill recipes, Artifact refinement techniques; Compass Carburettor began to fill them up in four separate libraries.


    He nned to add more in the future. But, it wasn''t something that could be done in a short period. He wasn''t in a hurry though, for he had to raise his cultivation first. Only then would he be able to fight against the System Hosts.


    Four months since the establishment of the Academy, Compass Carburettor sent out dozens of Cultivation World Compass Carburettors, apanied by the Cultivation World Grisha each.


    Her original was sleeping beside him, resting her head on hisp.


    Typically, he could have just created a copy of her mind in his Mind Frog''s stomach for permanent use. But, if that happened, things might be troublesome since it would interfere with the mind of the original.


    And that was thanks to the Mental Energy which acted as signals, capable of interfering with each. This was why he only sent the ''experts'' to Carburettor Ind.


    When he was done, he would destroy them and not unleash their memories ever again, or at least until their originals were alive.


    He couldn''t understand exactly where the problem arose. But, he knew a bit that he couldn''t use the copied memories on the same level as the original.


    Hence, he stored Grisha''s mind in the stomach of his Mind Frog once again, summoning multiple versions of her that apanied each Cultivation World Compass Carburettor, teleporting them to a n or Sect each.


    Today was the day for the selection of the seeded candidates from each n and Sect.


    The summoned Grisha arrived at the entrance to the Green Centipede n, bringing the summoned Compass Carburettor with her. There was already a group waiting to wee them, rather enthusiastically in fact.


    Since this would be the first generation of the Academy, things would be chaotic as cultivators at the Origin Refinement Stage, Martial Origin Stage, and even mortals might be enrolled in the same year as students.


    But after five years, things would be streamlined as Compass Carburettor would only ept mortals that had yet to awaken into the Academy. They would then awaken in the Academy and spend five years there.


    Pretty much most, if not all of them would have reached the Martial Origin Stage by graduation, disying their frightening powers based on their cultivation.


    The greater a genius was, the higher his cultivation would be in the Martial Origin Stage upon graduation.


    "Please enter, Hazen." The Green Centipede n Leader greeted them enthusiastically, acting as if he hadn''t tried to make things difficult for them before.


    "The pleasure is mine." Compass Carburettor greeted in return as he entered the Green Centipede n, arriving at a vacant spot that he had asked for them to prepare beforehand.


    The only thing he instructed them before was to build a stadium of sorts here. It seemed the Green Centipede n had done a great job despite the time constraints, for the entire stadium seemed like it had been carved out of a hill.


    When he asked around about it, he came to know that it was indeed carved out of a hill, surprising him.


    "These are everyone from my n." The Green Centipede n Leader said, pointing at arge crowd that had gathered within the stadium. There were almost a couple thousand cultivators, ranging from the Origin Refinement Stage to the peak of the Martial Origin Stage.


    After all, Compass Carburettor had asked everyone that wasn''t at the Martial Providence Stage to gather here.


    "What about the servants of your n? They''re bound by loyalty to serve your n, right?" Compass Carburettor asked.


    "But, they aren''t my nsmen though." The Green Centipede n Leader frowned in displeasure, unwilling to treat the servants with respect.


    "If there are talents among them, then you can absorb them into your n." Compass Carburettor smiled, "It would be a waste otherwise, right? Even if they aren''t good enough to join the Academy, you''ll still have a good estimate on whether or not you can marry them into your n or make guards out of them."


    "You make a fair point indeed." The Green Centipede n Leader nodded, "Then, let''s do it your way."


    Since Compass Carburettor''s suggestion was only beneficial to his n, the Green Centipede n Leader didn''t retort, giving a second thought to the discussion with broader thinking aspared to before. After all, the task at hand corrted to the benefits of his n.


    "Thank you." Compass Carburettor sighed in relief, arriving before the crowd, "Hello everyone, I''m Hazen, the Academy''s creator. Now, I''ll be conducting a test to select those among you to fill the seeded slots given to your n, which number seventeen."


    "Even if you weren''t epted here, that doesn''t mean you aren''t talented enough. You can still participate in the general admission that happens next month." He spoke, noticing plenty of enthusiastic gazes from the crowd, ''It seems the Academy has been hyped up pretty well.''


    He then waved his hand, "Without further ado, let''s begin the test."


    Core Skill¡ªReality Marble!


    Immediately after, everyone was startled to notice that they had been separated from everyone else, now alone. And before them existed a path, spanning a hundred metres in breadth and a length that seemed to traverse with no end in sight.


    The thing that was odd about this path was the fact that it was a hop-splotch of environments, with each only spanning a couple of feet in area. And, they were like a packet of coloured candy, scattered bizarrely.


    Desert, snow, rocky pirs, grasnd, swamp, normal street, bug-infested area, etc.


    There were all sorts of locations through the path as Compass Carburettor''s voice resounded through the Reality Marble, "Before you is a path covered with all sorts of environments that would be changing nonstop. Your goal is to travel as far as possible."


    "You''ll be evaluated based on the distance you''ve travelled. That''s all."


    "Begin test!"

 Chapter 482 The Test With a Guaranteed Death Rate

    <h4>Chapter 482 The Test With a Guaranteed Death Rate</h4>


    Just like everyone else from the Green Centipede n, a youth found himself stranded alone all of a sudden, even though he had been standing amidst his nsmen until now.


    He was shocked upon hearing Compass Carburettor''s voice. After recalling that it was the same voice as the person that was addressing them just now, he calmed down, looking at the path that was before him, "I should travel as far as possible?"


    He looked at the path, frowning. It wasn''t just the ground that was different, but the very environment itself.


    Closest to him was a patch that spanned an area of a couple feet, not even wide enough for his entire body. Snow fell through it, disappearing the moment it touched the border.


    On its right was a rainy patch where water continued to fall. But, the level of water on the ground didn''t go over a certain level. It was surprising because it felt like each patch was a separate container.


    The youth intended to scout out the ce first, taking a step forward when he lost consciousness.


    In reality, it was because his body was disintegrated by a concentrated column of Dust Wave that had been ced here, killing him instantly.


    But, this was the Reality Marble. So, he revived shortly after. But this time, he was a couple of metres forward aspared to before, having crossed the column of Dust Wave left there by Compass Carburettor.


    The only difference now aspared to before was the fact that he didn''t have any Origin Essence anymore. When he was killed, his Origin Essence was sucked in by the Reality Marble as Compass Carburettor had intended.


    And when he revived, he was revived without any Origin Essence. This way, his advantage as a cultivator was negated.


    He was Gulnar, a decently talented youth in the Green Centipede n that was at the third Layer of the Martial Origin Stage.


    He blinked in confusion, unable to understand just what had happened. The Dust Wave killed him so fast that he didn''t even have time to register the pain before he died.


    Shaking his head, he noticed that he had expended all Origin Essence, thinking that it was part of the test as he began to walk forward, selecting a grass in to tread upon.


    But suddenly, the moment he was about to set foot in the grass in, the patch of grass in vanished, and in its ce arrived the rainfall patch, getting his leg drenched in water.


    "What the¡­?" Gulnar was surprised to see this change as he extended his hand through the nearby patch, seeing it too change the moment his finger came into contact with what seemed to be the patch''s boundary.


    There was no physical boundary though, but the change in environment could be discerned. As it was a desert, he could feel the heat at the top of his finger, causing him to think, ''I see, so the moment I touch a patch, it changes.''


    He then looked at the patch of rain, ''And, I''ve been standing here for a few seconds. Does that mean it changes only once?''


    Thinking as such, he retracted his leg, entering it into the rainfall patch once again, hurriedly retracting his leg as he noticed moltenva on the ground, ''I see, so every time I enter it, the patch changes.''


    Thinking of something, he exited the patch, extended his hand and inserted his hand into the patch, retracting it instantly before inserting it again, noticing the patch change twice, from theva patch to a grasnd patch, followed by a blizzard patch.


    ''This makes things somewhat better.'' He thought, inserting his finger in and out of the patch until it turned into grasnd, entering it. He then did the same to the patch before him, entering it after it became a grasnd patch.


    That wasn''t all, he also used his other fingers, as if typing on a keyboard to constantly alter the patches, gaining experience in it. His concentration also improved as he began to focus more and more on the scene.


    There were marks segregating the distance travelled along the path, with a line after every metre. It allowed Gulnar to easily make out the distance he was travelling, giving him some confidence, "I''ll be able to reach the end easily."


    But, his words came short as the moment he crossed the ten-metre mark, there was a loud boom at the starting location as a lean figure appeared there.


    This figure wore a mask that resembled a ceramic te, only showing his eyes. It was Earth''s Compass Carburettor, disying killing intent towards Gulnar immediately upon arrival.


    The Earth Compass Carburettor sprinted towards him, entering the first patch that surprisingly became a grasnd. The second patch turned into a concrete ground, the third being a rocky terrain, the fourth being a mud ground, etc.


    All the patches turned to be harmless as he casually rushed through them, frightening Gulnar that could feel his unbridled killing intent, immediately understanding what the test was about, ''So, I have to either kill him or run through the patches fast enough to evade him.''


    Gulnar''s fingers danced as he hurriedly changed the patch into something favourable, rushing through it. But, what he hadn''t expected was the order in which the changes to the patches happened.


    The first patch was a rainfall, making him wet, the second was a rocky terrain, the third was a blizzard, the fourth was a flood, the fifth was a hailstorm, and the sixth was a tornado. Such a pattern repeated as even though Gulnar didn''t die, minor injuries umted all over his body.


    And of course, those injuries allowed the coldness to seep into his body, causing an inmmation. But despite everything, his speed of running wasn''t fast enough. After all, if he made a mistake and stepped foot intova, he would be done for.


    Within a few seconds, the Earth Compass Carburettor caught up to him, leaping onto him as Gulnar turned around and punched, shocked when the patch¡ªthat the Earth Compass Carburettor was in¡ªturned into a flood, negating the power behind his punch.


    And when the hand of the Earth Compass Carburettor entered his patch, it turned into a quagmire, trapping him.

 Chapter 483 Cross a Hundred

    <h4>Chapter 483 Cross a Hundred</h4>


    "Guh!" Gulnar reeled from the punch to his face, grunting as ducked and mped around his enemy, pulling him into the quagmire.


    Of course, the quagmire wasn''t even enough to fully trap Gulnar, not to mention his enemy as the both of them rolled into another location, with their bodies being in touch with six patches.


    And shockingly, all of them had a moderate climate, ranging from mud ground to grasnd. Gulnar was in disbelief as he was smacked in the face numerous times by his enemy, unable to understand just how his enemy was safe all the time.


    Grunting in response, he suddenly evaded an attack, entering a nearby patch that his fingers flickered to turn into a moderate region as he did the same finger flick, rapidly changing the climate of the patch his enemy was at.


    But, he was stupefied once again.


    Normally, out of ten tries, a dangerous terrain arrived every six tries, a moderate terrain appeared three times, and a pleasant terrain like the grasnd appeared once.


    This was an approximate estimate based on what he had seen so far.


    But now, when he tried to change the terrain for the patch with the Earth Compass Carburettor, it constantly varied from pleasant to moderate terrain and only after almost twenty tries did a dangerous terrain appear.


    But, this terrain was just a poisonous swamp. And the moment it arrived, the Earth Compass Carburettor just rolled into a nearby patch, evading it sessfully.


    Gulnar fought the enemy while continuing to move through the patches. But, when he hit thirty metres, he reached his limit, making a mistake in a hurry when he dived intova, causing his legs to melt.


    At the same time, the Earth Compass Carburettor kicked him from the top, sending his figure reeling into theva entirely, killing him.


    "Gah!" Gulnar gasped for air as he noticed that he was at the original location before the path. A secondter, he found himself within the stadium, gazing up to see a mysterious creature that was hovering in the air, unleashing strong winds underneath it. It was the Spydragon within which the Reality Marble was stored.


    "Thirty." Compass Carburettor announced while gazing at Gulnar as an Elder noted down the name.


    This Elder was in charge of the Green Centipede n''s affairs to a certain extent and knew everyone in their n. And hence, he took the charge to jot down the scores that Compass Carburettor announced every time a nsmen arrived outside.


    He had already exined the specifics of the score, telling them that the higher the score, the higher the cultivator''s talent.


    This measure of talent didn''t depend on their Martial Spirit, their wealth, etc. It was an overall estimate of their capability.


    After all, it wasn''t the strongest person that survived but the one that survived was the strongest.


    And honestly, a lot of experts in the Gaider Realm had acking upper department, causing them to be manipted by the simplest of lies. Such people would never be able to face a System Host, no matter how strong they were.


    Even if the difference between them and a System Host were like heaven and earth, they still wouldn''t be able to do anything to the System Host.


    Even if one was weak, their drive to grow stronger, and the way they took advantage of things around them to be strong was what made them into the expert worthy of fighting a System Host.


    And that was what Compass Carburettor was looking for.


    He told the Elders that only those that obtained a score greater than a hundred were allowed entry into the Academy.


    So, every time a nsmen arrived and obtained a low score, the Elders couldn''t help but curse in response. Moreover, depending on the score the nsmen obtained in this test, the Elders decided on their future.


    The reason Compass Carburettor designed this test was to verify the quality of the cultivators. He wanted to see how close they were to being a Main Character.


    Who was the Main Character? Someone that defied all odds and still achieved greatness was called the Main Character.


    So, even if someone had a Trash Martial Spirit, if they had the traits of the Main Character, then they would be strong and even kill opponents that were many times stronger.


    In the path, countless variables existed that the cultivator must use to their advantage while facing someone who was innately more advantaged than them. As their opponent was luckier than them, then they would have to figure out the variables at y and try their best to grasp the inner workings of such variables and use them to turn tides on their opponent.


    The Earth Compass Carburettor was a System Host, his past version. So, it allowed him to obtain a perfect grasp of the cultivators'' talents.


    After all, if they were able to win against his Earth version, then they would be able to face and even defeat the Hatchling Systems.


    So, a score of hundred was the minimum benchmark necessary to be qualified. At least, such people wouldn''t die a dog''s death before a System Host. Those below this score would practically y into the hands of the System Host and even act to the Host''s advantage.


    "Did I overestimate them?" Compass Carburettor muttered after some time, seeing that only three cultivators passed even though half the nsmen hade out.


    Upon hearing his words, the Green Centipede n Leader scowled, ''Dammit, this is embarrassing. Why are they performing so poorly?''


    "If the Elders are curious, you too can experience the test once it ends for everyone else." Compass Carburettor smiled.


    "How did the other ns fare?" The Green Centipede n Leader asked, feeling like he had swallowed a sour peach. At least, if the other ns fared worse than his, then he would be able to endure this embarrassment.


    "I''ll release a list of everyone that scored above hundred by evening in the Academy." Compass Carburettor said as he continued to observe everything that happened within the Reality Marble, making those that crossed a hundred metres stand on one side while everyone else stood on the other.


    The air was heavy as it seemed like illusions of grandeur had shattered for everyone on the other side.

 Chapter 484 Rankings

    <h4>Chapter 484 Rankings</h4>


    Twenty-five cultivators turned up in the Green Centipede n by the end of the test, surprising everyone, including Compass Carburettor. One of them reached as high as 160 metres, causing all the Elders to be jubnt.


    For this meant they had an exceptionally talented cultivator in their n.


    Compass Carburettor arrived before the twenty-five cultivators, saying, "Only the top seventeen of you will be given the seeded slots. As for the rest, your score will be stored in our database and depending on the performance of the rest of the participants next month, everyone will be ranked ordingly. And if you make it into the ranks, you''ll be epted too."


    "Thank you!" Everyone cupped their fists in response as Compass Carburettor summoned his Apocalypse World self, creating Apocalypse Pearl tablets that were inscribed with the name and face of the top seventeen, "This is your admission tokens. They would be modified ording to the ss and batch you are epted into. Until then, this will serve as your entry."


    Compass Carburettor smiled, cupping his fists, "Wee to the Academy!"


    With their tasks done, Compass Carburettor and Grisha vanished, deactivating their summons, surprising everyone.


    After all, they had assumed Grisha would teleport Compass Carburettor away in the same way as she brought him to the n. But, their instantaneous vanishing shocked them. Immediately after that, the Spydragon hovering in the air vanished.


    "Hurry, try to probe the situation in the other ns and Sects." The Green Centipede n Leader said, dispatching people everywhere.


    Soon, he met with a piece of shocking news that honestly terrified him, "The test was conducted in all the ns and Sects throughout the Gaider Realm¡­at the same time?"


    This meant that Compass Carburettor was present everywhere in the Gaider Realm. It wasn''t a cloning ability for he had used his power to test everyone. This meant that even while present in other locations, he was able to unleash his power without any limitations, not to mention the level of power he had disyed.


    The Green Centipede n Leader sighed, feeling nervous, "Just who the heck is he¡­? He has surpassed my understanding."


    Results from every n and Sect arrived one after another as Compass Carburettor was seated within the Reality Marble in the Academy. The memories of his past self that had conducted the test returned to him as he digested everything.


    This was the advantage of his summons. He would remember everything they experienced. Simrly, Grisha too would remember everything experienced by her summons.


    This was why problems would arise from the summons of copied memories. There was a chance the memories might flow into the original.


    Compass Carburettor began to go through the memories, tallying the list and the scores of all the participants, surprised when he saw a certain score that originated from the Simpleton n. That was the third-highest, following Xuer and Bunu.


    This was especially shocking since no information about this individual was avable before this. Compass Carburettor looked at his name, frowning.


    Gallo!


    "So, he''s the System Host that arrived at the Gaider Realm. Did he integrate himself into the Simpleton n?" He muttered, not taking any action, for the time being, intending to probe himter.


    He included Gallo''s name in the list that was pretty long, inscribing it into arge b that stood in the Academy City. Immediately, those from the various ns stationed beyond the Academy City''s moat hurried over to ask for permission to look at the score.


    Compass Carburettor permitted them entry, noticing them noting down all the information furiously before sending out messenger birds nonstop to their respective forces.


    This allowed all the ns and Sects to see where they stood in terms of geniuses. Unsurprisingly, the zing Sun n was on a whole other level, a cut above the rest. Even its subsidiary Sects were the same.


    The Giant Whale Sect obtained great poprity once again thanks to Xuer who bagged second ce.


    Actually, in terms of Luck, Xuer fared better than Bunu. But, her experience and judgement provedcking aspared to Bunu, hence cing second.


    Bunu had a score of 391. Meaning, she traversed 391 metres on the path. Xuer came in pretty close at a score of 384. And shockingly, Gallo''s performance was piss poor at a score of 303. This was despite him being a Luck based System Host with a Heaven Martial Spirit.


    The majority of the cultivators were in the early hundreds, with only a scant few in the two hundred, most of which were from the zing Sun n.


    Thankfully, there were more qualified candidates than what he had expected. It meant that the situation wasn''t hopeless. He could at least do something about the Gaider Realm in their war against the System Hosts.


    The results causedrge waves throughout the Gaider Realm as it pretty much became the topic of discussion among every n and Sect. Though, they were also waiting to see the results of the general test.


    The scores of the general popce would also be coted and included in the overall rankings. A lot were in anticipation of the same.


    Of course, it wasn''t just hyped though. For those who scored way less than someone they had been looking down on for having lesser talent, hatred began to brim in them.


    This was especially true for those with higher-grade Martial Spirits scoring less than cultivators with lower-grade Martial Spirits.


    Those with a better Martial Spirit meant better talent. It was as simple as that, a culture that was deeply rooted within their minds.


    But now, a conflicting thought had been set off by Compass Carburettor.


    Those that benefitted thanks to this new school of thought supported it while those that suffered loss and shame opposed it, deciding to stick to the old school of thought.


    And, these two schools of thought would continue to sh with one another all the time until his school of thought gradually be more strongly rooted than the older one.


    "I have a migraine." Grisha got up, grunting as she massaged her forehead, "This memory influx makes my head hurt."


    "Please bear with it one more time next month." Compass Carburettor said, "After that, I''ll set up a formation for future tests."

 Chapter 485 Velar Secret Realm

    <h4>Chapter 485 Vr Secret Realm</h4>


    "Get her! Don''t allow her to escape!" A Martial Providence Stage cultivator shouted as he turned into a hawk, unleashing a torrent of rain that mmed like bullets onto the forest below, targeting a certain figure that was running away.


    The figure rode a lemur that was sparkling with lighting currents, causing its figure to skate through the forest like it was a speeding track, constantly avoiding the hail of raindrops that caused fist-sized craters upon mming into the trees.


    "Dammit!" The Martial Providence Stage cultivator grunted in annoyance upon seeing the target evading his attacks constantly.


    The figure wasn''t just escaping but was carrying a group of children on its back. And all the children were talents carefully groomed by his n.


    The lemur spanned a length of ten metres. But despite the size, its speed was tremendous, able to mow down the trees while running away.


    The figure riding at the front was of course Straxia, chuckling throughout the chase as she suddenly snapped her fingers, causing a mysterious portal to form between two trees as the lemur jumped into it, vanishing from view as the portal copsed immediately after.


    Following it, the two trees rotted.


    "Screw you!" The Martial Providence Stage cultivator shouted in rage as he levelled the entire area. Many experts and a couple of powerhouses stood beside him, sporting a sullen gaze.


    "How many times has this been?" The Martial Providence Stage cultivator spoke helplessly, "She has kidnapped pretty much all the young talents of our region. No matter how much we tighten our defences, she breaches through them all as if they are nothing."


    It wasn''t as if they could just jail all the potential targets to prevent them from being stolen. That wouldn''t be a sound strategy since all her targets were kids below fifteen years old.


    This was why they always failed to protect them, allowing Straxia to steal them from time to time. And it wasn''t just one n or Sect that was facing this issue. Pretty much every force in the Dellnum Realm was in the same state.


    Themoners too weren''t left alone as every mortal with even the least bit of talent was targeted.


    ¡­


    "Hah, another batch captured sessfully," Straxia muttered, retracting her Martial Spirit as she gazed at the children nowid down on the ground.


    Currently, she was in the Vr Secret Realm, a discrete Realm connected to the Dellnum Realm. It wasn''t a Realm that had openly appeared in the Dellnum Realm, so records pertaining to it weren''t much.


    But, Straxia stumbled upon details regarding it coincidentally when she was being chased by a force that she offended purposefully by crippling their young master. Once she obtained this piece of information, Straxia began to look for more information, collecting them while offending many forces in return.


    She then found a channel to enter the Vr Secret Realm, a Realm void of any human or Martial Spirit. It was a forested Realms, full of precious herbs of all varieties, not to mention the dense concentration of Origin Essence there.


    Straxia explored the ce, eventually arriving at the core of the Secret Realm where she stumbled upon a mysterious treasure that acted as the device to control the Secret Realm. When she obtained this treasure, it fused with her Martial Spirit, allowing her to control the Secret Realm.


    The control was only in regards to where she could condense the entrance of the Secret Realm in the Dellnum Realm. And the only condition she needed to follow was for two trees to stand side by side that acted as the frame for her portal.


    Using this, she began her scheme to steal the talents from every city, using the Vr Secret Realm''s power to condense portals and appear in any ce she so desired.


    As for the reason she stole the children?


    "Ahem!" Straxia coughed as she summoned her Martial Spirit¡ªLightning Lemur.


    It gazed at the dozen children before it as bumps appeared on its body. The bumps began to grow in size, bing erged warts that continued to develop like cancer cells.


    A minuteter, the warts broke off, copsing to the ground likerge sacks of flesh. A couple of secondster, the first sack was torn from the inside as a bloody creature walked out, resembling a cub version of the Lightning Lemur.


    This baby Lightning Lemur slowly walked towards the first child, tapping his forehead, turning into a stream of light to enter his body.


    "Gah!" The boy grunted in pain as his body wriggled, spasming about as grating sounds resounded from within him. Around a minuteter, his convulsions stopped as the surrounding Origin Essence slowly began to seep into him.


    He had be a cultivator.


    And his Martial Spirit was the Lightning Lemur, a Heaven Martial Spirit.


    Slowly, the boy woke up, massaging his forehead that ached as he looked around in confusion, gazing at the group of children beside him, shuddering in fear as he looked at Straxia, for she was infamous in the Dellnum Realm as a being that kidnapped children to feast upon.


    "Please spare me!" The boy began to cry, begging for his life.


    Bonk!


    Straxia took out a straw bat that she mmed on his head. It didn''t hurt him other than making a loud sound, confusing him as she muttered, "How do you feel now?"


    "Eh?" The boy was confused as he noticed that something was different about his body. He seemed strangely¡­stronger?


    "How did I get a Martial Spirit?" He was shocked, stupefied upon sensing that it was a Heaven Martial Spirit.


    "This is a gift I''m bestowing upon you." Straxia smiled gently, lifting him up as she patted his back, "There''s great corruption in the Dellnum Realm. And only I know of this. Hence, theybelled me as a viin."


    Upon seeing the boy''s disbelief, she smiled, pointing at him, "Otherwise, why would I give you a Heaven Martial Spirit? You should understand how strong this is, right?"


    Even if he didn''t wish to believe it, the boy could only nod in response, for those with a Heaven Martial Spirit could casually create the strongest organisation in the Dellnum Realm. And now, he was a Heaven Martial Spirit cultivator.


    "Well, I won''t force you to understand everything. You''lle to learn everything over time." She smiled gently, snapping her fingers as two women arrived and instructed the boy to follow them, leading him away.


    Following that, the remaining baby Lightning Lemurs touched the foreheads of a child each, causing their bodies to convulse in response.

 Chapter 486 I Too Can Cheat Death

    <h4>Chapter 486 I Too Can Cheat Death</h4>


    Martial Spirit Fission!


    This was the ability Straxia obtained thanks to her fusion material. The material wasn''t something that originated naturally but was something she synthesised based on countless knowledge that she had umted in the past three years.


    She had also already obtained all the knowledge regarding the cultivation world even before entering it. So, she started at a higher step than Compass Carburettor in this regard.


    That was also why she picked the Dellnum Realm, for it was beneficial for her.


    Through her Martial Spirit Fission, Straxia was able to create as many Lightning Lemurs as she needed. Though, each fission required a tremendous amount of Origin Essence. But that was of no concern in the Vr Secret Realm.


    She then nted the fission Martial Spirits in mortals, turning them into cultivators. And best of all was the fact that everyone had the Heaven Martial Spirit, Lightning Lemur as their Martial Spirits.


    This meant that she could raise an army of cultivators with Heaven Martial Spirits.


    All these Lightning Lemur fission products were under her control. They were pretty much an extension of her consciousness. So, even if they became strong, they would always be under her control.


    There wasn''t much to be done in the Origin Refinement Stage. But once they reached the Martial Origin Stage, if Straxia so desired, she could force the Lightning Lemurs to extract themselves from their respective cultivators, turning them into mortals.


    But, these Lightning Lemurs wouldn''t vanish. They would remain as Martial Spirits. And if she so desired, she could directly nt them in the bodies of other mortals, instantly turning them into Martial Origin Stage cultivators.


    Though, such an action would shorten their lifespan. But, she wasn''t concerned with something like that.


    A significant other advantage arrived at the Martial Providence Stage when the cultivator and the Martial Spirit would fuse with one another. In this stage, the Lightning Lemur would directly destroy the cultivator''s mind, solely taking control.


    This way, she would obtain multiple copies of herself.


    And the best factor of all was that she only needed to focus on self-development. Since everyone else also had the same Lightning Lemur, they could follow her example.


    Besides that, any invention they create in regards to using their abilities could be learnt by everyone else, including her. This allowed their collective brainpower to be focused on just one aspect and improve it to the limit.


    Straxia had already kidnapped tens of thousands by now, having imnted the Lightning Lemur in them all. The first generation of kidnapped children had already reached the Martial Origin Stage by now.


    As to how they obediently followed hermands?


    That was of no concern, for Straxia had decades of experience in leading this. After all, in the Apocalypse World, loop after loop, she became the Host to a certain System.


    Cult Sovereign System!


    So in every loop, she created cults that heeded her every order, working for her benefit. Brainwashing people into mindless believers was pretty easy.


    She only had to put enough effort into the first generation. For the sessive generations, the first generation took care of everything.


    She was slowly gathering strength by only kidnapping those on the age of awakening their Martial Spirits. She didn''t target the rest, at least, not at the moment.


    But, she nned to do that once enough facilities for their living had been established in the Vr Secret Realm.


    This was her n to fight against Compass Carburettor. Aware that if left alone, he would create his own force, she decided to do what she did the best, creating a powerful cult to fight against the Main Character.


    Irrespective of what force she created, they would fall short against the Main Character. Only those with a Heaven Martial Spirit were strong enough to even face him.


    And hence, she did just that. Since everyone had the same Martial Spirit, they could unleash group attacks, rapidly raising their strength as an army.


    Strong enough to tten the Gaider Realm; that was her motive for raising an army. And if Compass Carburettor escaped from this war, he would lose arge portion of his Main Character traits, making him weak enough to be killed by other System Hosts easily.


    Straxia didn''t know what the other System Hosts were doing, not that she cared about at present. Once her force develops to a certain level, she could begin scouring for information from the other Realms.


    "But before that, I have to take control of the Dellnum Realm." She muttered, "With that, I''ll have enough talents and resources to raise a strong enough army, enough to take on the Gaider Realm."


    Heaven Martial Spirits resulted in the fastest cultivation speed. One year to reach the peak of the Origin Refinement Stage, three years to reach the peak of the Martial Origin Stage, and around six years to reach the peak of the Martial Providence Stage.


    Meaning, in a decade, she could raise the first generation to the peak of the cultivation stage. And this was her confidence in creating a strong enough force to fight Compass Carburettor.


    After all, once they reach the Martial Providence Stage, they were pretty much her clones taking on various appearances and thought processes.


    It would give her an advantage in the fight with Compass Carburettor. That wasn''t all; once she reached the Martial Providence Stage herself, she would attain a special power.


    It was that she would fuse with her Lightning Lemur. Meaning, she would be the Lightning Lemur herself. That meant that all the Lightning Lemurs in the bodies of others too would be her.


    So, even if her original body was killed, she would be alive through the others, able to revive through them. This allowed her to fight without caring about life or death, able to recklessly go against her opponent.


    After all, as long as even one Lightning Lemur was alive, she wouldn''t truly die.


    Basically, to fight against the Main Character, she pursued the same path that he had taken to fool others.


    The ability to cheat death!

 Chapter 487 Arena Secret Realm

    <h4>Chapter 487 Arena Secret Realm</h4>


    Whoa!


    The crowd cheered as a man with arge build copsed on the ground in a pool of his own blood. His face was smashed into a pulp while his limbs hung like a whip, the bones within crushed beyond belief.


    The man was a pretty famed character, and his death riled up the crowd''s excitement.


    The event anchor shouted through his Martial Spirit that resembled a mike. He was at the Martial Origin Stage, having fused with a sound-rted fusion material. He didn''t have any offensive abilities, cultivated solely to be an anchor.


    And he did a damn well job at that, riling up the crowd.


    "The three-time champion bites the dust so easily. Do we have a new winner? Will the previous record be broken once again tonight?" He shouted enthusiastically.


    "Encore!"


    "Encore!"


    The crowd began to chant as the anchor shouted with renewed excitement, "Good news! The Martial King has prepared a new contender for our darkhorse, warrior Dwun!"


    He then paused, grinning when the eyes of the crowd trailed upon him, shouting as he pointed at the entrance, "Give it up for the Beast Lord!"


    Roar!


    The crowd lost their mind, roaring as fighting spirit filled up the entire area.


    It was an arena, one that spanned a kilometre in radius. It was a massive ce. But the surprising thing was the fact that all the spectators were at the Martial Origin Stage, numbering in the millions, all cheering for the fights that happened, possessing exceptional eyesight to see the fights that happened so far away from their seats.


    The arena was simr to a colosseum but the primary difference was the fact that this was actually a Secret Realm whose very purpose itself was the arena.


    This Secret Realm was connected to countless Realms through which strong races entered it all the time. Those that participate and win their fights would move up the rankings, winning rewards every time they won.


    And the greater their ranking, the better the rewards. And these rewards were bestowed by the Secret Realm itself, a reason cultivators from all sorts of races arrived here.


    The arena had two leagues thatpeted separately: The Origin League and the Providence League.


    Those at the Martial Origin Stage participated in the Origin League while those at the Providence Stage participated in the Providence League.


    The matches were generally simple with a fixed setup. All of them were death matches while the terrain would be selected by the Secret Realm itself, one that was the worst matchup for both the participating cultivators at an equal level.


    This made the fight fair while also keeping things as exciting as possible. And the match would only end at the death of one of thepetitors.


    Of course, the current participant was none other than Dwun, fighting in the Origin League. He had already attained the peak of the Martial Origin Stage, umting as many resources as possible for his eventual breakthrough.


    Currently, he had almost reached the top. Now, he only needed to fight against those at the top of the Origin League. Typically, those that attained this position would begin preparations for their breakthrough and enter the Providence League.


    But, there were hefty rewards for maintaining their position here, something given every month like a reward, for as long as they maintained their ranking, a privilege only avable to the top of the league.


    There were 21 slots in total, termed the 21 Stars. Typically, those forming the 21 Stars weren''t easily receable, since they would be a cut above the rest even among the Origin League.


    After all, everyone at this rank pretty much had a Heaven Martial Spirit, with each hailing from various Realms. The only way someone new would enter the ranks is if one of them broke through to the Martial Providence Stage and entered the Providence League.


    Dwun had entered the Origin League two years ago when he entered the Martial Origin Stage. And after that, he had rapidly worked his way up through countless bloodbaths, practically carving out his techniques through life and death battles.


    After all, this was what he was most suited towards.


    And as he was the Host of the Happy-Go-Lucky System, such an action benefitted him instead. After all, the Hosts of the Happy-Go-Lucky System weren''t those that schemed or raised an army. They just lived out their life without concerns and became overpowered, with none capable of hindering their rise to the top.


    And now, it had begun as Dwun''s opponent was ranked 21st in the Origin League, nicknamed the Beast Lord. Only those at the Star rankings had nicknames in the Origin League.


    The moment his opponent arrived, Dwun smirked, mping his fists to produce a resounding ng.


    Heaven Martial Spirit¡ªSound Gauntlet!


    It was a simple and direct ability, one most suitable for him since he had wielded simr abilities in the Apocalypse World.


    As for the material he had fused with, it turned his body into a diamond.


    It wasn''t something like a diamond body, but was rather a carbon-reinforced body, allowing him to reconstruct his body passively.


    And this was a passive ability, allowing him to reconstruct his body based on his fights.


    He had long since turned his bones carbon-based, raising its toughness while also imbuing in it the capability to absorb shock. His ligaments became tougher while retaining their sticity.


    His skin became harder while also maintaining shock dispersion and sticity, allowing him to move without problems.


    Based on what he experienced in his fights, he tweaked his body little by little, making it stronger after every match. He used his wealth of experience to modify it as much as he could, growing all the more stronger.


    And now, he watched the arena turning into a terrain riddled with pebbles. And slowly, twisters descended from the sky, picking up the pebbles before tossing them out in every direction.


    The reason Dwun continued to fight here was the fact that the arena truly ensured the fights were equal terrain-wise. Meaning, it also calcted his massive luck, creating an environment that targeted him more.


    So, it meant that he didn''t even have a sliver of advantage over his opponent, neither did the other party over him.


    And that was what made the fights so exciting.

 Chapter 488 I’ll Wait While You Prepare

    <h4>Chapter 488 I¡¯ll Wait While You Prepare</h4>


    Bang!


    A pebble mmed into Dwun, causing him to slide a foot backwards in response to the impact. There was a mild mark that formed on his skin, but nothing beyond that. Once he dusted himself, the mark vanished, disying the terrifying toughness of his body.


    In response, the cultivator titled Beast Lord grinned, summoning a pufferfish that resembled a corpse. The pufferfish absorbed the ambient Origin Essence and spat out the corpse of a human, a zombie, shrinking in response.


    Immediately after that, the pufferfish expanded in size before spitting out a zombie cat. One after another, it began to spit out numerous creatures, all zombies.


    This was the reason he was termed the Beast Lord, for he was capable of controlling a horde of beasts.


    The Beast Lord spanned a height of three metres, having shoulders that were three-fourths his height, hulking projections of bone within which soft flesh squirmed. It was like he was wearing a chitin armour full of bones.


    He originated from the Licalm Race, a troublesome race that truly loved to torture its opponents while eating them alive. This was their custom, and hence being one of the most active races in the arena.


    Upon seeing the Beast Lord continuing to puff out countless zombies, Dwun didn''t take action, calmly waiting as the size of the army continued to increase.


    Pebbles from the twisters mmed everywhere, sometimes hitting the zombies, injuring them from time to time. But, even if they suffered an attack, none of them flinched, for they were walking corpses.


    "Oh, ho? Dwun is taking a different approach this time. Until now, he always pummelled his opponents using his tough body right from the get-go. But this time, he seems cautious. Will this year''s darkhorse hit his limit? Or will he prevail?" The anchor announced excitedly.


    "Booo!" The crowd jeered at his inactiveness, chanting, "Coward! Coward! Coward! Coward!"


    "Tch!" Dwun felt irritated at their chants, wishing to go and beat up everyone immediately. But, he forcefully calmed himself down, ''No, I shouldn''t give in to this level of taunt. It would be a hundred times worse while facing Compass Carburettor.''


    Since he had his ass handed down to him once by Compass Carburettor, schemed against casually by the other party, Dwun no longer took actions through impulse.


    Even though it wasn''t in his nature, he gave things some thought before leaping into the heart of the chaos. Basically, he thought about the reason behind the fight itself instead of just thinking about the fight like before.


    ''This pressure isn''t enough.'' He thought, gazing at the army that continued to grow, ''No, it would berger and more menacing if it''s under Compass Carburettor.''


    And hence, he just waited, hoping to see how much of an army his opponent could raise. After all, if he wins in such a situation where the advantage of his luck was negated by the very environment itself, then it would prove to be of tremendous use in his fight against Compass Carburettor.


    It wasn''t just enough if the opponent was life-threatening. The opponent should be so strong that Dwun would be like an ant inparison. And winning against such odds would be what was necessary for him to bridge the gap between himself and the Main Character.


    And hence, he just allowed the opponent to build up an army, calmly making a note of every single zombie.


    At first, the Beast Lord felt like the opponent was just mocking him by not taking action. But upon feeling Dwun''s fighting spirit that continued to spike in response to the army build-up, he snorted, "Lunatic!"


    Of course, he had met many lunatics that felt the most alive in situations where they kissed and had intercourse with death. And, Dwun seemed like the most perverse version of that.


    But, he had always dispatched such individuals to have a more intimate rtionship with death. And now, he nned to do the same and kill Dwun as mercilessly as possible.


    "Your death would be glorious." He smirked, licking his lips in excitement as his Martial Spirit continued to spit out zombies.


    And it always did so by absorbing the ambient Origin Essence. Hence, his Origin Essence reserves were always at an optimal level.


    This way, even if Dwun did something surprising, he would have enough energy to defend himself and retaliate strongly.


    Thud! Bang! Boom!


    Pebbles continued to m into him as Dwun''s figure trembled from time to time due to the nonstop impacts. What was surprising was the muffled sounds that resounded from the impacts.


    His body soaked up all the generated sound, which was pretty much particle vibrations.


    Slowly, a pair of gauntlets manifested in his hands that he mmed into one another, creating a minor shockwave, for a moment stopping the pebbles that were about to m into him.


    Dwun slowly began to walk towards a nearby twister as his body resisted all the pebbles that mmed into him with greater numbers as he approached it closer and closer. Suddenly, the moment he approached it, Dwun expanded his hand, unleashing a loud p,


    Bang!


    A powerful shockwave was unleashed from his gauntlets like a wave that was unleashed tangentially towards the tornado, rapidly increasing its spinning velocity by ten times. And with the rate at which it spun, all the pebbles were ejected out of it by force at speeds vastly greater than before.


    The pebbles were ejected at ten times stronger eleration. And surprisingly, it seemed Dwun had calcted the instant when the pebbles escaped the centripetal force acting within it, directing it in such a way that the pebbles exited tangentially at the moment where they were aimed at the target.


    Thanks to this, the pebbles mmed into the horde of zombies, directly ughtering dozens of zombies instantly.


    Following that, Dwun punched forth at the Tornado, affecting its Coriolis force in such a way that the tornado began to move towards the zombie army at speeds resembling a racing car, surprising the Beast Lord.


    He hadn''t ever expected that Dwun would use the environment in such a fashion, having truly underestimated his opponent as a tenth of his zombies were pulled into the tornado, and spun helplessly before being thrown far away. Their bodies shattered from the impact into the barrier surrounding the arena.


    And surprisingly, Dwun stopped after the two attacks, extending his hand towards the Beast Lord, "I''ll wait. Give me your best shot."

 Chapter 489 Shit!

    <h4>Chapter 489 Shit!</h4>


    "I''ll wait. Give me your best shot."


    Upon hearing Dwun''s words, the Beast Lord snorted, feeling anger for being mocked like this. After all, none of his opponents ever dared to give him a breather, intending to kill him before his advantage umted to a certain extent.


    Even if they all failed and were killed by him, the concept was still there. None of them dared underestimate him.


    But now, Dwun casually awaited closer to a tornado, being constantly hit by the pebbles while he looked at him, motioning for him to hurry up.


    "Just you wait. You won''t even have a corpse remaining once I''m done with you." The Beast Lord snorted as the pufferfish began to suck in a tremendous volume of Origin Essence.


    "It''s beginning." A Martial Providence Stage cultivator from the Licalm race muttered, smiling as he looked at the Beast Lord''s actions.


    There were boxes installed all over the stands, intended for the powerhouses to be seated while they witnessed the fights. Typically, all the powerhouses would be huddled in the Providence League to gain enlightenment through the fights of their fellow powerhouses.


    But, since the match was between the star-ranked cultivator and a dark horse who was eyed by many for the past year, a lot of powerhouses had arrived to witness the spectacle.


    Roar!


    The pufferfish spat out a gigantic beast that spanned a height of ten metres, sporting massive horns that were shaped to resemble a helmet, protecting all the vital areas on its head and neck. It had wide shoulders, acting like pirs to anchor its massive frame.


    The beast was a four-legged creature, a hulk of undead mass that charged straight at Dwun, releasing a toxic mist that empowered the other zombies and seemed like it would cause Dwun''s body to rot upon contact.


    In response, Dwun punched forth nonstop, unleashing many shockwaves that mmed the heavier particles of the mist in the air, perfectly separating the two as the mist was condensed into ayer of water that sshed into one end of the arena.


    "Wha¡­" The anchor was shocked at the scene, stupefied for words before shouting in excitement, "Did everyone see that? Dwun used sound to filter out the toxic mixt from the air. This level of expertise is unprecedented."


    Of course, as someone who had been using the same ability nonstop in the arena, Dwun had long since grasped theposition of the air through sound alone. And through the unleashed sound waves, he targeted the mist whose particles had varying density aspared to the air, filtering it out beforepressing the most into a liquid that he sshed into the wall at the end of the arena.


    Unfortunately, there were countless twisters in the arena, and one of them absorbed the toxic liquid, beginning to spread it around as mist gradually once again.


    The arena worked against him this time. But of course, Dwun wasn''t concerned, unleashing three shockwaves that changed directions of two twisters, causing them to appear before the charging zombie beast, stopping its charge.


    Grrr!


    The zombie beast growled, waving its hands to swat away the twisters as countless pebbles mmed into it, not to mention the twisters trying to lift its limbs off the ground.


    Bam! Bam! Bam!


    Dwun continued to run around the arena as he sent all the twisters toward the zombie beast, trapping it in the centre as the twisters joined together under his actions, turning into a massive tornado that lifted the zombie beast off the ground.


    Moreover, the tornado began to move towards the Beast Lord as countless pebbles flew his way.


    "Tch!" The Beast Lord snorted,manding the rest of his zombie army to charge at Dwun as they spread out, unwilling to be targeted as a group.


    Roar!


    A tiger zombie charged at Dwun as he unleashed a shockwave that stopped its charge before punching forth, snorting to see a rhinoceros zombie arrive in-between them, resisting his attack thanks to its armour that absorbed all the shockwaves.


    The tiger zombie leaped over it, scratching him with its ws.


    Three scratch trails formed on the arm he defended himself with as Dwun could feel a searing sensation as if acid was poured on him, ''So, all the zombies too possess this toxic substance.''


    His muscles wriggled as all the injected toxic substance was expelled out of his body through the wounds automatically before the wounds healed themselves.


    Healing wouldn''t be the right word in this situation as Dwun reconstructed the wound, like a sculptor adding y to mend the damage in his sculpture.


    Dwun ducked, evading the tiger zombie''s lunge, cing his palm on the underside of its belly to course his shockwave through its body before rolling out.


    The tiger zombiended on the ground, intended to chase after him when it suddenly copsed t, for all its bones had shattered into countless fragments.


    ''Of course, I can do precision attacks.'' Thinking as such, Dwun continued to unleash attacks stably, not once hurrying his actions, recovering as much Origin Essence as he expended, maintaining his reserves at an optimal state.


    After all, he was wearing his Martial Spirit on his hands. So, he was able to absorb Origin Essence while fighting. This was something he gradually became used to while fighting in the arena.


    Suddenly, Dwun unleashed a powerful shockwave akin to a st that sent him flying into the tornado, vanishing from view.


    The Beast Lord had been running around all along, escaping from the tornado that continued to chase after him. Suddenly, it chucked out Dwun''s body at frightening speeds towards him, causing the two to sh with one another.


    And at the moment of contact, Dwun erupted with an attack that transferred all his momentum into a shockwave,nding on the ground casually, watching the tornado copse behind him as the arena returned to normal.


    After all, the Beast Lord had sttered into countless body parts thanks to his attack.


    But, even though he had won despite his luck being fully suppressed, Dwun wasn''t even in the least satisfied, cursing in displeasure, "This doesn''t even amount to a tenth of the pressure I might face from the Main Character."


    "Shit!"

 Chapter 490 Hitting a New Low

    <h4>Chapter 490 Hitting a New Low</h4>


    "Kyaaa!" A certain youth shrieked in surprise when arge b of ice mmed into the ground next to him, breaking upon impact while making an impression on the ground.


    The youth gazed upwards in shock, noticing dark clouds that had nketed out the sun, beginning to rain downrge blocks of ice nonstop.


    Hailstorm!


    "Kieee!" The youth screamed as he tried to run towards a shelter to protect himself from the hailstorm when he slipped on the ground, flinching when a piece of ice mmed on the ground before him.


    Had he been standing, then it would have crashed into his head. His slip up ended up saving his life.


    Of course, he was Gallo, the System Host that had been sent to the Gaider Realm in advance before everyone else.


    Gallo looked around, noticing that he was situated in a vast stretch of grasnd with no end in sight. The ground was almost in,cking any ces to hide from the hailstorm, leaving him no other option but to endure the attacks and hope he survived.


    Bang!


    A block of ice mmed into his shoulder, causing him to scream in pain as he copsed to the ground, rolling around in pain. But as for the injury to his shoulder, it had healed instantly. But, the pain was still around, causing him to suffer.


    He rolled, tripped, surprisingly avoided most blows, and suffered some really horrifying blows, with one of themnding on his family jewels, knocking him out.


    Though, a hit to the face jolted him awake. Soon after, Gallo began to weep in pain, "I don''t want to live here. God! Save me!"


    Though, there was no reply to his prayer as the sounds of the blocks of ice mming into the ground were the sole sounds here.


    There was not a single silhouette in sight. After all, there truly was no one else within the Reality Marble.


    It was six months since the creation of the Academy; it was finally the opening day. Compass Carburettor hosted a grand celebratory event to wee everyone that had participated.


    And among them was Gallo, one that had ced fourth in the final rankings. Of course, the rankings changed a little during the general test conducted to the open public.


    Ranze had participated in it, obtaining a score of 894, vastly superior aspared to Bunu and Xuer. Of course, he had the Trash Divine Spirit, not to mention being the protagonist of the Cultivation World.


    So, such an aplishment was a staggering result, shocking every leader to see someone that vastly outperformed everyone else. So, he ced first, followed by Bunu, Xuer, and Gallo.


    Since he was curious, Compass Carburettor made Grisha go through the test too, surprised to see her score 855, almost on par with Ranze.


    Once all the events in the opening ceremony were concluded, the students were allotted to their respective rooms in the Academy City where they would be living for the next five years.


    When Gallo entered his room, he suddenly found himself on this wide grasnd where a hailstorm began soon after, leading to the current sequence of events.


    Buckled on the ground, making himself as small as possible, Gallo continued to cry, noticing his Origin Essence reserves continue to deplete every time he was injured.


    He had the Haven Martial Spirit¡ªMystic Chameleon. It allowed him to heal himself instantly while also giving him the ability to transform into anything he so desired, living or non-living.


    Gallo transformed himself into a rock, using the rock''s hardness to resist the hailstorm. But his powers only allowed him to transform into things in his surroundings. Meaning, the rock he transformed into was pretty weak, for the scant few rocks in the Reality Marble slowly began to turn brittle.


    Of course, it was Compass Carburettor that was adjusting things based on how Gallo''s power worked.


    He was curious as to why only Gallo was sent to the Gaider Realm to disrupt his ns and why not more. And thanks to that, he trapped Gallo in the Reality Marble, ensuring there weren''t any variables his luck could take advantage of.


    But, Gallo''s actions truly surprised him. For, he never once retaliated or even thought of anything sensible. He was like a chicken that mindlessly escaped from any problems that came his way.


    And surprisingly, his luck wasn''t that strong aspared to the other System Hosts. For, it failed many times, forcing Gallo into near-death situations.


    If not for him having a healing ability, he would have died dozens of times by now. But, all that ended as soon after, Gallo ran out of Origin Essence, no longer able to heal himself as he continued to suffer more and more severe injuries.


    The more he watched Gallo''s actions, the more Compass Carburettor frowned, finally stopping the hailstorm when Gallo was on the verge of death, sending in a Cultivation World version of himself.


    The Cultivation World Compass Carburettornded before Gallo, asking, "Why are you lying out here? Do you have a death wish?"


    "I¡­I¡­I couldn''t see a way out¡­" Gallo gasped for air, coughing as words leaked out of his mouth, seemingly as if the final words of a man on his deathbed.


    "You could have dug a hole to bury yourself." Compass Carburettor snorted, saying in displeasure.


    "I don''t want to¡­" Gallo said, beginning to cry immediately, "Even the grass is alive. I don''t want to hurt them."


    Compass Carburettor gazed at Gallo''s expression, experiencing a surreal feeling, sensing that something was indeed amiss here. For, based on his experience, he judged that everything Gallo said until now was the truth.


    But, it just didn''t make any sense. Rather, his character, appearance, actions, etc. none of which made sense given the context of the situation. He just seemed like someone that shouldn''t have been here in the first ce.


    Finally, unable to determine any answers, Compass Carburettor frowned, connecting with Gallo''s mind. As they were within the Reality Marble, Gallo wouldn''t actually die. So, he wasn''t concerned.


    But, the moment he connected with his mind and gazed at the entity sleeping inside, rage enveloped him as Compass Carburettor cursed, "You DAMN FUCKER!"

 Chapter 491 Targeting His Emotional Weakness

    <h4>Chapter 491 Targeting His Emotional Weakness</h4>


    Silly Luck System¡ªLevel 54!


    It wasn''t a battle-oriented System, always choosing goofy Hosts for its use. And the reason was for them to behave as silly freaks that turned every single sceneical. Or at least, that was how it had been conducted until now.


    The Silly Luck System was like a jester in that it caused people tough at the most abstruse situations, causing them to seem less serious than usual. And, things would continue to happen daily that would eventually cause people to treat everything with less seriousness than usual.


    This was a terrifying oue, simr to a disease that festered within people for a long time, only causing the effects to be pronounced after a long time, like consuming alcohol. When the problems arose, it was already toote to rectify them.


    When people took everything less seriously, the effort they put into anything would be less than what they would have done before. Cultivators wouldn''t engage in life and death battles after some time passes, none would make any improvements in fighting techniques, Origin Arts, or even to gather wealth.


    Because none would be taking things with the seriousness they deserved.


    And this was a long-term repercussion that Gallo would be able to create through Silly Luck. This was how Silly Luck worked.


    Unlike most types of Luck, Silly Luck was like an infection. It could be transferred to other people, causing them too to begin behaving like silly freaks after some time.


    And hence, only Gallo was sent to the Gaider Realm. After all, as long as he wasn''t killed, no matter what Compass Carburettor nned, none would work over due course of time.


    But, this wasn''t the reason for his rage. The cause was Gallo himself, or rather what he had been subjected to.


    In the Apocalypse World, Gallo would typically survive for a year before dying a pitiful and lonely death. And the only reason he would survive was thanks to his pets that had protected him until then.


    Gallo was a mentally challenged individual, someone that was slow on the uptake andcked many things a human obtained while growing up. Basically, his intelligence stopped at the age of five.


    His father owned a pet shop where Gallo spent the majority of his time. As he was mentally challenged, he didn''t have any friends and hence turned towards the pets that had more humanity than humans themselves.


    And they truly bonded over time, so much so that Gallo would cry and make a mess of himself every time someone came to buy a pet from their shop. Even though it was troublesome, his father never scolded him.


    After all, Gallo truly loved all the animals in the shop and took care of them. And as a reciprocation of his affection, the pets also were healthy and had spirited natures, a reason the shop actually had many customers.


    When the apocalypse struck, Gallo''s father protected him somehow. All the pets too that had begun to mutate appreciated him taking care of them all these years and in return, protected him now.


    Even the pets that were sold and had survived the apocalypse¡ªand whose owners were dead¡ªhad eventually returned to the pet shop. Thanks to them, he managed to survive the initial phase of the apocalypse.


    But a year into the apocalypse, when the Grassmen, ants, and various species established their territories, the pet shop would be razed down as all the pets were captured by the Grassmen.


    Following them, all of them, including Gallo were turned into Grassmen. As this happened in a faraway city without any interference by the System Hosts, Gallo had been pretty much living through the same life over and over.


    And it was this helpless individual with a kind nature that was selected by the Silly Luck System. Gallo was someone that didn''t even hurt a nt, not to mention take a life.


    Due to his nature, he obtained a healing Martial Spirit. He only had one goal in his life though. And that was for his friends to call him by his name, nothing more, nothing less.


    After all, not even in one loop did he have a friend who called him by his name. Even his father called him at most once per loop, and that too was when he was on the verge of death, hoping for his helpless son to survive somehow.


    So, him being called by his name was his sole wish that became worse after recalling the memories of all his loops. But no matter what, he remained a child mentally.


    And, the Silly Luck System took advantage of that, constantly manipting his luck values to subject him to pain all the time.


    The Silly Luck System was also able to harness the pity others subjected towards Gallo and use it to recover its Silly Luck easily.


    After all, when he felt pity after knowing about Gallo''s past, his luck values shoot up through the roof, for this pity was from the Main Character.


    And the reason the Systems even brought Gallo here was to target his pity. After all, when his father fell from grace and they had to suffer through hard times, his mother was unable to handle the emotional impact, losing her sanity in the process.


    After that, she became no different from a child mentally. And in the troubled environment they lived in, his father wasn''t able to protect her all the time. His mother never had a peaceful time in that household. And as for the way she died¡­


    Veins popped all over his forehead as Compass Carburettor was truly unable to control his rage. The Systems had truly researched his past on Earth, hitting him right where it hurt, making him recall parts of his past that he truly never wished to do so.


    And the reason was to garner his pity that would rapidly strengthen Gallo to such an extent that he would be terrifying while Compass Carburettor would be the fuel that would continue to strengthen him nonstop.


    Anything derived from the Main Character was of course the best recipe to be the strongest. And, the Systems had targeted his emotional weakness.

 Chapter 492 Benefits of the Restriction Order

    <h4>Chapter 492 Benefits of the Restriction Order</h4>


    Unfortunately for the Systems, their ns fell a tad short. After all, the one that had looked through Gallo''s memories wasn''t the actual Compass Carburettor, but a projection of the past.


    So, Gallo''s luck wasn''t significantly reinforced as would have been the case with the original. Had Compass Carburettor fallen prey to Gallo, he would be disying a sense of pity for him all the time. And whenever he nned to kill Gallo, his sense of pity would be triggered.


    And this sense of pity itself would be the luck that protected Gallo from death. Meaning, Compass Carburettor himself would be his enemy, truly turning Gallo invincible.


    After that, Gallo''s Silly Luck would slowly permeate throughout the Gaider Realm and turn all his ns useless.


    The Cultivation World Compass Carburettor waved his hand, summoning a past version of himself, one that was unaware of Gallo''s past, causing him to exit the Reality Marble and inform the original about the situation briefly.


    Immediately after that, two Apocalypse World Compass Carburettors entered the Reality Marble, facing their hands towards Gallo, unleashing Dota''s ability of System Punishment.


    Gallo couldn''t even react when he sensed something in his body being destroyed. He didn''t know what that was, but he felt a tad relieved when that happened for some reason.


    The Apocalypse World Compass Carburettors continued to unleash the System Punishment five times before vanishing. Immediately after, two new Apocalypse World Compass Carburettors arrived, beginning the same once again.


    Slowly, they continued to destroy the Silly Luck System within Gallo''s body. With him having zero Origin Essence, not to mention his overall luck values being suppressed by Compass Carburettor in a domain he had created exclusively to trap Gallo in, the Silly Luck System was unable to do anything.


    Even when it activated its luck-based Skills through his mind, nothing happened. After all, there were no elements it could use within the Reality Marble.


    And every time it targeted the Reality Marble, Compass Carburettor retracted it while activating another simr-looking Reality Marble. This way, its luck Skill''s activation turned useless.


    In this manner, he slowly whittled it down, continuing to destroy its body little by little. A couple of hourster, Gallo died and revived shortly after, feeling light on his toes.


    He felt like something within him had been extracted, but at the same time, he felt like he was free. He didn''t have the capacity to make a detailed analysis but was just able to feel this instinctively.


    Standing away from him was Compass Carburettor, smiling as he looked at the Coordinate in his hand. Of course, he had killed the Silly Luck System without harming its Host, Gallo.


    This was only possible thanks to the sheer difference in their power.


    After a moment of thought, he absorbed the Coordinates, closing his eyes as he sensed the threes in his mind space, able to see minor fluctuations in the ce that became stale immediately after.


    But, upon a closer look, he noticed the chains bounding the Apocalypse World was trembling minutely, causing him to smile, "It seems as I absorb the Coordinates and grow stronger, the chains wouldn''t be able to restrict me for long."


    "But before that, I must find a way for Rhizen to steal the Restriction Order." Thinking as such, he opened his eyes. There were many reasons he nned to work with Rhizen.


    After all, the majority of his powers originated from the Apocalypse World. This included Dota, which allowed him to use the System Punishment.


    Moreover, the power structure of the Apocalypse World didn''t have any fixed limits. Meaning, even in the future, he could continue growing by obtaining more and more Mutated Beasts. His power from Earth had long since reached its limit, same for his power from the Darble World.


    He had already attained the peak of both the Personal Fragments. Only his third Personal Fragment, the Dimensional Space had room for growth. And that was connected to the Apocalypse World.


    So, if the Apocalypse World bes free from the control of the Systems, it would imply an increase in his power. Moreover, the Systems wouldn''t be able to threaten him using the world as coteral.


    At present, he wasn''t sure if his Personal Fragment would lose all its power if the respective world it derived thews from were to be destroyed. Maybe the Systems decided that it wasn''t worth destroying a world over an individual.


    But if he were to continue growing stronger, then they would definitely consider it in the future. And if that was indeed true, then they can cripple him instantly by destroying all his worlds.


    That would instantly turn him weak, making him an easy target for the Systems.


    So in order to avoid that scenario, using the Restriction Order on the Apocalypse World was beneficial for him too. This way, the Systems wouldn''t be able to target that world, allowing him to be in peace that he wouldn''t at least lose one Personal Fragment, the strongest in his arsenal.


    "Boy, don''t walk alone, got it?" Compass Carburettor red at Gallo, chiding him, "Now, return to your room."


    "But¡­how do I do that?" Gallo asked, tilting his head in response.


    "Don''t you see that door here?" Compass Carburettor pointed at a patch of grass within which a half-covered door came into being.


    "The door was here all along?" Gallo was surprised as he approached the door, intending to open it when he slipped, falling face-first into the door. "Ouch!"


    He slowly got up after that, opened the door, and fell through it by tumbling down. When he woke up, he found himself atop the bed in his room, surprised as he looked around, unable to see the door any longer, "Where was that?"


    "Maybe if I make some friends, I can share this incident with them." He smiled happily before closing his eyes to sleep.


    Standing outside his door was Compass Carburettor, hearing his words as he sighed, turning around to walk away, still angry, "Those fuckers will pay."


    "I''ll be their nightmare."


    -----------------------


    Announcement: [Post-Apocalyptic Dispatch Society] has been released. Check it out and do drop a review there.


    -----------------------

 Chapter 493 Stencil Wakes Up

    <h4>Chapter 493 Stencil Wakes Up</h4>


    -----------------------


    Announcement: [Post-Apocalyptic Dispatch Society] has been released. Check it out and do drop a review there.


    -----------------------


    Dimensional Space!


    Seated within a house, refining pills as usual was Gana, one of the three Beyonders under Compass Carburettor. She had taken charge of healing Stencil.


    At present, she just finished refining another pill, one that unleashed a powerful fragrance. In her effort to cultivate as quickly as possible, Gana had almost reached the peak of the Martian Origin Stage.


    And hence, the pills she refined were potent.


    Once the pill refining wasplete, she stored the pills in a vial and walked towards the first floor of the building, opening a door to see the figure of Stencil asleep on the bed.


    Currently, standing beside her was an ethereal blob, resembling a slime. It was the Earth Divine Martial Spirit. The Divine Martial Spirits had their innate forms that could be manifested into reality even at the Origin Refinement Stage.


    It was how Ranze made use of his brick all along.


    And simrly, Stencil''s Martial Spirit had been out from the start, as it had promised Compass Carburettor.


    Even after arriving at the Dimensional Space, it was still able to converse with the other Divine Martial Spirits, hence learning that Compass Carburettor had already killed six Systems. Moreover, the Heaven Divine Martial Spirit even said that his and Rhizen''s actions were working in favour of their Realm itself.


    Therefore, it was pretty content. Besides, by remaining as Stencil''s Martial Spirit, it was able to learn a lot about Systems, System yers, Main Character, and the System World from her.


    The reason all the Divine Spirits had refused to be Compass Carburettor''s Martial Spirit before was in fear of the troublesome¡ªterrifying even¡ªfate he was shouldering. Thanks to that fate, he could never remain in a world for long before powerful Systems would invade it to kill him.


    So, if they were to be his power, the Systems would target their Cultivation World just to cripple it and make him lose power. They were aware of that.


    But, there was pretty much no risk in bing Stencil''s Martial Spirit. After all, from the start, she was hidden within Compass Carburettor''s Dimensional Space as a mere System yer. She wasn''t even a True System yer, and hence she wasn''t on the radar of any enemies.


    Even as a System yer, she was weak, for she was the second System yer created out of the Money-Making System, a mere Hatchling System. So, her potential wascklustre aspared to Compass Carburettor.


    She didn''t even have the chance to be the Main Character.


    And hence, there were benefits involved with being her Martial Spirit. Moreover, thanks to its actions, now Compass Carburettor would do everything in his power to protect the Cultivation World too.


    The Earth Divine Martial Spirit smiled upon seeing Gana enter the room, saying, "Is that the Origin Pill?"


    "Yes." Gana nodded, giving the vial to it, "I''ve made six pills in total."


    The Origin Pill was what allowed cultivators at the Origin Refinement Stage to break through easily to the Martial Origin Stage.


    Stencil was still unconscious. And hence, the Earth Divine Martial Spirit had to execute the breakthrough on its own. For that, these pills were necessary.


    Upon smelling the potency of the pills, the Earth Martial Spirit smiled, consuming them as the Origin Essence in its body spiked.


    Origin Essence was absorbed from the pile of Essence Stones nearby, allowing it to easily be corporeal. This breakthrough was of no trouble for the Earth Divine Martial Spirit that seeded in a matter of minutes.


    The moment itpleted the breakthrough, Stencil''s eyelids fluttered before she woke up, muttering groggily, "Where¡­am I?"


    "Stencil!" Gana hugged her in jubtion, "You''ve finally woken up!"


    Stencil remained silent, closing her eyes as she sensed the information contained within the Coordinate within her. She too was a Beyonder, after all. And hence, she essed all the rted information, muttering after a while, "Aunty¡­Gana?"


    "Yes, that''s me." Gana smiled happily, noticing that Stencil was still feeling difficulty remaining awake.


    It seemed that the breakthrough gave her some strength to remain awake. But it wouldn''tst long.


    Stencil then looked at the Earth Divine Martial Spirit, saying, "Thank you."


    Though, words were unnecessary since their minds were connected now. The intelligence of the Earth Divine Martial Spirit was pretty much Stencil''s mind and thought process now, its original intelligence vanishing after the breakthrough.


    After all, they had formed a deeper connection now.


    After a moment of thought, Stencil sensed that she would fall unconscious once again, frowning as she spoke with Gana a little, understanding the ins and outs of the power system of the Cultivation World.


    She already could ess most of the information through the Coordinate in her, for in extension, she was Compass Carburettor. So, she only needed to ask some doubts that she had.


    After that, Stencil summoned the Neural Impulse Actuator, her Personal Fragment, actually fusing it with her Martial Spirit.


    "What are you doing?" Gana shrieked in shock, expressing her panic.


    "This is the only way to solve my issue." Stencil said, not bothering to wait for Gana''s retort as she began the fusion process.


    Gana looked at the scene nervously, watching the Earth Divine Martial Spirit morph into her choker¡ªthe Neural Impulse Actuator¡ªafter fusion. Surprisingly, the fusion was sessful as the Martial Spirit became her Personal Fragment, thereby allowing her to fuse both the power systems of Earth and the Cultivation World.


    Immediately after that, Stencil focused on her mind, sending her choker into her mind space, targeting the cluster of Systems that were slowly fusing into one.


    The ability unleashed by the Secret Schemer System targeted the Systems in her mind, forcing them to fuse together. This ced a lot of strain on her mind, hence knocking her unconscious.


    If this wasn''t solved, Stencil would turn into a System the moment the Systems in her mind fuse into one, destroy her mind, and take over her System yer body.


    This was the Secret Schemer System''s n upon noticing that Stencil''s father had be a System yer. It was unknown as to the extent of its ns, but they turned futile now as the choker expanded in size and wrapped around the cluster of Systems.


    Kieeee!


    The Systems screamed as lightning sparked from the Neural Impulse Actuator, acting like snakes that drilled into their body, slowly gaining control of their body.


    After some time passed, the System cluster fell under her control as Stencil began to refine them, slowly fusing them into a single entity by destroying any fragments¡ªusing thews of Earth¡ªthat wasn''t to her liking, refining the rest into a power she desired.

 Chapter 494 I’m The Main Character’s Daughter

    <h4>Chapter 494 I¡¯m The Main Character¡¯s Daughter</h4>


    Thanks to her Personal Fragment, Stencil gained control of the System growing in her mind. Slowly, the lightning sparks destroyed the excess parts that she felt were undesirable, helping the rest fuse into one entity.


    And since the lightning snakes unleashed by her Personal Fragment had taken control of it, forming what was akin to a nervous system in its body, the final fused System was an entity akin to a puppet, fully under her control.


    ''But, I cannot bring it out of my body. It would just dissipate.'' She thought, eyes lighting up in surprise when she got an idea.


    Stencil wasn''t that young anymore. She was currently thirteen years old, more mature than when she was a kid who became Host to the Money-Making System. She had been through a lot during the two years she was a System Host, causing her to mature quickly.


    Moreover, thanks to her experiences, she too was able to think afar. Unlike Compass Carburettor who wasn''t smart at birth, she was smarter than her peers even before bing a System Host. And during her time with the Money-Making System, she became more cunning.


    When she was but a child, she lost her mother and grandfather. And at the same time, she lost an arm too. For as long as she could remember, she lived her life with an artificial arm.


    But now, Stencil gazed at her arm, seeing that it was made from flesh and blood. Of course, Gana had refined a lot of healing pills over the past three years that had fully healed her injury, making her body good as new.


    "Thank you, Aunty." She smiled.


    "Are you okay now?" Gana asked, checking Stencil''s body to see that she was indeed alright now, no longer on the verge of falling unconscious.


    "I''ve ced the System growing in my mind under my control. And I''ve also destroyed part of it." Stencil smiled, "So, my mind is no longer in strain."


    She then focused within herself, meditating for a long time before sensing the Coordinate that was within her.


    Compass Carburettor had turned her into a Beyonder for a simple reason. If he failed to solve her issue, or if she were to die due to ack of food or other needs within the Dimensional Space, it wouldn''t be a problem.


    After all, as a Beyonder, she also had the power of the Warble. So, Compass Carburettor would be able to easily revive her in the future.


    But now, upon sensing this Coordinate in her body, Stencil smiled, speaking, "A Divine Martial Spirit has one form at the Origin Refinement Stage, two forms at the Martial Origin Stage, and three forms at the Martial Providence Stage. Meaning, at my present cultivation, I can fuse with two fusion materials."


    Saying so, she extracted the Coordinate from her body, fusing it with the second form of her Martial Spirit, struggling a little in the process.


    But even though the Coordinates seemed ethereal and could only be touched by Compass Carburettor, as she was still an extension of the Main Character as a Beyonder, Stencil could touch it.


    And hence, she fused her Martial Spirit with it, smiling in response to a sessful fusion.


    "Why did you do that?" Gana asked, tilting her head in confusion, "What is the use in fusing with that?"


    "The Coordinates are a mysterious power that forms the base of any System. And it''s this base on which a certain concept is infused to birth a System by the System World." Stencil said, "There''s no use at present. But,"


    She smiled gently, "When I break through to the Martial Providence Stage, I''ll be one with my Martial Spirit. At that time, my body would be the same as a Coordinate. And with my Personal Fragment''s power to control Systems, I''ll be able to turn into a System myself if I so desire."


    "At the Martial Providence Stage, I''ll be able to control three Systems in total."


    "Smart." Gana''s eyes lit up as she eximed in shock. This was the first time she was interacting with Stencil. Until now, she hadn''t ever assumed for her to be this intelligent.


    Based on the ounts from Compass Carburettor, she only seemed like a na?ve child that needs to be protected.


    ''Of course, that is only my Lord''s perspective of his child. She''s actually damn smart.'' Gana nodded before rxing, "Now that you''re safe, I can finally rx. I haven''t had a moment''s peace for the past three and a half years."


    "You''ve worked hard, aunty." Stencil hugged her gently, giggling in response, "Let me help you now. We''ll surprise dad when he returns."


    "Haha, that would be wonderful." Gana smiled before closing her eyes, falling asleep immediately.


    Until now, she hadn''t had a night of proper sleep, only taking short naps of ten minutes each time she was tired, splitting her sleep into many intervals throughout the day.


    For, she didn''t dare miss anything that might happen to Stencil. But now that Stencil was cured, she could rx, finally taking the sleep that she had missed out on for the past few years.


    Stencil didn''t have much strength though, for she had been unconscious for too long. She became exhausted as soon as she got up. So, she didn''t wish to strain herself any longer, closing her eyes as she focused on her Martial Spirit, slowly tapping into the exclusive line shared by all four Divine Spirits.


    She focused on the line connecting to the Human Divine Martial Spirit, contacting Rhizen, "Uncle¡­Rhizen?"


    "Who?" Rhizen was roaming through a different Realm, stealthily trailing after a System Host that he had discovered through its luck values, nning to find the right moment to kill it when he noticed a messageing from the Earth Divine Martial Spirit.


    Of course, he was also in contact with the other Divine Martial Spirits. Though, he had only been conversing with the Heaven Divine Martial Spirit, for that was the only other Martial Spirit that was in the Martial Spirit Realm other than his Human Divine Martial Spirit.


    Of course, now that the Earth Divine Martial Spirit contacted him, Rhizen was curious as to what the other party had to say, slightly shocked upon hearing the other party state his name, "And you are?"


    "I''m the Main Character''s daughter."

 Chapter 495 Academy Rules

    <h4>Chapter 495 Academy Rules</h4>


    Personal Fragment¡ªSecret Society!


    The Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor ced the symbol of Secret Society on the forehead of the student, watching it take effect as the student kneeled on the ground, proiming with a tone of respect, "I greet Lord Spirit."


    The Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor vanished immediately after, as his summon was retracted. The student that had just be a member of Secret Society lifted his head in puzzlement, "Why am I kneeling on the ground?"


    Of course, as the one that had bestowed the symbol vanished, so did the effect of Secret Society. And with it, the rted memories too vanished, causing the student to stare in puzzlement.


    Seated within a nearby room was Compass Carburettor, clicking his tongue at another failed experiment.


    He was experimenting with the rest of his abilities to see how they functioned. But as he had expected, none of them worked when the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor vanished. Thankfully, the energy de materialised using the Trait of Permanence remained behind even after the creator vanished.


    That was his only saving grace. Other than that, all his Apocalypse World abilities, including the Dust Wave vanished the moment the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor that had unleashed them vanished.


    Compass Carburettor then brought out his Apocalypse World self that immediately used Dita''s power on him. This was in an effort to enter his Dimensional Space, even though it was sealed by the Restriction Order.


    The Apocalypse World self vanished for a moment before kneeling him in the face. He failed to enter the Dimensional Space and hence crashed into him.


    ''So, it''spletely sealed.'' Sighing in response, he felt a bit dejected, trying to think of ways to go around the Restriction Order. Moreover, he also needed to figure out a way to interact with it.


    Only then could he work with Rhizen to steal it from the control of the Systems and drape it over the Apocalypse World.


    As it was time to address all the students, Compass Carburettor didn''t spend more time with the experiments as he slowly made his way towards the auditorium built at the base of the mountain, noticing all the students seated within, nervous, and excited.


    There were people from all age and cultivation groups, from teenagers to adults, from mortals to Martial Origin Stage cultivators.


    There were Human Grade Bronze Golems stationed in discrete locations among the auditorium as security personnel. Even though these Human Grade Bronze Golems weren''t too strong, they worked in maintaining peace.


    After all, going against them on the first day was a sign of rebelliousness.


    The moment Compass Carburettor arrived at the auditorium, he could feel the nervousness of everyone there, sensing their gazes on him.


    Everyone here had gone through his test, experiencing irritation and a multitude of other emotions to survive against the masked Earth Compass Carburettor that tried to kill them. And, they were eventually killed and revived surprisingly.


    The Elders of their respective ns and Sects had informed them that everything was created by Compass Carburettor, conducting a test everywhere simultaneously. And these students ryed the same information to the students that were admitted through the general test.


    As a result, everyone became aware that Compass Carburettor was a man of mystery, possessing unfathomable power at his disposal, gazing at him nervously, also anticipating what he had to say.


    Staring at the crowd, Compass Carburettor scanned past their faces, registering their emotions before smiling, "It seems everyone is nervous. But there''s no reason for you to be so. The sole purpose of the Academy is to enrich your growth and turn you into experts strong enough to face the Evil Spirits. That''s our Academy''s sole goal."


    He waved his hand when Grisha teleported an Earth Grade Silver Golem near him. The golem made a mild bow before unleashing a voice by expending some of its stored Origin Essence, "I''ll be teaching the students the know-how of Evil Spirits, the ways to detect them, the goals of Evil Spirits, the means to kill or flee from them, etc."


    The Earth Grade Silver Golem vanished as Compass Carburettor continued speaking, "The Silver Golems are in charge of teaching you. They are equipped with all the knowledge you ever need. And they would exist for countless centuries. To those from prestigious ns and Sects, you can rest assured that the Academy would continue to function just the same long after our deaths."


    Boom!


    Suddenly, two fifty-metre-tall golems appeared beside him, shocking all the students, causing them to shiver from the sheer pressure the two golems emanated.


    Compass Carburettor pointed at them and spoke, "The Heaven Grade Bronze Golem is the Vice-Principal of the Academy, in charge of the Academy''s security. It has strength on par with a peak powerhouse through its body toughness alone. Adding onto its Heaven Martial Spirit, it''s one of a kind."


    "Heaven Martial Spirit!" The students eximed in shock. After all, in the entirety of the Gaider Realm, there was just one Heaven Martial Spirit cultivator that had attained the peak of cultivation.


    On seeing that there was another one in the Academy, for some reason, a sense of pride began to seep into their minds.


    "The Heaven Grade tinum Golem is also the same as the Bronze Golem and is the Principal of the Academy. These two would be the ones running the Academy for generations toe. So, you should get to know about them beforehand." He spoke.


    "Study well." The tinum Golem said as Grisha teleported the both of them away.


    After that, Compass Carburettor began to talk about the various facilities that would be avable in the Academy, stating, "The currency used in the Academy would be the Blood Vitality Pills that are divided into four Ranks of Bronze, Silver, Gold, and tinum. So, everything would be exchanged using that. But, we wouldn''t be trading using them itself."


    He smiled, taking out a circr pearl coin inscribed with the word ''Bronze'' using Mental Energy, "You''ll be using these to trade. You can exchange the coins for pills in the relevant department. But, taking the pills beyond the Academy is forbidden, so certain rules would be imposed upon the students ordingly."

 Chapter 496 Self-Sufficiency

    <h4>Chapter 496 Self-Sufficiency</h4>


    Blood Vitality Pills for body strengthening, Cultivation Techniques exclusive per Martial Spirits, Origin Arts for the same, Pill Recipes, Artifact Refinement Techniques, and Formation Diagrams, everything that was avable in the Academy was said by him.


    Compass Carburettor then went on to exin about the four Sparks that would raise their foundation to the limit in the Origin Refinement Stage, making them stronger after reaching the Martial Origin Stage.


    And finally, he talked about the fusion materials that were supposedly the best, and avable exclusively in the Academy. Of course, this was thanks to the Dolbas.


    There was a group of Cultivation World Compass Carburettors seated in a Reality Marble where they were constantly absorbing the ambient Origin Essence that was being produced by the Reality Marble itself by absorbing the energy within the Essence Stones.


    This was only to create an environment where the Dolbas could sustain themselves. Everything was just what he had summoned. This wasn''t a long-term solution. But, Compass Carburettor didn''t have an alternative for that yet. And hence, he first decided to go along with the current n and deal with the rest in the future.


    As for the energy required to maintain the Reality Marble, it was no longer borne by the Cultivation World Compass Carburettors.


    After all, the required setup had already beenpleted.


    Deep within the Academy''s mountain, at the bottom-most location sat around a dozen Vitality Bowls, constantly filling themselves up with a nutrient solution. Hovering above them were a couple dozen Golda, constantly drinking the nutrient solution before converting them into Mental Energy.


    And this Mental Energy poured into the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettors that were maintaining a massive Reality Marble World.


    The excess Mental Energy was being used to make the Reality Marble resemble the Cultivation World more and more, soon beginning to produce a lot of fusion materials.


    The Dolbas ate them and slowly began to refine and condense a fusion material each on their backs. Mental Energy was the most versatile. And Reality Marble was capable of creating any environment.


    Once he created a stable source of Mental Energy, Compass Carburettor created an environment simr to the home of the Dolbas in the Folkan Secret Realm. The only difference was the fact that this was dozens of times bigger, with hundreds of more Dolbas.


    At first, Compass Carburettor had created multiple Reality Marbles, dedicated to each task. But after some thought, he clubbed them all into a single, gigantic world that was managed by dozens of Compass Carburettors, both Apocalypse and Cultivation versions.


    This way, even if an error were to happen, the other versions would be able to reinforce the ce, preventing any mishap from happening.


    And the energy source was stable thanks to the Mental Energy farms he had created through the use of Vitality Bowls and Golda everywhere. Mountains were typically rich in minerals, especially since they were located above volcanic lines, leading to an endless supply of materials.


    Thanks to that, the Vitality Bowls would be able to produce the nutrient solution nonstop without damaging the environment in the least.


    Multiple Carburettor Inds were working on various tasks, having more than enough energy to function without a trouble.


    After all, the Academy was represented by the symbol of Secret Society. Meaning, those that thought of the Academy associated it with the symbol of Secret Society, resulting in a grand stream of Mental Energy that was used by the Blood Vitality Grass to produce the Blood Vitality Pills in excess.


    Compass Carburettor also began to sell the Blood Vitality Pills to the powerhouses of the various ns and Sects in exchange for resources necessary for the Academy. Of course, everything was a closely guarded secret.


    He was doing this to strengthen the Gaider Realm as a whole. Even if the current powerhouses weren''t suitable enough to fight the System Hosts, they could still deal with the armies raised by the opponents.


    So, it wouldn''t make sense to not strengthen them, especially since he had the opportunity to do so now.


    "Those that umte enough credits can use it to exchange for all the resources that the Academy has. As long as you have enough, the Academy would support you ordingly." He concluded, hearing resounding cheers from the crowd, smiling in response as he began to walk away, "The Silver Golems would take care of your sses. Follow their teachings and make the Gaider Realm proud."


    The Academy began in full earnest after that as the students indeed improved by leaps and bounds thanks to the resources avable here. After all, just Cultivation Techniques and Origin Arts exclusive to someone was enough to turn them into an expert.


    But the sense ofpetition pushed forward by the Academy further caused them to strive and improve further. Also, living in the Academy City on their own allowed them to work on their life skills too, something most geniuses hailing from powerful ns and Sects never experienced.


    Beyond the Academy City''s moat, a grand city gradually began to form as every n and Sect established a domain of their own here. Of course, there were areas dered to be public property so that the students wouldn''t feel suffocated while leaving the Academy.


    Compass Carburettor didn''t care about the academy after a year into its establishment, seeing that it was functioning on its own without any problems. He had already begun focusing on his personal growth, strengthening his body with both the Blood Vitality Pills and the various Sparks.


    In the Reality Marble, he had created an environment simr to the Essence Derby Pce, allowing the summoned Essence Beasts to begin producing the various sparks. Though, it would take time for the stronger Sparks to be produced, even if he were to actively control them.


    And hence, he took a simpler approach.


    Quantity over quality.


    He simply increased the number of Essence Beasts in the area so that more Sparks would be produced over time. It did ce a strain on the Mental Energy at first, but Compass Carburettor just created more farms for that.


    The Mental Energy supported the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor in maintaining the Reality Marble that was generating Origin Essence. And, this Origin Essence helped the Cultivation World Compass Carburettor in maintaining his summon of the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor.


    It created a self-sufficient loop, just like what he had desired to create in the beginning. Once everything became self-sufficient, his supervision was no longer necessary as Compass Carburettor wholly focused on his abilities, training nonstop while forgetting the passage of time.


    In this manner, fourteen years spanned past. Now, there was less than a year before the Apocalypse World looped. And, the final war erupted.

 Chapter 497 The First Main Character

    <h4>Chapter 497 The First Main Character</h4>


    Tok! Tok! Tok!


    Compass Carburettor walked through his mind space, arriving before the chains binding his three worlds. He stopped before it, extending his hand to touch the chains of Earth, seeing them tremble nonstop.


    Currently, he had already reached peak cultivation, the Ninth Layer of the Martial Providence Stage in both the dwellings. That wasn''t all, he had coborated with Rhizen and killed most of the System Hosts, targeting the ones that were alone.


    When he and Rhizen attacked the lone System Hosts, sess was pretty much guaranteed. And their Coordinates were absorbed by him while Rhizen absorbed their luck.


    Every time he absorbed a Coordinate, the chains binding his three worlds would shudder in response. This was because the chains were from the Restriction Order, a Main Character''s ability.


    And, they had an innate defect against the Main Character. Having been the Main Character for some time now, Compass Carburettor understood certain information.


    It was the fact that irrespective of the number of System yers, there could only be one Main Character. And until he was alive, no new Main Character would be birthed, irrespective of their talent or potential to be one.


    And as his state as a Main Character continued to increase through his exploits, the chains were beginning to fail in restricting him. It was because the aura of the Main Character from both was shing.


    Eventually, when his aura bes powerful enough, he would be able to break through the chains.


    Even though the Restriction Order was from a Level 90 Main Character, its effects were spread throughout the Cultivation World, a vastwork of Realms. In contrast, the entirety of Compass Carburettor''s power was concentrated in him alone.


    So, once he absorbed enough Coordinates, he began to overwhelm the chains. But, destroying them wasn''t his goal. No, that was a waste.


    His goal was to steal the Restriction Order from the hands of the Systems. So for that, he had been focusing on the task.


    The Gaider Realm had already geared up for the uing war. Only eight System Hosts were remaining of the original 21. And the only reason this number hadn''t dropped further was that they had all converged around Straxia.


    Otherwise, Rhizen and Compass Carburettor would have teamed up and killed them all one after another.


    Compass Carburettor touched the chains before seeping his Origin Essence through them, activating his Origin Art of Mind Connect.


    Even though the first Main Character had been killed, his corpse remained, something that wouldn''t ever rot. Moreover, it was also carefully preserved by the Systems.


    The Restriction Order was a sphere looking no different from the Coordinates, only darker and heavier, or at least that was the feeling it gave, for Coordinates were massless.


    There were traces of the Main Character''s mind left in the Restriction Order. But the fragments were too small. Moreover, in fear that essing those fragments might create a chance for the Main Character to grow in their minds, none of the Systems ever dared to connect with these memory fragments.


    Of course, Compass Carburettor dared to do that, especially since he had such a convenient means to do so through his mind space. Unlike the Systems, he was confident. Because, he was the current Main Character and one that specialised in dealing with the mind.


    So, he wouldn''t face any disadvantages.


    His Origin Art of Mind Connect''s power coursed through the chains, leaving his mind space before travelling throughout the Gaider Realm, expanding further beyond as it travelled through all the chains covering the Cultivation World.


    And as time passed, the connection eventually reached the sphere¡ªthe Restriction Order.


    ¡­


    "So, this is what it means to be the Main Character!"


    "Haha, Systems are weak before me."


    "You bastards are freaking parasites!"


    "Will you stop at nothing before sucking in the essence of every freaking world?"


    "Dammit, stoooppp!"


    "You bastards! I''ll kill you all!"


    "Shit¡­is this my end?"


    ¡­


    The memories only consisted of scenes where the Main Character experienced the peak in his emotional upheavals. This Main Character seemed confident and that confidence was what allowed him to be one in the first ce.


    And he was indeed strong, as exined by his confident emotions at the start after bing the Main Character. But after that, as he continued to face the Systems that swarmed him wave after wave, his emotions slowly shifted to anger and aggressiveness.


    And eventually, it morphed into hatred when he witnessed the depth of what the Systems were capable of.


    The final scene was of him staring at a couple of Grade 3 Systems that had been attacking him nonstop, now about to deal the killing blow.


    Compass Carburettor went through the memories again and again until he obtained as much information as possible.


    After that, he opened his eyes, gazing at the figure of Rhizen that was seated before him, "I''ve essed it fully."


    "Alright, connect me to it." Rhizen nodded.


    Ever since he was contacted by Stencil, Rhizen changed his ns, modifying them ording to the variables at y.


    Thanks to her support, they were able to bring their ns forward.


    Origin Art¡ªMental Connect!


    Origin Art¡ªMind Transfer!


    Rhizen appeared in the stomach of the Mind Frog before he was directed to Compass Carburettor''s mind space, arriving before Earth as he took a seat. He had already entered this mind space plenty of times as practice in the past, so he was long since used to everything in ce.


    "Now, we''ll have to wait for your daughter." He said, closing his eyes to rest.


    Compass Carburettor stood beside him in silence, subtly nodding in response with a hint of pride. Their initial n was a lot moreplex, involving plenty of risks, with one of the risks amounting to wounding or even destroying one of his Personal Fragments.


    But ever since Stencil woke up, they gained a better leeway as she used the System she controlled and worked with Dota and the Heaven Divine Martial Spirit to work on a certain project that he had begun in the Apocalypse World itself.

 Chapter 498 Third Fusion Material

    <h4>Chapter 498 Third Fusion Material</h4>


    Dimensional Space; Dota iled its dragon ws, fusing its original body¡ªcorpse¡ªinto Anthozoa little by little while a choker hovered above it, emanating lightning bolts that served into the gun.


    These bolts acted like threads that stitched the gun and Dota''s corpse together. Stencil had been working together with Dota from the time she woke up.


    Initially, she wasn''t able to help much as everything was done by Dota alone.


    But once she broke through to the Martial Providence Realm, Stencil''s true potential erupted as she was able to transform into a System thanks to her attribute of the Coordinates and the System she was controlling.


    Moreover, for her third fusion material, she picked Dota''s horns, obtaining the Dragon of Systems as her third attribute.


    Thanks to this, she was able to y an active role in fusing Dota''s corpse into Anthozoa, for she now possessed a simr power. This was also when Rhizen and Compass Carburettor changed their ns.


    For the following decade, Stencil and Dota continued to work in fusing Dota''s corpse and Anthozoa into one, using a variety of abilities to slowly work through things. A significant sum of Mental Energy was also required for the same, so they had to take things slow.


    Mental Energy continued to gush into the Dimensional Space from outside. After all, Mental Energy wasn''t suppressed by the Restriction Order.


    And this reserve of Mental Energy was what allowed them to work in the process. They had to exercise utmost caution in the task. After all, they were modifying Compass Carburettor''s Personal Fragment.


    If they made a mistake, it might result in the Personal Fragment getting damaged. Personal Fragments weren''t indestructible. They could easily be destroyed.


    Even though his Anthozoa was at the height of Earth''s engineering, capable of withstanding impact by a ton of steel on it without so much as suffering a scratch, that was only in terms of its hardness and toughness.


    When the material''s boiling point was attained, it would melt into a puddle. And this was Anthozoa''s weakness.


    And they were doing pretty dangerous experiments that almost tested the limits of Anthozoa''s structural limits.


    Boom!


    The choker in the air unleashed a torrent of lightning currents that slithered like snakes and entered Anthozoa, stitching the final portion of Dota''s corpse to it.


    Currently, Anthozoa''s body seemed like it had been covered by ayer of leather. There also existed a small horn that acted as its front sight. There were no other changes to it, but the moment the fusion waspleted, the choker turned into Stencil as she saw the Dimensional Space whirring in response.


    The aurora formed by Mental Energy in the sky dimmed as most of the Mental Energy gushed into Anthozoa, powering it up as it was upgraded as a Personal Fragment.


    The powerup was so significant that Compass Carburettor was also able to feel it in the mind space. He then smiled, noticing Earth brightening up in response, suddenly brimming with terrifying energy as the chains binding it screamed in response, failing to keep it locked anymore.


    If he were to harness all his power, the chains would break immediately. But, Compass Carburettor didn''t want that as he controlled Earth¡ªthanks to the weakening restriction¡ªensuring that the power umtion by Earth was slow enough that the chains were able to catch up and restrict it.


    The power of the Restriction Order was focused on Earth as more and more of it arrived here, causing the number of chains to skyrocket.


    Normally, such a significant number of chains wouldn''t be required even for a high-level System. But, as he was the Main Character, he was innately resistant to the Restriction Order. Hence, the efficacy of the Restriction Order was almost a hundred times weaker on him aspared to the Systems.


    Due to that, the Restriction Order had to focus most of its power on his mind space to prevent him from breaking free.


    Thump! Thump!


    Slowly, the chains surrounding Earth connected, forming a node that turned into a heart and began to thump in response. The majority of the Restriction Order had arrived here, beginning to condense automatically.


    And upon seeing this, Rhizen smiled, "It''s working."


    "Yep," Compass Carburettor nodded as he continued to rile up Earth. And this time, he caused it to also harness the power of the Darble World and the Apocalypse World, further raising the chances of it bing free.


    This resulted in the Restriction World being drawn to it higher. In truth, this was thanks to Anthozoa that was slowly sucking in the Restriction Order towards itself.


    This was Anthozoa''s trait after it was turned into a Personal Fragment. And after the current upgrade, it was capable of pulling the Restriction Order too.


    As there wasn''t anyone controlling the Restriction Order due to the nature of its power, it worked based on the instincts delivered by the memory within.


    And, that was easy to take advantage of as eventually, Compass Carburettor grunted, causing the entirety of his power to be condensed in Earth.


    As a result, the entirety of the Restriction Order''s core had formed above it, erecting powerful chains that ensured Earth would never break free of its control.


    Slowly, the Restriction Order manifested itself, shaped like a Coordinate, with millions of tendrils on it. And exiting those tendrils were chains that spread through the Cultivation World, sealing all System-rted abilities.


    As for the energy required to maintain this, it was of course the Mental Energy. But somehow, the Restriction Order was capable of absorbing the Mental Energy present in the Cultivation World itself, a resultant of the thoughts of everyone failing to be absorbed by anyone.


    Such thoughts turned into Mental Energy and lingered for short durations before vanishing. But before it vanished, the Restriction Order absorbed it to fuel itself.


    And now that its body had formed, Compass Carburettor smiled, muttering, "So, this is the first Main Character''s body."


    "That seems to be the case." Rhizen nodded.


    "Are you ready, Rhizen?" Compass Carburettor asked, gazing at the nervous figure of the other party.


    Though hesitant, Rhizen understood what he had to do, firming himself as he arrived before the Restriction Order, grabbing hold of it with his hand, saying, "I''m ready."


    "This will be my third fusion material."

 Chapter 499 Fusing Powers of Two Worlds

    <h4>Chapter 499 Fusing Powers of Two Worlds</h4>


    The figure of Rhizen slowly turned transparent before bing a ray of Mental Energy that swam through the Origin Art of Mind Connect, arriving in Compass Carburettor''s mind space.


    Rhizen''s second fusion material was the Mental Energy sphere he obtained from Compass Carburettor. And at the Martial Providence Stage, it allowed him to take on a Mental Energy form and travel into the mind of others through the Mental Energy streams they emit.


    This was only possible if the Mental Energy stream was directed at him though. He could not enter the streams directed at others. Since he already told Compass Carburettor about his ability, all necessary arrangements had been done beforehand.


    The moment Rhizen''s body arrived in the mind space, his body and mind fused into one as Rhizen began to absorb the Restriction Order, using it as his third fusion material.


    Compass Carburettor watched with bated breath as the Restriction Order was actually fusing with Rhizen.


    "Geh!" Rhizen grunted in response as his body showed signs of cracking thanks to the enormous power contained within the fusion material. Unlike the other fusion materials, the Restriction Order was active.


    And, to keep the Systems oblivious to everything, he had to fuse with it in such a way that the process was slow enough for him to maintain the Restriction Order. Basically, as it became his power, he had to wield it and ensure the status quo of the Cultivation World doesn''t change.


    So, it was a tricky process.


    Thankfully, Rhizen had lived for more than a millennium and had been through the painful extraction process of the Coincidental Luck System over and over again for 48 times. So, he was able to work through the fusion process, ensuring there wouldn''t even be a fluctuation in the Restriction Order cast over the Cultivation World.


    It didn''t take much time though as Rhizen soonpleted the fusion process, grunting in pain as he copsed to the ground, panting in response, exhausted, "I¡­seeded."


    "Congrattions!" Compass Carburettor smiled in response, happy that they had seeded. Now, the Restriction Order was under their control.


    When Rhizen returns to the Apocalypse World, he would take the Restriction Order with him. But at the same time, the Cultivation World would still be protected by the Restriction Order.


    This was because his Martial Spirit was the Human Divine Martial Spirit, one of the four foundations of the Cultivation World. And through it, he was able to share the power with the other Divine Martial Spirits.


    This was the deal he had with the Divine Martial Spirits. It was a win-win situation for both sides in that they would be protected against the Systems. Moreover, they would work with Rhizen through his Post-Apocalyptic Dispatch Society in the future to retaliate against the Systems.


    As for Compass Carburettor, he was benefiting from the entire transaction the most. After all, he was gaining allies in his endeavour.


    Even though he hadn''t met with Stencil, he was long aware that not only had she recovered but had also gained tremendous power. Therefore, his goals had already been achieved.


    His daughter was safe.


    This was his only wish. And now that it had been fulfilled, he only had to focus on avoiding detection by the Systems.


    And when necessary, he could return to seek refuge in the Apocalypse World that would slowly be turned into a fortress to face the Systems. Even Grade 2 Systems cannot breach the Restriction Order.


    And now that it had be Rhizen''s power, as he grows stronger in the future, it too would be more potent.


    After all, Rhizen''s true goal was tobine the power system of both the Apocalypse and Cultivation World to create a power strong enough to kill Systems.


    And for this, he had been nning extensively. Upon knowing about the power system of the Cultivation World, Rhizen felt that it was time for him to take action. And hence, he manipted the Coincidental Luck System.


    His first fusion material was the core of the Apocalypse World. It was the Coincidental Luck System''s proof of ownership of the world, an item that allowed it to control the Apocalypse World. And it was through it that it harvested a lot of Mental Energy.


    And of course, it couldn''t just eat up that energy, for that would only hinder its growth. This was where Rhizen came into y, acting as the filter that processed the Mental Energy into a format beneficial for its growth, the reason it grew to be the strongest among the Luck based Systems in a short time.


    This was just like how Compass Carburettor harnessed the Mental Energy of the Temperate Refinement Zone through Dullin''s corpse.


    Its ownership of this core was also why none of the Luck based Systems dared to enter the Apocalypse World. If they did, then by paying a price, it would be able to exercise its control over the world, trapping them before devouring them.


    The cost was just ginormous, and hence the Coincidental Luck System never used it against the Hatchling Systems which were pretty worthless in its eyes.


    This was also what led to it searching for System yers to take care of the Hatchling Systems.


    After fusing with the Apocalypse World''s core, Rhizen gained the same power. And through it, he began to work in fusing the power systems of both the worlds and terraforming his Apocalypse World''s power system ordingly.


    Even though the Apocalypse World''s power system had limitless potential, it was weak. After all, they had to consume pearls to unleash their abilities, irrespective of their Stage of cultivation.


    Moreover, they couldn''t unleash their abilities in session because of the need to consume the pearls for energy.


    As for Compass Carburettor, thanks to his Dimensional Space, he could supplement the energy needed with Mental Energy, hence oveing the restriction of the power system.


    And, Rhizen''s goal was the same.


    The Apocalypse World''s Core, the Cultivation World''s core¡ªthe Human Divine Martial Spirit; he possessed both now.


    Rhizen''s second fusion material allowed him to harness and use Mental Energy. And his third fusion material, the Restriction Order allowed him to actually kill the Systems.


    "I''ll be focusing on this, Compass." Rhizen said, exiting Compass Carburettor''s mind space, "I''ll leave the rest to you."


    "Enact an impressive death to fool the watching Grade 2 Systems."

 Chapter 500 Angel and Demon

    <h4>Chapter 500 Angel and Demon</h4>


    "Create a small gap in the chains." Compass Carburettor said the moment Rhizen exited the mind space, turning physical.


    "Alright, give me a moment." Rhizen nodded and began to concentrate on his power.


    "I''ll be waiting for you," Grisha said with a gentle smile.


    "It won''t take long." Compass Carburettor replied as he sensed the chains on his Dimensional Space weakening for a moment when he snapped his fingers, sending Grisha into the Dimensional Space.


    Immediately after, the Dimensional Space was sealed up, preventing him from using his abilities.


    Grisha was basically an extension of himself, an extension of the Main Character. And hence, she too would have to die for the Grade 2 Systems watching over the Cultivation World to be assured of his death.


    And, if she were to be killed here, her death would be permanent. He didn''t wish to lose her, and hence, sent her into the Dimensional Space.


    This way, he could fool the Grade 2 Systems better, since only he had to die. And, he had already prepared a revival means from the very beginning.


    Now, his objectives were pretty simple: Kill the remaining eight System Hosts and die at the hands of Straxia.


    This way, the information of his death would be sensed by the Grade 2 Systems, preventing any other chase in the future.


    As long as they be unaware of his revival, he could have a peaceful life in the future. After all, he wished to provide a stable life for Stencil, not a life where they had to constantly be in hiding.


    Besides, she was no longer a child. Stencil was around 28 years old now and hadn''t yet experienced a proper life. So, he wished to give her that stable life women her age ought to experience.


    Even though he desperately wanted to see her, he controlled his impulse. If he brought out Stencil now, the watching Grade 2 Systems might sense something amiss. Whether or not this would happen, he didn''t wish to raise the risk barrier too high.


    He could see his daughter peacefully after a year, "One more year."


    "I''ll die and then be free." He sighed, watching Rhizen fall asleep on the floor due to exhaustion. Shaking his head, he sat a couple of metres away, meditating to consolidate his power.


    After all, the armies of the remaining eight System Hosts were about to invade the Gaider Realm shortly after.


    ¡­


    Hovering in the trenches of space were two humanoid entities, a demon, and an angel. They were Grade 2 Systems, representing the Demon System and Angel System.


    Grade 2 Systems worked in terms of races. They''ll typically target a race and spread around, proliferating through the masses. Everyone born from that particr race after that would be System Hosts.


    Currently, the Demon System controlled three worlds. And all the Demons from these three worlds were its System Hosts. They typically invaded the other worlds. And even in their world, they had a levelling-type power system.


    It was a simple power mechanism. Demons were born at level 1. And, if they were to kill a Demon, they would absorb the System Fragment within the killed entity, which would result in them levelling up.


    So, the higher the level, the greater the System Fragment in their body. It was a simple progression. And, if someone reached a high enough level, they would share the closest rtionship with the Demon System, sometimes even able to influence its decisions.


    Of course, it would also be that they were bing more and more like the Demon System.


    The entity that had arrived in space was someone that bore a quarter of the Demon System in its body, the strongest of its race¡ªconcerning the three worlds the Demon System controlled.


    In their world, this demon was addressed as the Demon God, a pinnacle power that was unrivalled in strength.


    And standing next to it was the representative of the Angel System, also possessing a quarter of the Angel System.


    It was these two Grade 2 Systems that were keeping an eye on the Cultivation World.


    "It''s pretty boring." The Demon System muttered, "I could have invaded your world at least once in this time."


    "You were beaten up pretty badly thest time you did that." The Angel Systemughed, "Just give up on the notion of invading my world. You''re better off invading some human worlds that aren''t under the control of a Grade 2 System."


    "You can convert them into Demons and strengthen yourself further."


    "What makes you think I''m not doing it already?" The Demon System snorted, "My armies are invading countless worlds and turning their native race into Demons. But, when Demons kill Angels, we can absorb your power and grow the strongest."


    "The same''s true for us too." The Angel System shook its head, "In that notion, all of us Grade 2 Systems can eat up each other and strengthen ourselves. We aren''t limited by Genres like the Grade 1 Systems."


    "Still, I was excited to see the birth of a Grade 2 Luck System." The Demon System said, licking its lips, "And judging by their progression, the Luck Systems are steadily suppressing the Main Character."


    "Destiny Luck and Coincidental Luck are still the dominating factors. Even after it was killed, Destiny Luck is still the strongest after it had pervaded into the bodies of the surviving System Hosts." The Angel System spoke in interest, "And as they continue to die, the final survivor would inherit the luck of everyone."


    "If things progress at this rate, the moment they kill the Main Character, the Grade 2 Luck System might be born automatically."


    "It''ll be fun to have it enter our circle." The Demon Systemughed, "With luck on our side, we can create an insanely lucky race. That would hasten our invasion of the untamed worlds."


    "But, those Gods are still troublesome, especially Mystique." The Angel System said, shuddering in fear, "Only a Grade 3 or 4 System can face Mystique."


    "Let''s not talk about Mystique, shall we?" The Demon System massaged its forehead, feeling a headache, "We''ll first target Immortal. Considering our progress, it won''t be long before Immortal dies out after all cultivation worlds fall under our control."

 Chapter 501 Luck Entanglement

    <h4>Chapter 501 Luck Entanglement</h4>


    Hovering in the same trenches of space were Immortal and Truck-Kun, their figures concealed, undetectable to the Grade 2 Systems.


    When Immortal heard their discussion, his face darkened as rage and a sense of helplessness seethed in him, "Those bastards."


    "What they say is indeed the truth, Immortal." Truck-Kun sighed, "Their invasion of the Cultivation Worlds is the highest. We''re unable to deal with their sheer numbers."


    "But, things are changing." He smiled, nudging Immortal, "You''ve seen what Rhizen has attained, right?"


    "Yes, a power not belonging to the Systems but one that can wipe them out." Immortal nodded as his mood slowly eased up, "Once he bes strong enough, he''ll be a new addition to us. And through him, we too would be able to obtain a method to kill the Systems."


    "Yeah, until now, no matter how many times we destroyed the Systems, they simply revived through the System World." Truck-Kun sighed, recalling some bad memories, "Because of that, the worlds supplying us power is constantly diminishing."


    "And now, the Main Character has worked with Rhizen, the harnesser of Luck to create a power system that can kill Systems." Immortal said in relief, "And as long as Rhizen continues to grow in this fashion, he''ll eventually be the Luck God."


    "Hopefully, we''ll be able to protect the two until they grow strong enough to fend for themselves." Truck-Kun said in concern, "Even though I have faith in the Main Character, his n seems dangerous."


    "He knows what he''s doing. Cut him some ck." Immortal retorted, "He knows his strengths and weaknesses clearly and he''s taking advantage of everything that can work in his favour. He''s a bonafide merchant that can obtain profit in any situation."


    "Anyway," Truck-Kun heard the two Grade 2 Systems continuing to converse nonstop, feeling irritated as he said, "Shall I annihte them? They are annoying."


    "You can''t kill them anyway. So why bother." Immortal said with a tone of exhaustion, "All you''ll do is give away our positions to the enemy. If their Grade 3 Systems or those fucking Grade 4 Systems arrive, it''ll be hard for us to fight them all, especially since we can''t kill them yet."


    "They are indeed troublesome." Truck-Kun controlled himself quickly, "Honestly, I don''t want to fight them without Mystique."


    The reason Truck-Kun was evasive was that Grade 4 Systems were the most troublesome existence of all.


    In terms of the power scale, a Grade 3 and a Grade 4 System were equal in power. This was why they were usually spoken about in the same line. In terms of power, they were equal to the Gods.


    But the reason the Grade 4 Systems were said to be at the peak of the System hierarchy was due to a simple reason.


    They controlled Time!


    Regression, Reincarnation, and Transmigration!


    There were three Grade 4 Systems in total, each with troublesome abilities.


    Regression can casually jump through time to affect the past. Reincarnation can casually jump from one identity to another. And Transmigration basically jumped from universe to universe without any time dy, irrespective of the flow of time in such universes.


    Their abilities seemed simple, but they were not. Their abilities could be used in someplex ways with a web of cause and effect that they were a nightmare for anyone to be targeted.


    Among the Gods, only Mystique dared to face them.


    Immortal was once capable of fighting all three at the same time, even having the chance to win. But he had been weakened considerably over time as more and more cultivation worlds were invaded by Systems and taken over.


    And now, he didn''t even dare face the Grade 4 Systems.


    Truck-Kun was capable of facing Reincarnation and Transmigration to a certain extent, but he had low battle experience and hence couldn''tst long against them.


    Fighting was inherently against the very essence of his being, so Truck-Kun''sbat ability was limited.


    Among the rest of the Gods, only Mystique could fight on part with them. His abilities were tricky and couldn''t be guarded against.


    And they existed at suchplexity that the targeted Systems, even if they won''t die, would never escape his grasp. Quite a lot of Systems had been rendered paralysed by Mystique, now remaining in a state of suspended animation in the Systems World, unable to be cured to date.


    The System World too didn''t dare to extract their power to birth new Systems, afraid that Mystique''s power would take this opportunity to seep into it and corrupt its power. He was very well capable of that.


    Mystique was pretty much the sole reason that hindered the Systems from devouring every single universe in existence.


    After conversing for some time, the two Gods stopped speaking, continuing to observe the state of affairs in the Gaider Realm.


    The Restriction Order only worked against the Systems. So, they were able to observe everything with zero obstruction.


    As for the Grade 2 Systems, they were unable to observe anything due to the Restriction Order that was powerful enough to restrict all Grade 2 Systems.


    They were currently relying upon the Luck values that they sensed from the Cultivation World. As all the Systems in the Cultivation World were Luck-based Systems, this was the most urate mode of observation to get a gist of things.


    Moreover, they were able to sense the Main Character through the fluctuations in the Luck of the Systems. The Main Character was innately shielded by fate which prevented them from sensing any information about him.


    But, there was an easy solution to that.


    Since the Luck-based Systems were already in the Cultivation World and they were aiming for the Main Character, the Luck of each had tangled together in aplex formation. And in this formation, only the Main Character''s luck wasn''t visible.


    So, it was clear as day for the Grade 2 Systems on how strong Compass Carburettor got. And that was how they understood that he was getting cornered.


    After all, the Luck-based Systems had created a grand n from the very beginning. And it was the fact that the Luck of the Systems that are killed would be transferred to the survivors, leading to the final survivor being the strongest.

 Chapter 502 Spy at Work

    <h4>Chapter 502 Spy at Work</h4>


    ''Shit!'' An old man that seemed to be in histe eighties hurriedly hid behind arge trash can, observing a youth walking casually past the street.


    He observed the road for some more time, only revealing his eyes through the trash can as he scanned the ce for a long time. His heart thumped in nervousness, even though he had trained himself just for this asion.


    Currently, he was acting like a hobo, arriving at the Tura City¡ªof the Gaider Realm¡ªfrom a nearby Realm. He was a spy sent by one of the System Hosts, intending to glean info about the Gaider Realm and its power dynamics.


    Honestly, their original n had been to invade four years ago. But when spies were sent to probe for information, allmunication was cut off.


    With a situation like this, it would only mean that their armies would be decimated due to theck of information. And hence, the invasion n was postponed until now.


    But now, there was no other choice but to invade, as the leaders of the various armies stated.


    The invasion date was set in a month. And before then, all valuable information rted to the Gaider Realm must be unearthed and transmitted to their respective armies.


    The old man was one of the spies sent by the armies. Unlike most spies, he was only a mortal. But, he was an expert spy, having infiltrated countless territories, managing to survive each time while bringing back with him valuable information.


    But, in this cultivator society, it would be impossible for a mortal to go past certain limitations. But for that, he had an Artifact that allowed him to execute this.


    It was an Ancient Artifact, in a ss of its own, with its power at the peak of the cultivation stage. This Ancient Artifact was the best at concealment, not leaking even an ounce of aura.


    Secondly, it was able to transform his body into any form, irrespective of his weight, height, or gender. He could transform into any species without restrictions.


    Thirdly, it regenerated his wounds, allowing him to survive any injuries that he might sustain in his missions.


    This Ancient Artifact was mysterious in nature in that it had fused with his body. Unfortunately for him, despite giving him such mystical powers, it also prevented him from cultivating. So, irrespective of the wealth he had amassed, he could only remain a mortal.


    But still, he was able to achieve a lot. And hence, he was prideful of his job. That was until he arrived at Tura City in the Gaider Realm, feeling terrified immediately.


    This was a sense that he cultivated through decades of service as a spy, having survived through dangerous territories one after another. And this wealth of experience became his innate ability, a sense that he now was capable of utilising.


    He was able to feel the intention behind the gazes of people. And in Tura city, despite there only being cultivators who were mostly in the Origin Refinement Stage, he couldn''t move freely.


    Because, the moment he tried to do something, he would feel a gaze on him, one that was observing him keenly. It felt like the gaze would uncover his identity immediately.


    And, such gazes arrived from mysterious directions, and from people he would never expect.


    The worst blow he got was when he went to a restaurant to buy some food, disguising himself as a beggar of Tura City. The beggar with the same identity had been fed to an Origin Beast in the outskirts.


    Only after that did he assume that beggar''s identity to infiltrate the city. The restaurant he visited was something frequented by the beggars, for the food here was the cheapest.


    The food quality was questionable, but for the beggars, this was their delicacy. And having observed the actions of the beggar that he now assumed the identity of, he ventured into the same restaurant as usual.


    But when he paid the counter with the spare change that he obtained through begging, he sensed someone staring at him.


    When he casually looked around, he was shocked, noticing that the stare originated from a baby that was a mere six months old.


    This baby, that wasn''t even able to lift its head was staring at him, calmly, observing him. And this was because it felt like he was a tad suspicious.


    The moment he observed this, the old man was horrified.


    After all, who in their right mind would assume a six-month-old baby would be on the lookout for spies?


    He was unable to eat or drink anything for the next two days, unable to digest the fact of the matter that he had witnessed. From afar, the baby looked no different from other babies. It even acted the same with everyone else.


    But only when he visited the restaurant would it silently observe him.


    After that, the old man became extremely cautious, realising why all the previous spies had failed. ''If I take a single misstep, I would fail.''


    His heart thumped, feeling that he hadn''t been so worked up since his first mission as a spy. He wasn''t physically worked up like a soldier but was mentally worked up due to the pressure he was facing.


    No matter what, he had toplete his task. For, it not only was a question of his pride and ego, but it was also because his friends and family were joining the war.


    It was pretty much the biggest invasion from their Realm. So, he didn''t wish to screw up, especially since the opponents were so terrifying.


    Slowly, the old man made his way into the main street, taking a seat at one corner as he began to beg as usual.


    This time, he felt countless gazes on him, as usual. There were the usual gazes that people directed towards beggars.


    But from time to time, mixed in them would be an observational gaze, one that was observing whether or not he was a spy.


    Thanks to his experience, the old man remained patient, packing up the ce by evening. He then walked through the slums of the city, entering an inconspicuous house that was now his. As for the owner, he became an Origin Beast''s dinner.


    Once he entered the house, his figure morphed into a teen girl as she took a bath and wore revealing clothes, donning a robe to cover herself fully. She then used a windingwork of pathways before using a back alley to enter a luxurious pub, one that catered to the high society of the city.


    ''I''ll find something today.'' Thinking as such, she sauntered into the ce, having long since made the arrangements to be an employee at the luxurious establishment.

 Chapter 503 Sweet Talk into Your Secrets

    <h4>Chapter 503 Sweet Talk into Your Secrets</h4>


    Laa~ L~ la~


    On the stage danced twelve fairies, each making wavy acrobats with ribbons that they held, each a colour, matching their unique garments.


    Thedies were lithe in their steps, graceful in their movements as they calmly moved all across the stage, as if they were floating like heavenly fairies.


    It was apparent that they had choreographed strictly as their movements were wless. It was arge auditorium, despite being a pub.


    There were circr stepsid out from the stage as the centre, making nine rings in total. The higher the ring, the greater the status of the person seated there. Everyone had arge table to themselves and a hip-high d¨¦cor detailing the boundary of their seated area, shaped akin to a balcony on the raised tform on the rings.


    As this was a ce of high society, there was decorum for things. But, it was only neat in appearance alone. The notion of the ce was as filthy as could be.


    After all, while those on the stage were graceful fairies, seated on the tables were lustful hyenas that took pleasure in buying and selling anything and everything, with no qualms for humanity.


    A man seated on the ninth ring raised a red g. And immediately, the number on the counter atop the stage increased by a thousand.


    This counter was the price meant for the dancer to apany the person that bid them for the night. The gs pointed at the fairy that was dressed in the same colour. And the counters were also coloured ordingly.


    Multiple groups of simrly dressed fairies performed one after another as those seated outside bid furiously, with no limit as to the number of fairies that they could buy. Well, their wealth and stamina were their only limits.


    Every raise of the g increased the number on the counter by a thousand. This meant thousand Essence Stones, a significant sum of money.


    Among the twelve coloured fairies, even though all of them were beautiful, some were more popr than others. Among them, there was one who was in a league above everyone.


    Kachink!


    [12,300]


    Kachink!


    [19,700]


    Kachink!


    [31,400]


    The bid for the green fairy continued to increase in frenzy. Typically, the buying value for a fairy was between 10,000-15,000 Essence Stones. The pub ensured the quality of fairies. And if someone was bought for less than 10,000, she didn''t return after that.


    Typically, the most popr fairies were sold in the twenty thousand range. But now, this green fairy broke the record, reaching a sky-high price of 44,000 Essence Stones.


    It wasn''t as if she was that superior in terms of beauty aspared to others. No, she was more or less the same as the rest. But, the reason she became so heavily contested for was thanks to a unique mixture of cuteness and sexiness that she harnessed in her.


    And hence, on her debut, the green fairy broke records.


    For the dance, not only were they supposed to wear colours ording to their role, but their hair too had to be dyed the same. This included hair throughout their body. The same also went for their eyes.


    As they had been in the business for long, the pub had mastered the dyeing technique, having experts to perform the same.


    As for the green fairy, she was the spy, using her transformation to turn her hair and eyes into a natural shade of green.


    That was why, when she presented herself to the pub owner, upon noticing her natural colour being a perfect fit for his pub''s colour scheme, she was selected as one of the green fairies immediately.


    As the dance concluded, the fairies gracefully walked toward the respective customers that had bid for them.


    The green fairy walked towards a teenager who seemed slightly tipsy but roared inughter as she neared him. He was a businessman''s son, having a lot of wealth to squander, especially since his family had a mining contract for Essence Stones.


    The green fairy slowly approached the teenager that drooled while ogling her beauty. She noticed that his gaze didn''t contain the terrifying nature that she experienced, sighing in relief. She had been praying desperately all along, keeping an eye on everyone that bid for her.


    Of course, some of them had that gaze in them, hidden within their tant lust. Afraid that she would be caught red-handed if she were bought by them, she looked through the rest of the bidders while dancing.


    The steps also involved them moving all across the stage. This was also a means to allow them to see who was interested in them. And at times, they could signal the ones they were interested in through subtle actions.


    The green fairy had done the same towards the teenager, exciting him enormously as he directly spent a month''s allowance, unwilling to leave without buying her.


    "I greet young master." The green fairy smiled, gently taking a seat beside the teenager, noticing his body temperature rise automatically as he was unable to control himself.


    "It seems the young master has interesting ns." She smiled next, gently scratching the underside of the teenager''s chin while winking at him. Even though she treated him like a dog, as her actions were subtle, they excited him even more.


    "Yes, let''s go!" The teenager said, grabbing hold of her hand as he dragged her with him, exiting through the door meant for his seat, quickly directed to his suite by the staff nearby.


    The moment they entered the suite, the teenager pounced upon her. But under her expert techniques, he was done within a few seconds.


    "It''s fine." She spoke with a sultry voice, "At your age, you canst through the entire night."


    "Let''s take it slow, shall we?"


    "Yes!"


    The two wrestled for a few minutes before the teenager was done. The green fairy continued to excite him again and again until he fainted from too much pleasure.


    After that, she let out a cunning smile, slowly waking him up as she began to sweet talk him, ''Finally, sess.''

 Chapter 504 Martial King’s Decree

    Chapter 504 Martial King¡¯s Decree¡¡¡¡It was morning the next day as the green fairy woke up with a groan, feeling herher regions ache. She had indeed overdone the previous night. Thankfully for her, she was able to heal from fatigue.


    As for the teenager, he wouldn''t be getting up anytime soon, sleeping like a log while wearing a blissful expression, as if he had be a permanent resident in heaven.


    ''The Academy, coalition of all ns, Origin Beast Mounts, body strengthening pills¡­'' She recalled all the information that she had obtained.


    She hadn''t even asked about most of them, but only hinted at the start. The teenager blurted out everything in his excitement. He wasn''t talented enough to join the Academy, but his older brother had done so.


    And through him, he obtained a lot of knowledge. Moreover, such knowledge was circted through everyone in the Gaider Realm''s high society. So, he had a plethora of knowledge.


    It seemed like the two of them were conversing about the Gaider Realm''s state, but in truth, the green fairy only stated ambiguous words that continued the conversation. And everything she said were vague words that the teenager interpreted to his convenience.


    So, even though it seemed like a conversation, in truth, it was an interrogation, but one executed through pleasure instead of torture. And for the teenager with barely any experience with women, especially with one this pretty and could take the lead, he was like a helplessmb, having fallen for her already.


    She quickly encoded all the details into a piece of paper and changed into the teenager''s clothes, morphing her appearance into a young noble. He then leaped out of the room''s window,nding on the ground with enough force to shatter his legs. But he quickly healed herself and began to walk away as if nothing had happened.


    As he could feel the gazes of others, he moved in such a way that his actions weren''t detected by others, quickly mingling through the streets as he eventually made his way to a regr counter, giving the information to a masked man.


    This man had just arrived, so he wasn''t yet tracked by those weird gazes, at least not at the level enough to make him vanish mysteriously.


    Such people were sent periodically to obtain any message that was obtained. This was also why the spy chose the previous day to be the green haired fairy. It was so that she would be able to trade the information to this masked individual.


    After that, the two went their separate ways as the masked individual slowly made his way towards a discrete forest, passing through a pair of trees as he vanished.


    The spy returned to the suite, returning to the green haired fairy appearance, disrobing as she slithered into the bed, closing her eyes to sleep.


    She hadpleted her work. And now, she could rx peacefully. Moreover, as long as she yed her cards right, she could marry the gullible teenager and infiltrate their merchant group, gaining ess to more important information.


    It was a lot safer than trying to look for information in the out, under the terrifying gazes that almost caused her to go insane.


    ¡­


    The masked man arrived at the Vr Secret Realm, giving the information to Straxia that read through everything that was encoded, decoding it in a matter of seconds.


    After reading through everything, she murmured, "The Academy¡­it seems Compass Carburettor has taken an interesting approach to unite the Gaider Realm. Besides, what''s with the name of the Soul Rendering Evil Spirit?"


    She pouted, feeling offended for some reason before scratching her cheek, "That''s kinda cute."


    She then noticed that the report mentioned of the Soul Rendering Evil Spirit possessing the Heaven Martial Spirit of Lightning Lemur. This was created seventeen years ago.


    "This means that he has a good grasp of my character, enough that he could guess the Martial Spirit I would select?" Her eyes widened in surprise before curling up into a smile, "Interesting."


    Slowly, a crowd began to form behind her, consisting of cultivators, most of which were in their early thirties.


    There was almost a hundred thousand of them in total. And the most surprising thing was the fact that all of them were at the peak of the Martial Providence Realm.


    "Be ready." Straxia said, "We''llunch an attack shortly."


    ¡­


    "As the Martial King, using my one-time use privilege for being the reigning champion for a decade, Imand everyone to invade the Gaider Realm." Dwun raised a badge that symbolised him as the Martial King, the strongest in the Arena, one that had maintained his seat for a decade.


    "Gaider Realm?" Some of the powerhouses there thought beforeughing in response, "It seems to be a weak Realm."


    "They had never produced a Martial King, not even once." Someone else said, "Such a weak Realm deserves to be annihted."


    "The human race there is toocent. No wonder they are that weak." Another grinned.


    "Yes!" Dwunughed as the badge in his hand vanished, a sign that the Arena had epted his proposal, "Depending on your aplishments, you''ll obtain territory in the Gaider Realm."


    "Nice!" A powerhouse licked his lips, "This will be fun. I''ve be bored of individual battles. Only an all-out war can quench my thirst."


    "An Arena powerhouse should at least have that much spine!" The powerhouses began to cackle one after another, jeering from time to time as they watched a portal manifest before them, leading directly into the Gaider Realm.


    All the powerhouses and experts, including those among the audience charged into the portal. Information about the Martial King''s decree was transmitted to their home Realms too as even more experts and powerhouses arrived at the Arena, charging into the portal soon after.


    Their goal?


    The Gaider Realm''s annihtion!


    Gaider Realm; an army of cultivators appeared as their roared, gazing at the pearl fortress that stood tall before them, one stered everywhere with the symbol of double ''C'' that were tangentially connected.


    ''Is that their g?'' The leading powerhouse grinned while looking at the symbol as everyone else too did the same.


    Lall Mountain; seated at the bottom-most dome within the Academy was a jet-ck entity, staring at the mutated Blood Vitality Grass calmly, in a meditative.


    Suddenly, the production of the Blood Vitality Fruits spiked by ten times in number as the jet-ck figure slowly got up, "It''s time¡­"


    "To die."

 Chapter 505 Underground Railway Network

    Chapter 505 Underground Railway Network¡¡¡¡"They are from the Arena Realm." A Martial Providence Stage powerhouse identified the iing army, stating calmly. Even he was surprised by how calm he was, only feeling a sense of freedom at the sight.


    He had an innate battle-oriented personality, having been in fights for as long as he remembered. But for the past fifteen years, he hadn''t been in a single fight. And hence, he had been itching to fight all along.


    They were cultivators and not immortals. So, every one of them had a certain level of inclination to fight. And all of them had been busy improving their strength for the past fifteen years. So, they were all raring to go.


    ''Especially since I got this.'' He thought, sensing the Blood Vitality Grass growing in his stomach. It had long since attained maturity, turning his body tremendously powerful.


    He was Yaotorr,manded of the Tura City Fort, an Earth Martial Spirit cultivator with the power of the wind.


    He squinted, sensing the strong aura originating from the army that had appeared ten kilometres away, grinning, "Great! There are a lot of strong opponents."


    He then looked at his aide, stating calmly, "Request for reinforcement. I''m sensing more than three thousand Martial Providence Stage powerhouses and counting. More and more of them areing in."


    "So¡­many powerhouses?" The aide shuddered in fear before a sudden sense of excitement brimmed forth from him, especially when he thought of the high-quality blood of the powerhouses that he could use to water his Blood Vitality Grass and strengthen his body further.


    He saluted immediately, "I''ll seek reinforcements."


    A message was sent as soon after, the cries of a bird resounded as massive creatures were spotted in the air.


    "What the heck is that?" Dwun gazed in surprise, observing tens of thousands of massive eagle-like birds flying in the air, each emanating a powerful presence.


    At first, Dwun assumed them to be the Martial Providence Stage experts of the Gaider Realm, thinking that Compass Carburettor had done something to raise so many powerhouses.


    But soon after, he was shocked to see that they were all Origin Beasts. And, carried on their backs were cultivators, experts and powerhouses alike.


    And, the moment they arrived at the air space of the Tura City, the entire army unleashed a bloodthirsty aura, for a moment causing the army behind Dwun to pause in shock, for they had never expected such a level of power from the Gaider Realm.


    Though of course, a secondter, Dwun''s side erupted with an even greater bloodlust. After all, they had all lived in the Arena, cultivating their way up through nonstop ughter of experts and powerhouses originating from various Realms.


    "Just as he said, they are indeed trying to invade from Tura City." The Green Centipede n Leader smirked in pride, stating as he gazed at the number of enemies continuing to increase. "This is enough proof that everything Hazen said is the truth. The enemies have verified it."


    He then raised his hand, bringing it down, "We don''t need to defend against any other locations. Concentrate all forces here."


    Boom!


    The moment hismand resounded forth, the buildings in Tura City rumbled as slowly, tunnel entrances opened on the ground, each located in nodes along the streets.


    And exiting the tunnels like ants were cultivators, donned to the teeth in armour. One by one, the tunnels opened as armies began to march into Tura City from all over the Gaider Realm.


    And, it wasn''t as if they were marching on foot.


    Nope!


    As someone from Earth, when he chose to go all-out, Compass Carburettor truly went all out.


    He created an underground tunnel system that connected all major cities with wide lines. And, these major cities were connected by smaller tunnels to the nearby towns.


    What was happening in these tunnels, you ask?


    It was a railwaywork.


    Of course, as thews of the Cultivation World were different, a train from Earth wouldn''t function in the Gaider Realm.


    And the alternative for that was Origin Beasts. Among humans of the Gaider Realm, only three percent were cultivators. Thanks to the Academy and Compass Carburettor''s urging, this percentage was raised to five. That''s it.


    But, every single Origin Beast had a cultivation. Basically, adding onto his Origin Art of Sleeper Cell, these Origin Beasts were practically a greatbour force.


    And, he went a step beyond, using the countless Carburettor Inds to process the data regarding every single Origin Beast avable on the Gaider Realm. A dozen Apocalypse World Compass Carburettors had been sent out to scout through the entire Realm just to tally the characteristics of every species.


    And after that, the Carburettor Inds worked in processing the data, matching the Origin Beast races to the various ns and Sects.


    After that, Compass Carburettor allotted an Origin Beast race to each n or Sect based on their characteristics. And thanks to the Sleeper Cells, they were docile to the respective n or Sect.


    He only had to do this for the first generation. And as with the example of Blight Rabbits, the sessive generations were taken care of by the first generation and repeated until it became a characteristic of their species.


    In this vein, the Green Centipede n obtained the Green Centipede Origin Beast race, something their ancestor gained inspiration from. As the nsmen typically awakened to centipede type Martial Spirits in terms of Human Martial Spirits and poison type Martial Spirits in terms of Earth Martial Spirits, the Green Centipede race was beneficial to them.


    By rearing them inrge numbers, the n obtained a plethora of poisons that they were perfectly capable of wielding. Atop that were fusion materials the Green Centipedes created in their living habitat, making the nsmen develop in their most optimal direction.


    The Green Centipedes were also used as mounts. After all, certain female versions had wings to fly with.


    Simrly, every single n obtained an exclusive Origin Beast Race that amplified their strength grandly.


    And this was where Compass Carburettor truly exhibited his peak power, one that shocked every power in the Gaider Realm and also caused them to wholeheartedly submit to his decision-making.

 Chapter 506 Prelude to the Inter-Realm War

    Chapter 506 Prelude to the Inter-Realm War¡¡¡¡Reality Marble!


    It started with him experimenting with the ins and outs of Reality Marble. To be brutally frank, Compass Carburettor hadn''t used this ability much. He had only possessed it for a short duration. And at that time, he didn''t have enough Mental Energy to splurge on experiments.


    Moreover, he was solely thinking in terms of using it to fight the System Hosts. So, he hadn''t given any other thoughts about that.


    But, once Rhizen obtained the power of the Restriction Order, Compass Carburettor worked with him, experimenting by lifting part of the restriction on him.


    And one of those was the breakthrough regarding Reality Marble.


    When obtaining the Personal Fragment of Dimensional Space, Compass Carburettor obtained four Traits: Dac, Apocalypse Pearl, Mental Energy, and Permanence.


    And among them, he truly hadn''t used the Traits beyond the scope of battles or battle-oriented means. And the least used among them was the Trait of Permanence, even though the Core Skill of Permanence was from a Level 99 System, the strongest Core Skill he obtained to date.


    He had only used Permanence to create solid structures, even though this Trait had a lot of functions beyond that, as what he had figured out long ago in the Apocalypse World.


    And with that, he began to apply the Trait of Permanence in the Reality Marble that he was creating, seeding in the endeavour.


    There were some trial and error involved, but eventually, he figured out a valid means to abuse the heck out of them.


    And with that, he created a Reality Marble in the base of every n or Sect, meant exclusive for the rearing of their Origin Beasts.


    That wasn''t all. He also created a second Reality Marble in the zing Sun n. But this Reality Marble was meant for amon Origin Beast Race.


    Blind Beetle!


    Blind Beetles spanned a height of one metre and a length of two to three metres at the Martial Origin Stage. They relied upon scent to travel, making them the best choice to employ in the underground Railway Network.


    Trains simr to Earth were created to house people. As for the enginepartment, it was modified for the Blind Beetles to be harnessed within.


    There would be a coachman to control them, doing so through a set of instructions which had been imnted in their minds, and turned into an instinct for their entire race.


    Blind Beetles had high stamina, were capable of running up to a thousand kilometres in one stretch, had low maintenance costs, and could unleash a lot of power, perfect for pulling the train at high speeds.


    The second Reality Marble in the zing Sun n was to rear and train the Blind Beetles. And the train station here acted as the biggest junction in the Gaider Realm, having rails connecting to all corners of the Realm.


    There were other major stations located throughout the Realm based on their geographical locations. Smaller Reality Marbles were created here to house and train Blind Beetles too.


    This way, the trains would be able to run nonstop.


    There were also exclusive lines connecting the strongest of ns and Sects. These were operated by Blind Beetles at the Martial Providence Stage, allowing the major powers to react to anything at the fastest speed.


    Moreover, all the Blind Beetles had been imnted with a Blood Vitality Grass to strengthen their bodies further, allowing the speed of the railway to spike to greater heights. Over years, thework would be more and more efficient, allowing the Gaider Realm to improve as a whole due to the vastly efficient mode of transportation.


    This didn''t just transport people, but also goods, causing the economy of the ce to improve a lot.


    Compass Carburettor had also established a navy and airway, assigning selective Origin Beasts for everything, and also creating Reality Marbles with the perfect environment for them to multiply in numbers the fastest.


    All sorts of transportation had only been functional for a month now, but even within this short time, the major powers could notice the beneficial effect.


    And now, through these railways, the troops stationed in various cities were sent to Tura City one after another as the army exited the ground through the tunnel entrances, soon taking up spots all over the city.


    The inhabitants of Tura City had already been vacated to other cities to prepare for this uing war.


    Compass Carburettor only gave them the necessary details of the war. Everything else was executed by the veterans. It was best to leave such things to the experts.


    As he hadn''t been in a war, it wouldn''t be wise to take charge of things he wasn''t confident about. Thankfully, the zing Sun n was the strongest force in the Gaider Realm, many steps above the rest in terms of everything.


    So with such a strong leader, everything proceeded in a streamlined fashion.


    The bulk of the army took the underground route while the powerhouses and geniuses among experts took the air route to arrive the fastest while also scouring theyout of the ce through their vantage points in the air.


    "Greetings, zing Sun n Leader." The Green Centipede n Leader cupped his fists in respect the moment an old man gracefullynded on the walls covering Tura City.


    The walls spanned a height of twenty metres and a width of fifty metres. As there were a lot of powerhouses that could fly, not much emphasis was given to its height. It was just a line of defence that they stood upon.


    Tura City was called the edge of the Gaider Realm because from here, the mist walls of the Gaider Realm would be visible. These mist walls formed the border, something that couldn''t be traversed by cultivators.


    And dotted among the mist wall in this section were portals leading to other Realms. There was a wide valley leading from the portals to Tura City, making it a natural fort.


    "How''s the situation?" The zing Sun n Leader asked.


    "The enemy is raging to attack us, but haven''t done so until now. They seem to be waiting for something." The Green Centipede n Leader spoke.


    And, as if waiting for him to utter these words, countless portals among the mist wall glowed as six streams of cultivators gushed out, each possessing imposing momentum.

 Chapter 507 War Greetings

    Chapter 507 War Greetings¡¡¡¡"Who the heck are they?" A powerhouse from the Arena Realm asked in irritation, feeling a bit offended when he realised that the new armies were on the same side.


    He already felt that it was overkill for everyone from the Arena Realm to charge at the Gaider Realm. But now, six other armies had arrived, standing on their side.


    This was especially annoying since he noticed some really weak people in these armies. "Are they mocking us?"


    "Stop!" Dwun shouted upon seeing that a lot of powerhouses seemed willing to stir up trouble.


    "Hmph!" The powerhouse snorted, not giving Dwun any face, "Don''t act like our leader. We''re only here for the rewards. If you don''t provide a sound exnation, we''ll first annihte these weaklings before taking on the Gaider Realm."


    "Hmm, that should be interesting." Another powerhouse muttered, feeling like them taking on all the armies would prove to be fairly challenging, "It won''t be boring in that case."


    Their dialogues weren''t a result of empty boasting; they truly were a cut above the rest. After all, experts and powerhouses from every corner of the Cultivation World arrived at the Arena to test their strength.


    And hence, those that became champions in the Arena had a lot of pride that was a result of the confidence in their strength. Each Arena powerhouse was capable of fighting five to ten powerhouses from the regr Realms.


    So, they truly believed in the other six armies being useless, having no other purpose than to serve as their entertainment.


    Thinking as such, the powerhouse, a man with a dark gold beard approached the nearby army of what appeared to be treants, gazing at a certain treant that appeared to be at the Martial Providence Stage, stating with a snarky tone, "Why are weaklings like you bothering to wage a war? What good will it do other than to pollute the ground with your weak blood?"


    "Stop it, unless you wish to die." Suddenly, a cold-blooded voice resounded in his ears, causing him to freeze up all of a sudden. Only then did he notice a tiny wasp hovering next to his ear.


    Even though it was tiny, the aura it exuded was rming. It was like a beggar that was a step away from dying due to hunger. So, even a single grain of rice would be something he would give his life fighting for.


    This was the sense of desperation originating from the wasp.


    The dark gold bearded powerhouse paused, unwilling to take any action, for the wasp seemed stronger than him, way stronger, even though he too had a Heaven Martial Spirit.


    "Good, now return to your spot." The wasp said before shouting, "Dwun! Rein in your people! Are you seriously this ipetent?"


    "They are all strong. So, they can obviously do whatever they need." Dwun spoke, not being tactful at all, "Besides, my army alone is enough to fight the Gaider Realm. You focus on the real issue at hand, Lota."


    "Hmph, that''s easier said than done." Lota snorted, flying away as shended on the branch of a treant, asking, "Where''s Straxia?"


    "Who knows?" Dwun shrugged, "She disappeared yesterday all of a sudden. I cannot even contact her now."


    "Don''t mind her. She knows what she has to do." Ady wearing a thick gown arrived, stating with a tone of confidence, "We''ll just stick to our assigned roles."


    "Bernata, are you ready?" Lota asked, buzzing around the ear of thedy wearing a thick gown.


    "Of course. War is where I perform the best." Thedy addressed as Bernata smiled, gazing at four other individuals that had arrived, "Ikun, Falls, Mocle, and Yaarliwar, everyone is here now."


    "My army has superior speed. But they aren''t that strong. I''ll leave theirmand to you, Ikun." Mocle, a middle-aged man with a crew cut said before dissipating with the wind, "I''ll be ready to strike him. Just prepare me a good opportunity."


    "Alright." Ikun nodded. None of them cared about the armies they had raised. Truth be told, these armies were just there to overwhelm the Gaider Realm through their sheer numbers and affect the Main Character''s luck.


    The true fight was between them and Compass Carburettor.


    "I''ll head to the rear." Yaarliwar, an old man maintaining a skinplexion akin to a youth said as he began to walk away, heading towards the rear of the army.


    "I''ll take care of the forces in the sky." Falls said, "Once we take control of it, we can begin to decimate the rest gradually."


    "But," He stopped, gazing at Ikun, "This would be a drawn-out war. How is the logisticsing along?"


    "I''ve already prepared everything necessary and handed it over to Straxia," Ikun said. Among everyone, he wore the mostvish of clothes, sporting a gown that seemed to be an Ancient Artifact.


    The Realm he originated from had a monarchy, in war with empires established in nearby Realms, of course, he became the Emperor after a series of events, now controlling all the power and wealth of his Empire.


    And in terms of wealth, his Realm was indeed blessed with the most resources. Hence, he took care of the logistics. After a round, of discussions, he nodded, "Now, we''ll have to wait for Straxia''s signal."


    "Why aren''t they attacking?" The Green Centipede n Leader frowned.


    "They have only arrived with their armies. They have to set up a base camp to rest and recuperate." The zing Sun n Leader said, "Even they know that this would be a drawn-out war. And hence, the one that falls short of supplies first bes the grand loser. So, they would begin all the rted preparations. Only after that would they actually attack."


    "But, this is the best time for us to attack them." The Green Centipede n Leader said.


    "We have a n regarding that." Yaotorr, the Tura Citymander smirked, turning around to gaze at the seven masked men standing behind him, "Let''s begin."


    "Sure," A familiar voice resounded as the seven masked men vanished.


    Immediately, seven Cultivation World Compass Carburettors, each responsible for a summon smiled, nodding at their Apocalypse World selves, "They''re in position."


    "Alright." The Apocalypse World Compass Carburettors controlled their power, slowly causing multiple entrances to form on the Reality Marble they were at. And these entrances were situated a hundred metres above the enemy army.


    "What the fuck?" A treant gazed up for some reason, noticing the countless portals that began to form in the sky over their armies. And bubbling within was a terrifying substance, causing the army to stand rooted to the spot, bbergasted.


    -----------------------


    Announcement: [Post-Apocalyptic Dispatch Society] has been released. Check it out and do drop a review there.


    -----------------------

 Chapter 508 Impossible!

    Chapter 508 Impossible!¡¡¡¡-----------------------


    Announcement: [Post-Apocalyptic Dispatch Society] has been released. Check it out and do drop a review there.


    -----------------------


    There were certain clues regarding where the war would be conducted. First of all, were the portals leading into other Realms that were located close to the Tura City. The concentration of gates here was the highest aspared to other ces located around the edge of the Gaider Realm.


    Moreover, through information ryed by the Sleeper Cells sent out through the various portals, Compass Carburettor finalised the location where the enemy armies would being.


    After that, his Apocalypse World self created eight Reality Marbles above the potential battlefield. All the Reality Marbles had the same terrain. They were filled to the brim with corrosive acid.


    The quantity within each Reality Marble was enough to flood a city. It was a simple but effective strategy to wipe out a good chunk of the enemies.


    What best way to deal with an army than this?


    He also installed countless entrances to each Reality Marble, ensuring that it wouldn''t be easy to defend against them all.


    Obviously, he wasn''t the type to allow the enemy to prepare. And hence, when the seven System Hosts were conversing with one another, the Compass Carburettors left at Tura City took action.


    The Earth Compass Carburettor in the City acted as a beacon of information, vanishing as the information they had witnessed appeared in the minds of the Cultivation World Compass Carburettors that had summoned them. After that, they informed the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettors to target the enemies.


    And with that, seven Apocalypse World Compass Carburettors took action at the same time, opening multiple entrances in the Reality Marble as the acid stored within gushed out like a torrent.


    A treant on the ground was the first to notice this, shouting in shock, "Iing!"


    Roar!


    The gushing acid unleashed a violent roar akin to a waterfall as multiple torrents mmed into the ground, raising waves no different to a tsunami, from multiple directions.


    Bzzzz!


    Suddenly, sparks of lightning flickered in the air, manifesting multiple gates, each positioned underneath the gushing acid torrent.


    It was the entrance to the Vr Secret Realm, used to rapidly transport the acid away from the battlefield.


    But of course, it was easier said than done to defend against his attack as the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettors moved the entrance to the Reality Marble, causing the acid to spill out from various other directions.


    The portals to the Vr Secret Realm flickered across the battlefield, catching the spilling acid. It was a game of cat and mouse chase as whenever the portal missed, the acid fell on the army, eliciting horrid screams of pain as their flesh melted.


    "Help! HELPPP!"


    "Healer! I need a healer!"


    "Erect defensive structures!"


    Countless shouts resounded through the army as the cultivators scurried to avoid the acid while trying their best to head towards somewhere safe.


    But no matter where they went, the acid dropped from the sky, resulting in varying degrees of injuries. Of course, the least injured were those from the Arena Realm, quickly dispersing through the region to evade the range of the acid drop.


    "Haha! This is fun!" A powerhouse turned into a tiger and sprinted at its top speed, intending to climb up the nearby mountain.


    Roar!


    But suddenly, its feline senses went haywire, triggered nonstop, alerting it as the tiger came to an abrupt halt. It stared around, unable to sense any danger, but its bestial instincts were screaming for it to stop and retreat.


    "Haha! After crossing this mountain, we can target other cities of the Gaider Realm." An expert riding a zebra bellowed, leading a team of experts that followed him on their Human Martial Spirits, used as mounts.


    "Wait! Don''t go that way!" The tiger shouted in a hurry, but it was toote already.


    "Haha¡­" The expert riding the zebra was in a war high when suddenly, his body turned into dust, turning into dirt that mixed with the ground.


    "What the¡­?" The ones who followed him were shocked by the abrupt change in events,ing to an abrupt stop. But, those closest to the cultivator with the zebra Martial Spirit were unable to stop in advance as they too crashed into a mysterious fment of sorts, with their bodies turning into dust instantly.


    "Dust Wave?" Dwun frowned, rmed as he realised a certain fact.


    Compass Carburettor was able to use his Apocalypse World powers!


    "Everyon¡­" He had just turned around, intending to alert the other Systems Hosts when he noticed his surroundings had changed.


    It was a winding desert, covered with soft sand. A faint breeze continued to blow here, picking up the sand from time to time, creating dust storms.


    The sand was soft enough that his feet began to sink into it slowly while Dwun felt the blinding heat emanated by the sun.


    He then gazed forward, frowning in all seriousness, staring at the half-copsed pearl pir before him, located a couple dozen metres away. And seated atop it, resting his head on his hand was a jet-ck figure, patiently waiting.


    The jet-ck figure calmly stared at Dwun, having not uttered any word. But in contrast, Dwun shuddered, experiencing difficulty in breathing, feeling like a hammer was pounding his chest nonstop.


    ''Is t-this the M-Main Character?'' He felt his head spin a little, unable to maintain eye contact with the other party for more than a couple of seconds.


    The stars glittering the jet-ck figure seemed to force him into a hallucination and a variety of mental effects, preventing Dwun from being able to focus on his opponent.


    He took a step forward, almost losing his bnce. In his current state, treading on the desert sands was proving to be hundreds of times more difficult than what mortals faced in the same ce.


    "Dammit, I won''t be intimidated!" Dwun roared, using his fighting spirit to forcefully regain his focus, summoning his gauntlet as he unleashed a powerful sonic boom, causing all the sand in his vicinity to fly towards the jet-ck figure, raising a violent dust storm, the resulting friction causing a dust explosion, also creating countless lightning bolts.


    Cough! Cough!


    Dwun coughed as he inhaled some of the dust, gazing forward when his eyes widened in absolute shock, "Impossible!"

 Chapter 509 Dwun’s Despair

    Chapter 509 Dwun¡¯s Despair¡¡¡¡"Impossible!" Dwun felt like losing his mind, noticing when the dust cleared that his attack failed to even near the jet-ck figure.


    Bellowing loudly to curb the sense of fear and anxiety growing in him, Dwun went all out to unleash the strongest shockwave that he had ever produced.


    Unlike the shockwaves he typically unleashed, this version waspressed into a sphere that mmed forth with a terrifying rotation, possessing enough drilling force to prate through anything.


    Though by the time it crossed half the distance, its edges vanished as its size quickly shrunk.


    By the time it had arrived three metres before the jet-ck figure, the shockwave sphere vanishedpletely.


    "Is this all you''re capable of, Dwun?" The jet-ck figure slowly spoke, the words condescending, also containing a hint of disappointment.


    To the battle-minded Dwun, when his opponent expressed disappointment against him, especially during fights, he wasn''t able to endure it.


    "You damn! Bastard!" Dwun bellowed as he attacked again, only to see his attack vanish before approaching the jet-ck figure.


    "Alright, I''ll make it easier for you." The jet-ck figure said slowly, jumping down from the pearl pir as it began to slowly walk towards Dwun, standing within arm''s reach of the other party, "You aren''t strong enough to pierce through the barrier I had erected around that pir. Anyway, now that I''m outside, let''s see if you can still do something."


    "Right¡­Dwun?" The jet-ck figure sounded seductively proactive.


    This was the first time he had been so tantly insulted as his entire figure trembled, with rage soon clouding his entire being as Dwunshed out with all his strength, targeting the jet-ck figure''s head, intending to pulverise it into smithereens.


    Boom!


    A shockwave spread out from the gauntlet, causing sparkles that turned into sma due to the rapid spike in temperature. In his anger, he had surpassed his limits, also expending his lifeforce to make the attack as strong as possible, already surpassing the Cultivation World''s limits to the strength an individual at the peak cultivation could exhibit.


    Bang!


    The impact mmed into the jet-ck figure, eliciting a thunderp as the entirety of the sand around them flew away like a tsunami due to the resounding explosion. Dwun began to fall downward, noticing a toughyer of bedrock situated 20 metres below him.


    Theyer of sand only existed for a depth of twenty metres. And now that it had been sent flying away, he began to fall.


    Dwun had truly unleashed an attack surpassing limits that he didn''t know was possible. But, he wasn''t in the least pleased with the aplishment, something that typically excited him the most.


    After all, calmly falling alongside him, still maintained at an arm''s reach was the jet-ck figure, uninjured. As for Dwun''s fist, there was a paper-thin gap between it and the jet-ck figure.


    But, this paper-thin gap seemed insurmountable. And upon seeing that the best of his attacks failed to even reach his enemy, despair kicked him in full swing, causing his fighting spirit to plummet to such an extent that he didn''t even bother cushioning his fall.


    Bang!


    When his figure fell on the ground, craters formed as a result, signifying the extent of strength his body had reached.


    But after his fall, Dwun didn''t get up, staring nkly at the figure before him, one that resembled a prehistoric mountain, spanning a height surpassing a dozen kilometres. And he, a mere ant at the base of the mountain, not even having enough lifespan to scale to the peak.


    Dwun recalled the time around neen years ago when Compass Carburettor was nothing in his eyes, just a rat that was killed by him casually.


    And in the mere span of twenty years, he became a monster of unimaginable proportions, the depth of his power impossible to fathom. "H-How?"


    "You don''t need to know, Dwun." Suddenly, a familiar voice resounded. Dwun was shocked, turning around as he noticed a youth walking toward him casually.


    Upon seeing his figure, Dwun felt like breaking his head, for nothing made sense anymore, "Didn''t you die? How are you here? You shouldn''t be alive until the next loop starts, Rhizen!"


    "You don''t need to know," Rhizen stated inly as he slowly clenched his hand into a fist.


    "Keuk!" Dwun grunted in rm, sensing that something from him was being siphoned, screaming in shock once he realised what was happening, "You''re stealing my luck?"


    "Congrattions on the correct answer," Rhizen stated as he slowly began to devour Dwun''s luck, causing him to be even more vulnerable.


    The Happy-Go-Lucky System staying in his mind was rmed, hurriedly activating a luck-based ability to break Dwun out of this situation.


    But suddenly, the sky of the Reality Marble was covered by the Main Character''s luck, blocking out all means of escape. Even if this luck wished to take advantage of any variables, there weren''t any variables at y in the Reality Marble, a domain fully under Compass Carburettor''s control.


    And in terms of using luck to manipte cause and effect to forcefully save Dwun, The Main Character''s Luck acted as a nket that stopped everything.


    And, the Happy-Go-Lucky System stared at the Main Character''s luck, bellowing in rm, "How the heck can you hide your luck? It''s not an ability you have!"


    "Well, the expert of Luck taught it to me." The jet-ck figure said as the Main Character Luck only seemed like a tiny me inparison to Dwun''s raging luck.


    But, the Happy-Go-Lucky System was still able to feel a tremendous stream of luck hindering its luck. And only the Main Character''s Luck was capable of making it feel this way, ''Did he level up already?''


    ''No, that shouldn''t be possible thanks to the Restriction Order!" It bellowed, but strangely, fear set within it too, for the first time in its long life as it stared at the jet-ck figure through the eyes of Dwun.


    And for some reason, it felt like the jet-ck figure was capable of seeing it through that line of sight.


    "How much longer?" The jet-ck figure asked Rhizen.


    "Around an hour or so." Rhizen replied, "The Happy-Go-Lucky System is one of the strongest among their genre. It''s a simple but potent luck, so it takes time to steal it while also restricting it."

 Chapter 510 Inform Me First!

    Chapter 510 Inform Me First!¡¡¡¡Dwun, and in contrast, the Happy-Go-Lucky System stared in a daze, sitting ducks waiting for ughter as Rhizen continued to happily steal their innate luck, turning it into his.


    The jet-ck figure stared at the scene calmly, not disying an ounce of emotion. It was Compass Carburettor, his original self.


    The reason he had be this overpowered against Dwun was due to the loosening up of the chains of Restriction Order on him. Thanks to that, he was able to wield thirty percent of his true power.


    Moreover, Rhizen had done this in such an ingenious way that the two Grade 2 Systems beyond the Cultivation World didn''t even notice anything amiss. All they sensed was Compass Carburettor''s luck being suppressed by the luck of the System Hosts.


    In truth, this was Rhizen creating such an illusion by manipting the various forms of luck in his possession. And by possessing thirty percent of his true strength, this game of war was as good as done.


    An hourter, Rhizen finished sucking Dwun dry of all his luck, causing the other party to be tremendously weak.


    This was because he would no longer be assisted with luck. This meant that even for the mostmon of actions like walking, he would have to maintainplete focus to ensure he doesn''t stop on a pebble of sorts that might cause him to slide, trip upon a small protrusion in the pavement, not step on anything undesirable along the way, etc.


    Even regr people were mildly assisted by luck in their daily lives. Some, when they trip, would fall to the ground, yes, but they wouldn''t be injured. Some would regain their bnce while tripping, preventing an embarrassing fall. Some would fall and sustain a fracture, which normally wouldn''t happen for a mere fall.


    Sure, there was a difference in their reaction speed, but the minds of every one weren''t always functioning in their optimal states. And this was where their luck yed. The various results were due to their difference in luck, a formless concept that has always existed but just wasn''t tangible.


    And now, Dwun''s luck was zero. This meant that anything rted to chance, no matter how small or inconsequential would never benefit him.


    "What is a Luck System without Luck?" Compass Carburettor muttered, using the Origin Art of Mind Connect to enter Dwun''s mind, turning into the Mind Frog as he gazed at the figure of the Happy-Go-Lucky System, one that was originally a chirpy fawn.


    But now, it trembled in fear while gazing at him. Shortly after, using the connection he left in the open, Rhizen too arrived within Dwun''s mind, staring at their foe, "So, this is a System''s original appearance."


    "You can see past its exterior?" Compass Carburettor raised an eyebrow.


    "I''m not you. I can only see its external appearance." Rhizen replied before turning around to leave Dwun''s mind, "I can do nothing here, so I''ll take my leave."


    "Sure." Compass Carburettor nodded beforemunicating through Secret Society, "Princess, how does a Luck System for a present sound?"


    "Dad, I''m almost thirty now¡­" Stencil''s voice resounded before her tone turned a bit excited, "Send it to me! I want one!"


    "Alright." He smiled, condensing Anthozoa as he pointed at the Happy-Go-Lucky System, "Be obedient, will ya?"


    Immediately after, from the nozzle of Anthozoa shot out a dragon, extending like a voracious beast. Its tail was still within the nozzle while its head continued to bulge in response, turningrge enough to gnaw onto the Happy-Go-Lucky System.


    Like prey caught by its predator, the fawn could only tremble in fear as it was swallowed by the dragon before retreating into the gun.


    The Happy-Go-Lucky System arrived within the Dimensional Space when Stencil leapt onto it immediately, cing her choker around its neck, causing it to struggle violently.


    But the Dragon of System, Dota appeared before it, using System Punishment to weaken it, turning its struggles futile.


    "Hey, don''t kill it!" Stencil shouted.


    "Once it''s under your control, you can slowly grow it by feeding it Mental Energy. It''s safer this way." Dota retorted.


    The choker gushed out lightning bolts that drilled into the Happy-Go-Lucky System''s body like snakes, slowly forming a nervous system in its body. And this nervous system ensured all its actions and thoughts were under her control.


    Thereby, Stencil gainedplete control over the Happy-Go-Lucky System, giggling as she hugged the trembling fawn, "Sooo cutee! Dad, this is the best!"


    "There''s seven more out there. Want me to catch them too?" Compass Carburettor grinned, feeling insanely smug all of a sudden upon seeing his daughter grinning happily.


    "One is enough. I''m not that spoiled, you know." Stencil rolled her eyes before waving her hands, "Now shoo! You still have work to do."


    "Haha!" Laughing in response, Compass Carburettor exited Dwun''s mind, standing before him as he patted his shoulder, "Get up."


    "I¡­never felt this weak." Dwun didn''t even move a muscle, staying still like a statue.


    "Well, you just picked the wrong side, I guess." Compass Carburettor said, seeing Rhizen nod before flexing his arm, motioning for him to motivate the despairing man on the ground.


    ''What do you want me to do?'' He red at Rhizen before thinking of something, asking Dwun in all seriousness, "Do you want to fight Systems?"


    "What will I get out of it?" Dwun said with a surprising tone of exhaustion.


    "You can fight them to your desire. Rhizen is nning something interesting, you see¡­" Compass Carburettor had just begun to speak when he noticed that the sense of despair in Dwun had vanished like it was never there in the first ce.


    "Damn bro, that''s epic!" Dwun eximed in shock, gazing at Rhizen and Compass Carburettor back and forth before raising his hands, "I''m in! I would kill to be a part of this."


    "Alright, it''s a deal then." Compass Carburettor nodded before condensing a sword, "You''ll be briefed about everything in a few months."


    "Rhizen, inform me first!" Dwun said as he was beheaded by Compass Carburettor. Immediately after, his body was absorbed by a Blood Vitality Grass that he stored in his storage bracelet.


    Once this was done, he sighed, "Seven left. Dwun was the easiest."


    "Will Straxia stand to reason with us?" He asked Rhizen.


    "Even if she understands everything, she''ll still fight us with all her might." Rhizen said, "That''s her character. And she''s probably anticipating her fight against you all along."

 Chapter 511 I Need My Eyes

    Chapter 511 I Need My Eyes¡¡¡¡"We''re trapped!" An expert bellowed upon seeing that those that charged up the mountain turned into dust when they approached a certain area. There was nothing there originally, but when someone crashed into the ce, ripples appeared in the air, like how the air dances above a me.


    it became apparent that there was something there that was capable of killing them. The stretch of mountain on both the sides had the same barrier that turned them to dust.


    This only left them a straight path from the portals to the Tura City Fort. But, this stretch of path was harder to cross than the rest, thanks to the acid dripping down from the sky


    Even though entrances to the Vr Secret Realm opened in multiple locations, the entrances to the Reality Marble opened even more, causing the acid to pour on the scattering armies.


    Due to the chaos and in their best efforts to survive the acid, the seven armies dispersed throughout the area, running in random directions, having long since lost their order.


    At this time, Yaotorr, the Tura Citymander raised his hands, shouting, "All units! Projectiles! Raise!"


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    An expert standing nearby condensed a massive drum as another expert condensed arge stick, beating the drum in a certain rhythm. This served as the signal that was heard by everyone on the walls of Tura City.


    Immediately, every expert that had a projectile ability condensed their Martial Spirits, aiming it forward, raising the angle, remaining ready.


    "Fire!" Upon Yaotorr''smand, the projectiles were all released, nketing the sky due to their sheer numbers as they rained down upon the scrambling army, eliciting countless screams.


    Even if someone was from the Martial Providence Stage, they would still be injured by attacks from experts at the Martial Origin Stage. And with this hail of projectiles, it was hard to remain uninjured.


    After all, the acid attacks were still every present, having spilled enough on the ground to form small puddles everywhere.


    And when those in the armies scattered around, they mistakenly stumbled into the puddles during their hurry, injuring themselves while also causing the acid to ssh onto others.


    It was chaos!


    Standing at the frontmost position on the Tura City walls was Zorn, holding a granite bow, something that was what one would expect thest out of a granite.


    But, this was his Martial Spirit''s ability as he condensed a granite arrow, loaded it into the bow and shot it into the air.


    His arrow whizzed through the skies at speeds surpassing all the other projectiles, breaking the sound barrier as it mmed into a powerhouse that he had aimed for. His attacks were frighteningly urate.


    But despite everything, there was aplex expression on his face.


    After all, he was Warktor''s disciple.


    ¡­


    "Hahaha! Look at this brat''s re. How scary!" A burly man with a hairy chest grinned, gazing at two teenagers trembling on the floor before him.


    Both were fifteen years old, twins, one boy and one girl. They were orphans and hence had to struggle for a living.


    They typically begged and worked in the mines or other dangerous ces to make a living. The boy was Zorn, and the girl was his sister, Zora.


    As they were twins, Zora was able to pull off a boy''s disguise, thanks to her brother''s help. That was how she survived in their dangerous world.


    And as they lead hard lives, both were skinny. This resulted in her body failing to develop, preventing anyone from realising that she was a girl.


    That was how they survived through thick and thin, until word somehow got out that Zora was a girl. It caused the burly man to set his sights on her, hoping to sell her off to a brothel to make some quick change.


    Any amount of penny would do, even if it only paid for a single meal. It was something he would be getting for free anyway from selling her.


    He was also nning to sell Zorn to a brothel that catered to the preferences of women. Anyway, both would allow him to make some quick change, since he felt that if they were cleaned up, they were quite passable.


    And hence, he targeted the. Even though he wasn''t a cultivator, he had confidence in the strength f his body. In the past, he had been able to even kill some Origin Refinement Stage cultivators thanks to his brute strength.


    So, he was indeed confident.


    Zorn and Zora didn''t have the strength to resist, but they didn''t wish to suffer a fate worse than death, and hence, resisted with all their might.


    Zorn held a knife in his hands, protecting Zora behind him as he red at the burly man, "Don''te near me! I''ll kill you."


    "Heh, this is one funny brat." The burly man smirked when his hand shot forward, grabbing hold of the knife as he yanked it away, uttering with raucousughter, "Thosedies of high society would prefer a funny brat like you."


    "But first, you must learn some discipline." The burly man said as his tone turned serious.


    Zorn couldn''t eve reach when a p sent him skidding on the ground. His head spun while he coughed blood from the impact, unable to breathe for a moment as he wheezed.


    "Kyaaa!"


    Hearing his sister''s shout, Zorn gritted his teeth, biting his lips to use the pain ad forcefully clear his mind, getting up as he realised that he wasn''t the burly man''s match. He quickly looked around, noticing a middle-aged man calmly seated in one corner of the tavern, sipping some tea, ignoring everything happening in his surroundings as he seemed deep in thought.


    Zorn hurriedly rushed towards the middle-aged man, shouting with every ounce of his strength, fishing out the sole Essence Stone in his pocket as he ced it on the table, "Respected sir, please save my sister!"


    "Hmm?" The middle-aged man broke out of his thoughts, gazing at the Essence Stone on the table before swerving his gaze in the direction of the burly man that had lifted Zora by the scruff of her neck, stating calmly, "One Essence Stone isn''t enough."


    "T-Then, take my eyes." Zorn said spontaneously, "If you sell them at the ck market, they''ll fetch you a good price. My eyes can see far away with rity better than a bird''s."


    "Then, I''ll take up the offer." The middle-aged man got up, slowly approached the burly man and took hold of Zora. He then turned around and walked towards the tavern''s exit, gazing at the stupefied figure of Zorn, "What are you waiting for?"


    "I need my eyes."


    As for the burly man, he remained as a statue for a second before his body melted into a puddle.

 Chapter 512 A Vow of Respect

    Chapter 512 A Vow of Respect¡¡¡¡None at the tavern managed to witness what happened to the burly man. But the next thing they knew, they were staring at his figure that was reduced into a puddle on the ground. Moreover, a couple of secondster, the puddle vaporised, leaving behind no traces.


    Zorn hurriedly chased after the middle-aged man, shuddering upon seeing how the burly man was reduced into nothing. He hurriedly appeared beside the middle-aged man, asking in shock, "Senior, are you a legendary powerhouse?"


    "A powerhouse isn''t legendary. There are a handful even in this city." The middle-aged man said nonchntly, "And I''m only at the Origin Refinement Stage."


    "You''re only at the Origin Refinement Stage? But you''re so powerful." Zora had been listening to everyone once she gathered her bearings, eximing, unable to believe the middle-aged man''s words, "Impossible!"


    "Nothing is impossible in this world." The middle-aged man sighed a little, "There''s plenty of powers out there that can determine the fates of entire universe in a matter of seconds. Inparison, I am nothing more than the hair on an ant."


    "Anyway," He gazed at Zorn, "You pledged your eyes to me, right?"


    "Y-Yes." Zorn nodded, flinching as he wondered if it would be painful to have his eyes pulled out.


    "Then, do one thing for me." The middle-aged man said, gently covering Zorn''s eyes with his hand, "Using your eyes, appreciate this world''s beauty in my ce. I lost that capability long ago. Will you do it?"


    "Yes!" Zorn nodded hurriedly.


    "Good, I am Warktor." The middle-aged man smiled, "And from today onwards, you''re my disciple."


    "Thank you, master!" Zorn prostrated on the ground.


    After that, Warktor led them to a strange inhabited ruin, stopping before a Martial Spirit Awakening Altar, cing hundred Essence Stones in it as he made Zorn awaken his Martial Spirit. He also allowed Zora to awaken her Martial Spirit.


    Zora awakened to the Human Martial Spirit, Mountain Goat while Zorn came as a surprise, awakening the Earth Martial Spirit, Granite.


    It was a rare Martial Spirit that hadn''t ever appeared in the records of their Realm, causing him to be overjoyed. With an Earth Martial Spirit, his future would be bright. He could give a better life for his sister.


    Her sister had a human Martial Spirit, which was more than enough to protect herself. So, it was a wonderous asion for the twins.


    It had only been on a whim, but Warktor decided to take care of them for some reason. Even though he only recognised Zorn as his disciple, but he also guided Zora in their way of cultivation.


    After that, he brought the both of them to the Gaider Realm, buying a house in a remote town where hardly any cultivator bothered to visit. It was pretty much a mansion due to its size and it was where the twins lived for the next two years.


    One fine day, Warktor packed his belongings to their surprise, stating, "I have to go perform my mission. There''s a good chance that I might not make it alive, so I bade you farewell here."


    "Master, please! If it''s that risky, please don''t go!" Zorn teared up immediately.


    "Do you want me to stay here?" Warktor stared at the twins that nodded up and down repeatedly, suddenly stating with a cold tone, "Even if it means this Realm would be destroyed?"


    "What?" The twins were shocked.


    "There''s a war undergoing behind the scenes." Warktor waved his hand, turning around to walk away, "And many things depend on this. So, I won''t stay behind. He both of you can manage yourselves from this point. Just lead content lives from now on. I''ve set aside enough wealth for you."


    "Master!" Zorn shouted all of a sudden, stating firmly, "C-Can Ie with you?"


    Warktor stared at Zorn for a couple of minutes in silence, slowly extending his hand, "Vow to me. Pledge that you won''t interfere no matter what happens. You''ll only be a silent spectator in everything."


    "Yes, I vow to do that." Zorn pledged solemnly.


    He then turned around, to grab Zora''s hands, "Will you be safe until I return? I promise, it won''t take long."


    "I know, brother." Zora nodded, "Just¡­return alive. I want to apany you too, but I''m not strong enough."


    The twins were already privy of Warktor''s Heaven Martial Spirit. And hence, they were aware that Zora wouldn''t be able to aplish much when the situation turned dire. This was why she held herself back from requesting to apany Warktor too.


    "Let''s go then." Warktor said as he and Zorn departed from the house, taking on a myriad of transport to slowly head towards the Folkan Secret Realm. Though, the moment they approached it, he could feel some gazes on him letting out a long sigh, "I see."


    "This would be more troublesome than I had expected."


    After that, the events in the Folkan Secret Realm yed out, leading to the final confrontation between Warktor and the trio of Ranze, Xuer, and Bunu.


    Zorn left the ce, watching everything from afar observing the terrifying power Warktor wielded that he casually bested three Heaven Martial Spirit cultivators.


    And then, he only blinked once when it all happened.


    The figure of a wolverine rushed through the battlefield and pierced through Warktor''s chest in a feat that defied everything. It morphed cause and effect through a mystical phenomenon.


    Zorn trembled in fear, "How can humans go against that?"


    He then saw his Master''s gentle smile at the time of his death, tearing up, "Master!"


    He wished to head to his rescue immediately, but he stuck to his vow, for going against it would mean an insult to his Master, someone he respected the most. So, he gritted his teeth and endured.


    After that, as the wolverine vanished, Zorn scoured through the ce, soon noticing a double-headed tiger appear out of thin air and mp the neck of a young girl. Its actions resembled the wolverine, making Zorn aware that it was by the same individual.


    Though, he wasn''t able to understand the principle behind this phenomenon, observing with a focused stare upon seeing Rhizen''s figure emerge soon after as he clutched the girl''s body and began to cry.


    "Just¡­what is happening?" Zorn was confused when he noticed two other individuals appear next to Rhizen, a man and a woman.


    And when he heard their conversation from afar, his eyes widened in shock as it felt like something exploded in his mind.

 Chapter 513 WAR

    Chapter 513 WAR¡¡¡¡"Shoot!" Upon Yaotorr''smand, Zorn pulled the string of his bow to the limit beforeunching the arrow with a whistling sound.


    His arrow formed a trail through the air before mming into a Martial Providence Stage cultivator, shattering one of his limbs when he transformed into a beast.


    Within a second, Zornunched a second arrow, continuing to do the same. Each of his arrows possessed devastating power, annihting his enemies. After all, he had an Earth martial Spirit, one that was known for its high density.


    And his fusion material allowed him to bend and control it to his will, thereby able to unleash heavy attacks without much difficulty. After all, he too was at the Martial Providence Stage.


    He was currently at the Fifth Layer of the Martial Providence Stage while his sister, Zora had recentlypleted a sessful breakthrough. She was part of another unit that was in charge of transporting supplies thanks to her Martial Spirit''s nature.


    Slowly, as he continued tounch the arrows one after another, Zorn''s mood became heavy andplex. After all, the ones he was killing were part of the army raised by his Master''s colleagues.


    But, his Master had warned him to not participate in this battle and only focus on defending his home and livelihood, for in the end, only that mattered. This was why he joined this war, because it was necessary to protect their home.


    Though, he had zero intentions toy down his life for the cause. If the situation turned dangerous, he was ready to turn tail and flee. He and Zora had alreadymunicated beforehand of the actions they would take to signal one another to flee.


    They would just flee and set up home in some other safer Realm. Considering their strength, both of which had reached the Martial Providence Stage, they would be safe no matter where they went.


    Moreover, before they arrived at the battle, they had sold their house and all other properties that they had umted over the years, converting them into Essence Stones, Pills, and Artifacts that they stored in their respective spatial pouches.


    And just for this cause, Zorn had spent a fortune to obtain his hands on a flight-based Artifact, intending to rely upon it in times of need. Neither he nor Zora was capable of flight.


    As he thought as such, Zorn gazed at Tura City that was behind him, seeing the massive number of troops stationed there, packed to the brim.


    Sighing, he announced that he had run out of Origin Essence and stepped down from the city wall, slowly making his way to a recovery unit in order to replenish his Origin Essence.


    Along the way, he suddenly paused, surprised to see a familiar figure that he hadn''t seen after the first time. It was Ranze, calmly making his way towards the wall.


    ''It''s of no concern to me.'' He thought, continuing forth the journey.


    As for Ranze, he had a solemn mood, reaching the top of the wall as he condensed his bow, loaded an arrow andunched it.


    The arrow seemed weightless at first nce before sparking with lightning currents as it mmed into a Martial Providence Stage cultivator, killing him in one hit. And that wasn''t all, a secondter, the arrow exploded, causing a lot of sparks tosh out and kill a lot more people.


    "Tch! This would go nowhere at this rate." Lota groaned, seeing members on their side drop down inrge numbers. She suddenly flew towards a certain direction and began to spin in ce, suddenly emitting a dense life force as immediately after, trees shot up from the ground, unleashing their crown grandly.


    The acid dripped on the trees and affected them. But by the time it made its way through the canopy of trees, the acid lost all strength to the tree sap that was ejected by the trunk and branches.


    The number of trees steadily grew in response as soon after, arge forest bloomed.


    "Phew!" Lota sighed in relief upon seeing that the situation stabilised soon after as her army of treants recovered by drinking the tree sap to heal their injuries.


    But, right when she nned to counterattack, she shuddered, sensing the Luck of the Happy-Go-Lucky System flow into her for a moment before vanishing, "Dwun¡­died? Already? Dammit!"


    At the same time, all the System Hosts felt the changes, no longer dying as they charged at Tura City.


    Straxia was the first to take action as a portal shed in the air, revolving at terrifying speeds as soon after, a bolt of lightning, as thick as a two metres shed out of it, entering one of the Reality Marble''s entrances before mming into the thick of it.


    Boom!


    The Reality Marble''s boundary was destroyed by the lightning as it began to crumble. As for the acid remaining within the Reality Marble, it began to disappear.


    After all, the Reality Marble''s creation was being undone. So the same principle also applied to all the contents that were produced by it.


    All the acid chucked by this Reality Marble vanished immediately after as the pressure on part of the army reduced.


    Not even a secondter, six other lightning bolts mmed into the remaining Reality Marbles, destroying them all.


    "The acids have vanished." An Arena Realm Martial Providence Stage powerhouse bellowed, rushing out of the thicket of trees as he turned into a cloud, "Charge!"


    "Charge!"


    Everyone bellowed one after another, raising their fighting spirit in unison as they charged at the Tura Fort.


    Kieee!


    The zing Sun n Leader turned into a ming bird and took off to the skies, breathing out a sea of mes that stuck to the forest, slowly burning them. It wasn''t a normal fire and hence, couldn''t be put off so easily.


    The cloud immediately charged at the ming bird, unleashing rain that mmed like bullets.


    In response, the ming cloud erected a shield of mes, defending against the attacks, generating a lot of mist in the process. Immediately, the Martial Providence Stage powerhouses from the two armies collided, followed by the experts.


    Instantly, the battle entered a high pitch, resulting in the violent chucking of countless Origin Arts.


    It was war!

 Chapter 514 Peerless Fire

    Chapter 514 Peerless Fire¡¡¡¡"Waah!" Lota¡ªone that had turned into a tiny wasp¡ªswerved past one tree after another, sometimes using the bodies of her Treant underlings to hide behind.


    Multiple attacksnded around her, aiming for her because a lot among the enemies had seen her raising such a massive forest almost instantly to guard against the acid fall.


    Moreover, they could easily sense that she was an Evil Spirit, hence targeting her with tricky attacks. Lota never retaliated though, only scrambling to escape, making mistakes along the way that cut off her escape routes one after another.


    Though, this was her n. After all, she was Host to a rather long-winded System.


    Desperate Luck System¡ªLevel 41!


    It was a type of luck that was only effective when she was desperate. So, unless she was in such a situation, she wouldn''t obtain any benefits from her luck. And hence, she had no other choice but to make a habit of forcing herself into a desperate situation.


    That was why she had waited until the damage from the acid rain before umted to a certain degree. Only after that did she take action. This way, she was able to harness her luck and erect the forest almost instantly.


    Moreover, in that instant, thanks to her desperation, her luck values shot up enough to overwhelm the gigantic Main Character luck that she was sensing in the sky. That was why she was sessful in her actions.


    Straxia too had taken the chance to unleash a powerful bolt of lightning to shatter the Reality Marbles. But, she had yet to show herself though.


    And the reason was apparent.


    She was waiting!


    She was waiting for all the Systems Hosts to die before showing herself. This way, she would be assisted by all sorts of luck. And only she could take actions while assisted by various luck.


    Even though Lota disliked such an arrangement, it was what all the Luck based Systems had decided in the end.


    ''This wouldn''t have happened if the Destiny Luck System had seeded in killing the Main Character in the Folkan Secret Realm.'' She thought, swerving through a sea of abilities before aiming her stinger at a powerhouse, unleashing a beam of sunlight that diverged and sprayed upon her opponents.


    Heaven Martial Spirit¡ªSr Wasp!


    "Keuk!" The powerhouse and the surrounding experts sprayed upon by her sunlight suddenly grunted in shock as their skin slowly began to turn green as it seemed fine, hair-like grass was growing on their skin.


    "Kyak!" One of the experts with a Fire Martial Spirit bellowed as he enveloped his body with mes, noticing that the growth of the hair-like grass had slowed down. But, the strength of his mes wasn''t strong enough to wholly supress the grass as soon after, he copsed to the ground as a ball of hay.


    Soon after, his body was turned into nutrients as a massive tree grew in the ce, slowly releasing a pleasant-smelling nectar that turned into mist immediately uponing into contact with the air.


    "Hahaha!" A Treant smiled upon sensing the nectar mist, rushing straight at the Tura City Wall, using a massive wood shield to defend its body as any injuries it sustained healed automatically.


    It directly crashed into the wall as its roots began to seep into the wall, slowly prating through it.


    "As if I''ll let you!" Suddenly, a burly man bellowed, turning into a twenty-metre-tall bear as he grabbed hold of the Treant and ripped it out of the wall, shaking off its roots that were gripping the wall tightly as he tossed it to the side, disying fearsome strength.


    Boosted by the Blood Vitality Pills that he had consumed in torrents, his physique had reached a whole new level of strength. Adding onto his Bear Martial Spirit that was famed for strength, he was unstoppable.


    The Treant grunted, unleashed countless roots in an effort to constrict the bear but failed to lock it in ce as the bear ripped it apart.


    Puff!


    It opened its mouth wide, mping upon the Treant''s trunk to shatter it into pieces before spitting it out, snorting in rage after seeing the Treant slowly healing from its injuries, "Your vitality is amazing. But¡­"


    It then leaped up,nding on the Treant to shatter its trunk into pieces, "But your physique is weak."


    "What the¡­heck? Why are you so strong?" The cloud in the air bellowed in fear as most of it was vaporised by the ming bird. "I made it to the top twenty of the Providence League! How can you be stronger than me?"


    "Only twenty?" A mocking voice resounded from the firebird that cackled, "Sixty years ago, I was ranked second. I couldn''t contend for the first ce due to a disaster faced by my n at that time and hence had to return."


    "Impossible!" The cloud screamed, "If you were ranked second, then why wasn''t your name there? Unless you are dead, your name wouldn''t be removed."


    "If you leave the Arena for more than a decade, your name would be removed." The firebird spoke, "I guess you didn''t ask any retired veterans about me, the Gaider Realm''s zing Sun n Leader, Balmer!"


    "Balmer?" Suddenly, a surprised voice resounded from the enemy army as an old man took off to the skies, muttering in shock, "Why are you still alive? Everyone from your generation is already in their sick bed or in the afterlife. Even if they maintained their health, they can''t exercise much power."


    "Then, how are you still¡­in your prime? No, you''ve surpassed you prime." He asked in shock.


    "T-Then, it''s the truth?" The cloud trembled before turning around, intending to run away. Anymore, and he would be destroyed by the opponent.


    "Don''t run!" The zing Sun n Leader, Balmer snorted as he clenched his hand into a fist. Suddenly, alongside the fleeing figure of the cloud, sparks formed before bursting into mes that converged around it, constricting it in a sea of mes.


    An instantter, the sea of mes turned into a miniature sun, exploding with tremendous heat that the dense, greenish forest below slowly began to lose its vitality as the water contents in the trees began to vaporise from the heat.


    "In my younger days, when I entered the Folkan Secret Realm¡­" The zing Sun n Leader rxed his clenched fists, having vaporised the cloud, "I obtained a fusion material that purified my mes and gave me a body of pure fire. Thanks to that, I attained longevity."


    The moment he said so, smoke erupted around him as his appearance began to regress, slowly returning into a youth, shocking every powerhouse on the battlefield, for his power spiked to a whole new level.

 Chapter 515 Extreme Providence

    Chapter 515 Extreme Providence¡¡¡¡"And, this is the real¡­me!" The zing Sun n Leader, Balmer said after turning into a vibrant youth with fiery hair that waved in the air like fire.


    As for his cultivation, it seemed to have surpassed the Ninth Layer of the Martial Providence Stage.


    "W-What is this? Is there truly a stage above the Martial Providence Stage?" The opponent, an old man resembling a giant figure swimming about a sea muttered in shock.


    "There is no Stage beyond Martial Providence. But, Ninth Layer isn''t the peak. There''s one more beyond this." Balmer said, slowly breathing out turbid air as his body heat continued to spike in response, soon turning ethereal.


    He emanated a subtle fluctuation that caused the Martial Spirits of everyone nearby to tremble in response as Balmer said with a tone of absolute arrogance, "In the Origin Refinement Stage, we cultivate the attributes granted by our Martial Spirits. In the Martial Origin Stage, we materialise our Martial Spirits after consuming a fusion material. We form an innate connection to our Martial Spirits here, no longer needing willpower to control it. After all, it bes an extension of our mind."


    "And in the Martial Providence Stage, we fuse with our Martial Spirits, bing one with them. But, this is wrong." He said, pointing at the opponent, "I won''t attack you for a minute. What will you do to cultivate in this Stage? Show it to me."


    "Fine¡­" Even though he hesitated, the fist returned to his human form as the sea vanished. He then condensed the figure of a fish on his palm that absorbed Origin Essence from an Essence Stone that he took out.


    "That fish is your Martial Spirit, right?" Balmer asked.


    "Yes, it''s the Heaven Martial Spirit, Deep Sea Salmon." He said, introducing himself, "I''m Hetude from the Wolba Realm."


    "So Hetude¡­" Balmer smiled, pointing at the projection of the Deep Sea Salmon that was absorbing Origin Essence, "When you are cultivating, you still absorb Origin Essence through your Martial Spirit. This is despite you being in the Martial Providence Stage where you should have be one with your Martial Spirit."


    He then smiled, slowly condensing the projection of his Martial Spirit as it absorbed Origin Essence from the Essence Stone he took out of a spatial bag.


    But, upon seeing his Martial Spirit, everyone was shocked. Because, they sensed that it wasn''t his Martial Spirit, but he himself.


    "Yes," Balmer nodded, "I am the Martial Spirit, and the Martial Spirit is me. When I am killed here, I''ll return to the Martial Spirit Realm where I''ll live as a sentient Martial Spirit that others can inherit in the future. And my mind would never be erased."


    "This is the peak cultivation form that we can attain. And I call this¡­" He took in a deep breathing, causing everyone listening to him to shudder as he announced with a solemn tone.


    "Extreme Providence!"


    "Extreme¡­Providence¡­?" Hetude muttered slowly, feeling bouts of shock and surprise as realisation finally hit him, "So, this is the actual peak. In the end of our cultivation journey, we ourselves turn into Martial Spirits."


    "Yes," Balmer nodded, "We be the strength that fosters the future generations. Even if I''m killed now, it doesn''t matter. My descendants would awaken me as their Martial Spirit in the future. And this is my n''s foundation that would make its name resound in all corners of our infinite Realms."


    "That''s a lot of bragging for someone that''s about to die!" Suddenly, the figure of Lota appeared from out of nowhere as she pointed her stinger at Balmer and unleashed a sr beam, intending to turn him into a tree.


    But, the sr beam simply vanished, turned into his nourishment as Balmer smiled, snapping his finger as a fire arrow swerved towards her, mming into her with enough might that it would have killed her.


    Desperate Luck!


    Her luck activated immediately as Lota suddenly burst with a lot of power, barely evading the arrow as she suffered burning injuries.


    The arrow casually flew forward before mming into a patch of forest, creating a sphere of mes that burned everything inside into a crisp, leaving nothing but a jet-ck crater in its centre.


    This was the strongest attackunched to date on the battlefield, for a moment pausing the war as everyone turned to gaze at the massive sea of fire.


    As for the one that had unleashed it, he seemed calm, acting like that attack hadn''t taken much out of him.


    "Che!" Lota grunted as she hurriedly shouted at Hetude, "Move away! I''m the only one that can face him."


    "¡­Fine!" Even though he didn''t wish to concede to her, he truly didn''t have the ability to face that attack head on. And hence, Hetude turned into the Deep Sea Salmon and flew away, seeing arrows of fire m everyone on the forest.


    Lota desperately evaded the attacks, barely managing to keep her alive. It was clear that Balmer had surpassed her, a System Host, in terms of strength. So, the only thing that she could depend to survive was luck.


    Thankfully, she was in a desperate state. And it was pretty much this state that was optimal for her luck to activate. This was why she took the charge in handling him.


    Otherwise, there was a good chance Balmer alone was enough to wipe out everyone.


    "In the past, there was a fly."


    "In the present, the fly existed."


    "In the future, the Fly will exist!"


    Suddenly, a rather monotonous tune resounded throughout the battlefield, originating from its rear end. The verse of the song didn''t seem to make sense at first nce, but as they heard, everyone noticed that they were bing stronger.


    Their injuries began to heal while their stamina recovered. As for those from the Gaider Realm, the effect on them was the opposite as they began to feel more tired and became more prone to injuries.


    Moreover, if they were careless, they expended more Origin Essence than necessary, wasting a lot of power in each attack.


    "I''m not a fly, dammit!" Lota despair at the tone deaf song, "Om my gawd, who the heck thought it was a good idea to make him sing?"

 Chapter 516 Lota’s Unrelenting Despair

    Chapter 516 Lota¡¯s Unrelenting Despair¡¡¡¡"Kya!" Lota screamed, for the song felt grating to her ears.


    It was sung by Ikun, Host to the Majestic Luck System. He was currently crowned emperor, leading an empire that spanned the entire area of a Realm.


    Heaven Martial Spirit¡ªLight Glory!


    It was a fully support oriented Martial Spirit that was suited to a king. After all, anyone he targets as his subjects became vitalised, healed from status defects like poison, injuries, exhaustion, etc.


    And, everyone he targets as enemies suffer from negative effects like exhaustion, injuries, diseases, etc.


    Just this power was enough for a King to obtain wholehearted devotion from his subjects. But, Ikun was also boosted by the power of his Majestic Luck.


    This means that, as long as he held the dignitary position as an Emperor, he was immune against a lot of things. One of this was the fact that he wouldn''t die, or rather, couldn''t be killed as long as he had subjects to lead that were wholeheartedly devoted to him.


    This was the support trump card prepared by the Systems exclusively for this battle. After all, it was unnecessary for them to fight the Main Character. That was Straxia''s job.


    Their sole task was to destroy the Gaider Realm. This would deal a massive blow to the Main character''s luck and would even shave off his traits as the Main Character, making it all the easier to kill him.


    And to destroy the Gaider Realm, defeating their army was a must. Unfortunately, due to the Blood Vitality Pills, the bodies of everyone cultivator on the Gaider Realm was tremendously tough.


    This allowed them to fight against two or three experts of the same cultivation and even win. This was not to mention the massive number of Origin Beasts on their side.


    Thanks to the Sleeper Cell Seeds, the Origin Beasts too fought the battles. Even though they weren''t individually strong, they had enough numbers to make up for it.


    Besides, they used swarming tactics to overwhelm their opponents. It had worked at the start, but the moment Ikun''s song began to y, their side became stronger while the Gaider Realm''s side became weaker.


    Even Balmer was slightly affected by this, making it slightly better for Lota. Though, as she despised his singing, she wasn''t able to fully make use of this advantage.


    "You bastard! How dare you use all your power against a fly?" Suddenly, a loud roar resounded throughout the battlefield, directed at Balmer, causing the other party to frown, gazing at the source of the annoying voice.


    It was a man wearing a cloak, covered from head to toe. His body suddenly trembled, as his long sleeves fluttered in the wind, vividly expressing his feelings of sadness, conveying it to everyone, "She''s just a mere fly. She only wished to live while sipping on nectar. But you¡­! You greedy bastard tried to kill her multiple times. You also set her home, the forest she grew up on fire."


    "You''re a greedy bastard that shouldn''t be allowed to lead a n!" He pointed at Balmer, announcing aloud.


    "What¡­nonsense is this?" Balmer was thrown off guard. But just when he nned to dismiss it and attack his opponents, he heard faint murmurs throughout his army.


    "What? Is the zing Sun n Leader such a type of person?"


    "Guys, don''t fall for such a cheap provocation."


    "The zing Sun n has indeed been monopolising all resources of the Gaider Realm. So, they are indeed greedy."


    "What? Don''t be an idiot!"


    "Especially greedy individuals like Balmer are the reason our Realm is being invaded. Even though they are our opponents, I feel pity for them."


    "Fuck! Where are these retards popping from?"


    The regr cultivators quickly changed their tune, beginning to bash the zing Sun n and Balmer. In a matter of seconds, public opinion changed against the Gaider Realm''s leading powers.


    The only ones protesting against it were the Academy Graduates that knew better than to fall for the enemy''s power.


    The only who had spoken was Yaarliwar, Host to the Emotional Impact System. Leading the public opinion was his sole strength.


    Moreover, his fusion material was rted to the Mind Attribute, allowing him to affect public opinion with greater potency.


    Heaven Martial Spirit¡ªWind Nightingale!


    He had been saving up power to turn the public opinion against the Main Character. But now that he noticed a fearsome existence like Balmer, he decided to use Balmer as a stepping stone to target Compass Carburettor.


    If the public opinion was already against Balmer, he could fuel it further and further until it spilled onto the Main Character, resulting in chaos that disrupts all of Compass Carburettor''s ns.


    "Damn you! You dare fool us?" A water attributed expert from the Gaider Realm bellowed in anger, unleashing an attack onto Balmer, "Die!"


    He was someone that wore his emotions on his sleeve, the type to take action before thinking about it. So, he and his type were the first to be influenced by Yaarliwar, turning against Balmer and the zing Sun n.


    Instantly, they sparked a civil war, causing the opponents to stare at the scene incredulously.


    "Look at her!" Yaarliwar bellowed with a grief-stricken voice, pointing at the tiny figure of Lota, "See how she''s trembling. Poor her! She''s tiny and has to endure such abuse, such bullying, and such a terrifying extent of sadness as she watched her home be destroyed, her family killed, and she herself was almost roasted."


    "Such a gruesome fate for such a tiny, helpless fly!" He began to sob in the end, causing tears to flow out of those from the Gaider Realm army¡ªthose that hadn''t been part of the Academy.


    ''Screw your bald tiny head! I can be a hundred-metre-tall giant wasp if I want!'' Lota screamed internally.


    Whether it was the song that boosted their morale and suppressed their enemies or whether it targeted Balmer, both the abilities relied upon words. And these words portrayed her as a fly, when in turn, she was a wasp.


    Not even that, she was a human that had just turned into a wasp. She wasn''t even small and helpless, or anything that she was described as¡­


    But here she was, turned into propaganda to fool their enemies.

 Chapter 517 Nothing Happened…

    Chapter 517 Nothing Happened¡­¡¡¡¡"Tch! These retards." Balmer snorted upon seeing the attacks on him from the Gaider Realm army continued to increase in number. Even though these attacks were of no consequence to him, they still proved annoying.


    Moreover, it hindered their army''s actions to a certain extent. But, he wasn''t concerned, smiling as he snapped his finger once. Immediately after, hooded figures strutted about the army, culling the internal rage in a matter of seconds.


    After that, no matter what Yaarliwar did, the people didn''t react, only treating his words like the ramblings of a fool. This was thanks to the hooded figures that had stealthily arrived in the army, their actions undetected by everyone.


    Origin Art¡ªPublic Disappearance!


    It was the area effect of Compass Carburettor''s Origin Art of Gloss Over, but now, it was actuated through a group onto a group. And it was done by a secret group that not many knew the presence of.


    Origin Beast¡ªDouble-Faced Monkey!


    Other than Compass Carburettor and Grisha, only three individuals were aware of this. And they were Ranze, Xuer, and Balmer.


    Compass Carburettor had told them this because of that fact that once he left, everything would rest on their hands. And since the zing Sun n controlled almost half of the Gaider Realm, it was important to get their cooperation.


    Moreover, once he came to observe the zing Sun n Leader attaining the Extreme Providence Stage, he was d. After all, this meant that there would be someone present in the Martial Spirit Realm who would always protect the Gaider Realm through the zing Sun n.


    After all, in the future, there would be one cultivator in every generation of the zing Sun n that would awaken Balmer as their Martial Spirit. It would be a closely guarded secret only known by the zing Sun n Leader and the two Heaven Grade Puppets of the Academy.


    There were also Divine Martial Spirits, but they had one disadvantage. It was like the example with Ranze. Once Ranze reached the Martial Origin Stage, the Trash Divine Martial Spirit''s mind was erased and filled by his.


    This means that once Ranze dies, the Trash Divine Martial Spirit would return to the Martial Spirit Realm. But this time, it would operate with the same intelligence as Ranze.


    This had obvious disadvantages due to the fact that the Trash Divine Martial Spirit was pretty much a different entity every time someone awakened it.


    But in the case of Balmer, he would remain himself and never assimted by the cultivator that awakens him as their Martial Spirit. He could also guide them through a variety of matters, also acting as a treasure trove of knowledge of the Realms.


    Until now, in the Cultivation World, no cultivator had ever attained the Extreme Providence Stage, for it wasn''t a possibility even for the countless System Hosts that had appeared and been here.


    After all, there were many conditions necessary to attain this state. First was to have a Heaven Martial Spirit as this was the most primary condition.


    Second was to attain a quantity of Origin Essence in the dwelling that was twice possessed at the Ninth Layer of the Martial Providence Stage.


    And third was to attain the extreme level of Origin Essence quality that could be contained within their bodies.


    And finally, it was to truly be their Martial Spirit itself.


    These were the four primary conditions necessary to attain the Extreme Providence Stage.


    And to attain it, there were many necessities, something that others hadn''t been able to fulfil until now. One was a strong body. Thanks to the Blood Vitality Pills that he had ess to in excess, Balmer attained the peak of what the pills could strengthen him.


    After that were the various Sparks that strengthened him further. Moreover, he had also been umting strength for more than a century. All these umtions included caused him to surpass the limit of cultivation, attaining the true peak.


    With that, he became someone that Compass Carburettor could rely upon, hence bing privy of the Double-Faced Monkey race that had been cultivated in secret.


    All the Double-Faced Monkeys had was the Mind Attribute. And due to their living conditions, and their innate trait of constant Origin Essence evolution, the Mind Attribute of each had its respective variation or mutation.


    They were also able to learn various Origin Arts that made the best use of this. And one of this was the Origin Art of Public Disappearance that prevented others from detecting them.


    After that, they directly supressed Yaarliwar''s ability, causing all the people to return to normal.


    "Ohh shit! What had I done?" A cultivator from the Gaider Realm shuddered in fear, recalling the fact that he had attacked Balmer, leader of the zing Sun n that controlled almost half the Gaider Realm.


    The others that had attacked Balmer too were the same, shrinking their frames as much as possible in an effort to obscure themselves to the limit, praying that Balmer wouldn''t remember their insignificant faces.


    "If you don''t wish to face the consequence, attack our enemies with greater vigour and redeem yourself." An Academy graduate uttered coldly before turning into an eagle as he flew straight into the enemy army.


    Gulp!


    The others too were simrly warned by the Academy graduates as they all gulped nervously before targeting their enemies.


    At some point in time, the incessant sounds from Yaarliwar vanished. At first, everyone thought it was due to the hooded figures that had appeared amidst them at some point in time.


    "What the¡­?" Lota muttered in shock, hurriedly looking around as she muttered, "Where is¡­Yaarliwar?"


    "T-This is¡­?" Yaarliwar stammered, noticing that he was in a pitch-ck ce, devoid of sound, light, smell, or even a ground.


    It seemed like he was floating in the void. The moment this thought struck him, intense pain emanated from within him as his blood vessels seemed to be expanding due to the pressure difference, intending to burse out of their confines.


    He also felt suffocated due to theck of air.


    He opened his mouth, wishing to shout but failed to do so. After all, sound needed a medium to travel.


    He then transmitted his shouts telepathically, having understood that he had fallen prey to Compass Carburettor. But¡­nothing happened.

 Chapter 518 Emotional Impact’s Impactful Failure

    Chapter 518 Emotional Impact¡¯s Impactful Failure¡¡¡¡System Skill¡ªEmotional Impact!


    Yaarliwar activated his System''s Core Skill immediately, causing energy waves to fluctuate everywhere, intending to seep into the minds of others. There were two people in the range of the energy fluctuations.


    But, when the ability tried to seep into the two figures, something blocked it, preventing it from affecting them.


    Mental Energy Body Layer!


    Compass Carburettor had shielded both himself and Rhizen with the same, preventing Yaarliwar''s abilities from affecting them.


    Skill¡ªEmotional Trigger!


    Skill¡ªEmpathy!


    Skill¡ªPity!


    The Emotional Impact System activated a myriad of Skills, grunting when all of them failed. It didn''t just use its own luck but also harnessed the luck of every other System that had died to date.


    After all, this was their arrangement. So, whenever a System died, part of its powers would be retained by the Systems that remained alive.


    This way, the final survivor would be assisted by all 21 luck varieties, truly making them peerless.


    But, Compass Carburettor had already figured out their schemes long ago thanks to the help of Rhizen. Besides, as he had proimed the moment he obtained his fusion material, the Luck based Systems had already lost the war.


    Yaarliwar continued to struggle as he was unable to free himself, floating in the stretch of void that seemed endless. He used his Origin Essence to fly towards the edge of the Reality Marble and break through it, but no matter how long he travelled, he couldn''t find an end.


    Sometimeter, he was unable to hold on anymore as his blood vessels burst, leading to his death. But shortly after a second, he was revived at full health, looking around in shock before feeling suffocated immediately after.


    System Punishment!


    As he was struggling, a certain power mmed into him, causing the Emotional Impact System in his mind to scream in pain as part of its body was destroyed as a result.


    Soon after, Yaarliwar died and revived. But this time, his luck reserves were lower while his System was significantly more injured.


    Compass Carburettor continued to kill the Emotional Impact System while Rhizen continued to steal its luck.


    They did this while defending themselves against the mental attacks unleashed by Yaarliwar. The reason they had to do this was to prevent Straxia from being empowered too much.


    So, they shaved off as much luck as possible, ensuring that only a trickle of the Emotional Impact Luck would flow into the remaining System Hosts.


    This was pretty much what they had been doing all along, ensuring the final boss was someone within their capability to handle.


    Otherwise, if they did nothing, then Straxia would truly be powerful enough to kill him even if his power wasn''t sealed.


    After all, someone assisted by all forms of Luck was pretty much invincible.


    And hence, they continued to kill and revive Yaarliwar nonstop, truly breaking his spirits while stealing his foundation. Eventually, the Emotional Impact System was fully destroyed as Compass Carburettor extracted its Coordinate from him.


    After that, he ced Yaarliwar in a cage, noticing his body constantly twitching in response as something began toe out of his body.


    This was his Martial Spirit. Had he been at the Origin Refinement Stage, extracting his Martial Spirit would have been damn easy. But as he was at the Martial Providence Stage, it was difficult as the cage had to slowly extract them little by little.


    Normally, this would have been impossible. But where were they?


    Reality Marble!


    And hence, they continued to kill Yaarliwar and revive him within the cage itself, causing the alignment between him and his Martial Spirit to slowly wear off.


    Eventually, they became two separate entities as Yaarliwar turned into a mortal.


    Compass Carburettor stored the Heaven Martial Spirit of Wind Nightingale in a container meant exclusive for Martial Spirits.


    The Heaven Grade Golems in the Academy would be able to use them in the future by swapping out the Martial Spirits in their chest. This way, they would be able to wield versatile powers based on the situation at hand.


    Compass Carburettor stored the container with the Heaven Martial Spirit in his storage bracelet, sighing a little, "It''s taking a lot of time."


    "Well, this is just the first day of the war." Rhizen said, "And we already killed two of them. Now, only six are remaining. We should drag this until the final day."


    "I''ll not show myself for a while." Compass Carburettor smiled, "Balmer has attained the Extreme Providence Stage. So, at the moment, he''s stronger than Ranze. It won''t be possible to kill him that easily."


    "Your luck values might take a hit if you remain in hiding though." Rhizen advised, sighing upon seeing that Compass Carburettor was unmoved.


    ''Though, in a mere twenty years, his understanding of Systems has surpassed mine.'' Rhizen though, sighing. He had been the Coincidental Luck System''s Host for almost a millennium. And in this time, he had been essing the entirety of its memory reserves.


    So, he had a lot of information regarding the Systems. But as for his understanding of them, Compass Carburettor had him beat by miles. ''Maybe this is why he''s the Main Character and I''m not.''


    "What should I do until then?" Rhizen asked next, hoping to see what Compass Carburettor had in store next.


    "Give mepany." Compass Carburettor said, causing the environment of the Reality Marble to turn into a grasnd as a stone table appeared in its centre. A Vitality Bowl manifested itself in the centre of the stone table, filling itself with hot tea.


    Compass Carburettor took a seat, filling a cup with the tea as he began to sip it slowly, motioning for Rhizen to do the same. "Every two months, we''ll kill two System Hosts. As for the Gaider Realm¡­"


    He said after a moment''s pause, "I''ve prepared them to face Systems in the future without the present of the Restriction Order. And this is the best trial to grant them the necessary experience."


    "So, I''ll bepletely removing the Restriction Order from this world when I leave?" Rhizen raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes," Compass Carburettor nodded, "Considering the value of Mental Energy that could be gained from this Cultivation World, no System below Level 20 would bothering here. So, there''s no need to stretch the Restriction Order too thin. It''s not omnipotent. It cannot cover two different worlds and resist attacks from Grade 2 Systems."


    He sipped the tea, smiling, "Now, we''ll talk about your world."


    "We have some free time on our hands, after all."

 Chapter 519 A Battle of Archers

    Chapter 519 A Battle of Archers¡¡¡¡Swish!


    Boom!


    Ka-Boom!


    Arrows filled the air as they were constantly exchanged between two parties. They were both cultivators that had disyed their frightening battle strength, having butted heads multiple times in recent times.


    It had been two months since the war began, leading to a stalemate on both sides. Neither side was able to gain in on the opponents.


    Tura City was still the battlezone as after all, Compass Carburettor has erected thick walls of Dust Wave along the mountain range that covered both sides, leading from the portal to Tura City. this resulted in the entirety of the battle to be confined to just one area.


    Multiple attempts had been performed to breach from the sides, but the Dust Wave wall stood tall. After all, there were dozens of Apocalypse World Compass Carburettors maintaining the Dust Wave wall.


    As to where they actually were?


    Tiny insects fluttered throughout the battlefield, only the size of a nail, constantly keeping away from the Systems Hosts.


    They were Spydragons. And situated within each Spydragon''s stomach was a Reality Marble. When needed, they would open their mouth, causing the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor to open an entrance and replenish the Dust Wave wall.


    This was also the way in which the System Hosts were brought into the Reality Marble world. The reason these Spydragons weren''t noticed that easily was thanks to it being covered by the Mental energy Body Layer, not to mention the Origin Art of Gloss Over that was coated upon it.


    This coating of Gloss Over wasn''t as powerful as the Origin Art unleashed through a shared mental connection. But it was sufficient to stay undetected in the battlefield.


    Currently, a Spydragon flew close to the ground, swerving beside broken swords, severed limbs, scattered entrails, craters, etc. slowly approaching close to a certain figure.


    This was a System Host that went by the name of Falls, Host to the Critical Luck System and bearing the Heaven Martial Spirit of Light Crossbow. His fusion material granted him a corrosive attribute, causing his arrows to possess deadly might.


    And his opponent was of course Ranze, shielding himself with a body armour that allowed him to run at tremendous speeds, not to mention granting staunch defence.


    He constantly condensed lightning arrows before shooting them towards his opponent, evading the retaliatory arrows.


    Ranze was capable of fighting in any terrain and against any opponent. After all, his Martial Spirit had three versions. And each version was capable of transforming into any and all Trash Martial Spirits that he hade across.


    This meant that he was someone that could use all weapon forms. Currently, he was engaged in a long-ranged battle with Falls.


    At the start, Ranze sniped his opponents, taking out the Martial Providence Stage powerhouses one after another. But soon after, he noticed there was someone simr among the enemies, frowning as he probed the other party.


    And upon detecting that he was a System Host, Ranze slowly exited the fort, focusing all his attacks onto Falls.


    From then on, whenever either party made an appearance on the battlefield, the other party would follow suit immediately after to challenge them. They had shed at least once every two to three days, unable to determine a victor.


    Surprisingly, they were evenly matched.


    ''But, he''s a far cry aspared to that man.'' Ranze thought, recalling Warktor''s figure, tightening the hold on his bow as he nocked another arrow, aiming at his opponent based on his moments beforeunching it.


    Falls was doing everything in his power to kill Ranze but just failed all the time. After all, it wasn''t easy to breach Ranze''s armour, especially since it was created using the Unbreakable Etherite as the attribute.


    Not only was it weightless, its defence was also the highest. So, even when an attacknded on Ranze, the damage was spread throughout the armour. Moreover, any damage was healed immediately after, resulting in him being uninjured until now.


    The first time they fought, Ranze felt a strange sense of disorientation between his mental image and reality. After all, even though Compass Carburettor and Grisha had told him otherwise, he had subconsciously registered that all System Hosts would be as terrifying as Warktor.


    But, reality was different. Slowly, over the past two months, he became used to facing a System Hosts, taking a page from Compass Carburettor as he noticed how any instant-death attacks he unleashed missed their targets.


    And now, having umted enough data, Ranze suddenly stopped strutting about the battlefield, watching a corrosive arrow of light m ten centimetres near his foot. There was a subtle smile on his face as Ranze bolted towards his opponent, rapidly covering the over two kilometres of distance between the two.


    Boom!


    Two corrosive light arrows mmed into him, raising a lot of smoke as the ground was corroded. But, Ranze''s figure vanished as immediately after, flying out of the smoke was an arrow, at speeds vastly superior aspared to before.


    ''Is this his trump card?'' Falls thought, immediately aiming his crossbow at the arrow to unleash an attack while constantly being on the run.


    But, when the corrosive light arrow was about to m into Ranze''s arrow, something shocking happened as Ranze''s arrow subtly shifted its position, missing each other.


    It then actually curved in the air, homing towards Falls, surprising him as he kicked up his speed, running away by transforming into a crossbow.


    But suddenly, the arrow chasing after him split into two arrows, chasing him from multiple directions, each with a mind of its own, shocking him.


    Bang!


    The crossbow that Falls had transformed into continued to evade when suddenly, as it swerved past an arrow, it mmed into a giant shield that was akin to a wall, impossible to move across due to its sheer size.


    While the two arrows were chasing Falls, the third one transformed into a shield and expanded in size rapidly, causing him to m into it, arriving to a stop.


    Immediately after, an arrow mmed into the crossbow, morphing into a chakram that began to cut into it, causing Falls to scream in pain. After all, the cut was only a surface injury, not even threatening. So, his luck didn''t passively react to it.

 Chapter 520 Gallo’s Pivotal Contribution

    Chapter 520 Gallo¡¯s Pivotal Contribution¡¡¡¡Keeee!


    The chakram continued to saw through the surfaceyers of the crossbow, eliciting countless cries of pain from Falls.


    But, whenever he tried to harness his Luck to turn the situation into his favour, two the remaining two Martial Spirit forms of Ranze would turn into crossbows to rapidly fire arrows into Falls, thereby forcing the luck to be used on them instead.


    Thanks to this, the chakram continued to grate through the crossbow¡ªthat Falls had transformed into¡ªnonstop, umting damage onto it slowly but steadily.


    Right as the crossbow turned to attack Ranze''s crossbow, his third Martial Spirit form turned into a role and bound Falls¡ªcrossbow.


    The rope prevented the crossbow from firing arrows any longer, continuing to bind it tighter and tighter.


    Falls expanded and contracted the size of the crossbow he had transformed into but the rope always kept pace. From time to time, it was able to transform faster than him, showing that Ranze''s umtion in terms of Origin Essence maniption was superior.


    The rope constantly kept Falls trapped while the remaining two Martial Spirit forms of Ranze constantly attacked him in various ways. Now that he had a fair enough understanding of his opponent, Ranze changed his tactics, unleashing his greatest advantage¡ªmyriad weapon forms and Origin Arts.


    But, despite him attacking nonstop, the injuries on Falls weren''t umting as he had expected. After all, the crossbow¡ªthat Falls had transformed into¡ªbegan to emanate a corrosive energy, affecting the rope binding it. Most of the attacks too lost their power, barely injuring it.


    Falls was unable to gain an advantage over Ranze while Ranze had a small advantage over his opponent but wasn''t able to capitalise on itpletely.


    Their battle ended up in a stalemate.


    "Keuk!" Ranze grunted, feeling his body being rapidly corroded as he gritted, continuing to press forth with the attacks. As long as one of his three Martial Spirit forms was intact, he could easily consume Origin Essence and recreate the remaining two without any problems.


    This was an advantage only Divine Martial Spirits possessed.


    "Friend! I''ll help you!" Suddenly, a shrill voice resounded before a beam of energy mmed into the three Martial Spirit forms of Ranze, rapidly healing all the injuries, also refilling some of his expended Origin Essence.


    "Thanks, Gallo." Ranze smiled as he continued to engage with his opponent.


    "Hehe, no mention." Gallo grinned sheepishly before running across the battlefield as he continued to transform into various people, vanishing from the view of the people that had been targeting him all along.


    After all, he was the sole reason the peak powerhouses of the Gaider Realm survived the assassination attempts of Mocle, Host to the Luck Exchange System, possessing the Heaven Martial Spirit of Wind Cloak, wielding the fusion material attribute of weightlessness.


    And hence, he was like a spectre, constantly attacking the powerhouse of the Gaider Realm. Whenever someone from the Gaider Realm was about to win against their opponent, he would interfere, exchanging the luck of each other.


    This would immediately allow the opponent to take advantage somehow and turn the situation around, forcing the Gaider Realm powerhouse into a corner.


    But every time this happened, from out of nowhere, a beam of light would fall onto this cornered powerhouse, rapidly healing them to full power, allowing them to ignore the luck exchange and fight without hesitation.


    And hence, Mocle was raging nonstop. After all, Gallo wasn''t just able to transform into living creatures, but also inanimate objects, including a random stone on the battlefield.


    Basically, Gallo was like a strand of hay in a haystack. It was impossible to find him once he hides himself.


    Compass Carburettor had invested heavily into Gallo, taking advantage of the Silly Luck that had be his innate luck. Every time he felt pity towards him, Gallo''s luck became reinforced. It was not to mention him devising Origin Arts perfectly suited to his character, allowing him to heal his allies and hide away from enemies.


    Facing Balmer were Lota and Bernata, gradually gaining an advantage after two months. After all, Mocle constantly swapped the luck of Balmer with weaker individuals to cripple him.


    But this was where his strengthy.


    For an ant to survive against an elephant, it needed a tremendous amount of luck. But for an elephant to survive against an ant, it didn''t need much luck.


    Even if the ant were to crawl into the elephant''s ear, a muscle spasm or some internally produced chemical can cripple the ant. Or even batter, the elephnt''s ear wax can trap the ant. In the end, the elephant didn''t require much luck to defend against an ant.


    So for Balmer, the sole cultivator at the Extreme Providence Stage, even if his luck values were pulled to the utmost minimum, thanks to his strength, he gradually recovered his luck.


    But in the cases when he was overwhelmed by the System Hosts before this happened, Gallo was there to rescue him, rapidly healing him to full health.


    Even a healer with an Earth Martial Spirit was tremendously valuable, not to mention a healer with a Heaven Martial Spirit.


    And at max cultivation, Gallo was able to even heal Balmer from near death state to full recovery in a couple of seconds.


    This resulted in Lota and Bernata failing to kill Balmer from time to time. And that wasn''t all.


    For the shortest duration that Gallo revealed himself, his antics caused them to unconsciously break intoughter. Sometimes, it was just a smirk, but in their intense battle state, this too was a distraction.


    He had pretty much be the sole reason the battle was dragging on for so long as Compass Carburettor had intended.


    Though, from time to time, Gallo also healed the enemies. But, that didn''t matter in the long run as those that were healed hesitated to attack the Gaider Realm. After all, they had been healed from a near-death state.


    ''Dammit, I''ll find you and kill you, damn retard!'' Mocle raged in anger, frowning as he looked throughout the battlefield, dissipating with the wind as he continued to keep an eye on anything that moved or anyone that went around without an ounce of killing intent.


    For only Gallo shared those traits.

 Chapter 521 Annoyance and Fear

    Chapter 521 Annoyance and Fear¡¡¡¡"Evade it!" Lota screamed as she transformed into a fist sized wasp, bursting with enough power to travel a hundred metres in an instant.


    After stopping, she poised her stinger towards her original location, emitting a powerful beam that mmed into the ground, raising a lot of dust.


    "Dammit!" She focused for a moment before noticing a tiny figure slither on the ground before transforming into an insect to take off to the skies. The insect was of course the Spydragon.


    Lota had been keeping an eye on the System Hosts all along. She had missed Dwun, but after that, she kept watch on the rest, noticing a tiny Spydragon appear next to Yaarliwar before he vanished.


    So after that, she was always guarded against the insects.


    Upon her shout, Bernata turned into a vat and flew away. Even though she was vastly slow aspared to Lota, a sphere of water constantly surrounded her, protecting her from most attacks.


    Kieee!


    Followed by a resounding screech, a firebird mmed into the sphere of water, evaporating most of the water. Bernata grunted in response, recovering the sphere of water before mming countless attacks onto Balmer.


    Bernata was Host to the Bullshit Luck System, possessing the Heaven Martial Spirit of Salt Water and a fusion material attribute that allowed her to store a massive reservoir of water within her body.


    Bullshit Luck didn''t conform to any logic even within Luck based Systems, a tricky power to deal with. This was why despite being cornered countless times, Bernata was never injured.


    Moreover, from time to time, stray attacks would fly away from random directions to m into Balmer, distracting him every time he tried to kill her.


    Moreover, whenever he tried to evade an attack, the ground would crack as a geyser would m into him, rapidly weakening the mes forming his body, slowing down his movements as he became helpless against Bernata''s water attributed Origin Essence.


    But normally, she and Lota would have joined hands to press forth on their attacks to eventually kill Balmer. At first, there was Gallo''s intervention. And now, there was the Spydragon, many of them in fact.


    And it was hard to destroy them.


    It seemed each Spydragon was equipped with a Reality Marble, intending to trap the System Hosts there. After all, that was the easiest way to deal with them.


    Yaarliwar was Host to the Emotional Impact System, having abilities to affect the minds of others either through sound or telepathy.


    And what did Compass Carburettor do in that case? He trapped Yaarliwar in a void, negating his voice. Moreover, he and Rhizen were protected by the Mental Energy Body Layer, preventing him from using telepathy to affect their emotions.


    Basically, both his means of attacks were blocked by the terrain itself, making him helpless. Moreover, the Reality Marble was fully under Compass Carburettor''s control, capable of altering the terrain instantly as the situation deemed.


    So, even if Yaarliwar''s System consumed its luck to alter cause and effect, Compass Carburettor instantly rendered it useless by destroying the Reality Marble and erecting a new one.


    So, all the changes that were done by the System to the old Reality Marble were rendered useless. In this simple but efficient process, he could easily deal with System Hosts the moment they were trapped in his Reality Marble.


    And every time a System Host was trapped there, death was their only result. And hence, Lota and Bernata were nervous abouting anywhere near the Spydragons.


    Lota had targeted them multiple times, but they were tougher than she had expected. Only if she focused all her strength onto it was she able to destroy a Spydragon. But as she was fighting Balmer, this only presented him a great opportunity to target her.


    Boom!


    A massive sphere of mes akin to a sun abruptly manifested before the fleeing Bernata before exploding, vaporising all the water surrounding her, even beginning to wound her.


    Grunting in response, Bernata brought out a lot of water from her reservoir, barely defending herself.


    "Bernata! Behind you!" Lota shouted in rm.


    In response, Bernata hurriedly looked behind her, noticing misty ripples forming as a result of watering into contact with fire. And, floating amidst the chaos was a Spydragon, tiny in size, but looking terrifying when zoomed in, just like how every other damn insect looked.


    Time seemed to have slowed down as the vase¡ªthat Bernata had transformed into¡ªgazed at the Spydragon, at the entity that didn''t seem alive but had troubled them massively over the past three months.


    Slowly, the Spydragon opened its mouth as Bernata felt her head spin for a moment.


    She hurriedly oriented herself, noticing that her surroundings had changed. It was a vast world with clear skies and a humid weather.


    There was no soil as the surface was covered by a hard bedrock. The bedrock was porous in nature as the moment Bernatanded on the ground, all the water surrounding her was absorbed into the ground, causing ayer of salt to form a coating over the surface.


    Bernata frowned as the vat wriggled, causing the salt on the surface to shoot up like pirs that transformed into spears, aiming at the jet-ck entity that was seated a hundred metres away, "Compass Carburettor!"


    "Wee, Bernata." Compass Carburettor smiled in response, snapping his finger as a bolt of lightningnded on the vat, causing her to scream in pain.


    Though, this didn''t actually injure her much, the level of damage contained well below her tolerance. And hence, her luck didn''t activate to protect her.


    Though, just this one action allowed her to glean a lot of info as her face paled, shouting aloud, "You don''t have such an ability. You''re definitely being helped by someone."


    Even she shuddered at the thought before shouting aloud, "Why are you doing this, Rhizen? Come out! I know you''re here!"


    "You''re¡­pretty smart, Bernata." Rhizen smiled, revealing himself from behind the pir at the top of which Compass Carburettor was seated.


    Rhizen slowly closed in on her, seeing her shudder in response. Or rather, the cause was the Bullshit Luck System within her that used all its strength to peer through the veil on Rhizen, gazing at the sheer Luck that he had amassed.


    "W-What are you nning?" Bernata stammered, for a moment forgetting that she was Host to a Level 78 Luck-based System.

 Chapter 522 The System Predator

    Chapter 522 The System Predator¡¡¡¡"I¡­give up!" Bernata suddenly lost all fighting spirit, copsing to the ground as she raised her hands.


    "I''ll just revive in a few months. No point in struggling in a losing battle anyway." She groaned, gazing at Rhizen as she asked, "So, what''s the n? There''s a reason you''re on that side, right?"


    "Yep," Rhizen nodded, "But before I talk first, we must destroy that entity in your body."


    "Sure¡­" Bernata just said when suddenly, she copsed to the ground, grunting in pain as her limbs were moving beyond her control.


    The Bullshit Luck System bullshitted its way into gaining control of her body, symbolised by how its actions and power never made any sense.


    "Gahhh!" Bernata had just gotten up when Compass Carburettor''s System Punishmentnded on her, causing her System to scream in pain as it was mortally wounded.


    The System Punishment prevented her from moving for a moment when Compass Carburettor condensed Anthozoa, aiming it at her before pressing the trigger.


    The bullet though, instead of the prior rectangr shape was somewhat formless now, rapidly morphing the moment it was shot out of the nozzle, turning into a serpent that opened its mouth and roared.


    Dragon!


    The bullet turned to resemble a metre-long dragon that mmed into Bernata, mping onto a portion of the Bullshit Luck System from her body, ripping it apart before gobbling it up.


    The severed fragment was destroyed immediately after as the dragon bullet vanished. Following it was another System Punishment that fully constricted Bernata, preventing her from even thinking.


    ''So strong!'' Rhizen gazed at the scene in shock as he watched Compass Carburettor alternating attacks on Bernata, preventing her from retaliating against him even once. Slowly, he gazed at the Main Character, ''So, this is how he deals with the Systems.''


    Honestly, seeing Compass Carburettor in action gave him a lot of insight into the ways Systems acted. Even though it might not seem much, every single action taken by Compass Carburettor worked counter to the Systems.


    It was as if his entire existence was a natural bane to the Systems, their predator.


    The Dragon Bullets continued to rip apart and destroy parts of the Bullshit Luck System as soon after, Compass Carburettor finished unleashing his limit of five System Punishment and six Dragon Bullets.


    Bernatay on the ground, unable to move. But, the Bullshit Luck System was still alive. After all, it was a level 78 System. It wouldn''t die so easily.


    This was where Rhizen took the lead, beginning to steal its luck, slowly gaining control over Bullshit Luck.


    And the moment it seemed like the Bullshit Luck System was about to take action, Compass Carburettor snapped his finger, summing himself from a couple of hours ago, dealing a second round of System Punishment and Dragon Bullets, ensuring his opponent would never be able to do anything against him.


    Even he was a bit surprised by the extent of strength that he had gained now. Honestly, even without the Restriction Order, Compass Carburettor had the confidence of easily killing Systems under level 30 without any schemes.


    For Systems beyond that level, he would need to be careful like usual. His extent of strength was enough to kill Systems around level 50s.


    Though, that was the limit. For Systems beyond that, his powers weren''t potent enough to rack up enough damage. And once he failed to kill them in the shortest duration, the Systems would devise a countermeasure.


    Things were different in the Cultivation World thanks to the Restriction Order. But in its absence, the Systems would be able to connect with the Astral Network, their prime advantage, gaining knowledge, Skills, mysterious items, etc. that would help them prepare against his methods.


    He wouldn''t be this overpowered without the Restriction Order. But as he held the advantage, Compass Carburettor nned to abuse it to the limit and ensure the Luck-based Systems wouldn''t be able to revive for at least a few hundred centuries.


    Even if they were somewhat faster, he would be strong enough by then to casually deal with them. That was the level of confidence that he was operating at.


    Moreover, Stencil was safe now. So, Compass Carburettor wasn''t pressed for time anymore. The initiative was with him now as he could casually deal with the Systems one after another.


    It was them that were hard-pressed for time, having no other choice but to deal with him before the Apocalypse World looped.


    But on his side, things were different. Rhizen had already fused with the Restriction Order, so he could remove it anytime he needed.


    Moreover, Compass Carburettor had been obtaining enough umtion from absorbing the Coordinates of high levelled Luck-based Systems, causing his strength to grow by leaps and bounds.


    Thanks to this, even without Rhizen''s help, only half of his strength could now be sealed by the Restriction Order.


    Only by focusing the entirety of the Restriction Order on him would it seal his powers fully.


    "Haah¡­haah¡­is it done?" Bernata gasped for air, slumping to the ground as she gazed at the clear sky, asking in exhaustion. "Am I free now?"


    "Yes," Rhizen nodded, "But you''ll have to die for things to proceed safely."


    "This isn''t the first time I died anyway. So, I''m not concerned about that." Bernata then looked at Rhizen nervously, "Are you¡­sure about this?"


    "Going against the Systems is¡­" She hesitated to iterate the words.


    "We have the Main Character on our side." Rhizen smirked, "So, we''ll be safe."


    "Are you seriously underestimating the systems?" Bernata felt a headache, shuddering in fear upon thinking of the fate their world might end up in the future, "A single Grade 2 System is enough to ughter the lot of us."


    "They won''t be doing that." Rhizen said, "Or rather, they wouldn''t obtain the opportunity to do so."


    "Systems aren''t the sole force in the myriad of worlds you know." Rhizen said in confidence, "It would have been impossible if Systems were the sole powers around here. But since that''s not the case, we have other alternatives."


    "There are other powers?" Bernata was shocked, gazing at Rhizen in surprise, "How did you find out about that?"


    "You know¡­" Rhizen smiled wryly, "Coincidentally."

 Chapter 523 Targeting Gallo

    Chapter 523 Targeting Gallo¡¡¡¡"Kyak!" Gallo shrieked in a flurry as a group of Treants chased after him, hurling a bunch of attacks at him. Every time he was injured, he recovered almost instantly, scurrying forth nonstop as he tried his best to survive.


    For some reason, no matter what he turned himself into, a certain sound that resounded throughout the battlefield distracted him, causing his transformations toe undone in a matter of seconds.


    Thanks to that, he was detected time and again.


    "Protect the Healer!" Bunu shouted, leading a team of powerhouses as she leaped onto the chasers, engaging in battle with them.


    Dust flew, boulders were smashed andrge gorges were created on the ground as Gallo scurried through them all, facing his palms towards anyone injured that he came across.


    "Gah!" Bunu screamed as suddenly, a gash appeared on her neck, almost killing her. If not for her defensive artifact, she would have died here. But, despite that, she was gravely injured.


    But right on time, a gentle beam mmed into her, rapidly healing her injuries. Bunu erupted with a sea of mes, causing the subtle air around her to vanish. The attack by the air was the assassin System Host named Mocle who had been trying to kill her, Balmer, Ranze, and Xuer all along, failing every single time thanks to Gallo.


    ''This retard is pissing me endlessly!'' Growling in anger, Mocle decided to focus on Gallo and kill him, no matter the price he had to pay.


    Unfortunately for him, Silly Luck was an invasive form of Luck, so even if he were to exchange Gallo''s Luck with someone else, Gallo would recover the Silly Luck more or less thanks to his antics.


    So, killing him straight up was the sole option. After all, only instant death attacks had a chance of killing him. Any other attacks only injured him. As a healer with a Heaven Grade Martial Spirit, Gallo was able to heal from near-death states almost instantly.


    That reduced the number of methods avable to deal with him.


    Boom!


    Falls and Ranze continued to fight nonstop, retreating when their Origin Essence reserves were at the bottom. After all, the moment this happened, the powerhouses from both sides aimed at them, intending to kill them.


    The enemy targeted Ranze while the Gaider Realm army targeted Falls. As they were at a stalemate all along, Ranze was feeling difficulty, unable to obtain a chance to truly kill the other party.


    After all, unlike him that boasted vast luck, Falls was able to harness his luck, causing it impossible for him to die, unless his luck was expended.


    But, his luck values were able to recover over time, creating a headache for Ranze.


    "Falls, we have to kill Gallo first. Multiple of my attempts on Balmer has been thwarted by him. Now that Bernata too vanished, it would be our turn soon. Before that happens, we must do it¡­" Mocle arrived like a phantom behind Falls, whispering with a solemn gaze.


    "Fine¡­" Falls sighed, "Let me recover my Origin Essence. I''llunch a suicide attack on Gallo. You deal with Ranze and the rest."


    "Alright," Nodding in response, Mocle vanished as Falls retreated to their encampment and hurriedly replenished his reserves.


    Immediately after that, he charged into the battlefield, this time disying more vigour than before. Moreover, he activated his Critical Luck and charged straight at Gallo.


    In the meantime, Mocle began to harass Gallo, having ambushed and seeded in killing the remaining healers. As Gallo was the sole healer left, a lot among the Gaider Realm jumped into the fray to protect him, shouting for him to head to the rear.


    "Head to safety, healer!"


    "I''ll carry you, healer."


    "It''s dangerous here, healer."


    "¡­please, I have a name¡­" Gallo muttered weakly.


    "Healer, I''ll protect you!"


    But it seemed his words fell on deaf ears as everyone continued to address him as a healer. It was unknown as to when this started, but very few addressed him by his name, majorly sticking to addressing him as a healer.


    After all, he was the best Healer in the history of the Gaider Realm, capable of treating all injuries, diseases, illnesses, etc. in a matter of seconds.


    As his feats were so overwhelming, everyone began to treat him with respect, only addressing him as a healer. Though, they only addressed him as a healer on the battlefield to make it short and quick.


    Before that, he was addressed with the title of ''Divine Healer''.


    Even though Gallo liked that he was helpful to everyone, his wish was yet to be fulfilled. And his own fame worked against that.


    Droves of cultivators jumped into the fray to protect him. After all, he had saved all of them in one way or another. And as they owed him their lives, they ensured no harm would befall him.


    Moreover, he was the sole reason their trump cards like Balmer were still alive under the relentless attacks of their terrifying opponents.


    "Dammit, so soon?" Ranze grunted in response, hurrying out of the camp as he transformed into a sword and zed towards Falls soon after. Only he was able to resist this opponent. Anyone else was bound to die in a matter of minutes.


    Kieeee!


    The battle between Lota and Balmer entered its climax as all of a sudden, her strength was on par with him. It was apparent that she was expending her lifeforce to fight, having activated her Desperate Luck to the limit, already affecting cause and effect to gain an advantage over Balmer.


    Xuer went high up in the air, transforming into her Ice Crane before pping her wings, unleashing a hail onto the battlefield, targeting the figure of Ikun at the rear that was singing all along, amplifying the strength of his allies and diminishing the strength of his enemies.


    Moreover, he was the one that was disrupting Gallo''s thoughts, causing his transformations to fail and making him a target of the enemy.


    Boom!


    The hail of ice mmed into Ikun when a team of Martial Providence Stage experts transformed into hexagonal-shaped shields, forming a defensive sphere around him, protecting him from harm.


    "Heh, you can''t breach my Royal Guard that easily." Ikun grinned derisively.

 Chapter 524 Thank You, Gallo

    Chapter 524 Thank You, Gallo¡¡¡¡All this was happening while Compass Carburettor and Rhizen were focused on Bernata. The Systems Hosts were well aware that he was only able to deal with one of them at a time.


    After all, facing two System Hosts would rapidly raise the number of variables that their Luck could take advantage of, causing more losses than benefits. Hence, only one System Host would be dealt with at a time.


    And since they had yet to receive Bernata''s Bullshit Luck, it meant that she wasn''t killed. So, if they wished to do anything, they had to take action in this time period.


    This was the reason Mocle proposed a suicide n against Gallo, feeling strange at Compass Carburettor''s way of doing things.


    Cough!


    Bunu was sent flying by Mocle as her body of mes was almost scattered by the tornado he had unleashed.


    He stacked up as much damage as he could unleash onto her, smiling as he watched a beam of healing lightnd on her immediately. ''This retard doesn''t have much ns.''


    Even though Gallo had received an education from the Academy and had obtained a lot of benefits, he wasn''t truly able to make use of a lot of them. Even a Sleeper Cell seed only gave them some instructions. It didn''t change their innate nature and intelligence.


    Because of that, he wasn''t good at managing his Origin Essence, healing anyone he came across. If not for the team that constantly supplied him Essence Stones every time he made an appearance, Gallo would have long run out of Origin Essence.


    But, this was no longer possible as he was disrupted constantly, preventing him from escaping the prying senses of his enemies. This painted him as the target that took the highest priority to be rid of.


    Immediately, the battlefield converged around him as the centre, with one side intending to im his life while the other tried to protect him.


    "No¡­" Slowly, Gallo sensed that lives were being lost because of him, tearing up as he didn''t like such a notion at all, "Don''t protect me."


    "Then, head to the rear, Gallo," Bunu shouted as she gasped for air, targeting Mocle, preventing him from dissipating with the wind.


    "Yes!" Gallo shouted as he turned around and began to run towards the rear of the battlefield when suddenly, three corrosive arrows mmed into the ground before him, resulting in an explosion that sent him flying, riddling him with injuries as a corrosive energy invaded his being.


    His abilities came into effect as he transformed into a Mystic Chameleon, instantly regenerating himself while trying to blend in with the surroundings and escape.


    But at this time, a mysterious radiance mmed into him, undoing his transformation before highlighting his figure for everyone to see. A formless power continued to seep into him, weakening him further and further, reducing the effectiveness of his healing powers.


    It was raised to such an extent that the debuff that had been applied onto the entire Gaider Realm army vanished, with all that power focused on him alone. Now that he was trapped and focused by Ikun''s power, Gallo''s healing abilities became rmingly weak.


    "No!" He shouted upon seeing a senior powerhouse use his body to protect him, turning into a pool of blood in the process as countless powerful radiances mmed into him.


    Gallo extended his hand, unleashing a healing beam as he shed tears, watching the injuries heal rmingly slow. And after the same was repeated a couple more times, despair set in him, making him feel helpless, unable to heal anyone.


    For, he had run out of Origin Essence. Even his Martial Spirit was wholly suppressed, so much that even his rate of recovery became a pitiful trickle.


    Boom!


    Ranze unleashed countless attacks by transforming into three crossbows, targeting Falls with reckless abandon.


    But his opponent seemed to have forsaken everything, sustaining injuries from his attacks while umting the entirety of his power, transforming into a crossbow before unleashing an attack at the expense of shattering himself.


    Origin Art¡ªCritical Hit!


    Core Skill¡ªCritical Luck!


    He instantly turned into an old man, having expended all his lifeforce to fuel that attack, not to mention sacrificing his Martial Spirit by harnessing the entirety of his Luck values.


    Critical Luck was only useful once. It required arge charging time before being useful again. Until now, while he was fighting against Ranze, he was only expending bits of Critical Luck to injure his opponent better.


    But now, he used the entirety, unleashing the true might of this one-use form of Luck as the corrosive light arrow he unleashed turned almost ethereal, vanishing from view the moment it wasunched.


    And an instantter, it seemed to have prated all the defensive barriers erected around Gallo. Or rather, it has swerved through them all by manipting cause and effect, mming into its target¡ªGallo!


    "Aah!" Gallo screamed in pain as the arrow vanished after mming into him. A momentter, intense despair welled up from within him as he gazed at the dead figures of the cultivators that were on the ground before him, as corpses, in their efforts to protect him.


    "I¡­failed to protect everyone." His eyes gradually glossed over as he gazed at the sky, sensing his body crumbling from within, knowing with assurance that his death was certain.


    "Dammit!" Suddenly, Compass Carburettor''s shout resounded as a jet-ck figure appeared, instantly erecting a Reality Marble so that Gallo would revive soon after.


    "This is¡­Critical Luck?" Rhizen was rmed, stating after being red at by Compass Carburettor, "It''s meant to affect cause and effect to deliver a guaranteed oue. And Gallo¡­didn''t defend with the appropriate means. His Luck and even fate have already been destroyed."


    "Umm¡­sir," Gallo said weakly, raising his hand to grab the edges of the jet-ck cloak, "I did my best all along. So¡­as a reward, can you grant my only wish?"


    ''Fuck!'' Compass Carburettor lost his cool as even the pity he was supplying Gallo didn''t have any effect as Gallo''s luck had shattered and vanished. Moreover, even his healing ability proved useless.


    As he stared at Gallo''s face, realising that the other party had less than a few seconds to live, he snapped his finger, connecting with the minds of everyone on the battlefield as hemanded, "Everyone! Address our Healer with the respect he deserves. Let''s fulfil his wish."


    Bunu was the first to take action, sighing as he muttered, "Thank you for saving my life many times¡­"


    "Gallo!"

 Chapter 525 The Luck System

    Chapter 525 The Luck System¡¡¡¡"Thank you, Gallo."


    "I''m grateful for your help, Gallo."


    "You''re the best, Gallo."


    "Gallo, I love you."


    "Thank you for protecting us all along, Gallo."


    Shouts resounded from all over the battlefield. And surprisingly, it wasn''t just from the Gaider Realm''s side. Even the enemies began to give their thanks. After all, they were those from the enemies that were lying wounded nearby when Gallo was running away as usual.


    And without so much as a thought, he had healed them. Hence, they were grateful to him. Unfortunately, they only formed a minority and couldn''t protect him from harm in the end.


    "Director¡­" Gallo said weakly, staring at Compass Carburettor, "Thank you. I was happy during the time I spent at the Academy. You''re an incredible person."


    "You''re hearing this¡­?" Compass Carburettor muttered softly, "This is all thanks to your efforts. You''ve earned so many friends."


    "Aren''t I awesome¡­?" Gallo smirked as his body turned into ash immediately after. The Reality Marble whirred in response, using its innate nature to revive him. But suddenly, it cracked mysteriously, shattering in response as the entire army returned to the battlefield.


    As its power failed to revive him, the Reality Marble had short-circuited, resulting in it shattering into countless fragments before vanishing.


    Compass Carburettor closed his eyes, taking in deep breaths before slowly getting up, stating with a mild tone, "Only four left. Ranze, Xuer, Bunu, and the zing Sun n Leader, I''ll leave the three Evil Spirits to you."


    He then gazed at the army before him, stating coldly, "I''ll warn everyone in advance. If you don''t wish to die futile deaths, then retreat. Let yourmander fight with me."


    "Heh, I recognise you. You''re our top target." A powerhouse from the Arena Realm strut forward, grinning as he brimmed with killing intent, "If you''re killed, this long war would end soon after."


    "Now that you''ve shown yourself, we, the pinnacle champions from the Arena Realm can finally let loose." He cackled.


    "Don''t say that I didn''t warn you." Compass Carburettor looked around, taking in a second nce of the opposing army, engraving it to memory of the thoughts they had, the emotions they expressed, and the fighting spirits they exuded.


    The shade of his eyes morphed as the various information in their Mental Streams resounded in his mind, sparkling from time to time.


    "Heh, without your healer, your top experts would begin dying one after another. In the past three months, we''ve already probed through your entire strength. It''s not enough against us." The pinnacle powerhouse grinned, "We have an army of experts ten times yours, and an army of powerhouses thirty times yours in numbers. What do you have in return to face us?"


    "Me."


    Compass Carburettor stated as immediately after, the world darkened, the rapid change in scenery shocking them.


    "I-Impossible? What are you? No! This isn''t possible! It must be an illusion!" The pinnacle expert screamed in shock upon staring at the dark sky of the night that was gradually dotted with stars, noticing the shimmering radiance from one of them gradually increasing in size.


    Soon after, it was apparent that the star itself wasing at them.


    The pinnacle powerhouse stared ahead in fear, noticing that the figures of Compass Carburettor and everyone else from the Gaider Realm had vanished, leaving just those from the opposing army in this darkened space.


    "Ah¡­ahh¡­ahhh!" Realisation dawned on the people from the army as they stared at the star that was gradually getting bigger in size, causing the night sky to slowly brighten in response.


    And soon enough, it was before their face, blotting out the sky, emitting enough heat to cause most of the experts to faint immediately, with the powerhouses barely holding on, losing all hope, preparing for their doom.


    "Fuck! This is damned!" A powerhouse resigned himself to fate, "To think what we faced wasn''t a cultivator, but a¡­"


    "God!"


    Boom!


    Suddenly, an intense bolt of lightning, hundred metres in width pierced through the night sky, impacting the descending star, shing it in half before piercing through the other side, instantly causing the sky to crack and shatter.


    In the next moment, everyone found themselves on the battlefield before Tura City once again, with mes covering the bodies of most as their clothes had caught onto fire.


    Some rolled on the ground in reflex, using the blood-covered ground to douse the mes covering their bodies. While others forgot the fact that there was a fire on them, having lost their minds from despair.


    Some that still maintained their senses quickly took action, using their myriad abilities to put out the mes. Most of the army was still alive as only a small portion had died in the mes.


    The star vanished before it could m into them. So, those that had endured the heat managed to survive. But despite everything, the same thought shed in the minds of everyone.


    The war had concluded!


    Their side lost their fighting spirit, gradually beginning to retreat.


    As for the cause that had almost dropped a star onto them, Compass Carburettor covered himself with the Mental Energy Body Layer, taking off to the skies as he red at the figure that had revealed herself at some point in time.


    It was a middle-aged woman, sporting auburn hair and a pair of horns jutting out of her forehead, resembling antlers. It was one of Straxia''s Martial Spirits, having been the source of the majestic bolt of lighting that managed to pierce through the Reality Marble.


    "Your real self isn''t going to show up?" Compass Carburettor stated coldly.


    "Yes, only if your real self shows up." The middle-aged woman stated inly. She then furrowed her brows, changing her sight as she sensed the luck values of the Gaider Realm itself, smiling immediately, "The Main Character''s luck is barely half its original now."


    "Lota, Ikun, and Mocle, continue with your actions. Kill the Main Character''spanions. That''ll bring his luck to less than a quarter." Shemented, "I''ll keep him at bay until then."


    "Compass! Something''s off about her. This feeling¡­this isn''t her!" Standing within a Reality Marble, Rhizen shouted as the tiny Spydragon carrying it hovered beside his ear, allowing his voice to reach Compass Carburettor.


    "I see, it makes sense now." His eyes lit up as Compass Carburettor stared at the middle-aged woman, "So from the start, everything''s been a sham. You''ve never intended to y things by the book¡­"


    "Coincidental Luck¡­or should I more appropriately call you¡­"


    "The Luck System?"

 Chapter 526 Battle of Deities

    Chapter 526 Battle of Deities¡¡¡¡It was a tant scheme from the start by the Coincidental Luck System that had already garnered favour from two Grade 2 Systems to be fostered upon and nurtured into the next Grade 2 System.


    After all, in terms of wit, ability, capability, and adaptability, the Coincidental Luck System was at the top of its Genre.


    The only realistic rival it had was the Destiny Luck System. And, when Chenger had been killed, all of Destiny Luck flowed into Straxia, causing the Destiny Luck System to rapidly form there.


    This was their actual arrangement. After all, Straxia was a suitable Host to all the Luck-based Systems. She was a suitable Host to a variety of Systems in fact.


    Hence, they had enacted this scheme. And that was to take advantage of this fight against the Main Character, using it as a tribtion to fuel their growth and be stronger rapidly.


    After all, in the Gaider Realm, when Compass Carburettor had yet to release the effects of the Restriction Order on himself, he was rendered pretty defenceless. His Mental Energy constantly flowed into his opponents.


    And in the Cultivation World where their powers were suppressed, so were their requirements to grow, as growth was deemed impossible here thanks to the Restriction Order.


    And here, the Mental Energy supplied by the Main Character was akin to nectar that allowed them to grow at a staggering pace.


    And, all the Luck-based Systems had modified their Hosts to ensure their individualities resided in Straxia. Basically, all Mental Energy directed at them would eventually flow into Straxia.


    That wasn''t all. All the Systems too would eventually end up there, to fight for the throne.


    This was why the Destiny Luck System became one of the first batches of Systems to fight the Main Character. After all, if it won, it would obtain all the benefits itself.


    But even if it failed, it would appear within Straxia the earliest, basking on the Mental Energy supplied by the Main Character.


    The various Luck-based Systems didn''t fight at that time though but waited patiently. They were patient until Straxia began her breakthrough to the Martial Providence Stage.


    This was what signalled their battle in her mind as the various Systems shed with one another, tearing up their counterparts while using the Mental Energy from the Main Character as fuel for their expedition.


    This resulted in them swallowing up each other, partly fusing with one another, etc. resulting in a victor that was mostly a mix of the Coincidental Luck System, the Destiny Luck System, and splotches of the rest.


    The dominant one was the Coincidental Luck System, resulting in its mind forming the majority of the newly created System, eventually resulting in it bing the victor.


    This resulted in it bing the Luck System, wielding control over all forms of Luck, including the three remaining Luck that was in the hands of Lota, Ikun, and Mocle.


    Once they too were devoured, the Luck System wouldplete its evolution. And since it had drunk onto the Mental Energy supplied by the Main Character for years, it would be the strongest among Grade 2 Systems¡ªpost-evolution.


    It was not to mention that it had more advantages than other Grade 2 Systems. After all, it was nurtured with the Main Character''s Mental Energy.


    This was the truth of their grand n, one to use the Main Character to temper and fuel their growth into the strongest king of Grade 2 Systems, the reason they were given the go-ahead in the first ce.


    Otherwise, as mandatory, at least a couple of Grade 2 Systems would jump into the vanguard against the Main Character.


    The Coincidental Luck System had promised and convinced the other Grade 2 Systems that in this way, the resultant Grade 2 Luck System would have better means to fight against the Main Characters in the future.


    So honestly, they were all in on the n from the start, forcing all the other Luck-based Systems to cooperate with the Coincidental Luck System''s meticulous arrangements.


    And somehow, it ended up as the victor, solving all its problems and also attaining what it desired.


    Their battle had destroyed Straxia''s mind. So, the Luck System was the one controlling her all along, having fully taken over her body.


    It was because the burden of shouldering the Luck System was so high that her mind gave out voluntarily. After all, a Grade 2 System, even though the Luck System had yet to be one, was close to that level. And it wasn''t something a single Host could bear.


    With the destruction of her mind, her body too followed suit. But, the Luck System harnessed its power of Luck to slow down the process, ensuring that her body would hold up until the Apocalypse World looped.


    "As expected of the Main Character. You''re damn sharp." The middle-ageddy smirked, stating derisively, "But, what will you do now? Even if you''ve managed to free yourself partly from the control of the Restriction Order, it doesn''t matter in the end."


    "You''ve yet to fully break free from the. And that''s enough for us." She smiled gently, "Using the Restriction Order to kill the Main Characters. Such irony."


    B-Boom!


    Suddenly, the world behind her became tinted with a shade of blue as dozens of portals appeared, with thick lightning bolts flickering across everything.


    One of themshed out, mming into Compass Carburettor, causing a thundering sound as it raised a lot of smoke.


    But behind it, standing firmly was Compass Carburettor. And hovering before him was a Dac Energy de, one that shared in response to the attack but ensured he remained uninjured.


    Slowly, tens of thousands of feathers exited his back, coiling through the skies like ginormous snakes, hissing as they red at the portals, staring at the countless powerhouses seated within, channelling all their lightning into one to make it a unified power capable of sundering heaven and earth.


    And upon seeing the snakes formed by the coalition of burst element feathers, the lightning bolts formed by the collective within the Vr Secret Realm exited as lightning snakes.


    Hiss!


    Boom!


    Followed by a stalemate as both sides¡ªthe feathered snake and the lightning snake¡ªstared at one another for almost a minute, a spark that flickered between them. And immediately after, the two sides collided fiercely, resulting in an exchange akin to a battle of the Gods.

 Chapter 527 Multi-Faceted Battle

    Chapter 527 Multi-Faceted Battle¡¡¡¡Kaboom!


    The two celestial entities collided with one another, causing thunderous booms and a re of electrical discharge that rumbled heaven and earth.


    "Holy¡­damn!" Balmer gasped in shock as he stared at such a scene. Even though he had attained the Extreme Providence Stage, thinking that he had truly attained the limit of the cultivation world, here he was, staring at a power that exceeded his.


    Boom!


    Suddenly, celestial tunes emerged everywhere as a mysterious light descended onto Compass Carburettor and Straxia¡ªthat was seated within the Vr Secret Realm.


    The light rapidly merged into their bodies, instantly causing a drop in their overall power. After all, they had surpassed the power an individual could wield in the Cultivation World. Hence, the Cultivation World itself took action, restricting their abilities.


    But, it was of no concern as they were still miles ahead of Balmer''s strength.


    Hundreds of feathers wereunched by the feathered snake, mming into the lightning snake as portions of its lightning body were destroyed.


    In response, the lightning snake unleashed countless lightning bolts onto the feathered snake, melting through hundreds of feathers.


    The two celestial snakes continued to battle as their size gradually began to increase.


    On one side was Compass Carburettor, hovering in the air, staring at the lightning snake with a frown.


    And on the other side was Straxia''s clone, the middle-ageddy with auburn hair, ring at the feathered snake.


    Suddenly, the figures of both the individuals flickered before shing beside the celestial snakes, exchanging hundreds of attacks in a matter of seconds.


    Energy des swaggered around, constantly hacking into the figure that had transformed into a bolt of lightning, zig-zagging everywhere to avoid the attacks while retaliating against Compass Carburettor.


    Boom!


    The battle raged on for hours as the armies from both sides had retreated by now. Balmer stood at the forefront of Tura City walls, staring at the majestic bolts of lightning arcing through the sky like snakes while a sea of clouds formed by feathers constantly devoured it.


    "They aren''t mere cultivators." He announced in the end.


    "This is his true power¡­" Ranze muttered, clenching his hand into a fist, feeling insignificant as every exchange between the two entities caused the ground to quake in response.


    It was like a volcano was erupting nearby, with each tremor making him realise just how insignificant he was in the grand scale of things.


    Even though he was aware of a lot of things by now, knowing about it and experiencing the full scale of something first-hand were entirely different things.


    Until now, he had only seen the regr powers unleashed by Compass Carburettor but never his unsealed self.


    So, it came off as an emotional shock.


    "Did we¡­unknowingly intrude between a battle of dragons?" Xuer muttered softly, trembling in fear from time to time.


    The sea of clouds felt like it could devour anything and everything in its way. She imagined the scene of her facing that, realising that she would be devoured in a matter of seconds.


    It was why she was unable to digest the scene transpiring before her. After all, she had already attained peak cultivation. There wasn''t much for her to improve in terms of strength.


    And in such a situation, when faced with such a power capable of sundering heaven and earth, her emotions were prettyplicated.


    It wasn''t just her that was like this though. Every powerhouse was feeling the same. After all, they were aware that they would never attain such power.


    While this was happening, there was another battle happening in the rear as hooded figures scuttled throughout Tura City and various other locations throughout the Gaider Realm.


    They were engaged in a battle with the Clones of Straxia that had mysteriously appeared all of a sudden.


    These clones only had strength at the Martial Origin Stage, with their goal being to disrupt the functioning of the Gaider Realm.


    And facing them were the Double-Faced Monkeys that Compass Carburettor had reared with care. Therefore, irrespective of what the clones did, they were unable to manipte the thoughts of themon popce.


    They tried to spark a rebellion by fuelling the dissatisfaction of the people. But unfortunately for them, the Double-Faced Monkeys were experts in mental warfare.


    "Another clone spotted. Moving to intercept it." A telepathic message resounded in the mind of a Double-Faced Monkey.


    Immediately after, it changed directions, leaping onto the rooftop of a house before skipping in the same manner, disying superior agility.


    "The clone entered the market." Another telepathic message arrived as the Double-Faced Monkey, having peak cultivation frowned, arriving atop a building as it gazed at the throngs of people bustling in the market.


    It was unable to identify Straxia''s clone among them. Suddenly, it noticed a suspicious figure, transmitting a message through telepathy, "Spy detected. Manipte his memories. Feed him fabricated information from book 7, page 88."


    "Yes!" A reply resounded as a couple of hooded figures entered the market, their figures undetected to themon popce.


    Origin Art¡ªGloss Over!


    Through that, they tailed after the spies, fabricating their memories slowly as they continued to spy for information.


    Every spy that had infiltrated the Gaider Realm had been detected and kept watch by the Double-Faced Monkeys. Most of the spies were killed while some were purposefully left alive, used to send falsified reports to Straxia and the other forces on her side.


    The Double-Faced Monkey at peak cultivation observed the market for a minute before its figure vanished, turning ethereal as it appeared in the mind of a shopkeeper, rapidly scanning through his memories as it noticed something amiss.


    As this shopkeeper had set up shop at the entrance to the market, those that passed by would have been registered in his senses.


    So, looking through his memories would make things easier.


    Immediately after finding some clues, the Double-Faced Monkey at peak cultivation vanished, using a trail of Origin Art of Mind Connect to transfer from the shopkeeper''s mind into the mind of a customer.


    In this way, the Double-Faced Monkey rapidly travelled from one mind to another, quickly appearing within the mind of Straxia''s clone in a matter of minutes.


    "What the¡­?" The pile of memories in the clone''s mind morphed into a humanoid, expressing its shock upon gazing at the Double-Faced Monkey. "How can you do the same as the Main Character?"


    "Guess?" The Double-Faced Monkey smirked, pulling out Anthozoa as it pressed the trigger.

 Chapter 528 Spy War

    Chapter 528 Spy War¡¡¡¡Bang!


    The bullet exiting Anthozoa transformed into a dragon, containing not just thews of the Earth but also a power capable of destroying Systems.


    The dragon spanned a metre in length, opening its mouth as it mped upon the humanoid memory cluster.


    As this was just a weak clone of Straxia, the memories here were only arranged to imitate a basic Luck System. So, within two bullets, it was felled, annihting the clone''s mind.


    After that, the Double-Faced Monkey with peak cultivation returned to reality, dragging the clone''s mindless body with it, arriving at the rooftop of a house before gently cing Anthozoa atop the clone''s forehead.


    Anthozoa''s nozzle emitted a suction force as soon after, it transformed into the mouth of a dragon that expanded in size and gobbled up the clone''s body, rapidly digesting it as two bullets were condensed.


    They were special bullets as the Double-Faced Monkey smirked, flicking its hand as the two newly produced bullets appeared on the palm of its hands, coughed by the dragon. It reloaded one within Anthozoa for the time being, throwing the second into its mouth, crunching it as it smiled in delight, sensing its Mind Attribute growing stronger, attaining a mild trait of luck.


    ''I can eat the second bullet a dayter.'' It thought, vanishing from the scene. Simr phenomena were happening everywhere as the Double-Faced Monkeys killed the clones, refined their bodies into bullets through Anthozoa, and began to eat the bullets.


    These special bullets further improved their Mind Attribute, making it easier for them to hunt the clones and kill them.


    This was the special race that Compass Carburettor had developed to be System killers. Once he was able to lift the Restriction Order by himself, Compass Carburettor made some changes, creating a massive Reality Marble at the bottom-most dome of the Academy mountain, turning it into a permanent structure.


    And this became the home to the Double-Faced Monkeys.


    The entrance to the Reality Marble was permanently open, left at the bottommost dome of the Academy where they arrived to eat the Blood Vitality Fruits with the Mind Attribute.


    By eating these fruits, they furthered their cultivation slowly but steadily. And once they reached the Martial Origin Stage, they began to roam outside after being granted Anthozoa and made into members of Secret Society.


    This way, they were able tomunicate with others easily and erect a perfectwork everywhere. Adding onto the Origin Arts using their Mind Attribute¡­they were expert assassins.


    This was why Compass Carburettor was never worried about his enemies, solely thinking of the way he would be killed. After all, the Double-Faced Monkeys with Anthozoa were a terrifying force.


    In the future, any System that arrives here was practically food for them to fuel their growth further.


    The Academy operated in the light, teaching everyone the methods to deal with Evil Spirits while in the dark was the Secret Society full of the Double-Faced Monkeys, hunting the Systems.


    The Double-Faced Monkey at peak cultivation arrived at the edge of the city, looking around using a variety of Origin Arts as it was unable to sense any other clones, ''At first, the portal to the Vr Secret Realm could only open between two trees. But now, it can appear between any two living beings.''


    This was the reason the entrance to the Vr Secret Realm appeared anywhere it pleased. After all, instead of trees, it was now also able to use people, Origin Beasts, insects, etc. to appear.


    Its senses were triggered as its figure vanished, appearing within the bedroom of a nearby home, noticing ady walk out from the portal that was formed between a pair of husband and wife.


    The moment she arrived, a faint spark flickered from the tip of her finger, causing the husband and wife to faint.


    Thedy gently caught hold of them and seated them on the ground, unleashing a couple more sparks that travelled through their nervous system, ensuring they wouldn''t remember thetest incident.


    This way, her arrival would remain a secret. The eyelids of the couple fluttered as they seemed about to wake up. Thedy ensured that they wouldn''t be unconscious for more than a minute, exercising utmost caution.


    She then carefully tiptoed to the exit, sending out an electromaic pulse to detect any and all living beings in her vicinity, noticing that she was free of prying eyes as she exited the house.


    But, what she was unaware of was the Double-Faced Monkey standing behind her, an entity her senses had picked up long ago but had glossed over for mysterious reasons.


    So, it appeared like she hadn''t sensed it at all. After all, who in their right mind could miss out on a three-metre-tall hulking figure with two pairs of arms?


    The moment thedy exited the house, she looked around, thinking, ''I should bomb their railwaywork first. Or at least, I should damage it enough that it fails while transporting the people. That would reduce their trust in Compass Carburettor. Just this would be enough to affect his Luck.''


    Upon thinking that, she began to walk through the streets, mingling among the crowd as she behaved no different from a native, casually walking past a certain shop as she suddenly noticed the fruits sold there.


    "Boss, how much for a kilogram?" She asked, enthusiastic, pointing at a spiked fruit.


    "Two Essence Stones." The shopkeeper replied, packing the fruits in a bag before giving them to her.


    "Thank you." Thedy smiled and carried the bag, walking forth as she expertly peeled the fruit''s skin and began to eat the pulp.


    While eating, the seed appeared in her mouth as her tongueshed onto it, licking its surface, feeling the indentation on it as lightning sparked through the contact surface.


    Through that, information was passed onto her as the seed was charred into dust. The expression on her face soured for a moment¡ªas if the fruit was not up to standards¡ªas she swallowed the pulp, along with the dust before continuing to walk forth, making a turn around the corner before her figure turned into a bolt of lightning and swerved through a metal pipe, vanishing.


    After all, the info in the seed contained the following words¡­


    [Hidden enemies! Don''t remain in a spot for more than a minute.]


    Author''s note: IMPORTANT~!!!


    I''ve created aic titled [Rage of Cmity] and joined a contest on .webtoon.


    If I win this contest, I''ll be able to write full-time and focus fully on my novels. Meaning: Increase in the update rate of IHS and PADS by at least one more chapter per day.


    To win, we need as many subscribers, likes, andments to the webtoon series. So, please help me and check out my most ambitious project to date, "Rage of Cmity".


    Webtoon is also avable as an app on android and ios, so do help me. If we win, you''ll get more content to read starting from next month itself.

 Chapter 529 Looping Deaths

    Chapter 529 Looping Deaths¡¡¡¡[Hidden enemies! Don''t remain in a spot for more than a minute.]


    This was the information contained within the seed. The shopkeeper wasn''t a spy but the batch of fruits he obtained recently was modified by a spy that lived on the outskirts.


    This way, they wouldn''t be discovered so easily. And, the message through the seeds was something only those with the Heaven Martial Spirit of Lightning Lemur would be able to sense and understand.


    This was one of the ways they smartly exchanged information. And as the shopkeeper was a normal person, even the Double-Faced Monkeys didn''t manage to find out about this information.


    Unfortunately for thedy, the moment she arrived, she was already under the watch of the Double-Faced Monkey with peak cultivation.


    And, it had already invaded her mind, going through all her memories to obtain intel regarding Straxia. Once all the intel had been obtained, it began to manipte thedy''s mind, imnting false memories while also destroying the inferior System that had been formed using her memories.


    The Double-Faced Monkey then exited thedy''s mind, tailing her while she did her job, transmitting false information regarding everything. Currently taking the helms was the Sleeper Cell seed in her mind.


    And once thedy sent some false report, the Double-Faced Monkey refined her into a couple of bullets to feast uponter.


    ''Transmit the images of the railwaywork failing to the minds of the spies.'' It then transmitted the information through Secret Society, making the rest of the Double-Faced Monkeys take action immediately.


    Irrespective of the age, information was the key that changed the tide of war. And here too, the one that won the information war would end up the eventual victor.


    Of course, Compass Carburettor had developed thiswork extensively just for this day. And after this, they would gradually spread across the various Realms to locate any and all Systems that would appear in the Cultivation World in the future.


    Thereby, the Cultivation World''s resistance against the Systems would increase.


    Once he lifted part of the Restriction Order''s effect on him, Compass Carburettor noticed that the Secret Society he had developed in the Darble World and the Apocalypse World had been eradicated. Even the budding society on Earth was the same.


    With the various Luck-based Systems taking action, they stumbled upon his Secret Society rather quickly, dealing the killing blow soon after.


    The members of Secret Society weren''t yet capable of killing Systems, not high-levelled ones. Only Beyonders were able to fight against Systems beyond the Hatchling Systems. And even for Grisha and Gana, that would be a tough task.


    So, the regr members were eradicated; this included the Grogar and Haggon Empire in the Darble World.


    Such was war, especially one that involved countless worlds. He was pretty helpless in that regard, especially when he was under the effect of the Restriction Order.


    ''But, things would change eventually.'' He thought, seated in a Reality Marble, eyes closed, feeling the gentle wind on him. Suddenly, a stream of memories surged in him, causing him to understand the sequence of events that had transpired.


    His self that he had summoned from memory had been killed by the opponent. "It''s fine."


    Immediately after, on the battlefield, the middle-aged woman with auburn hair gasped for air, panting weakly as she had just managed to kill her opponent when immediately, another jet-ck figure appeared before her, casually waving his hand to end her life.


    Boom!


    Followed by a bolt of lightning, a middle-aged man appeared before the jet-ck figure, "I''ll see just how many clones you have."


    "Sure," The jet-ck figure said as immediately, multiple energy des expanded like the individual units making up a bee hive, transforming into a machine that mmed into the middle-aged opponent.


    Two hands appeared, bolting the middle-aged man in the centre. In response, the middle-aged man transformed into a bolt of lightning and barely escaped from the p that resounded as a thunderous boom.


    The middle-aged man then directly mmed into the jet-ck figure, exploding into a sea of lightning, killing both.


    Immediately after, a jet-ck figure and a lightning figure appeared, shing with each other once again. In this way, dozens of Compass Carburettors and Straxia clones were killed.


    But, they kepting, shing with each other nonstop.


    The two armies kept watch of the scene with bated breaths. And when the first jet-ck figure was killed by the opponent, they despaired. But upon seeing a second figure appear, they were happy.


    But by now, having seen dozens of figures from both sides getting killed nonstop, they became numb to everything, wondering whether or not they were dreaming.


    Days passed in such a fashion as thunderous sounds continued to rumble on the battlefield.


    Days turned into weeks and weeks into months as only the powerhouses on both sides kept watch while the remaining returned to their daily lives, preparing for another war.


    ''So, if I continue to be the Martial Spirits of my nsmen generation after generation, would I eventually reach such a level?'' Balmer pondered the same question over and over.


    After all, the first time they met, Hazen imed that he obtained Lord Gahrat as his Martial Spirit. And now that he had reached the Extreme Providence Stage, he understood that he too became a Martial Spirit that his bloodline could inherit in the future.


    So, he wondered if the case was the same, ''My abilities include dominion over mes, sky, and longevity. So, those that obtain me as their Martial Spirit would attain the same.''


    ''In this case, does Hazen''s bloodline cause changes to their Martial Spirit? Is that their Martial Spirit''s trait?'' He wondered, feeling like that was a possibility.


    After all, just as how his fusion material Attribute was longevity, the fusion material attribute of Hazen''s bloodline could be a gic sessor, allowing them to inherit anyone among their ancestor as their Martial Spirit.


    "That is indeed a likelihood." He muttered, sighing in the end as he continued to watch the fight, observing the jet-ck figure kill the lightning figure before being destroyed by the neer lightning figure and vice versa.


    The cycle continued to loop without any end in sight.


    Author''s note: IMPORTANT~!!!


    I''ve created aic titled [Rage of Cmity] and joined a contest on .webtoon.


    If I win this contest, I''ll be able to write full-time and focus fully on my novels. Meaning: Increase in the update rate of IHS and PADS by at least one more chapter per day.


    To win, we need as many subscribers, likes, andments to the webtoon series. So, please help me and check out my most ambitious project to date, "Rage of Cmity".


    Webtoon is also avable as an app on android and ios, so do help me. If we win, you''ll get more content to read starting from next month itself.

 Chapter 530 One Shot to Decide Everything

    Chapter 530 One Shot to Decide Everything¡¡¡¡"How long¡­is this going to take?" Xuer muttered, feeling mentally exhausted. She had been staring at the ongoing battle for months now, spending only a minimal time sleeping and taking care of herself.


    "It''ll end¡­eventually," Ranze said, equally exhausted.


    "I hope so too," Bunu muttered, gasping for air. While Compass Carburettor and Straxia were engaged in this long war, they were fighting the three remaining Systems Hosts.


    But, the fight ended anticlimactically as Balmer overpowered their opponents who seemed to have weakened considerably.


    After all, to kill Gallo, they had overexerted their selves, even using their lifespans. This forced them into a weakened state. And against the group geared specifically to kill them, it was a no-brainer.


    Lota was thest among the Evil Spirits to die as, after that, Ranze and the group had been staring at the fight in the sky.


    They didn''t know what to do beyond this point. Honestly, they had thought that their actions would y a big role in deciding the fate of the battle in the sky, but they did not.


    And unable to join the terrifying battle, they could only stare in silence.


    Suddenly, their surroundings morphed as the quartet of Ranze, Xuer, Bunu, and Balmer noticed that they were on a wide grasnd now. And seated before them, sipping tea that formed in a bowl atop a stone table were two figures.


    Ranze gazed at the figures of Compass Carburettor and Rhizen, asking in doubt, "What''s¡­happening?"


    "We''ve reached the end game." Compass Carburettor muttered, sighing as he got up, "The forces on both sides are equal in number. At present, both of us are down to thest clone."


    "This means¡­?" Ranze''s eyes lit up, "We''ll win as long as we kill the Soul Rendering Evil Spirit?"


    "No," Compass Carburettor said, arriving before Ranze as he patted his head, "The one to kill her would be you."


    "¡­me?" Ranze stared nkly, unable to understand what Compass Carburettor was getting at.


    "Well¡­" Compass Carburettor slowly walked away, stating with a collected gaze, "This is where I''ll die."


    Immediately after saying that, his figure vanished.


    "What?" Balmer muttered in shock, intending to stop him when he saw that Compass Carburettor had vanished, shouting in rm, "Hazen!"


    Plop!


    A figurended on the ground, wearing a deer mask, covered by a jet-ck robe, staring at the middle-aged woman waiting before him.


    Upon seeing the deer mask, the middle-aged woman raised an eyebrow in ridicule, "Compass¡­you have a funny humour."


    "Thank you for the validation." Compass Carburettor muttered in response, gazing at Straxia, already aware that this was thest of her. All her clones had been eradicated.


    As for a clone that she had left as a backup, an Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor infiltrated the Vr Secret Realm using Dita''s power, located the clone and eradicated it.


    Of course, Straxia killed the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor immediately after. But with that, her backup means were destroyed.


    But in the same vein, all the Reality Marbles holding the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettors had been destroyed by her.


    And as she stared at him, sensing his luck, she confirmed that this was indeed the original. Unlike the regr Luck-based Systems, Straxia was currently the Luck System herself.


    Or rather, the Luck System was in control of her body. And, it had already gained all the qualifications to reach Grade 2.


    The Coincidental Luck System was already at level 94. And by swallowing the other Systems, its level continued to increase. It was more than enough to attain the peak at level 99, having already assimted all the Systems part of its Genre.


    So, the moment the Restriction Order was lifted, it would be a Grade 2 System immediately.


    Therefore, through its special powers, it was able to obtain all the necessary details through the luck values.


    And with that, it had determined that Compass Carburettor didn''t have a revival mechanism in ce.


    With only thirty percent of his power lifted, it wasn''t enough for his Warble to take effect as that part of his power was still sealed.


    Straxia had checked things multiple times, sending countless spies through a variety of channels. And she had personally made a trip through the Gaider Realm to confirm it herself.


    Normally, she was of the thought that Compass Carburettor had fooled her. After all, he definitely had the capability to do so, hence taking a cautious approach in her research.


    It wasn''t just through that, but the death of every System Host was an indicator of his schemes, allowing her to understand just what had transpired. Each Luck probed through Compass Carburettor in its respective way.


    And thanks to the multiple variables, the conclusion remained the same.


    If killed now, Compass Carburettor would die.


    "What the¡­?" Ranze muttered when he was dropped onto the Tura City wall along with Xuer, Bunu and Balmer. They then gazed at the figure of Compass Carburettor and Straxia facing each other on the ground.


    He observed Straxia''s figure, recalling the image engraved on the scrolls passed through the Gaider Realm that depicted the existence of the Evil Spirits, shuddering in response.


    After all, even though her appearance didn''t seem as horrible as depicted in the scroll, the sense of dread he felt was infinitely higher.


    It wasn''t just him that was feeling this as every single cultivator in Tura City was the same, trembling in fear as they felt a suffocating presence from within her, one enough to rend their fates with a casual nce.


    Compass Carburettor too could feel the suffocating presence emanating from her gradually, ''So, this is a Grade 2 System that''s on the verge of being born.''


    He then retracted his Mental Energy Body Layer, removing his deer mask before gently extending his right hand towards Straxia, condensing Anthozoa, "Wanna bet?"


    "Sure," Straxia smiled, extending her right hand towards him, pointing the index finger at his forehead, "One hit to decide everything. This is by far the greatest gamble that I''ve participated in."


    "Sounds interesting."


    Gradually, Anthozoa began to pulse with a terrifying amount of power as Compass Carburettor poured his everything into it, fusing all the bullets into one to unleash an ultimate attack.


    In the same vein, Straxia poured the entirety of her power and luck into the tip of her index finger, condensing a tiny lightning sphere.


    The two parties silently stared at each other, separated by a distance of two metres, eyes locked, betting their everything into this one attack, slowly about to unleash the attack that would decide the fate of myriad worlds.

 Chapter 531 Double K.O

    Chapter 531 Double K.O¡¡¡¡"I hope you can seed, Compass," Rhizen muttered as he sat on the stone bench, watching the bowl containing tea before him vanish. This meant that Compass Carburettor had pulled back all summons that he had created out of memory.


    As this Reality Marble was a permanent structure, it continued to exist. But for the Spydragon it was situated within, the entity was currently in Xuer''s hands at the moment, unmoving.


    It seemed news regarding the end of the battle approaching was spread across the Gaider Realm as countless cultivators rushed in droves using a myriad of transports.


    After all, Straxia and Compass Carburettor seemed to be charging up power slowly but surely. And during this time, the crowd continued to grow in size, soon spilling out of Tura City as they filed into the battlefield, stopping a kilometre before the duo.


    Simrly, the army from the other side too returned, gaining enough courage after the past few months. Slowly, people from everywhere filed into the ce, absolutely curious about the oue that they knew would change their myriad Realms.


    The Dust Wave Walls around the mountain range had vanished as the people quickly scaled it up, watching the scene from anywhere they had space to stand for.


    Millions of people, both cultivators and mortals had appeared, filling the mountain ranges on both sides. After all, two days was more than enough time for a significant sum of them to arrive using the transports.


    This was how long the two individuals faced each other at almost point-nk range, continuing to charge up their attacks.


    "Please win!" Those from the Gaider Realm prayed desperately, hoping for Compass Carburettor to emerge victorious so that they would be freed from the oppression of the Evil Spirits.


    After all, they had seen just what the Evil Spirits were capable of the past few months, especially terrified of Straxia.


    After all, even though they were high up in the mountains, they could feel the oppressive power emanating from Straxia, causing their knees to go weak in fear. From time to time, they hallucinated a scene of hell where they formed rows upon rows on the ground.


    Mysterious creatures, ethereal in nature floated across the ce, leaping into the brains of the people from time to time, controlling them, causing them to experience myriad emotions before their minds shattered. After that, the ethereal creatures exited their brains and switched over to another victim.


    This continued to happen as everyone, whether human or Origin Beast was subject to the same.


    And it wasn''t just one or two that faced this hallucination, but multiple people that experienced the same.


    It was a result of the Luck System''s power leaking out of Straxia''s body that was unable to rein in everything any longer.


    The emotions of every one were strained, desperate even as they gazed at the scene, of Straxia and Compass Carburettor facing each other.


    The air was ripe with tension, with none moving a muscle, able to feel the sense of oppression that permeated through everything.


    To a certain extent, it could be said that the eyes of the entire Gaider Realm were on this ce.


    His back was slick with sweat as Compass Carburettor felt weak all over, having truly condensed the entirety of his power into Anthozoa to unleash that one ultimate attack.


    He wasn''t alone in this as Straxia too was the same, having condensed the entirety of her power into the sphere of lighting at the tip of her index finger.


    It took them two days because they truly condensed every ounce of their strength into their respective attacks. It was to such an extent that a single breeze following their attack was enough to kill them.


    But, such was the weight hinging on their victory.


    Compass Carburettor continued to stare into the eyes of Straxia, not even having the strength to utter anything as he continued to turn weaker. His hair turned white while his skin began to wrinkle. His lifeforce too was being poured into the attack, betting every ounce of his power into it.


    Straxia too did the same.


    And finally, when each had less than ten seconds of their lifespan left in them, unanimously, theyunched forth their respective attacks.


    The bullet shot out of Anthozoa, causing the gun to crumble in response as the Dragon Bullet transformed into a metre-long dragon. But the power it contained within it was everything the current him could condense, absolutely terrifying.


    His past as a System Host on Earth, his journey as a System yer in the Darble World, his enlightenment and transformation into the Main Character in the Apocalypse World, and finally, his sealed and recovered self in the Cultivation World, the power and authority they attained through the characters yed by Compass Carburettor, Domino Plottopia, Gahrat, and finally Hazen, everything that he had ever been was symbolised into this one attack.


    There was no ir to it as it was a mere dragon-shaped serpent, a metre in length, one that swam towards Straxia.


    And in response, the sphere of lightning shot forth by Straxia contained the history of all the Luck-based Systems, transforming into a lightning snake, also a metre long.


    The two snakes silently collided into each other, vanishing from view as the two entities tore into each other through myriad forms at the microscopic level.


    Thump! Thump!


    The hearts of everyone thundered in response as the oppressive feeling they felt vanished. And immediately after, everyone saw the figure of Straxia copsing to her knees.


    But just as they were about to holler in victory, they noticed that even though she was exhausted, her face sported intense, uncontroble glee, akin to a devilughing from the depths of hell.


    In contrast, Compass Carburettor''s eyes lost their lustre as he slowly copsed to the ground, turning into dust before vanishing entirely, his form erased from history.


    "What¡­is happening?" A powerhouse muttered in confusion, unable to understand why he had arrived at the current location in the first ce.


    After all, the memory of Compass Carburettor vanished from the minds of everyone, baffling them.


    Swish!


    A sword shed past, severing Straxia''s head as it transformed into Ranze that kneeled on the ground, tearing up in confusion, "Why¡­was I charging? What is this¡­anger that''s rising in me?"


    He then turned around, noticing Straxia''s body slowly disintegrating too, focusing on her baleful smile of victory, shuddering in response.


    "What the¡­heck happened here?" The same question resounded in the minds of everyone as soon after, they began to tear up while a sense of dread filled up within them, rming everyone as they had indeed lost a lot of memories.


    "My God¡­" Ranze stared at the sky vacantly, unable to recall anything rted to Straxia. But he could still sense the chill he felt while staring at her baleful smile, clutching his hands into a prayer, "Please, not another war."


    "I want peace."


    Volume 3: Chase and Escape¡ªThe End!

 Chapter 532 Secret Society

    Chapter 532 Secret Society¡¡¡¡"Sess!" The Angel System bellowed happily, jumping around in joy, "The Main Character is dead!"


    "Hahaha!" The Demon Systemughed in response, clearly relieved, "Even though the Luck System died, it will revive shortly in the future. And it will be at Grade 2 when it revives."


    The information was instantly transmitted to the Astral Network as every System that had been keeping a watch on this situation rejoiced.


    After all, every arrival of the Main Character was a disaster to them, one that would weaken them. And hence, even Grade 3 Systems were keeping tabs on the issue at hand.


    Immediately after, countless abilities shed through the Cultivation World, leaking through the Restriction Order that had begun to weaken for some reason, checking to ensure that all traces of Compass Carburettor had indeed vanished, for good this time.


    But right after all the mysterious powers vanished, the Angel System muttered, "Alright, let''s retract the Restriction Order¡­"


    "What the fuck?" Both the Grade 2 Systems eximed in shock upon seeing the Restriction Order vanish mysteriously.


    And immediately after, Truck Kununched an attack on them, killing both of them in a matter of seconds.


    "Damn you!" The Angel System roared in anger as it was destroyed.


    "Hahaha! The Main Character''s death is a small price to pay to steal the Restriction Order!" Truck Kunughed arrogantly before vanishing from the scene immediately after.


    "Damn those Gods!" Shortly after, a Grade 3 System appeared at the scene, raging in anger upon failing to find any traces of the Restriction Order or Truck Kun, muttering in anger, "We''ve been had this time."


    "Honestly, I was ready to intervene if they tried to save Compass Carburettor. He''s by far the most powerful Main Character after the first." Another Grade 3 System arrived at the scene, "But that ended up being our blind spot. Never have I thought they would rather sacrifice the Main Character with the greatest potential just to steal the Restriction Order from our hands."


    "The Restriction Order is our most powerful tool to eradicate the Main Character." The Grade 3 System that had arrived first said in anger, "We''ve relied on that to quickly kill every Main Character that had appeared to date. But without it, our losses would increase significantly every time the Main Character reappears."


    "Dammit!"


    Even though they seeded in killing the most troublesome of the Main Characters, they ended up losing the body of the first Main Character to their foes. It left a sour feeling in their mood as the two Grade 3 Systems left shortly after, beginning to make other ns for their uing war.


    After all, once equipped with the Restriction Order, the Gods would be able to deal with the Systems better.


    Therefore, what would transpire next would be a long war between the two opposing powers.


    Unconcerned with probably the initiation of arms among the greatest ruling power were the people of the Gaider Realm, those that were in the region surrounding Tura City.


    Gazing at the scene of Compass Carburettor and Straxia taking out each other caused them to gasp in shock, followed by confusion as everyone forgot the rted information, like Straxia and Compass Carburettor hadn''t ever existed.


    This included Balmer. Only the Heaven Divine Martial Spirit remembered everything, sighing in the end.


    Xuer stared at the Spydragon in her arms, feeling that she was aware of it but was unable to recall the information rted to it, as if she was suffering from memory loss.


    ''But, this is something important. At least, that much I know.'' She thought, touching it once to see its body moving in response. Curious, she ced it on her wrist, watching the Spydragon''s mouth mp onto its tail, turning into a bracelet of sorts.


    She was still unable to recall any information regarding it but decided to keep it with her and hope she remembered it in the future.


    "What¡­should we do now?" A powerhouse from the Arena Realm muttered, strangely unnerved by the memory loss he was experiencing, unable to recall anything from the past few months.


    "Let''s¡­return." It was unknown who said it first but before long, the emotion echoed through the entire army as they began to retreat through the portals on the edge of the Gaider Realm.


    In response, the people from the Gaider Realm sighed in relief.


    Standing amongst the crowd, situated atop the mountain range, covered by a cloak was a Double-Faced Monkey with peak cultivation, staring nkly as it was unable to remember anything regarding its entire life.


    It seemed to have lost all signs of intelligence as its memory had been wiped out. Instinctively, it noticed a pouch tied at the die of its hip, fishing out a bullet from within.


    It stared at the bullet, sensing that it seemed strangely¡­appetising?


    As it was mildly hungry, it hesitantly took a bite of the bullet before its eyes lit up in surprise, swallowing the bullet immediately. It then swallowed the remaining bullets in its pouch too, smiling contently.


    With Compass Carburettor''s death, Secret Society vanished. So, all the Double-Faced Monkeys were now suffering from the side-effects of the memory loss, staring nkly, shocking the popce when theirrge-framed hooded figures appeared in the streets all of a sudden.


    Among the Double-Faced Monkeys was one with a tiny frame, only at the Martial Origin Stage. It stared nkly, unable to react to the people running away from it in fear, eliciting screams from time to time.


    And in response, the nearby cultivators charged at it.


    The Double-Faced Monkey stared at them nkly, watching them unsheathe their weapons, suddenly focusing on a certain image engraved on the hilt of their weapons.


    It was a symbol, of two ''C'' tangentially connected, seeminglymon and nothing strange. But as it stared at the symbol, it frowned, noticing a mysterious stream appear before its eyes, green in colour, originating from it and flowing into that symbol.


    It was unknown as to how it knew of this, but somehow¡­it knew. And as it stared at the green stream, its eyes gradually regained lustre.


    Secret Society!

 Chapter 533 Hazen

    Chapter 533 Hazen¡¡¡¡Even it hadn''t noticed it after that as suddenly, the cultivators that were charging at it stopped abruptly, stunned in response. They were unable to detect it.


    After a minute in such a fashion, the Double-Faced Monkey gradually understood that it was the cause for their confusion, sensing a mysterious energy flowing out of it and into the cultivators that made them look around helplessly, unable to sense it anymore.


    Even though the Double-Faced Monkey was unable to make heads or tails from the situation anymore, it still felt puzzled, roaming around the street before staring at the same symbol that was stered onto the wall of a house.


    It remained there while its abilities went haywire, connecting with the minds of everyone in its range.


    And as it stared at the symbol, a mysterious feeling welled up within it. A momentter, a teardrop cascaded from its eye as it began to feel a sense of sadness.


    Of course, the emotion didn''t originate from within itself but from one of the people its mind had been connected to.


    It was from a farmer, one that had been struggling to make ends meet, having three children that were at a marriageable age. But, prospects were hard to find for someone from such a poor background, especially since his wife was sick.


    He had been toiling hard from morning to evening but despite everything, an ailing body and a few pennies were all he got. His children didn''t have the proper nutrition to fuel their developing bodies and were suffering from multiple ailments.


    He was still a strong enough individual, the reason he had been pressing forth for so long. But suddenly, when he approached with wall with the symbol that he gazed at while passing by daily, his emotions suddenly churned and before he realised it, he was crying from sorrow.


    And this sorrow spread to everyone whose minds had been connected to the Double-Faced Monkey.


    A few secondster, the other people too began to be influenced by the sorrow as the farmer was unable to endure any longer, copsing to the ground as he began to cry aloud, "This damn war raised the price of goods too much. I''m only from a poor family with meagre savings. How long can Ist?"


    Hearing his sorrowful wails, those connected to his mind expressed their sympathy, rallying up to console him, promising him any help that they could provide to help him and his family tide through the crisis.


    The war at Tura City had raged on for months. And thanks to that, people were in a state of panic, stockpiling food and other necessities. This in turn caused the prices for food and other goods to sharply increase, affecting the market.


    This resulted in those in the lowermost ss of society, the menialbourers and beggars to have nothing to buy for the prices of goods shot up at an rming pace.


    So, a significant sum of the poption had been suffering thanks to the war.


    Slowly, in the streets of various cities, through the Double-Faced Monkeys that were there, staring nkly at the symbol of Secret Society they came across, a crowd gradually formed around them, unable to see them but had their minds connected, sharing their sorrow and sufferings.


    And all these emotions formed a dense stream of Mental Energy, flowing into the symbol. And unlike before, the Mental Energy seemed different as the thoughts and wishes of the people began tobine with simr counterparts, gradually turning bigger and bigger.


    And as the same thing happened everywhere, the effect soon reached the Tura City battlefield where millions had gathered, causing a collective emotional session.


    After all, the rest of the Gaider Realm was only reeling from the effects of war. Those here had been involved in it directly, having lost their loved ones, suffered through a lot.


    They had been in a tense state all along, on an edge as they weren''t sure if the Evil Spirits could be defeated or not.


    All these emotions formed Mental Energy streams that began tobine with each other, flowing into the symbols worn on the clothes of some, the inscriptions on the weapons of some, etc.


    Everyone from the Academy wore clothes and carried weapons that were inscribed with the symbol of Secret Society that was treated as the insignia of their Academy.


    The symbols absorbed all the Mental Energy as they began to shine with a mysterious presence throughout the Gaider Realm. And some of the streams flowed through the closed gates to the Folkan Secret Realm, descending into the centre of the Temperate Refinement Zone where a mutated Blood Vitality Grass had been nted.


    It absorbed all the iing Mental Energy, causing the thoughts, emotions, and feelings in it to be stronger due to the enlightenment nature of the ce.


    And following that, it unleashed a thick beam of Mental Energy that travelled through the entirety of the Gaider Realm before flowing to one isted region, situated after a massive ocean with terrifying currents.


    It appeared on a certain ind where a vige stood. Once malnourished, currently experiencing the bountifulness of nature as the number of newborns and children in the vige was five times the number of adults.


    Hazen Vige!


    It was a special vige, a religiousmunity that was isted from everyone, but once the rightful rulers of the Gaider Realm.


    The thick stream of Mental Energy gushed into a certain statue before which a group of people were seated, in a praying posture, silently offering their gratitude to the entity that had saved them all and protected their vige from harm while bestowing them bountifulness.


    Crack!


    Slowly, a crack formed on the statue, rming everyone as the cracks rapidly spread across it, causing the statue to shatter in a matter of seconds.


    "My Lord!" The Vige Chief screamed in despair before suddenly gazing in shock, unable to control his emotions as he began to tear up in response, "This is our gift from the heavens!"


    Uwaa! Uwaa! Uwaa!


    Situated amidst the rubble of the statue was a human baby, crying in response. The vige chief gazed at the others, observing the unconceble joy on their faces as he slowly kneeled before the baby, prostrating, "Thank you!"


    He then gently lifted the baby, smiling as he said, "It seems our Lord has reincarnated to continue his endless journey once again."


    He then stared at the symbol of double ''C'' that was tangentially joined, engraved like a tattoo on the baby''s forehead, muttering slowly¡­


    "Hazen!"

 Chapter 534 What Should I Do?

    Chapter 534 What Should I Do?¡¡¡¡"Grandpa!" A boy, aged six screamed in pain, clutching his head as he was sweating bullets, rolling around on his bed.


    "Hazen! What happened?" His grandpa rushed into the room upon his shouts, gazing at the child that was in pain, hurriedly inspecting his condition, unable to notice anything amiss.


    "People are¡­hurting, grandpa!" Hazen shouted, clutching his head as he continued to tremble in response, "They are hurting!"


    "Take in deep breaths," His grandpa said in a hurry, rubbing his back as he watched Hazen follow his advice.


    As Hazen continued to take in deep breaths, his pain gradually subsided. But he was still full of tears, sobbing as he said, "There''s hunger and war everywhere."


    "It''s alright, our vige is peaceful." The grandpa said in a soothing voice, gradually making Hazen calm down as he put him to sleep, "Now, have a good night. We''ll talk in the morning, alright?"


    "Yes¡­" Hazen nodded, wiping his tears as he closed his eyes, falling asleep immediately after. But, it didn''t seem like he was having a pleasant sleep, judging by how his eyelids continued to flutter, apparent that he was experiencing a nightmare.


    His grandpa stared at the scene, feeling his heart ache as he slowly prostrated on the ground, tearing up for a moment before bolting out of the room, breaking into a cry, "Hiek!"


    "So, this is the weight of peace!" He wiped his tears, gradually leaving his house, noticing a group of old men huddled in the corridor, seated around a campfire.


    There wasn''t a fire before them, but a small crystal, one that seemed to emit heat and light at a consistent pace. Moreover, it was the perfect material to be used indoors.


    After all, their housing was situated in arge apartment, a building of pearl that Compass Carburettor had once created. There was plenty of extra space here in the corridors, with balconies attached.


    The elderly group was huddled in one such area, talking about various events that had happened recently or in their youth.


    When they saw the grandpa approaching them, the old man at the front, one with the most grey hairs among everyone said, "Chief, what happened? You look distressed."


    "Hazen''s nightmares are worsening by the day." The grandpa, Chief of the Hazen Vige sighed, "He''s unable to sleep properly now. The sufferings of the people from the maind are eating away at his mind."


    "That is¡­troubling." The old man with the most grey hairs muttered, feeling a sense of helplessness, "I just hope¡­he can have an enjoyable childhood."


    "Yes, that''s my only wish too." The vige chief sighed, "Taking on the burden of shouldering the troubles of everyone is an impossible task, even if he has the power of the deities."


    "Has he expressed any supernatural power as of yet?" One of the old men asked.


    "Nothing as of now." The Vige Chief shook his head, "He''s no different from a mortal. But, whenever I wish for anything, even though he doesn''t show it much, it seems like he can perceive what I''m wishing for."


    "That''s¡­" Everyone sighed at that as one of them muttered, "Until six years ago, praying to Hazen''s statue seemed normal. But now that he has taken on a human form, I am disinclined from making any wishes. I just¡­don''t wish to burden him any more than this. After all, he''s just a frail child now."


    "But, this is his fate." The Vige Chief sighed with a forlorn gaze, "And there''s nothing we can do to prevent it."


    "Chief, why don''t you leave Hazen in my house?" Suddenly, a wizened old man said, "There''s plenty of people in my house. And my grandkids are the same age as Hazen. Maybe if he has morepany, he might have an easier time. With only you in your house, he''s probably feeling lonely."


    "You also know the problem with that arrangement, right?" The Vige Chief sighed, "Your son and daughter would probably treat Hazen many times better than their own children. And that''s bound to create friction between the children."


    At his words, everyone smiled wryly.


    Of course, every adult in the vige knew about Hazen''s birth. And for the God that they had worshipped for more than twenty years to be birthed among them, it wouldn''t be odd for every word from Hazen to be taken as gospel.


    This was also why the Vige Chief took responsibility for raising Hazen. After all, he didn''t have a family, and hence, he could provide a somewhat normal life for him. But at times, even he couldn''t control himself and look at Hazen with a gaze full of devotion.


    But the first time he did that, Hazen looked iparably sad for some reason. So after that, he controlled himself. The same couldn''t be said about other families.


    This was why the Vige Chief was pensive about leaving Hazen under the care of others.


    "I can only hope to live long enough until he bes an adult." The Vige Chief sighed, turning around as he began to walk towards his home.


    "Chief, have some tea. My daughter-inw made warm tea to soothe our old bones." The old man with the most grey hair said suddenly.


    The Vige Chief''s figure halted at the words as he turned around, taking a seat among the group, "I''ll take a cup please."


    "Haha, the Chief loves tea." One of them chuckled in response before shifting the topic of discussion.


    After an hour, the Vige Chief returned home, checking upon Hazen to hear his sound breathing, heaving a sigh in relief, ''Thankfully, he''s recovered now. As long as everyone around him is happy, he has a better time sleeping.''


    He then gently closed the door and entered his room,ying down on the bed to sleep. For a moment he was worried about Hazen but the Vige Chief immediately curbed the thoughts, thinking of other things to distract himself with, gradually falling asleep.


    As for Hazen, the sleeping child woke up soon after the Vige Chief left his room, muttering in a saddened tone, "Grandpa is worried about me¡­"


    "What should I do¡­?"

 Chapter 535 Just a Doodle

    Chapter 535 Just a Doodle¡¡¡¡"Grandpa! I''m off to school!" Hazen shouted as he hurriedly dressed up, grabbed a scroll and an ink brush before bolting off from the house.


    "Don''t run, Hazen!" The Vige Chief shouted as he watched the tiny figure of Hazen rush out of the house,ughing when Hazen returned sheepishly to ce the wrong scroll that he had picked up.


    After grabbing the correct scroll, Hazen left for ss. It wasn''t that far though, just a couple of floors down. The school was basically arge auditorium situated on the ground floor of the building. And there were around ten people in his ss.


    The sses only consisted of basic things like arithmetic,nguage, a little bit about the history of the Gaider Realm, agriculture, etc.


    And the content was divided over the ages. So for Hazen''s ss, they were only tackling simple arithmetic andnguage.


    Moreover, they only had sses for two hours a day and this continued until they became teenagers when sses spanned half a day.


    There wasn''t much to learn about in their tiny vige where most knowledge was lost. And as they lived an isted life, things were pretty chill.


    After all, their basic needs were wholly met, whether it be food, water, or even medicine. The Vitality Bowl produced everything at set intervals, varying the contents throughout the day.


    And, the production always exceeded the demand, so much so that their granary was practically overflowing.


    The vige used the excess to raise the foundation of their vige, gradually slowing down the desertification. And by now,rge trees had already cropped up throughout the vige.


    Moreover, the tree roots spanned into the ocean waters, growing from the external ends of the roots to sprout more trees, ending up creating a root tform beyond the vige.


    And over time, they createdrge root tforms on the ocean surface, stable ones that allowed the vigers to walk on it.


    The tform wasn''t fully covered by roots though as tiny potholes existed throughout it, revealing the ocean water below. These holes ranged from foot sized to around a few metres in radius.


    When the tree leaves fell, they made their way into these waters, raising the scale of carbon data of the ce.


    It was unknown as to which corner of the ocean they came from, but tiny shrimp-like creatures began to congregate around the roots of these trees, living there as they formed a symbiotic rtionship, causing the trees to grow and expand better.


    It created a beneficial cycle resulting from the excess food the Vitality Bowl was preparing. Thanks to that, the vige flourished with greenery.


    Moreover, it seemed the Shrimps too had a cultivation, even though the highest among them was only at the Third Layer of the Origin Refinement Stage.


    Thanks to that, the fruits borne by the trees gradually contained faint traces of Origin Essence. Such fruits were rather beneficial for consumption, bettering the health of the vigers.


    Even though the trace Origin Essence couldn''t be used by them as theycked Martial Spirits, it revitalised their bodies. Though, it didn''t deposit in their bodies, for that wasn''t in the Origin Essence''s trait.


    The ss Teacher noticed that the children in her ss barely paid attention to what she was talking about, sighing as she decided to change things, "Why don''t we draw something fun?"


    "Yaay!" The eyes of the ten children in the ss lit up in surprise, beaming in response as they became excited, Hazen included.


    "Well, let''s start with something simple, alright?" The ss Teacher said, taking a chalk that she used to draw the symbol of Secret Society on the board. She had just drawn the first ''C'' when she realised her actions, hurriedly making a full circle before she turned the drawing into the face of a man.


    Her art wasical, to say the least as the kids burst intoughter.


    Through the corner of her eye, the ss Teacher noticed Hazen instinctively shielding his forehead, sweating internally as she thought of something, quickly drawing even moreical expressions, sighing in relief upon seeing Hazen breaking intoughter along with the rest.


    ''I almost made a mistake myself.'' She heaved a sigh in relief.


    "Teacher!" A girl seated next to Hazen raised her hand, "I want to ask something."


    "What is it, Alika?" The teacher smiled as he nodded at the girl, watching her stand up in response.


    Hazen stared at the girl as she got up, spraining his neck a little as she was damn tall for her age, at least a head taller than him. Or rather, Hazen was somewhat on the shorter end aspared to his peers while the girl was taller among her peers, hence creating this disproportion.


    The girl addressed as Alika pointed at Hazen, "Why does our vige have the same name as Hazen?"


    "Oh, that''s simple." The ss Teacher heaved a sigh in relief, for she had long since prepared an answer for this question, smiling as she said, "The name Hazen means Harbinger of Serenity. Since Hazen was born at the same time our vige came into being, he was named the same."


    "Is everyone in our vige happy, teacher?" Alika asked next.


    "Don''t you see it?" The ss Teacher smiled in response, "How much happy are the people around you?"


    "Hm¡­" Alika thought aloud as she extended her hands to the limit, "This much!"


    "Haha!" Laughing in response, the ss Teacher motioned for Alika to be seated, continuing with the fun art session.


    She then watched everyone doodle their version of the face on the board when suddenly, Alika shouted, "Teacher, Hazen is copying my drawing!"


    "No, I''m not!" Hazen replied in response, hiding his drawing, "I drew it first!"


    "No, I drew it first!" Alika protested.


    "Calm down you too." The ss Teacher intervened, motioning for them to show their drawing to her. Her eyelids twitched as she stared at the drawing, "This is¡­copying?"


    For, whether it was Hazen or Alika, both had only drawn a circle and made two dots to represent the eyes. It could hardly be counted as a face.


    The ss Teacher smiled suddenly, saying, "Both are original! It''s impossible to copy them."


    "Told you!" Hazen snorted.


    "Okay!" Alika nodded and happily continued to doodle.

 Chapter 536 Marriageable Age

    Chapter 536 Marriageable Age¡¡¡¡"Wheeee!" Alika giggled as she ran circles around the ss Teacher. A group of adults followed them, acting as a safety as the ten children apanied their ss Teacher to the edge of the ind, entering the root tform region.


    "Don''t go anywhere near the potholes." The ss Teacher said, warning everyone, "It''s dangerous if you fall into them."


    "But, I can swim, teacher." Alisha raised her hand, saying in response.


    "Despite that, it''s risky." The ss Teacher said, bringing them to the edge of the root tform, pointing them towards a treehouse that was built atop a sturdy tree that had grown in recent times. "Come up!"


    As everyone climbed the flight of stairs leading towards the treehouse, Hazen followed them thest, climbing up slowly as the scene of the grand ocean came into view, its waves highlighted by the sun''s glimmer.


    Seeing this scene, he stood rooted to the spot, feeling emotional upheavals as he felt like crying for some reason. After all¡­


    "Save me¡­"


    "My son! Please spare my son!"


    "Ten Essence Stones, I''ll be able to free my brother as long as I have ten more Essence Stones¡­"


    The screams of people slowly resounded in his ears as Hazen blocked his ears, troubled as the screams continued to be louder and numerous, creating a cacophony of noise that unnerved him.


    Suddenly, without his realisation, blood dripped out of his ears as he fainted soon after.


    "Hazen!" The ss Teacher shouted in rm, ignoring the danger to herself as she hurriedly jumped in the way, catching Hazen, cushioning his fall before looking at him in a fluster.


    "We''ll take care from here." The men stationed nearby in support hurriedly rushed to his rescue, carrying him back to his home.


    "Grandpa¡­" Hazen weakly opened his eyes, pointing at the horizon, "I¡­have to go."


    "No, this is your home." The Vige Chief said in a hurry.


    "I''m needed there." Hazen said, "People are suffering."


    "I need to be there¡­for them." Saying so, he fainted once again.


    The Vige Chief and the other adults gazed at each other, utterly confused as to what they had to do at this point.


    Had they just been blind devotees, they would have catered to all his wishes. But, in their eyes, Hazen was just a child under their care, someone they had watched grow up from a baby.


    And upon seeing the burden he was enduring and his suffering every single night, they felt that he wouldn''t be able to endure out there, aware that the cultivation world was a cruel ce.


    The previous time Hazen had arrived at their vige, he was a deity. But for some reason, he had died, reborn as a baby in their vige through the statue that they worshipped daily.


    And recalling his solemn decree back then, they were aware that peace was fleeting. It was something that had to be fought for throughout the span of time, through the dotted history, and into the nk canvas.


    Unlike before when he just reeled from the effects, Hazen had directly expressed willingness to head to the maind. So, they were worried.


    "¡­Grandpa?" Hazen woke up after a few minutes, looking around in confusion as he noticed the expression of concern on the faces of everyone, seeing them hurriedly force a smile on their faces.


    "Are you alright? You fainted all of a sudden." The Vige Chief asked.


    "I''m fine now." Hazen whirred his hands in an effort to show that he was fine.


    "Alright, you can return to your ss now." The Vige Chief smiled, watching Hazen rush off immediately.


    "This didn''t happen, alright?" He said after a minute had passed.


    "Yes," The other nodded before returning to their respective tasks at hand.


    "Hazen! I thought you died!" Alika shrilled upon seeing Hazen return, rushing to grab hold of him as she looked at his ears, "You were bleeding!"


    "Alika!" The ss Teacher chided her as she stopped speaking. But, her gaze was directed at his ears, seeing that there were no signs of blood on them anymore. The vigers had obviously cleaned it up beforehand.


    "You''ll¡­kill me!" Hazen grunted as Alika was exerting too much force in her hug.


    "You won''t die, right?" Alika asked, tearing up.


    "Heck no." Hazak rolled his eyes before rushing to the edge of the treehouse, gazing at the vast ocean before him, admiring the scenery now.


    After that, he never once said anything about heading to the maind as days turned into weeks and weeks into months.


    Hazak was now sixteen years old, having be a fully-fledged member of the vige''s workforce, tasked with collecting the various fruits that grew in the stretch of trees beyond their ind.


    He hung upside down from the branch of a tree, plucking a fruit dexterously that he threw while Alika¡ªthat was on the ground¡ªcaught them expertly, used to the task.


    They soon filled up their respective baskets of fruits, beginning to return to the vige. Alika was a head taller than him, so she casually used his head as her armrest as they walked, chatting.


    Hazak had protested this at first but as Alika continued to repeat the same over the years, he eventually gave up trying to convince her otherwise. "We had a good harvest today."


    "I''ve learned a new way to make jam out of these fruits. They''re pretty delicious." Alika said excitedly, "I''ll make you some tomorrow."


    "Awesome!" Hazen smiled, looking forward to it.


    As the two continued to talk, Alika motioned for him to quiet down all of a sudden, pointing at a group of elders that were seated within a treehouse, discussing something.


    "Shall we spy on their discussion?" Alika whispered.


    "That''s not proper." Hazen said, breaking into a smile, "Let''s do it."


    "Hehe." Alika grinned as the two stealthily crept towards the treehouse, hiding within the range of hearing, spying on what the elders seemed to be discussing so seriously that they had to move it to this treehouse away from the vige.


    As they listened in on the contents, Alika was mildly surprised. As for Hazen though, he went into a trance.


    "Hazen is of age now. Why don''t we marry him to Alika? I feel like they make a good match."

 Chapter 537 Please! Save My Child!

    Chapter 537 Please! Save My Child!¡¡¡¡"Hazen is of age now. Why don''t we marry him to Alika? I feel like they make a good match."


    Hearing their discussion, Hazen went into a trance, feeling that everything was surreal, like he didn''t belong to the ce, as if the person they were discussing about wasn''t him. His thoughts came to a halt when he heard his grandfather''s voice.


    "But, I don''t think that''s appropriate. He''s¡­someone divine." The Vige Chief said.


    ''Divine?'' Alika''s eyes widened in surprise as she felt confused. She couldn''t remember much about her childhood. And after that incident in the treehouse when Hazen was six years old, he didn''t express any other symptoms of being different from the rest.


    The only thing unique about him was his short height and the mysterious symbol on his forehead that was also inscribed on arge stone pir in their ce of worship.


    "That is precisely the reason we must do this." Another elder''s voice resounded, "For various reasons, Hazen was reborn as one of us. And he has been and will be one of us until his death. If you wish for him to be happy, then treat him just like the rest. Wasn''t that your words, Chief?"


    "Hah¡­I''m bing senile as I age." The Vige Chief''s exhausted voice resounded before he said, "Whatever the case may be, I''ll leave the decision to Hazen. He''s old enough to decide for himself now."


    "Besides, any decision he takes would be better than what this senile old fart cane up with." He said, sighing in the end, "If he wishes to marry Alika, I''ll be the happiest."


    "Yo, they are seriously hitching us¡­" Alika whispered to her side when she noticed that Hazen had vanished. She then looked around, noticing his silhouette near the edge of the forest of trees, staring at the horizon.


    She approached him, not saying anything as she sat beside him, gently massaging his back, "It''s alright."


    "It''s¡­not¡­" Tears streamed out of his eyes as he began to cry immediately after, "It''s hard to put on an act, for so many years at that."


    "Has it be worse?" Alika asked.


    "Yes, it''s constant now." Hazen said, "I''m able to distract myself from them, but they are ever-present now. I feel like I''m on the verge of going mad now."


    "But, I don''t want to worry grandpa and others." He continued, "So, I put on an act like I was perfectly normal. But honestly, I''m at my limit."


    "These¡­screams¡­" Alika minced her words, carefully saying upon seeing how he handled it, "What¡­do they desire from you?"


    "Peace of mind¡­" Hazen said, "From the start, they''ve only desired one thing."


    "Then¡­do you have the power to grant that?" Alika asked next, staring deep into his eyes.


    "¡­Yes." Hazen replied, "I do."


    "Then¡­"


    "But, it''s sealed." He continued, "I feel like I''ll be an entirely different person if I undo that seal. And I¡­don''t want to change."


    "Then, I''ll help you bear the burden." Alika smiled, "Would that ease your pain?"


    "Don''t speak nonsense." He sniffed, wiping his tears, "You''ll go mad in an instant."


    "It''s not something anyone can handle."


    "But you''re handling it, right?" She said, "Try me. If I can handle it, then I''ll be able to reduce your burden."


    "To do that, I''ll have to tap into that power in me¡­" Hazen said, "I have no guarantee of the person I''ll be once I do that."


    He then shook his head, "Forget it. Just stay beside me. I''ll be able to manage it if you do that."


    "Wow, since when did you take the lead?" Alika raised an eyebrow.


    "From the start?" Hazen tilted his head before bursting intoughter, looking like he had recovered.


    "Something''sing!" Suddenly, the duo heard shouts from the vigers as something that resembled a small ind approached them.


    "Run!" Hazen shouted as he grabbed hold of Alika''s hand and began to sprint towards the vige.


    Everyone that was picking fruits in the outer forest sprinted onto the ind, staring at the approaching entity nervously.


    "Would it crash into us?" Someone asked.


    "The ocean currents should make it impossible for anything to naturally drift to our vige." The Vige Chief said, panting due to his old age, aching all over his body thanks to the run.


    Boom!


    The small ind crashed into the stretch of trees that grew on the water, sting through them before gushing out of the water,nding on thend, and forming a long trench before stopping.


    "¡­Origin Beast." The Vige Chief muttered in fear, "At the Martial Providence Stage¡­most probably."


    Even though he wasn''t sure, as there weren''t any proper records detailing that in their vige, he still guessed that the Origin Beast before them was at the Martial Providence Stage, judging by the extent of damage a mere crash from it resulted, gazing at the clear path through the forest that had opened to the ocean.


    Guooong!


    The Origin Beast opened its mouth, unleashing a violent shriek as it shuddered, bleeding profusely, injured in various ces. And judging by the teeth marks, it was from a school of violent fish that had clobbered it.


    The Origin Beast trembled in pain, roaring nonstop as every viger trembled in fear, retreating instinctively.


    Suddenly, the Vige Chief looked around before shouting, "Hazen! Stop! It''s dangerous! Don''t go near it!"


    "It''s¡­pregnant," Hazen muttered in a daze as his face sported a sympathetic expression. His eyes reddened as he muttered, "It only wishes for the safe delivery of its child, nothing else."


    "Hazen!" The Vige Chief almost fainted due to tension, fearing the Origin Beast''s thrashing would swat him to his death.


    But suddenly, the moment Hazen approached it, the Origin Beast stopped struggling, remaining as still as possible while its eyes trailed after him, expressing its only wish.


    "I heard you loud and clear." Hazen nodded as the symbol on his forehead lit up in response, causing faint starlight to sparkle all around him, revealing a dense stream that trailed from the Origin Beast and flowed into him.


    The emotions in them were expressed loud and clear, causing even the vigers to hear them.


    "Please! Save my child!"


    "Got it." Hazen nodded, gently cing his hand on its belly as the starlight seeped through it, "This is the reason for my existence."

 Chapter 538 Harbinger of Serenity

    Chapter 538 Harbinger of Serenity¡¡¡¡The starlight seeped into the Origin Beast, gently turning into a mysterious power that partially healed its wounds, making the rest of the power seep into the unborn child, strengthening it enough.


    Guooong!


    The Origin Beast screamed in pain, unable to be onnd for long. But immediately after, a tide of water sshed on it, not receding as it defiedmon sense, building a sphere of water around it, prolonging its life.


    With its body in the water again, the Origin Beast was able to breathe as it exerted strength in its body, feeling its baby continue to move from within before eventually, it delivered the baby amid a stream of blood.


    "Kiek!" Alika shrieked instinctively upon seeing multiple worm-like creatures gushing out of its stomach in a torrent, also revealing its inner walls where they were stilltched onto, eating through its body.


    They were eating it internally, preventing it from doing anything in fear of harming its child.


    As for its child, a thin film of starlight protected it from all harm, also healing the various birthplications it had suffered from the mass of worm-like creatures invading the body of its mother.


    Guan!


    The child slowly opened its eyes, unleashing a mournful roar as it watched its mother breathe herst.


    The worm-like creatures had obviously noticed it, having targeted it from the start. But, when they swam through the water to reach it, the starlight barrier expanded before vanishing.


    All the worm-like creatures vanished mysteriously, teleported deep into the ocean waters from where they originated.


    The baby Origin Beast swam through the peaceful sphere of water, nudging its mother''s corpse, letting out mournful roars from time to time upon seeing theck of response.


    The thought of its mother''s death finally registered in its mind as the baby Origin Beast began to weep in sorrow.


    "I''m sorry, this is all I could¡­" Hazen began to speak when suddenly, he halted.


    "If only the mother survived."


    "Such a pity."


    "Poor child."


    "Even if they are monsters, they''re still precious lives."


    "I really hope for a miracle!"


    Boom!


    The symbol of Secret Society on his forehead vanished as an explosive aura emerged from his body as immediately after, millions of Mental Energy streams were revealed in the air.


    Hazen gazed around; his eyes gradually gained a cunning glint as he focused upon the Mental Energy streams from the vigers that were all directed at the Origin Beast, hoping that it would survive, even though they were aware that it was dead.


    "Hazen¡­?" Alika stared in shock upon seeing Hazen''s figure slowly expand in size, gradually turning monstrous.


    A jet-ck cloak began to cover his body that seemed ethereal at first nce but sported spikes all over. The spikes morphed in location, congregating on his back as Hazen''s height soon surpassed three metres, already bing a giant.


    But he continued to grow in size, now wholly covered by the jet-ck cloak as the Mental Energy streams originating from the vigers condensed into a starlight sphere, transforming into a tiny Hazen that appeared overhead the Origin Beast''s corpse.


    Immediately after, his figure began to sport injuries, suffering from pain as shockingly, the wounds on the Origin Beast vanished, as if they were never there in the first ce.


    Now, the ethereal figure of Hazen was injured all over, on the verge of death as he smiled, gazing at the vigers as he spoke, "Your wish is mymand."


    Boom!


    His figure exploded, vanishing as a result.


    "The Origin Beast!" Alika shouted in shock as miraculously, the Origin Beast hade back to life.


    "My God!"


    "It''s a miracle!"


    "Praise the Harbinger of Serenity!"


    "The God of Miracles!"


    The adults among the vigers immediately prostrated on the ground, stating in unison, confusing the children that weren''t aware of the truth regarding Hazen''s identity.


    "T-This is¡­?" Alika stared at the growing back of Hazen, feeling that the two of them didn''t belong to the same world, "Are you leaving me behind¡­bastard?"


    The ground mildly trembled as the jet-ck behemoth of a monster stopped growing upon reaching a height of six metres, turning around as it faced Alika before gradually¡­kneeling on the ground.


    "I''m¡­sorry. Your wish is the only thing that I won''t be able to fulfil." The figure opened its mouth as Hazen''s familiar voice resounded, only a bit more profound at the moment.


    "You''re¡­still Hazen, right?" Alika asked hesitantly, raising her hand as she gently touched the gigantic head before her.


    "Hazen is a part of me." The jet-ck figure replied.


    "Then¡­" Alika teared up, "Will you be leaving the vige now?"


    "Yes¡­That''s the foundation for my revival." The jet-ck figure replied, "To heal the minds of the people is my reason for existence. But,"


    "My memory of living in this vige would always be dear to me. It''s the most¡­peaceful I had ever been in my life." Saying so, the jet-ck figure prostrated before the Vige Head, "Thank you for taking care of me all along. I had fun."


    "Goodbye." Saying so, his figure vanished.


    "Hazen!" Alika screamed, tearing up as her brain worked in overdrive, suddenly causing her to p her palms together and pray earnestly, "Be here with me! You promised!"


    "Always!" A majestic voice returned as a chain¡ªbearing the symbol of Secret Society¡ªmanifested before her, equipping itself around her neck.


    "Teacher! Hazen is copying my art!"


    "Hazen, don''t die!"


    "Is it bing worse?"


    Their shared memories yed in her mind as Alika stared at the symbol of Secret Society, able to feel Hazen''s presence clearly through it, feeling like he was still beside her, "Heuk!"


    She kneeled on the ground, continuing to cry.


    In the meantime, the Vige Chief picked up his aged body upon seeing the two Origin Beasts¡ªthe mother and child duo¡ªgradually enter the ocean and vanish from view. He hurried towards their shrine, rushing into it as he gazed at one corner of the shrine where the fragments of a statue existed, left untouched for 16 years.


    But now, the shards had vanished, and standing in its ce was the original figure of the Harbinger of Serenity, anew.

 Chapter 539 Two Sides of Trauma

    Chapter 539 Two Sides of Trauma¡¡¡¡A battlefield stained with blood, with allies and enemies ughtered alike.


    A lone figure walked through it, dragging his limping leg as he didn''t even have enough energy to make any sudden moves, having expended all his Origin Essence while his stamina was at rock bottom.


    "Help! HELP! HELPPP!" A middle-aged man screamed nearby, having lost all his limbs, bleeding out profusely as he stared with thest vestiges of his strength, hoping to survive as light leaked out of his eyes.


    But the lone figure didn''t seem to have heard that, continuing to limp bit by bit, eventually reaching the rear end of the battlefield, hoping to take a rest when suddenly, a majestic bird appeared in the skies, unleashing a corrosive mist that resembled water vapour at first nce.


    But when it touched their base of operations, everything was melted as the people within screamed for help, dying in droves, including some powerhouses. And, a wisp of this mist swerved towards the lone youth, enveloping his lower body.


    "Gahh!" The youth screamed all of a sudden, getting up from his bed in a hurry as he was drenched with sweat, having been through a nightmare. "Uwahhhhh!"


    He hollered in fright for a couple of minutes before gradually calming down, noticing that he was in a dark room, in safety, and not on the battlefield, "Haah¡­ha!"


    He had been suffering from frequent nightmares. After all, they were all based on his past, one that had been etched deep into his nerves, forming a deep impression of trauma.


    Whenever he closed his eyes, he would feel like he had returned to the battlefield where death and destruction were ever-present, and he¡­just a helpless cultivator that wished to survive.


    "Please¡­I don''t want to be involved in fights any longer." The youth clutched his head, plucking his hair out, screaming, almost losing his mind.


    A healer had healed him back to full health. And as a Ninth Layered Martial Origin Stage cultivator, he had significant responsibilities, preventing him from focusing on treating himself, suffering nonstop.


    But, as he no longer wanted to do anything with fighting, he had retired, now working on treating people simr to him that had suffered from war. But, even he had yet to make a recovery, not to mention the others.


    After all, their Realm shared an intrinsic connection with another Realm, both of which had a history of significant hate, enough to spark a war at least once every decade. And some of those wars were brutal, leading to the deaths of millions of people.


    And the most recent war was one of the most brutal in their history, resulting in the death of around eight million people, with more than a hundred thousand cultivators among the tally.


    He was one of the survivors, still reeling from the after-effects, even though four years had passed since then.


    Now that he had woken up, the youth was unable to fall asleep, sighing as he wore his robes and exited his house, staring at a group of cultivators huddled around a fire, staring at it in a daze.


    They were all war veterans that were suffering from trauma, unable to return to their regr lives. Even if they somehow managed to do their tasks, they were only pressing forth through sheer willpower.


    And by now, they had huddled as a group to find sce in thepany of others, unable to be peaceful while alone.


    "Tonas, can''t fall asleep either?" One of them raised his hand, shouting at the youth.


    "I remembered the scene when the Destruction King attacked our base." The youth, addressed as Tonas, sighed, "As if I could fall asleep after that."


    "That¡­" The man that had asked him sighed in response. His hands trembled in both fear and hatred at the Destruction King that had ughtered a lot of theirrades.


    On the other side, the Destruction King was hailed as a legendary hero that won the war for them.


    But on this side, the Destruction King was a mass murderer. The group turned silent for a minute before gradually resuming with faint murmurs.


    Tonas too joined them, finding sce at thepany, trembling from time to time as for the faintest of sounds, his body reacted in reflex as if an enemy were about to attack them.


    He wasn''t alone in this as the rest too reacted more or less the same. Some even huddled on the ground, covering their heads as they trembled in fear, "No more!"


    All of them had at least lost a fewrades to the Destruction King.


    But, what about the perpetrator of the violence? Of the man hailed as a hero in his home Realm?


    "Keuk! Forna! Stop! What¡­are you doing?" Ady screamed, trying her best to wring herself out of the vice-like grip on her neck, trembling in fear as she was subjected to the brunt of the other party''s killing intent.


    She wasn''t able to break free as she shouted, "Return to your senses!"


    "Are you a spy?" A cold voice resounded, "Is that why you approached me as a kid and gained a ce in my heart? Is it to spark another war with the damn monsters that ughtered my n?"


    "I''m not!" Thedy screeched, saying in concern as she stared at the middle-aged man, watching tears stream out of his eyes.


    She sighed, stopping her struggles, "I won''t give any excuses. If you feel that I''ve done something against you, then feel free to kill me."


    "Why?" Forna, the middle-aged man once hailed as the Destruction King struggled to speak, feeling weak as he said, "Why are you giving up? Why? At least tell me something!"


    "It''s no use!" Thedy sighed, "You''ve killed so many people that your bloodlust has seeped into the depths of your soul. You''re unable to cull it. This is why you''ve killed our allies even though they''ve done nothing to warrant that."


    "That is also why our children left us to go on their own." She continued, "And this is also why I''ll be killed now."


    "No one''s able to control you, Forna, including yourself."

 Chapter 540 My Wish

    Chapter 540 My Wish¡¡¡¡"Gah!" Thedy writhed on the ground, suffering from the corrosive mist that burned her body, causing the skin to peel off.


    Seated before her was Forna, trembling as he was in a daze. On one side, he wished to kill the traitor that hadpromised the security of their Realm. But on the other side, he was tearing apart from within, unable to bear causing his beloved to suffer.


    But after a moment, he retracted his power, kneeling on the ground weakly, "I¡­don''t care anymore. I can''t put up with this shit! Just kill me and be done with it."


    He copsed on the ground weakly, trembling in pain. He wasn''t physically injured anywhere. Hailed as a legendary hero of his Realm, he had a lot of wealth and authority. And of course, that also meant a healer was under hismand, having healed him to full health long ago.


    He was hurt mentally. He wasn''t suffering this much when he ughtered his enemies. No, even though he flinched at the start, that was only because he wasn''t experienced in killing.


    In the past, the other Realm had ughtered his n. So, he was only exacting revenge. But after the war was over, and he gained an authoritative position, things started to be worse.


    He became broiled in politics, understanding to the extent the enemy Realm had invaded theirs, causing countless sufferings to people.


    Their young were kidnapped regrly to be trained into child soldiers that would then be unleashed onto their homnd or trained as a spy to infiltrate the Realm''s governance through legal means before disrupting things from within.


    Once he began to investigate, Forna came across countless such cases, with each taking a toll on his body and mind.


    He was a soldier, someone that openly ughtered the enemies that charged at him with killing intent.


    But once he jumped into the murky waters of politics, he came face to face with the worst of human nature, experiencing the depths to which one could go to achieve their objective.


    Imnting a slow-acting poison through food that would corrupt the hearts of the consumers in such a way that when they try to break through from the Martial Origin Stage to the Martial Providence Stage, this weakness would reveal itself, causing them to fail, resulting in wide explosions that would wipe out their n/Sect.


    Or there was a favoured drink of their Realm that didn''t have any problems at first nce. But upon excessive consumption, it would clot their Martial Spirits, resulting in its explosion if they were ever to fully exert themselves.


    There was a mafia that was stealing their resources, people, etc. transporting them to the other side. They were just some of the examples.


    And then, there was the worst of them all, one that targeted their mind, gradually imnting a seed of individuality in their mentality, causing them to oppose anything that resulted from a collective interest.


    This resulted in their younger generation having more intention to be lone wolves with selfish interests than strive for the interests of their n, Sect, or even their home. It was to such an extent that if given better benefits, they would even join their enemies to form the vanguard that ughtered their friends.


    There were multiple problems that he realised only after reaching the top. And as he tracked them down to get rid of, he came to understand the mammoth task that he had undertaken.


    As he investigated, the deeper into their Realm''s affairs he got, the graver he noticed the situation to be.


    And no matter what he did, things continued to be worse. Even his allies, those that had fought by his side on the battlefield changed after obtaining positions of authority.


    Some of them defected to the other side for more benefits. And every time he confronted them, the twisted logic he heard from their sted mouths hurt him, gnawing away at his mental sanity.


    He hated those bastards that had betrayed their home, he despised the other side that resorted to such dirty means, and he deplored the actions taken to eradicate them all.


    Once he began to kill his allies, Forna was unable to trust anyone anymore, gazing at everything and everyone with doubt, including his family.


    It was to such an extent that his children were unable to endure it anymore, leaving their homes.


    This left only Forna and his wife in their massive mansion, causing everything to feel toorge and vacant. And mirroring it was his heart that too felt vacant.


    And the final nail that mmed the coffin was when he cracked down on the organisation whose only goal was to kidnap children of his Realm and train them for a year by fully brainwashing them into loyal soldiers before releasing them back to their homes.


    And these loyal soldiers would gradually infiltrate the ranks of their Realm and destroy it from within.


    But, once he began to crack down on it, he came across frightening info. It was the fact that his wife, Carlina was also a member of this organisation. She was one of those trained by the organisation from a young age and then dispatched to be close with anyone that disyed cultivation talent.


    "I¡­just want everything to end." Forna sighed, staring at the dying figure of his wife, "I''m done."


    "Someone grant us salvation!"


    "Granted!" Suddenly, a mystical voice resounded as a tiny, ethereal figure hovered above Forna and Carlina, absorbing all their physical and mental injuries before vanishing.


    The situation hadn''t changed, but Forna felt strength surging from deep within him as he was able to think better once again, with strength this time, having the mental faculty to face everything.


    He then stared at the figure of his wife that was fully healed, gently helping her get up as he said, "I''m ready to listen."


    "Thank you¡­" Carlina teared up in response, feeling hope as she said, "It is indeed the truth that I was kidnapped by the organisation when young. It was a horrible time. But, I wasn''t brainwashed. I managed to fool them¡­"


    "No, that isn''t entirely correct." She shook her head, staring at him as she said, "I would still have done whatever they ordered me to. But, you were the one that changed me. You made me look forward to a life in my home, one that I felt had abandoned me before."

 Chapter 541 The Main Character Awakens

    Chapter 541 The Main Character Awakens¡¡¡¡Sigh!


    An old man let out a breath of turbid air in worry, looking at the pitiful three Essence Stones in his savings. He had fallen sick, unable to work recently. And hence, he had to use up the meagre savings that he had umted when he was healthier.


    He was alone. His son had been working as a servant to a n''s young master. And when he had spoken out of order once, he was beheaded, and the punishment also extended to his family, resulting in all their deaths.


    The old man had gone to a vige far away to buy some local specialities as a present to his granddaughter, only toe to an empty, blood-stained house.


    Even though he wished to seek revenge, he was just a weak old man while the other party was the young master of a powerful n of cultivators.


    As the years passed, he gradually fell sick due to both age and worry, resulting in the current situation where even his hatred had cooled down, only leaving behind emptiness.


    "I''ll meet the lot of you soon enough." He sighed, gazing at the sky as he sat at the entrance to his house, watching the clouds span past, muttering, "I don''t have enough to survive. Today will be myst. This old body is done for. If only I could hear their voices onest¡­"


    "Granted!"


    He hadn''t even finished his sentence when a heavenly voice resounded in his ears. Immediately after, the old man''s eyes zed over, immersed in a hallucination of the past where his family existed.


    Sure, they had a lot of troubles to face, but they were still happy as a family. Unlike usual nostalgia, the old man''s hallucination allowed him to experience the time from the past, wholly, as if he had returned to the past.


    Until he understood that it was just a hallucination, the old man was there, gradually returning to reality, staring at the clouds continuing to span past like usual.


    "Aaah!" He teared up, sighing as he closed his eyes, "That''s enough for me."


    And through that, he breathed hisst, seated at the entrance to his house, leaning on the door, a pitiful old man that only wished to see his family, nothing else.


    In a simr fashion, people from all walks of life heard the same heavenly voice, resulting in a miracle that granted their wishes.


    Though, these wishes never happened for those that only made the wish while spurred by greed, avarice, hatred, etc.


    Only those that desperately sought sce to cull their sufferings had their wishes granted.


    And as he continued to grant the wishes of everyone, Hazen''s figure gradually began to shrink as the horns on his back vanished eventually. Moreover, his form slowly turned ethereal,cking any mass, turning into a concept.


    One after another, his figure appeared above various cities, granting the wishes of the people en masse by consuming the Mental Energy suffused with their desperate wishes.


    And eventually, he left the Realm, entering another Realm, repeating the same.


    "Granted!"


    Tonas heard the majestic voice as immediately after, he could feel his mind healing as he sensed his thoughts clearing up, gradually setting in a sense of peace.


    He could feel that he had be mentally healthier, as if he had taken a long, peaceful sleep, feeling refreshed. He blinked his eyes, closing them as he heard the rustling of leaves, smiling in response.


    After all, these sounds of nature were calm to the current him, no longer startling him. Tonas realised that he had ovee his trauma, tearing up in happiness as he looked at hisrades, observing that they too were the same.


    "Ha¡­haha¡­hahaha!" Bursting intoughter, Tonas fell to the ground, closing his eyes as he began to sleep, appreciating the calmness, the peacefulness of his sleep, and the steady sounds of his breathing.


    Upon staring at his peaceful sleeping face, his colleagues smiled happily, dropping to the ground in unison as they didn''t care about anything else, taking a peaceful nap for the first time in four years since the devastating war.


    Hazen flew past them in the sky, unnoticed for his body had wholly turned ethereal, now a form of Mental Energy.


    Only those that wielded Mental Energy were able to see him now. As for everyone else, he was non-existent.


    For the next three years, Hazen didn''t have a wink of sleep, constantly on the move without a will of his own, almost autonomous as he went around granting the wishes of everyone. And eventually, he found himself back at the Gaider Realm, arriving above Hazen Vige as he stared at the people below.


    Gradually, his sight locked onto the figure of Alika, staring at her actions as she expertly plucked the fruits from a tree beforending on the ground.


    He slowly appeared before her, gently extending his hand to touch her head, watching his hand pass through her, unable toe into contact as he was an ethereal figure now,posed of Mental Energy.


    His lifeless eyes gradually regained light, shedding tears soon after as he closed his eyes, epting his fate, muttering, "I''m¡­done with my task."


    "You cane out now, Compass." Saying so, his form gradually vanished.


    "Eh?" Alika suddenly looked around, clutching the chain around her neck, muttering, "Hazen¡­?"


    "Are you here?"


    She held it, tightening her hold as she was able to feel his presence stronger now. She looked around, restless as she was unable to find him anywhere, "Hazen! Are you there?"


    "Come out if you have returned!"


    "Hazen!"


    She continued to shout his name, going through the forest, looking around but unable to find any traces of him.


    In the meantime, near the edge of the ind, a tiny gun materialised into existence, morphing in shape as it expanded in size, turning into a man sporting a darkish-blue hair, possessing an androgynous appearance.


    His navy-blue suit sparkled under the light reflected from the water surface as his feet gently touched the water, causing a ripple as he stood on the surface, taking in a deep breath as he sensed the power brimming within him, muttering, "I''m back."


    Main Character¡ªLevel 1!

 Chapter 542 The Power of Lore

    Chapter 542 The Power of Lore¡¡¡¡Compass Carburettor took in a breath of air, gazing at himself as he noticed the various changes his powers had experienced. Some of them barely resembled their original power, confusing him too.


    But, it made sense when he thought of it, given the context of the situation.


    After all, he had attained two powers: Personal Fragment, and Core Skill.


    First among them was the Personal Fragment called Wish Manifest, one that allowed him to grant wishes, albeit with some uses attached. This was what his powers in the Cultivation World transformed into, thereby resulting in this personal fragment.


    But, it wasn''t like he could grant any and all wishes. Only the wishes of those suffering from injustice could be granted through this power. Moreover, it wasn''t something that could casually alter cause and effect.


    There were set steps required to achieve it. First of all, was healing, whether physical or mental.


    Such wishes were granted by summoning a past version of himself that would slightly alter cause and effect regarding the target, taking upon their pain, trauma, injuries, etc. thereby making it seem like they weren''t suffering.


    Instead, all the sufferings would be borne by this summon.


    This was also the method that Hazen had used to revive the Origin Beast. As it had only died, he was still able to affect its fate, manipting its cause and effect to take on all its injuries, making it seem like it hadn''t been injured in the first ce.


    As this was the effect, of it being injured, then there was no cause for its death. Therefore, it came back to life. And in response, the summon died.


    And for material wishes, the thoughts in the Mental Energy formed by those making the wish would be captured by Hazen who would then infuse his own power into it, materialising that wish into reality to help the ones that made the wish.


    This was the power of his Wish Manifest.


    To a certain extent, it was only an upgrade of his cultivation world powers. But, what confused him the most was what came next.


    Sighing, he snapped his finger, watching three other figures appear before him, one man, and two women. Of course, they were all him too. And, the reason they came into being was a certain something he had written in Hazen Vige, the basis of his faith, and the substance that resulted in his revival.


    He sighed at the power that he awakened as the Main Character after reaching Level 1.


    Core Skill¡ªLore!


    This was the core of his Main Character''s power, one that had been in him all along, from the moment he had be a System yer. And only now did it manifest itself, allowing him to understand the true reason he obtained not one, not two but four Personal Fragments in total, even though other Systems yers and even Main Characters only had one Personal Fragment.


    Basically, whatever he preached and was religiously followed by the popce became him.


    And, since the Luck Based Systems had employed countless Systems to invade Earth, the Darble World and the Apocalypse World to eradicate Secret Society and all traces of him, this left the Cultivation World alone that bore his traces.


    And once his Core Skill of Lore finally awakened, it mirrored the Lore he had established in this world.


    Lord of Wealth¡ªCompass Carburettor, Lord of Secrecy¡ªDomino Plottopia, Lord of creation¡ªGahrat, and finally, the Harbinger of Serenity¡ªHazen.


    This was the Lore he had first established in the minds of the people that was followed religiously. And hence, he became the embodiment of that lore, turning into four individuals.


    And each individual had their respective Personal Fragments that had experienced some changes as a result of the Lore.


    Compass Carburettor stared at the wizened olddy that was now Gahrat. They didn''t need anymunication. After all, they were the same person but now existed as four individuals, with gradually divergent minds.


    Gahrat understood what he was getting at, waving her hand as the figure of Stencil appeared, one that was blinking in confusion, looking like she had just woken up from a longa.


    The moment she looked at the figure of her father, she became awake, rubbing her eyes to see that she indeed wasn''t dreaming, "¡­dad?"


    "Haha!" Compass Carburettor hugged her, tearing up in response, "Finally¡­!"


    "I missed you, brat."


    "Haha, it''s fine, it''s fine." Stencil smiled as she gently patted his back, "Aunt Gana took great care of me. And she is basically an extension of you, right? So, I wasn''t feeling left out."


    He then stared at her appearance, tearing up upon seeing how much she had grown and matured since hest saw her.


    After all, she was eight years old when the Money-Making System brought him to the System World. And even after he rescued Stencil from it, she was unconscious, hit by an attack from the Secret Schemer System.


    And to treat her, he had arrived at the Cultivation World. Also, even after Stencil had been cured, they couldn''t meet, for that would alert the Grade 2 Systems keeping a track of things.


    So, they could onlymunicate after he was able to lift the restriction on himself partially. But this was only a year before the Apocalypse World looped.


    And after that, he was killed by Straxia, revived as Hazen that had experienced 16 years in Hazen Vige, unaware of everything else.


    During the past sixteen years, Stencil was somewhere in limbo, unaware of the passage of time. To her, it only seemed like a second had passed since Compass Carburettor''s death and her seeing him.


    But for him, things were entirely different. Most of all were the pain he felt for not being part of a majority of her life. After all, Stencil was now 44 years old.


    What type of father would wish to be apart from his beloved daughter for the majority of her life?


    Compass Carburettor wiped his tears, sniffing as he muttered, "I''m sorry for being a useless dad."

 Chapter 543 Returning to the Apocalypse World

    Chapter 543 Returning to the Apocalypse World¡¡¡¡"You''ve done your best, dad. I won''t allow you to say otherwise." Stencil snorted before patting herself with a smug attitude, "Besides, haven''t I grown up pretty well? That''s the sign of you being a great parent."


    "Now, stop crying. It doesn''t suit you." She said, patting his back as she looked around, "Dad, I''ve been wanting to sightsee this world all along. Now that we''re free of all burdens, let''s travel and explore the ce."


    "You''re right." Compass Carburettor smiled in response,ughing in joy soon after, "Why didn''t I think of that? You''re a genius, Stencil."


    "Hehe, you shouldn''t praise me that much." Stencil behaved smugly, "It''ll get to my head, you know."


    "How long do you n to look around?" Hazen asked Stencil all of a sudden.


    Even though Hazen too was a form of Compass Carburettor, Stencil didn''t feel that sense of familiarity between the two, nor did Hazen either.


    After thinking for a moment, Stencil said, "We''ll firstplete our end of the deal to help Rhizen. We can always return here after that."


    She then faced Compass Carburettor, "Dad, I can open portals to the System World now and even ess their Astral Network. Tell me if you want something. I can get anything from there."


    "Alright," Compass Carburettor smiled before staring at Hazen, sighing as he said, "You can stay behind if you want. The rest of us should be able to finish the task on our own."


    "No, it''s fine," Hazen said before vanishing, retreating into Compass Carburettor''s body.


    "Everything feels strange." Gahrat said, massaging her aching back, "Until our egos grow enough, we''ll move as one. And after that¡­only time would tell."


    "I understand." Compass Carburettor nodded watching Gahrat and Domino Plottopia return to his body. From the start, Domino Plottopia hadn''t spoken a word. She silently stared at everything, maintaining absolute secrecy, so much so that sensing her figure was hard even for him.


    "Is this good or bad¡­?" He sighed, unaware of what these changes would entail in the future.


    After all, the Main Character was abination of four individuals now, with him possessing most of the power rted to the Core Skill of Lore.


    But only when all four werebined did the Core Skill of Lore gain the maximum potency.


    When separated, only he was able to use Lore while the other three couldn''t. And as the abilities of all Personal Fragments had changed once again with the awakening of Lore, he needed some time to get used to everything.


    The Core Skill of Lore had existed in him from the moment the fragment of the Main Character System became a part of him.


    This was what resulted in the development of each of his Personal Fragments. Among the variety of powers involved, Lore yed the biggest part, manifesting the legacy he had created in every world.


    He enacted as a Spirit in the Darble World, weaving a tale for himself that took root in a lot of people. And when he obtained control over a Dungeon''s devotion, the Personal Fragment of Secret Society was formed, taking shape based on the lore he had concocted until then.


    In the Apocalypse World, it was by breaking through the lore established by the Systems that he saw through the trap of System yers and became the Main Character.


    And Hazen''s birth was the same.


    Even without knowing the reason, he had been doing actions in ordance with the power that was in him from the start. And now that it had awakened, he gradually came to understand it.


    Though, the fact that there were three other individuals representing himself was somewhat unnerving. He wasn''t sure if that was the right path or not, but no matter, as it was already done, he could only adapt to the changes.


    Besides, all of those were only the secondary concerns. His primary concern, his daughter, was safe and sound.


    Besides, she now had enough power to protect herself from any threat that she might face. After all, she controlled two Systems, one of which was the infamous Happy-Go-Lucky System. It meant that unless she faced the Main Character or beings like Rhizen, she wouldn''t evere in danger.


    Moreover, both the Systems under her control could still grow. This meant that with Compass Carburettor helping her, she would grow by leaps and bounds.


    "Shall we go to the¡­that World?" Stencil asked.


    "That''s a bit risky." Compass Carburettor frowned, understanding that Stencil was referring to the System World. As the Restriction Order was lifted, uttering the word of System while aware of Systems would bring down punishment. And hence, she mulled her words.


    As the message came across, Domino Plottopia took action, coating them with ayer of secrecy, preventing any Systems from detecting them.


    "Awesome!" Stencil smiled as her body gradually morphed, bing a Coordinate before infusing the power of the Secret Refiner System, turning into the Secret Refiner System itself.


    As Compass Carburettor stared at her, wide-eyed, Stencil smiled, snapping her finger to condense a portal before her. The cultivation world seemed to stop as everything turned monochromatic.


    "Let''s go, dad." Stencil said, entering the portal first, followed by him. The two arrived at the System World and stayed there for less than a second as Stencil condensed a portal immediately.


    They entered it and arrived at the Apocalypse World, startling the middle-aged man nearby.


    "You are¡­?" Rhizen was shocked before sighing in relief, "Compass and Stencil, I''m d that you arrived before this loop ended."


    "Hmm?" Compass Carburettor looked around, surprised by the state of things, "Things are¡­different since thest time I was here."


    "I''ve already begun working on everything necessary. I''ve already informed the peak powers of the apocalypse this time of the truth about this world." Rhizen said, "But, I can''t do anything concrete until all traces of the Systems are wiped out from the minds of everyone here."


    "Only after that can I put my n in motion," Rhizen said. "And I''ll need your help for that, Compass."


    He then looked at Stencil, nodding in response, "Yours too, Stencil."


    "Sure!" Stencil smiled, happy to help.


    Author''s note: IMPORTANT~!!!


    I''ve created aic titled [Rage of Cmity] and joined a contest on .webtoon.


    If I win this contest, I''ll be able to write full-time and focus fully on my novels. Meaning: Increase in the update rate of IHS and PADS by at least one more chapter per day.


    To win, we need as many subscribers, likes, andments to the webtoon series. So, please help me and check out my most ambitious project to date, "Rage of Cmity".


    Webtoon is also avable as an app on android and ios, so do help me. If we win, you''ll get more content to read starting from next month itself.

 Chapter 544 Immortal’s True Identity

    Chapter 544 Immortal¡¯s True Identity¡¡¡¡Currently, the trio were at the top of a massive Fortress. Rhizen had arrived here to rx for a few minutes when they appeared.


    "What have you nned?" Compass Carburettor asked.


    "I''ve already developed the necessary energy," Rhizen said, revealing his palm atop which starlight energy circted. Immediately after, the Apocalypse Pearl fused into it, turning it somewhat murky white when Origin Essence also fused into it, turning it deep orange.


    Following that, a mysterious power from the domain of time fused into it, turning it yellow as finally, a power to seal Systems fused into it, turning it pale yellow.


    Rhizen had three fusion materials that he had fused with. The first of them was the Mental Energy sphere that he obtained from Compass Carburettor. This attribute allowed him to wield Mental Energy and take on a Mental Energy form.


    The second fusion material was the Token of the Apocalypse World, the core of its being, the proof of ownership of the Coincidental Luck System. And it was through this token that the Coincidental Luck System both ruled and controlled the Apocalypse World.


    Through this, Rhizen was able to draw upon the Apocalypse Pearl''s power and also the power of time ingrained in this world.


    And finally, there was the Restriction Order, his third fusion material. Through this, he obtained a power that rendered System Skills useless. And when killed, the concept forming them would also be destroyed while their Coordinates would be absorbed by the Restriction Order to turn into fuel.


    This was the power of the first Main Character.


    And Rhizen had fused all these energies, creating a brand-new energy, "I call this Nacre. It''s capable of killing Systems."


    "How did you¡­fuse all these energies actually?" Compass Carburettor frowned, "It doesn''t seem possible."


    "I helped him." Suddenly, an aged but gracious voice resounded as a youth gentlynded before them.


    "You are¡­?" Compass Carburettor frowned, gazing at the youth as suddenly, four voices resounded from him, "You''re not a living entity, are you?"


    The youth''s eyes widened in shock before curling up into a smile, "As expected of the Main Character. To think you could see through me in an instant."


    Even though he was stating in surprise, the youth was feeling bouts of shock internally upon sensing the various changes in Compass Carburettor, some of which even he was able to perceive, ''Just what happened that he experienced such a bizarre but explosive growth?''


    He then nodded, "You can address me as Immortal. I''m what you can call a concept that represents all cultivation worlds."


    "So, you''re not a cultivator that surpassed their original world and then became the ruler of all simr worlds?" Compass Carburettor asked.


    "No, you can consider me a collective consciousness of all the cultivation worldsbined," Immortal said, "I am the authority on all these worlds."


    "I see," Compass Carburettor nodded, "So, this is why I''m feeling that your strength is¡­decreasing as we speak?"


    "So, you can sense that too." Immortal sighed, "As the Systems invade the cultivation worlds more and more and gain control over them, I weaken in response. And on the day they control all cultivation worlds is when I vanish from existence. If I had the ability to actually kill them, such a thing wouldn''t have happened."


    "After all, in the past, I alone could take on all three of their Grade 4 Systems." He sighed.


    "So, this is where Nacrees in." Compass Carburettor nodded, gazing at Rhizen, "So, you helped Rhizenplete it. And since the core of this power is the Human Divine Martial Spirit of the cultivation world, you too would gain that power."


    "Yes," Immortal nodded, "But, it will only be a small part of my power. Despite that, I''ll be able to actually harm Systems from now on. So, it''s a win-win situation."


    Honestly, if it was Rhizen alone that was working on this project, it might take him multiple loops before he figured out the way to sessfully achieve it.


    But thanks to Immortal''s help, hepleted the creation of Nacre in the first loop itself.


    "Though, Nacre is just the energy. And at the moment, only I can wield it." Rhizen said, "The goal is to alter this world''s power system so that everyone from the next loop will wield Nacre instead of the Apocalypse Pearl."


    "Then, first thing''s first." Compass Carburettor said, "Let me destroy the Systems dwelling in the minds of everyone in this world."


    Saying so, his figure flickered as multiple ethereal versions of himself spread around rapidly before vanishing in response.


    Immortal stared at the scene in anticipation as multiple past versions of the current Compass Carburettor spread around the world, phasing into the minds of the surrounding people one after another as bullets were shot.


    The bullets transformed into serpentine dragons that gobbled up the Systems before leaving the minds of the people. And as the power in them was yet to be expended, the serpentine dragons continued to travel, passing through the minds of the people one after another.


    "Is it¡­this easy?" Even though he had seen a lot of fights between Compass Carburettor and the Systems, he too was bbergasted, observing the casual way in which Compass Carburettor was destroying all traces of the Systems.


    "Yeah, this is nothing." Compass Carburettor nodded, experiencing the various powers in him. Currently, he was using his and Hazen''s power. Just that alone was enough to exhibit such a phenomenon.


    He was only using the powers that he was already experienced with though. But in truth, even he himself had new powers, not to mention the rest. And they had to experiment with them all first before understanding the various know-how of their usage.


    Within a few days, all traces of the Systems in the minds of everyone in the world was eradicated. Honestly, the majority of it was situated in the Fortress they were at the roof off.


    After all, the various people that had once been System Hosts were currently in the fort.


    Afterpleting the task, Compass Carburettor apanied Rhizen, walking down the flight of stairs before reaching a certain room.


    "Everyone''s here¡­" Rhizen said, opening the door when suddenly, Compass Carburettor grunted, copsing to the ground while clutching his head. And immediately after, Hazen exited him in fury, barging into the room as he pounced upon the ex-System Hosts seated inside.

 Chapter 545 Internal Friction

    Chapter 545 Internal Friction¡¡¡¡Bang!


    Everyone seated within the room fell unconscious immediately under Hazen''s actions, shocking Rhizen, Immortal, Stencil, and Compass Carburettor himself. After all, he could sense intense anger emanating from within Hazen.


    "These bastards caused countless deaths and sufferings!" Hazen stated, gritting his teeth, intending to go in for the kill when Compass Carburettor hurriedly stopped him.


    Crack!


    Suddenly, one of Hazen''s ethereal legs shattered in response. After all, he had taken an offensive action against someone. As the embodiment of the Harbinger of Serenity, he wasn''t supposed to attack anyone, not to mention kill them.


    And since he had attacked the group of people, part of his body shattered in response. If he were to keep up with the same, then he would die soon after, having gone against the very foundation of his existence.


    "Stop it, Hazen!" Compass Carburettor shouted in response, exerting his power to constrict the other party. At the same time, Domino Plottopia and Gahrat too appeared, holding him down to prevent him from self-destructing out of anger.


    "Why are you stopping me?" Hazen bellowed, "Everyone here has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people just for selfish reasons."


    "Know better, Hazen." Compass Carburettor said, feeling a severe headache as Hazen''s thoughts boomed in his mind, causing him and the other two selves of him to grunt in pain.


    As the Harbinger of Serenity, Hazen despised anyone that sparked suffering for selfish gains. And, more than twenty among the group in this room had been Hosts to the Luck-based Systems that caused a lot of chaos in the Cultivation World.


    So, he wished to put an end to them despite the price he had to pay¡ªhis life.


    "Did you forget that they were Systems Hosts at that point?" Gahrat said slowly, "Don''t look at things one-sidedly. Things happened for a reason, that''s that. Don''t stir up things that don''t matter here."


    "Don''t matter¡­?" Hazen red at Gahrat, "Are you seriously saying this to me?"


    "Gah!" Suddenly, Hazen gasped for breath as Compass Carburettor forcefully reeled him in.


    He panted in response, clutching his head as Hazen''s shouts boomed in his mind, exerting his control to forcefully suppress Hazen down.


    And only he was capable of this, forming the majorponent of the Main Character, also the wielder of the Core Skill of Lore.


    Upon seeing that Hazen was retracted sessfully, Domino Plottopia nodded in response before vanishing.


    Gahrat then looked around, snapping her finger as everyone began to wake up. She then looked at Compass Carburettor, "We each embody a different concept. So, there''s bound to be friction in the future, even though we are one and the same. It hasn''t been long since we formed but there''s already some disagreement."


    She then said, "It''s for the best if we go our separate ways once this is done. This way, we''ll all work towards the same goal through our respective ideology."


    "I understand," Compass Carburettor sighed, "At present, my views and Hazen''s conflict the most."


    He embodied wealth, having the innate nature of a merchant that sought profits. But, Hazen embodied peace at the cost of everything else. Both of them hadmon grounds but also had a lot of conflicting thoughts.


    It was depicted here clearly. As it was a give-and-take rtionship, Compass Carburettor nned to help Rhizen. After all, Rhizen''s ns would create another strong ally to face the Systems on his behalf.


    So, he worked with him.


    But for Hazen, such things didn''t matter. After all, the System Hosts on Rhizen''s side had all killed tens of thousands of people each, plunging a lot of others into despair and suffering all for their goal of killing the Main Character.


    Even if they had been System Hosts, it wasn''t as if they were entirely controlled either. Sure, they had to do this to protect their world. But, that didn''t alleviate their actions of ughter.


    And in that vein, Compass Carburettor too had killed his fair share of people, even though he was mostly retaliating against the foes that sought to kill him.


    ''This will continue to increase.'' He sighed, massaging his forehead as his headache gradually calmed down. It was because Hazen had turned silent.


    Gahrat then brought out Gana and Grisha, staring at the two as she said, "Good work, you two."


    "¡­Yes." The twodies answered in a daze, unable to concentrate on who they had to talk with.


    After all, Gahrat embodied everything Compass Carburettor had experienced in the Apocalypse World. So, it was as if she was the one that had been a part of all those memories.


    And this caused the twodies to feel somewhat unnerved. After all, in their memories, Compass Carburettor was a man.


    But, the one they shared a connection with now wasn''t Compass Carburettor but Gahrat instead, an old woman.


    Gana was the first one to adapt to the changes, kneeling on the ground as she greeted in response, "I stare at you, Lord Gahrat."


    It was how she had been addressing Compass Carburettor all along. And hence, a change in gender didn''t affect her all too much. In her eyes, Gahrat was already a deity. Moreover, the Coordinate in her was resonating with Gahrat, and not Compass Carburettor.


    Grisha stared at Compass Carburettor, unable to make sense of things. After all, she was staring at the familiar figure that felt like a stranger all of a sudden.


    In contrast, the stranger that was Gahrat felt familiar, someone close to her.


    "You''re feeling this disconnect because everything you experienced with the Compass Carburettor of the past is now a part of me." Gahrat said, gently patting Grisha''s shoulder, "As for the Coordinates, they seemed to have been distributed between the four of us strangely. And the coordinate in you now originates from me."


    Honestly, even they themselves were yet to adjust to this. Until now, all these abilities were wielded by one person. But now, Secret Society was in the possession of Domino Plottopia while Gahrat had the Dimensional Space.


    So, the bestowal of Coordinates was something only Domino Plottopia could do from here on. But, the Coordinates in Grisha and Gana belonged to Gahrat instead.


    ''It''s a mess.'' Compass Carburettor sighed, wondering if he had made a mistake. After all, even though the current him was many times stronger than the Apocalypse World Compass Carburettor, his abilities were less versatile in nature, having been split into the other three entities.


    Author''s note: IMPORTANT~!!!


    I''ve created aic titled [Rage of Cmity] and joined a contest on .webtoon.


    If I win this contest, I''ll be able to write full-time and focus fully on my novels. Meaning: Increase in the update rate of IHS and PADS by at least one more chapter per day.


    To win, we need as many subscribers, likes, andments to the webtoon series. So, please help me and check out my most ambitious project to date, "Rage of Cmity".


    Webtoon is also avable as an app on android and ios, so do help me. If we win, you''ll get more content to read starting from next month itself.

 Chapter 546 Meeting the Ex-System Hosts

    Chapter 546 Meeting the Ex-System Hosts¡¡¡¡As Gana and Grisha stared in a daze, Gahrat vanished from view as Compass Carburettor frowned in thought.


    "It''ll be fine, dad." Stencil patted him, "At present, you''re entirely you. But in the Cultivation World, I wasn''t sure if the person I was talking to was my dad or not, since it seemed like there were other characters in you."


    "And every time you did something concrete, this sense of you bing a different individual continued to increase." Stencil said, sighing in relief at the end, "But, the current you is the dad I know."


    "Haha," Hearing her words, his confusion vanished entirely, now no longer looking at the current issue as a problem. Instead, he felt that it was better.


    Once they split, each of them could proceed on their respective path. And as Main Characters, all of them would fight against the Systems one way or another.


    As for him, being with his daughter was all he ever wanted until now. Moreover, he wished to be himself in front of her and not some entity akin to a deity that his daughter couldn''t befortable with.


    That wasn''t what he wanted. After all, from the start, his goal had been the same: his daughter.


    Besides, to a great extent, he wasn''t afraid of Systems. After all, the strongest offensive against the Systems was possessed by him.


    "Sorry guys." Compass Carburettor turned around, apologising to Rhizen and Immortal that had been staring silently all along. "There''s a lot of confusion within me at this point."


    "It''s not easy being the Main Character." Immortal nodded, saying, "But, I feel like you''ve already surpassed every other Main Character by this point, just with the fact that there''s four of you now."


    ''Yeah, through Lore, I''ll be able to create more like Hazen and Gahrat.'' Compass Carburettor thought, nodding in response, ''This level of potential is unmatched indeed.''


    After all, in every world he entered, he would gradually develop a Lore there that would birth a new individual of himself. He wasn''t yet entirely assured of the way to achieve that but was aware that he indeed had the power to do so.


    "Ugh¡­" Straxia grunted, hearing a ringing sound ze off in her mind as she felt an intense migraine, graduallying to her senses as she got up.


    Even though she was at Stage 7 at the moment, when Hazen entered, none of them was able to do anything and fell victim to his power.


    Her eyes gradually adjusted, allowing her to make out her surroundings, staring at the figure of Compass Carburettor standing a couple of metres away from her.


    She sighed, getting up as she said weakly, "If you still bear hatred towards me, you can kill me as many times as you need."


    "Why should I do that?" Compass Carburettor smiled in response, "You''ll be the vanguard against Systems, right?"


    "They''ll kill you more than enough times."


    "¡­" Straxia didn''tment on that further as she looked at Rhizen, "How''s iting along?"


    "Don''t you feel the changes yourself?" Rhizen snapped back.


    Straxia didn''t seem offended by his tone, closing her eyes as she could feel that her mind seemed clearer than usual, stating after a moment of thought, "All System influences in me have been eradicated?"


    "Yep," Compass Carburettor nodded, watching the others get up one after another. And the moment they stared at him, they flinched in response.


    After all, a good number of them had been brutally destroyed by him.


    "Compass¡­" Ianon muttered, feelingplex emotions as he stared at Compass Carburettor. Had he only remembered the previous loop, then he would have felt hatred at the other party.


    But, Rhizen used his powers to make them recall everything. And hence, he remembered everything that he had done in the past few loops, quite a few of which were horrifying. So, he couldn''t say anything to Compass Carburettor that had only betrayed him.


    Moreover, the fact of the matter was that most of them here had tried to kill Rhizen countless times.


    So, it wasn''t as if the atmosphere was harmonious.


    Compass Carburettor looked around, recalling the faces of everyone, staring at Chenger seated at one corner, her mood foul as she red at the others from time to time.


    He then frowned, looking at Rhizen as he said in confusion, "Two people are missing."


    "Where''s Shyvern and Gallo?"


    "Gallo never revived." Rhizen said, sighing in response, "It seems there are ways to permanently kill us even without turning us into System yers. And Critical Luck had done that."


    "There was one¡­good guy and he''s dead?" Compass Carburettor muttered as the air around him gradually turned vtile as the hisses of snakes and the roars of dragons resounded in a chaotic symphony.


    A formidable aura emanated from him, startling the ex-system Hosts, causing their legs to tremble in response as they felt they were staring at a prehistoric predator.


    But a couple of secondster, the oppressive aura vanished as Compass Carburettor controlled himself. He then looked at Rhizen, "What about Shyvern?"


    "Chenger killed him." Rhizen smiled wryly.


    "Well, she has every right to kill him as many times as she wants." Compass Carburettor didn''t mind about that much. He then controlled himself, staring at the ex-System Hosts, stating with a cold tone, "The past is the past. And now that we''re all on the same side, let''s set aside our differences."


    "As I have exined¡­" Rhizen said, "You''ll all help me in spreading Nacre around and if possible, try to gain ownership of it before this loop ends."


    "And until then, prepare everything that I''ve told you about. We''ll need a detailed n of action."


    After saying his speech, he exited the room, sighing after walking a fair distance away, "We''ve developed a lot of grudges in the past 48 loops. So, it''s not something that could be solved easily."


    "Well surprisingly, Straxia is as enthusiastic as Dwun." Compass Carburettor said.


    "Yeah, that''s in her nature." Rhizen nodded, "Her curiosity prevents her from focusing on grudges and the likes. And it''s not like she feels remorse for anything she has done in the past."


    "She''s a strange woman."

 Chapter 547 Rhizen’s Detailed Plan

    Chapter 547 Rhizen¡¯s Detailed n¡¡¡¡"So, this is the n." Rhizen said, pointing at his surroundings, "Every twenty years, this world resets. But, I want to limit this power."


    "How¡­will you limit it?" Compass Carburettor asked, wondering if it was possible. After all, this was a power originating from a Grade 4 System.


    "Yes, it''s possible since my second fusion material is this world''s controller." Rhizen nodded, "As the reset prevents any development, I want the reset only to be in terms of the age of everything in this world and nothing else."


    Basically, a building that was thirty years old would be ten years old after the reset. Simrly, a seventy-year-old man would be a fifty-year-old.


    Basically, what Rhizen''s goal achieved was that no entity, whether living or non-living would ever experience copse due to growing age.


    Normally, everything that happened over the span of twenty years would vanish, bringing everything to the starting point upon reset. But now, the world would continue to develop as is, like any other world.


    But every twenty years, the age of everything would be younger by twenty years. Basically, things would always be brand new while still allowing for development.


    "But doing this would mean that a lot of the power of this world''s reset is left unused." Rhizen said, "If too much of it is stored up, it might result in grave problems, since this is the power of time. Hence, I thought of something to use it up."


    The first of it was age regression.


    A middle-aged man aged fifty at the start of the apocalypse would be seventy years old at the end of the apocalypse. And when the world resets, he would only return to being a fifty-year-old middle-aged man.


    But by harnessing the power of time that was in excess in their world, he could de-age all the way up to being a twenty-year-old youth in his prime. This was the limit Rhizen had set up.


    "And, anyone or anything below twenty years in age wouldn''t regress in age." He continued, "Only after they cross this age would they regress in the next reset. And that would only bring them to twenty years in age."


    "Basically, everyone and everything would be maintained at an optimal age." Compass Carburettor muttered.


    "That''s the n." Rhizen nodded, "And for those who no longer wish to live an infinite life, they could opt-out from this and gradually grow old. Their age wouldn''t regress. And they have the freedom of choice as long as they wield Nacre."


    "Hmm, it seems you''ve truly thought through everything." Compass Carburettor nodded, "Then, what''s my part in all this? Just clearing the minds of everyone isn''t even worth mentioning."


    "I''ll get to that part." Rhizen said, continuing as he stared at Stencil, "I''ll be requiring Stencil''s help first."


    He pointed at a Mutated Beast far away, "The Mutated Beasts aren''t suited to be wielded using Nacre. So, I''m nning to follow a model of power that fuses both our world and the cultivation world we''ve been at."


    "You mean¡­?" Compass Carburettor''s eyes widened in surprise.


    "All the Mutated Beasts would be transported to a ce simr to the Martial Spirit Realm. And everyone in this world would awaken automatically at the age of fifteen. After that, they''ll make a trip to this ce to obtain their Mutated Beast. And for every breakthrough in their Stage, they''ll make a trip there to get a Mutated Beast."


    "But, creating this Martial Spirit Realm counterpart is the difficult part." Rhizen said, "Immortal can create a basic space, but it''s hard to attach it to our world seamlessly."


    "I can do the attachment, no problem." Stencil said, "My Secret Refiner System is geared for this."


    "I can create the perfect world for that." Suddenly, Gahrat''s voice resounded from Compass Carburettor as she appeared beside him, stating with a calm tone.


    "You can¡­?" Rhizen''s eyes lit up in surprise.


    "Yeah, it''s not a big deal. My powers originate from thews of this world after all. So, I can create a world perfectly suited to house all the Mutated Beasts. Moreover, it would be in your control." Gahrat said.


    Gahrat''s Personal Fragment, Dimensional Space had evolved due to her Lore as the Lord of Creation, allowing her to create various worlds of her choosing. Her only limitation was her understanding and Mental Energy.


    Rhizen snapped his finger, causing two more of his figures to appear. His Human Divine Martial Spirit can split into three after all.


    Pointing at the two figures, Rhizen said while looking at Stencil, "Fuse the first one to the world Gahrat creates. They''ll form thews that ensure the Mutated Beasts are all one-horned, just like Martial Spirits in the cultivation world. Moreover, they can live there safely."


    "But, wouldn''t their numbers dwindle?" Compass Carburettor muttered, "That''s one of the problems of the cultivation world, right? They have a limited number of Martial Spirits. And hence, when a System manages to kill a Martial Spirit, the world itself takes a blow. And it is by devouring these Martial Spirits that the cultivation world is losing power. Why do you want to proceed on the same path?"


    "I''m not following it." Rhizen smiled in response, "Remember that this ce only amodates Mutated Beasts. They are called Mutated Beasts if they have one horn. And there''s plenty without a horn even at the end of the apocalypse."


    "So, there would be a constant supply of Mutated Beasts." Compass Carburettor muttered.


    "Yes," Rhizen nodded, "And I''ll designaterge areas where only the animals and birds can live. This would ensure a consistent poption and a consistent supply of Mutated Beasts."


    He then pointed at the second figure of himself, staring at Stencil, "Fuse him into the core of this world. This way, our world''s power system would change in ordance so that everyone from the next loop onwards wields Nacre instead."


    He pointed at Immortal, "As he''s an expert of wielding thews of the worlds, he has already done all the necessary changes. The only thing left is to fuse everything together to make a working whole."


    "That''s exciting!" Having heard the entire n, Stencil was excited.

 Chapter 548 Beast Armoury

    Chapter 548 Beast Armoury¡¡¡¡Gahrat hovered in the skies as Mental Energy riled out of her in torrents, seeping into the ground as a Mental Energy construct was created that ovepped reality.


    This was a Mental Energy world, undetectable to the naked eye, but it was there. But soon after, Gahrat ran out of Mental Energy due to the ginormous production costs involved.


    But in the meantime. Grisha and Gana returned, bringing with them a mountainous pile of Pearls that they had fished out from the desert where Gana''s Hornedmen tribe had been located in the previous loop.


    Gahrat converted the Pearls into Mental Energy and continued with the process. It took her almost two years to create the entire structure, a world where the Mutated Beasts could live.


    And it was a world mirroring the Apocalypse World. Immediately after that, Immortal transported a figure of Rhizen into it as Stencil followed right after.


    Lightning sparks revolved around her before turning into strings that began to stitch Rhizen into the Mental Energy world created by Gahrat.


    Beast Armoury!


    This was the name he had designated for this world where the Mutated Beasts would be living from now on. While Stencil was working on the refining process, Compass Carburettor, Rhizen, and Immortal continued their discussion.


    "As for fusing my second self into this world, it''s toy down the Restriction Order. Unlike what happened in the cultivation world, the Restriction Order would be a part of this world, making System abilities useless here." Rhizen said, staring at Compass Carburettor, "And this is where I need your help."


    "The Main Character is naturally shielded from the sight of Systems and their senses. I want you to cast the same thing on this world too, or rather make it a part of this world." He continued, "Because, the moment I take action, Grade 2 Systems wouldnd here in droves and destroy everything we''ve worked hard to date."


    The moment he said that, Domino Plottopia appeared beside Compass Carburettor, nodding as she showed that it was possible for her.


    Hazen too appeared, snorting in response before snapping his finger to create a gigantic statue of Domino Plottopia.


    cing her hands on the statue, Domino Plottopia infused her power into it as Hazen said, "Just pray to this statue daily. As long as you supply enough Mental Energy to it, this world would be undetectable to the Systems. And, there are a couple of modes of shielding that it can provide you."


    Hazen then exined the basics of the various modes that could be activated by their earnest wishes, snorting at the end as he vanished.


    "The power of wishes¡­" Immortal muttered as he stared at Hazen, trailing his gaze to Gahrat in the sky, "The power of creation¡­"


    He then stared at Compass Carburettor, "I''m seeing the Main Character in a whole new light. It''s a good thing we supported you from behind the scenes."


    "Did you have a role in me bing the Main Character too?" Compass Carburettor asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "No, we didn''t." Immortal shook his head, "We only came to know it a few days after you became the Main Character. We just supported to prevent the Systems from descending onto the cultivation world until you revived. Truck-Kun is still leading them everywhere. The Systems are of the thought that the Restriction Order is in his hands."


    Beep!


    Suddenly, a truck rumbled into existence a few metres beside them,ing to a stop as its headlights shed.


    The lights blinked for a couple more seconds before stopping as a smelly driver exited it, causing the truck to vanish. The smelly driver then yawned as he waved his hand at Immortal, "I''m back. It was fun sending all those chasing me back to the System World. They''ll need at least a few dozen years to revive."


    "That''s great, Truck-Kun." Immortal smiled in response, "Rhizen''s n ising along nicely."


    "Truck-Kun is real?" Stencil said, wide-eyed, arriving from her work.


    "How did you know about Truck-Kun?" Compass Carburettor stared in confusion. After all, thest time they were on Earth, Stencil was only eight years old. Of course, she wouldn''t have read enough Isekai genre to rte to that meme¡­


    "Those books kept mepany while you were working." Stencil said as she shed before Truck-Kun, extending a pearl b, "Uncle, I''m your biggest fan. Gimme an autograph!"


    "Haha, alright." Truck-Kun smiled jovially, "Who''s this sweet child? She''s whipped two Systems into shape. I like her."


    ''Back on Earth, I had more than thirty thousand trucks employed under me.'' Compass Carburettor thought, feeling jealous when his daughter expressed admiration for someone other than him.


    Though, it only showed howcking a father he had been to her. On Earth, he wasbelled as the most sessful man to ever exist, a legendary revolutionist that had the potential topletely change the world.


    But things like that didn''t matter in the end. After all, his own daughter had suffered a lot. Having to live life as a cripple was iparably hard, irrespective of the wealth under you.


    It was because of a rather simple fact: Youcked something every human had¡ªan arm. And Stencil had lost hers in an ident that also imed the life of her mother and grandfather.


    In the end, he let go of his petty jealousy, sighing as he watched Stencil jumping up and down happily while treating the autograph as something precious. She then returned to the task at hand.


    "So, you''re Compass Carburettor." Truck-Kun smiled, extending his hand for a shake, "You''re more impressive than when Ist saw you. Continue killing those sted Systems. I''ll be damn happy if you do that."


    "I''ll try," Compass Carburettor smiled in response, not giving any guarantees. He then noticed Stencil finishing the process with the Beast Armoury, having fused one of Rhizen''s bodies into it.


    "Heup!" Immortal snapped his fingers as the Beast Armoury lit up in response, turning solid for an instant before vanishing from view. Even for Compass Carburettor, it was impossible to detect it anymore.


    Immediately after, every Mutated Beast in the wild vanished, appearing within the Beast Armoury.


    Moreover, they gradually began to lose strength, regressing to their states as one-horned Mutated Beasts.


    Stencil hurriedly began to fuse the second body of Rhizen into the core of the Apocalypse World as everyone was able to feel a strange presence building up throughout it.


    Staring at everything, Immortal muttered, "And with that, the power system of this world has beenpleted."

 Chapter 549 Post-Apocalyptic Dispatch Society—Established!

    Chapter 549 Post-Apocalyptic Dispatch Society¡ªEstablished!¡¡¡¡Boom!


    A mystical presence coursed throughout the Apocalypse World as every human and animal here fainted. It happened the moment Stencil finished fusing Rhizen''s second body with the world, thereby spreading around the new power system.


    Due to that, the old power system of the Apocalypse World was rendered redundant, hence forcing all the inhabitants into a state of unconsciousness.


    Rhizen closed his eyes, sensing the changes to their power system as he could feel his power regressing. After all, the old power system was no longer in effect.


    From Stage 7, he dropped all the way to be a normal human. And after that, energy swirled into his body, gradually awakening a mysterious space in him, wholly manifested through the Nacre that appeared in the world.


    Like Origin Essence in the Folkan Secret Realm, the world itself began to produce Nacre, causing it to gradually permeate through the air, water,nd, nts, and everything.


    Moreover, it permeated seamlessly, not inciting any rejection reaction from any of the inhabitants.


    Boom!


    There was a spike of Nacre in Rhizen as he closed his eyes, falling unconscious immediately as he appeared in the Beast Armoury, noticing the countless Mutated Beasts roaming around, getting used to the new ce and their new life.


    The moment he arrived, the Mutated Beasts instinctively swerved their heads in his direction, bing excited as they rushed at him, expressing their intent to be his Mutated Beast.


    But, Rhizen didn''t ept them, smiling as he slowly walked forward in the void that seemed physical somehow. Gradually, the crowd parted as he arrived before a certain vulture-like creature, "I''m here, buddy."


    Kieee!


    The vulture-like creature pped its wings happily in response before flying into him, turning into a ray of light before disappearing.


    Immediately after, Rhizen returned to reality, opening his eyes as he sensed the vulture-like bird happily pedalling through the pool of Nacre umting in the mysterious space formed in his body, "Origin Space¡­"


    "I''ll call this space the Origin Space," Rhizen nodded, "And for the Mutated Beasts living here, calling them Internal Beasts sounds about perfect."


    His mind digested all the memories rted to the vulture-like creature as a pair of wings manifested on his back. Smiling, Rhizen looked at Stencil, "Can I test it on you?"


    "Sure," Stencil smiled, creating a faint wisp on her hand that was formed using the Happy-Go-Lucky System.


    A feather shot out from the wings on his back, mming into the wisp before creating a minor explosion, having a st radius of only a couple of centimetres.


    The wisp was obliterated as a result, leaving behind no traces.


    Upon seeing this, Rhizen heaved a sigh in relief, "Thankfully, it''s working."


    "That was¡­EPIC!" Immortal lost control of himself, shouting in jubtion, for the first time in his infinitely long existence, he had seen the power that could actually kill Systems.


    And, this was wielded by someone that wasn''t the Main Character. This meant that eventually, the various Gods like Immortal and Truck-Kun too would be able to do the same.


    After all, as worlds like the Apocalypse World gain the power to go against the Systems, as the personification of all the worlds forming their respective genres, the Gods too would be able to wield the same.


    Meaning, they would no longer be helpless against the Systems.


    "Let''s find our first target already!" Truck-Kun was the most excited, "Since this is an Apocalypse World, you will have a better time going against worlds from the same genre."


    "Will it not work in other genres?" Rhizen asked, confused.


    "It''s just more effective in the Apocalyptic genre." Truck-Kun said, "If the genre was only a mere term used to segregate the various power systems, then we wouldn''t have formed in the first ce."


    "I see, so these powers are the most effective in apocalyptic worlds." Rhizen nodded, understanding what Truck-Kun was getting at.


    Rhizen then condensed a small sphere on the palm of his hand, gazing at Truck-Kun as he said, "Can you give this to the Heaven Divine Martial Spirit?"


    "Sure," Truck-Kun nodded, happy to help, especially since the sphere in his hands was what would allow the Fire dragon¡ªThe Heaven Divine Martial Spirit¡ªin the Cultivation World to gain the power to go against the Systems.


    As to how it would integrate this power into the power system of its world, that was entirely up to it. Rhizen''s end of the deal was only to give it the means necessary to kill the Systems.


    Moreover, the Secret Society formed by the Double-Faced Monkeys was still there, even though it wasn''t functioning at full power for the time being. Just its existence alone was enough to buy the Fire Dragon more than enough time to make all preparations.


    After all, it only needed to produce new Martial Spirits using this power. And the cultivators awakening to these Martial Spirits would naturally be able to counter the Systems.


    Slowly, everyone in the Apocalypse World began to get up, sensing the changes to the ce. Following that, information regarding the establishment of the Post-Apocalyptic Dispatch Society resounded in their minds.


    This was obviously left behind by Rhizen in their power system itself. Moreover, he had imnted information regarding the Systems and the goal of the society he wished to establish, also including the truth of their world and how they could unlock everything with the help of Nacre.


    "Up next is to nurture everyone here, build up the necessary infrastructure, and then help the various worlds plunged into an apocalypse." He muttered.


    "Why don''t I find the perfect world to begin this journey?" Truck-Kun said as he snapped his finger, causing a truck to manifest beside him as he boarded it, vanishing immediately.


    A couple of secondster, he arrived, smiling with a wide grin, "I''ve found one already."


    "Then, all that''s left is the way to channel the power of time into such worlds and extend our power system into the inhabitants of such worlds too¡­" Rhizen muttered, staring at the Fortress nearby as he had an epiphany, gazing at Compass Carburettor as he said, "Why don''t we try this¡­?"

 Chapter 550 Cut Off

    Chapter 550 Cut Off¡¡¡¡Through thebined efforts of everyone, Rhizen managed to create the Horned Human race, simr to the one that Compass Carburettor had created in the past.


    But now, they were geared toward people not from the Apocalypse World, but from the other apocalyptic worlds that the Post-Apocalyptic Dispatch Society would save in the future.


    The natives of those worlds would be Horned Humans to gain the power of Nacre and expand their control in fighting against the Systems.


    Following that was an External Item that Rhizen named the Tower of Purification. Its primary ability was to absorb a System''s power and convert it into Nacre.


    But that wasn''t all, imbued in it was a power from both Immortal and Truck-Kun, allowing Rhizen to fuel the power of his world''s time through it.


    Soon after, all preparations for the establishment of the Post-Apocalyptic Dispatch Society had beenpleted as Rhizen was about to enter the first world that Truck-Kun had discovered for them.


    At this time, Gahrat was the first to suggest as she stared at Compass Carburettor, "It''s time we split."


    "Alright," Compass Carburettor sighed in response, of the same mind as her as he watched Hazen and Domino Plottopia exit him.


    "For the time being, I''ll remain in this world." Gahrat said, "I''ll think of another world to go into after that. What about the rest of you?"


    "I''ll return to the Cultivation World." Hazen said, "There''s still a lot left for me to do there. I also have people waiting for me there."


    "¡­" Domino Plottopia stared in silence before pointing at the figure of Shika that was situated a couple hundred metres away, mming a radiance into her.


    Shika''s eyes immediately lit up in response as she kneeled in her direction. She had been turned into a member of Secret Society.


    Following her was Ianon as he too kneeled.


    After making two people into members of Secret Society, Domino Plottopia raised her hand, staring at her other three identities, smiling as she waved her hands, disappearing immediately after.


    "Can you sense where she had gone to?" Immortal asked.


    "She''s gone to the world of her birth." Truck-Kun said, his eyes blinking in surprise as he said, "She was there only for three seconds. She has gone somewhere else now."


    "Dad, did Secret Society have such a power before?" Stencil asked in confusion.


    After all, only through Dota''s power was teleportation possible in Secret society, but that power was rted to the Dimensional Space.


    So, it was a wonder as to how Domino Plottopia was able to hop worlds like this.


    "Dota controls part of Secret Society too. So, some of his powers in it might have changed recently." Compass Carburettor said, "Secret Society has experienced the most changes after all. Even I''m not sure as to the entirety of the changes. They might be derivatives of me but I don''t have full control over them nor knowledge over their powers."


    "Where will you go, Compass Carburettor?" Gahrat asked, calmly exchanging nces from him to Stencil.


    "Do you have a ce in mind?" Compass Carburettor looked at Stencil, "We can go to a Hunter World. There''s a good number of ces to explore while the advantages of a technological world still remain."


    "But, aren''t such worlds under the watch of Grade 2 Systems?" Stencil frowned, "Dad, they are risky."


    "I want to go to a fantasy world. A massive world!" Stencil said as her eyes blinked, "A fantasy world that you cannot finish exploring even after a thousand years, one with lots of magical races. I want to go to such a ce."


    "Hmm," Compass Carburettor thought for a moment before nodding in response, "Alright, we''ll head there. Connect to the Astral Network and find details regarding such a world. As long as the Systems in that world are lower than Level 50, I can handle them without problems."


    "Okay!" Stencil said, turning into the Secret Refiner System as she connected to the Astral Network, buying the necessary information, essing them before saying in excitement, "There''s one world, dad. It''s a super old world with an ancient history. There''s a lot of fun to be had there."


    "What about the Systems there?" Compass Carburettor asked next.


    "Mostly in the range of Level 30 and below." She said, "So, they are easy to handle, dad."


    After all, a Level 30 System was something even she could casually take control of, not to mention the Main Character.


    After that, Stencil bought a System Skill from the Astral Network, activating it to transfer all the gathered information to Compass Carburettor, allowing him to understand the basic details of the world.


    "I see¡­" He muttered, "This world is¡­interesting."


    "There''s something rted to me buried there." He nodded, looking at Stencil in approval, "Great, we''ll head there."


    Immediately after, the figures of the two returned to the System World before transferring over to their destination.


    As for Hazen, he was transported by Truck-Kun.


    Standing next to Gahrat was Grisha, staring at Compass Carburettor''s vanishing back with aplex gaze before closing her eyes. She inhaled deep breaths before shooting them open, now calm as she looked at Gahrat, "What shall we do now?"


    "That can wait." Gahrat said, smiling as she patted Grisha, "This world would reset soon. Your mother would revive after that. Go meet her first."


    "Thank you¡­" Grisha nodded, her eyes moistening in response.


    Rhizen listened to their discussion before gazing at the sky, squinting as he said, "There''s the final trace of the Systems here."


    It was thews inscribed onto the world by the first generation of Systems that had arrived at this world. That was how the Astral Network was avable here.


    Rhizen closed his eyes, sensing the countdown of the reset to his world as he suddenly raised his hand, bellowing with utmost power, "Haiah!"


    Restriction Order!


    Fuelled by the Nacre, the Restriction Order covered the Apocalypse World as Domino Plottopia''s statue shone with a resplendent hue, causing the world to vanish from the sense of the Systems.


    And that wasn''t all, this power also began to devour thews inscribed by the Systems, causing the world to be cut off from the Astral Network permanently.

 Chapter 551 Major Players Take notice

    Chapter 551 Major yers Take notice¡¡¡¡In the far outstretches of the known universes, a certain entity gradually floated across, resembling a meteor. This meteor headed straight towards a world where Systems had yet to set foot in.


    "What the¡­?"


    "Is this the end of the world?"


    "My God! Protect us!"


    "Am I going to die like this?"


    The people no longer scrambled to survive, seeing the sheer scale of the meteor that was approaching them. It spanned almost two hundred kilometres in diameter, possessing enough momentum to knock out all life in their world.


    They gave in to despair, staring nkly at the approaching meteor that gradually turned ethereal, mming into their world before vanishing. Everyone fell unconscious as a mysterious power spread around the world, making some changes to this technological world.


    But suddenly, the mysterious power that was coursing throughout the world paused in response as a surprised voice resounded, "B-001 was cut off from the Astral Network?"


    It then frowned, muttering, "No, thews I''ve inscribed onto that world have been destroyed. This is surprising."


    This was the first-generation System that entered a world first to make all preparations to ensure the world was ready to ept Systems, one of the first Systems to be birthed by the System World.


    Grade 3 System¡ªTell-Tale!


    It typically travelled through the cluster of universes, looking for new worlds to invade next and create more worlds for the Systems to farm for Mental Energy.


    As one of the oldest Systems and the one that had developed the Astral Network, the Tell-Tale System had authority on par with Grade 4 Systems. Or at times, its authority surpassed the Grade 4 Systems.


    After all, without it, no Host would ever have a positive mentality towards a System, an entity that invaded their bodies without their consent.


    Only thanks to it were Hosts happy at obtaining a System and for a better fraction of their lives, devotedly wished to be bestowed with a System one day so that they could live out their fantasies.


    And now, it sensed its powers imnted into the Apocalypse World being destroyed, frowning in response, "Hasn''t the Main Character been killed? Did another onee into existence already?"


    "Isn''t this too quick? And why is it the same world as before?" It quickly retracted its powers from the world that it was about to make changes to, rapidly vanishing as it sped toward the Apocalypse World, arriving at the location soon after when it was stunned, unable to detect the world.


    "How is it possible?" It stared in confusion before announcing on the Astral Network.


    [Tell-Tale System (Level 299): Everyone, there''s an emergency]


    [Overdrive System (Level 31): The almighty overlord graces us,moners, with its mighty presence!]


    [Intelligence System (Level 99): My intelligence feelscking toprehend the thoughts of the great one!]


    [The Harem System (Level 87): Your esteemed majesty, this humble one is overwhelmed by your magnificence]


    [Monster Hunter System (Level 99): Everyone, let''s stop talking and allow the esteemed one to address the issue at hand]


    [Bully System (Level 12): Kyaaaaa! Your majesty! Swallow me!]


    [Appraisal System (Level 99): Please stop talking. Let the overlord speak]


    [Level Up System (Level 9): I''m about to faint¡­]


    The Astral Network moured in response upon the arrival of such an ancient legend among the Systems. Immediately, every single System in existence joined the Tell-Tale System''s exclusive group just to hear its news.


    There was a cacophony as every System fawned over this legend, expressing their utmost shamelessness to curry favour with one of the strongest Systems in existence.


    But even though everyone was messaging nonstop, a faint sense of foreboding began to build up within them. After all, only when the situation was urgent would a Grade 3 System ever make an appearance in the Astral Network.


    Otherwise, it was hard to even chance upon a Grade 2 System.


    And before this Grade 3 System, all the Grade 1 Systems were akin to brats, hatchling ants that tried to curry favour with their momma.


    Even the Grade 2 Systems only behaved with slightly more maturity.


    [Bully System (Level 12): Your majesty! Your majesty! Ah! Ahh! Ahhh!]


    [True Bully System (Level 44): This retard above lost its mind. I request your majesty to allow me to swallow this embarrassment of my genre]


    [Titled bully System (Level 38): This retard above is too greedy. I request your majesty to allow me to swallow this greedy waste of space of my genre]


    [Chivalrous Bully System (Level 51): This evil retard above is too cunning. I request your majesty to allow me to swallow this sorry excuse of a bully of my genre]


    The Bully Systems began their conflict immediately, hurling curses at one another while trying to obtain the favour of the great one to be the king of their genre, and hopefully, attain Grade 2 status this way.


    After all, a single word from the Tell-Tale System was sufficient to make this a reality.


    Of course, upon seeing the shamelessness of the Bully Systems, the other Systems too began to reciprocate with the same.


    This continued for a good few minutes before all discussions suddenly stopped. After all, a notification appeared, one that shut them all up.


    Tell-Tale System (Level 299) is typing¡­


    This message hardly ever appeared. After all, the discussions in the Astral Network were done through the mind. And thoughts took a fraction of a second to travel and hence, the messages were instantaneous.


    But of course, the Tell-Tale System hardly ever used the Astral Network, even though it was the creator.


    And hence, it was manually coding in the information one letter after another, causing the Astral Network to disy such a piece of information.


    A minute of silence ensued as every System in existence stared with bated breath. And finally, the information arrived, dropped like a bomb on them all.


    [Tell-Tale System (Level 299): The world owned by the Coincidental Luck System, B-001 has vanished mysteriously. And thews I have inscribed on that world had been destroyed right before that. I suspect the birth of another Main Character]


    And right after that, an even bigger existence dropped a message.


    [Regression System (Level 341): The world, B-001 has stolen a bit of my power and has managed to escape my grasp. It is now autonomous. Immortal and Truck-Kun are behind it]

 Chapter 552 Terrain of Fear

    Chapter 552 Terrain of Fear¡¡¡¡Glop! Glop! Glop!


    Horses galloped as they pulled a long trail of carriages, with each of them spanning a size enough to seat ten people within. They also had sections at the bottom and top of the carriage,partments where goods could be stored.


    "Haiah!" The coachman at the front bellowed,shing out his whip into the air, using the sound to urge the horses, controlling their movements.


    Seated next to the coachman was a middle-aged man, sporting a well-trimmed beard, continuing to twirl the monocle that he wore, causing the map on his hands to be magnified under his sight.


    The map was an intricately woken piece of artwork, soplex that it was hard to make sense of through the naked eye. And hence, this magic-imbued monocle acted as the lens, allowing him to make out the various intricacies.


    He was a Cartographer, continuing to stare at the map as various lines skittled around, with one of them highlighting their carriage.


    This was a map condensed using magic, one that worked like a GPS, used to keep a track of their surroundings, fully depicting their geography.


    Suddenly, the Cartographer''s face paled as he said, "We''re approaching the Calore ins."


    "The Calore ins? Already?" The coachman was surprised before taking out a conch shell that he blew through, unleashing a loud sound.


    Immediately after, all the carriages following them became alert as the people inside geared up for battle, donning various weapons and armour.


    "How''s theyout of the ground ahead of us?" The coachman asked next, gulping in nervousness.


    "It''s¡­bad." The Cartographer said, "We need to assume a defensive stance to proceed forward."


    "The lord must be protected at all costs." The coachman said before signalling the others of a change in stance.


    Gradually, as the carriages sped forth, they closed in on each other, covering the entire width of the route.


    Soon after, the stream of carriages exited the forest stretch as the light from the evening sky highlighted their caravan.


    The people stationed within the carriages frowned in response, staring at the setting sun as the hold on their respective weapons tightened in nervousness.


    There was tension in the air as their attention was stretched to the limit.


    Clok! ckety! Clok!


    It was a vast stretch of ins, stretching for hundreds of kilometres, covered by grass that grew to a height of around half a metre. And scattered among the ins were massive boulders, ranging from a height of ten metres to some reaching as high as eighty metres.


    As the caravan continued to travel, its sounds reverberated through the surroundings, at times reflected by the boulders.


    A soldier within the caravan stared at a boulder that reached a height of thirty metres, noticing a cave entrance reaching as high as four metres. Curtains resembling human skin were draped over the entrance, preventing him from seeing inside.


    The soldier gulped nervously as the hand that held his sword began to tremble subtly. He stared at hisrades, noticing that everyone was in a state simr to him, nervous, tensions high, their muscles stretched taut, ready to spring into action at a moment''s notice.


    Sweat gently cascaded from their sideburns, arching past their ear before reaching their jaw, dripping onto the floor. None moved or made a sound, not even wiping their sweat that began to drip profusely.


    Even though the caravan consisted of more than two hundred carriages, with the troupe having more than a thousand people, the only sounds reverberating through the area were the rolling of the wheels, the hooves of the horses hitting the ground, and their constant neighs.


    The Cartographer was nervous, revealing the palm of his hand as he constructed a magic circle, causing it to rotate as multiple runes came alive.


    Gradually, it turned from a phantom to real, about to activate when the coachman held his hand, stopping him from activating the magic, whispering in response, "Don''t."


    "Even your detection magic is enough to alert them."


    The Cartographer stared at the coachman as the two men were able to see the apparent fear brimming within the eyes of the other party. Tensions sparked in the air as it was hard for either man to hold back.


    But gradually, the Cartographer retracted his magic circle, clutching his hand to stop himself from trembling, continuing to look at the map as he said, "We''ll need to travel for eight hours through this territory."


    "Eight hours¡­?" The coachman shuddered in response, gulping in response as he took out a kettle, downing the water from it, partially spilling it over himself as his hands trembled.


    The water cleared away his parch throat, allowing the cold water to calm him down a little. He then held the reins, controlling the horses as they passed nearbyrge boulders.


    By now, the cave entrances became apparent, located within everyrge boulder.


    Gulp!


    Everyone became tenser, staring at a row of spears plunged into the ground along the sides of their path. And stabbed through the other end were heads originating from various species.


    Humans, Demons, elves, dwarves, etc.


    Blood dripped from some of them, depicting that they had only recently been hunted. Some of them had be skulls by now.


    But, the skulls were the eeriest as ghost mes danced through their sockets from time to time, rming everyone.


    The coachman stared at a human skull, flinching when it seemed like the skull''s jaw opened, as if it was about to speak.


    "Eh?" He blinked in confusion, noticing that the skull''s jaws were closed, frowning in response, wondering if he was losing his mind from fear.


    "Stop!" Suddenly, the Cartographer grabbed his shoulder, stressing in response.


    The coachman looked ahead only now, hurriedly pulling the reins of the horses in his control. For, silently approaching from a boulder was a giant creature that reached a height of four metres, sporting massive horns on its forehead and canine teeth resembling a sabretooth tiger.


    It casually stopped at the centre of the path, looking elsewhere. But, the moment it appeared, the coachman lost all hopes, sighing in despair as he stopped his carriage.

 Chapter 553 Wind Mage Vs Warlock

    Chapter 553 Wind Mage Vs Warlock¡¡¡¡"Halt!" The coachman shouted as the entire caravan halted. As for the people within the carriage, none of them alighted, staring from within, peeking through some lenses they had attached along the walls of the carriages just for this purpose.


    And they watched as the four-metre-tall creature stood calmly, obstructing their path forward.


    The coachman stared at the creature, trying his best to remain calm when he noticed the creature turning its head to stare at him. And then, it spoke¡­


    "We''ve already had our fill for the day. Defeat me and you can be on your merry way." It was a simple statement, but one that caused everyone to be on high alert.


    The creature''s skin resembled stone as it exuded a powerful aura, covered with tattoos and tiny horns a centimetre in height peaking all over its body.


    Rock Ogre!


    It was an infamous warring race that possessed terrifying strength, enough to take on dozens of simrly-strengthened foes alone.


    And the most terrifying of them all was the power they possessed.


    The Rock Ogre race was full of Warlocks. The ability of a Warlock was strange and difficult to guard against. Most of all, even if you were stronger than them and managed to kill them, you too would end up dying due to mysterious ways.


    Hence, their infamy.


    "Dre, deal with the opponent." Just when everyone in the caravan was nervous, a regal voice resounded throughout it, calm, collected.


    "Yes, Lord." Bowing in response, a cloaked middle-aged man exited one of the carriages in the middle.


    Only his nose and lower jaw was revealed while everything else was covered by his cloak. He sported a reddish-brown beard, mildly unkempt as it fluttered in the wind slightly.


    His cloak was a shade of grey, adorned with intricate engravings, embedded with grey gems at discrete locations.


    The most prominent of all was the fist-sized gem embedded atop the cloak, in the location of his forehead, glimmering with faint magic pulses from time to time.


    "A Grandmaster Mage? Interesting," The Rock Ogre smiled in response, taking out a hair doll from the pouch dangling on its left, grinning slowly as it announced, "Had you sent anyone weaker, we were nning to wipe out all of you to stockpile our food ration."


    Dre, the middle-aged Grandmaster Mage stopped walking when he appeared twenty metres away from the Rock Ogre. Even though there was just one before him, he was able to perceive the stares from hundreds of Rock Ogres from the various cave entrances.


    ''There is no room for trickery here. The moment the Rock Ogres feel that we''ve tricked them, they wouldunch an all-out assault.'' Dre thought, announcing aloud, "I''m Dre, a Grandmaster Wind mage."


    "A warrior''s greeting? You''re that confident, huh." The Rock Ogre smirked, announcing, "I''m Yablukwon, a Grandmaster Warlock."


    The two entities stared at each other for a few seconds before Dre took the initiative, taking off to the skies immediately.


    He rapidly increased the distance between the two, stopping at a height of fifty metres from the ground before joining his palms together. The grey gem on his forehead shone with a dull hue as he stretched his hands, creating a spiral of wind in-between.


    "Heup!" Followed by a bellow, he threw the wind spiral towards the Rock Ogre as it dissolved, transforming into a dozen wind des that rained down on the opponent.


    In response, the Rock Ogre smirked, twirling the hair doll in its hands before snapping it in half, "Arise, and protect me, doll of vengeance."


    Guoo!


    A baleful screech resounded in response as the doll rapidly expanded in length, transforming into a hairy monster resembling a hairball but with an overgrown mouth drooling with rotting blood.


    The wind des mmed into it, formingrge gashes on its body as the hairball screeched in response. But immediately after, its body grew in size a little, bing slightly stronger.


    ''I see, so it''s fuelled by vengeance. Dy tactics might not work on it. I have to take it down in one attack.'' Dre thought in response before snapping his finger, condensing a wind arrow that he threw into the hairball''s mouth, causing the other party to swallow it.


    Immediately after, a violent twister emerged from within as the hairball was shredded from the inside, destroyed in the process.


    The Rock Ogre, Yablukwon, raised an eyebrow before snapping its finger, causing a shredded hair doll to appear on its hand, one that it vaporised using blue mes.


    It generated a lot of smoke thatbined to form a cloud, soon taking shape into what seemed to be a ball of cloud this time, also sporting a massive mouth.


    It had two pairs of eyes that seemed to be made from the mysterious blue mes it produced as the cloud dispersed in the wind before instantly reforming before Dre, sting a stream of fire onto its opponent.


    "Keuk!" Dre grunted in response as he hurriedly condensed a wall of wind, blocking against the attack before unleashing a couple of wind des, watching the cloud disperse in response, barely sustaining any damage from the attack.


    ''This will be a long battle.'' He sighed, realising that the enemy had already figured out a way to stall him while it prepared more avenues to attack.


    ''Then, I''ll have to target it directly.'' Thinking as such, Dre raised his hand, condensing a lot of power in the gem on his forehead before creating a twister, aiming it at Yablukwon.


    The mouth of the twister raced towards Yablukwon who began to run in response, hurrying to evade as it took out a horn that it crushed into a powder using two fingers, sprinkling them on the ground.


    Immediately after, the grass growing on the ground extended in length to tens of metres, flowing along the suction by the twister, entering it first as the lower half of the twister wasprised of the grass strands now.


    But, despite the force, the grass didn''t snap as its roots extended deep into the ground. And as the number of grass strands increased, the twister''s suction force was unable to uproot them anymore, held back as a result.


    "Dammit!" Dre grunted in anger upon seeing his attacks being countered so casually by his opponent.

 Chapter 554 Pseudo-Saint

    Chapter 554 Pseudo-Saint¡¡¡¡Dre was trapped in an impasse, unable to deactivate the twister that he had unleashed. If he did so, the grass created by the opponent would target him next. But if he continued with the same, he would be expending too much mana.


    As he was only able to use wind magic, he couldn''t do anything else. He tried a couple of spells but failed to do anything as his opponent countered them all.


    Just as he nned to unleash a terrifying attack to level the ce, a regal voice resounded, "That''s enough, Dre. You cannot defeat it."


    "Are you epting your loss?" Yablukwon smirked, snapping its finger as a pungent stench began to vaporise from the grass, causing Dre to flinch in response, hurriedly covering his nose as he increased the distance between the two, creating a draft to ensure the pungent stench didn''t reach him, fearing that it was a poison.


    A Warlock was definitely capable of that.


    ''Defeat to a Rock Ogre means death.'' Dre thought, ''No, I''m one of our strongest. If I back down now, then it means my Lord would have to face them next. Even if I were to die, I cannot allow my Lord to risk his life, even if he''s stronger.''


    "If you lost, then you must die!" Yablukwon shouted, taking out another doll when suddenly, intense winds billowed from Dre, causing dozens of wind des to rush at it, severing all the grass strands, freeing the twister that rapidly mmed into it, riddling it with countless injuries.


    "Hmph!" Dre bellowed, riling up his mana as the twister increased in intensity before a dozen wind des began to rotate in it, shredding Yablukwon apart.


    Bang!


    Suddenly, like a kite whose string was severed, Dre lost all strength and began to fall. But just before he crashed into the ground, a gust of wind cushioned his fall.


    "Koff!" He clutched his chest, feeling something squirming there, coughing out blood as he hurriedly lifted his cloak, staring at a massive worm squirming underneath his skin, gradually approaching his heart from his lungs.


    Aware that this was Yablukwon''s sneak attack during their entire exchange, Dre didn''t hesitate, creating a tiny wind de that he used to pry open his chest and yanked out the worm from inside, dicing it up into countless pieces first.


    He then took out a potion and poured it over his wounds, watching the injuries heal at a noticeable pace, gradually stopping all the bleeding.


    ''That was close!'' He panted in response upon dissipating the twister, confirming that Yablukwon was indeed dead.


    Immediately after, a loud voice resounded from a cave nearby, "You can pass now. You have one minute to clear out from this area. Otherwise, we''ll attack you."


    "Thank you." He cupped his fists in response before flying towards his carriage in a hurry, almost crashing into it, barely managing to slip in through the window.


    The caravan began to move immediately after, quickly leaving the ce.


    Seated within the cave, the owner of the loud voice was a Rock Ogre covered with tattoos thrice the number of Yablukwon, staring at the passing caravan through an insect hidden in the grass.


    It gradually observed a well-decorated carriage, frowning when a tiny spark mmed into it, charring the insect, cutting off themunication.


    The Rock Ogre frowned, ''There''s a troublesome bastard in that caravan.''


    It then looked at the other Rock Ogres that were raring to go, motioning for them to stop, "We''ll lose too many if we engage in a battle. There''s a Pseudo-Saint among them."


    The person they were talking about was at the moment staring down Dre, stating with a calm tone, "I believe I told you to stand down?"


    "My Lord¡­" Dre sweated a little as his face paled, "If I had retreated, the Rock Ogres would have warred against us."


    "Are you doubting my orders?" The regal voice resounded, now containing a mild trace of anger.


    "This servant doesn''t dare!" Dre kneeled on the ground, prostrating himself.


    "This will be thest, you understand? The next time you disobey an order, your head would roll." The regal voice announced before stating, "They wouldn''t have dared attack us."


    As he was pardoned, Dre slowly lifted his head, for a moment in a trance upon staring at his lord.


    A majestic golden hair that practically glowed like fire, with a pair of eyes that were even brighter, containing heat that seemed like it could burn through everything in his sight.


    A jet-ck skin that seemed capable of swallowing the very night itself as a silver-blue gem was embedded on his forehead, pulsating with a dense magic fluctuation.


    The man seemed to be around twenty years in age, having attained a terrifying strength so young. From top to bottom, he was adorned in expensive trinkets that each pulsed with a magic fluctuation.


    Horan Fawnker!


    He was a Pseudo-Saint of two professions, a Mage and a Warrior, wielding the lightning element of both paths, a terrifyingbo whose potential was unleashed to the peak.


    In this world, all paths had a simr breakdown of power levels, with those that had just embarked upon a path and learned to use mana addressed as a Novice.


    Above that was an Expert, affluent in their respective path, following which one became a Master, having mastered their path.


    Masters were severely valued by every powerful force. It could be said that the number of Masters in one''s force indicated the extent of their dominance.


    Above even that were existences called Grandmasters, those that had surpassed the peak and had ventured out to greater heights.


    Doran and Yablukwon were both Grandmasters, possessing enough power to wipe out thousands of people on their own.


    And above even this was a special group, known as Pseudo-Saints, those that almost attained enlightenment into the truth of their respective paths. There were two more stages above that, but they were almost unheard of, as those active in the world were only Pseudo-Saints.


    And hence, as a Pseudo-Saint, Horan Fawnker was a terrifying existence. But strangely, this terrifying existence was now travelling through a dangerous territory.

 Chapter 555 Familial Banter…?

    Chapter 555 Familial Banter¡­?¡¡¡¡While Dre and Yablukwon were fighting each other in a disy of strength, the Chief of this Stone Ogre tribe and Horan were entangled in a battle of the mind. The result of the sh between these peak powers¡ªPseudo-Saints¡ªdecided whether or not they would fight each other.


    And shockingly, the Stone Ogre Chief lost, understanding that its opponent wasn''t someone it could afford to offend. Even if they warred, the losses would be crippling. A pyrrhic victory wasn''t something any leader sought in circumstances where a war wasn''t even necessary.


    That was why the Stone Ogre Tribe let go of the caravan.


    Yablukwon''s actions were only an effort to buy time for the Chief to test the peak power of the caravan.


    That was why, once he won the mental battle, Horanmanded Doran to return.


    Now that he understood the intricacies of the battle involved, Doran''s expression of servitude deepened as he returned to his station within the nearby carriage.


    Horan took in a deep breath, taking out a beverage from a nearby container as he began to drink it casually.


    The caravan soon left the Rock Ogre Tribe as the Tribe Chief exited its cave, frowning as it stared at the back of the leaving caravan.


    Clok! k! Clok!


    Suddenly, the sounds of a horse galloping resounded as the Stone Ogre Chief turned around, noticing a lone horse marching alone. And seated on its back were two individuals, a man and a woman.


    Unlike those from the caravan that were nervous while passing through this region, the two individuals seemed to be chatting away happily.


    Upon seeing that the enemies only consisted of two people, the Rock Ogre Chief was just about to signal everyone to attack when the man seated on the horse made eye contact.


    His eyes then trailed to his right, motioning for the Tribe Chief to stare in that direction.


    For some reason, the Stone Ogre Chief feltpelled to do so as it heard exims from the other Stone Ogres.


    "Chief! Your hand!"


    The Stone Ogre Chief stared at its severed arm that was being carried by the horse. In shock, all the Stone Ogres, a race that struck fear in the hearts of other races now stood in silence as the horse stopped before them.


    It then dropped the severed hand into the grasp of the owner before beginning to run once again.


    As for the man seated on its back, he slowly raised the index finger of his right hand, bringing it over his lips as for some reason, apelling voice resounded in the mind of the Rock Ogre Chief.


    "Treat this as a warning."


    The Stone Ogre Chief shuddered in response, watching the horse continue to gallop away as it hurriedly raised its hand, motioning for the Rock Ogres to stop, refraining fromunching a signal to attack.


    Only after the horse vanished from view did the Stone Ogre Chief rx visibly, slumping to the ground as it surprisingly began to sweat.


    "Chief¡­what¡­was up with that human?" A nearby Rock Ogre asked hesitantly, aware that something was up for their terrifying Chief to be in such a frightened state.


    "That''s no human¡­" The Rock Ogre Chief stated solemnly, getting up as itmanded everyone, "Don''t utter a single word of their existence to anyone. Don''t even discuss it amongst yourselves."


    "That was a divine being¡­"


    "Uh¡­dad¡­" Stencil looked behind, noticing the state of the Rock Ogre Tribe as she muttered, "Don''t you think you¡­frightened them way too much?"


    "Did I really?" Compass Carburettor tilted his head in response, "I just used the shortest approach to remain discrete and avoid trouble you know. If I tried other methods, we would have had to fight. And that''s such a pain you know."


    "The Rock Ogres are tricky to deal with, you know." He spoke.


    "I know¡­" Stencil pouted, "Besides, it was I that told you everything regarding them. Don''t lecture me, I''m not that young anymore."


    "How much was our age difference when you were born?" Compass Carburettor smiled.


    "27¡­" Stencil said, refusing immediately upon seeing her father''s smile, "Don''t say that things haven''t changed just because our age difference remains the same. Besides,"


    She retorted, "You lost sixteen years of your life to Hazen. So that means the difference will fall to only 11¡­"


    "You were also not aging at that time, right?" Compass Carburettor smiled, shutting her up.


    "Annoying¡­" Stencil rolled her eyes before being distracted as she looked around, eximing in surprise, "Dad, look at that tree. It''s massive! Isn''t it around eighty metres tall? Is it something like a World Tree sapling?"


    "Hmm, I don''t think so." Compass Carburettor replied, "Even a sapling of the World Tree is taller than that. It would reach this height within a mere day. As the tree before us isn''t growing, it''s not a World Tree sapling."


    Stencil stared as the tree vanished from view, thinking for a couple of minutes before saying, "Um¡­dad?"


    "Yeah?"


    "If we suppose¡­you know¡­chance upon a World Tree sapling, can you like¡­get it for me?" She asked, hesitantly gazing forward in anticipation.


    Slowly, Compass Carburettor turned around to look at her, raising an eyebrow, "Didn''t you say you didn''t wish to be pampered, that you were all grown up now, etc. etc. etc?"


    "Adults capture our toys ourselves. That''s what being an adult means." Compass Carburettor said solemnly.


    "Ugh¡­" Stencil felt a loss for words before saying in a hurry, "Think of it as a gift, a new world visiting gift, alright?"


    "¡­" Compass Carburettor stared at her, smirking in response, "You''re still a child at heart, brat."


    "Well duh, I can''t age you know." Stencil rolled her eyes before winking cutely, "I''m an evergreen teenager, unlike you, old man."


    "Your dad isn''t old." Compass Carburettor retorted, continuing to attack, "When I brought a gift for you in the Apocalypse World, you refused it saying that you weren''t a child anymore. And now, you''re changing your tune."


    "Make up your mind, brat." Compass Carburettor scolded, "Your old man has brought a lot of toys with him."


    "Don''t make them collect dust."

 Chapter 556 Duke’s Affairs

    Chapter 556 Duke¡¯s Affairs¡¡¡¡Grrr!


    Creatures resembling lions prowled across thend, shing to and fro the trees, often using the vines to swing around like monkeys. They had flexible limbs, allowing them to perform a variety of actions.


    And the most pronounced of them all was their hands, one that constantly morphed in shape ording to their needs, resembling monkeys while they shuttled through the trees, turning into the paws of a feline while they ran on the ground, etc.


    "Magic Beasts¡­" The coachman muttered, feeling troubled as he looked at the figures shing past, "Triple-Foot Chimeras."


    "They aren''t a threat." The Cartographer said, using his detection magic as he muttered, "There''s around a couple dozen of them around us. But there''s too wide of a strength difference between us. So, they won''t attack us."


    Suddenly, a sharp whistle resounded throughout the caravan as the eyes of the coachman lit up in surprise. He then made eye contact with the Cartographer before pulling the reins, causing their carriage toe to a halt.


    The rest of the carriages forming the caravan too halted in response as the Triple-Foot Chimeras stared, lying in wait.


    Swoosh!


    Suddenly, wind des shot around, cutting through the trees, surprising them as they sprang out of their hiding spots, rmed when countless Warriors ganged up on them, rapidly killing them all.


    Magic Beasts typically had one ability that they honed for their entire lives. The Triple-Foot Chimeras honed their ability to morph their bodies, bing versatile in all environments.


    But, they were a weak race, in the end, enemies even Experts could take down, albeit with some effort.


    In this world, every race had its exclusive profession, wielding powers rted to that.


    Magic Beasts contained a Magic Organ in them that fuelled their abilities through the usage of mana. But they weren''t strong,cking intelligence and mostly having to rely on sheer numbers to get the task done.


    After that were the sentient races, existing in the dozens, scattered all across the vast world.


    Among them, the human race upied a couple of continents and was also scattered in other locations throughout the world.


    Their main profession was split into two: Mage and Warrior.


    Mages were those that chucked spells from afar, dealing elemental damage. Only the human race had Mages, and they typically wielded one of the six elements of Fire, Water, Wind, Metal, Lightning, and Space.


    The mostmon were water, and wind, followed by fire and metal. The rarest among them were Lightning and followed by Space, one that was rarely seen.


    Dre was a Wind Mage. Each Mage only wielded one element.


    The second profession consisted of Warriors, those that imbued mana into their bodies to empower themselves, exploding with physical might. They also awaken to one of the six elements, able to use the respective element in their attacks.


    Warriors were moremon than Mages. There was only one Mage for every hundred Warriors.


    These two were ssified as the Main Professions of the human race. Typically, each of the two professions only wielded one element. But, exceptions arose from time to time.


    It consisted of a Mage wielding two elements, or a Warrior wielding two elements. They were rare exceptions, raised as elites of the human race, fought for by all organisations of power.


    And then there was the bnced exception, a person that trod on both paths. They could strengthen their bodies as a Warrior and also unleash ranged attacks as a Mage.


    Depending on the elements of their respective profession, their power skyrocketed. And, Horan stood at the peak of this, wielding the Lightning Element both as a Warrior and Mage.


    He had the highest advantage even among those that wielded two professions.


    Of course, the Human Race also had Sub-Professions. They were rarer than Mages and only appeared alone. Meaning, those with a Sub-Profession can only have that, nothing else.


    There were three: Porter, Cartographer, and Alchemist.


    Porters were equipped with dimensional magic that allowed them to carryrge volumes of goods with them, simr to a spatial ring. And the stronger the Porter, the greater their storage capacity.


    Though, due to the trickiness of their abilities, Porters were super rare. And generally, whening across one, they were dealt by the humans themselves, fearing their wealth would be sneakily stolen by the Porter.


    Cartographer was a respected profession as they had abilities to scout the terrain and map it, allowing the human race to have one of the most detailed maps in the world. And through these maps, they managed to carve out a path for themselves in this world that was dominated by terrifying races.


    Finally, there came the Alchemist, one of the rarest professions due to the sheer fact that there was only a handful of them.


    An Alchemist refined potions that treated their injuries, cured any status ailments, etc. And, Alchemists also refined Magic Items that amplified one''s power.


    An organisation with an Alchemist would be damn wealthy. As only the Human Race had Alchemists, things¡­weren''t exactly harmonious between them and the other races.


    Horan Fawnker was currently travelling through dangerous terrain one after another in search of a certain treasure, one that would make him the strongest.


    Of course, he couldn''t openly do that, for the risks of others learning of the secret were damn high. So, his open ims were trading. He wished to trade in a nearby kingdom, one whose eldest princess was engaged to him.


    He was from the Electra Empire, a major Human power, originating from the Duke Household. The Fawnker Duke Household had two sons, with him being the second son.


    As a Pseudo-Saint, he wielded considerable power, having a greater chance of bing the next Duke.


    But of course, his elder brother didn''t wish to see that happen, and hence hitched a plot. And somehow, he managed to gain most of the assets under the Duke household, gathering greater support from their vassals.


    In order to gain an advantage over his elder brother, Horan had set out to the neighbouring kingdom to establish a trade rtionship and also gain control over the mysterious Magic Tool that the Kingdom was said to have been protecting for centuries.

 Chapter 557 Teto and Yaka

    Chapter 557 Teto and Yaka


    <div>¡¡¡¡"My Lord, the meat of the Triple-Foot Chimera is a delicacy. Please try it." A cook said in excitement, setting up the dish on a table before Horan.


    Horan didn''t show any change in expression, ripping apart a piece of the meat that he munched upon, giving a subtle nod.


    Upon seeing that, the cook sighed in relief internally, bowing as he awaited at one corner of the room.


    As Horan continued to eat the food, he heard some murmurs from outside, gazing at the cook as he asked, "What''s happening?"


    "Let me check, my Lord." The cook bowed before exiting the carriage in a hurry, inquiring the guards as he returned to report, "My Lord, it seems some travellers have arrived. They are requesting us to spare them some food."


    "How many of them are there?" Horan asked.


    "Two people, my Lord." The cook said, sporting disbelief at what he had just witnessed, ''How is it possible for just two people to travel through such a dangerous region?''


    "Two?" Horan raised an eyebrow as thoughts shed in his mind before waving his hand, "Invite them inside."


    "Y-Yes," The cook nodded meekly before exiting in the hurry, gazing at the two individuals that had arrived, "The Lord has invited you inside."


    "Sure," The middle-aged man sporting burgundy hair nodded with a smile, getting up as his height startled the nearby people, for he was more than two metres in height. His bulging muscles resembled tree trunks, but despite their size, they seemed strangely fluid, disying that in contrast to his hulking physique, he was quite agile.


    Seated next to him was a young girl that seemed to be around early twenties in age, also sporting burgundy hair that somewhat glistened under the sun. Her eyes were sharp, revealing her battle experience.


    Once the cook informed them, the two individuals entered the carriage, surprised at the exuberant decorations inside. Moreover, what was shocking was the fact that the space within the carriage was ten times its exterior, apparent that a spatial magic of sort had been cast here.


    "I''m Horan Fawnker." The man brimming with a regal presence introduced himself, smiling as he pointed the two to their respective seats, "You must be pretty strong to travel through the Calore ins on your own."


    "Something like that," The middle-aged man smiled wryly in response before introducing himself, "You can call me Teto."


    He then pointed at thedy nearby, "She''s my daughter, Yaka."


    ''Nost names?'' Horan frowned, ''Or, is this just an alias of theirs?''


    He then probed through their power, surprised when he sensed that Yaka was a Grandmaster, ''At her age?''


    Teto too was a Grandmaster, but it wasn''t too shocking at his age. At least, it wasn''t that rare. But, reaching the same stage at Yaka''s young age was a testament to her potential.


    "Help yourself," Horan said, pointing at the dishes that the cook had brought in for the guests.


    "Thank you." Teto smiled, cupping his fists in response, "You''re a kind Lord."


    Horan only shed a mild smile in response, watching the two individuals dig through the food in a hurry, proving that they had been hungry for too long.


    "So, where are you from?" He asked once they were done with the food.


    Patting his belly with a content smile, Teto said, "We''re from the far east. I''m not sure if you''ve heard about the Akuran Empire."


    "I''ve read about that ce long ago." Horan nodded, eyes lighting up in surprise as he asked, "You''ve travelled all the way from there?"


    "We''ve been travelling since my daughter was young." Teto smiled as he patted Yaka''s head, "We don''t like to stay in one ce for long, so we''ve been living a nomadic life."


    He then took out a coin originating from the Akuran Empire, giving it to Horan, "This is a rare coin minted three hundred years ago. It has considerable historical value. Consider it my thanks for such a heart-warming meal."


    Horan took the coin, inspecting it to see that it was indeed genuine, ''This has considerable value.''


    He then pointed at arge vase nearby, "Why don''t we share some wine? I obtained this from the Elves. It''s a delicacy."


    "Sorry, we don''t drink wine or any alcoholic substances for the matter," Teto said, excusing themselves as they left the carriage.


    Horan frowned at their behaviour, thinking, ''So, they have yet to let go of their guard against me.''


    He then smiled, ''Anyway, it''s interesting. Two Grandmasters Mages of the Metal Element, they''lle in handy during this journey.''


    He looked at the cook, "Arrange a stay for them. Let them travel with us to the Xetuka Kingdom."


    "As you say, my Lord." The cook bowed before making the necessary arrangements.


    Soon, Teto and Yaka entered the carriage prepared for them when immediately, lightning flickered across her eyes, causing her to nod in response, "There are no spying means installed here."


    She then red at the middle-aged man, "Dad, what the heck is up with the name of Teto? Can''t you find a better name?"


    "What about you?" The middle-aged man retorted, "You came up with the name of Gehto. That''s even worse."


    "ept it brat," He red at her, "This naming sense runs in the family."


    "Dammit!" Yaka pouted in irritation, "I should me grandfather for this."


    "Names only have the meaning that you give it through your way of life." Teto said in all seriousness, "So, it doesn''t matter what name you have. It''s what you achieve using that name that matters in the end."


    "This is the only piece of wisdom your grandfather imparted to me." Teto sighed.


    "¡­" Yaka fell deep into thought before nodding in response, "Alright, it makes sense. I''ll make Yaka resonate with what I want it to be."


    "That''s the spirit!" Teto smiled, patting her head as he rxed, "Now, let''s get some rest. There''s a lot of things to sightsee once we reach the Xetuka Kingdom."


    "An Ancient Kingdom that has existed for more than two thousand years!" Yaka smiled in anticipation, "Oh, how awesome it would be."


    "That''s true." Teto smiled, closing his eyes as he observed the starlight streams incident on him, going through the thoughts hidden in them as his eyes curled up a little.

 Chapter 558 CC’s New Powers

    Chapter 558 CC¡¯s New Powers¡¡¡¡Of course, they were in disguise!


    Compass Carburettor was infamous as thetest Main Character, one that had wiped out the Luck Genre Systems on his own. So, even though he was considered dead, pretty much every System was aware of his appearance and even energy signature.


    Therefore, they couldn''t just saunter through with their original appearance. Hence, Stencil changed their appearance.


    Originally, she nned to buy some Skills from the Astral Network to change them. But, Skills weren''t absolute. Grade 2 Systems were still capable of seeing through their modified appearance.


    And hence, Stencil used her own power, taking advantage of her Secret Refiner System, physically moulding their bodies. At least, the modifications of this were veiled by a mystical power to be more subtle.


    Moreover, one of her fusion materials was the Coordinate that Compass Carburettor had created. Meaning, she was able to channel his power¡ªafter his permission¡ªinto this modification. And the Main Character''s innate shielding ensured they wouldn''t be found out as easily as before.


    That led to their current appearance change. Moreover, it was in line with the Akuran Empire, the ce their current selves originated from, or at least, they imed of.


    In truth, Stencil had focused on Horan while creating the portal from the System World. And once they appeared, they hid, waiting for the caravan to travel past before tailing it from far away.


    There wasn''t any deeper meaning behind this action. Stencil just found someone interesting to follow¡­


    "Lies! You chose him because he was handsome." Compass Carburettor retorted.


    "Ugh! Dad!" Stencil shouted in response, "You know that isn''t the truth!"


    "Of course, I believe you, my child." Compass Carburettor patted her, acting like he had the utmost confidence in her.


    "Fine, I admit it was¡­partly because of his looks." Stencil turned her head away, embarrassed before iling her hands upon seeing the smug attitude of her dad, "Ugh, I won''t talk if you continue to be this way."


    "Haha," Compass Carburettor acted like he didn''t mind. But in truth, his mind was already focused on the Mental Energy stream originating from Horan, delving into the psyche and character of the other party.


    And if he felt that Horan was unsuitable, if in the case Stencil ended up taking a liking to him, Compass Carburettor nned to silence him along the way.


    Of course, Stencil was oblivious to his thoughts, controlling her embarrassment as she said, "It seemed like a lot of interesting things would happen around him. So, we might as well tag along to join in on the fun."


    "That is fine, but you mustn''t make a mistake." Compass Carburettor said in all seriousness, "I¡­am not the strongest of this world. There are dozens of existences in this world that can casually kill me. So, don''t think that I can deal with anything thates our way."


    "But dad, we won''t even be involved in any situations toe across such entities." Stencil retorted.


    "Normally, this is true. But," Compass Carburettor made eye contact, "We aren''t machines, you know. If you were to see a helpless victim suffering before you, can you say with honesty that you won''t involve yourself in their affairs?"


    "That is¡­impossible." Stencil sighed.


    "Yep, there you have it." Compass Carburettor nodded, "And that''s always the beginning to our involvement in the tangible affairs of any world."


    "I''m not saying it''s a bad thing though." He said in a hurry upon seeing her disappointment, "But, the moment it seems like things would be more than what we can handle, we''re leaving this world. Don''t have regrets at that time."


    "Fine¡­I''ll try." Stencil nodded.


    "That''s my princess. As intelligent as always!" He smiled, pinching her cheeks, watching her struggle to escape his grasp but failing to do so.


    Honestly, the current Compass Carburettor, even though he lost most of his abilities that gave him a versatile nature, was stronger than his previous self. And this included his version at the end of the Cultivation World, one not under the influence of the Restriction Order.


    He wasn''t versatile anymore, but he was strong, damn strong in fact.


    The entirety of his ability now depended on Anthozoa, but as he slowly understood its intricacies, he understood their functionality.


    First of them was Anthozoa''s original ability¡ªrefining bullets out of air.


    It used the energy stored in its battery to suck in the air, separate carbon from everything else, andpress them into bullets. It took an hour to do that.


    But now, there was no need for such a long time. Compass Carburettor could casually condense a bullet in a fraction of a second. The process was the same, but the volume of function was vastly higher.


    It was because he was fully able to control Anthozoa, not passively like before, but actively. That means, he can now elerate the process.


    This wouldn''t have been possible if not for a function that he obtained recently. It was a fact that Anthozoa was able to charge through sr energy. And now, it became so that this charge could be converted into Mental Energy.


    Basically, Anthozoa obtained the ability to convert Sr Energy into Mental Energy. It was because his body became Anthozoa while Anthozoa became him.


    Before, the core of his being was Anthozoa but he still had the body of a human¡ªwhichter became a Haggon and then a Spirit. That part of him had now changed.


    Anthozoa itself had changed to be his body. So, if necessary, he could casually consume his Mental Energy to condense bullets nonstop.


    This was why energy conversion became possible in the first ce.


    So, if he condenses Anthozoa in his hand, it wasn''t his Personal Fragment but was just a copy of it that he created out of Mental Energy. He himself was the Personal Fragment after all.


    The bullets shot could be normal bullets that were shot on Earth or filled withws. But here was the second improvement.


    Before, Anthozoa could only shoot bullets containing the Laws of Earth. Now, it can shoot bullets containing thews of any world where his Core Skill of Lore had taken effect.


    This meant that even if Earth were to be destroyed in the future, nothing would happen to him. He could simply switch over to thews of another world.


    And the stronger the world, the more potent thesews were against Systems.

 Chapter 559 Money-Making Coin

    Chapter 559 Money-Making Coin¡¡¡¡Thanks to this energy conversion, as long as Compass Carburettor walked out in the sun, his Mental Energy reserves would continue to increase.


    As to where it was stored, that would be within its cartridge, one that had partially gained the qualities of Dimensional Space.


    Being the Core of the Main Character, and also wielding the Core Skill of Lore, Compass Carburettor inherited some traits of the other three Main Characters.


    From Gahrat, he inherited the quality of Dimensional Space, causing the volume within his gun''s cartridge to expand, allowing it to store tens of bullets and Mental Energy itself.


    From Hazen, he obtained the power to condense multiple copies of his gun. And finally, from Domino Plottopia¡­well, it was something he had yet to understand. It was somewhat odd and hard to grasp.


    As Domino Plottopia¡ªSecret Society¡ªhad changed the most, things rted to this change too were somewhat bizarre.


    It could also be said that Hazen''s powers influenced Lore, as this was from the Cultivation World, and with him taking the reins during the revival. Due to that, the power of Memoir Beckoner influenced all the other three in mysterious ways.


    Now, onto his primary abilities, it was shooting out bullets that transformed into the Dragon of System. Anthozoa obtained this ability after Stencil fused Dota''s corpse into Anthozoa.


    These Dragon Bullets were invisible to the naked eye, only detectable to beings that could perceive Mental Energy.


    And unlike before when the System Host took damage that was partially transferred to the System, these Dragon Bullets could selectively target the Systems alone, not even scratching the Hosts or even affecting their minds.


    They wouldn''t even know what hit them as their status was reduced from a System Host to a regr person.


    It was this Dragon of System''s power that allowed him to suck in air and condense bullets in a fraction of a second. Compass Carburettor didn''t even need to condense Anthozoa to do this.


    As he himself was Anthozoa, the very air he breathes could be used to condense his bullets. Simrly, his skin would absorb sunlight and convert it into Mental Energy.


    And finally, there came thest portions of his ability¡ªrefinement!


    Before, Anthozoa sucked in air through the nozzle. After bing a Personal Fragment, it absorbed the body of Systems through the same. And it was this very part that was affected by Hazen''s powers.


    It allowed Anthozoa to suck in Mental Energy and refine the thoughts in them. Compass Carburettor could then select the thoughts of his choice and condense them into a bullet.


    Or rather, turn it into a Bullet Temte.


    Suppose, he absorbed Horan''s Mental Energy. And if there existed thoughts of Horan''s usage of his magic¡ªlightning¡ªabilities, then Compass Carburettor could condense those thoughts alone into a Bullet Temte.


    Following that, he could use this Bullet Temte to manufacture bullets of lightning mana.


    This allowed him to adapt to any world he ever sets foot in, to a certain extent allowing him to exercise some versatility.


    Anthozoa''s original limit of six bullets was now transformed into the limit of its Bullet Temtes. He could have six Bullet Temtes in total.


    That was how he absorbed thoughts rted to a Metal Element Mage, refining them into a Bullet Temte to then shoot bullets of the Metal Element, thereby disguising himself as a Metal Element Mage.


    The limit of this Bullet Temte was that he could only shoot Bullets or Dragon Bullets using it. So, there wasn''t much he could do about it.


    But the advantage was the fact that until he destroyed it, the Bullet Temtes were permanent. Meaning, if he obtained some interesting thoughts in the Mental Energy streams incident on him, he could condense some fun Bullet Temtes that prove useful in other worlds too.


    At present, he had four Bullet Temtes. The first of them was from a Metal Element Mage, the second was from Horan, and the remaining two were from Stencil herself.


    Of course, they were thoughts rted to her Secret Refiner and Happy-Go-Lucky System. He purposefully asked her to emit some Mental Energy regarding those, experimenting to see that it was indeed possible.


    Of course, the effect wasn''t much as the quality of thoughts was subpar, but it still allowed him to exercise the two powers, even though the effect was pretty straightforward.


    If Stencil were ever to get injured, he could casually shoot hundreds of bullets created using the Happy-Go-Lucky System''s Bullet Temte. They would be like healing potions to her, allowing her to recover rapidly.


    And finally, there was the primary ability of Lore and what it described about him. As the Lord of Wealth, he was of course able to wield powers regarding this domain.


    At the moment, this power condensed a gold coin. Compass Carburettor stared at it, gazing at the familiar face. Of course, it was the face of the Money-Making System.


    As Lore was awakened through Hazen, a lot of things were influenced by his powers.


    This caused the memories rted to his state as Host to the Money-Making System to take effect, condensing a coin that resembled the Money-Making System''s face.


    The power of this coin wasn''t anything concrete like most abilities. It just contained the power to make one wealthy.


    Basically, if he were to give this coin to a beggar, the beggar might chance upon a money-making scheme or he would think of an idea himself.


    And, this idea/scheme would be something that would work in the market during the economic situation of the time.


    The beggars of his region might be getting some items out of pity from themoners. And his idea would be to use these items to manufacture some essential goods that would be an instant hit among themoners.


    That way, he would be able to make money. As to what he would do from that point onwards, it was entirely up to him. The power of this coin would only influence his mind and decisions rted to business alone.


    Meaning, the ideas he gets would all work in the market situation. And the decisions he takes would be at the perfect time to capitalise on the shifting market. This was the principal effect of the Money-Making Coin, his power as the God of Wealth.


    Compass Carburettor can create as many of these Money-Making Coins as he wished, as long as he had enough Mental Energy to sustain its creation.


    After all, a single Money-Making Coin cost around a hundred thousand Mental Energy to create.

 Chapter 560 Virus

    Chapter 560 Virus¡¡¡¡Money-Making Coins were damn expensive to create. And unless absolutely necessary, he didn''t n on distributing any. He had enough business acumen at the moment to start and maintain an unfailing business.


    That was enough for most cases. After all, mary needs didn''t take priority anymore. Though, if Stencil wished to start a business, he didn''t mind giving her a couple dozen Money-Making Coins.


    Compass Carburettor smiled, snapping his finger to create a Status Screen. Even though a Status Screen didn''t exist for the Main Character, he could create one. It was for his viewing pleasure anyway, and also a habit from young to check it after a power-up.


    [Name: Compass Carburettor]


    [Race: Anthozoa]


    [Appearance: Human]


    [Status: The Main Character (1/4)]


    [Main Character System: 12% (6%)]


    [Level: 1]


    [Core Skill: Lore]


    [Mental Energy: 24,793]


    His attention first fell on the percentage of the Main Character System that he had be. The Main Character on a whole contained 12 percent that was now split between all four. And he, as the core, had 6 percent of it.


    Following it was his Race as Anthozoa. Basically, only his appearance was human. He himself was just a carbon-based entity resembling a human.


    It took him a while before he said in realisation, "It seems it has be impossible for me to have a second child."


    "What? Did you be impotent, dad?" Stencil asked in shock, covering her mouth at how offensive that sounded.


    "No, you can say that I''ve be incapable of it." He said in all seriousness.


    "Which means¡­" She iterated, dragging her words.


    "I surpassed humanity." Compass Carburettor stated solemnly, "Reproduction has be meaningless for me now."


    He then patted her, "It seems I have to rely upon you to be a happy grandpa. Go on, my child, fulfil your old man''s wishes."


    "Sure, find a handsome man for the same." Stencil snapped back, thinking for a moment before stating, "He must be the most handsome in existence, enough to make women faint. But he must also be pure."


    "You have a better chance in growing one such man from scratch." Compass Carburettor retorted, "Don''t you have the power to do so? Find someone and refine him into the man of your dreams."


    "It''s not appearance alone, old man." Stencil snorted derisively, "He must also have character and qualities matching one. Otherwise, it''s just a pretty doll."


    ''What has Gana been teaching her?'' He felt a headache, deciding to ignore her for the time being.


    He then focused on the Core Skill of Lore. Honestly, this was nothing butplex. It wasn''t as if he could casually inscribe a random tale on a piece of rock and make people believe it.


    That alone wasn''t enough. His actions must also match whatever was happening to a certain extent. The belief must also be solid enough and should have affected reality.


    This was why all his Lore worked to date. He followed whatever he had established, faking it till it became reality.


    He was indeed the richest man on Earth. In the Darble World, he established control in dungeons. In the Apocalypse World, he created a settlement for a brand-new race. And finally, in the Cultivation World, he strengthened the people of the Gaider Realm, and developed transportation and many other facilities, rapidly elevating the economy and the livelihood of the people as a whole.


    Even without his awareness, he had satisfied the conditions to activate the power of Lore.


    But now, repeating the same was¡­truth be told, a major pain in the ass, especially since he had achieved his goal.


    Basically, the only difference between before and now was his motivation.


    But, that didn''t mean that he wouldn''t stop using the power of Lore. Truth be told, having as many Main Characters was a good thing. After all, each of them can exist, act, and level up separately.


    It was a bit of a selfish notion where Compass Carburettor hoped that even in the future when him being alive was discovered, the Systems would only go after his other-selves.


    Him, and in extension, Stencil would remain safe. Now that he had saved Stencil, his goal was only to give her a carefree life.


    And to do that, he cared not of the destruction he would cause. It was just that, now wasn''t the time to be doing it.


    It had been a long 26 years since he hadst seen her. So¡­he just wished to spend some time with his one and only daughter.


    The current him was a simple father with simple needs. Though, considering his identity, his simple need was anything but simple to achieve, for there was an entire race of enemies that would spare no manpower or resources to hunt him down and kill him, irrespective of the price they have to pay.


    He did have the option to flee with the Gods to wherever they lived. But, living a caged life wasn''t good for Stencil''s development.


    Therefore, he decided to take on the risks. In the worst-case scenario, he would act as the beacon to garner the attention of the Systems while Stencil could hide in the safety of the shadow cast below.


    And he damn well was capable of that. Level 1 he might be, but there were four of him. andbined¡­they were a terrifying force to reckon with.


    After all, there was a reason the Main Characters of the past were able to take down opponents way beyond their level. It was just bread and butter in the daily life of the Mian Character.


    ''There''s still time. Let them go on a wild goose chase after the possible new Main Character and divert their attention to find the Apocalypse World that has slipped away from their control.'' He sighed, staring at the figure of Stencil that was probing around the caravan with a curious look in her eyes, tinkering with the Magical Tools installed in the ce.


    Upon seeing her child-like curiosity, Compass Carburettor firmed his decision. This was one of the reasons he helped Rhizen. Tangible benefits or losses aside, the fact that the changed Apocalypse World could escape the control of the Systems would cause all their attention to be focused on finding that.


    And that itself was a massive benefit, allowing him to use the precious time to give his daughter the life she deserved.


    Of course, when the Tell-Tale System and the Regression System had announced in the Astral Network, Stencil too was there, watching all of their antics. Never in their wildest dream would Systems expect a foreign entity to be a part of the Astral Network.


    In this case, Stencil''s existence was akin to a virus.

 Chapter 561 She is Aware

    Chapter 561 She is Aware¡¡¡¡Until now, irrespective of whether it was a System yer or the Main Character, none were able to ess the Astral Network. Therefore, they were never able to tap into that advantage avable to the Systems.


    Only System yers that had been taken over by the System in their mind and had levelled up beyond Level 50, bing prey to the trap set upon them could ess the Astral Network.


    But by then, they were full-fledged Systems already, also wielding the advantages of the System yer''s power.


    Even Compass Carburettor, the Main Character with the highest potential didn''t have ess to the Astral Network.


    Just this alone was a show of the confidence the Systems had in the Astral Network. But now, without their knowledge, there was an entity that could ess the Astral Network like every other System, buy knowledge, Skills, items, etc.


    She was none other than Stencil. To the Astral Network, she was akin to a virus, causing all their secrets to beid out in the open.


    So, no matter what the Systems n in the future, as everything would be discussed in the Astral Network, Stencil could ess them all.


    This caused them to lose a terrifying advantage. And worst of all, they were still unaware of it.


    After all, once she was saved, Stencil had been kept in his Dimensional Space all along. And as the Systems had traced Compass Carburettor''s footsteps to see where he might have hidden her, they failed to find anything.


    After his death, a Grade 2 System repeated the same, confirming that there were no traces of Stencil.


    Thereby, they concluded that she died along with him. At least, that was the first thought that they had arrived at.


    But after the Tell-Tale System had predicted the appearance of another Main Character, they suspected that Compass Carburettor might have made preparations to bestow all his power to Stencil prior to his death.


    So, they were looking for her. But the focus wasrgely on the Apocalypse World. As they were unable to find any information, the Systems were mostly in the dark and had to make do with guesswork.


    Concluding his thoughts, Compass Carburettor closed his eyes, falling asleep. Soon after, faint sounds of his snoring resounded within the carriage, surprising Stencil that stared at him, ''Dad began to snore?''


    She didn''t know he had that habit, having not seen that before. Stencil gently sat beside him, observing that he slept like a log. But, she also noticed that the Mental Energy stream she directed at him was instantly absorbed by him.


    It was apparent that he was guarded against danger through Mental Energy streams, a reason he could sleep like a log.


    As she stared at him, Stencil blocked herself from emitting any Mental Energy streams, her eyes hardening in response as she looked around, her childish demeanour vanishing.


    She closed her eyes, focusing on the horse that they rode until now. Invisible to the naked eye was a choker around its neck, controlling its movements.


    And through it, she tapped into the nervous system of the horse, looking through its eyes, observing its surroundings.


    Her abilities were all-rounded to a certain extent. She had the Earth Divine Martial Spirit, allowing her to use all elements to her liking. She had indeed unlocked plenty of them in the Cultivation World thanks to what Compass Carburettor had sent her after extracting Earth Martial Spirits from pitiful cultivators that he had captured.


    And that wasn''t all. It was a secret but he had picked a couple of talented candidates from the Mysterious Academy that had awakened Earth Martial Spirits, reinforcing their minds a little before extracting their Martial Spirits.


    Once their Earth Martial Spirits were sent to Stencil to tap into, Compass Carburettor made the two cultivators awaken once again. And upon seeing what he was up to, and since they already had a deal, the Fire Dragon helped from the Martial Spirit World, allowing the two individuals to awaken Earth Martial Spirits multiple times.


    And each time, there was a different one. Eventually, Stencil had a Martial Spirit of pretty much every element that existed among Earth Martial Spirits.


    Of course, since it was easily possible for him, and as it was something he wanted to do, why could Compass Carburettor refrain from doing so?


    And hence, he hadid down a solid foundation for her.


    Before that itself, Stencil had already fused with her three fusion materials. The first of them was her Personal Fragment¡ªthe choker.


    And it was through this fusion that her Martial Spirit became her Personal Fragment, allowing her to take it with her and wield the power in other worlds. This was a trait of Personal Fragments.


    Rhizen had done the same by fusing with the Restriction Order, gaining that trait of the Main Character that allowed him to do the same.


    Otherwise, the moment they exited the Cultivation World, they would have lost everything gained there.


    Her second fusion material was the Coordinate that was in her. And the third was Dota''s horn, giving her its powers to wield.


    Basically, she was a System yer, a System, and someone with the power to destroy Systems. By activating the attribute of the Coordinate, she was able to transform into a System¡ªHappy-Go-Lucky System and the Secret Refiner System¡ªthat she controlled using two of her three chokers.


    And using the same, she was also able to transform into the Dragon of System herself.


    Her Earth Divine Martial Spirit allowed her to control all sorts of elements. Basically, she didn''t have any weaknesses and could protect herself on her own.


    Of course, she hadn''t been wasting time ever since she had woken up from her state of unconsciousness.


    Apanying her in the Dimensional space were three individuals: Gana, Dota, and Dita.


    Dita shared her experiences from the Apocalypse World while Dota recounted his tragic past of how his race was destroyed in the Immortal World. Moreover, since he also had authority over Secret Society partially, he could also tap into the memory bank there. Finally, Gana recounted everything she knew about human nature and regarding Systems from her memory of 48 loops.


    As they didn''t have much to do in the Dimensional Space, the three became her teachers, guiding and training her in everything they knew of.


    So, even though Compass Carburettor treated her like a kid, looking at her through rose-tinted ss, Stencil was in the least na?ve or innocent.


    She was damn well aware of the state of things.

 Chapter 562 Stencil’s Capability

    Chapter 562 Stencil¡¯s Capability¡¡¡¡It had been drilled into her by the trio in the Dimensional Space of the various things at stake. All three of them were unique existences with a plethora of experiences.


    And since Stencil was smart, to begin with, she came up to speed soon after. Following that, she trained and got used to all her abilities. It was especially since there was nock of Mental Energy, considering a consistent stream continued to gush into the Dimensional Space nonstop, with it only increasing in quantity over time.


    Manipting humans, the acting Skills possessed by Compass Carburettor¡ªinherited by Dota through Secret Society, the business acumen that he possessed, trickery, life skills that consisted of a variety of daily chores, general knowledge, etc.


    Stencil trained in everything. Moreover, Gana taught her everything rted tobat, beating all sense into her until it became her instinct.


    Surviving in the apocalypse would naturally make one a damn well fighter, not to mention having experience worth almost a millennium. And with the powers of a Beyonder, Gana was a hellish training instructor.


    Moreover, Stencil didn''t have a normal human body. Once she took on her Coordinate form, she was like a sponge that absorbed everything.


    Following that, she worked on controlling her Martial Spirit to unleash various abilities, control them, and also integrate them with her other abilities.


    And one aspect of them was what allowed her to mask herself currently as a Metal Element Grandmaster Mage.


    It was an action executed through the usage of her Coordinate that her body took the form of, oveying the metal attribute in her Martial Spirit by transforming into that, and finally, using Secret Refiner to change its nature from Origin Essence to Mana.


    Thest part was the easiest as she wasn''t changing Origin Essence to Mana. That would have been difficult to maintain for an extended duration. She was only changing Origin Essence to Mental Energy and then Mental Energy to Mana.


    With Mental Energy''s versatile nature, adding on a Skill or two, and vo. Her disguise as a Metal Element Grandmaster Mage wasplete.


    Once shepleted her transformation, Compass Carburettor casually used the thoughts from the Mental Energy she generated at him on purpose, using them to perfect his disguise.


    There was no strongest ability but only the strongest individual.


    In the hands of an idiot, even a legendary sword amounted to nothing but scrap metal. But in the hands of an expert, a butter knife was more than enough. And thetter route was what Stencil had been trained to tread onto.


    Honestly, it wasn''t in Gana''s nature to train others. But, as she was overly devoted to Compass Carburettor, upon learning that Stencil was her Lord''s one and only daughter and seeing how he valued Stencil more than his own life, Gana took it upon himself to pour her everything into Stencil.


    And that resulted in one terrifying candidate.


    Through the horse, Stencil observed the caravan and kept an eye on the surroundings. She also heard the discussions of the people around her, linking them with the rted Mental Energy streams.


    Spying through Mental Energy streams was imperfect. After all, she was only able to observe the contents of Mental Energy streams directed at her. Everything else was something she couldn''t even see.


    It was the same for all Systems. Only Mental Energy streams directed at them could be observed and used.


    Therefore, anything not directed at her was a blind spot. There could be two people plotting at them while focusing on each other. It was a simple but definite method.


    Therefore, she needed to use other methods to keep a track of things, ensuring that she was always prepared.


    Of course, she didn''t just wantonly enter this world. Even though she wholeheartedly wished to just roam freely, she wasn''t that spoiled.


    After all, losing an arm as a child ensured that she was always grounded in reality, maturing faster even as a child.


    Part of the reason for arriving in this world was to distract her father, allowing him to just enjoy things without having to worry about anything.


    Secondly, there was a deeper secret regarding Systems buried in this ancient world. After all, when she essed the database of the various worlds essible to the Systems, she chanced upon this.


    And, it was a rather shocking fact.


    A-001!


    This was the first world in their database!


    Meaning, this was one of the oldest worlds that a System had ever been to. Or rather, the truth regarding their origin was buried in the history of this world.


    It was also due to its significance that no Grade 2 or Grade 3 System had taken over this world, maintaining it in its original state. And only some Grade 1 Systems arrived here.


    Information regarding this world was too expensive for Hatchling Systems to buy and even though this world wasbelled ''A-001'' in their database, it was hard for even Systems to survive here, with the chances of death being high.


    Even though the quantity of Mental Energy was a pitiful sum, the quality was superior. But, higher levelled Grade 1 Systems avoided this world like the gue, fearing of interfering with its natural operation.


    After all, as the oldest world, if too many cheat-like existences were allowed to run amok, it would copse sooner orter.


    Therefore, only those between level 30 to level 50 arrived in this world. The level of cheat they could exhibit wasn''t even considered overboard in this world. There were races whose innate power was even more cheat-like than theirs.


    Hence, these Systems wouldn''t trigger the cause and effect of this Fantasy World.


    Stencil frowned as her horse focused on the carriage where Horan sat, from time to time sensing the Mental Energy streams directed at them by this Duke''s second son.


    Her expression focused for a moment as a ring of starlight manifested around Horan''s neck, revolving rapidly. But after a couple of seconds, she rxed her hold, causing the starlight ring to dissipate, ''Not yet.''


    ''Let''s verify the value of the information first.'' She thought, closing her eyes to rest. Even the Astral Network''s records rted to this Fantasy World were outdated, so not everything she obtained from there could be believed word-to-word.


    So, things had to be verified personally. And that was exactly what she nned to do. From the start, her objective was to get to the bottom of this matter and help her dad win this fight against the Systems.

 Chapter 563 Land of the Million Mountains

    Chapter 563 Land of the Million Mountains¡¡¡¡"Hmm, this meat is pretty tasty," Horanmented, taking a sip from a ss of wine, gazing at a map before him as he calcted the distance left for them to reach the Xetuka Kingdom.


    He was rxed on his cushion, casually looking through some documents regarding his subsequent ns. And once he was done looking through a scroll, he threw it in the air, watching it vanish mysteriously.


    Of course, from the start, standing in the shadows of the room, behaving like a statue was a youth that was almost thirty years old. He was a Master Porter, a rare individual that was still alive.


    As Porters were typically killed or enved, it was hard for anyone to even be a Master in the first ce.


    This Porter was perfectly alright, showing no signs of torture or dissatisfaction on his face. He was wholeheartedly devoted to serving Horan for the simple reason that he and his family were saved by him.


    In truth, everything was meticulously arranged by Horan the moment he chanced upon this Porter. To take advantage of him, a n had been sketched and executed. And once it was executed, everyone part of this process was mysteriously fed to the Stone Ogres.


    This way, information regarding the n would never see the light of day.


    Once the Porter came under his wing, Horan set up a woman that he naturally fell in love with. And over time, they married and had children.


    Since his family was being protected by Horan, the Porter''s loyalty towards him was unwavering. It was especially since he was aware of the plight that Porters usually faced in all human kingdoms.


    In contrast, here he was, leading a worry-free life. The only trade-off was the fact that his existence had to remain concealed to avoid any trouble.


    But, he was fine with it though, for he indeed had a blessed life. Horan was a cunning individual indeed, but he was also someone that valued his people.


    Valued might be the wrong term. It was just that due to his strong greed, anything that was his would remain his, including his people. So, he ensured that they were taken care of well, disliking the loss of any subordinates.


    He had a somewhat twisted character, but in the perspective of his subordinates, he was a ruler they could pledge their loyalty. After all, anything that he considers as part of himself would be protected.


    This was somewhat simr to Compass Carburettor in nature.


    The Porter didn''t say a word from the start, only taking out scrolls from time to time to hand over to Horan while storing everything else in his dimensional space.


    Of course, his family too was part of the caravan.


    Currently, there was a fierce session war happening in the Fawnker Dukedom. And fearing that his subordinates might be harmed in his absence, Horan moved all his belongings with him, betting on this journey.


    For this, he even sold all his property to his father, consolidating everything into liquid assets, and cing them in the safety of the Porter''s dimensional storage.


    A cor wasn''t necessary to control him, as the chains binding the Porter were stronger than any magical seals. It was an emotional bond.


    After all, a Porter didn''t have anybat ability. So, if he were to flee with all the wealth in his possession, he would be killed for that sooner orter. He couldn''t protect it.


    Too high of a burden would be ced upon his wife, a Fire Warrior Master, to safeguard their wealth. Even though Masters were strong, they weren''t too strong when the scale expanded a little.


    After all, before a Grandmaster, a Master was nothing. And considering their wealth, droves of Grandmasters and even a Pseudo-Saint might be involved, making it impossible to survive.


    Moreover, the Porter''s wife too was wholeheartedly devoted to Horan. She had even grown up in the Duke''s house from childhood, trained as a Warrior Maid.


    These were the intangible chains that ensured the Porter would never betray Horan. A decently cunning man would employ physical means.


    But a cunning man with a smart head would use multiple mental means to create a strong bond. Instead of forcing the other party to obey him, he formed such a strong rtionship that the other party would dly die for him.


    This was a difference between a second-rate ruler and a top-ss ruler. Horan considered himself that, especially why his conduct was always steady, only taking action after analysing the entire field of operationsid before him.


    The caravan continued to pass through one dangerous territory after another, expertly dealing with the various dangers without any casualties. Quite a lot of them suffered grave injuries during the process but were treated using potions after that.


    Potions were damn expensive but were akin to water to someone of his stature and wealth. And throughout this journey, Stencil observed Horan''s actions, making note of his mental state.


    After a journey thatsted for more than six months, the caravan finally left a gorge, arriving on a teau as the outline of a town was visible far away.


    "My Lord, we''ve entered the Xetuka Kingdom." A messenger arrived to ry the news from the Cartographer.


    "Send a messenger to the Royal Family." Horan said, "Take our best horse and deliver the message as quickly as you can."


    "Yes, my Lord." The messenger bowed in response before sending out a couple of messengers on their swiftest horses, giving them a parchment each.


    The messengers soon disappeared from view, making a beeline towards the capital. This was to inform the Xetuka Royalty of his arrival. It was impolite to make a visit unannounced and hence, this information was sent in advance.


    It would take at least a week to reach the destination after the messenger ryed the news to their target.


    Even though it was called a kingdom, the Xetuka Kingdom stretched across a vast piece ofnd with steep mountains scattered throughout the region, making travel slow and difficult.


    So, the caravan needed a lot more time than the pair of swift horses to reach the destination.


    The moment they entered the Xetuka Kingdom, Compass Carburettor looked around, noticing mountains on all sides, stretching as far as his eyes could see, smiling as he looked at Stencil, "Great view, right?"


    "Of course!" Stencilughed in response, happily partaking in the breath-taking view as the caravan passed through the sea of clouds while taking an uphill route.

 Chapter 564 How Cute

    Chapter 564 How Cute¡¡¡¡Boom!


    Magical abilities scattered around as two races were currently broiled in war. On one side were the humans while on the other were Giants.


    "Haap!" Ady with cyan hairshed out with a great sword, condensing a long fiery sword that cleaved through a Giant, killing it.


    But immediately after, her body turned lithe, leaping away from the attack of another Giant that had targeted her, quickly escaping back to her base as she gasped for breath, exhausted.


    "Princess! It''s dangerous to head deep into enemy lines like that!" A caretaker rushed in a hurry, opening a potion bottle that she poured over thedy''s wounds, treating them in a hurry.


    "I took down a couple of their captains. That ought to slow them down for now." Thedy with cyan hair said, watching her injuries heal in response.


    Her base camp was situated atop a mountain range, overlooking the entire battlefield. This mountain range¡ªThe Aira¡ªformed the northern border of the Xetuka Kingdom, a natural stronghold that allowed them to exercise control over the region.


    And of course, it was a heavily disputed area due to the Giants also vying for control over the ce. After all, by gaining control of The Aira, they would have a clear path towards Xetuka Kingdom''s Capitol, Forkuna.


    In a simr vein, the Capitol of the Giants too was a straight path from The Aira. Hence, the reason for this dispute that had raged for more than a century now.


    Thedy with cyan hair took in deep breaths, drinking potions from time to time as she recovered her mana, gradually regaining her strength as she observed the battlefield from their vantage point.


    The Xetuka Kingdom had maintained its hold over The Aira until now, having only lost control over it for short durations in history, with the longest spanning three kilometres.


    Presently acting as the Commander of the Northern Fort, overseeing The Aira was the cyan-haireddy, 1st Princess of the Xetuka Kingdom, heir to the throne, and a Pseudo-Saint Warrior of the Wind and Fire Elements, Lelumi Xetuka.


    Without a Pseudo-Saint, it was impossibly to maintain control over The Aira, especially since this mountain range pretty much formed the northern border of the Xetuka Kingdom.


    The Giant Race was formidable due to their naturally robust bodies. They on average ranged around a height of four metres, possessing hulking bodies.


    It wasn''t possible to go against them in a contest of strength. Their primary profession consisted of Tanks and Maniptors.


    As the name dictated, Tanks were simr to Warriors but more built toward defence. They were basically walking forts and even though they weren''t geared for attacks, a casual wave from their bodies was enough to kill anyone that was hit.


    And thanks to their robust defence, it was hard to even wound them.


    Above this was the rarer profession of a Maniptor where they could manipte nature itself. And the stronger they were, the greater their degree of nature maniption.


    The Maniptors among the Giants typically manipted Earth and Wind, with rare few exceptions being able to manipte water.


    Individually, the Giants were stronger than humans at the same level of magic values due to the sheer difference in physical strength.


    But, humans had the advantage of numbers, being one of the races that could propagate the fastest.


    As the Giants were lower in number, they were unable to push back the human army. But despite that, they wished to do so. After all, their border defence wascking in many ways.


    But by gaining control over The Aira, their southern border would be pretty much impregnable. By gaining full control of the region, they would be able to relocate their troops to the other borders.


    "How''re our casualties?" Lelumi Xetuka asked once she recovered to full health, adjusting her armour as she inspected the condition of her sword, determining that it couldst through another battle.


    "We''ve lost two Grandmasters and five Masters. The casualties among the Experts are in the thousands¡­" The aide nearbymented, habitually tallying their troops, their casualties, their injured, and the reserve they still had.


    "But at this rate, we''ll soon face a shortage of food and medical supplies, especially potions." He spoke, unable to help but nce at the princess, for she was one of those that used up too many potions, causing a shortage.


    Lelumi mentally snorted in response, understanding the meaning behind his gaze. But, she didn''t n to change her ways. After all, skimping on some potions was tantamount to foolishness in her opinion.


    She was the sole Pseudo-Saint here. And this meant that no matter the situation, she must be in an optimal state. Otherwise, if the Giants were to take advantage of the situation to press forth stronger, the casualties would simply spike in numbers.


    Saving those few potions would end up resulting in the loss of their fort.


    That was why she spent them like water, ensuring she always looked strong and imposing to both her allies and enemies, forming an iron wall that wouldn''t waver in the face of danger. This was how she had been protecting the northern border for the past three years without a single instance of the Giants setting foot on The Aira.


    Of course, the aide wasn''t aware of the intricacies involved in her actions, only making a mathematical tally of things.


    Ignoring him, she got up, riling up her Wind Element as she focused on the strongest Giant on the battlefield, one that had already killed three of their Masters.


    But just as she was about tounch herself towards the enemy, the sound of a bird''s cry resounded in the air as an eagle appeared in her sight, continuing to circle in the air.


    Lelumi raised her hand as the eagle perched on her hand. She then took out the message it had brought, reading it as she frowned, ''Horan will arrive at the capital in a week?''


    ''Why is heing now?'' She thought before her eyes gradually curled up into a smile, ''So, he''s after the treasure too.''


    "How cute."

 Chapter 565 Fourth?

    Chapter 565 Fourth?¡¡¡¡"Hmm?" Compass Carburettor was surprised as the caravan entered Tentuna City, one of the border cities of the Xetuka Kingdom.


    The caravan proceeded through the main street, heading towards a massive building that had an open ground big enough for all carriages to be parked.


    The building itself wasn''t anything special. It was just a ce for such caravans to stop while passing through the city.


    It was called Yakuna, a lodge for caravans. There were around five Yakunas throughout the city, with Horan booking one of them.


    They had used up most of their provisions. And hence, this ce was perfect to replenish everything, not to mention allow everyone in the caravan to rest their tired bodies.


    Horan had afortable journey, but the same couldn''t be said for the rest. And hence, they stopped here. After all, once they reached the capital city, there was a lot of work for them to do.


    But just as the caravan began to file into the Yakuna, Compass Carburettor looked outside the window to sightsee,ing across a marketce where he caught sight of a familiar face.


    "What is he¡­doing here?" He was pleasantly surprised at the encounter, having never expected to see this person here.


    Fourth!


    This was the Demon that had freed him from the control of the Money-Making System, setting him up onto the path of a System yer.


    Currently, Fourth had masked himself, having disguised as a human. But, Compass Carburettor was able to casually see through the disguise.


    After all, to the one with the power of Lore, all falsities wereid bare.


    Upon noticing his surprise, Stencil looked in his line of sight, noticing Fourth, eximing in surprise, "I know that uncle."


    "You know him?" Compass Carburettor muttered in surprise.


    "Yeah, I talked with him once in the park near our house." She said, thinking for a moment before continuing, "You left for that interview. And I woke up too early that day. So once I got ready, I decided to spend some time in that park since it has a good scenery early in the morning."


    "That''s where I saw that uncle jogging." Stencil said, frowning as she talked, "He just waved at me and made some small talk¡­"


    "I see," Compass Carburettor nodded, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them as he looked at Fourth with a calm gaze.


    It was apparent, now that he had confirmed it based on Stencil''s recount.


    Fourth had arrived there to probe into Compass Carburettor''s status, looking for his daughter first. And if he determined that Compass Carburettor was easy prey, Fourth would take action.


    But it seemed that he couldn''t manage to do it in the end as time ran out, as the Money-Making System returned to the System World on the same day.


    Upon seeing that it was a failure, Fourth decided to use the portal formed by the Money-Making System to return to the System World.


    It was apparent that Fourth was nning to follow after the Money-Making System to obtain its System Fragment. After all, any System from the Mary Genre had considerable value, even for System yers.


    And it was then that he helped Compass Carburettor in bing a System yer.


    Now that he saw Fourth, Compass Carburettor nned to get in touch with him, for various reasons. After all, at that time, Fourth had mentioned their group that consisted of five System yers, with Compass Carburettor being the sixth.


    He was indeed curious about that, wishing to see how the other System yers fared. Even though the concept of the System yer was a trap prepared by the Systems to obtain the power of the Main Character System for themselves, as long as the growing Systems in the minds of the System yers were destroyed, this trap lost its effect.


    Though, they would begin to infest the minds of the System yers in the future as they think about the Systems they n to kill, refine, etc. So, it was a recurring trap.


    But, this could also serve as a good use for him. After all, Stencil was capable of refining them. that was how she created the Secret Refiner System for her use. She could use them to strengthen herself further.


    "Let''s alight here." Compass Carburettor stared at Stencil, "I''m curious about Fourth."


    "I am too." Stencil nodded, "I want to meet other System yers and see how strong they are."


    "Fourth might have a way to contact the others." Compass Carburettor nodded as he watched the caravan stop within the Yakuna.


    The two of them alighted from their carriage and approached Horan''s carriage, requesting to meet him.


    "We thank you, Lord, for this hospitable journey. If we meet in the future, we''ll definitely repay this favour."


    Horan stared at the two individuals before him, his eyes lingering on Yaka for a second longer, feeling that it was a waste that they were going away. Thinking for a moment, he took out a crystalline emblem and gave it to Teto, "If you wish to meet me in the future, use this to seek an audience."


    "Or if you were to face any trouble from the authorities, use this to save yourself." He continued, "You can im the backing of Horan Fawnker, future Duke of the Electra Empire."


    "Thank you, my Lord." Teto and Yaka bowed in response before they made their exit, leaving the Yakuna.


    [Are we going to meet Fourth directly?]


    [Yep, there''s no reason to dy. Do you want to try the honey trap method?]


    [Don''t wanna. Uncle Fourth isn''t good-looking enough.]


    [You have high standards, brat.]


    [Well duh.]


    Currently, both of them were conversing through Mental Energy. It was a simple process where they had to direct their thoughts at each other.


    Through the Secret Refiner System, Stencil was able to make out the contents of the Mental Energy. As for Compass Carburettor, he was the Main Character, also able to do the same now.


    It was the easiest method to converse discreetly from anywhere in the world. After all, thoughts only took an instant to travel the world.


    Compass Carburettor observed the crowd, watching Fourth entering the flea market as he inspected the items there one after another.


    After making eye contact, the two approached the Demon that led to the start of their journey.

 Chapter 566 Leading the System Slayer

    Chapter 566 Leading the System yer¡¡¡¡[Don''t be a System for the time being. There''s a good chance that Fourth can sense it.]


    [I know, dad. I''ll just be a regr human before him. What about you though? Are you going to reveal yourself?]


    [No chance in hell. If he gets captured by the Systems in the future, then all my efforts in the Cultivation World would be for naught. I''m going to approach him as Teto only.]


    [Can''t we just capture him and interrogate him? We''re strong enough for that, right?]


    [Brat, don''t be arrogant. System yers can wield multiple Core Skills. And they can also employ a variety of System Fragments. Killing him is possible but capturing him isn''t very likely.]


    [I can use my choker on him. My powers even overpowered the Happy-Go-Lucky System, a level 88 System. I''m sure I can do the same to a System yer too.]


    [The Happy-Go-Lucky System that I gifted you was thrashed by mepletely. It was weaker than the weakest System at that time. So, you can''t rely upon that example. You are strong, but never underestimate Systems or System yers. Common sense doesn''t apply to all of us. The Luck-based Systems had underestimated me a little and that led to their destruction.]


    Stencil frowned, digesting the information as she stopped, smiling as she looked at the hawker before her, pointing at a piece of crystal, "Uncle, how much is this?"


    "821 Common Xetuka." The hawker replied in fashion, not even batting an eye.


    "That''s expensive." Stencil retorted in an instant, "Why don''t you sell it to 138 Common Xetuka?"


    "Are you robbing me?" The hawker replied but was sweating profusely internally. After all, the price quoted by her was actually the crystal''s cost price.


    This meant that he wouldn''t be able to rip her off much, for she was aware of its value. Every Kingdom or Empire had money minted in their respective names.


    The Xetuka Kingdom''s currency was named Xetuka and was sub-divided into three: Royal Xetuka, Noble Xetuka, and Common Xetuka.


    One Royal Xetuka was 100 Noble Xetuka and 10,000 Common Xetuka respectively. And they were minted with gold, silver, and copper respectively.


    And even here, money was minted using the Gold Standard, as it was the purest metal to be found in nature, immensely conductive of mana.


    Stencil and the hawker continued to banter before eventually, he raised his hand, "I cannot go below 240 Common Xetuka. That''s my bottom line."


    "Fine," Stencil nodded and paid the sum, obtaining the crystal, smirking in response as she looked at her dad.


    [Dad, this is an interesting item. I can refine it into a good weapon to use]


    [There''s more of the same crystal in other shops. Let''s buy them all then]


    [You''re the best. Do we have enough money?]


    [Don''t worry about money when I''m here.]


    Compass Carburettor smiled, watching Stencil''s face beam with a smile. While on the journey the past six months, he sold a couple of their ''belongings'' to Horan and obtained some travel funds.


    These ''belongings'' were bought from the Astral Network though.


    Even after discovering Fourth, they didn''t just meet him directly. Nothing would happen after that. So, the best way was to force Fourth to approach them.


    For that to happen, he had to obtain a mysterious item powerful enough to garner Fourth''s attention. After all, it seemed the other party had arrived at this market for a reason.


    He smiled, watching Stencil happily haggle the value of the goods before buying them from one hawker after another. He slowly began to affect the environment through a tangible power.


    Lord of Wealth!


    This mysterious power couldn''t be detected, even by Stencil, allowing him to see through the true nature and value of all items in the market. Soon after, his attention fell upon an earring; it was a sphere dangling beneath a hook, connected by a thin thread.


    There were marks of wear and tear all over it, as if it was an item dug out from a grave. The hawker peddling it was a frail old man, obviouslycking enough strength due to old age.


    And it was definite that he had plundered the items from a grave as all of them had obvious signs of usage. But as none of them seemed to have any value, he wasn''t able to sell anything.


    "I see¡­" Compass Carburettor nodded, sensing a mysterious power hidden within this earring, one in which the wails of countless souls resounded nonstop, in agony.


    It was a diabolic item.


    "Old man, how much is this?" He approached the hawker, asking while pointing at the earring.


    "Twenty Common Xetuka." The old man said, barely controlling his smile.


    "Sure," Compass Carburettor nodded and tossed the sum to the old man, grabbed the earring, and walked away.


    Fourth was only a few shops away, feeling something the moment Compass Carburettor picked up the earring. His senses were triggered as he realised that the item he was searching for was bought by someone else.


    ''Dammit! I was a stepte!'' Fourth grunted in anger as his eyes shone with a dangerous glint. He then mixed among the crowd, tailing the father and daughter pair, intending to make a transaction with them once they leave the market. Or if the transaction were to fail, he could always¡­


    Thinking as such, he trailed after them, failing to realise that his targets were aware of his actions from the beginning.


    [Alright, he''ll make contact with us shortly after.]


    [Dad, that was amazing. How did you determine the item he was searching for so quickly? What sorcery did you use?]


    [It''s in my nature. Anything rted to money or profit, I can find without any problems.]


    [But, you have taken the item Fourth is searching for. Wouldn''t he try to kill us after this?]


    [He shouldn''t be that reckless. If he were, he would have died long ago. He''ll try to make contact with us first. Anything beyond that will depend on our response.]


    Following that, Stencil continued to buy the crystal that had caught her eye from all the hawkers before they left the market, making their way towards a restaurant nearby, taking a seat by the window on the terrace.


    Right as they sat and finished ordering their food, a figure approached them.

 Chapter 567 Three System Slayers in One Place?

    Chapter 567 Three System yers in One ce?¡¡¡¡"Hello there, I saw you while you were leaving the market and couldn''t help but notice the earring you had bought." Fourth shed a wry smile, "It''s something belonging to my ancestors, so I hope you can return it to me."


    He then waved his hand, "Of course, I''ll pay the appropriate price."


    ''That''s a pretty straightforward approach.'' Compass Carburettor thought as he looked at Fourth, noticing how the other party''s appearance hadn''t changed by much.


    He then took out the earring, squinting as he gazed at it, quoting a price calmly, "Seventy Royal Xetuka."


    "What?" Fourth blurted out in shock, unable to believe his ears of the price he heard.


    It was arge sum enough to set up apany in the capital city itself. And here he was, asking for such a sum.


    "I believe you know its actual value." Compass Carburettor let out a knowing smile, "Otherwise, why would you bother to chase after us first instead of buying the remaining items from that old man? After all, it seems all items with him have been dug out from the same grave."


    At his words, Fourth''s expression gradually hardened as he stated coldly, "Do you know what''s in it?"


    "No idea, but I can guess its value, which is all one needs to sell it." Compass Carburettor replied, pocketing the earring as he stared at Fourth with a knowing smile, "So, what shall be your option? Pay us? Or fail to rob us?"


    ''Is this guy provoking me?'' Fourth thought, snorting as he thought of eliminating the smug dude before suddenly, he halted such thoughts, ''No, for the thing that would happen next, I need to be as discreet as possible. If they know of this, then I would lose my advantage.''


    He sighed, taking out a bag from out of nowhere as he ced it before Compass Carburettor, "Seventy Royal Xetuka. You can check it."


    "That won''t be necessary." Compass Carburettor smiled as he tossed the earring to Fourth and didn''t even touch the bag of money.


    "You don''t¡­want the money?" Fourth was surprised, tensing up a little as he was unable to guess the other party''s thoughts.


    "Money isn''t necessary. You can keep it. In return, show us what it''s capable of." Stencil spoke at this time, smiling as she looked at the earring, "This is the first time I''ve seen such an item. So, I''m curious about what it is."


    "No, keep the money." Saying so, Fourth left the bag of cash as-is and began to walk, intending to exit the restaurant.


    But right at this time, a certain figure appeared before him, coincidentally entering the restaurant,ing across Fourth as both the figures stared at one another in silence for a good couple of minutes.


    [Did you activate your Luck, brat?]


    [A¡­little?]


    Compass Carburettor sighed, staring at Stencil''s face that cutely stretched out a tongue. Of course, she wished to see a drama enfold so that they could get to know more about Fourth and the earring.


    The earring was pretty strange and most of all, information regarding it didn''t exist in the Astral Network. This could only mean that this information was purposefully erased.


    Or maybe the Systems in possession of that information either died or didn''t wish to reveal it.


    Hence, she was curious. This was why she activated her Happy-Go-Lucky Luck, surprised to see it take effect so quickly.


    And the best thing of all, the moment she gazed at the neer, Stencil was unable to hide her shock, for the neer was also a System yer.


    [No, it seems there are more than a couple of System yers here.]


    Compass Carburettormunicated with her, expanding his senses as he found one more System yer roaming through the flea market, tracing Stencil''s steps as she seemed to be looking for the same crystal that Stencil had bought.


    [Dad, I feel like things might get somewhat¡­murky?]


    [Yeah, be ready. It seems there''s a deeper reason for so many System yers to be here, that too in a small city like this.]


    "Faluda¡­?" The neer gazed at Fourth, muttering in surprise, "You''re here too?"


    "Didn''t you say you''ll only be arriving a monthter?" Fourth, addressed as Faluda said, taking a step back while frowning, "What are you nning now, Fedin?"


    "Oh,e on." The one addressed as Fedin rolled his eyes, "The one I was chasing returned to the System World a month earlier. You couldn''t just expect me to wait there, right?"


    He then red, "And, what''s up with you? This is a human kingdom. Why is a Demon like you here?"


    "Demon?"


    "Did someone mention a Demon?"


    "Where? Where''s the Demon?"


    Fedin''s voice was pretty loud, reaching the ears of the customers that panicked as a result.


    In their Fantasy World, racial conflict was damn high, having existed for tens of thousands of years. Their entire history involved conflicts between various races.


    Of course, not all ces were like that as there were Kingdoms where all races lived among one another¡­not peacefully, of course. But they lived there despite everything.


    The Xetuka Kingdom wasn''t such a ce. It has existed as a human supremacy territory since its founding, remaining as such throughout the years, never tolerating anyone from the foreign races setting foot in their Kingdom, rightfully so.


    And hence, the moment Fedin''s words reached everyone, the restaurant became somewhat chaotic.


    Faluda¡ªFourth¡ªfrowned at the response, aware that Fedin had purposefully spoken aloud. It was because both of them weren''t on good terms with one another.


    And surprisingly, both of them originated from this world, with Faludaing from a Demon Kingdom while Fedin originated from their neighbour, a human Kingdom.


    Both of them had a shared history of conflict and hence, these two, that had been System Hosts at that time, did the same, shing with one another.


    Eventually, the conflict became deeply intertwined between the two Kingdoms until they almost crippled each other, leading to no other choice but to dere a truce and hastily set up peace rtions.


    The two of them were brought to the System World at this point when they were rescued by a passing System yer and turned into System yers themselves.

 Chapter 568 The Merman System Slayer

    Chapter 568 The Merman System yer¡¡¡¡The Fantasy World was one of the oldest. And hence, it had one of the most stable power systems because it had developed and evolved for millions of years without crumbling on itself, despite countless Systems entering this world.


    And of course, since a lot of Systems had entered this world over its long existence, the number of System yers originating from this world too was high.


    Even at a conservative estimate, there were at least a hundred System yers originating from this world.


    And of course, they formed one of the closest circles among System yers. Even though they were on opposing sides, Faluda and Fedin were part of the same group, called Fourth and Fifth respectively, saved by the same person.


    Even though he was called a Demon, Faluda didn''t exhibit any reaction, staring down at his opponent calmly, sensing the unrest among the popce gradually die down upon failing to see any Demons.


    "Damn this troll." One of them red at Fedin, cursing him for causing a panic wave. One after another, the people hurled curses at Fedin, with some of them even getting up to beat him up.


    Now, it was Fedin''s turn to frown, seeing that the tables have turned against him now. When two men approached him, he red at them, causing their backs to be filled with sweat as they realised the extent of his strength.


    Immediately after, the two men locked hands with one another, whistled casually and exited the restaurant, acting like they didn''t even see Fedin.


    It was simple. After all, Fedin''s aura revealed that he was a Pseudo-Saint. This was just the aura that he exhibited though. His actual strength was even higher.


    If he were to reveal his true power, then the entire Xetuka Kingdom would rile up in rm.


    ''A Saint at the very least.'' Compass Carburettor thought, observing the two individuals as he was able to feel that the Personal Fragments of both originated from this world itself.


    He then extended his senses to the System yer in the market, noticing that she too was the same, a System yer from this world.


    The other party was tracing Stencil''s steps, eventually finding herself within the restaurant, rooted to the spot in shock upon observing the standoff between Faluda and Fedin.


    "Wayna?" Faluda muttered, raising an eyebrow as he tensed up immediately. After all, unlike Fedin whose powers he was fully aware of, he didn''t have much of an idea about Wayna.


    Moreover, she was from an older generation, having been a System yer for more than a century now. Her umtion was staggering.


    Based on strength alone, she was stronger than Fedin and Faluda. But, she didn''t remain in shock for more than a couple of seconds, behaving like she didn''t see the two as she made her way past them, approaching the table where Compass Carburettor and Stencil were seated, purposefully looking around as she acted like all the seats in the restaurant had been upied.


    She then maderge movements, noticing the empty seat beside Compass Carburettor, asking while shing a pleasant smile, "Can you be a dear and give me that seat?"


    "Help yourself," Compass Carburettor, watching thedy take a seat nearby.


    After ordering her food, she happened to look around when coincidentally chancing upon the bag in stencil''s possession, "Are they Tukkan Crystals?"


    "You know about them?" Stencil''s eyes lit up in surprise as she acted oblivious to thedy''s schemes, taking out one from her bag as she ced it on the table, "I got it for cheap in the market. They are fun, so I bought quite a lot of them."


    "Ahh!" Thedy, Wayna eximed in surprise, cing her hand on her mouth to control her excitement, stating after a moment, "I was just searching for this too! I went all over the market and couldn''t find any."


    [Dad, she''s a good actor.]


    [I can see that. I''m seated right next to her.]


    "Lady, do you know how to use them?" Stencil asked.


    "Please, just call me Wayna. We don''t seem far too apart in age." She winked. Appearance-wise, she looked like a humandy in her early twenties, the same as Stencil.


    Though, she was neither a human nor in her early twenties. She originated from the Merman race.


    Wanya looked at Stencil, saying, "I won''t lie to you. Tukkan Crystal is one of the most malleable materials. If you add it to gold, you can create Duloctite, the material used in Alchemy. But, if you manage to get your hands on ck Gold, then you can add it to the Tukkan Crystal to create Magicite."


    "Magicite?" Stencil raised an eyebrow.


    Of course, she was aware of what a Magicite was. It was a material used in the creation of gems that could amplify a mage''s power. They were precious items that even a Master could only own after spending his life''s savings to buy them.


    Duloctite was used in the creation of a Mage robe and a Warrior''s armour whereas Magicite was the item that breathed life into such items, turning them into powerful Magical Tools.


    This was why when Stencil noticed the Tukkan Crystal being sold for so cheap, she bought them. There was another crystal called the Ketu Crystal which didn''t have any other use than being ornamental, sticking a sharp resemnce to the Tukkan Crystal.


    So, oftentimes, the two were mixed up. Had the hawker been aware that the item he was selling was the infamous Tukkan Crystal and not a Ketu Crystal, he would have shed buckets of tears.


    After all, even the smallest piece of Tukkan Crystal was sold for ten Royal Xetuka. And in Stencil''s possession was a bag full of it, enough to spark the greed of anyone.


    "Can''t you sell me some of them, Yaka?" Wayna said, familiarising herself with the two individuals.


    "Hmm, I can sell some of them to you for cheap¡­?" Stencil trailed off, smiling as she gazed at Wayna, "But, you must show me your forging process."


    "Sure, but you might not believe me though," Wayna warned them, surprised to see the two individuals smile at her casually.


    "We have travelled through a lot of ces. So, it isn''t easy to trigger our disbelief."

 Chapter 569 Is She a Slayer?

    Chapter 569 Is She a yer?¡¡¡¡"We have travelled through a lot of ces. So, it isn''t easy to trigger our disbelief."


    "Is that so?" Wayna raised an eyebrow, smiling as she thought, ''This might be¡­interesting.''


    "You can join meter once I start working on them." She said, extending a slip of paper, "My house address is written on it. Just visit after two days. I need to make the necessary preparations until then."


    "Sure," Stencil smiled as she read the address, disying her excitement.


    "What is up with those two though?" Just as she was about to leave, Compass Carburettor asked, pointing at the figures of Faluda and Fedin, "I noticed that you seemed familiar with them. Why are they just staring at each other for so long?"


    Compass Carburettor behaved like he wasn''t cunning enough to make sense of the situation just by observing the bodynguage of the people involved.


    Wayna thought for a moment before saying, "You can just consider them to have a lot of history. They have a lot of conflicts. Anyway, it''s best to not bother with them, it''s for your own good."


    When she said thest sentence, her voice was more serious than before as Wayna smiled and stood up, boding them farewell.


    While she exited the restaurant, her eyes trailed upon the two System yers, choosing to ignore them as she obtained what she hade for.


    [What do we do now, dad?]


    Stencil stared at Compass Carburettor, observing that the System yers seemed guarded against others for some reason. It didn''t seem like they could hitch a ride onto whatever they were nning.


    [We''ll observe and tail themter. Let''s finish our food first and make our way out.]


    Soon after, they exited the restaurant, heading towards an inn where they booked a room to stay as Stencil took out the Tukkan Crystal and began to y with it, using the abilities of the Secret Refiner System.


    "What are you making?" Compass Carburettor asked, curious as Stencil didn''t seem to be making a Duloctite or Magicite from it.


    "A weapon to channel my power better." Stencil said, "Something simr to your gun, dad. This material is a pretty good fit for me."


    "Something to use in this world only?" He asked next.


    "Yeah," Stencil nodded, "I can create a suitable weapon for myself in other worlds. So, there''s no need to worry about making a weapon that works in every world. It''s not possible unless it''s a Personal Fragment."


    The Tukkan Crystal was a shade of fleshy pink, semi-transparent and semi-translucent. And when viewed from certain angles, it looked opaque, with the colour turning ck.


    It was a mysterious crystal, with the majority of its property originating from the arrangement of thettice.


    And hence, it couldn''t be casually forged like an iron. The techniques regarding its usage were pretty delicate.


    Stencil had no idea about them though, only wishing to experiment with the Tukkan crystal in her hand to gain some experience.


    After that, she nned to see what Wayna did with her Tukkan Crystal. Only after that was she nning on refining her weapon for real.


    Lightning sparked across the Tukkan Crystal, causing it to emit starlight sparkles as the Mental Energy in the lightning bolts was surprisingly absorbed into the crystal, empowering it a little.


    Stencil then used Origin Essence, sensing the crystal remaining mostly unreactive towards it. She then seeped in the power of her Coordinate, sensing mild changes as the crystal began to turn transparent while the impurities in it began to seep out through the lightning sparks.


    ''I see, since the Coordinate is like the purest intangible material that forms a System''s body, if I seep its power into any material, that material bes purified to the peak.'' Nodding in response, Stencil continued to refine the Tukkan Crystal, watching it gradually resemble ss.


    But as she turned it, she saw lines of colours ranging from red to violet sh past like a wave. The Tukkan Crystal was pretty interesting to experiment upon as Stencil lost track of time while ying with it.


    During this time, Compass Carburettor exited their inn, thinking of looking around the city to curb his boredom and hopefully chance upon the System yers in whatever they were nning here.


    "Kyaaa! Save me!"


    "Hehe, you shouldn''t havee into the back alleys like this,dy." A man''s snickering voice resounded.


    While Compass Carburettor went around the city, before he realised, he had walked into the back alleys that were situated a couple of streets behind the flea market that he visited before.


    Upon hearing ady''s shrill voice, he frowned, immediately making his way in the direction of the voice,ing across a red-eyed man that was choking a woman, steadily increasing the grip in his hand as thedy''s face became paler and paler.


    "You''ll be my tenth kill for this month. It''s a joyous asion." The red-eyed man grinned, watching the woman''s eyes roll to the back of her eye socket, disying her whites.


    One nce at the woman and Compass Carburettor didn''t feel like saving her at all, ''When did System yers be somon?''


    The screamingdy was of course a System yer. But surprisingly, she was weak. And she truly was helpless against the red-eyed man who was a Master Warrior.


    ''Well, might as well.'' Thinking as such, Compass Carburettor summoned Anthozoa and aimed at the red-eyed man, shooting a bullet, causing his head to explode in response.


    The bullet turned into air right after and vanished, leaving behind no traces as thedy fell to the ground, coughing vehemently as she gasped for air.


    "T-Thank you¡­" She said, struggling to get up as her legs felt weak.


    "What were you doing here?" Compass Carburettor asked, ring at thedy, "Don''t you know a ce is shady when you see one?"


    "I¡­was searching for something." She said, getting up as she dusted herself, bowing towards him, "Thank you for saving my life. If fate permits, I''ll repay the favour."


    She then turned around and began to walk away, almost stumbling a couple of times as a result.


    Compass Carburettor stared at her, frowning as it indeed seemed like thedy had been helpless before and wasn''t acting.


    He squinted, focusing on her back before eventually, her Personal Fragment was outlined in his eyes, causing him to frown, ''This isn''t hers?''


    ''What the heck?''

 Chapter 570 Personal Fragment Bound to a Mortal

    Chapter 570 Personal Fragment Bound to a Mortal¡¡¡¡''The Personal Fragment isn''t hers.'' Compass Carburettor felt odd at the fact that a Personal Fragment existed in thedy''s body that didn''t belong to her. But, there was still a connection between them.


    Aware that he had indeed stumbled upon something rted to what his senses had told him when Stencil exined about this world, Compass Carburettor didn''t wish to lose sight of thedy.


    He then made a motion of stashing away his gun in his robes, walking towards her as he warned her, "Are you an idiot? These alleyways are dangerous. Come on, I''ll escort you to the main road."


    "I''m¡­fine, kind sir." Thedy said, "Thank you for helping me. I''ll be able to manage myself from here on."


    "You? How?" Compass Carburettor purposefully sighed exasperatedly, "Your aura only pertains to that of a Novice. How can you even protect yourself?"


    He then massaged his forehead, grunting as he acted like it was an annoyance, grabbing hold of thedy''s hand as he began to drag her out of the alley, "I''ll listen to your reason. Don''t lose your life foolishly."


    "Y-Yes," Thedy bowed as her eyes reddened, almost tearing up in response as she stared at the burly man that was gently escorting her away.


    Soon after, he brought her to a nearby restaurant, the same where they transacted with Faluda and Wayna, watching her take a seat as he ordered some cool drinks.


    Thedy drank two whole sses before calming down to a certain extent before she began to talk, "My dad was an explorer of ruins. He was pretty famous among the explorer circle and had one of the highest sess rates. He chanced upon my mom during one such exploration, found trapped within a ruin."


    She ordered another ss of cold drink and began to drink it, speaking her mind, "Eventually, they fell in love with one another and married. She had mysterious origins but as my dad too constantly travelled from one ce to another in search of ruins, he didn''t bother inquiring her about it. But eventually, her origins indeed put us in trouble."


    She then hesitated in whether or not she could speak further, conflicted as she wasn''t sure if she could trust this stranger before her. But, she didn''t have anyone to rely upon, and for some reason, the man before her that had arms resembling tree trunks felt amicable.


    From the start, he was listening to her calmly, without expressing any falsities or judgmental gazes at her, allowing her to feel at ease.


    "I''ve been travelling with my daughter through a lot of ces myself. So, I can understand your situation somewhat." Compass Carburettor said, motioning for her to continue.


    Thedy took in a deep breath, continuing forth, "My mother was originally from the Titan race. She was Princess of the Tushan Kingdom. And thanks to forging a contract with a Demon, she assumed a human appearance. But something amiss happened during the process, trapping her in that ruin where my dad found her."


    "And eventually, one of our enemies, the Galm Empire captured that Demon and ended up discovering her identity." She clenched her hand into a fist, biting her lips as she continued, "And then¡­they killed my dad. After that, I don''t know what happened, but for some reason, I found myself in this city when I woke up. This is too far from the Tushan Kingdom."


    "I¡­am the spawn of a Human and a Titan." She said, noticing that the expression of the man before her only showed mild surprise.


    Cross-racial fertilisation wasn''t possible as even if they mate, parents from different races were incapable of producing any offspring. This wasmon sense in this world.


    But of course, there arose some exceptions, thanks to the meddling by the Systems.


    Thedy''s mother might have had a secret identity, but Compass Carburettor felt that her father might have had an even more secretive identity.


    Think about it. Why would the princess of a Kingdom, that too from the Titan race make a deal with a Demon to change her race into a human, only to be found by a human man that she fell in love with, even ending up having a child sessfully?


    It would only make sense if one of them happened to be a System Host or something along the lines.


    And, Compass Carburettor was able to sense the Personal Fragment within thedy''s body, one that possessed the aura of the Titans.


    ''But the question is, how the heck was a System yer able to connect a Personal Fragment to another person?'' This was what puzzled him the most.


    After all, this wasn''t something that was Bestowed upon her like what was done through Secret Society.


    The Personal Fragment was truly bonded to her through mysterious means, with the Status of the System yer unknown.


    There seemed to be a lot of mystery interlocked within her. And worst of all, the concerned person herself seemed unaware of everything.


    ''Is this my fate?'' Compass Carburettor closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath for a moment as he focused upon his Core Skill, feeling his Lore blinking in response.


    There was definitely something big hidden in this, and his fate as the Main Character had brought him here. But, whether or not he wished to involve himself in this mess was entirely up to him.


    This was where his growthy. To level up as the Main Character required two things, unlike Systems.


    First among them was Coordinates. Coordinates didn''t only strengthen his abilities but they also formed the vessel in him that allowed him to store more Mental Energy and also use that as the foundation to level up.


    If he didn''t have enough Coordinates in him, then irrespective of the Mental Energy he umted, he wouldn''t level up.


    And second, was the Mental Energy that he earned from acting as the Main Character. Meaning, doing things that the Main Character typically does.


    He could still level up though using the Mental Energy he could gain through conventional means. It was just that the level-up efficiency was low.

 Chapter 571 There Once Existed a Tool, A Weapon Of…

    Chapter 571 There Once Existed a Tool, A Weapon Of¡­¡¡¡¡Investigating the history and Lore of Systems, defeating them, foiling their ns, etc. all such things would allow him to level up the fastest.


    But, that meant he would be living a high-profile life. If he was alone, such a thing was possible. But, there was Stencil too apanying him. He wished to provide her with a stable life. So, even if it proved to be inferior and less efficient, he wished to level up through conventional ways.


    But, it might take him decades just to gain a level in this manner.


    Compass Carburettor then focused on thedy, continuing to hear her recount some more of her experiences.


    Currently, her goal was to investigate an underground organisation that was operating in the Xetuka Kingdom which had clues rted to her mother. She believed that her mother was still alive.


    At present, she had a clue that pointed toward an informant working for this underground organisation. And it seemed his home was located nearby the back alley where she was found by Compass Carburettor.


    She called herself Gehera, child to a human man and a Titan woman. Appearance-wise, she seemed human,cking any traits rted to the Titans.


    Even her profession was that of a Cartographer. But, Compass Carburettor was aware that when the right conditions were met, she would be able to ess the Titan bloodline dormant within her.


    And, the Personal Fragment in her body was the key to that.


    "Hmm, I can help you." Compass Carburettor nodded after some time passed, seeing Gehera tearing up in response, expressing her gratitude. "But, you shouldn''t be reckless. Let''s make the necessary preparations first."


    He then decided that it was a good time to contact Stencil and bring her over to have fun solving this mystery. But just as he was able to contact her through a Mental Energy stream, she did the same first.


    [Dad, I saw Wayna heading towards a certain abandoned house. I''m tailing after her.]


    [Idiot, don''t be reckless!]


    [I''ll be careful. I''m not young, you know.]


    Compass Carburettor got up with a start, panicking for a moment, startling Gehera at his abrupt action. He then stared at the Mental Energy stream trailing from him to Stencil, watching the stream curve in a certain direction.


    He summoned his Anthozoa and shot out a Dragon Bullet, causing it to morph into a Mental Energy dragon that entered the Mental Energy stream, travelling through it like a fish before appearing beside Stencil in an instant, observing where she was headed.


    [Ugh, dad, I''ll be careful. Why are you worried so much?]


    Stencil''s voice sounded a bit annoyed, noticing his actions as he wasn''t being subtle about it. Aware that he was somewhat overprotective about her, she didn''t say anything otherwise.


    After all, she had been hurt twice, brutally. So, it remained on his mind, wishing to always be with her so that he could protect her. Therefore, she didn''t argue with him and instead convinced him calmly.


    [Wayna seems more guarded against you than me, dad. Maybe even if she can''t perceive anything regarding you, the Main Character fragment in her might be reacting to you. That could also be the reason. Instead, there wouldn''t be such a reaction toward me. So, I can investigate things better.]


    She then continued, sensing his emotions.


    [Besides, I think you stumbled upon a clue too, right? Let''s act separately for the time being, dad. We''ll race to see who solves this mystery first, alright?]


    [Just be¡­careful, alright? The mystery can go to hell for all I care. Just promise me that you''ll remain safe.]


    [Alright, I will.]


    The Mental Energy dragon hovering beside her then vanished as Stencil smiled in response, hailing a carriage as she took on a different route, intending to coincidentallye across Wayna.


    Even though Compass Carburettor left Stencil to her own devices, he didn''t wish for her toe under harm.


    Gazing at Gehera, he smiled wryly, "I sensed something amiss for a moment. Maybe it''s just my senses, you see. I have just arrived at this town today."


    "I s-see," Gehera nodded in response, calming down as she patted her chest, feeling the loud thumping of her heart.


    Compass Carburettor instantly lost interest in everything, his mind failing to work as he was tensed, nervous about Stencil''s situation. This Fantasy World wasn''t in the least safe, as countless hidden powers had existed for many millennia without being destroyed.


    So, stumbling upon them was tantamount to suicide. And in such a case, he didn''t wish to leave his one and only daughter alone.


    But it was her desire. Even though he wished to honour it, he had zero guarantees in maintaining it for more than a couple of minutes.


    Finally, he decided, smiling as he motioned for Gehera to follow him while the index finger of his left gently touched the sides of the table.


    Core Skill¡ªLore!


    [There once existed a tool, a weapon of¡­]


    The sentence in English formed at the side of the table, seemingly inscribed using Mental Energy, vanishing after a moment, causing a subtle fluctuation to seep into the ce.


    He then apanied Gehera to exit the restaurant.


    A couple of minutester, a man wearing long robes appeared in the ce, frowning as he looked at the table, inspecting it but failing to find anything amiss.


    "Strange, I definitely sensed a terrifying power fluctuation from here¡­" He muttered, looking around as he observed the people nearby, with none able to even notice his presence.


    His long robes cascaded over the floor but didn''t touch it. His hair was long, almost reaching his feet while his beard touched his hip. Even his eyebrows had grown long enough to cover the sides of his face.


    Sporting a heavenly countenance, the man seemed neither young nor old, standing at the location for a couple more seconds. His poise was grand, vast akin to a pir shouldering the skies themselves.


    ''Did some troublesome existence make its way into our world?'' He frowned, failing to find anything despite all his power. He then snapped his finger before vanishing.


    And in response, the table turned into dust. Immediately after, a mysterious set of words floated out of them, intending to fly into the wall when the man appeared once again, extending his hand to grab hold of the set of words, frowning when they slipped through his hand, entering the wall before disappearing.

 Chapter 572 Pseudo-Relic

    Chapter 572 Pseudo-Relic¡¡¡¡Wayna was seated in a carriage, watching the buildings span past as the number of people moving along the side of the road became sparse.


    Her hands gripped onto a piece of coin tightly, somewhat nervous as she looked around, unable to see anyone or anything that caught her eye.


    Everything seemed as normal as usual. But for some reason, she was feeling a bit nervous.


    She wore a long gown like a noble, her green-rimmed gloves holding a paper fan that she used to fan herself. Twirled on one eye was a monocle that she adjusted from time to time, using it to read through the book before her, one that had a circr depression in its centre, deep enough to hide a coin within.


    And it was exactly where the coin in her hand went. As the carriage continued to span past, she flipped the pages, acting like she was reading through the contents when in truth, she was distracted.


    Closing her eyes, she focused upon her Personal Fragment, a mysterious torch that emitted water-like mes, generating a subtle fluctuation from time to time.


    It was a Quasi-Relic, a treasure of her Kingdom that had been passed down since ages before she gained possession of it.


    Among the items used by the people, there existed three divisions: Magic Tools, Quasi-Relics, and Relics.


    The items used by those until the Pseudo-Saint Stage were Magical Tools,monly referred to as a Magic Tool.


    Beyond that were the two grades of Quasi-Relics and Relics, each possessing enough power to change a Kingdom.


    They were the guardian items of the respective Kingdom or Empire, one that ensured their rule didn''t copse.


    And one such item was the Quasi-Relic that had be her Personal Fragment. Wayna focused on it, concentrating further and further before she was able to hear countless voices squirming within.


    [To wish, has been my fate, and hence I shall, rename your hate!]


    [Into the stars, I gaze at you, forever smiling, to be with you!]


    [Rise into the clouds, and fall into my embrace, for that is happiness!]


    [Exchange your hatred with foolishness, for you''ll at least have something this way.]


    Verses of various tunes resounded in her mind, with each of them having a powerful impact on anyone that might hear them.


    Wayna was from the Merman Race, a race that dwelled within the great ocean. As a sea-faring race, the Merman Race had two professions¡ªBards, and Polymorphs.


    Bards sang or danced, or at times evenmunicated through mere gestures alone. Some were even capable of using their scent alone tomunicate a myriad of emotions into the inhalers. Such people were called Bards.


    And of course, they could also go on the offensive. It was just that their abilities weren''t entirely direct but worked in crowd-control factors.


    Their second profession, Polymorphs allowed them to transform into whatever they desired, allowing them to change the appearance of themselves and others, or even affect the environment itself.


    Polymorph was a strong profession that had strategic uses, perfect for spies to have. Moreover, the Mermen race also controlled the beauty industry, travelling throughout the shores to perform in various troupes that entertained all sorts of Kingdoms and Empires.


    Moreover, for a premium, someone could even approach a Merman to have their appearance altered with practically no consequences.


    As to the level of the altercation, it was their wish. Some even changed genders or even their species.


    But, Polymorphs weren''t able to truly change one''s race. So, a human that was changed into a Demon would still remain a human biologically, unable to survive in the Demon Kingdom as their bodies were just built differently.


    The power of Polymorphs varied based on their strength. Pseudo-Saint Polymorphs were able to go past the racial restrictions to a certain extent. In all honestly, they were a pretty cheaty race that was elusive in nature and had a home-ground advantage, being one of the two water-dominant races.


    The Merman Race was one of the most powerful races in the Fantasy World.


    Of course, as a Pseudo-Relic, Wayna''s Personal Fragment contained the powers of both the Merman Race professions.


    A Magical Tool was dered a Relic when it forms the imprint of its wielder. Just as Wayna began to think about Pseudo-Relics and their creation, she noticed a carriage moving across her on the road, and seated on its back was Yaka.


    Yaka immediately noticed her, motioning for the coachman to stop the carriage as she alighted and approached her carriage, asking, "Wayna, I was just thinking about finding you and was surprised to find you here."


    "What are you doing in such a deste ce?" Wayna asked in surprise, having never expected to run into her here.


    The location they were at currently was situated on the outskirts of Tentuna City, a ce ruled by a gang of ruffians that dealt in human trafficking. They had been in power here for a couple of decades already, using the mountains near the city to set up a stronghold.


    And the moment the Kingdom sent any troops to suppress them, the gang members would vacate deep into the mountains. Sometimeter, they would gradually mingle into the city to plot against the authorities that had arrived.


    Led by a Grandmaster Mage, they wielded considerable power and influence. Even Wayna was nervous about treading through this ce. After all, in a foreign kingdom, she had to exercise utmost caution.


    It was unknown as to when she would trigger the ire of a heavenly being. She had personally seen a System yer getting obliterated by one such existence after being provoked.


    And considering the nature of their world''s power system, even though it was impossible for them to truly kill Systems or System yers, they had enough means to harness either party into a power source.


    She too was capable of the same, the reason she had survived for more than a century as a System yer. Otherwise, considering the number of System Fragments she had used to strengthen herself, she ought to have turned into a System ages ago.

 Chapter 573 Fruit Fairies

    Chapter 573 Fruit Fairies¡¡¡¡"Where''s your dad?" Wayna asked upon seeing that Stencil¡ªYaka¡ªwas alone, frowning in response.


    "I sneaked out while he was busy with some work." Stencil winked in response, smiling cutely before taking out a piece of metal, "I was just using this as a divination method to locate something interesting. That''s how I noticed the Tukkan Crystal before."


    "Does that method work?" Wayna raised an eyebrow, curious now.


    "Not all the time." Stencil shook her head, "It seldom works. But when it works, I chance upon some interesting things. So, it''s worth it in the end."


    ''So, she''s just messing around.'' Wayna nodded in response, feeling a mild headache as she felt sympathy for her dad instead, ''It should be hard on Teto to take care of her.''


    She then looked at Stencil, saying in concern, "This ce is dangerous. Come with me."


    "Okay!" Yakaughed, paying her coachman before boarding Wayna''s carriage, whispering once the carriage began to move, "Where are you heading towards?"


    "A dangerous ce¡­" Wayna said, sighing in the end, "The moment you stepped foot on this territory, the thugs controlling the ce have already put you in their observation. So, don''t go alone. At least, with me around, your safety is guaranteed."


    "How dangerous are these thugs?" Stencil asked, putting on a curious look when in truth, she was aware of the intention and thoughts of the people keeping a watch on her through the Mental Energy streams directed at her.


    "In terms of strength alone, they aren''t your match. Even their leader would be hard-pressed to be your match." Wayna said, aware of Stencil''s strength as a Grandmaster Metal Mage, "But, most dangers never arise from them."


    "Do you mean to say¡­?" Stencil trailed off, frowning a little.


    "Hidden organisations." Wayna said, "We have no idea which hidden organisation is backing this group. Otherwise, with the Xetuka Kingdom''s strength, they should have wiped out this group ages ago. Once we are targeted by a hidden organisation, it would be hard for us to have a pleasant life."


    Wayna was truthfully conveying this piece of information, feeling a sense of familiarity with Stencil. For a moment, she suspected Stencil to be a System yer like her, but as she wasn''t able to confirm the detail, she decided to warn Stencil anyways of the dangers involved.


    Even she, as a System yer was nervous. She was strong. And truth be told, she had enough power to go against any average Kingdom, but that was it.


    In this world where deities lived, her strength was insufficient. Things worked at a different spectrum in the Fantasy World than in other worlds.


    First of all, no System entered this world to umte Mental Energy, for that was hard. What they hoped to gain was the quality of Mental Energy, which was almost at the peak of what a System could obtain in a world.


    This high-quality Mental Energy would cause their Core Skill to develop faster. So, Systems typically operated on a loss-making business scheme in this world. Therefore, they didn''t stay within one Host for more than a decade or two.


    Any more, and the Host would be too strong, bing capable of affecting matters on the scale of a Kingdom and beyond. When this happened, they would garner the attention of the hidden existences, causing an increase in the danger involved.


    Systems that failed to leave on time sufferedrge losses, having no other choice but to lose all the umtions they obtained in this world, for their Host was killed.


    Moreover, there was also the Mental Energy expense involved in leaving this world and also nurturing the growth of their Host. The losses would be disastrous.


    So, any System yer that was birthed in this world started as a Pseudo-Saint. And even though a Pseudo-Saint was the strongest existent that took charge of the various matters in a Kingdom or Empire, the true powers weren''t them.


    And even after a century of being a System yer, Wayna hadn''t even scratched the surface of the power of the deities existing in her world.


    This was why she warned Stencil to not take action heedlessly and endanger them all.


    Upon hearing her heartfelt words, Stencil recalled her dad''s words that there were indeed existences in this world stronger than him, sighing as she nodded, "Don''t worry. I''ll behave."


    "Thank goodness. I wouldn''t have known what to do if you had been stubborn." Wayna patted herself in relief before asking, "Yaka, are you¡­?"


    ''Are you a System yer?'' She wished to ask this before sighing after a moment of thought, "Never mind, it wasn''t anything important."


    "Lady, we''ve arrived at your destination." The coachman said, extending his hand to receive his pay. He was in cahoots with the gang that operated in the region, so he wasn''t afraid of being here.


    "Be here. I''ll return in an hour after I''m done with my work." Wayna said, watching the coachman nod in response as she and Stencil alighted.


    "This is¡­?" Stencil muttered, staring at therge mansion that came into view.


    Arge orchardy before her, sparkling with plump fruits, ripe, oozing with juiciness. The orchard had a wild nature to it but was still maintained like a manmade ntation. Workers shuttled to and fro, spanning the size of a fist, their tiny wings fluttering in the wind as chirpy giggles resounded everywhere they moved past.


    They were draped by what resembled clothes made out of vines, grass, and flowers, a healthy mixture oozing with vitality. Theirrge heads sported baby faces, almost resembling humans, with the sole difference being a tiny branch protruding on their forehead, with its end sporting a fruit as big as their eyes.


    Fruit Fairies!


    "Beautiful!" Stencil eximed upon seeing the chirpy creatures tending to the orchard that almost resembled a forest.


    Her attention was soon focused on the path before her that lead to the mansion at the end. When she stared at the ground, she noticed that it was covered by tree roots, thinking of something as she whispered, "Did the trees move to open this path?"


    "Yes," Wayna whispered back, motioning for her to follow, "Don''t touch anything. Just follow me.''"


    "A legend lives here."

 Chapter 574 A City Inside the Mansion

    Chapter 574 A City Inside the Mansion¡¡¡¡Wayna arrived before the entrance, extending the book in her hand, noticing it be a tad lighter. The coin within it vanished, creating a formless barrier around her and Stencil.


    Stencil extended her hand, watching the barrier resemble a gtinous fment, emanating a fruity smell. She then followed Wayna, setting foot on the root-covered route, sensing mild tremors from within.


    Her eyes observed the state of things around, sensing the mild state of tension exhibited by Wayna that cautiously walked, her eyes focused on the root-covered ground and the surrounding trees.


    After a bit of time spanned past in such a fashion, Stencil realised what was happening, ''So, that coin within her book was the key to entering this ce. And without it, death is guaranteed to anyone that sets foot here. This membrane around us guards us against the horrors that might spring upon us anytime.''


    "Who is this legend that you spoke about?" She then asked Wayna, watching the other party flinch at the sound of her voice for a moment, having been wholly focused on her surroundings.


    "If fate permits, you''ll be able to see them." Wayna didn''t say anything beyond that, continuing to walk through the orchard.


    "Ehehe~"


    "Huahua~"


    "Uwaaaaw~"


    Stencil focused on the Fruit Fairies flying nearby, hearing the sound of their happy chirps, akin to a baby''sughter.


    Fruit Fairies were a type of Magic Beast that didn''t have any fighting abilities. Their only power was to tend to fruit-bearing trees. The presence of a single Fruit Fairy increased a tree''s yield by three times.


    They were so magical. But due to theirck of fighting abilities, they were almost extinct in the outside world. Even having a single Fruit Fairy was a show of one''s power.


    Even the strongest of Empires had at most a few Fruit Fairies that they nurtured with the utmost care. But here, thousands were flying around without a care in the world.


    It was a tant show of power. The owner of this estate wasn''t just powerful, but also damn influential to exist here with such wealth.


    Among the Fairy Race, there existed Fruit Fairies, Flower Fairies, Seed Fairies, etc. And Stencil was also able to spot them too, mixed among the Fruit Fairies.


    The Fruit Fairies didn''t just increase the tree''s yield, but also raised their nutritional value, also infusing mana into it naturally. So, just by consuming such fruits, one would have an easier time training and growing in strength.


    Flower Fairies caused flowers to bloom with greater vitality, with the nectar they produced having beneficial properties, enough to resemble potions in effect naturally.


    Seed Fairies raised the potential of the seeds themselves, ensuring the nts they germinate into had a better chance of growing strong even in bad climatic conditions.


    And with all sorts of Fairies in this ce, the orchard was teeming with vitality and a dense presence of mana, enough to cause the mana in Wayna''s body to churn in response, feeling like she was growing stronger just by inhaling the air of this ce.


    The deeper into the orchard they walked, the greater the submissive attitude expressed by Wayna. It was so much so that even Stencil could feel the authority of the person within the estate.


    After walking for around two kilometres, the duo exited the orchard, gazing upon the luxurious mansion situated before them. It was wholly created out of Duloctite, exhibiting a suffocating presence.


    And, massive glowing columns, made out of Magicite formed the pirs of the mansion. This was a tant show of strength, for even Empires didn''t have the funds to splurge their precious reserve of Duloctite and Magicite on a mere building.


    "This feels wasteful," Stencil muttered, noticing Wayna shudder at her remark.


    "Shush!" Wayna covered her mouth, whispering in tension, "Don''tment unnecessary remarks. Our heads might roll if you offend the party inside."


    "Wayna, don''t frighten the child too much. She''s a neer that hasn''t been part of our circle for long, so it makes sense that she isn''t aware of a lot of things." A voice resounded, soft, giving a feeling of benevolence and care.


    "I''m sorry, teacher!" Wayna bowed immediately in response, stating with a tone of utmost respect.


    "Come in," The benevolent voice said as the doors to the mansion opened in response. "The others have already arrived."


    As the duo began to walk towards the mansion, Wayna gazed at Stencil from the corner of her eye, ''So, she too is a System yer. No wonder I felt an amicable feeling towards her and wished to bring her with me.''


    As she had been a System yer for more than a century, she was able to sense the fragment of the Main Character System in her better. And even though she couldn''t know in advance, she did feel somewhat free in conversing with System yers.


    Therefore, when she felt the same towards Stencil, she had an inkling that Stencil could be a System yer. She just wasn''t sure though. But now that her teacher had confirmed it by calling Stencil a neer to their circle, she was assured.


    She didn''t point it out though and just brought Stencil with her, entering the house. After that, the doors to the mansion closed while the trees of the orchard moved, covering up the route that the duo had walked through just now.


    Unlike its exterior, the interior was just barebones, made out of rough stone, giving a feeling of them being underground.


    Stencil remained silent, watching Wayna walk through the ce with familiarity, taking a flight of stairs that proceeded underground as they soon came before arge double-door, one that spanned a height of ten metres.


    Standing before them were two Titans, acting as guards as they exuded the aura of a Pseudo-Saint. One of the Titans red at Stencil and Wayna, inspecting them for a moment before opening the double-door that only spanned the size of their palm, revealing a vast region beyond, one with the backdrop of the nightfall.


    ''Is this another dimension?'' Stencil thought, entering through the door to see a massive underground city where people from various races mingled.


    And shockingly, once she took on her Coordinate form, she was able to sense multiple System yers scattered among the crowd.

 Chapter 575 History of Slayers

    Chapter 575 History of yers¡¡¡¡The city was a sprawling market, crowded with vendors and people visiting to buy things.


    Stencil gazed at the shop closest to her, surprised when she noticed Magic Tools being sold there, with some of them even fit for Masters.


    And this was just the first shop that she casually nced at. She then looked at the price tag, noticing that the currency was something she wasn''t familiar with, tugging Wayna as she asked, "What''s a¡­Minda?"


    "It''s a name we use to address Mental Energy." Wayna whispered, watching Stencil''s eyes lit up in surprise, nodding as she said, "Yeah, I know that you too are a yer, sorry for not saying it beforehand."


    "It''s fine, I too hid it from you." Stencil nodded.


    ''It seems her powers are stronger than mine, given how she was aware that I was a System yer beforehand.'' Wayna sighed mentally, aware that Stencil was a lot more than what she let on.


    Even now, after seeing that the mysterious voice had already grasped her identity, Stencil only thought of using it to her advantage, casually revealing it to Wayna to join her circle and gain more information out of her.


    And it worked. Wayna spoke, "One Copper Minda equals 1 Mental Energy, one Silver Minda equals 100 Mental Energy, and one Gold Minda equals 10,000 Mental Energy."


    "How is Mental Energy even transacted here?" Stencil expressed her confusion.


    "You''ll be able to see it yourself." Wayna said, "There''s nothing much to see in these shops. What''s beneficial for us is avable in the inner city. Since my teacher has already given you the permit, I can take you there now."


    The duo walked past the shops as Stencil noticed treasures from all races and regions sold here, also noticing double doors situated throughout the walls of the city.


    It was apparent that each double-door led towards a certain location of the Fantasy World and this was where everyone gathered.


    "What exactly is this ce?" Stencil asked.


    "A market¡­for us." Wayna said in all seriousness, whispering after a while, "It''s best to refrain from speaking about it here. Let''s head to the inner city first."


    Soon after, they reached the foot of a massive wall that ran throughout the centre of the city, separating the outer and inner city.


    There was a small door that acted as the entrance. And the moment they arrived before it, a mysterious beam fell on Wayna, causing the door to lit up with starlight as it vanished, allowing her entry.


    A formless pressure was cast around the entrance, making it possible for only her to enter.


    "I''ll wait for you inside." Saying so, Wayna entered through the door, vanishing from view. The formless pressure vanished soon after as the mysterious beam fell on Stencil next.


    She was able to sense that it was probing through her body, reacting the moment it touched her Personal Fragment, causing the door to emit starlight and vanish once again, allowing her entry into the ce.


    The moment she passed through the entrance, Stencil found herself in a museum of sorts where a wall ran across the ce in a spiral, starting from the ground as it continued high into the sky, with no end in sight.


    Stencil gazed at the start of the spiral wall, noticing the image of a Demon youth stered there, with a lot of information inscribed nearby. But, the moment she looked at the words, her vision blurred as a jarring feeling crept up in her mind, preventing her from making out the words.


    "Don''t bother reading it." Wayna''s voice resounded as she arrived behind her, saying after a sigh, "You''ll need to spend hours at a stretch just to barely make out the first word of this. You''ll need an eternity to finish reading everything on this wall."


    "What is inscribed here?" Stencil asked, absolutely curious now, for she sensed her Personal Fragment pulsing while she stared at the figure of the Demon youth.


    "History," Wayna said while sporting an expression of devotion, "History of the yers I mean."


    "Everything that has happened from the start to the end has been inscribed here." She said, pointing upwards, "Our destination is at the end of this spiral. Time is running short. So, let''s hurry."


    "Alright," Stencil nodded as the two of them quickly travelled through the spiral path. She continued to gaze at the blurry wall that she wasn''t able to make sense of, including the pictures inscribed there.


    But as she arrived at the end of the spiral wall, Stencil paused for a moment, observing that she was able to see the contents in the final stretch. After all, it consisted of her, for she was thest System yer to appear.


    There was just an image of her original appearance inscribed there, coupled with the words, "Daughter of the recent Main Character, Stencil Carburettor vanished from Earth and hasn''t been heard from ever since."


    There weren''t any other details about her and this was thest image inscribed on the spiral wall, causing her to wonder, ''How did they know details about me?''


    She then looked at the blurred-out image prior to hers, wondering if it was about her dad, ''I''ll look into itter.''


    Now that she grasped the extent of information she could unearth from this ce, Stencil nned to do just that as she apanied Wayna, reaching the end of the path.


    Wayna flipped the book in her hand, tearing out a page that she threw over the edge, watching it flutter for a couple of seconds before transforming into a portal that highlighted a massive round table, overlooked by a heavenly entity.


    "Let''s enter," Wayna said solemnly, her stature turning humble immediately as she gently touched the portal, entering it.


    ''Is he the owner of this ce?'' Stencil thought, entering the portal as she arrived in arge room whose walls were outlined by fog.


    The round table''s surface resembled a gentle slope, with the seating arrangement following suit, leading to the seat that was situated the highest, overlooking everyone else in the centre. And, the figure seated on it calmly observed everyone that arrived at the ce one after another, his eyes graduallynding on Stencil, barely controlling his excitement.


    --------------------


    Added the character Arts of [Grisha] and [Stencil] on my discord server. Will be adding more every week.


    Join it now: https://discord.gg/Q544Bxu


    --------------------

 Chapter 576 Slayer Summit

    Chapter 576 yer Summit¡¡¡¡"Teacher, we''ve arrived." Wayna made a respectful bow towards the man seated on the far end, one that overlooked everyone, possessing the persona of a heavenly being.


    "Good, take a seat." He replied with a nod, pointing at a couple of vacant seats.


    Stencil seated herself to the left of Wayna, noticing a couple of familiar faces seated nearby. Upon seeing her, they were surprised for a moment before gradually realising that she too was a System yer.


    Faluda frowned, feeling as if Stencil knew about him, wondering the reason for that as he red at Fedin before focusing on the others seated around.


    The round table was actually rectangr in shape with rounded edges, the breadth spanning ten metres while the length was almost thirty metres.


    Almost a hundred people were seated around it, all System yers.


    "Is he your teacher?" Stencil asked Wayna, pointing at the heavenly being that stared at the iing people calmly.


    "Yes, he was the one that turned me into a System yer." Wayna nodded, "And he helped me obtain a Pseudo-Relic to turn into a Personal Fragment. I didn''t have anything useful on me at that time."


    She then stated solemnly, "Most of the System yers here have received help from teacher. And, he''s also the most knowledgeable existence regarding System yers, Main Characters, etc."


    Noticing Stencil''s shock, Wayna smiled, stating with pride, "He''s a legend precisely because he''s the first System yer to evere about. And, the first Main Character was his disciple."


    ''He''s rted to the first Main Character?'' Stencil''s eyes lit up in surprise as she stared at the heavenly being, whispering, "What''s he called?"


    "You can call me yer." The heavenly being stared at Stencil, smiling in response, "I''m just someone that remained as one for the longest."


    He then observed that everyone had arrived, speaking calmly, "Now that everyone is here, let''s begin this yer Summit."


    He then pointed at Stencil, "Since we have a neer here, is someone volunteering to exin the basics to her? I''ll gift them 10,000 Mental Energy if they provide a solid exnation."


    "I already know her. So, I''ll do it, teacher." Wayna raised her hand, smiling as the yer epted her request.


    10,000 Mental Energy was a considerable sum, especially for such an easy task.


    She then looked at Stencil, saying, "The yer Summit is something teacher organises once every decade. It''s a forum for us to exchange information, trade things, socialise, and most of all¡­"


    She pointed at her head, "Extract the entities growing in our head and use them as fuel to strengthen ourselves."


    "The entities growing in our head?" Stencil acted like she was oblivious to it, tilting her head in confusion, "What''s that?"


    "Those simr to the one that was in you long ago. In truth, they are mental creatures. And the moment you hear about them, they form an imprint in your mind. The more you know about them, the stronger their imprint in your mind until they begin to dwell there." She continued, "Over time, they wouldbine to birth a new¡­entity that destroys your mind to gain control of a yer''s powers."


    "We have lost a lot of yers to them because of this trap." Wayna said, "And it''s not easy to save them all on time, considering the sheer number of universes that exist where they could venture into."


    "How do you weaponize that?" Stencil asked next, observing that all the System yers had amicable attitudes, calmly gazing at her and listening to Wayna''s exnation. This allowed her to understand that this circle of System yers was pretty developed.


    "Ah, it makes sense since you don''t know about Relics yet." Wayna nodded in understanding as she condensed a torch that emitted a water-like me, "This is the Deep Sea Torch, a Pseudo-Relic, and my Personal Fragment."


    "Relics and Pseudo-Relics are the same. The only difference is the level of willpower imbued in them." She said, tapping onto its surface as a gentle melody resounded through the ce, causing some of the System yers to fall into a trance.


    Wayna was just about to protect Stencil from the effects of the melody when she was surprised to see Stencil remaining unfazed, ''Isn''t she just a Grandmaster Mage?''


    Controlling her shock, Wayna spoke, "A Relic is a Magic Tool in which the Will of its user is registered, forming an imprint. This imprint would consist of his enlightenment regarding his abilities, the ways he used them, and the experience he umted during the same. So, a sessor to the Relic would be able to tap into this experience and if they synchronise well, the user would even be able to converse with the will of their predecessor."


    ''It''s like a memory bank of experience and even skills.'' Stencil thought, nodding as she listened to the exnation.


    Wayna observed each of Stencil''s actions, her mind running alongside to think regarding that as she continued speaking, "The greater the talent of the user, the stronger their imprint on the Relic. And after every generation of users, the number of imprints on the Relic continues to increase. So, the longer a Relic exists, the more powerful it bes. A Relic wielder can casually skip stages to kill stronger opponents."


    ''So, part of the user''s mind is trapped within the Relic to be called upon by sessors to the Relic. And they gradually increase the number of minds within the Relic to strengthen it further.'' Stencil now understood the secrets of Relics.


    Wayna then said, "In a Pseudo-Relic, the minds of everyone remain separate. Once they form a collective consciousness, the Pseudo-Relic bes a Relic. But, this is a time-consuming process and you would need at least a hundred minds before this is possible."


    "And, since what we desire are minds¡­" Wayna smirked, pointing at her head, "The entities guing our minds are the perfect fit for this, don''t you think?"


    She grinned, announcing, "We extract them and seal them in our Relics, turning them into our power. Thereby, we can cause our Relics to evolve further and even cause our abilities to beplex, allowing us to not face any disadvantages even in other worlds."


    "This is the primary objective of the yer Summit, since only teacher can perform this process."

 Chapter 577 Seventh Slayer at The Peak

    Chapter 577 Seventh yer at The Peak¡¡¡¡"This is the primary objective of the yer Summit, since only teacher can perform this process." With that, Wayna concluded her exnation.


    "That was a good one," yer nodded as he snapped his finger, causing a Gold Minda to appear before Wayna, "You can convert it into Mental Energy before you leave the city."


    "Thank you, teacher." Wayna pocketed the Gold Minda happily.


    ''Stencil didn''t even bat an eye to 10,000 Mental Energy. Just how much has she witnessed to be this unfazed by the sum?'' yer thought, having been observing Stencil from the moment she arrived.


    After all, with his strength, he was able to see through her disguise. As the first System yer to ever appear, he was aware of all the ins and outs of the Main Character System.


    Even the first Main Character was his disciple. And after that, some more of his disciples or those he had instructed had gone on to be Main Characters. So, he had the experience and ability to see through the Main Character''s natural shielding.


    And with that, he observed that Stencil was capable of controlling Systems, refining new Systems from scratch, and even destroying them. She practically had all the abilities necessary to be the Main Character despite being a mere System yer, not even a True System yer at that.


    The danger of the Systems growing in a System yer''s mind wasn''t much aspared to a True System yer. But, only by bing a True System yer can one level up. It was somewhat of a paradox.


    But as long as the problem to one''s mind was taken care of, being True System yers was of utmost benefit.


    The danger of their minds being taken over by the Systems still existed though, hence the yer Summit.


    But, Stencil didn''t have to fear anything. New Systems emerged in her mind? Sure, they were fun ythings for her to experiment with. Need some new power? Sure, capture a rted System and vo.


    Want to kill a System? Piece of cake!


    And best of all, Stencil was able to ess Astral Network, the first in history among the System yers to do that. It was something even he was unable to replicate, despite being involved in the birth of many Main Characters.


    So, it was apparent as to what value Stencil posed. After all, on certain levels, her value exceeded the Main Character just for the fact that she could ess the Astral Network. This meant that all of the umtions of the Systems were for their taking as long as they had enough Mental Energy to spend.


    yer didn''t reveal her identity though, for that was too dangerous. This was why he helped Stencil get ustomed to the ce without hinting about her true identity, treating her as a newbie System yer.


    Most of the System yers at the ce were aware of the fact that he could see through their powers and identities. So, it created a level of trust in that if he called someone a newbie, then everyone truly considered her a newbie, failing to make any rtion between her and the daughter of thetest Main Character.


    Moreover, yer had been observing Stencil''s action, understanding that she was pretty cunning, despite the yful looks that almost made her seem like an airhead.


    ''When was thest time I was this excited?'' yer sighed, focusing on Stencil as her physical form vanished. And there, coined around a choker in a protective embrace was a dragon-like serpent, calmly watching him from the start. ''The Main Character is still alive!''


    This was astounding news. After all, no matter what happened, the moment the Main Character was birthed, Grade 2 Systems rushed in to take care of them. And depending on the situation, even Grade 3 Systems were involved.


    But, Compass Carburettor had manoeuvred through the situation in such a way that he faked his death and managed to fool everyone.


    Even yer had been fooled to think that Compass Carburettor was dead until he noticed the dragon-like serpent sleeping within Stencil''s body. And surprisingly, its eyes were calmly gazing at him.


    Thinking for a moment, yer sent a Mental Energy stream to the dragon-like serpent.


    [Compass Carburettor¡­?]


    The dragon-like serpent blinked once, nodding in response. yer then thought for a moment before sending another message.


    [Will you meet me once after this?]


    Suddenly, a Mental Energy stream fell on him from another location, originating from Compass Carburettor.


    [Sure]


    The reply was sinct, but it was enough, causing yer to smile automatically.


    ''Lord yer is happy today.'' Faluda''s eyes lit up in surprise. The other System yers too noticed his smile, happy at the fact that something good had happened for him to be smiling.


    And this served to help rx their minds further.


    yer then extended his hand, pointing at the System yer seated three seats away from him, "Everyone, we have a pleasant asion. Aronaut here has recently managed to reach level 99, bing the seventh yer to attain this. In celebration of this, I''ll help everyone here for free once, whether it''s to reinforce your Personal Fragment, swap it out with another, etc."


    "Wow!" Fedin was unable to control his voice, eximing in shock. After all, a favour from the legendary yer was of insane value, especially the fact that he would help improve, modify, or even rece their Personal Fragments.


    It allowed them to change their life as they pleased. Immediately in response, Fedin stood up and took out a System Fragment that he had obtained recently, presenting it to the System yer named Aronaut, "Senior Aronaut, congrattions on reaching the peak level. Please ept this humble gift from me."


    "You''re kind." Aronaut smiled, clearly pleased with the gift, "You can request my help in exploring any world under a Grade 2 System''s control."


    "Thank you!" Fedin smiled, happy with the response, d to have gifted the System Fragment that he obtained by killing a Level 20 System Host. He had spent a lot to obtain that, but getting a favour from Aronaut was many times better.


    Following Fedin''s lead, all the System yers present began to take out System Fragments one after another to gift Aronaut, receiving favours from him in response.


    Eventually, everyone had done so, except Stencil as all eyes fell on her, wondering what this neer would do in this situation.

 Chapter 578 An Exchange of Benefits

    Chapter 578 An Exchange of Benefits¡¡¡¡''Hmm?'' Stencil frowned when all eyes fell on her. Even though they were aware that she was just a neer System yer, they were curious as to what she might present.


    After all, they would know whether or not she was serious about this group just based on this. It couldn''t be helped, since System yers originated from various worlds, with each world having its ownmon sense and mindset.


    So, only by knowing her stance on the matter could the System yers interact with Stencil in the future.


    After all, the System yers in this group, when chancing upon each other in another world, would try to help one another or even team up to increase their benefits.


    Even at present, the gift exchange was another means to share benefits. They gifted Aronaut with System Fragments and as result, obtained his favour.


    And they would indeed use up this favour within the uing decade. Aronaut too was aware of this, readying himself to travel into various worlds to repay the favours to the System yers. And, if the gift they gave wasn''t good enough, the favour too won''t be anything noteworthy.


    At present, everyone was just curious to see what type of gift would Stencil present Aronaut with.


    It would show her stance on the matter. Stencil too was giving some thought about this. After all, her goal was to join this circle and unearth more information from this.


    With it being the oldest circle among System yers, the records of their battle against the Systems would be the most detailed, not to mention the resources that they had gathered. Just the sheer number of System Fragments that they could gather would be enormous.


    And, it seemed that yer had experimented a lot with System Fragments and Personal Fragments. Moreover, when the System yers presented a System Fragment, yer waved his hand, allowing Aronaut to ept them.


    Her dad had told her before that he was only able to have six System Fragments on him. That was the limit.


    But now, right before her eyes, Aronaut epted almost a hundred System Fragments and didn''t even seem like he had hit any limit of sorts. This puzzled her at the same time, and also excited her.


    After all, it meant that there was a lot for her to know about regarding System Fragments. It would allow her to help her dad better.


    But, this was where her thoughts came down to a halt. After all, Stencil didn''t have anything worthy of gifting. Anything valuable on her could easily be traced back to her dad, allowing the fact of the Main Character being alive to spread around.


    So, she couldn''t do that. But at the same time, if she were to gift something without any value, she wouldn''t be able to take advantage of Aronaut''s favour.


    Hearing that a System yer could reach Level 99 was shocking in itself, especially since he only remained a System yer and hadn''t be the Main Character.


    After all, before Compass Carburettor had be the Main Character, there was none in that position. And, any True System yer that reached Level 50 and above had the qualifications to be the Main Character.


    So, it puzzled her as to how they remained System yers. Including yer, seven System yers had reached Level 99. And, Stencil was able to sense dozens of System yers that were above Level 50, confusing her.


    ''I''ll find out their secret.'' Thinking as such, she nned to buy a valuable item from the Astral Network to serve as a gift. But after a moment of thought, she refrained from doing anything that would make her stand out so much, deciding to gift something of this world itself.


    Thinking as such, she took out the Tukkan Crystal that she had refined using her Coordinate state, cing it on the table as she said, "I don''t have much, but I chanced upon this treasure recently. I hope you like this, Senior Aronaut."


    "This is¡­?" Aronaut''s eyes widened in surprise as he muttered, "Is this really a Tukkan Crystal?"


    "Hmm, its purity has reached such a high level that we can''t call it the Tukkan Crystal anymore. If you were to make a Relic using this Tukkan Crystal, you''ll have an easier time forming imprints on it. The imprints would also be clearer than usual, too clear in fact that it might cause some troubles. But all in all, you can create a superior Relic." yermented.


    Upon hearing his thoughts on it, Aronaut was happy to obtain such a beneficial item. After all, he could easily create a Relic with his powers. And considering the number of System Fragments he obtained now, he could use the Systems to form mental imprints on the Relic and strengthen it quickly.


    Smiling in response, Aronaut looked at Stencil with an amicable attitude, "If you need something, tell me. I have plenty of treasures lying around in my storage."


    "Then¡­" Stencil acted like she hesitated for a minute before asking, "Do you have a Pseudo-Relic of the Demon race, especially the one with the power of the Principal Arbiter?"


    "Principal Arbiter¡­?" Aronaut thought for a moment, saying, "They are rare even among the Demons. But don''t worry. Give me a month. I''ll get you one."


    "Thank you!" Stencil smirked in response, happy with the transaction.


    Among the various professions that she came to know about, she was the most curious about the Demon Race''s Principal Arbiter. And hence, possessing a Pseudo-Relic of the same would be beneficial.


    "It''s hard to wield the powers of another race''s Relic." Wayna said as she looked at Stencil, "Since you''re part of the human race, obtaining a Relic suitable to your race is better."


    "Yes, that''s true." yer interjected, "But, there are ways to circumvent this restriction. Some of our yers have Relics that aren''t part of their race."


    "But teacher, they can only do that by making the Relic their Personal Fragment, right?" Wayna said, "So, Yaka won''t be able to use this Pseudo-Relic."


    "Even otherwise, the Pseudo-Relic might prove useful to her. After all, you know how strong a Principal Arbiter can be, right?" yer smiled, watching everyone nod in response.


    Upon noticing Stencil''s confusion, his lips curled up, informing her, "You see, it''s because of the first Main Character."


    "He was a Principal Arbiter."

 Chapter 579 An Exchange of Words

    Chapter 579 An Exchange of Words¡¡¡¡"Is this the ce?" Compass Carburettor asked, pointing at a house far away.


    "Yes¡­I think so." Gehera nodded, "That''s what I found out before. But, I''m not sure if the one I''m searching for is even there."


    "It can''t be helped then. Let''s take a closer look under the cover of the night." Compass Carburettor replied. Currently, they were on the terrace of a house, using the heigh to scout through the area.


    They didn''t enter the alleyways, instead booking a lodge nearby with ess to the terrace.


    The one they were looking for was a middle-aged man named Luthak, a Master Warrior wielding the Water Element. He was a drug dealer and also traded organs, typically of the human race, selling them to the Giants, Birdmen, and Lizardmen races.


    After all, such races loved to dine on human organs. But most of all, some of their experiments also required the same as raw material, especially the organs of Masters; they were sold for a premium.


    Such organs were infused with a dense stream of mana, making them valuable products. Luthak was a prolific dealer, a name known among various Kingdoms, and a merchant ced on the Xetuka Kingdom''s kill list.


    Gehera had been tailing for information regarding him for the past two years, barely managing to find traces in Tentuna City. As Luthak hardly stayed in a ce for more than a couple of months, it was hard to track him.


    But as a Novice Cartographer, she somehow managed to aplish it. But, she hit her limit soon after. A Cartographer was incapable of fighting, so even if she found his location, she wasn''t able to do anything.


    Just the previous time, when she nned to approach his hiding spot, a random thug of Luthak''s gang chanced upon her, and almost managed to kill her.


    So, she couldn''t do anything to him.


    But now that she had met Compass Carburettor, things were different. With his help, she could eventually find information regarding her mother.


    "But first," Compass Carburettor motioned for her to return to the room they had booked, stating as he stared at her, "There''s a secret in you. Only by essing it first will you have the strength to deal with this issue on your own."


    "I have a hidden strength in me?" Gehera asked in surprise.


    "Yes," Compass Carburettor nodded, "Or precisely, your Titan bloodline is the key to activating it. I can sense a mysterious item in you that''s bonded to you. Once you manage to activate it, you''ll be able to find more clues regarding everything."


    "But, even if I have such a power dormant in me, how will I activate it?" Gehera asked, clenching her hand into a fist, "I can''t feel anything different in myself."


    "We can try a couple of methods." He said, motioning for her to remain seated, "Try meditating. That''s the simplest method."


    Gehera did as told, trying her best to concentrate, but after some time, she just fell¡­asleep. Compass Carburettor frowned, noticing that the Personal Fragment in her body didn''t even budge or pulse.


    ''What will happen if I trigger her body''s danger sense?'' He thought, ring at her sleeping face with the intent to kill, targeting the killing intent into her Personal Fragment itself.


    Of course, nothing changed. If it was possible, she would have used it when her life was threatened by the thug before.


    ''So, that too is a no-go.'' He thought, observing that Gehera wasn''t even aware of what was happening, asleep.


    ''Can I influence it with my Personal Fragment?'' He thought, probing through the Mental Energy he had collected from Gehera until now. All her thoughts about him wereid bare as he went through the memories there, extracting some relevant ones as he then looked at her, thinking about her, unleashing a Mental Energy stream into her.


    He then opened his mouth, unleashing a Dragon Bullet that was condensed from Gehera''s thoughts, causing it to swim through the Mental Energy stream and enter her body, swimming through her in an effort to find traces of her Titan Bloodline.


    But, it was as if she was a mere human.


    The Dragon Bullet turned into a serpent that gradually approached the Personal Fragment, spinning around it while probing it using Mental Energy pulses.


    The Personal Fragment was strange, as if it was unanimated, not responding to any provocation.


    After some time had passed, the serpent even pped it using its tail, still failing to elicit any response.


    Just as he nned to experiment further, the serpent-like dragon he had left behind in Stencil as a form of protection sensed yer''s stream.


    Once he understood the gist of the content, he sent a message to yer using a Mental Energy stream.


    But, just to be careful, he exited the room and approached the staff in the reception, "Do you have some warm water?"


    "Yes," The staff nodded.


    "Can you bring it to my room?" He asked the man.


    "Sure." The staff nodded as he looked at Compass Carburettor. And the same words were also ryed through his thought, as he was uttering the same word that resounded in his mind.


    Compass Carburettor captured this thought and ryed this to yer. This way, even through the Mental Energy, nothing about him would be found out.


    After all, it was best to exercise caution, especially against such an entity that he wasn''tfortable with meeting.


    That was what his senses were telling him, his senses as the Main Character, causing him to be worried as Stencil was there, in the domain controlled by yer.


    But, this would also serve as a valuable experience for her. After all, he couldn''t always keep her safe. That would be like caging her.


    Anyways, the dragon-like serpent in her would defend her from all harm. Anything beyond that, he could arrive at her rescue immediately.


    For, his Dragon Bullets could travel through Mental Energy streams and arrive anywhere in the world in an instant.


    Thinking as such, he contacted her.


    [Brat, be a bit guarded against yer. I''m getting a strange feeling from him.]


    [How did you know about him, dad?]


    [He contacted me just now. He has already seen through your identity.]

 Chapter 580 Horan Vs Teto

    Chapter 580 Horan Vs Teto¡¡¡¡Tentuna City, in one of its five Yakuna, droves of people roamed around, loading and unloading a lot of materials.


    Some of them were items that they had purchased in Tentuna City while the unloaded goods consisted of those that they had brought from the Electra Empire to be sold for travel funds.


    Even though there were enough funds in their treasury, most of them were the coins minted at the Electra Empire. So, they needed to procure the local currency¡ªXetuka.


    "My Lord, let me apany you¡­" Dre bowed, saying in a hurry upon seeing Horan exiting the Yakuna. But before he could finish his sentence, Horan raised his hand, motioning for him to stop speaking.


    "I wish to spend some time alone. Besides," He lightly unleashed his aura, "Do you truly believe anyone out there could harm me?"


    "B-But my lord, there are existences stronger than a Pseudo-Saint. Even if they never show their faces, they are still there¡­" Dre stopped speaking, sensing the dense killing intent emanating from Horan, one sharp enough to dice his mind into pieces.


    "You misunderstand me once again." After a while, Horan retracted his killing intent, watching Dre copse to the ground as he said, "If a threat appears that even I can''t handle, whether you''re there or not won''t make a difference. Do I make myself clear?"


    "Y-Yes, my Lord." Dre bowed in response, watching Horan exit from view as he gritted his teeth, "If only I was a Pseudo-Saint too, then I wouldn''t be this useless."


    But, what he hadn''t noticed was a mild spark on his clothes that vanished once he finished his sentence.


    Walking on the road, Horan heard Dre''s regretful statement, smiling, "It seems he still has the drive to grow stronger. This is good. Even though he''s slow on the uptake, he still has the potential to be a Pseudo-Saint."


    Following that, Horan walked along the side of the road, having covered himself with a in robe. But, even if his clothes were that of amoner, whether it was his appearance, gait, or demeanour, none matched that of amoner.


    So, it was as clear as day that he was a noble, and someone high up thedder at that. The sensitive people made way for him to pass by, shrinking into their clothes as they refrained from standing out.


    ustomed to such gazes, Horan continued to walk on the road, taking in the sights of the surroundings, ''This indeed is a different territory.''


    He sighed, for a moment feeling liberated. Things in his home territory were somewhat suffocating, especially since he and his brother schemed against one another nonstop. But now that he had arrived here, he could be at peace.


    Things would change once he reached the capital, so the short few days of stay in Tentuna City would be his haven of serenity.


    Thinking as such, he continued to walk, eventually finding himself venturing into the flea market, finding the myriad of items presented at the ce interesting, casually browsing through them one after another.


    Suddenly, his senses caught onto a familiar figure beyond the flea market, gazing at the terrace of a lodge where Teto stood, apanying a foreigndy.


    How did he know that she was a foreigndy? Even though Gehera didn''t look that different from the people in the Xetuka Kingdom, she had a strange, murky air to her that felt unnerving, tingling his senses.


    ''Is she a spy?'' This was his first line of thought, for wielding the Lightning Element as both a Mage and a Warrior, he had exceptional senses, capable of differentiating races even through their disguise.


    And even though it wasn''t clear, he could sense something foreign in Gehera, something that didn''t seem human.


    ''What is Teto doing there with her? What happened to Yaka?'' He frowned, deciding to investigate the situation. He would be lying if he said he wasn''t interested.


    And hence, as he calmly continued to walk past, there was a sudden breeze as the hairs of the people rose all of a sudden, surprising them. It only happened for less than a second, so the people only attributed it to the sudden wind.


    The figure of Horan had vanished from the flea market, arriving at the terrace of the lodge, hiding beside the window sill as he spied on the sounds from inside, hearing the words Compass Carburettor had said to Gehera.


    ''She has the Titan bloodline in her? How is this possible? Two foreign races can''t have a child, especially between a human and a Titan.'' He thought, after all, even if it was between two humanoid races that had somewhat of a simrly-sized physique, it was possible to stomach any exceptions that might arise.


    But between a Human and a Titan? Please!


    Even the tallest of humans didn''t touch three metres in height, but even the shortest of Titans surpassed a hundred metres in height. The sheer size difference simply made it impossible for the two races to mate, not to mention have a child together.


    ''But, how is it possible then?'' He wondered, for he could indeed sense something foreign in Gehera. And if the conversation between her and Compass Carburettor was the truth, then¡­


    Suddenly, his figure flickered as the wall he was leaning against was riddled with dozens of holes.


    "Who''s there?" Teto''s shout resounded as bullets flew out of the room in a torrent, curving in the air as they homed towards Horan.


    Instantly, ayer of lightning formed on his body like chainmail, flickering with sparks that uratelynded on the approaching bullets, melting them intova that fell on the ground, raising smoke in response.


    Swoosh!


    Horan''s figure vanished immediately after, evading all the bullets approaching him as he arrived behind Teto, cing his hand over his throat, "It''s me, Teto. Stop."


    "Eh? What are you doing here, my Lord?" Teto gradually rxed, asking in surprise.


    "Who is she?" Horan asked, pointing at Gehera, "She''s not human, is she?"


    "She''s human," Teto said, frowning as he tensed up, unable to determine what stance would Horan take on the matter.

 Chapter 581 Horan Joins the Investigation

    Chapter 581 Horan Joins the Investigation¡¡¡¡"Rx, I''m not nning anything. I don''t care if she''s a human or not, since this isn''t the Electra Empire or my Fawnker Dukedom." Horan said, rxing his hold as he deactivated his lightning chainmail, "I''m just curious about her. This is the first time I''m seeing a cross-breed."


    "Haah." Teto sighed, massaging his neck as he looked at the hairs on his hand standing erect, as if he had been electrocuted. He then took a seat on the nearby bed, beginning to speak, "I chanced upon her in the alleyway a couple of streets away. She''s a troubled individual that has lost her parents. So, I wanted to help her."


    He then began to recount her experiences, telling everything to Horan.


    Horan listened to everything without interrupting, nodding at the end as he looked at her sleeping figure, wondering how she was able to sleep through all the mess and chaos that had happened.


    He then muttered, "The staff here are irresponsible too. They didn''t even bother checking the reason for themotion."


    "They don''t wish to lose their lives, after all." Teto nodded, "This lodge is located right next to the back alleys. It seems stuff like this is prettymon."


    "Anyway, ignoring all that," Horan peered into the alleyways, muttering while gazing at a certain house, "Supposedly, Luthak is living there?"


    "Yes, Gehera is a Cartographer, so her information should be somewhat urate." Teto nodded.


    "She''s just a novice though." Horan frowned before suggesting, "Why don''t we use my Cartographer? He''s a Master. He''ll prove useful."


    "My Lord, I don''t wish to involve you in this mess. There''s a decent chance Luthak is connected to some secret organisation. If I encounter any trouble, I can casually leave this Kingdom and go somewhere far away where this secret organisation''s reach doesn''t extend towards." Teto shook his head, "But, you''re in no position to do that, right?"


    "What you said makes sense." Horan nodded, ncing at Gehera, deep in thought before saying, "Say, what do you n to do with her once her problems have been solved?"


    "She''ll live with her mother, obviously," Teto said.


    "Then, that''s more than enough reason for me to get involved." Horan smiled, "If what Gehera said is the truth, then her mother is the princess of a Titan Kingdom. This might be the best opportunity to forge diplomatic rtions with them."


    "Titans are a secluded race. They generally don''t involve themselves in the affairs of other regions." He spoke further upon seeing Teto''s confusion, "And, gaining their trust means direct benefits for me."


    "So, I''ll help her solve this." Horan said, "I''ll be in Tentuna City for the next few days. And that should be enough. With a Grandmaster Metal Mage and a Pseudo-Saint like me being involved, we''ll solve it pretty soon."


    ''But, it involves a Personal Fragment. And things aren''t as simple as finding a lost princess.'' Compass Carburettor thought but didn''t mention it. He just nodded in response to Horan''s ims, asking, "Then, shall we directly barge into Luthak''s hiding ce? With our strength, we needn''t fear anything."


    "We''re screwed if they are indeed connected to a secret organisation. Had this been in the Electra Empire, I wouldn''t even be concerned. But in the Xetuka Kingdom, I don''t have the authority to intimidate a secret organisation." Horan said, motioning for Teto to wake up Gehera.


    "Eh? Ehh?" Gehera woke up, rubbing her eyes as she gazed at the figure of Teto, for a moment confused as to why she was staring at this middle-aged man before recalling what had happened.


    She then noticed another individual in the room, gazing at Horan as she was stunned, her mind nking as she just stared at the individual without batting an eye, her face reddening in response.


    Horan snapped his finger, creating a minor electrical surge that brought her back to her senses, causing her to cover her face behind her hands, embarrassed to have been staring at Horan so tantly.


    Indeed, he had features that caused people to be lost in them, staring at him while not aware of the passage of time.


    And as she had been chasing after thugs all this time, seeing such a regal person caused her mind to nk out.


    "I''m Horan. I heard about your situation from Teto. It''s interesting, so I''ll help you find your mother." Horan stated calmly.


    "Thank you, boss!" Gehera was jubnt to be apanied by such a handsome individual.


    Upon seeing this scene, Compass Carburettor controlled his urge to facepalm, ''For a moment, she forgot everything else and just became excited to be apanied by Horan. Thankfully, Stencil has high resistance to handsome men. It would have been a headache if she jumped around in excitement every time she saw a handsome face.''


    Well, Stencil did grow up staring at him. So, his appearance was her base standard. Only if there was someone better looking than him would he be registered in her mind as handsome.


    ''Wait, didn''t she call Horan handsome?'' Upon reaching this thought, he indeed harboured some ill feelings towards Horan.


    "Teto, you mentioned killing the thug while rescuing her before, right?" Horan spoke, breaking him out of his thoughts, "Did anything else change in the alleys after that?"


    "Nope, they didn''t even notice anything amiss." Teto said, pointing at another street, "See, the corpse is still there. It seems no one even passed by that route. So, the evidence is still untouched."


    Gehera blocked her mouth with her hand, only now noticing the gruesome corpse that had been in her line of sight all along, even the blood stter on the walls was visible.


    Teto then noticed a man exiting a house nearby to Luthak''s supposed dwelling, pointing at him through eye contact as he muttered, "Shall we capture him to investigate?"


    "That''s a good idea," Horan said as his figure shed before reappearing in the original location, carrying the man in his hold, having already been knocked out using an electrical discharge.


    Horan dropped the man to the ground, opening his palm to reveal a circle where multiple runes formed, causing lightning bolts to sh out like tendrils of an insect mouth,tching onto the man''s head as they tapped into his neural system, causing his body to wriggle in response.


    And with that, Horan nodded, "Ask him a question."

 Chapter 582 A Possible Invasion?

    Chapter 582 A Possible Invasion?¡¡¡¡"You name?" Teto asked, watching the eyes of the thug slowly open in response. He was drooling, appearing somewhat deranged, part asleep and part lucid.


    He was in a state of forced awareness, akin to a dream walk where his thoughts would beid out bare. Upon hearing Teto''s question, his eyes darted to and fro the three individuals, unfocused as his mouth moved, causing a slurring voice to resound, "Duuvvulong¡­"


    "What?" Teto frowned.


    "Duuvvvvuloooong¡­" The thug said, flinching as if he was bitten by an insect on his bum.


    "Duvulong?" Teto asked.


    "Yeahhhh¡­" The thug nodded.


    "What''s your rtionship with Luthak?" He asked next.


    "He''s the bosss of my¡­bosss." The thug responded, on the verge of falling asleep.


    "Can you wake him up further?" Teto stared at Horan, "He''s barely responsive in this state."


    "But, this is also when he''spletely truthful." Horan said, "If his mind bes clearer, there might be lies mixed into whatever he says. This might take time, but the information won''t be false."


    "Alright," Teto nodded and continued to interrogate the thug. In truth, he had already unearthed more information through the thoughts generated by the thug when questioned. They were clearer and held more volume of information than what he managed to utter.


    And the emotions apanying these thoughts were the best proof of whether or not they were the truth. After an hour of interrogation, they managed to obtain some information.


    Duvulong was only a low-level thug that worked on kidnapping people. Following that, he left everyone in charge of his boss that led their gang. But, their boss was a mere Master Warrior, not strong enough to maintain such arge gang in the city without any problems.


    And of course, the one protecting him was Luthak. Strength-wise, Luthak too was only a Master Warrior. But, it seems he was part of a dangerous organisation that allowed him to survive even in vtile territories.


    Duvulong didn''t have any idea regarding Luthak beyond that as Horan just dropped him on the rooftop of a random building in the alleyway, amidst a pile of junk. He wouldn''t be waking up for at least a day.


    There was no reason for Horan to stain his hands with the blood of a thug. He could casually turn them all to the authorities and gain authority in the ce. That would prove to be useful when he meets his fianc¨¦, Princess Lelumi Xetuka.


    Gehera stayed behind in the hotel as Horan and Teto moved into the alley, capturing some more thugs to interrogate. Most of them didn''t know much about anything regarding Luthak.


    But eventually, they captured the right-hand man of the boss that controlled this region and reported directly to Luthak.


    "Boss Luthak has arrived here in preparation for the Birdmen invasion set to happen tomorrow." The right-hand man said while being controlled by Horan.


    "An invasion by the Birdmen?" Horan frowned. The Birdmen Kingdom of Burnak existed to the west of the Xetuka Kingdom and was a rather neutral region.


    The Birdmen typically fought against the Lizardmen Kingdom of Lethuna to the south as both sides treated each other as enemies.


    But, they were diplomatic allies with the Xetuka Kingdom due to both of them sharing borders with the Giant Race of Gormana on the north and the Lizardmen race of Lethuna to the south.


    Thest thing both sides wanted was to war with one another, for that would only cripple their forces, making them weaker against their shared enemies.


    So, Xetuka Kingdom didn''t have any strong forts to its west and simrly, the Burnak Kingdom too didn''t have any strong forts in its east.


    But, the thug imed that the Birdmen were nning to invade the next day? All of a sudden!


    It just didn''t make sense as Horan frowned, "Have those birdbrains lost their damn heads?"


    "They are desperate ever since their new King came to power." The right-hand man said, "Their guardian Saint died recently and their older powers have vanished mysteriously. In their weakened state, they have to do something to strengthen themselves."


    He then continued, "And, their goal is the Xetuka Kingdom''s prized Relic¡­"


    "Starfall!"


    "Starfall¡­" Horan became solemn immediately, aware of the might of Starfall. This was the Relic that allowed the Xetuka Kingdom to exist for more than two millennia in such a dangerous region.


    "What''s a Relic?" Teto frowned.


    "Ahh, you don''t know about that¡­" Horan informed him of the basics regarding Relics, frowning as he was shocked as to how the thug before him was aware of such details regarding Relics.


    After all, only Pseudo-Saints and above had the qualifications to learn of their existence.


    But, a mere Expert Warrior before him was aware of such a closely-guarded secret?


    ''Something is indeed up with this organisation.'' He could feel his heart rate elerating in response, sensing that he had grabbed onto the tail of a mythical serpent. If he were to let go, he would be bitten to death.


    And the only way to survive was to either pacify the serpent or crush its head. And, he nned to do thetter, after all, his goal too was Starfall.


    Starfall was created by generations of Mages that wielded the Elements of Fire, Lightning, and Metal in session.


    The technique regarding the creation of such aplex Relic was an exclusive power of the Xetuka Kingdom, a reason they could stand against long-lived races such as the Giants.


    As he was the fianc¨¦ of Lelumi Xetuka, once they married, he would obtain the chance to interact with Starfall. So, he of course would ensure that it didn''t fall into the hands of their enemies.


    This was no longer something he could casually participate in due to interest alone. Now, they directly targeted his benefits.


    Horan red at the thug, asking with a chilling tone, "What else?"


    "That''s all that I know. Even my boss only knows this much. For anything more, Luthak is the only option." The thug replied.


    "Alright, your work here is done then." Horan said, tasing the thug unconscious before tossing him onto the pile of garbage, looking at Teto as he said, "It seems to be something beyond what you can handle. It''s for the best if you pull out from this."

 Chapter 583 Mana Capsule

    Chapter 583 Mana Capsule¡¡¡¡"Hmm, what''s taking these idiots so long?" A middle-aged man frowned, smoking a cigar as he puffed rings of all shapes. Moreover, through his mana, the rings turned moist, forming clouds in the room as they rained down cigar water.


    It was his habit to create a cigar ecosystem anywhere indoor that he lived. He was bare-chested, wearing what seemed to be long trousers that were somewhat tattered at the bottom.


    He had an average appearance, akin to a daily wagebourer. Honestly, if he were to change his getup, one wouldn''t even know that he was part of arge mafia.


    He was Luthak, a Master Water Warrior, dealing with drugs and organ trafficking. And now, he was somewhat irritated, snorting as the rain clouds in the ce rained harder, "I only asked them to capture twenty kids under the age of eight. How long does that take, huh?"


    "Calm down, boss. I''m sure they''re looking for the best-graded children to capture." A fawning voice resounded from a man that looked like he was only a teenager.


    Indeed, he was young, not even reaching twenty years of age. And, he was talented, having already be a Master Wind Mage at this age.


    He was the leader of the underground mafia operating in Tentuna City that dealt with drugs and organ trafficking. There existed other organisations that dabbled in activities like gambling, prostitution, loans, etc.


    Their organisation had a monopoly in the two businesses they dealt with, so they exercised considerable power. And, Luthak''s visit meant that they could expand further.


    And if the chance permits, they could even obtain the opportunity to join the secret organisation that Luthak was part of.


    This was why, Zuhar, the boss of the underground organisation fawned over Luthak. With his talents and achievement, while being so young, he indeed had a chance at bing a part of something grander.


    ''Dammit, why the heck are these old men so useless? I should rece them with active youngsters after this.'' Zuhar cursed mentally upon seeing the mild trace of disappointment on Luthak''s face.


    He then thought of something, saying in excitement, "Boss, give me a second."


    He excused himself, arriving at the nearby room as he opened a hiddenpartment, entering his exclusive quarters where countless ss jars of various shapes and sizes were present, containing a variety of solutions.


    Currently, a simrly-aged boy was working here. He was a Master Alchemist, the secret of their underground organisation''s rise to sess.


    Staring at the Master Alchemist, Zuhar said, "Bring out the Mana Capsule."


    "Bro, are you serious?" The Master Alchemist asked in shock, "You were never nning to sell this before."


    "The situation is somewhatplicated." Zuhar sighed, "At this rate, we might lose Luthak''s favour. We can be stronger once we join his organisation. Their backing must be enormous for a mere Master Warrior like Luthak to throw his weight around like this."


    "Bro, don''t take out more than two Mana Capsules. I spent a fortune to make them. And until I research and master its secrets, I don''t wish for the recipe to leak out." The Master Alchemist said in caution.


    "I know, I''m not foolish enough to throw our trump card away like that." He then grinned, opening the safe to stare at ten crystalline capsules, each the size of a nail, glimmering in the light. He eximed in surprise, "You''ve already created ten?"


    "The Master Mage we captured previously had almost reached the Grandmaster Stage. So, he was a better resource than I had expected." The Master Alchemist smirked, "I made more than I expected as a result."


    Zuhar carefully took out two of the Mana Capsules and ced them in a box each. The box was made out of silver, coated with gold to ensure the effects of the Mana Capsule wouldn''t diminish, for it was a sensitive drug that lost its effect whening into contact with external elements.


    Each box was only as big as a thumb, containing a depression where the Mana Capsule went in perfectly, cushioned to prevent any damage. He carried the two boxes and left the room, arriving at the ce where Luthak was seated, having turned the ce into a furnace filled with cigar smoke.


    ''This fucking retard!'' Zuhar couldn''t help but curse mentally, for the smoke clouds created by Luthak rained down the cigar substance everywhere, causing a murky mass to coagte everywhere, making the ce messy.


    Having been influenced by his Alchemist friend, Zuhar kept everything clean and sanitised, despite being in the business where they kidnapped and killed people daily.


    So, he despised Luthak''s messy nature. But he didn''t have the choice but to suck up to this person, ''Once I be your superior, I''ll clean you up from the face of this world.''


    He then sported a wide smile, cing the two boxes on the table, "Boss, this is ourtest product. They aren''t ready formercial production yet due to the insane production costs, but the effects of this drug are unlike anything you''ve ever seen."


    "Zuhar, I''ve tasted and tested the drugs from countless races. So, what you im to be a masterpiece is justmonce for me." Luthak said casually as he opened the box, sniffing it as his eyes lit up in response, "Great substance. What does it do?"


    "It gives you mana intoxication." Zuhar smirked, "This is the best drug for anyone strong. Taking it would make them feel as if they are growing stronger endlessly. And the feeling of continuous improvement is more addicting than the drug''s effects itself."


    "Say no more," Luthak said as he popped the Mana Capsule into his mouth, closing his eyes as he almost moaned in response, feeling as if he was flying. Strength exploded in his body, making him feel as if he had be a God, someone that hadn''t even hit his limit despite reaching such a height of power, continuing to be stronger and stronger.


    He felt as if the world itself was a tiny cage, unable to hold him in ce for his strength continued to increase before eventually¡­it surpassed the world itself. But at this time, Luthak grunted in anger, for the effects of the drug vanished, bringing him to reality to see his crappy strength that hadn''t even budged an inch for the past decade, "Why is its duration so short?"


    ''Alright, he is addicted.'' Zuhar smirked cunningly as his eyes darted to the second box on the table.

 Chapter 584 The Captive Prince

    Chapter 584 The Captive Prince¡¡¡¡What did a drug do to the consumer? It gave them a high that one couldn''t attain through natural means, making them feel as if they were using all their potential.


    Just that feeling of weightlessness was enough to make one addicted. But, once one attained a certain level of power, they could casually do this on their own. So, drugs became meaningless against the powerhouses.


    But, what if there was a drug that didn''t give them the usual high but made them experience the sensation of growing stronger but at a faster pace?


    In a world where strength reigned supreme, it was of course the most sought after. And indeed, the sensation of growing strong was the most desirable.


    The Mana Capsule gave exactly that, quenching the unquenchable thirst of everyone with even a bit of power. And for those that failed to improve their strength for years, the effect was even more potent, allowing them to experience the feeling that they had lost.


    Therefore, the effects of the Mana Capsule were apparent, which was why Zuhar had taken the initiative in creating it in the first ce. Controlling his smile, he gazed at the irritated expression on Luthak, his eyes darting towards the second box on the table.


    Luthak subconsciously followed his line of sight, staring at the second box as even he wasn''t able to control himself. Now that he had tasted the Mana Capsule''s power, he wanted to experience more of the same.


    Luthak had high resistance towards drugs, able to use his Water Element mana to wash away all lingering effects. He had created a technique to do this, hence why he was able to remain a valuable asset in this business for so long.


    That was how he tested countless drugs personally and attested to their value. He was a drug connoisseur, one with decades of experience under him. Therefore, the moment he realised that he had be addicted to the effects of the drug, his Water Element mana revolved in his body in a certain manner, causing his nerves to rx as the impression of the Mana Capsule on his mind wore off.


    Thanks to this, he was able to control himself, nodding in praise, "Indeed, you were speaking the truth. This drug is a masterpiece. Even those among the strong would be addicted to this."


    "Yes, boss." Zuhar nodded, controlling his surprise at how fast Luthak recovered from the effects of his trump card, understanding why a mere Master Warrior wielded such influence.


    In the drug business, he was a valuable asset.


    "How much is the production cost?" Luthak asked, taking the second box as he gently caressed its edges, "What is this named?"


    "Mana Capsule," Zuhar said, hesitating for a bit before saying, "The primary materials required to create it cost 10 Royal Xetuka."


    "10 Royal Xetuka?" Luthak eximed in shock, for it was an absurd price to create such a short-lived drug.


    "That''s not all." Zuhar said, watching Luthak''s expression morph further as he continued, "The primary material we require is a Mage, at least an Expert Mage. We can alsopensate the same with five Novice Mages, but the production costs would increase to 12 Royal Xetuka."


    "Absurd¡­" Luthak muttered, "This is by far the most expensive drug."


    Even though drugs were expensive, they weren''t on such a level. One Royal Xetuka was enough to buy a house in a rather decent city.


    Most drugs were ineffective on Grandmasters and above. And as the consumers were only the weaker people with less purchasing power, drugs too weren''t priced beyond a certain amount. Even the most expensive drug to date in the market only cost 7 Royal Xetuka.


    And that drug was the least popr.


    But, just the production costs of the Mana Capsule crossed 10 Royal Xetuka, not to mention the requirement for either an Expert Mage or five Novice Mages.


    The selling price might reach thirty Royal Xetuka at the end, which was an exorbitant sum just to be spent on a drug whose effectssted for less than a minute.


    "It''s too expensive for the duration." He said in the end, sighing as he shook his head, "This isn''t profitable to make a business with."


    "The problem is with the procurement of the raw materials." Zuhar said, "Most of the materials have to be imported from beyond the Xetuka Kingdom. Otherwise, the cost could be brought down to a mere three Royal Xetuka."


    "So, it''s a problem with the supply chain." Luthak nodded before saying, "Alright, we''ll first give you a loan of 3000 Royal Xetuka to set up everything. Buy the necessary manpower and start production of it. If the market response is good enough, we''ll continue with this further."


    "We''ll be taking seventy percent of the profits though." He announced.


    "I''m fine with it if the safety of our business is guaranteed," Zuhar said.


    "As long as you''re bringing us enough money, your safety is indeed guaranteed." Luthak replied with a smile before asking, "Also, what''s the status of the Birdmen? At what time are they nning to take action?"


    Zuhar stood up in response, motioning for Luthak to follow him as he brought him to an underground cer, pointing at a chained figure, "We lost a lot of our men to capture him, but thankfully, we were able to subdue his bodyguards first. It was easy after that."


    ''I had to waste three Mana Capsules on his bodyguards.'' He thought, sighing at the expense. The Mana Capsules that he fed to the entity-in-the-cer''s bodyguards were an iplete product that was even more expensive to make.


    "Give me! Give it to me! Please! Give me!" Begging voices resounded from the nearby cers as Zuhar opened the door to the one before them, pointing at the chained Birdmen inside, "Behold, the newborn prince of the Burnak Kingdom, Boznan Burnak."


    "His guards should have been Grandmasters at the very least. How did you deal with them considering your strength¡­" Luthak was just about to ask when he noticed the figure chained in the nearby cer, staring at the prince with an expression of despair as he was slowly losing focus.


    A single nce at the chained man was enough for him to understand what must have transpired, "The Mana Capsule is pretty frightening to incapacitate a Pseudo-Saint."

 Chapter 585 A Detailed Scheme

    Chapter 585 A Detailed Scheme¡¡¡¡Boznan Burnak was barely ten years old, given plenty of importance in the Burnak Kingdom. And hence, a Pseudo-Saint had been stationed as his royal guard. Following the Pseudo-Saint were two Grandmasters.


    This was a level of strength more than enough to protect a prince. But unfortunately for them, when they apanied the prince on a trip to one of the border cities, Zuhar''s spies in the region informed him of the same.


    These spies were the drug merchants that had been trying to establish a foothold in the border city. And this was also where they chanced upon Luthak''s informants, making a connection. Upon sensing the opportunity in the coboration, they took the gamble.


    Even though the process was carried by Zuhar''s men, everything else was arranged by Luthak''s people, including transportation to Tentuna city and the means to erase their tracks.


    Luthak smirked upon seeing the Pseudo-Saint''s body trembling nonstop, unable to reel from the effects of the Mana Capsule, barely managing to hold in his sanity, "What was he fed?"


    "An iplete Mana Capsule." Zuhar said, "The dosage was strengthened to the limit while making the side effects as worse as possible."


    "How did you make a Pseudo-Saint consume this?" This was what puzzled Luthak. After all, even his men weren''t aware of this, for Zuhar had smoothly carried out the operation. Even though the Mana Capsule was potent, it had to be consumed first to take effect. And considering its sensitive nature where it lost potency when in contact with external elements, drugging people with it seemed impossible.


    "I directly sold him that." Zuhar let out a casual smile, "As the prince''s protector, he was umting a lot of stress. So, I sold him the drug while exining to him all the effects and side effects too."


    "You just straight up sold it to him?" Luthak was unable to believe his eyes, wondering what kind of balls did Zuhar have to do something inconceivable like this and approach such a powerful figure.


    "It worked precisely because of this." Zuhar said, "No one would expect someone like me to approach directly like a legal transaction. So, I bypassed a lot of things and simply¡­did it."


    ''He''s one frightening individual.'' Luthak observed Zuhar, ''The organisation would love toy their hands on him.''


    Once the Pseudo-Saint bought the Mana Capsule, he consumed it during his resting hours, when the two Grandmasters protected the prince.


    And indeed, the effects were as Zuhar had described. But once it ended, he craved for more. Initially, the craving wasn''t strong enough, allowing him to easily suppress it. But after a while, the craving intensified every time he circted his mana, causing him to recall that sensation where he was growing stronger endlessly.


    Within a day, he was addicted, suffering from withdrawal symptoms, now unable to even circte his mana without fearing a spike in his withdrawal symptoms.


    And during the time he was yet to fully be addicted, Zuhar also peddled the same to the two Grandmasters too.


    After that, they captured the prince and his three incapacitated bodyguards, transporting them without trouble to Tentuna city with Luthak''s help.


    Luthak then inspected the prince''s condition, nodding in response, "Alright, he''s uninjured."


    He then left the cer, "Tomorrow, our informants would leak information of the prince''s location to the Birdmen."


    "My men can take control from here," Luthak said, "They''ll begin transporting him atop a Griffon to the capital. This will force the Birdmen to invade deep into the Xetuka Kingdom. And once the Xetuka Kingdom retaliates, war would erupt between the two."


    This was the goal of his organisation. By instigating the war between the two Kingdoms, a lot of corpses would pile up. And, these corpses would prove useful for their uing n.


    Moreover, the war between the Xetuka Kingdom and the Burnak Kingdom would weaken both parties, causing the damage they sustain in their northern and southern borders to exuberate, spiking up the corpses that piled in response.


    ''We''ll be able to get our hands on Pseudo-Saint corpses too if this works well.'' Luthak grinned as he greedily eyed the captured Pseudo-Saint, saying, "Good work, Zuhar. Someone would bring you 2000 Royal Xetuka for this."


    "Thank you, boss." Zuhar made a respectable bow, concealing his sly smile, for based on Luthak''s attitude, it was apparent that he had made a better impression.


    Moreover, Luthak had already forgotten about the children that he had asked for before, making it better for him.


    After all, Zuhar could sense that it was strange that his men had yet to return, ''Did they be involved in a conflict with another gang? Those useless freaks!''


    The two leaders continued to discuss their ns for the next day, unaware of the Mental Energy serpent calmly sprawled on the ground nearby, staring at them with cold, scaly eyes.


    After some time, Zuhar and Luthak made their way out of the cer when another Mental Energy serpent appeared, slithering into the cer as it climbed into the body of the Birdmen Pseudo-Saint, causing his eyes to lit up in response as his body gradually stopped trembling.


    Moreover, his mana was able to circte without any problems now. The same thing also happened to the two Grandmasters in nearby cells, while the guards posted nearby remained oblivious to everything.


    It wasn''t just Compass Carburettor that had taken action. There were also faint sparks that had spread throughout the ce, forming faint marks on the bodies of all the thugs, marking them to be tracked.


    Standing on the terrace of the lodge that he had booked, Teto¡ªCompass Carburettor¡ªsmiled as he looked at Horan, "I believe that I''ll be of use in this. Besides, as a human, I won''t sit aside while the lives of millions of humans are at stake."


    "I am strong enough to do something about this, or at least, reciprocate awareness to the people in power so that they could do something about this."


    "You''re a great man indeed." Horan said, patting Teto''s shoulder before condensing a lighting spark that vanished mysteriously, "I''ve already messaged my people regarding this. They''ll inform the royalties of the Xetuka Kingdom regarding everything we''ve found out until now."


    "In the meantime, let''s trace back through Luthak''s contacts and track down the organisation he''s a part of," Horan said as Teto nodded in response. The two individuals then apanied Gehera as they entered the alleyways and slowly approached a certain house.

 Chapter 586 More Mysterious Than It Seemed

    Chapter 586 More Mysterious Than It Seemed¡¡¡¡Bang!


    A middle-aged man from the Birdmen race mmed a cup at the wall, shattering it, "A prince! A prince of ours has been kidnapped. And what the fuck have the lot of you done? You have yet to find a trace of him!"


    "Useless!" He shouted in anger, causing the room itself to grow old, turning mouldy as if it hadn''t been tended to for decades.


    The subordinates shivered in response, saying, "But my Lord, Lord Bilfuren was apanying Prince Boznan as his guard. There was no way something could happen to the Prince, so we didn''t pay much attention to¡­"


    "Are you giving me an excuse?" The middle-aged Birdmen snorted in anger as the room had now be dpidated, dull, despite the lights being as bright as the start. But their luminescence just seemed to be getting absorbed by the decay around it.


    "Fuckers! Just get on with it! If you fail to find the prince before dawn, forget about your lives and that of your miserable family." He screamed in anger, "Remember that if you fail, we''ll have to wage a war against the Xetuka Kingdom that would lead to the loss of tens of thousands of lives."


    "And all the me would befall onto the ipetence of you Royal Guards!"


    "Y-Yes, we understand, my Lord! Please quell your anger. The best of our men from the capital are already on this task. We''ll find Prince Boznan before dawn." One of the Birdmen kneeling on the ground saluted in response as the massive wings on his back fluttered.


    Some of his feathers fell to the ground due to his nervousness; he picked them up in a hurry and pocketed them.


    "Now, leave. Don''t dy any longer." The middle-aged Birdmen waved his hand, watching the Royal Guards leave as he sighed, snapping his finger as a gentle energy reverberated around him, vaporising the decay as the room regained its original vibrant atmosphere.


    He was Bruhat Burnak, Duke of the Burnak Kingdom, one of the most influential people that had retired from politics just to focus on growing his strength and delving into the secrets of mana and the world.


    After all, he was no longer a Pseudo-Saint but had surpassed all that, bing a Saint. Bing a Saint from a Pseudo-Saint was by far the most difficult step, the reason those active in the fields were only Pseudo-Saints at most.


    The process alone required decades of meditation, nning, preparations, and umtion. And even then, bing a Saint wasn''t guaranteed.


    The moment one became a Saint, they were no longer a mere flesh and blood entity, but a representative of their profession itself. Not only did they attain longevity after bing a Saint, but they were also no longer damaged by their profession itself.


    The profession itself would guard them against all harm, a reason they were addressed as Divine Beings from this point onwards.


    Legends stated that a newborn that was touched by a Saint would be blessed tremendously. The child would be a genius that would achieve greater heights in the future.


    In truth, this was because a mere touch from a Saint would mean the profession itself would have an amicable attitude towards the child, causing the child to be more attuned to the profession itself.


    But, abusing this authority would mean the profession itself woulde to frown on them. If that happened enough times, the Saint might even fall back to being a Pseudo-Saint. Therefore, Saints never took action unless absolutely necessary, disappearing from world politics.


    Unfortunately for Bruhat Burnak, his seclusion had to be stalled for an indefinite duration because the core strength of his Kingdom, the Saints had vanished mysteriously.


    Their Guardian Saint, stationed in the capital for the past three centuries, protecting it from harm died all of a sudden. And following that, the remaining two Saints too vanished mysteriously, causing him to be the sole remaining Saint that was protecting his Kingdom.


    And worst of all, he wasn''t able to figure out the reason, despite his best efforts.


    What was puzzling here was the fact that considering their strength, a Birdmen Saint could never be ambushed. And even if it happened, a Birdmen would be able to recover almost immediately.


    A Birdmen only had two main professions and no sub-professions at all. But, just these two main professions were enough to make them a reigning power.


    Doctor!


    Witch!


    The former profession allowed them to cure a variety of injuries, diseases, ailments, etc. allowing them to have by far the greatest understanding of the physique of various races. And, this was where their second profession came into effect.


    Being a Doctorplemented the Witch profession where they prepared curses and status effects, targeting the various vital organs of their targets through a variety of manners. And due to their knowledge as a Doctor, their curses were terrifyingly urate.


    And, they typically carried substitution dolls, a famed sorcery used by the Witches that substituted the damage received onto the doll itself, allowing them to escape a crisis.


    And the most shocking fact of all was that all four Saints of the Burnak Kingdom wielded both professions. This meant that as long as they were prepared, they were virtually unkible. And since they remained within their kingdom, their stronghold, it was even more impossible for them to have vanished mysteriously.


    So, things just didn''t add up.


    ''Moreover, Bilfuren had been apanying Prince Boznan. How the fuck did the Prince mysteriously disappear following that?'' Bruhat just wasn''t able to make sense of things.


    Even though he had been in seclusion, he wasn''t entirely unaware of what had been happening in his Kingdom. Therefore, he couldn''t make sense, for Bilfuren was a blessed child.


    Meaning, when he was just born, Bruhat had held him in his hands, blessing him with the talent to be a peerless expert in the future.


    Taking in a deep breath, Bruhat calmed down, ''Just who the fuck dares to mess with my Kingdom?''


    Right at this time, his brows furrowed upon sensing a mystical mana fluctuation, eyes lighting up as his figure vanished. And in his ce was a broken straw doll, causing the ce to be silent.

 Chapter 587 Saint Lurra

    Chapter 587 Saint Lurra¡¡¡¡An open ce, covered by desert sands, surrounded by sandy mountains where the billowing wind swirled around, creating a dust cloud that acted like a protective barrier around the mountain range.


    Such ces were numerous in the Burnak Kingdom, and this ce wasn''t anything special. There was a small city here, inhabited by around three million Birdmen.


    Currently seated within a pub was ady, barely seeming of age, painting a sharp contrast to the adults that filled the pub.


    The pub was pretty crowded and what was sold here wasn''t alcohol, but a type of worm sap that was specially collected from a variety of ground worms that infested the region.


    There wasn''t even any free space in the pub due to the crowd, but despite that, none took up the seats surrounding this young girl, as if they hadn''t noticed the ce all along.


    The table was able to seat six people, but she was the only one seated there. It was not to mention the table being situated in the centre of the pub, creating a strange atmosphere.


    And truly, none of the people were even aware of what was happening, subconsciously ignoring the table as they proceeded about with their merry.


    The girl wore a long one-piece dress, grey in colour, sporting a metallic sheen. She had her hair cropped, almost into a military cut, except for her bangs that covered her eyes, reaching her nose.


    Her grey skin shone with a metallic lustre, seemingly indestructible. Even though she appeared damn young, she was anything but that. She didn''t eat anything, calmly waiting as suddenly, a middle-aged man from the Birdmen race appeared here, looking around at all the other Birdmen in the pub that seemed oblivious to her presence.


    Looking at her, even he felt a tad nervous, asking, "What is Saint Lurra doing in my humble kingdom?"


    "I came to ask you about something." Thedy addressed as Saint Lurra said, motioning for Bruhat to take a seat, asking in irritation following that, "What the heck is happening in your Kingdom? Why is there so much unrest?"


    "What happened to the rest of your Saints?" She red in anger, "I made a short trip through your Kingdom to confirm my suspicions. And I could only sense your presence in this region."


    "Is the Xetuka Kingdom nning to invade us now?" Bruhat asked, ring at thedy before him, "Is that why they''ve sent their most respected Saint here?"


    "If we nned to invade you, it wouldn''t have been me to appear before you." Lurra said calmly, "He would have made an appearance. I''m sure you know who I''m talking about."


    "Yes¡­" Bruhat nodded, noticing that his hands were mildly trembling. There was a terrifying entity among the Xetuka Kingdom Saints that had lived for over a millennium now, by far the most dangerous existence, one that deterred the Saints from the Giant Race of Gormana and the Lizardmen Race of Lethuna from even daring to peep into the Xetuka Kingdom.


    Among these four Kingdoms, he was by far the strongest and most overbearing Saint. When angered, cities were razed down lie burning hay. And one of the ces in the marsnds of the Lethuna Kingdom continued to burn like a fiery hell to this day.


    And indeed, if the Xetuka Kingdom nned to invade their Kingdom, he would have made an appearance.


    Sighing, Bruhat said with a sullen tone, "I''m not sure what happened either. I was in seclusion when I heard the news that one of our Saints died while the other two vanished mysteriously. By the time I emerged from my seclusion, there was chaos all over the Kingdom."


    "And now, one of our youngest Princes has been kidnapped¡­"


    "One Saint died and the other two vanished?" Upon hearing this news, even Lurra was shocked, muttering, "It couldn''t have been the Giants. Their attacks would never be subtle. Among the Lizardmen, if the attacker was a Pugilist, this disappearance might make sense."


    "But, the only Pugilist Saint in Lethuna is too weak to kill your Guardian Saint, not to mention cause the disappearance of the other two Saints." She felt a headache.


    "Yes, that''s what I''m confused about too." Bruhat said in worry.


    "As for Prince Boznan Burnak, you needn''t worry." Lurra said, "I just received a letter that stated he is kept captive in Tentuna City by one of the local gangs there."


    "Then, let''s rescue him¡­" Bruhat was just about to get up when he noticed the visible frown on Lurra''s face, understanding that something didn''t make sense.


    "Right," Lurra nodded, "I''ve already looked into their situation beforeing here. Bilfuren and the two Grandmaster guards had been drugged by a rather potent drug. The person that had informed us of this incident had already helped them. But this is what doesn''t make sense."


    She continued, "I looked into the drug and its effects. It''s called a Mana Capsule and makes one experience the feeling of growing stronger endlessly. It''s by far the most potent drug I''ve ever seen. But this is where it stops making sense."


    She said in irritation, "Bilfuren is both a Doctor and a Witch. With his capabilities, he could easily see through the Mana Capsule''s effects and neutralise it in a matter of seconds. And, its effect of addiction only became strong enough after a day."


    "So, you mean to say that Bilfuren got captured voluntarily?" Bruhat frowned, "That child is of the cautious type. He''s not someone that would risk the life of Prince Boznan needlessly."


    "There are two reasons I can think of." Lurra said, "First, either he joined a secret organisation and betrayed the Burnak Kingdom."


    Lurra noticed Bruhat''s foul mood at her words, continuing to speak her mind without being concerned about that, "Second, he had stumbled upon a potential lead that might endanger the Burnak Kingdom in the future and decided to do something about it, even at the cost of risking Prince Boznan''s life."


    "Hopefully, it''s thetter." Bruhat sighed before looking at Lurra, "Since you''vee here, Saint Lurra, what is the Xetuka Kingdom''s stance on this matter."


    "At present, it''s not confirmed whether Bilfuren is on our side or the hidden organisation''s. And, I''m still unsure as to what this hidden organisation ns to do with such an borate n." Lurra''s eyes glinted dangerously, "we''ll fall prey to their ns for the moment. Maybe, we''ll find the cause of the disappearance of your two Saints through this."

 Chapter 588 Don’t Interfere

    Chapter 588 Don¡¯t Interfere¡¡¡¡In the underground cer, a spark shed into existence near the ears of the Pseudo-Saint Royal Guard, Bilfuren as Horan''s voice resounded, "I''m Horan, a Lightning Mage. I''ll free you up in the morning. Hold on until then, alright?"


    "Thank you for trying to save me," Bilfuren spoke, noticing that the guards stationed nearby didn''t notice anything amiss.


    A faint spark covered the walls of the cer, emanating a subtle electrical discharge that damped the sounds he produced, preventing the guards from hearing anything.


    Thanks to that, Bilfuren was able to speak without issues, saying, "Are you the Tentuna City''s Lord?"


    "I''m not," Horan replied, "But I''ve already informed the City Lord regarding this. They''ll mobilise their forces to uproot this organisation soon."


    "That won''t be necessary." Bilfuren said all of a sudden, "Please tell them to not take any action. This is an internal matter of the Burnak Kingdom. So, please don''t interfere."


    "But, this is happening in the Xetuka Kingdom. Do you understand the implications of a captured prince being held captive here? The authorities won''t like that, especially considering the rtionship between our two Kingdoms." Horan retorted.


    "Please don''t interfere in our Kingdom''s affairs. That''s all that I can say." Bilfuren''s voice turned cold all of a sudden, "Any interference from the Xetuka Kingdom would be considered as an action against our treaty."


    "This fucker." Horan cursed in response after cutting offmunication with Bilfuren, looking at Teto as he said, "I was suspicious regarding this all along. You didn''t have to help treat the effects of the drug on him."


    "Yeah, my bad." Teto nodded in apology, "Only when I began to treat him did I notice that he had countermeasures in ce against the drug already. Even the two Grandmasters were the same."


    "They have been captured voluntarily."


    As a Grandmaster Metal Mage, Teto imed to have abilities that had a filtering nature, hence using it to treat the three captured Birdmen¡ªthat was what he imed. It wasn''t false though as he could indeed do that using his Dragon Bullets, just that the method was different from what he imed.


    Horan looked at Gehera that had been silent all along, "What do you think?"


    "I''m sure of it now." Gehera nodded in confidence, "Luthak has clues regarding my mother. I can feel a strong scent of the Titans on him. He''s been using the smoke from the cigar to mask that scent, but I can still smell it."


    Teto sniffed the air in response, unable to smell anything that Gehera spoke about, only able to smell a faint stench of the cigar smoke. He then focused on the Personal Fragment in her body, sensing that it had be active for an instant when Gehera was smelling the air intently.


    ''I''m not sure, but there seems to be a key in this situation that can awaken her Personal Fragment.'' Thinking as such, Compass Carburettor remained in Teto''s character, a middle-aged man with versatile experience due to his constant travels.


    The trio then turned silent, watching Luthak converse with Zuhar. Currently, they had already infiltrated the house where everything was happening.


    Horan had created a barrier around them that shielded all sorts of sounds, biological activity, etc. masking their presence while allowing them to spy on their opponents openly.


    Using his lightning mana, he manipted the electromaic radiation of the region, ensuring Luthak and Zuhar couldn''t see and hear them. As for the smell, in this cigar smoke-filled room, it would be a surprise to smell anything else.


    As for any mana fluctuations, a mere Master couldn''t see through a Pseudo-Saint. Horan was confident in his skills being able to fool even a Pseudo-Saint. After all, unlike the other Pseudo-Saints, he was both a Mage and a Warrior of the Lightning Element, able to take advantage of both the professions to wield the Lightning Element in ways either profession deemed inconceivable.


    That was why he seemed capable of doing practically anything.


    Indeed, Horan possessed the strength to take care of any situation through his own decisions.


    As they continued to spy on Luthak and Zuhar, there was a spatial fluctuation in the room as part of the cigar smoke was suddenly sucked into a portal that appeared. Immediately, the sounds of someone coughing could be heard as a man walked out, cursing in response, "Which retard smokes so much that he turned this ce into hell?"


    "Your Advisory!" Luthak stood up in response, snuffing his cigar as he bowed in response, offering his seat.


    "Ahh, Luthak." The man waved his hand, "No wonder this ce is filled with smoke."


    He suddenly snapped his finger, condensing a mana circle on his hand where countless runes shed into existence, revolving at rapid speeds as his mana rippled out into a fluctuation, covering the entire house.


    "Is something wrong, your Advisory?" Luthak asked nervously, looking around to see if everything was fine at the ce.


    "No, there''s nothing." The man shook his head, sighing as he created a portal that sucked in all the cigar smoke, taking a seat on the nearby chair after that, "I felt like I had sensed something, but it was just my imagination."


    He then rxed, staring at Luthak to say, "So, my superiors told me to help with your n. What all do you need?"


    "I need a Griffin, your Advisory." Luthak said, "It''s to transport the captives to the capital tomorrow morning. The Birdmen would chase after it, resulting in an invasion and force the Xetuka Kingdom to retaliate."


    "I''m aware of the n." The man nodded, saying after a moment, "I''m asking about the strength of people that you need."


    "That won''t be necessary, your Advisory." Luthak let out a cunning smile, "The people working on this task are expendable, as they would be killed by the Birdmen. I''ve already made them ingest a poison that would kill them by evening tomorrow."


    "So, we don''t need to waste any of our valuable people." He spoke.


    Compass Carburettor heard their conversation, suddenly noticing that the moment the cigar smoke in the room was sucked out by the man, the Personal Fragment within Gehera began to pulse with Mental Energy as veins gradually protruded on her hands and neck as her eyes began to morph.

 Chapter 589 Deadline: Four Hours

    Chapter 589 Deadline: Four Hours¡¡¡¡Swish!


    Bilfuren''s eyes shot open as he sensed the mana fluctuation of the Space Element the moment the man arrived in the room through a portal.


    Bilfuren looked forward, noticing that the people stationed on guard were currently looking at the prince. Using that chance, he gently extended his index finger as a couple of his feathers fell off his wings.


    The thin strands forming the feather coiled around, turning into a human doll that resembled one of the guards. A couple more humanoid dolls appeared, with each sporting the traits of the guards.


    After that, three feathers shot out as the strands on it morphed into the shape of a hand, plucking the hair of the closest guard. At the same time, the remaining feathers plucked a hair strand from a guard each.


    "What the¡­?" The three guards flinched in response, turning around in a hurry as their faces paled, gazing at the human doll¡ªthat resembled them¡ªstaring at them, positioned before their faces respectively.


    The plucked hair strand was inserted into the doll as it suddenly brimmed with subtle mana fluctuation.


    ''No!'' The guard that was the closest shouted in despair, watching in fear as his voice failed toe out. And suddenly, a transparent energy was sucked out of his mouth; it flowed into the doll, with the energy gradually turning murky.


    It was his soul that was captured into the doll that had also opened its mouth, mimicking the guard. Immediately after, the doll closed its mouth as the eyes of the guard turned lifeless. It then approached him, gradually taking a seat on his head before copsing into thousands of hair strands.


    These hair strands drilled into his head, burrowing into his brain as they dissolved into mana, vanishing as the possession wasplete. The eyes of the guard shot open, now under Bilfuren''s control.


    The other two guards followed suit as instantly, the cer now fell under his control. Bilfuren snapped his finger as his chains came undone. Immediately after, the chains of the other three captives too came undone.


    He then approached the prince''s cer, kneeling on the ground respectfully as he asked, "Shall we take action?"


    "No, we wait. The time isn''t ripe yet." Prince Boznan Burnak spoke calmly, sporting maturity beyond his age, "Those two would escape if I were to take action now."


    "Alright," Bilfuren nodded as he snapped his finger once again, watching everyone be bound by the chains immediately after. He then focused before soon, his body began to tremble mildly, as if he was suffering from the effects of the Mana Capsule.


    Bilfuren then asked, "What about those humans. The Lightning Mage introduced himself as Horan while the Metal Mage is Teto."


    "The two of them are strong. They''ll prove usefulter." Prince Boznan Burnak said, smiling after a moment, "Besides, I feel like their objective is something entirely different. They only stumbled upon us because of an ovep in our objectives."


    Boznan Burnak then turned silent as Bilfuren closed his eyes, acting like he was asleep.


    But suddenly, Boznan''s eyes shot open as he red in a certain direction, staring intently, frowning, ''There''s something there. But, I''m unable to sense it.''


    Indeed, four metres away from him, staring at him calmly was the Mental Energy serpent left there by Compass Carburettor.


    For a moment, it was surprised when Boznan was able to notice its presence, ''I see, so this is a Saint. Terrifying!''


    Compass Carburettor nodded in understanding; a Saint was mildly stronger than him. And depending on the Pseudo-Relic they wielded, they could even overpower him. His only chance of winning against them would be to create potent Bullet Temtes, something he didn''t have yet.


    The strongest Bullet Temte he had at the moment was Horan''s, allowing him to shoot bullets of the Lighting Element. But, if he were to create a Bullet Temte from the thoughts of a Saint, then his strength would spike even further.


    Of course, in terms of pure strength, he might have an advantage, but Compass Carburettor was grandlycking in terms of experience, especially since he hadn''t put his new powers to use much. That was his current weakness.


    "H-He¡­he was there¡­I can feel it!" Gehera began to tremble in response, clutching the map in her hand tightly, staring in hatred as her pupils gradually began to turn scaly, "My mother is caged on the other side. I''m sure of it."


    "Calm down first." Compass Carburettor gently patted her back, consoling her as he noticed her eyes turning back to normal, "Are you able to locate it on a map?"


    "Y-Yes, when the portal opened, I was able to pry into the other side." Gehera nodded, unfurling the map of the Xetuka Kingdom when she frowned, staring at it intently.


    Gradually, her mana riled up, condensing in her hand and eyes as it spread onto the map, causing mysterious symbols to sh on it.


    The Cartographer profession was capable of remembering every ce they had been to, creating a mental map of everywhere they had ever walked towards.


    It was like a 3D map existed in their minds that was constantly updated as they grew stronger. Moreover, they were able to ry that on a parchment, causing it to act as a GPS as their senses absorbed all the information from their surroundings.


    They were expert scouts and trackers, capable of absorbing information from the verynd itself. This was the reason Cartographers were respected the highest and formed a valuable core of every organisation.


    And, the moment she began to use her power, the Personal Fragment in her gently seeped Mental Energy through her body. She was unaware as it flowed into her head, amplifying her power; this was how Gehera was able to pinpoint the coordinates of the ce on the other side of the portal¡ªthat the man addressed as Advisory came from.


    She then pointed at a location on the map, "They are here. And, I can sense my mother nearby."


    "Then, let''s make a move already." Horan condensed a sphere of lighting on his palm, "If the invasion happens tomorrow, whatever they are nning might already be in motion."


    "We should stop it before something happens to her mother." Horan said after some thought, "Based on their nature, if the Birdmen n to invade, they''ll do at dawn. That means, we have less than four hours to rescue her mother."

 Chapter 590 Retreat!

    Chapter 590 Retreat!¡¡¡¡"Let''s get going." Horan said, watching the sphere of lightning on his palm flicker out of existence, "I''ve already informed the concerned authorities about everything. They''ll take care of this ce."


    "There are around 600 kilometres to our destination. We have to get moving now if we don''t wish to dy." He said, "I know someone with a flying type Magic Beast that can take us to the destination quickly."


    "Alright," Compass Carburettor nodded. But, he didn''t simply follow Horan, aware that things might go wrong if they took their time to get to their destination.


    There was a good chance Gehera''s mother might be sacrificed in whatever the secret organisation was nning.


    And hence, he took action, sending a Dragon Bullet into the Advisory, suddenly causing Teto''s figure to appear in his mind.


    This confused him, for the figure he recalled was someone he didn''t know about. The Advisory only frowned for a moment before ignoring it, thinking that it was just one of those images the brain created from time to time.


    But, what he wasn''t aware of was the fact that when Teto''s image appeared in his mind, for that instant, he was thinking about Teto, resulting in a Mental Energy stream thatnded on Compass Carburettor.


    Compass Carburettor absorbed the thoughts in this Mental Energy stream, grabbing hold of the emotion of confusion first.


    After condensing them, he condensed a Dragon Bullet out of it and mmed it into the Advisory, causing him to feel confused more than usual.


    Immediately after, the Advisory couldn''t help but think of the secret organisation, wondering if everything was alright there, ''Did I miss something? No, I heeded all the orders. Am I aging too much?''


    Due to the heightening of his state of confusion, the Advisory began to think about many things. And, all of them generated Mental Energy streams. The Dragon Bullet in his mind travelled through one of the Mental Energy streams, directed at the base of the hidden organisation, entering the mind of someone there.


    In this manner, the Dragon Bullet arrived at the destination easily. It then unleashed a Mental Energy stream towards Compass Carburettor. And through this channel, Compass Carburettor sent out arge Dragon Bullet.


    The majority of his power was sent away through this Dragon Bullet that entered the mind of the person in the hidden organisation''s base.


    Teto apanied Horan, leaving the back alleys as they approached a certain noble''s house where they rented out a flying type Magic Beast, setting off in the direction of the hidden organisation.


    Even though Teto apanied Horan and Gehera, he was only a shallow form of his former self, having split most of his power to the Dragon Bullet.


    If he and Horan were to fight now, he would lose in a few moves.


    But, that didn''t matter, for Compass Carburettor considered Horan to be a clean-up party. And before the group arrived, he nned to take care of the situation, especially since he was curious about the nature of Gehera''s Personal Fragment.


    "Turkatun! Come help me here. We need to make all the necessary preparations for the ceremony before daybreak!" A man''s voice resounded with a sense of urgency.


    The man addressed as Turkatun nodded in response, hurrying as he carried a bunch of materials, taking off into the air as he hopped towards the destination.


    Turkatun was a Master Wind Warrior, currently taking part in the transportation of materials using his strength and mobility as a Wind Warrior.


    "Dammit, they''re really driving us like ves." He grunted in annoyance, feeling a tad tired; he had been running nonstop for a day already. He then thought of his superior, scowling mentally, ''One day, I''ll climb up the ranks. Just you wait.''


    The moment he thought of his superior, the Dragon Bullet waiting in his mind jumped into the generated Mental Energy stream, swimming through it to the destination in an instant, carried by the Mental Energy stream itself.


    It then entered the mind of the superior, a youthful-looking woman from the Giant Race, named Guremma. She almost reached a height of five metres, hulking over everyone, exhibiting the aura of a Grandmaster Maniptor.


    She was the one in charge of a variety of operations, currently standing before a Birdmen Pseudo-Saint that was giving instructions.


    The Birdmen Pseudo-Saint was a Doctor, sporting a content smile as he spoke, "Tentuna City will take action now. They''ll raid Buhan City in an hour. And at the same time, Ampor City would invade the Xerusi City."


    Tentuna City and Xerusi City were both border cities of the Xetuka Kingdom that were located close to the Burnak Kingdom. And simrly, both Buhan City and Ampor City were border cities of the Burnak Kingdom that were located close to the Xetuka Kingdom.


    With two cities on either side raiding one another, a war would indeed erupt between the two kingdoms. And shockingly, the authorities of all four cities were part of the secret organisation, one that called itself the Talon Secret Organisation.


    The moment he heard their discussion, Compass Carburettor was rmed, ''Wait, does this mean¡­?''


    Horan had been informing the authorities of the Tentuna City of what they had found out. And if the authorities were already part of the secret organisation, it meant that all their ns were already divulged to their enemies.


    ''Shit!'' The Dragon Bullet was rmed as it sent out a Mental Energy stream to Teto, informing him of everything. Unfortunately, it was already toote.


    "What about the group that chanced upon our ns?" Guremma asked right at this time.


    "Oh them?" The Birdmen Pseudo-Saint Doctor smiled in response, "They should be under attack by now."


    "We should retreat!" Teto shouted all of a sudden, turning around as the Magic Beast they were travelling upon crossed Tentuna City, moving over a nearby hill when suddenly, a portal appeared before it.


    A beam of fire sted out of the portal, with enough power to set the hill on fire, razing the forest that covered its surface into dust. The bird-type Magic Beast couldn''t even let out a cry before it was vaporised.


    Boom!


    Followed by a flicker of lightning, Horan arrived at the ground, gazing solemnly as held in each of his hand was Teto and Gehera respectively. A thin stream of blood leaked out of his nose as he stared at the sky, watching a figure emerge out of the portal slowly, brimming with the power of a Saint.

 Chapter 591 The True Power of Bullet Template

    Chapter 591 The True Power of Bullet Temte¡¡¡¡The one that appeared was a Human Saint. But, he didn''t originate from the Xetuka Kingdom; he had an unknown origin.


    He resembled a youth, sporting long blue clothes that fluttered in the wind as he hovered in the air, able to fly naturally, something all Saints were capable of.


    He was a Mage that wielded the Fire Element, gazing in surprise at Horan''s figure, muttering in praise, "You''re the first Pseudo-Saint to ever evade my attack. You''re talented."


    "I have to praise you for that."


    ''Damit!'' Horan''s expression was foul, having never expected to run into a Saint so abruptly. If not for Teto''s rmed shout, he wouldn''t have been able to react so quickly.


    ''How did he notice the Saint before me?'' Horan gazed at Teto in surprise before his body trembled in shock, noticing that a section of Teto''s hands had been charred ck. He hadn''t managed to wholly evade the attack.


    "I''m fine." Teto pried himself out of Horan''s hold, wincing in pain as after a moment of thought, he retracted most of his power from the Dragon Bullet sent to the base of the Talon Secret Organisation.


    Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to face a Saint.


    Without any hesitation, he condensed a gun and aimed at the Saint, keeping the trigger pressed as bullets streamed out like aser, mming into the Saint as fiery sparks resounded.


    Suddenly, a portion of his Mental Energy was expended as he unleashed a Dragon Bullet, one full of the emotion of fear and thoughts of distraction. It was made from his thoughts, intending to distract the Saint and also nt some fear in him.


    This way, he wouldn''t be at his optimal battle state, allowing them to fight better.


    But shockingly, even though he wasn''t able to see the Dragon Bullet, the fire surrounding the Saint took action, morphing in shape to form a barrier that resulted in a loud ng when the Dragon Bullet mmed into it.


    "What?" Compass Carburettor was shocked, for he had unleashed a Mental Energy attack on his opponent. And, the Saint himself hadn''t reacted to the attack, but it was his profession that took action instead.


    ''So, this is how the profession itself protects the Saints.'' He nodded in understanding, able to make sense of what happened.


    This wasn''t the first time a Mental Energy attack had been used in this Fantasy World. The many System Hosts and System yers had done so countless times.


    And considering the fact how various Relics had been turned into Personal Fragments, it meant that the world itself had adapted to such things, since the foundation of a Personal Fragment was thews of the world it originated from.


    There should have been a System yer with a Relic/Pseudo-Relic possessing the imprint of a Fire Mage. This meant that the Mage profession in the Fire Element was capable of using Mental Energy instead of mana and even interchanging between the two.


    Currently, upon seeing that the attack couldn''t be defended conventionally by the Saint, his profession took action, morphing the mes into a form where it worked against the Dragon Bullet.


    That was how Compass Carburettor''s attack had been defended against.


    In other worlds, this wouldn''t have been possible, for there wasn''t even a System yer originating from most worlds. So, having more than one System yer was too rare.


    But, the Fantasy World was an exception, having given birth to hundreds of System yers, including the First Main Character. So, itsws were by far the most developed.


    After all, how else would its power system be capable of using Systems as a fuel?


    Stencil had informed him about it through a Mental Energy stream after hearing about it from Wayna.


    But now that he witnessed it first hand, Compass Carburettor understood just how deep the power system of this world had developed.


    "¡­" Horan red at the Saint in tension, noticing the other party calmly defending against the hail of bullets shot by Teto. He then observed that Gehera was barely able to stand before the Saint, trying her best to not fall unconscious.


    ''It seems I''ve be involved in something beyond my power scope.'' Horan thought, sighing for a moment before he riled up his mana, staring at the Saint as he said, "Is this how Saints behave these days? Ambushing juniors without even an introduction?"


    "Haha, you''re an interesting child." The Saint smirked, saying after a while, "Well, with your strength, you are indeed qualified to know my name."


    He waved his hand, causing the mes dancing around him to vanish as he introduced himself, "I''m a Mage, the Saint of Fire, Sahar Khara."


    "Since you''ve stepped on the tail of a slumbering beast, I have no other choice but to send you to the afterlife." Sahar Khara said slowly, raising his hand as he condensed a violent revolving sphere of fire, emanating dense heat as the hot rock on the nearby hill began to turn reddish, emitting fumes.


    The trees there had long since been reduced to ash by now.


    "Keuk!" Gehera grunted in pain, feeling a burning sensation throughout her body due to the sheer heat emanating from the sphere.


    Sahar Khara observed the faces of the three that he was able to kill now, frowning all of a sudden upon noticing that the middle-aged man among the group break into a smile.


    "Thank you." Compass Carburettor said, having absorbed the entirety of the Mental Energy stream he unleashed, full of clear thoughts and by far the purest in terms of quality.


    He processed all the thoughts, condensing them in his body before producing a mark.


    Bullet Temte¡ªSahar Khara!


    Immediately after, he shot out a Dragon Bullet that transformed into a fire dragon, zing through the air at speeds multiple times the speed of sound, opening its mouth wide as it gobbled the vtile fire sphere created by Sahar Khara, snorting as all the Fire Mana was turned into a tonic to further strengthen it.


    After all, what Compass Carburettor was unleashing now was Sahar Khara''s power, possessing the same energy signature.


    The fire dragon revolved in the air, mming its tail into Sahar Khara as surprisingly, his profession didn''t protect him this time, for it seemed like a self-induced attack.


    Boom!


    His figure was sent flying as for the first time since he became a Saint, Sahar Khara stared incredulously as he crashed into the hill.

 Chapter 592 Inherited Power from Domino Plottopia

    Chapter 592 Inherited Power from Domino Plottopia¡¡¡¡"What¡­just happened?" Sahar Khara stared incredulously from within the cave that he created when he was sent flying. Through the gap, he stared at the sky, observing the embers floating there dissipate slowly as the fire dragon vanished.


    It just didn''t make sense, for the fire dragon seemed like something he had created when in truth, it was unleashed by Teto.


    ''How did he unleash an attack that seemed like mine?'' Frowning in response, Sahar Khara exited the cave, uninjured, but was more cautious now.


    He observed Teto, probing into the strength of the other party, ''He''s only a Grandmaster Metal Mage. Then, how did he do that?''


    He then recalled the gun that had appeared in Teto''s hand, muttering slowly, "You¡­what kind of Pseudo-Relic is that?"


    "I''ve never heard of such a weird Pseudo-Relic."


    ''You''ve truly concealed yourself well, Teto.'' Horan stared at the figure of Teto, his eyes glinting dangerously for a moment before all rted thoughts vanished. For a moment, he stared nkly, rmed as his eyes blinked in a hurry, ''What the heck was I doing? Why am I standing in a daze during the middle of a battle?''


    "What¡­just happened?" Suddenly, Sahar Khara muttered in confusion, looking around as he noticed the burning hill nearby, unable to understand just what had happened.


    He then gazed at the three individuals on the ground, asking in confusion, "You there! What happened here?"


    "Wait, you''re asking us that?" Gehera was confused, failing to make sense of the situation.


    The Saint that had been attacking them all along now acted as if he was oblivious to everything. And that wasn''t all, Horan too seemed to be behaving simrly, acting as if he had forgotten everything that happened recently.


    Based on his behaviour, he seemed to have forgotten everything that happened after dodging the Saint''s attack at the start.


    Compass Carburettor too was rmed, fearing someone had taken action against them before soon feeling that the situation was somewhat familiar.


    Eventually, he sighed, sensing two red-coloured Mental Energy streams on him that vanished as soon as they appeared, understanding what had happened.


    The cause for this strangeness was himself.


    This was the power he inherited from Domino Plottopia. It didn''t make sense at the start because of the intricacy of the power.


    The power was a derivative of Secret Society''s secretive nature, but now, the effect was limited to him.


    Basically, anyone that harboured evil intentions toward him would forget everything rted to him. And depending on the extent of their evil intention, the degree of memory wipeout would vary.


    The moment he came to realise that Teto had a precious Pseudo-Relic, Horan harboured evil intentions toward him. But immediately after, he curbed his greed. And hence, his evil intention was pretty weak, only resulting in his recent memory being wiped out.


    If his evil intention had been potent enough, then he would have forgotten about Teto by now and everything that happened between them.


    The Saint too seemed to have been affected by the same. At the start, the Saint didn''t have any evil intentions toward the three.


    After all, due to their sheer power difference, it was like swatting a group of flies for the Saint. Hence, he had attacked casually.


    But once the fire dragon attacked him, he took his opponents seriously, thinking of ways to kill them. As his evil intention toward Teto became strong enough, all his memory of the fight had been wiped out.


    In the Secret Society, any members whose loyalty dropped below 10 would have their memories of everything regarding the Secret Society wiped out.


    And in the future, if their loyalty crossed 10 due to a variety of reasons, they''ll recall all the wiped-out memories.


    His power worked the same but in terms of evil intentions. And, the reason Compass Carburettor couldn''t make sense of this was that the ability of memory wipeout worked by harnessing the power of his Lore.


    Meaning, all information, whether in the mind of someone, written forms, inscribed, forms, etc. would be wiped out once the conditions were met.


    And, this worked passively. Therefore, it was dangerous. If Compass Carburettor was careless, even Stencil might be implicated if she yed with him without this knowledge. She only needed to think of harming him casually to have parts of her memories erased.


    And, as this was erased using the Main Character''s power, it could only be restored using the Main Character''s power. No System Skill would be able to circumvent it.


    As the core of the Main Character, Compass Carburettor had inherited the powers of the other three Main Characters. And in the future, he would inherit the powers of more Main Characters that he creates using the power of Lore.


    So, he had to be careful in their creation. Even though the power derived from Domino Plottopia ensured that his existence remained secretive to his enemies, if he wasn''t careful about it, he would be forgotten by his allies and everyone else, which was detrimental¡ªto spread the effects of Lore.


    Moreover, to a certain extent, his power worked the same as the Systems. After all, arge part of the Main Character System was in him now, meaning that he was able to use the revival means that other Systems had used.


    Anyone that thinks of the Main Character might see a small imprint of himself in their mind. And, over time, this imprint could grow enough to take over their bodies and birth another Main Character on its own.


    So, having memories of him erased from the minds of others contradicted this to a certain extent.


    ''Though, I guess it also ensures ayer of safety, since those with evil intentions wouldn''t be able to take advantage of these Main Character fragments in their minds.'' He thought, sighing once he cleared up his understanding of his powers.


    Since the Fantasy World had Relics that could siphon the Systems growing in the minds of people to be used as fuel, he didn''t want the Main Character System to be used for the same. That would only slow down his growth.


    Now that he understood everything, Compass Carburettor put on an expression of confusion, shouting at the Saint, "My Lord! I can''t understand what is happening here, but for some reason, you had been attacking that hill in all seriousness. But, something suddenly hit you and sent you flying into the hill itself. And once you came out, you became like this."

 Chapter 593 From the Frying Pan into the Fire

    Chapter 593 From the Frying Pan into the Fire¡¡¡¡"I was attacking this hill?" Sahar Khara frowned in confusion, gazing at the hill to sense the familiar mes burning on it. He also noticed the hole mentioned by Teto, observing the impression formed at the bottom of the cave, seeing that it looked simr to him.


    There was also a faintyer of soil coating the edges of his clothes, the soil texture being the same as that within the cave.


    "Hmm?" He frowned after a while, taking out a Magic Tool that he used tomunicate with the Talon Secret Organisation, watching a portal appear before him as he entered it to leave the ce.


    Once he left, the trio sighed visibly; Teto said in a hurry, looking at Horan, "Please bring us somewhere far away from here. There''s a good chance the Saint might return."


    "Alright." Horan sighed as he grabbed hold of Teto and Gehera, condensing a gigantic magic circle as immediately after, they turned into a bolt of lightning and entered the clouds above, travelling from one cloud to another, vanishing from the region.


    A few secondster, Sahar Khara returned, sporting a solemn expression as he probed the ce, failing to sense the three individuals, "They are tricky."


    Sighing after a while, he retreated into the portal to vanish once again.


    "Huff¡­puff!" Horan gasped for breath, exhausted as they had travelled for more than two hundred kilometres in a matter of seconds. It drained his mana severely.


    Slumping on the ground now that they had arrived at safety, Horan began to recover his mana reserves, staring at Teto to ask, "So, you are in possession of a Pseudo-Relic."


    "I''m not sure if you could call it a Pseudo-Relic." Teto smiled awkwardly, "This is a Magic Tool that we inherit through our bloodline. And it is passed down from one generation to the next."


    "It''s not a Pseudo-Relic?" Horan was shocked, eximing in response, "Using it, you were able to retaliate against a Saint. Howe it''s not a Pseudo-Saint."


    "But, you should have noticed that the Saint wasn''t even scratched by the stack." Tetoughed awkwardly, "It is only effective against Pseudo-Saints at most. Beyond that, it''s useless."


    "And, the retaliation attacks can only be aimed at the attacker. Otherwise, without this limitation, it would have been worth the effort to make it a Pseudo-Relic." Teto sighed in disappointment, saying after a couple of seconds, "But at least, I can buy time with this."


    "I see," Horan nodded, frowning as he said, "Why the heck can''t I remember anything that happened during the battle?"


    "Maybe there was a formation or something there to keep strong people at bay." Teto said solemnly, pointing at himself and Gehera, "The two of us can perfectly remember everything. So, it should have only been put in ce to deter strong enemies."


    "It makes sense since the Saint can''t even remember us, even though he was the one trying to attack us."


    Since the Saint was stronger than Horan, he also lost more memories. When thought in this line, Teto''s words made perfect sense.


    ''So, Grandmasters and below aren''t even a threat to whatever was happening there.'' Horan thought, sighing as he let go of the matter.


    This was how one could survive for long in this dangerous world. If there was a baffling mystery before them, avoiding it was the best course of action. After all, there were too many secret organisations in the world, working on ns both small scale andrge scale.


    Poking their nose in such matters would only reduce their lifespan.


    For a moment, Horan entertained the thought that Teto was part of a secret organisation too. But he didn''t feel any ill feelings towards that.


    After all, the goal of each secret organisation was different. There were good, bad, and neutral secret organisations, each working towards their respective agendas.


    There was even a secret organisation that secretly helped sick people get back to full health. No one even saw the people that healed others. They came like the wind and went like the wind.


    They neither took any money nor sought fame, acting like spectres as they healed any and all injured.


    There were countless such secret organisations. After all, there were many entric individuals among the strong.


    And considering Teto''s behaviour, if he was part of a secret organisation, it might be one of such decent organisations.


    Horan prided himself in his ability to judge people. And this was precisely why he forged a decent rtionship with Teto.


    "How much distance is left to our destination?" Horan looked at Gehera.


    "Let me check." Gehera took out a map of the Xetuka Kingdom as her eyes swirled with mysterious runes. Mana gushed out of her hand and poured into the map before soon, three figures were highlighted at a particr location¡ªIt was them.


    Gehera then focused on the destination, stating after making a brief calction, "There are around 270 kilometres left to our destination."


    "Are there any Magic Beasts nearby that we can use as our mounts?" Horan asked next, "Using my powers, I can temporarily bring them under my control."


    "There are many¡­around us¡­" Gehera paled in response, hurriedly looking around as her figure shuddered, "We''ve barged into a Magic Beast territory."


    "What type of Magic Beast?" Teto asked, grunting as he wasn''t able to use one arm that was charred ck.


    "T-This¡­!" Gehera was stunned once she expanded her senses, staring at the figure of the Magic Beast situated the closest, trembling in fear, "It''s t-the G-Golden Elephant Herd!"


    "Golden Elephant Herd?" Even Horan failed to keep his cool any longer.


    After all, the Golden Elephants were one of the stronger Magic Beast races, naturally endowed to reach the Grandmaster Stage upon adulthood. And the chief of each herd was a Pseudo-Saint.


    As each herd reached around two hundred in numbers, they were a terrifying force to reckon with.


    After all, even if Magic Beasts were weaker than humans, their sheer numbers were rming, especially considering a herdposed of two hundred Grandmasters.


    Kraaaaauunnn!


    A majestic trumpet resounded through the region as trees were mowed down. A behemoth of a creature, standing four metres tall and weighing more than thirty tonnes walked out, making a path of its own through the region, with each of its footsteps formingrge imprints on the ground.


    A gust of air blew out of its trunk as its reddish eyes red at the trio.

 Chapter 594 Infiltrating the Talon Secret Organisation

    Chapter 594 Infiltrating the Talon Secret Organisation¡¡¡¡"Can you use that lightning bolt to bring us elsewhere?" Teto asked in concern, watching the Golden Elephant silently stare at them, acting as if it was thinking about whether or not to attack them.


    "I don''t have enough mana to go far," Horan said, patting himself as he slowly assumed a stance, intending to fight as a Warrior for the time being until he managed to recover enough mana.


    He looked at Gehera, "Is there any safe zones near us? Once I recover enough mana, I''ll bring us there."


    "There is one thirty kilometres away." Gehera''s eyes swirled around with runes as she snapped back a reply, double checking on her map as she spoke.


    "How''s your mana reserves, Teto?" He then looked at the third member of their party, staring at his charred arm for a moment.


    "I can unleash my basic attacks without much effort." Teto said, "As long as I don''t have to unleash any powerful attacks, I canst an hour or so."


    "That''s more than enough time." Horan nodded as he instructed Gehera, "Keep an eye out for any other Magic Beast in the region. We would need one to carry us to our destination."


    Holding onto his gun, Teto aimed at the Golden Elephant, not taking action for the time being, as the opponent just stared at them. But, he was ready to attack at a moment''s notice, watching Gehera ry the positions of other Golden Elephants that were slowly converging upon them.


    Even though the Golden Elephants were aware of the three people in the midst of their territory, they didn''t dare attack. This was because of Horan.


    The sheer presence he emitted rmed all the Grandmasters, making them hesitate.


    Gradually, the leader of their herd, a Pseudo-Saint, walked out of the forest, stopping ten metres before Horan as it red at him.


    "I have no intention to fight." Horan expressed it using his mana, gradually curbing his presence to show respect to the other party.


    The Golden Elephant leader trumpeted as the other Golden Elephants parted a way, painting a path for them to leave.


    "Let''s go," Horan said, carrying the other two as his body turned into a bolt of lightning and shed through the path, vanishing from the ce.


    Even after they left, the Golden Elephant leader remained in the ce, its body trembling faintly from time to time as a melodious voice resounded in its ears, "Why did you allow them to escape?"


    Krrr!


    The Golden Elephant leader shuddered in response, expressing its fear while conveying through bodynguage that the opponents were stronger than itself.


    "If all of you charged at the trio while disregarding your lives, you might have lost most of your herd, but you would have managed to kill them." The voice stated before soon, blood began to drip out of the Golden Elephant leader''s eyes, coagting on the ground as it formed a tiny gem that vanished soon after.


    The Golden Elephant leader seemed to have lost a couple decades of its lifespan as its trembling stopped after a while. It then entered the forest, sullen, dragging its feet as it brought the other Golden Elephants along with it to leave.


    A few minutester, a gigantic figure appeared. It spanned three metres tall, sporting a metallic texture on its greyish-brown skin. Its two horns curled up grandly, exuding imposing power as its hooved legs createdrge grooves in the ground upon each step.


    Sporting a head resembling a cow, its peaceful-looking eyes glinted with a dangerous hue as it stared in the direction where Horan and party had left, "Quite the troublesome humans have entered our midst."


    Minotaur!


    It was a Pseudo-Saint from the Minotaur race, possessing a terrifying power. Minotaurs were a loosely popted race in the majority of the ces, the primary reason being their longevity and innate resistance towards reproduction.


    Moreover, the conceiving stage spanned around a decade for Minotaurs. So in most cases, the chances of a miscarriage or a failed birth were high due to the long-time requirement.


    All in all, the poption of the Minotaurs was very little. But, they were one of the most hidden races, being the leaders of a good majority of hidden organisations.


    As to why they headed most hidden/secret organisations?


    It was due to their professions.


    The Minotaurs had the main profession of Thief and a sub-profession of Formation Specialist. The profession of a Thief was as the name implied, allowing them to steal a variety of things, including lifespan.


    This was the secret to their longevity.


    The second was the profession of Formation Specialist. It allowed them to erect a variety of formations, unleashing myriad effects, one of which was used to conceal a region from the rest of the world.


    And such regions formed the base of their secret organisation. Otherwise, it would be easy for anyone to stumble upon their base and find out all the secrets.


    If not for Horan protecting their location, and allowing Gehera to use the chance to peer into the other side of the portal in Tentuna City, they wouldn''t have obtained the location of the Talon Secret Organisation.


    Even the majority of its members were unaware of the location, for their entry and exit were always through a portal that the Mages in the organisation created using their Space Element.


    And now, Horan and group had actually entered the territory controlled by the Talon Secret Organisation.


    The location perceived by Gehera was still somewhere far away, but the area controlled by the Talon Secret Organisation was prettyrge.


    The trio wasn''t even aware of the fact that they had infiltrated the Talon Secret Organisation yet.


    Of course, the moment the Pseud-Saint Minotaur thought of them, the Mental Energy alerted Compass Carburettor, allowing him to understand just what had happened.


    And through these thoughts, Compass Carburettor was able to picturise the other party''s appearance, thinking of the Minotaur as the unleashed Mental Energy was used as a means for a Dragon Bullet to travel into the Minotaur''s mind.


    The reason was simple. This Minotaur was a Pseudo-Saint Formation Specialist. Hence, its thoughts could be used to create a useful Bullet Temte.


    And to influence that was why he sent a Dragon Bullet into its mind.

 Chapter 595 Assimilating Data (Part 1)

    Chapter 595 Assimting Data (Part 1)¡¡¡¡"Yecha! Heal me!" Arge-built man holding a hammer shouted in rm, coughing out blood as a magic bolt rendered him immobile, riddling him with injuries. His armour almost became torn into shreds as he shouted in rm, "What the heck are you doing, Gulhirm? Tank it properly!"


    "I told you to deal conservative damages, didn''t I?" The man addressed as Gulhirm retorted, bashing his kite shield as he endured the blow from a massive beast that was covered by hundreds of horns all over its body, emitting a pungent stench that corroded anything that touched it.


    Gulhirm struggled to defend against the mighty blows as he screamed in rm, "Leader! We need to retreat! This is an S-ss Monster. We can''t fight against it."


    "Endure!" The leader of the party said as her sword shone with a resplendent hue, condensing a mana de that expanded in length upon thought, swinging towards the monster as dozens of its horns were severed, causing it to scream in pain.


    The monster resembled a ball of yarn, covered by spikes as threadsshed out from time to time, hitting like a spiked whip. And whentched, it never let go as the spikes burrowed into the flesh, corroding everything.


    Or otherwise, the monster resembling a ball of yarn would shoot out the spikes covering its body like bullets.


    Bolgay, therge-built man with a hammer had been injured by one such attack. He panted a little, watching his injuries slowly heal as a gentle energy washed over him, causing him to sigh in relief, "It was about time, Yecha."


    "Bolgay, don''t just charge into the monster. I don''t have enough mana to heal you all the time." Yecha retorted, sporting a pissed expression as her forehead was covered with sweat.


    She was standing far away, out of range of the monster''s whips as she healed her party members.


    "If he gets injured within the next ten seconds, don''t heal him, Yecha." An arrogant voice, containing a hint ofziness resounded as thedy next to her said. She held a staff, chanting a verse before unleashing a bolt of lightning that numbed the monster, allowing the damage dealers to attack better.


    ''I would be med for letting a teammate die once again.'' Yecha thought, sighing internally as she observed the arrogance of thedy beside her, ''As a high-levelled Magician, Shokh is always in demand by the other parties. And, she has a good track record since all she does isin and attack from safety.''


    ''But, any deaths in a party would be med upon me.'' Yecha was irritated, ring at therge-built figure of Bolgay that charged straight at the monster, ''Retards like these are those that always die. Even if I have infinite mana, it''s impossible to save such idiots.''


    "Aargh!" Suddenly, one of the damage dealers, ancer-wielding youth, the youngest of their party, screamed in pain as a whipnded on him, destroying his defences.


    The spikes pierced through his skin, corroding through the region as he thrashed about, almost fainting in pain.


    "Ferohar!" Yecha was rmed as she hurled a beam of healing energy at thencer-wielding youth, impeding the damage he sustained.


    In this time, their party leader shed towards his location, shing forth to sever the whip as she kicked him in the stomach, sending him skidding towards Yecha, "Take care of his wounds."


    Yecha nodded in response as she condensed a pair of hands using mana that grabbed hold of the thorny whip and pulled it out as a corrosive liquid gushed out.


    One of the fingers in the projected hands moved as the entirety of the corrosive fluid was drawn towards it, seeping into the finger as it turned ck.


    The wounds on Ferohar, thencer-wielding youth were quickly healed as Yecha was gasping for breath by now, having no other choice but to expend her mana nonstop all along.


    Even though her current party was strong, their teamy was messy as everyone just attacked as they pleased without any coordination.


    Such an action only ced a burden on Yecha, their only healer, forcing her to heal everyone with no rest.


    Just as Ferohar nned to re-join the fight, Yecha held him back, "I only have enough mana for emergency treatment now."


    She then gazed at their party leader, "Ruruka, I''m almost out of mana. We need to make a temporary retreat."


    "Hmm?" Ruruka shed with a sword and leaped back, erecting some distance between her and the monster as she looked at Yecha in surprise, "You''re out of mana so soon? But how? Aren''t you five levels above everyone else?"


    Yecha red at Bolgay in response, not holding back as she said, "If I didn''t have to heal someone every ten seconds, I wouldn''t have even used up half my mana."


    "I guess we''ll have to end it here then." Ruruka sighed in disappointment as she signalled their retreat, suddenly condensing a terrifying sword beam that sheshed onto the monster, causing it to scream as it was sent flying.


    This bought them a few seconds in time, using which all six party members rushed out of the zone where the boss monster appeared.


    Yecha then took out a vial that would replenish her mana, eyeing Ruruka to ask her advice on the matter, for each mana replenishing vial cost a fortune, especially for the mana quality that was needed at her level.


    Ruruka subtly shook her head, meaning that she nned to end their exploration at this point itself.


    She then looked at the others, signalling their retreat, "The boss monster is only partially injured. It would recover by the time we return to fight it."


    "Che, if only our healer was morepetent." Bolgay snorted, clutching his hammer in annoyance.


    Gulhirm, the Tank of the party nodded in response, gazing at the dents that appeared on his shield, snorting, "Let''s return."


    "You!" Ferohar the Lancer red at Bolgay, intending to argue with him when Yecha held him back.


    The party began to make their retreat, all while unaware of a mystical creature that was tracing their steps, absorbing something from the region itself.

 Chapter 596 Assimilating Data (Part 2)

    Chapter 596 Assimting Data (Part 2)¡¡¡¡The party exited the dungeon after an hour, tired as they watched the dungeon maintenance staff hurrying about with various equipment, entering the dungeon.


    Ruruka informed them, "All the monsters except the boss monster have been killed."


    "Great work, dear hunters." The head of the dungeon maintenance staff shook hands with Ruruka as he spoke, "Please wait in the nearby room while we tally all the loot."


    "Okay." Ruruka nodded as she entered a makeshift building situated ten metres from the portal.


    The building was almost like a warehouse as on one side were sixrge containers. They were actually magic equipment used to store their weapons, armours, etc. Only B-Rank Hunters and above were qualified to buy and use such equipment, named Hunter House.


    Their current party wasposed of A-Rank Hunters, so everyone had one.


    Yecha unlocked her Hunter House, entering it as she closed shut the entrance, sighing as she unequipped her gear, cing them in holders meant for them. She then took a shower and changed into civilian clothes, exiting her Hunter House soon after.


    She then made eye contact with Ruruka and Ferohar as all three sighed in unison, knowing very well of the argument that might arise next.


    The three of them were of the same party. Ferohar was Ruruka''s younger brother and someone Yecha knew since childhood.


    Their original party had disbanded a year ago due to some issues. Only the three of them remained after that. But to enter a dungeon, a minimum of six were required, and hence, they had to recruit frencers to fill up the rest of the roles.


    And, frencers in the Hunter profession remained as such because no one was willing to recruit them into a guild.


    This was because, despite their strength, they eithercked discipline, teamwork or had an irritating character, all recipes for disaster in a dungeon raid.


    And, even if they were recruited into a guild, they were eventually kicked out asints regarding them piled up.


    Only those at S-Rank and above were qualified to set up a guild and recruit more Hunters under their fold.


    Due to this reason, Yecha, Ruruka, and Ferohar couldn''t set up a guild. And as their goal was to make one in the future, they didn''t join a guild either, saving up their finances for when they made one.


    Yecha was a rather popr A-Ranker due to the versatility of her healing abilities. But of course, a healer was only as good as her party. And without enough party bnce, the party members umted too much damage, causing her to run out of mana sooner.


    And for the past year, the same had repeated multiple times, causing her reputation to take a hit.


    "Is it for the best if I stay out of this?" Yecha asked Ruruka upon seeing the other party''s frown.


    "No, you''re better at arguments." Ruruka said, "So, it''ll be for the best if you were the one to head the discussion. Otherwise, they might ask for too muchpensation."


    "A healer without any backing doesn''t have much weight in an argument though." Yecha expressed her worry.


    "I''m your backing." Ruruka snorted in anger, "If they try anything funny, I''ll mess them up."


    Ferohar nodded while looking at Yecha, "If not for aunty Yecha, we would have ended up giving too much of our profits to the others in the form ofpensation."


    "Brat, who the heck is your aunty?" Yecha snorted in anger, punching Ferohar in the face before flinching in response, for it felt like she had hit a wall, ring at the other party, "Damn you!"


    "Hehe!" Feroharughed, suddenly turning serious upon seeing Gulhirm exiting his Hunter House.


    The remaining two, Bolgay and Shokh too exited their Hunter Houses soon after. And, the moment he took a seat, Bolgay red at Ruruka, "I could have killed that boss monster if your healer wasn''t so ipetent. I expect at least 25 percent of the profits from this exploration."


    "If you are sopetent¡­" Yecha red at Bolgay, pointing in the direction of the portal, "The portal has yet to close. Why don''t you rush in and kill the boss?"


    "It''s a healer''s job to heal the attackers." Bolgay said in anger, pointing at Yecha, "And you always failed to heal me on time."


    "You needed to be healed once every ten seconds. By that point, it''s not mine, but your ipetence." Yecha retorted, "The healing standard of any A-Rank party is one heal per minute per party member."


    She then stared calmly at Bolgay, "And, how many heals did you require per minute? At least four."


    Ruruka then continued from there, upon seeing Bolgay shut his mouth, "A-Rank Hammer Warrior, Bolgay, your contribution was the least during this exploration. You constantly pulled the aggro towards you and made it harder for the Tank to pull it back to him each time."


    She then looked at Gulhirm, the Tank to ask for his confirmation.


    Upon seeing the me being directed at Bolgay, Gulhirm nodded immediately, "Yes, Bolgay constantly interrupted my Skills. My shield was damaged a lot as a result. I need more percentage of the profits topensate for the repairs."


    "I''ll add two percent aspensation for a total of 17 percent," Ruruka spoke.


    "Too little." Gulhirm shook his head, "If there were two Tanks, this is reasonable. But as I was the sole tank, I need 18 percent."


    ''Haah!'' Yecha signed mentally. This was a problem that happened all the time. Once a partypleted a dungeon rain, the dungeon maintenance staff would collect all the loot and tally the profits.


    In the meantime, the party members would discuss the percentage of profit split everyone would get. And this was where problems arose as everyone would ask and reason for more. Most of the time, this discussion alone would take more time than the dungeon raid itself.


    As the obtained sum of profits wasrge, even a single percentage of profit was a massive sum. So, the arguments were pretty vicious.


    Right as Yecha was feeling a headache, a voice resounded in her mind, ''Morning!''

 Chapter 597 Assimilating Data (Part 3)

    Chapter 597 Assimting Data (Part 3)¡¡¡¡''Morning.''


    Yecha''s eyes lit up at the sound that resounded in her mind as she thought, ''How did it go, Dota?''


    ''I have managed to analyse seven-tenths of the Thorn Dungeon. As long as you raid it a couple more times, I''ll be able to finish analysing itpletely.'' The one she addressed as Dota replied.


    ''Will I gain ownership of the Thorn Dungeon after that?'' Yecha asked in excitement.


    ''No, the only thing that would change is where the Thorn Dungeon''s entrance appears.'' Dota said, ''You''ll still need six people or more to actually clear it. I''ll trigger too much danger if I steal ownership of the Thorn Dungeon. So, I can only sneak you its entrance.''


    ''That''s still good enough.'' Yecha said in excitement, ''It would mean that the Thorn Dungeon could be made into our private hunting grounds.''


    ''Yes, though you have yet to set up the means to take advantage of that.'' Dota said, ''You neither have the necessary manpower to clear it nor the informationwork to sell the loot obtained from it.''


    ''Can''t you help me with that?'' Yecha said, expressing mild anger, ''Didn''t you boast that you have a solidwork throughout the world?''


    ''I was lying about that.'' Dota replied shamelessly, ''There''s barely ten people in mywork, and three of them are from your party.''


    ''Dammit, dumbass!'' Yecha groaned mentally.


    ''Buy hey, what I said would be the truth within a year. I just need to obtain enough data to support that. Isn''t that why you''re helping me? I can easily help you be an S-Rank hunter by then.'' Dota replied, mildly offended.


    Seated on the roof of the building was Domino Plottopia, silent as she observed the portal nearby, thinking of something.


    Part of the Secret Society was owned by Dota, the Dragon of Systems. And hence, he took charge of all operations regarding Secret Society''s internal affairs while Domino Plottopia focused on the external affairs alone.


    To spread the influence of Secret Society, they had selected the Hunter genre where Secret Society could shine the most.


    After all, the majority of worlds in this genre were basically carbon copies of one another. At first, Domino Plottopia nned to spread out Secret Society in cultivation worlds, for that was where Dota originated from.


    But in the end, they chose the Hunter worlds, intending to take advantage of these young worlds.


    Cultivation worlds each had a long spanning history of ns, Sects, organisations, etc. So, it would take time for the Secret Society to make a foothold there. After all, if they weren''t careful, the Secret Society members within the various ns and Sects might be entangled in a conflict with one another.


    Such things would copse the foundation of Secret Society sooner orter as too many members would have their memories of Secret Society wiped out.


    Therefore, due to the young nature of the Hunter Worlds, it was easier for them to n the development and expansion of the Secret Society.


    But, expansion was currently limited, for Hunters and the monsters invading their world both were Hosts to Grade 2 Systems.


    The monsters were Host to the Dungeon Monster System while the humans were Host to the Hunter System.


    Dota''s current mission was to gradually steal the power of these two Grade 2 Systems. But, it was easier said than done, especially since they had to do everything without alerting the other party.


    Currently, Yecha, Ruruka, and Ferohar were part of Secret Society nominally. Nominally in the sense, they were able to talk to Dota and exchange some benefits with it.


    But anything beyond that wasn''t possible since they had yet to be full-fledged members. Bing one was only possible when Dota was able to substitute their power system.


    As its growth had yet to ustom that, it had no other choice but to make do with nominal members.


    The reason for this was simple. The powers of Hunters originated from the Hunter System. Without it, they were only normal humans.


    In other worlds, the native races had a power system of their own while the Systems that selected Hosts only gave them benefits to make them better than the rest.


    But in the Hunter World, without the power of the Hunter System, the Hunters would be reduced to normal humans.


    This meant that if Dota made them members of Secret Society, they would lose all their Hunter powers, turning them into regr humans.


    Therefore, Dota was umting data regarding the power system used in this world, hoping to find a way to supplement the power of the Hunter System.


    Until then, it couldn''t do anything significant in this world. That was why Dota was reliant on individuals like Yecha who were willing to help it in return for benefits.


    Among the current ten nominal members, only the three of Yecha, Ruruka, and Ferohar made any contributions. The remaining seven were used as farms.


    After all, a hunter can level up by killing monsters. In the background, this happened as by killing a monster, the Hunter System fragment in them absorbed the Dungeon Monster System fragment within the dead monster. And by devouring it, the Hunter System fragment in their body grew, which directly resulted in them levelling up.


    So, the higher their level, the bigger the Hunger System fragment in their body. The same was true for the monsters too.


    But, here was a small loophole.


    What about the case when two people fought one another and ended up killing each other? The System fragment in both would just vanish, the same as what happened to a System whose Host was killed in a world.


    Their System body would end up vaporising soon after. Only if they had more than a hundred thousand Mental Energy would they spend that amount to return to the System World.


    Otherwise, they would die.


    For regr Systems, such a death meant that their Coordinates were absorbed by the world where they died. It meant a permanent loss of power for the System World. Though, the death of a weak System wouldn''t even be felt by the System World that had developed to a ginormous scale.


    As for a Grade 2 System, the death of two Hosts like this was negligible, irrespective of the size of fragments in their bodies.


    After all, the Coordinates of the Grade 2 System only resided within the strongest being. The fragments in the rest were basically simr to fragments of Grade 1 Systems that formed in the mind of anyone that came to know about them.


    The only difference was that those fragments couldn''t do anything until their quantity attained a certain level. For a Grade 2 System, such fragments were potent enough to have Hosts.


    And by causing the death of such Hosts, Dota stole the fragments and poured them into the bodies of Yecha and the other two, causing them to level up faster. This was how it supported their growth while they did whatever it asked.

 Chapter 598 Assimilating Data (Part 4)

    Chapter 598 Assimting Data (Part 4)¡¡¡¡"Haah!" Yecha sighed in exhaustion as she sat in a truck that carried her Hunter House. Ruruka and Ferohar lived somewhere far away, so they travelled through a different truck, making Yecha the sole person to travel alone.


    "Uncle Mass, is your back alright?" She asked upon seeing a familiar face.


    "Thanks to you, child." The truck driver, uncle Mass smiled in response, "I''ve never felt better."


    "You didn''t tell it to anyone else, right?" Yecha winked, "I''ll get into trouble if I used my powers without authoritative notice."


    A Hunter was prohibited to use their power beyond a dungeon or a training facility. This was to prevent any problems that might crop up in society.


    But at least, if a regr Hunter used their power, there would be traces. But, a healer could be subtle about it. After all, most sicknesses and illnesses had to be checked in a hospital to be aware.


    So, if it was an illness that hadn''t been documented yet, no one would know if a healer treated it. Even though this was a great action, problems arose because of that in their capitalistic society.


    After all, if all healers did this, then hospitals would run out of business, especially since most of the low-ranked healers worked there.


    F-Rank healers were too weak to enter a dungeon. And hence, they joined hospitals to treat the patients and also gain experience in healing people better. Gradually, they might be E-Rank healers and obtain the qualification to enter the weakest of dungeons as part of a party.


    This was one of the reasons why healers were banned from healing people of their own volition. But of course, there were plenty of healers that didn''t follow it.


    Of course, Yecha too was the same. If someone she knew were to fall sick, she would stealthily treat them. After all, depending on the illness, the medical bills would skyrocket, and at times even bankrupt the family.


    But for her, as an A-Rank Healer, all it required was a simple wave of her hand. So, she stealthily did such things.


    Of course, it was only for her family and those she was on friendly terms with.


    Uncle Mass was someone she was familiar with since she was a child. He was the driver that dropped her at school when young, and once she became a Hunter, he drove the truck that carried her Hunter Home.


    Driving for a Hunter was a lucrative job for a driver, for it was one of the highest-paying jobs around. And, Yecha had helped him get this.


    But recently, he had an aching back and wasn''t able toe. That was why Yecha helped heal his back.


    "I won''t do anything that would trouble you, child." Uncle Mass shed a thumbs up as he revved the truck and began to drive it through the highway.


    While they were on the road, Yecha thought of something while looking at the aging figure of uncle Mass, ''Say, Dota. Can you awaken anyone into a Hunter?''


    ''Not anyone.'' Dota said, ''Not everyone has the qualifications to be a Hunter.''


    These qualifications were simple: It was their quality as System Hosts.


    Not everyone could be a System Host and bear a System in their bodies. And Hunters represented that the best.


    No matter the world, the number of people that actually had the ability to handle a System was too little.


    The System fragment in an F-Rank Hunter was too small, almost minuscule in size, even while beingpared to a Hatchling System.


    The requirements to be an F-Rank hunter were the least. But despite that, Hunters were few in number.


    Some Hunters never levelled up despite the number of monsters they killed. It was because their bodies had already attained the limit to the size of the Hunter System fragment they could contain.


    Grade 1 Systems have to carefully select their Hosts to obtain the best mental Energy possible to satisfy their growth and solidify their evolution.


    But Grade 2 Systems wasn''t as hands-on as Grade 1 Systems. Rather, they hardly even bothered about such things.


    After invading a world where the native race didn''t have any special power, they made Hosts and caused these Hosts to wield special powers. Everything apart that was automated.


    New Hosts would appear the moment they qualify. And beyond that, the Grade 2 Systems would never interfere with whatever happens in the world.


    After all, this would result in the most diverse Mental Energy stream that would constantly change depending on the era.


    The Hunter System probably wasn''t even aware of what was happening in the Hunter World. The Hunters did whatever they could, makingws to help themselves, the people, their countries, etc.


    The Hunter System neither bothered nor cared enough about such things, content with the Mental Energy it received.


    After all, due to the emergence of the Hunters, the world''s focus shifted onto them. Meaning, the Hunters were always in the spotlight, from their emergence, and until the end of their existence.


    And on S-Rank Hunters and above, each of their actions was witnessed by the world itself. They were basically the node that brought in the greatest sum of Mental Energy to the Hunter System.


    Simrly, as such worlds were technological worlds, the monsters too were famous as people constantly discussed various monsters. And this meant a sizeable stream of Mental Energy funnelled into the Dungeon Monster System too.


    Both the Grade 2 Systems grew at terrifying rates as a result. After all, it wasn''t just one or two worlds under this status quo, but hundreds.


    And in all, Hunters raided dungeons to kill the monsters. If they failed, a dungeon break would ur that would result in the monsters pouring out into the open to ensure a massacre.


    Of course, they didn''t create the same scenario in all the worlds, for that would restrict the variety of Mental Energy they would get. So, they mildly tweaked the power system granted to various worlds and enjoyed the process.


    And best of all, they didn''t even have to worry about what was happening, happily remaining in the System World as a dense stream of Mental Energy entered them.


    This was why Grade 2 Systems were on a whole other level aspared to Grade 1 Systems. Of course, this was also why Dota was aiming for them. After all, the Hunter Worlds were one of the most lucrative treasure troves of Mental Energy.

 Chapter 599 Assimilating Data (Part 5)

    Chapter 599 Assimting Data (Part 5)¡¡¡¡''So, you cannot make anyone into a Hunter.'' Yecha frowned in response before asking, ''But if there''s a chance, can you make them into one?''


    ''Of course.'' Dota nodded, ''The process is pretty simple actually.''


    ''Can you tell me the details?'' Yecha asked next.


    ''No,'' Dota replied in all seriousness, ''There''s too much risk in doing that.''


    ''Why?'' Yecha asked, curious to know the truth regarding the Hunters.


    Dota didn''t reply, for even a reply would hint at the answer, risking their entire operation. After all, even though it ensured to drink all the Mental Energy generated by Yecha, problems would arise once Yecha bes an S-Rank Hunter.


    After all, that was when the Hunter System would pay some attention to her as the Hunter System fragment in her would be big enough.


    So, Dota wouldn''t be able to freely talk with her at that time, for it couldn''t simply drink all her Mental Energy as it did now. The Hunter System would definitely be suspicious.


    So, if Yecha was aware of the details, then she might be thinking of the same at that time too, which would result in the information being essed by the Hunter System.


    Even though there was a solid chance the Hunter System wasn''t even going through the thoughts and memories regarding most Mental Energy from weak Hunters, there was still a chance.


    S-Rank Hunters weren''t the peak, but they were important enough.


    Upon seeing Dota remaining silent at her question, Yecha could only ce it at the back of her mind as she thought about the discussion that had happened just recently with her party members.


    They had barely stopped themselves from trading blows with one another.


    Typically, in a six-man party, the average percentage distribution was 15 percent of profit. That meant 90 percent of the total profits were used up. The remaining ten would be used to prepare for the uing raid, if they were one party.


    But as half the party members were frencers, this saved-up percentage took a hit.


    Despite screwing up massively, Bolgay still ended up taking 15 percent of the profits with him. Anything below, and he was ready to kill. Following that, Gulhirm settled for 18 percent while Shokh took 17 percent. Altogether, they took 50 percent of the profits.


    The moment she thought about it, Yecha fumed, for this exploration just ended up in a loss. The resultant profit just wasn''t enough to save up for their next raid.


    Even if all three took the minimum most contribution of 15 percent, it only left a meagre five percent as savings.


    Weapon repairs, money to book a dungeon, themissions¡ªbribes¡ªthey paid to the dungeon maintenance staff to obtain rights over the dungeon, etc. all cost money.


    This was not to mention the potions, intelligence regarding the dungeonyout, the monster types, etc. All that had to be done with just this five percent ofmission. So, their profits were pretty nil.


    ''We need to make a solid party soon enough.'' She sighed in the end, watching the truck arrive at her home, arge vi as uncle Mass helped unload the Hunter Home, pushing it into the garage.


    "Thanks, uncle." Yecha waved at him, "I''ll see you next week."


    "Alright, take care, child." Uncle Mass smiled in return before driving the truck away. He had to park it in the Hunter Association, for the truck was theirs.


    Only before themencement of the next raid would he get the permission to drive it out again.


    Once she arrived home, Yecha checked her phone, seeing the notification regarding the money deposited into her ount. She then arrived before a mirror, muttering softly, "Status."


    [Name: Yecha]


    [Age: 27]


    [ss: Healer]


    [Level: 88]


    [Rank: A]


    [Strength: 32]


    [Agility: 41]


    [Defence: 56]


    [Sense: 129]


    [Mana: 144]


    [Skills: Healing Domain, Status Recovery, Status Buff, Purge Damage, Regeneration, Reflective Barrier]


    Upon staring at the basic details, Yecha''s gaze fell on her level, muttering after a while, "Three more levels to attain the status as an S-Rank."


    She then thought, ''Dota, the reason you''ve refused to tell me anything beyond the basics is that you''re afraid of me reaching the S-Rank, right?''


    ''You''re right about that.'' Dota replied.


    ''Then, if I were to give up my current strength¡­'' She began to say when Dota interjected her.


    ''Not yet. I don''t have a suitable power to help you yet.'' Dota said in a hurry.


    ''But, I feel like you have a terrifying power that you can give me. Is that wrong?'' She asked.


    ''You''re right about that. But, this power doesn''t belong to the Hunters. There are too many risks involved in this.'' Dota replied.


    ''Does the power belong to the monsters, then?'' She asked.


    ''No, it doesn''t. It''s from apletely different source, something that can change this world entirely.'' Dota replied.


    ''If you are telling me this much, you must have your assurance, right?'' Yecha smiled in response.


    ''Yes, two in fact.'' Dota said, ''First of all, you''re by far the most suitable to wield my power in this world. Second, even if a problem arises, the moment I sever our connection, you''ll forget everything we''ve ever talked about, including my existence.''


    ''I see, thank you for being honest with me.'' Yecha said, clenching her hand into a fist as she stared at her reflection in the mirror, saying after a while, "I''ve decided! I won''t level up beyond this."


    "Take me in fully." She expressed her will, saying in confidence, "I''m confident in my ability to judge things instinctively. And I feel that you''ll make my life more interesting."


    "Hahaha!" Suddenly, a melodious voice resounded from behind her, startling Yecha as she turned around in a hurry, staring at the figure of a chuckling woman that had appeared behind her from god knows when.


    "W-Who are you?" Yecha asked, rmed, hurriedly clutching the mirror like a shield as she covered it with a barrier, turning it into a defensive shield capable enough to withstand attacks from even A-Rank Hunters.


    "Haven''t you been talking with me all along?" The mysteriousdy before her smiled in response and drew closer.


    "I''m what you''ve been seeking all along."

 Chapter 600 Assimilating Data (Part 6)

    Chapter 600 Assimting Data (Part 6)¡¡¡¡"I''m what you''ve been seeking all along."


    "What?" Upon hearing thedy''s words, Yecha was shocked, taking a second nce at her.


    Long hair that seemed to reach her hips, a mix between brown and ck, hanging from a tiny head that resembled an earthen pot, an appearance andplexion that seemed asmon as the girl next door.


    Her clothes consisted of casuals that one wore at home, their colour dull. All in all, her appearance, physique, and demeanour all made her asmon as possible. If she were to be in a crowd, people wouldn''t even notice her.


    Yecha noticed how she felt difficulty focusing on the woman even though she was standing right before her, as if a moment''s distraction would cause her to forget her existence.


    And indeed, that was the truth. If the woman wasn''t willing to show herself in the first ce, Yecha wouldn''t have even noticed her, even though she was standing right behind her all along.


    Moreover, this wasn''t an effect limited to living beings alone. Even if a camera were to capture the scene in a picture, she wouldn''t be present in that.


    After all, just like the abilities of Systems, her powers too were absolute, something that took effect using cause and effect.


    "W-Who are you?" Yecha asked, gripping the mirror tighter as she shouted in her mind, ''Dota! Who''s this woman?''


    "I''m the other side of Dota." The woman smiled casually, taking a seat on the bed nearby as she crossed her legs, slumping on the mattress before pointing at Yecha, "You can ask for confirmation with Dota."


    ''Is that the truth?'' Yecha asked in her mind.


    ''Yeah, she''s part of my power. Or more like, the both of us share this power.'' Dota replied, ''I can''t manifest myself in reality, unlike her. So, she came in my stead to grant what you wished for.''


    "You can make me a member?" Yecha looked at the woman, "Are you the same as Dota?"


    "You can call me Domino." Thedy introduced herself, saying as she extended her hand, suddenly causing Yecha to grunt as she kneeled on the ground. The mirror in her hands lost its power as it fell on the floor, cracking in response.


    "W-What is happening?" Yecha stared in rm, sensing that she had lost all her power, now turned into a mortal, feeling insanely weak all over.


    "Don''t be rmed." Domino Plottopia said calmly as she gazed at the swirling entity hovering above her palm.


    A sphere of chains, coiled around a staff that emitted a gentle healing energy, and dust that swirled around it nonstop, likes revolving around the sun.


    This was the Hunter System fragment in Yecha''s body as Dota exined to her, ''This is the power that''s in your body. Basically, there''s an almighty entity whose body breaks down into billions of fragments. And the moment a fragment settles within a human, they be a Hunter.''


    It then exined the basics regarding the Hunter System and Dungeon Monster System. Domino Plottopia''s actions meant that she had grasped enough data. Therefore, Dota began to inform Yecha of the details immediately.


    ''So, these System fragments¡­are they good or bad?'' She asked after taking a couple of minutes to process everything.


    ''Neither.'' Dota replied, ''Grade 1 Systems are dangerous since they would manipte you into furthering their agenda. But, Grade 2 Systems could care less about something insignificant as that. Whether you live or die is of no consequence to it. Only if you were an SS-Rank Hunter would your death affect it.''


    ''So, it hasn''t nned anything dangerous for my world?'' Yecha was confused.


    ''The arrival of the dungeons and the corresponding Hunters to face them were all the Hunter System had ever nned for this world. Everything else has happened because of the decisions of the people here.'' Dota said.


    "Then¡­" Yecha looked at the calm figure of Domino Plottopia, "Why should I ally myself with you? There''s no real need, right? Nothing will change even if I be a member?"


    Honestly, Yecha had been willing to be a member of Secret Society if there was a conspiracy to solve or something grand happening in the background. But by the sound of things, nothing would change¡­


    "You''re wrong about that." Domino Plottopia interjected, as if she could read Yecha''s thoughts, "There are obvious differences."


    She raised her index finger, "First of all, you''ll shift from a borrowed power to something that you can call your own. Secondly, after probing through this fragment, I can tweak it ordingly to the type of Skill you need. Moreover, I can add a Sub-ss for you."


    "These are just in terms of the Hunter Power that you can wield openly. And," Domino Plottopia''s eyes curled up into a smile as she continued, "While hidden, as a Beyonder, you can manipte these fragments into whatever you desire. You can practically change the sses of people, create new sses, wield all sses, etc."


    "How many people would be able to do this?" Yecha asked next, controlling the thumping of her heart by taking in deep breaths as she looked at thedy before her.


    ''Only you, Yecha.'' Dota''s voice resounded in her mind, ''As I said before, only you''re suitable to wield this power in this world.''


    "Besides," Domino Plottopia continued, "It''s not as simple as you think. To create a Beyonder, I have to shave off my strength. So, I won''t make more than one per world."


    "What do you say?" She pointed at the swirling mass on her palm, "Interested in taking a step beyond?"


    "Do you need to ask?" Yechaughed, "I''ll be an idiot to let go of this opportunity."


    "I''ll have to remind you that the moment your loyalty towards us wavers, you''ll forget everything that ever happened while all your powers would be sealed." Domino Plottopia said.


    "Sealed? Not removed?" Yecha asked in surprise.


    "No, it''ll only be sealed." Domino Plottopia said, "And if in the future, your loyalty returns to a reasonable level, you''ll remember everything and regain full function of your powers."


    "Awesome!" Yecha grinned, "Let''s begin then."


    "Watch this carefully." Domino Plottopia said in all seriousness as starlight swirled on her hands, messing with the Hunter System fragment to pick it apart, "You''ll have to do this on your own in the future."

 Chapter 601 Assimilating Data (Part 7)

    Chapter 601 Assimting Data (Part 7)¡¡¡¡Starlight of all forms danced about as Domino Plottopia slowly essed the records contained within the Hunter System fragment.


    This was only possible thanks to Dota, the Dragon of System. And as Dota wielded control over Secret Society too, Domino Plottopia was able to use its power, allowing her to pry into the secrets of Systems.


    Normally, it was hard, if not impossible to do so on a Grade 1 System, for they were a whole entity. To ensure no problems arose, the System World indeed installed a couple of protective means on the Coordinates that formed their bodies.


    But, things were different for a Grade 2 System. The core of its power was within its Coordinates, protected by this mechanism.


    The fragments in the Hosts¡ªHunters¡ªweren''t the same. Even though they were still protected to a fair extent, Dota was able to bypass that, after all, it had the same nature as the System World itself.


    This was also why when Yecha was raiding the Thorn Dungeon, Domino Plottopia was shadowing her. This was because, whenever a monster was killed, the experience regarding that flowed into her. Dota absorbed this data, coting the means as to how a Hunter levelled up, their Skills levelled up, their stats grew, etc.


    By being in her, Dota was able to obtain first-hand experience regarding everything. Simrly, Domino Plottopia did the same regarding the power system of the Hunters, understanding how attacks from the Hunter System and the Dungeon Monster System interacted with one another, not to mention the secrets regarding this dungeon that had been created by the Dungeon Monster System.


    Soon after, Domino Plottopia extracted all the information from the Hunter System fragment, including its essence before pouring everything into a Coordinate that she extracted from herself.


    Boom!


    The Coordinate came to life as she watched it now possess the same power as Yecha''s Healer ss. There wasn''t anything special in that other than being under Dota''s control now.


    Domino Plottopia erased everything regarding the Hunter System from the information stream, recing it with simr counterparts that Dota generated.


    This was the information they had gathered. After all, their goal was to make Yecha into a knock-off version of the Hunter System that would grow and one day rece the original.


    Domino Plottopia then inserted the Coordinate in Yecha, watching the other party shudder for an instant as if she had been electrocuted.


    Immediately after, a dense stream of information poured into her mind. It consisted of everything regarding the essence of the Healer ss that she wielded to date, not to mention knowledge regarding the ways to tweak its Skills, improve or change them, etc.


    Moreover, there was also Dota''s power in there that allowed her to extract the Hunter System fragments from the bodies of Hunters and do whatever she pleased with them.


    A few hourster, Yecha was mentally exhausted, controlling her urge to sleep as she stared at Domino Plottopia, "Does this Coordinate imply that I can wield the powers of all the other sses too?"


    "Yes, but you shouldn''t hurry with that." Domino Plottopia said in concern, "It would take toorge a toll on you. You must first master all the knowledge regarding the Healer ss. Only after that should you consume another ss."


    And by consume, she meant to extract all information and essence from another Hunter. And after destroying all traces of the Hunter System from it, copy the information onto the Coordinate in her and allow herself to exhibit the power of said ss too.


    It was a longwinded process, but it only excited Yecha.


    "So, I can secretively wield the power of all sses." Yecha clenched her hand into a fist, expressing her excitement, jumping around the room for a good couple of minutes before she controlled herself awkwardly upon seeing Domino Plottopia stare at her in concern.


    ''You can create new sses too. But, that''s something for the future.'' Dota said.


    "You''re right about that." Yecha nodded, closing her eyes as she used the connection of Secret Society and the fact of her being a Beyonder to stare at the original figure of Dota, eximing in shock, "Y-You''re a Freaking D-Dragon?"


    "Yep," Dota smirked in response. After all, in Hunter Worlds, a Dragon was a pinnacle existence, enough to destroy entire countries.


    But of course, Dota wasn''t happy with beingpared to other Dragons, snorting as it said, "I''m not a mere mana-wielding lizard though. Even among the Dragon race that exists in countless worlds wielding various powers, I am at the peak. I''m the sole Dragon of System."


    "Dragon of System?" Yecha muttered, instinctively shuddering once as ording to the information that poured into her mind, anyone aware of the existence of Systems couldn''t say that word aloud.


    But a momentter, she was taken by surprise, failing to see the System Punishment descending upon her, muttering in shock, "H-How?"


    "The Astral Network doesn''t exist in this world, and neither the powers that work in a System''s favour." Domino Plottopia said, "That''s because the only Systems that are active in this world are the Hunter System and the Dungeon Monster System. Both of them aren''t here with their actual bodies. So, there''s no need for the existence of the Astral Network here."


    "All the Hunter Worlds are the private grounds for these two Grade 2 Systems." She concluded. "So, to prevent other Systems from interfering with their ns, they prevented the Astral Network from being set up here."


    "That''s strangely terrifying." Yecha nodded.


    "Indeed," Domino Plottopia nodded, "Neither Systems nor System yers can ess this world. Anyone apart from them won''t be able to use the power system of another world, especially here since wielding the power of a Hunter means to have a fragment of the Hunter System in their body."


    "It''s a dead end for most." Domino Plottopia smirked as her figure vanished, arriving at the Thorn Dungeon as she began to scan through the ce, digging for more information.


    She wished to create Dungeons of her own and also nned to create a Beyonder among the dungeon monsters too. This way, Yecha, and that monster would make their way up and gradually eat up the entirety of the powers of the Hunter System and the Dungeon Monster System respectively.


    As for how she arrived in this world? It was simple. Once she was done with her errand, she returned to the Apocalypse World and shamelessly hatched a trip using Truck-Kun,nding on this Hunter World.

 Chapter 602 Granny Kiyo (Part 1)

    Chapter 602 Granny Kiyo (Part 1)¡¡¡¡"Triple-Fist Punch!"


    Boom!


    Followed by a resounding boom, a boy crashed into the ground, coughing out a mouthful of blood.


    "D-Damn you! How did a trash like you be so strong?" He grunted in shame, expressing anger in denial, unable to get up as he could feel a couple of his rib bones had cracked.


    He had long xen hair that was covered by soil now, painting a muddy feeling. His originally cyan dress was shaded brown, covered by traces of dark crimson.


    As he struggled to get up, a simrly aged boy, wearing dark green clothes with tattered sleeves approached him, standing before him as a proud voice resounded, "Trash this, trash that, trash whatnot! Who''s on the ground now, beaten like a dog? Which of us is the real trash?"


    "Y-You trashy bastard!" The boy with xen hair stared in anger as a couple of his men quickly propped him up. ring at the other party, he snorted in disdain, "Just you wait, I''ll be back for revenge, Xiaoan!"


    "Heh, you wish." The dark green clothed boy, Xiaoan smirked derisively, watching the xen-haired boy limp his way out.


    "Xiaoan, you''ve offended him now. Yanyuan has a vengeful personality." A melodious voice resounded as the scent of lilies wafted into his nostrils, causing Xiaoan to rx automatically.


    He turned around, shing a cheerful smile at the jade beauty that had arrived, "Are you concerned on my behalf, Cheur?"


    "Who''s concerned about a pervert like you?" Cheur snapped back as she walked away, stopping after taking a couple of steps as she said in all seriousness, "You''ve offended Yanyuan now. Be careful."


    "You needn''t worry about a mere Yanyuan." Xiaoan clenched his hand tightly, stating confidently, "He can never hope to be my opponent ever again."


    ''The old Xiaoan has returned.'' Cheur smiled subtly upon staring at the confident and clear-willed gaze Xiaoan showed, walking away with a brighter mood.


    "Strange, since when did she start treating me this well again?" Xiaoan scratched his cheek in confusion, able to sense Cheur''s pleasant mood. He then shook his head, muttering in focus, "This is only the beginning. I''ll be the fabled genius once again."


    "And this time, none would ever be able to bully me again." He announced solemnly, clutching the ring that histe parents had left behind for him.


    It was why he was able to make aeback despite losing his Mystic Roots due to an ident in the past.


    In the mansion of the Yan n, the two guards brought in an injured Yanyuan, cing him on a berth carefully.


    "Argh!" Yanyuan screamed in pain, clutching the hems of his clothes.


    "My child! What happened to you?" A middle-aged man arrived before him in a hurry, looking at his wounds in concern as his face convulsed in anger, ring at the two guards, observing their uninjured state as he coughed vehemently, "Why the heck are the both of you alive while my son alone is injured."


    "M-My Lord!" One of the guards stated in fear, "Young Master had challenged Xiaoan as usual. So, we didn''t interfere. But shockingly, Xiaoan erupted with terrifying strength and wounded the young master."


    "As if a trash can be a genius overnight. Are you high? Did nonstop cultivation muddle your remaining two braincells?" The middle-aged man snapped back, "Became a genius overnight my ass. Even if he did, how the heck did he skip six stages of cultivation? No wondrous herb is capable of causing this."


    "It happened, dad." Yanyuan gasped for air as he said in anger, "But, I''ll take revenge on that trash!"


    "I''ll definitely do it."


    "You will, my child." The middle-aged man said, taking out a pill that he popped in Yanyuan''s mouth, "Take some rest. This Recovery Pill will heal your wounds."


    "Yeah¡­" Yanyuan was just about to say something when his eyes shot to the side, noticing one of their guards rushing inside in a hurry.


    The guard kneeled on the ground, cupping his fists to state aloud, "Granny Kiyo has arrived!"


    "Granny Kiyo?" The middle-aged man''s face brightened in response as he hurriedly patted Yanyuan, "Quick, get up and change your clothes. You must be presentable."


    "If you manage to get into her good books, our Yan n would soar!"


    "Yes, dad" Yanyuan nodded as he suppressed his injuries and hurriedly washed himself within a minute, changing into a set of luxurious clothes as he tried his best to assume a normal gait, unwilling to hint at his injuries.


    Through the entrance, following the announcement, an olddy sauntered in, sporting a mild hunch. Her skin was mildly wrinkled, but her eyes were clear, her wide facial features making her face rememberable, hinting that when young, she would have swept the hearts of every man.


    "I greet you to my humble n, Granny Kiyo!" The middle-aged man bowed respectfully as Yanyuan followed suit.


    "n Leader Yan, you''re too humble." Granny Kiyo smiled amicably as her eyes darted toward Yanyuan, "Is this your youngest child?"


    "Yes." The middle-aged man nodded, patting his son''s back, "Yanyuan, greet Granny Kiyo."


    "I''ve looked up to you all along, Granny Kiyo." Yanyuan bowed respectfully, controlling his best to prevent his face from contorting due to the pain.


    "You''re injured?" Her eyes arched as Granny Kiyo observed Yanyuan, beckoning for him toe closer as she gently touched his chest, probing his arms following that as suddenly, a mystical glow flowed into his body.


    "Ahh!" Yanyuan eximed in surprise to see that all his injuries were treated instantly. Moreover, his Mystic Roots seemed to have been upgraded mildly, shocking him at the depth of strength Granny Kiyo had attained.


    ''Even though Granny Kiyo is only a Spirit Retainer, her depth of knowledge is vast.'' Yanyuan understood now, ''So, this is why dad''s treating her with such respect.''


    "Granny Kiyo, please allow me to express gratitude for treating my son." The middle-aged man bowed respectfully.


    "That won''t be necessary." Granny Kiyo waved her hands, gently patting Yanyuan on the head, "This child is pleasing to the eye. So, I just treated him a little."


    Her eyes curled up as she observed the evident expression of jubtion from the father and son pair.

 Chapter 603 Granny Kiyo (Part 2)

    Chapter 603 Granny Kiyo (Part 2)¡¡¡¡''Xiaoan, just you wait. I''ll exact my revenge on you.'' Yanyuan thought happily as he felt that Granny Kiyo was by far the most pleasing individual he had ever met.


    "Shall we get down to business now, n Leader Yan?" Granny Kiyo said, taking a seat.


    "Yes, please." The middle-aged man nodded as he snapped his finger, watching a servant bring forward a case, and set it up on the table.


    The middle-aged man opened it, revealing the contents inside, stating in pride, "Red Mystic Iron, a valuable resource that''s hard toe by. Just recently, my Yan n came across this mine. Please check the contents, Granny Kiyo."


    Granny Kiyo didn''t say anything as she picked up the reddish crystal-like substance, weighing it in her hands, seeing that it was heavy, and also containing a dense stream of Mystic Energy.


    Once she probed through it, Granny Kiyo nodded in praise, "The quality is excellent. How much is your n able to mine daily?"


    "Around a kilogram''s worth." The middle-aged man said, "The difficulty in mining them is way too high, not to mention the risks involved in doing so."


    "A kilogram is still a decent harvest. Alright, I''ll buy everything you mine at market price." Granny Kiyo stated her demands.


    "M-Market price?" The middle-aged man was shocked before beaming in joy. After all, when someone usually bought such resources, the price offered would be way below the market price, especially for bulk orders.


    But, Granny Kiyo didn''t even bother to haggle such a thing and directly quoted the market price.


    ''I heard that Granny Kiyo is incredibly rich. It seems the rumours are indeed the truth.'' Thinking as such, he made a respectable bow, "I''m grateful for this transaction."


    He then offered a proposition, "Granny Kiyo, since you need the Red Mystic Iron daily, please allow me to set up your lodgings in my n. We''ll ensure that you''re never disturbed with the mundane affairs of the world."


    "That works." Granny Kiyo nodded, smiling a little, "I was just thinking of secluding myself to conduct my research. But if the Yan n is willing to create such an environment for me, I''ll dly take up on the offer."


    "It''s our honour." The middle-aged man said, bringing Granny Kiyo to a courtyard that was established in the centre of their n, beside argeke, with the backdrop of a hill. The Yan n had spent a lot of their fortune just to build this ce for Granny Kiyo.


    Their goal was to make her stay there permanently. After all, she was a valuable person, someone whose name made rounds throughout their region for the past six months.


    Cultivators in their world had what was known as Mystic Roots, a set of veins capable of circting Mystic Energy. Only those with Mystic Roots could cultivate.


    There were cultivation Realms that dictated one''s strength, starting with the Spirit Apprentice Realm, someone that just embarked on harnessing Mystic Energy.


    Each Realm was subdivided into nine stages. Spirit Apprentices were the most basic in terms of strength, a Realm dominated by kid cultivators. Following it was the Spirit Retainer Realm, the true start of one''s cultivation journey.


    Spirit Retainers were called as such because they each inherit the bloodline of a Mystic Beast. The Yan n had one such Mystic Beast sealed in their n for centuries, one whose blood they extract every year for their Spirit Retainers to obtain the bloodline of.


    Every cultivator n had one such Mystic Beast sealed. Mystic Beasts were too powerful to be fought against alone. And in the Myriad Origin Continent, there existed the Mystic Beast n that worked on capturing Mystic Beasts to sell to those that wished to set up a n.


    Lower Tier ns such as the Yan n and Xiao n only had one Mystic Beast. But stronger ns had more than one, with the strongest of their Mystic Beasts reserved only for their main family line in the n.


    Granny Kiyo was at the Ninth Stage of the Spirit Retainer Realm. This strength wasn''t anything spectacr, since even the guards of the Yan n were as strong.


    Above the Spirit Retainer Realm was the Spirit Master and Spirit Grandmaster Realm respectively. The middle-aged man was a Spirit Grandmaster while most of the Yan n Elders were either peak Spirit Masters or early Spirit Grandmasters.


    But, things weren''t as simple as they seemed, as nothing was guaranteed on strength alone, especially for the development of a n.


    And that was where people like Granny Kiyo came into the picture. She was an Inscriptionist, someone that dealt with runes and Mystic Characters.


    Inscriptionists were able to draw and imbue the power of nature into an object. And it was through the power of an Inscriptionist that one was able to funnel the power of a Mystic Beast''s blood into a Spirit Retainer.


    And every time someone from the Yan n wished to do so, they had to invite an Inscriptionist from the Inscriptionist Guild. Four major guilds in the Myriad Origin Continent controlled the professions of Inscriptionist, Array Master, Alchemist, and Artificer respectively.


    Finding someone not part of these guilds was almost impossible, as only through these guilds would they obtain resources to grow. Of course, there were rare exceptions like Granny Kiyo, an entric individual that had been unaffiliated until now.


    Therefore, if they managed to make Granny Kiyo a permanent guest of their n, the Yan n would have an Inscriptionist with them, saving up a lot of money that they spent every year. Just for that alone, giving her the Red Mystic Iron for free was a worthwhile trade.


    Of course, it wouldn''t be easy to get such an entric individual on their side, hence why the middle-aged man had been trying to make Yanyuan get into her good books.


    But things were in motion to prevent this from happening.


    Wearing a robe that covered him from head to toe was Xiaoan, approaching the Inscriptionist Guild branch in their city, arriving before a counter as he handed out a medallion, stating with a mature voice that he changed using a technique, "I''vee for some resources."


    "A G-Grandmaster Inscriptionist?" The receptionist eximed in surprise upon staring at the medallion before catering to Xiaoan''s needs.


    "Master, would this work?" Xiaoan whispered once the receptionist ran away in a hurry to bring in the materials he had asked, "I''ve yet to learn anything about inscriptions."


    "Rx, with me here, you won''t be found out." A graceful voice resounded in his ear.

 Chapter 604 Granny Kiyo (Part 3)

    Chapter 604 Granny Kiyo (Part 3)¡¡¡¡"My Lord, everything you asked for has been ced in this spatial ring. Please ept the ring as a gesture of respect from us." The receptionistdy said, handing over a box that contained a spatial ring.


    "By the way, I wish to auction a certain inscription," Xiaoan said, taking out a small box from his sleeve that he ced on the counter.


    With a nce, the receptionistdy knew that something incredible was inside. Hence, she didn''t dare open it herself, calling forth the branch manager to check it himself.


    The branch manager was ady in her early twenties, already a Spirit Master. She approached the box and opened it, closing it instantly before the aura within leaked out, expertly analysing it in the spontaneous opening.


    "We''ll conduct an auction in the evening." She said, cupping her fists in response, "Please stay in our branch as a guest until then."


    "It''s fine." Xiaoan waved his hand, "I''lle to collect it tonight. If I don''t arrive, just send the money to Xiaoan from the Xiao n. He''s my apprentice."


    Waving his hand, Xiaoan calmly walked away, all while his heart thumped loudly in tension, afraid of his cover being blown away.


    Once he exited the Inscriptionist Guild branch, his master''s voice resounded in his ear, "That branch director¡­she''s good. She was able to glean all info about the inscription in an instant without allowing its aura to leak out."


    "I was afraid she would see through my disguise." Xiaoan walked into a secluded alley before bolting at his full speed, collecting his disguise in the new spatial ring as he wore his original clothes.


    He then slowly walked into the main road and headed towards his n, murmuring, "What shall I do next? The Yan n would definitely try their best to buy this inscription."


    "It doesn''t matter." The voice in his ears turned a bit cold, "A mere Grade 4 Inscription ismonce. You''ll be able to create more of them in the future."


    "A mere Grade 4 Inscription?" Xiaoan couldn''t help but refute, "Our n''s Mystic Beast seal is a Grade 4 Inscription. A Grade 4 Inscription is something all the ns would kill to get their hands on."


    "Leave it, you''ll understand in the future. But first, you should begin your training as an Inscriptionist." The voice said.


    "But, wouldn''t bing an Alchemist be better? Pills are of vital importance for cultivation, right?" Xiaoan asked, expressing his confusion.


    "Yes, but you can''t practice it as a Spirit Apprentice. Only after you be a Spirit Retainer would you be able to do it. And for that, your n''s Mystic Beast is too weak. You''ll cap at a Spirit Grandmaster in the future." The voice said.


    "Then, what should I do?" Xiaoan asked.


    "Be an Inscriptionist first." His master''s voice said in all seriousness, "That way, once youe across a great Mystic Beast, you can inscribe its blood into yours to obtain powers of its bloodline."


    "That''s easier said than done." Xiaoan sighed, "With my strength, facing a Mystic Beast is a death sentence."


    "No, I remember there being the blood of an Ancient Mystic Beast sealed somewhere." His master said, "Let''s talk about thatter. First things first, you must begin training to be an Inscriptionist."


    "And by the looks of it, the Yan n has invited an Inscriptionist expert."


    ¡­


    "I like this ce." Granny Kiyo smiled, appreciating the tranquil atmosphere of the ce as she entered the house, staring at the arrangements that had been made.


    She then took a seat and cupped her fists, "I''ll get some rest for the time being."


    "We''ll talk about the remainder of our deal in the evening, Granny Kiyo." The middle-aged man and Yanyuan cupped their fists in response before taking their leave.


    Once they left, Granny Kiyo let out a long breath of air, looking at the suitcase full of the Red Mystic Iron. She snapped her finger, watching all the contents vanish, arriving at a secluded location within the Dimensional Space.


    Of course, Granny Kiyo was Gahrat. The reason she had arrived in this world was in search of valuable resources that she could fill her Dimensional Space with.


    Normally, any material not part of this world would vanish once she leaves this world. But, that wouldn''t happen if said material was swallowed by Golda.


    With her character splitting off from Compass Carburettor, one of the changes that happened was the fact that thews forming her Dimensional Space became stronger, taking on the traits of the various things that had affected it.


    One of them was Dota, whose body of course remained here in the first ce. Of course, Dota''s figure had vanished following that as it entirely became part of the Warble that formed Domino Plottopia''s core.


    But before that happened, the power of the Trait of Permanence spread throughout the Dimensional Space, mixing into the various essences and substances avable here to result in a brand-new mixture.


    One of the results of that was Golda''s evolution. Before, Golda was able to devour any organic matter and convert it into Mental Energy. But now, Golda was able to swallow them whole and convert them into the same substance, but one that could exist within the Dimensional Space.


    What did this mean?


    Just by relying on this one gimmick, Gahrat could rapidly develop her Dimensional Space into a mystical world where countless forms of powers shed and fused in interesting ways.


    Her end goal was to create aplex world that could never be invaded by Systems. Though, she had barely taken the first step in the process.


    For the past six months, since she arrived in this world, Gahrat had taken on the identity of Granny Kiyo to cultivate and be an Inscriptionist. The reason she had chosen to be an Inscriptionist first was simple.


    Carburettor Ind!


    Even though creating the Carburettor Ind was only possible for Hazen, all information that it hadpiled, the information regarding the people in it, and the information regarding its makeup and existence were all part of her Dimensional Space.


    Meaning, this information had be one of thews forming her Dimensional Space. Even though Carburettor Ind could never appear, thanks to its information forming one of the corews of the Dimensional Space, there resulted in a new possibility.


    It was the fact that a new race could be birthed in the Dimensional Space that would have these traits, of gathering, processing, and analysing information. But, the environment in the Dimensional Space was yet to satisfy the requirements for the birth of this native race.


    As to how they would be born?


    Originally, there existed five Mutated Beasts in Compass Carburettor''s Dimensional Space: Golda, Vutura, Dita, Hanze, and Dota.


    Dota had disappeared with Domino Plottopia, but in response, as Domino Plottopia lost her power of a Haggon, it took the ce of Dota.


    Therefore, there were five Mutated Beasts in the Dimensional Space now, all immortal in nature thanks to the Trait of Permanence forming them. Moreover, they had long stopped being mere Mutated Beasts, turning into Avatars instead.

 Chapter 605 Granny Kiyo (Part 4)

    Chapter 605 Granny Kiyo (Part 4)¡¡¡¡As to the reason they were called Avatars? It was simple.


    They became simr to Compass Carburettor''s Bullet Temte. But they affected the native race that would be born in the Dimensional Space.


    The goldfish Golda, the vulture-like creature Vutura, the cobra Dita, the horned man Hanze, and the Haggon. The traits of all these five creatures would mix and match to create a singr race that would live in the Dimensional Space.


    And, if Gahrat were to bring in another creature to form the sixth Avatar, then the traits of this Avatar would flow into the native species in the Dimensional Space, changing them in real-time. This race can be either sentient or a monster.


    The only difference was that both affected the resultant race ordingly. If she were to add more beasts, the resultant race would be less and less sentient.


    And if she added a creature from another world, the power system of that world would flow into the race in the Dimensional Space through the resultant avatar, thereby adding in the traits of the power system.


    This meant that through the Avatars, Gahrat was able to obtain powers from various worlds andbine them to create aplex power system.


    Of course, this was moreplex than a mere summation of powers. After all, each power system interacted and affected all the other power systems. Meaning, they might hinder, affect, or even nullify one another.


    The resultant power might be unstable or even damn useless. And with the addition of every additional Avatar, the final power system became a multitude ofplexity.


    Gahrat would have to carefully calcte all the variables and predict the changes. Moreover, if she came across something interesting, she would have to eradicate existing Avatars to fit the new variable into the form.


    Moreover, it didn''t just stop at adding in the Avatar alone. She also had to obtain resources from that world to ce in the Dimensional Space so that the native race could use it to adapt, live, and develop due to the changes emerging from thetest Avatar.


    Of course, the native race had yet to be birthed. After all, the foundation of her Dimensional Space wascking. For that, she needed to first consume more Coordinates.


    And that was why she arrived in this world. Not only was the power system of this world suitable for her Avatar, it actuallyplemented her enough to form the core of her Avatars.


    Secondly, there was a fat System that had arrived in this world.


    Expert-In-The-Ring System¡ªLevel 97!


    This was by far the greatest clich¨¦ among Cultivation Worlds. There was once an expert that was betrayed by a brother, trusted friend, disciple, wife, son, etc. But, they somehow managed to avoid total annihtion as they¡ªin the form of a soul¡ªtook refuge in a ring with some of their precious treasures.


    The ring somehow ended up in the hands of a normal family that was then passed onto their genius son who would somehow be trash for a variety of reasons.


    The ring would awaken through a variety of ways, typically triggered by a drop of the boy''s blood. Following that, it would guide the boy through tides and tribtions and make him an expert known by all.


    Of course, the ring itself didn''t have any value. The Expert-In-The-Ring System was actually in his body all along, only using the ring tomunicate with the boy using the soul of an expert that it had captured.


    The boy would of course embark on the fate of this said expert that was captured by the System just for this use.


    It was part of the Sealed Experts Genre. There were many Systems in this Genre: Expert-In-The-Ring System (Level 97), Expert-In-The-Pebble System (Level 88), Expert-In-The-Scroll System (Level 91), etc.


    They were fat ducks of Mental Energy, for this Genre had by far the greatest sess rate in umting Mental Energy among all genres, inferior only to the Systems from the mary genre.


    Moreover, all the Systems of this genre followed the same form. Meaning, if Gahrat was able to kill one, she would be able to kill them all.


    The process was the same.


    And considering their level, their Coordinates should be massive, allowing for the greatest growth of her Dimensional Space. Just devouring one such Coordinate would be equal to tens of thousands of Coordinates from Hatchling Systems.


    Even though the risks were great, the benefits were greater. After all, killing tens of thousands of Hatchling Systems was bound to attract the attention of the System World itself, for it was a clear sign of the Main Character.


    But in contrast, killing a System from the Expert Genre wouldn''t even be noticed by anyone.


    After all, they typically apanied their Hosts for thousands of years, sometimes even more before returning to the System World. Since each of their trips spanned long durations, none would even sense anything amiss.


    Gahrat had already located the Expert-In-The-Ring System. Its Host was Xiaoan, a standard cultivation world protagonist with decent, if not subpar intelligence but heaven-defying plot armour.


    And the stories of all such characters began from their hometown, apanied by an antagonist n.


    Currently, Yan n was the antagonist n. And of course, that was why Gahrat arrived at this n to prevent their downfall and hinder Xiaoan''s rise.


    Closing her eyes, Gahrat watched all the Red Mystic Iron arrive in the Dimensional Space. It wasn''t sufficient for her ns, therefore, it just formed a pile there.


    Currently, Dita juggled with it to cure her boredom,ining from time to time, "This olddy is too boring! You''re way too steady."


    "Be more youthful. Make some mistakes. Spark some drama." It rolled around on the ground before jumping onto Golda, "You dumb idiot, tell her!"


    Golda just stared at her with lifeless eyes, as usual, shifting its gaze to look at the sky vacantly, letting out bubbles from its mouth.


    Dita then observed the figures of Vutura and the Haggon, seeing that their intelligence wascking to do the deed, finally gazing at the figure of Hanze to notice him sleeping soundly without any care in the world.


    Irritated, Dita could only erupt in protest, "At least get a cute boyfriend, olddy!"


    "You''re only an olddy in appearance alone. You don''t need to act like that!" She argued, "If I were to be urate, you''re barely six months old!"


    "You freaking baby granny!"

 Chapter 606 Granny Kiyo (Part 5)

    Chapter 606 Granny Kiyo (Part 5)¡¡¡¡"You freaking baby granny!"


    Hearing Dita''s words of protest, Gahrat was unfazed, casually ignoring her like she was used to it. Of course, Dita protested almost every single day, for she was bored.


    The past six months were by far the most bored Dita had ever been. Before that, she had Stencil and Gana to apany her, making everyday fun.


    But inparison, Gahrat''s character was just too boring. She was steady, too steady in fact she was like a wise olddy that had experienced everything.


    She never took any active risks and simply made ns while umting benefits that raised the guarantee of her sess to the maximum.


    Even though this nature of nning was simr to Compass Carburettor, at least he left some variables to chance or when a situation presented itself, he took the plunge even if he hadn''t nned anything for that oue.


    But in the same situation, Gahrat would simply avoid it, unwilling to do anything where she wasn''t guaranteed sess.


    She was a schemer-type Main Character that used others to do her bidding. If her nature wasn''t aligned with good intentions, she wouldn''t be the Main Character anymore and would instead be a fearsome viin.


    Dita didn''t have anyone to y around with or anything to do and hence was bored. Soon, she shouted, "At least, bring me out! Let me do something!"


    "Act cute. You''re good at that." Gahrat''s voice resounded in the Dimensional Space.


    At her retort, the sleeping Hanze burst outughing before he was swatted away by Dita who then roared at the skies, "I can do more than just act cute!"


    "Be patient for the time being." Gahrat said, "The native race would be birthed soon. You''ll have plenty of fun after that."


    "And, shouldn''t you be preparing things to impart to them and shape their culture, mindset, and so on to ensure they be a strong-willed race?" Gahrat pressed on, watching Dita flinch in response, "You didn''t even start that, right?"


    "B-But, that''s just too boring. You could have just asked Compass to do it. He''s good with such things, not me." Dita protested.


    "He''s in a different world. We probably won''t meet him for at least a decade or two I think." Gahrat said, thinking, ''Is Dita at that age?''


    After a moment of thought, she said, "If youplete this task quickly, I''ll catch a few male snakes for you to y with."


    "I''m not interested!" Dita shouted as she slithered away, using her tail to hold a pen that she scribbled on a parchment, drafting up some stories to tell the native race that would appear in the future.


    Upon seeing that she returned to work, Gahrat''s gaze fell on the sleeping figure of Hanze, watching him begin to sweat immediately after. Soon, he woke up and began to help Dita.


    Golda was the same as usual, staring at the skies while spitting out bubbles from time to time. Staring at it, she couldn''t help but think, ''Maybe I should have reced it with the Whale that I created for Rhizen.''


    But after a while, she refrained from that, for Golda was unique post-evolution and couldn''t be changed, for it formed the core of her development.


    That only left Vutura and the Haggon among her Avatars. The Haggon only had a Haggon''s basic intelligence, making it pretty dumb. Left with nothing much to do, it fought with Vutura from time to time.


    ''I should increase the number of sentient races among the Avatars. Otherwise, the resultant native race would be battle-addicted idiots.'' Sighing in response, Gahrat stopped focusing on her Dimensional Space, taking out a Mystic Crystal that she used to cultivate.


    The reason she was cultivating was simple: To use her power as an Inscriptionist and gain the bloodline of a powerful Mystic Beast.


    She would then turn the Mystic Beast into an Avatar and would be able to use its power more freely, even after she loses her cultivation by leaving this world.


    But, it wouldn''t matter as she would be able to wield the same power through the Mystic Beast that had be her avatar. Moreover, her experience as an Inscriptionist was vital to wielding that powerter on.


    With her advantage, she reached the peak of the Spirit Retainer Realm in a mere six months. She was only waiting to chance upon a powerful Mystic Beast. Only after obtaining a bloodline would she be able to be a Spirit Master.


    And for that, she was nning to capture and modify a suitable Mystic Beast. After all, her end goal was to create a power system that couldn''t be interfered with by the Systems and something that naturally countered them.


    It was evening when the middle-aged man knocked on her door, inviting her, "The Inscriptionist Guild has invited us to participate in their auction. I heard a Grade 4 Inscription is being auctioned this time."


    "That''ll prove valuable to us." Gahrat nodded, saying in a hurry, "Let''s get going already."


    She was aware of the fact that this Inscription was being sold by Xiaoan and her action of buying it was directly feeding his growth. But since the other ns might buy it anyway, she might as well be the one to buy it.


    Of course, she nned to strike down the price of the Inscription as much as possible to give the least benefit to Xiaoan, ''That way, he''ll have to take out more treasures to get enough wealth to satisfy his growth.''


    It was simply to tap into the resources umted by the Expert-In-The-Ring System. As for the wealth necessary to splurge on her expenses?


    Gahrat excused herself for a moment, arriving at the backyard of the mansion she had been allocated, not sensing anyone else in the vicinity as she casually walked on thewn, watching nts sprouting from the ground immediately after.


    They immediately bloomed flowers that absorbed the faint Mystic Energy in the air while the roots did the same for the Mystic Energy underground, soon condensing Mystic Crystals¡ªthe currency of this world.


    After they condensed enough, she pocketed them in her spatial ring and snapped her finger, watching the nts wither and turn into dust, following which the grass regrew, leaving no traces on thewn of what she had done just now.


    Gahrat then apanied the middle-aged man and Yanyuan, heading towards the Inscription Guild Auction House.

 Chapter 607 Granny Kiyo (Part 6)

    Chapter 607 Granny Kiyo (Part 6)¡¡¡¡"n Leader Xiao, your hairline has receded further aspared tost year."


    "Oh my, I''m sure you needn''t worry about it, n Leader Yan. Your bald head is as lustrous as ever."


    Sparks flew in the air as two middle-aged men red at one another, controlling themselves from erupting into a fight. Of course, they had fought on multiple asions but had resulted in a draw every time.


    They formed two of the four ns that dominated their city¡ªRed Spirit City.


    The two parties red at one another before taking their respective seats in the front. The front-most seats of the auction were relegated to the four ns that controlled the city: Yan, Xiao, Han, and Shi.


    Following it were seats for the Elders from the four ns and other people of power in the City, including those from the other guilds.


    Behind it were the younger generation of the four ns and other powers and at the very back were themoners that came to bask in the excitement of the atmosphere.


    "I hope your ribs are fine." Xiaoan cupped his fists respectively when chancing upon Yanyuan.


    In response, Yanyuan snorted and walked away, respectfully taking Gahrat to her seat in the second row.


    "Who''s she?" Xiaoan frowned in response, feeling it was suspicious that Yanyuan treated her with so much respect while not even reacting to his taunt.


    "She''s a mere Grade 2 Inscriptionist. The Yan n must have spent a fortune to invite her, but it''s of no use. Given a year, you''ll surpass her." His master''s voice resounded, filled with derision.


    "It might be worth it to look at their swollen faces when that timees," Xiaoan smirked as he took a seat among the younger generation of his n.


    Of course, Gahrat''s senses were trained on Xiaoan all along, observing that he was treated with disdain by his nsmen. The only exception seemed to be the girl named Cheur, but she wasn''t being open about it.


    ''So, it''s at that stage.'' Nodding in response, Gahrat calmly waited until the auction began.


    Luosha, the Red Spirit City Inscription Guild branch director arrived on stage, smiling at the audience as she said, "Since we had a great item to sell today, we coborated with the other guilds to increase the number of auction items and make this more interesting."


    "Here''s to hoping everyone has fat enough purses tost until the end." Grinning by the end, Luosha waved her hand, watching a couple of staff push forth a trolley. There was a bowl at the top, covering the item inside.


    She set aside the bowl, lifting up the sk inside as she said, "This is a Grade 2 Artifact, the Water sk. It can store up to two hundred litres of water inside. It has also been installed with a Grade 1 Array to keep the water cool and fresh for extended durations. And best of all, this can be stored in a spatial ring."


    "Starting price is 60 Mystic Crystals! Each increment should be a minimum of 10 Mystic Crystals." She announced the beginning of the auction.


    "80!"


    "90!"


    People began to bid for it immediately just for fun, knowing very well that such an item would fall into the pockets of the rich. They just wanted to embark on the hype train.


    ''This would be plenty useful when I travel across thendter.'' Xiaoan thought, but he couldn''t bid for the item. After all, he didn''t have any money.


    "Idiot, just quote a price. The director would take care of your costs." His master''s voice resounded in his ears right at this time, "The only other Grade 4 Inscriptionist in this guild branch is the director herself. So, she values a Grade 4 Inscriptionist. And, making a favour for you is the best way to make your master owe her."


    In this case, the master he was referring to was Xiaoan himself, or rather, the Grade 4 Inscriptionist he disguised himself as.


    "With another Grade 4 Inscriptionist in her guild branch, the branch''s status would rise, leading to more benefits for her. So, just buy whatever you want. She''ll take care of the costs. Just ensure to not exceed 28,000 Mystic Crystals, which might be the selling price of our Grade 4 Inscription. Until then, she''ll cover all your costs."


    "Alright," Xiaoan nodded as he entered the auction, startling his nsmen, making them wonder how he had so much money.


    "250!" Xiaoan quoted.


    ''Hmm, the maximum worth of this Artifact is 490 Mystic Crystals.'' Thinking as such, Gahrat took out an inscription that she activated,municating with Yanyuan to whisper in his ears, "Bid for it but stop at 490 Mystic Crystals. Force Xiaoan to outbid you."


    "Granny Kiyo?" Yanyuan was surprised to hear her voice before breaking into a smile, ''I don''t know what is happening. But since Xiaoan is being targeted by her, I''ll dly do it.''


    ''Strange, did Xiaoan get the backing of an Inscriptionist?'' Just as he thought as such, Yanyuan noticed a bracelet appearing on his hand out of nowhere as Granny Kiyo''s voice resounded in his ear.


    "Keep it on you at all times. That''ll protect you."


    For a moment, he wondered why Granny Kiyo was helping him all of a sudden, but as he noticed Xiaoan actively participating in the auction, he gradually came to an understanding, ''So, Xiaoan became the apprentice of an Inscriptionist. And, they might be someone Granny Kiyo dislikes. So, she''s using me to teach them a lesson.''


    Only that made sense as he knew for a fact that Xiaoan didn''t have any money. At this thought, he became excited, ''This means that if I do well, Granny Kiyo might ept me as her disciple.''


    What Yanyuan wasn''t aware of was the fact that when he thought about Xiaoan, the Mental Energy stream he generated flowed into the bracelet on his hand, being stored there. This prevented the enemy System from catching onto his n.


    Following that, Xiaoan and Yanyuan engaged in a bidding war, unaware of the schemes being enacted by the entities behind them respectively.

 Chapter 608 Granny Kiyo (Part 7)

    Chapter 608 Granny Kiyo (Part 7)¡¡¡¡"380!" Xiaoan raised his hand, quoting the price.


    "400!" Yanyuan let out an obvious snort in disdain, gazing at Xiaoan as he spoke, "Why is someone as poor as you trying to bid with me? Who knows what all you must have done to procure this sum? I thought it was only rumours, but did you really sell yourself in a brothel for this?"


    "Shut up!" Xiaoan shouted in response, raising the price, "410!"


    "Do you dare to bid more?" Yanyuan was just about to taunt more when his eyes lit up at the words Gahrat had conveyed to him, his lips curling up to reveal a wide smile, "If you only have one father, buy this."


    "500!"


    "Fucktard!" Xiaoan lost his cool at the words, ignoring the words his master said as he shouted, "2000!"


    He red at Yanyuan, "Do you dare to bid higher? Huh? Come on! Or are you the child of many fathers?"


    "Such a sore loser." Yanyuan snorted as he closed his eyes, acting like he wasn''t interested in the item in the first ce.


    "2000! Going one!" Luosha waved her hand, "2000! Going twice!"


    She then observed Xiaoan gritting his teeth, sighing in disappointment, ''This is the apprentice of a Grade 4 Inscriptionist?''


    "2000! Going thrice!"


    Originally, this would have been where Xiaoan made a fool out of Yanyuan by making him bid higher than what the treasure might have been worth, showing off Xiaoan''s intelligence, cunning, and supposedly mysterious backer.


    But a single plot from Gahrat turned it on its head, making Xiaoan seem like a reckless fool wasting his backer''s money instead. As Xiaoan didn''t have a good image among his nsmen before this, his infamy was only cemented further.


    Moreover, he spent four times the money for an Artifact that was only good for carrying water. After all, even if one didn''t have the Water sk with them during their journey, as long as they had arge enough spatial ring, they could make do with it.


    It wasn''t that important in the order of necessities one ought to have while travelling. So, it just made Xiaoan look all the bigger fool.


    ''Was I wrong about him before?'' Cheur frowned, wondering what was up. Though, the improved perspective she had of Xiaoan had already crumbled.


    After all, the only thing propping it up was him defeating Yanyuan in a battle. But the very next day, he lost in a bidding war against Yanyuan. So, even the meagre good image he built had now vanished.


    ''Dammit! Dammit! DAMMIT!'' Xiaoan heard the snickers of everyone around him, feeling that they hurt him more than in the past. After all, in the past, once he became a trash, he was hurt by their mocking remarks daily.


    Over time, he became numb to it.


    But just yesterday, he received praise, admiration, and expressions of wonder from others when he defeated Yanyuan. So, when he received the same hate as before, it hurt even more as he had tasted heaven a little.


    It really messed up his mind, causing him to not pay heed to his master''s voice much. Unfortunately, the Expert-In-The-Ring System couldn''t take control of his actions or force him toplete Quests.


    That wasn''t in its nature. And doing so would destroy its entire character. The received Mental Energy would even be poisonous to its growth. It would have to extract all that Mental Energy out of its bodyter, otherwise, it might even result in its growth being stunted.


    Luosha then brought out the second auction item, disying a vial as she said, "Triple-Patterned Retainer Pill, the best of its kind, forged by a Grade 4 Alchemist. Consuming just one would raise the foundation of your Mystic Roots, allowing you to inherit more power from your Mystic Beast''s bloodline. There are ten pills in this vial."


    "Starting price is 200 Mystic Crystals. Increments should be in terms of 10." Right after she said so, multiple hands rose up as the price shot up immediately after.


    A Retainer Pill raised the foundation of one''s Mystic Roots, the core of a cultivator. It allowed them to inherit more abilities from their Mystic Beast after they obtain a bloodline.


    So, for someone with a strong enough Mystic Root foundation, even a weak bloodline would result in a terrifying boost of strength. After all, they would be able to unearth all the secrets of the bloodline and wield it.


    In contrast, if they had a weak Mystic Root foundation, even if they were to obtain the bloodline of an Ancient Mystic Beast, they wouldn''t even be able to wield a fraction of its power.


    So, one''s Mystic Root foundation yed the biggest role in their future achievements. And most of all, once they obtain a bloodline, it couldn''t be ever improved upon.


    So, every n was always on the hunt for a Retainer Pill. Though Grade 2, it was more expensive than Grade 3 or even somemon Grade 4 Pills due to its demand and rarity. And among them, the number of patterns on a pill dictated its potency.


    The greater the patterns, the stronger their potency and effect. Eating one Triple-Patterned Retainer Pill was equal to eating ten Retainer Pills.


    And, there were ten of them being auctioned. So, everyone went crazy.


    "They''re pulling out the big stuff from the get-go." Amoner muttered in a daze, watching the price reach three digits already.


    ''This is useful for me too. I can also upgrade Yanyuan with it.'' Thinking as such, Gahrat thought for a moment, raising her hand to sharply increase the price, "8000!"


    For a moment, the auction hall turned silent as the price had yet to reach 2000 before it jumped up to 8000.


    People that were interested in just joining in the fun felt like it was a p to their face. Of course, Gahrat didn''t mind that, watching Xiaoan raise his hands slowly to quote a price, "8500"


    "9000!" Gahrat didn''t even bat an eye. She just farmed the Mystic Crystals for free from her garden. Only her power as the Lord of Creation allowed one to do something as broken as this.


    ''How far will you go now?'' She smiled. The reason for her smile wasn''t that she had trapped Xiaoan but that this auction was as good as done already. It was her victory as she watched things y out as she had expected.

 Chapter 609 Granny Kiyo (Part 8)

    Chapter 609 Granny Kiyo (Part 8)¡¡¡¡"12000!" The Xiao n Leader quoted the price.


    "13000!" The Yan n Leader followed up immediately after, ring at the other party.


    The Han n and the Shi n too joined the bidding war, for they were all aware of the importance of this auction item. That one vial was enough to develop ten geniuses or two legendary geniuses, enough to bring their respective n to greater heights.


    And, if there existed someone talented enough to consume all ten Triple-Patterned Retainer Pills, his foundation would be so overwhelming that they would even exhibit all the powers of an Ancient Mystic Beast bloodline.


    So, the four n Leaders were rather willing to let go of the Grade 4 Inscription and bid for this instead.


    It wasn''t surprising since they weren''t sure as to what type of inscription it was, not to mention that they all had a Grade 4 Inscription in their ns already. But, obtaining the pills would give them a major boost, allowing them to gather more wealth in the future.


    After all, in this world, strength was justice.


    "Xiaoan! You must definitely get your hands on this Triple-Patterned Retainer Pill!" His master warned him, "To get the bloodline of an Ancient Mystic Beast, you need this."


    Even the Expert-In-The-Ring System was somewhat nervous regarding this. After all, opportunities wouldn''t just knock up their door often. Having done such stuff innumerous times, it was aware that if Xiaoan were to let go of this opportunity now, he would have to endanger himself further in the subsequent opportunity.


    And the chances of him obtaining the same pills there would be even lower than now. Moreover, the quality might even be subpar.


    Originally, the act of it making Xiaoan sell the Grade 4 Inscription was to trigger this auction event and allow Xiaoan to obtain money to train, pills to upgrade his foundation, and elevate his status in his n while making him the centre of conflict between the Xiao and Yan ns.


    This was what happened all the time. But this time, the way things proceeded made it seem like Xiaoan might miss the opportunity. And if this happened, there was only one cause.


    System yer!


    ''Who? Who the fuck is the System yer here?'' It was rmed, looking around as it activated various Skills but failed to find the target.


    This was why Gahratbelled it a fat System. For, the Exert-In-The-Ring System, in extension, none of the Systems from the Sealed Experts genre were good at finding System yers.


    Though of course, thanks to the nature of things at y, their Hosts were always overpowered among their peers, preventing them from actuallying under harm even if System yers were to target them.


    But things were different now, for they were being targeted by the Main Character.


    "17000!" Xiaoan raised his hand, stating his bid, drawing gazes of suspicion from the four n Leaders.


    This was arge sum of money that even they couldn''t fork out casually. But a mere nsmen was able to do that?


    Had Xiaoan seeded in the first bid, their reactions wouldn''t have been like this. They would instead wonder if he had really obtained the backing of some mysterious expert.


    After all, the act of him defeating Yanyuan would have reached their ears by now.


    But now, things were different as Xiaoan came off as a spoiled brat from a rich family, which wasn''t the case as Xiaoan''s parents had died for the Xiao n and he was being looked after by his uncle, the current Xiao n Leader.


    ''What are you doing, Xiaoan?'' The Xiao n Leader frowned in distaste, watching Xiaoan continue to bid for the item furiously.


    The Xiao n leader, and in extension, all the four n Leaders were buying the pill for their respective n''s growth. But Xiaoan was bidding personally for it instead. So, just the difference in their objective painted Xiaoan in a bad light.


    Originally, Luosha might have interfered to secretively help Xiaoan. But that route had been closed the moment Xiaoan embarrassingly lost the first bid. So, she refrained from helping him.


    After all, she too was a Grade 4 Inscriptionist. She had her pride. As Xiaoan hadn''t made a good impression on her yet, she refrained from helping him.


    Before Xiaoan realised, a of public opinion had been weaved around him, the trigger for that was the verbal exchange between him and Yanyuan. And he, at the centre of it, was trapped, unable to extricate himself for the time being, at least until the auction ends.


    "22000!" Xiaoan shouted furiously, eyes red.


    Cheur looked at him in concern before her expression turned cold, snorting as she turned around and stopped looking at him anymore.


    All along, whenever Xiaoan made a bid, Yanyuan made exaggerated motions from nearby, further exuberating his negative image.


    "Say¡­" Suddenly, Gahrat''s cold voice resounded in the auction house as she red at Luosha, "Is he a nt of the Inscriptionist Guild to spike the prices?"


    "You are¡­?" Luosha frowned, wondering about the identity of the olddy


    "I''m known as Granny Kiyo," Gahrat said calmly.


    ''She''s Granny Kiyo?'' Luosha''s eyes lit up in response, ''We''ve been trying everything the past few months to get her to join us to no avail. This is bad. A Grade 2 Inscriptionist she might be, but her experience puts even me to shame.''


    "She''s Granny Kiyo?" The Xiao n Leader''s eyes widened in shock as he stared at the Yan n Leader with an incredulous gaze, "Great move, great move¡­"


    He then muttered under his breath, "Cunning fox."


    "The Yan n has indeed spent a lot to rope in Granny Kiyo." Public opinion sided with the Yan n immediately as even Luosha was unable to appease things for the time being.


    Gahrat then hit the nail on the head, "This child had been bidding furiously from the start. But, does he have the money to do so?"


    "What?" Xiaoan''s eyes widened in shock, rmed as he didn''t even have a penny on him. He then looked at Luosha, hoping for her to take his side, rmed when the other party avoided eye contact.


    After all, Granny Kiyo''s fame surpassed an unknown Grade 4 Inscriptionist, especially since the Inscriptionist Guild attached significant value to her.


    "Can you disy your wealth to us?" Luosha stared at Xiaoan, asking calmly. After a minute of awkward silence, she sighed, motioning at the guards, "Please escort him out of the premises."

 Chapter 610 Xerusi City Plague

    Chapter 610 Xerusi City gue¡¡¡¡"Is everyone ready?" The Ampor City Lord, a Grandmaster Witch asked as he looked at the team of Grandmasters and Masters behind him, a group that numbered eighty.


    It was a terrifying force, enough to raid a city.


    "Yes!" The wings of all the Birdmen pped once in response, a sign of respect in their culture.


    The Ampor City Lord then gazed at the sky, staring at the double crescent moons before letting out a high-pitched chirp, riling up everyone as they took off into the skies, pping their wings in a flurry as they made a beeline towards Xerusi City, their target.


    The Ampor City Lord was a member of the Talon Secret Organisation and had been nning this raid for months already. Even though he was aware that his actions would result in a lot of Birdmen''s lives being lost and his home country, Burnak taking a solid hit to its foundation, he didn''t care and proceeded.


    After all, his loyalty was towards the Talon Secret Organisation. Or rather, he was born and raised in the organisation before he was made the Ampor City Lord.


    This was why politics in the various Kingdoms wereplex. That was due to the various secret organisations constantly plotting to gain control of them through a variety of means. If the kingdoms were ipetent, the Secret Organisations would infiltrate their ranks further, as it had already happened in the Burnak Kingdom.


    After a short hour of travel, the group arrived in the airspace above Xerusi City, one of the cities of the Xetuka Kingdom that bordered the Birdmen race of Burnak in the west.


    "You know the drill." The Ampor City Lord said as his feathers began to sprinkle down from the sky. The others too followed the same, causing a hail of feathers tond on the citizens.


    The feathers turned into hair strands, turning invisible to the naked eye as theytched onto the heads of the people, causing them to grunt for a moment before they became puppets of the Birdmen.


    The Birdmen had only targeted the Experts among the popce. This way, they would be able to raise more chaos.


    After all, for the Masters, the most they could control quickly were Experts. If they tried the same on Masters, it wouldn''t work as the Masters would retaliate.


    As for the Grandmasters among the raid group, they targeted the Masters in various wealthy houses to gain control of before making them march towards the City Lord''s house.


    By this time, the City Lord of Xerusi City had already sensed something amiss as the winds in the city turned slightly misty before soon, the entire city was veiled by mist.


    "The Xerusi City Lord has taken action." The Ampor City Lord frowned in response.


    The Xerusi City Lord was a Grandmaster Water Mage while his wife was a Grandmaster Wind Mage. Combined, their powers allowed them to unleash a mist that covered the entire city.


    The advantage of this mist was the fact that it allowed them to monitor everything that happened in their city while blocking the sight and senses of their enemies. In contrast, their allies would be able to see everything clearly.


    "Go!" At the City Lord''s shout, their personal guards took to the streets, targeting the Masters and Experts that fell under the Birdmen''s control.


    Even though Witchcraft was eerie and couldn''t be guarded against easily, with it existing for ages, countermeasures had long since been devised against it, the same for every other profession.


    A Master Water Mage grunted as he enveloped an Expert Warrior under the Birdmen''s control, causing him to suffocate before he fell unconscious. Immediately after, his Water Mana seeped into the Expert Warrior''s body, gradually reaching the brain as the Birdmen''s mana there was slowly extracted out.


    The Expert Warrior regained consciousness, gasping for breath as he noticed that he was soaked, "What¡­just happened?"


    "You had fallen under the control of a Birdmen Witch." The Master Water Mage said, propping him up, "Follow me as we take care of others that¡­"


    He had yet to finish speaking as suddenly, the Expert Warrior bodied him, causing the two to slide on the road for a fair distance as the Expert Warrior shielded them with his Water Mana.


    Guoong!


    The duo stared at the ce they had been walking upon, watching it gradually bubble into life as a slimy creature drilled out.


    This was a trap that had beenid down by a Master Witch. Even though the Master Water Mage had detected the trap in advance, his body wasn''t able to react fast enough. Thankfully, the Expert Water Warrior reacted, as his Warrior physique was strong and quick to take action.


    The slime extended its slimy hands, corroding everything in its touch, turning them slimy too. It then targeted the duo when suddenly, a water de arched out of the Master Water Mage, cutting its hand in half as the Expert Warrior jumped into the air, condensing long swords of water as his body spun, riddling the slime with countless injuries.


    Their Water Mana wasn''t entirely effective against the slime, but it served to stop its growth while damaging it little by little.


    "Gaah!" Suddenly, the duo of Warrior and Mage were startled to hear screams from the people nearby.


    His eyes widened as the Master Water Mage screamed at the top of his lungs, "You¡­damn¡­BASTARDS!"


    After all, a baleful wind began to blow through the misty surroundings, being inhaled by the people that began to cough immediately after as their skin developed blisters.


    Soon after, the blisters turned into warts that exploded to spill out pus as the infected people copsed to the ground weakly, one after another. The infection continued to grow in their bodies before spreading around,tching onto the others, now stronger.


    At first, only the Novices among themoners were affected. But soon, the effect gradually began to show signs in the Experts too. Even though they were yet to fall ill, they were gradually losing strength. And this would only continue to grow stronger until the entire Xerusi City was doomed.


    This was the signature move of mass destruction wielded by the Birdmen Witches.


    gue!

 Chapter 611 Completely Burnt into Cinders

    Chapter 611 Completely Burnt into Cinders¡¡¡¡"How''re the preparations?" The Tentuna City Lord asked, watching a group of mages before him continue chanting nonstop.


    "We''re ready." The head of the group, a Grandmaster Fire and Wind Mage bowed in response.


    "Warriors, protect the Mages until they chuck out the spell." The Tentuna City Lord said, his voice booming, filled with authority.


    "Yes!" The Warriors saluted in response, taking their respective positions.


    "Let''s go now." The Tentuna City Lord smiled, condensing arge magic circle as the runes shed on it in a hurry, forming shape as the bodies of everyone in the ce glowed before disappearing.


    Mass Teleportation!


    The Tentuna City Lord was a Grandmaster Space Mage, an incredibly rare upation as Space Mages were too rare, especially those that had be Grandmasters.


    This was why Tentuna City could collude with the Talon Secret Organisation and not be discovered until now.


    The group appeared in a za of Buhan City, one of the Birdmen cities of the Burnak Kingdom that bordered the Xetuka Kingdom.


    As arge open ce situated amidst countless shops, the za was pretty crowded. The Birdmen of all ages roamed around, rxing in the night sky. There were a lot of nocturnal types among the Birdmen, hence the ce was crowded as this was the time when they could roam freely.


    But suddenly, a group of humans appeared in the midst, shocking everyone as all the Mages finished their chant, causing a fiery man to manifest in the air, spanning a height of thirty metres, hulking in the night sky, brightening the region.


    Held in each of his hands was a spear that he wielded, making a casual sweep as the majority of the Birdmen in the za were vaporised.


    "No¡­" A Grandmaster Doctor among the crowd stared in despair as even the best of his power failed to save the people, for the fire giant exuded power on the level of a Pseudo-Saint.


    He stared in despair, expressing hatred as the fiery spear pierced his body, burning him into smithereens as the entire za erupted in mes that spread around.


    "Aim!" The Tentuna City Lord shouted, condensing another magic circle as the fire giant propped one of its spears like a javelin, taking up position.


    "Fire!" He shouted, condensing a portal a dozen metres away from the fire giant, watching itunch the fiery spear through it.


    The other side of the portal appeared, facing a market as the Birdmen there were caught unawares, zing up in mes immediately as most of them died an instantaneous death. The remaining though, died a miserably slow death.


    And all of them happened to be Doctors, blessed with an innate healing ability.


    "Aim!" The Tentuna City Lord raised his hand, condensing another portal, "Throw!"


    He noticed another part of Buhan City go up in mes as the screams of people increased in pitch.


    "Aim!" He said again, watching the Grandmaster Birdmen take action as the various traps in the city were triggered. But ignoring them, he announced, "Throw!"


    Boom!


    Another region went up in mes.


    As for the traps around the za that began to attack them, a team of Warriors using the Wind, Fire, and Lightning Mana blitzed around, destroying all the traps easily.


    They were led by Grandmasters while the remainder were Masters.


    The sheer difference between the Humans and other races was the versatility they disyed in destruction.


    The Birdmen from the Ampor City unleashed a gue upon Xerusi City to kill the people. But, there was still a chance the gue could be stopped as it needed time to grow strong.


    In contrast, Tentuna City directly set Buhan City on fire. As the fire zed on, the air grew hot and dry, causing the fire totch onto the other areas as it spread around.


    Moreover, fire spears rained down everywhere, urately aiming at the densely popted locations of the city first.


    Moreover, the only troops brought here wielded the elements of Fire, Wind, and Lightning, allplementing one another in the situation.


    It wasn''t even much of a battle at this point when the Buhan City Lord was pierced through by a fire spear thatnded on his face suddenly.


    It was because a portal opened before him and in an instant, the fire spear mmed out of it,rge enough to cover his entire body.


    Following that, the City Lord''s mansion went up in mes. The various Witchcraft that had been set up in the ce tried their best to defend against the mes but quickly went up in smoke.


    The Wind Mages constantly fuelled the fire and spread it around while the Lightning Mages targeted the Masters and Grandmasters from afar, also disabling the most threatening of traps simrly.


    The Lightning Warriors had a field day as their figures flickered, leaving behind a wave of corpses, unstoppable in the chaos.


    From the start, the battle only raged on for thirty minutes before the entirety of Buhan City was up in mes.


    Staring at the sea of fire before him, the Tentuna City Lord nodded in praise, "Well done everyone. Let''s return to our organisation now."


    "Yes, City Lord!" Everyone nodded, having long since be part of the Talon Secret Organisation. Their families had already been sent away to the organisation''s base as they nned to abandon Tentuna City for the time being.


    The Xetuka Kingdom would definitely discover them to be the culprits and would decimate them. Hence, they nned to abandon everything beforehand, having already looted everything they possibly could.


    The bodies of all the humans flickered before vanishing from Buhan City, only leaving behind burning rubble and the smell of charred flesh.


    Not even a single Birdmen survived.


    The atrocity of such a scale was more than enough to spark a vicious war between the two kingdoms. Soon after, countless Birdmen arrived in the air nearby Buhan City, staring at the burning city as their emotions burned in response, "Why¡­be so cruel?"


    "What have we ever done to the humans? Huh?" A Grandmaster Birdmen from the nearby city muttered in a daze, unable to believe just what had happened. After all, his children had just visited Buhan City to take in the local sights, a speciality of the city.


    But now, everything went up in smoke.


    "The humans will pay for this!" Gradually, he muttered as his beak almost cracked in response, unable to contain his anger as he chirped aloud, followed by everyone else as their mournful screams echoed amid the burning waste of what was once a bustling city.

 Chapter 612 Prince Boznan Burnak’s True Identity

    Chapter 612 Prince Boznan Burnak¡¯s True Identity¡¡¡¡"It''s time." The Pseudo-Saint Space Mage addressed as Advisory said as he stood up, looking at Luthak, "Let''s transport our captives. News regarding Tentuna City capturing Prince Boznan Burnak should have been circted among the Burnak Kingdom by now."


    The Tentuna City Lord had two tasks. First was the destruction of Buhan City. The second was the transmission of the information about them kidnapping the prince.


    This would rile up the Burnak Kingdom further, for those from the royal bloodline were the only ones with the potential to be a Saint. So, the loss of every royalty was disastrous.


    Therefore, the Burnak Kingdom wouldn''t sit still. It was not to mention that once they were done setting off the gue, the raid troops from Ampor City transmitted the message back home regarding the kidnapping of their prince.


    Moreover, this time, they disguised their actions, treating it as them attacking Xerusi City because they heard the news of the prince being held captive there.


    And now, they learned that it was Tentuna City that had done that, transmitting the news in a hurry.


    Unlike those from the Tentuna City that was part of the Talon Secret Organisation, only the City Lord and a few Grandmaster Witches from the Ampor City were part of it.


    The remaining were just normal citizens that had taken action because of the news of their prince being kidnapped.


    Even though the cause was the Talon Secret Organisation, they created two ys from either side, causing the Birdmen to have a reasonable justification to enact the ughter of humans.


    Moreover, information regarding the cities of Tentuna and Xerusi was weaved in a myriad of suspicious activities all of a sudden, treated as info the raid team from Ampor City had unearthed.


    In truth, all the suspicious activity was done by their organisation just for this asion. And once the information was released, public sentiment towards the Xetuka Kingdom turned hostile as the Birdmen began to view the humans as deplorable.


    The Talon Secret Organisation had been weaving this scheme for decades, so the information they dished out was enormous, causing there to be no room for doubt about the cruelty the humans had been subjecting the Birdmen with stealthily over the past few decades.


    So, now that all the preparations werepleted, the Advisory brought out a flying-type Magic Beast, allowing Luthak''s men to carry the captives on it and head towards the capital¡ªForkuna.


    This would make it seem like the royalty of the Xetuka Kingdom was involved in the entire affair, a reasonrge enough to escte the conflict into an all-out war between the two Kingdoms.


    "Gah!" Suddenly, the Advisory flinched in shock before his body turned still, his expression one of fear, ''Shit! How is this possible? I''m a freaking Pseudo-Saint!''


    His consciousness vanished as thest image he noticed was of the captive prince sauntering into the room, casually staring at him with lifeless eyes.


    He had fallen under the control of Prince Boznan Burnak who then looked at Bilfuren, "Kill the rest. They''re unnecessary now."


    "Yes, Saint." Bilfuren finally removed his mask of a character that he yed until now, stating respectfully as he took out a doll and pierced a needle in its chest.


    "Gah!" Luthak screamed in pain, clutching his chest as his heart and lungs exploded; he fell to the ground, coughing out blood, dead.


    Bilfuren repeated the same action, watching Zuhar die next. He did the same until all the humans in the building and nearby had been killed.


    For a Pseudo-Saint, killing people was as simple as breathing. After all, those from Tentuna City created a fire giant with the power of a Pseudo-Saint, managing to destroy an entire city.


    Such was the power of a Pseudo-Saint.


    Of course, a Saint was on a whole other level, as exhibited by Prince Boznan Burnak that casually took control of the Advisory.


    The Advisory waved his hand, creating a portal that led into the core of the Talon Secret Organisation as Boznan Burnak, Bilfuren, and the two Grandmaster Witches apanying them entered the portal.


    And while passing through the portal, the aura of the two Grandmaster Witches riled up before reaching a Pseudo-Saint in strength.


    "You''ve truly concealed yourself. To think your Witchcraft has developed to the extent you could be reborn." A voice full of praise resounded as the figures of two Birdmen appeared before the group.


    "Saint Calvos, Saint Balvador¡­" Bilfuren stared at the two Birdmen, stating while gritting his teeth, "Why did you betray the Burnak Kingdom? As our Saint, why did you join a secret organisation?"


    "That''s a funny question." Saint Calvos, the Birdmen withrge golden wings stated calmly, "Our goal is something grander than what you can ever imagine¡­"


    "gue Doctor, is it?" Boznan Burnak interjected calmly, watching the two Saints stare at him in shock as he said, "It''s only the natural course, isn''t it? You wanted to create a Sub-Profession that possesses the best of both the Doctor and Witch profession while leaving behind its defects."


    "That only results in the profession of a gue Doctor."


    "So, our Guardian Saint is aware of the gue Doctor profession." Saint Calvos nodded, sighing in response. "You''ve truly hid yourself well. Even we could never find you when you disappeared all of a sudden."


    The disappearance of the Guardian Saint of the Burnak Kingdom was a ruse that he pulled to smoke out the Talon Secret Organisation that had been scheming towards the Burnak Kingdom from ages ago.


    The moment the Guardian Saint vanished, Saint Calvos and Saint Balvador had taken action, making it seem as if they were killed mysteriously while they pushed forward their n to destroy the Xetuka and Burnak Kingdoms for their n.


    Their goal was to create the profession of a gue Doctor for the Birdmen race, something that was mighty monumental.


    But, what even they failed to notice was that the Burnak Kingdom''s Guardian Saint had been reborn as Prince Boznan Burnak, remaining hidden under this identity while moving out in the open.


    And now, once the situation deemed necessary, he regained his powers as the Guardian Saint, confronting the organisation that dared to mess with his Kingdom.

 Chapter 613 CC Takes Action

    Chapter 613 CC Takes Action¡¡¡¡"The gue Doctor profession¡­you better forget about it." Prince Boznan Burnak said, "Too many have tried in the past to fail futilely. And, you''ll be resulting in the destruction of the Burnak Kingdom in the process, which is something I can''t ept."


    "Sacrifices are necessary to create anything of value." Saint Calvos said before moving to the side, smiling as he pointed at the far end of the room, "Besides, it''s not like we don''t have a chance. We actually do, unlike our predecessors that attempted the same."


    At the far end of the room was a wall covered by Saint Calvos''s feathers.


    With a snap of his finger, the feathers fell on the ground, revealing the entrance to another room that was shaped like a dome. And ced in its centre was the bleeding head of a Titan.


    "A Titan?" Boznan Burnak frowned in response, "What is a Titan doing here? They serve no use in the creation of the gue Doctor profession."


    "No, they do, or at least," Saint Calvos smiled, "She does. Damn immortal, even with her head cut off, she''s still alive."


    "But what I meant isn''t her power as a Titan, but what she had obtained beyond that." Saint Calvos said solemnly, "She was once a Host to those entities."


    "A¡­" Boznan Burnak caught wind of what he wished to say, ''System Host, huh.''


    "Following that, she became a yer. Currently, her body possesses the essence of the immortality and cmity that a Titan possesses. As she''s a princess, she has both professions. Secondly, there''s the power of a Principal Arbiter that allows her to turn into a human fully. And thirdly, her act of birthing a spawn between her and a human man caused all these changes to be cemented as part of her power." Saint Calvos said, stressing in the end¡­


    "After all, he too was a Host. Unfortunately, a yer ended up killing him in the end, otherwise, we could have experimented with them further." He finished speaking, staring at Boznan Burnak to ask, "So, what do you say? We truly have a chance in creating the gue Doctor profession."


    "And by using the traits of the Cmity and Immortal Professions of the Titans, the resultant gue Doctor profession would make us the strongest race."


    "You truly made a deal with something worse than a Demon to satisfy your greed, huh." Boznan Burnak sighed all of a sudden, gazing at the severed head of the Titan as he asked, "Why haven''t you tried escaping? With your power as a Saint, if you wished to escape, even these two cannot stop you."


    In response to his question, the Titan only remained silent, closing her eyes, and expressing no desire to converse.


    "She''s been the same from the start." Saint Calvos snorted in distaste, "Even Witchcraft doesn''t work in making her talk. Even with the powers of the two of usbined, we could only seal her."


    "Saint, what exactly is the gue Doctor profession?" Upon seeing the three Saints turning silent, Bilfuren took the chance to ask the Guardian Saint.


    Boznan Burnak said after a moment of thought, "It''s a profession that allows you to act like a God. The life and death of the people would depend on you. The preparations to unleash the abilities of a gue Doctor don''t require materials, dolls, and other items like a Witch. It''s closer to a Human Mage."


    "Moreover, it''s not something that can only heal people like a Doctor." He continued, staring at Bilfuren to say, "You know how helpless our Doctors are, right? They don''t have any other abilities than to cure people. So, they are always at a disadvantage during a crisis where they are targeted first by our enemies."


    "gue Doctors wield the Mana Virus that is impossible to detect except for Saints, capable of unleashing myriad abilities, both destructive and constructive." Boznan Burnak said, "Though, as long as it exists long enough, the other professions would adapt to create countermeasures against it eventually. But despite that, it''ll be stronger than most professions and elevate the status of us Birdmen."


    "Then, why are you opposing us?" Saint Calvos shouted in anger.


    "Are you seriously asking me that?" Boznan Burnak said as his expression gradually hardened; immediately, the surrounding air turned gloomy, "If you wish to create the gue Doctor profession like how many Saints had tried and failed in the past, then do so by all means. But,"


    Baleful winds began to blow through the ce as his voice resounded, emitting terrifying killing intent, "Leave my Kingdom out of it."


    "Even if you''re the Guardian Saint, you''re just one against two Saints." Saint Calvos snorted as he resisted the baleful wings, taking out a doll to target his opponent.


    Boznan Burnak waved his hand, causing the doll in Saint Calvos'' hand to burn up in response. A couple of feathers exited his wing and transformed into a doll as another feather turned into a nail and was hammered into the doll.


    The sound of ss shattering resounded as Saint Calvos grunted, taking a step back in shock as dozens of his defensive abilities had been destroyed by that one attack.


    In the meantime, Saint Balvador crushed a couple of his feathers, turning them into a dark gel that he smeared upon his face, drawing a pattern before ring at Saint Calvos.


    Immediately, the sound of a dozen mirrors shattering resounded from Boznan Burnak as the damage Saint Calvos sustained was transmitted to him too.


    ''Fighting two Saints is indeed tough.'' Boznan Burnak frowned, healing the expended feathers using his Doctor Profession, mounting another attack as he threw out four dolls that transformed into puppets that rushed at his opponents.


    While everything was happening, slithering on the ground nearby was a Dragon Bullet in its serpentine form. It had been observing Boznan Burnak and Bilfuren from the start. And when they entered the portal, it followed them, directly managing to reach the core of the Talon Secret Organisation where the two heads running it lived.


    ''Now, what''s your secret?'' Thinking as such, the Dragon Bullet reached the severed Titan Head before slithering into her nose, slowly entering her mind, all while her eyes stared at it, gazing at its actions with a fierce stare.

 Chapter 614: Something’s Amiss

    Chapter 614: Something¡¯s Amiss


    The Demon quickly figured out the reason for his power failing to take effect. Themand he had condensed was for the door seal to be nullified.


    Since the power of the seal was greater than his, it meant that hismand couldn¡¯t be executed, which meant that it wouldn¡¯t even take effect. Therefore, it was just a waste of mana.


    Thinking of something, the Demon condensed another magic circle, ¡°The door seal loses a quarter of its strength!¡±


    Boom!


    Themand took effect as it was within the range of his power. Smiling as a result, the Demon spoke, creating a third magic circle, ¡°The door seal loses half its power.¡±


    The door seal had be weak now as he unleashed the finalmand, ¡°The door seal is nullified!¡±


    Boom!


    The door opened, revealing an expansive space within whererge pirs stood tall, almost reaching the skies¡ªthat was how they looked.


    The mausoleum alone spanned a height of 600 metres, so it was a massive structure. The Demon sauntered into it, noticing a couple of Magic Beasts appearing in the expansive space. They had just been formed by harnessing Teh¡¯s strength.


    And upon detecting the intruder, they rushed at him, condensing a swirl of wind in their mouths that mmed out in the form of a tornado, intending to drill into their opponent.


    But, the moment they reached a metre from the Demon, they strangely vanished as if they had never existed.


    The Demon smirked in response and walked deeper into the mausoleum, muttering, ¡°I see, since I entered it the moment it appeared, the traps and Magic Beasts that would protect it in the future aren¡¯t ready yet.¡±


    And indeed, it was the truth.


    The Ruin of Amagoth erected traps and Magic Beasts by harnessing the power of the entity sealed within it. And, that took some time.


    But, since the Demon had infiltrated it mere seconds after its arrival, nothing was ready to stop him. And the few Magic Beasts that had formed couldn¡¯t even approach him before they dissipated due to the effects of hismand.


    In an hour, he reached the depths of the mausoleum, staring at the chained figure of Teh, noticing the mystical runes shing through the chains, keeping her constricted.


    The Demon thought for a moment, condensing a magic circle as he said, ¡°Reveal the secrets of this ce to me.¡±


    Boom!


    The mysterious runes rapidly transformed in shape, turning into characters that the Demon could read, allowing him to understand that the mausoleum had been created by a Shaman King to trap Teh.


    ¡°Help me!¡± Suddenly, Teh¡¯s voice reverberated throughout the ce, startling the Demon.


    He looked at her in shock, watching her bloodshot eyes staring right at him, ¡°How¡­are you able to speak? This seal should have kept you unconscious for an eternity.¡±


    What the Demon didn¡¯t know was that when he was messing with the mausoleum to gain insight into its secrets, the Mental Energy he unleashed flowed into Teh, waking up her System from its unconscious state.


    Following that, it nned to break free. But, as its own Mental Energy was sealed, it could only wait, collecting the Mental Energy unleashed by the Demon.


    And the moment it saved up enough, it connected to the Astral Network to purchase a Skill that forced Teh to regain her consciousness.


    Following that, by resisting the chains that dug deeper into her body, she was able to talk.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to.¡± The Demon smiled wryly, ¡°I only became a Pseudo-Saint a couple of days ago. So, I¡¯m still experimenting with my powers. Moreover,¡±


    He observed the chains, shaking his head, ¡°Even if I be stronger, I won¡¯t be able to affect these chains.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to break these chains,¡± Teh said, absorbing all the information she received from her system about the Ruin of Amagoth. It had obviously purchased it in the Astral Network from a fellow System that frequented this world.


    ¡°Then, what do you want me to do?¡± The Demon asked, curious to see why the Titan before him didn¡¯t seem all that flustered, despite being sealed.


    ¡°Change my race using your power as a Principal Arbiter.¡± Teh continued, ¡°With that, I should be able to escape part of the seal.¡±


    ¡°Sure, this seems interesting.¡± The Demon nodded before letting out a cunning smile, ¡°But, what will you pay in response?¡±


    ¡°Take some of my lifeforce.¡± Teh didn¡¯t even bat an eye at the statement.


    ¡®As expected of a Titan.¡¯ The Demon nodded, nning to steal as much lifespan out of her as he could. After all, as long as Teh breaks the seal quick enough, her profession as an Immortal would allow her to regain the lost lifeforce.


    ¡®It might be too bad if she fails to escape before her lifespan runs out though.¡¯ The Demon thought, amused as he erected a gigantic magic circle, carefully adding multiple details regarding the race change.


    ¡°Gah!¡± Teh grunted in pain, sensing the majority of her lifeforce being stripped away from her, absorbed by the Demon who grinned happily, stating, ¡°The contract has been established.¡±


    ¡°Congrattions on bing a human.¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­haah!¡± Teh gasped as she felt weak all over, failing to adapt to the change in eye level, for she was like an ant now aspared to her original self. She gazed at her scrawny hands that seemed tock any semnce of strength, sighing as she sensed the chains constricting her shattering one after another.


    She couldn¡¯t leave the mausoleum though, for some of the seal was still in effect. But, unlike before, she was able to move around, even if it was only limited to the mausoleum.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Teh looked at the Demon, happy with the transaction. She then said, ¡°Will you be leaving now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I only came here to learn about the seal. And now that I¡¯m done with it, I¡¯ll research upon my observations to strengthen my profession.¡± The Demon said, turning around to walk away.


    ¡°Before that, can you ry news of this mausoleum to others so that people would explore this ce?¡± Teh asked.


    ¡°Is that one of the conditions necessary to break your seal?¡± The Demon asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Teh nodded.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do that.¡± The Demon nodded casually, happy as he had obtained more than a millennium of lifespan from her, more than enough for him to research to his heart¡¯s contents. And with that, he left the mausoleum, reaching the nearest city to transmit the information.


    ¡°This is strange¡­¡± Compass Carburettor muttered, having gone through Teh¡¯s memories, ¡°Why is yer behaving like a mere Pseudo-Saint?¡±


    ¡°Something¡¯s amiss.¡±

 Chapter 615 Captured Easily

    Chapter 615 Captured Easily¡¡¡¡Even though her mother wished to stop her, but after a moment of thought, she left Teh to her devices, hoping that an encounter with the Shaman King would change her mind.


    As the other party was aware of her appearance, he wouldn''t go overboard and kill her. And as it might serve as a good wake-up call for her, her mother didn''t interfere. "And, there''s also a Goblin''s ability to impregnate every other race, something that only unlocks with the arrival of the Shaman King¡­"


    Ignorant about that, Teh exited the pce and bolted in the direction of the newly formed Goblin Kingdom that had once been Titan territory.


    The moment she entered the Goblin Kingdom, Teh red in anger, noticing the skull of a Titan used as a bathtub for the Goblins that surprisingly were cleaning their bodies, something they never did before.


    She was rooted to the spot in shock, humiliated by the scene, ''Mere Goblins dare use the skull of my brethren as a freaking bathtub?''


    That wasn''t all. There was a captured Titan whose immortality was taken advantage of to be feasted upon nonstop by the Goblins.


    The Titan''s body naturally absorbed the ambient mana to regenerate at a terrifying speed. Meaning, just capturing a single Titan was enough to feed an entire city worth of Goblins.


    And, a totem pole had been stabbed into the forehead of the Titan, turning it dumb as it became nothing more than a vegetable that was feasted upon constantly.


    A mystical power emanated from the totem pole, enough to cause Teh to flinch in response. And considering her stature, all the Goblins in the vicinity had already noticed her approach.


    But just as they nned to attack her, the Goblin Lords among the horde recognised her, stopping the others from aiming at her.


    They then just scattered, not interfering with her.


    "So, you''vee to see me on your own, Teh?" A burst ofughter resounded before a cheer erupted from the Goblins as an individual slowly walked out of the crowd.


    Spanning a height of five metres, it was a hulking creature, with totem poles embedded in its back as if they were growing there naturally, which indeed was the case. It resembled a Goblin in appearance except for its imposing physique, not to mention its body being covered by tattoos all over.


    The chain worn around its neck dangled from time to time, shing mysterious fingerbones slung by the chain. The only part of its body that was covered was the groin area, and upon staring at Teh, it suddenly became pointy.


    Shaman King!


    Gazing lecherously at her, the Shaman King grinned, "Did youe here to mate with me beforehand?"


    "Mate with you?" At his words, Teh was unable to control her rage anymore, roaring as she punched the ground, "Freaking die!"


    Boom!


    Immediately after, the earth rumbled and began to quake, shattering the various buildings the Goblins had created as quite a lot of them began to fall into the cracks that had formed.


    But suddenly, a mysterious power erupted as all the Goblins flew out of the cracks before hovering in the air next to a Titan skull that had been stabbed by a totem pole.


    The Shaman King had already made preparations in advance to counter her power as he stabbed another totem pole in the ground, suddenly causing the cracks to mend themselves naturally over time as soon after, the rumbling stopped.


    But, Teh didn''t mind about that as her Mana erupted, causing massive thunderclouds to form in the sky as soon after, intense rain fell down, quickly causing the region to be flooded. And that wasn''t all, fierce gales akin to wind des began to blow over, killing the Goblins inrge numbers.


    Rumble!


    A lightning boltnded on the Shaman King but was surprisingly absorbed into the totem pole on his back that lit up in response before a mystical power hit Teh, suddenly bringing her to her knees all of a sudden.


    "W-What happened?" Teh was shocked, observing that she wasn''t able to use her Mana as usual, feeling that it wasn''t obeying hermand for some reason.


    "Surprised?" The Shaman King grinned as the totem pole he stabbed into the ground whirred in response, unleashing a beam of light into the sky that dissipated the thundercloud.


    "Even if I can''t use my Cmity, my body is enough to tten you!" Shouting in response, Teh punched forth, stupefied when her arm slowed down unnaturally, stopping a metre before the Shaman King.


    "Good girl¡­" The Shaman King grinned in response, throwing a totem pole that pierced through her forehead, preventing her from moving as he said, "There''s a reason your Kingdom doesn''t dare face me."


    "What?" Teh''s eyes widened in shock.


    "That''s true." The Shaman King nodded before saying, "Even though they have the power to decimate us a hundred times over and over, they dare not, at least until I am alive that is. The reason is simple."


    He stared at her, "I''ve already created enough Totem poles that can naturally restrict the power of the Titans. You had beente in reacting to my birth, allowing me to hunt enough Titans to arm myself to the teeth. Due to this, even your Saints dare not do anything."


    "After all, if one of them falls victim to my power, your Kingdom is doomed." Heughed eerily, "Hence, they want to tide through this disaster by forming a political marriage with me."


    "After all, despite my strength or the level of power I attain, the lifespan of a Shaman King is fixed at a hundred years. Following my demise, the Goblins would naturally revert to their original selves. And for immortals like Titans, the best way to deal with me is by buying time."


    "Which is also a good thing considering the enormous efforts we require to mate with a Titan." Staring at the clear sky, he then spoke, "And now that you''ve delivered yourself on a silver tter, I''ll help myself."


    "I don''t think any Shaman Kings of the past tried to mate with a Titan. But," He closed his eyes, sensing a mysterious entity within Teh as his eyes glinted in surprise, "Maybe that is the key."

 Chapter 616 System Restricted

    Chapter 616 System Restricted¡¡¡¡''System! Help me!''


    [Detecting danger to Host. Exercising evasive maneuverer!]


    [Host, this might get dangerous]


    Boom!


    Immediately after, mana burst out of Teh''s body, destroying the totem embedded in her forehead as suddenly, a mysterious Pseudo-Relic emerged from her body, resulting in a typhoon that destroyed the entire region, sweeping away the Shaman King.


    "Gobugobumon! I''ll kill you!" Teh bellowed in rage, watching her body heal rapidly as she punched forth, unleashing a tornado that drilled through the Goblins like they were made of paper, turning the swirling winds crimson with their blood.


    "You damn!" The Shaman King finally lost his cool, watching Teh oveing his totems mysteriously, despite the fact that his totems were even able to hinder a Titan Saint.


    But immediately after, he broke into a smile, closing his eyes before he broke off the totem growing on his back, opening his mouth wide to swallow it.


    Crack!


    Crunching sounds emanated from his mouth as the totem''s power flowed into his body, causing his mana to erupt as he sped his hands, shouting as he riled up all his power, "I''ll seal you first!"


    "Ruin of Amagoth!" Following his words, mysterious totems sprung out of the ground around Teh, emanating a formless energy that drilled into her body using mystical chains, actuallytching onto the System within her too, causing it to lose power in a matter of seconds.


    [Host! He''s dangerous! He has methods to restrict even me! This will hurt, but I''ll bring us out of here!]


    ''Do it!'' Teh thought, calming down as she understood why the Titan Kingdom was willing toe to apromise with the Shaman King, ''Even as a mere Pseudo-Saint, he''s overpowered. It''s not an exaggeration to say that at least two Saints would need to fight him for a chance of defeating him. but they dare not attempt that in fear of the crisis allowing him to gain the enlightenment necessary to be a Saint.''


    As the Shaman King was naturally protected by his profession, the moment he bes a Saint, he would be unrivalled. And if the records kept by the Titans served any basis, Shaman Kings at the level of a Saint could even face three or more Guardian Saints of various Kingdoms.


    They were just that overpowered.


    But unfortunately, no matter how strong they be, unlike the other races whose lifespan increased as their strength grew, a Shaman King wouldn''t live past a century.


    So, for the long-lived races, waiting it out was the best option. Once the Shaman King dies, the Goblin Race would be nothing once again.


    ''Dammit!'' Teh was indignant as her System used thest of its power to mysteriously activate spatial magic of Human Mages.


    "You''ll never escape!" Gobugobumon, the Shaman King shouted upon sensing the Space Magic, elerating his powers as a gigantic mausoleum covered Teh, trapping her within.


    But thankfully, it hadn''t faced a System before. So, even though it had the necessary means to constrict one, it wasn''t able to target properly, allowing Teh''s System to finish its activation, causing her to vanish from the location.


    Still, the Shaman King was partially sessful, watching as the mausoleum¡ªRuin of Amagoth¡ªtoo vanished with her.


    Ruin of Amagoth was a powerful sealing totem that was able to even seal Saints for all eternity. And it wasn''t just that. The Ruin of Amagoth would constantly sap away the strength of the sealed entity to create Magic Beasts that guarded the mausoleum against foreign forces, keeping it secure.


    Once trapped, their strength would continue to be sapped away, making escape impossible.


    The Shaman King closed his eyes, sighing as he managed to sense the location where the Ruin of Amagoth had teleported towards, "At least thirty thousand kilometres away."


    He massaged his forehead, feeling a headache, for they were separated by at least four kingdoms. Moreover, it had appeared in a region that bordered a Demon Kingdom. "This is somewhat troublesome."


    "But no matter, I''ll reim you."


    The Shaman King then worked on helping the survivors of the region, unconcerned about the death toll. Goblins weren''t concerned about the well-being of each other in the first ce. After all, they could casually rece the lost numbers in a matter of months because of the short time required from birth to maturity¡ªspanning less than three months.


    So, even while helping them, his focus was entirely on the Ruin of Amagoth, frowning as he already detected an intruder.


    ¡­


    "Strange, I didn''t notice this being here yesterday." A Demon muttered, looking around as he was unable to notice any traces of magic in his surroundings, wondering how the mausoleum before him had formed.


    But, as a Pseudo-Saint, he had the confidence in exploring the mausoleum as he extended his left arm, revealing the palm as a mysterious magic circle formed on it. The index finger on his right approached the magic circle as its tip shone with a resplendent hue, radiating a suffocating authority as the Demon muttered, "All attacks within a metre of me are nullified!"


    Boom!


    A fluctuation emanated from the magic circle as a mysterious power condensed around him, erecting a domain a metre in radius around him.


    This was the power of the Principal Arbiter, one that installedws anywhere they pleased.


    Though, he had restricted the effect of his power to only a metre around him because the potency of the ability was greatest in this form.


    If the range of its effect expanded, it would lose its potency, only being able to affect those at the Grandmaster Realm or even below.


    But with the current range, it was even able to affect the attacks from fellow Pseudo-Saints. Now that he had prepared defensively, the Demon approached the entrance to the mausoleum, staring at the sealed doors as he erected another magic circle, "This door seal will be nullified!"


    The magic circle disappeared as its effect mmed into the door before vanishing in response, startling the Demon, "The seal is stronger than my power?"


    "I see, interesting." He grinned, feeling that he might chance across something interesting.

 Chapter 617 Something’s Amiss

    Chapter 617 Something¡¯s Amiss¡¡¡¡The Demon quickly figured out the reason for his power failing to take effect. Themand he had condensed was for the door seal to be nullified.


    Since the power of the seal was greater than his, it meant that hismand couldn''t be executed, which meant that it wouldn''t even take effect. Therefore, it was just a waste of mana.


    Thinking of something, the Demon condensed another magic circle, "The door seal loses a quarter of its strength!"


    Boom!


    Themand took effect as it was within the range of his power. Smiling as a result, the Demon spoke, creating a third magic circle, "The door seal loses half its power."


    The door seal had be weak now as he unleashed the finalmand, "The door seal is nullified!"


    Boom!


    The door opened, revealing an expansive space within whererge pirs stood tall, almost reaching the skies¡ªthat was how they looked.


    The mausoleum alone spanned a height of 600 metres, so it was a massive structure. The Demon sauntered into it, noticing a couple of Magic Beasts appearing in the expansive space. They had just been formed by harnessing Teh''s strength.


    And upon detecting the intruder, they rushed at him, condensing a swirl of wind in their mouths that mmed out in the form of a tornado, intending to drill into their opponent.


    But, the moment they reached a metre from the Demon, they strangely vanished as if they had never existed.


    The Demon smirked in response and walked deeper into the mausoleum, muttering, "I see, since I entered it the moment it appeared, the traps and Magic Beasts that would protect it in the future aren''t ready yet."


    And indeed, it was the truth.


    The Ruin of Amagoth erected traps and Magic Beasts by harnessing the power of the entity sealed within it. And, that took some time.


    But, since the Demon had infiltrated it mere seconds after its arrival, nothing was ready to stop him. And the few Magic Beasts that had formed couldn''t even approach him before they dissipated due to the effects of hismand.


    In an hour, he reached the depths of the mausoleum, staring at the chained figure of Teh, noticing the mystical runes shing through the chains, keeping her constricted.


    The Demon thought for a moment, condensing a magic circle as he said, "Reveal the secrets of this ce to me."


    Boom!


    The mysterious runes rapidly transformed in shape, turning into characters that the Demon could read, allowing him to understand that the mausoleum had been created by a Shaman King to trap Teh.


    "Help me!" Suddenly, Teh''s voice reverberated throughout the ce, startling the Demon.


    He looked at her in shock, watching her bloodshot eyes staring right at him, "How¡­are you able to speak? This seal should have kept you unconscious for an eternity."


    What the Demon didn''t know was that when he was messing with the mausoleum to gain insight into its secrets, the Mental Energy he unleashed flowed into Teh, waking up her System from its unconscious state.


    Following that, it nned to break free. But, as its own Mental Energy was sealed, it could only wait, collecting the Mental Energy unleashed by the Demon.


    And the moment it saved up enough, it connected to the Astral Network to purchase a Skill that forced Teh to regain her consciousness.


    Following that, by resisting the chains that dug deeper into her body, she was able to talk.


    "I don''t think I''ll be able to." The Demon smiled wryly, "I only became a Pseudo-Saint a couple of days ago. So, I''m still experimenting with my powers. Moreover,"


    He observed the chains, shaking his head, "Even if I be stronger, I won''t be able to affect these chains."


    "You don''t need to break these chains," Teh said, absorbing all the information she received from her system about the Ruin of Amagoth. It had obviously purchased it in the Astral Network from a fellow System that frequented this world.


    "Then, what do you want me to do?" The Demon asked, curious to see why the Titan before him didn''t seem all that flustered, despite being sealed.


    "Change my race using your power as a Principal Arbiter." Teh continued, "With that, I should be able to escape part of the seal."


    "Sure, this seems interesting." The Demon nodded before letting out a cunning smile, "But, what will you pay in response?"


    "Take some of my lifeforce." Teh didn''t even bat an eye at the statement.


    ''As expected of a Titan.'' The Demon nodded, nning to steal as much lifespan out of her as he could. After all, as long as Teh breaks the seal quick enough, her profession as an Immortal would allow her to regain the lost lifeforce.


    ''It might be too bad if she fails to escape before her lifespan runs out though.'' The Demon thought, amused as he erected a gigantic magic circle, carefully adding multiple details regarding the race change.


    "Gah!" Teh grunted in pain, sensing the majority of her lifeforce being stripped away from her, absorbed by the Demon who grinned happily, stating, "The contract has been established."


    "Congrattions on bing a human."


    "Hah¡­haah!" Teh gasped as she felt weak all over, failing to adapt to the change in eye level, for she was like an ant now aspared to her original self. She gazed at her scrawny hands that seemed tock any semnce of strength, sighing as she sensed the chains constricting her shattering one after another.


    She couldn''t leave the mausoleum though, for some of the seal was still in effect. But, unlike before, she was able to move around, even if it was only limited to the mausoleum.


    "Thank you." Teh looked at the Demon, happy with the transaction. She then said, "Will you be leaving now?"


    "Yeah, I only came here to learn about the seal. And now that I''m done with it, I''ll research upon my observations to strengthen my profession." The Demon said, turning around to walk away.


    "Before that, can you ry news of this mausoleum to others so that people would explore this ce?" Teh asked.


    "Is that one of the conditions necessary to break your seal?" The Demon asked.


    "Yeah," Teh nodded.


    "Alright, I''ll do that." The Demon nodded casually, happy as he had obtained more than a millennium of lifespan from her, more than enough for him to research to his heart''s contents. And with that, he left the mausoleum, reaching the nearest city to transmit the information.


    "This is strange¡­" Compass Carburettor muttered, having gone through Teh''s memories, "Why is yer behaving like a mere Pseudo-Saint?"


    "Something''s amiss."

 Chapter 618 Everything’s in the Palm of My Hands

    Chapter 618 Everything¡¯s in the Palm of My Hands¡¡¡¡"Who are you?" Suddenly, the figure of yer that was walking away from Teh''s line of sight turned around, staring at Compass Carburettor as suddenly, an ocean of Mental Energy mmed into him, almost throwing him out of Teh''s mind.


    But an instantter, the majority of the Mental Energy in the attack was sucked into the nozzle of a massive gun that had appeared as Compass Carburettor stared solemnly in response at the figure, "yer¡­?"


    The Demon was actually yer that was disguised to enact a mysterious scheme. At his words, yer''s eyes widened in surprise as he immediately turned into a blob of Mental Energy, intending to escape out of Teh''s mind.


    Guoong!


    Suddenly, the sounds akin to a vacuum machine whirring into life resounded throughout the mind space of Teh as yer''s figure stopped moving forward, gradually dragged by the suction force as he struggled to escape.


    ''So, yer has determined a method to live in the minds of others just like a System.'' Compass Carburettor thought, processing the details that he had observed until now.


    The memories Teh had of yer had condensed a figure of him in her mind that lived and influenced her decisions.


    This was the same as what the Luck Genre Systems had attempted in the Cultivation World to influence the decisions of their Hosts and control them better.


    And now, yer was doing the same by nting himself in her memories, using those to affect the rest of her memories, thereby changing her character ordingly.


    Shockingly, all the Systems that should have originally been in Teh''s mind space were no more, probably captured by yer to harness their power.


    Unfortunately, this was a mere fragment of yer, barely containing power on the level of a Pseudo-Saint. And against Compass Carburettor, that was nothing as his body was soon sucked into the gun and digested.


    Compass Carburettor frowned, deep in thought as he went through the information appearing in his mind¡ªthat he had devoured from yer''s fragment.


    Immediately, his eyes shot up, rmed, "This guy¡­!"


    ¡­


    "A Ruin of Amagoth has appeared nearby." A Demon shouted in a certain pub, alerting everyone inside.


    "Is that the truth?"


    "A Ruin of Amagoth? Here?"


    "Aren''t there practically no free Goblins in our region?"


    "Just head twenty kilometres westward. You''ll be able to spot a gigantic mausoleum there. Everyone else is already talking about this." The Demon said, clearly unable to control his excitement, "It has already been verified by others."


    "Is this the truth?" A Demon frowned, getting up as he decided to see for himself, "I''ll confirm it with my own eyes."


    He then snapped his finger, exiting the pub as the pping sounds of arge bird resounded in the ears of everyone before strong winds were produced.


    Kieeee!


    It was a bird-type Magic Beast, spanning a height of three metres when it stood on its two legs, its wings retracted.


    The Demon climbed onto its back as the bird took off to the skies, flying in the direction of the mausoleum. Or rather, the bird first scaled up into the air, reaching a height of five hundred metres from the ground level, using the altitude to see afar.


    The bird-type Magic Beast boasted ster eyesight, already able to spot the mausoleum in the informed location as immediately after, the Demon alighted to the ground, entering the pub to give his confirmation, "There really is a Ruin of Amagoth there."


    "That means¡­"


    The Demons stared at each other, expressing clear excitement as the same thought echoed in the minds of everyone.


    "The Shaman King must have been born."


    Immediately, greed shed onto the faces of everyone as they poured out of the pub, beginning preparations to raid the Ruin of Amagoth immediately in hopes to find the Shaman King first.


    As for the reason they wished to find the Shaman King first?


    The answery in their professions. The Demon Race wielded the power of four professions, inferior in number only to humans that wielded five.


    Their main profession consisted of Tamer and Elementalist while their sub-profession consisted of Principal Arbiter and Conjurer.


    Among them, Tamers were able to tame not just Magic Beasts, but also the sentient races. So, they typically employed weak races such as Goblins as ves after taming them.


    And depending on their status, the strength of their ves varied. Pseudo-Saints among the Tamers wielding significant influence even dared to obtain Titan ves.


    And among the ves they could obtain, the Shaman King was most sought after. After all, Shaman Kings rarely appeared throughout history and only lived for a century each time.


    This meant that they were the pinnacle in terms of rarity. This was not to mention their terrifying strength that was able to go against a Saint even while being a mere Pseudo-Saint.


    Moreover, even if the Shaman King were to die after a century, their totems wouldn''t lose power once they reach the Realm of a Saint.


    This meant that if used well, the value of the Shaman King would allow the Demons to enjoy almost infinite wealth.


    After all, when the power of the totems joined hands with the powers of a Principal Arbiter and a Conjurer, they were able to create dangerous objects and entities with a plethora of abilities. And if they make a few Ruin of Amagoth and trap powerful entities within, they could run it as a dungeon and make money through it.


    So, news regarding the Ruin of Amagoth spread around as countless Tamers rushed towards the ce first. Even if they failed to find any clues regarding the Shaman King, just the Magic Beasts produced by the ruins would be useful.


    After all, they were created based on the entity sealed inside. So, these Magic Beasts would be a new race.


    Of course, as everyone was rushing towards the Ruin of Amagoth, yer, the Demon that had informed them in the first ce was calmly chilling in the pub.


    Eventually, a month passed before he left the pub and arrived at an empty space, acting surprised to see a certain five-metre-tall Goblin standing there, exuding killing intent. ''Took you a long enough time toe here, huh?''


    "It was you that infiltrated my Ruin of Amagoth, right?" The Shaman King, Gobugobumon red at the other party, asking while controlling his anger, "Speak!"


    "What have you done to it?"

 Chapter 619 Call Me Regriel

    Chapter 619 Call Me Regriel¡¡¡¡"Nothing much, just an experiment." yermented casually, "I''m just interested to see if the Shaman King''s child would inherit his powers."


    "That''ll never happen." The Shaman King said, "Those powers would vanish along with me. Everything in this world is bnced."


    "And all my race''s power is concentrated in me and me alone. Hence, I won''t live long to prevent the other races from being oppressed or annihted under my rule."


    "Yeah, that''s unfortunate." yer nodded, "If only you had a few more centuries to live, you''ll be able to reach the peak of this world."


    "And, that''s what I''m hoping to see."


    The Shaman King stared at yer for a good couple of minutes before asking solemnly, "Who the heck are you? I can''t even see the depth of your strength."


    "Well, someone at the peak?" yer tilted his head, saying casually, "That might be a good way to put it. But you see¡­"


    He continued speaking, "There are countless worlds out there. Some of them are weak, some are strong, some are mysterious, some are terrifying, and some are simply endless. There are all sorts of worlds out there. And, I want to¡­"


    "Control them?" The Shaman King interjected.


    "Rightly said so." yer''s eyes widened in surprise beforeughing aloud, "You''re pretty terrifying as a Shaman King. Even among all the Shaman Kings I''ve witnessed, you''re in a league of your own."


    "Honestly, I don''t wish to see you die due to thew that restricts your life to a century."


    "That is the very samew that empowers me to be this strong." The Shaman King said in confidence, "Even against you, I''m confident in injuring you before I''m killed. No Pseudo-Saint is ever capable of that."


    "That is true," yer nodded before proposing, "So, I have an interesting thing nned here."


    He then made eye contact with the Shaman King, "Why don''t you¡­be a Human?"


    "A Human?" The Shaman King frowned, asking, "Are you a Principal Arbiter?"


    "Yeah." yer nodded. "With my strength, I''ll be able topletely convert you into a Human, including your profession."


    "But, that''s useless." The Shaman King said, "Through this conversion, I''ll lose the support of the Shaman profession. So, it''s a futile effort."


    "Not necessarily," yer spoke all of a sudden, extending his hand to reveal a swirling mass of Mental Energy, hidden in the centre of which was a sphere with hundreds of spikes, the ends of which turned into threads of Mental Energy that danced slowly.


    It was a Coordinate. And considering the substance that had been infused into it, the resultant was a System.


    "Hmm, this is that entity I felt inside Teh." The Shaman King muttered when suddenly, yer unleashed a mana fluctuation that transmitted some details to him, causing him to nod in response, ''I see, so that''s a System.''


    He then noticed yer panting in response, feeling like he had taken damage somehow. But a few secondster, he recovered back to full health, saying as extended the swirling mass of Mental Energy, "By taking this in yourself, you''ll be able to surpass your current self. Though not by much, if what I predicted is right, there''s a chance."


    "Sounds interesting." The Shaman King smiled as he grabbed hold of the swirling mass of Mental Energy, or at least, that was what he tried to do, twitching awkwardly when his hands simply passed through it.


    Even though he could sense it thanks to him being supported by his profession, he wasn''t able to make contact with it yet.


    "I''ll help with that," yer said, gently seeping the System into the Shaman King''s body as immediately after, a sonorous sound resounded in the Shaman King''s mind.


    [Initiating the Totem System]


    "Totem¡­?" The Shaman King muttered in surprise, staring at yer.


    "I''ve been experimenting with the Shaman Kings of the past. Well, only some of them though. Not everyone cooperated with me." yer said, "So, thanks to their inputs, I''ve been sessful in creating it."


    "So, what''s the n now?" The Shaman King asked, clenching his hand into a fist, unable to feel any difference in his powers due to the arrival of the Totem System.


    "It''s a simple process." yer began to speak, watching the Shaman King''s eyes widen in shock the longer he spoke.


    Eventually, the Shaman Kingughed, patting yer''s shoulder, "You''re a mad man! I love it!"


    "You''re by far the first Shaman King to be this interested in this," yer said, genuinely impressed by the other party.


    "Well, once I die, my race pretty much returns to their old selves once again." The Shaman King shrugged, "Since I had nothing better to do, I nned to invade some Kingdoms, knock up the women of multiple races and simply increase the number of Goblins until my death. But this¡­"


    "Is more interesting."


    "And also¡­" He continued, stating in confidence, "I feel there is a meaning to this, unlike my existence."


    "Thank you." yerughed, pointing at the Ruin of Amagoth far away, "Let''s get going, shall we?"


    "Turn me into a human now." The Shaman King said as immediately, the entirety of his mana burst out of his body before it was swallowed by the Totem System in his body.


    yer erected a barrier around them to prevent the other Demons from sensing their actions, watching the Shaman King condense the entirety of his power, authority, and protection from the Shaman profession into the Totem System.


    In response, the Totem System did something to his bloodline as yer took the chance, erecting arge magic circle filled to the brim with runes shing with a dense concentration of mana, hundreds of times what a Saint wielded.


    Immediately, the Shaman King''s body began to shrink in response, rapidly turning into a human as the magic circle was slowly shrinking into him, pausing as yer asked, "What profession do you wish to have as a Human?"


    "Cartographer, nothing else." The Shaman King spoke.


    "Alright," yer didn''t question further as the magic circle vanished,pleting the race change as the Shaman King was now a Pseudo-Saint Cartographer.


    "This is aplete transformation. Feels great to be part of a different race." The Shaman King smiled as he entered the Ruin of Amagoth next, using his abilities as a cartographer as he reached the core in an hour, something the Demons had yet to achieve even after raiding it for a month.


    After all, there were too many Magic Beasts and traps in the ce. Typically, it would take at least a year to reach the core region unless a Saint took action, which wouldn''t happen, for the sealed entity was only a Pseudo-Saint. So, the Saints weren''t interested.


    "Who¡­are you?" Teh was shocked to see a human arrive first, despite those raiding the Ruin of Amagoth were all Demons.


    In response to her question, the Shaman King stared at the humandy before him, smiling as he said, "Call me Regriel."

 Chapter 620 How I Met Her…

    Chapter 620 How I Met Her¡­¡¡¡¡"I''ll save you." The Shaman King, now going by the name of Regriel as a Human Cartographer said as immediately, the map of the entire mausoleum shed in his mind.


    He extended his palm forward, condensing a magic circle that projected the map of the mausoleum as soon after, the projection morphed, disying the runes forming its structure.


    ''He can peer into the secrets of this ce?'' Teh was shocked, taking a second nce at Regriel. Cartographers were able to inherit information from the verynd itself. But, it also varied based on their proficiency and sensitivity.


    So, even Pseudo-Saints weren''t able to inherit information from manmade structures like the Ruin of Amagoth.


    But, Regriel proved otherwise, actually disying the entirety of the secrets of the Ruin of Amagoth to her, showing that he wasn''t your average Cartographer.


    "It''s this part, right?" He then pointed at a set of runes at the centre, asking Teh, "Are these the ones that are preventing you from leaving this ce?"


    "Yeah, to break the seal, I''ll need to either use its loopholes to seal someone else in my ce or use the blood of a thousand people to dye the floor crimson, which also works in breaking the seal," Teh said.


    Originally, she was a Titan, and hence, the Ruin of Amagoth had been created to seal her, as a Titan. But once she turned into a Human, it was struggling to seal her, for that wasn''t in its nature¡ªto seal a Human.


    So, as long as Teh went through with her n, she would be able to break out of the seal. But, Regriel''s arrival made things easier, especially since he was able to pry into the secrets of the seal.


    Regriel''s eyes lit up as countless runes shed through them before a subtle fluctuation emanated through the region, causing information streams to gush out and seep into the seal as suddenly, Teh grunted before looking around in surprise, failing to sense the seals on her anymore.


    "That''s it?" She was surprised, staring at Regriel to see the other party sweating intensely in response, which was indeed the case as only now did Regriel understand the extent of strength he casually wielded as the Shaman King.


    ''Freaking overpowered!'' He grunted as his mind worked in overdrive, using the information stream to redirect the sealing chains as he shouted at Teh, "Quick! We should get out of this ce before the chains grab you."


    "But, the Demons should have surrounded this ce, right? How would we escape even if we manage to exit the Ruin of Amagoth?" Teh asked, having been thinking about this all along. She hadn''t wholly be a Human after all.


    So, she was still able to harness the power of her Pseudo-Relics. She had more than one in store, for that was the power of her System¡ªRelic System.


    Regriel pointed a finger at her as his mana transformed into a set of runes that seeped into her mind. This was the power of the Cartographer profession where they were able to transmit information regarding the terrain to others in an instant.


    As Teh had whipped out a Pseudo-Relic with the power of a Human Space Mage before, he wanted to see if she could do it again even in her current state. That was what he was relying upon.


    Honestly, their escape n was wonky at best. But, that was his intention too.


    "Allow me! I''m a Space Mage!" Teh said as she grabbed hold of Regriel and focused on the map of the terrain that appeared in her mind, locking onto a ce in there as their figures disappeared.


    The stalled sealing chains were able to move once again as they rushed towards the centre, failing to find Teh as they thrashed about before moving forth.


    "Another Magic Beast for the taking!" A Demonughed, having just tamed a Grandmaster Magic Beast that proved pretty useful. But just as he was about to target another Magic Beast, mysterious chains drilled out of the ground andtched onto him.


    He was only a Grandmaster Tamer and hence wasn''t able to escape, vanishing as the chains dragged him towards the core where Teh had been sealed all along.


    But, it wasn''t him alone as every Demon within the Ruin of Amagoth was captured by the chains and sealed.


    It had been created to seal Teh, a Pseudo-Saint Titan, a royalty at that, possessing both the professions of Cmity and Immortal. This was not to mention she was a System Host with multiple Pseudo-Relics.


    Therefore, the amount of sealing strength required to seal her was enough to even trap a Saint. And now that such a strong power had nothing to seal, it made up for it with numbers, hence sealing all the Demons that had been raiding the Ruin of Amagoth.


    And with them sealed, the Ruin of Amagoth experienced changes, causing the traps and Magic Beasts there to change, now expressing the traits of the sealed Demons.


    "I''lle find you in two decades, Regriel." yer stood atop a hill, watching the figures of Regriel and Teh appearing underneath arge tree as they panted in exhaustion before breaking into a chuckle for having escaped from the Ruin of Amagoth.


    It seemed the crisis had allowed the two to hit it off well as they made their way towards the closest human Kingdom.


    yer stared at their backs as his gaze lingered on Regriel for a good couple of minutes, excited, "If this experiment is a sess, I''ll be able to kick off the rest of my ns."


    Sighing, he stared at the sky, "Finally, after so long. It has been such a frighteningly long journey, Arnark. This time, I hope I''ll be able to achieve what you had dreamed about."


    "No, saying something like this before I seed is the recipe for disaster." yer shook his head, sighing as he massaged his forehead, "It seems even I''m getting old."


    "Well, even immortals aren''t immune to the passage of times. Even if our body doesn''t grow old, our mind does, ever so gradually."

 Chapter 621 Regriel’s Change

    Chapter 621 Regriel¡¯s Change¡¡¡¡"Teh, I received information about a brand-new ruin. It''s a Lizardmen Kingdom that copsed mysteriously 800 years ago." Regriel burst into a house, stating excitedly, "I formed a team to explore it¡­"


    "Hold your horses, old man!" Teh snorted as she grabbed Regriel by the scruff of his cor, stopping his rushing figure as she dragged him back, "You''re a freaking Cartographer! You''re just rushing into your doom by visiting a ruin."


    "I''m a Pseudo-Saint though." Regriel tilted his head, "You know that the strongest that are active in the world are only Pseudo-Saints."


    "Yeah, but even a Novice Mage can wipe the floor with you. You''re damn weak." Teh retorted, unwilling to loosen her hold over him.


    "Two Grandmaster Wind Mages are apanying our party. So, we''ll be fine." Regriel protested in response, "We also have four Master Warriors to protect the group. So, nothing will happen to us."


    "Then, I''ll apany you." Teh said in anger, "With me around, even if something happens, I can escape with you¡­"


    "No!" Regriel raised his voice, startling her.


    "Mom¡­Dad¡­is something the issue?" An immature voice resounded as the door to the living room opened as a child walked in, donned in her sleeping wear, rubbing her eyes as she gazed their way.


    "You stay here¡­" Teh whispered in his eyes before picking her daughter up, patting her back until she fell asleep. After cing her on the bed, Teh awaited a bit to ensure that she wouldn''t get up before returning to the living room, watching Regriel seated there, calmly sipping some coffee.


    "We''ll¡­talk tomorrow. There''s still time." Regriel said, expressing that he didn''t have the mood for an argument now.


    "Alright, take care of the house." Teh said, donning an overcoat as she grabbed a bag and her purse, exiting the house, "I need to purchase some groceries."


    "Take your time," Regriel said, hearing the door close as Teh made her way to the market.


    There was a stillness to the house due to theck of noise as Regriel continued to sit in the same ce, his expression conflicted, muttering slowly, "Did I¡­do the right thing back then?"


    Sighing, he set the coffee mug on the nearby table before making his way into the bedroom, staring at the sleeping face of his daughter, Gehera.


    It had been eight years since he and Gehera escaped the Ruin of Amagoth. Eventually, they married and had a kid.


    But, this was where things deviated from the n.


    Originally, after they mated, once a child began to grow in Teh''s womb, he would fall sick as his Shaman powers would gradually flow into the child. Thanks to the Totem System, they had been retained in his bloodline until now, moving into the child through his seed.


    Eventually, he would die once their child was birthed. And this was where their n began, for he would reincarnate as his child, inheriting traits from both parents.


    Teh wasn''t aware of this, but her Relic System was actually created by yer and given to her. And the goal of this System was simply to pass on the powers of her bloodline to her child.


    This way, her child would inherit the profession of Immortal, preventing her from dying after gaining the powers of the Shaman King too. The two Systems would fuse to result in that.


    After being born, Gobugobumon would be the Shaman King once again, but this time, he wouldn''t die after a century, thanks to the power of the Immortal profession keeping him alive. And, once he bes an adult, yer woulde to visit him.


    But, this was where things deviated from the n.


    Originally, as the Shaman King, Gobugobumon didn''t have much of an emotion or even purpose. After all, he was aware that everything he did was futile. At least, if there was a possibility that the evolved Goblins would retain their evolution even after his death, his life would have meaning.


    But unfortunately, even Goblin Lords would regress into mere Goblins immediately after his death. Meaning that, no matter what he did, nothing would change.


    This was why the Shaman King just aimlessly wished to increase the number of Goblins by attacking the other Kingdoms and knocking up as many women from other races as possible, aware that whatever he did, nothing would change in the end.


    As Goblins didn''t even care about one another, the level of emotions the Shaman King could feel was low, too basic to even care about. This was why he was pretty enthusiastic about yer''s n.


    But, once he wholeheartedly be a Human, he was able to feel myriad emotions, at a deeper, stronger level. Moreover, as a Cartographer, due to his talents and insight into things as the Shaman King, he was able to delve deeper into the knowledge of the world or any item.


    Even if he grabbed hold of a sword, he was able to inherit information about the cksmith that had hammered the sword nonstop, the people that had wielded it, transported it, peddled it, etc.


    So, since he was able to inherit so much information even from simple items, what of the System that was growing in Teh''s womb, the fusion of the Relic System and the Totem System?


    Moreover, his child.


    As a human, when he inherited information regarding his child, for some reason, his heart ached as he was able to sense the life growing in her tiny body. It was when a certain thought resounded in his mind, ''Do I have to rece my child?''


    He shuddered, abhorring the thought, unable to digest it as he was somehow¡­repulsed by the notion, something a Goblin wouldn''t ever think about.


    It didn''t even take much thinking after that as Regriel simply let go, severing his chances of reincarnation as he watched his child growing step by step in his wife''s womb before eventually being birthed.


    Staring at the tiny baby that Teh ced in his hands, he had been overwhelmed by emotions at that time, feeling that he had made the right choice. After all, for the first time since he had been born, he felt the most fulfilling.


    "This life has meaning." Now, staring at the sleeping figure of his six-year-old daughter, Regriel patted her forehead gently, sensing the Personal Fragment that was growing in Gehera''s body.


    He had destroyed the System''s mind, and turned it into a Relic, ensuring it became her Personal Fragment. Following that, he sealed it, unwilling for yer to find her. After all, his objectives had changed.

 Chapter 622 For I’m The Reason

    Chapter 622 For I¡¯m The Reason¡¡¡¡Even though destroying a System was impossible, killing its mind was a simple process. After all, he only needed a Relic to achieve that.


    Among the System yers that had convened in the meeting with yer, it was yer that worked on harnessing the thoughts, wills, and emotions of the Systems growing in their minds, transferring them into their respective Relics/Pseudo-Relics.


    The System yers that had reached level 99 too had the same capability. Of course, such a power originated from the Shaman profession in the first ce.


    And only Shaman Kings had that. That was why, there was a good chance yer managed to create Relics from the Shaman Kings of the past that were now wielded by all the System yers that had reached the peak, allowing them to do this.


    Of course, as a Shaman King himself, Regriel was aware of the ways to do it. And unlike the previous generations of Shaman King, he was a Cartographer, capable of deciphering all details regarding things he perceived.


    And through that, he had long since delved into the secrets of the Systems. And when his perspective on things changed, so did his ns. So, when he and Teh mated, the Totem System flowed into her womb through his seed while her Relic System had arrived there in the first ce.


    But just when the two Systems were about to fuse, a mysterious power burst out of the Totem System that enveloped the two, resulting in their fused state to be a Totem, a Pseudo-Relic.


    Moreover, as the womb developed a child that inherited this totem, something mystical happened. They had gone against the natural fate, achieving something that wasn''t deemed possible.


    And hence, a concept was birthed in the forming baby''s mind, growing a fragment of the Main Character System.


    This was when Regriel fused the fragment into the totem, turning it into a Personal Fragment. Even until then, it had been Teh''s, for it was happening in her womb.


    But once birthed, Teh lost her powers as a System Host and wasn''t even a System yer. She only possessed the Pseudo-Relics that she had originally created using the Relic System.


    The birthed child Gehera now possessed a Personal Fragment that was a totem Pseudo-Relic, capable of automatically siphoning all System fragments that grew in her mind to devour and strengthen itself.


    Moreover, Regriel didn''t wish for her to be controlled by such a power, understanding that the only way to truly wield the power of her Personal Fragment was by being a Cartographer like him.


    And thanks to that, he ensured that she was born a Cartographer.


    Bang!


    Suddenly, Teh rushed into her home, flustered as she panted, rming Regriel that got up in response, asking her in a hurry, "What happened?"


    "It''s¡­" Teh was just about toment before realising that she hadn''t told Regriel about her past, deciding between each other to not pry into each other''s past.


    So, she couldn''t just tell him that she just came across some Goblins on her way to the market. Shaking her head, Teh said, "It''s nothing. I was just being paranoid."


    "It''s definitely not nothing." Regriel said, approaching her as he held her shoulder, "I promised to not pry into your past. But this doesn''t seem like the time to uphold it. Your emotions wouldn''t be such a mess if it wasn''t something serious."


    "Shouldn''t you be aware by now?" Teh suddenly snapped in response, ring at him, "How long are you nning to act ignorant?"


    "W-What?" Regriel was stunned, wondering what Teh was going about now.


    "You''re a genius among geniuses as a Cartographer¡­" Teh said slowly, "Whether it''s animate or inanimate, you''re able to draw out information from them through touch alone. And, we''ve been together for eight years now¡­"


    Her eyes moistened as she stared at him, "Shouldn''t you be aware of everything about me by now?"


    "Yeah¡­" Regriel let out a long breath of air, nodding in response. As Gobugobumon, he didn''t know much about Teh. But as Regriel, he indeed came to learn more about her, having a better understanding of her nature than herself.


    "But, I can''t read your memories." Regriel said, looking at her, "So, you''ll have to tell me. Otherwise, I won''t be able to grasp the entire picture."


    "It''ll take me hours to days to puzzle through the information that a couple of minutes of talking would give." He motioned for her to be seated, giving her a ss of water to calm down first.


    Only after a good ten minutes was she able to calm down enough to begin talking, "I''m a princess of the Trotak Kingdom, ruled by the Titans. I''m sure you already know of this fact."


    "About you being a Titan¡­yes." Regriel nodded.


    "Then¡­" Her eyes widened in shock as she couldn''t help but ask, "Gehera¡­aren''t you wondering how she''s born?"


    Teh almost pulled her hair in vexation, "I''ve been trying to think about it all along, but couldn''t make sense of it. It''s impossible for those from different races to mate with each other. Even the Goblins only produce Goblins despite mating with other races."


    "And, Gehera is a human child, through and through." Teh said in worry, looking at him,ughing wryly upon seeing that he was calm, "So, you''re aware of the reason."


    "Yes," Regriel nodded, watching Teh almost be mad in frustration for having bottled everything up for so long, calming her down as he said, "For, I am the reason she''s able to be born in the first ce."


    "Haha, that makes sense." Eventually, Teh epted it, for she had no other choice. She then recalled what she had originally been about, saying, "When I was walking towards the market, I chanced upon two Hobgoblins conversing with one another. And, their conversation was what flustered me."


    She took in deep breaths, trying her best to calm down before conveying the information she had heard, "The Goblin Lords had been performing a Shamanic Ritual to figure out the status of the Shaman King and managed toplete it just recently."


    "And, they found out that the Shaman King was dead, which is absurd!" She hollered in the end, "If the Shaman King is dead, how the heck haven''t they reverted back to being Goblins?"

 Chapter 623 I Know Why I’m Called Regriel

    Chapter 623 I Know Why I¡¯m Called Regriel¡¡¡¡Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Thunderous sounds resounded as a group of Goblins chased after Teh, shouting from time to time.


    "That''s princess Teh! Capture her! She must know about the Shaman King!"


    The Goblins too wondered the reason they still maintained their evolution despite losing their Shaman King, realising that all answers would be discovered through Teh, for it was in search of her did the Shaman King leave his kingdom behind.


    Therefore, even though she had be a Human, they were still able to track her down. After all, she was a human only in appearance alone. She was in essence still a Titan.


    "Huff! Puff! Dammit, they''re persistent!" Teh grunted in exhaustion, trying her best to absorb as much of the ambient mana as possible to replenish her reserves. "No matter where I teleport, they''ve managed to follow us."


    "These aren''t your everyday Goblins." Regriel said in all seriousness, being carried by Teh on one hand, "They probably became part of a secret organisation. Otherwise, there''s no way they would be able to be on our tracks for so long, especially since we''ve been teleporting. There are multiple Space Mages involved."


    As a Cartographer, Regriel''s body was as weak as an average human. And in this high-speed chase, he of course couldn''t keep up. Therefore, Teh was carrying him. As a Titan, carrying a human wasn''t even an effort, despite still being in her human form.


    Simrly held in her other hand was Gehera, now an adult, who expressed her worry while looking at their chasers, "Why¡­are they chasing after us?"


    "I''m afraid the fault lies in me." Teh sighed, apologising, "I''m sorry, Gehera, Regriel. I''ve involved the both of you in something dangerous."


    "Haah!" Regriel massaged his forehead as suddenly, his eyes lit up with runes, causing the entire region to erupt with a dense stream of information, absorbing everything as he analysed all the details, muttering in the end, "No wonder. It wouldn''t make sense otherwise."


    "What do you mean?" Teh asked in shock, watching Regriel act differently all of a sudden.


    "It''s been a while¡­" Regriel stared at the sky, facing a location where there was nothing. But a couple of secondster, a figure appeared, "yer."


    ''W-Who is that?'' Teh stopped running, struggling to breathe as her mana failed to listen to hermands. She wasn''t even able to move, feeling an oppressive pressure mming down on her, preventing her from budging an inch.


    "Mom! What happened to you?" Gehera asked in rm, watching her mother''s face paling all of a sudden as she stopped running.


    It was obviously done by yer. But he didn''t focus on Teh or Gehera, instead staring at yer, "Why¡­did you go against me, Regriel?"


    "I had nned to support your rise to be a God."


    "Stop lying." Regriel snorted in disdain, "Why do you bullshit even when there''s no reason for you to do so?"


    "Hmm, howe people buy when he does the same but retort like this when it''s from me?" yer muttered, scratching his cheeks. He then looked at Regriel, "Now, I''m curious. What do you think I had nned originally?"


    "Exactly this situation," Regriel said, watching yer''s face beam into a cheerful smile. "You knew that my mind would change once I be a human. And under influence of a human heart, I''ll take a sequence of decisions that leads to the current situation."


    "So, you knew." yer muttered, "Or is that why you picked the Cartographer profession? There has never been a God birthed from this profession, so I was thinking you only selected it because it piqued your interest. It seems there''s more to it."


    ''So, Gehera is indeed his objective from the start.'' Regriel sighed, ''I had been devising ns to safeguard her, but he ended up discovering us in the end anyway. Twenty years is too little a time to n against the ruler of this world.''


    "Regriel¡­what is happening?" Teh muttered in shock, "Who is that¡­? What n? What decision?"


    "You said the Goblins are chasing because of you, right?" Regriel sighed as he slowly extricated himself from her hold, gently poking a couple of needles in both her and Gehera, allowing them to move once again.


    They were actually totems in the shape of needles, something he had prepared using his knowledge as the Shaman King.


    ''He still has something like this up his sleeve?'' yer was pleasantly surprised,ughing aloud, "As expected, you''re interesting."


    "Stand behind me," Regriel whispered to Teh, "And be prepared to teleport Gehera out of this ce. A location would pop up in your mind soon."


    He then observed all the Goblins arrive at a halt thirty metres away from them as yer forbade them from interfering. With him here, escape was impossible for them anyway.


    Suddenly, Regriel broke into a smile as a piece of information appeared in his mind, startling yer as he said, "I now understand why you named me Regriel after giving me this new form."


    "You want to be the champion of fate that wins against these¡­Devils, am I right?" He grinned, "And, Regriel just so happens to be the first of these¡­Devils that are supposed to die in your conquest."


    The ce they were at was a forest stretch right before the Calore ins. Regriel noticed caravan tracks far away, smiling as he didn''t hint at them, ''I''ll leave my daughter to you, Compass Carburettor.''


    Suddenly, the image of a certain city shed in Teh''s mind as she hurriedly activated her Pseudo-Relic, intending to transport Gehera away.


    But of course, yer wouldn''t allow her to teleport away, intending to lock the space when Regriel took out a totem and stabbed it into the ground, causing cryptic runes to sh around, preventing anyone from tracking the spatial mana traces and follow after Gehera, including yer.


    "You¡­damn!" yer expressed anger for the first time as his figure shed, intending to grab Gehera before she was teleported away, shocked when his body paused abruptly.


    And standing before him was Regriel, grinning as his clothes slowly tore off, revealing the tattoos that shed all over his body.


    "You¡­!" yer was shocked.


    "Hehe!" Regrielughed, "Unlike what the Human race thinks, Cartographer is the profession with the greatest potential. Unfortunately, none of you can ever tap into its secrets."


    His body ruptured, transforming into a totem as a mausoleum began to form around yer, trapping him within as Regriel grinned, "You''re not the Main Character."


    "So, stop imitating Compass already, will you? It''s cringe."


    Ruin of Amagoth!

 Chapter 624 Legendary Ruin of Amagoth

    Chapter 624 Legendary Ruin of Amagoth¡¡¡¡"You think your Ruin of Amagoth is enough to trap me?" yer calmed down quickly as he stared at the dissipating figure of Regriel that had used the entirety of his being to unleash this power. "I''ll break out of this soon enough. Just you see. Your daughter''s power will be mine."


    "Unfortunately, that won''t be happening." Regriel grinned all of a sudden, "This Ruin of Amagoth will exist in an entirely different dimension. It would constantly sap away your strength to birth Magic Beasts."


    "You''re free to do as you please, but no matter what you do, you''ll eventually lose all your power." Regriel roared inughter as his figure vanished, "This is the ultimate Ruin of Amagoth that I prepared exclusively for you."


    "Even if you were to steal my daughter''s power, you''ll end up losing it too."


    "What the¡­?" yer was shocked to see the mausoleum surrounding him vanish as immediately, he grunted, feeling part of his power had been siphoned. Even though this was a tiny fragment that didn''t affect his overall strength, eventually, it would eat him uppletely.


    It might take a few thousand years, but it will happen in the end.


    Unlike Teh, yer wasn''t sealed anywhere, for Regriel was aware that it would be futile. There were ways to destroy the Ruin of Amagoth. And considering their power differences, yer might be able to break through it within a year or two.


    That wasn''t even enough time for his daughter to grow strong, for considering the means yer possessed, he would find her immediately after.


    Instead, he could only hit yer where it hurt the most, unleashing an effect that would continue to eat away at his umtions for all eternity.


    And this was a power unleashed using the support of both the Shaman and the Cartographer Professions, as a second before his death, Regriel had be a Cartographer Saint, gaining protection from this profession too, allowing him to truly unleash such a mighty seal.


    It had to be noted that as a nonbat profession, even Pseudo-Saints among Cartographers were rare, not to mention a Saint. There probably wasn''t even a Cartographer Saint in the entire world at the moment; that was how rare they were, for they were an auxiliary profession.


    "Dad!" Gehera screamed, thest scene she witnessed before being teleported away was of her dad''s body crumbling into a chain of runes that coiled around yer.


    Boom!


    yer''s power chased after her, intending to grab her but missed the perfect window already. Left with no other choice, he could only prevent Teh from leaving too.


    ''Is this why you asked me to send her first?'' Teh closed her eyes, understanding Regriel''s intentions. Since the window of time he could buy was only long enough to teleport away one person, he prioritised Gehera over her.


    She was happy that he valued Gehera''s life over everything, sacrificing himself to obtain it, but at the same time, she was somewhat sad that he didn''t try to buy time for her to escape too, "What a conflicting thing to worry about¡­"


    She sighed, copsing to the ground as she stared at the angry face of yer, her eyes widening in surprise as she muttered, "I see, so you were that Demon. I was surprised since you look like a human now¡­"


    Swish!


    A sma de severed her neck, vaporising her lower body instantly as the contract between the two was nullified, causing her to revert into a Titan.


    "Capture her and use her for your needs¡­" yer said, cing a System in Teh''s body as he stared at two Birdmen that had arrived, "Do whatever you want with her."


    "Thank you, Lord." Saint Calvos bowed in response before carrying Teh''s Titan head to the Talon Secret Organisation, beginning his preparations to create the gue Doctor profession.


    Teh remained silent after that, unable to escape as the two Birdmen Saints used their power as a Witch to prevent her from regenerating her body.


    ¡­


    ''It makes sense now.'' Compass Carburettor nodded, having looked through most of Teh''s memories as he gained a good grasp of the situation.


    Gehera was a bonafide System yer, but it was just that her powers were sealed by Regriel to avoid detection by yer.


    Moreover, the power of the Titan in her had to be activated through the power of the Shaman wielded by the Goblin Race.


    So, only by essing both sides would Gehera activate her Personal Fragment and gain ess to all the power that Regriel had prepared for her.


    Until now, her Personal Fragment only took action in things concerning her mother, for that was in rtion to a Titan, one of the two requirements.


    Simrly, if they were to go to the Goblin Kingdom where Regriel originated from, the seal on her power would dissipate.


    ''But, first things first¡­'' He thought as he¡ªthe Dragon Bullet¡ªopened his mouth to gobble up the Coordinate in her head, instantly destroying the System before digesting the Coordinate, sensing his powers growing stronger.


    He wished to free Teh immediately but didn''t have the appropriate means to dispel the Witchcraft on her. It meant that even if he were to bring her away, she would only remain a Titan head.


    And, carrying a Titan head with them was unnerving, to say the least, not to mention that it would paint arge target on them.


    Moreover, Compass Carburettor came to realise that the Talon Secret Organisation was just one of the Secret Organisations under yer. There were plenty of them, with each performing a variety of tasks, all under his control.


    This was why Saint Calvos and Saint Balvador dared to create the gue Doctor profession, for they had his backing and the numerous Secret Organisations under him.


    Compass Carburettor then stared at Boznan Burnak, unable to understand the motives of the other party. He still wasn''t sure if this Guardian Saint of the Burnak Kingdom would be able to protect his Kingdom from yer''s wrath in the likelihood of him obstructing this n.


    ''But first things first.'' Compass Carburettor thought, feeling a tad nervous as he unleashed a Mental Energy stream, contacting his number one priority.


    [Brat, where are you now?]

 Chapter 625 System Slayer Auction

    Chapter 625 System yer Auction¡¡¡¡''What happened now?'' Stencil frowned, sensing nervousness from her father''s voice, which was strangely unusual. After all, even when he was chased by the entire group of Systems forming the Luck Genre, he didn''t sound this nervous.


    "Is something the matter?" Wayna looked at her, asking in concern upon staring at her frown.


    "No, it''s nothing." Stencil shook her head, smiling a little before whispering, "What does everyone do here usually?"


    "I''m just not sure what to do now that I''ve gifted Aronaut."


    "Ohh, about that¡­" Wayna thought for a moment before smiling in response, "Well, it''ll be interesting. Just keep watching."


    "Ohh¡­alright." Stencil nodded before replying to Compass Carburettor.


    [Dad, everything''s fine here. Don''t worry too much. If anything happens, I''ll inform you immediately, alright?]


    [Fine, but be quick about it. I''ll be there instantly to protect you.]


    [I know, dad.]


    ''It seems something has happened for him to be this serious.'' Stencil thought, turning serious as she began to consider the possibilities. What existed in this world that could make the Main Character nervous?


    It definitely wasn''t a System, since without the Restriction Order, irrespective of the type of System that arrives, they could casually use the System World to leave this world and head elsewhere.


    Without their mobility restricted, they wouldn''t be ced in a dangerous state.


    So, if the cause wasn''t Systems, then would it be System yers?


    Stencil felt the possibility wasn''t high as no matter how strong a System yer was, the same argument in regards to Systems could be made. If they weren''t strong enough, they could simply escape to the System World.


    ''This only leaves one entity¡­'' Stencil sighed in the end, staring at the amicably smiling face of yer, ''Of course, as even the first Main Character is his disciple, he should be the only one that can make my dad nervous.''


    Her thoughts came to a halt as Aronaut cupped his fists before everyone, "To those I promised return gifts, give me a month to procure them. Following that, I''ll apany the rest one after another to the world of your desire to help you."


    "It''s our pleasure," The rest of the System yers cupped their fists in response.


    "Now that we''re done with this," yer smiled as he pped his hand once, "We''ll now host an Auction. If you wish to put up any items for auctioning, head to the room beside to deposit them. I''ll take them out one after another."


    Immediately at his words, the System yers headed to the nearby room to casually ce the items there that they wished to sell. Most seemed used to this, having been visiting here every decade.


    The rest followed after the veterans, soon exiting the room.


    "Come with me, I''ll show you the ropes," Wayna said, dragging Stencil with her as they entered the room, staring at the pir in the centre of the empty room. Pointing at it, Wayna said, "We usually keep our items here."


    She then took out a System Fragment that she ced on the top of the pir, watching it vanish soon after, smiling to say, "The items would be stored in another dimension from which teacher would take them out one after another to auction. He doesn''t even take anymission fees to do this, so it''s the best."


    "Do you wish to auction anything?" Wayna asked next.


    "Sis, I''m broke." Stencil rolled her eyes grandly, "I gave the only thing I had to Aronaut."


    "Haha, right, you''ve only be a yer recently." Wayna chuckled in response, bringing Stencil out of the room.


    ''Everyone seems pretty excited.'' Stencil thought, noticing most of the System yers eyeing the veteran System yers in excitement. It was apparent that they had put up good items that they hoped the veterans wouldpete against each other to bid for and raise the price as high as possible.


    yer eyed everyone before speaking, "The majority here are True System yers, and hence can store arge amount of Mental Energy. But, you all remember the time when were had just be System yers, barely able to store any Mental Energy in our bodies. Even if we obtain a Core Skill, we alwayscked enough Mental Energy to use them freely. And hence,"


    He condensed an item in his hands, one that resembled a cylinder, "A Personal Fragment add-on that can store up to a hundred thousand Mental Energy. You can easily attach it to your Personal Fragments without any issues. I''ll put this up to start the auction."


    He looked at those among the group that weren''t True System yers, eyeing Stencil too in the process, "This is for the lot of you. Feel free to bid for it."


    "2¡­Silver Minda¡­?" A System yer seated almost at the very back raised his hand, stating hesitantly.


    Upon seeing that he wasn''t cast judgemental stares by the True System yers, he sighed in relief. Immediately after, another System yer made the bid.


    As no True System yer participated, the wealth put forth wasn''t much. After thinking of something Stencil participated in the bidding war, but never tried to win.


    After all, she wasn''tfortable in getting that Add-on or whatever yer had mentioned. If she truly wanted something like that, she could be shameless and ask Gahrat to make one for her.


    As the Lord of Creation, as long as she was aware of the existence of such an item, she should be capable of creating it.


    But, Stencil still acted like it was a waste when she couldn''t win the item in the end as a fellow System yer bid the highest.


    yer attached the cylinder to the System yer''s Personal Fragment, ensuring no problems would arise as he said, watching the System yer digest the relevant information, "Once you be a True System yer, it would be useless for you. Give it over to someone else that needs it then."


    "I will do that." The System yer nodded in excitement, paying a price of eighty Silver Minda, which only amounted to 8000 Mental Energy, a paltry sum for Stencil that blew it up casually to purchase Skills from the Astral Network.

 Chapter 626 Is That…Compass Carburettor?

    Chapter 626 Is That¡­Compass Carburettor?¡¡¡¡yer began the auction by selling a cheap item. The item, though useful, wasn''t of any significance to the True System yers. And those that wished to purchase it didn''t have enough financial power to spend on it.


    Therefore, eighty Silver Minda was a paltry sum. But aware of that, yer had only put it up to start the auction on a lighter note and also as a means to help the weaker System yers.


    He then snapped his finger, causing a tiny coin to fall out from the space where the auction items were kept. He observed it, eyes lighting up as he said, "This is a System Fragment originating from the Mechanical Keyboard System at Level 36."


    He looked at others, shaking his head, "It''s not a Core Skill though. You''ll only be able to use this System Fragment once. But, the ability works the best in scientific and showbiz worlds."


    "Starting price is 1 Silver Minda."


    Quite a few expressed their intention to buy it as the price shot up automatically. Soon, it reached a high enough price and was sold. yer brought out items one after another, observing the actions of everyone, ''I should sell the information of some Systems I''ve been collecting. A little push and more will cross Level 50.''


    "28 Gold Minda¡­sold!"


    The price of the item reached a high level already as the item was a Pseudo-Relic. Even though it was the most basic among Pseudo-Relics, it was still useful, hence fetching such a high price. Had it been more useful, the veterans would have participated too, causing the price to balloon up even further.


    yer was just about to bring out one of the highlight items for the auction, something put up by a Level 70 System yer when suddenly, he stood up in shock, "What the¡­?"


    After all, the System he had ced in Teh''s body vanished mysteriously. Only then did he realise what was up, recalling Regriel''s smirk during the final moments of his life. ''You¡­were counting on the Main Character all along?''


    It was absurd since yer had ensured the possibility was nil. After all, just to avoid such a fate, yer had purposefully named the Shaman King''s human form Regriel, the first System Host that Compass Carburettor had killed.


    This was to take advantage of the Main Character''s fate, luck, etc. and ensure that he wouldn''te across Gehera or take part in the scheme he had concocted.


    He had done the same many times in the past while dealing with the other Main Characters. And hence, he was assured that Compass Carburettor wouldn''t be interfering with his ns. He had been confident in it.


    Unfortunately, he hadn''t predicted that Compass Carburettor alone wasn''t the Main Character, but just one of the four that existed. Moreover, unlike the other Main Characters that had active Core Skills, his Core Skill was the power of Lore.


    Meaning, Compass Carburettor had the power to dictate and shape his fate as he pleases. This was why yer''s subtle preparations didn''t even affect him, causing him to tantly stumble upon Gehera and be involved in her affairs.


    The other Main Characters might have not chanced upon her at all. Or even if they did, Gehera might have been killed by that thug.


    And now, he understood that Regriel had been counting on Compass Carburettor all along to save his daughter. After all, if there existed a chance, then only the Main Character had the possibility to go against yer.


    And this was a fact that yer didn''t like. For, going against a tremendously overpowered foe to survive and win eventually was the essence of being the Main Character. Now, he was pushed into bing that overpowered foe.


    Taking this side meant that his defeat was imminent. And hence, he didn''t even hesitate to raise his hand and point at Stencil, unleashing a mystical power that intended to capture her.


    ''Since you dare interfere with my ns, don''t me me for being impolite. You care about your daughter more than everything, right?'' yer thought as the mystical power mmed into Stencil, shocking everyone, for they couldn''t understand why yer was behaving strangely all of a sudden, attacking one of their own.


    But, the thought hadn''t even resounded in their minds fully when the situation changed.


    The Dragon Bullet hiding inside Stencil manifested into reality, suddenly covering itself with the same mystical power that yer had unleashed.


    "What the¡­? Isn''t that my power?" yer was shocked.


    The appearance of the Dragon Bullet stunned everyone, for it emerged from Stencil, a newbie System yer.


    As it had defended her, Stencil got the time to take action, immediately transforming into the Happy-Go-Lucky System to protect herself with all her Luck. This way, she was capable of affecting cause and effect to survive an all-out attack from yer.


    Boom!


    The Dragon Bullet suddenly grew stronger as it transformed into the silhouette of a man who red at everyone.


    "W-What is this?" Wayna was stunned as she sensed her Personal Fragment crying from within in excitement, trembling as it wished to leave her and head to the silhouette.


    "This feeling¡­" Aronaut frowned as he stared at Stencil, eyes widening as he slowly muttered, "I see, it makes sense now."


    "Yaka is actually Stencil in disguise."


    "She''s Stencil?" Faluda eximed in surprise, unable to recognise her. He had met Stencil on Earth and as the one that had turned Compass Carburettor into a System yer, he felt like he should have been able to recognise her.


    But now, he observed Stencil transforming into a System, a Luck System at that, exhibiting its power in its entirety.


    Happy-Go-Lucky System¡ªLevel 88!


    Stencil erupted with tremendous power, suffocating most in the room as Faluda was shocked, ''How did she be this strong in such a short interval?''


    Simultaneously, everyone gazed at the silhouette that had manifested itself around Stencil as the same thought resounded in all their minds, causing them to gulp nervously as their gazes alternated between yer and the silhouette, wondering what was happening.


    "Is that¡­Compass Carburettor?"


    "He was alive?"

 Chapter 627 Battle of Slayers

    Chapter 627 Battle of yers¡¡¡¡"Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?" Compass Carburettor''s voice, containing a tinge of anger resounded in the room.


    "It was supposed to be something else, but¡­" yer closed his eyes, calming down his mixed emotions as he said, "You shouldn''t have interfered with my ns."


    "This n of yours¡­involves me, right?" Compass Carburettor said as his gaze slowly focused on his opponent, "The final stop of this n is¡­me, right?"


    "Hah¡­this is why you Main Characters are troublesome, always annoying." yer massaged his forehead in irritation before suddenly, intense killing intent billowed out of him, suffocating everyone in the room.


    "T-Teacher?" Wayna stared in shock, having never seen her teacher express anger even once, not to mention the terrifying extent disyed by yer now.


    Even though it seemed like he was ring at Compass Carburettor with killing intent, this was the first time they ever exchanged a proper dialogue. Such a level of killing intent didn''t make sense.


    Compass Carburettor was able to sense that yer wasn''t actually looking at him, but seemed to be expressing anger at something that had happened in the past, treating Compass Carburettor as the reason for that¡ªprobably the Main characters preceding him.


    [Brat, assume your Coordinate Form]


    [Alright]


    Stencil didn''t hesitate as she transformed into her human self but turned strangely ethereal. Her body was sucked into the Dragon Bullet that rode a Mental Energy stream and vanished, shocking everyone as none were even able to react.


    "Let''s go," yer said as veins popped all over his forehead. Immediately in response, five System yers stood up, shocking Aronaut as they seemed used to this, "We''re going on a hunt again."


    "Sir, what''s happening? What hunt?" Aronaut asked, controlling his thumping heart as he felt things suddenly stopped making sense anymore.


    He was stunned, rooted to the spot in shock upon seeing his fellow peers¡ªSystem yers that had reached Level 99¡ªall re at him simultaneously, staring at him like he was beneath them.


    rmed, his figure teleported away as simultaneously, five other spatial mana streams too shed about, cancelling his teleportation as Aronaut reappeared a couple of metres away.


    "Dammit, what''s happening with the lot of you?" Aronaut stared in shock, feeling a strange sense of foreboding that things weren''t the same anymore.


    "I told you that Compass was different from the other Main Characters. But, you were too overconfident, yer." One of the System yers that had reached the peak expressed her anger, "We invested way too much into this for him to steal everything at thest minute."


    "You shouldn''t have renamed Gobugobumon as Regriel."


    "You five head to the Talon Secret Organisation''s headquarters. He''s still there. Compass Carburettor isn''t strong enough to face us yet. Don''t allow him to grow anymore." yer said, watching all the System yers nervously huddle behind Aronaut. "I''ll handle this group ande after you."


    "What a waste. We spent more than a few centuries on nurturing them." The feminine voice expressed her irritation as the five System yers that had reached the peak vanished, teleporting towards the Talon Secret Organisation.


    "Why¡­are you doing this? Weren''t we allies?" Aronaut red at yer, "Wasn''t our goal tobine our strengths and protect ourselves from the Systems?"


    "Against Grade 1 Systems, yes. Against Grade 2 Systems, there''s a chance of survival. But," yer spoke calmly as a mystical power flowed out of him, sealing the space, extracting it into a different dimension, "There''s no possibility of survival against Grade 3 Systems."


    "The only way to go about it is to create your own world. But even with a world under you, it''s impossible to face a Grade 3 System that controls hundreds, if not thousands of worlds." yer spoke slowly as he closed in on Aronaut, smiling wryly as he said, "So, I need to do something about it, right?"


    "The Main Character System is the easiest way to achieve that. So¡­I''ve been collecting it all along in hopes of¡­multiplying it."


    Grade 2 Systems were capable of fragmenting themselves into billions. But Grade 1 Systems weren''t able to do this. Despite that, the Main Character System, a Grade 1 System was able to fragment itself.


    Anyone that defied their fate would notice a fragment of the Main Character System forming in them. Unfortunately, fragmenting into 10,000 pieces was the limit of the Main Character System.


    This was what yer didn''t like, wishing to create more fragments. But that didn''t seem to be his only goal as Aronaut shuddered in response, watching yer exude more and more power, gritting his teeth to say, "yer! I won''t hold back any longer!"


    "Don''t test my limits!"


    "I''ll be taking your Personal Fragment." yer spoke honestly as he looked at the others, "And that includes the Personal Fragments of all of you. Since Compass Carburettor interfered, there''s a definite possibility that this n might fail. So, I''ll wait until he''s dead before recreating it again."


    "This is why the Main Characters are annoying. Anyway," He massaged his forehead before tilting his head, letting out a turbid breath of air, "I''ve done this many times. Repeating it once more isn''t that big a deal."


    Boom!


    Mana burst out of his body as yer''s figure rapidly transformed into a hill-sized Titan as the room strangely expanded in volume to amodate him.


    Immediately, winds blew as rumbling sounds resounded. Aronaut stared solemnly as hundreds of tornadoes flew towards him like bullets, flickering with lightning.


    Core Skill¡ªShadow World (Level 99)!


    Aronaut activated one of his Core Skills, darkening the entire world as the tornadoes lost power, dissipating immediately as the mana in the air died out, reced by an entirely different power system''s energy, one of darkness.


    "Impressive!" yer muttered as he snapped his finger.


    Core Skill¡ªTemporal Art (Level 99)!


    Boom!


    The darkness cracked before shattering like ss, countering Aronaut''s power as the energy morphed once again, turning into a form of spirit energy typically seen in Cultivation Worlds.


    Core Skill¡ªSwarm (Level 99)!


    Aronaut wasn''t willing to leave things in yer''s favour, causing the space in the room to expand grandly, bing vast, grander than a world as countless creatures began to appear one after another, world-devouring in nature that swooped in on yer.


    "So, you were the one that killed that System¡­" yer nodded in understanding, "I had been aiming for it myself."


    Staring at the gigantic creatures as big as the moon, yer was dazed for a moment before he took out a tiny straw doll, snapping it in half.

 Chapter 628 Four True Conditions to Become the MC

    Chapter 628 Four True Conditions to Be the MC¡¡¡¡The moment yer snaped the straw doll in half, the vicious creatures that swarmed him exploded in a pool of blood. Their blood formed a tidal wave that streamed into the straw doll, turning it crimson.


    The straw doll seemed alive now as it stared at Aronaut, opening its mouth to unleash a baleful scream.


    "Gah!" The whites of his eyes were disyed as Aronaut almost lost consciousness. The screech of a baleful spirit resounded as the crimson doll appeared in his mind, rampaging around as it devoured any memories it came across.


    But immediately after, Aronaut calmed down, regaining consciousness as mystical chains wrapped around the crimson doll, corroding it as all the devoured memories returned to his mind.


    Aronaut had transformed into a Witch himself, erecting countless mirror-like barriers around himself to protect against Witchcraft.


    "You''ve truly absorbed everything I''ve imparted to you, Aronaut." yer smirked in response, watching Aronaut fare against him pretty well, "You''ve been mastering multiple professions just as I taught you."


    "Why¡­why are you doing this?" Aronaut was still unable to digest this fact, "You''ve taught me all the ins and outs of being a System yer, allowing me to gain multiple Personal Fragments and Core Skills. Was that all for vain?"


    "It wasn''t in vain, you see." yer said, sighing a little as he shook his head, "We were nning to talk to you regarding it after this session with the yers ended. Had we talked, you would have been convinced into joining us."


    "Unfortunately, that didn''t happen." He shook his head.


    "Then let''s talk now," Aronaut said, keeping his guard up, but unwilling to fight the other party. Even though he was faring well until now, he didn''t have the confidence in winning against yer.


    After all, the sole System yer to date that had killed and refined a Grade 2 System was yer.


    Though, he didn''t actually kill a Grade 2 System, for their true bodies always remained in the System World.


    Instead, yer went through with a roundabout method, killing all the Grade 1 Systems of a genre before steadily raising all their Core Skills to Level 99. Following that, he allowed them to reform in his mind and fuse together, resulting in all the Core Skillsbining to be a Grade 2 System.


    yer immediately destroyed its mind, absorbing it into his Relic, following which he gained possession over a Grade 2 Core Skill.


    It was through it that yer was able to create Systems of his own. Of course, he had to capture some weak Systems first before he modified them into the type of Systems he needed. He couldn''t control the Coordinates like the Main Character.


    The reason Aronaut was able to have more than ten Core Skills, a System yer''s limit, was thanks to yer. And, he was aware that as the oldest System yer, the majority of yer''s Core Skills were at level 99.


    This was not to mention his Grade 2 Core Skill which was on a whole other level. If that was used, then Aronaut would die instantly. Hence, he wished to talk, as much as possible and hope to avoid this conflict.


    "Why are those other five on your side? Aren''t they the same as me?" Aronaut said.


    "Well yeah, they are the same as you, Aronaut." yer nodded, thinking for a good couple of minutes before he spoke. During this duration, there was still silence as all System yers gulped nervously, hearing the sounds of their hearts thumping in their chests.


    "Let''s start from here¡­" yer muttered before staring at Aronaut, asking, "You know the fact that any System yer that reaches level 50 has a chance of bing the Main Character, right?"


    "Yes," Aronaut nodded, "When I reached level 50, there was already a Main Character. Hence, I didn''t be one and remained a System yer."


    "Then, what about when that Main Character died? Shouldn''t your qualifications automatically turn you into the Main Character?" yer asked, staring with a smile, "Why are you still a System yer then?"


    "This¡­" Aronaut turned silent. He had wondered about it many times but only thought that he didn''t have all the qualifications to be the Main Character. After all, when he learned about what the previous Main Characters had done, he realised that he wasn''t even the least simr to them nor as shy.


    "That''s where you''re wrong." yer seemed to have predicted what Aronaut was thinking, saying in all seriousness, "As long as you have a Main Character System fragment in your body, it means you have the qualifications already. Only those with the traits of the Main Character obtain a Main Character System fragment."


    "It just doesn''t make sense." Aronaut frowned, "I have three Personal Fragments, dozens of Core Skills, and almost a hundred System Fragments. Why haven''t I be the Main Character despite all that?"


    He then stared at yer, "And most of all, you''ve existed since the start. Why didn''t you be the Main Character?"


    "Because my story wasn''t interesting," yer said casually, confusing everyone that was hearing him.


    "What the¡­?" Aronaut stared incredulously, "What the heck does that mean?"


    "There are four actual qualifications necessary to be the Main Character." yer said, raising his index finger as he said, "First is to possess a Main Character fragment."


    "Second is to be aware of the trap created by the Systems in System yers. This is something you must figure out on your own. If it was told to you by someone else, you lose the qualifications immediately." He raised his middle finger.


    "That''s it¡­" The eyes of all the System yers here widened in surprise, for those that were at Level 50 and beyond now, yer had informed them in the past about the trapid out by the Systems. Thanks to that, they lost the qualifications to be the Main Character.


    yer then raised the ring finger, "This is something no one ever thinks about. But, they should have been the protagonists of their world."


    "But, haven''t we all been that?" Aronaut frowned.


    "Not without a System, that is." yer smirked, "Without it, most of you would have been nothing."


    "Then, how did Compass Carburettor be the Main Character?" Aronaut retorted, "We''ve all seen his growth. As a System Host, he was nothing much. His character was average even among the rest of us trashes that relied upon a System."


    "Then how?"


    "How did he be the Main Character?"

 Chapter 629 The Fourth, Most Important Condition

    Chapter 629 The Fourth, Most Important Condition¡¡¡¡"That''s where you''re wrong about something. Or at least, you''re partially right." yermended, nodding at Aronaut, "Compass Carburettor was indeed no different inparison to other System Hosts, but his System was special."


    "What?" This time, everyone was confused.


    "It was the Money-Making System, a Hatchling System at level 7." Faluda couldn''t help butment, "I''ve chased after it and even fought against it in the System World. It''s nothing special."


    "The Money-Making System wasn''t originally a mary System," yer said, shocking Faluda.


    "Yes," Upon seeing the other party''s eyes widen in shock, he nodded, "It was part of a different Genre first. It then chanced upon the Money-Making System and devoured it. Following that, it sold its original Core Skill and gradually assimted with the new Core Skill it had devoured, turning into the Money-Making System."


    "When it had done this, it wasn''t in the System World but a different world." yer said, staring at Aronaut, "So, you must have an idea of what happened next."


    "Since it defied its original fate, and while in a Host, a Main Character System fragment appeared¡­" Aronaut spoke.


    "You''re right," yer nodded, "A Main Character System fragment indeed appeared in the Host''s body. And when it devoured that Host, it absorbed that Main Character System fragment, unaware."


    "Do you know why a System never tries to make a System yer its Host, even though they are perfectly capable of doing so?" He asked next, watching Aronaut shake his head.


    Smirking in response, yer said, "Doing so would seal their Core Skill, not to mention suppress all natural talents of their Hosts. This means that they would have to heavily invest in their Hosts to prevent their deaths, which would result in a loss."


    "So, the Money-Making System began to look for heavily talented individuals that were innately perfect for Systems to make a Host out of. It found many Hosts, but none of them managed to remain alive as all their natural talents had been suppressed." yer shook his head, "Even with it actively helping them, they still ended up dying prematurely."


    "This happened until it found Compass Carburettor, a decent genius with a terrifying affinity towards Systems." He said, watching the eyes of everyone light up in response as he nodded, "Yes, all of Compass Carburettor''s talents had been suppressed by the Main Character System fragment that fused into the Money-Making System."


    "This was why once he became a System yer, his growth skyrocketed, turning him into the Main Character before he even became a True System yer or reached level 1." yer said in all seriousness, "And that''s his actual capability."


    "Even without a System, Compass Carburettor would eventually have bloomed into a terrifying individual capable of affecting his world. The Money-Making System just found him before his natural talents bloomed."


    "Then, what''s the final condition?" Aronaut asked, feeling that yer was diverting his attention to another topic. His original question had been about something else entirely, and not about Compass Carburettor.


    "The final condition is pretty simple, but the most important. Even if you qualify the other three conditions, this fourth condition can overrule everything. Sometimes, even without any qualifications, if the fourth condition is satisfied, you can still be the Main Character," yer said, "And that''s simple."


    He stared at everyone, stating monotonously, "Your story must be interesting."


    "Interesting? To what? To whom?" Aronaut asked.


    "To the Main Character System, of course," yer said as a matter of fact.


    "But, the Main Character System doesn''t have a mind of its own¡­" Aronaut said, flinching when he saw yer explode with a suffocating pressure once again, expressing his dense killing intent.


    "Who the fuck said that?" yer stated in anger, "Yes, that was how it originally was. But, it changed with the appearance of Arnark!"


    Arnark was the first Main Character, yer''s disciple. And at the thought, yer seemed to have lost control over his emotions, despite maintaining his cool when they discussed about Arnark just before¡ªwhen Stencil requested Aronaut for a Pseudo-Relic rted to the Demons, from the Principal Arbiter profession.


    "Arnark obtained 9999 fragments of the Main Character System, just one short of bing the Main Character System itself." yer quickly controlled his anger, saying, "But, except for that one fragment, the remaining 9999 fragments are actually him."


    "Yes," yer nodded, "He''s still alive as the Main Character System. Unless the Main Character surpasses him in strength, he would continue to live on."


    "And, the one he takes interest in bes the next Main Character." yer grunted, ''And every damn Main Character interferes with my ns, time after time!''


    The sole Main Character System fragment that wasn''t under Arnark was with yer. And shockingly, yer had maintained only one Personal Fragment using the sole Main Character System fragment that he possessed since day 1.


    Only the other five peak System yers with him possessed multiple fragments of the Main Character System.


    ''That means, my Personal Fragments can fall out of my control at any moment should Arnark see fit?'' Aronaut thought as such, eyes widening in shock as he stared at yer.


    "Yes," yer nodded, "When I said I convinced the other five, I meant to seal their Personal Fragments to prevent Arnark from taking revenge upon me."


    "Unfortunately," He then said, staring at Aronaut, "When Compass Carburettor appeared here, the Personal Fragments of everyone hummed in response, including yours, disying that you''re on his side. Arnark has already decided on your fate to support Compass Carburettor."


    "It makes it impossible for me to seal them any longer. And hence," yer said, transforming into a Demon as the powers of a Principal Arbiter oozed out, having reached the peak of the world, "You''re an enemy, Aronaut."


    "And that includes all of you!" His eyes swept over everyone else, "Since I can''t bring you over to my side, you''ll have to die here. I''ll extract your Personal Fragments and seal them."


    "Arnark won''t be able to interfere with my ns after that." Saying so, yer leapt onto the crowd of System yers, exchanging blows with Aronaut as vast swathes of Mental Energy were expended constantly, unleashing terrifying attacks that began to shave away the immunity both System yers possessed.

 Chapter 630 We’ve Underestimated Him

    Chapter 630 We¡¯ve Underestimated Him¡¡¡¡"Ahh!" Stencil gasped for breath, flinching as she reeled from the attack yer hadunched upon her.


    "Are you okay? Unhurt?" Compass Carburettor grabbed hold of Stencil the moment the Dragon Bullet brought her by riding on the Mental Energy stream.


    "Y-Yeah, it was scary though." Stencil said, observing her luck to see that she hadn''t expended much, only then noticing the Dragon Bullet that had saved up copse to the ground, wheezing in response before beginning to rot.


    "What''s happening to it?" She was rmed.


    "To counter his attack, I harnessed his power. But despite that, my Dragon Bullet wasn''t able to handle the intensity." Compass Carburettor said, patting his chest to calm his thumping heart.


    The reason he was able to harness yer''s power was by turning the fragment of yer growing in Teh''s mind into a Bullet Temte. Even though its potency was low, it was still enough to thwart his opponent''s attacks just long enough to escape by riding a Mental Energy stream.


    Currently, all six Bullet Temtes had been condensed. The first was Stencil''s thoughts rted to the Happy-Go-Lucky System, allowing him to shoot bullets containing the Happy-Go-Lucky Luck that acted as a panacea for Stencil.


    The second was from a Grandmaster Metal Mage that allowed him to act as such by shooting bullets of Metal Mana. The third was Horan''s thoughts rted to a Lightning Mage, allowing him to shoot lightning bullets. The fourth was Sahar Khara''s thoughts, allowing him to shoot fire bullets whose potency was on a Saint''s Level, the strongest he could attack with.


    Fifth was Teh''s thoughts regarding her Immortality. The bullets shot using this allowed him to instantly heal anyone from the brink of death. Moreover, as these thoughts were reinforced by her Pseudo-Relic with the same ability, it was almost on the level of a Saint.


    The final Bullet Temte was from yer. The thoughts forming it originated from when yer acted as a Demon, and hence, the power revolved around him being a Principal Arbiter.


    This allowed him to shoot bullets that destroyed any restriction or were able to impose one too, the powers of the Principal Arbiter. The best thing about this was that when he infused the power of Lore into these bullets, they were capable of affecting reality on a grander scale.


    And now that they had be enemies, Compass Carburettor nned to steal more memories regarding Sayer''s powers as a Principal Arbiter. It perfectlyplemented his power of Lore, allowing him to grow stronger, faster.


    "Where¡­did shee from?" Horan was shocked, failing to sense any traces of Space Mana when Stencil appeared suddenly. As he wasn''t able to see the Dragon Bullet, he didn''t know what was up.


    In contrast, Gehera was stunned, for even though it was blurry, she was able to see traces of the writhing Dragon Bullet, flinching in response.


    "There''s no time left." Compass Carburettor muttered, sensing a Mental Energy stream directed at him by the Dragon Bullet near Teh when suddenly, it was cut off.


    He frowned in response, recalling the power within the Dragon Bullet as the five System yers at level 99 had arrived at the headquarters of the Talon Secret Organisation.


    "What the¡­?" Boznan Burnak was shocked, staring at the five figures that had arrived at the scene.


    One of the five, the one that addressed yer before, raised her hand, unleashing her power of Witchcraft while pointing at Boznan Burnak, intending to kill him before chasing after Compass Carburettor.


    After all, this was a n they had been working on for centuries already, unwilling to repeat it again. Hence, protecting the Talon Secret Organisation also took priority.


    "What?" Suddenly, Saint Calvos and Saint Balvador eximed in shock as their bodies turned into straw dolls that copsed to the floor, burning up in purple fumes.


    As for Boznan Burnak and his three guards, their figures too turned into straw dolls and burned up. This time, it was thedy''s turn to be surprised as she frowned, "Witchcraft¡­"


    When she had taken action, her profession itself moved to interfere with her, protecting the other party as they were transported back to the Burnak Kingdom.


    Unfortunately for her, the two Birdmen Saints that she had nurtured to head the Talon Secret Organisation too had disappeared along with Boznan Burnak.


    "Boznan Burnak¡­protected by the Witch profession itself." Her emotions were conflicted for a moment before she looked at one of the five System yers, a man with a slender body, "Keel, have you divined his location?"


    "Be careful, Balveta." The System yer addressed as Keel said solemnly, having transformed into an Elf as mystical runes shed around his body, "We''ll lose the moment we develop killing intent against Compass Carburettor. Manipte yourself into believing that you''re helping him¡­"


    "Scratch that," He changed his words, "Target his daughter with the intent to kill. That should solve things for us."


    "So, directing killing intent at Compass Carburettor is dangerous. What will happen if we do that, though?" Another System yer asked, inspecting the region to see that there were no traps installed there before focusing on Teh''s severed head.


    "Hmm¡­" Keel frowned as the runes around him revolved faster in response as he said, "All I could divine is that something might happen to our memories. This Main Character is on a whole other level aspared to the previous ones we dealt with. Treat him on the same level as Arnark."


    "Shit," Balveta gritted her teeth as her wings pped in fury, "yer''s seriously ipetent! I''ve been telling him to not provoke Compass, but he did it in the end anyway."


    "He shouldn''t have used Regriel''s name." She then arrived before Teh, staring at her as what she observed morphed, disying countless curses lingering on Teh''s skin.


    She frowned upon seeing that none of them had been activated, turning serious as her voice became solemn, "Guys, none of the curses I ced on Teh has taken action. But, Compass Carburettor has definitely interacted with her."


    "This is bad!" She suddenly turned around, eximing in rm, "We''ve underestimated him!"


    "yer might be in danger."

 Chapter 631 This Main Character is Such a Troll

    Chapter 631 This Main Character is Such a Troll


    [There once existed a tool, a weapon of¡­]


    [million forms¡­]


    "A hope, that can save me from this crisis!" Aronaut said, taking out the purified Tukkan Crystal that he bought from Stencil, noticing that before he realised, a gold coin had appeared in its centre, suffused with a mysterious power.


    One side of the coin sported a blood-drenched smile of greed, eyes curled up grandly and a vicious depiction of avarice. And on the other side was the set of words that he read aloud just now.


    "What does that mean?" yer frowned all of a sudden, his eyes widening as realisation dawned on him a momentter, recognising that the purified Tukkan Crystal in Aronaut''s hand was given to him by Stencil.


    And what was the primary usage of the Tukkan Crystal? To create Magic Tools, including Pseudo-Relics and Relics.


    Aronaut had already transformed into a human, harnessing his power as an Alchemist to begin refining the Tukkan Crystal.


    Indeed, the moment Compass Carburettor''s silhouette manifested around Stencil, things had changed. His Personal Fragment had reacted at that time, being drawn over to the other party naturally.


    And when he talked with yer, he understood what was up. But it was then that he felt puzzled.


    Since he and even the weakest of the System yers were able to sense their Personal Fragments humming in response to Compass Carburettor''s arrival, it would of course imply that the other party too sensed it, right?


    ''Did it happen when he deflected my attack?'' yer thought, feeling it was strange that for an instant, the Luck protecting Stencil doubled in intensity before halving immediately after.


    "I see, in that duration, he used the luck to do something," yer concluded, being right on the mark.


    Once Compass Carburettor swallowed the Coordinate in Teh while destroying her System, yer was alerted, for it was him that had painstakingly created it to aid the creation of the gue Doctor profession.


    Therefore, Compass Carburettor realised that yer would target Stencil to bargain her life with him in an effort to control him. Due to that, he directed a Mental Energy stream to the Dragon Bullet hiding in her body, strengthening it rapidly.


    The Dragon Bullet transformed using yer''s bullet Temte, deflecting his attack when its nature shifted to the Happy-Go-Lucky Luck right when Stencil transformed into the Happy-Go-Lucky System.


    In that instant, when she influenced the luck of the region, Compass Carburettor sensed a good fraction of her luck remaining in the refined Tukkan Crystal that she had gifted Aronaut. It indeed symbolised Happy-Go-Lucky nature as Aronaut indeed made a beneficial trade regarding it.


    Compass Carburettor was able to feel the Main Character System fragments in the bodies of all the System yers in the room beckoning for him to take them with him. But, he noticed that yer and the five System yers next to him seemed otherwise.


    The Main Character System fragments in them were more tame while there was no reaction from the Main Character System fragment in yer.


    This meant that should things get hairy, Aronaut, whose Main Character System fragment reacted to him would be on his side and be able to help him the most. And since the purified Tukkan Crystal was with him, Compass Carburettor shot out a Dragon Bullet by disguising it as Happy-Go-Lucky Luck, causing it to seep into the crystal''s innate Happy-Go-Lucky Luck.


    Following that, it morphed, turning into a Money-Making Coin with the power of Lore.


    Even though none had read the Lore he had created, there was a heavenly being that had read it in Tentuna City before.


    This meant that it had already been registered in the mind of a high-level entity, and due to its mysterious nature, that heavenly entity indeed gave more thought regarding it.


    And now, thanks to the guidance from his Main Character System fragment, Aronaut took out the refined Tukkan Crystal, noticing the Money-Making Coin that had appeared mysteriously, reading the information written on it, triggering the power of Lore which also contained yer''s power¡ªas a Principal Arbiter, registering this into the region itself.


    Aware that Yaka was Stencil, Aronaut understood that it was the Main Character helping him, so the words registered in his mind too.


    Moreover, as yer had already been focused on Compass Carburettor recently, the words registered in his mind, not to mention part of his power being used to activate it in the first ce. And whether it was Aronaut or yer, both were aware that this was from the Main Character, believing it entirely.


    Both ounted it as Compass Carburettor''s Core Skill at y. And as they believed it, their reinforcement caused the Lore to take effect.


    After all, both Aronaut and yer were heavenly beings at the peak of this world''s power system, their every thought refined, equivalent to thoughts from millions of people.


    Aronaut''s Alchemist power was absorbed by the Tukkan Crystal as it used the power of Lore to automatically transform into a Relic as the Money-Making Coin''s power took effect.


    "Kya!" Wayna screamed as it felt like her mind was breaking apart as suddenly, the System fragments growing in her mind were pulled out and sucked into the newly formed Relic.


    That wasn''t all, as every other System yer too experienced the same, including yer to a certain extent.


    "What the¡­?" Wayna''s face paled in response as her Pseudo-Relic gradually turned dim, bing so weak that it was only a Pseudo-Relic in name alone, almost regressing into a Magic Tool as all the mental imprints on it were also sucked out.


    The mental imprints of all Pseudo-Relics and Relics were rapidly sucked into the newly formed Relic as Aronaut stared, wide-eyed, noticing his own Relic losing a good fraction of its power as the Relic before him transformed into a shield.


    The shield revolved around him, pulsing with a mysterious power as it enveloped all the System yers in the region¡ªexcept yer¡ªinto a bubble as immediately, they vanished.


    "yer, are you alright?" Balveta teleported into the space in a hurry to see yer standing alone in the dark void, amid the carcasses of world-devouring entities, "What¡­happened? Did you kill Aronaut and the rest already?"


    "Haha¡­hahaha!" Suddenly, yer burst outughing as he condensed a chair and took a seat, holding himself as heughed uncontrobly, finally uttering under his breath once he calmed down, "This Main Character is such a troll."

 Chapter 632 The Strange Relics

    Chapter 632 The Strange Relic


    "This Main Character is such a troll." yer stoppedughing, stating in irritation.


    "What¡­happened?" Balveta frowned as the remaining four peak System yers arrived, staring at the surroundings where too many things not belonging to this world were floating around, having originated from the various Core Skills that had been unleashed.


    "I''ve yed right into his hands," yer said, staring at the corpse before him, observing the distorting face of a world-devouring serpent, "Whose thoughts in this world can exhibit the purest and greatest of Mental Energy?"


    "You, of course¡­" Balveta said as she flinched, retorting, "But with your defences, your thoughts would never exit your body in the form of Mental Energy."


    "Normally, that should have been the case." yer nodded, "But, a mysterious coin appeared in the Tukkan Crystal Aronaut bought from Stencil. And it suddenly forced a crack in my defences, allowing my thoughts to create Mental Energy."


    "I had indeed been thinking about Compass Carburettor, since Aronaut was reading something made by him. So¡­" He sighed, "The Mental Energy I unleashed ended up reinforcing something he had nned, resulting in a terrifying Relic, one capable of absorbing the mental imprint from all Relics, not to mention the System fragments growing in the minds of the people."


    "What?" Balveta was shocked, eximing, "Impossible! Even we cannot do that!"


    "But it happened." yer nodded, "And strangely, it was able to absorb some from even me and Aronaut. So, it''s a terrifying Relic."


    "Where are they now?" Balveta looked around, failing to find any traces.


    "They disappeared¡­" yer said, "Whether it was Aronaut or the rest of the System yers, all disappeared. They were brought away by the Relic."


    "But, your spatial ability is still in effect." Balveta wasn''t able to believe it as she touched the borders of this dimension that yer had erected at the start of the battle, feeling its solidness, "There is no sign of damage¡­"


    "There isn''t¡­because its cause and effect have been influenced." yer let out a breath of air, getting up as he snapped his finger, unleashing a sea of mes that vaporised everything before he unleashed a secondary wave of energy that vanquished all traces of System Skills and their effects.


    Following that, the dimension vanished as they returned to the original room.


    "Have you been able to find Compass Carburettor?" yer asked next, staring at Balveta.


    Balveta looked at the other four in response, focusing on the Elf named Keel.


    Keel shook his head, "He''s able to travel using Mental Energy. He can go anywhere in the world through it. I''m unable to divine his location without enough clues. His Main Character shielding is too strong."


    "Of course, it''s strong." yer muttered, "I already sensed more than sixty fragments of the Main Character System in his body."


    "This shielding would only continue to strengthen in the future, especially if he chances upon the group of System yers that vanished with Aronaut and absorbs their Main Character fragments."


    ¡­


    "Gah!" Aronaut woke up with a start, looking around to see that he was on the sandy shores of a tiny ind. Strewn about on the sand were the rest of the System yers that had been brought with him.


    They were yet to regain consciousness as it seemed this abrupt movement had taken a toll on them.


    "What¡­just happened?" Aronaut felt a searing headache as he blinked in confusion, his eyes widening in shock as he gradually recalled the sequence of events that had transpired, hurriedly staring at his hands to look for the Relic, frowning when there was nothing there.


    Instead, a tattoo had appeared on the back of his hand, kite-shaped. The moment he gazed at it, there was a sh of light before a crystal hovered before him.


    The Relic seemed sentient as it stared at him.


    Only now did Aronaut notice something amiss, feeling that he had grown a lot weaker aspared to before, "What the¡­?"


    There was only one Personal Fragment remaining in him now, and even that was steadily growing dim, losing power, flustering him, "What the heck''s happening?"


    He then stared at the crystal hovering before him, "Are you¡­are you the cause behind this?"


    The crystal hummed in response, moving up and down, epting that it was indeed the cause. But strangely, Aronaut wasn''t angry, the sensation surprising even him.


    After all, the crystal didn''t express any negative feelings towards him and seemed rather drawn toward him.


    Now that he was aware the crystal before him was the Relic he had created, Aronaut wondered just what was up with it, for even he didn''t have the means to break out of that extracted dimension that yer had created. Only if he managed to defeat or outwit yer did he have a chance at escape.


    And even then, it was only possible for him alone to escape. But now, the rest of the System yers too were safe. Just as this thought resounded in his mind, Aronaut stared at the closest System yer when he cursed aloud in response, "What the¡­?"


    "Where are their Personal Fragments?"


    ''No, there''s no Main Character System fragments in them anymore!'' He thought, observing to see that it was the same for everyone.


    His focus then fell on the Relic, observing that all the Main Character System fragments were now in it, causing it to hum jovially.


    ''Hah, this just doesn''t make sense.'' He felt drowsy all of a sudden, tired as thest of his Personal Fragment too disappeared, being absorbed by the Relic. "I don''t know anymore¡­"


    He copsed to the ground as the waves of the ocean washed over him from time to time, covering him with a bit of sand.


    He, along with the rest of the System yers had been reduced into normal people as their bodies began to morph, returning to their original, unmodified forms without the influence of any System Skill.


    And the Relic hovered above Aronaut''s hand, constantly absorbing everything rted to a System from them all, humming in delight as it bobbed up and down before twirling a full circle, emitting disco lights in joy.

 Chapter 633 Feeling Smug

    Chapter 633 Feeling Smug


    "Sheeet¡­" Aronaut woke up once again, feeling like shit as he shuddered from cold, the first time in ages since he felt this.


    He noticed that he resembled a monster now, his original form, a weak species from his home world, weaker than a human child.


    He had never wished to revert to this form ever again, for there were no good memories associated with it.


    But unfortunately, it still ended up happening as he felt saddened. "Shit!"


    The rest of the System yers too had reverted to their original forms, appearing damn weak as they had lost all the reinforcement from the System Fragments that they used to reinforce their bodies.


    "Haah!" Aronaut didn''t have the energy toin anymore, aware that he had escaped death, which was the only option left when facing yer.


    "But, if I had known I would end up like this, then maybe death was better¡­" He muttered, noticing that he was slowly reverting to his original character, a selfish, short-sighted fool that knew nothing better.


    But aware of it, he controlled himself, logically bashing the stupid thoughts that formed in his mind. Of course, he had been operating as a System yer for thousands of years now. The plethora of experience he had was more than enough to keep his original shit of a character in check.


    "But, what''s up with you?" Aronaut stared at the Relic humming before him as usual.


    He tried controlling it but failed to even move it, confused as he stared at the sky, "Leave it. I''ll figure it outter."


    He then approached a giant lizard, kicking it awake, "Get up!"


    "A-Aronaut?" The lizard muttered, surprised as it spoke, "I thought you hated this form?"


    "Look at yourself. You''ll understand." Aronaut said, noticing the Lizard losing its cool as it was in a state of fluster, sensing that not only had it lost all its Skills and System Fragments but even its Personal Fragment.


    It was no longer a System yer.


    "But wait¡­" It suddenly expressed its shock, "How are we alive in this world then?"


    "What?" Only then did Aronaut too realise this issue.


    Even though he wasn''t able to sense Mana now, having been in this world long enough, he understood that there was ambient Mana everywhere in this world, including the air they breathed.


    And something others didn''t know of was the fact that, unlike other worlds, this Fantasy World had developed to a terrifying extent that the various professions ruled the world. And, they had already assimted the powers of Systems and System yers into themselves.


    Due to this, they were capable of preventing Systems from controlling the world. Even Grade 3 Systems weren''t able to affect the status quo.


    Thankfully, the Astral Network had beenid down long before this world reached such a startling level. And that was why the Systems were able to enter and leave this world.


    Moreover, the professions too were aware of the fact that they could grow further by using the Systems. And for the Systems, the quality of Mental Energy they could harness from the Fantasy World was the best.


    Hence, both powers didn''t interfere with one another.


    But, beings from other worlds couldn''t ever set foot in the Fantasy World. If they did, the mana itself would destroy them, for it had that nature to it.


    Only System yers can go against this. But even they were considered as parts of the Main Character System, and hence not taken care of by the Fantasy World.


    "But, now that we lost all our powers¡­" The lizard muttered, not finishing its sentence as Aronaut understood.


    ''How are we alive then?'' Aronaut wondered before gazing at the Relic in his hand, wondering if that was the cause.


    Boom!


    Suddenly, a harpoon flew out of the ocean water and rushed at him, hitting a shield that had appeared to protect him, resulting in a loud ng.


    "What the¡­?" Aronaut turned around in surprise, noticing that the Relic had transformed into a shield to defend against the attack.


    As for the harpoon, it dissipated soon after as a group of Lizardmen walked out of the water, ring at the prey they chanced upon.


    "Exotic prey! Catch them all!" The Lizardmen at the front said, exuding an aura on the level of a Master. The remaining Lizardmen were only Experts as they rushed at the System yers, brandishing spears.


    Lizardmen had two main professions of Harpooner and Spearmen and the sub professions of Pugilist and Transformation Specialist.


    Among them, Pugilists were the most dangerous while Harpooners formed the brunt of their force.


    There wasn''t much of a difference between a Harpooner and a Spearmen other than to chuck out harpoons at the foes.


    The Expert Spearmen rushed at the group of System yers that had just begun to wake up, startling them. They weren''t even able to digest the fact of losing all their powers when the Lizardmen rushed at them.


    B-Boom!


    Suddenly, a shield appeared before them all, defending against the attack. The shield was shaped like a leaf as it gently danced in the wind, moving autonomously to defend against all attacksunched at them.


    "What¡­is happening?" Faluda had just woken up, witnessing such a strange event. As he was originally from this world, he still maintained his strength as a Pseudo-Saint. But, he too was being defended by this mysterious leafy shield that seemed like it wasn''t even putting in much effort to block the attacks.


    Gong!


    Aronaut saw the Relic hum in response before him as it seeped into his body, transforming him into a Lizardmen suddenly, shocking him.


    Moreover, his power strangely climbed up to the level of a Master Harpooner as Aronaut wasn''t able to keep track of the changes.


    He clenched his hand, noticing a harpoon manifesting there naturally, as if he had been a Harpooner of the Lizardmen race for all his life. He then aimed at his enemy and threw the harpoon, watching it impale the opponent.


    "This doesn''t¡­make any sense¡­" He muttered, watching the rest of the System yers, including Faluda, transform into Lizardmen Master Harpooners, impaling their enemies within a matter of seconds, killing them.


    Once the deal was done, Aronaut noticed that he reverted to his original appearance, watching the Relic exit his body and let out a sonorous hum. For some reason, Aronaut was able to sense that the Relic was¡­


    Feeling smug!

 Chapter 634: The Relic’s Power

    Chapter 634: The Relic¡¯s Power


    The Relic was acting smug. It was what Aronaut sensed from it. Whether it was the emotion or the fact that he was able to sense the same, both were strange.


    "Eh?" He was stunned for a moment, noticing the Relic following him calmly as he walked, hovering before him as the distance was maintained consistently.


    He waved his hand, watching it move ordingly before crawling back to its position. Aronaut thought for a moment before he wished to be a Lizardmen Harpooner once again, noticing the Relic hum in response as it swerved into his body, causing him to be a Lizardmen Master Harpooner.


    ''How am I able to do it now?'' Aronaut felt puzzle as he sat down first and closed his eyes, focusing on his body as he was able to sense the mana from his surroundings, observing how they interacted with him.


    There wasn''t any danger as he had expected. The mana treated him the same as how it would any Lizardmen.


    ''Hmm, maybe it might work.'' He thought, sensing the Relic in him pulsating with a gentle mana fluctuation. And through his experience, he observed the mana, understanding that there was the effect of a Core Skill involved.


    ''Turn me into a Demon.'' He thought after making some considerations, watching his body heat up a little as his appearance changed, now bing a Demon.


    He switched over to be a human after that, using the Cartographer profession to glean further into the details, understanding that the Relic was actually under his control, having been bonded to his¡­soul?


    It was pretty unique in that he hadn''t ever heard about Relics being able to do this. But here it was, a reality.


    Moreover, as he focused on the Relic, information gradually streamed into his mind, allowing him to gain knowledge regarding a certain Core Skill he possessed before.


    Though, the moment he lost focus, all the information flowed back into the Relic itself, causing his memory te regarding it to be nk.


    Aronaut experimented with it, gradually understanding why this was happening. Usually, the moment someone came across any knowledge regarding a System, a fragment of that System would form in their mind and would grow gradually over time.


    Over time, as theye to know more, they would have nurtured a big enough fragment in their mind which would take over their body. Following that, it would connect to the Astral Network and would be swallowed by the respective System.


    The System would grow rapidly as a result.


    The best way to avoid this situation was to ensure the information regarding Systems never appeared in a person''s mind. That was why, once he lost focus, information regarding the Core Skill was retracted by the Relic.


    After the initial confusi


    on, Aronaut understood the specifics regarding usage of this Relic.


    Unlike the other Relics that amplified one''s power, this Relic had its own power. And, after use, it would reim everything that it had give out.


    But, the best way to use it would be to improve one''s essibility in using it. Such as¡­after a moment of thought, Aronaut focused on the Relic, drawing out information regarding a variety of his Core Skills, retaining them all for a minute before they were retracted by the Relic.


    For that minute, he remembered and was actually able to use them all. But once the information was retracted by the Relic, he forgot their existence. But, what he was training was to ess the knowledge base of the Relic in real-time.


    In the fraction of a second, how much of the Relic''s knowledge and power can he draw out. That was the most important factor he had to consider when using it.


    With a thought, the Relic exited his body and transformed into a flying sword that he rode, making a circle around the ind.


    He then stopped before the lizard that had been observing his actions all along, "You try to draw out power from the Relic."


    He was wondering if the lizard too was able to do this. After all, all the System yers had transformed into Lizardmen Master Harpooners during the crisis. This meant that they too could harness the Relic''s power.


    "I''ll try." The lizard followed his instructions before soon, it transformed into a human, eximing in surprise, "I''m able to feel my original power¡­"


    It hadn''t even finished speaking when it reverted back to its lizard form.


    "So, the moment you lose focus, the power is reimed." Aronaut said, noticing that all the System yers were able to harness the Relic''s strength.


    Though, there was an obvious difference as the rate at which they could harness its power varied. Weak System yers were barely able to harness the power of a Core Skill after a minute of focus.


    But Aronaut was able to harness the entirety of his original power in a matter of seconds. And as he trained, it only continued to be faster.


    Moreover, he understood that he would be able to harness the power of other System yers too that were now in the Relic. He only had to train and increase his rate and volume of ess.


    "How¡­will our growth be from now on?" Faluda frowned, "I''m able to sense the powers of all of us in the Relic. And it seems that only we whose Personal Fragments have been used up by the Relic can harness its power. But, there''s a limit to it, right?"


    "It''s especially since I can sense that my power is the same as before. It hasn''t been strengthened or anything. It''s just stored in the Relic now." He spoke.


    &nb


    sp;


    In response to his question, the Relic flew before Faluda''s face, dancing in the wind as it transformed into a set of scale armour that superimposed on his body, making him don the armour. And simultaneously, the same armour appeared on the bodies of everyone.


    "I see," Aronaut nodded in excitement, "It seems everyone can harness the same power simultaneously."


    "This means that¡­" He grinned while making eye contact with the various creatures before him, "If you all improve your essing capability, you''ll be able to use my Level 99 Core Skills. Imagine a scene where more than ny of us activate the same Core Skill? Even yer would be destroyed by that."

 Chapter 635: Aero Society

    Chapter 635: Aero Society


    Aronaut patted the Relic that squealed under his hold, "This Relic allows us that chance. And as for its growth¡­"


    He smiled, "It''s pretty simple. It''s capable of automatically absorbing all memories rted to Systems. So, we only need to travel through the world and absorb them all. Moreover, it seems we''re the nodes that the Relic can exert its influence through."


    "And¡­" He noticed the Relic casually seep into his body, "It seems I''ve be its dwelling."


    By harnessing his System yer powers, Aronaut observed that his thoughts transformed into Mental Energy and were absorbed by the Relic, preventing any leakage. This prevented the targets from harnessing this Mental Energy if they were part of yer''s group or were System Hosts.


    But, with a thought, Aronaut was able to go past that, unleashing a Mental Energy stream at Compass Carburettor.


    A secondter, an exhausted figure of Compass Carburettor appeared before Aronaut, surprising all the System yers.


    This time, it was in his original appearance, allowing Faluda to recognise the familiar face. It was strange, for 22 years ago, he had informed Compass Carburettor about the basics regarding a System yer after saving him.


    And a mere couple decadester, here he was, reaching a level where he could scheme against yer himself. On the other hand, he, Faluda hadn''t improved much other than gain a couple of levels as a True System yer.


    Compass Carburettor''s speed of growth was startling to say the least, ''That is why he''s the Main Character.''


    "So, you have an inkling of the Relic''s true identity?" Aronaut asked, "I could perceive through the Relic that you''re rted."


    "This Relic is¡­" Compass Carburettor closed his eyes, sighing as he said, "Another me."


    "Another you?" Aronaut was confused, "How is that possible? There can only be one Main Character at a time."


    "Yes, but I''ve split up into multiple identities." Compass Carburettor replied, "This Relic is the fifth one. And currently, it''s the strongest among us, having more than a hundred fragments."


    "So something like this was possible." Aronaut nodded, aware of a lot of details regarding the Main Character System. Hence, he was able to understand the details.


    He then asked, "So, what is this Relic''s true nature."


    "A tool with a million forms." Compass Carburettor stated as a matter of fact, "You''re the one that proimed its nature first."


    "It has neither a name nor a sentience. It''s only a tool to help you break through a crisis." Compass Carburettor said, "As for what you wish to do with it, that''s entirely up to you."


    "If suppose¡­" Wayna hesitated before asking, "One of us went against you, what will you do?"


    "I can forcefully reim the


    Relic''s powers. But I don''t wish to do that if I can help myself. Our modus operandi is different. But," Compass Carburettor smiled, "That won''t be happening, don''t worry. The Relic grows the fastest by absorbing System fragments. So, you''ll only have to do what you''ve done all along."


    "And, the Relic allows you to grow strong exponentially."


    He then looked at Aronaut, unleashing a Mental Energy stream to establish a privatemunication.


    [From what I can understand, the Relic is like an open batter of sorts. All the System yers here have ess to it and can draw power from it. But, the overall authority is in your hands only because you''re the one that has the greatest ess to it.]


    In response, Aronaut''s eyes widened as realisation stuck him.


    [This means that if someone among us is able to harness its power better, the authority will end up in their hands]


    [Yes, that will happen. Normally, I would have iid better variables to create a safer power, but my ns were only iplete. So, I had to harness them prematurely and use yer''s power to result in the Relic''s birth. Originally, I was nning on doing it after a couple more years, after installing the entire Lore.]


    [Lore¡­everything makes sense now. Don''t worry, Compass. My goal has been to grow strong and have a good life. I''ll continue doing the same. I don''t wish to oppose yer unless they force my hand. But otherwise, I''ll ensure to hunt the Systems as usual. The Relic allows us to hunt without any limitations anyway.]


    [That''s enough for me. It was a haphazard n that we executed back then, but we somehow managed to pull it off. So, I''ll leave the Relic to you. If all of you were to die though, the Relic would automaticallye find me. Though, I hope we can coborate in the future]


    [I have to thank your daughter. I''ve survived thanks to her]


    Compass Carburettor noticed that his form was flickering now as he was low on Mental Energy, staring at all the System yers as he said, "I won''t ask you to face yer. But if possible, help me when I''m in danger."


    "¡­Sure." Wayna agreed as the rest nodded in response. They were practically strangers, so any level of cooperation would have to be done gradually.


    "I am expecting a lot from the Aero Society." Saying so, Compass Carburettor vanished from the ind.


    "Aero Society?" Aeronaut frowned at being addressed as such before he noticed the Relic humming in response, expressing that it liked the name, causing him to sigh as he nodded, "Aero Society it is then."


    His emotions wereplex as a lot of things had yet to be addressed. So, he stared at all the System yers, "We''ll first get used to our changed powers. Following that, we''ll spread out in the world to absorb System Fragments. Is that fine with everyone?"


    "Yes!" Faluda wa


    s the first to nod as Fedin followed suit. Wayna and the rest too epted it, feeling that this was the best case. They didn''t wish to move as one unit, despite reasons suggesting that it was a better option.


    But, they were things that had to be slowly worked out over time. After all, there wasn''t any loyalty or devotion binding them together into one unit like in Secret society. They were only forced into one because all their original powers were stolen by the Relic and now, they had to depend on it for the rest of their lives.


    "So, this is Aero Society." Aeronaut closed his eyes, his emotionsplex before letting out a smile, "Can''t I say that I''m a Pseudo-Main Character now?"

 Chapter 636: In My Past (Part 1)

    Chapter 636: In My Past (Part 1)


    "Can''t you just publicise information regarding Compass Carburettor to the Astral Network? One of the Systems you make can do the job." Balveta said in anger upon seeing that yer had stopped chasing after the Main Character. "Didn''t you just say to kill him before he grows any stronger?"


    "Why are you going back on your words?"


    "I was¡­just emotional for a moment back then." yer said calmly, "You see, even I cannot control myself after I''ve been taken advantage of, especially by the Main Character."


    "But you see, this is precisely the reason why I''m not chasing after him." yer sighed as he gazed at Balveta, "Remember your past. When did the Main Character grow the most?"


    "That''s¡­" Balveta turned silent, "When they were pressured the most and when things became chaotic, their growth was the fastest."


    "Yes, chaos is where the Main Characters naturally grow stronger the fastest." yer nodded, "And if I were to target him with all my power, I''ll precisely be fuelling his growth at a terrifying pace."


    "He might even be as powerful as me."


    "Then, are you suggesting we just¡­let him go?" Balveta stared incredulously.


    "Yes." yer nodded, "Might as well. It''s better than focusing all our attention on him. That isn''t our priority now."


    "You mean the gue Doctor profession¡­" Balveta frowned, "You''re still in the mood for that?"


    "That will only end up strengthening this world further. It won''t strengthen you in any way whatsoever. All you''ll gain is another profession to train in. But, you already have a Core Skill with the same powers as the gue Doctor profession anyway, so why spend so much effort in this?" Balveta lost control of herself, almost raging at the end.


    "Balveta, you''re wrong about one thing." The Elf named Keel interjected, stating as countless runes revolved around him, "The stronger this world bes, the greater our safety. This world''s foundation has already reached a level where even Grade 3 Systems are nervous about antagonising. And if it grows even more, we''ll be safe for as long as we remain here."


    "I hate being trapped in one world." Balveta snorted.


    "But this world is massive." yer said, "This world is actually bigger than the Immortal Worlds out there. And, it''ll continue to grow in the future too. Irrespective of how strong you be, you''ll need to live in a world anyway."


    "So, you''re nning to hole up in this world for the rest of your infinite life?" Balveta red at yer and Keel.


    "Before you take over other worlds, you first need to erect an impregnable base, a home where you can fall back on should things get treacherous." A Minotaur, one of the peak System yers spoke, having been silent from the start, only now joining in the argument.


    "What the heck do you understand, Warl?" Balveta snorted, "You''re not smart to consider such things."


    "I may not be as smart as the rest of you, but I''m strong." Warl said, staring at yer, "Even yer can only win against me if he act


    ivates his Grade 2 Core Skill. And, even I can understand yer''s objective."


    "If he simply wished to grow strong, he could have stolen our Personal Fragments long ago. He has the ability to do so. Aren''t I right?" Warl stared at yer.


    "You''re indeed right." yer nodded, surprising Balveta as he said, "I do have the means to steal the power of all you five."


    "But you see¡­" yer closed his eyes, "I''ve always had conflicting thoughts. But most of all¡­"


    "I''ve always felt envious and inferior towards Arnark." yer stated honestly, "And, things back in the day were different from what you expect."


    "You''ve never talked about it, yer." Keel said, his eyes widening in surprise, "What¡­just happened back then when there was just you and Arnark among System yers?"


    "How exactly was the Main Character System created?" He pressed forth, "Whether it was the System World or the Main Character System, weren''t both birthed from our world?"


    "Indeed, you''re right." yer nodded, stating truthfully, "They were birthed in our world. And I¡­"


    He said after pausing for a little, "I witnessed the birth of both."


    ¡­


    "Kyaaa!"


    "Nooo!"


    "Save me! Please spare me!"


    "My child, at least spare my child. I beg of you!"


    Screams resounded from a vige as blood covered the grounds while corpses were strewn across. All the men had been killed while the women had been captured.


    Among the thirty captured women, one continued to holler, ignoring her bleeding left arm. She stared at a fear-stricken child that had been held captive by a group of Demons riding ferocious Magic Beasts.


    "The Human race is pretty weak. There was just one old Master Mage in this entire vige." A Demon riding a lizard-like Magic Beast stated in disdain, gazing at the helpless humans before him.


    "Inspect the children. I need someone with talent to reach the Grandmaster Stage." A cold voice resounded from behind him as the Demon turned respectful immediately.


    "Please give me a moment, your highness." Saying so, the Demon jumped down from the Magic Beast''s head,nding before the captive human children as he grinned, crouching forth as he ced his hand on the head of the boy closest to him.


    Runes revolved around his hand as they turned into a circle, sending a stream of mana through the child''s head, causing him to smack his lips in distaste, "Pah! He doesn''t even understand anything about his profession. Just a trash."


    He then threw the child away, aiming at a Magic Beast, "Catch! Here''s your dinner."


    Chomp!


    The Magic Beast devoured the child, grinning as blood oozed out of its teeth. The children were panic-stricken while the captive women mourned in response.


    The Demon simply seemed to revel in the screams as he continued to inspect the children, cursing in response as none were up to th


    e mark. He then arrived before thest of the children, scowling as he didn''t wish to let down her majesty, hoping for at least someone decent to appear.


    He stared at the child, a snot-nosed eight-year-old brat whose body was riddled with injuries, a result of protecting his mother, as the Demon learned about it, ''He protected his mother with his body? Interesting.''


    Saying so, he ced his hand over the child''s head, causing the runes to light up as suddenly, his face paled, "This child is an Expert Warrior¡­."


    He couldn''t finish his statement as the child''s hand pierced through his throat, following which a wind de ended up severing the Demon''s head.

 Chapter 637: In My Past (Part 2)

    Chapter 637: In My Past (Part 2)


    Bang!


    A humanoid Magic Beast flickered as it appeared behind the boy, constricting him to the ground. The boy struggled, but now that he lost the element of surprise, he wasn''t able to do much.


    He was only an Expert Wind Warrior after all. The Experts Warriors in the vige had already been ughtered by the Master Magic Beasts.


    He wasn''t thinking much other than to take revenge on the Demon that had killed his friends.


    "This damn human dared kill one of us¡­" A Demon raged, ordering his Magic Beast to kill the boy. The Magic Beast rushed forth under his orders, intending to jump the boy when suddenly, it paused, trembling in fear.


    "Did I tell you to kill him?" An angry voice resounded as everyone shuddered in response, kneeling to the ground under the pressure. Even the Magic Beasts were the same, not even daring to squeak.


    "This child is interesting. Bring him up!" The voice resounded as a Demon got up in a hurry, bound the child, and carried him to the back of a gigantic Magic Beast that was exuding the aura of a Pseudo-Saint.


    It was a Golden Elephant. And affixed on its top was the skull of a Magic Beast, covered by leather as it exuded a primal feeling, but one of authority.


    The Demon gulped nervously as he kneeled before the tent with the child in tow, hearing the heavenly voice resound, "Enter."


    The tent''s entrance was opened by a pair of Elven ves, revealing a throne on which ady sat.


    Copper skin with dark circr tattoos riddling her heavy mass, reddish eyes drunk with blood, and hair resembling a mane, giving her an aura of authority. She was a Demon princess, a Pseudo-Saint wielding the professions of Tamer and Elementalist.


    Her crimson eyes stared yfully at the kid, beckoning with her finger as the Demon brought him before her.


    "You can leave now." She said, watching the Demon bow in response before exiting the tent.


    The Demon Princess extended her hand, cing it on the child''s head as runes revolved around her hand before seeping into his mind. Her eyes lit up in response, "You have the potential to even be a Pseudo-Saint. Not only are you highly attuned to mana, but you''re also aware of the ways to use your profession. Without anyone to instruct you, you''ve reached such a high level."


    "Imend you." Her eyes were glued on his tiny face as she grinned, "What do you say about bing my ve?"


    "I-I won''t!" The child shouted in response, barely controlling his fear. He didn''t move her hand away though, for that didn''t seem possible. Her hand felt like a mountain pressing down on him, preventing him from budging an inch.


    "I wasn''t asking you." The Demon Princess smirked as she continued speaking, "I can forcefully enve you. But, that''s not in my taste."


    "Submit your heart and so


    ul to me. And in return, I''ll spare your vige." She said, "A word from me, and no Demon would ever darey their sights on your vige."


    The child gritted his teeth as he heard the sounds of the women in the vige crying, mourning the loss of their children.


    "A-At least, they will live¡­" The child clenched his hand into a fist as he teared up, nodding weakly, "As long as you leave them alone, I''m yours."


    "Express it." The Demon Princess grinned widely in response, watching the frail child kneel on the floor.


    His voice choked as he still shouted at the top of his lungs, "I, Gilthru, vow to follow your highness with my everything."


    "It was pretty crude, but that''ll do." The Demon Princess nodded nonchntly as mana suddenly gushed into his body, causing him to grunt as a seal formed on his forehead, a mark that was a mixture of circles and ded wings.


    It was her signature seal, symbolising that he was her ve, her property, and her tamed beast.


    "Good," She smiled in response, now able to sense the child''s talents better through their bond as she gave her decree, "From today onwards, this vige is under my protection. No Demon or human will dare set foot here."


    "Your Majesty!" All the Demons bowed immediately, epting her decree.


    Even though they were protecting a human vige, all Demons were full smiles, aware of their lord''s nature. If she told them to protect this vige, it meant the child she got was talented enough to warrant such treatment.


    "I''ve got enough tamed beasts for now. I need time to consolidate my gains and nurture them next." The Demon Princess said as she ordered for the army to withdraw, heading towards the nearby Demon Empire.


    "Your task is to stand next to me." She pointed at the child, Gilthru, "Understand?"


    "Yes, your highness." Gilthru nodded as he did as told.


    "Say, Gilthru¡­" The Demon Princess asked next, "Why didn''t you use your Metal Magic?"


    "Metal¡­Magic?" Gilthru tilted his head, "I am only a Wind warrior though."


    "No, you''re also a Metal Mage." Sheughed in response upon seeing his confusion, "You''re one of the rare talents among humanity with two professions on your side. Had you lived in a city, your talents would have allowed you to bloom into a powerhouse of the humans."


    "Especially the mobility of a Wind Warrior and the destructiveness of a Metal Mage would have spilled the blood of your enemies on the battlefield." She roared inughter before patting his head, "Well, you''re mine now. So, you''ll be fighting my battles."


    ''I''m¡­a Metal Mage too?'' Gilthru stared at his hands in shock before regret piled up in him, ''If only I knew, I could have fought¡­''


    "Nothing would have changed." The Demon Princess said, staring at him with a s


    mile, "I can hear the thoughts of my ves you know."


    She then said, pointing at the Magic Beast they were seated on, "This isn''t a regr Golden Elephant, but a Pseudo-Saint Golden Elephant King that earned the nickname of Stomper."


    "This is¡­Stomper?" Even he had heard about it as Gilthru lost bnce, copsing to the ground in fear as only now did he realise that his master was way more terrifying than he had assumed. It implied that even if he knew about his Metal Mage power, nothing would have changed.


    "Yep, the very same Magic Beast that had stomped ten human cities to rubble overnight." The Demon Princess smiled as they entered the Demon Empire.

 Chapter 638: In My Past (Part 3)

    Chapter 638: In My Past (Part 3)


    "Stay¡­" A boy whispered, motioning with a twist of his hand as a group of people huddled amid trees behind him.


    Faint winds swirled around him, keeping his scent hidden while he stood nearby a road. The rest of the people were stationed farther away, beyond the range of primary detection means.


    The boy wore a hard leather jacket that extended into a hood, covering his entirety, save for the eyes that darted about, observing the ce keenly.


    His ears pricked as he picked up the sounds of the hooves of horses mming rhythmically onto the beaten path, approaching in their direction. He raised his hand as the group tensed up in response, awaiting patiently as he watched the approach of the carriage, clenching his hand suddenly.


    Boom!


    A wall of metal jutted out of the ground, mming into one of the horses'' stomach, sending it flying into the air as part of the carriage was lifted in response. But immediately after, the carriage turned heavy, rooting it to the ground as a wave of mana burst out of it, ttening the surrounding trees.


    "Attack!" The boy was Gilthru, now fifteen years in age, having just been promoted into a Grandmaster as he lunged onto the carriage, condensing a metal spear that he chucked at his target.


    A metal cage appeared around the carriage, resulting in a sonorous ng as the spear collided with it. Immediately after, the entire wooden carriage turned metallic as one of the surviving horses turned into metal too.


    A gust of air blew out of its nose like a steam engine as the metal horse began to run, at speeds faster than before, mowing through the couple of people that stood in its way.


    Gilthru''s figure shed in response, using his powers of a Wind Warrior as he arrived above the carriage, condensing a spear that he plunged into it, shocked to see the spear melting when it came into contact with the carriage.


    "What the?" He was surprised, leaping out of range as a metal hand jutted out of the carriage, intending to capture him.


    A group of Orcs rushed at the carriage, mming into it when they were stunned by the impact. The metal carriage was just too heavy for their muscly body to topple over. And immediately after, spikes jutted out of the carriage and pierced through their bodies, killing them instantly.


    ''All of them were Masters¡­'' Gilthru frowned in response, gritting his teeth as he said, "Activate it!"


    Boom!


    A formation appeared underneath the fleeing carriage, turning the region into a swamp as tree roots jutted out of the swamp and constricted the horse, preventing the carriage from moving.


    "Retract!" Suddenly, a solemn voice resounded as the roots lost control unnaturally while the horse nudged into the swamp, bursting with enough power to pull itself out of the swamp and continue to run.


    "Even the formation was ineffective?" Gilthru was shocked as he motioned a


    t the Minotaur to keep moving. "Activate the second formation."


    The Minotaur closed her eyes, focusing as immediately, the second iid formation was activated, this time causing a sea of mes to surge into the carriage, beginning to melt the metal.


    But strangely, the Metal Mana circting through it only intensified in response, stalling its melting as the carriage once again broke out of the formation.


    The third formation though, created a domain of ice, turning the metal brittle. But an instantter, ayer of metal cracked before shattering, copsing to the ground as a newyer of metal covered both the carriage and the horse.


    And that wasn''t all, arrows suddenly flew out of the carriage, uratelynding on the ambushing group.


    "Keuk!" Gilthru grunted as he caught hold of the arrow that flew his way, flinching as he noticed a cut on his palm, a result of him catching hold of the arrow to protect himself.


    "What the¡­?" He was surprised to see the arrow vanish immediately after. ''Even if it''s a Metal Arrow created by a Metal Mage, this level of control is too exceptional for a Grandmaster to attain.''


    Thinking as such, he gritted his teeth, focusing as suddenly, his Wind Mana billowed out of him, "Everyone, take a step back."


    His figure shed towards the carriage and this time, he only relied upon a wind sword that he had condensed, using it to rapidly hack into the carriage, cutting off one of its corners to peek inside, staring at a middle-aged man that was sweating buckets, his thirteen-year-old daughter that stared nervously, and a boy the same age as him.


    The moment he stared at the boy, Gilthru was shocked, able to see mana itself swirling around the boy, as if happy to do so, ''Just¡­who the heck is this guy?''


    In response, the boy calmly stared at him, eyes oozing confidence as he condensed a spear and thrust through the gap.


    "Keuk!" Gilthru barely evaded the blow, rolling to the side when multiple arrows flew out of the carriage, targeting him.


    He covered himself with ayer of wind and leaped back in reflex, barely taking the arrows when he grunted, copsing to the ground as a blunt impact mmed into his stomach, shattering his defences.


    He kneeled on the ground, staring at the arrow with a spherical arrowhead that fell on the ground, the culprit that had shattered his defences.


    He gazed at the figure of the boy that had climbed up the carriage, calmly eyeing him in return before returning to the carriage.


    With Gilthru out ofmission, the rest of his group didn''t dare chase after the carriage, especially since a majority of the group nowy on the ground as corpses.


    "Dammit!" Gilthru punched the ground, vexed as he watched the carriage disappear eventually.


    He then stared at the Minotaur that approached him, "Gargi, do we have any other


    formations to use and catch up to them?"


    "Our Cartographer is dead." The Minotaur named Gargi sighed, "So, we have no way of catching up to them."


    "Aren''t you a Thief?" Gilthru asked, "Can''t you track them? Besides, they most probably will continue to stick to the road."


    "Look around you," Gargi sighed in defeat, "Even our ambush did nothing. All we managed to do was kill a horse. And we lost most of our members. They might be Orcs, but they were still Masters."


    "We have no other choice but to retreat."


    "Dammit." Gilthru clenched his hand into a fist, "Her Majesty wouldn''t let this failure go."

 Chapter 639: In My Past (Part 4)

    Chapter 639: In My Past (part 4)


    It had been seven years since he became a ve to the Demon Princess. During this time, he was trained by the other Human ves, allowing him to grow by leaps and bounds, already bing a Grandmaster by the tender age of 15.


    And among her ves, he was the most noteworthy, especially since the Demon Princess had made thergest concession for him¡ªleaving his vige alone and even providing it protection.


    Of course, in response to that, he had to perform every dirty task that had been handed to him, including the killing of important human nobles that yed a pivotal role in the resistance of the humans against the Demon Empire.


    The ce they were on was known as the Felera Continent, a gigantic continent in the Fantasy World whose area was almost equal to the surface area of Earth.


    And this continent was currently being invaded by the Demons that had only upied a small portion of the continent¡¯s west in the past.


    There were a variety of races that lived on this continent, mostly bnced in power. But things changed when the Demon Race produced their first Saint, called the Saint of Cmity.


    As the first Saint to be birthed on this continent, in the world itself, the power dynamic of the continent changed abruptly, causing the Demon Race to grow stronger with the passing of every day, so much so that they began to spill out into the territory of the other races.


    And as one of the races with the greatest fertility, the human race of course faced the impact early on as at least a couple of Kingdoms fell to ruin.


    But the various Human Kingdoms joined hands with the other races to mount a joint alliance against the Demons, sparking a grand continental war.


    After the initial shock, the Demon Race was somewhat getting pushed back, but that was only until the Tamers began to move.


    They tamed those from the other races like Gilthru, causing them to infiltrate their respective Kingdoms to wreak havoc from within.


    Currently, Gilthru¡¯s mission was to kill the girl that had been in the carriage, a child with the potential to reach the peak of the Pseudo-Saint Stage and maybe even surpass it to be a Saint.


    Therefore, before she could mature, she had to be killed. And of course, they couldn¡¯t just send Pseudo-Saints to do the task, for all Pseudo-Saints from the Demon Race were marked by Pseudo-Saints from the other races.


    And, infiltrating deep into the Human Kingdom like this wasn¡¯t easy. They had to rely upon Gargi¡¯s formations to hide their auras and gradually make their way through the border.


    This was why their group couldn¡¯t be too big. And considering the high sess rate Gilthru had in his previous missions, it was predicted that he would pull off this high-risk mission too.


    Unfortunately, things didn¡¯t y out like that as the enemy seemed strange and more talented than him, despite being the same age.


    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­retreat,¡± Gilthru said in the end, having no other option but to do so as they had already lost their Cartographer. Without him, they were in the blind while moving, making things riskier.


    ¡­


    k-kat-ta!


    k-kat-ta!


    Metallic sounds resounded every time the hooves of the horse hit the hard rocks on the ground. The metallic horse continued to run before suddenly, it stopped abruptly, turning inanimate, as if it was just a statue now.


    ¡°The horse died.¡± A feminine voice resounded as the girl in the carriage alighted and arrived before the horse, gently patting it, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to use that magic. It¡¯s too cruel.¡±


    Her eyes reddened, staring at the detailed expression of the horse, observing that in its final moments, it had been struggling to breathe as more and more of its body turned metallic.


    Unfortunately, her ultimate magic had a limited duration of effect before the target turned into metalpletely, ending up as a sculpture.


    ¡°Zaira, you didn¡¯t have a choice back then. Hadn¡¯t you done that, all three of us would have died.¡± The middle-aged man, her father spoke, wiping his sweat with a kerchief as his eyes darted about, still nervous, afraid of other thugs ambushing them.


    ¡°I understand¡­¡± Zaira sulked in response, not having the heart to repeat the same again. She had personally taken care of the two horses that pulled their carriage and hence was heartbroken.


    The first horse was killed from the impact to its stomach by Gilthru while the second turned into metal due to her magic.


    So, she was sad.


    ¡°Zaira, can you search for any wild horses that we can use?¡± Her father, Baord asked, jittery as he was only a Master Metal Mage. And unlike the usual Master Metal Mages, he hadn¡¯t been training much, so hisbat experience wascking.


    That was why he wasn¡¯t able to do anything during the previous ambush, his only option was to twiddle his thumb and stare at everything in fluster.


    ¡°Let me search¡­¡± Zaira said as runes shed around her, causing her aura as a Master to leak out as a subtle wind rippled out of her, acting as a sonar that allowed her to grasp the structure of everything in ce.


    A minuteter, she pointed in a certain direction, ¡°I found something that looks like a horse in this direction.¡±


    ¡°Is it not a horse?¡± Baord expressed his worry.


    ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure.¡± Zaira shook her head, ¡°I felt some mana fluctuation from its body. So, it might be a Magic Beast variant of a horse. But I can¡¯t say for sure. Its overall shape and size still resembles a horse though.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡± Baord stared at the boy standing beside them in silence all along, guarding them. Upon observing the crystal-clear eyes of the boy, Baord asked, ¡°Can you scout it out? Return the moment it seems dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡± The boy nodded as he condensed a bow and arrow made out of metal and began to walk in the direction Zaira pointed at, ¡°Please be seated inside the carriage until I return. This ce doesn¡¯t seem safe.¡±


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Zaira expressed her concern, staring at the boy¡¯s confident back, ¡°Don¡¯t be reckless, Arnark.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡± The boy waved his hand and vanished into the woods.

 Chapter 640: In My Past (Part 5)

    Chapter 640: In My Past (part 5)


    Arnark jumped onto a tree branch as he stared at the horse-like Magic Beast that was drinking water from a pond. Appearance-wise, it resembled a horse, sporting a coffee-brown skin colour. The only oddity was its golden mane and tail that emanated a mana fluctuation.


    ¡®This horse will be pretty useful.¡¯ Thinking as such, Arnark condensed a metal that he threw with all his strength.


    The horse reacted as it leaped forth, intending to escape when Arnark snapped his finger.


    Suddenly, a metallic creature emerged from the metal, controlling it as the flew in the air and chased after the horse, constricting it in the end.


    Arnark looked around, heaving a sigh in relief to see that his actions weren¡¯t noticed. He then looked at the metallic creature, whispering, ¡°Why did youe out?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, it was suffocating to be like that.¡± The metallic creature snorted, ring at him in response, ¡°You¡¯re an Elementalist. I hate seeing you act like a Mage. It¡¯s disgusting.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a human now.¡± Arnark said, ¡°That¡¯s the only way I can survive as such.¡±


    After snorting once again, the metallic creature melted into the metal and vanished, cing his focus on the horse that had been captured.


    Snort!


    The horse red at him, struggling to move but failing to do so as it was sprawled on the ground now.


    Arnark observed his surroundings once more as mana rushed into his throat. He then made eye contact with the horse, opening his mouth to utter solemnly, ¡°Obey, and be my steed!¡±


    Neigh!


    The horse struggled for a couple of minutes before its wild nature subsided, turning tame as the metal constricting it vanished, allowing it to get up.


    Arnark created a set of reins that he harnessed on it before climbing onto its back, motioning for it to move, surprised when it burst into a sprint immediately, ¡®It¡¯s way faster than a horse.¡¯


    It then leapt in the air, making an arc over the trees beforending near the carriage, startling the father and daughter pair huddled within.


    ¡°Master, I brought us a Magic Beast Horse,¡± Arnark announced jovially.


    ¡°Thank goodness,¡± Baord sighed in relief, watching Arnark connect the horse¡¯s harness to the carriage. He was relieved that they could begin moving once again, but was also surprised at the fact that Arnark managed to tame a Magic Beast Horse within a few minutes, ¡®As expected, this child is a talent.¡¯


    He was the lord of a region that had fallen under the attacks of the Demons. He managed to protect as many of his people as possible, sending them to the safety of another Lord in a nearby territory.


    At present, he was heading to the capital of the Hemish Empire, Eonk City. He was acting as a diplomat to request aid from this powerful Empire.


    After all, Hemish Empire was one of the strongest human forces, one that spearheaded the resistance against the Demons.


    After his Kingdom fell, Baord didn¡¯t have much authority left. As for the wealth that he had saved up, he used most of it to seek refuge for his people under a lord that was part of the Hemish Empire. This way, their safety was guaranteed.


    The Hemish Empire would do everything in its power to protect its territory.


    But, Baord wasn¡¯t satisfied with that alone. After all, he only managed to save his daughter in his family. Rest had be tragic victims of ughter.


    Moreover, as one of the sparse few people that survived a Demon invasion, he had valuable intel that allowed him an audience with the Hemish Emperor.


    During this audience, he wished to plead for help in reiming his kingdom. Though, he had no idea how that might y out, not having much confidence. But still, he had to at least try it first.


    When his people escaped, Baord came across a copsed home and chanced upon an injured Arnark that was in a half-dead state. He used a valuable potion to heal the other party and took him under his wing.


    As his life saviour, Arnark vowed to help them, acting as their bodyguard from then on.


    Moreover, ever since their Kingdom¡ªMukar Kingdom¡ªfell to ruin, droves of people constantly aimed at his daughter, rming Baord. It made him realise that the Demons treated Zaira to be one of their greatest threats.


    ¡®Though, considering her power, it makes sense. If there¡¯s anyone that is able to kill the Saint of Cmity in the future, it¡¯s her.¡¯ He nodded in understanding, one of the reasons he had been nervous all along.


    After all, the Demons already obtained intel regarding her power or at least were knowledgeable about the danger she posed. So, attacks like the one from before had bemon.


    But this also made him appreciate Arnark, for the boy showed great talent. And during their journey in the past few months, he upgraded from a Master Mage to be a Grandmaster Mage.


    ¡°Master, I¡¯ll take care of the horse,¡± Arnark said as he took the coachman seat, motioning for the horse to begin running, smiling as he noticed it being able to pull the carriage easily.


    ¡°Be careful against an ambush.¡± Baord couldn¡¯t help but warn him, ¡°Why don¡¯t you control the horse from within the carriage like before? That¡¯s safer.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re almost at the edge of the forest, Master.¡± Arnark smiled in confidence, ¡°The chances of us being ambushed now is nil. We¡¯re just an hour from the nearest city, so there should be patrols nearby already.¡±


    And just as he said, a few minutes of journeyter, they came across a tower where a team of soldiers had been stationed, keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings.


    Arnark nced at the people in the tower, turning nervous the moment he noticed a robed individual among them wearing a monocle while carrying a book, ¡®A Cartographer? Shit!¡¯


    The Cartographer stared at the approaching carriage, not expressing anything as he continued to stare at his book.


    Thump! Thump!


    Until the carriage moved past the tower, Arnark¡¯s heart thumped in tension. Finally, only after they neared the city did he rx, ¡®Thankfully, he was only a Novice Cartographer. He couldn¡¯t see through my disguise.¡¯


    Following that, they entered the city to rest for a day before making their way towards Eonk City which was only a day¡¯s journey from here.

 Chapter ?641: In My Past (Part 6)

    Chapter ?641: In My Past (Part 6)


    Whack!


    A whipshed out at Gilthru, forming a gash on his face as he fell to the ground, grunting in pain.


    "You had one job and you failed at that?" An angry voice resounded as Daka Felera, his mastershed out with the whip again and again until Gilthru began bleeding all over.


    "Bring it here!" She extended her hand as a human ve wearing a robe appeared, bringing over a jug filled to the brim with a healing potion.


    Daka Felera grabbed the jug and sshed the contents over Gilthru, watching his injuries heal as she red at him, "You understand what will happen next, right?"


    "Yes, your majesty. I''m willing to ept my punishment." Gilthru prostrated on the ground, appearing sullen.


    "You''ll suffer a hundredshes," Daka Felera said, watching him nod as she asked next, "Now, why did you fail? Your task was to kill just one child. Is she terrifying?"


    "She is terrifying indeed," Gilthru recalled the metal horse, nodding, "But, she''s only a Master Mage. I had the confidence in subduing her. But, the problem was her bodyguard."


    "Her bodyguard?" Daka Felera frowned in response, noticing that Gilthru had turned silent in response, not saying anything further. She peered into his thoughts, feeling a headache as too many thoughts flowed through his mind, expressing that even as he tried to conceal himself, Gilthru was in a state of fluster, also feeling insulted at the defeat.


    "All of you, leave." She waved her hand, watching everyone exit the throne room as only she and Gilthru were there now. She then stared at him to nod, "Continue."


    "That bodyguard is the same age as me but is already a Grandmaster. And, even though he concealed himself, the magic he used wasn''t a Metal Mage''s power¡­" Gilthru said solemnly, "But that of an Elementalist. That exins why his metal constructs seemed like they had a mind of their own."


    "An Elementalist¡­" Daka Felera turned serious, ''Is he a Demon that is moving undercover as a Human there? But, if that''s the case, why is he protecting Zaira? She''s too dangerous to be left alive.''


    "Did you feel as if he''s protecting Zaira only to get close to her or to tame her?" She asked next, understanding that an Elementalist talented enough to be a Grandmaster at the age of fifteen might also be a Tamer.


    That might be why he''s getting close to Zaira, so that he could tame her once she lets down her guard.


    "No, I didn''t sense anything of the sort. He shouldn''t be a Tamer as¡­" Just as Gilthru began to speak, his eyes widened in shock as he understood what was up, "We trapped their carriage in a formation. But, that boy uttered a word when our formation became weak enough for the carriage to escape from it¡­"


    Bang!


    Daka Felera got up with a start, her fluster shattering the throne as her expression was incredulous, muttering solemnly, "Principal Arbiter¡­"


    "Principal Arbiter is a rare Sub-Profession. Those with it cannot have another profession. Then, how can he be an Elementalist despite that?" She muttered in confusion.


    In any race, there existed people with more than one Main Profession. Gilthru was an example among the Humans, having the professions of both a Warrior and a Mage.


    Among the Demons, Daka Felera was another example, wielding the Professions of Tamer and Elementalist.


    But, someone with a Sub-Profession could only wield that one profession, there were no exceptions. After all, Sub-Professions were rare, but they were specialised to the peak.


    Among the Demons, there were the Sub-Professions of Principle Arbiter and Conjurer, both were so rare that there was at most one per ten million. And their Saint, the Saint of Cmity was a Conjurer.


    And throughout history, a Conjurer only wielded that profession. The case was the same for a Principal Arbiter too.


    Among humans, there were the Sub-Professions of Porter, Cartographer, and Alchemist. The case was the same here too. This was why there were no Cartographers at higher Realms of power, for they were aplete auxiliary profession without anybat strength.


    So, the more valuable they became, the quicker they were assassinated by the enemy powers. ???s ??????? ?s ?????? ?? ????????????. ?o?.


    It was a definite fact that those possessing a Sub-Profession only had the powers of that profession alone. But, what she heard here seemed absurd.


    There now existed a Demon that was an Elementalist but shockingly, he also wielded the power of a Principal Arbiter, a Sub-Profession?


    ''It''s impossible for him to be amoner.'' Daka Felera frowned, feeling that it was impossible. After all, even among the nobles, wielding two professions was incredibly rare. Only royalty like her was capable of¡­


    Her expression morphed as Daka Felera rushed out of the throne room, "I need to ask my dad about this. Gilthru, you can return to your home once you ept the punishment. I''ll summon you when I need you again."


    "Yes, your majesty." Gilthru nodded in response, sighing as he observed the empty throne room.


    Daka Felera''s father was none other than the Saint of Cmity, one typically addressed as the Demon God by those from the other races. After all, he was the sole Saint of the world, with none his match.


    Gilthru made his way to the basement of the pce, staring at the rough-looking minotaur there that was shocked to see his arrival.


    "You made a mistake, Gilthru?" The Minotaur stopped whipping the prisoners, staring at him in shock.


    "I failed in ambushing Zaira." Gilthru sighed as he entered a cell and began to remove his clothes, "I''ve been ordered to face a hundredshes."


    "Damn¡­" The Minotaur flinched for a moment, for among Daka Felera''s tamed beasts, he had the highest authority, having been the sole cause that resulted in a Kingdom''s copse, a nightmare on the battlefield.


    "I''m sorry if this hurts you¡­" The Minotaur sighed beforeshing out with a whip, flinching in fear every time Gilthru grunted in pain.


    "Thank you," Gilthru spoke, tired as he was done enduring a hundredshes, taking out a potion the Minotaur had given him as he applied it to his wounds, watching them heal. He then wore his shirt and weakly walked out of the basement, leaving the pce as he hailed a carriage and headed towards a nearby vige.


    It was where all the human captives were held, and treated horribly. The moment he set foot in the vige, his confidence plummeted.

 Chapter ?642: In My Past (Part 7)

    Chapter ?642: In My Past (Part 7)


    "S-Save¡­me!" Ady raised her hand, expressing her despair as she struggled to move. She was seated on a chair, her body perfectly fine, not injured in the least. But, she seemed to be suffering from trauma, locked in her past, unable to return to reality.


    She struggled as if a beast was gnawing up on her legs, tearing up as she shouted from time to time. This was a woman that was seated at the entrance of the vige, taken care of by a couple of Demons.


    She was the wife of an Alchemist that had been enved by Daka Felera. As Alchemists were rare, especially a Master Alchemist like him, Daka Felera pardoned the survival of his wife, allowing her to live in safety in this vige.


    There weren''t just humans here though. Minotaur, Elf, Dwarf, Lizardmen, and even Mermen were here, among races that had familial bonds that they cared about.


    The immediate family of the ves had been brought over to this vige to be cared about. Not only did it ease up the minds of the ves, but also served to double down on their loyalty. After all, their loved ones were protected here in these dangerous war-ridden times.


    Of course, even if they were protected, the atmosphere of the vige was damn gloomy. After all, in their perspective, their loved ones had been enved and made tomit horrible deeds by Daka Felera. And they were too helpless to do anything about it.


    There was plenty here that had yet to ovee their scars, both physical and mental, despite their physical scars having been healed using potions ages ago.


    Roar!


    Gilthru covered his ears in a hurry, watching a baby Titan cry, missing her father who had been enved. Currently, her father was sent on a mission to destroy a Titan vige.


    Daka Felera was damn cunning in that she sent her enved beasts to their respective Kingdoms or Empires first to wreak havoc. This way, they werebelled as wanted criminals that would be executed upon discovery.


    This ensured that even in the likelihood of her death, they would no longer have any homes to fall back to. With all bridges burned, their only choice was to apany her until their death.


    The Titan baby continued to cry as none seemed intent to console her. The Demons in charge of taking care of everyone here couldn''t care less as they yawned from time to time.


    They only put in the bare minimum of effort to take care of the vige. Though, upon seeing his arrival, they hurriedly got up from their spots and rushed to console the Titan baby.


    The reason was simple: They were afraid of him.


    After all, he had killed dozens of Demons already, having exclusive permission from Daka Felera to do so as her right hand tamed beast. Any Demon that didn''t follow her orders to the ''T'' could be killed by him solely on his discretion alone.


    Though, this was only limited to Experts and Novices among the Demons. But, as those posted in the vige were mostly Novice Demons, they were well within his jurisdiction to punish.


    Gilthru stared at the Demons tantly acting as if they cared about everyone in the vige, sighing as a result. He couldn''t simply kill everyone as he pleased. That would mean that more Demons had to be taken out from other ces to fill in the gaps here.


    If he went overboard, Daka Felera might revoke the authority given to him. This was especially risky after he failed his recent mission. So, he had to be on his best behaviour.


    Soon, he made his way to the centre of the vige, staring at arge house where a group of women lived, all human.


    Their eyescked spirit, dull as they simply sat in their respective corners.


    But the moment they noticed his approach, one of the women closest to him picked up a jug of water from nearby and sshed it on his face in anger, shouting shrilly, "Why did youe here? Traitor!"


    "Aunty¡­I¡­" Gilthru wished to speak when a shoe mmed into his face, drawing out a thin line of blood from his nose as the shoe was made of metal.


    "Don''t you dare speak, you traitor!" The woman hollered hysterically as immediately, a bunch of items flew his way. It wasn''t just her that was attacking him, but pretty much everyone.


    Plop!


    Suddenly, Gilthru grunted, staring at the knife that stabbed into his stomach, craning his neck to see the middle-aged woman that had stabbed him. Messy hair that had mostly greyed out despite her young age, a dishevelled appearance atop eyes full of hatred, and most of all, one bearing a resemnce to him.


    It was his mother.


    Currently, she stared at him with intense hatred, gritting her teeth as she said, "I heard you destroyed our country?"


    "I¡­had no other choice¡­" Gilthru said when he was pped by her using a stick that she picked up from the ground.


    "Bastard! Didn''t have a choice my ass! You didn''t just kill the soldiers, but also the innocent women and children. You didn''t even leave behind any newborn." His mother seethed in anger, staring at her son''s face, "Even if you didn''t have a choice, you could have held back. But, I know for a fact that among all her tamed beasts, you''ve performed the best."


    "You disgust me!" She stared at him with killing intent before her eyes turned nk, "I see, it was my mistake. I shouldn''t have given birth to you. You disgust me! You disgust me! You disgust me!"


    "Mother¡­" Gilthru said when his mother''s eyes widened all of a sudden, expressing concentrated revulsion.


    She then yanked out the knife forcefully, staring at it as she uttered, "If you wanted to be a demon, go all out. The care you give me, delete that."


    She closed her eyes, "I''m done. I can''t put up with this hell any longer."


    She stabbed the knife into her neck. But Gilthru moved at speeds beyond what she could sense, grabbing hold of the knife before it pierced her neck, preventing her from killing herself, "Mother!"


    Seeing the care he disyed, his mother''s eyes turned resolute, "Not anymore."


    Crunch!


    She bit her tongue, watching blood fill her mouth immediately as she prevented Gilthru from pouring a potion in her mouth, keeping it shut tightly as she rolled on the ground, using all her strength to cover herself.


    A few secondster, she coughed out all the blood filling her mouth, breathing herst as Gilthru was stunned, his face convulsing as he copsed to the ground, tearing up, "Ahhhhh!"

 Chapter ?643: In My Past (Part 8)

    Chapter ?643: In My Past (Part 8)


    Daka Felera travelled atop a flying type Magic Beast, soon arriving at the heart of the Demon Empire, gazing at the majestic castle that seemed unusual.


    ''This wasn''t here a year ago.'' She thought, recalling that the entire area had been barren thest time she had visited the ce. But now, there existed a massive castle, reaching a height of eight hundred metres and spanning an area of ten square kilometres; it was also suffused with a terrifying aura, of her father.


    She alighted at an open room bereft of walls, kneeling the moment she arrived, "Congrattions, father, for attaining another breakthrough."


    "Daka¡­?" A surprised voice resounded from within the pce, condensing unsurpassable might as there was a mixture of nonchnce and familiarity to it, "You''ve reached the peak as a Pseudo-Saint already?"


    "Yes, father." Daka Felera nodded, "Daughter has been lucky recently to get talented subordinates."


    "I see, keep up with the good work." The voice resounded, "With children like this, our Empire would soon rule the entire continent."


    "Father, there is something I wish to ask." Daka Felera bowed respectfully, expressing her hesitation.


    "Come in first." The voice said as Daka Felera made her way through the almost empty pce. There were only a sparse few maids running around to perform the various tasks.


    Soon, she arrived at the throne room, seeing a figure calmly seated there in a meditative stance, staring at the scroll hung before him. A body that only reached a height of two metres, short even among Demons. A pair of horns, unassuming in might and copper skin that seemed dull, mouldy even. But, he was the pinnacle being that shook the continent.


    Saint of Cmity!


    The moment she walked in, the Saint of Cmity stared at her calmly, asking, "It seems you''ve encountered a setback?"


    "I had intended to ambush and kill Zaira." She spoke.


    "Ahh, that terrifyingly talented human child." The Saint of Cmity nodded, "She would one day reach my level. I think the Hemish Empire is nning to coronate her as a Hero to be the banner that everyone can ally under."


    He looked at Daka Felera, "Did you seed?"


    "I sent my strongest tamed beast. You know about Gilthru, right?" She asked.


    "I''ve seen him once. He''ll be a Pseudo-Saint in the future." The Saint of Cmity nodded, "With him participating, did the mission go well?"


    "No, that''s where we encountered a setback that caused the mission to fail." Daka Felera shook her head, hesitating for a moment to say, "Based on what he reported, Zaira has a strong bodyguard."


    "How strong is he?" The Saint of Cmity asked calmly.


    "Grandmaster Elementalist," She said, watching her father frown in response, wondering why a Demon was protecting the human that would eventually be called the Hero. She then dropped the bomb, "And a Principal Arbiter."


    Boom!


    The moment she uttered, the Saint of Cmity got up with a start beforeughing out aloud, staring at the sky as he shouted, "Was it you that revived Arnark, Magister?"


    "W-Who?" Daka Felera was surprised as she stared at the sky, failing to notice anyone there. She had heard this name before but wasn''t able to recall the information immediately.


    But it seemed the other party had no ns to wait until she remembered the details as suddenly, a hooded old man with a cane appeared amidst them at some point in time, calm, as if he had been there in the first ce.


    A cage formed around the hooded old man like the maws of a prehistoric beast, intending to trap him within.


    But, all the hooded old man did was tap the ground with his cane, causing the cage to melt away and form a pool on the ground before vanishing. He then stared at the Saint of Cmity that had conjured a terrifying beast next, blinking as he forced the beast to break down into a pool of mana.


    "You can never win against me, child. So, don''t even bother resisting." The hooded old man said after a chuckle, "I can wield all the powers of this world, and that includes your power too."


    "Tell me¡­" The Saint of Cmity gritted his teeth, "Why did you revive Arnark? He''s not someone that should exist."


    "His very existence would destroy the Principal Arbiter and Elementalist professions." The Saint of Cmity stared in anger.


    The hooded old man only smiled in response, expressing his interest, "You know, I had to use most of my power to take advantage of the moment you became the first Saint of this world to influence your blessings on Arnark that was born at the same time."


    "I had to first time his birth to you bing a Saint and I also had to use the world''s focus on you to harness its strength and tweak thews to make him break it." The hooded old man said, "It was pretty tough to give him the Elementalist profession."


    "Since I went to such lengths to create him, why would I not take action when you killed him?" The hooded old man said as a matter of fact, "So of course, I revived him shortly after."


    "Your actions would destroy this world, Magister!" The Saint of Cmity said, noticing that his power was somewhat restricted by the other party, "Zaira is also your doing, right?"


    "You guessed it right." The hooded old man, Magister grinned, "The strongest being in this world should have an opponent, right? The nature of all magic worlds is to be bnced. And I''ll keep reviving Arnark and Zaira until they be strong enough to face you."


    "I''ll prevent that from happening." The Saint of Cmity stated solemnly as he harnessed the power of his profession, "No matter what, I''ll kill them as many times as it takes."


    "I''ll see you try." Magister grinned, also interested in what the Saint of Cmity would do next when suddenly, his face morphed in anger, "This damn Immortal bastard took over another world of mine!"


    "Dammit!" Grunting in anger, his figure vanished, appearing in the vast cosmos to stare at a world where the mana was slowly evolving into Spiritual Energy instead, "You damn thieving bastard!"

 Chapter ?644: In My Past (Part 9)

    Chapter ?644: In My Past (Part 9)


    "Thieving bastard, return my world!" Magister said in anger as hundreds of magic circles shed behind him, powering up in response.


    In response, his opponent, a white-robed individual calmly condensed a sword, making a gentle sh to sever all the magic circles, "Give up, Magister. Cultivation is supreme. Magic is inferior."


    "Delusional!" Magister said as he spun his cane once, condensing a gigantic magic circle with a dozen concentric circles inside, filled to the brim with runes as he unleashed a beam of mana onto the nearby world.


    Immediately in response, the Spiritual Energy that had encroached upon that world was devoured by a tree that had appeared, converting it into Mana.


    The tree grew to a height of ten kilometres, capable of absorbing any form of energy and converting them into mana, thetest creation of Magister.


    With that, the world resumed its operations as its inhabitants that were previously struggling with the change recovered, resuming their original lives.


    Though, damage had been done to the world as Spiritual Energy had reacted differently with the people, objects, and the rest of the world. And majority failed to adapt to Spiritual Energy, dying in the process.


    But now, once the mana returned, those that had endured and resisted the change brought by Spiritual Energy became more attuned to mana, growing stronger in response to further fuel the world''s development.


    It was as if the Spiritual Energy and the cause that generated it had been turned into fuel that nourished the world. And the World Tree had been created to result in exactly that.


    Moreover, it was protected with a mystical spell that ensured it was an exclusive property of magical worlds.


    Upon seeing that his hard work had been taken advantage of by Magister, the white-robed entity, Immortal spat out in anger, "Courting Death!"


    "Your mother is courting death!" Magister roared in response and sent out a-sized fireball at Immortal.


    "Puny tricks." Immortal waved his hand, unleashing a simr-sized fireball that mmed into the opponent''s attacks. But suddenly, the essence of his fireball morphed, turning into a fiery creature that began to devour the opponent''s mes. "My Essence me rules over all fire."


    "Well¡­" Magister smirked in response as the fireball unleashed by Immortal suddenly broke free of his control, transforming into a homunculus that was capable of wielding the power of Essence Fire.


    A stream of mana flowed out of Magister and into the homunculus thatunched fire attacks at Immortal.


    But immediately in response, a sword beam diced the homunculus into thousands of pieces, erupting with a corrosive power that destroyed it entirely.


    The two entities began battling in a flurry, unleashing world-devastating attacks with every flick of their fingers.


    "Stop!" A child wearing a trench coat arrived at the scene, twisting the space to form a barrier between the two, "Please stop fighting!"


    "Why do you care, Mystique?" Immortal snorted in disdain, "Your worlds have nothing going for them. If I wasn''t interested in such weak worlds, you would have ceased to exist by now."


    "As representatives of tens of thousands of worlds, shouldn''t you focus on bettering the conditions of your worlds¡­" Mystique said in a hurry when he stopped speaking, staring in shock as his monocle shattered and vanished while his clothes aged rapidly, bing tattered.


    "Don''t overstate your limit." Magister said, expressing his annoyance as Mystique was rendered helpless by a single attack of his, "You''re the reason your worlds are batshit boring."


    "Wait a second¡­" Magister''s eyes lit up in surprise upon seeing the shards of Mystique''s monocle rejoining to be whole once again. He waved his hand, catching hold of the monocle before Mystique could retract it, staring at it as he observed, "Interesting¡­"


    "There''s both Mana and Spiritual Energy in this item." He then looked at Mystique, "How did you create this?"


    "T-That''s¡­" Mystique hesitated,cking confidence as he said, "One of my worlds have people deriving power from the Gods they pray towards. And somehow, they figured out the identity of you two and have been praying to it ever since. So, both Mana and Spiritual Energy exists in that world."


    "What a shitty world." Immortal mocked, "With multiple energies engaging with one another, things would be a tant mess. No wonder your worlds never manage to develop beyond the embryo stage."


    "And this monocle is a representation of those¡­prayers?" Magister asked, twiddling with the monocle. Considering how powerful he was, he didn''t even sense that an entire world''s habitants were harnessing his power. Though, it was because the extent of power they drained out of him was that insignificant.


    The same was true for Immortal too, who was even stronger.


    ''Hmm wait, how can they drain my powers even without my knowledge?'' Once the question popped into his mind, Magister was unable to control his curiosity, ''Once I figure out the cause, I''ll be able to use it to steal Immortal''s power.''


    With that, Magister held the monocle and teleported to the world Mystique had talked about, arriving overhead a statue of himself as he observed a group of people kneeling before it.


    "To the Deity of heavens, the manifestation of mana, the symbolisation of authority, we beseech you, protect us!"


    "Protect us!"


    Magister noticed a strange energy condense from the heads of the praying people after a couple of hours had passed. The energy was barely a trickle as it seeped into the statue and then moved into his body.


    It then carried a trace of mana and retreated into the statue before branching out into various streams of mana that gushed into the praying people, causing their bodies to brim with mana.


    "Good, we''ll be able to battle for the next two months." The one that seemed to be the leader of the group said, leading the believers as they donned their armour and rushed out of the building, leaving the city to engage a beast that was oozing out Spiritual Energy.


    ''This is damn inefficient.'' Magister frowned, ''Instead of all this, they could simply cultivate mana. They''ll be dozens of times stronger for the amount of time they spent praying instead of training. And, it seems their power is only temporary. They would have to pray in regr intervals.''


    Magister then moved to other such temples, noticing statues belonging to the rest of the entities like him. All along, he observed one thing, ''This energy they are harnessing is damn weak. It takes ages to create a decent sum that doesn''t do much.''


    "But¡­" He muttered, expressing interest, "Since it''s able to harness Mana, Spiritual Energy, Qi, and a variety of energies and power systems, it''s damn efficient, not to mention that it only takes an instant to travel from anywhere to its destination."


    He then smiled, stating, "Since this energy is being produced from the thoughts of the people, I''ll name it¡­"


    "Mental Energy!"

 Chapter ?645: In My Past (Part 10)

    Chapter ?645: In My Past (Part 10)


    "Go away!"


    "You traitor!"


    "Never return here!"


    "Get lost!"


    A string of curses flowed into his ears as items of various types mmed onto his back, injuring him. If he riled up his mana, defending against these utensils would have been child''s y.


    But Gilthru didn''t do that, as a sort of atonement as he stood at the same spot as before, carrying his mother''s corpse as his expression was nk.


    The women that were attacking him were weak, so weak they neither had the strength nor the aim to target him properly. But when a utensil approached him, a wind altered its course, causing it to m into his back with greater force.


    And any flying his mother''s way was redirected onto his back. Moreover, ayer of metallic sheen formed on it as the Metal Mana turned the utensils more dangerous, causing them to m into his back harder.


    He himself was doing this, inflicting self-harm, hoping that at least this would make him atone for his sins a little.


    Every time he arrived at the vige to visit the people that he cared about, he would be abused with a string of curses and a hail of items. And every single time, he ensured that the thrown items mmed into him harder.


    After all, the women barely had any strength to throw with force, considering how they lived every day while waiting for their deaths.


    He visited them whenever a chance presented just to be abused, so that this made them livelier, which it in fact did. Otherwise, the majority of the women might have died by now,cking the strength to persist. At least, due to him, they lived thanks to anger.


    But, he had never expected his mother to resolutelymit suicide, the shock paralysing his emotions. He didn''t even know what to do, staring nkly as he carried his mother''s corpse with him, not knowing what he had to do.


    "Pfft!" Suddenly, theughter sound of someone resounded before they controlled themselves. It originated from a Demon. Gilthru didn''t seem to have heard anything, but when he exited the vige, all the Demons stationed here as caretakers copsed to the ground, having been turned into metal sculptures.


    Gilthru made his way through a forest, walking at the same pace as anyone that came close to him copsed to the ground, either shredded into a paste by wind or turned into a metal statue.


    The news soon reached Daka Felera who made her return quickly after, noticing from high up in the air of Gilthru''s figure slowly making his way towards his home, the vige where he grew up. She didn''t interfere butmanded a couple of orcs to near him.


    The moment they did so, the two orcs turned into metal statues as Gilthru continued to walk.


    Daka Felera focused on their bond, sensing that currently, Gilthru''s mind was calm. No, more than calm, it was just nk as not even a single thought resounded.


    Instead, there was just one emotion there¡ªsadness.


    He felt as if his heart had turned to stone, locked in a cage of metal. And this was what he expressed in reality, turning everyone near him into metal.


    And slowly, his Metal Mana spilled out of his body, affecting his surroundings as the path he treaded upon turned into a road of metal, beginning from the forest where it started, all the way to his home vige where he stopped.


    Rubble, overgrown weed, and broken bones scattered everywhere; that was the state of his home vige as Gilthru arrived at his home, entering the copsed building to gently ce the corpse of his mother there. He stared at her corpse, asking, "Mom, what should I do now?"


    "I''m alone¡­"


    There was no reply to his question as Gilthru stared nkly until it was nighttime. He kneeled before her, turning her body into metal as he buried it under his house in a metal coffin before covering up the hole.


    He then stood up and turned around, only now noticing Daka Felera standing there, arms crossed, staring at him.


    He stared at her, stating with a nk tone,cking any emotion, "Please don''t remove this envement on me if you don''t wish for the annihtion of the Demon Race."


    "Once my ve, always my ve." Daka Felera motioned for him to follow her as they exited the house, "You needn''t worry."


    A flying type Magic Beast was waiting there as she climbed on it, taking a seat on the throne harnessed there while Gilthru kneeled behind her, grabbing hold of a rope to keep himself steady.


    "I have a mission for you." Daka Felera said while they were in the air.


    "I''ll do it." Gilthru didn''t even bat an eye to respond.


    "You''ll infiltrate the Hemish Empire and assassinate both Zaira and her bodyguard, Arnark." She said, handing him a badge, "This is something my dad conjured. It''s a powerful curse that would activate once you ce this on the forehead of the target."


    "As for the effects¡­" She dragged before choosing to not reveal it, "Well, you''ll see it when you use it."


    "There''s only one?" Gilthru held the badge, frowning in response, "Don''t I have two targets?"


    "Activating this on even one is considered a sess. Anything beyond that is just icing on the cake." Daka Felera said as she caused the flying type Magic beast to stop before a group of her tamed beasts.


    "All of them would apany you on this mission to assist you. Use them as you please." She said, pointing at the group of humans before her, "Their appearance has been changed by a Pseudo-Saint Mermen that my uncle has enved. So, they''ll be able to assist you freely in the human empire."


    "Then, what about me?" Gilthru pointed at himself, "Both the targets have seen my appearance already. Shouldn''t I also change my appearance?"


    "No, that won''t be necessary." Daka Felera smirked as all the changed humans jumped onto the back of the Magic Beast that took off to the air as her voice resounded, "I''ll drop them at another location where they''ll make their way to Eonk City. Try to reach there within a month, alright?"


    Roar!


    Hundreds of orcs rushed out of the forest as they charged at Gilthru with killing intent. "You know the means to portray a talented damsel in distress, right?"


    "Survive until you chance upon some human nobles that rescue you." Saying so, the Magic Beast vanished as Gilthru turned around and began to run without hesitation.


    And behind him, orcs chased in a frenzy, mostly Novices with some Experts strewn around. But their numbers were scary, especially since he was injured from the self-harm session, not to mention running low on mana as he had metallicized everything along his path.


    Due to her orders, he couldn''tmit suicide even if he wanted to. And hence, Gilthru began to run for his life.

 Chapter ?646: In My Past (Part 11)

    Chapter ?646: In My Past (Part 11)


    "Haah¡­huff¡­hah!" Gilthru rushed through the forest, using his Wind Mana from time to time to gain a lead. As he didn''t have enough mana reserves, he couldn''t fly far enough.


    After all, Orcs had exceptional tracking senses, able to track someone they had marked for hundreds of kilometres at a stretch.


    And worst of all, the Orcs chasing him were wild Orcs, not under anyone''s control. Daka Felera only influenced their hunger using his scent. Due to that, until he ends up in their tummies, they would chase him no matter how far he flees away.


    If he had enough mana, he could have flown as quickly as possible until he left their tracking range. Unfortunately, he didn''t have enough and hence had to run as quickly as possible.


    Growl!


    A stray Magic Beast ambushed him, intending to bite his head off when it was unable to open its mouth. A metal strap wound its mouth, preventing it from opening it. Its forearms shed in a flurry, pulling out the strap.


    But by the time it managed to free its mouth, Gilthru had fled far away. Moreover, the Orcs had arrived in its vicinity.


    And upon seeing another prey, they jumped upon the Magic Beast, ripping it apart to partake in a messy feast.


    Considering the sheer number of Orcs that had taken action, the Magic Beast was devoured within ten seconds.


    ''That only bought ten seconds?'' Gilthru frowned as he jumped up from one tree branch to another, shing at the trunks to extract the tree sap that he spilled on his body.


    This was in an effort to mask his scent as much as possible to throw the noses of the Orcs off. It was somewhat effective as the Orcs weren''t able to target him as urately as before. But they were still chasing after him without any problem.


    "Ugh!" Gilthru grunted in pain as his wounds hurt, bleeding blood from time to time as he exerted his body. He was feeling somewhat light-headed due to the blood loss.


    If not for his Warrior physique, he would have fainted long ago. ''No, I have to persist until someonees to save me.''


    Those were Daka Felera''s orders. It was like a mental cue that constantly resounded in his mind, influencing his actions.


    Otherwise, if he exerted all his strength, he had the means to trap the Orcs and ughter them all eventually.


    Roar!


    A group of Orcs closed in on him as wind revolved around his body, causing him to flicker long distances with every jump. He then noticed a cliff before him, intending to scale it up and get some rest first.


    Gilthru kicked the ground and leaped off, reaching the peak of the cliff with a single jump. But just as hended above, he noticed a bird''s nest, one that contained three baby birds.


    The mother bird was feeding them worms while the father bird was perched on a tree nearby, keeping watch over the surroundings.


    The moment Gilthru arrived, the father bird was rmed, rapidly swooping in on him as a cone of mana formed around its body. This was the Magic Beast''s ability as Gilthru hurriedly strengthened theyer of air around him.


    He didn''t have enough time to condense a shield of metal. His Metal Mana just began to seep out of his body to erect a shield over theyer of wind when the mana cone mmed into it, piercing through within an instant.


    The father bird was a Grandmaster Magic Beast. And at Gilthru''s current condition, he wasn''t its match, shouting in pain as a part of his stomach got pierced through by the mana cone.


    If he hadn''t riled up his wind to move to the side, his body would have been shredded in half.


    Bang!


    Gilthru mmed into the ground due to the force of impact, coughing out blood as he saw the father bird circle the air once before zooming in on him once again, intending to destroy him.


    His figure flew towards the cliff as he thrust with his hand, yanking out a holerge enough to hide inside as he jumped in, covering the entrance with ayer of metal. He reinforced the cave with metal, copsing to the ground as he was out of mana now.


    Boom!


    The father bird had attacked the entrance with a Magic Cone, unable to pierce through fully. Just as when it nned to attack again, the father bird noticed the group of Orcs rushing into the region.


    Afraid that they would target its children, it took off into the air and moved above the cliff, standing guard as it watched the actions of the Orcs.


    The Orcs rushed towards the metal cage and began to bombard it with punches and kicks, also using their stone hammers to target it.


    Boom! Boom! ng!


    Thunderous sounds resounded as the metal cage began to dent. In response, Gilthru meditated, intending to absorb as mana from the air as he could, hoping to recover enough to flee from the ce.


    As long as he forced the Orcs to fight the father bird, most of them would die, allowing him to escape. But the thought didn''t even finish forming in his mind when rumbling sounds resounded as suddenly, the entire metal cage was yanked out, causing rocks to copse along the cliff side.


    "What the¡­?" Gilthru was shocked to see a group of Experts among Orcs yank out the metal cage as they now surrounded it, attacking it nonstop as some parts already shattered.


    In the tiny hole, the Orcs gazed at his figure within, snorting as their drool leaked through the gaps. They nned to devour him today, and that they will.


    "Die!" He thrust forth with a finger through the hole, piercing a wind de through the Orc''s head, sttering it in response.


    But immediately after, he copsed to the floor as the entire metal cage jerked violently. This time, the Orcs were ramming into it, preventing him from standing stably. Moreover, his vision was turning cloudy from the blood loss and the injury to his stomach.


    This was the weakest he had felt after the time when his home vige was attacked, "Maybe this is where I''ll die."


    He muttered, fainting while ignoring Daka Felera''smand. After all, even if his mind willed it, his body wasn''t able to cooperate, too injured and weak to even move. Just before he fainted, he watched the entrance copse as the hand of an Orc pierced through, grabbing his head as a victorious cheer erupted from outside.

 Chapter 647: In My Past (Part 12)

    Chapter 647: In My Past (Part 12)


    Boom! Boom! ng!


    Thunderous sounds, sonorous in nature, resounded throughout the forest like loud bell ngs. A team of soldiers apanied three people, travelling nearby as they were heading towards the capital of the Hemish Empire, Eonk City.


    "What''s that sound?" Zaira frowned, having expanded her senses using Wind Mana, locating the source as she sensed a metal cage that was being ganged upon by hundreds of Orcs.


    "It''s better to refrain from taking action." A soldier said, using his Wind Mana to locate the source too. He was a Grandmaster Wind Mage, leader of the team that apanied Zaira for protection.


    "But, why are so many Orcs targeting one person?" Zaira wondered before expressing her thoughts to the captain, "Sir, since that individual is able to endure for so long against so many Orcs, he must be a strong Mage. I can sense Metal Mana from him, and it''s on the level of a Grandmaster."


    "Aren''t all Grandmasters a strategic resource against our enemies?" She pressed forth in the argument.


    "I understand." The Captain said as he looked around,manding everyone, "Stay here and protectdy Zaira, understand?"


    "Understood!" All the soldiers saluted in response.


    The captain looked at Arnark, "Come with me. The two of us will swiftly dispatch all the Orcs and save that person."


    "Alright," Arnark said as the captain grabbed hold of him and flew through the air. The captain remained in the air while Arnark descended to the ground, condensing a metal de that shed the arm of the Orc that had pierced through the metal cage.


    Boom!


    Hended as immediately, the ground underneath him morphed into a b of metal out of which hundreds of arrows shot out, stabbing through the Orcs.


    ''I''ve never seen a Metal Mage fight like this before.'' The captain thought for an instant before focusing on the task at hand, condensing wind des that rained down on the group of Orcs, shredding them to bits in a matter of seconds.


    Large potholes formed on the ground as a result of his attack as Orc blood filled it to the brim, also causing bloody moisture to congregate in the region.


    Arnark snapped his finger, causing the metal cage to split, revealing a fifteen-year-old boy lying within, sporting critical injuries, unconscious.


    An Orc hand was grabbing his head tightly, causing the areas pricked by its nails to drip blood.


    "Such a young child is a Grandmaster Mage?" The captain was shocked to see Gilthru before hurriedly appearing before him, intending to carry him. But just as he was about to rescue him, a sheet of metal formed, blocking him.


    The captain stared at Arnark in anger, "What the hell are you doing? If I don''t rescue him, he''ll die in a matter of minutes."


    "He''s the one that attacked us a couple of days ago." Arnark said, ring at Gilthru, "I''m sure he''s a Demon''s Tamed Beast."


    "If he''s a tamed beast, then we''ll extract intelligence out of him." The captain said, ripping apart the metal sheet with ayer of wind as he picked up Gilthru and headed back.


    "Fine¡­" Arnark said as a gust of wind carried him back to their group.


    "Isn''t he¡­?" Zaira was surprised to see Gilthru, "Howe he''s in this state? He''s damn strong!"


    "We''ll find out about itter." The captain said, motioning for his soldiers to take action as he poured a healing potion over Gilthru''s wounds, healing him enough so that he wouldn''t die but not enough to allow him to fight.


    They bound him using a Magic Tool and travelled towards the royal capital, Eonk City.


    "This boy¡­" Zaira stared at Gilthru, asking, "Just what must have he been through as a tamed beast?"


    "He''s an enemy, Zaira," Arnark said.


    "But he''s a human that has been enved." Zaira retorted, "The one at fault is the Tamer that forced him to take action."


    "He''s a Grandmaster at such a young age. If he''s been active among the demon side, we might have information about him." The captain said, "Once we arrive at Eonk City, we''ll investigate his past."


    The group travelled for a day before arriving at Eonk City, a massive walled city spanning a radius of thirty kilometres.


    It was the strongest City among Humans, one boasting thergest and strongest military. And thanks to the alliance, representatives from other races had gathered here to discuss ns to be executed on the warfront.


    Just the walls alone spanned a height of hundred metres, its top covered by soldiers that patrolled nonstop, all Expert Warriors, with theirmanding officers being Master Warriors.


    There were watchtowers situated at regr intervals on the wall where Mages resided, acting as the ranged unit to target any enemy attack from afar. Moreover, the Wind Mages here constantly scanned the entire region to be alert.


    Such towers were also installed throughout the city as a means of protection to ensure that the city wasn''t doomed just because the wall was breached.


    After a round of inspection, they were allowed entry as a delegate arrived to receive Zaira, noticing the captive Gilthru, asking, "He is¡­?"


    "A tamed beast that we saved." Zaira said, "He''s a Grandmaster Metal Mage and Wind Warrior. We hope to find out more about him and possibly gain intelligence against the enemy."


    "Hmm¡­" The delegate nced at Gilthru, "Aged fifteen, a Grandmaster Metal Mage and Wind Warrior¡­"


    He nodded, "There''s just one. He''s the one that rode Stomper to trample the Mukar Kingdom."


    "Daka Felera''s right-hand tamed beast, Gilthru."


    "He''s¡­that¡­bastard?" Suddenly, Zaira''s eyes spewed out killing intent as mana burst out of her body, raging around as she red at Gilthru as the Elements of Wind, Metal, Lightning, Water, Fire, and even Space manifested themselves, targeting him.


    "Stop!" The delegate hurriedly erected a barrier of water that blocked her attack. He was a Pseudo-Saint Water Mage and hence able to easily tank her attacks, despite how impressive they were.


    Though, he was internally sweating as he stated in a hurry, "He''s too valuable as a prisoner. Don''t kill him yet!"


    "I¡­understand." Zaira said as her voice turned emotionless, "But, once you''re done, I''ll make him experience hell for destroying my country."


    "That is¡­" The delegate let out a wry smile, thinking, ''We''re nning tobel you a Hero. It might not be wise to kill a human before that.''

 Chapter ?648: In My Past (Part 13)

    Chapter ?648: In My Past (Part 13)


    "But first¡­" The delegate led everyone to a hotel to stay at, staring at Zaira, "You have an audience with the Emperor in an hour."


    "I''ll be ready," Zaira replied, somewhat nervous as she was meeting with pretty much the strongest of humanity.


    The Hemish Emperor was a Pseudo-Saint Space Mage and Space Warrior. It was literally the strongestbo a human could attain, giving him the name of a walking fortress. He was pretty much the reason humans could spearhead the resistance against the Demons.


    Zaira took a bath and changed into luxurious clothes, staring at Arnark that had begun to wear in clothes, "What are you doing?"


    "You''re the one that''s meeting the Emperor, not me." Arnark said, "I probably wouldn''t even be allowed into the throne room."


    "Don''t be silly, you''re a Grandmaster Metal Mage. You''re important enough to seek an audience with the Emperor." She said, forcing him to wear better clothes.


    There were less than a thousand Grandmaster Mages in the entirety of the human race on their continent, not to mention in the Hemish Empire. Therefore, Grandmaster Mages were that valuable of an asset.


    And what of Arnark, someone that attained this at a mere age of fifteen? He would be considered a prodigy.


    "Dad, are you alright?" She then looked at her father, seeing that he was fidgeting like a child.


    "Yeah, I''m fine." Baord nodded, lying through his teeth, even though it was pretty obvious for everyone.


    "Be more confident, dad." Zaira patted his back, "We''ll receive support based on our confidence and not on the truthfulness of what we speak."


    "For a child, you are quite mature." The delegateplimented her, nodding as he said, "Let''s get going, shall we?"


    "Yes," Zaira nodded, noticing the unconscious Gilthru being transported into a wagon, "Where is he being taken to?"


    "To the throne room, of course." The delegate said as if it was obvious, "The Emperor would decide his fate."


    "¡­Alright." Zaira nodded, notmenting on the matter much after that, entering the carriage delegated for her as she took a seat, watching the streets as it sped past, ''Eonk City is more developed than the Mukar Kingdom. It seems just the wealth umted here surpasses our kingdom.''


    She had been a smart individual since birth and hence had matured quickly post-disaster, despite only being thirteen years old. So, she was able to calmly analyse things through, getting angry at the end upon seeing the way Gilthru was being treated.


    ''They won''t be executing him, definitely not.'' She thought, ''He''s a Grandmaster Metal Mage and Wind Warrior. They''ll probably use him to the limit and dispose of him once he''s overextended his use.''


    Even though she didn''t like the killer that ughtered tens of thousands of her countrymen to be set scot-free like this, she didn''t have a choice in the matter. Despite being able to use all six elements, she was just a Master Mage.


    So, she neither had the authority nor the power to do as she pleased.


    Her thoughts wereplex as Zaira arrived before the throne room, entering when she was called. It was a long, narrow room, barely spanning a breadth of ten metres, forming a sharp contrast to its length of two hundred metres.


    It was how the Hemish Emperor''s taste in architecture rolled out as she didn''tment on it, trying her best to remain as respectful as possible.


    ''What the¡­?'' Zaira was confused to see that her father wasn''t allowed entry while a couple of soldiers brought in Gilthru along with her and Arnark.


    It was the three of them that were brought in while the rest stood at the entrance. Before Zaira could look around, her senses were strained on the human that was seated on the throne, emanating a suffocating presence that the very mana itself seemed to be drawn towards him.


    "You''vee." The Emperor stated calmly as all the ministers watched nervously, knowing that this was a moment that would make history.


    "Yes, your majesty." Zaira and Arnark bowed automatically.


    "Zaira¡­" The Emperor stared at her, asking while observing her reaction, "Do you wish to save the human race?"


    "Definitely!" Zaira responded resolutely.


    "That''s enough then." The Emperor didn''t ask anything beyond that as his words resounded throughout the throne room, creating a solemn atmosphere, "I announce that the human race has produced a champion, a Hero that would y the Saint of Cmity and protect our world."


    "To the Hero, Zaira, and the braves that would apany her on her journey!" At his announcement, three more individuals arrived, standing behind her, each originating from other races.


    Even though she was aware of what she would get herself into aftering here, Zaira was still finding it hard to keep a track of when the Emperor got up and bowed solemnly, startling everyone present in the throne room.


    And following that, his voice resounded with respect, "The deity of our world, the manifestation of mana, Lord of miracles, please coronate this event with your presence."


    Boom!


    It felt as if the hearts of everyone in the throne room stopped thumping as the very mana itself seemed subservient towards this entity that had appeared before them suddenly. A robed old man with a cane, sporting a dishevelled appearance of a semi-senile schr with eyes lusting after knowledge.


    Magister!


    Magister extended his hand as Magic Tools were conjured before the five people designated as braves to apany Zaira. Moreover, a formless stream of mana gushed into Gilthru, eradicating the envement spell cast on him, and turning him into a free individual.


    As his wounds healed, Gilthru woke up with a start, looking around as he was unable to make sense of the situation.


    Magister then stared at Zaira as he spoke, "The job of a Hero is to hear the pleas of the people and move in to provide them hope. And for that¡­"


    He extended his hand, condensing a frightening amount of mana to conjure a Tiara that he ced on Zaira''s head while thinking, ''Now, let me see what changes would she bring now that she can feel Mental Energy.''


    He smiled in response, "Make the most of your gift, Hero."

 Chapter 649: In My Past (part 14)

    Chapter 649: In My Past (part 14)


    ¡°Keuk!¡± Daka Felera coughed out blood as she stared incredulously, noticing that her bond with Gilthru had been severed.


    She wasn¡¯t flustered though, staring at a badge¡ªsimr to the one that she had given Gilthru¡ªas she spoke, ¡°Dad, it happened just as you had predicted.¡±


    ¡°Good, I know what that bastard Magister wants, but he¡¯ll never get it.¡± A voice resounded from the badge that evaporated immediately after, ¡°My spell has already taken effect on Gilthru. Even if he¡¯s no longer your tamed beast, he¡¯ll be on our side during the critical moment.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Arghhh!¡± Gilthru screamed the moment he got up as the restriction in his mind that prevented him from experiencing emotions beyond a certain limit vanished, causing him to reel from the fact that he had ughtered an entire Kingdom, of his human race.


    ¡°Keuk¡­!¡± He clenched his face, exerting strength as his fingers dug into his cheeks. He didn¡¯t even notice it as he was suffering from pain, reeling from everything he had done as a tamed beast.


    And most of all, his hatred was blooming, wishing to destroy the Demon Race that had ughtered his home and cause his loved ones to suffer a life of hell.


    ¡°You¡¯re free now.¡± Magister¡¯s voice resounded in his ears as Gilthru quickly calmed down;


    He stared at the visage of the old man as he uttered in confusion, ¡°What are you doing here¡­old man?¡±


    ¡°You have a great memory power.¡± Magister smiled in response. He had met Gilthru in the past when he was only a child. That was only because he could sense that Gilthru¡¯s fate was enormous, hence he was curious.


    A magic circle formed on Gilthru¡¯s forehead as Magister said, ¡°This magic circle will help calm you down when necessary. Take your time to revisit your past without losing yourself in self-pity and regret.¡±


    He then pointed at Zaira, ¡°She¡¯s a survivor of the Mukar Kingdom. So, if you wish to atone for your sins, assist her with all your might.¡±


    Gilthru stared at Zaira, closing his eyes as he dropped to the floor, prostrating in submission, ¡°I won¡¯t ask for forgiveness. But, I just ask you to keep me alive until I exact revenge on the Demons.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­¡± Zaira held back, sensing the dense hatred churning within the other party, ¡®So, he¡¯s not a wild beast that likes ughter. Fine, as long as he has a conscience, I would continue to eat him from within. That¡¯s the best torture he can experience.¡¯


    She did wish to torture the heck out of the entity that had destroyed her home. And since Gilthru would be tortured by his past for as long as he was alive, she didn¡¯t press further and allowed him to live.


    Her attention then fell upon the Tiara that Magister had granted her, focusing on it when suddenly, her eyes widened in shock, sensing a world simr to reality with starlight flowing like streams, all seeping into the Tiara on her head.


    ¡®What the¡­?¡¯ She was shocked, focusing on it for a moment when her eyes fell on the starlight stream flowing into her from Gilthru, surprised at what happened next.


    [I¡¯ll kill the Demons!]


    [I¡¯m trash that couldn¡¯t even protect my mother!]


    [Scum like me shouldn¡¯t be alive! No, I¡¯ll kill myself after all the Demons are dead!]


    She was hearing his thoughts, or rather, whenever someone thought about Demons, their Mental Energy streams flowed into her Tiara.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Magister asked, expressing his curiosity.


    ¡°What¡­exactly is this?¡± Zaira was unable to make sense of it, wondering why she was able to listen to the thoughts of others through it.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be able to harness the wishes of others and grant them.¡± Magister¡¯s voice resounded in her ears, preventing others from listening in on it as he continued, ¡°It took me a while to gather all the materials required to create this. It¡¯s impossible for a second item of its calibre to exist anywhere, whether in this world or the myriad worlds.¡±


    ¡°Something this precious¡­¡± Zaira felt it odd that she was given such a thing. First of all, she couldn¡¯t understand the item¡¯s purpose. Secondly, she didn¡¯t know how it would help her mission to kill the Saint of Cmity. Thirdly, she didn¡¯t know who the old man before her was.


    But as the Hemish Emperor proimed devotedly to call forth Magister, she had an inkling that Magister was probably a deity of sorts or something along those lines.


    As if he had heard her thoughts, Magister said, ¡°My identity isn¡¯t all that special. I¡¯m just a representative of worlds such as this. And in this world, the strongest of every race is aware of my existence and hasmunicated with me at least once.¡±


    His figure pointed at Zaira, announcing to everyone, ¡°This is Hero Zaira.¡±


    Following that, he vanished as raucous cheers erupted in the throne room. Even though the ministers were unaware of Magister¡¯s existence, upon seeing the Emperor¡¯s enthusiasm, they followed suit.


    ¡°The Hero has been recognised by the Guardian Deity!¡± The Hemish Emperor finally announced Magister¡¯s identity, causing everyone to be shocked as he continued, ¡°This is a sign that our darkest times are approaching an end.¡±


    Rumble!


    The strongest Emperors from the other races in the alliance arrived in the throne room, teleported here by the Hemish Emperor. They had been observing the state of things from a hidden room nearby, having witnessed everything.


    The Elven Empress was the first to speak, ¡°With the blessings of the Guardian Deity, the Hero and the Braves will vanquish evil and free our continent!¡±


    ¡°You have the privilege to meet our protector.¡± The Dwarven Emperor gazed at Zaira to speak, grinning as he announced, ¡°The Hero and herpanions can visit our Empire to obtain the best of equipment for their journey.¡±


    ¡°The glory of¡­¡±


    The various Emperors announced one after another, causing the Braves to feel pressured. As for Zaira, she was barely able to remain standing, sweating internally upon hearing the thoughts directed at her thanks to the Mental Energy streams.


    And the more she heard them, the more her eyes lost their lustre before soon, faint starlight twinkled from them.

 Chapter 650: In My Past (part 15)

    Chapter 650: In My Past (part 15)


    Roar!


    The crowd erupted as a carriage plied through the main street of Eonk City. Seated in the carriage without a roof were six people, three humans, one Elf, one Lizardmen, and one Dragon. The Dragon had shrunk its size to ride the carriage with the rest.


    They were now publicly being recognised at the Hero party of Braves. But, it wasn¡¯t just these six that were handed the responsibility of saving their entire continent. That was just being foolish.


    Others were working in the background to help them, like the Dwarf cksmiths and Refiners that created Magic Tools to help them, Birdmen Doctors that were ready to heal their injuries and treat any status defects they sustain from the enemies, Giant Herbalists that created the best of environment for them to rest and heal their weary bodies, etc.


    There was an entire group that had been assigned to work behind the scenes of the Braves. This was apart from the various Kingdoms and Empires taking actions in their self-interest to guard their respective territories against the Demons.


    Seated at the very front was Zaira, waving her hand enthusiastically at the overjoyed crowd, all while feeling exhausted mentally, sensing the various Mental Energy streams gush into her Tiara. And over time, they spilled into her mind, causing a myriad of thoughts to flood her senses.


    She was finding it hard to keep a sound grasp of herself, failing to understand why Magister had given her such an item.


    She wished to cast it aside but failed it remove it. The Tiara seemed to have been attached to her head. Moreover, it seemed like even if she were to remove it, the Tiara would continue to gush Mental Energy into her mind.


    ¡°Guh!¡± She grunted subtly for a moment when the crowd erupted in cheers, struggling to keep herself sane as the thoughts of countless people resounded in her mind.


    ¡°Zaira, are you okay?¡± Gilthru noticed herplexion paling in response, asking in concern. After all, it was only through her that he had a chance of atoning for his sins. Hence, he prioritised her well-being above all.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She nodded in response, mildly surprised at his attentiveness before her eyes shot towards Arnark who seemed oblivious to this, excitedly waving his hand at the others.


    For a moment, she was mildly disappointed before sighing, for she had feelings towards the other party, ¡®He¡¯s oblivious to such things.¡¯


    The ceremonysted for an entire day as they toured throughout Eonk City. At night time, they had gathered at a restaurant to talk and get to know each other more.


    After all, Zaira was only familiar with Arnark. And hence, if they wished to work together better, they had to at least get to each other a little more.


    She began to speak, ¡°I¡¯m Zaira. I hail from the Mukar Kingdom which was one of the first regions to fall into ruins thanks to the Demons. I¡¯m a Master Mage that can wield all six elements.¡±


    ¡°No wonder you¡¯re the Hero. Such power is unprecedented among humans.¡± The Dragon smiled, having transformed to the size of a cat as he spoke, introducing himself, ¡°I¡¯m Gabrumundkhun. Call me Khun for short. Even though the Demons haven¡¯t attacked my ce yet, as beings living on this continent, I was tasked to put down this threat. I¡¯m a Grandmaster Divinity and Destruction Incarnate.¡±


    ¡°Dragons do have weird names.¡± The Elf spoke, introducing herself, ¡°I¡¯m a Grandmaster Divination Specialist. I don¡¯t have many hobbies other than to poke into the secrets of others.¡±


    She then turned silent, not revealing her name.


    ¡®She¡¯s an odd one.¡¯ Zaira thought, not pressing further to inquire about her name, at least not on the first day itself.


    Arnark spoke next, ¡°I¡¯m Arnark, a Grandmaster Metal Mage.¡±


    ¡°Wait, that¡¯s it?¡± Khun frowned, ¡°If you are only a Mage, how did you qualify to be epted as a brave?¡±


    ¡°To make up numbers, that¡¯s what.¡± The Lizardmen that had been silent from the start snored, hissing as he said, ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m Lorbordo, a Grandmaster Transformation Specialist. Leave all theplex tasks to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s not here to make up for the headcount.¡± Gilthru said, ¡°I¡¯ve fought him. He¡¯s strong¡­¡±


    ¡°As a Demon, that is.¡±


    The moment he said so, everyone seated became rmed, leaping back as they riled up their mana, ring at Arnark.


    ¡°Is what he said the truth?¡± The Elf red at Arnark as runes lit up around her. She began to Divine information regarding her opponent already, but a momentter, the magic circle revolving around her shattered, causing her to cough out blood.


    Her divination had failed to unearth any information about him.


    ¡°Did Daka Felera tell you that?¡± Arnark looked at Gilthru, surprised that his identity was revealed so quickly.


    ¡°No, it was obvious after we shed.¡± Gilthru said calmly, ¡°You used the power of an Elementalist to give life to the metal constructs you created. As a Grandmaster Metal Mage, I could see the obvious differences.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say a word about Arnark also being a Principal Arbiter though.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re right about that.¡± Arnark sighed as he looked at the others, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not telling you about this. But, I hope you don¡¯t reveal my identity.¡±


    ¡°You needn¡¯t worry about that.¡± The Elf made eye contact with the Dragon and Lizardmen, gritting her teeth as she said, ¡°You won¡¯t make it out of this ce alive.¡±


    ¡°Take a seat first,¡± Arnark said as suddenly, the mana from the surroundings gushed into the bodies of everyone, causing them to instinctively take a seat.


    But an instantter, the Dragon Khun broke free of the coercion, opening his mouth to unleash a torrent of destructive energy at Arnark.


    But right at this instant, a wind barrier defended against the breath attack, followed by a water barrier, fire, metal, and eventually, the breath attack seemed to be travelling slowly. In truth, it was still travelling at the same speed as before, but the distance between it and Arnark seemed to have been multiplied by a hundred times.


    ¡°Stop it!¡± Zaira¡¯s cold voice resounded as she clutched her head, feeling the intense thoughts felt by everyone. As they focused the thoughts on Arnark, a Demon, she was able to hear them all.


    After thwarting the breath attack, she unleashed a bolt of lightning that unleashed a thunderp, destroying Arnark¡¯s coercive voice, staring at him as she asked, her eyes dangerously glinting with starlight, ¡°Tell me, Arnark. What is your purpose for getting close to me?¡±

 Chapter 651: In My Past (part 16)

    Chapter 651: In My Past (part 16)


    ¡°I had no purpose. If your dad hadn¡¯t saved me, I would have died back there.¡± Arnark said, feeling goosebumps on his skin upon being stared at by Zaira, only now realising that she had changed in the span of a day.


    For some reason, he felt a tinge of fear while making eye contact with her.


    Zaira stared at him for a good minute before concealing her mana fluctuation, turning around as she uttered coldly, ¡°I feel that you¡¯re telling the truth, but a Demon cannot work with us, given the state of things. So¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your service.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Arnark¡¯s face convulsed in response before he stared at Zaira, ¡°That¡¯s it? I¡¯ve been with you for almost five years. And what? You¡¯re telling me this just because I¡¯m a Demon?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zaira didn¡¯t express an ounce of feelings, feeling that her heart was turning cold for some reason. She only uttered one line after that, ¡°Two minutes. If I see you here after that, I¡¯ll consider you a spy and deal with you ordingly.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­hahaha!¡± Arnark burst intoughter, tearing up as he felt that the situation was absurd, ring at Gilthru in the end, ¡°Are you happy now, tamed beast?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t deserve to be happy.¡± Gilthru said, ¡°But neither will a Demon like you.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t argue with the lot of you.¡± Arnark stood up as he stared at everyone, ¡°I¡¯ll prove to be a Brave greater than all of youbined.¡±


    ¡°Stay!¡± He uttered upon seeing Gilthru and the others intending to take action on him. for a couple of seconds, everyone failed to move when Arnark used the chance to rush out of the building as he rushed into a nearby stable where a flying type Magic beast was kept, taming it using his power as a Principal Arbiter.


    He took off into the air and escaped, using his status as a Brave to throw the mages stated in the various towers throughout Eonk City into confusion. They thought he was only moving out in an emergency to fulfil his duties as a Brave and hadn¡¯t targeted him.


    Back at the restaurant, Zaira red at Gilthru, ¡°So, are you content now? You¡¯ve driven out my bodyguard. This is your best chance to assassinate me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a Tamed Beast anymore.¡± Gilthru touched the tattoo on his forehead that was suppressing his emotions as he said, ¡°If you find me an eyesore, give me themand and I¡¯ll kill myself.¡±


    ¡°Do it then,¡± Zaira said, watching Gilthru condense a metal sword and sh his neck without hesitation.


    ng!


    His sword had barely cut into his neck when it was stopped abruptly, resounding with a metal ng as a rune shed in its path, having been the one to stop its action.


    Blood leaked out of the wound on his neck, but it wasn¡¯t severe enough to kill him yet, at least not for a few minutes before he dies out of blood loss.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop this foolishness first,¡± Khun said, having been the one to take action, ring at Gilthru to see the over dozen spikes aiming to im his life when the sword failed to do.


    At the top of all the spikes was a rune respectively, containing a mystical power as they blocked the metal spikes, preventing Gilthru from being impaled to death.


    Moreover, a couple of these runesnded on his body, sealing his power, preventing his mana from circting in response.


    The Elf appeared behind him in this duration, poking at his neck with a couple of needles that forced him into a state of unconsciousness. She then took out a potion and poured it over his wounds, healing him up as she stared at Zaira, ¡°Why are you taking out your anger on him just because your boyfriend ended up being a Demon?¡±


    ¡°You know¡­¡± Zaira stared at the Elf, ¡°The person you¡¯re healing now was directly responsible for the fall of the Enkar Kingdom.¡±


    The moment she heard Zaira¡¯s words, the Elf paused in action as veins popped all over her hand in response, for she was truly pissed. Runes swirled around her, casting a beam of light on Gilthru as his memories were gradually extracted through a divination technique, ying it out.


    A sea of carnage, one where Gilthru took advantage of an Elven Princess¡¯ kindness to grasp royal secrets which wereter used to destroy the Enkar Kingdom from within. Millions upon millions of Elves were ughtered in response as most of the elites were enved by the Tamers among the Demon Race.


    The Orcs and Goblins that formed the primary force among the Demon Army destroyed the entire kingdom in a matter of weeks, wiping out a long-standing civilisation from the face of the world.


    ¡°You¡¯re feeling anger, right?¡± Zaira stated as she emitted killing intent, ¡°My home was destroyed simrly by him. I have more than enough reasons to kill him.¡±


    ¡°So, what will you do? Kill him? Or see him live?¡± She stated slowly.


    Upon seeing that the twodies were gradually losing control over their emotions, Lorbordo the Lizardmen interjected, protecting Gilthru, understanding the usefulness of the other party.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill him, Lorbordo.¡± The Elf said after a while, sighing as she took a seat, ¡°I wish to kill him, but there was a reason the Guardian God appointed him a Brave. It¡¯s the same for Arnark too. So, I wish to¡­believe in them, at least until the Saint of Cmity is killed.¡±


    ¡°Thankfully.¡± Lorbordo sighed in relief as he woke up Gilthru, ¡°You¡¯ve survived that, man.¡±


    ¡°Why¡­did you take my side?¡± Gilthru wondered in confusion, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve killed a good number of Lizardmen too.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that.¡± Lorbordo patted his back, ¡°It¡¯s our task to kill the Saint of Cmity. If we were to fail, every other race on this continent would either be killed or turned into a Tamed Beast. As a formed Tamed Beast, you should know very well how horrifying it is, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gilthru nodded, trembling in response, ¡°My mind is still there, but I¡¯m not myself. I always tend to give my best in everything I do, and as a Tamed Beast, that nature of mine only resulted in countless losses and destruction. But,¡±


    He stared resolutely, looking at Zaira, ¡°Please give me a chance. I¡¯ll prove myself worthy of being given a second chance at life.¡±

 Chapter 652: In My Past (part 17)

    Chapter 652: In My Past (part 17)


    Roar!


    Khun unleashed a roar as he flew through the skies in the entirety of his grandeur as a Dragon, carrying four people on his back that were geared up to the teeth, staring in all seriousness.


    Currently, they were rushing towards a town that had been ambushed by the Demons. This town was situated on the side of ake, far away from the warfront. But strangely, it had been targeted by the Demons.


    The moment they received the news, the Hero party took action immediately, setting off on Khun¡¯s back. As a Grandmaster Dragon, he was damn fast, allowing them to arrive at the scene the quickest.


    ¡°Gilthru, why do you think the Demons are aiming at that town?¡± Zaira asked, ¡°You have plenty of experience regarding this, right?¡±


    ¡°If there isn¡¯t any strategic resource or individual station in that town, I can only think of three reasons,¡± Gilthru said.


    ¡°Three?¡± The Elf was surprised that there were three reasons.


    ¡°First is the most obvious reason.¡± Gilthru said, pointing at himself, ¡°To find talented individuals to tame. My vige and plenty of such ces were attacked for that reason. And this happens among all the races.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡± Zaira nodded, frowning at the thought, ¡°Have they always been sessful in finding good locations to attack and obtain talented Tamed Beasts?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they have two Pseudo-Saint Divination Specialists of the Elven Race as Tamed Beasts under them.¡± Gilthru said, ¡°And thanks to them, they¡¯re able to target the locations where they¡¯re bound to find someone talented.¡±


    A Divination Specialist was someone capable of reading the energies of heaven and earth and the flow of all life. Through that, they were able to figure out secrets regarding people, fate, natural cmities, etc.


    In the entire Elven Race, there were just five Pseudo-Saint Divination Specialists. And among them, two had been captured by the Demons.


    The Saint of Cmity had personally taken action against the Elven Race to capture those two assets that allowed the Demon Race to expand rapidly.


    The Elf apanying them gritted her teeth at Gilthru¡¯s words, for she was a Divinisation Specialist herself. As it was a Sub-Profession, she was only able to have it.


    ¡°The second condition might be the presence of Elemental Spirits there,¡± Gilthru said. Elementalists unleashed their power by contracting with Elemental Spirits. Elemental Spirits were beings of pure attributed mana, only birthed in special locations.


    Depending on the location, the attribute they had varied. And unlike a Human Mage, an Elementalist can wield the power of the Elemental Spirit he wielded. This meant that if he wished to change his power, he only needed to change the Elemental Spirit.


    Though, each Elementalist was only able to control one. And as they needed to train to gain control over the new Elemental Spirit, they generally refrained from changing their Elemental Spirit. But, they still had this option, unlike Human Mages whose element was fixed right from the start.


    ¡°Elemental Spirits¡­¡± Zaira nodded, ¡°Since it¡¯s a town near a massiveke, there might be Water Elemental Spirits there.¡±


    She then asked, ¡°What¡¯s the third reason?¡±


    ¡°Data,¡± Gilthru said as Zaira¡¯s heart thumped in response, feeling that she was strangely able to resonate with the term.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Gilthru said upon seeing that Zaira began to pant all of a sudden.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, continue,¡± Zaira said, circting her mana to calm herself faster. She was feeling a headache though, as every time Khun flew over a region, the thoughts regarding the Demons from the people there turned into Mental Energy streams and flowed into her mind, constantly echoing there nonstop.


    Even though he was concerned, Gilthru knew that it wasn¡¯t in his ce to ask, especially since he was directly responsible for the fall of her Kingdom, speaking, ¡°The third reason is directly rted to the Saint of Cmity.¡±


    ¡°The power of a Conjurer.¡±


    ¡°The power of a Conjurer?¡± Lorbordo asked in wonder, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a Conjurer in action. What¡­exactly do they do actually?¡±


    ¡°Even among the Demon Race, there are less than a hundred Conjurers. And the strongest among them is only a Master. It had been that way for ages until the Saint of Cmity casually breezed through the ranks like it was nothing.¡± Gilthru said, thinking for a moment before speaking, ¡°I¡¯ve seen a Conjurer work his magic once.¡±


    He then pointed at the Magic Tools they were given by Magister, ¡°These were created using a Conjurer¡¯s power. A Conjurer is capable of conjuring anything inanimate. And this included Magic Tools, ores, etc.¡±


    ¡°As long as they have touched and figured out its essence, they can conjure the same anytime they please.¡± He continued. ¡°So, this is why they are attacking various ces. The buildings, Magic Tools, workshops, etc. are all precious blueprints that further a Conjurer¡¯s power and versatility.¡±


    ¡°Even though they have strategic value, theirbat strength doesn¡¯t seem to be much.¡± Zaira conjectured as such, ¡°After all, they cannot fight, right?¡±


    ¡°For the Conjurers that only managed to be a Master, yes, they cannot fight. But, even they can create a castle to lock themselves up in or conjure a construct created by a Metal Mage or Elementalist.¡± Gilthru said, ¡°They have their own means to fight. And¡­¡±


    ¡°This is just my conjecture, but the Saint of Cmity can probably even conjure people. That might also be why they¡¯ve decided to attack the rest of the continent in the first ce, to gain more blueprints of people for the Saint of Cmity to equip himself with.¡± He concluded.


    A minute after that, the Dragon Khun arrived at the airspace above the town, noticing smoke billowing out of buildings in some locations as a figure was already engaged with the enemies.


    It was Arnark as he hacked the group of Orcs that rushed the town¡¯s defences. The garrison stationed there struggled to deal with them already when Goblins and even Ogres rushed at the walls, having broken through multiple locations.


    ¡°Let¡¯s attack¡­¡± Zaira was just about to speak when a gust of wind flowed past her as Gilthru¡¯s figure jetted towards the town as a giant wind sword extended out of his arm like a bird. He shed around, causing a trail of Orc heads to fall on the ground.


    Boom!


    He mmed into a Grandmaster Ogre, attacking it before it could unleash its Warlock ability, turning its body into a metal sculpture that he then kicked, causing it to crash into the Demon Tamer that was controlling them all.


    A group of Orcs defended against the metal sculpture when Gilthru¡¯s figurended behind them. and with a twirl of his body, his wind de severed the bodies of all the Orcs and the Demon they defended into two, killing them all in a rain of blood.

 Chapter 653: In My Past (part 18)

    Chapter 653: In My Past (part 18)


    Gilthru rushed into the enemy lines as corpses fell in his wake. With a wave of his hand, a metal spike jutted out of the ground, impaling an Orc, causing its painful screams to resound aloud.


    It wasn¡¯t dead yet but was roaring in pain. Its cries demotivated its allies, causing their morale to plummet quickly as Gilthru repeated the same in various parts of the town.


    A metallic wire mesh covered the streets, stabbing into the soles of the enemies, immobilising them for a moment when metallic arrows slithered in the air like snakes and pierced through their bodies, killing them.


    Gilthru was the one to create the wire mesh while the slithering arrows were manipted by Arnark.


    Boom!


    A Grandmaster Ogre copsed to the ground, severed into pieces as Gilthru and Arnarknded beside, their backs facing one another, not exchanging nces.


    ¡°Are you content killing your own kin?¡± Gilthru spat out and leapt away, targeting another batch of Orcs that he took down in a matter of seconds. But through the corner of his eye, he observed that Arnark didn¡¯t seem pissed at his words.


    Instead, he was calm, focusing on his battle instead as his enemies fell at a faster pace.


    ¡°Die!¡± A Master Principal Arbiter that had been in hiding all along leapt out, shouting at Gilthru with all his might. The entirety of his mana was expended to create a mysticalpulsive force that mmed into Gilthru, causing him to condense a metal spike and aim at his forehead, intending to impale himself.


    This was the power of a Principal Arbiter. Though, as the opponent was only a Master, Gilthru was still able to resist to a certain extent. But he was entirely focused on this, making him vulnerable to the attacks from the Orcs nearby that rushed at him.


    ¡°Break!¡± Arnark¡¯s voice resounded at this time, freeing Gilthru, allowing him to retaliate against the lunging Orcs before he threw a metal spear that pierced through the Master Principal Arbiter¡¯s chest, killing him.


    Upon noticing that Arnark didn¡¯t even flinch at a fellow Demon being killed so violently by him, Gilthru didn¡¯t speak much, taking off to the air to observe the state of the battle, ¡°It¡¯s almost done.¡±


    Khun was flying beyond the town as the Elf sat on his back, divining the important locations that severed vital to the enemy¡¯s formations. And in response, Khun unleashed devasting breath attacks of destruction that annihted the targeted regions.


    Lorbordo was faring even better, having initially transformed into a mosquito as he made his way to the rear encampment of the enemies where those in power ryedmanded from.


    He then flew to a height of a kilometre above them before transforming into an armoured Magic Beast famed for its fortress life defence and a movement speed rivalling that of a snail. It was a creature spanning a size of twenty metres, a hulking behemoth of fleshly mass that mmed into the headquarters, squashing it into a pulp.


    Those leading the army were squashed into juice as the shockwaves alone killed a good fraction of the army stationed in the rear.


    Lorbordo was a Transformation Specialist, one of the rarest but strongest professions in the world. There were less than ten Transformation Specialists in the entire Lizardmen race. They were that rare.


    A Transformation Specialist was geared for physicalbat, capable of taking the form of any fleshly entity. And in the case of a Magic Beast whose powers were stored in their Magic Organs, the Transformation Specialist was able to unleash those abilities too, as long as they were able to emte the respective Magic Organs.


    It wasn¡¯t just that as a Transformation Specialist was even able to emte their custom transformation, their strongest trait that made the profession one of the most overpowered in their world.


    Gilthru¡¯s attention then fell on Zaira who had aplished the most in this battle, having been unleashing metal arrows heated to the level of sma with lightning sparkling around. They homed in on their targets using wind and for those situated far away, portals did the trick.


    This allowed her to attack them from anywhere she pleased without losing any power in the attack due to range.


    ¡°The power of all six elements in one,¡± Gilthru muttered, watching the army retreat after having lost most of their powerhouses.


    ¡°Wait, they¡¯ve already obtained their objective!¡± Just as everyone was about to rx, the Elf shouted in a hurry, ¡°I can feel massive fluctuations in fate.¡±


    Boom!


    Followed by a sonic boom, Gilthru appeared before the Elf, asking in a hurry, ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Eighty kilometres away from here¡­¡± The Elf had just begun to speak when Gilthru¡¯s figure vanished, ¡°I divined that something devastating will happen if we leave it be.¡±


    ¡°Dammit, that reckless fool.¡± Khun groaned as he forced everyone from the Hero party on his back, ignoring Arnark¡¯s protests as he threw him on the back too before chasing after Gilthru.


    The Elf fidgeted. Not revealing the fact that her divination also hinted that something devastating would happen if they were to interfere, the only difference was that this would eruptte in the future, but the consequences would be many times greater.


    This was the first time she felt this; she was confused and hence didn¡¯t reveal it, wondering if she had made a mistake.


    ¡­


    ¡°Ack! No! Please! Leave my sister alone!¡± A girl around ten years in age clutched a torn book, screaming as she thumped the cage she was trapped within.


    Her elder sister was situated on a stone tform outside, chained up as she was surrounded by a group of Mermen that ced a hand on her head, channelling a power that constantly transformed her body.


    An evenrger group of Mermen were at the back, singing a choir that amplified the power funnelling into the girl, causing her to scream in pain as she transformed into a gigantic creature resembling a dragon before soon, her scales began to fall off as the flesh within squirmed, beginning to bleed.


    Trapped in the cage, staring at her elder sister being transformed into a grotesque monster, the ten-year-old girl clutched her notebook tighter, sobbing sadly.

 Chapter 654: In My Past (part 19)

    Chapter 654: In My Past (part 19)


    The Merman race had two Main professions of Bard and Polymorphs. Bards relied upon sound to give status effects to those listening to their songs.


    This included amplifying their powers, nerfing the same, spiking their body¡¯s natural healing power, causing them to be swallowed by their insecurities, putting them under a hallucination, etc.


    The effects varied, but the cause was the beautiful songs that the Mermen sang. Those at the Pseudo-Saint Stage were even capable of transmitting the effects of the sound through mana alone, causing them to be even more difficult to guard against.


    The second profession of Polymorphs allowed them to change their physique. It was a disguise technique in that only the target¡¯s appearance was altered. Their powers, aura, strength, and even mana signature remained the same.


    This was different from the Transformation Specialists of the Lizardmen race.


    There were defects associated with the Polymorphs, but the advantages too were there, allowing them to maintain a beauty industry, being respected as the most beautiful of creatures, their beauty transcending racial barriers.


    Many took on a Mermen¡¯s services to slightly alter their appearance to make them look handsome/prettier. This wasn¡¯t all. Even spies relied on the same means to infiltrate enemy territories.


    The only ones capable of seeing through such disguises were the Divination Specialists of the Elven Race and the Cartographers of the Human Race. Of course, both were Sub-Professions and were too rare in the first ce.


    Currently, an entire group of Polymorphs was experimenting upon the girl to change her appearance as drastically as possible. From behind, the Bards were amplifying their powers, unleashing various status effects onto the girl ordingly to alter her transformation.


    Their goal was the creation of a vicious Magic Beast race with the power of humans.


    The girl was a Porter and made the perfect recipient for their experiment as the Magic Beast they wished to create was something that should be capable of devouring everything in its path.


    There was a Pseudo-Saint Tamer seated at one corner, overseeing the entire project. He was a Demon Prince, the youngest among the Royalty. But unlike the rest of the Royalty, he was only a Tamer, not wielding the power of any other profession.


    Though, as a Pseudo-Saint Tamer, he needn¡¯t worry about protecting himself, having four Pseudo-Saint Magic Beasts under him that he had reared with care. This was not to mention the dozens of Grandmasters from various races that formed his personal guard.


    Currently, he was nning to create a Magic Beast that would be his signature Tamed Beast, one that would be the most terrifying amongst Pseudo-Saint Magic Beasts.


    Staring at thedy¡¯s changes, the Demon Prince, Tirb Felera gazed without a change in expression, ¡®That damn Daka always boasts about her Stomper.¡¯


    He then smirked smugly, ¡®But now that she lost Gilthru, her influence fell a little. And once I finish creating this Magic Beast, my sphere of influence would surpass her.¡¯


    He then stared at the girl, asking, ¡°How¡¯s her status?¡±


    ¡°Your excellency! Her physique is changing without any significant dangers as we have predicted. But, the problem is the same as usual. We¡¯re still struggling to convert her profession¡¯s power into a Magic Organ.¡± A Pseudo-Saint Merman spoke. She was the head of the Merman group, once a Queen, but now a mere Tamed Beast.


    She was both a Bard and a Polymorph, heading the operation to use her powers and create a Magic Beast. If they were to seed in this, they could create a new, stronger breed of Magic Beast that possessed the power of Humans, including their intelligence.


    Porters were just too rare among Humans. And even at this point in time, they were guarded against due to the social stigma of them being able to steal the wealth of others. Moreover, the stigma was so strong that the moment a child bes a Porter, their parents would kill them.


    This was to prevent the Porter from dragging the family down with him/her. So, not to mention strong Porters, even finding a Novice Porter was too difficult.


    Thankfully, the Divinisation Specialist in the Demon Army had discovered the location of one, an orphan that was surprisingly an Expert Porter.


    ¡°What was her name?¡± Tirb Felera whispered to the Merman Queen.


    ¡°The older one, the Porter is named Yifa while the younger one, the Cartographer is named Y.¡± The Merman Queen said, ¡°Both have the potential to be a Pseudo-Saint in the future. So, they are incredibly valuable, especially since there is neither a Porter nor Cartographer Pseudo-Saint among the Human Race.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Tirb Felera nodded before shouting at the morphing beast, ¡°Yifa! If you wish for your sister to live a happy life, cooperate fully. If this experiment seeds, you¡¯ll live a life better than a King in my country.¡±


    ¡°Do you want the life of a Royalty or that of an orphan like before?¡± He extended both hands, making eye contact, ¡°The choice is yours.¡±


    ¡°Will my sister be safe?¡± Despite suffering from bone-crunching pain, this was all she cared about.


    ¡°She¡¯ll undergo the same experiment as you. But, if you seed, we¡¯ll use you as an example to turn your sister into a Magic Beast without pain.¡± Tirb Felera said.


    ¡®Fucking bastard!¡¯ The Merman Queen snorted mentally.


    Tirb Felera stared at her, saying, ¡°I can hear your thoughts clearly, you know.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just being honest.¡± The Merman Queen smiled wryly, ¡°If you don¡¯t wish to hear that, tighten the envement on me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. A Tamed Beast you might be, but you¡¯re still Royalty like me. I¡¯ll not tamper with your dignity.¡± Tirb Felera didn¡¯t seem to mind her opinion regarding him as he focused on Yifa, ¡°So, what¡¯s your choice?¡±


    ¡°Please¡­¡± Yifa cried, bowing in submission as suddenly, the powers acting upon her spiked in response.


    ¡°Sister!¡± Y cried in response as her mana flowed out like a stream, causing the torn notebook in her hands to reveal itself on its own as her mana began to inscribe words onto it, describing her emotions and the scene she witnessed, like a personal diary of sorts.


    And, there was even a picture of her older sister¡ªin her beastly form¡ªbowing to Tirb Felera being drawn on one side.

 Chapter 655: In My Past (part 20)

    Chapter 655: In My Past (part 20)


    ¡°Shit! We¡¯re toote!¡± The Elf shrieked shrilly as the mana circles revolving around her shattered all of a sudden, causing her to bleed from her orifices, clearly having pushed herself too much to divine the massive fate that was being created.


    Her expression was one of shock as she muttered in disbelief, staring at the sky as she observed mysterious lines of fate all converging in one ce, ¡°Just¡­what is being created to cause such a disturbance in fate?¡±


    Boom!


    A long trail was formed in the sky as Gilthru made a beeline towards Tookh Vige, a territory in the Demon Empire where Tirb Felera was situated at. The moment he entered the Demon Empire territory, Gilthru identified the location, ¡°So, it¡¯s Tookh Vige. Then, this means it¡¯s that bastard in action.¡±


    He frowned in distaste, knowing Tirb Felera beforehand. Tookh Vige was named a vige, but in truth, it was an underground research facility where Tirb Felera experimented all the time to create new Magic Beasts to tameter.


    Above ground, it was a heavily fortified location where all his Tamed Beasts lived their daily lives.


    Swoosh!


    The moment he neared Tookh Vige, the Tamed Beasts stationed there noticed his approach, targeting him with a hail of artillery.


    Among the Tamed Beasts were Human Mages that chucked fireballs, wind des, and the likes at him.


    Gilthru glided through the air, swerving sharply to avoid the attacks as he closed in on Tookh Vige. His descent stopped abruptly when he noticed that he was surrounded by a column of rotating wind.


    On the surface was a group of Giants that manipted the air, creating a tornado to trap him first before wearing him down gradually. Gilthru had to constantly expend mana to keep his powers as a Wind warrior activated. Otherwise, the tornado would shred him apart.


    After all, the Wind Mages had mixed in Wind des into the tornado, turning it into a terrifying vortex capable of shredding anything apart.


    Boom!


    Suddenly, a small segment of the tornado transformed into metal as it rotated at the same speed as the rest of the tornado. Gilthru condensed two wind des that stretched out of his arm, mming them into the metal ring that absorbed all the momentum of the tornado, turning it weak when he chucked it at the vige.


    He harnessed the tornado¡¯s power to empower his metal ring and used it to attack the vige. As the metal ring descended into the vige, it segmented into almost a hundred chakrams, spreading apart as they bombarded the vige, killing a good fraction of the Tamed Beasts there.


    ¡°That¡¯s Gilthru!¡± One of the Tamed Beasts shouted in horror, having lost his legs from the attack as a chakram had severed them. He stared in fear, for it was Gilthru that had resulted in his Kingdom¡¯s copse.


    He someone survived that ordeal before being captured and turned into Tirb Felera¡¯s Tamed Beast. But now, his horror paid a visit once again.


    It wasn¡¯t just him that was feeling this way, but everyone that had witnessed Gilthru¡¯s actions was the same. After all, it wasn¡¯t easy bing the right hand of a Demon Princess, especially a Pseudo-Saint like Daka Felera with plenty of Pseudo-Saint Tamed Beasts.


    It was just a show of his might, for he had done this while only being a Grandmaster.


    ¡®Even though he relied upon the superior control of an Elementalist, since Arnark did that, I should be able to do the same.¡¯ Gilthru thought as he extended his hand, focusing on the chakrams lodged into the ground as veins popped all over his arms and neck.


    His mana billowed as winds churned around him.


    Creak!


    The Human Warrior that had shouted just now noticed the chakram before him¡ªthe one that had severed his legs¡ªwriggle, making creaking sounds as it vibrated.


    ¡°Keuk!¡± Gilthru grunted as the chakrams hummed in response before slowly beginning to rotate as they exited the holes they had formed.


    Creeeeek!


    The chakrams acted like a saw as they made cuts all over the ground, beginning to move.


    ¡°Aah!¡± The Human Warrior only managed to shriek in response before a chakram moved past him, severing his body from the middle. His blood poured into the thin groove that formed the ground. Simrly, blood from various living beings flowed through the grooves as countless people were killed by the moving chakrams that roamed through Tookh Vige like worms.


    Bang!


    Suddenly, like a kite whose strings were severed, Gilthru¡¯s wind was knocked out of him as he fell to the ground. The sound of a ss shattering resounded around him as he coughed out blood, causing a crater from his copse.


    He looked around, noticing a tattered straw doll of him lying nearby. His expression solemn, Gilthru stared with a sense of urgency, watching a Birdmen Witch and a Stone Ogre appear in his line of sight, a troublesome duo that hadbined their already tricky powers, intending to deal with him.


    ¡­


    ¡°We¡¯re being attacked.¡± The Merman Queen said, noticing that Tirb Felera was calm.


    ¡°It¡¯s only Gilthru.¡± Tirb Felera waved his hand casually, ¡°He might kill a lot of my Tamed Beasts, but that doesn¡¯t matter. Once he bes tired, capture him.¡±


    He revealed a wide smile, ¡°I¡¯ll make him my Tamed Beast.¡±


    Roar!


    Yifa yelled out a hoarse roar as her body finished transforming, bing a four-legged gluttonous beast capable of devouring everything in its path. Its stomach was its Magic Organ, its sole function to store an insane amount of stuff within its expansive space and gradually break it down to an atomic level.


    But, that wasn¡¯t the extent of her power as she was able to selectively target what she wished to consume.


    Tirb Felera pped in joy, ¡°Bravo! Yifa! You¡¯ve done well to seed.¡±


    He ced his hand on her forehead, turning her into his Tamed Beast before staring at Y, ¡°Now, it¡¯s your sister¡¯s turn.¡±


    As Yifa had just endured an excruciating process, she was too weak to resist and was hence turned into a Tamed Beast. She was carried to the side by a group of Orcs before her sister, Y was ced on the tform and chained.


    ¡°My diary!¡± Y shouted when a Merman took her torn book.


    ¡°Leave it with her.¡± Tirb Felera waved his hand, ¡°Since she¡¯s attached to it, something interesting might happen as a result.¡±


    He smirked, watching the Bards sing while the Polymorphs began to take action, ¡°Such is the beauty of life.¡±


    ¡°Always interesting.¡±

 Chapter 656: In My Past (part 21)

    Chapter 656: In My Past (part 21)


    Roar!


    Khun spewed out a destructive bolt of energy, vaporising the majority of the people in Tookh Vige.


    ¡°A Dragon?¡± The survivors stared, pale-faced, for Dragons were too rare. They typically holed up in their respective territory and never ventured beyond that. Even the Demon Race never dared set foot in the Dragon territory, simply because of one reason.


    The power of their profession made them overpowered beings.


    The Dragon Race had two Main Professions: Destruction Incarnate and Divinity Incarnate.


    A Destruction Incarnate had abilities that allowed them to engage in mass ughter like it was child¡¯s y. All their powers were geared toward one thing: Destruction.


    In contrast, a Divinity Incarnate didn¡¯t have any offensive abilities but powers simr to a Conjurer. But, the extent of their power was only limited to nature. The reason they were overpowered was that a Divinity Incarnate could establish himself as the lord of a region.


    And, that very region itself would be their domain, their sphere of influence, a ce where nature itself reacts based on their will.


    Basically, a Dragon could establish itself as the God of a territory. And, a Divinity Incarnate was almost impossible to kill. Only if the region they protect itself is razed to the ground would it be possible to kill them.


    Otherwise, even if their Dragon bodies were to be killed, they would simply revive in a few years.


    And unlike the other races, all Dragons wielded the power of both professions. Hence, they were overpowered, unkible deities blessed with a terrifyingly long lifespan.


    But because of that, their fertility was also the lowest among all races. A Dragon might at most have an offspring in a millennium. So, they had a small poption.


    As a Dragon, Khun was plenty strong. In terms of sheer destructive power alone, he was on the level of a Pseudo-Saint.


    And with him taking action, the army stationed in Tookh Vige was annihted. The rest simply constricted the Grandmasters among the group until Khun¡¯s destructive attacksnded on them.


    ¡°Are you dead?¡± Zairanded before a bloody figure of Gilthru, asking as she appeared somewhat nonchnt.


    ¡°Not¡­yet.¡± Gilthru¡¯s voice resounded. He was lying atop the bodies of a Birdmen Witch and a Stone Ogre Warlock, having barely managed to kill them. Though, he was on the verge of death.


    If he wasn¡¯t given proper attention, he would die immediately after.


    ¡°You still have work to do. Get up!¡± She kicked him lightly, pouring the contents of a few potions in his mouth, watching his wounds heal.


    She then fed him a mana recovery potion, gazing at the rest of the gang arrive, giving them some potions too.


    There was a bag of potions that she brought with her by keeping it in Khun¡¯s back during flight. And before they attacked the Tooth Vige, she buried the bag in a discrete location nearby.


    Having noted down the spatial coordinates of the ce, she used her Space Magic to take out the potions whenever she wanted. As the location was close enough, she didn¡¯t have to waste much mana to bring in the potions every time.


    Once everyone recovered, they quickly made their way underground as the Elf reminded them to be alert, ¡°The fate is converging¡­¡±


    ¡°It makes sense,¡± Zaira said all of a sudden as she teleported them all into the underground ce right when Y¡¯s transformation waspleted. The ambush prepared by the Mermen Queen failed as they simply bypassed everything.


    ¡°Attack!¡± She announced, condensing multiple portals throughout the ce as fiery red arrows flickering with lightning mmed into the portals, mming dead centre onto her targets.


    The Bards had only just begun to sing when the throats of all were pierced, causing them to copse to the ground, unable to sing anymore.


    The Mermaid Queen transformed into a bulky slime, only suffering a flesh wound. And when she reverted to her Mermaid form, the wound was only a small injury on her stomach, nothing serious.


    She was using her transformations to reduce damage from the attacks to her vital spots before uttering a scream that suddenly caused a headache for everyone.


    ¡°Break!¡± Arnark grunted as immediately, the effect of the attack subsided to a tolerable level on every one.


    Boom!


    Gilthru was sent flying by the Pseudo-Saint Magic Beast as Tirb Felera stared calmly, not disying an ounce of hesitation even after his ce was invaded.


    All he did was approach Y and turn her into his Tamed Beast. Now, both the sisters were his Tamed Beasts.


    He had four Pseudo-Saint Magic Beasts to protect him, not to mention the Pseudo-Saint Mermaid Queen that could amplify the powers of everyone and weaken their foes. Considering how his enemies were only Grandmasters, he wasn¡¯t flustered.


    ¡®Even if they had relied on potions to recover, they¡¯ve yet to make a full recovery. They are all exhausted.¡¯ He smiled, observing their actions when suddenly, he flinched, feeling bouts of fear as he made eye contact with Zaira.


    Zaira didn¡¯t seem usual, despite her appearance being that of a thirteen-year-old human girl. She strangely seemed like an¡­enlightened heavenly being?


    ¡°Who¡­¡± He muttered, flinching when Zaira raised her arm.


    Immediately, the air seemed to cool down all of a sudden as the surroundings felt dark. Everyone felt a mild headache, feeling their heads spin while their thoughts came to a halt. It wasn¡¯t just the enemies that were feeling this, but the allies too.


    The Elf stared at the sky, observing the massive spheres of fate change directions and flow into Zaira, shocking her, ¡®W-What is happening now? How is this possible?¡¯


    Currently, Zaira was stealing the fate of others.


    Others couldn¡¯t observe what she was actually doing. Only in her vision was a swirling stream of Mental Energy visible, condensed on her outstretched palm as she clenched.


    Gah!


    Tirb Felera spat out blood in reflex as all his Tamed Beasts suddenly lost their connection to him. rmed, he stared at Zaira, noticing that the area of her palm seemed to be blurry for some reason.


    But, before he could understand what had happened, blood flooded out of his orifices as he copsed to the ground, dead.


    Zaira thought slowly, staring at the mysterious power churning within the Mental Energy vortex, cing it on her forehead as it was absorbed by her mind, ¡®Since you sought it, I¡¯ll help you.¡¯

 Chapter ?657 In My Past (Part 22)

    Chapter ?657 In My Past (Part 22)


    "What¡­just happened?" Arnark was in shock, staring at the Orc before him that no longer expressed any animosity towards him.


    The Orc stood there for a couple of seconds before turning around to walk away. Simrly, the surviving Tamed Beasts stopped fighting as they moved away, tending to their respective injuries.


    Zaira closed her eyes, seeming to be thinking of something.


    The moment he saw her, Gilthru felt that things were strange. But, he wasn''t able to ce a handle on what that was about. All he knew was that Zaira did something to affect Tirb Felera''s Tamer powers.


    "Gilthru¡­do you know what was that?" Arnark arrived behind him, whispering all of a sudden.


    "I don''t," Gilthru replied, noticing that Arnark seemed to be trembling for some reason. "What''s up with you now?"


    "I just feel afraid all of a sudden." He said before approaching the Elf, intending to inquire about it when he noticed that her face was pale, "What happened?"


    "N-Nothing." The Elf didn''t say anything and just remained silent.


    "So, what shall we do about these¡­Tamed Beasts?" Lorbordo asked upon seeing that the expressions of every one were turning strange slowly, "Are we leaving them here or are we helping them get back to their homes?"


    "Hey¡­" Zaira approached the Mermen Queen, asking, "What was that power that you were using to turn humans into Magic Beasts?"


    "It''s a mixture of multiple powers." The Mermen Queen replied, "We first make them ingest a conjured pill that has the powers of a Principal Arbiter to absorb the power of their profession and create a Magic Organ."


    "Following that, we divine the required variables and prepare the means to attain all necessary conditions. The subject would then ingest a conjured pill containing a Witch''s curse that morphs their body into a monster."


    She pointed at the altar they used, "There''s a formation iid here to oversee everything and induce the necessary changes. After that, we''ll make the target ingest some potions rted to body strengthening, muscle gain, vitalist boosting, mana boosting, etc."


    "Finally, the Bards would sing to initiate the chain reaction while the Polymorphs initiate the transformation ceremony. That''s how we managed to create a Magic Beast." She concluded.


    "I''ll bring you all with me now." Zaira said before looking at Khun, "Will you be able to carry them all?"


    "I can help carry any excess." Lorbordo stepped forward, "I can transform into arge creature too."


    "Sniff¡­sniff¡­" On the altar was Y, crying, having been transformed into a four-legged creature with a long neck, sporting a mane simr to a horse. The face was somewhat humanoid but possessed more than a hundred eyes, littered all across her face and neck.


    At first nce, the hair on her neck seemed to be thick strands. But in truth, they were feelers that could expand and contract in length, capable of acting like hands, and surprisingly dextrous in nature.


    Yifa was still weak and hence remained in the ce the Orcs had taken her to. So, Zaira first approached the younger sister, Y, the Cartographer that had now been transformed into such a grotesque monster.


    She stared at the primary eyes of the monster, asking solemnly, "Do you wish to tell a tale?"


    "Yes!" Y nodded her head vigorously. Though, she didn''t even need to say anything as the hair on her neck expanded in length before ripping out a piece of skin from her body that acted as a parchment to write upon.


    There were no signs of a wound on her skin, as if what she had ripped out was an oldyer of skin.


    Swoosh!


    Zaira noticed faint Mental Energy flowing into the words inscribed upon the parchment by Y. With the passing of every second, her thoughts became more and moreplex as she was changing rapidly.


    The pain that she felt the day before was reducing over time. Or rather, it seemed like she was adapting to the changes and growing even.


    ''What exactly is this item?'' She wondered, touching the Tiara on her head as it felt cold to the touch.


    Lorbordo transformed into arge flying-type Magic Beast as he and Khun transported all the ex-Tamed Beasts to the Hemish Empire.


    Seated closer to the Dragon''s tail, Zaira stared at her hand, one that had stolen Tirb Felera''s Tamer powers. ''How¡­exactly did it happen?''


    She felt guided by a mysterious instinct of sorts and took action by gathering all the thoughts in her mind.


    As the Tamed Beasts stared at her, their Mental Energy streams flowed into her. And under her control, they flowed in reverse as Mental Energy gushed out of her in torrents. There was a sea''s worth in her mind now as they flowed through the Mental Energy streams, using the connection between the Tamed Beast and their master to enter Tirb Felera''s mind.


    Following that, she just destroyed the part of his mind that gave outmands, sealing the authority to givemands. This shouldn''t have been possible in the first ce.


    But now that she thought about it, Zaira observed that when she stole control over Tirb Felera''s Tamed Beasts, the Mental Energy that did this was generated by the Tamers of the Demon Race.


    And mixed in that was Mental Energy by the Minotaur Race of Thieves.


    When they took action, the thoughts turned into power and allowed Zaira to steal Tirb Felera''s Tamed Beasts for herself. Now, they were actually under her influence.


    It wasn''t a stretch to say that they were her Tamed Beasts. This was why the Mermen Queen was being so respectful to her.


    ''Hmm, if I can steal a power and make it mine¡­'' She thought for a moment before her attention fell on the Tiara itself, ''Maybe I can finally know more about this after making it mine. I can feel that it''s not exactly mine at the moment.''


    She didn''t hesitate to take action, using thoughts regarding Minotaur Thieves, Elf Divination Specialists, Human Cartographers, Dwarf Spiritualists, and finally, Orc Devourers. Theybined to form a special energy that seeped into the Tiara as it allowed Mental Energy to flow through it.


    There wasn''t any suspense as the Tiara hummed for a moment before melting into a fluid that stabbed into her head and seeped into her brain.


    Zaira experienced an intense headache for a couple of seconds before she felt everything regarding the Tiara make sense, revealing a subtle smile, ''So, that''s your true identity, Magister.''


    ''Whether it was you or even Mystique himself, both have underestimated this power.''

 Chapter 658 In My Past (Part 23)

    Chapter 658 In My Past (Part 23)


    "Eh?" The Elf stared at the sky in surprise, noticing the vast clouds of fate vanish as the streams gushing into Zaira too disappeared, as if they never existed in the first ce.


    Just as she was about to divine the reason, Lorbordo shouted from above, "The enemies are chasing after us!"


    "Continue flying!" Zaira shouted, her voice fully animated as how it was before she obtained the Tiara, "We''ve only entered the Hemish Empire''s territory. We have to go until the nearest fort before reinforcements could support us."


    "Drop me! I''ll just hinder you!" Yifa shouted, "I''m too heavy to be carried by you, even if you''re a Dragon. If you drop me, you''ll be able to fly faster."


    "Shut up!" Khun bellowed in response, turning around as he unleashed multiple bolts of destructive artillery at the approaching enemies in the sky, causing the entire horizon to light up as a result.


    Using the chance, he sped up.


    Lorbordo followed right after him, condensing mana in his throat as he spewed out a vortex that expanded in size to be a massive tornado, creating intense winds.


    He didn''t stop at one and unleashed dozens of the same, almost expending all his mana in the process. "That should keep them at bay for at least a minute."


    "Great support, Lorbordo!" Zaira shouted as she focused, gradually spreading her Space Mana over both Khun and Lorbordo, intending to teleport them away the moment their enemies caught up to them.


    Though, considering her mana reserves, they couldn''t teleport afar, but it was enough to buy some more time. Thankfully, things didn''t escte to that extent as the Demon Army stopped at the wall of tornadoes, making a retreat.


    They didn''t wish to invade the Hemish Empire yet.


    "Thank goodness!" Zaira sighed in relief, slumping as it seemed like all the tension in her just dissipated now.


    ''Has she be normal?'' The Elf thought, staring at Zaira, only now noticing that the Tiara on her head had vanished, couldn''t help but ask, "Wait, what happened to that Tiara you were given by the Guardian Deity?"


    "I destroyed it." Zaira said in irritation, "It was seriously messing with my head, ugh. I don''t understand why I was given something like that. It only hindered my power."


    "Are these¡­not useful then?" She muttered, staring at the Magic Tool given to her by Magister. She had yet to use it, for she already had her own Magic Tool that she was familiar with.


    "He''s¡­" Zaira thought for a moment before stopping herself, staring at the Elf as she said, "That Magic Tool is powerful, but you''ll lose your mind the more you use it. So, just give it to me. I''ll destroy it."


    "But, what if this is the only way to kill the Saint of Cmity?" The Elf asked.


    "Then, divine if it''s useful in killing the Saint of Cmity." Zaira smirked in response upon seeing the Elf hesitate, nodding, "I see, so you''ve already divined an answer."


    "Maybe I''m wrong. I''m just a Grandmaster and not a Pseudo-Saint." The Elf said, "I could be wrong."


    "Divination can only fail if you''recking but can never be wrong." Zaira said, "Isn''t that like the most basic of principles underlining it?"


    "Here!" The Elf gritted her teeth before handing over the Magic Tool given to her by Magister. As Zaira was the Hero that even Magister had personally acknowledged, she decided to trust in the other party''s ability.


    After all, she herself had confirmed that the Magic Item was useless in their efforts against the Saint of Cmity.


    "Thank you," Zaira said as she destroyed the Magic Tool. But, what everyone failed to notice was the dense stream of Mental Energy collecting in it that she absorbed. And with it, she also absorbed the powers of a Divination Specialist stored in the Magic Tool.


    Magister was a representative of all the magical worlds. And, he had created the Tiara by harnessing the various exotic resources of the magical worlds, using part of Mystique''s authority to create this Tiara, something that could never be created again.


    After all, Mystique only had one magical monocle that Magister stole by force. Following that, Mystic could only condense a knock-off monocle that allowed him to pry into various energy forces of the universe.


    And, the information regarding everything had been stored in the Tiara in the form of Mental Energy that she digested when she made it hers. Now, the Tiara was no more. And all its intended power was now under her beck and call.


    Thanks to that, Zaira was able to gain an understanding of who Magister actually was, including other existences like Immortal and Mystique.


    With the Tiara''s powers hers now, her mind had be like a gigantic space, casually able to take in all the Mental Energy before they were segregated ording to their contents. As to what she could do with them, Zaira smiled.


    She didn''t express anything beyond that, her eyes staring at Gilthru and Arnark, noticing how despite their prior feud, the two seemed to have gotten closer. And from time to time, their topic of conversation ended up being her.


    "So, how were you able to control those chakrams like that before? That''s the power of an Elementalist and not a Mage." Arnark asked.


    "Well, typically Mages chuck out spells and call it a day. Any semnce of control has to be done before it is released or a cord has to be maintained between the Mage and the attack to control it." Gilthru said, "As for an Elementalist, your Elemental Spirit acts as a secondary brain and stays hidden within the attacks you unleash, allowing you to control them. So, I thought of doing something simr."


    "But, how is that possible?" Arnark was still confused.


    "Well¡­that''s a secret." Gilthru snorted, not going into details. Instead, he asked, "Why are you fighting the Demons though? Considering your powers, shouldn''t you be a Demon Prince? Otherwise, there''s no way you''ll also have the power of an Elementalist."


    "I was birthed as a mistake." Arnark sighed as he said, "It happened when my dad became a Saint. After knowing of my existence though, he killed me. And it was the grandpa known as the Guardian God that revived me using the Dragon''s Divinity Incarnate."


    "So, that old man''s a Dragon?" Gilthru thought, "But, if he''s that powerful, can''t he kill the Saint of Cmity on his own? I feel like he had enough power to go against him."


    "Yeah, I feel the same too." Arnark said, "But it is what it is. I cannot predict what goes in the minds of these pinnacle beings. But one thing is for sure."


    He clenched his hand into a fist, "War is bad. And, I''ll stop the war and ensure peace returns to our continent."


    "It was never peaceful though." Gilthru sighed as he stared beyond, "People kill and are killed all the time. The only difference is that it''s happening on a major scale now. But, things have never been peaceful."


    "At least, it was better than the current times, right?" Arnark said, seeing Gilthru nod as he continued, "Then, that will be my goal."


    "So, you''re ideally realistic," Gilthru smirked in the end.


    "I''ve already been killed once after all." Arnark sighed.


    "So, how did it feel?" Gilthru asked, "Death, I mean."


    "I''m¡­not sure." Arnark tilted his head, "It was just like being asleep. I don''t know what happened when I died. And I was just alive after that as I woke up. Being dead and being asleep, there''s no difference. You are aware in neither of them."


    Roar!


    Khunnded at the nearest fort as all the refugeesnded on the ground, expressing joy at their freedom.


    Zaira didn''t express any mode of control except over the Merman Queen, so everyone else wasn''t even aware that they were still Tamed Beasts.


    Khun and Lorbordo took charge of bringing them to their home while Zaira teleported away, arriving at the forest where the six Magic Beasts had been dropped. They weren''t brought to the fort as it might cause chaos, especially since four of the Magic Beasts were Pseudo-Saints.


    Shockingly, all six Magic Beasts had once been part of a sentient race. They were forcefully transformed into their current forms as their profession was made a Magic Organ.


    As it was too difficult to control two professions, only those with one profession were turned. And to keep things under control, only those with Sub-Professions were targeted.


    Zaira stared at Yifa, patting the bowed head of the other party as starlight shone through her eyes, almost blinding everyone as her solemn voice echoed, "Do you wish to be a human once again?"


    "Can I really?" Yifa stared in disbelief before asking in a hurry, feeling hope at life.


    "Just tell me this." Zaira said, "Do you wish to be a human once again?"


    Upon hearing the same question being repeated again, Yifa shouted at the top of her voice, "Yes!"


    "Great!" Zaira nodded as suddenly, she conjured a mysterious needle-covered bubble that shone with starlight, plunging it into Yifa''s forehead as the other party grunted. Immediately after, starlight revolved around her as her Magic Beast body transformed, taking on a human form once again.


    Yifa ran through the forest and kneeled over a pool of water, staring at her reflection, tearing up to see that she was a human once again, though her appearance was different from before, especially her ethereal hair that resembled starlight.


    "Be happy, Yifa." Zaira appeared behind her as her voice resounded, soothing to hear, "And, if anyone dares irritate you, eat them up and transform their substance into whatever you see fit."


    "After all, to others, you''re no different from an¡­"


    "Apocalypse!"


    ----------------------


    Note: IHS Volume 1 is now avable as an ebook on [Amazon]. You can read it for free on Kindle.


    ----------------------

 Chapter ?659 In My Past (Part 24)

    Chapter ?659 In My Past (Part 24)


    Following Yifa was Y who Zaira turned into a human too, staring at her with a smile, "Since you seem obsessed over writing, just continue to tell the tale. You needn''t do anything else."


    Zaira then helped the remaining four Magic Beasts, turning them all into humans as she didn''t speak but transmitted a thought through Mental Energy.


    [Repeat what I said!]


    "Repeat what I said!" All six replied spontaneously, surprised at the voice that resounded in their minds.


    [I''ve changed your physiquepletely. So, you''ll have to take your time to adjust and adapt to the changes. You only look human in terms of appearance alone.]


    She then stared at them, announcing solemnly.


    [You''re like my children. There''s this mysterious energy called Mental Energy that''s produced through thoughts. Your current physical bodies are just shells to hold this mass of energy, since its nature ensures it can only exist in the mind. Therefore, it cannot exist on its own. But¡­]


    She continued with a smile, grinning in response.


    [When your physical body dies, you''ll return to me. And, I''ll be able to put you in another body without any issues.]


    Hovering in the sky was Magister, having sensed the changes already, gazing at Zaira in shock to see that the Tiara he had created was now no more, turned into her power, ''I never expected something like this to happen.''


    His n was to use Zaira to strengthen the Tiara that he wouldter use as a weapon to steal from Immortal. But, what he had never expected was for it to be absorbed by the individual he chose, and that too within two days since she was bestowed with it.


    "Hmph, I''ll extract it and find someone else then." He snorted, disliking when his ns went awry. After all, Zaira was deviating from the path he had set for her.


    With that thought in mind, his figure appeared behind her, thrusting his hand into her heart, crushing it instantly to kill her.


    But suddenly, Zaira''s body crumbled into mana and dissipated, shocking Magister, "I¡­was fooled?"


    Even the six Magic Beasts crumbled into mana and disappeared as for the first time in his life, Magistercked a solution, expanding his senses throughout the world as he was strangely¡­unable to locate Zaira.


    "How is this possible?" He frowned, wondering what was happening.


    In the meantime, Zaira and the six Magic Beasts appeared in one of the worlds under Mystique, the world where people prayed to the statues of deities to gain power.


    "Zaira, what¡­do you wish to do?" Y asked, surprised when they hopped worlds all of a sudden. From thinking that there only existed one world to realising that there were other worlds out there, Y was unable to curb her excitement, causing her to condense a parchment over which she wrote in a flurry, inscribing all her thoughts and emotions that she was experiencing.


    "This is the only world where Mental Energy can be harnessed naturally. And, I wish to gain a monopoly over it." Zaira expressed her ambition, "Think of it as a desire fuelled by greed. I just¡­"


    "Wish to see what that level is." She spoke, staring at everyone, asking, "Are you with me on this?"


    "Definitely!" Y was the first to express her interest, her hands not pausing for a moment, "This is hype!"


    "This desire in me¡­" In contrast, Yifa stared at her human hands, asking Zaira, "Is that actually mine?"


    "No, it''s not." Zaira shook her head, "Mental Energy is generated by thoughts. And, as we consume it, we''re shaped ordingly. So, depending on the type of Mental Energy we consume, our mentality changes ordingly. It''s like consuming poison or medicine. We react and adapt ordingly."


    "It means it''s still mine, but I''m only being influenced by what I consume." Yifa nodded,nding above a statue as she ced her hand on it, shocking the people kneeling before it.


    Boom!


    A subtle Mental Energy fluctuation rippled out of her hand before the Mental Energy within the statue churned in response, surging into her as a torrent, entirely devoured by her.


    "I''m¡­still feeling hungry." Yifa expressed her surprise as she licked her lips, opening her mouth as she unleashed a vortex, sucking in the statue and all the people in the ce, digesting them instantly.


    She sensed that her powers grew in potency, staring at Zaira as she said, "This urge in me is growing strong. I am wanting more and more Mental Energy."


    "An urge, huh." Zaira nodded, staring at Y to see the girl still writing as usual.


    She then looked at a man, a Pseudo-Saint Minotaur wielding the powers of a Formation Specialist. Now, as a Magic Beast that had taken on a human form thanks to Zaira, he was able to extract energy from the world itself and convert it into Mental Energy.


    Staring at him, Zaira said, "What''s your take on this, Zodhar?"


    With his extraction powers no different to plunder, Zodhar had a strong ability as he observed Yifa happily devouring the Mental Energy from the various statues. He then stared at the ground,nding on it as he ced his hand on it, gradually pulling it back like he was pulling a bow strong.


    Forming a line, a mystical energy flowed out of the ground, thin but dense, hundreds of times denser than everything Yifa had devoured until now.


    He pulled the energy like a string and caused it to flow into Zaira, "I''ve lost my family, my friends, myrades, and my sense of self. Now, you''re the one that gave me an identity, of one that plunders everything from others, which is exactly what I''ll do."


    "It''s a pretty singr motive, but I don''t care beyond that." He then observed Zaira absorb the energy, asking, "How is it? That''s the essence of this world."


    "Impressive indeed." Zaira nodded, continuing to absorb it as she was able to feel the space in her mind stabilise further, allowing her to feel a stronger connection to the six Tamed Beasts.


    As this was the world where Mental Energy was harnessed naturally, the essence of the world was beneficial for her development, allowing Zaira to grow enormously as she was able to harness her powers better.


    As she was absorbing the essence of the world, Zaira muttered while staring at her six Tamed Beasts, each unique and unkible in their own right, "It feels wrong to call them mere Magic Beasts."


    She then looked at her hand, nodding as her eyes lit up, "Right, a more appropriate term would be¡­"


    "Golden Finger!"

 Chapter 660 In My Past (Part 25)

    Chapter 660 In My Past (Part 25)


    "What the¡­what just happened?" Mystic was shocked as he managed to break free of the restraints that Magister had cast on him, hurrying towards one of the worlds under him.


    To steal his monocle, Magister sealed him up and used his power to create the Tiara. And now that he broke free, he sensed that one of his worlds had died out mysteriously, hurriedly appearing before it as he stared in shock, tearing up in response, "Why¡­why did you have to go this far, Magister?"


    Anger billowed out of him as he noticed that the world was just a crumbling mass of dust now, with the people there devoured, same for the essence of the world itself, reducing it into a dying husk of its former self.


    As he stared at it, the world crumbledpletely. The resultant dust washed over his face, turning it ashen as he stared at the scene for a good hour as a droplet of tears skidded down his cheek.


    "You''ll pay for this, Magister!" Mystique uttered as his figure appeared before a magical world, expressing anger as he clenched his hand into a fist, craning it backward.


    "Aaargh!" The people of the world, one filled with mages screamed in fright as massive cracks appeared all over the world as the mana became corrupted, turning devilish as everyone in contact with it suffered to the extreme before turning into devils.


    "Gah!" Magister grunted in pain, noticing a spot on his hand turning into a blotch of ink, jet ck as malevolent energy churned within it. "One of my worlds has been corrupted by a mysterious power?"


    "This is bad!" He hurried in response, for if more worlds were to be corrupted, it would result in his power dropping as the corrupted powers would vie for control over his body.


    Boom!


    The earth rumbled as the people of this world copsed into maggots that devoured one another, evolving into vicious insects, capricious in nature.


    "Mystique! Stop what you''re doing!" Immortal noticed his actions, hurrying there, "Don''t destroy those worlds. If you are angry at Magister, just steal his worlds. Don''t destroy them! Each world is precious."


    "He started it." Mystique stated in anger, "All along, you''ve treated me as a weakling, right?"


    "I''ve been enduring it, but no more, not after you''ve destroyed one of my worlds." Saying so, his figure turned ethereal before vanishing.


    "Dammit!" Immortal was rmed as he shed forth with a sword, cutting into space as he jumped through it and appeared before another world of Magister that was destroyed by Mystique.


    Moreover, once destroyed, such worlds gradually developed a new power system, one falling under Mystique''s control, causing his power to creep gradually while Magister weakened in response.


    "Stop! Mystique!" Immortal bellowed, "If you don''t, then I''ll destroy all your worlds!"


    "Do it then!" Mystique''s angry voice resounded, "Haven''t you threatened me about doing the same multiple times already? I''ll give you the chance now."


    "In return, I''ll destroy your tens of thousands of worlds." Mystique vanished once again as Immortal failed to catch him.


    "This slippery bastard." Immortal began to sweat in response as even the strongest of his seals failed to keep Mystique in ce who had divided his body in surprising ways that even if a body were to be captured, all its powers would mysteriously transfer into another body.


    Due to this, Mystique couldn''t be captured as he went around, damaging every world he came across.


    "Fucker! What the heck did you do to piss off Mystique?" Immortal grabbed hold of Magister, punching the other party in the face.


    "I only stole his monocle¡­" Magister said in a hurry, "I didn''t destroy his world, promise. Even I know that he''s overprotective of his few worlds. So, why the heck would I do that?"


    "Magister!" A robust voice resounded as a middle-aged man wearing martial arts robes appeared at the scene, pummelling Magister, bombarding the protective magic circles that appeared.


    The magic circles cracked as he bellowed, "What the heck happened? Why is Mystique targeting my worlds now?"


    "I¡­don''t know, Martial." Magister frowned, "I have no idea why Mystique is attacking the worlds of everyone. He only should have been targeting mine."


    "Don''t act like I don''t know what you''ve done, Magister." Suddenly, Mystique appeared, a lot stronger than before as he oozed out killing intent, "That weapon that you created, where is it?"


    "It''s something that''s capable of annihting us all!" He shouted, "And only I can stop it before it''s toote. Now, hurry up and cough it!"


    "What weapon?" Immortal stared at Magister in anger, "What monstrosity did you create this time?"


    "I¡­don''t have it with me." Magister said, "The Human I bestowed it upon stole its power and vanished. I''m unable to locate her anymore."


    "I feared this might happen!" Mystique bellowed in anger, chiding Magister, "Didn''t I warn you to not experiment with Mental Energy? The worlds under me might be few and weak, but each of them has enough potential to affect everything!"


    "Do you think I didn''t know of the means to strengthen my worlds?" He shouted, "I purposefully kept them weak, just to prevent such a thing from happening. But, did you listen to anything I had to say before sealing me?"


    "Screw you! Researcher of secrets my foot!"


    "This weapon¡­what exactly can it do?" Immortal asked, forcefully calming Mystique down as he red at Magister.


    "It can create beings of the mind¡­" Magister said, noticing the expressions of everyone shift in response.


    Immortal stared at Mystique, "Are you¡­able to deal with them?"


    "Mind? Yes," Mystique nodded, "But, it''s impossible to destroy them for good. My monocle¡­you see, is indestructible. Even if you were to destroy it into pieces, it would reform soon after. You''ve seen it in action before, right?"


    "So¡­your world¡­" Immortal asked.


    "It was destroyed by whoever obtained that power." Mystique red at Magister, "Since Mental Energy originated from this world, they absorbed the entire world''s essence to strengthen themselves. Now, the entire power is in their hands. I cannot use Mental Energy anymore."


    "I have strengthened myself by taking over some of your worlds. I need it to deal with this weapon. But, I have no guarantee that this is enough. You seriously created something terrifying just to satiate your curiosity."


    "What do we do now?" Magister asked in the end, sighing as he understood that he had messed up big time.


    "What else? We search!" Martial snapped in response as he hurried to find traces of Zaira.


    At this time, the person in question had returned to her home world, using Mental Energy to teleport to the heart of the Demon Empire, appearing before the Saint of Cmity, grinning as she stared at him, "You''re the final part thatpletes this puzzle."

 Chapter ?661 In My Past (Part 26)

    Chapter ?661 In My Past (Part 26)


    The Saint of Cmity stared at the group of seven before him, still rxed as he observed them, his focusnding on Zaira, "The Human Hero, huh."


    "I knew something like this might happen."


    "You''re¡­strangely calm." Zaira said, expressing her pleasant surprise, "Why are you calm even though I have enough power to destroy the Demon Empire?"


    She stared at him, surprised to see no Mental Energy originating from him. Moreover, she was feeling a strange sense of overbearing sensation from him, as if everything was still under his control.


    This was shocking because once Zaira devoured an entire world, her power reached a whole new level. Just the sheer quantity of Mental Energy at her disposal was enormous, not to mention the thoughts she could harness to unleash terrifying abilities, strong enough to destroy entire Empires casually.


    But despite that, she didn''t have any confidence in killing the Saint of Cmity, rming her.


    ''So, this is the Saint of Cmity.'' She nodded in thought, tensing up in response. But surprisingly, the Saint of Cmity didn''t express any intention to fight.


    "What''s your goal?" He asked, sporting a calm smile, as if everything was still under his control.


    "I want to develop." Zaira replied, "That''s all."


    "Pretty simple goal, but¡­" He spoke after a moment of thought, "Your growth would change the fate of this world and all the worlds out there. So, are you really thinking about it?"


    "Yes." Zaira nodded resolutely, "I''ll do this. Even if I don''t have any grand motives, just the fact that I need Mental Energy to consume is enough drive to do this. And, only thoughts of the people can produce Mental Energy."


    "I see¡­" The Saint of Cmity nodded as he tapped the throne he was seated on, conjuring a barrier that surrounded them as he said, "For a minute, Magister wouldn''t be able to pry into this ce. I''ve only developed this ability now, so it would take a minute before he too can ess this."


    "What¡­are you nning?" Zaira asked, frowning in response.


    "Do you like this world, Zaira?" The Saint of Cmity asked, "Now that you have information regarding the other worlds out there, what do you think?"


    "From one Conjurer to another, what''s your honest thought?"


    "This world¡­" Zaira closed her eyes, sighing as she recalled their power system inparison to the world she visited and those whose information she obtained from the statues, sighing as she spoke, "Our world has enormous growth potential. It can be moreplex once more Saints emerge and elerate the development of the world."


    "And, this is indeed my home. That''ll never change, which is why I wanted to conquer this ce."


    Upon seeing that she was being honest, the Saint of Cmity said, "You know, the current you isn''t invincible, right?"


    "I know that. No one is invincible." Zaira retorted.


    "Yes, but there''s a chance you can be one." The Saint of Cmity smiled, "If you work with me, that''s possible."


    "What''s your offer? I''ll decide depending on that." Zaira spoke, realising that the Saint of Cmity''s ambitions were grander than hers, understanding that the Demon Race''s invasion on the continent was just a front, concealing his true objective.


    "I''ll conjure you a world, a world fit for your species of mind dwellers." The Saint of Cmity spoke with a solemn tone, causing everyone to shudder for he had seen through their true identity. "There''s a limit to how long you can sustain yourselves like this."


    "You''re terrifying, you know that?" Zaira sighed, raising her hands in defeat, "How did you know about our true selves?"


    "Let''s not talk about that for now. We have limited time." The Saint of Cmity continued speaking, "I''ll create a world for you to live in. And in response, you''ll help modify this world and make it break from Magister''s control."


    "Do you not like Magister?" Zaira asked next, wondering what was up. After all, Magister was an entity symbolised by all the magical worlds. He was practically a representative of all worlds wielding mana.


    "Magister wishes to develop this world in a way it harmonises his powers originating from other worlds better. But, that wouldn''t tap into this world''s true potential, which I wish to develop. So¡­" The Saint of Cmity smiled, "I want to make this a world that uses mana but isn''t under Magister."


    "How will you do it?" Zaira frowned before asking, "What do you need me to do?"


    "Give me one of those that you inserted into your children." The Saint of Cmity asked.


    "Here you go." Zaira condensed a bubble whose surface was covered by needles, throwing it to the Saint of Cmity, not hesitating in the least.


    Boom!


    The moment it appeared before him, the Saint of Cmity conjured a Pseudo-Saint Demon Tamer, causing the bubble to seep into his mind before he shouted in pain as his body melted into a sphere that was refined.


    An instantter, a choker formed that the Saint of Cmity held, observing it as he muttered, "Great, this was what I was aiming for."


    "What''s¡­that?" Zaira asked in curiosity, watching Y continue to note down everything enthusiastically.


    "A Relic." The Saint of Cmity stated, "At least, that''s what I''m calling it. It''s the next level of a Magic Tool''s growth in that it can grow endlessly by absorbing the mental imprints of its wielders. This is what those at the level of a Saint would create and wield in the future."


    "Is that a counter to my powers?" Zaira frowned.


    "No," The Saint of Cmity said, "Not a counter, but a trade. Your species will visit this world in the future and contribute to its development. And in response, you''ll gain the most precious of Mental Energy for your growth."


    "It''s a trade rtionship." He smiled, extending his hand to conjure a tiny, revolving sphere that he gently pushed towards Zaira, "This is my end of the deal. All you need to do is supply it with Mental Energy to grow it. That''s the best result you can ask for, right?"


    He grinned, "It''s simr to a Relic but one that allows the mental imprints to reside within."


    "A world of my own¡­" Zaira''s eyes lit up in shock as she stared at the tiny world before her, inserting some Mental Energy into it to see it grow. Her lips curled up to reveal a smile as she uttered, "You''re terrifying, Saint."

 Chapter 662 In My Past (Part 27)

    Chapter 662 In My Past (Part 27)


    Zaira noticed that the world was indeed perfect for her, surprised at the fact that the Saint of Cmity had conjured one so easily, staring at him, "Just¡­who are you?"


    "The sole Demon Conjurer to ever be a Saint." The Saint of Cmity smirked, "That''s who I am."


    "Now," He stared at the barrier that he had erected, noticing that it was showing signs of cracking as he clenched the Relic he had created, muttering a spell solemnly, "I hereby offer this to the world''s professions."


    "Gobble it up!"


    Boom!


    Suddenly, mystical lights emerged in the room, numbering dozens, with each light embodying a profession avable in the world.


    Zaira stared at the scene in shock, "T-These are¡­the professions?"


    "Yes, unlike the various worlds, the true owners of this world are its various professions. And, the strongest one could be is an Apostle, the Realm above a Saint where they''ve gained acknowledgement from the profession itself to be its sole representative." The Saint of Cmity said, "And, these professions can constantly grow, evolve, and even increase in number."


    "I wish to develop this world to its extreme. That''s my only goal." He continued, "For that, I need more Saints to emerge from the other professions and only war drives forth such a development."


    The professions stared at the Relic as suddenly, all the mysterious lights flowed into the Relic, causing it to swirl with them before vanishing, devoured by them. The lights returned to their original positions before retreating into the ground to vanish.


    Gong!


    There was a subtle fluctuation as the power Zaira had inserted into the Relic was assimted by the world, causing it to shift from Magister''s control, bing an independent world, autonomous in nature,pletely controlled by its various professions.


    ¡­


    "Aaargh!" Magister shouted in pain as he stared at the cavity that formed in his chest, "M-My most prized world¡­has been stolen!"


    "This is bad." Mystique stated solemnly, "They''re taking action sooner than I expected. We need to react immediately."


    "I''ll bring us there," Immortal said as he grabbed hold of everyone, pierced through space, and appeared before the world in question, staring at its energy that was still mana but was sentient now, having a mind of its own.


    And, its inherent nature was to reject all foreign influences.


    "What the heck¡­has happened?" Mystique frowned, sensing the changes as he said, "The mana of this world has absorbed the traits of Mental Energy and now has thoughts of its own. Even we cannot enter it carelessly, otherwise, the bacsh might affect our worlds. And at worst, we might be corrupted by this sentient mana that might seek to gain control over us."


    Whether it was Mystique, Magister, Immortal, or Martial, they were all representatives of the worlds forming their genre. Meaning, they weren''t actual physical beings.


    So, if there was a change in one of the worlds under them, their bodies experience the ripple effect caused by the change. And depending on the impact of the world where the change happened, they were ordingly affected.


    Hence, if this sentient mana were to infect them, it might induce the energies of the worlds under them to turn strangely sentient too. This would mean that a second personality would be birthed in their bodies, resulting in chaos.


    It was a known fact that for any vehicle, having two or more steering wheels was the perfect recipe for disaster.


    Hence, they couldn''t casually saunter into the world to solve this issue. For a moment, all four peak beings remained helpless, caught unawares.


    ¡­


    "How is it?" The Saint of Cmity smiled.


    "A-A-Amazing!" Zaira said, almost drunk as she felt the Mental Energy streams flowing into her from various races. The quality was vastly superior aspared to before, at least a hundred times more effective.


    It was the best tonic a mental being could ask for. When even she was being like this, it needn''t be said for the rest that were lying sprawled on the ground, knocked out drunk from the sensation.


    "You''ll be able to create as many¡­Golden Fingers as you can, right?" He asked next.


    "It depends on the thoughts I umte. If I umte enough of a certain variety of thoughts, I can club them to birth another mental being." Zaira nodded, saying immediately after, "But with the quality of Mental Energy that I''m receiving now, I''ll be able to create more of us soon."


    "When you do, pick suitable individuals to ce them within the minds of." The Saint of Cmity said, "You needn''t limit yourself to the Demons alone. Pick any race that fancies you. I want everyone to develop. In return, those mental beings too would grow."


    "Yes, I''m grateful¡­" Zaira hadn''t even finished speaking when suddenly, a metal sword pierced through the ce, cutting off an arm of her, with the impact sttering the six Golden Fingers into meat paste.


    "What?" Zaira stared in shock to see Arnark hovering in the air, in pain as his eyes were red while veins popped all over his body, spurting out blood from time to time.


    Ignoring her severed hand, Zaira''s eyes shone with starlight as she noticed a heavenly being forcefully turning into a Metal Spirit that had established a contract with Arnark by taking advantage of his Principal Arbiter powers.


    ''So, Arnark was your failsafe against me, Magister?'' Zaira stared in surprise as Arnark condensed another sword, sending it flying her way when suddenly, it froze into ice, stopping for a moment before disintegrating into moisture.


    The starlight in her eyes shone brighter as all six Golden Fingers appeared in her mind space, alive, but helpless since they didn''t have a body anymore.


    They could only stare helplessly as Zaira fought with all her might, unleashing a myriad of abilities. But, the Metal Elemental Spirit contracted to Arnark, and controlling his actions forcefully was something created by Magister and amplified by Mystique, Immortal, and Martial.


    Having traces of their powers allowed Arnark to condense myriad swords using which he erected a sword formation, causing them to fall on Zaira like hail, destroying the entire pce as the Saint of Cmity''s body was destroyed as a result.


    Though, it only seemed to be a conjured body as the Saint of Cmity wasn''t there from the start.


    "Shit!" Zaira stared at Arnark in anger before clenching her hand into a fist, unleashing torrential mes that mmed into the opponent''s wall of swords, deflected easily.

 Chapter ?663 In My Past (Part 28)

    Chapter ?663 In My Past (Part 28)


    Boom!


    Fire shed with metal, resulting in a chaotic cluster of mana waves billowing everywhere, causing the pce to go up in a sea of mes while broken sections turned to metal.


    Glob! Glob! Glob!


    Part of the metal turned into liquid, gaining shape to be soldiers that rushed at Zaira. In response, Zaira conjured Yifa''s body, cing her Golden Finger into it as Yifa leapt onto the metal soldiers and devoured them.


    Following that, she burped, spitting out murky sludge monsters that rushed at Arnark, emanating a feeling of disaster, as if they were beings only avable on destends.


    The sludge monsters melted through the metal soldiers while they turned everything they came into contact with into metal; both sides tore into each other.


    Arnark stood atop a broken pir, ring at Zaira as he bellowed, "You have something that doesn''t belong to you."


    "Return it."


    "That''s a strange thing to say," Zaira smirked in response, "Considering you''re the one that bestowed it upon me in the first ce, Magister."


    In response to her taunt, Arnark''s face only frowned in response, raising his sword when immediately, spikes jutted out of the ground, impaling her.


    "Gah!" Zaira coughed out blood as she noticed arge hole in her stomach, panting in response while observing the figure of Yifa turn into a kebab with her sludge monsters. The Golden Finger¡ªYifa¡ªwithin the conjured body returned to her mind space.


    ''This is pretty troublesome.'' She muttered, realising that the other party wasn''t someone she could face casually. After all, he was backed by the entities that pretty much ruled everything.


    She then observed her surroundings, thinking, ''It seems the Saint of Cmity has fled long ago. Does he have no intentions to fight alongside me?''


    Right as that thought appeared in her mind, she frowned, ''Wait, howe no Demon rushed here until now? This is the heart of the Felera Empire. The strongest of Demons should have rushed to protect their Demon God by now¡­''


    Boom!


    She condensed a shield, protecting against a massive twenty-metre-long sword that mmed into her, the rebound sending her flying into the wall that cracked in response.


    Her body was that of a Mage, hence weak, failing to endure such a beating. She was on the verge of death now, unable to move anymore. Staring at the figure of Arnark preparing another attack to end her life, thoughts shed in her mind like a storm as she analysed all the details, right from the very beginning.


    The calmness expressed by the Saint of Cmity, a trade concluded within a minute, a beneficial exchange for both sides, a world for them to live in, Arnark''s arrival, the disappearance of the Saint of Cmity, and theck of any Demon Soldiers in the vicinity.


    Her thoughts shed as her eyes curled up in a smile, ''I see, that makes sense. I wasn''t even in danger in the first ce. So, this is what you meant by invincibility.''


    She smirked, staring at Arnark, "It was a good attempt."


    Roar!


    Zaira gazed at the figure of Khun approaching the destroyed castle while carrying Gilthru, Lorbordo, and the Elf on his back, hurrying towards them. Her eyes shifted upon the pale-faced Elf that was trembling, as if she had witnessed something deemed absolutely impossible.


    ''Indeed, divination is pretty powerful.'' Zaira thought,ughing as she gazed at the figure of Arnark and the approaching Hero Party, "Being a Hero is an exhrating experience, right? You five are supposed to be the best of the best that this continent has to offer, the pinnacle of selective breeding, attained through the greatest of pedigree and talent brought together by fate. But,"


    Her eyes curled up as she coughed out blood, "Things will no longer be the same. Even someone not blessed by fate will rise against all odds and copse your notion of the world, and yourmon sense."


    "That¡­will be the new notion of your world and the various worlds out there." Herughter echoed as mysteriously, it resounded in the ears of the Demons too that were stationed a couple of kilometres away in secret by the Saint of Cmity, "The system that you have created all along will be rendered obsolete."


    Bam!


    A flying sword pierced through her forehead, hacking her body into two. But Zaira''sughter cackled around as her mind space fused into the world gifted to her by the Saint of Cmity, bing one.


    Following that, the mysterious world simply disappeared, unable to be sensed even by the Metal Elemental Spirit created by Magister.


    "Arnark!" Gilthru rushed into the scene, staring at the pained face of Arnark which was a bloody mess, on the verge of death. "Wait, I''ll save you!"


    He took out a potion and poured it over Arnark, watching it vaporise in response, failing to even put a dent in the damage, "Dammit, why is it like this?"


    Bang!


    He red at the Metal Elemental Spirit, activating his Metal Mana as he touched it, causing his hand to turn metallic in response as he bellowed, understanding that it was the cause that was killing Arnark, intending to extract it.


    "Keuk!" He felt a searing pain but when he recalled his experiences as a Tamed Beast, having fought against Elementalists, he closed his eyes, raising his senses to the extreme as he focused upon Arnark''s mana signature, noticing the mysterious mass of entities swirling around within it, causing it to be what it was.


    It was a swirling mass of destructive power akin to the sun, enough to blind any mana-wielding entity as Gilthru was shocked, feeling sympathy at Arnark, ''You''ve¡­been enduring this pain all along while being controlled by them?''


    ''You''ve been killed unfairly once. I won''t allow you to die!'' Cursing in anger, Gilthru bellowed as suddenly, his mana sted forth, rapidly morphing forms as it was elevated in quality. For a moment, it felt like his senses expanded to a terrifying extent as Gilthru broke past his limit, bing a Pseudo-Saint.


    For a moment, he felt a strange entity behind him, a manifestation of Metal Mage and Wind Warrior, its humanoid hands gently brushing past him as he was enlightened.


    Profession!


    It was the sign that he was partially acknowledged by the Warrior and Mage Professions, allowing him to be a Pseudo-Saint; using the moment he gained that acknowledgement, Gilthru yanked with all his might, extracting the Metal Elemental Spirit as he bound it to himself, creating the second of this world.


    A Relic!

 Chapter ?664 In My Past (Part 29)

    Chapter ?664 In My Past (Part 29)


    Boom!


    The mysterious energies used by thebined power of Immortal, Magister, Martial, and Mystique were within the Metal Elemental Spirit. And now, Gilthru extracted it out of Arnark and turned it into a Relic.


    He didn''t have the capabilities to do this entirely on his own. His enlightenment and the instantaneous support from his Professions only allowed him to extract the Metal Elemental Spirit. To create it into a Relic was something he didn''t even have an idea of.


    But, this was where the Saint of Cmity came into y, taking action from far away to conjure the extracted portion into a Relic through Gilthru.


    As he was protected by the power of the Conjurer Profession, he influenced Gilthru''s professions through it. Being the sole Saint of the world came with its fair share of privileges.


    Thanks to that, a Relic had been created, with Gilthru being its wielder.


    "Gah!" Arnark screamed in pain, losing lifeforce rapidly as he was on the verge of death. No potions or conventional means were sufficient to heal him as he seemed to be disintegrating due to an entirely different reason, as if his identity itself was being erased, unable to handle the pressure brought about by four pinnacle entities beyond the limits of the world he resided in.


    "Are you willing to die so easily?" Gilthru bellowed in anger as he red at the weak Arnark. He then looked at the Elf before trailing his gaze over Khun, "Can you be the Lord of this region? With your Divinity, he could be revived."


    "I can only try, but I don''t think that''s enough for this situation." Khun said, "The authority behind his death seems to be greater than my Divinity."


    Gilthru looked at the Elf, "Can you divine a solution?"


    "I''m on it already." The Elf nodded in a hurry, "With Zaira turning rogue, we cannot afford to lose Arnark too."


    The pce ruins were filled with runes as the Elf seemed to be aging rapidly, expending her lifeforce to divine a method as her eyes shot towards Zaira''s corpse immediately after, "There''s a way."


    "Do all of you still have the Magic Tools given by the Guardian Deity?" She asked.


    "Yes!" Gilthru, Khun, and Lorbordo took out their respective Magic Tools. Zaira had only consumed the Elf''s Magic Tool, not having the chance to consume the rest.


    Gilthru also took out the Magic Tool given to Arnark, following the Elf''s orders as he stabbed all four Magic Tools into Zaira''s corpse before cing them beside the dying Arnark, "You''ll live on."


    "Until the end!"


    He activated his Relic, unleashing a mystical beam onto Arnark that contained the power of time, and fate, refining his body a little before he focused on Zaira''s body, causing all four Magic Tools to seep into her before her body melted, transforming into a cage of sorts.


    Gilthru then pushed the cage into Arnark''s body, causing his mind to be trapped within it, extracting it out of his mind when suddenly, a mystical phenomenon erupted.


    Arnark had defied fate to surpass his death as through Gilthru''s Relic, the power of a Conjurer washed out, conjuring a physical body for Arnark.


    At this time, part of the mysterious energy flowed into the Relic, forming a connection with Gilthru whose eyes lit up at the result. He poured thest of his mana into the energy cluster, watching the physical body of Arnark finish conjuring.


    But, it wasn''t what he had expected.


    Arnark was currently just a baby, only having the power of a Novice, though his aura revealed the professions of both an Elementalist and Principal Arbiter, just like before.


    "T-This¡­" Gilthru turned around to face the Elf, "Did we seed?"


    But immediately, he was shocked to see the Elf now resembling an old granny whose lifespan had run out. And shockingly, Khun''s body was disintegrating little by little.


    "I''m sorry, Gilthru, I lied." The Elf smiled weakly, "The price required to revive Arnark was greater than what I let on. But, this is the only way."


    "I divined that Zaira would be an entity capable of swallowing our world. I didn''t wish to believe it at the start, but I''m assured of it now. And, only Arnark can go against her." She smiled weakly, closing her eyes, "He has cheated death twice now. That makes him the sole entity to do this. And by using Zaira''s corpse, he now wields control over part of her power."


    "He''s our saviour, one that would shield us from the uing cmity, and y Zaira¡­"


    "He''s a yer."


    Thud!


    The Elf copsed to the ground, breathing herst.


    Khun stared at Lorbordo and Gilthru, smiling wryly, "We''ve barely gotten to know each other. But too bad, this is where we part ways."


    Suddenly, a mysterious power flowed out of his dissipating body and seeped into Gilthru''s Relic, "My Divinity wasn''t strong enough to revive him naturally, and hence, I paid for it with my life. And, I can sense through my Divinity that your fate is intrinsically tied to Arnark. I hope you can guide him into a yer as the Elf had divined."


    "For that, I''ll lend you my power. The item in your hands is special in that it can ept any and all power bestowed upon you. That''s its true nature. So¡­" Khun sported a helpless smile, "Wield my power as a Dragon and protect our world."


    "Don''t let these traitors destroy my home." Khun''s eyes turned sharp for a moment, "Since you don''t have a strong intent to live, take it like this."


    His voice turned solemn as his figure dissipated entirely, "Through my Divinity, I, Gabrumundkhun, hereby order you, Gilthru, to raise Arnark into apetent yer and develop this world for as long as you live. This is your life''s mission."


    "Yes¡­" Gilthru bowed his head in response, "I''ll do it."


    "For a nk te like me, I''m honoured to be given this responsibility." Gilthru lifted his head and stared at the baby Arnark in his hands before looking at Lorbordo, "We should leave."


    "Man, this doesn''t make sense anymore." Lorbordo sighed in exhaustion, transforming into a flying-type Magic Beast as he carried Gilthru and Arnark on his back.


    He stared at the corpses of the six Magic Beasts that had been turned into meat paste, thinking for a moment before devouring them all, obtaining all information necessary to transform into them, following which he took off into the skies, leaving the ce.


    Immediately after that, the figure of the Saint of Cmity appeared in the ruined pce, sporting a wide smile as he raised his hands into the sky, "Ahh, this is so interesting."


    "This conflict is beneficial for our growth. Isn''t that right," He grinned, staring at the dozens of mystical lights that surrounded him, "My Professions?"

 Chapter ?665 In My Past (Part 30)

    Chapter ?665 In My Past (Part 30)


    "Fight!"


    "Fight!"


    "Kill!"


    The roars of the audience erupted as they were seated in what appeared to be a colosseum. The battleground spanned a radius of thirty metres, enough space to duke it out freely.


    Currently, standing on either side of the battleground were thepetitors, both aged fifteen, originating from the same n. Seated at the front in the audience seats were those from the same n, followed by the interested parties from allied or rivalling ns.


    They had all arrived to take part in this annual festival to determine the most talented Tamer among their younger generation.


    Hyunna was an ambitious boy, having been training until he spat blood every day to increase his Tamer powers, managing to be an Expert Tamer. But, it seemed he had hit his limit as no matter how much he trained beyond this, he never seemed to be getting stronger.


    Due to that, he had been mocked by his peers, especially since his father was the n Head, one of the strongest Tamers ever produced by their n, a Grandmaster Tamer that was on the cusp of bing a Pseudo-Saint.


    So,cking talent as the son of such a character made him aughingstock. To make them shut up, Hyunna joined the annual festival to showcase his skills. Unfortunately, his luck was horrible, having to face Giovana, the prodigy of their n, one that had already be a Master Tamer at this age.


    As it was a random draw, he couldn''t evenin, since everyone bore witness to it.


    Having to face such an opponent right from the get-go made him curse his luck, ring at Giovana, ''But, this is what it is. I''ll defeat you and prove to everyone that I''m not trash.''


    "Begin!" The n Head announced aloud as immediately after, Hyunna waved his hand, causing his Tamed Beasts to jump to the front.


    For this festival, each Tamer could register five of their Tamed Beasts that would participate in the battle. Victory or defeat would depend upon one side surrendering or losing all their Tamed Beasts. So, it was a vicious battle.


    Hyunna liked Magic Beasts, and hence typically tamed them. So, all his five Tamed Beasts were Magic Beasts. But, when they appeared in the battleground, the crowd snickered, for his Magic Beasts weren''t anything special.


    Rabid Dog, Wild Wolf, and Street Rat; his Magic Beasts were from these three species, nothing special with any of them. Even a normal Tamer would avoid taming such Magic Beasts which was only a drain on their mind and taming ability.


    The audience wasn''t able to control theirughter any longer, causing a ruckus among the crowd as Hyunna seethed in rage. The stronger the Magic Beast, the harder it was to tame it. And, since his Magic Beasts were the most basic of the bunch, anyone could casually tame them.


    Moreover, they were so easy to tame that even if they were under his control, an opponent still had the chance to tame them too. That''s why such Magic Beasts were called rejects among the Tamers.


    The fact that Hyunna had tamed them spoke volumes about his talent.


    "Pfft!" Giovana burst intoughter as he waved his hand, only bringing forth one Tamed Beast, startling the crowd when he did.


    Arriving in the battleground with a flicker was a human. The reason the crowd was shocked was that he was Human Master Lightning Warrior. They were not only rare but terrifying, having ughtered a lot of Demons in the war.


    So, the fact that Giovana had tamed someone of such a calibre proved his terrifying talent. After all, those that wielded the element of Lightning were the hardest to tame. Even a Grandmaster Tamer might struggle to tame a Master Lightning Warrior.


    But Giovana had done so as a mere Master.


    The Lightning Master Warrior snorted once as his figure flickered. And when he stopped, all five Tamed Beasts of Hyunna were on the ground as charred corpses, diced into two.


    The battle was done in a second as Hyunna coughed out blood, fainting in the process as all his Tamed Beasts died. Thest he heard was the crowd''sughter.


    ¡­


    "Where¡­am I?" Hyunna woke up, feeling tired as he looked around, noticing that he was in an infirmary of sorts. Standing next to him was a Birdmen Doctor, wearing a mask and an oversized bag for a dress, startling him.


    "You needn''t fear. I don''t like eating Demon brains. They aren''t tasty." The Birdmen Doctor opened his beak and let out a chirpyugh upon seeing Hyunna''s guarded expression.


    He then spoke, "I''ve healed you already. So, you can get lost now."


    "The n Head has summoned your presence to the study."


    "Thank you, Uncle Bird." Hyunna bowed in response and rushed out of the infirmary. Uncle Bird was his father''s tamed Beast, a Grandmaster Doctor from the Birdmen Race, someone that took care of treating all injuries.


    And, having been beaten up by his peers on a daily basis, he had been treated by Uncle Bird plenty of times. Though, his appearance always terrified Hyunna.


    Staring at his rushing figure, the Birdmen Doctor sighed, "I''m only a Doctor. Why is everyone afraid of me? I cannot even harm the weakest among them with my strength."


    There wasn''t anyone to reply to him though as all that faced him after that was an awkward silence. As for Hyunna, he was already rushing through the corridor when suddenly, something tripped him, causing him to copse to the ground and slide a bit forward.


    "What the¡­?" He turned around, staring at a Demon that let out a devilish smile, snickering as he walked away.


    As he was summoned by his father, he couldn''t waste time as Hyunna controlled himself, entering the study to see his father seated there.


    And upon seeing him, the n Head couldn''t help but express disappointment, uttering coldly, "I believe I''ve given you enough time to prove yourself. Since you failed, you''ll be married to the Fsi n''s seventh daughter. The engagement will happen in a few hours, so get ready."


    He then motioned for Hyunna to leave, not even giving him any time to process the information or protest it.


    ''Is this how my life ends?'' Hyunna felt like his world was crumbling down, for the Fsi n''s seventh daughter was a deranged psycho that loved to bathe in the blood of her opponents and at times even targeted her own people.


    But, just as he felt like his life was about to take a step into hell, a mysterious entity appeared before him, sporting a long neck whose hair resembled tentacles, dancing around eerily as its over hundred eyes stared at him, revealing a smile.

 Chapter ?666 In My Past (Part 31)

    Chapter ?666 In My Past (Part 31)


    Hyunna was confused for a moment as he blinked, rubbing his eyes to see that he wasn''t delusional. Moreover, he observed that the passer-by didn''t notice the strange entity before him.


    He quickly rushed into his room, noticing the mysterious entity following him, having shrunk itself to an adorable size. Staring at it, he asked, "Who are you?"


    "Your Tamed Beast." The mysterious entity replied.


    "My¡­Tamed Beast?" Hyunna was shocked as he muttered, "But, I don''t remember taming one such as you though."


    "Remember that rat?" The mysterious entity smiled, "I was living and recuperating in its mind. And it was you who woke me up by taming me. Since the rat died, I had to reveal myself."


    "What type of Magic Beast are you?" Hyunna asked, noticing that there was indeed a link between the two, just as what a Tamer and a Tamed Beast had, signalling that it was indeed his Tamed Beast.


    "I''m the strongest Magic Beast!" The mysterious entity smirked, "One that can see through all, I''m the Thousand-Eyed Beast."


    "Thousand-eyed¡­Beast?" Hyunna''s eyes lit up in excitement, "That sounds so strong!"


    "Indeed!" The Thousand-Eyed Beast smirked smugly, "With me, you can rule the whole world."


    "What''s your power?" Hyunna asked in excitement, "Can you destroy a country with a wave of your hand? Can you cause a cataclysm? Can you¡­"


    "Hold it!" The Thousand-Eyed Beast protested in irritation before saying, "Nothing of the sort. I can create¡­stories."


    "Stories?" Hyunna tilted his head before his face flushed in embarrassment, "So you mean to say¡­you don''t have any attacking abilities?"


    "Hey, that''s rude." The Thousand-Eyed Beast snorted, "I''m the strongest¡­"


    "Yeah yeah, you''re right." Hyunna rolled his eyes, sighing as he ignored it, changing into a set of clothes brought by the servant as he made his way to the n Hall, staring at the various elders seated there.


    The delegates from the Fsi n too had arrived as Hyunna''s eyes couldn''t help but dart over to thedy seated arrogantly beside them, emanating a sharp, bloodthirsty aura.


    She was Faura, the seventh daughter of the Fsi n Head, a rare Expert Elementalist. The reason was that she was contracted to a Blood Elemental Spirit.


    Elemental Spirits formed in nature where the concentration of an element was absolutely pure. So, there were very few ces where they formed. And typically, Elementalist ns were constructed around such regions.


    The Fsi n controlled a Lake where Water Elemental Spirits were birthed. Though, the purity of the Lake wasn''t high, so the number of Water Elemental Spirits produced wasn''t high, not to mention their rtively poor quality.


    Despite that, as the entireke was under the Fsi n''s sole control, they were still a sizeable power. And among them, Faura was an exception, having contracted with a Blood Elemental Spirit that she chanced upon somewhere dangerous.


    Blood Elemental Spirits were so rare that there were less than three documented in the entire Felera Empire. So, it was a testament to her rarity.


    Though, she was a bloodthirsty individual, someone that had eaten up all her previous fiancees. Therefore, no Demon dared to marry her. This was where Hyunna''s father took the opportunity to forge a marriage rtionship and bring the two ns closer.


    Hyunna was being married off to the Fsi n. As he didn''t have any talent, he was the perfect bargaining chip.


    "He''s¡­alright," Faura muttered, not batting an eye at Hyunna, treating him as less than dirt.


    "Then, that''s enough." Hyunna''s father smiled in response and proceeded with the engagement. Following that, he motioned at a servant who escorted Hyunna and Faura to a room.


    Normally, they wouldn''t do this. But, as Faura had a habit of eating up her fiancees, it generally mean Hyunna''s death. So yeah, Hyunna was being dispatched to his death.


    Thump! Thump!


    His back was covered with sweat as he was able to feel Faura''s killing intent gradually flow out of her as her fingers seemed to be trembling, unable to control her bloodthirst. She wanted to kill him and drink his blood immediately.


    ''W-What should I do?'' He was worried. Even though Faura was an Expert, the same as him, she was a Blood Elementalist while he, as a Tamer, didn''t even have any Tamed Beasts now. So, he couldn''t survive.


    "Can I¡­use the restroom?" Hyunna smiled wryly upon seeing that they had arrived at their destination. The servant smirked in disdain and took his leave when Faura grabbed Hyunna and flicked him into the room, causing him to crash into a vat and break it.


    "Keuk!" He grunted in pain, cursing in response upon seeing Faura emanate her killing intent, suffocating him, ''Shit! Is this where I die?''


    ''Idiot! Why worry when you have me?'' The Thousand-Eyed Beast appeared beside him, smirking in response, now her thoughts echoing in his mind.


    "Save me! I don''t care how!" Hyunna shouted nervously, leaping to the side as he dodged Faura, grunting in pain asrge w marks formed on his back.


    "Haha, your death is guaranteed. Why do you even resist?" Faura smirked as she licked the blood coating her nails, eyes lighting up in surprise, "Your blood tastes a lot better than what I''ve been consuming to date."


    She was just about to pounce upon him when suddenly, a scroll appeared before her, emanating killing intent on par with her, disying a painting of her that wasughing.


    As it was a picture of her, Faura paused for a moment, observing that even though her picture emanated primal bloodthirstiness, it was still depicted¡­alluringly?


    Surprised at the fact, Faura observed it better to notice that she was painted with care, depicting all her features with the utmost precision, disying intense care with each stroke of the brush. It was as if a painter had used all his life to create art expressing love for the woman of his life.


    At the side was a set of words, the strokes expressing a sense of longing, "To thedy I love."


    Thump! Thump!


    Faura noticed her heart thumping as this was the first time someone had expressed adoration towards her when all she felt from men until now was fear. Her eyes nced at the bottom of the painting, noticing the signature that read, "Hyunna."

 Chapter ?667 In My Past (Part 32)

    Chapter ?667 In My Past (Part 32)


    "Is this¡­me?" Faura felt strange, failing to handle the emotion she was experiencing at the moment, feeling like she wasn''t being herself.


    She stared at the panting figure of Hyunna, feeling that the other party was strangely¡­more handsome than before? It was suddenly as if her eyes were covered by a rose-tinted filter, causing every action of Hyunna to make her heart thump faster.


    ''W-What is this?'' Faura was shocked. Actually, Hyunna hadn''t done anything to her. As she was a bloodthirsty individual, her fiancees typically screamed in horror while in her presence. No man ever looked at her like a fellow Demon, not to mention a woman.


    They always stared at her as if she was the worst among monsters, a cmitous entity.


    Therefore, upon seeing that Hyunna not only treated her as a woman but had also drawn such a gorgeous painting of her, her feelings were overwhelmed.


    Hyunna noticed that Faura was staring at the painting with a flushed face, shocked at the scene as he thought, ''How did this¡­happen?''


    ''I made that painting!'' The Thousand-Eyed Beast announced in his mind, ''Quick! Take action before she ovees this.''


    ''Wait, you can read my thoughts?'' Hyunna was shocked before he said in a hurry, ''What do you mean by taking action? What should I do?''


    ''You goddamn idiot! Tame her!'' The Thousand-Eyed Beast appeared before his face, shouting in a fluster, ''Do it before she recovers. Pedal it further and make her fall for you. She''s weak to such things.''


    A scroll appeared in his hands as Hyunna opened it to read its contents before his face turned red in embarrassment. He hesitated for a couple of seconds before getting up under the Thousand-Eyed Beast''s urgings, appearing before Faura to see her take a step back in fluster.


    Her heart was thumping so fast that her face was flushed red, making it difficult for her to make eye contact with him.


    "Faura¡­" Hyunna spoke slowly, using a base voice in all seriousness, seeing her flinch like a cat as he closed in on her, standing within an arm''s distance as he opened the scroll, "The first time I saw you, the poet in me awakened."


    "On that starry night, under the silver moonlight highlighting your crimson hair, my heart became yours."


    "I raced up the pagoda, to steal a nce close up, but like a fairy, you vanished."


    He moved right before her, almost touching her as Hyunna felt her hot breaths on his face, experiencing an electrifying feeling as he spoke, melodious in nature, "I longed for a blessing, a chance encounter with the thief that stole my heart, the figure that haunted my dreams¡­and reality¡­"


    "To meet you again¡­" He raised his hand, gently cing it on her head as he brushed her hair, "my crimson fairy."


    He stared deep into her eyes, "Do I have the honour of bing your poet?"


    "T-T-This is¡­w-what¡­I¡­I¡­" Faura was like a broken record by now as she was absolutely bbergasted, feeling that her body had gone weak when Hyunna gently pulled her into his embrace.


    She then noticed, peeking above his shoulder, staring at a scroll that unfurled behind him, one depicting the scene of herughing chirpily, wearing a flower that Hyunna had weaved out of grass, the two seated on a grassy in like innocent kids, content with the presence of each other.


    Something seemed to have been triggered in her with that as Faura''s hands coiled around him, tightening her embrace as her voice became resolute, "You''re¡­"


    She stared into his eyes, her face red as she muttered softly, "Mine!"


    ''Fool! This is the chance! Do it!'' The Thousand-Eyed Beast shouted in his mind as Hyunna instinctively activated his Tamer powers, causing his mana to flow into Faura as the other party jerked instinctively before she stared at him, revealing a gentle smile, allowing his mana to enter her freely.


    Soon after, she became his Tamed Beast as Hyunna was unable to believe himself, obtaining a Blood Elementalist as his Tamed Beast.


    ¡­


    "Hyunna is alive?" The n Head was surprised as he stared at the servant before him, "And not only that, he even tamed Faura?"


    "This guy¡­" He felt a headache, for taming Faura was no different from instigating the Fsi n. It was a p to their face, and if not handled well, it might even spark a war between the two ns.


    Sighing, the n Head waved his hand, "Summon Hyunna here."


    "Yes, Master." The servant bowed in response and exited the study, summoning Hyunna soon after.


    "Dad summoned me again?" Hyunna frowned, getting up from his bed as he adjusted his clothes, staring at the sleeping figure of Faura that was blissfully coiled around him like a serpent.


    He extricated himself from her hold and arrived at the study, entering it to see his father stare at him nkly, saying after a moment, "Remove your envement over Faura. This matter will trigger the Fsi n."


    "I won''t." Hyunna snorted in response, turning around to leave.


    "If you take a step outside the study, you''ll die." The n Head said, gradually oozing out killing intent as the servants stationed around shuddered in response, copsing to the ground.


    Hyunna too was the same, but unlike before, even though he was physically overwhelmed, he was able to endure mentally, harnessing all his strength to speak, "I''m engaged to Faura of the Fsi n. Once we''re married, I''ll be part of the Fsi n. So, it''s not your ce tomand me."


    "You!" The n Head red in anger, having never expected this useless son of his to talk back, intending to smack sense into him when suddenly, the doors to the study opened as ady sauntered in.


    She was dressedvishly from head to toe, seated on a seat of water that flowed across the ground, as if she was riding a boat across the river. A wave branched out of the throne and coiled around Hyunna, lifting him up as thedy smirked in interest, "You''ve managed to tame my uncontroble daughter. How did you do it?"


    "I¡­I''ve liked her since long ago." Hyunna lied without an ounce of shame under the Thousand-Eyed Beast''s urging. Though, as they had already done the deed, it seemed Faura had indeed taken afortable ce in his heart, so his words weren''t entirely a lie.


    "Good, since you''ll be part of my n, I won''t hold you ountable." Thedy smirked before saying, "Also, it''s better to have someone rein in my unruly daughter. She had been giving me a headache all along, so keep the envement on her¡­"


    "After all¡­" Sheughed as an embarrassed figure of Faura appeared behind her, "It seems my daughter truly fell for you."


    "Then, I won''t press upon this matter further." Hyunna''s father cupped his fists respectfully upon seeing that the Fsi n were rather happy about this matter.

 Chapter ?668 In My Past (Part 33)

    Chapter ?668 In My Past (Part 33)


    "System? What''s¡­that?" A Master Mage muttered, gasping for breath as he took out a potion, groaning in exhaustion upon seeing that it was broken, its contents empty. He coughed out blood, staring at the gaping wound on his stomach that seemed impossible to cure without the help of a potion.


    "I''m an entity that goes against the established system. Hence, I''m the System." A voice resounded in his ear as a set of words shed before his eyes, visible only to him.


    "Can you¡­save me then?" The Master Mage muttered, noticing that his eyelids felt heavy now as he was gradually losing consciousness, "If you''re not something my delirious mind conjured, then save me from this situation."


    "As you say¡­Host." The voice resounded as immediately, the mana of a Birdmen Doctor flowed into his body, causing his wounds to heal gradually.


    The Master Mage woke up with a start, noticing that he was in a hut of sorts, sleeping on a wooden cot in a new set of clothes, rough to the touch, somewhat tattered along the sleeves.


    He got up with a start, grunting to see that he barely had any strength left to move.


    "You shouldn''t wake up so soon!" A voice of concern resounded as an old man arrived, checking up his temperature to say, "I found you amid a pile of corpses in the forest. I won''t ask what happened, I''m sure you have your reasons. But,"


    He retracted his hand after checking up on his pulse, "You must rest first. I''ve tended to your wounds a little and have bandaged you. Once you regain your strength, you can leave."


    "Thank you, sir." The Master Mage cupped his fists at the old man, truly grateful for being saved as he thought, ''So, it was him that saved me. That thing should be something I made up on the verge of death.''


    "No, I''m real!" A voice resounded in his ear, startling him as he looked around, failing to spot anyone in his vicinity. The old man was logging some wood outside.


    The System said, its voice as if it was pouting, "You know¡­if I didn''t heal you at first, you would have died. The old man''s medical skills aren''t enough to heal your injuries. He''s only a Novice Alchemist."


    The Master Mage patted his stomach, feeling the medicine applied there, "Entorphin Fceuta¡­indeed, this medicine isn''t strong enough to regenerate a punctured internal organ. It can at most heal fleshly wounds."


    "Now you see." The System''s voice resounded, "I used a Birdmen Doctor''s power to regenerate your punctured organs with your remaining mana. Once you replenish some of your mana, I''ll be able to heal you back to full health."


    "I''m the one that''s truly awesome."


    "You''re right about that." The Master Mage muttered before asking, "But, what exactly are you?"


    "I was created in one of the Saint of Cmity''s failed experiments. They were transporting my container to another region when the people in charge encountered you. During the battle, my container broke and I had no other choice but to reside within the nearest suitable host." The System spoke, "And that was you."


    "You mentioned being able to wield the Birdmen Doctor''s power. So, are you from that race?" The Master Mage asked.


    "In me exists the powers of a Birdmen Doctor, Ogre Warlock, Lizardmen Pugilist, and a Lizardmen Transformation Specialist." The System said, "Unfortunately, I was a failure because you''ll need ten times the mana to use these abilities. And, also a year of your lifespan for every activation."


    "Ten times the mana¡­and one year of my life for every use¡­" The Master Mage smirked at that, "That''s a small price to pay for being able to wield this power. And¡­"


    "As one of the weapons of the Demon Race fell under my hands, I''ll use it to take revenge against them." He grinned in response.


    ¡­


    "The protagonist is a Human Fire Mage?" The Fsi n Head frowned in response, "His n was razed to the ground by a Demon Elementalist. So, he wishes to seek revenge on the Demon Race, is that it?"


    "Yep!" Hyunna smiled, "Against the overwhelming power of the Demon Race, this System is his trump card for revenge."


    "Well, I''ll be lying if I said I wasn''t excited by this story. At least¡­" The Fsi n Head continued, "I''m curious to see how he''ll use these new powers brought to him by the System in his quest for revenge. And, considering the price, I''m wondering how long he''ll survive before dying as an old man."


    "Though, tell me this¡­" She asked, expressing her curiosity, "Will he only kill every Demon along his path? I feel like that isn''t entirely interesting. It gets repetitive after a while, right?"


    "Yep, and that''s where this segment wille." Hyunna smiled, pointing at a page whose contents caused her to grin in excitement, "The protagonist''s sister is actually alive and is serving as the right hand of a Demon Princess as her Tamed Beast. He''ll be in for a shock when he¡­"


    "Hahaha!" The Fsi n Headughed at that, "Okay, tell me more."


    "There''s also this," Hyunna smirked, continuing to speak about another plot point that excited her further.


    After arriving at the Fsi n, he didn''t have anything to do.


    But at this time, when he was walking through the corridor, while passing by the Fsi n Head, a book fell out of his sleeves¡ªobviously created and dropped by the Thousand-Eyed Beast.


    The Fsi n Head chanced upon its contents and became curious, which led to this current round of discussion where she began to read through the novel. She was indeed interested in this story, despite it being told through the eyes of a Human Mage.


    Right as they were discussing it, the Fsi n Head''s husband passed by the room, hearing herughter as he entered, noticing the book as he expressed his curiosity, "What''s in it that got you so excited?"


    "Look at this story, dear." The Fsi n Head smiled as she passed him the book, "I never thought Hyunna had such a talent. I was feeling a tad bored these days from the endless fighting in the theatres, and this book is right up my alley of interest. You should check it out too."


    "Really? It''s that good?" The man was surprised as he nced at Hyunna before staring at the cover of the book, reading its title aloud, "The Disastrous Life of Farma?"

 Chapter ?669 In My Past (Part 34)

    Chapter ?669 In My Past (Part 34)


    "The Disastrous Life of Farma?" The title indeed piqued his interest as he flipped to the first page, reading the Master Mage''s tragic past that made him vow to eradicate the entire Demon Race.


    But, things never went ording to n as every time he won something, he lost more, making his life a tragedy. It didn''t even take long before he was into the story, feeling as if he could feel the Master Mage''s pain and understand his motives.


    "Hey!" The Fsi n Head shouted all of a sudden, pulling the book as she said in anger, "Even I didn''t read that far. Don''t read it before me!"


    "Come on, dear." Her husband fawned on her, "As our n Head, don''t you have a lot of work to do? I''ll keep this book safe until then, promise."


    "Screw you!" The Fsi n Head smacked him, "You said the samest time too. And what happened? You finished everything by the time I finished my work. n Head my foot, you be the n Head! You''re stronger than me anyway."


    "Surely you jest, my dear. I''m a frail young boy." Her husband massaged the location where he was smacked by her, smiling as before she noticed, the book ended up in his hands as he slowly slithered towards the exit, suddenly acting as if he forgot something, "Oh! There''s an emergency that I have to attend to. I''ll take my leave!"


    "Come back!" The Fsi n Head shouted, unleashing multiple streams to catch her husband who slipped away like a slippery eel, with the book in tow as his arrogantughter resounded through the corridor.


    "That¡­man." The Fsi n Head could only sign disappointedly in the end, feeling that it was a loss, "I wanted to read the book first. He always spoils my fun. That child-like bastard."


    Hyunna had been observing everything from the side, seeing the evident disappointment in the face of his mother-inw as he took out another book from his sleeve and ced it on the desk, noticing her surprise as he said, "I have a Tamed Beast that allows me to mass produce any story I wrote. So, I had a couple more copies of the same book with me from the start."


    "Hahaha!" The Fsi n Headughed in response as she happily picked up the book and began to read from where she stopped before, taking her time to enjoy it as she eyed him after some time, "As Faura''s husband, you''ll have to face a lot of opposition from the n as she''s bound to be the next n Head."


    "I can guarantee your freedom and safety to a certain extent, but you''ll have to depend on yourself beyond that." She then revealed a smile, staring at the book, "You have made an interesting story here. I''ve also seen Faura''s portrait that you painted. You''re talented in this field. So, make a name for yourself as an artist."


    "That would be your shield in the future."


    ''It went just as you had predicted.'' Hyunna thought in his mind.


    ''Of course! My abilities aren''t offensive in nature, but they''re the strongest!'' The Thousand-Faced Beast said smugly, ''In this entertainmentcking world, you''ll be the Saint that cures their boredom.''


    ''The Saint of Entertainment seems like a good title, if I say so myself.'' Hyunna grinned.


    ''Let''s not get ahead of ourselves, shall we?'' The Thousand-Faced Beast said, ''You''re entirely reliant on me for the time being. And that''s not good. You too should learn to make portraits, paintings, stories, etc.''


    ''I''ll do.'' He nodded before staring at the figure of the Fsi n Head that was immersed in her book, bowing as he took his leave, "Then, I''ll begin working on another book, mother-inw."


    "Go, go, have a good time." The Fsi n Head waved her hand nonchntly, lifting her head to stare at his exiting back as her eyes curled up into a smile, ''For the first time, Faura is actually smitten with someone. She''s no longer a loose canon that kills anyone in her path.''


    ''And, that''s all thanks to him.'' She grinned, ''Hyunna, you''re a great addition to my n. Honestly, it''s your father''s short-sightedness in failing to sense your talents.''


    After a while, she sighed in amazement, closing the book once she finished it, "That was a splendid story. Even as a Demon, I loved the conclusion. Those from the other races would like it even more, especially the Humans."


    She stared at the book, smiling after a minute, "Wait, I can sell it, right? Since he can mass produce¡­"


    "This will be a hit among the people and bring in lots of revenue for our n." Sheughed in the end, "You''re indeed my golden goose, Hyunna."


    ¡­


    "Kekeke!" Faura grinned sheepishly as she looked at a painting depicting her and Hyunna, covering her face in embarrassment as she shook her head, "Kyaaa!"


    She then heard a flurry of footsteps, hurriedly tucking away the scroll in her sleeve as she took a seat nearby and began to sip some tea, trying to act calm as she watched Hyunna enter the room excitedly.


    "Faura, your mother liked that story." Hyunna said in excitement, "A servant just passed on the message requesting me to mass produce the same."


    "Awesome!" Fauraughed, patting his back, "I told you to be more confident in your story. It''s great. If even I cried at its ending, I''m sure others would bawl their eyes out."


    "But¡­" He then sighed, "I''m only an Expert. So, I don''t have enough mana to produce as many books as what the n Head has requested of me."


    "I''ll take care of that. You needn''t worry." Faura grinned as she rushed into a nearby room and brought out a casket full of mana recovery potions, "There''s enough tost you for a month. If you want more, you just need to ask."


    "But, we don''t have an Alchemist in our n, right? Wouldn''t it be expensive?" Hyunna expressed his worry, "I feel like I''ll be consuming beyond my worth."


    "Then¡­" Faura thought as her eyes curled up,ing up with a cunning n as she stared at her portrait, "All we need to do is sell premium goods to make up for the potion costs."


    "You mean¡­?" Hyunna tilted his head.


    "An auction, silly." Faura grinned, "We''ll auction tickets for you to make a portrait of others. As you can even capture their aura, your portraits are on a whole other level whenpared to other paintings."


    "They''ll definitely sell for a premium." She tapped her chin in thought, "But first, we must poprise you to bank on that sweet gold."

 Chapter ?670 In My Past (Part 35)

    Chapter ?670 In My Past (Part 35)


    "Where are you going?" A Demon Tamer asked, apanied by a group of Goblins that helped him on his farm. They were his Tamed Beasts. Goblins were the most basic among humanoid Tamed Beasts, typically used by themon popce for a variety of cheapbour.


    After all, Goblins were damn cheap, almost at no cost. They were omnivorous, capable of eating anything from grass to insects. Adding onto their quick maturity and fertility, Goblins were almost treated as a crop.


    Endlessbour, a source of cheap meat, and easily tameable by even Tamer kids. They were the mostmonly used creatures as a result. Moreover, even if a Goblin were to die, it didn''t mean much, for they could easily create another Goblin in a matter of months.


    The farmer was a Novice Tamer, able to control five Goblins in total who now carried his farming tools. He had stopped upon spotting a colleague travelling with his family, sporting a money pouch along his hip.


    "Ah, you''re here." The other party smiled wryly upon pointing at his excited children, "We''re going to buy some picture books. Ever since their friends showed one, they''ve been pestering me for the same, even at the price of refusing a Goblin ve."


    "Haha, I see. I''ve already bought for my kids." The Novice Tamer smiled before saying, "Don''t buy The Adventures of the Hippo Goblin. I already have that. I can lend it to youter. Buy something else."


    "Thank you, man." Saying so, the Demon walked away with his family, arriving at a fair of sorts where tents had been set up throughout the ce as peddlers hawked their goods.


    This fair was set up by the Fsi n, solely selling goods prepared by Hyunna. The first on the list consisted of picture books meant for children, the genre primarily beingedy and adventure. There were more than ten such stories, among which The Adventures of Hippo Goblin was an instant hit.


    There were then cards made out of the most popr characters that kids rushed to collect. Third was napkins sporting a variety of Tamed Beasts.


    Fourth were novels. There were only three novels at the moment, but they were rather popr among the adults, especially The Disastrous Life of Farma.


    The final among them werendscape paintings, of cities, nature, Elemental Spirits in their natural habitats, etc.


    There were around twenty such paintings in total, with their copies selling like hotcakes. There indeed existed paintings before this, but weren''tmon.


    Typically, only the rich could afford it, for it took time to create every single painting. But, Hyunna was able to mass produce thanks to the Thousand-Eyed Beast whose skin could be ripped off to make a papyrus while its hair was the brush.


    It was able to create perfect replicas of existing copies, and the only requirement for that was mana and the result would be almost instantaneous. Thanks to that, Hyunna was able to create multiple copies of the same, allowing the Fsi n to host a fair to sell these goods.


    This sparked the consumer habits of themon popce, for they got a chance to experience a life simr to the rich and indulge in such items that were typically enjoyed by the rich.


    As the products were affordable, the demand was high.


    And, this was where Faura''s cunning came into effect as she hired a group of Alchemists under the control of Hyunna''s n, using them to upgrade the quality of the books he created.


    Gold, silver, and other precious materials were imbued into the papyrus, almost weaved into it in the form of magical threads to rapidly raise its inherent quality. Thanks to that, the same novel was sold at a premium thousands of times more expensive.


    And the rich consumed it happily, maintaining their status in having the same content as themoners but made using precious materials.


    "Haah!" Hyunna gasped in exhaustion as the dark circles under his eyes were pronounced. He had been churning out products without rest, on the verge of a copse now.


    He had consumed so many mana recovery potions that he felt revolved at the smell of one.


    "Dear, are you holding up well?" Faura entered the room, gently propping him up to ask.


    "I might¡­die at this rate," Hyunna said, not having the strength to even get up. Suddenly, bloody mana seeped into his body, revitalising him as strength returned to his being while his dark circles vanished.


    That wasn''t all, his body too felt a tad stronger than before, causing him to ask in surprise, "What''s that?"


    "Blood Vitalisation." Faura smiled in response, "It''s one of my abilities. The greater your exhaustion, the stronger the potency of its effect. With this, I can strengthen your body over time."


    "Faura, you¡­" Hyunna stared in surprise, sensing her aura as he asked, "You''ve be a Master Elementalist?"


    "Yep!" Faura grinned smugly, "Thanks to your control, my bloodthirst is pretty tame, allowing me to focus on strengthening myself better. With that, it was only a matter of time before I became a Master."


    "You''ve entered the world of the Elites with this." Hyunna smiled, "I''m proud of you."


    No matter the profession, a Master was respected as a valued asset. After all, there was arge barrier between an Expert and a Master. So, not many were able to take that step, with the majority of the talented poption stuck in the Expert Realm forever.


    "Of course, with a husband almost like a protagonist of those stories, I''m bound to improve." Faura ruffled his hair, "Well, you''re more handsome and talented than those protagonists."


    "Protagonist¡­" Hyunna smiled, "Well, I think I can be called one."


    ¡­


    "Is that¡­The Disastrous Life of Farma?" Gilthru stared at a book on the table before him, expressing anger as he rushed out of the house, soon finding a child who was seated on a tree branch, eating a fruit growing there while reading a book with interest.


    Upon seeing the boy, he shouted, "Arnark! How many times did I tell you to not read these novels?"


    "Ugh, Master¡­" The boy, Arnark groaned in response before thinking of something as he jumped down from the tree branch, causing the ground to turn into metal before a revolving door formed in it, ced horizontally, on the doors of which hended and went through, heading underground to escape Gilthru''s nagging.


    "This damn brat!" Gilthru expressed his anger as he stomped, turning the entire hill into metal as he created a tunnel, flying through it as he arrived at the dead end, staring at the chained figure of Arnark, dragging him back to the surface.

 Chapter ?671 In My Past (Part 36)

    Chapter ?671 In My Past (Part 36)


    "Brat, how many times did I warn you from reading that?" Gilthru red in anger, "It''s something created by our mortal enemy!"


    "Are you sure about that, master?" Arnark tilted his head in confusion, "These stories are so awesome. How can someone that writes such great stories be evil?"


    At his words, Gilthru was pissed. He raised his hand and pointed above the book, "Are you telling me you cannot see this Mental Energy stream?"


    "I can see it, of course." Arnark nodded, "But, what''s the harm in that? You''re just being paranoid as usual, master."


    "It seems I should teach you a lesson," Gilthru stated in anger as he raised his hand, intending to smack some sense into Arnark.


    "Stop!" Arnark said all of a sudden as his voice carried with it a solemn nature, causing the mana within Gilthru to be sealed. With his bindingse undone, Arnark grinned as lightning covered his body, causing him to flicker to the foot of the hill before he vanished, "I''ll be running away for a month this time, master."


    "Arnark!" Gilthru could only shout as even his Relic wasn''t able to function. Only after a minute was he able to circte his mana, sighing in response, "His power has be stronger."


    He then muttered, "The Main Character System, huh."


    Grrr!


    "Keuk!" Gilthru flinched in response, feeling like he had been electrocuted mildly, noticing his hands trembling in response. The sensation vanished after a second as he was worried, staring at the sky to see Mental Energy streams emerge from all over the ce and flow into the clouds.


    "What the heck are you nning now, Zaira?"


    His figure vanished, appearing in a nearby city to see themon popce buying ''The Disastrous Life of Farma'' in excitement as lots of people read it. Those that didn''t know how to read and write formed a group and listened to an orator read the book aloud.


    As they listened to the story, their thoughts regarding it generated Mental Energy that flowed out of their heads and into the book that shone with starlight. None were aware of this starlight gathering within the book.


    After some time had passed, when enough quantity had been gathered, the starlight gushed out of the book and flowed into the sky, gathering into the clouds.


    Tens¡­hundreds¡­thousands¡­anywhere he looked, Gilthru spotted a Mental Energy stream trailing towards the sky. And, they seemed to be gathering there to create something mystical, beginning to form a barrier of sorts.


    Gilthru focused on this barrier, staring at the squirming faces of tens of thousands of people, the sources that had generated the respective Mental Energy. The faces seemed to be speaking, listening, expressing a variety of expressions, etc.


    He shuddered, massaging his forehead, "And this brat dares to say they''re harmless?"


    Arnark was able to see Mental Energy from birth. And, the thoughts of anyone directed at him created Mental Energy that flowed into him. Due to that, he had his own thoughts regarding this matter, from the moment he had enough cognitive function, his attitude never being influenced by anyone.


    Gilthru had been trying his best all the time, but no matter what he did, Arnark never listened to him, only resulting in endless arguments.


    And worst of all, Arnark seemed to possess a special ability, one that could result Gilthru helpless.


    When he worked on reviving Arnark, a mysterious power flowed into him, a part of the power that originally belonged to Arnark. And, this power formed a close rtionship between him and his Relic. Or rather, it could be said that the Relic was his core, his true self while his body was just the husk he lived within.


    And, Arnark''s power sealed his core, turning him helpless. This was why he failed to control Arnark, feeling frustrated as a result recently.


    "It has been ten years since then, but nothing changed. The Demon Race is still waging a war against all of us while Zaira is continuing to grow in strength." He sighed, disappointed with himself.


    "Did Arnark escape once again?" A voice resounded in his ear suddenly as Gilthru exhaled in response.


    Gilthru stared at a butterfly thatnded on his shoulder, sighing as he said, "Can you follow him and keep him safe, Lorbordo?"


    "Yeah, you needn''t worry." The butterfly said before taking off to the sky, "That''s the least I could do to honour our fallenrades."


    "Thank you." Gilthru nodded, relieved as he began to make his way to their home.


    Currently, they were living an isted life, taking up a home on a secluded hill a short distance away from a human city. With the power he obtained from Khun thanks to his Relic, Gilthru harnessed the power of Dragons, of a Divinity Incarnate to establish himself as the Lord of the Hill.


    With that, he ensured Arnark could grow up safe and not be discovered by their enemies. After all, Arnark possessed part of Zaira''s powers, for he had been created using her body.


    The same was true for Gilthru too, for he was able to do things simr to Zaira, only that the scale was too tiny.


    By condensing the thoughts incident on him, Gilthru was capable of creating a System, something even Arnark wasn''t capable of. This was thanks to his Relic that had absorbed that part of powers from Zaira''s corpse.


    But no matter, when he faced Arnark, nothing worked, for the other party was capable of sealing everything with a single word.


    "The Main Character''s Core Skill¡­" He sighed in the end, returning to the hill, muttering, "Khun, I haven''t been doing a good enough job."


    He stared at the house he had conjured, shaking his head as he was tired, deciding to rest as he opened the door, startled to see a figure seated in the living room, gently sipping some tea.


    It was a youth, a Human Warrior sporting jet-ck hair with auburn eyes, his chiselled face highlighted by the setting sun''s rays. He was calmly waiting there, having appeared there bypassing Gilthru''s senses.


    Though, Gilthru''s attention wasn''t on the man, but rather on what he perceived through his senses, staring at a humongous monster invisible to the senses of everyone else, coiled around the youth''s head, his voice solemn as he spoke, "Why have youe here,"


    "Yifa?"

 Chapter ?672 When My Past Happened

    Chapter ?672 When My Past Happened


    "You mean to say¡­" Balveta said, pale-faced, "Yifa ended up bing the Grade 3 System, Apocalypse?"


    "Pretty much." yer nodded, "At that point in time, there didn''t exist the concept of levels among the Systems. Only after they took over a gaming world did they establish such a power system within themselves."


    "Most that were active until then were those that had be Grade 3 and 4 Systems now." He sighed.


    "But, this means¡­" Keel shuddered in fright, "The System World is¡­alive?"


    "Yep," yer nodded, "Zaira is now a behemoth that can wield the power of all Systems birthed by her. And, the only one that can go against her is the Main Character System."


    Currently, they were in yer''s dimension and hence could speak freely without any retaliation from the rules set up by the Tell-Tale System.


    "If it''s like this, then why¡­" Balveta was confused, "Why were we against the previous Main Characters?"


    "The only one that can truly destroy the Systems is the Main Characters. System yers can only steal their power." yer said, "And until we reach the required level, Main Characters are our foe."


    "With our Relics, and as long as we strengthen this world, we''ll be able to develop." yer spoke, "Even if we cannot surpass Level 99, we''ll be able to gather Grade 2 Core Skills just like what I had done. The only necessity is for us to be able to handle the Systems growing in our minds, which is at a terrifying rate while possessing a Grade 2 Core Skill."


    "And, I can do that." yer said, "My Relic has attained a level sufficient enough to consume the System Fragments forming in my mind constantly."


    "Is that why you''ve been working on strengthening this world?" Balveta''s eyes lit up, finally gaining enough rity.


    "Indeed, the foundation that we rely upon to remain System yers and not be taken over by Systems is this world." yer nodded, "It''s special in that and had been modified just for this purpose. Therefore, the stronger this world bes, the greater our growth."


    "And, once all of us attain strength on par with the Grade 3 Systems, our retaliation would finally begin. We can steal all their powers and make it our own." yer smiled, "And until then, we have to ensure that the Systems aren''t annihted by the Main Characters."


    "But, considering how many Systems exist these days, isn''t it better to trim out the weeds?" Balveta said.


    "That''s true, but remember that the ones that do this are the Main Characters and not your average clean-up crew." yer said, "They always target the best of the Systems and never bother with the trash. Just consider Compass Carburettor for example."


    He sighed, saying, "After bing the Main Character, he wiped out the Luck Genre, one of the top 4 genres among Systems, and resulted in Rhizen''s birth to power."


    "Luck¡­" yer said, "One of the strongest genres has now been removed from our ess. This is what typically happens with the Main Characters. They''re never interested in cleaning up the dregs. They always aim for the cream of the crop, the best of the best."


    "So, it''s a conflict of benefits." Balveta sighed, "To think the reason has been so simple and clear-cut all along. And here I was, weavingplex stories for the same."


    "The reasons might be numerous, but the essence of conflict always remains simple," yer, "Benefits!"


    Warl then felt puzzled, asking yer, "Then, why are we sparing Compass Carburettor? He already wiped out the Luck Genre. We should deal with him before he destroys other strong genres. Even you said that his talent is on par, if not greater than Arnark."


    "If I could kill him, I would have done so already." yer sighed, massaging his forehead as he looked at the five System yers before him, "Why do you think I evaluated Compass Carburettor to be above Arnark?"


    "You mentioned talent," Balveta muttered.


    "Right, but if it was simply that, then we shouldn''t need to worry, right?" yer said, "After all, just like how Arnark was stabbed in the back, there are ways to repeat the same to Compass too."


    "Then, what''s the true reason?" Balveta felt a mild headache, feeling that yer was going around in circles as usual, never getting to the point.


    "Compass Carburettor¡­isn''t one individual," yer said solemnly.


    "What?" Balveta was confused, "What the heck does that mean?"


    "It makes no sense." Keel frowned, constantly divining for an answer as the magic circles he created continuously shattered, failing to find an answer.


    "What I meant to say was that¡­" yer paused before uttering slowly, "The Main Character isn''t one individual. This is the terrifying reason Compass Carburettor is above Arnark in terms of danger."


    "As long as even one Main Character is alive, the rest would revive eventually." yer said, turning around to walk away, "This is why I don''t wish to fight him. There''s just one of them in our world. So, even if we win, it matters naught. The Main Character would only be strengthened thanks to the conflict."


    "And, we''ll end up revealing our cards to our foes." yer muttered, "Remember that our goal is the power held by the Systems."


    yer took a step when suddenly, the action of his foot approaching the ground slowed down by millions of times, as if the world itself had paused.


    The figures of Balveta, Ducore, Warl, Suzakh, and Keel were terrified, unable to move their bodies despite their senses perceiving everything around them as usual. It was as if only their bodies had been frozen by time.


    yer stared with a solemn gaze, tensing up as a stream of sweat dribbled down his cheek while making eye contact with the figure that appeared before him at some point in time.


    Horns that were three metres in length, forming a sharp contrast to the two-metre-tall figure, a face so in that it could be forgotten, but a cruel smile shed by lips that stretched through the entire jaw.


    Demon!


    "Gilthru, you''ve been up to something fun behind my back, huh?" The Demon spoke in interest, seeing yer trying to move as he smirked, "Don''t bother. I conjured this world just for you. Time runs a million times slower here. Everyone except me will be like this."


    "Why¡­did you appear?" yer said, taking almost an hour to convey this line.


    "A certain someone conjured a weapon. So, I woke up to find what it was about." The Demon''s grin widened, "You say someone better than Arnark arrived here?"

 Chapter ?673 One Board, Multiple Players

    Chapter ?673 One Board, Multiple yers


    "W-What the¡­? How is this possible?" Saint Calvos muttered in shock, noticing that he was brought back to the Burnak Kingdom, currently constricted alongside Saint Balvador. He stared at the figure of Boznan Burnak before him, "How is this possible?"


    "You cannot unleash such a power while being a Saint."


    "I might be a mere Saint¡­" Boznan Burnak muttered slowly, "But, I''ve managed tomunicate with the Witch Apostle."


    "Impossible!" Both the Saints shouted in shock, for the Witch Apostle was something of a legend. They had only heard about the other party and even after bing a Saint, they had yet to make contact.


    But, the fact that Boznan Burnak made contact was startling, to say the least.


    Who was the Witch Apostle? It was someone that surpassed a Saint and became the sole entity to have control and govern the Witch profession itself. They were pretty much the representative of their respective profession, possessing power enough to wipe out an Empire with the flick of their hand.


    Inparison to Systems, they were on par with Grade 2 Systems. They were that terrifying.


    And throughout history, the Apostles of any profession never changed. It just went on to show their sheer power.


    Against such an entity, even a Saint didn''t amount to much. So, even Saints never chanced upon an Apostle.


    But, Boznan Burnak managed to contact the Witch Apostle?


    This was what terrified them, realising the means used to bring them out of the Talon Secret Organisation and now ced helplessly here. After all, they weren''t able to use their Witch powers any longer, for it seemed the profession had temporarily cklisted them.


    "It took me a few centuries of nonstop meditation to finally gain an audience with the Witch Apostle. But, it was worth it." Boznan Burnak said, "Thanks to that, I''ve managed to be reborn and protect my Kingdom better."


    He then red at the two, snapping his finger as hemanded his subordinate, Bilfuren, "Didn''t the Queen give birth to a pair of twins recently? Bring them to me now."


    "As you say, my Lord." Bilfuren bowed in response before flying out in a hurry, returning after an hour with two babies in tow, presenting them to Boznan Burnak.


    "ce them in the hands of each." Boznan Burnak pointed at the two Saints in whose hands the twins were each ced.


    "What¡­are you doing?" Saint Calvos frowned solemnly.


    "A heavenly being''s blessings." Boznan Burnak smirked in response, "Since the two of you have betrayed my Kingdom, I need to look for recements, right? These two would do that with the help of your respective blessings."


    "You''remitting a grave mistake." Saint Balvador stated, calming down as he continued, "Our blessings would only help them until the Pseudo-Saint Realm. Beyond that, they''ll have to rely on their efforts alone."


    "Besides, you should understand the powers of the gue Doctor profession." Saint Calvos interjected, expressing fury as he said, "This is the only way we Birdmen can stand atop the other races."


    "I''ve talked about it with the Witch Apostle." Boznan Burnak spoke only after hearing everything the two Saints had to rant about, shocking them, "I''ve been informed that progression regarding the gue Doctor profession''s creation is underway already. But,"


    He then expressed his stance on the matter, "It won''t be done through the Talon Secret Organisation. The gue Doctor being created by the yers is entirely different from the gue Doctor we''re making."


    "If it''s only the profession you seek, then return to our side. With the Witch Apostle on our side, it''s only a matter of time before we attain it." He continued to speak when suddenly, the two Saints began tough.


    After all, appearing behind him was Warl, his expression calm as heshed out, sending Boznan Burnak flying as the sounds of hundreds of mirrors shattering resounded.


    Warl snapped his finger, freeing the two Saints as he said, "We''ve wasted enough time already. Let''s go."


    "Thank you for saving us, executive Warl." Saint Calvos bowed in response as their figures vanished immediately after.


    "Gah!" Boznan Burnak coughed out blood, staring at his corroding shoulders that had suffered a hit from Warl, "Damn monster! He''s strong!"


    He then created a straw doll resembling him, seeping his mana into it as slowly, the straw doll''s shoulder began to corrode while the injury on his shoulder gradually vanished.


    Eventually, the straw doll was entirely corroded while Boznan Burnak freed himself from its effects, staring at his damaged body as he riled up his mana and began to heal himself using his Doctor power.


    "My L-Lord!" Bilfuren only managed to react now as he rushed towards him to help him.


    Boznan Burnak raised his hand, motioning that he was fine, "It seems I''ve underestimated this organisation. I thought things would end once the Witch Apostle took action."


    He sighed, shaking his head to realise only now that the one addressed by Saint Calvos as an executive was an Apostle too. And, he wasn''t a mere Apostle, but one for the Divinity Incarnate and Destruction Incarnate professions.


    He was an Apostle of two professions, terrifying even among Apostles. Against such an opponent, resistance was futile.


    Though, it seemed the other party wasn''t keen on taking his life, the only reason Boznan Burnak was alive at the moment.


    Sighing, he cupped his hands into a pose for prayer, riling up his profession as he uttered, "Apostle, things have be tricky. What should I do?"


    "y along¡­for now." A voice resounded all of a sudden as Boznan Burnak bowed in response, intending to follow the orders. After all, the voice originated from the Witch Apostle.


    Warl arrived at the Talon Secret Organisation and dropped the two Birdmen Saints there, "Continue with your work."


    He disappeared immediately after, appearing in the dimension created by yer, noticing that time seemed to have slowed down to a halt while two figures battled, unleashing earth-shattering attacks.


    This time, yer''s attacks were many times more powerful than what he unleashed onto Aeronaut. After all, his foe was one of the primary reasons the Systems became what they were today, having contributed to their development immensely, an entity that once went by the title of¡­


    Saint of Cmity!

 Chapter ?674 The Fifth

    Chapter ?674 The Fifth


    Tentuna City; in the Yakuna¡ªcaravan lodge¡ªthat they had bought, Dre was seated in a room, going through a ledger that ounted for their expenses. He was apanied by the Cartographer and Porter, making a tally of things for their uing journey.


    After all, they nned to set off for the Xetuka Kingdom''s capital city, Forkuna in a couple of days. They were already done with most of the work, now waiting for Horan to arrive and give the final say on the matter.


    "We''ve managed to sell off most of the excess goods that we brought," Dre spoke, sighing as he filed thest of the papers.


    "We don''t have anything to worry about in terms of finances." The Cartographer said, "Lord is prettypetent in this regard. I''m sure we''ll find a revenue stream once we arrive at Forkuna City."


    "Yeah¡­" Dre nodded and was just about to speak when suddenly, the nearby table broke as four individuals mmed into it.


    The trio in the room were startled, feeling that they were being attacked by some daring bandit when Dre calmed down his Wind Mana, recognising Horan among the group as he rushed towards him, "My Lord! Are you alright?"


    "Yeah¡­for now." Horan felt a searing headache as he barely managed to get up, wobbling a little as he took a seat on a nearby chair, gasping in exhaustion, still reeling from the terrifying auras that mmed into him when they were escaping.


    Even though Compass Carburettor had brought them away, his exceptional senses allowed him to perceive the enemies they were being chased by. And¡­they were vast, akin to a world each.


    Such was the vastness of the presence harboured by the entities that had aimed for them, the mere thought of which caused him to tremble as he stared at Compass Carburettor, "Teto, just¡­what was that?"


    He then noticed the figure of Stencil nearby, asking in shock, "And, how did Yaka appear with us?"


    "It''s somewhatplicated." Compass Carburettor sighed, closing his eyes as he digested the information he obtained from conversing with Aronaut, understanding what he had done.


    ''So, even though it was unleashed in a hurry, the Lore I created took effect.'' He thought, for the Relic forming the core of Aero Society was the same as him, Hazen, Gahrat, and Domino Plottopia, another Main Character¡ªthe fifth.


    There was still plenty he was unaware of regarding the Relic. But one thing was for sure. Among all the Main Characters, in terms of raw power, the Relic was at the top. After all, it alone now epassed more than ten percent of the Main Character System.


    Compass Carburettor inspected Stencil, heaving a sigh in relief upon seeing that she was uninjured, "Thank goodness."


    "Dad, what happened in the end? Are Aronaut and yer fighting?" Stencil asked.


    "They fought for some time." Compass Carburettor nodded, "But at present, Aronaut is somewhere else, wielding another me that has been created, this time as a tool."


    "A tool¡­" Stencil muttered, recounting what she heard, "There once existed a tool¡­"


    "So, you are aware of it too¡­" Compass Carburettor muttered, observing Stencil to see that the majority of her Luck had been expended. At present, her Luck values were no different to amoner leading a life of hardship.


    It would be risky if things remained in this state for longer durations. But even if he wished to help replenish her Luck using his Bullet Temte of the Happy-Go-Lucky System, Compass Carburettor didn''t have any Mental Energy to use.


    He had expended everything in that conflict with yer. So, there wasn''t anything he could do for the time being as he stared at Horan, "I relied upon my Pseudo-Relic once again. It seems Gehera''s mother has a greater identity than what we perceived."


    "My mom¡­I sensed her clearly¡­" Tears welled up in her eyes as Gehera sniffed, inhaling the strong aura of her mothering off Compass Carburettor.


    "There are two Birdmen Saints guarding your mother." Compass Carburettor said, "So, we cannot rescue her for the time being. But,"


    He said with a smile, "I have obtained some clues regarding the power in you. Once we activate that, we might chance upon a way to save her."


    "Please help me!" Gehera bowed, feeling something stir up in her, little by little as it felt like she was on the verge of enlightenment, of breaking through, of attaining something. But, it stopped after that, causing her to feel irritated.


    "For that¡­" Compass Carburettor muttered in thought, staring at Horan, "We must head towards Forkuna City first."


    "But first, Lord Horan, what''s your take on this?" He asked.


    "Hmm¡­" Horan thought for a while before saying as a matter of fact as he patted Gehera''s back, "I''ll help her. Since I''ve already involved myself, it makes no sense to back out now. Besides¡­"


    He smiled wryly, "In this world, once you go against a Hidden Organisation, either you eradicate them or be annihted in the process. And, I''ve already be an enemy of the Talon Secret Organisation."


    "Yes¡­" Compass Carburettor muttered, "And, their ws reach deep into the Xetuka Kingdom too."


    After all, the higher-ups of Tentuna City were part of the Talon Secret Organisation that had vanished after the incident they created with the Burnak Kingdom.


    Tensions were high on the street as themoners were jittery, stockpiling as many goods as possible as they locked themselves in their homes.


    Some of the afraid ones even vacated the City and rushed into the wilderness to survive the uing storm.


    After all, whether it was the Xetuka or the Burnak Kingdom, both had lost a city each, the ruins of which painted a grotesque sight. And, as too many people died, those rted to the killed people now took up arms against their opponents.


    War was imminent!


    Within a day, the entire atmosphere of Tentuna City changed as Horan could feel it clearly, sensing the fluctuations emitted by the electric fields of the various people around him. This was how he got a read on the people, only possible because he wielded the Lightning Elements both as a Warrior and a Mage.


    With that, Horan looked at Dre, "We''ll be leaving in an hour."


    "Tentuna City will be a battlefield soon after."

 Chapter ?675 Talon’s Infiltration

    Chapter ?675 Talon¡¯s Infiltration


    "My Lord, give me themand, and I''ll bring the enemy''s head to you." A Birdmen Witch at the Grandmaster Realm chirped aloud, expressing seething rage as he stared at Bilfuren.


    "Calm your feathers," Bilfuren said, unfurling a map as he stared at it, expressing his frown as he stated, "The moment we attack the Xetuka Kingdom, we''re done for."


    "We''re not afraid of the Xetuka Kingdom!" The Birdmen Witch said in anger as the rest of his subordinates echoed in response.


    "You should be afraid." Bilfuren said all of a sudden, "Not at the Xetuka Kingdom, but at the consequences that would emerge once we wage a war with them."


    Upon seeing that his words fell on deaf ears, Bilfuren pointed at the map, "Gormana has been gathering troops for the past two days. Most of its retired Pseudo-Saints have already taken upmand and have been gearing up."


    He then pointed at the southern marshes, "As for Lethuna, I''m not sure how, but their poption has been increasing recently. I fear they''ve annexed a fallen Lizardmen kingdom from somewhere and have integrated everything into their fold."


    "Even on their own, Lethuna can now threaten both Burnak and Xetuka. If we add Gormana into the mix too, we''re already facing a catastrophic situation." Bilfuren red, "And, you wish to fight Xetuka on top of that?"


    "Why don''t we allmit suicide first?" He red at everyone, causing them to shut up.


    After a minute had passed, he sighed, consoling them upon seeing their trembling expressions, of one barely reigning in their rage, "I know what all of you are feeling. We''ve all lost our loved ones when Buhan City was razed to the ground. But, we cannot do anything stupid, for the time being."


    "Our best course of action is to bottle up our emotions and try our best to weather this storm in the hopes that our Kingdom fares through everything."


    Bam!


    Suddenly, a Birdmen mmed into the room by breaking the door, sliding on the floor towards Bilfuren as he got up and said in a hurry, "Some of our soldiers formed a militia and charged into the Xetuka Kingdom!"


    "Those idiots!" Bilfuren cursed in response, but in truth was rmed, thinking, ''The Talon Secret Organisation doesn''t even give us time to breathe, dammit!''


    He shouted at a couple of his underlings, "Dispatch delegates into the Xetuka Kingdom to help cover up this incident. From now on, the group that disobeyed orders is no longer part of the Burnak Kingdom. They''ll be regarded as traitors and put to rest upon contact."


    "Do I make myself clear?"


    "Yes!" The Birdmen shouted before flying out in a hurry, taking action upon his orders. Even though they were still angry, they couldn''t do anything for the time being. After all, as Bilfuren had said, the Burnak Kingdom couldn''t afford to fight the Xetuka Kingdom.


    And the same was true for the other side too. After all,bined, they withstood the assault from Gormana to the north and Lethuna to the south. If one side were to fall, it would only result in the other side being overwhelmed by the excess troops now freed up in both the north and the south.


    ¡­


    "Princess! It''s too dangerous. We''ll dispatch a delegate to Tentuna city and tide things through." A servant shouted in rm upon seeing Lelumi Xetuka, the first princess of the Xetuka Kingdom don her armour, gearing up for battle.


    "Delegate?" She raised an eyebrow, staring at the servant to say casually, "What do you think a delegate can do now? They don''t have the authority to appease a war."


    "But princess, your life would be at risk if you were to head there personally." The servant pressed forth, arguing, "The Witches are too dangerous to confront, especially since you''ve been injured recently by the Giants."


    "I know what I''m doing." Lelumi Xetuka said, turning around to leave when the servant began to speak in fluster.


    "Princess! Please wait! Hear me out!" The servant grabbed hold of the hems of Lelumi Xetuka''s dress.


    ''I see, it makes sense.'' Lelumi Xetuka thought, staring at the servant, ''To think they''ve infiltrated this far.''


    She didn''t do anything drastic though, calmly staring at the servant to sh a smile, "So, if I were to head there, what do you think would happen?"


    "You''ll die, definitely!" The servant said, confident in her hypothesis.


    "And why is that? I''m a Pseudo-Saint, you know." Lelumi Xetuka stared calmly.


    "That''s because the Saint will¡­" The servant said when suddenly, she realised what was happening, understanding that she had messed up and uttered something foolish. As Lelumi Xetuka had been instigating her all along, in her heated emotional state, the servant couldn''t control herself, blurting out.


    "What Saint?" Lelumi Xetuka stared as her voice turned cold all of a sudden, her killing intent enveloping the servant, causing the other party to flinch in response.


    "I¡­I misspoke, princess!" The servant stammered when suddenly, she frothed at the mouth, dying in an instant.


    "Curse¡­" Lelumi Xetuka was solemn, staring at the servant''s corpse that had melted into a puddle of blood in an instant, unable to do anything, for this was how secret organisations operated.


    Birdmen Witch curse, Ogre Warlock curse, Demon Principle Arbiter bindings, and Minotaur Formation Specialist''s formations, all were used in conjunction to create a seal that was cast on all the members of a secret organisation, ensuring no information was leaked.


    And the moment they tried to do so, they lost their lives in an instant, not even leaving a corpse behind.


    "They have infiltrated the pce too." She muttered, writing up a letter that she handed over to the King through a secret channel, ensuring he could take the appropriate measures. After all, the King was the sole entity in the Xetuka Kingdom that could contact their Guardian Saint.


    Following that, she arrived at the Royal Magic Tower, climbing to the topmost floor where a team of Space Mages resided, all Grandmasters,manding them, "Send me to Tentuna City."


    "Yes, princess!" The lead Space Mage nodded in response before setting up a magic circle that the other Space Mages chimed in. This allowed them to teleport her to farther distances, which was necessary to take her all the way to Tentuna City.


    The magic circle was erected as Lelumi Xetuka entered it, standing in its centre, used to the process as she nodded, "I''m ready."


    "Please be safe, princess." The lead Space Mage nodded as his lips curled into a smile, rming her as she was transported away.

 Chapter ?676 Escalating Tension

    Chapter ?676 Escting Tension


    "Dammit!" Lelumi Xetuka cursed in response, noticing that she hadn''t arrived in Tentuna City but instead in dangerous territory, Ampor City.


    Ampor City''s higher-ups were also part of the Talon Secret Organisation. And since they had wiped out Xetuka Kingdom''s Xerusi City, officials of the Burnak Kingdom had arrived here to conduct an investigation.


    Arriving here at this time was practically dering war. And even if she didn''t, the fact that the first princess of the Xetuka Kingdom appeared here could be interpreted as their retaliation.


    Or at worst, if news of her being held captive in Ampor City spread out, then even if the Xetuka Kingdom was aware of the underlying ns, it would be forced to take action. Otherwise, they would lose their credibility.


    After all, a monarch that discarded its own royalty wasn''t worth fighting for.


    "Freeze!" A group of Birdmen Witches noticed her, for she arrived right next to the City Lord''s residence, garnering the attention of everyone that detected waves of Space Mana.


    They surrounded her as their feathers coiled into dolls of various sizes, all bearing resemnce to her appearance.


    But an instantter, they all caught fire, causing the Birdmen to flinch as they threw the dolls to the ground, watching them turn into ash immediately.


    "I dislike you making dolls out of me." Lelumi Xetuka said curtly, looking around as she noticed a Birdmen Pseudo-Saint that had arrived at the scene, immediately flying towards him.


    "Stop!" The Birdmen surrounding her shouted in response, rmed that she would attack their prince.


    "It''s fine." Granak Burnak, prince of the Burnak Kingdom, a Pseudo-Saint Witch fluttered his wings, motioning for them to stop upon seeing that Lelumi Xetuka didn''t exude any killing intent, recognising her as he said in surprise, "First Princess?"


    "Yes," Lelumi Xetuka nodded in a hurry, saying, "Are you aware of what''s happening behind the scenes?"


    "Talon took action." Granak Burnak nodded, "I know of that."


    "Thank goodness," Lelumi Xetuka sighed in relief as she said, "I nned to arrive at Tentuna City to mitigate this situation and prevent war from erupting. But one of our Space Mages was from Talon and modified the magic circle at the final moment to send me here."


    "Well, too bad though." Granak Burnak smirked all of a sudden as feathers streamed out of his wings inrge numbers, erecting a myriad of curses.


    "Again?" Lelumi Xetuka was flustered as her figure shot backward, dogging all the curses directed at her as she flickered as quickly as possible, ''He''s from the Talon Secret Organisation too?''


    "Just how many are freaking hiding in in sight all along?" She muttered, feeling a stinging sensation all over her body as myriad curses were unleashed onto her.


    But then whennded on her, a formless barrier created using a mixture of Fire and Wind protected her, vaporising the curses. The wind first cushioned the curse, preventing them froming into contact with her while the fire used the stalling tactic to burn the curse away.


    As a Fire and Wind Warrior, her defences were impable, allowing her to guard against the curses to a certain extent.


    Though, if she continued to stay here for an extended duration, she would exhaust herself. After all, there was a Pseudo-Saint among the opponent too, one whose curse affected her the most. This was not to mention the dozens of Grandmaster Witches and over a hundred Master Witches.


    Swoosh!


    Her body flew through the air by generating intense gales, speeding towards the Xetuka Kingdom in a hurry as multiple curses continued tond on her.


    "Tch!" She clicked her tongue, condensing a fire whip that sheshed out, burning the feathers flying at her before it smacked a Grandmaster Witch, turning him into ash.


    Unfortunately for her, the battle was on such arge scale that everyone in Ampor Cityy witness to it, staring at the terrifying Wind and Fire Mana being used extensively, something only Human Pseudo-Saints could do.


    It further sealed the fact that the Xetuka Kingdom had be antagonistic towards the Burnak Kingdom.


    "Lelumi Xetuka! How dare you attack my kingdom!" Granak Burnak bellowed in fury as his voice resounded throughout the city, "You''ll pay for annihting Buhan City!"


    "Lelumi Xetuka¡­? Isn''t that the Xetuka Kingdom''s first princess?" Amoner muttered in disbelief before his brows scrunched up, emitting fumes of anger, "So, it was true. Buhan City was razed to the ground. Only a Pseudo-Saint is capable of this."


    Lelumi Xetuka was a rather famous character, known as the iron wall that protected the Aira¡ªthe northern range separating the Xetuka Kingdom from the Giant Kingdom of Gormana. People, even in the Burnak Kingdom, its northern parts, were aware of her, knowing that she wielded wind and fire.


    Therefore, they connected one to two, understanding that if it was her that attacked Buhan City, it was possible to raze it to the ground at such a rapid pace and catch them off guard. After all, her speed as a Wind Warrior allowed her to travel at a terrifying pace, silent through the night before burning Buhan City using her powers as a Fire Warrior.


    Her fame was instantly converted into infamy which made the people believe that it was indeed Lelumi Xetuka that had razed down Buhan City.


    "Fuck!" Lelumi Xetuka cursed in response, aware that she had been victimised, the cause for the disaster, ''Is that why only fire attacks had beenunched at Buhan City? Just how far have they schemed around?''


    The mana signature left in the ruins of Buhan City was Fire Mana, on the level of a Pseudo-Saint. So, there was no way she could pull herself out of this.


    "Dammit, I''ve been had." She red at Granak Burnak, continuing to escape as hundreds of angry Birdmen chased after her.


    Any Witch at the Master Realm and above took flight to chase after her in anger, with Granak Burnak taking the lead.


    As the people of Ampor City witnessed the conflict, news regarding it travelled across other cities as forces from there too took flight, chasing after Lelumi Xetuka to exact revenge.


    Even though the authorities that were privy to the Talon Secret Organisation''s scheme tried to rein in things, everything spiralled out of control as people took charge on their own. This was not to mention there still being moles of the Talon Secret Organisation on all sides, causing the situation to escte further.

 Chapter ?677 Can’t Avoid It Anymore

    Chapter ?677 Can¡¯t Avoid It Anymore


    "My Lord, we haven''t finished packing yet," Dre said in a hurry upon seeing Horanmand everyone to set off immediately. But, noticing the other party ignore his words, Dre became flustered, almost shouting in response, "My Lord, we''ll lose a lot of money if we don''t pack up all the purchased goods¡­"


    "Is money or your life more important for you?" Horan red at him, startling him.


    "M-My life, sir." Dre stammered in response, failing to understand just why Horan was behaving in this way, especially since he was a Pseudo-Saint.


    In their world, the strongest active among all races was only a Pseudo-Saint. This meant that Horan Fawnker didn''t have anything to worry about, especially since in terms of Pseudo-Saints alone, he was the strongest, possessing the bestbination of elements as a Warrior and a Mage under his disposal.


    Therefore, it was hard for him to imagine that the mighty Horan was at a disadvantage. Of course, if he became aware of what Horan had faced in the recent few hours, his opinion would change.


    "Then, get moving. If we stay here any longer, we''ll die." Horan said, brushing past him as he urged everyone to hurry, staring at Compass Carburettor to ask, "Will you be able to use that ability to teleport us?"


    "Sorry, I cannot bring us to a ce I haven''t been to before." Compass Carburettor shook his head, "Besides, I don''t have enough energy to do so. My Pseudo-Relic takes a lot of time to charge itself."


    "Dammit!" Horan cursed in response before saying, "Alright, tell me once it''s charged up. The faster we get to Forkuna City, the safer it is for us."


    "Yes," Compass Carburettor nodded respectfully as he made some preparations of his own. Of course, Horan wasn''t privy to as much information as he thought.


    After all, Compass Carburettor purposefully antagonised Horan from time to time whenever he revealed his true powers. And as a prideful individual, it was easy for Horan to be offended at such an action, disying negative intent towards Compass Carburettor.


    That was enough for his memories¡ªrted to the incident¡ªto be wiped out. Using this, Compass Carburettor kept both Horan and Gehera in the dark, maintaining the image of an experienced traveller with a weak Pseudo-Relic.


    After asking questions regarding Yaka enough times, getting parts of his memory wiped out every time, Horan felt a severe headache. Amounting it to the stress he was feeling from the current situation, he decided to stop thinking about it, taking things at face value.


    The scary thing was that he couldn''t disy any ounce of negativity towards Compass Carburettor, or his rted memories would be wiped out.


    This was also one of the reasons yer refrained from targeting him, realising that he would suffer too much loss from the conflict, especially since killing Compass Carburettor wouldn''t mean the death of the Main Character.


    Within an hour, the caravan moved out of Tentuna City, moving southeast.


    Seated in the carriage meant for him, Compass Carburettor stared out, noticing quite a few people too seemed to share the same view as them, departing for Forkuna City, feeling that it would be the safest ce in times of war.


    After all, the capital city was protected by the Guardian Saint. And given his title as the strongest Saint in the region, the city under his protection was indeed the safest.


    t-kata-kat! t-kata-kat!


    The sounds of the horse''s hooves mming into the road resounded, mixed amid the nervous murmurs of the travelling people. There was a strange silence in the air, eerie as if war might erupt at any moment.


    [Dad, what''s with this tension in the air? Am I the only one feeling it?]


    [No, I feel the same. Be ready, something will happen next.]


    Compass Carburettor and Stencil exchanged words in a hurry, tensed as the both of them weren''t in an optimal state.


    [Dad, shall we return to the System World?]


    [Do you have enough Mental Energy?]


    [I can barely scrape it.]


    [Then, don''t bother.]


    Stencil stared at him in confusion, wondering why he told her to refrain from escaping to the System World when it was a statement he had been stressing on all along. Seeing her confusion, he spoke¡­


    [Heading into another world in such a state is dangerous. We don''t know what might be happening there. And if we encounter some danger there, then we''re done for. Instead, we''ll try to survive here. At least, the Xetuka Kingdom still has all its Saints. So, we can rely on them for the time being until we recover our strength.]


    He might have only shed with yer for a second, but he truly expended all his Mental Energy during that time, especially since he had created a Money-Making Coin and also used the power of Lore to create another Main Character.


    That process not only shaved off his Mental Energy reserves but also his luck and fate. So at present, he was in a vulnerable state, not able to do much.


    Therefore, it was better to y it safe than take risks unnecessarily. At least, thanks to his Anthozoa, he was able to fight even without any Mental Energy.


    Stencil''s eyes lit up as she noticed that her father had already brought out Anthozoa, making it suck the air to create bullets nonstop. Moreover, it seemed he was doing the same by breathing too, multi-tasking to store as many bullets as possible within him.


    Neigh!


    One of the horses suddenly copsed to the ground, shivering from fear for some reason. The coach driver stared in shock at the scene when immediately, a rash broke out on his body, causing him to scratch himself until his skin peeled off, knocking him out unconscious.


    One after another, the horses fell to the ground, unable to move in fear.


    Seated in the most luxurious carriage was Horan, sensing wisps of mana m everywhere on the ground, being hurled from far away as he observed that they were all curses.


    His eyes shot open as he extended his hand, grabbing hold of the spear taken out by the Porter standing beside him always, getting up as he said, "It seems I cannot avoid it anymore."

 Chapter ?678 I Can’t

    Chapter ?678 I Can¡¯t


    Bzzz!


    Lightning Mana shed out like a torrent, casting a throughout the caravan, destroying all the approaching curses. Lightning mmed into the horses and those that were affected by the curses, shocking them a little in the process before purifying their bodies.


    Lightning was the most overbearing in nature, unable to be controlled. And as curses focused on subjecting the targets under a certain mode of control, they were of conflicting nature.


    And even though both were Lightning Mana, the one harnessed by a Mage was different from that of a Warrior. As Horan was both, his lightning was different from the rest of the humans that used this element.


    Swoosh!


    In a matter of seconds, all the curses in the surroundings were destroyed as Horan stepped out of his carriage, watching a sea of mana shing in the sky, resounding with vibrant colours, of which red and orange were the most vibrant, originating from Fire Mana.


    Horan only nned to observe the situation first when suddenly, he noticed the familiar mana signature from the Fire Mana, his eyes widening in shock as he muttered, "Impossible, why is she here? Shouldn''t she be in the north?"


    Boom!


    A figure flew out of a cloud, d in a fiery dress made out of Fire Mana, defending herself against a myriad of curses that constantly mmed into her. The fiery dress helped her resist the curses while the whip in her hand targeted the enemies, killing one with every hit.


    But, her enemies continued to stream inrge numbers, causing her to be overwhelmed from the start.


    "Dammit!" Lelumi Xetuka grunted, almost losing consciousness as she was hit by a curse, one that served to rupture her internal organs. She held on with sheer strength, causing her fiery dress to absorb all the damage, tattering it further.


    This fiery dress was a spell used to defend against curses. But, it had a limit on how much it could withstand. And now that she was being bombarded by more than a thousand Witches, her condition was in dire straits.


    "Lelumi Xetuka, you bloodthirsty murderer! For the crime of razing Buhan City, die!" Granak Burnak shouted, clenching a doll in his hands that was her lookalike, snapping it in half as immediately, the fiery dress protecting her vanished into embers, destroyed.


    Following that, he grinned, aware that the next hit would either kill her or end up critically wounding her as his thumb rested upon the head of the doll, applying pressure on it before snapping its neck.


    Bang!


    The sound akin to ss shattering resounded as suddenly, the eyes of Lelumi Xetuka nked.


    ''Sess!'' Granak Burnak grinned happily, thinking that he managed to kill the opponent. With that, war was guaranteed to erupt between the two kingdoms which would lead to their annihtion in the hands of the Giants and Lizardmen.


    "You dare?" Suddenly, an angry voice suffusing arrogance resounded as a lightning cloak covered Lelumi Xetuka, tanking the curse, allowing her to survive as immediately, lightning rained down from the sky.


    Boom!


    A sea of lightning covered the skies, mming into the Birdmen as a was cast, causing them all to scream in pain as immediately, a figure appeared before them, oozing killing intent as he thrust his spear forward, turning the target into ash in an instant.


    "Gah!" Granak Burnak grunted in pain as he too was hit by the attack. But unlike others, he wasn''t dead as the sounds of ss shattering multiplied around him as almost a quarter of his feathers fell off, burning up in response.


    He red at the third party that had grabbed Lelumi Xetuka and took her to safety on the ground, sensing his sharp aura as a Pseudo-Saint, "Who the heck are you?"


    "H-Horan?" Lelumi Xetuka was pleasantly surprised, ''You actually bothered to save me?''


    Theirs was a political engagement. And it was a known fact that the reason Horan was interested in her was only because of her family''s Relic¡ªStarfall. So, the fact that Horan risked his status to interfere in this battle surprised her, especially since involving himself in this mess might make things difficult for him back home.


    "Are you alright?" Horan looked at her, surprised at himself for acting this way. He was never such an emotional person, at least never harbouring any emotion towards this fianc¨¦ of his. But here he was, instantly taking her side.


    "Tch!" For some reason, Stencil clicked her tongue, making an expression as if she had tasted a fly.


    "I almost lost my life in my own Kingdom, how ironic." Lelumi Xetuka smiled in embarrassment before ring at the thousands of Birdmen in the sky, "They''ve already invaded us."


    "What about peace talks? Did it fail?" Horan frowned, "I''ve already sent letters exining the situation to you, right? Why hasn''t anything been done?"


    "We failed, that''s all." Lelumi Xetuka said solemnly, "We''ve already dispatched a Saint as an envoy to the Burnak Kingdom. And even after exerting control over the troops, we couldn''t prevent this. I fell into a trap and was used to change the people''s opinion."


    She red at Granak Burnak, "This is his fault."


    Staring at the curses being prepared by the Witches, Horan''s face paled a little, "They''re creating a region curse. Can you ask for reinforcements?"


    "I can''t." Lelumi Xetuka said in worry, noticing that hermunication Magic Tool was busted, failing to connect to the other side, "I''m afraid things simr to this are cropping up everywhere."


    "Teto, can you bring us away?" Horan looked at Compass Carburettor, hoping for hisst resort to work. After all, he had indeed brought them to Tentuna City from the Talon Secret Organisation''s base.


    ''I don''t have any useful Mental Energy streams to ride on.'' Compass Carburettor looked around, failing to sense anything useful. His first option was to bring them to Tentuna City, for he could send a Mental Energy stream to some of the people he was familiar with there. But, that would mean they would return to the centre of the uing battlefield once again.


    The second option was to bring them to Aronaut, but he didn''t wish for his existence to be revealed so soon, especially since he could feel that there were members of the Talon Secret Organisation hidden amongst their group too¡ªthanks to the fluctuations in Stencil''s Happy-Go-Lucky Luck.


    There were also furtherplications that he had to worry about as Compass Carburettor shook his head, "I can''t."

 Chapter 679 One Shot, One Kill

    Chapter 679 One Shot, One Kill


    "Dammit!" Horan cursed in response, staring at the number of Birdmen increasing in the skies, causing the people in the region to gulp in fear. They were around a couple dozen kilometres from Tentuna City, able to hear faint sounds originating from that direction.


    It was apparent that Tentuna City was being attacked by the Birdmen inrge numbers. And as for the group here, they had been chasing after Lelumi Xetuka from the start. There were people like Granak Burnak that was instigating everyone to kill her while there were others who had loved ones in Buhan City, cing all the me on her, intending to make her suffer a fate worse than hell.


    "We''ll need to buy time a little." Compass Carburettor said in a hurry, able to sense the Mental Energy streams directed at him, "I''ll be able to bring us out of here soon."


    Though, he had no such thoughts, for he was able to sense danger from everywhere. With the loss of two Saints, the Burnak Kingdom wasn''t able to control their people as firmly as before. And wherever their controlpsed, the Talon Secret Organisation took charge to rile up the popce.


    After all, Saint Calvos and Saint Balvador were from the Burnak Kingdom in the first ce. So, they were aware of all the ins and outs. With that, they personally instigated the people to attack the Xetuka Kingdom.


    And to make matters worse, Gormanaunched an attack on the Xetuka Kingdom, causing its forces to be split thin. They had to face the attacks of both the Burnak Kingdom and the Gormana Kingdom.


    That wasn''t all, the southern marshes were stirring up constantly, as if they were nning arge move. This meant that the Xetuka Kingdom had to constantly keep an eye on the south too, further tensing them.


    Even the Guardian Saint had to make a move, personally heading towards the south as a deterrent against the Lizardmen. It was only thanks to his presence did Lethuna refrain from taking action.


    After all, irrespective of howrge the army grew, he alone was capable of wiping them out. The reason was simple, he was the strongest Saint in this region and also the one that wielded the Xetuka Kingdom''s most powerful Relic¡ªStarfall.


    Labelled as a weapon capable of bringing a country to its ruins, it was the perfect deterrent against the Lizardmen.


    Unfortunately, even Starfall could only deter one side. And, Gormana dispatched two Saints to the Aira to pressure the Xetuka Kingdom which sent two of their own Saints as a counter.


    This meant that all their Saints were away from the Kingdom, which forced them to recall the one dispatched to the Burnak Kingdom as an envoy. And, irrespective of what they did to control the situation following that, things just spiralled out of control.


    It had to be noted that the master puppeteer was yer and his fellow peak System yers with hundreds of System Fragments and dozens of Core Skills. So, their methods were innumerous, and not easy for the two Kingdoms to resist.


    Compass Carburettor condensed Anthozoa in his hand, cing it in Stencil''s hand as she was surprised to see it turn into a stream of light and vanish in her body.


    [Dad, what''s this?]


    [New extension of my power with the birth of the fifth Main Character. You''ll be able to use the six Bullet Temtes I''ve registered in it by supplying it with Mental Energy. If you wish to conserve your energy, just use the regr bullets]


    Stencil was surprised at the fact, her eyes widening in shock as she felt a connection with Anthozoa, able to do what he just exined.


    She condensed it in her hands, watching it make dozens of bullets within a second, causing a gust as it sucked in air from its surroundings at a tremendous speed.


    [Brat, among the six Bullet Temtes, there''s the Fire Magic of Saint, Sahar Khara, Immortality of Teh, and finally, yer''s power]


    [yer''s power?]


    Stencil was shocked, focusing on the sixth Bullet Temte, failing to understand just what it was about, for it seemed strangelyplex?


    [I''m not sure how this is possible, but using yer''s power, it''s possible to create Coordinates]


    [C-Coordinates?]


    Stencil was shocked, wondering how this was possible, given that Coordinates were something only the System World could create. But upon seeing her dad nod in response, she became a tad excited.


    This meant that she could make Coordinates that were basically like food for her, given that one of her abilities was to be a Coordinate herself.


    "Attack!" Granak Burnak shouted as he rained down curses onto Lelumi Xetuka while continuing to create a grand curse with the help of everybody.


    "Can you fight?" Horan stared at Lelumi Xetuka, defending the curses aimed at her before ring at Granak.


    "Yeah, thanks to your lightning cloak, I can face the curses without problems for the time being." Lelumi Xetuka said as her figure shot into the air, intending to disrupt the curse that everyone was creating.


    As for Horan, he closed his eyes, focusing as thunderclouds formed in the sky, his Lightning Mana riling up in response as intense bolts rained down from the sky, hindering the activation of the grand curse as it was slowly being consumed instead.


    "Be careful with your attacks." Compass Carburettor looked at Stencil before holding a gun in each of his hands, aiming at the Birdmen as he shot nonstop, with each bullet sttering the head of a Birdmen Witch.


    The opposing side was shocked, wondering how a Grandmaster Metal Mage was able to exude such a frightening level of power, for his bullets simply pierced through the defensive means of the Witches and killed them.


    One shot, one kill.


    His efficiency was on par with Horan that was unleashingrge attacks, silent in contrast, but deadly.


    Stencil too aimed at the sky and began to shoot. It was easy to shoot using Anthozoa for it didn''t even vibrate a little following a shot, a perfectly bnced weapon, allowing the bullet to hit exactly where she aimed at.


    This caused her uracy to be pretty high, even though she was just a beginner in terms of shooting.


    ''This father and daughter pair are strong.'' Lelumi Xetuka noticed through the corner of her eyes, watching the head of a Birdmen Witch that had intended to sneak up on her burst as a bullet mmed dead centre.


    ''Just who are they?''

 Chapter ?680 Conjurer

    Chapter ?680 Conjurer


    "Hah¡­haah!" yer panted as he copsed to the ground, gasping for air as he observed the world around him cracking in response before vanishing. He looked around, watching the five System yers rush to his rescue, standing before him in a hurry.


    They red at the entity that was standing on the other side, also exhausted, but sporting a wide grin.


    "You''ve be terrifyingly strong, Gilthru." The Saint of Cmity smiled, dusting himself as his injuries healed rapidly, rming the System yers.


    Upon observing their reactions, he focused his attention on yer, noticing the other party''s rather calm gaze as he said, "It seems you''re aware of what I''ve been up to these days."


    "It doesn''t take much to predict what a sick bastard like you would do." yer got up with a start, perfectly cured now, in an optimal state as if he hadn''t fought in the first ce, his actions causing the other party to whistle in amazement.


    "I''ve been staying true to my profession, you know." The Saint of Cmity smirked, "All I''ve been doing is to conjure new worlds out there that are under my conjuring powers. They help expand the conjuring profession."


    "I know about that." yer frowned, his expression solemn, ''I understand what you''re attempting to create.''


    "What¡­is he on about now?" Balveta expressed her confusion, alert to attack the other party, having already prepared her Core Skills. If not for the fact that she noticed yer''s life wasn''t threatened in his fight with the Saint of Cmity, she and the other System yers would have interfered immediately.


    "The Conjurer Genre, that''s what he''s attempting to create," yer said in all seriousness, watching the five System yers shudder in response.


    Creating a genre was entirely different from simply building worlds out there. After all, whether it be the Systems or the other parties, all were ssified based on their Genre.


    And among the regr worlds, there existed entities that represented entire Genres.


    Immortal that represented all Cultivation Worlds, Magister that represented all Magical Worlds, etc. There existed special beings that represented entire genres out there, the strongest enemies faced by the Systems to date.


    Even the Systems were in the end a genre of their own, revolving around the System World.


    And, it seemed the goal of the Saint of Cmity was to join the likes of Immortal and Magister by creating a stream of worlds solely limited to the power of Conjurers.


    In their world, unlike the other professions, the Conjurer was a profession that had a Saint long before it even matured enough to have one. This meant that the entire profession was greatly dominated by just one individual.


    And considering how most Conjurers stopped at the Master Realm, it meant that even in terms of the power dynamics of the Conjurers, the Saint of Cmity alone possessed the majority of power.


    As the situation persisted for centuries and millennia, the Saint of cmity became an Apostle of the Conjurer profession, again before the profession developed enough to sustain one.


    The moment he became an Apostle was when his will dominated over the profession, overriding thetter. From then on, he became the profession itself, dominating it ever since.


    Had he be a Saint even a centuryter, this wouldn''t have happened as the profession would have developed enough to maintain its free reign, just as what every other profession had.


    But as he had already be the profession itself, the Saint of Cmity began his next step of operation, conjuring habitable worlds in the infinite cosmos, with the power systems of all rted to the power of Conjurers.


    And judging by the healing power he disyed, he had a world under him that conjured healing energy. As he was able to harness that power, it was apparent that he was already close to reaching the level of Immortal and the likes.


    "In the future, address me as Conjurer." The Saint of Cmity smirked in response as he stared at yer, "Isn''t that precisely why you go by the name of yer instead of your original name, Gilthru?"


    "Well, I only came here to probe your strength. Now that I''m done with it, I''ll take my leave." The Saint of Cmity, Conjurer waved his hand as his figure dissipated, "I''ll be taking care of that individual you''ve been talking about."


    "What the¡­?" yer was rmed at the words, shouting in response, "Don''t you dare interfere! I''ll kill you!"


    "I just found out that the both of us don''t have the means to kill each other, so don''t bother." Conjurerughed as he vanished, "I''m surprised you haven''t let go of this world even after everything it did to you. Well, too bad, you''re slower than me."


    "I''ll be the first to attain my goal, especially with the help of thetest Main Character."


    ¡­


    "Haah!" Compass Carburettor shouted as he shot dozens of bullets, killing all the Birdmen in his vicinity as everywhere he went past, corpses rained down from the skies.


    He wasn''t even using any Mental Energy and only relied upon the base power of Anthozoa¡ªcondensing bullets by sucking in andpressing air.


    With the number of Coordinates he had consumed, even his base bullets were reinforced enough to casually shatter the defensive means of Master Witches. As for Grandmaster Witches, they only tanked a dozen bullets before dying too, disying his fearsome might.


    After all, it only took him a second to create as many bullets as needed to kill a Grandmaster Witch.


    [Dad, you''re strong]


    [Brat, don''t be careless. I''m only as strong as a Saint, so be on your toes all the time¡­]


    Compass Carburettor hadn''t even finished speaking when suddenly, his eyes widened, noticing a certain figure standing before him from some point in time.


    Her senses went haywire as Stencil could see the Luck of both her and her father plummeting down rapidly, her eyes widening in shock as she rushed towards him, using up all her Mental Energy to create a portal to the System World. But, it was toote.


    Time seemed to have slowed down as Stencil''s expression copsed, watching the portal she condensed stop growing halfway as her senses captured the opponent''s mouth moving in response, producing a set of words that made no sense to her but caused her to despair.


    "Zaira, cut off this world."

 Chapter 681 Kidnapped!

    Chapter 681 Kidnapped!


    "Zaira, cut off this world."


    The words of the mysterious entity were as sudden as his appearance as Stencil was bbergasted, watching in slow motion as the portal she had condensed by expending a hundred thousand Mental Energy stop growing in response before beginning to shrink, vanishing immediately after.


    Through the Secret Refiner and Happy-Go-Lucky Systems, Stencil observed that the Astral Network in the Fantasy World disappeared all of a sudden, preventing her from heading to the System World.


    Moreover, it seemed as if the connection with the System World itself was cut off from this world, stranding them. This meant that she couldn''t bring her father and escape to the System World.


    "Dad!" Stencil screamed in fright, unleashing all her power as she harnessed the Secret Refiner System to unleash a hand-shaped bolt of lightning towards the mysterious entity, intending to stop him for a moment, thereby allowing her father to escape.


    The hand-shaped bolt of lightning flew at tremendous speeds, approaching the mysterious entity before stopping all of a sudden, spreading out as it seemed to have mmed into an egg-shaped barrier, one that prevented it from entering.


    Based on the dispersion of the lightning bolt, it was apparent that the egg-shaped barrier covered both the mysterious entity and her father as Stencil focused the bolts onto it, trying her best to refine it and turn it hers so that she could break through and save her father.


    Unfortunately, it seemed that the egg-shaped barrier separated the outside and inside, as if it manifested another world itself.


    Thest she saw the grin of the mysterious entity and the pale-faced expression of Compass Carburettor as the egg-shaped barrier vanished, taking the two people within it too.


    Time seemed to have returned to normalcy as Stencil''s figure fell on the floor, her expression one of disbelief, staring at the part of the ground where her dad had been standing just now, seeing the impression his shoes had made on the ground.


    "Dad..." Her disbelief soon turned into worry as she looked around, unable to find any traces of her father, as if he was no more...


    ''Wait!'' She stared at Anthozoa, one given to her by Compass Carburettor, sensing through the connection that her father was still alive. But, she wasn''t able to find out where he had been taken away.


    "Gehera!" She asked the Novice Cartographer in a hurry, pointing at the location where her father stood just now, "Can you find out where he had been taken away? Cartographers can ess the information from the region itself, right?"


    "I c-can try." Gehera nodded, still trembling in fear, unable toprehend just what in the nightmare had happened just now. Upon hearing Stencil, she instinctively tried to use her power but failed to do so, clearly overwhelmed with fear.


    She wasn''t even strong enough to face a random thug, but now here she was,ing across heavenly beings one after another.


    "Dammit!" Stencil groaned in anger as she snapped her finger, causing a choker to appear on Gehera''s neck when immediately, her eyes turned dazed as her powers were riled up, causing runes to sh around her as her mana seeped into the ground.


    But an instantter, the mana exploded, causing blood to pour out of Gehera''s orifices. The level of information she wished to extract was beyond what she was capable of as a Novice Cartographer.


    "Shit!" Stencil was pissed, angry at herself as her eyes turned moist, recalling the incident from her childhood when her dad vanished mysteriously. At that time, she wasn''t aware of what was happening, living in fear following that.


    But now, she was aware of the truth, knowing very well that Compass Carburettor had been taken by the Money-Making System to the System World, beyond his control. At that time, the Money-Making System was a terrifying entity they couldn''t go against.


    The present her controlled two mighty Systems, capable of killing the Money-Making System with a snap of her finger. Unfortunately for her, the one that took her father away from her this time was even stronger, the difference in strength simr to what it was between the Money-Making System and her eight-year-old self.


    Boom!


    A majestic curse waspleted in the sky as the remainder of the Witches grinned in response, internally relieved that they managed toplete it, happy at whatever caused that troublesome Metal Mage to disappear.


    "Now, die!" Granak Burnak grinned in response as he red at the humans on the ground.


    "Shut up!" Stencil bellowed in anger as lightning exploded from her, fully unleashing the powers of the Secret Refiner System as the lightning seeped into the curse, overwriting the control of the Witches over it as in an instant, the majestic curse fell under her control.


    "Impossible!" Granak Burnak screamed in shock as his body withered into ash instantly, along with the rest of the Witches in the region, taken out by the very curse they spent all their energy on creating.


    ''W-What should I do?'' Stencil was flustered, unable to think of a means to save her father when she stared at the Anthozoa in her hands, recalling thest statement from her father.


    ''The fifth Main Character!'' Her eyes lit up as a result as she immediately unleashed a stream of Mental Energy, watching it travel somewhere far away.


    A secondter, a figure appeared before her, shocked as he stared at her, "Where''s...Compass Carburettor?"


    "I...don''t know." Stencil teared up in response as she said, helpless, "Someone...a Demon appeared all of a sudden and kidnapped him."


    She then pointed at the location where hest stood, "Do you know of a powerful enough Cartographer that can unearth the details from here, Aronaut?"


    "Say no more, I''ll do it myself." Aronaut kneeled before the spot, closing his eyes as multiple System Fragments--the powers of which were stored in the Aero Society--were activated, unleashing a power simr to a Cartographer as information flowed out of the ce, full of static, looking as if they would vanish.


    "This Demon is a lot stronger than me..." Aronaut said, his expression solemn before his eyes widened in realisation as he got up with a start and turned around, looking at Stencil with a serious expression, "Let''s get going."


    "We need to find yer."

 Chapter 682: Subverting Your Expectations

    Chapter 682: Subverting Your Expectations


    ¡®Shit, where am I now?¡¯ Compass Carburettor frowned, looking around to see a vast world of white, with the ground, and sky seemingly made out of white marble.


    Worst of all, he couldn¡¯t find any Mental Energy streams. Even when he was surrounded by the egg-shaped barrier, when Compass Carburettor unleashed a Mental Energy stream towards Horan to escape into his mind, the Mental Energy stream bumped into the barrier and failed to pass through.


    That was why he wasn¡¯t able to leave it. And before he could attempt anything else, he had been brought to this mysterious ce.


    Boom!


    Chains were conjured suddenly as they appeared, constricting him, wrapping around him from head to toe before pulling him to the ground, causing him to kneel.


    The mysterious entity from before appeared as Compass Carburettor condensed Anthozoa and shot at him, riddling his body with holes beforeughter resounded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, this is just a conjured body of mine.¡± The mysterious entity, the Saint of Cmity, Conjurer grinned.


    ¡°Who are you.¡± Compass Carburettor red in response, nervous for the other party seemed as strong, if not stronger than yer.


    And, he was having trouble believing what his senses were rying to him, for the sensation he perceived from the other party was simr to what he felt from Immortal and Truck-Kun.


    ¡®Is he their ally?¡¯ He thought before realising that it wasn¡¯t the case, ¡®No, he¡¯s an enemy.¡¯


    His thoughts whirred in response as his eyes looked around, realising something as he focused all his power into his throat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, this is a conjured world that¡¯s entirely cut off from all other worlds. You cannot leave this ce with your current strength. Teleportation, spatial jump and simr abilities won¡¯t work here.¡± Conjurer smiled smugly, staring at the other party to say, ¡°I am surprised to see how easy it was to capture you.¡±


    He tilted his head, ¡°Why did Gilthru make it seem like such a big deal?¡±


    ¡°This world is connected to you.¡± Compass Carburettor said all of a sudden, ¡°It¡¯s one of the worlds you represent.¡±


    ¡°Bingo,¡± Conjurer pped his hands, grinning in response, ¡°As expected of the Main Character. You¡¯re pretty quick on the uptake.¡±


    He observed Compass Carburettor staring at him in tension, speaking calmly upon noticing that the other party wasn¡¯t able to break free from the conjured chains, ¡°I need you to do something for me.¡±


    Compass Carburettor only raised an eyebrow in response as Conjurer continued to speak, ¡°I was hoping to harness your power to strengthen one of my worlds. It¡¯s rather special, you see, as I¡¯m nning to make it the strongest world under me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sending me there, sealed.¡± Compass Carburettor said, his tone somewhat confident.


    ¡°Only your power though,¡± Conjurer said, clenching his hand into a fist as the chains dug into Compass Carburettor, vaporising his body little by little, causing him to grunt in paint. But no matter how painful it got, he never opened his mouth to scream.


    Conjurer felt that it was somewhat strange that Compass Carburettor was enduring the pain like this but didn¡¯t ce much thought on it, ¡°Don¡¯t resist, there¡¯s nothing you can do here. I know everything there is to know about Systems and the Main Character System.¡±


    ¡°Escape is impossible for you.¡±


    ¡°Three years¡­¡± Compass Carburettor muttered as his arms fell off, his expression a re as he continued, strained to speak, ¡°I¡¯ll be free in three years!¡±


    ¡°And then, I¡¯lle for you.¡±


    Boom!


    His body exploded, vaporising in response as the chains fell to the ground.


    Conjurer felt mildly confused at what Compass Carburettor had said, but didn¡¯t bother with it, grinning as he stared at a tiny sphere hovering before him, ¡°Compass Carburettor as a concept. In this energy form, there¡¯s nothing you can do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not possible for me to kill you, but that¡¯s why, you¡¯ll be the source that fuels my growth forever.¡± He said, extending his hand to grab hold of the tiny sphere, one that contained all of Compass Carburettor¡¯s secrets, a form where he couldn¡¯t do anything, helpless.


    ¡°He was pretty weak¡­¡± Conjurer frowned, staring at the tiny sphere as he said, ¡°But, why is his power so dense? If it¡¯s this dense, he should have been a hundred times stronger than what he had disyed.¡±


    He then recalled yer¡¯s discussion with his fellow System yers, eyes lighting up in realisation, ¡°I see, so Compass Carburettor and Gilthru fought just now. That¡¯s why he¡¯s weak. He was already exhausted.¡±


    Arriving at this thought, Conjurer grinned in response, ¡°It seems I¡¯ve profited thanks to you once again, Gilthru.¡±


    But, just when he nned to process the tiny sphere and imbue it into the world of his nning, Conjurer felt his thoughts churning in response all of a sudden.


    Immediately after, Compass Carburettor¡¯s words resounded in his mind, looping nonstop.


    [This world is connected to you. It¡¯s one of the worlds you represent. You¡¯re sending me there, sealed. Three years¡­I¡¯ll be free in three years. And then, I¡¯lle for you.]


    These were all that Compass Carburettor spoke to him as the memory of the same looped in his mind, confusing Conjurer before suddenly, something sparked in his mind, ¡®Wait, every Main Character has a Core Skill. Then¡­¡¯


    His eyes widened in surprise as realisation finally hit him, ¡®What¡¯s Compass Carburettor¡¯s Core Skill?¡¯


    Core Skill¡ªLore!


    The looping voice in his mind suddenly sunk into the depths of his mind before vanishing as immediately after, the tiny sphere in his hands whirred in response, spitting out a Coordinate.


    The Coordinate absorbed the looping thoughts from Conjurer, transforming into a System instantly thanks to yer¡¯s Bullet Temte before seeping into his body.


    <ding!></ding!>


    The sound resounded in his mind as Conjurer¡¯s conjured body became a System Host while a mysterious power took control of his powers for an instant, taking advantage of his shock as immediately, using the power of Lore that shaped this System, the chains on the ground swerved into the tiny sphere, bounding it up before pulling it towards Conjurer.


    ¡°What the¡­?¡± Conjurer was shocked to see the tiny sphere vanish from his view, his senses, and the world he had conjured itself. All he knew was that it had been transported into one of his conjured worlds, but as to where it was, he couldn¡¯t sense it as Compass Carburettor¡¯s aura vanished entirely.


    Only now did he realise that the Main Character slipped out of his hands, not even a minute since he had been captured.

 Chapter 683: Human Invoker

    Chapter 683: Human Invoker


    On the outskirts of Tentuna City, Stencil was apanied by Aronaut and Gehera as they made their way towards the mansion that led into the secret dimension yer had created.


    Horan was already out of the loop as there was too much that he wasn¡¯t privy about. Hence, Stencil didn¡¯t bother telling him anything, leaving the ce with Aronaut immediately. Gehera was a System yer that had yet to awaken her powers, so Aronaut brought her with him too.


    ¡°Wait, where¡¯s the house?¡± He frowned in surprise upon seeing a destendscape in the location where a mansion used to exist for at least a couple of centuries in his memory.


    It was obvious that yer had relocated the entrance, for it served no use anymore, as all the System yers that he had been nurturing were now part of Aero Society. Hence, he had to take steps to prevent their retaliation.


    ¡°Was that Demon¡­yer?¡± Stencil asked as she stared at the deste region, clenching her hand into a fist.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he is.¡± Aronaut said, ¡°I didn¡¯t sense any aura of a System or a System yer there. It was the power of a Conjurer, someone beyond an Apostle though, that¡¯s why I was shocked.¡±


    ¡°Then, what¡¯s his connection to yer?¡± Stencil asked.


    ¡°There were traces of yer¡¯s aura mixed in his, and based on the signs, it seemed the two had fought only minutes before this. So, yer should be aware of his identity.¡± Aronaut said before frowning in response, ¡°But it seems it¡¯ll be hard to meet with him now. He has blocked off all means of contact.¡±


    Aronaut then asked her, ¡°But wait, just what exactly were the two of you up to here? And¡­¡±


    He stared at Gehera, ¡°Who¡¯s this child? She¡¯s pretty strange.¡±


    Stencil focused for a few seconds, orienting her thoughts before sending a Mental Energy stream to Aronaut, allowing him to understand everything through the contents in it.


    Gehera¡¯s history, the ns of the Talon Secret Organisation, and yer¡¯s involvement in both. And when he came to know that the birth of the Systems seemed to originate in this world, Aronaut was shocked, ¡°Wait, where did you hear that from?¡±


    ¡°My dad could feel that the answer lies in this world. But, we¡¯ve yet to find it.¡± Stencil said.


    ¡°Thankfully, you said this to me.¡± Aronaut tapped his chin, nodding after a while, ¡°We have two choices now.¡±


    He raised his index finger, ¡°The first is to tail the Talon Secret Organisation and disrupt their ns enough until yer makes an appearance before us. But, that means I¡¯ll have to face his angry self, which I¡¯m not confident in doing so at the moment.¡±


    He then raised his middle finger, pointing at Gehera, ¡°The second option is safer.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­?¡± Stencil¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as she removed the choker on Gehera, causing the other party to cough vehemently and copse to the ground, fainting in response.


    ¡°Yeah, remember the Ruin of Amagoth? Since yer isn¡¯t trapped in one location, it means that as his strength is siphoned by it, the resultant Magic Beasts created by that power should be stored in another dimension.¡± Aronaut said, ¡°Therefore, if we were to enter that dimension, we¡¯ll be able to gain control over one of his weaknesses.¡±


    ¡°That will give us the initiate in dealing with him.¡± He said, ¡°yer is a cautious individual. So, he won¡¯t take chances, especially since the stakes are high in fighting against Aero Society now.¡±


    ¡°So, the key lies in Gehera¡¯s awakening¡­¡± Stencil figured out his n and asked him, ¡°Can you create something simr to the Ruin of Amagoth?¡±


    ¡°You mean something like a secret dimension of treasures?¡± Aronaut nodded, ¡°Of course, I can. But why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°To farm Mental Energy, of course.¡± Stencil said as a matter of fact, ¡°Against whatever this enemy is, I need a lot of Mental Energy to fight. So, the only option is to farm for it in excess. And a Secret Realm always does the trick.¡±


    ¡°The production costs are high though.¡± Aronaut said, ¡°We¡¯ll have to spend a terrifying sum of Mental Energy to make it, not to mention the time required to do all that. Before we make enough, it¡¯ll be years.¡±


    ¡°If we proceed conventionally, then yeah.¡± Stencil said as her eyes shone with a cunning glint, sending him a Mental Energy stream highlighting her thoughts.


    [But, the System World has been cut off from this world. That means¡­]


    [The Systems between levels 30 and 50 are the perfect food for us. You¡¯re a Level 99 System yer, right? They should be a cakewalk to capture for you.]


    ¡°Are you capable of extracting their Mental Energy?¡± Aronaut asked in surprise.


    ¡°Once they are captured¡­¡± Stencil shed her choker, ¡°I can put them under my control and even be them when necessary. This means all their powers would fall under my disposal.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Aronaut burst intoughter at her words as he grinned in excitement, ¡°Then, what are we waiting for?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start the hunt, shall we?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Shit¡­shit¡­SHIT!¡± A boy, aged fifteen cursed in anger as he ran through a forest, feeling his head spin as blood oozed out of the dozens of wounds covering his body. As he rushed past the trees, mysterious bird-like creatures, ethereal in nature mmed through them, shattering their trunks while zing past.


    The boy soon arrived at a cliff, gasping in shock as he stared at the endless fall beyond, hidden by ayer of mist beyond a certain depth, watching a pebble fall through it, one that was kicked by him in mistake.


    The pebble took more than five seconds to fall into theyer of mist, disying the sheer height of the ce.


    Bang!


    The boy gulped in shock, slowly retracing his steps when an iron nail mmed into the ground, barely missing his feet as a mysterious bird-like entity flew in the air, metallic in nature, sporting an overgrown body that was a mix of multiple creatures, a horrid mass.


    ¡°Pilkan, return the Human Invoker Crystal. That¡¯s your only option of survival.¡± A man bearing a bird-shaped tattoo on his forehead said, walking towards the boy addressed as Pilkan.


    ¡°You wish, fucking bastard.¡± Pilkan gritted his teeth, taking out a mysterious gem as he bellowed, throwing it into his mouth, ¡°Since you didn¡¯t leave me a way out, I¡¯ll take it with me to the afterlife!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± The man shouted in rm as he sent the metallic bird after the falling Pilkan who pointed his hand upward and conjured an injured bird that mmed into it, stopping it.


    By the time the metallic bird could break free, he was no more, having already fallen into the mistyyer.

 Chapter 684: Invoker

    Chapter 684: Invoker


    ¡®Shit, is this where I die?¡¯ Pilkan stared in distress, regretting his actions as he fell through theyer of mist, turning around to see him emerge from the other side, noticing a vast swathe of darkness beneath, the ground situated at least a kilometre further.


    On his forehead too was a tattoo of a bird that shed before vanishing; the injured bird from before arrived beneath him, one of its wings clipped as it struggled to fly.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± He grunted in fright, watching the bird lose bnce as it swirled around with him as their fall continued to elerate.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± He choked due to his emotions, left with no other choice but to peel off the bird¡¯s remaining wing, kicking its body away as he used the wing like a parachute to control his fall. It was working, but not fast enough as he observed the ground approaching closer and closer while his rate of descent didn¡¯t slow down to a satisfactory level.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± That was thest he uttered as his figure crashed into the ground, fainting in response as his legs were broken, with parts of his ribs and shoulder too following suit.


    The bird that he had been relying upon vanished, no longer returning as it was damaged beyond repair. Now, only death awaited him, something that would arrive in a matter of seconds, unless he was treated beforehand.


    But, it was at this time that the Human Invoker crystal that he had swallowed began to take effect, gradually causing his forehead to shine once again, creating a mysterious space that seemed to be beckoning something from the void.


    Immediately after, a tiny sphere rushed into it, causing the mysterious space to vanish as the tattoo of a human skull formed on his forehead, one whose eyes shone with starlight, something no other tattoo ever did.


    A secondter, the tattoo shone, disappearing as the dissipating figure of Compass Carburettor appeared before him. He observed himself, watching his hands and legs dissipate, sighing in response as he stared at Pilkan, ¡°This is the boy I¡¯ll have to rely upon?¡±


    He closed his eyes, clenching his hand into a fist as he muttered, condensing Anthozoa to take a shot, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Stencil. Dad will return after three years. My Lore has already taken effect.¡±


    Bullet Temte¡ªTeh!


    The bullet imbued with the power of the Titan Race¡¯s Immortality profession mmed into Pilkan, rapidly healing him back to full health as Compass Carburettor sighed, watching his figure crumble into tiny starlight fragments as he disappeared.


    The tattoo of a human skull appeared on Pilkan¡¯s forehead once again, this time the starlight in its eyes dim, barely visible.


    ¡°Guh!¡± A couple of minutester, Pilkan woke up with a start, getting up in a hurry to see that he wasn¡¯t feeling any pain, noticing blood surrounding him as he was startled, thinking that he had died. But upon a closer inspection, not only was he uninjured but wasn¡¯t even feeling an ache anywhere.


    He was perfectly healed. ¡°What¡­just happened?¡±


    He hurriedly closed his eyes, focusing on his Dreand, a mysterious space every Invoker like him possessed. It was where they harness part of their soul, fusing it with all their experiences to create an Invoked Spirit that fought on their behalf.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Pilkan was surprised to see a mysterious sphere in his Dreand, ¡°Wasn¡¯t my Nascent Soul destroyed? Then, howe this is here?¡±


    As a Nascent Soul was moulded using part of their soul as the base, the destruction of the Invoked Spirit meant the destruction of the Nascent Soul, which corrted to the destruction of the respective part of their soul. In typical cases, this resulted in the user falling into a vegetative state for the rest of their lives.


    In lucky cases, the user would survive but wouldn¡¯t be able to build another Nascent Soul until their soul was healed back to full health, which was only possible by consuming expensive resources daily for long term.


    It wasn¡¯t wealth someone like Pilkan possessed. So, he had braced himself to either die as a vegetable or live as a cripple for the rest of his life. But, not only did he survive, but also retained his entire soul.


    Moreover, he had obtained a new Nascent Soul. He would need to gradually build it into an Invoked Spirit. But, even this brought him endless joy, for he fared many times better than what he had expected.


    ¡°Wait, what is this Nascent Soul¡¯s type?¡± He muttered, probing the mysterious sphere in his Dreand when his face paled, ¡°H-Human type?¡±


    In their world, there existed beings called Invokers, special beings that were able to call upon terrifying entities. They did so by using what was known as an Invoker Crystal, one whose work was to extract a part of their soul and create a base using it in their Dreand, creating what was called a Nascent Soul.


    Following that, the Invoker would hunt living entities in the world and swallow the minds of the killed entities using their Dreand.


    When their minds were swallowed, the majority of their memories, experiences, etc. would appear in the Dreand, forming arge cluster¡ªtypically known as the Mental Fragments. The Invoker would then have to manually take out the desired Mental Fragments and fuse them into the Nascent Soul.


    The Nascent Soul would inherit the traits of the Mental Fragments and oncepleted, it would be an Invoked Spirit. There was no limit to the source of the entity whose Mental Fragment was used to fuse into the Nascent Soul.


    It all depended on the Invoker¡¯s creativity.


    But, some limitations originated from the Nascent Soul, or rather the type of Invoker Crystal used. Invoker Crystals were created using a method simr to making an Invoked Spirit, so depending on the source materials for the Invoker Crystal, the Nascent Soul created from its consumption varied.


    If the Invoker Crystal was created using Mental Fragments extracted from cats, then the resultant Nascent Soul¡¯s type was cats. This meant that the Invoker would have to hunt cats and capture their Mental Fragments to forge his Invoked Spirit.


    Therefore, depending on the type of Invoker Crystal one consumed, their growth as an Invoker varied. And, only now did Pilkan recall the Invoker Crystal that he had consumed, paling in response, for it was a Human Invoker Crystal.


    Meaning, he would have to hunt humans for his growth, a taboo of the world, despite the sheer power such Invokers wielded. They were hunted on sight. And, it wasn¡¯t possible to hide, for the tattoo on one¡¯s forehead revealed their Invoked Spirit¡¯s type.


    As for him, it was a human skull.

 Chapter 685: Human Invoker Crystal

    Chapter 685: Human Invoker Crystal


    ¡°It seems I screwed up a bit,¡± Conjurer muttered, staring at his body that had be a System Host. But, before the System could fully spread through his body, he snapped his finger, causing his conjured body to explode.


    Ding!


    The System hovered in the air, gradually dying in response without a Host body to rely upon. There was no other body in this marble world, and hence, it had no other option but to await death.


    There wasn¡¯t a connection to the Astral Network either, so it was pretty helpless, gradually dying in response as its energy was absorbed by the marble world and digested in a matter of seconds.


    Only after that did Conjurer arrive at the ce with another conjured body, looking around as he noticed minor changes to the ce, frowning as he didn¡¯t like the changes, ¡°The changes brought by a mere System is too weak.¡±


    He snapped his finger, extracting the changes brought by the System as he poured it into another world, a dump yard of sorts where he dumped all his failed experiments upon. This world wasn¡¯t under his control and seemed to be something that had existed since ages ago.


    It had served as a dump yard for Immortal, Magister, and many other such entities. In the vast cosmos, it was where anything undesirable was dumped, left to rot as even if a problem arose, this world waspletely isted from everything. And hence, no problem would ever arise from it.


    ¡®This world gives me the creeps every time.¡¯ He muttered, leaving the ce after dumping the extracted substance, noticing that there existed humans in this world, ¡°Humans? Here too?¡±


    He didn¡¯t pay them much heed beyond that and returned to the marble world, thinking of Compass Carburettor as he muttered, ¡°He said three years, so I¡¯ll wait.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t rmed, ¡°There¡¯s not much you can change within three years.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Human type¡­¡± Pilkan sighed in worry, realising that his life would be one of hardship after this. The reason was simple, Invokers with a human type Invoked Spirits were hunted.


    Those that obtained it despite that had to live in hiding or join an underground organisation that dealt with human trafficking and the like.


    ¡°But at least, I¡¯m alive.¡± Pilkan sighed in relief after a while as his eyes glinted with a cunning light, ¡°This is why I stole that Human Invoker Crystal in the first ce.¡±


    He originated from the Lan n, a n of Invokers whose Invoked Spirit was of the Eagle type. And, they reared a massive eagle nest, having been nurturing it for more than a century now.


    This was the foundation they relied upon to produce Eagle Invoker Crystals and strengthen their nsmen, also deriving various ways to strengthen their Invoker Spirit and exhibit powers in various forms and fields.


    Invoker Crystals too had a grade, depending upon the quality of Mental Fragments used to create them. The Lan n was the sole entity to produce Eagle Invoker Crystals, so everything was dependent on them.


    Pilkan only hailed from a branch family affiliated with the main family that controlled the Lan n. And hence, all he managed to get was an Inferior Eagle Invoker Crystal.


    There were three forms of Invoker Crystals, categorised based on their quality: Inferior, Common, and Superior.


    Simrly, the Invokers too were ssified the same, a clear indication of their Mental Strength, one that disyed how strong their Invoked Spirit was.


    Every Invoker, after sessfully building their Invoked Spirit became an Inferior Invoker. And as their Mental Strength increases, they would break through the threshold to be a Common Invoker and eventually attain the peak as a Superior Invoker.


    But, the reason conflicts arose in the first ce was thanks to Invoker Crystals. After all, someone that used an Inferior Invoker Crystal would be stuck as an Inferior Invoker for the rest of their lives.


    The quality of the Invoker Crystal they used determined the height they would reach. Pilkan had used an Inferior Eagle Invoker Crystal. So, his potential was limited.


    But, he was indignant, especially after his family lost their status as a branch family and had been demoted to mere servants after they refused to ept his sister being made the concubine of someone from the main family line.


    And in order to change their fate, Pilkan had been in search of a Superior Invoker Crystal, irrespective of its type, for only that would allow him to be on par with the main family and save his sister and regain the lost status of his branch family.


    Shockingly, during his pursuit, he chanced upon a Human Invoker Crystal, a Superior grade at that, something his n had been creating in secret to raise a squad of assassins, hidden from the open world.


    Without any hesitation, he stole the Human Invoker Crystal meant for the captain of the assassin squad and made his escape. Unfortunately, he was discovered in the end and tried tomit suicide.


    But thankfully, he survived and now had the potential to be a Superior Invoker.


    With that, Pilkan looked around, staring at the dark, deste surroundings, barely able to make out anything. ¡°Now, how am I supposed to escape from this ce?¡±


    He then looked around, staring at the cliff wall that reached the skies, ¡°Do I have to climb this?¡±


    ¡°Is there no other choice?¡±


    He stared at the rugged cliff, understanding clearly that it was impossible for him to traverse it. But right as he was thinking of a way to leave the ce, hissing sounds resounded through the ce, alerting him, ¡®Is it a serpent?¡¯


    Alert, he ced his hand on his hip where a knife had been holstered, ready to attack as he focused on his ears instead, closing his eyes that were pretty useless in this darkness. He was barely able to make out using his eyes, but for a battle, it was insufficient.


    A serpent indeed slithered towards him from the back, calmly inching towards him, pausing for a moment as it aimed at him before lunging for the attack.


    As Pilkan was focused, he suddenly felt a stream m into him from behind as he turned around in reflex and shed, only then noticing that he had lodged the knife through the snake¡¯s neck, surprised as he muttered, ¡°What was that?¡±

 Chapter ?686 Terrifying Invoked Spirit

    Chapter ?686 Terrifying Invoked Spirit


    The serpent continued to twitch on the ground before eventually bleeding to its death. As he stared at it, Pilkan was surprised to see his Nascent Soul reacting to it, "Wait, isn''t my Nascent Soul a human type?"


    "Let''s try it once, shall we?" Typically, a Cat type Nascent Soul was only able to obtain Mental Fragments from cats. If the Invoker attempts with other living beings, they would simply fail at getting any Mental Fragments.


    But since he felt a reaction from his Nascent Soul, Pilkan thought of attempting it once, activating his Dreand as he churned whatever Mental Energy he had, focusing on the serpent as he sensed his Dreand manifesting over it.


    And surprisingly, it began to absorb the serpent''s Mental Fragments, "What the heck?"


    Pilkan was startled, to say the least, wondering what was happening as he noticed that all the Mental Fragments of the serpent were absorbed by his Dreand.


    He closed his eyes, focusing on his Dreand to see a pile of Mental Fragments there, intending to check them out when suddenly, the pile moved, heading towards the Nascent Soul on its own as they were arranged in order, causing the Nascent Soul to now possess a humanoid form, though feeble.


    There were still plenty of Mental Fragments remaining from the serpent, deemed useless by the Nascent Soul as they spread out throughout the Dreand, remaining as is for the time being.


    Invokers were able to use the excess Mental Fragments to create a world in their Dreand and create an environment beneficial for the Invoked Spirit. It was a necessary step to proceed beyond the Invoker Stage and enter the Ascender Stage. Though, this was a privilege only avable for those at the Superior Invoker Stage.


    Leaving that aside, strengthening one''s Mental Strength was through strengthening the Dreand, which meant the proper, and harmonious arrangement of the Mental Fragments in the Dreand, in a format beneficial for the Invoked Spirit.


    A failure in both would result in the self-implosion of the Invoked Spirit.


    ''Why is it happening automatically?'' Pilkan was shocked, for the process that happened in a matter of seconds usually took a month or two for the Invoker. And even then, the result might not be perfect, for they have to experiment on a trial-and-error basis to determine the best format that worked for them.


    And, it wasn''t even from a human, but Mental Fragments sourced from a serpent. Pilkan didn''t even know what was happening anymore, gritting his teeth as he firmed himself, "I''ll just go along with the flow and see what happens. It''s thanks to it that I survived the fall anyway."


    Pilkan then began to roam through the ce, looking for other creatures to kill, knife in hand as he carefully tiptoed, suddenly sensing a stream impact him from one direction as he turned around in reflex and stabbed at the spot the stream originated from.


    Only then did he notice that he had stabbed into the ground, lifting the knife to see the body of a scorpion it pierced, dead. Now that it happened a second time, Pilkan observed that the stream resembled starlight and didn''t do him any harm, or rather, it allowed him to predict the location of his enemy moments before they attacked, vanishing immediately after.


    Just like before, he focused his Dreand on the corpse of the scorpion, watching its Mental Fragments too get sucked readily. And the same as before, the pile of Mental Fragments moved automatically as part of them were absorbed into the Nascent Soul.


    Following that, Pilkan hunted other creatures, relying upon the starlight stream that alerted him of the enemy on time every time. Thanks to that, his hunt went easy, allowing him to hunt more than fifty creatures before he broke into a smile, exhausted, but ted.


    "My Invoked Spirit ispleted."


    In the Dreand was a humanoid entity, or rather, it looked no different from a human. Pilkan observed that the humanoid entity was grandly detailed, like a work of art, save for its eyes which were just a pair of holes.


    The entity was somewhat eerie to observe as Pilkan churned whatever Mental Strength he had, invoking it, bringing it to reality to stare in surprise.


    The humanoid entity spanned a height of four metres, a hulking giant with imposing might. It was donned in what seemed to be a pair of shorts, partly resembling a skirt, reaching its knees.


    Its upper body was bare, revealing bulging muscles.


    Pilkan focused, controlling its actions, for Invoked Spirits couldn''t move on their own. Even the most minute of actions had to be done by the Invoker.


    Usually, an Invoker was aware of all the abilities their Invoked Spirit possessed, for they were the ones that built it from scratch. But as the case was different for Pilkan, he wasn''t aware of his Invoked Spirit''s abilities, experimenting for a good couple of hours as he made it perform a variety of actions before getting the gist of things.


    Following that, he made the Invoked Spirit carry him on its shoulder, making it arrive before the cliff wall as it raised its hand, condensing a staff with the serpent mouth at the front, its teeth protruding out grandly.


    The Invoked Spirit stabbed the teeth into the wall and cranked its hand, lifting its body upward while it repeated the same using its other hand by condensing a second staff.


    His Invoked Spirit could condense the Mental Fragments in the Dreand into a variety of items, rare even among Human Invokers. After all, to condense a weapon, the Invoker would have to spend months, if not years. And when not in use, they were like litter that interfered with the harmony of the Dreand.


    But, things were different in his case as the moment he gave themand, the Invoked Spirit extracted the required Mental Fragments from the Dreand and condensed the perfect weapon in a matter of seconds. And after use, it would return the Mental Fragments to their original location.


    This was an overwhelming advantage that only he possessed as Pilkan looked forward to his future, staring at his frighteningly powerful Invoked Spirit, watching it climb up the cliff at a rapid pace. His eyes shone with a cunning glint, "Lan n, I''ll exact my revenge!"

 Chapter ?687 Death-trap Mist

    Chapter ?687 Death-trap Mist


    "Goddamn idiot! He had to take the Human Invoker Crystal with him, useless retard!" Standing at the edge of the cliff was the man that had attacked Pilkan, growling in anger as he stared at the men behind him,manding them, "Go down to investigate!"


    "But sir, no one ever managed to return once they pass through that mistyer." One of his subordinates said, shivering from fear upon staring at the cliff.


    "Then, you''ll be the first to return alive¡­" The man said as he kicked the subordinate, watching him scream in fright as he fell through the steep ce, "You have an Eagle-type Invoked Spirit. Don''t forget to use it."


    Only then did the fearful screams of the subordinate cease as he condensed his Invoked Spirit, slowing down his descent to a controble extent before cautiously passing through the mistyyer.


    One second, two seconds, ten seconds, one minute, ten minutes, thirty minutes, the subordinate never returned, causing the man to frown in response before looking at a second subordinate, "You go and check what happened."


    "M-My lord¡­" The subordinate pleaded to be spared but had no other choice but to grit his teeth and take the plunge. After all, if the man''s mood turned foul, the subordinate''s entire family would be used to create a Human Invoker Crystal.


    That was pretty much how the Lan n had been creating Human Invoker Crystals in secret, by using those charged with insubordination for the sheer fact that they hesitated in carrying out the orders of their superiors.


    The second subordinate too failed to return, even after an hour had passed, causing the man''s expression to turn beet red in anger, cursing in response, "Imbeciles! The lot of you!"


    The reason he was angry stemmed from the fact that guarding the Superior Human Invoker Crystal was his task. Therefore, the fact that it was stolen meant a stain on his record. If he failed to return with it, he would have to pay for the production costs.


    And that was something he couldn''t afford, despite being part of the main family. It just proved to show just how expensive producing a Superior Human Invoker Crystal was.


    After all, even among Invoker Crystals, it was the most expensive to create, for humans were the mostplex among all living entities. Therefore, there were just too many Mental Fragments deemed a waste in the production process, requiring a steep necessity of manpower, time, Mental Strength, and ''human resources.''


    Not just any human made the cut. They had to be carefully selected and at times, reared for the sole sake of being made into a Human Invoker Crystal. Otherwise, the quantity of Mental Fragment wastage would only pile up, spiking the production costs even further.


    Therefore, by tooth or nail, he had to return with the Human Invoker Crystal. Otherwise, he would have to make preparations to flee with all his possessions.


    Upon seeing that hope to obtain the Human Invoker Crystal was nil, the man had already switched to n B, and that was to get rid of the men under him. This way, he could save the time and effort needed to deal with them, gaining enough leeway to execute a n of escape with his family.


    After all, only those with him were aware that a Human Invoker Crystal had been stolen. It would take at least another day before news regarding it reaches the others in the n. That was enough time for him to escape.


    "I understand the problem now." He spoke all of a sudden, staring at the men under him to say, "It was because only one of them went at a time. They must be stuck in the mistyyer."


    He then looked at the people, pointing at four among them, "Link your hands and descend slowly. Two must pass through while the others remain above theyer. Pull the chain a secondter. This way, it''s possible to recall the other two to safety too."


    Even if they wished to protest, the men had no other choice but to follow. At least, if they died, the Lan n would protect their families, for they indeed died in the line of duty. The Lan n at least had that much honour in them, even if it was disyed for namesake, just to prevent the branch families from using it as an excuse to conduct an uprising.


    As he hadmanded, four people descended on their Eagle Invoked Spirits, linking their hands as two of them passed through the mistyyer while the other two remained outside.


    But, the moment the body of the first man''s Invoked Spirit touched the mistyyer, a mysterious force sucked it inside. And since all four had linked their hands, they were all pulled into it in an instant before no sound of them leaked out.


    "They died!" An underling screamed in shock before noticing that he had been pushed off the cliff too. He wasn''t alone as a metallic Eagle had mmed the rest of the underlings over the cliff, intending to kill them all.


    They hurriedly summoned their respective Eagles when the metallic Eagle swept past, critically injuring the wings of each, causing them to gradually fall towards the mistyyer.


    They were all at the Inferior Invoker Stage while the man at the top of the cliff was at peak of the Common Invoker Stage. Moreover, his metallic Eagle was vastly developed using a lot of resources, sourced from the best of eagles reared by the Lan n.


    In contrast, all the underlings obtained were either sick, injured, or old eagles, those with limited or no value. Therefore, the sharp contrast in resources resulted in their Eagles failing to even put up a fight against the metallic Eagle.


    "Screw you, bastard!" Thest of the underlings cursed in response, indignant at his death as he fell into the mistyyer.


    "Heh," The man only snorted in response before turning around to walk away.


    Thud!


    Pilkan stared at the body of yet another man sttering upon impact on the ground, sighing as he counted, "That''s thest of them. He literally sent them all to their deaths."


    Muttering in response, he stared at the mistyyer, noticing the Invoked Spirits trapped there, gradually devoured by the mistyyer itself. This was what resulted in the Invokers falling to their deaths.


    Unfortunately, as they sttered upon impact, Pilkan was unable to obtain any Mental Fragments from them. One of the required conditions was for at least the head to be intact.


    He ced the topic to the back of his head, climbing up the cliff using his Invoked Spirit, soon approaching the mistyyer as he muttered, "So, this is a ce that traps Invoked Spirits."

 Chapter ?688 Obtaining the Mysterious Mist

    Chapter ?688 Obtaining the Mysterious Mist


    The Invoked Spirit approached close to the mistyyer, stopping a metre away as Pilkan frowned in response, watching the trapped Eagle Invoked Spirits gradually dissolve as the mist seeped into them slowly.


    But suddenly, the eyes of his Invoked Spirit shone with starlight as it disyed momentary sentience, something impossible at the Invoker Stage as it condensed a spear and drilled into the cliff, soon making a small enough cave for Pilkan to be seated inside.


    Even though he was shocked, Pilkan had already be aware that his Invoked Spirit was different from the norm. Therefore, he simply let things y out their due course, for every time this happened, it was only to his benefit, saving him years of time and effort.


    The moment he entered the cave, the Invoked Spirit vanished, returning to his Dreand as the tattoo appeared on his forehead once again.


    And this time, Pilkan felt an urge to stare at the mistyyer, or rather at the Invoked Spirits being eaten by the mist. He focused on them, gradually casting his Dreand over them, the same way he absorbed Mental Fragments from a corpse.


    Normally, it was impossible to obtain the Mental Fragments of another Invoker''s Invoked Spirit. The reason was simple. Mental Fragments were like bricks while Invoked Spirits were like fully constructed houses, furnishing included.


    Disassembling the house, and removing one brick at a time was such a tedious process that it would take months to do so; no Invoker would patiently wait that long for his enemy.


    Moreover, the moment an Invoker dies, their Invoked Spirit dies as well. Things were different at a higher Stage, but that was an entirely different case, a level unattainable to the majority of the Invokers.


    Therefore, there was never an opportunity for an Invoker to obtain the Mental Fragments from an Invoked Spirit.


    But here, the Invokers had died while their Invoked Spirits were trapped in the mistyyer. The mist had interfered with them, trapping them while preventing them from simply dying. It was seeping into them and gradually eating them up.


    Therefore, it created the perfect opportunity for Pilkan as he focused on the closest Invoked Spirit, one that was trapped thetest, feeling intense resistance at the start, noticing his Mental Strength vanning at a rapid pace.


    But gradually, the Eagle Invoked Spirit''s Mental Fragments flowed into his Dreand. Shockingly, they weren''t pure Mental Fragments, but ones sporting a trace of the mist that had seeped into them.


    The mist was the sole reason they hadn''t vanished in the first ce, following the death of their Invoker.


    Therefore, when he absorbed the Mental Fragment, so did he obtain the mysterious mist. And immediately after, the moment it appeared in the Dreand, the Human Invoked Spirit sucked it into its eyes, storing it there, assimting it naturally.


    And the moment it assimted the mist into its eyes, Pilkan noticed the resistance he faced at absorbing the Mental Fragments from the mistyyer decrease in response, allowing him to absorb more by expending lower Mental Strength.


    With that, he absorbed most of the mist that had seeped into the Mental Fragments, allowing the Human Invoked Spirit to absorb it into its eye, making it further easy for him. It resulted in a beneficial cycle as Pilkan lost the flow of time, spending hours at the ce, only noticing what he had done after absorbing thest of the remaining Mental Fragment.


    By now, the Human Invoked Spirit had absorbed a tremendous volume of the mist, turning it into its power as that was what Pilkan could sense. He experimented a little following that, bringing out his Invoked Spirit as he made it condense a spear, watching it be covered with a faintyer of mist when he willed it.


    ''I have the power of the mist?'' He was shocked at the revtion, curbing his excitement in a hurry as he gently made the spear touch the mistyyer, noticing that it wasn''t affected. With that, he was assured that the mistyyer wouldn''t affect his Invoked Spirit.


    As it was only effective against Invoked Spirits, he could pass through it fine, for he had done so once already. Earlier, he was contemting a way in which his Invoked Spirit could throw him through the mistyyer with enough force while he could reim it right before he entered the mistyyer, summoning it immediately after exiting it.


    It would then carry him forward. He had to get both the force and timing of the two process right, a single error would result in him falling to his death and his Invoked Spirit getting trapped in the mist. But now, things had be many times easier as his Invoked Spirit covered itself with ayer of mist and directly passed through the mistyyer while carrying him on its shoulder.


    Soon after, Pilkan made his way to the top of the cliff, climbing to safety as he sighed in relief upon reaching the t ground. He retracted his Invoked Spirit, rather jubnt with his growth, for he had attained growth that took others years in the span of a day.


    This was not to mention him attaining the power of the mysterious mist, something impossible to obtain even if one spent decades in training. At most, the sessors of the most powerful of ns might have such abilities, derived from ces on the same level as the mistyyer.


    Grrr!


    His stomach rumbled as only now did he realise that he hadn''t eaten anything for almost a day, now famished as he hurriedly moved through the forest, intending to hunt for something to eat there. Unfortunately, the forest was too barren for wildlife as anything that lived there had long since been captured by the people in the nearby city to rear for their respective ns.


    After all, Invokers was a resource-intensive profession. So, any and all living creatures in the forest had been wiped out ages ago. If not for the fact that trees didn''t produce any Mental Fragments, they too would have been cleared out.


    Left with no other choice, Pilkan could only walk through the forest while bearing his hunger. He couldn''t unt his Human Invoked Spirit, for that would onlyplicate things further. Therefore, all he could do was tie a piece of cloth on his forehead, hiding his tattoo.


    Those unwilling to reveal the type of their Invoked Spirit typically did this too, though the gates at the city entrance forced them to reveal their type. So, the only way in which Pilkan could enter the city was through a back door, especially something used by an underground organisation.


    "I didn''t wish to mingle with bloodthirsty murders." He sighed, making his way towards the city, left with no other choice, forced into the path he had chosen the moment he stole the Human Invoker Crystal.

 Chapter 689: Wakttark City’s Backdoor

    Chapter 689: Wakttark City¡¯s Backdoor


    ¡°Get a move on!¡± A middle-aged man, his face covered by a strip of cloth spoke sharply, kicking a couple of captives, ¡°Move it, buffoons.¡±


    ¡°P-Please, spare us!¡± One of them, an old man in histe seventies pleaded, hoping to be freed of this torture when a whip pped his face, causing arge gash mark as the middle-aged man¡¯s angry outburst resounded.


    ¡°ves like you are no longer considered human. You¡¯re just meat, get it? Meat!¡± Heshed out the whip on the ground, shattering a rock from the impact as the sharp sound caused the people to flinch in response.


    The group of captives consisted of thirty humans, the majority of which were old people. The remainder were cripples, with none having the capability to fight against the armed guards escorting them.


    Even though there were just six armed guards, with the leader being one of them, the captives didn¡¯t dare resist. For, all six were Invokers, possessing Human Invoked Spirits at that.


    Currently, they were passing through a forest stretch, soon arriving at a haphazard clearing where an old well was situated. The pulley in the well was attached to a chair of sorts, meant to transport the captives using it.


    The well was empty and actually led to an underground tunnel. It had been cleared out just for this purpose, the dried-up underground stream now turned into a canal that led into the city. It was through this channel that they trafficked people in and out of the city.


    Currently, the captives originated from a vige situated thirty kilometres away, captured following a gue the vige faced. They were being transported for the sole reason to be turned into human Invoker Crystals.


    Wakttark City was one of thergest cities in the region, home to reigning ns that dominated the political sphere of the ce. And the grander the city, the deeper its murkiness.


    Operating at the bottommost rungs of Wakttark City¡¯s society was Hiwn, a criminal organisation that involved itself in drugs, human/animal trafficking, brothels, liquor, Invoker Crystals, assassination, information exchange, etc.


    Hiwn was a pretty powerful organisation, having branches in more than ten cities and at least in three major cities like Wakttark City.


    The middle-aged man threw an old man into the chair, ringing a bell as the chair began to descend into the well, the empty chair returning after a good couple of minutes had passed. One after another, the middle-aged man sent the people into the well.


    He had sent around ten people when suddenly, a couple of the guards took up arms in rm, ring at their surroundings.


    Hirrr!


    A feline leapt out, breaking a tree branch in response as its jaws clenched shut, crushing the branch. Spitting out the pieces, it pounced upon the closest guard.


    The guard shouted in response, ¡°It¡¯s an Inferior Grade Invoked Spirit!¡±


    The tattoo on his forehead shone before disappearing as a humanoid entity appeared beside him, looking no different to a human. The only difference was the mysterious set of garbs the Invoked Spirit donned, wrapped from head to toe in bandage over which a cloak stuck tight.


    Wrapped around the hand was a set of chains, resembling arge drum due to the sheer volume they upied. It was an Inferior Grade Invoked Spirit.


    The eyes of the Human Invoked Spirit glinted as it stared at the feline creature, spreading its feet apart to suddenly jump up like a spring, casually covering a height of two metres like it meant nothing.


    The chains on its hands unfurled, ones that danced like snakes as theyshed out onto the feline like whips, keeping it at bay.


    In response, the second guard brought out his Invoked Spirit too, one that resembled a four-year-old girl, sporting an innocent face and a pitiful expression.


    The girl¡¯s fearful eyes stared at the feline before she let out a high-pitched scream, the sound undtions causing blood to bleed from the captives.


    The feline felt difficulty in moving for a moment as the bandaged Invoked Spirit mmed into its sides, sending it flying into a tree.


    It then leapt forward, causing its chains to curl around the feline creature, tying it up to the tree, and preventing it from escaping.


    ¡°Heh, you should stop this futile resistance ande out, mydy.¡± The middle-aged man smirked casually, aware that only those backed by a n could be an Invoker.


    It was because only an Invoker could create Invoker Crystals, a necessary ingredient for the emergence of Invokers. And since the feline Invoked Spirit already took action, he was baiting its Invoker to step out.


    There was a rustle among the bushes nearby, spurred by his words as a figure rushed out, running away from the ce.


    The middle-aged man relied upon his sharp sight to notice that the Invoker was only a teenager, someone that took flight upon seeing that his n went to bust.


    He pped his palms, causing his Invoked Spirit to return, bringing it out again as he jumped onto it and rode it to flee the ce.


    Swoosh!


    The teenager didn¡¯t even understand what happened, noticing that he was on the ground now, shocked to see his Invoked Spirit lodged into the trunk of a tree that it had crashed into.


    He focused on its hind legs, noticing a hook pierced through it, the cause that tripped it, sending it flying into the tree trunk. The hook was connected to a fishing rod by a long, strong string.


    The fishing rod was held by a man¡ªHuman Invoked Spirit¡ªthat bore a close resemnce to the middle-aged man. Upon staring at his Human Invoked Spirit, the teenager shouted in rage, ¡°You bastard didn¡¯t even let go of your family?¡±


    ¡°My family?¡± The middle-aged man tilted his head before realising what the teenager was going on about, replying nonchntly, ¡°They asked me to choose between living as a cripple or being banished from my n for using a Human Invoker Crystal to be an Invoker.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± He grinned in response, ¡°I used them as the material for my Nascent Soul, and formed the strongest Invoked Spirit that¡¯s the perfect fit for me.¡±


    ¡°Inhuman bastard!¡± The teenager red as his Invoked Spirit propped him up, having disappeared once to reappear again. Though, even after this, the injuries it sustained remained on its body.


    If it were to get seriously injured, it might be destroyed, which was what happened with Pilkan¡¯s Eagle Invoked Spirit.


    The bandaged Invoked Spirit and the child Invoked Spirit were rushing at him as thetter¡¯s wails only caused a headache for the teenager, making it hard for him to concentrate.


    This meant that his control over the feline Invoked Spirit faltered, making it easy for the Human Invoked Spirits to gain an advantage.


    ¡°Gah!¡± The teenager slipped and fell to the ground, clutching his head as a ringing sound resounded nonstop in his head. This was the ability harnessed by the child Invoked Spirit.


    Nonbative it might be, but it was heavily disruptive in nature, especially against Invokers and Invoked Spirits, which formed the greatest constants of their world.


    So, they were pretty effective against the teenager that hadn¡¯t ever fought against a Human Invoked Spirit before, quickly cing him at a disadvantage before he was captured by the bandaged Invoked Spirit.


    ¡°Now, who do we have here? By how stealthy you acted, I assumed you were a girl. My bad though.¡± The middle-aged man smiled casually, only happy at the fact that he captured an Invoker.


    There were many ways in which someone like that could be used in their organisation. As not a single captive was killed, the middle-aged man simply treated this as a blessing in disguise.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­evil!¡± The teenager spat out in response before copsing to the ground, feeling his head spin due to the sounds emitted by the child Invoked Spirit.


    The feline Invoked Spirit had already returned to his Dreand, unable to exist in a manifested state with his concentration broken.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± The middle-aged manughed in response, mimicking his actions while pointing at a guard, ¡°You¡¯re¡­evil!¡±


    ¡°Boss, why don¡¯t you leave him in my care?¡± One of the guards said, ¡°Given his way of life, his Mental Fragments would prove beneficial for my growth.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Are you mad?¡± The middle-aged man snorted in disdain, ¡°Your limit is being an Inferior Invoker. It¡¯s too much of a waste to consume this boy¡¯s Mental Fragments. It¡¯s better to sell him to our superiors and rake in some cash.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that better for us?¡± He said, ¡°The lot of us are bound to be Inferior Invokers for the rest of our lives anyway, so might as well focus less on it and enjoy life.¡±


    ¡°Sure, you can go ahead and enjoy.¡± Suddenly, a mocking sound resounded, following which the figure of a boy sauntered in, his gait confident, oozing a sharp gaze.


    ¡°Another rat daring to act like a hero?¡± The middle-aged man snorted in response, intending tomand the guards to capture him too when he noticed in shock at how the boy continued to walk calmly, as if he owned the ce.


    ¡°Lead the way, or die.¡± Pilkan said in all seriousness as a spear flew from the woods and mmed into a tree next to the middle-aged man, piercing through it easily, startling everyone as Pilkan¡¯s voice echoed, emanating killing intent, ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself.¡±

 Chapter 690: Invoked Spirit Training

    Chapter 690: Invoked Spirit Training


    Invoked Spirits were pretty much lifeless dolls with tremendous potential. The potential stemmed from the content of the Mental Fragments used to create them. But, unless it was realised, this potential meant nothing.


    In the example of a Cat Invoked Spirit, it might have the potential to move like a cat and execute extreme actions very rarely exhibited by cats. And the sheer difference originated from the fact that a cat had a flesh and blood body with its limitations while a Cat Invoked Spirit did not.


    This meant that, without any limitation, a Cat Invoked Spirit was able to exhibit all traits of cats without any limit. And depending on the way it was created, it might be able to take a cat¡¯s abilities to the extreme.


    But, this too was only potential. To realise it, the Invoker has to train, just like they did their own body. There were plenty of differences though.


    As the Invoked Spirit¡¯s body wasn¡¯t flesh and blood, but formed from Mental Fragments, its limits too were mentally umted. Meaning, they were limited by the extent of the Invoker¡¯s imagination.


    An Invoked Spirit trained no different from a normal creature in that it repeated the same exercise over and over. But, this only had an effect when done in the Dreand, which was why it was most important to form a harmonious Dreand.


    Not only does the Dreand have to be a ce where the Invoked Spirit could livefortably, but it should also serve as its training ground.


    It was like a dream a person experienced. The first time, irrespective of how real it felt, the person might forget most of the details when they woke up. But, after going through the same dream many times, they tend to remember everything and also notice the subtle details.


    That wasn¡¯t all, when the same dream is repeated, even the dream itself is constructed with more details.


    By training, the Invoked Spirit bes more and moreplex, rearranging its Mental Fragments into a more efficient form. And, by repeating the training exercises, the Invoker¡¯s vision regarding what his Invoked Spirit could do would solidify.


    If the Invoker wasn¡¯t aware of what his Invoked Spirit could do, he was useless.


    Invoked Spirits didn¡¯t have any physical senses. So, when an Invoked Spirit touched something, there was no feedback that told the Invoker of the same. Therefore, every action had to be calcted precisely. There was no concept of a reflex with an Invoked Spirit.


    And this was what the training meant. The Invoker would have to make the Invoked Spirit repeat the same action hundreds of thousands of times in the Dreand until even the most minute of its twitching would make sense to the Invoker.


    This would imply that if it did the same in reality, the Invoker would be able to understand its pose, the strength it applies in each of its body parts, the extent of its ability being used, the resistance it faced from the opponent, the effect the environment had on it, etc.


    All this data would be apparent to the Invoker, allowing them to control the Invoked Spirit perfectly. This was what an Invoker had to train.


    And, it was precisely this reason that the middle-aged man was nervous, feeling sweat drench his back. After all, a spear had pierced through the tree beside him in such a way that its shaft had ended up right before his face, close enough for his eyshes to touch it when he blinked.


    This was a startling level of control, something only attained by an expert that had trained his Invoked Spirit for decades.


    But what was terrifying was the fact that the source, Pilkan was only a teenager. This only meant one thing. Someone of such a calibre could only be produced from the strongest of ns. He might probably be the sessor to somerge n.


    And despite being part of the Hiwn criminal organisation, the middle-aged man dared not go against the other party. If he dared do something to the most probable representative of somerge force, Hiwn would simply deliver him on a silver tter to appease the opposing force.


    There was no concept of unity in Hiwn where it was every man for himself, especially since they all cultivated Human Invoked Spirits, which meant they could prey upon their peers.


    Even though Pilkan¡¯s Invoked Spirit didn¡¯t reveal itself, the middle-aged man could observe the sturdiness of the spear before him, realising that the other party¡¯s foundation was horrifying. And, it was apparent that Pilkan had a Human Invoked Spirit too, which meant that he could prey upon them all if the need arises.


    As Invokers need to imagine and train their Invoked Spirits, controlling Human Invoked Spirits was the easiest, since they corrted with the mental image of themselves. Therefore, the growth of Invokers with Human Invoked Spirits was the fastest, not to mention them being the strongest at the same level just for this reason.


    Therefore, the fact that all the guards felt overwhelmed at the mere sight of the spear meant that they couldn¡¯t go against this foe.


    ¡®Even though he¡¯s an Inferior Invoker like me, the arrangement of the Mental Fragments in this spear is perfect.¡¯ The middle-aged man thought, adapting to the situation as he bowed, ¡°Does the young master want me to lead the way to our boss?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Pilkan nodded in response before ring at the middle-aged man¡¯s Invoked Spirit, ¡°Keep it out only if you wish to fight me.¡±


    ¡°T-That was my mistake.¡± The middle-aged man hurriedly retracted his Invoked Spirit and told the rest of the guards to do the same.


    Pilkan then stared at the teenager that had been caught, seeing the other party regaining rity of mind, ¡°Knock him out before he pulls another shenanigan like before.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The middle-aged man acted no different to Pilkan¡¯sckey, hurriedly doing as told as he motioned at the rest of the guards to focus on transporting the people, including the captured Invoker.


    He then motioned for Pilkan to follow him, leading the way through the well, heading in first before weing him at the bottom of the well.


    ¡°Please follow me.¡± The middle-aged man said, leading the way through the narrow, moist tunnel, at the sides of which were mysterious luminescent gems acting asmps, lighting up the pathway.


    They walked for more than ten minutes in response, going through multiple checkpoints before climbing a flight of stairs as the middle-aged man pointed at the room that appeared, ¡°My boss is here.¡±


    Pilkan entered it, shocked to see the other party seated inside, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

 Chapter 691: Hitlawn Executive

    Chapter 691: Hiwn Executive


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Pilkan eximed in shock, startling the middle-aged man, ¡°Sister!¡±


    ¡®T-The Sapphire Executive is his sister?¡¯ The middle-aged man almost fainted in response, for even though he behaved subserviently now, he had mocked Pilkan at the start.


    ¡°Close the door and get out.¡± Thedy seated in the room stared at the middle-aged man with amanding tone, causing the other party to run out in a hurry.


    Pilkan stared in shock before scowling in response, ¡°Are you really my sister?¡±


    ¡°How long has it been¡­¡± Thedy didn¡¯t seem to mind his expression as she pondered casually, eyes lighting up as she smiled gently, ¡°It has been eight years. I almost couldn¡¯t recognise you.¡±


    Pilkan had two siblings in total, an older and a younger sister. Among them, the older sister was proimed dead by the Lan n officials as too many Invokers died during that time, a disastrous battle with variouspeting powers.


    Peika, his older sister was just one of the hundreds of Invokers that lost their lives back then. At least, that was what was supposed to be. But, not only was she alive, but also assumed a position of power in Hiwn, a criminal organisation.


    ¡°H-How?¡± Pilkan failed to iterate his confusion.


    ¡°Take a seat first.¡± Peika sighed as she pointed at the seat before her. She then snapped her finger as a servant entered the room and poured them tea before exiting in a hurry. Judging by the nervousness the servant disyed, Peika wasn¡¯t a mere boss, but someone above that.


    Upon seeing that Pilkan refrained from touching the teacup, Peika sighed subtly as she took a sip of her tea, beginning to speak, ¡°Do you remember the war from eight years ago?¡±


    ¡°The nbelled it a disaster.¡± Pilkan nodded, ¡°Father said it many times that the losses suffered from that disaster were so much that the n would need at least three decades to recover from.¡±


    ¡°He said that?¡± Peika seemed rather interested in that fact before she continued, ¡°But, it seems you don¡¯t know what truly happened back then.¡±


    Upon seeing him nod, she continued, ¡°The disaster stemmed from a Conjurer¡¯s Grave going out of control.¡±


    ¡°Conjurer¡¯s Grave?¡± Pilkan tilted his head, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the stage above an Ascender, the peak of what an Invoker could attain.¡± Peika said, ¡°Invokers are sub-divided into Inferior, Common, and Superior based on their Mental Strength and the development of their Dreand. Superior Invokers are those that had basicallypleted the construction of their Dreand.¡±


    ¡°Above that is an Ascender, one whose Invoked Spirit attains sentience.¡± She smiled in response, ¡°This is an unsurmountable step for the majority of Invokers. Every Ascender is the head of the force he/she resides in. This is the known peak of the world. But in truth, there lies a stage above this.¡±


    Her voice turned solemn as Peika said, ¡°Conjurer.¡±


    ¡°Conjurer¡­¡± Pilkan muttered the word, noticing his Invoked Spirit twitch in response. He felt mildly confused before deciding to hear his sister¡¯s exnation first.


    ¡°When you can manifest your Dreand into reality is when you be a Conjurer.¡± She said, her voice turning mildly high pitched, ¡°And, the Dreands of Conjurers exist even after their death. This is where disasters stem forth.¡±


    ¡°Manifesting a Dreand into reality¡­¡± Pilkan muttered, shuddering in response as he said, ¡°Does that mean all the rules existing in that Dreand take effect?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Peika nodded, ¡°Anyone trapped in that Dreand would be gradually turned into Mental Fragments to further grow it. Dreands are disasters that would continue to grow and consume every living being in their path. But, it also means that if you manage to control its Invoked Spirit, you can harvest resources from the Dreand itself.¡±


    She said, ¡°Dreands produce Invoker Crystals naturally inrge numbers. So, the one that controls it can create arge enough n and rule over the entire region.¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡± She stared at Pilkan, making eye contact to say, ¡°Eight years ago, we discovered a Dreand left behind by a Conjurer three centuries ago. Shockingly, he was a Human Invoker.¡±


    ¡°ns from all over the ce participated to gain control over it, resulting in terrifying casualties.¡± Peika smiled wryly, ¡°And, it seemed all of us had underestimated the ridiculousness of a Human Conjurer¡¯s Dreand. The majority of us were decimated. And while I was tethering on the border of death there, with my Invoked Spirit destroyed, I chance upon a Human Invoker Crystal.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how I became a Human Invoker and survived the ordeal, gaining a lot of benefits from that ce.¡± She sighed, ¡°But, it also meant that I could no longer return to the n.¡±


    ¡°But, the Lan n is also attempting to create Human Invoker Crystals.¡± Pilkan said, ¡°So, why don¡¯t you return and at least make mom and dad know that you¡¯re alive? They haven¡¯t smiled after your death.¡±


    ¡°A Hiwn Executive entering the Lan n?¡± Peikaughed mockingly, ¡°That¡¯s enough for everyone to be beheaded.¡±


    ¡°Our situation isn¡¯t all that different now.¡± Pilkan gritted his teeth, saying, ¡°P is being forced to be a concubine of a bastard from the main family. Mom has been sick for the past few weeks while dad has been pushing himself to save money for her treatment. Too many bastards are plotting against him.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Peika let out a breath of air, staring at Pilkan, ¡°That¡¯s why I made arrangements for that Superior Human Invoker Crystal to fall into your hands.¡±


    ¡°You¡­made what?¡± Pilkan was shocked, staring at his older sister with an incredulous gaze.


    ¡°How else do you think you managed to infiltrate their treasury and make it out alive?¡± Peika smirked in response, ¡°Though, I hadn¡¯t ounted for the n to react as fast as they did. I¡¯m sorry, that was my oversight. Thankfully,¡±


    She shed a pleasant smile, ¡°You managed to survive and even made your way to me. I¡¯m surprised to say you¡¯ve exceeded my expectations.¡±


    ¡°Sister, what exactly are you¡­I mean, in Hiwn.¡± Pilkan said, able to feel that his sister hardly resembled the gentle girl from his memories.


    ¡°I¡¯m the head of this branch,¡± Peika smiled, ¡°One of Hiwn¡¯s three founding executives.¡±

 Chapter 692: Mission Center

    Chapter 692: Mission Center


    ¡°I¡¯m the head of this branch,¡± Peika smiled, ¡°One of Hiwn¡¯s three founding executives.¡±


    ¡°An Ascender by the title of Sapphire Executive.¡±


    ¡°Ascender?¡± Pilkan was startled to say the least, eximing in surprise, ¡°You¡¯ve surpassed the Invoker Stage?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Peika nodded in response.


    ¡°Then, that means you¡¯re on the same level as our n Head.¡± Pilkan said in excitement, ¡°Then sister, let¡¯s save mom first. With your strength, we can get enough medicine for her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not possible.¡± Peika said, watching his expression copse immediately, sighing as she said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that I have a Human Invoked Spirit. So, I can never show myself out in the open. If I do, it wouldn¡¯t just be the Lan n thates after me, but pretty much every organisation that operates in the open.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡± Pilkan sighed, shaking his head, intending to say something when Peika interrupted.


    ¡°But, I¡¯ve been helping mom in secret all along. Even though I haven¡¯t revealed myself, our parents are pretty smart. They might have put together things by now.¡± She shed a subtle smile, ¡°I¡¯ll continue to help them in secret. And if anyone dares take action on them¡­¡±


    Her eyes turned vicious as Peika said with a chilling tone, ¡°They¡¯ll be decimated.¡±


    As the head of a criminal organisation, Peika had all the capabilities to see through whatever she said. She herself was strong enough to oppose the Lan n Head. Therefore, she truly didn¡¯t have anything to fear. After all, she had a Human Invoked Spirit, stronger than others at the same level as her.


    She then stared at Pilkan, smiling upon seeing him drink the tea. It was a subtle indication that he was on her side. For a moment, upon seeing how big he had grown aspared to when shest saw him, her eyes turned a tad moist.


    But, she wasn¡¯t as melodramatic as people her age, having truly been through hell multiple times, not to mention being subjected to horrors as the head of a criminal organisation. Her hands weren¡¯t clean in the slightest.


    And, now that Pilkan too arrived here, she was aware that he would traverse the same path as her. But, even if she desired otherwise, there wasn¡¯t any better option for Pilkan, someone with a Human Invoked Spirit.


    Therefore, her only choice was to support Pilkan until he grew enough to protect himself in this dangerous environment.


    ¡°You came here to join Hiwn, right?¡± She asked, sighing upon seeing him nod, ¡°There¡¯s one condition that you must always follow.¡±


    Her voice turned serious as she said, ¡°Never reveal your identity to anyone beyond our organisation, including our family. Protect them in secret. And, if someone were to learn of your identity¡­¡±


    Her tone turned chilly, ¡°Eliminate them on the spot. That¡¯s all you need to care about.¡±


    She then took out a badge that she handed over, saying, ¡°Keep this with you.¡±


    The badge was kite-shaped, seemingly made out of sapphire, possessing a mild glint. It felt hard to the touch as Pilkan observed it, asking in response, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°A badge containing my authority. Having it means you report directly to me.¡± Peika said, ¡°This will help make your life easier in Hiwn. If you want any resources, money, or anything else, head to the Mission Center and pick a mission of your choice. If youplete it, you¡¯ll be rewarded ordingly.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thanks, sis.¡± Pilkan left the room, still reeling from the shock of everything he had seen and heard, unable to digest the fact that his sister was still alive. Though, it was also apparent that his sister had changed, greatly so.


    The once kind and gentle Peika was no more, reced by a tyrant that hasmitted all the atrocities one could imagine.


    So, he was having mixed feelings about it, wondering as he made his way through what seemed to be an underground cave, filled with stairs that headed in every which way.


    After asking for directions, he arrived at the Missions Center. There was a guard stationed there, a Superior Invoker that was a rather famous assassin. He was generally the one that took charge of killing the young masters and misuses of powerful ns.


    ¡°Your rank?¡± The guard stopped Pilkan, asking curtly.


    ¡®Rank?¡¯ Pilkan wasn¡¯t aware of what the guard was asking about. But, there was one thing that could solve his situation as he took out the sapphire badge and showed it to the guard.


    ¡°Are you new here?¡± The guard only raised an eyebrow before asking him, ¡°You reek of a freshwater fish.¡±


    ¡°Freshwater fish?¡± Pilkan tilted his head.


    ¡°It means someone that hasn¡¯t bathed in the blood of his enemies yet.¡± A passer-bymented casually and entered the building.


    ¡°You need to set up your identity first. Only after that can you ept missions.¡± The guard said, pointing at a nearby building, ¡°Even in a criminal organisation, everything is organised.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Pilkan nodded in response and headed to the nearby building, creating his identity which waspleted in a jiffy once he shed his sapphire badge. His sister truly was the person that headed the ce.


    He was then allowed entry into the Missions Center, a building that practically hung down from the ceiling of the underground cave.


    There once existed a massive pond, an underground reservoir of water beneath Wakttark City. During the intense conflict eight years ago, it dried up. At that time, Peika chanced upon the ce and reinforced it, turning it into the hideout of the Hiwn criminal organisation that she founded with the help of herrades.


    There were discrete wells located throughout the city that led to this location, the means used by the criminals to execute a variety of tasks.


    Pilkan entered the building, noticing tiny wooden bs posted all over the walls as a team of servants constantly jutted about, changing the wooden bs as the Invokers obtained them one after another.


    Once someone epted a mission, the respective wooden b would be removed from the wall. Curious to see what sort of missions existed, Pilkan was just about to look at them when his eyes fell upon a servant that added a new batch of wooden bs to the wall.


    His gaze focused on one of them, surprised to read the details of the mission.


    [Assassinate the Lan n¡¯s treasury keeper that fled]

 Chapter 693: Giving Chase

    Chapter 693: Giving Chase


    ¡°Dad, just what happened?¡± A girl shouted in a hurry upon seeing her family load all their valuables in a carriage that sped out of the city. ¡°Why are we fleeing from the n?¡±


    ¡°Why else?¡± Her father snapped back in response, ¡°I failed to protect a valuable object. So, unless you wish to be demoted into the lowest of branch families and serve the n for the rest of your life, we have to escape.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± The girl sighed, muttering in disappointment, ¡°Too bad. There was a lot left for me to do back there.¡±


    She then thought of something, watching the carriage enter a forest trail, looking back to see that none were chasing after them, asking her father, ¡°But dad, how will we develop our powers after this? Only the Lan n rears the eagles. Without that, we can never grow stronger.¡±


    ¡°Forget about using your Invoker powers for the rest of your life.¡± The man said solemnly, ¡°We¡¯ll have to live in hiding until we travel somewhere far away. If we cannot escape the Lan n¡¯s influence, we¡¯ll have to refrain from using our Invoked Spirits.¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡± The girl grunted in anger, clutching her head, ¡°I¡¯m way too talented to avoid training. I have a shot at bing an Ascender.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s life.¡± The man sighed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t me it on life, old man.¡± The girl snapped at him, ¡°It¡¯s your oversight that caused this mess in the first ce. Why couldn¡¯t you just do your job properly?¡±


    ¡°This brat!¡± The man snapped back in response, ¡°You¡¯re ming me now? I worked nonstop just to support your growth. And now you dare to me me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go back to that.¡± The girl argued, ¡°You always do that whenever you make a mistake. I don¡¯t have a future now. So of course, I¡¯m pissed.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, the both of you.¡± The girl¡¯s mother said, keeping an eye out on things as she sighed, ¡°You needn¡¯t worry about the eagles. As long as we escape, we can procure the eagles somehow.¡±


    ¡°Mom, is there a way?¡± The girl felt hope immediately.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Her mother nodded in response, ¡°Even though the Lan n controls all the eagles, that¡¯s only in this region. It¡¯s not as if they wiped out all eagles from the world. So, we only need to head towards a ce where there are still eagles left.¡±


    ¡°Who knows, maybe we might find a better variant of them that allows us to grow further.¡± She smiled subtly before making eye contact with the girl, ¡°But first, we much keep a level-headed approach. Only then will we survive in this dangerous world.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± The girl nodded in response, staring up to see her brother seated calmly, not uttering a word from the start. They were a family of four, originating from the main family line of the Lan n.


    Her father was the grandson of the previous generation Lan n Head. So, they formed one of the main lines. Though, that didn¡¯t matter much in the long term, for every generation in the main family line had plenty of children.


    This meant that there were too manypeting siblings vying for the resources. Among them, the man that was fleeing wasn¡¯t worthy enough, gradually being pushed back until it seemed like he would be demoted to a branch family status.


    If they failed to contribute anything significant, then it was a known fact that his children would indeed be demoted to branch family status. This meant that his grandchildren would only obtain Common Eagle Invoker Crystals.


    And that would only continue to fall until it bes an Inferior Eagle Invoker Crystal, creating a vicious cycle until even the head of their family would have to struggle to obtain an Inferior Eagle Invoker Crystal.


    There was conflict everywhere. And despite being siblings, they had to fight for resources, as the man had beenpeting against more than ten siblings of his.


    As he failed to capture Pilkan, his future in the Lan n was no more. He stared at a trunk kept secure in the carriage, one filled with valuables, enough for them to buy an estate in another city and live afortable life.


    As he manned a treasury, before he fled, he helped himself to a sufficient extent of the Lan n¡¯s valuables. And, he ensured to steal those that he would have afortable time either selling or making use of to establish himself.


    Swoosh!


    The eyes of the boy, one that had been silently travelling along with them shot open as he muttered in all seriousness, ¡°Someone¡¯s tailing us.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Everyone became rmed as a result, staring at the back of their carriage to see a group of people chasing after them on horseback.


    There were four people in total, with one at the front and two at the side, acting as escorts to the one in the centre of the formation. All four were donned in dark garbs, covering their faces, apparent that they wished to hide their identities.


    ¡°Shit! We need to hurry.¡± The man eximed in shock as he instructed the coachman to drive faster, causing him to whip their horses to urge them to move faster.


    Among the chasers, situated in the centre of the formation was of course Pilkan. The mission details specified a team of four, for among the family of four, three were Common Invokers while the mother was a Superior Invoker.


    So, it needed a team to take care of the assassination, a reason the mission was meant for a team of four.


    Of course, Pilkan didn¡¯t know anyone, for he had just joined Hiwn. But, with his sister to take care of things, it was easy as she sent talented Invokers to team up with him.


    ¡°Boy, just observe us fight, alright?¡± The leader of the group, a youth in histe twenties, named Runka, said in seriousness, ¡°We¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±


    He was a Superior Invoker and was strong enough for Peika to make him in charge of Pilkan¡¯s safety. The fact that he had an Ascender¡¯s trust was a testament to his strength.


    ¡°I can fight too.¡± Pilkan said, ¡°I¡¯m not entirely helpless, as long as they are Inferior Invokers.¡±


    ¡°But still, we have to follow the leader¡¯s orders.¡± Fowma, thedy travelling to his right said, winking once, ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll create an opportunity for you to attack. So, until then, stay put with me, alright?¡±

 Chapter 694: Leading Their Targets

    Chapter 694: Leading Their Targets


    Hiwn had dispatched four assassins in total to kill the escapees of the Lan n. The one that put up this mission was the Lan n itself. After all, they couldn¡¯t kill their own family members, especially those hailing from the main family line.


    If word of it got out, it would be a blow to their reputation. And hence, theymissioned Hiwn. And in truth, the major ns were the biggest customers of Hiwn, a reason this criminal organisation could exist to date.


    In tricky situations like this, the task would be given to Hiwn. Neither the reputation nor the consequences of these actions would affect the ns that put up the mission. All infamy would be borne by Hiwn.


    So, it was somewhat of a win-win situation for both.


    To the ns, the high price required for the assassination wasn¡¯t a problem, in contrast to the perceivable blow to their reputation if they killed one of their own.


    Upon seeing their targets increase their speed, Runka frowned for a moment as he snapped his finger. Immediately after, a human appeared beside him, his Invoked Spirit.


    It spanned a height of five metres, a hulking giant that was running alongside them, easily keeping up with the horses. The Invoked Spirit was donned in what seemed to be a set of armour, as if built into its body.


    But, it was light armour, not hindering it much. Though, there was nothing to hinder as the Invoked Spirit possessed insurmountable might. It only had a pair of arms like a normal human, but they were ripped.


    Held on the left was a bow. Its right took out an arrow from its quiver that contained around thirty arrows, nocking one on the bowstring to pull it.


    Pilkan gulped in nervousness upon seeing the draw length of the bow, aware that the arrow would possess tremendous power, enough to shatter through walls easily thanks to the giant bow.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a waste of Mental Fragments?¡± Pilkan whispered to Fowma, thedy riding to his right, ¡°It seems each arrow requires Mental Fragments from more than one human at the very least.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, these are his regr arrows.¡± Fowmamented casually, ¡°They only require three humans per arrow. You must see his superior arrows. They are on a whole other level.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± She smiled, ¡°They aren¡¯t a waste. Runka only uses his arrows against strong opponents. His Invoked Spirit can simply crush the heads of weak people on its own. So, there¡¯s no problem in umting enough Mental Fragments.¡±


    Swoosh!


    Runka¡¯s Invoked Spirit released the arrow, watching it hum through the air before mming into the wheels of the carriage, shattering it to smithereens, causing the people inside to shriek in response.


    Their eagles were a bad matchup against him, for they couldn¡¯t defend against his arrows without injuring themselves.


    And considering the power disyed by his arrows, the Lan n family hesitated in sustaining damage to their Invoked Spirits just to protect their carriage.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± The girl screamed in fright, jumping onto her eagle at thest moment to cushion her fall, taking flight as she carried the trunk full of valuables with her.


    The rest of her family too took flight, carrying their valuables as they sped through the air, intending to escape as quickly as possible. They had intended to conserve their Mental Strength before, but now that assassins were hot on their tails, they couldn¡¯t hold back any longer.


    ¡°Good, they¡¯ve taken flight now.¡± Runka smiled in response before turning left, staring at the girl that seemed younger than Pilkan, ¡°He, keep a track of them.¡±


    ¡°Already on it.¡± He nodded, showing a palm-sized human on her hands. It was her Invoked Spirit.


    ¡°Why is it so tiny?¡± Pilkan was surprised, ¡°Aren¡¯t all Invoked Spirits at least as big as their source¡­¡±


    It was at this time that a thought shed through his mind, causing his face to pale as he stared at the girl with an incredulous gaze.


    In response, He closed her eyes, turning her head sideways, not intending to speak further.


    ¡®Impossible!¡¯ Pilkan felt an urge to puke the longer he stared at her Invoked Spirit.


    Considering its size, there was only one possibility: Its Mental Fragments were sourced from human foetuses.


    And considering that they were only foetuses, at most one or two Mental Fragments could be sourced from each. Therefore, he felt revulsed, thinking of the sheer number of foetuses He would have killed just to create her Invoked Spirit.


    ¡°Her circumstances were difficult.¡± Fowma patted him, ¡°So, don¡¯t look at her like that.¡±


    ¡°A-Alright.¡± Pilkan could only nod in response and hold in his revulsion. Only now did it dawn on him that he was part of a criminal organisation. ¡®Indeed, murder, theft, organ trafficking, etc. are all bread and butter to them.¡¯


    Even though Pilkan didn¡¯t ask for the reason for his actions, Runka exined on his own initiative, ¡°If those with an Eagle Invoked Spirit wished to escape, we cannot pursue them. But, once I destroyed their carriage, I¡¯m leading their actions.¡±


    Seeing his confusion, Runka exined, retracting his Invoked Spirit, ¡°You see, our Mental Strength is limited. As their eagles are carrying them and whatever luggage they possess, it takes a harder toll on their Mental Strength. And unless they wish to faint from exhaustion, they would stop somewhere to rest and recover.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll try to procure another carriage.¡± He smiled, watching Fowma reveal a map as he pointed at a town farther away, ¡°They¡¯ll make a beeline to this town before setting off into the Immortal Graveyard. That¡¯s the surest way to escape the Lan n¡¯s influence and avoid our pursuit. We¡¯ll be facing them there.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s impressive.¡¯ Pilkan¡¯s eyes lit up in amazement, observing that Runka had things under control, leading his target to their trap casually.


    Fowma was pretty level-headed, and even though she hadn¡¯t revealed her Invoked Spirit yet, upon seeing the confidence Runka ced in her, it was apparent that she was pretty strong.


    And the one that ensured Runka¡¯s schemes were carried out fully was He, possessing tracking capabilities as she was able to sense the position of their targets now that she had marked them.


    Runka¡¯s arrow was to create a window for her to mark them in the first ce.


    ¡®They¡¯re on a different level.¡¯ This was Pilkan¡¯s honest opinion as he travelled with them, quickly making their way through the region, taking a shortcut to their destination to reach there before their targets.

 Chapter 695: A Crappy Family of Four

    Chapter 695: A Crappy Family of Four


    Kieee!


    An Eagle Invoked Spirit let out a chirp as it sailed through the skies, shing its metallic body as it carried a man on its back. He was Duketace, the same individual that had chased after Pilkan before. And now, he was fleeing for safety.


    He had been flying for the past hour, feeling bouts of exhaustion creep into his mind, having expended most of his Mental Energy. He looked around, noticing that his children were even worse off, for even though they were Common Invokers like him, their foundation wascking inparison.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there. Hold on for a few more minutes.¡± His wife, Sturr said, not breaking a sweat, for she was a Superior Invoker. Currently, she was carrying most of their valuables, for it was safer in her hands.


    All four of them had used a Superior Invoker Crystal to forge their Nascent Souls. So, all of them had the potential to be Superior Invokers in the future.


    ¡°Heppeturn Town is close by.¡± She said, noticing the silhouette of a row of buildings far away. She then scanned through the region, pointing at a ce nearby to say, ¡°We¡¯ll camp there.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Duketace nodded and descended immediately, sighing as he retracted his Invoked Spirit and began to rest, lying t on the ground.


    His children though, set up afortable seating space before resting. They had been in the Lan n from childhood. Therefore, struggling due to ack of necessities was never their concern.


    This was why, instead of just taking a seat on the ground, they ensured theirfort needs were met first, even though they were fleeing for their lives now.


    Sturr shot a nce of disappointment at all three before turning around to walk towards the town, ¡°Stay here. I¡¯ll return with a carriage.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯lle with you, mom.¡± Ko, the girl got up with a start and followed her mother, apanying her to the town. The reason was simple. She felt safer with her mother than with the rest.


    Following her mother wasn¡¯t a decision that stemmed out of concern but was spurred by selfish motives.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Sturr nodded and continued to walk, not sparing another nce at her daughter. All four had pretty crappy personalities in one way or another.


    Once they went far away, Duketace sighed, staring at his son, Fenn that went into a meditative state immediately after, not wasting even a single moment, ¡°Are you close to attaining a breakthrough?¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Fenn replied, ¡°My Dreand isn¡¯t harmonious enough with my Invoked Spirit. I n to be an Ascender, so I won¡¯t rush through things andy out a solid foundation in my Dreand.¡±


    ¡°That might be better.¡± Duketace nodded, expressing mild regret, ¡°I had rushed through things back then, which is why I¡¯m still a Common Invoker. My Dreand¡¯s foundation isn¡¯t enough to make me a Superior Invoker.¡±


    ¡°But dad¡­¡± Fenn said after a while, ¡°Why did you screw up this bad? I mean, it¡¯s unheard of for a thief to break into our n¡¯s treasury.¡±


    ¡°Who exactly was this thief?¡±


    ¡°A brat from a branch family.¡± Duketace gritted his teeth, ¡°He went and died in the end under the Bottomless Mist Valley. I can¡¯t even bring up his corpse from there.¡±


    The Bottomless Mist Valley was where Pilkan fell through at the start and became a Human Invoker. It was a region rarely frequented by the people, because it was simply a death trap. None that entered the ce managed to return and hence, it was dubbed to be bottomless.


    ¡°It¡¯s somewhat strange that a branch family brat managed to slip through all the defensive patrols of the treasury.¡± Fenn then raised an eye of suspicion at Duketace, ¡°Were you cking on the job? Or did you receive a bribe?¡±


    ¡°Are you mad?¡± Duketace red in anger, ¡°Would I risk our lives and status just for a mere bribe?¡±


    ¡°I thought you might¡­¡± Fenn muttered under his breath. Though, even though he didn¡¯t intend for it to be audible, Duketace still managed to catch it, gritting his teeth in response.


    The two stopped talking, for it seemed that if they continued, the father and son might engage in a conflict soon after.


    ¡®Where did I go wrong to end up with these leech-like children of mine?¡¯ Duketace sighed, massaging his forehead as he drank a medicine that helped with a faster recovery of his Mental Strength.


    Once he drank the medicine, he began to meditate.


    Fenn observed his actions, notmenting on the matter as his eyes trailed upon the trunk where the most valuable of treasures were kept. The contents in the trunk were taken right out of the Lan n¡¯s treasury.


    So for a moment, Fenn intended to slip away with it. But after some thought, he refrained from that, ¡®I cannot guarantee my safety as a Common Invoker.¡¯


    At present, only his mother was a Superior Invoker. And he had to rely upon her strength to ensure his safety, ¡®At least, until I be a Superior Invoker.¡¯


    His lips curled up a little, shing a subtle smile, ¡®After that, I¡¯ll establish my own n by taking over a vige.¡¯


    His hand clutched a mysterious crystal in his sleeve, one that allowed him to morph his Nascent Soul¡¯s type a little. Of course, it was one of the, if not the most important treasure in the Lan n¡¯s treasury.


    Fenn had used his father¡¯s authority to slip into the treasury to snatch this. And it was his actions that resulted in Pilkan having an easier time going through the treasury.


    Fenn had no intentions to reveal his actions, for he nned to betray his own family the moment the opportunity arises and venture out to forge a life of his own.


    That was why, he was rather content with the current state of things, focusing on bettering his strength without wasting a single moment. ¡®Hiwn should be catching up to us by now.¡¯


    Yawn!


    After a while, Duketace yawned, feeling bored as he muttered, ¡°What¡¯s taking them so long?¡±


    As he stretched his limbs, his feet nudged the trunk a little, causing him to frown in response upon seeing it shake, ¡®Considering its weight, it shouldn¡¯t budge this much though.¡¯


    He then nudged it, noticing it move easily, startled in shock as he hurriedly unlocked the trunk, screaming, ¡°That bitch!¡±


    He looked at Fenn in rage, ¡°She betrayed us!¡±

 Chapter 696: An Ambitious Fenn

    Chapter 696: An Ambitious Fenn


    ¡°They are splitting up,¡± He said all of a sudden.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Runka didn¡¯t bat an eye at the change, ¡°Our target is Duketace, and him alone. Whether or not we kill the rest of his family is our wish.¡±


    ¡°Is it alright to leave them be though?¡± Pilkan asked, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t they exact revenge on Hiwn after losing a family member?¡±


    ¡°You know Duketace¡¯s character,¡± Runka smiled as he gazed at Pilkan, ¡°So, what do you think they would do?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll flee to make their own n in the future.¡± Pilkan sighed, ¡°They wouldn¡¯t even bat an eye to betray each other if it was beneficial to them.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, so we only need toplete our mission.¡± Runka nodded, ¡°There¡¯s no reason to risk our lives to kill the rest. We¡¯re not getting paid for it anyway.¡±


    He patted Pilkan¡¯s shoulder, ¡°The way to survive the longest as an assassin is by staying to the limits of the mission. Never work more than necessary. The pay is lucrative enough anyway.¡±


    ¡°So, we are better off spending the excess money to train and develop ourselves.¡±


    ¡®So, they aren¡¯t just bloodthirsty murderers.¡¯ Pilkan nodded in response as under He¡¯s directions, they began to make a trap for Duketace, ignoring the rest. But, unlike the rest, Pilkan didn¡¯t n on letting any of the family of four scot-free.


    They had caused a lot of sufferings for his family. So, he didn¡¯t n to sit still until he exacted his revenge. Besides, he focused on his Dreand, noticing that his Invoked Spirit was creating various weapons on its own to practice its ability.


    Usually, he would have to do this manually. But in his case, his Invoked Sprit pretty much did everything on its own. He was just a form of housing for it.


    ¡®What exactly are you?¡¯


    The Human Invoker Crystal he stole wasn¡¯t any different from the other Superior Grade Human Invoker Crystals. So, he didn¡¯t understand just how these changes appeared to his Nascent Soul.


    ¡®But first, I must kill Duketace and his family. They are the only ones aware of what I did.¡¯ Pilkan nodded, clenching his hand into a fist.


    ¡­


    ¡°That bitch ran away with all our valuables!¡± Duketace grunted in anger, hurriedly looking through the other bags nearby to see that they all had been emptied, the valuables inside reced with trash.


    The shocking thing was the fact that he wasn¡¯t even aware of when this happened. Sure, his wife, Sturr was indeed the one carrying all the luggage by the end of their journey.


    But everyone had an eye on her all along. So, it didn¡¯t make sense how she stole the items. Moreover, when walking toward Heppeturn Town, she didn¡¯t carry any luggage with her.


    So, it raised the question of where she had hidden the treasures and how she had achieved it.


    ¡°Dad, we have to hurry and catch up to them,¡± Fenn said in a hurry, taking out a bottle of medicine from his bag, and opening its lid to consume it.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Duketace asked in surprise, his eyes widening to see thebel on the bottle, ¡®Superior Grade Mental Strength recovery medicine? How did he get his hands on such a precious medicine?¡¯


    Within a couple of seconds, he thought things through as his eyes shone with a cunning glint, bringing out his metallic eagle that attacked Fenn, startling him.


    And in his fluster, he dropped the medicine that was caught by the metallic eagle. Grabbing hold of it, Duketace grinned cunningly, downing the contents immediately, ¡®Once I catch up to that bitch, I¡¯ll reim all my treasures¡­¡¯


    His eyes turned heavy as he felt drowsy. Only then he stared in rm at the figure of Fenn that grinned casually.


    ¡°That¡¯s a drug to knock you out.¡± Fenn said and retreated, watching Duketace struggle to remain awake while his body continued to turn more and more sluggish, ¡°Its effect onlysts for a short duration, but it¡¯s pretty potent.¡±


    ¡°You¡­fucker. Are you even my son?¡± Duketace grunted as he copsed to the ground, falling unconscious.


    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because I¡¯m your son that I know the kind of shitty human you are.¡± Fenn snorted in disdain as he went through Duketace¡¯s belongings and pocketed any valuables that he held on dear, surprised when he found a badge, ¡°I see, so that was your n.¡±


    Fenn then brought out his eagle, boarded it, and flew in a direction of his choosing. He didn¡¯t harm his dad, for that would be dangerous.


    Aware that his dad was the target of their pursuers, he hoped for Duketace to escape for as long as possible to buy enough time for his escape.


    If they were together, there was a fair chance that Hiwn would kill him too, just for his Mental Fragments.


    But with Duketace buying him enough time, he would vanish before Hiwn captured his dad. As the drug¡¯s effects onlysted for a few minutes, he was assured of his n.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity mother stole most of those valuables, but,¡± Fenn wasn¡¯t concerned, ¡°I wasn¡¯t hoping to rely upon those material riches anyway.¡±


    The reason was simple. The type of n he wished to build was rather different from the norm as he nned to add the traits of humans into his eagle. After all, the treasure he stole from the Lan n allowed him to modify his Invoked Spirit.


    The changes he wished to create were one that allowed him to grow using Mental Fragments from humans, but the Invoked Spirit wasn¡¯t of a human. The Lan n hadn¡¯t attempted this because they weren¡¯t aware of the treasure¡¯s abilities.


    Fenn had secretly ventured into the sealed Human Conjurer¡¯s Grave, obtaining information and a method regarding this treasure¡¯s use.


    And for his ns to fruition, he had to find a rather secluded vige. Money and valuables didn¡¯t mean anything in secluded viges, the reason he had no need for them in the first ce.


    With that, Fenn flew for a fair distance before taking a casual walk, having travelled pretty far away from pursuit. He then pulled open a map secured in his clothes, observing thendscape to see how much further he had to travel.


    He had long since prepared for everything the moment he decided to intrude into the Lan n¡¯s treasury.

 Chapter 697: Only Needing Two Days To Gain Control

    Chapter 697: Only Needing Two Days To Gain Control


    ¡°Huff¡­puff¡­!¡± Duketace sprinted through a forest, gasping for air as he felt weak, having been running for the past two hours. He felt a searing headache, resultant from his Invoked Spirit almost getting destroyed.


    If not for his robust foundation, he would have fallen unconscious, never to wake up for the rest of his life. Unable to rely upon his Invoked Spirit, Duketace had no other choice but to run for his life.


    Casually chasing after him were a team of four assassins, not dealing him the killing blow. They maintained pace, chasing after him for two hours now.


    The moment He noticed the family of four splitting up, she alerted Runka who picked up the pace and rushed straight for Duketace.


    Duketace didn¡¯t run right after he regained consciousness. He was stunned, to say the least, suffering an emotional blow to see that not one, not two, but all three of his family members betrayed him to save themselves.


    He was a dead man in their eyes the moment the Lan n ced a kill order on his life. In order to escape pursuit from the Lan n, they decided to abandon him without batting an eye.


    With him dead, the Lan n might brush this matter under the rug, allowing the rest to survive and make a life for themselves in another ce.


    Even though he had been scum, having treated his subordinates worse than ves, he had at least treated his family a lot better. Heck, he even dotted on his children.


    And in return, all he received was a resolute betrayal. By the time he was done moping about, the assassins were already on his trail, chasing after him on horseback.


    Left with no other choice, he could only fly using his eagle. His first n was to head into Heppeturn Town. As assassins couldn¡¯t move about in the open, it was his only chance at survival. Even though he would be a sitting target, having a high risk of being attacked the moment he left town, it was still better than facing death here.


    At least, as long as he recovered his Mental Strength in the town, he would be able to take flight and leave this ce behind. He had set flight towards Heppeturn Town with that intention, only to notice Runka calmly standing a certain distance before the town, arms crossed.


    Duketace had witnessed the strength of Runka¡¯s arrows, able to conclude its range, understanding that there was no way he could go past him.


    The moment he arrived within Runka¡¯s range, he would be struck down. And, even if he wished to circle around and enter the town from another direction, Runka would also move ordingly.


    With that, Heppeturn Town was out of his option as Duketace could only rush into the woods, hoping to throw his pursuers off using the dense vegetation. His eagle¡¯s state meant he couldn¡¯t be in the air for long, for the expended Mental Strength was many times the usual.


    This was Runka¡¯s n from the start as he gradually lead Duketace through the forest stretch before he eventually stumbled into the valley beyond. By this point, he was too exhausted to even move, barely managing to stand.


    He red at thedy before him, indignant as he roared, ¡°You damn murders will pay! The Lan n wouldn¡¯t let you off¡­¡±


    ¡°You can stop wasting your energy. You know the truth better than everyone.¡± Fowma smiled gently, tilting her head as her grin widened, ¡°You¡¯ve been abandoned, not only by your n but also by your own family.¡±


    ¡°D-Dammit!¡± Duketace shed tears, unable to bear the emotional upheavals he felt now, facing death.


    ¡°Maybe if you had been a better individual, you might have ended up differently,¡± Pilkan said, revealing his face, shocking the other party.


    ¡°Y-You!¡± Words failed toe out of his mouth as Duketace stuttered like a broken recorder. Runka¡¯s Invoked Spirit appeared behind him and clutched his neck, knocking him out unconscious.


    ¡°Consider this my gift.¡± Runka looked at Pilkan, pointing at Duketace, ¡°Kill him, and his Mental Fragments are yours.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Pilkan was surprised, ¡°Aren¡¯t the Mental Fragments of a Common Invoker valuable?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, just take it.¡± Fowma patted his back, ¡°We¡¯re still segregating the Mental Fragments we obtained from ourst hunt.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Pilkan nodded and focused on Duketace, taking out a knife as he approached him, intending to deal the killing blow.


    He felt his breathing elerate automatically while his heart thumped faster than usual. One that seemed untouchable to him before nowy before him, his life and death in his hands. So, despite being prepared, Pilkan still felt unready.


    Thinking for a moment, he closed his eyes, focusing on his Dreand as he tried to collect his thoughts through it. But suddenly, the starlight in the eyes of the Invoked Spirit brightened as its eyes focused on him, with its head moving on its own, without anymand from him, shocking him.


    Pilkan felt as if the Invoked Spirit was able to see right through him, shuddering in response as he realised that the Invoked Spirit that he was nurturing wasn¡¯t his own. And strangely, the features of his Invoked Spirit seemed more humane than usual, rming him.


    The Invoked Spirit¡¯s eyes formed a starlight spiral as Pilkan fell into a daze, noticing that he was in the Dreand all of a sudden. ¡°W-What the? What happened?¡±


    He stared at himself, noticing that he was a swirling mass of Mental Fragments that almost resembled his actual self. And, standing before him was a mysterious blob, one covered by chains.


    Pilkan stared at the blob when his eyes lost their lustre, his body gradually approaching it before standing right before it. He extended his hand and gently touched the blob, suddenly expressing despair right after he had done so.


    ¡°No¡­no! No! No! No!¡± Pilkan shouted as he stared at his crumbling hands, rmed as he tried to exit the ce, realising that things weren¡¯t in his control anymore. ¡°Please! Spare¡­m¡­¡±


    His figure vanished as the Invoked Spirit in the dreand nodded subtly, opening its mouth to mutter, ¡°Finally. It took me some time to take over.¡±


    The Invoked Spirit closed his eyes as in response, Pilkan¡¯s eyes regained their lustre. His mouth moved, muttering, ¡°I am indeed the Main Character System. It took me less than two days to take over his mindpletely.¡±


    ¡°Pilkan, are you alright?¡± Runka asked in concern, patting his shoulder, ¡°Why are you standing around in a daze? Are you nning to kill Duketace or not?¡±


    Pilkan didn¡¯t reply and instead stared at the sky, ¡®I see, this child has a prettyplicated fate. If I return to Hiwn now, I¡¯ll be embroiled in the uing chaos that results from the escaped family, and Pilkan¡¯s own in the Lan n.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s best if I sever them all and have free rein in this world.¡¯ He thought, his eyes turning sharp, ¡®I¡¯ll be here for three years. By then, I¡¯ll make you regret ever making a move on me, Conjurer.¡¯


    ¡°Pilkan¡­?¡± Runka stared at Pilkan, watching the other party reveal a subtle smile. Immediately after that, a mysterious mist spread around, swallowing them all.


    Tip

 Chapter 698: Vicious Predator

    Chapter 698: Vicious Predator


    ¡®Where is this?¡¯ Runka frowned, iling his hands around as he shouted, ¡°Pilkan! Fowma! He! Are you there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± Pilkan said, followed by Fowma and He. Though, none were able to see each other thanks to the mist that was dense enough for visibility to be zero.


    Runka extended his hand in the direction of Fowma who sounded the closest, ¡°Here, grab my hand!¡±


    After some mild difficulty, Runka managed to grab hold of Fowma¡¯s hand, sighing as he was just about to search for the others when he felt the hand grabbing him lose all strength in its grip, ¡°Fowma?¡±


    ¡°Kyak!¡± Fowma copsed to the ground, screaming in pain as Runka stared at the severed hand in his hold, stupefied for a moment before rushing to her help, bringing out his Invoked Spirit to defend against whatever threat had attacked her.


    But, the moment he brought out his Invoked Spirit, Runka was shocked to see that he was unable to control it anymore; his Invoked Spirit seemed to be trapped. He hurriedly retracted it, sighing in relief upon seeing that it returned to his Dreand, safe and sound.


    He tied up the wound on Fowma, grabbing her severed hand as he helped her get up, supporting her as he shouted, ¡°He! Where are you?¡±


    Unfortunately, there was no reply to his shout, startling him as he and Fowma felt an eerie sensation creep up their spines.


    Swoosh!


    ¡°Gah!¡± Runka screamed in pain as one of his legs were severed, causing him to tumble to the ground, bringing down Fowma with him as he had been supporting her.


    The two fell to the ground, reflexively bringing out their Invoked Spirits, only to stare helplessly as they remained immobile.


    Runka gritted his teeth, using the rope he had brought with him to tie up the wound on his leg, stopping the blood flow as he looked at Fowma, only now noticing that he was able to make out her visage, blurry, but visible now.


    He extended his hand, noticing that he was able to faintly make out his fingers, ¡®The mist is thinning out.¡¯


    He then turned around, staring at the location where they both had brought out their Invoked Spirits, noticing that the mist had cleared out the most around their immediate vicinity. Even though it was only for a few centimetres, it allowed Runka to notice something, ¡®Our Invoked Spirits can disperse the mist.¡¯


    He hurriedly informed Fowma of the same as they controlled themselves, bearing the pain as they focused, disying their seasoned experience. They retracted and brought out their Invoked Spirits before them this time, watching the mist act to constrict their movements, thinning out a little in response.


    ¡°It¡¯s working.¡± Runka said, limping forward with Fowma¡¯s help as he muttered, ¡°We need to hurry and get treated. We¡¯re losing too much blood.¡±


    ¡°Where are our supplies?¡± Fowma felt a tad weak, asking as she worked with Runka to invoke her Invoked Spirit nonstop, clearing the path before them as they paved a way forward, little by little.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. They vanished the moment I heard your scream.¡± Runka gritted his teeth, ¡°Shit!¡±


    There was enough medicine in it to treat their wounds. But with it taken, they didn¡¯t have an option but to look for a way once they exited the mist.


    As to how big it was, they weren¡¯t sure. Moreover, Runka wasn¡¯t able to hear the voices of Pilkan and He after the start, worried about them.


    ¡°The mist¡­¡± Fowma said, recalling the incident as her face paled, ¡°It emerged from Pilkan.¡±


    Runka didn¡¯t say anything, his expression only hardening in response as he prepared for a battle. Even though he wasn¡¯t sure why Pilkan was doing this or how he could do this in the first ce, one thing was for sure. Now that he harmed them, he was going to pay for that dearly.


    In contrast to what they were doing, Pilkan was only two metres behind them, slowly tailing them. If they were to turn around and leap forth, they wouldnd on him. He was only able to spread the mist around and control it in a range of five metres around him.


    Therefore, he had to n things ordingly and ensure he wouldn¡¯t get found out. As they hadn¡¯t witnessed the mist in action before, they were unsure about a lot of things, which gave him the advantage.


    Dragged by him in a chokehold was He as in his hand was her Invoked Spirit. The moment he gained control of this body, he¡ªCompass Carburettor¡ªtook action, not nning to waste a moment.


    When an individual learns of a System, a fragment of it would begin growing in his mind. If he gains enough knowledge about them, then the fragments growing in his mind would increase in numbers and also develop. Eventually, either theybine or one of them grows big enough to seize his mind on its own and take control of his body.


    The same thing happened to Pilkan as even though he wasn¡¯t aware of Compass Carburettor¡¯s identity, he let the other party into his mind. And, absorbing the Mental Fragments to construct a body for himself was Compass Carburettor¡¯s doing.


    He easily gained control over Pilkan¡¯s mind after that, erasing it before taking over his body too.


    Currently, Compass Carurettor¡¯s body was the Invoked Spirit. And as its Nascent Soul was created using part of Pilkan¡¯s soul, a product of this world, it formed the best cover for him, preventing Conjurer from sensing him.


    His true self was within the Nascent Soul that existed in Pilkan¡¯s Dreand, providing twoyers of cover for him. So, he was safe for the time being, left with no other choice but to roam in this world for three years before his power of Lore would take him back.


    ¡®Please be safe and sound until then, Stencil.¡¯ He sighed, steeling himself as he absorbed all the Mental Fragments of He¡¯s Invoked Spirit into his Dreand, before choking her to death. He continued to drag her corpse, tailing after Runka and Fowma until he finished absorbing all the Mental Fragments from both He and her Invoked Spirit.


    Once that was done, he took a stance and craned his hand, throwing her corpse at Runka, toppling him to the ground as he brought out his Invoked Spirit and stabbed Fowma through the head.

 Chapter 699: Predator

    Chapter 699: Predator


    ¡°Fowma!¡± Runka shouted as he fell to the ground, watching blood pour out of her forehead that now sported a wide hole. A spear peeked through her mouth that hung open, horrifying him.


    ¡°Damn you!¡± Runka screamed in rage as the mist around him cleared out faster as his Invoked Spirit began to destroy it further and further.


    He was a Superior Invoker and was damn strong that even the mist was helpless against him. That was why Compass Carburettor hadn¡¯t bothered to attack him before.


    And even now, the case was the same as he adjusted the mist, hiding the figures of both Fowma and her Invoked Spirit. He had killed her right after she brought her Invoked Spirit, so now it was trapped in the mist.


    Compass Carburettor focused his Dreand on her body, absorbing Mental Fragments from her first. He then focused on her Invoked Spirit, gradually absorbing it.


    In the meantime, Runka was raging as he was destroying the mist little by little. He stared at the crushed neck of He, angry at her death as he controlled his Invoked Spirit. Even though it was unable to move through the mist, the more Mental Strength he expended, the faster the mist dissolved.


    It made him understand that once he cleared the mist enough, his Invoked Spirit would be able to move.


    ¡®Shit!¡¯ Compass Carburettor felt the strain as his mist was getting expended at a terrifying rate. Even though it was pretty powerful, it had its limitations too, originating from the fact that he was only an Inferior Invoker.


    So, it was only a matter of time before the mist was entirely used up. Mental Fragments would begin to degrade over time upon the death of the lifeform. Therefore, obtaining them right after death was the best choice.


    This was why he was targeting them one after another, starting with the weakest one first before making his way to the strongest. Otherwise, using the advantage of the mist, he could have killed all three. But, that would mean the received Mental Fragments wouldn¡¯t be in their best state.


    Such a valuable chance in getting Mental Fragments of Invokers with Human Invoked Spirits was rare, especially those of elites such as the ones before him. So, he didn¡¯t wish for the value of their Mental Fragments to diminish.


    His Lore stated that he was sealed in this world. And that meant his body, his powers, and the majority of him as Compass Carburettor was still sealed. He was just a fragment of the Main Character System that had formed in Pilkan¡¯s mind.


    Therefore, he didn¡¯t have any of his original powers to rely upon. This meant that he only had Pilkan¡¯s power as an Invoker to use in this situation. Therefore, to be as strong as possible, he had to farm for the most potent Mental Fragments possible.


    Therefore, even if it resulted in some risks, he wished to obtain the most optimal version of the Mental Fragments from both Fowma and Runka.


    Compass Carburettor focused on his Dreand, causing it to speed up its absorption of Fowma¡¯s Invoked Spirit. He had just finished absorbing Mental Fragments from her.


    The mist was thinning gradually as Compass Carburettor directed more of it towards Runka. The mist originally spread out as a circle around him, spanning a radius of five metres. Now, it was gradually bing an ellipse, with him and Runka taking up positions at its foci.


    Its area was gradually shrinking,ing to a level where if he were to extend his hand, its tip would exit the mist.


    Upon seeing that Runka was on the verge of noticing what was up, he brought out his Invoked Spirit and targeted Runka¡¯s remaining leg, causing him to almost faint from the pain.


    His Invoked Spirit jerked in response, making a light move before stopping. But as the area had shrunk a lot, its hand mmed into his Invoked Spirit, sending it flying for a few metres, shocking Compass Carburettor.


    ¡®So, that¡¯s the strength of a Superior Invoked Spirit.¡¯ He quickly retracted his Invoked Spirit, continuing to absorb Mental Fragments from Fowma¡¯s Invoked Spirit.


    It was impossible to absorb Mental Fragments when his Invoked Spirit wasn¡¯t in the Dreand. This was a basic principle that all Invokers had to abide by. And of course, Compass Carburettor was no exception to this rule.


    This was why he only injured his targets first, hoping to tire them out through blood loss, buying enough time for him to absorb Mental Fragments from the victims.


    Time passed in such a fashion when suddenly, Runka rolled on the ground, surprised when he exited the mist, eyes widened as he muttered, ¡°So, it was so nearby all along?¡±


    He turned around, unable to see the corpses of hisrades, for he had left them behind while trying to search for the exit.


    Only then did he notice that the area upied by the mist was¡­damnably small.


    He was angered in response but noticed that he was running low on Mental Strength, not to mention having lost a lot of blood. He didn¡¯t have any supplies to patch up his severed legs, and tying a rope around them definitely wasn¡¯t enough to stop the blood flow.


    So, he needed medical attention to survive. And even though he wished to seek revenge, he had no ns on dying, despite losing his legs.


    He brought out his Invoked Spirit, using it to carry his body as it bolted through the forest.


    Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t interfere, sighing in relief upon seeing Runka run away. If he continued to fight, the mist would have run out, forcing him to kill Runka prematurely. But now, the situation had turned out the better for him, smirking as he brought out his Invoked Spirit, causing it to form a bow and knock an arrow, taking aim upon seeing Runka run away.


    He waited in patience for more than thirty seconds as his Invoked Spirit slowly craned the angle pointed by the bow upward before releasing the arrow. The arrow swooshed through the sky, travelling hundreds of metres as it made a beeline towards Runka, mming dead centre into the back of his Invoked Spirit that formed arge target, the impact causing it to crash into the ground as Runka fell, knocked out from the impact.


    He rolled on the ground a few times beforeing to a stop as blood continued to drip out of his legs.

 Chapter 700: Beyond Oscar

    Chapter 700: Beyond Oscar


    Compass Carburettor arrived before Runka, having already absorbed Fowma¡¯s Invoked Spirit, staring at the unconscious figure before him. He didn¡¯t attack the other party though, for that wasn¡¯t his intention.


    It was impossible to absorb Mental fragments from someone¡¯s Dreand. If Runka dies now, only the Mental Fragments of his body would be avable to absorb. As for his Invoked Spirit, it would vanish.


    The only means of obtaining it too was to trap the Invoked Spirit in the mist. And the only way to do it was to kill him the moment he summoned it while ensuring his Invoked Spirit was trapped within the mist.


    This was pretty tricky, a reason he had been biding for time all along. After all, even if he trapped Runka¡¯s Invoked Spirit in his mist before, the moment he dies, his Invoked Spirit would start deteriorating, despite being trapped in the mist.


    This had been the case originally when Pilkan absorbed Mental Fragments from the Invoked Spirits of Duketace¡¯s underlings.


    Though, the mist there was also eating up the Invoked Spirits. But in Compass Carburettor¡¯s case now, this only resulted in the mist¡¯s growth while resulting in the loss of both the quality and quantity of the Mental Fragments obtained from the trapped Invoked Spirits.


    Though, being a merchant, he had already formed a n to derive the maximum profit from this situation as Compass Carburettor pulled out a vine from a nearby tree and haphazardly wrapped it around Runka.


    Based on his calctions, it would take Runka at least a dozen seconds to pry out of these bindings, which was more than enough toplete the task.


    ¡­


    Runka¡¯s eyes shot open as a ringing sensation resounded in his head due to his severe blood loss. His Mental Strength too had dropped down to dangerous levels, enough for his vision to turn blurry.


    ¡®Where¡­am I?¡¯ He thought, looking around to see that he was in the same spot as before, on the ground, unable to move as a wet, slimy sensation pervaded his pants. It was a result of his blood coagting there from prolonged exposure to air.


    He tried to get up but noticed a vine coiled around his body haphazardly, wriggling as he tried to pry out of it. He looked above, observing vines on the tree branches, and judging by their height, he would have been tangled into one of them when he fell out of his Invoked Spirit¡¯s hands.


    As it spanned a height of five metres, he was pretty high up above the ground when it happened. But, he felt a tad puzzled, ¡®Were there vines on this tree before?¡¯


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    Upon hearing the sounds of someone running, Runka turned around, noticing Pilkan rushing at him from afar, eyes red, screaming at the top of his lungs, ¡°You damn bastard! How dare you kill my sister!¡±


    There were more than thirty metres between the two as Runka noticed the clothes of the other party were bloody, his footsteps haggard, and seeminglycking the strength to run. He was running through sheer determination alone, spurred by hatred.


    Honestly, someone only needed to trip Pilkan to make him drop unconscious immediately in response. As a veteran, Runka was able to determine this in an instant. But, what he was puzzled about was why Pilkan was in such a state.


    After all, in his mind, it was Pilkan that had targeted them. Though, this also raised a doubt that he had been harbouring all along.


    It had only been a day since Pilkan became a Human Invoker. And even though he hadn¡¯t disyed his Invoked Spirit, it shouldn¡¯t have been anything. There was a good chance Pilkan hadn¡¯t even begun developing his Nascent Soul yet.


    After all, it wasn¡¯t as if an Invoker could build their Invoked Spirit in a day, despite having ess to boundless resources. Time was a necessity.


    Even Peika needed at least a month to develop her Nascent Soul into an Invoked Spirit if she were to repeat it now. An average Invoker spent months making a basic working framework for an Invoked Spirit.


    This is why the time one spent as an Inferior Invoker was the longest. Once they gained enough experience, it was just a concept of building a second and third floor. So, as long as they had the potential, they would climb through Common Invoker and Superior Invoker Stages at a faster pace.


    Therefore, logically speaking, there was no way Pilkan had the ability to kill hisrades and reduce him to this stage. After all, whether it was the de that severed his legs, the spear that killed Fowma, or the sheer strength required to crush He¡¯s neck, Pilkan didn¡¯t have the capability.


    ¡®Did he trigger a trap? Or¡­¡¯ Runka¡¯s eyes widened in shock,ing to a certain realisation, ¡®Did we stumble into the Dreand of a Conjurer?¡¯


    That was a valid possibility. Only that would make sense about the mist¡¯s appearance, not to mention Pilkan¡¯s current state.


    Thoughts hurriedly shed through his mind before Runka shouted, ¡°Wait, Pilkan! I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Someone ambushed me and killed Fowma and He¡­¡±


    ¡°You murderer! You were the one that killed Fowma!¡± Pilkan shouted, eyes seething in rage as he rushed Runka, taking out a knife from his pocket as he leaped forth at Runka.


    Even though his legs had been severed, Runka was still a veteran. Therefore, a simple lunge from Pilkan was easy to evade as he rolled forward a little, using his back as an obstacle to stumble Pilkan, causing his face to nt on the ground.


    The force of impact seemed to have been pretty hard as Pilkan couldn¡¯t move easily after that, wriggling on the ground from pain.


    He then slowly turned around, staring at Runka with killing intent, grabbing the knife that had fallen nearby as he crawled towards Runka.


    In response, Runka rolled once again, grabbing Pilkan¡¯s hands to climb atop him somehow, keeping the knife at bay, ¡°Listen¡­to¡­me!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Pilkan shouted in rage, but it was apparent that hecked the strength to do anything. Runka could feel that a simple push from him was enough to pry the knife out of Pilkan¡¯s hands and kill him.


    But, the situation was too strange, so he didn¡¯t go in for the kill. Moreover, Pilkan¡¯s words caused him to realise that there was a chance hisrades were alive. For, he had witnessed them being killed before his eyes. But if Pilkan¡¯s words had any substance, in his point of view, Fowma was killed by him.


    This meant that everyone might have witnessed different variations of the event, something like an illusion mixed amid traps. Conjurers were capable of creating such a phenomenon easily.


    Runka had killed enough people, having seen all sides of humans. Therefore, he could bet using his experience that Pilkan wasn¡¯t lying. Or at least, Pilkan seemed to truly believe that whatever he was saying had happened.

 Chapter 701: Upcoming Trouble

    Chapter 701: Uing Trouble


    ¡°Believe me when I say that I haven¡¯t killed any of them!¡± Runka shouted, straining as he pressed upon Pilkan¡¯s arms, forcing the knife closer to his neck, ¡°They are myrades! Why would I kill them, huh?¡±


    ¡°For Mental Fragments, what else?¡± Pilkan gritted his teeth, ¡°I saw you absorbing them from my sister¡¯s corpse!¡±


    ¡°Are you insane?¡± Runka retorted in response, ¡°Even ten of me wouldn¡¯t make a dent on her. I won¡¯t be able to kill her even if I ambush her, you dumbass!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, die!¡± Pilkan shouted, suddenly bursting with enough strength that he pried the knife from the deadlock and stabbed it towards Runka.


    But when faced with this crisis, Runka brought out his Invoked Spirit, causing its hand to pinch the knife casually and pry it out of his hands as Runka said in anger, ¡°Listen to me, or I wouldn¡¯t even care about your sister¡¯s orders and¡­¡±


    He couldn¡¯t finish speaking, for a spear had pierced through his head and stabbed into the ground behind, at the same time mist billowed out of Pilkan in a hurry, wrapping around Runka¡¯s Invoked Spirit before he died.


    Staring at the blood leaking on him from therge hole in Runka¡¯s head, Pilkan¡ªCompass Carburettor¡ªsighed in response, pushing him aside as he focused on absorbing the Mental Fragments from the trapped Invoked Spirit.


    To fool Runka, he had been running all along at the side, exhausting himself to the limit, truly bringing his body to the brink of exhaustion. He also applied He¡¯s blood on his clothes, for her blood hadn¡¯t coagted as only her neck had been crushed. It was safer to use her blood inparison to Fowma¡¯s, whose came into contact with the air long ago and had mostly spilled out by now.


    To fool your enemy, you must first fool yourself!


    Compass Carburettor got into his role to such an extent that he himself believed whatever he had uttered. This was why his performance was so convincing to an expert like Runka.


    And now that he hadpleted his task, Compass Carburettor sighed in relief, not having the strength to even get up as he focused on absorbing the Superior Human Invoked Spirit after Runka¡¯s Mental Fragments.


    He had to focus all his attention on absorbing it, for his mist was getting expended at an rming pace. Trapping a Superior Invoked Spirit was pretty strenuous as his mist reserves were almost drained now.


    It took more than an hour before he managed to absorb it all, gasping by the end as he simplyy on the ground, forcing himself to stay awake. He had used up all his mist now, barely managing to finish things up, on the verge of fainting any second.


    Left with no strength, he could only roll to the side and move towards a bush where he had hid the group¡¯s belongings, drinking a bottle of medicine before falling asleep right there.


    It surely wasn¡¯tfortable sleeping on uneven ground, out in the open like this as he didn¡¯t have afortable sleep. Within two hours, he woke up, feeling pain all over his body as he was still tired. But at least, he was now able to move now.


    Compass Carburettor got up and began to pack everything, muttering to himself, ¡°They truly only brought in the minimum most necessities.¡±


    He ate some rations and cleaned himself up in a stream nearby, bringing all the luggage with him as he saddled them to his horse, the only one that was still alive. The remaining three had been killed by him right at the start to prevent Runka and group from using them to escape.


    That was why the situation yed out as he wished. Now that he killed the three, his next goal was Duketace, one that had escaped while all this happened.


    It was best to get rid of all evidence that was privy to what happened to him.


    Pilkan¡¯s sister knew that he had returned alive. But, she was an Ascender, nothing he could do about it for the time being. He could only hope that she wouldn¡¯t make a move personally after learning about his disappearance.


    It would still happen, whether or not he liked it. As He had disyed, there existed tracking methods possessed by some Invokers. Therefore, Peika would definitelye to learn that he was alive while the team dispatched to guard him died.


    And, if she personally were to track the Duketace and his family of four, they would be captured sooner orter.


    Until now, she wasn¡¯t aware that Pilkan had fallen into the Bottomless Mist Valley. It was something only Duketace knew. He witnessed Pilkan falling through it while his eagle was so injured that it wasn¡¯t able to even fly. So, his death had been assured.


    And the fact that he had survived through something like that, and even became strong invoked a lot of suspicions. Once Duketace gives her all the details regarding the incident, she might suspect foul y.


    Ascenders were capable of taking control of someone¡¯s Dreand forcefully and even live there. So, she might suspect that her little brother wasn¡¯t actually alive but reced by the ghost of an old monster.


    Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t know of this detail, but he was sure of one fact: Allowing Peika to meet Duketace was troublesome to his ns. Through what he perceived from the changes to Pilkan¡¯s Luck and Fate, he came to this conclusion.


    So, before Peika finds him or Duketace, he had to get rid of Duketace and his family. There was a possibility that Duketace discussed about Pilkan with at least one of his family members during their run.


    After all, their predicament arose from his failure in capturing the Superior Grade Human Invoker Crystal that Pilkan had stolen in the first ce.


    ¡®I have taken over the body of this world¡¯s protagonist. And now, I have to survive the massive upheavals that result from this.¡¯ Compass Carburettor sighed. He didn¡¯t have a choice back then, for taking control of Pilkan was his surest way to getting back at Conjurer.


    And, his Lore had led him directly towards Pilkan, for only through him, did there exist a possibility of him leaving this world in three years.


    His wordings¡ªin the Lore¡ªwere like a search result for potential candidates in this world to take over. And, the search narrowed to Pilkan, and him alone.


    ¡°Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be easy.¡± Thinking as such, Compass Carburettor began to chase after Duketace.

 Chapter 702: Almost Committed a Mistake

    Chapter 702: Almost Committed a Mistake


    ¡°Dammit!¡± Duketace grunted in annoyance, gasping for air as he looked around before slumping at the trunk of a tree, gazing at his hands to see blisters forming on his palms, bleeding in response.


    His shoes were now in tatters, resulting in prickling injury to his feet. Duketace rested for a few minutes before groaning as he got up and slowly made his way forward, leaving the forest as he stared at the valley before him.


    ¡°As long as I cross this valley, I¡¯ll go beyond the Lan n¡¯s influence.¡± He muttered, stopping as he couldn¡¯t help but rest once again. He had never travelled so much on foot before, not once in his life.


    He had always relied upon a carriage, or at least a horse.


    Before, when he stared at Fowma, he thought that he was done for. But, never in his wild experience did he expect to just be knocked out and not be killed.


    When he regained consciousness, he was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. But, when he turned around, he noticed ayer of mist behind him, startling him as it was the same mist that he had seen in the Bottomless Mist Valley.


    Remembering what happened to his subordinates, he dared not approach it, turning tail to run away immediately. He amounted the mist to the reason he had survived.


    It was then that he recalled the existence of Pilkan, startled for a moment, ¡°How did he¡­survive?¡±


    But, he no longer bothered to care about it, only intending to save his own skin first. After resting enough, he took in a deep breath, not having any ess to food to stave off his hunger as he entered the valley.


    The valley was a narrow pass, only enough for two people to walk side by side, barely enough for a horse to run through. But at times, the ground wasn¡¯t smooth enough, the slopes making it easier for the horse to lose bnce and fall while running.


    So, it was hard to traverse fast through this region, which also made this the perfect ce for ambushes.


    There existed a mountain range that separated this stretch of ins from the teau beyond, which was where bigger cities were located, controlled by strong ns.


    In Wakttark City, a powerful n only had one Ascender. And at times, they had none but a group of Superior Invokers managing everything.


    But beyond the mountain range, called The Divide, things were different as the ns there had more than one Ascender managing things. And among thergest cities, even the legendary Conjurer might make a public appearance.


    The teau was where the true dragons and tigersy in wait. So, Duketace was somewhat nervous at first, for he was a mere Common Invoker. His strength wouldn¡¯t amount to much beyond The Divide, at least to the extent he was hoping for.


    But, as he didn¡¯t have an option, Duketace began to traverse through the valley, passing through the narrow pass that went through The Divide.


    Present next to a tree, seated on the shoulder of a four-metre-tall Human Invoked Spirit was Compass Carburettor, staring through a pair of binocrs as he observed Duketace¡¯s actions.


    The frame of the binocr seemed to be made using the neck of an eagle while its lenses seemed to belong to an eagle¡¯s eye. The pair of binocrs wasn¡¯t a biological product, but sported the appearance of one.


    That was because it was created using Mental Fragments, sourced from Eagle Invoked Spirits. Using them, Compass Carburettor created a pair of binocrs that he relied upon to see now.


    Each Invoked Spirit had its respective trait. The trait of Eagle Invoked Spirits was their ability to fly at tremendous speeds, dive and snatch up their prey, and perform whatever aerobics the Invoker wished in the skies.


    And depending on the Mental Fragments used to create the Dreand and train the Eagle Invoked Spirit, its abilities diversified.


    But, this was where the true strength of Human Invoked Spiritsy, the reason they were feared to be the strongest among the same Stage.


    The trait of Human Invoked Spirits was the creation of tools. Each Human Invoked Spirit was capable of using Mental Fragments to create a tool and wield them. Only they were able to do so, hence why Human Invoked Spirits were so dangerous. They were basically humans without any humane limits, capable of executing anything within the thinking limits of their respective Invokers.


    Though, it took an Invoker anywhere from months to years to create and firm a tool that was harmonious to the nature of the Invoked Spirit and Dreand¡ªwhich depended on the Mental Fragments used in all three, akin to a lego puzzle.


    But, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t need that much time, for his mind had been reinforced, used to, adapted, limated, and evolved to multiple Core Skills, especially those of the Young Master System and Reality Marble System.


    Moreover, Gahrat currently possessed the power of creation, capable of building entire spaces as she pleased. Hazen, on the other hand, was able to summon things from his past and create constructs of the mind.


    Before his Lore came into effect, they were all him. And those experiences were still in him, the rted inputs having trained his mind. And hence, with a thought, his mind was akin to a supeputer that processed through all the variables and instantly clubbed the Mental Fragments of his choosing to create what he desired.


    So, thanks to this advantage, Compass Carburettor was able to create any item of his choosing in an instant, given he had all required Mental Fragments in the Dreand already. Therefore, the greater the quantity of Mental Fragments he amassed, the more versatile he became.


    And now, upon staring at the figure of Duketace walking through the valley, Compass Carburettor frowned, falling deep in thought before he let go of his original ns, ¡°I see, so this was Pilkan¡¯s influence.¡±


    As part of Pilkan¡¯s soul was used in the construction of the Nascent Soul forming his body, not to mention that he currently inhabited Pilkan¡¯s body and used his brain to think, Compass Carburettor had invariably proceeded in Pilkan¡¯s train of thought process. That was why his ns weren¡¯t at the level he had expected them to be usually.


    ¡°That was dangerous. I almost killed Duketace.¡± He sighed before controlling himself vigntly, ¡°Of course, as a merchant, I must take advantage of this situation.¡±


    ¡°There are benefits to be obtained here.¡±

 Chapter 703: Taking Action the CC Way

    Chapter 703: Taking Action the CC Way


    Every human was born different. And as they grow through society, through the influences of everything around them, they begin to develop a set of preconceived notions, thought processes, biases, logic, etc.


    Even though this streamlined their mind, it also meant that anything not belonging to these ¡®lines¡¯ fell through their mental grasp, leading to what was known as blind spots, things or ideas they glossed over naturally, having never pondered in such a direction or entertained such a train of thought.


    As Compass Carburettor relied upon Pilkan¡¯s brain, the way thoughts were processed here was the method that Pilkan¡¯s brain was trained for through repeated practice over his entire life. And hence, the moment he became a Human Invoker, his train of thought led to him thinking that all enemies¡ªhumans¡ªmust be killed to harvest their Mental Fragments.


    After all, the target of Human Invokers were humans. As a result, the moment Compass Carburettor took control, even though he was the sailor steering the ship, the engineering of the ship meant that it could only sail on certain routes.


    That was what led to him killing Fowma, He, and Runka. If it was the original Compass Carburettor here, things would have proceeded differently.


    And right as he was about to kill Duketace, Compass Carburettor finally realised what was up, stopping himself from killing the other party.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t my way.¡± He calmed himself, thinking over things as what Hazen would have done if in his situation. After all, Hazen was the expert in this situation.


    By relying upon that experience, Compass Carburettor took his sweet time, working things through as he first obtained a clearer grasp of his abilities.


    Currently, he was only different from an Inferior Human Invoker in two points: The mist, and his ability to instantly create any tool he desired.


    The case was the same for the Invoked Spirit too as he could shape it freely as he pleased. Though, as the Nascent Soul was created using a Human Invoker Crystal, the final product should still be a human.


    Only the size could be varied, if he obtained the Mental Fragments necessary to build a bigger human Invoked Spirit.


    These two advantages alone would allow him to trump enemies stronger than himself, as he had even killed Runka, a Superior Human Invoker, a veteran among the Stage. It was an ambush and wasn¡¯t a head-on battle, but it still proved that given the right circumstances, he could easily kill a Superior Invoker.


    The mysterious mist had be his power. And, as long as he consumed enough Mental Strength, he could replenish its expended reserves. Though, replenishing Mental Strength wasn¡¯t easy.


    Mental Strength was as the name implied, the power of the mind. It wasn¡¯t generated by thoughts though, as that was Mental Energy.


    The ability of someone to focus on a task for extended durations. That was Mental Strength. And, using it would mean one would be mentally exhausted rather quickly. Moreover, unlike Mental Energy which was stable, Mental Strength was an unstable power.


    The best example was performance under stress!


    Suppose an athlete was able to run a hundred metres in ten seconds in the training grounds, maintaining this consistent average for many months. One day, he is made topete against an Olympic athlete in front of a hundred thousand people whose raucous cheers rattled the surroundings.


    This was his first time there, having to run alongside athletes way faster than him, able toplete a hundred metres at least 0.3 seconds before him.


    The pressure would build up in his mind, causing his confidence level to plummet. And, when they actually run following that, he would perform more poorly than his usual, going beyond ten seconds.


    The reason was that due to the pressure, he was mentally exhausted before the race even began. And hence, his mind wasn¡¯t able to fully harness his body¡¯s potential, resulting in his below-average performance.


    This was how Mental Strength worked. If the Invoker was calm and collected, to make the Invoked Spirit run a hundred metres, suppose a hundred units of Mental Strength were consumed.


    But if they were flustered, they might consume two hundred or more units of Mental Strength for the same action. And depending on their level of fluster, this value would only spike.


    So, to recover Mental Strength, the best way was to rx the body and heal the mind. Taking a deep sleep was the fastest way to recover Mental Strength, of course only having their fill.


    Therefore, if Compass Carburettor wished to recover his Mental Strength the fastest to replenish the mist in his Dreand, he would need to sleep for a good few days and eat plenty during this time. That was how long it took for Mental Strength to recover to its full capacity.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t have that much time in his hands, and hence, he had to rely upon something else as he willed his Invoked Spirit to take action, causing it to create a that it threw with all its strength, trapping Duketace before he realised.


    It was easy to trap him in a location where he didn¡¯t have any means to evade or take cover. Following that, Compass Carburettor rode his horse and made his way towards the pale-faced Duketace, smiling as he spoke before the other party could say anything, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already killed the assassins dispatched to kill you.¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡± Duketace was shocked before he made eye contact with Pilkan, shuddering for some reason, shouting in rm, ¡°W-Who are you? You¡¯re not Pilkan!¡±


    He had dealt with Pilkan on numerous asions, for Pilkan¡¯s family were his subordinates. Therefore, a nce was all he needed to see that the Pilkan before him wasn¡¯t the one from his memories.


    ¡°You needn¡¯t concern yourself with that.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled before crouching forth to make eye contact with the other party, saying calmly, as if deciding Duketace¡¯s fate, ¡°Why don¡¯t you begin talking about your family?¡±


    ¡°Say, using my name to your advantage, you¡¯ve helped yourself to plenty of treasures from the Lan n¡¯s treasury, right?¡±


    His eyes curled up a little, taking out medicine that he force-fed Duketace, ¡°Why don¡¯t you begin talking now? I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a lot you can say to me.¡±

 Chapter 704: Stolen Treasures

    Chapter 704: Stolen Treasures


    Even Fenn, his own son had fooled him into drinking a drug in ce of medicine. So, Duketace had already epted his fate, understanding that he had no way to survive.


    He was supposed to be a dead man already and had only escaped through luck. But, he was already beyond exhaustion by now, not to mention being captured by this devil-like person that didn¡¯t share any character resemnce to Pilkan.


    Resigned, he drank the medicine, bracing himself for whatever might happen next. A few seconds turned into a minute but nothing happened as Duketace was surprised, only observing his Mental Strength recovering slowly instead.


    He stared at Pilkan in shock, asking, ¡°What did you feed me?¡±


    ¡°A Mental Strength recovery medicine.¡± Compass Carburettor said nonchntly, drinking the same too as he continued, ¡°Now, begin talking.¡±


    ¡°What¡­do you wish to know?¡± Duketace sighed, curbing the sense of terror he felt. If the other party simply tortured him, he could at least prepare himself mentally, gaining a sense of the other party¡¯s character.


    But, Duketace felt that he couldn¡¯t see through Compass Carburettor, feeling as if the other party was veiled by thick mist, masking even his surface-level intentions, not to mention his true intentions.


    ¡°Start with the treasures you stole and where your family would have gone towards.¡± Compass Carburettor said.


    ¡°Fenn took my Gatarakh n Servitude Badge. Having that would allow me to enter the Gatarakh n of the high teau region, which means afortable life under an Ascender.¡± Duketace said, ¡°Fenn has something else with him, a mysterious crystal. I noticed that it had gone missing when I went to the Lan n treasury to steal things. I¡¯m not sure what it¡¯s about though.¡±


    Upon seeing Compass Carburettor nod, Duketace continued, ¡°All the treasures I brought with me had been swapped out by my wife. But, if she and my daughter separate, I think I can estimate what they might have taken with themselves.¡±


    ¡°Ko would definitely take the Ascender Scroll with her.¡± He said with conviction, ¡°As that¡¯s her only goal, she would have let go of everything else to only fight for this. In terms of sheer talent, my wife is inferior to her, so it would have ended up in her hands.¡±


    ¡°Ascender Scroll?¡± Compass Carburettor raised an eyebrow, hearing the term for the first time, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a relic that helps train one¡¯s Invoked Spirit to make it suitable to reach the Ascender Stage.¡± Duketace said, ¡°A Scroll is the only external item apart from Mental Fragments that can be brought inside the Dreand.¡±


    ¡°Such an item exists?¡± Compass Carburettor was surprised.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Duketace nodded, ¡°But it¡¯s too rare toe across one. Even the Lan n barely has a few of them in their treasury. After all, only an Ascender can create a Scroll. And even for them, it takes around a decade to create even one Scroll. So, they¡¯re too precious.¡±


    ¡°If you stole something that precious, the Lan n wouldn¡¯t let you off.¡± Compass Carburettormented.


    ¡°I only wanted to take less valuable items first, but I changed my mind in the end.¡± Duketace sighed.


    ¡°So, what else is left?¡± Compass Carburettor asked.


    ¡°My wife took an Eagle Basket with her.¡± Duketace exined further, ¡°There are around a hundred eagle eggs in it, enough to raise a nest. And, these eagles would be loyal to the one possessing this Eagle Basket. It¡¯s a precious item of the Lan n.¡±


    ¡®This guy truly didn¡¯t hold back, huh.¡¯ Compass Carburettor nodded, for a moment praising the other party¡¯s greed. He truly would have seeded if his family didn¡¯t stab him in the back.


    ¡°There¡¯s also the Eagle Invoker Crystals; 120 Inferior, 38 Common, and 4 Superior Grade Eagle Invoker Crystals.¡± He said, bowing his head in response to Compass Carburettor¡¯s judgemental gaze.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s thest item?¡± Compass Carburettor asked, seeing Duketace hesitate in the end, ¡°I can make out from your expression.¡±


    ¡°A¡­¡± Duketace muttered inaudibly, ¡°Scroll.¡±


    ¡°A Scroll¡­another one?¡± Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t even know whether tough, cry, or beat the other party into a pulp. He didn¡¯t just stop at one but stole two scrolls?


    ¡°So, what¡¯s this Scroll about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an Eagle Invoker Crystal Scroll.¡± Duketace finally gave in, blurting out everything, ¡°The one in possession of this Scroll can manufacture the Eagle Invoker Crystals. Without this, it¡¯s impossible. There are already three Invokers in the n that can manufacture the Eagle Invoker Crystals. So, as they didn¡¯t need a fourth one, they stored this Scroll in the treasury which I took¡­¡±


    ¡°And, it¡¯s in your wife¡¯s hand now¡­¡± Compass Carburettor said, staring at the other party, failing to form any words.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Duketace nodded.


    ¡°How¡¯s the status of your eagle?¡± Compass Carburettor asked next, surprising Duketace.


    The other party didn¡¯t even resist as he brought out his Invoked Spirit, saying, ¡°It¡¯s on the verge of death. One more stab, and it¡¯ll vanish.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Compass Carburettor extended his hand and gently touched it, caressing its back as mist gently coursed into its body, trapping it within as he brought out a body part¡ªan item created using Mental Fragments.


    He ced the body part in the missing locations, like fitting a piece into a puzzle. Within a minute, he added in multiple pieces, enough to heal most of the eagle¡¯s injuries, making it whole the moment Duketace¡¯s Mental Strength flowed into it.


    That wasn¡¯t all, Compass Carburettor even went a step ahead to add a few more traits to the metal eagle, raising the efficiency of its construction. Within a minute, the amount of strength it could exert experienced a twenty percent increase, all because he added in the Mental Fragments sourced from the Eagle Invoked Spirits in his possession.


    Duketace stared in shock, unable to believe just what he had witnessed, staring at his Invoked Spirit that wasn¡¯t just fully healed but was even better than before. Upon seeing it, a strange sense of giddiness burst out in his heart, almost making it hard for him to control himself.


    After all, he now felt hope, seeing a chance to be a Superior Invoker, something he couldn¡¯t attain due to the shaky foundation he had made in his Dreand and Invoked Spirit. In shock, he stared at Compass Carburettor, ¡°C-Can you rectify my problem.¡±


    ¡°I only do that to my subordinates, though.¡± Compass Carburettor said nonchntly, smiling upon seeing Duketace prostrate in submission immediately after.

 Chapter 705: Naive

    Chapter 705: Naive


    ¡°How may I address you, my lord?¡± Duketace prostrated on the ground, asking with a respectful tone, one that bordered reverence.


    After all, the casual act done by Compass Carburettor was deemed impossible for an Invoker. It was something surpassing the Stage.


    It made Duketace understand that Compass Carburettor was probably an old monster, an Ascender that had shifted into the body of Pilkan to recultivate from scratch once his previous body turned old.


    As part of the main family of the Lan n, one in charge of their treasury, he was aware of secrets regarding the Ascenders. He had heard it personally from his grandfather that the n Head, their sole Ascender, was more than two centuries old.


    But, it wasn¡¯t his original body. He had already changed bodies thrice. And each time, he had to cultivate from scratch. And the body he obtained was that of his most talented descendant.


    That was how the main family maintained its power, for the leading nsman in every generation was actually the n head.


    The Invoked Spirit of an Ascender was sentient. It was basically another body for the Ascender. And unlike an Invoker where their Nascent Soul was only formed from a portion of their soul, once an Invoker bes an Ascender, their Nascent Soul would house their entire soul.


    Thereby, their Invoked Spirit would actually be their body while their fleshly body was just a means of domicile. And when the fleshly body grows old, they would be able to send their Invoked Spirit into the Dreand of someone else.


    And immediately after, by devouring their Nascent Soul, they would take control of the respective flesh body. This was how Ascenders continued to live on for centuries.


    Of course, there were plenty of restrictions to this method, something only an Ascender was aware of. Duketace didn¡¯t know of it.


    That was why, the moment he saw Compass Carburettor¡¯s actions, he understood that an Ascender had taken over Pilkan¡¯s body. ¡®Maybe that¡¯s why he survived after falling into the Bottomless Mist Valley.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m Pilkan.¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°So, call me that, alright? You can revert to a formal addressal when in private.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Duketace nodded in response. To avoid confusion, he would address Compass Carburettor as Pilkan in the presence of others and treat him as a regr youth. That way, none would be aware that an Ascender was operating using Pilkan¡¯s body.


    ¡®Good, he¡¯s now my subordinate. This is more beneficial to me.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, asking once he observed the other party, ¡°Now, where do you suppose your family members are headed towards?¡±


    ¡°None would risk crossing over to the teau, my lord.¡± Duketace said, ¡°There are too many powerful organisations established there. They would be robbed of everything the moment they try to set up a force of their own. So, I¡¯m sure they would branch out in the ins here and possibly head towards the shores.¡±


    ¡°With his character, Fenn would probably select a secluded vige with bountiful resources to take over and set up a n. He would marry the pretty women there to set loose his bloodline and act like a King.¡± Duketace said, ¡°That¡¯s in his nature, which rounds off his possible location to a few ces.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll target him thest.¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a Scroll, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything much for the time being. It would take him ages to set up things.¡±


    ¡°Continue.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Nodding in response, Duketace thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Ko isn¡¯t talented in terms of management. So, she¡¯ll be travelling alone in search of information regarding eagles. Once every year, our eagles would fly towards an inhabited ind far into the ocean. She¡¯ll make her way to that ce to live in until she bes an Ascender.¡±


    ¡°Finally, it¡¯s tricky to predict my wife¡¯s movements. She has everything she needs, so she¡¯ll probably find a somewhat dry region to settle and start a n.¡± He said, ¡°There are plenty of such locations where she could potentially set up a n.¡±


    ¡°So, who should we target first, my lord?¡± Duketace asked, happy to oblige.


    ¡®That Ascender Scroll seems useful for my purpose. It¡¯ll help speed things up for me. Besides, the other two would need time to develop.¡¯ Thinking as such, he smiled, ¡°We¡¯ll seek your daughter first.¡±


    ¡°But before that,¡± Compass Carburettor stared at Duketace, motioning for him to summon his eagle, ¡°I¡¯ll do some more improvements to your Invoked Spirit. With that, you¡¯ll be able to be a Superior Invoker in about a few months.¡±


    ¡°Really? Is that possible?¡± Duketace was overjoyed, bowing in response, ¡°Thank you, my lord!¡±


    ¡°Of course, if you grow stronger, I can travel farther distances easily.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled at Duketace.


    ¡®So, I¡¯m his personal wagon. That¡¯s why he¡¯s helping me.¡¯ Duketace thought, rather content at the fact, ¡®So what, I¡¯m serving an Ascender personally. I can reach the peak of the Invoker Stage under him. That¡¯s many times better than what I would attain in the Lan n.¡¯


    He brought out his Invoked Spirit, pointing at it, ¡°Please climb aboard, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s head to the closest town first.¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°We¡¯ll rest up first and recover our Mental Strength. Catching up to your daughter would be easy after that.¡±


    He no longer nned to kill them but instead wished to make them all his subordinates. After all, they were all ambitious individuals, with the talent and means to achieve it.


    This meant that if he yed his cards right, Compass Carburettor would be able to gain a lot of benefits and chance upon discoveries that would prompt his advantage to balloon over Conjurer.


    Three years; that was how long he could remain in this world. And before that time, Compass Carburettor nned to steal the powers of this world and weaken Conjurer significantly. After all, unlike Immortal, Magician and the others, there didn¡¯t seem to be too many worlds under Conjurer.


    So, the loss of even a single world would impact him hard. Moreover, now that he interacted with this world a little, Compass Carburettor could determine that this world was still connected to the Fantasy World.


    ¡®I see, so he¡¯s still relying upon the Conjurer Profession itself to achieve his objective. There¡¯s too much advantage to be had over in that Fantasy World, so he doesn¡¯t have the heart topletely branch out from it.¡¯ Compass Carburettor thought, smiling as he uttered, ¡°Na?ve.¡±

 Chapter 707: Forbidden Tale (part 2)

    Chapter 707: Forbidden Tale (part 2)


    ¡°Did you guys see that?¡± A shopkeeper said, peeking out from underneath a basket of tomatoes, ¡°That rabbit regrew its legs in an instant.¡±


    ¡°Are Invoked Spirits capable of that?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Another shopkeeper said, peeking out from a basket of potatoes, ¡°We¡¯ve seen dozens of Invokers. None of them are capable of a feat like this.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s definitely¡­¡± The shopkeepers simultaneously stared at the tile, one addressed as the Forbidden Tale, ¡°That!¡±


    If even two shopkeepers in hiding could glean the truth, then it was apparent that the majority of people at the scene understood what was at y.


    The Forbidden Tale had not only healed the injury on the leg of Loit¡¯s Invoked Spirit but also strengthened it, all in a few seconds from when he nced at the Forbidden Tale.


    Roar!


    A tiger jumped out all of a sudden and mmed into the back of the Human Invoked Spirit, sending it flying before its ws scratched up the rabbit, using the opportunity to grab hold of the Forbidden Tale as it leaped back.


    ¡°Give that back! It¡¯s mine!¡± Loit shouted in rm, retracting his Invoked Spirit before bringing it out again, fully healed once again. The rabbit jumped at the tiger, attacking it relentlessly in order to snatch back the Forbidden Tale.


    But before this happened, a few more Invoked Spirits arrived at the scene, contesting for it too. The Invokers that had been among the crowd no longer stayed back, contesting for the Forbidden Tale upon seeing its magical properties.


    Soon after, the Invokers from the Heppeturn n arrived at the scene, joining the fray after being informed of the details by Loit. The ce turned chaotic as the Invokers in the town began to learn about the details of the Forbidden Tale, quickly rushing to the scene in order to obtain it.


    But in such a bloodbath that began to go out of control, none noticed that the two instigators had long since vanished.


    ¡°My lord, is this what you want?¡± Duketace asked, sighing as he massaged his aching body.


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen the Forbidden Tale¡­¡± In response, Compass Carburettor smiled, ¡°So, what are your thoughts regarding it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing!¡± Duketace said, retracting his injured eagle into his Dreand, watching the Mental Fragments in his Dreand magically flow into the eagle and heal its injuries.


    Moreover, its construction was more stable than before. That wasn¡¯t all, Duketace also noticed that the Mental Fragments used in its recovery were those that caused the foundation of his Dreand to be unstable before.


    With those parts removed, his Dreand, though weakened, became stabler. As long as he works hard, he would automatically grow strong, especially since he could sense the Mental Fragments in his Dreand gradually rearranging themselves, automatically.


    It was only a matter of time before his Dreand became perfect. All this happened just because he had observed the Forbidden Tale for a day.


    ¡®If I could only stare at it for a longer duration, I might have be a Superior Invoker by now.¡¯ He sighed, feeling mild regret, failing to understand why Pilkan was giving away such a valuable treasure, leaving it up for grabs in this town.


    Though, he was also awed by the other party, understanding that Pilkan was probably a peerless expert of the past, his deep intentions were something beyond the likes of Duketace to beprehended.


    The reason why Duketace or Loit experienced this magical phenomenon after reading the Forbidden Tale and seeing the figure inscribed on it was pretty simple.


    The picture was of course him¡ªCompass Carburettor. The content inscribed on the back of the Forbidden Tale was pretty much a short story regarding the Main Character.


    The story was written in the form of a poem, the verse seeminglyplex. This meant that toprehend it, people would need to observe it for long durations and deconstruct it through many forms.


    And, there indeed was a plethora of information decoded into that one poem.


    Basically, the Forbidden Tale was his own story. This was where Compass Carburettor¡¯s n came into effect.


    What happens when onees to learn the story of a System?


    A fragment of the respective System would begin to grow in their mind. And the deeper the impact of the story on the individual, the greater the growth of the System.


    And hence, what would happen if they were to read his story? Of course, a fragment of the Main Character System would begin to grow in their minds.


    Once this fragment bes strong enough, it would take root within the Invoked Spirit, thereby doing what was happening in the Dreand of Duketace and Loit.


    And, the greater theirprehension of the Forbidden Tale, the stronger the fragment of the Main Character System in their minds, which implied the faster pace at which they could rearrange their Mental Fragments.


    So, this meant that the value one gave to the Forbidden Tale was that high, which implied that the impression its poem made on their minds when they read it was that rmingly potent.


    This was akin to developing the Main Character System.


    Usually in other worlds, there would at least be tiny fragments of multiple Systems in the minds of the people,peting with one another.


    This implied that unless one became enamoured with the story of a particr System, the growth of any System in their mind wasn¡¯t consequential enough.


    Moreover, they were all stories. And irrespective of how good they were, they were just stories, treated with the mild value they garnered. This meant that for a System to actually grow in their mind and be strong enough to take over them was too rare.


    But with the value of importance attached to the Forbidden Tale, not to mention it having the words ¡®Forbidden¡¯ as a prefix to it, the growth of the Main Character System in the minds of anyone that reads it would be terrifyingly strong.


    After all, there wasn¡¯t any information about a System in this world. This meant that the minds of every one were pure, allowing the Main Character System to grow unhindered by the other System fragments.


    ¡°Right, it¡¯s amazing.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, staring at the chaos afar from the rooftop of the house they were on. He then covered his forehead and smiled at Duketace, ¡°Let¡¯s get going now. We¡¯ve already rested enough for two days.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to find your daughter.¡±

 Chapter 706: Forbidden Tale (part 1)

    Chapter 706: Forbidden Tale (part 1)


    Heppeturn Town!


    Early morning, right as the people of the town began to get by with their usual lives, there was mour in one of the market streets, one where fruits, vegetables, and other necessities were sold.


    The farmers would harvest the farm produce at the break of dawn and bring it to the market street to sell off. And hence, in the early parts of the morning, this ce was busiest as the people rushed to buy the freshest farm produce.


    ¡°Kyaa!¡±


    ¡°What the?¡±


    ¡°An Invoker?¡±


    ¡°Someone summon the Heppeturn n!¡±


    The people in the crowded market moured in response as a middle-aged man rushed out of a house, carrying arge tile, breaking the door as he fell to the ground.


    But right before his face kissed the ground, his forehead shone before a metallic eagle appeared between the two, cushioning his impact.


    The middle-aged man rolled on the floor, gasping in exhaustion as the tile in his hand spilled out from the action. As a result, the jet-ck cloth covering it came off, revealing the tile.


    Gasp!


    The crowd stared at the tile, unable to control themselves, rmed upon gazing at the vivid sculpture inscribed on it.


    The tile spanned a length of a metre and a breadth of half a metre. It was a five-centimetre-thick b, its material mysterious in nature. It bore resemnce to the tools used by Human Invoked Spirits but was superior in quality.


    On the b was the image of a human man, slightly androgynous in appearance, sporting sharp facial features that could transcend most racial limits. His eyes were suffused with convincing might, his grace overflowing with authority.


    His left hand seemed to be holding a transparent film of sorts, one from which a ghostly human face seemed to be peeking out, in an effort to escape. But, it didn¡¯t seem possible as cracks formed on this film under the pressure applied by the fingers holding it.


    The right hand of the man was raised up, his index finger ced over his lips, as if telling the entity within the film to remain quiet, looking as if a word from him would spell the doom of the other party.


    He seemed aggressive in character, the inscription of which seemed pretty unique at first nce. But upon staring at it, the crowd felt strangely drawn to it, hoping to see more of it.


    The middle-aged man hurriedly grabbed hold of it, shouting in rm, ¡°Don¡¯t look at it! It¡¯s forbidden to do so!¡±


    ¡°This is the Forbidden Tale!¡±


    ¡°Forbidden Tale? What¡¯s that?¡± Someone from the crowd muttered.


    Seeing the opportunity, despite being unaware of the details himself, a youth among the crowd suddenly shouted like he had obtained an epiphany, grinning internally upon sensing the attention of the crowd fall on him.


    Without beating about the bush, he made up a lie on the spot, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the Forbidden Tale can make one a Peerless Invoker. But, the power is too alluring that they might be lost in it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± The middle-aged man said as he got up, wrapped the tile with the jet-ck cloth, and climbed on his eagle, intending to leave.


    ¡®I was¡­correct?¡¯ The youth was surprised. He then observed the middle-aged man¡¯s intentions.


    But right as the middle-aged man was about to leave, a rabbit leaped onto his eagle, kicking him to the ground. It opened its mouth and bit onto the tile, leaping forth to head towards the top of a building.


    ¡°No!¡± The middle-aged man roared in response as his metallic eagle chased after the rabbit, retaking the tile easily using its superior power.


    The eagle was a Common Invoked Spirit while the rabbit was only an Inferior Invoked Spirt.


    ¡°Tch!¡± The Invoker who brought out the rabbit clicked his tongue. He was someone that had ventured into the market to buy some necessities when he observed themotion. And upon hearing that the tile in the hands of the middle-aged man was a peerless treasure, even though he wasn¡¯t sure of the details, he took action immediately.


    He was Loit, an Inferior Invoker hailing from the Heppeturn n that controlled the Heppeturn Town. He hurriedly took out a whistle and blew into it, alerting the n as his rabbit targeted the middle-aged man, preventing him from escaping.


    Bang!


    The walls to the house with a broken door shattered as a four-metre-tall Human Invoked Spirit exited it, carrying a hooded individual on its shoulder.


    The hooded individual stared at the eagle carrying the tile, muttering with a raspy voice, ¡°That¡¯s not something you cany your filthy hands on!¡±


    A spear appeared in the hands of the Human Invoked Spirit that chucked it with force, piercing right through the eagle¡¯s body, causing the tile to drop from its mouth and fall to the floor.


    The middle-aged man, Duketace shouted in rm upon seeing the hooded individual, ¡°Dammit!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a murderer!¡± The crowd screamed in shock upon seeing the Human Invoked Spirit, beginning to run away in a hurry.


    The tile didn¡¯t even fall to the ground when a rabbit caught hold of it and leaped on the walls of the houses to vanish from the scene. But, before the rabbit could run towards the Heppeturn n, a spear mmed into it, shattering one of its legs, causing it to crash into the walls of a house and drop to the ground.


    The Human Invoked Spirit began to chase after it while Duketace quickly rushed through the fleeing crowd, arriving at the terrace of a nearby house where he obtained a better view of the surroundings, causing his eagle to rush towards the rabbit.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± Loit grunted as the rabbit pped the tile, sending it flying his way. He leaped into the air, catching hold of it as he rolled on the floor, intending to escape when a fell on him, trapping him.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Loit was startled to see the Human Invoked Spirit approaching him when his eyes fell on the tile, on its back, seeing a row of words. The words quickly registered in his mind as he read them as quickly as possible, his eyes widening all of a sudden as he smirked.


    Suddenly, his rabbit vanished before reappearing next to him, but this time, its injured leg was fine, shocking the crowd thaty witness to the scene.


    ¡°No, a mortal like you shouldn¡¯t use its power!¡± The hooded figure shouted in rm as the binding Loit was bitten through by the rabbit that leaped up with greater power than before.

 Chapter 708: Forbidden Tale (part 3)

    Chapter 708: Forbidden Tale (part 3)


    ¡°Great job today, Loit.¡± The Head of the Heppeturn n, a Superior Invoker said in praise, staring at the Forbidden Tale before him.


    Even though plenty were injured severely, the Heppeturn n was overwhelmed with joy. After all, they managed to gain a lot of profit this time.


    If it hadnded anywhere beyond Heppeturn Town, they didn¡¯t have the confidence in obtaining it. But since it appeared in their domain, they managed to obtain it through sheer numbers. The other Invokers couldn¡¯t do anything, only having to leave in defeat.


    Of course, dozens of Invokers lost their lives in the process.


    The Heppeturn n Head stared at the Forbidden Tale, reading its first line.


    [Disaster, prone by chaos,]


    [In its wake, I awaken.]


    At first, it didn¡¯t make sense but as he continued to stare at the line, the Heppeturn n Head muttered, ¡°A saviour?¡±


    ¡°I feel that¡¯s the case.¡± Loit said, ¡°That¡¯s what I came to understand when I benefitted from it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± The Heppeturn n Head nodded in response, watching the Mental Fragments in his Dreand stir up in response, ¡°It works.¡±


    Roar!


    All the Invokers of the n stirred up in response, staring at the Forbidden Tale with bated breaths, focusing on the first line as they too began to experience the benefits.


    Though, the time they took to do so was different.


    Some took a few minutes to do so while others took hours. Those like Loit who managed to do so in mere seconds were too rare. There was just Loit in their n that had done so.


    Even the n Head took more than a minute before he experienced the changes.


    The n Head focused on the second line next, frowning when he was unable to feel anything. But strangely, from his Dreand, he obtained the sensation that he would only be able to find out more once he trulyprehended the depth of the first line.


    The Forbidden Tale was a poemposed of 11 lines in total, with each line broken into two stanzas.


    ¡®I obtained this much benefit even by barely cracking the first line?¡¯ The n Head was shocked before announcing solemnly, ¡°Everyone, vow with the lives of you, your family, and our n on this!¡±


    ¡°The Forbidden Tale isn¡¯t in our hands. That¡¯s how we must go about it if we wish to avoid destruction.¡± He spoke.


    ¡°Yes, n Head!¡± All the Invokers saluted in response, clearly aware of the things at stake.


    ¡°Quick, memorise the contents.¡± The n Head said, ¡°I¡¯ll be sealing it somewhere out of sight and only take it out once a month when I deem it¡¯s safe. Until then, keep thinking about the verse.¡±


    At his words, everyone quickly mugged up all eleven lines before the Heppeturn n Head picked up the Forbidden Tale and covered it with a jet-ck cloth, just as how Loit observed at first. Even though he wasn¡¯t aware of the reason, he didn¡¯t wish to take risks and followed the same protocol.


    But, he only turned around and was about to head out of their main hall when suddenly, the roof burst open as a figure jumped through with pompous presence, startling everyone.


    ¡°Enemy! Attack!¡± The Heppeturn n Head shouted as everyone brought out their rabbits, making them pounce upon the intruder.


    ¡°Useless,¡± The intruder only snorted in disdain as a pair of wings, grand in nature unfurled from his back, wrapping around his body as the rabbits mmed into it.


    But, it felt like hitting a mountain as the rabbits failed to even dent a single feather. In the next moment, the eyes of the Heppeturn n Head widened in shock as a massive eagle head popped out of the intruder, its beak mping upon him.


    He couldn¡¯t even resist as his body was crushed into paste while the Forbidden Tale vanished.


    The eagle head vanished as the wings on the intruder¡¯s back pped once, sending him flying out of the roof as his figure disappeared.


    There was silence following that as the Heppeturn n Invokers were aghast, still reeling from the after-effects of what just happened.


    ¡°Was that an¡­Ascender?¡± One of them muttered, gasping in shock.


    ¡°That was the Lan n Head in the flesh,¡± Loit muttered, on the verge of crying as not only was their n Head killed, but in an instant, all their efforts were rendered useless.


    They had paid a sharp price and had offended a lot of parties in the battle before getting their hands on the Forbidden Tale. But now, it was snatched away, just like that.


    And even if they knew of the other party¡¯s identity, they couldn¡¯t do anything.


    Roar!


    An ape leaped into the main hall, destroying most of the roof due to its sheer stature that surpassed a height of twenty metres. Seated on it was an old man that eyed the expression of the Heppeturn nsmen, asking coldly, ¡°Where¡¯s the Forbidden Tale?¡±


    ¡°The Lan n Head snatched it from us just moments ago,¡± Loit said in defeat, watching the ape leap away and vanish from the scene. Since there was nothing they could do from now on, the least they could do was reveal the one in possession of the treasure.


    ¡®At least, these powerful entities would chase after and give trouble to the Lan n Head.¡¯ Loit said, gritting his teeth as he brought out his rabbit and climbed on its back.


    ¡°Where are you going, Loit?¡± A Heppeturn nsmen asked in a hurry upon seeing him leave the n.


    ¡°To the Lan n, of course.¡± Loit said, gritting his teeth, ¡°A massive war would break out there. So, I¡¯m heading there to fish for benefits to recoup our losses.¡±


    ¡°I promise you that I¡¯ll bring something beneficial for us.¡± Saying so, he rode away on his rabbit that leapedrge distances with every jump, quickly leaving the town as he headed straight towards Wakttark City.


    The night wasn¡¯t peaceful as a few more Ascenders arrived at the Heppeturn n to see the status of the Forbidden Tale. And upon learning of the details from the Heppeturn nsmen that replied like clockwork by now and seeing the traces of other Ascenders at the main hall, the ones that arrived left soon after.


    ¡°I never knew there were so many terrifying existences hidden amongst us.¡± One of them sighed, heading home soon after, intending to sleep away his urge to cry.

 Chapter 709: Forbidden Tale (part 4)

    Chapter 709: Forbidden Tale (part 4)


    ¡°But my Lord, will it be alright?¡± Duketace asked in concern, ¡°Isn¡¯t this situation growing out of control?¡±


    ¡°The more it goes out of control, the greater its value.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled in response, ¡°Anyway, I can always make another Forbidden Tale.¡±


    ¡°You can¡­make it?¡± Duketace was shocked, ¡°It wasn¡¯t a mystical item?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a mystical item, but one I created.¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°The production costs are high, but it¡¯s not impossible to create multiple copies of the same.¡±


    ¡®Which I n to do so, but not here.¡¯ He smirked. The goal was to create as many Main Character System fragments in the minds of the popce here. And if in the minds of strong entities, all the better.


    And, once a strong entity¡¯s mind is taken over by the Main Character System, it was basically having another Compass Carburettor in the scene.


    Compass Carburettor¡¯s true body was within Pilkan, currently a Human Invoker. This meant that for his growth, he needed to consume Mental Fragments from humans.


    This allowed him to hunt himself and gain Mental Fragments of the entities whose minds now belonged to the Main Character System. This was the fastest way to develop himself and grow stronger.


    Besides, in this world without any System to hinder his ns, it was free real estate for world domination. And the fastest way to achieve that was through the Forbidden Tales.


    For that, Duketace would be the best pawn as Compass Carburettor stared at him while they were flying, muttering, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t remain hiding. You cane out now.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Duketace was rmed when suddenly, his eyes turned nk before lighting up once again. Even though his voice was the same, the tone was different, ¡°It feels strange talking to another me like this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how things are at the moment.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded.


    Duketace had already be a dead man the moment he allowed Compass Carburettor to heal his Invoked Spirit. With that, Compass Carburettor¡¯s Mental Fragments made their way into his Dreand, causing the growth of the Main Character System there to hasten in response.


    So, it was only a matter of time before his mind was fully taken over. But, it hadn¡¯t happened yet as the case was different from Pilkan.


    Compass Carburettor himself entered Pilkan¡¯s Dreand, so the takeover process was quick. But, it was only a tiny fragment in Duketace¡¯s mind now. He didn¡¯t have the qualities of the Main Character, so he wasn¡¯t as influenced by the Main Character¡¯s story.


    Therefore, the fragment growing in his mind wasn¡¯t strong enough to take over his mind. It was only potent enough to temporarily take over for a few seconds.


    ¡°Alright, you can return now. Don¡¯te out until I summon you.¡± Compass Carburettor said.


    ¡°I know,¡± Duketace said as his eyes turned nk. A momentter, they regained their lustre as he wondered what happened, staring at his eagle continuing to fly without any change, ¡°Did I nk out for a moment there?¡±


    It was the original Duketace in control now.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t notice anything amiss.¡± Compass Carburettor said, consuming some rations as he was seated on the eagle¡¯s back.


    Currently, they were travelling towards the shore in search of Ko. Those with Eagle Invoked Spirits were the best carriers for his Forbidden Tale. And, before the Lan n Head fell under the influence of his Forbidden Tale, he had to rely upon Duketace¡¯s family.


    With his support, they would all attain the peak of the Invoker State soon, allowing them to bring the Forbidden Tales to far-offnds and spread it around.


    Before that, he needed to manufacture enough Forbidden Tales first, which was easier said than done.


    In order to raise its potency, Compass Carburettor took pains to ensure that the content within the Mental Fragments used to construct the Forbidden Tale also coincided with the contents involved in it.


    So, the eleven lines there weren¡¯t inscribed but were formed naturally by the Mental Fragments. Simrly, his face too was formed simrly.


    They were all created by using the most suited Mental Fragments, which pretty much drained his reserve of Mental Fragments.


    If he hadn¡¯t killed Runka, this would have been impossible.


    So to create another Forbidden Tale, Compass Carburettor would need to kill at least two to three Superior Human Invokers. And that was only in terms of the quality of the Mental Fragments¡ªgiven he steals their Invoked Spirits using the mist.


    He still needs to chance upon the perfect Mental Fragments to form the verse urately, otherwise, its potency would fall, preventing it from bing a mystical item contested for by the reigning powers.


    Currently, all Compass Carburettor was aware of was the fact that the first Forbidden Tale was in the hands of the Lan n Head. ¡®Well, things should heat up here for a while.¡¯


    ¡®Until then¡­¡¯ He stared at the back of Duketace, ¡®I¡¯ll use this family to the limit.¡¯


    Holding a pair of binocrs, Compass Carburettor continued to survey the ce, looking for any traces of Ko. Duketace too was doing the same, or rather, he was more pumped up to find her than Compass Carburettor.


    As he was aware of his daughter¡¯s character and habits more than anyone, he took the lead in finding her. They didn¡¯t hurry though, taking their sweet time to scour through the potential ces.


    Soon after, they arrived at a coastal town, scouring through its skies boldly when suddenly, Compass Carburettor smiled, detecting the contents of one of the Mental Energy streams incident on them.


    ¡°She¡¯s here.¡± Duketace¡¯s eyes dimmed for a moment as the Main Character System fragment in him took control, rying the information obtained from the Mental Energy Streams, pointing in a certain direction, ¡°She¡¯s peeking from the window of that house.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s here.¡± Compass Carburettor said the moment Duketace resurfaced in his body, pointing in a direction.


    Duketace looked around in a hurry, spotting his daughter right in the direction he pointed at, surprised at the sharpness of Compass Carburettor¡¯s senses as he brought the eagle to the town¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°I¡¯ll capture her, my lord.¡± Duketace saluted in response, ¡°Please wait for the good news.¡±


    ¡°Sure, don¡¯t harm her.¡± Compass Carburettor waved his hand as he walked towards a rock a certain distance away from the town and sat there, in patience.

 Chapter 710: Gehera’s Awakening

    Chapter 710: Gehera¡¯s Awakening


    Trotak Kingdom!


    Stencil apanied Aronaut and Gehera, arriving at the outskirts of the Trotak Kingdom, the home ce of Gehera¡¯s mother, Teh.


    The reason they had arrived here was to help awaken Gehera¡¯s Personal Fragment, for that was the only way they could make contact with yer.


    ¡°Keuk!¡± The moment she arrived at the Trotak Kingdom, Gehera felt the auras of the Titans that resonated with her, for her mother was the princess of this kingdom. This meant that she was technically its heir.


    Thend was under the domain of influence of the Titan Saints of the Kingdom. And as a result, she felt the influence the moment she arrived, knowing that she was indeed a Titan, despite her current appearance being that of a human.


    ¡°Your existence isn¡¯t something that¡¯s considered possible in this world,¡± Aronaut said, having used his Skills to investigate her in detail, continuing, ¡°But, your father relied on multiple otherworldly powers to make the impossible possible.¡±


    He patted her back, ¡°So, believe in your parents and let whatever¡¯s happening in you take its course.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­try,¡± Gehera said, panting in response as she could feel something stirring up from within her. shes of scenes appeared in her vision, the details too blurry for her, as if they were just murky crayon smudges on a piece of paper.


    ¡°Want me to help you?¡± Stencil asked when immediately, Gehera¡¯s eyes turned sharp as she went on alert, observing that she was able to sense the changes with a somewhat clearer gaze.


    The reason was simple. She was afraid of Stencil. It was a feeling of fear that stemmed up from the depths of her being, shocking her, for she failed to understand the cause.


    ¡°I can manage,¡± Gehera replied in a hurry, taking in deep breaths before she felt fine, observing the changes stop. By now, she was able to feel a foreign object in her.


    No, it felt like she was that object while her body was but a cage housing her true self. It was a jarring sensation that she didn¡¯t wish to experience any longer.


    [Let¡¯s make a round through the ces her mother used to live at first. We¡¯ll head to her father¡¯s ce after that.]


    Stencil informed Aronaut through a Mental Energy stream. Her Mental Energy reserves were pretty low, but thanks to the Anthozoa in her possession, she was gaining a steady stream by basking in the sun.


    It wasn¡¯t much but still helped her umte Mental Energy at a consistent pace.


    Stencil was nervous about her father¡¯s condition, hoping to save him as quickly as possible. But, as she didn¡¯t know where he might have gone, her only option was to try her best with the means at her disposal.


    Moreover, from the moment her father had been kidnapped, she was unable to ess the Astral Network. It seemed like the Astral Network was cut off from this world itself.


    Normally, it was the Astral Network that formed the bridge allowing Systems to enter and exit a world. Though, high levelled Systems could return to the System World even without that.


    Using the Happy-Go-Lucky System, Stencil was capable of the same. This was why they had been confident about simply leaving the world the moment they encountered a problem beyond what they could handle.


    Unfortunately, the level of the problem was just too vast for them to even think about handling before things progressed to the current state.


    And now, even using the Happy-Go-Lucky System, Stencil was unable to leave this world. The System World itself was cut off from this world. Though, this also meant that she could snack upon all the Systems trapped in this world.


    The Aero Society was already on it, working under Aronaut¡¯s orders. They were already on the tails of the System Hosts living in this world. Once they finished cornering the Systems, Aronaut would bring Stencil there to give the final blow.


    The Systems in this world ranged between levels thirty and fifty. There were more than a dozen System yers above level fifty that were now part of Aero Society.


    So, considering their past strength, they were able to draw out even more power from the Relic that formed the core of Aero Society. With that, it was a guarantee that they could hunt down all the Systems.


    ¡°Can you be a Titan?¡± Stencil asked Aronaut, smiling contently to see the other party transform into one immediately.


    ¡°Take us with you.¡± She continued, ¡°We can tour the Trotak Kingdom safely after that.¡±


    ¡°Leave that to me,¡± Aronaut smiled, ¡°I can bring out the powers of a Titan Saint.¡±


    With that, Aronaut grabbed hold of Stencil and a trembling Gehera before cing them on his shoulder, calmly walking through the kingdom, brimming with the aura of a Titan Saint.


    His arrival immediately alerted the Saints of the Trotak Kingdom as one of them arrived before them in a hurry.


    Boom!


    A bolt of lightning mmed into the ground, and through the cmity of a thunderstorm, the Titan Saint made his appearance.


    He stared at Aronaut, beginning with a respectful introduction, ¡°I¡¯m Takar, one of the Saints of this Kingdom. May I know the reason for your arrival?¡±


    ¡°The Goblins developed from this ce, right?¡± Aronaut asked, sporting a mild frown, ¡°I came here to investigate the strangeness of the Goblins.¡±


    ¡°Pleasee with me,¡± Takar lead the way with a show of hands, ¡°Allow me to host you in our royal pce first. I¡¯ll show you the information we¡¯ve collected to date about the Goblins.¡±


    ¡°That would be helpful.¡± Aronaut nodded respectfully, apanying Takar who then noticed the two humans on his shoulder.


    ¡°They are¡­?¡± Takar asked.


    ¡°Mypanions,¡± Aronaut said, ¡°They¡¯re the ones helping me with this investigation. They¡¯re pretty helpful.¡±


    Since a Saint vouched for them, Takar didn¡¯tment on the matter, ignoring the two weak humans as he escorted Aronaut to the royal pce.


    ¡°Kyak!¡± Gehera screamed shrilly the moment they entered the royal pce as tears streamed out of her eyes automatically. She muttered in a daze, ¡°Mom was here!¡±


    ¡®Of course, that¡¯s why I¡¯m bringing you here.¡¯ Stencil thought, gently patting Gehera. Though, her heart remained unmoved by the other party¡¯s tears. Compassion? She probably didn¡¯t have much of that, especially with her father¡¯s life on the line.


    In her eyes, Gehera was just a key to saving her dad.

 Chapter 711: Heading to the Shaman King’s Home

    Chapter 711: Heading to the Shaman King¡¯s Home


    ¡°Kyak!¡± Gehera grunted in pain, feeling something on the verge of bursting out from within her.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening to her?¡± Takar frowned in response, noticing waves of mana burst out of Gehera¡¯s body beyond what she was capable of. ¡°It¡­doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s one of those¡­¡± Aronaut said, watching Takar¡¯s eyes widen in surprise as he continued, ¡°A yer that¡¯s rted to this.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­she¡¯s rted to the current state of Goblins?¡± Takar was shocked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Aronaut nodded, ¡°Moreover, she¡¯s Teh¡¯s daughter.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Takar was bbergasted, taking a second nce at Gehera to shout, ¡°What nonsense! She¡¯s a mere human!¡±


    ¡°Is what you said the truth?¡± A feminine voice resounded as another Titan arrived at the scene, riding a tornado as shended before Aronaut, asking while releasing a suffocating presence, ¡°Is it?¡±


    Her presence was overwhelming even among Saints. Even Takar felt mildly intimidated by her. Having been alive for pretty much forever, Titans were the strongest among their level. So, a regr Saint might have even fainted under the presence she exuded.


    Though, Aronaut didn¡¯t even bat an eye. Of course, that was nothing before him. After all, he was a level 99 System yer, wielding multiple Core Skills that reached the peak of Grade 1.


    Even an Apostle might find it difficult to win against him, not to mention a mere Saint. And the powers of an Apostle were in no way as versatile as Aronaut who could use the Skills from multiple power systems.


    Whereas, the only powers the Apostle could use originated from the magic power system, and that too the profession they represented.


    ¡®S-Strong!¡¯ Teh¡¯s mother, G, queen of the Trotak Kingdom was shocked to see Aronaut not even bat an eye at her show of power, ¡®If he¡¯s unfazed at my power, he should be beyond a Saint¡­¡¯


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not the Titan Apostle.¡± She frowned, asking while tensing up, ready for a battle, ¡°Who the heck are you?¡±


    In response, Aronaut casually gazed at Takar, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you before?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a yer.¡±


    ¡®You only said that child is a yer¡­¡¯ It was at the tip of his tongue that Takar controlled himself from uttering. He remained silent for the time being, hoping for G to take charge, for it was better for her to represent the Trotak Kingdom, for she was its queen.


    G calmed down in an instant, staring at Gehera to ask, ¡°Is she¡­Teh¡¯s daughter? Is that the truth?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Aronaut nodded in response, ¡°Her father sealed her powers and turned her into a Human to prevent her from being discovered by a powerful enemy. We came here to awaken her titan powers.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s¡­her father?¡± G asked, staring at Gehera to see that she indeed had Teh¡¯s facial traits.


    ¡°The Shaman King,¡± Aronaut said, watching the expressions of the two Titan Saints copse at the ridiculousness of the notion.


    ¡®Wow, it seems Aronaut loves to see the expression of others morph.¡¯ Stencil nodded, gaining a better understanding of Aronaut¡¯s character.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that why you allowed Teh to venture into the Goblin Kingdom?¡± Aronaut smiled in response.


    ¡°But, the children of Goblins always end up being a Goblin. So, it wouldn¡¯t even faze her. it would just be an experience for her.¡± G responded. ¡°I¡­never expected this to happen.¡±


    Titans weren¡¯t even concerned about such things in the first ce.


    As long-lived beings, they paid little heed to such attachments. If Teh¡¯s child was a Goblin, even she herself wouldn¡¯t bat an eye at that, casually tossing it into the hands of a Goblin before she would have made her way back home.


    It was what G had meant to happen back then, for, in that way, she could ensure the Shaman King would stop targeting their kingdom and focus on other kingdoms instead, which also meant weakening their enemies.


    Moreover, this experience would also make Teh less rash. Titans operated with an entirely different mentality, so G didn¡¯t even give a second thought to the n. Even Teh didn¡¯t. Frustrated yes, but that was only because her Kingdom didn¡¯t do anything when her fellow Titans were being ughtered while her parents thought a political marriage was the only solution.


    She looked down on Goblins, another reason for her frustration. But birthing a Goblin child wasn¡¯t much to her. The entire process would be over before her nap concluded, so she indeed didn¡¯t pay it any heed.


    ¡°Wait, is she a¡­Goblin?¡± G asked, ¡°Did a Principal Conjurer change her into a titan? I can¡¯t feel any aura of the Titan on her, so it¡¯s not using the powers of a Merman Polymorph.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a Titan.¡± Aronaut didn¡¯tment much, turning around upon seeing Gehera stabilise, thinking as he observed the Personal Fragment in her already churning mana through her body, ¡®Alright, she only needs one more push.¡¯


    ¡°Well, follow me.¡± Saying so, Aronaut began to head towards the Goblin Kingdom that still existed, created using thend they stole from the Trotak Kingdom.


    The reason Aronaut made the Saints follow him was simple: Superior Quality Mental Energy.


    Disclosing information regarding Gehera wasn¡¯t a problem, as those that weren¡¯t supposed to know about her were already aware of her. So, it was better to gain Mental Energy from the Titan Saints.


    The quantity and quality were shockingly surprising.


    ¡®I¡¯m getting 500 Mental Energy every second.¡¯ Stencil¡¯s eyes widened in shock, hurriedly changing her thoughts the moment G stared at her, ¡®No, it¡¯s 500 per Saint. Damn!¡¯


    When the two Saints stared at her, she was getting more than a whopping thousand Mental Energy every second. And suddenly, the quantity spiked thrice as the Guardian Saint of the Trotak Kingdom made his arrival, ¡°I¡¯m interested to see what¡¯s happening.¡±


    ¡°Sure, feel free to invite other Saints too.¡± Aronaut said, suppressing his feeling of content, ¡°This is something the Shaman King paid his life for to create, the first of its kind.¡±


    G and Takar stared at each other, thinking for a moment as they stared at the Guardian Saint who sighed in response, already feeling the stares on his back.


    He looked at Aronaut, ¡°Can you please keep this a secret? We don¡¯t wish to reveal the true strength of our Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind¡­¡± Aronaut said before his face convulsed, out of words to see more than ten Saints pop out, expressing their curiosity, ¡®This isn¡¯t on the level of a Kingdom. They¡¯ve already surpassed most Empires.¡¯


    ¡®Why are there so many Titan Saints here?¡¯

 Chapter 712: Not a System Slayer

    The Goblins stared in fear, watching titans stroll through their Kingdom inrge numbers. They had yet to lose their intelligence, but it hadn''t been long since the appearance of the Shaman King. So, they''ve yet to have someone even be a Pseudo-Saint, not to mention the higher powers.


    Without the Shaman King, they were nothing.


    Thump! Thump!


    The footsteps of the Titans caused thunderous rumbling, destroying the weak buildings as everything that the Goblins had erected copsed. Before, they would dare to pounce upon the invaders.


    But currently, they didn''t dare do anything. After all, there was not one, not two, but over a dozen Titan Saints marching through their Kingdom when just a single one of them was enough to trample them to ruins.


    "Get lost." G didn''t bother with the Goblins, casually kicking a crowd to the side, not even bothering with the fact that her kick caused them to stter into blood mist.


    Titans looked down on the Goblins, that fact never changed. The only opponent they perceived as a threat was the Shaman King. And with Aronaut confirming the death of the Shaman King, they had already nned to wipe out this weed-like food resource.


    "So, what''s the reason for so many Saints hiding in this Kingdom?" Aronaut asked once they entered the Goblin kingdom.


    "This is something that others don''t know, but¡­" G trailed for a few seconds, swatting away any Goblins in the vicinity before continuing, "The Titan Apostle is our ancestor. So, we have an easier time bing Saints. Though, on orders from her, we refrained from expanding further and confined ourselves in this Kingdom."


    "Does that make sense to you?" Aronaut asked Stencil, wondering what she made of this.


    "Titans are basically undying cmities." Stencil said, "So if they were spread out on arger piece ofnd, it would only result in too much destruction. Maybe to prevent that from happening is why such an order was passed down."


    "We''ve spected, but none could arrive at a proper conclusion." G said, "All we''ve heard until now is the voice of our ancestor on the day we each became a Saint. We''ve never seen her ourselves."


    "We have no idea what the Titan Apostle is up to."


    "Hmm, Ducore might have an idea," Aronaut muttered.


    "Who''s Ducore?" Stencil asked.


    "He''s one of the peak yers." Aronaut said, "He''s a man of few words but wields the professions of the Ogre, Minotaur, and Titan race. He''s actually the Apostle of the Ogre Race."


    "Have you seen an Apostle?" G asked in surprise.


    "A few, yeah." Aronaut nodded.


    "Are you an Apostle too?" She asked next, feeling her heart thump in tension.


    "No, I''m not that interested in this world''s power system." Aronaut said, "The most I''ve obtained are on the level of a Saint."


    "Leaving that aside," He stared at Gehera, "Feeling something?"


    "Yes¡­" Gehera nodded, pointing in a certain direction, "I can feel dad''s aura from there."


    As she pointed, faint runes swirled in her eyes as her Cartographer Profession was automatically activated, allowing her to draw information from the region, gradually obtaining data about her father.


    ''So, he was indeed the Shaman King.'' She understood, observing some simrities between the Goblin version of her father and his human version. Though, his human version was more¡­humane, aspared to the coldblooded Shaman King.


    Boom!


    The information flowing into her surged all of a sudden as Gehera jumped down from Aronaut''s shoulder, feeling different aspared to before, sensing something in her mind shatter as a torrent of information flooded her being, "Kyaaak!"


    Luck¡ªHappy-Go-Lucky!


    Stencil activated her luck, assisting Gehera with it to ensure she would tide through this safely. Otherwise, in such aplicated process, there was a chance things could go awry without the assistance of luck.


    Stencil stared at Gehera, taking out her choker, intending to put the other party under control the moment Gehera tried anything that went against her ns.


    Staring at her intentions, Aronaut didn''tment on the matter. Unlike her, he didn''t wish to be hard on Gehera, after all, he felt a sense of camaraderie with all System yers.


    Therefore, he wished to go with a diplomatic route, intending to convince Stencil otherwise.


    [Are you sure treating Gehera like this is for the best? She is the culmination of multiple powerhouses, after all.]


    [I''m not treating her badly or anything. It''s just¡­her choice would depend on what''ll happen to her next. If she''s on my side, I''ll be her best friend.]


    ''It hasn''t been long since she''s been out of her father''s sight and she''s already changing.'' Aronaut didn''t say much, only eyeing Stencil from the side. Though, he was aware of what the Main Character''s sole daughter had gone through in her past.


    It was information long since collected by yer.


    So, he could understand that to Stencil, her father was all she had. Normally, she was prettypassionate as an individual. But when pushes to shove, she had every chance of turning into a vicious dictator.


    Thankfully, Stencil didn''t need to take any drastic measures as Gehera sessfully became a System yer.


    "I¡­understand now." Gehera said, tears streaming out of her eyes, "Thank you, dad."


    "Why¡­is there no change in her appearance?" G frowned in response, for the mana churning out of Gehera subsided, revealing her aura of a Master Cartographer, one that was gradually weakening, nothing else.


    There was neither the aura of a Goblin nor a Titan in her, but that of a human.


    "That''s strange." Aronaut wondered the same, having assumed that Gehera would transform into a Titan the moment her Personal Fragment awakened. "Wait¡­her Personal Fragment is gone!"


    He was startled, observing that the Personal Fragment in Gehera had truly vanished, as if it didn''t exist there in the first ce.


    ''What about the Main Character System Fragment in her?'' Aronaut thought next, harnessing the power of his Relic to focus on Gehera, hoping to see if there was any resonance between the two, for all Main Character System fragments would resonate in the presence of the Main Character.


    But an instantter, he was rmed, muttering, "What¡­is happening? I could sense it in her until now."


    ''Now she''s neither a System yer nor is there a Main Character System fragment in her body.''

 Chapter 713: Gehera’s Cartographer

    Chapter 713: Gehera¡¯s Cartographer


    The Titan Saints stared at Gehera in confusion, alternating gazes between her and Aronaut, only then noticing that Aronaut too was confused.


    Stencil jumped to the ground, gracefullynding beside Gehera as she stared at the other party, revealing a bright smile, "So, how do you feel bing whole?"


    "As long as you don''t kill or enve me, I''ll be feeling great," Gehera said, her eyes swirling with a multitude of runes as she made eye contact with Stencil.


    "Oh,e on, I was just helping you back then." Stencil let out a cheerful smile as she smacked the back of Gehera lightly, "Now, let''s head to the Ruin of Amagoth that your father had created."


    She stared at the eyes of Gehera, asking casually, "You can do that, right?"


    "¡­" Gehera stared at Stencil; the twodies didn''t break eye contact for a good five seconds as tension spurred in the air before which, Gehera turned around, sighing as she said, "I''ll lead you there."


    "Great." Stencil smiled happily, watching Gehera lead the way to the ce where the Shaman King had unleashed the Ruin of Amagoth on yer.


    With Aronaut to help them, they teleported to the location. Though, all the Titan Saints stopped there, no longer interested in the journey further.


    "We''ve confirmed what we need already," G said, smiling upon seeing the Goblins revert to their original forms as there were no longer Hobgoblins or any other higher lifeforms. The sharp reduction in their intellect rmed the Goblins who didn''t know what to do anymore.


    With that, the minor problem faced by the Titan Kingdom of Trotak was solved. G stared at Gehera, saying with a professional smile, "I wish you the best of fate for your future endeavours."


    That was all. It was apparent from her words that G had zero intentions of recognising Gehera as part of the Trotak Kingdom. Though, Gehera too had no reason to be with them.


    After all, she wasn''t a Titan, something that had be clear to her now. ''I''m still human. And¡­''


    She frowned, thinking in worry, ''Mother is trapped.''


    Through the point where her legs were in contact with the ground, arge volume of information poured into her body, allowing her to sense various clues in a trip through history, capable of observing everything that had happened.


    Unlike before, her powers had be developed to a terrifying extent. She was still a Cartographer in the truest sense. She neither inherited the power of the Titans nor the Shaman King''s.


    But, it would be a lie to consider her the same as other Cartographers. She was not, especially since Gehera no longer felt any connection with the Cartographer Profession.


    It was as if she had been abandoned by the profession itself, which seemed to be the case now. But strangely, she wasn''t snuffed out by the world, ''It seems dad made some preparations indeed.''


    This was why she was looking forward to visiting the Ruin of Amagoth he had created by expending his life. After a moment of thought, Gehera looked at Stencil, asking, "Say, will you help me if I help you?"


    "Naturally," Stencil said in all seriousness, "My dad only needs a thought to find your mother. The only reason he couldn''t save her before was due to the curses of Birdmen Saints trapping her. He didn''t have a method to break them."


    "Then, please help me." Gehera bowed in response, "I don''t have anyone else to ask."


    "Hey, I''m not some selfish viin, you know." Stencil was taken aback by her action, waving her hands to say, "I''ll definitely help you, alright?"


    "That was my dad''s intention in the first ce." Stencil said, thinking, ''After dad is safe, I mean.''


    Aronaut teleported them to the location where Geherast saw her father. Upon staring at the in grasnds, her eyes turned moist for a moment before she hardened herself, ''It''s only because I''m weak that I became your liability, dad.''


    She arrived at the spot where the Shaman King confronted yer, extending her hand as immediately, runes manifested out of thin air, hovering before her as they condensed into a kite-shaped portal.


    "I see, so it''s this, dad," Gehera muttered, inching her hand closer to the portal, observing runes gush out of the portal and condense into a sphere before her.


    Gradually, her eyes shone with a mysterious light as Gehera noticed a formless substance flowing into her, originating from Stencil. She was shocked at first, wondering if the other party was about to control her once again, a piece of information she obtained only thanks to her Cartographer abilities.


    But a momentter, she derived information regarding it, noticing that the formless substance was luck. And it was this luck that actually improved her power to a level above what her father had intended for her.


    The information influx hurt her head, making it seem like it would explode. Gritting her teeth, Gehera held on, realising that though spurred by selfish motives, Stencil had indeed been supporting her all along. ''Such a conflicted person she is.''


    Gehera inched her hand, grabbing hold of the runic sphere before the portal as her hands slowly touched the portal.


    Boom!


    A beam of light mmed into the skies as a mysterious dimension, shaped like a pyramid manifested itself before them, housing hundreds of Magic Beasts, all sealed within. An instantter, under her shocked gaze, all the Magic Beasts turned into Totems that became pirs in the ce they stood as the mysterious dimension shrunk in size before entering her body.


    "Gahh!" Veins popped all over her body as a variety of energies coursed through her: Mana, Spiritual Energy, Godly Energy, Gic Energy, Mental Energy, etc.


    Each Totem¡ªMagic Beast¡ªrepresented part of yer''s power that had been siphoned off from him permanently. And now, they all emitted their respective energy that streamed out of the Ruin of Amagoth and revolved within Gehera''s body.


    Cartographer!


    Gehera was able to extract information from the target, just as all Cartographers did. But the moment she awakened, she noticed that she was able to wield the information that she extracted, but something was stillcking for her to properly wield this power.


    And that was where the Ruin of Amagoth arrived, serving as a database which Gehera could store and extract information from. It was basically her storage drive, allowing her to extract information from a target and condense it into a Totem in her Ruin of Amagoth.


    When she wished to use it, she could bring out the Totem and unleash the power stored in it. Even though each Totem could only be used once, she could store an endless number in her Ruin of Amagoth, until it was filled to the brim.

 Chapter 714: Subduing Kowla

    Chapter 714: Subduing Ko


    Bang!


    Ko burst through the door, riding her eagle as she took off to the sky when immediately in response, faster than her, an eagle arrived above, perching on her shoulder before lifting her off.


    "Kya!" Ko screamed in fright, hurriedly using her eagle tobat the other party when she stared up, only now noticing that the once familiar metallic eagle was strangely¡­terrifying?


    It was still a Common Invoked Spirit but was significantly better developed. Moreover, its abilities were more lethal, and its speed burst was more vtile in nature, making it tough for her to fight against it.


    Kieee!


    The metallic eagle let out a cry before spinning in the air as it released its hold on her, causing her to fly straight at the walls of a three-storey building. If someone didn''t save her, she would die from the impact.


    Ko hurriedly retracted before invoking her eagle, causing it to p its wings in a hurry while she used its back as a springboard to cushion her fall, regaining bnce before leaping up. She retracted and summoned it once again,nding on its back while intending to fly.


    But just as before, the metallic eagle swerved to her back, grabbing hold of her before sending her flying. Ko used her Invoked Spirit to cushion the impacts every single time, saving herself time after again before feeling exhausted.


    ''When did dad before so strong?'' She thought, wondering while looking around for ways to escape.


    Ko noticed the crowd beginning to gather at the ce, drawn over by themotion, ''No, I cannot be found in the open. The Lan n would immediately know the news.''


    "Are you that horrified to see your dad?" Duketace''s voice of anger resounded as he peeked out from the window of a nearby building, staring calmly at his daughter. He pointed at the crowd, "News of you would reach them you know."


    He pointed at the room he was in with a show of hand, "Come here, and I can save you."


    "Why should I trust someone I betrayed?" Ko frowned in response.


    "Call it a parent''s foolishness." Duketace sighed.


    "Don''t lie," Ko rolled her eyes, "I would rather believe that you''vee here for revenge."


    "Wait, isn''t that an eagle? Then that means¡­" One of the people among the crowd muttered when Ko flinched in response, hurriedly flying into the house through the open window.


    "Quite the disappointment," Duketace muttered under his breath, sighing as he closed the window before looking at his daughter, "As you said, there''s a reason I''vee after you."


    "Is it the Ascender Scroll?" Ko remained tense, not rxing for a moment. Her clothes were drenched with sweat as parts of her clothes were covered with faint traces of blood, drawn out from the scratches she sustained in the recent fight.


    "I''m not interested in that." Duketace smirked smugly before saying, "Have you heard about the Forbidden Tale?"


    "You know about it too?" Ko''s eyes widened in surprise, "I''ve never thought your capability to gather information would be this good. Wasn''t I the one gifted with scouting capabilities?"


    "You''re right," Duketace took a seat, cing one leg over the other as he brought out his Invoked Spirit, patting its neck as he said, "I''m not good with gathering information. But, there''s one reason why I know about the Forbidden Tale."


    "It''s because I''ve seen it."


    "What?" Ko was shocked as she looked around, hurriedly observing through her Invoked Spirit that there weren''t any prying eyes on them at the moment. Only then did she calm down to ask her dad, "Is that true?"


    "Yeah, not only did I see it, but I''ve also interacted with it for an entire day." Duketace pointed at his Invoked Spirit, "That''s the reason my eagle has grown this much. At the current rate of my growth, I only need a month to be a Superior Invoker."


    "H-How is that possible?" Ko was shocked before asking, "Is this the power of the Forbidden Tale?"


    News of treasures quickly circted, especially of one that was capable of drastically shortening their development time. So, those with the means already came to know about the Forbidden Tale.


    "Yep, and you too can obtain it." Duketace smiled, "That''s why I approached you."


    "Why are you¡­so generous? That isn''t like you." Ko frowned in response, "Selfish motives run in our family, dad. Don''t try to make a fool out of me."


    "The one that asks for you is the Lord that I serve." Duketace said solemnly, "And it is this Lord that created the Forbidden Tale."


    "What? Someone that terrifying exists?" Ko was unable to believe it.


    "He''s waiting beyond the city. You can see him." Duketace said, climbing on his eagle, "We''ve attracted too much attention here. We should leave now."


    ''Is he telling the truth?'' Ko frowned before staring at the sheer difference between the metallic eagle before her and the one she saw a few days ago. ''Fine, I''ll see what''s up myself.''


    As she didn''t have a choice, Ko decided to follow Duketace. After all, she couldn''t escape the metallic eagle, having failed at that attempt multiple times. Besides, continuing their conflict in the city would cause them to face the n controlling the city.


    It would result in endless arguments between the two parties, during which they could be detained for questioning. All that would dy their attempt to escape, allowing the Lan n to arrive at the scene.


    Before the n in the shore town were alerted of the ruckus they caused, the two rode their eagles and exited the city, heading straight towards the patch of trees where Compass Carburettor was seated at.


    "Dad, what''s this mysterious person like? Where''s he from?" Ko asked, hoping to at least gain a better understanding of the person she wished to see, also scouting for ways in which she could avoid her dad''s pursuit should things go south.


    "You''ll be pretty shocked." Duketace smirked in response, "He''s an Ascender."


    ''As I thought.'' Ko felt nervous upon seeing no sign of ambush from her dad, allowing her to understand that there truly was someone that Duketace wished to introduce her to. ''Shit!''


    Having yet to see the Lan n Head, she was nervous, for this would be the first time she would meet an Ascender.


    Duketace gave her a knowing smirk beforending before the patch of trees, bowing solemnly, "My lord, I''ve brought my daughter here."


    "Who¡­" Ko was stupefied to see Duketace bowing to a rather familiar figure, "Isn''t that Pilkan?"

 Chapter 715: Raiding a Ship

    Chapter 715: Raiding a Ship


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this Pilkan?¡± Ko muttered in confusion, staring at Duketace in rm, ¡°Did you fool me after all?¡±


    ¡°Idiot,¡± Duketace only snorted in response before smiling wryly at Compass Carburettor, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, she¡¯s a bit slow on the uptake.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, she¡¯s young and ignorant.¡± Compass Carburettor waved his hand casually, ¡°It¡¯s not her fault.¡±


    He then looked at Ko, ¡°You can address me as Pilkan to keep things simple.¡±


    ¡®The appearance is the same but he seems like a different man now.¡¯ Ko had been observing his actions until now, able to notice that the way Compass Carburettor sat, exuded power and authority, and the way he gazed at her were entirely different than the Pilkan in her memories.


    The original Pilkan¡¯s face reddened every time he stared at her, not to mention him looking like he didn¡¯t know what to do while in her presence, acting awkward most of the time.


    Moreover, there was a sense of admiration and longing in his eyes before. Ko was pretty confident in her appearance.


    ¡®But, his gaze now seems vast, as if I¡¯m not even registered in his sight. How could a person change this much overnight?¡¯ She was confused, asking in the end, ¡°Who are you? What happened to Pilkan?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve taken over his body now.¡± Compass Carburettor replied as he looked at Duketace, ¡°Let¡¯s head to that ind now.¡±


    He pointed at the shore, at a ship that had just set sail, ¡°There¡¯s more than enough food there tost us a month. I¡¯ll then help bring you to the peak of the Invoker Stage.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything to Ko, neither inviting her normanding her to follow them. He simply ignored her, motioning for Duketace to follow him as the two began to make way towards the shore.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± For some reason, as she saw the silhouettes of the two go far, Ko ended up following them. It was a casual psychological tactic, making her feel as if she wasn¡¯t useful for their ns, forming a sharp contrast from when they tried to capture her before.


    The difference in the intensity of treatment made her feel vacant which spurred her to follow them naturally, her curiosity triggered.


    She soon caught up to them, watching them walk casually towards the sea. Ko stared at the ground, noticing that the pace of their walking was set by Pilkan.


    Only after he took a step did Duketace follow suit, shadowing him closely. If Pilkan stopped, then he did so too immediately.


    It made her understand that it was Pilkan that was in charge while her father was only a subordinate. ¡®I need to observe more.¡¯


    Her curiosity was triggered and as it seemed their intention was her destination, she continued to follow them.


    Compass Carburettor stared at the leaving ship, patiently watching it until it was a dot on the horizon. He then stared at Duketace, ¡°Let¡¯s get going now.¡±


    Duketace brought out his Invoked Spirit as both the men climbed aboard. It then soared to the skies, chasing after the ship.


    ¡°They¡­didn¡¯t even nce at me once.¡± Her breathing was rasped at the ridiculousness of the situation before she snorted and chased after them, barely managing to keep pace as she shouted in frustration, ¡°How is dad¡¯s eagle so fast?¡±


    Within a few minutes, the two eagles approached the ship.


    ¡°Captain, we have iers.¡± One of the sailors shouted from atop the mast, staring at the two figures of eagles approaching them, ¡°They have Eagle Invoked Spirits, possibly from the Lan n.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll meet them.¡± The one addressed as the Captain said calmly, arriving at the deck as he stared at the approaching figures, announcing aloud, ¡°Comrades, do respected Invokers have business with my humble vessel?¡±


    ¡°Have you spotted any eagle flocks in this region?¡± Having already been instructed, Duketace took the initiative to greet, asking the Captain humbly, ¡°News of a separate flock reached our n and hence, they dispatched us to investigate the region.¡±


    ¡°Are there any eagles here apart from the ones that migrate during this season?¡± The Captain stared at one of the sailors knowledgeable about the ce.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard about anything in my knowledge, Captain.¡± The Sailor replied, expressing a tinge of doubt, ¡°The eagles reared by the Lan n are pretty vicious. If they were to see any other flock here, they would have destroyed them by now. They are fiercer and stronger than the ones you might chance upon in the wild.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your input, Captain.¡± Duketace cupped his fists in response, ¡°Then, we¡¯ll take our leave. We still have a lot of the area to scour.¡±


    ¡°Do you know to steer a ship?¡± Compass Carburettor whispered to Ko, startling her at the unexpected contact initiative.


    ¡°Of course, I was preparing to own my own one day.¡± Ko nodded. As she had been nning to live out in the seas freely, she had been polishing upon the required Knowledge since childhood. Among them were skills from paddling a boat to driving a ship.


    ¡°That should be good enough.¡± Smiling in response, Compass Carburettor walked forward, extending his hand towards the Captain, offering a handshake.


    The gesture felt odd, for only those at equal status shook hands in their world. And as a Superior Invoker, the Captain was above the likes of Duketace and the rest, the strongest of which was only a Common Invoker.


    But still, upon observing the respectful way in which Duketace was treating Pilkan, the Captain thought, ¡®Judging by the way their rtionship is, this boy must probably be a sessor. It wouldn¡¯t be a loss to show respect to him then.¡¯


    Thinking as such, he extended his hand, grabbing hold of Pilkan¡¯s.


    ¡°What¡¯s the most disastrous event you¡¯ve faced in the seas, Captain?¡± Compass Carburettor asked, expressing his interest while shaking hands with the Captain.


    ¡®Why isn¡¯t he letting go of my hand?¡¯ The Captain felt a tad weird shaking hands for more than two seconds. But, he maintained courtesy, continuing with the handshake that made him feel awkward as he spoke, ¡°I encountered a thunderstorm years ago. That was a nightmare.¡±


    ¡°Too bad,¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, causing the Captain to frown as his smile widened, ¡°You¡¯ll see something a tad more terrifying today.¡±


    Mist gushed out in torrential volume out of Pilkan, enveloping the entire deck within it.

 Chapter 716: Give It to Me

    Chapter 716: Give It to Me


    The Captain was rmed at the sudden appearance of the mist that nked his senses, reflexively bringing out his Invoked Spirit to guard himself.


    His hands let go of their hold over Pilkan¡¯s, intending to first take a defensive stance and protect himself. After all, based on his expression, Pilkan was definitely the cause of the mist.


    Therefore, being in contact with the other party was risky. Even though he wasn¡¯t aware of the other party¡¯s intentions, being a Captain of a merchant ship for years meant he had his fair share of experiences.


    Unfortunately, even in his wildest dreams, he would have never expected his Invoked Spirit to be stuck in the mist the moment it was brought out. The suddenness of the situation caught him off guard, during which a spear pierced his throat, ending his life.


    Compass Carburettor began to absorb the Mental Fragments generated by the Captain upon death. Following that, he began to absorb the Captain¡¯s Invoked Spirit, a creature resembling a walrus.


    ¡°Emergency! Emergency! All hands on deck!¡± A sailor shouted in rm, ringing the bell on the mast, alerting everyone on the ship.


    The one that arrived stared at the mist in shock, wondering why something like this had appeared when the skies were clear. Moreover, the mist only upied a portion of the deck, confusing them further.


    Swoosh!


    Right as they were about to take action, arrows flew out of the mist, mming into them one after another. Some that were quick on the uptake reacted promptly, bringing out their Invoked Spirits to defend against the arrows.


    As for the rest, they copsed to the floor, bleeding profusely, with some of them dying instantly.


    The Captain was the strongest here, being a Superior Invoker. The Vice-Captain was a Common Invoker while the rest were only Inferior Invokers. There were six Inferior Invokers in total while the remaining sailors were only grunt workers.


    The arrows took down three Inferior Invokers in a matter of seconds as Duketace¡¯s metallic eagle fought against the Vice-Captain¡¯s Invoked Spirit.


    The two seemed to be evenly matched for the moment but it didn¡¯t matter as all Duketace had to do was wait until Compass Carburettor finished up his opponents one after another.


    ¡°Can you handle the rest?¡± He stared at Ko after clearing out part of the mist, ¡°There are three Inferior Invokers.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­do it.¡± Ko hesitated for a brief moment before bringing out her eagle to target her enemies. In the meantime, Compass Carburettor worked on absorbing the Superior Invoked Spirit, watching the battle span a good few minutes as both sides were in an impasse.


    Ko wasn¡¯t just facing three Inferior Invoked Spirits but also the arrows unleashed by the rest of the sailors and their spear charges. So, things were taking time.


    ¡°Go!¡± A sailor tied a chit to the ws of a pigeon before sending it flying away, intending to inform their tradingpany about the situation at hand.


    Though, the pigeon had barely taken flight when an arrow mmed into it, killing it on the spot.


    ¡°Ensure no information leaks out. I don¡¯t wish to summon my Invoked Spirit while absorbing the Mental Fragments.¡± Compass Carburettor said to Ko. Every time he attacked, he had to stop absorbing Mental Fragments and bring out his Invoked Spirit.


    This time wasted meant a minor reduction in the quality of the Mental Fragments obtained. That was why he was being strict with time.


    ¡°¡­Yes,¡± Ko was conflicted, unable to understand just why the heck was she helping them in the first ce. But here she was, actually fighting alongside her father under the orders of Pilkan, someone she didn¡¯t even bat an eye towards until today.


    A few more minutester, Compass Carburettor was done absorbing the Superior Invoked Spirit, using the cover of the mist to make his Invoked Spirit target the Vice-Captain.


    Swoosh!


    The Walrus whacked its tail, leaping into the sea from which it surfaced to spit out a mouthful of water blob at the flying metallic eagle. The water blob didn¡¯t contain too much power, but it still felt like a stone being pelted.


    And unlike a human throwing stone, the water blobs were urate, striking at the targeted spots with startling speed. The metallic eagle swerved in the air, barely dodging the attacks but failed to close in on its opponent.


    The Vice-Captain brandished a sword, dashing towards Duketace as he tried to hack the opponent. Duketace put up a shield given to him by Compass Carburettor, using it to defend against the sword hacks.


    He was ying defensive, buying time when a sword popped out of the mist and mmed into the Vice-Captain, stabbing his thigh.


    ¡°Gah!¡± The Vice-Captain kneeled under the force, hurriedly bringing the walrus next to him when he was rmed to see the mist swerve in his direction, trapping his Invoked Spirit.


    The abruptness of the unexpected situation caught him off guard. And as with the Captain, his life ended as a spear pierced through his neck. Compass Carburettor arrived before him, beginning to absorb his Mental Fragments as hemanded Duketace, ¡°Take care of the rest of the sailors.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± Duketace nodded and joined hands with his daughter, killing their enemies one after another.


    The father and daughter pair felt strange to join hands with one another but were rather harmonious in action as they jointly dealt with their opponents.


    Blood covered the ship deck as the two eagles made rounds in the ship, rounding up anyone that had been in hiding.


    Bang!


    Duketace mmed the four surviving sailors on the deck, asking Compass Carburettor, ¡°My Lord, they surrendered. What should I do with them?¡±


    ¡°Clean the ship,¡± Compass Carburettor gave amand to them, ignoring them after that. They were normal humans anyway. And it was impossible for them to go anywhere without help from the ship.


    It was also easier to manage the ship with some extra hands. He had plenty of tasks left to give to the father and daughter pair, so Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t wish for them to waste their energy maintaining the ship.


    ¡°T-Thank you.¡± One of the sailors bowed in response to being spared, hurriedly taking on the task to clean all the blood and filth on the deck.


    In the meantime, Compass Carburettor beckoned for Duketace and Ko to the Captain¡¯s cabin, staring at the ambitious girl as he extended his hand, ¡°The Ascender Scroll¡­¡±


    ¡°Give it to me.¡±

 Chapter 717

    Chapter 717: Methods? There¡¯s Plenty


    ¡°What?¡± Ko was rmed, hurriedly stepping back a little as she became nervous, alternating gazes between Pilkan and her father before ring at thetter, ¡°You said you wouldn¡¯t ask for that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to use it.¡± Compass Carburettor let out a casual smile, ¡°I only need to see the manufacturing methods of the Lan n¡¯s Ascender Scroll.¡±


    ¡®Ahh, that makes sense.¡¯ Duketace nodded.


    After all, an Ascender could create an Ascender Scroll. So, even if he wasn¡¯t an Ascender yet, there was no reason for Pilkan to be interested in the Ascender Scroll.


    That was why Compass Carburettor made it seem like he was just interested in the manufacturing methods of the Ascender Scroll. This way, he would disy the depth of his powers, one where he could glean into the manufacturing methods of the Ascender Scroll simply by looking at it.


    Secondly, he¡¯ll appear even more unfathomable in their eyes, even though in truth he had yet toy eyes on an Ascender Scroll.


    As usual, being a chatan was his true calling as Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t even bat an eye,pletelymitting himself to the role.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Ko extended her hand, causing a scroll to appear on it, brought out from her Dreand.


    The scroll spanned a length and width of two metres, prettyrge in nature. The hands of Ko trembled in response, hesitating to part with it.


    But, she truly had no other choice but to do so, having borne witness to Pilkan¡¯s strength at first nce, watching him casually kill the Captain, a Superior Invoker.


    This meant that he could kill her in an instant if he wanted. Her resistance meant nothing in the face of unfathomable might.


    Compass Carburettor smiled as he grabbed the Ascender Scroll, focusing his Dreand on it as it was sucked into the ce. The moment the Ascender Scroll arrived at the Dreand, it unfurled itself, disying awork ofplex Mental Fragments, seemingly melted and fused into the structure.


    ¡®Amazing! So this is what Ascenders are capable of.¡¯ He thought, understanding that Ascenders were able to imbue sentience in everything they create. This meant that the Ascender Scroll was sentient, imbued with the Ascender¡¯s will.


    It implied that only those from the Lan n could use this Ascender Scroll. If anyone else were to use it, the hidden will in the scroll would destroy their Dreand.


    As Pilkan was from the Lan n, the will didn¡¯t take action, allowing Compass Carburettor to deconstruct its workings in a matter of minutes.


    ¡®It¡¯s a mini Dreand that elerates the rate at which one gains and builds up their Mental Strength.¡¯ Compass Carburettor nodded. At present, the only reason he was still a Common Invoker was due to hiscking Mental Strength.


    Unlike Mental Fragments that could be umted, Mental Strength was something only obtained through endless training. And this was achieved by making the Invoked Spirit train in the Dreand.


    For other Invokers, they also needed to spend ages building up both their Dreand and Invoked Spirit. But for Compass Carburettor, that process took a few seconds.


    So, he only needed to train for Mental Energy.


    The Ascender Scroll was akin to a formation, created using Mental Fragments sourced from the target living beings, ones that symbolised sleep, dreams, and focus.


    The Ascender Scroll with him was created using an eagle¡¯s Mental Fragments dedicated to sleep, dreams, and focus. Therefore, training with it allowed the Invoker to rest faster, have deeper periods of sleep, and be focused throughout their training.


    This would spike up the growth of their Mental Strength, strengthening it over time. Eventually, they would attain the tipping point to attempt bing an Ascender.


    The problem with creating an Ascender Scroll was that no Mental Fragments had these three substances alone. They were usually a mix of many others.


    An Invoker was unable to extract or separate that. Only an Ascender was capable of doing so. But even for them, time was required, which was why it took a decade on average for an Ascender to create a Scroll.


    Of course, as he wasn¡¯t an Ascender, Compass Carburettor couldn¡¯t create an Ascender Scroll. But, that was only if he proceeded with the conventional route.


    In the Dreand, the Human Invoked Spirit snapped its finger, creating a manual grinder. It then dumped a bunch of Mental Fragments into it and began to rotate the wheel, grinding the Mental Fragments.


    The ability of a Human Invoked Spirit was to create tools out of Mental Fragments. This meant that Compass Carburettor could consider the Mental Fragments themselves as tools, or rather just items that had to be ground to dust.


    Following that was elementary factory streamlining of the process as the majority of the Mental Fragments were ground to dust, to their smallest possible states.


    Following that was the first process of separation: Winnowing. Every mode of manual filtration techniques employed by humans of the past was used one after another, separating the Mental Fragments by terms of size and weight differences.


    Following that, he made them fall through a tiny funnel, cing a batch of Mental Fragments closely. This batch was full of Mental Fragments regarding one¡¯s sleep. Compass Carburettor had to individually pick them from the pile of dust until they formed a small batch.


    Following that, he fused the batch into a spherical tool, cing next to the stream of Mental Fragments falling from the funnel.


    This was something every item in existence, whether in particle or energy form possessed: Affinity.


    Being attracted to simrponents was an aspect possessed by all, including Mental Fragments. It was something he had understood before Hazen branched out of him.


    Compass Carburettor smiled, watching fragmented Mental Fragments branch out of the falling stream of Mental Fragments andtch onto the sphere.


    Over time, the dust covering the sphere increased in quantity as Compass Carburettor stopped the process. Like extracting iron filings from a ma, he poured the dust into a separate container, grinding them once again into finer dust.


    He then made them fall through a funnel, observing them being attracted to the sphere ced nearby, noticing part of it just fall through without being attracted. These were extras that had been part of the parcel before, attached to the Mental Fragments with sleep.


    Compass Carburettor continued the process, going through multiple steps as the resultant batch of Mental Fragments regarding sleep became more and more purified. Finally, once they attained the desired purification, hebined them into a sphere, using them for the initial process, watching the attraction be better aspared to before.


    ¡®There only exists methods we haven¡¯t thought of.¡¯ Compass Carburettor smiled in response, already confident in creating an Ascender Scroll many times more potent aspared to the one in Ko¡¯s possession.

 Chapter 718

    Chapter 718: CC¡¯s Goal


    The Ascender Scroll was pretty much a circuit simr to an electronic circuit. For someone like Compass Carburettor who was well versed with electronic circuits¡ªthanks to the Core Skill of Young Master¡ªand formations from his time in the Cultivation World, not to mention erecting harmonious worlds using Reality Marble, creating a working circuit was like breathing to him.


    Using the Ascender Scroll as a reference, Compass Carburettor grasped the basic working principle behind which the Ascender Scroll worked. Just that was enough for him to invent a variety of convenient Scrolls for his use.


    ¡°You can have it now.¡± Compass Carburettor extended his hand, causing the Ascender Scroll to appear there.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already figured out its secrets?¡± Ko was shocked as she grabbed the Ascender Scroll, somewhat hesitant before she ced it in her Dreand, noticing that it was the same as before. Pilkan hadn¡¯t tampered with it.


    ¡°Pretty much, it wasn¡¯t thatplex anyway.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded casually before closing his eyes, motioning for the father and daughter pair to leave the Captain¡¯s Cabin, ¡°Don¡¯t disturb me until we reach the ind where the eagles migrate towards this time of the year.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± Duketace bowed in response before dragging Ko with him, bowing in response before he exited the room.


    The two then arrived at the deck as Duketace stared at the waves, gazing into the horizon for a good couple of minutes, breaking the silence eventually as he said, ¡°So, what do you think now that you¡¯ve seen some of his abilities?¡±


    ¡°Is he an Ascender?¡± Ko asked, ¡°I¡¯m just getting a strange feeling from him.¡±


    ¡°What sort?¡± Duketace asked, wondering what his daughter thought, for she could perceive things better than him.


    ¡°It¡¯s like he¡¯s beyond what this world could handle, as if he¡¯s descended from a higher dimension.¡± Ko said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure how an Ascender feels like, but I feel like even an Ascender wouldn¡¯t give an omniscient sensation like this.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Duketace nodded, thinking as he stared at the sea waves, saying after a few seconds had spanned past, ¡°You wish¡­to be an Ascender, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, more than anything.¡± Ko nodded, ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t hesitate to leave you behind back then. Are you mad about it, dad?¡±


    ¡°I was, but not anymore.¡± Duketace sighed, ¡°It was a reality check when my entire family abandoned me so easily. It made me understand the strength of our bonds. So, I too wouldn¡¯t ce any value on it anymore. Instead, I¡¯ll only focus on myself.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯re on the same page.¡± Ko said, staring at the calm figure of her dad, ¡°What about mother and brother? Are you nning to find them too?¡±


    ¡°Lord Pilkan said that he¡¯s interested in them. But,¡± Duketace shook his head, ¡°He has no intentions to find them now. Both Sturr and Fenn require time to develop the resources they had stolen.¡±


    ¡°Is the n to steal everything they¡¯ve developed? Revenge?¡± Ko tilted her head, ¡°Is that it?¡±


    ¡°It depends on Lord Pilkan¡¯s orders.¡± Duketace spoke calmly, not sparing a hint of emotion towards the uing fate of his family, ¡°I¡¯ll just follow whatever he asks for.¡±


    ¡°So, what do you think he¡¯ll do next?¡± Ko asked, ¡°Will he help us?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Duketace nodded as a matter of fact, ¡°He needs us to run errands for him. So, you can be assured that he¡¯ll support us until the peak of the Invoker Stage.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen our n¡¯s Ascender, so I can say one thing with assurance.¡± Duketace said, ¡°Lord Pilkan is way scarier. Remember that he¡¯s a Human Invoker.¡±


    Duketace then eyed the two sailors that were cleaning the deck. Among the remaining two, one was steering the ship while the other was working in the kitchen, preparing a sumptuous meal.


    The trip would take them around a week to reach their destination. Thankfully in this season, strong winds and sea currents were taking them towards the vicinity of the ind. So, sailing was pretty smooth.


    Duketace and Ko then began to train on the deck, working on strengthening themselves as from time to time, they rode their eagles to scout from a high altitude.


    In the meantime, Compass Carburettor had forgotten about everything, solely focusing on the task at hand. The power system of this world was pretty interesting and had limitless potential once developed to a certain extent.


    Moreover, unlike before, Compass Carburettor had a guarantee of being able to retain this power system. The reason was simple: Bullet Temte.


    By condensing the thoughts in a Mental Energy stream, he could create a Bullet Temte. In that vein, the Dreand was pretty much an offshoot of a Bullet Temte.


    So, the moment he regains his power, he could convert the Dreand into a Bullet Temte and retain everything. Currently, Compass Carburettor could have six Bullet Temtes.


    Among them, the Metal Mage¡¯s Bullet Temte was pretty low levelled. So, it could be reced. The same was also true for Horan¡¯s Bullet Temte. This meant that he had two slots, two vacancies for any power system of his liking.


    He needn¡¯t even create another Main Character for this. Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t have any ns of creating a Main Character in this world.


    First of all, it wasn¡¯t as easy. The power of Lore had to take effect. Moreover, there should be enough resources for the birth of one, namely: Fate, Luck, Chaos, and Opportunities.


    The Relic was just created recently. Due to that, Compass Carburettor¡¯s Luck, Fate and everything else had been shaved off pretty hard. So, it wasn¡¯t even possible for him to create another one, not that he nned to make one in the first ce.


    After all, even though the power system of this world was pretty unique, there weren¡¯t enough benefitsying here for the Main Character to wield. It was because of a simple reason. Most of what this power system was capable of could easily be replicated by Hazen, at a superior level in fact.


    So, there was no benefit in doing so. After all, even if he were to create a Main Character in this world, his/her powers would sh with Hazen¡¯s. And considering Hazen¡¯s character, it was a perfect recipe for disaster, one that would result in a Main Character face-off.


    After all, in terms of sheer power, among all the Main Characters, Compass Carburettor was in the lead. In terms of sheer versatility, the Relic trumped all. But in terms of sheer terror, Hazen was unmatched.

 Chapter 719

    Chapter 719: Essence of Being a Merchant


    At the end of his three years of being sealed in this world, right before he left the world, there was an instant where he would be present in this world while being fully unsealed. That was the window Compass Carburettor was waiting for to turn his Dreand into a Bullet Temte.


    Moreover, his end goal was to steal Conjurer¡¯s power and turn that into a Bullet Temte too. The other party was pretty special in that he attempted to create an entire genre on his own, developing many worlds for ages.


    yer¡¯s Bullet Temte allowed him to create Systems. So, Compass Carburettor was rather curious to see what Conjurer¡¯s Bullet Temte entailed. Unlike other entities like Truck-Kun or Immortal which were beings manifested by the collective consciousness of all the worlds forming a genre, Conjurer was a Demon that had be strong enough to create his own genre.


    Meaning, he had a mind of his own and wasn¡¯t operated by a potent collective consciousness like the others. This meant that Compass Carburettor could form a Bullet Temte using his Mental Energy.


    And for that to happen, there was a simple method. It was what the Systems had been doing all along: Steal the powers of the world.


    The Forbidden Tale was in an effort to do that. The created Main Character System fragments would increase in number until they appear in Conjurer¡¯s body, upying part of it. Unless he wished to be dominated by it, Conjurer would have no other choice but to eject that infected part, the same fate experienced by Immortal millions of times now.


    This ejected part was his goal as by absorbing it, not only would his Main Character System be strengthened, but the part of Conjurer apanying it would be made into a Bullet Temte.


    And depending on how he yed the scenario, Compass Carburettor would be able to steal the most valuable Mental Energy from Conjurer.


    But before that, he had to first reach the peak of this world¡¯s power system. And for that to happen, he needed to use his advantage to the limit and wholeheartedly create enough cheats.


    First on the list was his very own Ascender Scroll, which was what he was doing now. As he couldn¡¯t extract specific types within Mental Fragments, he went with the particle approach, using his advantages as a Human Invoked Spirit to the limit.


    Multiple spheres¡ªMental Fragments of sleep¡ªhad been created now, with each sessively purer than their predecessor. Over time, the refinement attained a hundred percent purity.


    Though, it took two days for this to happen, the only reason being his low Mental Strength which was expended part way. At least, the training was pretty solid, gradually reinforcing his Mental Strength.


    On the morning of the third day, Compass Carburettor woke up, feeling refreshed as his Mental Strength had recovered to a decent extent, allowing him to work on the task. For an entire week, all he did was grind the Mental Fragments and collect the purest of each in small packets.


    On one corner of the Dreand was a shelf he created on which there was a pure sphere for all sorts of thoughts, emotions, wills, and feelings. Basically, for anything he might require, he had begun creating a hundred percent pure sphere.


    This way, it was easy for him to collect them in the future. A week went by in a sh as the ship banked along the shores of an ind spanning a radius of thirty kilometres.


    There was a freshwaterke in its centre,rge enough to amodate the migratory birds¡ªeagles.


    The eagles reared by the Lan nid their eggs here before returning to the Lan n once their task was done. A tenth of the eagles that had grown old and weary remained behind to take care of the eggs while the rest returned.


    Once the eggs hatched, these elderly eagles cared for them until they grew enough to fly to the Lan n on their own.


    This wasn¡¯t how these eagles were originally. But, they had been modified to behave in such a manner by the first generation Lan n Head. The lifeline of the Lan n was the eagles they reared.


    And the Mental Fragments generated by them werepletely dependent on their way of life. So, the first-generation Lan n Head had modified and trained them to behave in a certain form to ensure the Mental Fragments they nurtured suited his ideals the best.


    Pretty much every established n did the same.


    Kieee!


    The elderly eagles on the ind¡ªleft behind during the previous migration season¡ªtook off to the skies, circling above the ship, intending to attack them. After all, it was in their nature to destroy all invaders.


    ¡°Is this where you wanted to live until you became an Ascender?¡± Duketace eyed his daughter, wiping his sweat as he stared at the thousands of eagles, ¡°Not even our bones would remain behind if they attack us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ko didn¡¯t seem bothered by the fact, having prepared for this from the start as she brought out her Invoked Spirit, causing it to fly to the skies.


    Her eagle entered the circle of eagles, disturbing their workflow as they all converged upon it. But a few secondster, all the elderly eagles recognised her Invoked Spirit as their leader, surprisingly following after it.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­possible?¡± Duketace was surprised.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been working on this for the past three years.¡± Ko said with a hint of pride, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s possible for me. I derived this method after seeing the sessor in the n control them.¡±


    What she was unaware of was the fact that the sessor was actually the Lan n Head that had taken over the body of the most talented child from the younger generation.


    ¡°You derived this method on your own?¡± Duketace was shocked, ¡®My daughter¡¯s talent runs this strong?¡¯


    He knew that his daughter had a small chance of bing an Ascender. But even he didn¡¯t know of all the talents she had. As expected, Ko had concealed herself from her own family.


    In contrast to Duketace¡¯s expression, Compass Carburettor smiled contently, ¡®Of course, this is why I didn¡¯t harm any of you. In the original timeline, all of you would be formidable foes that would hinder Pilkan¡¯s path to greatness, casting deep shadows in his mental self.¡¯


    Though, with Compass Carburettor helming the plot, he casually took charge of things, turning future terrifying enemies into subordinates instead. Spinning things to one¡¯s advantage was the essence of being a merchant.

 Chapter 720

    Chapter 720: Natural Recovery Scroll


    Kieee!


    The eagles in the sky dived into the seawater, surfacing in the fraction of a second, with some of them holding a fish in their beaks. The eagles took off to their original altitude in the sky while some of them dropped a batch of fish on the deck of the ship.


    ¡°Good, all our food needs are met thanks to this.¡± Compass Carburettor said in praise, condensing a palm-sized b that he threw to Ko, ¡°Take this.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­this?¡± Ko caught hold of the b in reflex, staring at the figure of an unfamiliar man inscribed on its front, his action as if motioning for her to remain silent. She stared at its back, seeing a set of eleven lines.


    ¡°A mini Forbidden Tale.¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°The effect isn¡¯t as strong as the actual one, but it¡¯s still good enough to train with.¡±


    ¡°T-This is the Forbidden Tale?¡± Ko was shocked as she hurriedly pocketed it, noticing Duketace roll his eyes at the back.


    ¡°I¡¯ve interacted with the original for an entire day.¡± He said, acting smug for some reason.


    ¡°Tch!¡± Clicking her tongue, Ko bowed at Compass Carburettor before heading to a nearby room, intending to train using it.


    ¡°My Lord, how effective is it?¡± Duketace asked, expressing his curiosity upon seeing Compass Carburettor throw him a simr palm-sized b.


    ¡°Around a tenth in terms of effectiveness aspared to the original.¡± Compass Carburettor said, ¡°But, it¡¯s yours. So, you can train with it happily. And, if you want an original version all to yourself, you need to do something to me.¡±


    ¡°Please give the order, my Lord.¡± Duketace bowed respectfully.


    ¡°Bring me all sorts of creatures here, alive ones I mean.¡± Compass Carburettor ryed the instructions, ¡°From insects to fishes, any living being that potentially has Mental Fragments should be brought here. Since we¡¯re on this ind, work on capturing as many fishes as possible.¡±


    ¡°I and my daughter will work on that.¡± Bowing in response, Duketace turned around to leave, already making ns to capture the fishes.


    Compass Carburettor continued to work on his creation of the Ascender Scroll, also making ns to use his mist better. Currently, it was only able to trap the movements of Invoked Spirits. But if the Invoker wished, they could retract their Invoked Spirits into the Dreand.


    And that was a problem. Therefore, he had to create a Scroll using the mist itself. This way, the mist would invade the Dreands of his opponents once they retract their Invoked Spirits¡ªafter it was trapped in the mist.


    It would raise the lethality of his power. After all, if the Invoked Spirit was trapped in their Dreand, the Invokers wouldn¡¯t be able to rely on it, making it easier to kill them.


    Moreover, it could also open a path for Compass Carburettor to absorb all the Mental Fragments from their Dreand too, something that he hadn¡¯t been able to obtain to date.


    After all, only the Invoked Spirits were trapped in the mist. The Dreand wasn¡¯t and hence vanished immediately upon the Invoker¡¯s death.


    Kieee!


    The metallic eagle took off to the skies, targeting an aged eagle that it captured easily and brought to the ship. Duketace tied up its legs and wings, preventing it from taking flight as he stashed them in a room.


    ¡®He¡¯s probably going to absorb its Mental Fragments.¡¯ Duketace thought, ¡®I can roast its meat after that. Besides, I can easily obtain as many Eagle Mental Fragments as I want here.¡¯


    Though, he couldn¡¯t go overboard. After all, the moment the Lan n detects any difference in the eagles, the Lan n Head would personally make an appearance with a troop of n Elders, a sizeable force enough to wipe out a town overnight.


    Thanks to fishing, the avability of the eagles for consumption, herbs on the ind, and the reserves on the ship, there was more than enough for them to feed upon. Hence, it was pretty easy for the three Invokers to train in the best of conditions.


    A month passed in such a fashion as Duketace smoothly became a Superior Invoker. Ko was close, looking like she would need a week or two at most to do the same.


    Compass Carburettor reached the Common Invoker Status thanks to his nonstop grinding. He didn¡¯t finish the Ascender Scroll yet, for it still needed a lot of work to do, especially to attain the quality he was expecting.


    Though, he already created a Scroll.


    Natural Recovery Scroll!


    The function of the Natural Recovery Scroll was to freshen his mind, making him constantly experience the sensation one would experience in thefyp of nature, peaceful and rxing.


    One of the first Skills he obtained on Earth was the Skill of Natural Recovery. So, with that experience in him, all he needed to do was find suitable Mental Fragments to result in the desired effect.


    The effects of a scroll were best disyed during sleep. After all, the ce where they acted upon was the Dreand. And as its name indicated, it was best influenced by dreams, one that only happened when asleep.


    The Natural Recovery Scroll maintained his mind at an optimal state during this time, allowing for a faster recovery of Mental Strength. Though, this also meant a significant amount of energy from his body would be consumed.


    For that, he would have to eat more than usual. Only then would he be able to sustain his training for extended durations. Otherwise, Compass Carburettor would end up skin and bones within a week.


    Once he became a Common Invoker, the first change was the quality of his Mental Strength. The level of concentration that he could focus on a task now was many times superior aspared to before.


    This was not to mention that he could focus on multiple areas simultaneously. Though, this was something Compass Carburettor had trained to be capable of in the Cultivation World itself.


    While constructing multiple Forbidden Tales, Compass Carburettor also worked on creating the Ascender Scroll, summoning Duketace and Ko once he had created four Forbidden Tales.


    It had been two months since their arrival to the ind now as Compass Carburettor stared at the father and daughter duo, giving them the four Forbidden Tales, ¡°Your task is to sell these in other continents after creating as big a ruckus as possible.¡±

 Chapter 721

    Chapter 721: New Frontier


    ¡°You want us to¡­sell these?¡± Ko stared at the four Forbidden Tales before her, noticing her breaths heat up in response. She was finding it hard to keep her desire in check.


    Only then did she notice that her dad was rather calm. In fact, he was more focused on the task than on the Forbidden Tales themselves, making her wonder in shock, ¡®When did he change so much?¡¯


    The reason Duketace didn¡¯t lose his cool was simple. He had tasted the benefits of working under Compass Carburettor. Normally, something on the level of the Forbidden Tale would be protected with the utmost care.


    But Compass Carburettor could not only create it casually but also give them away for free. That was a direct indication of the superior ns that he was plotting, not to mention the grand goal for which he was doing all this.


    Therefore, Duketace had long since submitted wholeheartedly to Pilkan.


    ¡°Your dad will inform you of the rest. You only need to follow what he says.¡± Compass Carburettor said before bringing out thumb-sized eggs, cing more than a hundred of them on the ground.


    ¡°What are these, my Lord?¡± Duketace asked, wondering as he picked one egg.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bomb.¡± Compass Carburettor said casually, observing their confusion as he smirked, ¡°Crush one and see what happens.¡±


    Duketace applied a bit of force on one, watching it crack as instantly, mist gushed out of it in torrents, filling up the entire Captain¡¯s cabin.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this¡­?¡± Ko was stunned to see the same mist that had resulted in the Captain and Vice-Captain¡¯s deaths.


    A secondter, the mist was sucked into Compass Carburettor who then pointed at the eggs, ¡°Each Eagle Egg contains enough mist to cover an entire room. The shells are made using Eagle Mental Fragments, so you can take them with you.¡±


    ¡°These are made using Eagle Mental Fragments?¡± Ko was shocked as she focused her Dreand on one egg, watching it appear within her Dreand. She was shocked, staring at Pilkan with an incredulous gaze.


    Human Invokers were capable of creating tools. Unfortunately, they were only able to create tools out of Mental Fragments sourced from humans. Meaning, only a Human Invoker can use the tools they create.


    Of course, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t have that limitation, capable of absorbing Mental Fragments from all, even though he could only have a Human Invoked Spirit.


    So, taking advantage of the properties of both, he created tools using Eagle Mental Fragments to equip both Duketace and Ko.


    Of course, as they were his subordinates who would run errands for him for the next two years, he had to equip them appropriately.


    That was the reason they had arrived at this ind in the first ce, for there were plenty of Eagle Mental Fragments here.


    ¡°When you encounter troublesome opponents, shatter one of these Eagle Eggs. That would render their Invoked Spirits immobile for a short duration during which you can escape. As the concentration of mist in each Eagle Egg is limited, it won¡¯t stall strong opponents for long.¡± Compass Carburettor spoke.


    ¡°But my Lord, wouldn¡¯t our Eagle Invoked Spirits too be trapped in the mist?¡± Duketace said, ¡°Won¡¯t it be impossible to leave in that situation?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll solve that problem for you.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, showing with a motion of his hand, ¡°Take out your Invoked Spirit.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Duketace nodded and brought out the metallic eagle.


    Compass Carburettor ced his hand on the metallic eagle¡¯s head, feeling it up for a couple of seconds when immediately, a helmet appeared in his hands, one he ced on the metallic eagle¡¯s head, fusing the two.


    The eyes of the metallic eagle lit up for a moment as Duketace was able to spot slight traces of mist in its body, too faint to even make out. But it was there now. This faint coating of mist implied that the metallic eagle wouldn¡¯t be stuck within the most anymore.


    Compass Carburettor brought out some mist as Duketace made his Invoked Spirit fly through it, surprised when it moved unhindered.


    ¡°This is amazing!¡± Duketace was shocked.


    ¡°That¡¯s not all.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, pointing at the mini Forbidden Tale in his hand, ¡°Focus your Dreand on it for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡± Duketace was shocked to see the mini Forbidden Tale appear within his Dreand, meaning that it had been created solely using Eagle Mental Fragments.


    Compass Carburettor then brought out a couple of swords and shields, named Eagle Sword and Eagle Fan respectively. The Eagle Sword was sharp enough to cut through wood or harm a Superior Invoked Spirit.


    The Eagle Fan was as the name implied, arge fan that could act as a shield. They could retract or open it when necessary. And best of all, they could all be kept within their Dreand.


    ¡°Your mini Forbidden Tale would ensure that your Dreand and Invoked Spirit are always in a harmonious state even when you bring in and out all these tools.¡± Compass Carburettor said. For an Average Invoker, taking these tools into their Dreand was a death sentence.


    After all, the arrival of the tools would disrupt the harmony of the ce. And simrly, when the tools were taken out, the harmony would once again be disrupted. If they were to do it frequently, their Dreand would indeed copse.


    But thanks to the effects of the Forbidden Tale on them, they needn¡¯t worry.


    ¡®No wonder dad is subservient.¡¯ Ko finally realised as thest of her inhibition copsed. She picked up half of the Eagle Eggs, two Eagle Swords, and three of the five Eagle Fans. Their addition sharply raised her strength.


    Moreover, Compass Carburettor added a helmet to her Invoked Spirit too, making her eagle immune to the effects of the mist.


    ¡°When do we depart, my Lord?¡± Duketace asked, watching the other party reveal a smile in response.


    ¡°Now,¡± Compass Carburettor waved his hand, ¡°Leave now and return within a month.¡±


    ¡®Shit!¡¯ Duketace was startled for a moment before taking flight as he carried all four Forbidden Tales, wrapping them up in a jet-ck cloth.


    Startled for a second, Ko too followed suit, hurrying after her father beforending on his eagle. It was better to conserve their Mental Strength. And now that he was a Superior Invoker, Duketace was able to travel for long distances.


    After sending them off, Compass Carburettor arrived at the deck of the ship, bringing out his Invoked Spirit that cast out a and hurled out a pile of fishes. The fishes twitched as they died one after another.


    Compass Carburettor calmly absorbed their Mental Fragments, continuing with his task. He nned to finish the Ascender Scroll before the father and daughter duo returned.

 Chapter 722

    Chapter 722: Cajjan City


    ¡°Lan n Head, are you sure you have the strength to protect it?¡± An old man seated on the body of a gigantic ape grinned hoarsely, staring at the Forbidden Tale held by a youth, one whose feathers seemed haggard.


    ¡°Pretty sure I do.¡± The Lan n Head said while panting a little, ¡°You¡¯ve been after me for a month now. Despite that, it¡¯s still in my possession.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Another voice resounded in the area as a middle-aged woman arrived, riding the back of a crane.


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason my eagle is superior.¡± The Lan n Head said, pping the wings on his back to take flight immediately.


    ¡°You won¡¯t leave!¡± The middle-aged woman shouted, unleashing a beam of light at the eagle.


    ¡°Waah!¡± The Lan n Head broke into tears instantly, bawling like a baby. But despite that, he continued to flee, startling the middle-ageddy.


    ¡°He¡¯s able to maintain hisposure despite being affected by my power?¡± The middle-ageddy was shocked.

 Chapter 723

    Chapter 723: A Careful Ploy


    Cajjan City!


    The moment they arrived at the city, the eyes of both Duketace and Ko shone with starlight as the Mental Energy streams from the passer-by poured into them. The Main Character System fragment in them consumed it happily.


    But, it didn¡¯t end at that as the verse of the Forbidden Tale was constantly in their minds. This was somewhat influenced by the Main Character System fragments. And thanks to that, they unleashed Mental Energy streams to the source¡ªPilkan.


    After all, that was where Compass Carburettor resided.


    This wasn¡¯t just happening with them alone but with everyone that hade into contact with the Forbidden Tale and obtained some benefit from it. The Mental Streams were more pronounced and frequent among those that hadprehended it more.


    Observing the Mental Fragments in his Dreand churning and rearranging themselves faster with the passing of each day, Duketace was rather giddy, ¡®Following Lord Pilkan was the best choice I made.¡¯


    The father and daughter duo first made their way to one of the most expensive hotels in the city, taking a room there. All the money they had brought with them was only enough for a night of stay.


    But, it was what they needed to get the n into motion. Following that, Duketace and Ko made eye contact before heading towards a bar, one that served beverages and other drinks for the high society.


    The reason was simple: to make contact.


    As Cajjan City was the biggest andrgest city on the teau, one where money flowed like water, there were of course plenty ofpeting businesses there. Moreover, the stream of tourists visiting the city was the highest.


    The arrival of tourists of course meant treasures that could be auctioned. Hence, there were spies of established auction houses scattered throughout the city on the lookout for tourists.


    If the tourists gave any hint of owning a treasure, these spies would first observe the details before one of their higher-ups would make physical contact. As to how things would proceed from there, one could only guess. Though, it typically went in the favour of the auction house. After all, might makes right.


    Duketace was aware of them, for the Gatarakh n too was established in the Cajjan City. And he had contacts with the n, which was the reason he possessed the Gatarakh n Servitude Badge, a badge that allowed him to directly serve an Ascender of the n.


    Though, the badge was currently in the hands of his son, Fenn.


    The reason they stayed in the most expensive hotel was to gain the attention of these spies. Generally, the ce one resided was a testament to their status. Therefore, the quality of spies also varied depending on the area one resided in.


    The spies in the area around the hotel were those directly reporting to the big bosses managing the auction houses. And as he had expected, the father and daughter duo indeed attracted their gazes.


    ¡°Excuse me, sir.¡± A middle-aged man approached the duo right as they were about to enter the bar across the street, introducing himself, ¡°Do you require a guide to tour the city? I know pretty much all the ces in this massive city.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Duketace raised an eyebrow before waving his hand, ¡°Sorry, we don¡¯t need any. We didn¡¯te here to sightsee.¡±


    ¡°Oh, did youe here to buy a souvenir?¡± The middle-aged man asked, ¡°I know the perfect ce for you. They have the best souvenirs.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, we don¡¯t want one,¡± Duketace said casually, ignoring the other party while well aware that he was indeed a spy.


    Upon seeing the father being rigid, the middle-aged man nced at Ko, immediately understanding that she was an easier target, switching over to her instead as he talked with excitement, ¡°There¡¯s an auction happening tonight, miss. You can even buy a couple of Scrolls from there.¡±


    ¡°Scrolls?¡± Ko¡¯s eyes lit up genuinely at the word.


    And of course, the middle-aged man didn¡¯t let go of the chance, smiling while shing a fawning attitude, ¡°I can guide you there. My travel agency is touted to be the best reputed in this city.¡±


    He immediately took out a gold-rimmed shcard, presenting it to Duketace, ¡°This is a family auction card. You can visit the trial auction that happens in an hour for free. And if you like it, you can visit the real auction that happens tonight.¡±


    ¡°Trial auction?¡± Duketace expressed his doubt.


    ¡°The goods sold there aren¡¯t real, per see.¡± The middle-aged man said, ¡°It¡¯s just a staged y to help tourists get ustomed to the auction culture of the city. It¡¯s because every auction house has a different culture here, so the trial auctions were set up as a result. Though, due to their entertainment value, they¡¯ve been pretty popr.¡±


    ¡°The poprity of an auction house¡¯s trial auction is also a direct testament to their actual credibility and influence.¡± The middle-aged man said, ¡°So, if you wish to make use of an auction house¡¯s services, observing their trial auction is your best bet to make a decision.¡±


    ¡°Dad, let¡¯s go see one!¡± Ko held Duketace¡¯s hands, expressing excitement as she jumped about a little, disying how enthusiastic she was, even blurting out in the end upon seeing his stoic refusal, ¡°The buyer will only contact us tonight¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Duketace said in anger before dragging her away, ignoring the middle-aged man.


    ¡°The Starwing Auction House is right around the corner. Don¡¯t forget to check it out, dear tourists.¡± The middle-aged man waved with a chirpy smile, observing Ko¡¯s expression of dissatisfaction and Duketace¡¯s tight-lipped attitude.


    Once they were out of sight, he hurriedly entered the bar, heading to one of their rear rooms as he took a sheet of paper. With a snap of his finger, a Monkey Invoked Spirit appeared, spanning half his height.


    It grabbed the sheet of paper and took out a pencil from nearby, quickly sketching what he thought in mind, instantly making a portrait of both Duketace and Ko.


    ¡°Looks just like them.¡± He smiled at the realism of his art smugly for a moment before making his Invoked Spirit create multiple copies of the same. He then ced them in a cover and approached a nearby room, entering it to see a man drinking some herbal tea, a tonicbelled to raise one¡¯s immersion in dreams.


    This bar catered to all such preferences and didn¡¯t just serve drinks to fuel one¡¯s intoxication.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± The man asked calmly.


    ¡°I can feel that the target this time is huge.¡± The middle-aged man extended the cover to the seated man, ¡°I can bet this on my two decades of experience.¡±


    The seated man pulled up the first sheet of paper, staring at the figures of Duketace and Ko as he asked, ¡°Any deadline?¡±


    ¡°Before tonight.¡± The middle-aged man said in a hurry.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The seated man thought for a moment before ringing a bell, summoning two of his subordinates to whom he passed the cover, ¡°Alert all our spies. This is a high-priority target. Try to convince them before night, but if you fail to do so¡­¡±


    His tone turned sharp, ¡°Steal the treasure in their possession after erasing them.¡±

 Chapter 724

    Chapter 724: The Truthful Yurtale


    Duketace and Ko walked through the street, actually entering the trial auction hosted by the Starwing Auction House, participating in the auction.


    All along, Ko expressed her excitement while Duketace stared with a stoic attitude, expressing his dissatisfaction from time to time at the gullible nature of his daughter. In truth, most of this was acting, performing their roles as they had discussed beforehand.


    Duketace would be the stoic father while Ko would be the gullible daughter. Currently, they acted as if they were about to meet someone to sell a really important treasure tonight. And by mistake in her enthusiasm, Ko blurted out that fact.


    As they had rehearsed the same detail multiple times, when they actually did the act, they were realistic, convincing the spy of the same. Though, if the treasure they were nning to sell was subpar, they would probably be disposed of in anger by the auction house authorities.


    But, both Duketace and Ko were rather confident in the power of the Forbidden Tale. After all, it had mobilised all the Ascenders of the ins to contest for it furiously.


    While they were enjoying the fake auction, Ko stared in excitement at a furious middle-aged man shouting with a reddened face, his spittle sshing around as hepeted in a bidding war against a fellow rival for an important treasure.


    ¡°Wow dad, they are going at it in full spirit.¡± Ko was into it before long, enjoying the entire fake auction.


    Duketace didn¡¯t bat an eye at her excitement, remaining immobile like a mountain as he seemed to be on guard. His eyes shot to the side, staring at a well-dressed man taking a seat right next to him.


    The man wore a suit, donning a pale hat that seemed to have lost some of its original colour and texture over repeated wash. He seemed to be a man liking silence, calmly observing the auction, noticing Duketace¡¯s nce as he offered a smile in return.


    ¡°Dad, that ne is so pretty! Buy it for me, please.¡± Ko simply took advantage of the situation, shamelessly asking for anything that caught her eye. ¡°You promised you¡¯ll buy me a ne when we visited this city.¡±


    ¡°Lady, the ne shown here is a fake. You shouldn¡¯t buy it.¡± Upon seeing Ko¡¯s incessant pestering, the suited man couldn¡¯t help but interject, ¡°Trial Auctions only disy counterfeit goods.¡±


    ¡°Counterfeit goods? And not fake goods?¡± Duketace asked, taking a nce at the other party before asking, ¡°Are you a frequent visitor of these auction houses?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, that¡¯s my one interest in life now.¡± The suited man said, ¡°I always manage to scrape by for a ticket to all the auctions in the city. I¡¯ve managed to do so for over a decade now, so I¡¯ve seen my fair share.¡±


    ¡°Fake goods are created by the auction house itself for the treasures in their possession. As for counterfeit goods, it¡¯s the same as fake goods but isbelled as those created by other auction houses when they don¡¯t have possession of the rted treasure.¡± He then shook hands with Duketace, ¡°Ahh, I¡¯m Yurtale.¡±


    ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be any difference between a fake and counterfeit good.¡± Duketace shook hands in response, ¡°Both aren¡¯t real anyway. Oh, you can call me Duketace and this child of mine is Ko.¡±


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s a big difference between the two.¡± Yurtale whispered a little, ¡°It¡¯s concerning the silent wars happening between the auction houses. Generally, the fake goods sold in this Trial Auction are their best way of advertising their catalogue. After all, only for the treasures they n on selling would they bring out a fake good.¡±


    ¡°That way, based on the reaction of the crowd in this trial auction, they¡¯ll determine which treasure makes the final cut to be auctioned.¡± He spoke.


    ¡°Such a system exists?¡± Duketace was surprised, to say the least, ¡°So, they probe the excitement from the audience beforehand to hype up the real auction, huh.¡±


    ¡°Yep, and this is where the counterfeit goods arise.¡± Yurtale massaged his forehead, ¡°Competing auction houses would disy it in their Trial Auction and then remove the item from their itinerary of the real auction,belling it unattractive to the audience. This way, if that treasure sells for a high price in another auction, they would be used of malpractice.¡±


    ¡°Malpractice?¡± Duketace frowned.


    ¡°Of using a nt to jack up the prices.¡± Yurtale said, ¡°And that¡¯s the best way to lose credibility among the people. Any auction house that loses credibility would go out of business in a matter of days. So, it¡¯s a pretty vtile environment.¡±


    ¡°Which auction house is the most credible in the city?¡± Duketace asked, throwing out the question just like that. But in truth, he was alert, being unable to decide on which auction house to approach. He truly didn¡¯t wish to lose his life while trying to sell the Forbidden Tale.


    Therefore, he wished to see what this person had to say. Even the opinion of one other person might reduce their risks by a lot. So, he didn¡¯t hesitate to ask.


    ¡°If I¡¯m being honest, even the most reputable auction house has its fair share of blood.¡± Yurtale lowered his voice to whisper, ¡°If you are in possession of a treasure beyond what your strength can protect and still refuse to sell it, even the kindest of auction houses would reveal its true colours. Too many tourists have lost their lives due to that.¡±


    He stared at Duketace, ¡°If you are nning to sell something to any auction house, never ever ept a private gathering. Meet at public gatherings, ces backed by powerful organisations. That way, your life is guaranteed and there¡¯s a pretty good chance you¡¯ll walk out with more money than you would originally.¡±


    Upon seeing Duketace¡¯s face pale a little in response to his words, Yurtale frowned, ¡°Wait, did you ept to meet someone in private?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Duketace nodded, sighing in response.


    ¡°Contact them to meet somewhere in public.¡± Yurtale said, ¡°That¡¯s your safest bet. You¡¯re an Invoker, so you aren¡¯t entirely helpless either.¡±


    ¡°¡­No, I think I¡¯ll refrain from that.¡± Duketace shook his head in the end, ¡°I don¡¯t wish to take this risk unnecessarily. I only came here to dump the cause of misfortune that has gued my family for ages. I won¡¯t needlessly head into danger for that.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­I might have a solution for that. It¡¯s safer, but¡­¡± Yurtale raised an index finger, ¡°I¡¯ll charge you a heftymission for that.¡±

 Chapter 725

    Chapter 725: All in a Day¡¯s Scheme


    ¡°Do tell.¡± Duketace nodded.


    ¡°Are you staying in an expensive hotel?¡± Yurtale asked.


    ¡°Yeah, in the Gatarakh n¡¯s hotel,¡± Duketace said, watching Yurtale sigh in relief.


    ¡°If it¡¯s there, then there¡¯s no problem.¡± Yurtale said, ¡°You only need to invite the representatives of the various auction house to your hotel room and arrange a meeting there. None of the Auction houses are daring enough to stir up trouble on the Gatarakh n¡¯s property.¡±


    ¡°How will I invite them, though? I know none.¡± Duketace said.


    ¡°Leave that to me. I knew quite a few spies from various auction houses.¡± Yurtale said, ¡°As long as I inform them of a treasure, they¡¯ll head towards the hotel. By the way, what level of treasure do you think the item in your possession is?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­not sure.¡± Duketace shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s just¡­terrifying. So, I¡¯ve never bothered to look into it. My brother did that and died a mysterious death immediately. And he was just one of the dozens that died to this. All I know about it is just the name that my brother wrote on his death bed.¡±


    ¡°The Forbidden Tale¡­¡± He muttered, watching Yurtale close his ears in reflex.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go blurting out such stuff that might harm others. I¡¯m not even an Invoker you know.¡± Yurtale said in rm, inspecting himself to see that he was fine, somewhat jittery after hearing about Duketace¡¯s experiences.


    ¡°A-Anyway, I¡¯ll also inform an appraiser to check the treasure in your hand. T-The lot of you can discuss the rest. As long as you don¡¯t leave the hotel before the treasure is sold, you¡¯ll be absolutely fine.¡± Saying as such, Yurtale took his leave, ¡°The spies are pretty quick. So, they¡¯ll be waiting for you at the hotel within an hour.¡±


    Upon seeing Yurtale leave, Duketace frowned for a moment, wondering if it was fine to invite them to their hotel. Truth be told, he was banking on protection from the Gatarakh n from the auction houses, the reason he booked a room there in the first ce.


    After all, the Gatarakh n cared about their face the most, ensuring nothing dissatisfying happened in their territory and the properties under them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s return to our room first.¡± Saying so, he sighed a little before dragging an unwilling Ko with him.


    Returning to the room, he barely sat down when a knock resounded on the door. ¡®So fast?¡¯


    He was surprised when he opened the door, seeing a group of people standing there, all prim and proper, holdingrge stacks of paper in their hands.


    Among them, there was a middle-aged woman at the front, staring at Duketace to introduce herself, ¡°I¡¯m a Grade 4 Appraiser. I¡¯ll appraise the value of your treasure before the rest can present you their terms and conditions.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Duketace said, leading the middle-aged woman into the room while only shing a cordial smile at the rest, unwilling to invite them inside. Though, as if aware, the group of people calmly waited at the entrance.


    ¡°Is this the treasure?¡± The middle-aged woman raised an eyebrow, staring at therge block that was covered by a jet-ck cloth. She removed it, observing four bs, muttering as she touched it, ¡°Hmm, they seem to have been created by a Human Invoker.¡±


    She observed the four, stating, ¡°All four are the same¡­no, there are subtle differences.¡±


    As she continued to focus on them, starlight shone through her eyes as she gasped in shock, taking a step back in rm, ¡°W-What the heck is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called the Forbidden Tale.¡± Duketace said, ¡°But all I know is this, that¡¯s all. I know nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Is something the issue, ma¡¯am?¡± One of those at the entrance asked, worried about the middle-aged woman.


    ¡°Invite a Grade 5 Appraiser.¡± The middle-aged woman closed the cover on the Forbidden Tales before taking her leave.


    ¡°Grade 5?¡± Everyone was shocked. Appraisers were graded based on the quality of items they inspected and graded. Grade 1 Appraisers usually looked at regr paintings, pottery, and othermon auctionable items.


    Grade 2 Appraisers looked at items meant for Inferior Invokers, Grade 3 Appraisers for Common Invokers, and Grade 4 Appraisers for Superior Invokers.


    The middle-aged woman was a Superior Invoker who appraised items meant for Superior Invokers. She was in Grade 4. The fact that she asked for a Grade 5 meant that the treasure was on a level suitable for Ascenders.


    After all, Grade 5 Appraisers were in truth Ascenders.


    As the middle-aged woman took her leave, half the crowd sprang out of the hotel, directly informing their superiors regarding the same as another group arrived, significantly better dressed than before.


    And at the lead was an old man wearing a cloak that covered him from head to toe. He didn¡¯t speak a word, approaching the treasure in question to observe it before nodding as he left. He didn¡¯t do anything beyond that as all the people stared at him nervously, sighing in relief once he left.


    ¡°What¡­just happened?¡± Duketace asked the crowd of people.


    ¡°Lord¡¯s actions meant that the treasure in your hands is worthy of Ascenders. He didn¡¯t look into the details beyond that as that¡¯s the headache of the auction house that purchases the right to auction your item.¡± One of the men in the crowd said before pointing at a nearby room, ¡°Shall we discuss the terms there?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Duketace nodded as he stared at Ko, ¡°You stay here.¡±


    Once they entered the nearby room, everyone pushed forth various beneficial terms, at the end of which Duketace selected the Starwing Auction House, for their terms were the best.


    The representative of the Starwing Auction House shook hands with Duketace, ¡°We¡¯ll post a couple of guards here for safety. One of our higher-ups wille here to collect the item. Great doing business with you.¡±


    He also said before leaving, ¡°You¡¯ll be given a VIP seat to witness how your auction item fares. You¡¯ll be receiving seventy percent of the proceeds, after all.¡±


    Following that, both the satisfied parties parted as the representative headed to the Starwing Auction House, looking at the group of people before him to smile, ¡°That went great.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Whether it was the middle-aged woman or the Grade 5 Appraiser, not to mention the crowd of people, all were from the Starwing Auction House.


    The representative then bowed towards the Grade 5 Appraiser, ¡°I shall work on our inventory, boss.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± A familiar voice resounded as the Grade 5 Appraiser removed his hood. He was Yurtale, someone that hid the mark on his forehead. For, Ascenders were capable of that. He was the owner of the Starwing Auction House, grinning as he sighed, ¡°The things one must do to be the leader of this business.¡±

 Chapter 726

    Chapter 726: Starwing Auction


    Yurtale was actually the head of the Starwing Auction House. But he never revealed himself, always letting the remaining two Ascenders of the Auction House make public appearances.


    The reason he did this was to keep his identity hidden and mingle among themon popce as an auction enthusiast that was in the field for more than a decade. And he truly maintained that track record religiously, a reason people believed him in the first ce.


    After all, if someone ran a background check against him, they woulde to find out that he had indeed visited every auction in the past decade, a man truly owning up to his stated experiences.


    And it was only thanks to his hands-on experience meeting everyone that he always managed to convince the tourists to sell their items through the Starwing Auction House. He had an entire team to stage whatever y he wanted, just as he fooled Duketace.


    This was how he maintained the Starwing Auction House¡¯s status as being the best in Cajjan City. Moreover, all auction houses typically took a cut of ten percent of ie from the item bid, giving the customer the remaining ny percent.


    But, Yurtale yed the entire setup, making Duketace sign a contract that only gave him seventy percent of the item bid. He casually tripled their earnings. The reason he had done so was simple: The Forbidden Tale would rake in the dough.


    It would probably break the records on multiple levels, especially since there were four of them. It was only after he appraised them did Yurtale signal his underlings to change the contract terms.


    And as Duketace only wished to dump this, he should have been d at the offer.


    Of course, what Yurtale was unaware of was the fact that Duketace too had fooled him a little. Money was secondary to them, a bonus.


    After all, they had given away one Forbidden Tale in the ins for free. So, even making a single penny for it meant a profit, for Compass Carburettor hadn¡¯t asked for any in the first ce.


    Therefore, getting seventy percent of the item bid was an enormous sum, especially since the risks involved in dispersing the four Forbidden Tales were nil now, at least for him and his daughter. The Starwing Auction House would bear everything.


    Duketace only proposed one condition, which was to auction each Forbidden Tale on different days. This way, the news would travel far and bring in more powers from foreignnds.


    Though, in order to obtain the greatest profit, the Starwing Auction House would indeed disseminate the information to all reigning powers. That way, the auction truly would be a grand spectacle.


    In this way, it was a win-win situation for both parties as Duketace observed decorated carriages proceeding towards the Starwing Auction House one after another.


    Some were directly riding their Invoked Spirits to make the trip, surprised as he muttered, ¡°They already informed the various ns about this?¡±


    ¡°It seems we truly underestimated the Starwing Auction House, dad.¡± Ko said, her eyes glinting as she asked, ¡°Say, Lord Pilkan didn¡¯t ask for any money. So, with the money we get from auctioning these, buy me a scroll, will you?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll set aside the profits from two Forbidden Tales for Lord Pilkan.¡± Duketace said, ¡°You can spend the profit of one on whatever you want. I¡¯ll be doing the same myself. I don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll return here after this, so let¡¯s buy whatever we need.¡±


    He clenched his hand into a fist, ¡°What once seemed to be impossible is now within my reach.¡±


    His gaze turned sharp as Duketace muttered, ¡°I¡¯ll be an Ascender.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the first to be one, though,¡± Ko said, taking a bath as she changed into a pair of luxurious clothes, fit to visit the auction house.


    ¡°Dad, we¡¯ll be meeting a lot of people from the high society. Dress appropriately, will you?¡± Ko said in disdain as she stared at the clothes he picked, ¡°Pick a good one.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll understand the value of money if you ever earn it¡­¡± Duketace spoke in a chiding tone, only observing his daughter roll her eyes in response and ignore him after that.


    An hourter, a carriage arrived from the Starwing Auction House, bringing them to the location while they sneakily took charge of the four Forbidden Tales, casually bringing it within the carriage itself, behaving as if there wasn¡¯t any treasure being transported.


    With how calm they were acting, Duketace was shocked, understanding that they were used to this, especially since everyone in charge was just regr people.


    Without any Invokers to guard the carriage, it caused none to pay heed to it. And that¡¯s how the treasure was being transported through the created blind spot of the influential people who wouldter bid for the same.


    The Starwing Auction House spanned a height of forty metres, a massive hall with an internal balcony where the VIP seats existed, each an enclosed room.


    On the ground were the regr seats for the rich among themon popce to be seated at.


    The seat Duketace and Ko obtained was one of the lowest cadres among the VIP section, a small room with a cushioned sofa and a table before.


    ¡°It¡¯s prettyfortable,¡± Duketace muttered, watching with bated breath as he heard the discussion around him. His skin felt pricked as he felt gazes from people in power, causing him to feel like a rat being stared at by a group of cats.


    As for Ko, she remained oblivious of everything, staring at the stage far away with rapt attention while muttering a chant, ¡°Scrolls¡­Scrolls¡­Scrolls¡­¡±


    The spectators continued to stream in one after another as soon after, the auction house was packed to the limit. Duketace became nervous upon staring at a known face from the Gatarakh n, ¡°Even he¡¯s here?¡±


    He gulped audibly as Ko asked him, ¡°Who¡¯s he, dad? Do you know him?¡±


    ¡°An Ascender that I came across before you were born. It was by saving him that I gained favour from the Gatarakh n. He¡¯s Zaja Gatarakh, a renowned Ascender even in the teau region.¡±


    ¡°How did you save someone like that?¡± Ko was shocked, staring at her father in a new light.


    ¡°It just¡­happened.¡± Duketace sighed, patting the back of her head as he watched ady walk on the stage, whispering, ¡°Alright, be quiet. It¡¯s starting.¡±

 Chapter 727

    Chapter 727: Training Mental Strength


    On an ind in the southern seas was a ship, on the deck of which sat Compass Carburettor in a meditative pose, ignoring the incessant chirps in his surroundings.


    The eagles on the ind were all over the ship now, perched everywhere there was a vacant spot. Beyond that, a sizeable poption were devouring the pile of fishes that were there.


    Moreover, every hour, another pile would arrive as the eagles relished them. As they no longer needed to hunt for food, the eagles were pretty happy, especially since there was more than enough food for their entire needs.


    Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t just pile them on the deck. He first created a container using Mental Fragments into which he poured in the caught fish. And as the quantity within increased, he raised the height of the container. Moreover, he also created enough spots to perch within the container where the eagles stood to eat their fill before taking off.


    The smell in the area was nauseating, mixed with the stench of the blood and flesh of the fishes, not to mention the smell of the eagles, all mixed in the saline smell of the sea.


    Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t seem to mind that, casually fishing for more fishes, watching a stream of eagles fly towards the ship from afar.


    This intense stench of fish was the bait to lure them in first. After all, it was time for the eagles of the Lan n to arrive andy down eggs here.


    For that to go sessfully, he nned to increase their poption as much as possible first, hence luring the eagles native to the ind first. As all the eagles were on the ship, the neers too were lured here first.


    The four sailors were huddled in one of the rooms, staring in fear at the sheer number of eagles on the ship. Considering the ravenous feast they were having, any living being apart from an eagle would be considered prey there.


    ¡°Are his balls made of steel or something?¡± One of the sailors stared at Compass Carburettor in shock, failing to believe what he was seeing.


    Compass Carburettor was seated on the deck, amidst the eagles, neither protected nor influencing the eagles. He was seated there unguarded as some of the eagles even perched on his head and shoulders.


    He seemed to have lost himself, forgetting the passage of time as he wholeheartedly focused on his Invoked Spirit that swam through the waters while catching fishes that it then threw into the cage on the deck.


    Every time this happened, the eagles took off to the skies in rm before returning to their spots in a matter of seconds.


    Even in this cacophony, he was calm, meditating as he was training his Mental Strength. After all, how was Mental Strength trained the most? It was by subjecting a vulnerable person to a ce where they wouldn¡¯t survive mentally.


    Assassins were trained by locking them up in caves to ustom them to the darkness and insects.


    Compass Carburettor had a pretty hardened mind, but that was mostly thanks to external influences ranging from Skills to other abilities. Therefore, even though he was strong, he had his fair share of weaknesses.


    And now, in this world where Mental Strength was supreme, it made for the perfect training ground to train his mind further. And as Pilkan, he was vulnerable, with Pilkan¡¯s brain allowing him to face things with a vulnerable mindset.


    Every second, he was under mountainous pressure, wishing to just scream his lungs out and jump into the sea to escape from the eagles. But he forcefully controlled himself, refraining from such an action.


    And the longer he persisted, the more mentally drained he felt. But as long as he continued the same, his Mental Strength would grow by leaps and bounds.


    Moreover, he didn¡¯t just stop at enduring this situation passively. He controlled his Invoked Spirit to catch fish before retracting it into his Dreand where it worked on creating the Ascender Scroll.


    A normal human would have to give it his all just to endure the situation where the eagles would rip apart his flesh in a matter of seconds the moment he reacted ordingly. But Compass Carburettor took it a step further, continuing to train even under that.


    And honestly, it strengthened his mind, allowing his Mental Strength to grow by leaps and bounds. Even though his work efficiency was lowered, his gains spiked in response.


    Chirp!


    An Eagle pecked his hand, drawing out blood as Compass Carburettor flinched in pain. But, he didn¡¯t react strongly, controlling his body¡¯s reflexes through sheer willpower, taking out a strip of gauge that he wound around the injury.


    Upon noticing his reaction, the eagle was confused for a moment before pecking a nearby spot on the hand. After all, having been seated on the deck for so long, he was starting to smell like fish too, the prey of the eagles.


    That was why they began to target him. Unfortunately, ten minutes into it, Compass Carburettor had no other choice but to erect a cage around him, gasping in exhaustion as he copsed to the floor, staring at the angry pping of the eagles around him that mmed into the cage.


    His figure was bloody all over. It might result in his life being threatened if he didn¡¯t treat himself. After resting for a few minutes, Compass Carburettor extended a rod within the cage for him to hold on to, adding a set of wheels at the bottom as he began to push it.


    Thereby, he pushed the cage towards the cabin door, preventing the eagles from attacking him, shouting at the sailors, ¡°Open the door!¡±


    One of the sailors hurried as Compass Carburettor retracted the cage into his Dreand and leapt through the door, watching it close shut behind him as around five eagles entered the cabin.


    Of course, they died in a matter of seconds as he brought out a sword and shed them dead. ¡°Haah¡­that was scary.¡±


    He then stared at the nearby tank, watching the few electric eels swimming slowly within it, asking as he stared at the sailors, ¡°How¡¯s their condition?¡±


    ¡°Good enough to kill you easily, my Lord.¡± The sailors said, staring at Pilkan as if he were a masochist, ¡°Is this really necessary, my Lord? Do you have to subject yourself to such torture?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the only way forward.¡± Saying so, Compass Carburettor dipped his hand through the water tank, truly regretting his choice.

 Chapter 728

    Chapter 728: ring Weakness


    The best way to train one¡¯s mind was to subject themselves to things they are apprehensive about. The eagles were dangerous but didn¡¯t exert the maximum amount of mental pressure on Pilkan. After all, he belonged to the Lan n, a n that worked with the eagles.


    So, they offered the least amount of mental pressure on him. But even that, when pushed to the extreme like the situation on the deck of the ship was strenuous enough to exhaust him mentally.


    But, that wasn¡¯t enough for Compass Carburettor whose goal was to attain the peak of this world within three years. To make that a reality, he had to go about things in a different form.


    So for that, Compass Carburettor also captured exotic but dangerous fish varieties, storing them within the almost empty ship. One of them were the electric eels he had chanced upon.


    Pilkan was averse to creepy crawlies, having a natural fear of them. Therefore, it took a greater mental toll on him just to see them, not to mention interact with them.


    Thump! Thump!


    His heart thumped loud enough for him to feel it reverberating through his chest, the sounds resounding clearly in his ears, drowning out the rest. His index finger neared the tank; the thumping of his heart spiked in response as if he was sprinting at his utmost limit.


    Slowly, his finger touched the water in the tank, feeling a minor shock as he retracted his hand in reflex. Though, that itself seemed to have taken a toll on him as Compass Carburettor fainted.


    In his original body, he wouldn¡¯t have fainted, for he had an affinity to most serpentine creatures. But Pilkan was different. And in Pilkan¡¯s body, this was too much to endure.


    ¡°My Lord!¡± The sailors rushed to his rescue, hurriedly tending to his injuries before setting him on the bed nearby.


    ¡°They would leave nasty scars.¡± One of the sailors said after bandaging Compass Carburettor¡¯s arms.


    ¡°At least, it doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯ll suffer any disease of the sort from that.¡± Another said.


    Medical technology in their world was limited, simr to primitive Earth. Whether it was Invokers or Ascenders, none could regenerate from fleshly wounds.


    Though would have to recuperate for an extended time to heal naturally. And even then, amputated parts would never grow back. Of course, Ascenders had the option of shifting into the bodies of someone young and healthy.


    That was how Ascenders dealt with any severe injuries. Though for Invokers, if they were injured, that was it for them.


    Special abilities like the mist Compass Carburettor used were rare, probably only in the possession of a few direct descendants of Conjurers. As Compass Carburettor had yet to encounter one, he wasn¡¯t sure of the types of abilities there existed.


    His eyes shot open upon sensing the dense Mental Energy streams gushing into him, smiling as everything was absorbed by his true body within the Invoked Spirit.


    When the Invoked Spirit was out of the Dreand, moving about for its task, the Mental Energy streams actually gushed into it. Pilkan was just a house for the Invoked Spirit.


    That was why it wasn¡¯t Pilkan controlling the Invoked Spirit but reverse. This was how even when he was seated on the deck of the ship, the Invoked Spirit was able to hunt in the seas.


    Compass Carburettor stared at the injuries on his body, smiling upon noticing that none of them was dangerous. To anyone else, they would have sustained at least a couple of critical injuries.


    But for someone blessed by the fate of the world, Pilkan only suffered the most normal of injuries, something a week of rest would rectify. That was why he was the protagonist of this world.


    ¡®It seems they¡¯ve seeded.¡¯ He smiled upon sensing the Mental Energy streams incident on him spike in volume by a dozen times. It meant that the Forbidden Tales were being received with a lot ofmotion in the teau region.


    Moreover, he could also feel the Main Character System growing at a steady pace, spreading around the world. ¡°It won¡¯t take long before it spreads to all corners of this world.¡±


    Smiling at the thought, Compass Carburettor closed his eyes, focusing on his Dreand as he began to continue with the manufacturing process of the Ascender Scroll. Having an Ascender Scroll was a must for a breakthrough.


    After all, owning one reduced the difficulties in bing an Ascender. It was a strategic resource. Of course, if the Lan n Head wasn¡¯t currently engaged in protecting the Forbidden Tale in his possession, he would have already scoured through the ins himself to reim the stolen Ascender Scroll.


    Currently, the Lan n was being pressured by multiple ns, for they were in possession of the Forbidden Tale. This created enough leeway for Compass Carburettor to enact his ns and use the family of four for his schemes.


    ¡°Once Duketace and Ko return, I¡¯ll catch Sturr. She should have gained quite a lot of benefits by then.¡± He muttered before noticing that his Mental Strength had experienced another growth spurt, now on par with an average Common Invoker.


    In his estimation, it would take him a month to be a Superior Invoker and another two months to reach the peak as an Invoker. To elerate that journey, the Ascender Scroll was a necessity.


    And in order to have enough Mental Strength, Compass Carburettor trained by subjecting himself to torture. He continued to work in such a mental state. After all, over time, he adapted.


    Moreover, after adapting to it, once he resumed the task without any mental pressure, his work efficiency was at least thrice as efficient aspared to before¡ªin his optimal state.


    Moreover, thanks to his Natural Recovery Scroll, he was able to train harder with minimal rest.


    But of course, in this process, he understood the limitation of this power system, ¡°It cannot affect the body. It can only affect the mind, which influences the brain. That¡¯s all, nothing else.¡±


    This meant that even though it had its fair share of advantages, its disadvantages were equally apparent. After all, a trained archer would be able to take out a Superior invoker through an ambush. That was the most ring weakness of this power system, which seemed to even extend over to Ascenders.


    And if guns were introduced into the mix, it would copse the power system.

 Chapter 729

    Chapter 729: Sturr¡¯s Reign in the Archipgo


    Kieee!


    An eagle soared through the skies, speeding along the crops as it opened its beak and swallowed dozens of locusts before curving in the air to arrive at a location beside the farm to spit out the dead locust corpses.


    The eagle continued to attack the locusts swarming through the acres of farnd, killing them in droves nonstop as it mowed through them. Every p of its wings mmed into at least a few locusts, swatting them dead.


    ¡°My Lord! At this rate, the entire harvest would be destroyed.¡± A viger said in despair, watching months of their hard work go up in mes.


    They were a group of eighteen viges, situated on an archipgo that was abundant with fertile soil, for these inds were actually located in ake where more than three ginormous rivers intersected, forming a delta of sorts.


    So, the quantity of freshwater here was limitless, not to mention the sheer vitality of life growing in the region. Of course, it was wrought with its fair share of concerns.


    First were the frequent floods that gued the region, not to mention disasters and diseases resulting from an outbreak of swarm insects like mosquitoes and locusts.


    That was the reason that despite its abundance, no formidable power wished to set foot here. But of course, despite the challenges, there was Sturr who dared to set foot here.


    Currently, her eagle was killing the locusts in droves before piling them up in a corner. They were a precious resource of protein that she could use to feed her Eagle Basket. Moreover, she was long since prepared to take control of this region.


    She wasn¡¯t just ambitious but also had the smarts necessary to fuel her ambition, just as the rest of her family.


    ¡°Be calm and bring me the ablest among the youth here,¡± Sturr said, watching the vigers hurry in response.


    Within a minute, over fifty youths, thirty men, and twenty women assembled before her. Sturr gazed at them, nodding in response before throwing a packet to each, ¡°Run ap through the fields and return here as quickly as possible. The locusts would chase after you. Remember to cover yourself with a couple ofyers of clothes to avoid being injured.¡±


    She said with amanding tone, ¡°Just bring them here. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The youths nodded as they covered themselves with multipleyers of nkets before holding the packet to rush through the fields, doing as they weremanded.


    Emanating from the packets was a fruity scent that worked wonders on the locusts. This was a medicine Sturr had created using a team of researchers under her.


    Currently, the group of researchers had already arrived at the location and set up shop there, providing her with the drugs necessary to do what she needed.


    Bzzzz!


    A gigantic cloud chased after the running youths that hurried towards her in rm. The cloud was akin to a disaster, made up of billions of locusts, a power enough to wipe out an entire country¡¯s worth of farm produce.


    ¡°Run!¡± Sturr said, watching the group of youths run past her, dropping the packets at her feet as they dived into their homes in a hurry. The cloud of locusts headed straight for her as she let out a calm smile, shouting right as the locusts were a few metres from her, ¡°Now!


    Boom!


    Her Invoked Spirit pped its wings, taking flight as multiple ropes seemed to be tied around its body. And at the end of the ropes were lids torge containers. There was shimmering coal within the containers, ced atop which were arge number of leaves.


    There were dozens of such containers as the moment their lids were opened, intense smoke billowed out, seeping into the cloud of locusts, affecting them in a matter of seconds as they dropped down like flies.


    When burned, the leaves released a narcotic substance that knocked out all the locusts that inhaled it.


    Sturr was prepared, covering her nose with a cloth as she gradually began to retreat,manding her eagle to trigger the locusts to chase after it. And thereby, it led the group into the range of the smoke.


    This way, a majority of the locusts formed a pile on the ground, showing no signs of waking up for at least a few hours.


    Sturr continued to use her eagle to round up and kill the rest of the locusts, for there was still a significant sum in the other inds that weren¡¯t lured here.


    ¡°We need to repeat the same in the other inds. Let¡¯s go.¡± She motioned at the vigers, bringing the group of youths with her who carried the necessary materials and the containers.


    In the meantime, the team of researchers hurriedly exited their shed, covered from head to toe as they began to look through the pile of locusts, capturing the eggying kind among them and any specially mutated ones that they chanced upon.


    This was under Sturr¡¯s orders. After all, she nned to rear the locusts into a food resource for the eagles, for it was the easiest to rear them. The locusts pretty much consumed anything. And as grass took the shortest time to grow in thergest numbers, it could be used to feed the locusts.


    This would give multiple benefits to the archipgo, which was why Sturr had brought an entire team of personnel with her, having already taken upmand of the region, for she was the sole Invoker of the ce.


    Within a week, she rid the ce of the locus problem, capturing more than enough of them to create a farm, having clipped the wings of all to prevent them from fleeing the ce. Sturr had been sending a portion of her wealth to this region in preparation for this for years now, so the nest to farm the locusts as a crop had already been built, including her domicile.


    Following that, she convened all the talents of the eighteen viges settled in the archipgo, using the Inferior Invoker Crystals in her possession to turn them into Invokers.


    She first created forty Invokers, nning to proceed with the rest after that. After all, they still required eagles for their cultivation, which had to be reared carefully from now. But thankfully, she had everything required to make that a reality, setting up a n in the archipgo.

 Chapter 730

    Chapter 730: Backup in My Daughter


    The Lan n was famous for its power, wielding authority that extended beyond the city it was based. And hailing from its main family line, being a Superior Invoker atop that for years at a stretch, Sturr had obtained a lot of connections.


    And among that, she nurtured a team specialised for the needs she desired, having already dispatched a team of experts in the fields of geography, climate, architecture, etc. to the archipgo.


    Using their help, she had been umting information about the ce. The reason she had decided upon this ce was that despite its abundance of resources, no power dared to set foot there, for it always resulted in a loss-making venture, as evidenced by history.


    Multiple ns had tried to do so but failed miserably, unable to adapt to the harshness of the ce. And unlike the teau region where the life expectancy was in thete sixties, with it being thete fifties for the ins, it was a mere thirties in the archipgo.


    And even Superior Invokers died in a matter of years living there. It was because their digestive system failed to sustain itself, unable to adapt to the microorganisms living in the waters there which worsened their health grandly.


    It was a ce far off from the reigning powers and was too hard to rule over. And hence, it formed the perfect target for her. Therefore, Sturr began her preparations, personally adapting to the water of the region first, taking years to do so while feeding on a variety of medicines.


    Her team of professionals had already created enough medicines to be rid of the multitude of diseases rampant in the ce. Sturr practically spent the entire fortune in her name, nning to head there with or without her family.


    And when Duketace screwed up, she noticed that her children had ambitions of their own and hence decided to go on her own.


    ¡°How¡¯s the status of the patients?¡± Seated in a study, Sturr stared at a doctor, asking in concern.


    ¡°The signs are positive, my Lady.¡± The doctor said, ¡°We¡¯ve managed to treat the majority of the patients. At this rate, we¡¯ll clear out most of the diseases by the end of this year.¡±


    ¡°Great job out there.¡± Sturr nodded, ¡°Thank you for apanying me to this ce.¡±


    ¡°Please, you needn¡¯t say it.¡± The doctor bowed in response, ¡°When I was falsely used in my previous workce and jailed, it was you who freed me. I¡¯m a convict in their eyes, but here, people actually respect me for the work I do. So, I will continue to do my best for the people that believe in me.¡±


    As the doctor left, Sturr stared at the book before her, taking in a deep breath before sighing. She stared at her hands, watching them tremble faintly. There was a rush in her, for being in power, her every word deciding the fate of everyone under her.


    ¡®This is what I was searching for all along.¡¯ She clenched her hand into a fist, ¡®There are around fifty thousand people scattered across the eighteen viges. As long as I y my cards right, their poption would reach two hundred thousand within a century. That would mean I would have enough human resources as arge city under me.¡¯


    Of course, for a normal human or even an Invoker, living for so long would be impossible. But, Sturr had the confidence in bing an Ascender. It was especially since she had sneakily looked through the Lan n¡¯s forbidden records,ing across the means through which the Lan n Head had been changing bodies to live for many centuries now.


    And, she nned to do the same, ¡®But first, I should give birth topatible children.¡¯


    Ko or Fenn wouldn¡¯t cut it for her, as the method indicated that only the bloodline she created after bing an Ascender waspatible with the method that the Lan n Head used.


    Once she became an Ascender, Sturr nned to give birth to enough babies to create a sizeable n. The Eagle Invoker Crystals she brought would be sufficient until then.


    That was why she only used the Inferior Eagle Invoker Crystals, saving up the rest for her children. Maybe the most talented among the vigers would be given a Common Eagle Invoker Crystal.


    But all Superior Eagle Invoker Crystals would be meant for her children. She only had four of them at the moment and would have to create more in the future. Thankfully, she had the Eagle Invoker Crystal Scroll.


    Boom!


    Sturr focused on her Dreand, activating the Eagle Invoker Crystal Scroll as Mental Fragments flew out of her Dreand and Invoked Spirit. And surprisingly, once they emerged, both her Dreand and Invoked Spirit became stronger.


    Using the Eagle Invoker Crystal Scroll, Sturr was removing all the useless and inharmonious Mental Fragments, raising her foundation automatically. After all, a momentter, she deactivated the Scroll, watching the cluster of Mental Fragments simply copse atop it.


    She then picked them up one after another, cing them in the Dreand. Instead of creating Eagle Invoker Crystals, Sturr was using the Scroll to extract and refine her Dreand, rapidly enacting a makeover, observing her strength grow at a rapid pace.


    ¡°Yep, it works¡­¡± She smiled, staring at the book before her. It was a record of techniques coined by the Lan n Head sixty years ago. He had managed to create another one recently and hence stored this outdated notebook in the n¡¯s library which couldn¡¯t be essed.


    Of course, as part of the Main Family, Sturr had already bribed her way through and obtained her hands on it. And in the ce of the original, she ced a fake that only looked like the original externally.


    It was entirely nk on the inside. But as none were allowed to see it, no one would find out that it had been swapped out, especially since the Lan n Head already had a new book.


    And it was through these records that Sturr gained knowledge to do a variety of things, including using the Eagle Invoker Scroll to refine her Invoked Spirit and Dreand to reach the Ascender Stage in the shortest time.


    Using it was actually faster and had a better guarantee of making her reach the Ascender Stage aspared to using the Ascender Scroll, which was why she let Ko take the Ascender Scroll with her.


    After all, Ko was a backup n for her, if in case everything she did here failed.

 Chapter 731

    Chapter 731: Fenn¡¯s Tyranny


    ¡°Please¡­spare us! If it¡¯s money you want, I can give you more.¡± A middle-aged man begged desperately when a packet mmed into his face, knocking him unconscious.


    ¡°Take him captive,¡± Fenn¡¯s cold voice resounded as the group of men behind him took action, binding up the middle-aged man and the rest of his unconsciousrades.


    They were part of a caravan that was passing through this forest region when they were jumped by a group of natives, caught into a series of traps that rendered them exhausted.


    It made the job easier for the natives who managed to capture them all without suffering a single wound. And the one that lead them was Fenn, one who became a Superior Invoker now.


    The over forty people among the caravan were captured and taken to their vige, same for all the goods too.


    The vige Fenn had decided to turn into his base was one located deep in the mountains, a semi-tribal popce that had minimal contact with the people of the outside.


    There were around ten thousand of them in total, self-sufficient as they lived on forest produce and grazed animals. The people there had minimal contact with Invokers. Only a few among them had ever seen an Invoker, much less interact with them.


    So, it made it easier for Fenn toe here and take charge of the ce. And for any resistance the natives offered, he culled them up through sheer power. His eagle had grown mighty by now, able to casually shrug off their arrows, forcing them to submit to his rule.


    Following that, he trained them for the past month before which he led them on hunts, capturing merchant caravans and travellers that moved either close or through the forest region. Today¡¯s hunt was their fourth sess in the past week alone.


    The group brought in their haul, returning to their vige as Fenn observed the expression of fear in the eyes of most. They were terrified of him, shying away from making eye contact with him.


    In response to this, all Fenn did was smile subtly before his eyes shot to the mountain beside, staring at its peak, ¡®That¡¯s how I¡¯ll live my life out.¡¯


    Even though the people here were too conservative aspared to what he was used to in Wakttark City, they were also easy to manipte, which worked the best for him. After all, he wished to make a n of his own here.


    ¡°Wee back, Lord!¡± A group of women announced aloud at his arrival, standing at the entrance to the biggest house in the vige. This house was made from the highest-grade wood sourced from the forest, ornate with a variety of animal fur that turned it into a luxurious dwelling.


    There were eight women in total, subservient in their addressal as they awaited his return.


    ¡®This is indeed fun.¡¯ Fenn smiled as he apanied them into the house. He had taken them all as his wives and already tamed them in the course of the past month. They were the most loyal to him in the vige.


    While he was having fun with them, the vigers locked up all the captives in a cell before returning to their respective tasks. Fenn had given tasks to everyone, treating them as freebourers. He was pretty much a tyrant.


    Unfortunately for them, he was too strong to resist. After all, Fenn wasn¡¯t the same as he was in Wakttark City. He had grown by leaps and bounds.


    ¡°Come with me, Larna.¡± In the evening, Fenn exited his house, apanied by a woman who seemed a couple of years older than him. She was the most loyal to him and also talented in a variety of crafts. And hence, he had taken her in as his first wife.


    She was also the most pleasing to him, for she quickly adapted to the changes and was also smart enough to keep up with him on a variety of matters.


    ¡°Are you finally showing me what you¡¯ve been preparing all along?¡± Larna blinked with curiosity, a tad excited as Fenn lead her into the cell.


    Her excitement was a bit dampened upon seeing the gazes of fear directed at Fenn by the vigers and expression of scorn at her.


    ¡°Rx, I¡¯m here.¡± Fenn noticed the subtle changes in her expression, wrapping his hand around her shoulder to console her, seeing her brighten up in response.


    Fenn then stood before a captive man, taking out a knife to slit his throat, watching him die without a change in emotion. He absorbed his Mental Fragments, nodding after a while, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s ready.¡±


    ¡°I thought you could only absorb Mental Fragments from Eagles? Isn¡¯t that what you said before?¡± Larna tilted her in confusion, taking a step back to avoid the pool of blood on the ground.


    ¡°Yep, you¡¯re right about that. But, thanks to a treasure, I¡¯ve changed mine.¡± Fenn smiled, ¡°I can absorb Mental Fragments from humans now.¡±


    ¡°So, you have a Human Invoked Spirit now?¡± She asked, still feeling confused.


    ¡°I¡¯ll exin it in detailter,¡± Fenn said as he snapped his finger, causing a massive creature to appear behind him, sporting the head of an eagle but the body of a human.


    Its entire body was covered with eagle fur with the important parts on the chest, back, thigh and forearms covered with a material resembling its beak, tough to withstand even spears.


    On its back was a pair of wings, expansive in nature, with a single p riling up strong winds in the cell. Spanning a height of four metres, it was a hulking entity.


    Using the Spirit Morph Crystal, Fenn transformed his eagle into a more humanoid form, causing it to also gain the traits that all Human Invoked Spirits possessed. But in truth, it wasn¡¯t a Human Invoked Spirit but a hybrid between a human and an eagle.


    Best of all, it can absorb Mental Fragments from both humans and eagles.


    Larna stared at the imposing Invoked Spirit, ¡°Why¡­is it so different aspared to before?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been working on it nonstop.¡± Fenn said, ¡®And if not for the Spirit Morph Crystal, this wouldn¡¯t have been possible.¡¯


    The wings of the Invoked Spirit fluttered all of a sudden as it shuddered, coughing out an egg that Fenn took and pointed at Larna, ¡°ce a drop of your blood on this. It¡¯ll be bonded to you after that.¡±

 Chapter 732

    Chapter 732: Three Traits


    ¡°Is one drop enough?¡± Larna asked, using a needle to prick her index finger before dropping it on the egg, watching the egg absorb it instantly.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Fenn nodded, closing his eyes as he focused on the egg, observing the changes before he nodded, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s done.¡±


    He then approached the middle-aged man that he captured thetest, inspecting his body once, ¡°Alright, he is not only healthy but also seems to have the most experience among the group of captives.¡±


    He pressed at the joints of the middle-aged man¡¯s lower jaw, forcing it open before stuffing the thumb-sized egg into his mouth. Following that, he gagged the opponent, preventing him from spitting the egg out.


    Due to the egg¡¯s size, it couldn¡¯t be swallowed, hence it could only remain within the mouth. But, that was what Fen needed too, after all, the Mental Fragments originated from the head. Keeping the egg in his mouth was the best bet for that.


    ¡°What¡­are you doing now?¡± Larna asked in curiosity.


    ¡°You see, Invokers need what is known as an Invoker Crystal Scroll to create Invoker Crystals. And only with the help of Invoker Crystals could one be an Invoker. But, I¡¯ve figured out a different method.¡± He grinned, ¡°The treasure I mentioned is called the Spirit Morph Crystal. It has the properties of modifying one¡¯s Invoked Spirit without any limitation.¡±


    ¡°There, I modified it to possess three powers.¡± He raised three fingers, saying, ¡°First is the traits of an eagle: superior flight, agility, sharp talons, and eyesight that rivals all birds. Second is the traits of a human: humanoid, dextrous, versatile, and the ability to create tools. Finally, the third is a parasite.¡±


    ¡°Parasite?¡± Larna¡¯s eyes lit up in surprise as she stared at the middle-aged man, ¡°Does that egg then¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yep, it¡¯ll hatch in his body.¡± Fenn nodded, watching Larna pale in response as he continued, ¡°Through thebination of both the human and eagle traits of my Invoked Spirit, it can create a tool that is an egg. And, there¡¯s an embryo of the Invoked Spirit inside.¡±


    He pointed at the middle-aged man, ¡°When I ced the egg in his body, the egg begins to influence him, gradually manifesting his Dreand.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you need an Invoker Crystal to do that? Even I can understand that much.¡± Larna failed to rein in her shock.


    ¡°Yep, but there is one fact that most Invokers misunderstand.¡± Fenn smiled as he said, ¡°Every human is born with a Dreand. And not to mention humans, every living creature has a Dreand. But, it¡¯s always in a dormant state, gradually built using the dreams they experience through life. Somehow, humans of the past chanced upon something that acted like an Invoker Crystal. And that¡¯s how the first Invoker was born. The rest is history.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s because a human became an Invoker by chance that there are Invokers among humans all over the world now.¡± Larna nodded, ¡°If the one that became an Invoker was an animal, instead of a human¡­¡±


    ¡°The world would have been different now.¡± Fenn nodded, ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s how things are. An Invoker Crystal consumes part of your soul to activate your Dreand and creates a Nascent Soul there, allowing you to ess your Dreand. Without it, you cannot ess it.¡±


    ¡°This is where the parasitic trait of my Invoked Spirites into y. Ittches onto this Dreand and absorbs its essence, including all his Mental Fragments gradually.¡± Fenn¡¯s lips curled up into a smile, ¡°And when it finishes absorbing both is when this host would die.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be repeating this with numerous hosts until it hatches.¡± Fenn hugged Larna, ¡°And since I¡¯ve bonded it to you using your blood, once it hatches, it¡¯ll automatically reinforce your Dreand and awaken you as an Invoker. Best of all, it automatically bes your Invoked Spirit and doesn¡¯t have any limitations.¡±


    ¡°Theoretically, as long as you don¡¯t make any mistakes, you should reach the Superior Invoker Stage without trouble as everyone with this method can.¡± Fenn concluded, ¡°This is basically the path I¡¯ve chosen. When your Invoked Spirit bes a Superior Invoked Spirit, it too would be able to create an egg of its own.¡±


    Larna stared at Fenn with an incredulous gaze before suddenly, she stared at him sharply, ¡°So, what¡¯s the price?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Fenn was surprised.


    ¡°I mean, if it was possible to produce these eggs endlessly, you would have brought all your wives and not just me alone,¡± Larna said, watching Fenn break into a wry smile at that.


    ¡°As expected, you¡¯re damn smart.¡± Fenn sighed before saying truthfully, ¡°It consumes part of my soul to create an egg. Even if I hit the peak of the Invoker Stage, I can at most create four eggs. For you and the rest, the limit is two at the Superior Invoker Stage.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible to create anymore, unless I cripple myself and use the entirety of my soul.¡±


    ¡°So, it takes time, huh.¡± Larna nodded, staring at Fenn to say, ¡°So that¡¯s why you picked me alone.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve seen plenty of Invokers in my life. Through my experience, I can say with a guarantee that you¡¯ll reach the peak with me. And, you even have a shot at bing an Ascender as long as I guide you properly. I think the limit increases drastically once we be Ascenders.¡±


    ¡°I also feel that I can only fusepletely with the Spirit Morph Crystal once I be an Ascender.¡±


    ¡°Gahh!¡± As they continued to speak, the middle-aged man suddenly frothed at the mouth as his eyes shot open, revealing his bloody pupils that burst under the strain. Like a lifeless doll whose strings were cut, the middle-aged man lost all signs of life.


    ¡°That took a while. Seems his foundation was better than I expected.¡± Nodding in praise, Fenn fished out the egg from his mouth, noticing it glow a little as he nted it in the mouth of a woman who he thought had the next highest level of experience among the captives.


    In such a manner, they spent the entire day, at the end of which the egg was fully nurtured, causing Larna to stare in shock at the row of corpses, ¡°It took almost a hundred people¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s expensive, since it goes against the norm.¡± Fenn nodded, watching thest of the host die as a cracking sound resounded before which the eggshell cracked.

 Chapter 733

    Chapter 733: Garuda


    Bang!


    There was a muffled sound as the egg cracked before shattering. The eggshell shards sshed around before pausing mysteriously as they were sucked back to the thumb-sized entity that crawled out of the host¡¯s mouth.


    The eggshell shards flew towards it,tching onto its body at various locations, turning into an armour of sorts that protected all its vital locations. Some of them dissolved like water, forming a coating over the forearm of the wings, making them stronger.


    Chirp!


    Larna stared in a daze before shaking her head, muttering in shock, ¡°What¡­just happened?¡±


    The tiny creature had now turned still. Before, the moment it hatched, Larna felt her consciousness getting sucked into the creature. And it was in that state did she instinctively suck in the exploding eggshell shards and formed a coating over the creature¡¯s body with them.


    Immediately after that, her consciousness returned to her body as the creature turned still. It was now her Invoked Spirit as Larna was able to feel a mysterious space in her body, ¡°Is this my¡­Dreand?¡±


    Fenn stared at the thumb-sized Invoked Spirit, muttering in relief, ¡°Thankfully, it inherited all the traits of my Invoked Spirit. There wouldn¡¯t be any issues after this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling a bit dizzy,¡± Larna said, controlling herself from fainting as she stared at her Invoked Spirit.


    ¡°You¡¯ve just be an Invoker. So, it took a toll on your Mental Strength. You¡¯ll recover after a good night¡¯s rest.¡± Fenn pointed at the remaining captives, ¡°Once you¡¯ve recovered, I¡¯ll teach you the ways to kill people and absorb their Mental Fragments.¡±


    ¡°I feel a bit averse to killing people.¡± Larna massaged her forehead, ¡°Is it not possible to rear some eagles?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but it¡¯s impossible.¡± Fenn shook his head, ¡°Getting our hands on the eagles is difficult for the time being. I didn¡¯t bring them with me as I felt hunting humans would be enough.¡±


    ¡°If you are averse to killing them, you can always hunt down the criminals.¡± Fenn said, ¡°they are beneath humans, after all.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Larna nodded, calm about the entire ordeal. After all, she didn¡¯t even flinch when Fenn killed so many people before her eyes for the entire day. Their vige had a bloody history as the people there didn¡¯t originally belong to the region.


    They were driven out from another region after having lost a conflict at the end of which a natural disaster struck them, leaving them with no other choice but to migrate. It had been a century after that as the vigers of the current generation were already ustomed to this life, having been born and brought up here.


    Though, they still had plenty of run-ins with bandits that wished to take over their vige and set up base there. So, even Larna had her fair share of blood. That was why they attacked Fenn too.


    Of course, the other party was just too strong for them to do anything, ending up surrendering in the end.


    ¡°Why¡­have youe to our vige?¡± Larna asked once she recovered a little, ¡°What¡¯s your n from now on?¡±


    ¡°The same as what I did to you.¡± Fenn said truthfully, ¡°I wish to create a powerful n here. I¡¯m pretty ambitious, you see.¡±


    ¡°So, this n would consist of you and your eight wives, right?¡± Larna said, ¡°That might make things difficult between us and the vigers. You¡¯ve already seen the scorn in their eyes. They might deal with us in the end.¡±


    She continued, ¡°Everyone here is an expert in using poison for assassination. I already feel like their patience is waning thin while having endured your presence for a month now.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t exactly treated them with respect, you see.¡± She gave her warning.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Fenn reflected on his actions, asking her honestly, ¡°What do you propose to make things better? I want to focus on our growth and not deal with all these issues.¡±


    ¡°Then, leave these issues to me.¡± Larna said, ¡°Just give me the full authority. I¡¯ll handle everyone and ensure there are no problems.¡±


    ¡®Wow, look at her. She¡¯s ambitious, alright.¡¯ Fennughed as he patted her, ¡°Alright, do as you like. But, don¡¯t spend too much of your time on this. I want you to be an Ascender with me.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Larna smiled, heading back to their house with Fenn as thoughts shed in her head. Her status in the vige wasn¡¯t much before Fenn arrived, and hence, she intended to ensure she would remain at the top of the chain here.


    After all, it would be a lie to say she wasn¡¯t excited to hear Fenn¡¯s ambition, especially since based on what he said, Ascenders were able to live for centuries. She of course wanted to live so long and experience everything this world had to offer.


    Moreover, even though she didn¡¯t have much experience, she could feel one thing, and that was the fact that her Invoked Spirit was strong. She was confident in defeating Fenn¡¯s eagle from before once she became a Superior Invoker.


    Even though the eagle was strong, the mutated Invoked Spirit was way stronger, especially since it could create tools to wield, ¡®But, the resources required for it is expensive, especially since just to incubate the egg, around a hundred human lives were consumed. The number required to be a Superior Invoker would be in the thousands.¡¯


    ¡®This isn¡¯t a figure that could be gathered easily, unless we have the help of the entire vige¡­¡¯ Her thoughts halted at this point as her eyes lit up in surprise. She patted Fenn in a hurry before whispering, ¡°I got it!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Fenn stared at her, curious to see what she was thinking about.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just advertise your powers.¡± Larna said, ¡°That will give the vigers enough incentive to follow your orders, just to obtain that power for themselves. After all, we need a consistent stream of people for the long term, so we too should y the long game. We¡¯ll give them an option.¡±


    ¡°An option for their children to marry your descendants and obtain the power into their families.¡± Larna said, ¡°We¡¯ll need to do that anyway once our children grow up. We¡¯ll just incentivise that process to make the vigers work for us naturally. This would shift their ideology from wanting to get rid of you to wanting to gain your power for their children.¡±


    ¡°Brilliant!¡± Fenn shed a thumbs up upon seeing that Larna still had a lot more to say, having thought of multiple micro-management to ensure the vige worked towards their goal, ¡°As expected, you¡¯re pretty smart.¡±


    ¡°By the way,¡± She expressed curiosity, ¡°Since this is a new type, what¡¯s our Invoked Spirit called?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve thought of a name already,¡± Fenn smiled, ¡°It¡¯s the God of the Skies, Garuda.¡±

 Chapter ?734 Losing the World’s Support

    Chapter ?734 Losing the World¡¯s Support


    "Phew...it''s done." Compass Carburettor sighed in exhaustion, observing thepleted Ascender Scroll that nowy unfurled in his Dreand. There was a sense of aplishment that he felt for havingpleted such a monumental task, especially since his route to bing an Ascender was now elerated.


    Duketace had already informed him of their sess through a Mental Energy stream. It wasn''t Duketace, but the Main Character System fragment in his body that took control for a second to transmit all the necessary information.


    Through that, Compass Carburettor understood the sess they had and also ryed the items they had to buy through auction. It would be a mental cue in Duketace''s mind, making him feel strongly that certain items would be best effective for him.


    So, he would spend all the money they got to purchase these necessary items. Though, they were all Scrolls, for that was the best in terms of effectiveness for him. Moreover, they could be stored in the Dreand, the safest way to transport a treasure.


    As creating Scrolls was a means to train his Mental Strength, not to mention him having confidence in making them stronger, Compass Carburettor asked Duketace to purchase Scrolls after knowing the list published by the Starwing Auction House.


    Currently, the father and daughter duo were already making their return journey, having grown stronger in their month of stay at Cajjan City. Having ess to the best of medicine, they were able to train better.


    Adding onto the Mini-Forbidden Tale in their Dreand actively influencing their Dreand and Invoked Spirits, their growth was startling.


    It seemed that they would return within the day as Compass Carburettor nned to take heed of the next course of his n. ''It''s time to find Sturr. The resources she has would be helpful in bing an Ascender.''


    That was how the fate of this world varied. Besides, Compass Carburettor stared at the sky, noticing Pilkan''s fate be thinner, ''Just what is happening?''


    He didn''t understand the cause, for Pilkan''s fate as the protagonist of this world was waning rapidly. It had begun the moment hepleted the Ascender Scroll. It was strange, the cause hard to find, for he hadn''t even thought a protagonist would lose their support.


    ''Is it because Ipletely derailed the original course of his life?'' He thought, ''Maybe it''s because I''ve grown so much without suffering enough for the same.''


    Usually, a protagonist faces extreme danger right before attaining a breakthrough or a spike in strength. But when Compass Carburettor became a Common Invoker, he wasn''t in danger. He had been training calmly in an environment of his choice.


    So, that could have been the cause. But if it had been the case, why didn''t Pilkan''s fate begin to fade right away? Why did it choose to happen right after hepleted the Ascender Scroll?


    ''But, I''m not going to change my actions just because Pilkan''s fate is waning.'' He was aware of that, for the moment he went back against his current n, the setback will derail his Lore''s effects.


    His power of Lore wasn''t a prophecy. It was akin to a backstory. So, he was already pushing its limits by using it like a prophecy. That was only possible by setting up the variables ordingly to lead them to the desired future.


    And entering Pilkan was the path that led to this future.


    But since his fate was waning, Compass Carburettor was unsure anymore. He hadn''t expected such a variable in the first ce, one that would disorganise his ns. Therefore, he had to prepare ordingly.


    First on the list was to umte as much strength as possible. After all, those that were strong had a strong enough fate anyway. He could think about the rest following that. As long as he found a way to return to the routeid by his Lore, he would exit this world once the time of three years was up.


    Otherwise, he would be trapped here and would have to manually search for a way out. In either case, he had to reach the peak of this world first. Only with that would he have a possibility of doing what he wanted.


    Thinking as such, Compass Carburettor took in a deep breath before jumping into the tank with the electric eels, screaming in pain as he was electrocuted. Thankfully, they weren''t toorge, so the generated current wasn''t enough to kill him.


    ''Shit, his fate is dissipating even faster!'' Compass Carburettor was rmed, hurriedly exiting the water tank, staring at the severe injuries guing his body now. This originally shouldn''t have happened, for Pilkan was blessed by a strong fate and couldn''t be injured seriously by mere fish.


    ''My mental state is bing unstable.'' Compass Carburettor sat in a meditative pose, staring at changes to Pilkan''s fate as realisation finally kicked in, ''No, the Ascender Scroll wasn''t the cause. Someone else became worthy of bing the protagonist of this world.''


    ''Moreover, it seems this world has sensed my identity and actions.'' He gleaned some info upon staring at the shift in the luck of the surroundings. Originally, the luck of the surroundings itself would converge upon Pilkan, as if supporting him.


    But now, it was fleeing away and seemed to be congregating somewhere else. It made Compass Carburettor be aware of another fact that he hadn''t realised before.


    "It seems this world has been created to target any and all external entities." That was the conclusion he had arrived at, which was indeed the truth.


    As Conjurer had been involved with Zaira, he was aware of what Systems were capable of and how they snatched the fates of the main characters of various worlds. The same was true for the System yers too.


    Therefore, when creating his series of worlds, he had iid itsws in such a way that the moment someone in the world gets shaped by an external entity, the fate blessing them would vanish, causing their fate and luck to plummet to zero.


    This way, such entities wouldn''t be able to survive for long in their world.


    As the mana in the Fantasy World was capable of eliminating all external entities, Conjurer could easily derive a version simr to that and applied it in his worlds. And since he drastically altered Pilkan''s fate after taking control of him, the world itself acted against him now.


    Creating the Ascender Scroll was just the tipping point on that scale. And, it was apparent that this world had another protagonist now, and someone definitely antagonist to him.

 Chapter ?735 Trouble Knocks the Door

    Chapter ?735 Trouble Knocks the Door


    "That was a great harvest, dad." Ko smiled giddily, having gotten her hands on a Scroll and a bunch of medicines.


    They had purchased three Scrolls in total, not to mention a variety of Invoker Crystals and tools created by Human Invoked Spirits.


    Typically, the tools sold in auction houses were those created by Human Invokers that had died. If such tools remained outside the Dreand, there were cases in which they didn''t vanish, though rare.


    In such cases, it was because of the absorbed part of the Invoker''s Dreand and soul, capable of maintaining themselves in a self-sufficient manner. Such tools were almost priceless and went for a premium, because they were the best weapons an Invoker could ever ask for.


    After all, such tools had a variety of powers in them, as intended by their creators. Even Human Invokers had at most one or two tools, for creating one that was harmonious with their Dreand was incredibly difficult.


    So, having more than one tool was rare and only the most talented among Human Invokers had more than one tool.


    This made them rare. The Forbidden Tale too was considered an ancient tool of a powerful Human Invoker. And its effect was to harmonise the Dreand and Invoked Spirit. That was why it was contested for heavily.


    Having sold the four Forbidden Tales, Duketace and Ko made so much money that they had never seen it in their lives, despite hailing from the main family of the Lan n. After all, the money transacted here hailed from powers that could casually trump the Lan n.


    Of course, that also meant they had to spend a lot to get the items they wished for, thanks to the insanepetition.


    With two tools, three Scrolls, and some medicine; the father and daughter duo practically spent all the money they earned. Among them, Ko purchased a whistle, a tool that amplified the produced sound.


    It was something useful for her to control the eagles from afar, and hence why she bought it. The Scroll she bought was called the Senses Scroll, one that allowed her to train and synchronise her senses to her Invoked Spirit.


    This way, she would be able to see using the eyes of her eagle in the future, which was one of the primary reasons she bought this. Of course, it was damn expensive, causing her to beg for some money from her father.


    Duketace bought a tool that resembled an incense stick, its only function was to influence the thoughts of everyone in its vicinity and calm them a little. It was all he could afford after buying the Suppression Scroll, a Scroll that allowed him to imbue in his Invoked Spirit a feeling of bloodthirstiness and power, bringing out the essence of the Mental Fragments forming its body.


    This way, the moment anyone faces his eagle, they would feel fear. To bring this out naturally was only possible for the best of geniuses that exhibited the potential to be Ascenders by birth. But for those like Duketace that didn''t have the capability, using the Suppression Scroll was the best bet to bridge that gap.


    The final item they purchased was a Human Invoker Crystal Scroll, one that cost as much as two Forbidden Tales, allowing them to understand just how expensive it was.


    After all, every major n in the teau developed at least two forms of Invoked Spirits. And having a Human Invoked Spirit Scroll meant they could produce Human Invoker Crystals. So a lot of the nspeted for it, which is why the price ballooned out of control.


    Immediately after obtaining their auction items, Duketace and Ko made a break for it, rapidly escaping from the spies sent by the major ns to scout them out.


    After all, with two Superior Eagle Invokers, it was hard to capture them unless an Ascender took action. But as the duo escaped before the auction ended, their chasers were caught off guard. And before they could send someone to form a team, the duo had vanished.


    Ko flew for an entire day straight before Duketace took charge, doing the same for another day, during which she rested while consuming medicines. And as they alternated the roles, they remained on flight nonstop, which prevented the chasing parties from even nearing them.


    ''We''re here.'' Ko thought, smiling upon connecting to the sight of her eagle, using its eyesight to spot the ship docked next to the ind, smiling upon staring at the massive group of eagles roaming there.


    She was excited to see what Pilkan nned next, intending to make another errand like this to sell another batch of Forbidden Tales in a foreignnd. This way, she would be able to buy another Scroll or two and grow even stronger.


    She had grown in the past month equivalent to a year''s growth thanks to the massive amount of money she could splurge on training.


    Through her eagle, she spotted the figure of Pilkan standing on the deck, protected by a cage as he seemed to be staring at the sea. Upon focusing on his expression, her heart thumped in nervousness. After all, Pilkan''s current expression was one of¡­


    Tension!


    He didn''t seem to have noticed their approach, constantly staring into the sea with focus.


    "Dad, wake up. We''re here. Something seems to be the problem." She shook the sleeping Duketace who got up in a hurry, having been alert during the days of travel.


    Even though he couldn''t see Pilkan''s expression from afar, his daughter''s solemn tone rmed him. After all, there couldn''t have been many reasons for a resourceful Ascender like Pilkan to be solemn about.


    "My Lord, what happened¡­" Ko said after arriving near the ship, intending tond on the deck when suddenly, Pilkan jerked in rm, erecting a wall that pushed Duketace and Ko to the side while he flew in the other direction¡­


    "My Lord!" Duketace shouted in rm as a sh of blue appeared and severed the ship in two. And unfortunately, Pilkan''s legs were in the line of the blue sh, getting severed as a result.


    Chirp!


    All the eagles were rmed as they took off to the skies while Pilkan grunted in pain, clutching his bleeding legs, watching something churn within the seas and peak out gradually, revealing a ten-metre-tall humanoid protected by a film of water on the shoulder of which sat a woman, one that stared at Pilkan to state coldly, "You¡­"


    "You''re not my younger brother, huh."

 Chapter 736

    Chapter 736: Power of the Sapphire Executive


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not my brother, huh.¡± Pilkan¡¯s older sister, Peika stared at him with a cold tone, akin to staring at a block of dead wood, having alreadybelled him a dead man.


    ¡°What the heck are you talking about, sis¡­¡± Pilkan shouted in rm before he stared at the massive stream of fate converging upon Peika, strengthening her naturally. The luck of the entire surroundings embraced her protectively, ensuring she wouldn¡¯t be harmed by any variables of nature here.


    Peika had been recognised as the protagonist of this world.


    ¡®Where did it start to go wrong?¡¯ Compass Carburettor recalled Runka¡¯s team that he killed without any hesitation or the ship crew. Leaving aside the ship crew, Runka and his team had their fates closely intertwined with Pilkan.


    Killing them prematurely in an effort to escape the machinations of Pilkan¡¯s fate seemed to have counterattacked him, removing all the world¡¯s support for Pilkan.


    ¡®As expected, it¡¯s not a Main Character¡¯s trait to take over the body of someone alive forcefully. It seems that¡¯s where I¡¯ve made the mistake.¡¯ He sighed. Truth be told, he couldn¡¯t do anything about that.


    Conjurer had ambushed him suddenly. And in that fraction of a few seconds, he could onlye up with a scheme on the fly, relying on the power of Lore, a power that he hardly had experience in using other than once.


    So, there were plenty of variables that could go wrong in this world, especially since his preparations were grandlycking. This was why taking over Pilkan went wrong from the start. And now, here he was, having lost his legs.


    In this world with primitive medical technology, losing a limb means you¡¯re crippled for life. And judging based on the power system of this world, it was impossible to create a healing ability, irrespective of the heights one reached.


    Staring at Peika¡¯s death re, Compass Carburettor took in a deep breath before his gaze turned calm, surprising the other party as he spoke, ¡°You¡¯re pretty efficient, I¡¯ll give you that.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re that willing to reim your younger brother, just find me a new body. I¡¯ll set him free.¡± Compass Carburettor shed a gentle smile, dodging to the side as a sh of blue severed the deck once again.


    ¡°Help!¡±


    ¡°Hold on!¡±


    The four sailors struggled desperately, leaping onto the nks of wood that floated on the water, hurriedly swimming towards the ind to survive.


    Whoosh!


    Duketace stared in rm as an arrow flew at him. He propped up a shield in hurry, grunting as the impact sent him flying backward.


    ¡°Dad!¡± Ko hurriedly rushed towards the rescue of her dad that plunged into the water. A secondter, he rode out on his eagle, grabbing hold of her as he took flight towards the ind. ¡°What about Lord Pilkan?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go for him once you¡¯re safe.¡± Duketace grunted in anger, ¡°Your Invoked Spirit was split in half right?¡±


    ¡°Give me a minute. It¡¯s already reforming itself in my Dreand.¡± Ko said, her eyes widening in surprise upon seeing her dad risk his life for her. This was strange, for he wasn¡¯t the type to do this before, ¡®Did being in contact with Lord Pilkan change him?¡¯


    After all, she too was now concerned about her dad¡¯s wellbeing, at least to the extent enough to chase after him in worry when he fell into the sea.


    Thanks to the Main Character System fragments in their minds, influencing them little by little, they were indeed changing.


    Three people surfaced from the seawater, standing on the water¡¯s surface as their eyes were patterned with a tattoo resembling sea waves. Their limbs were entirely painted blue and there were over a dozen piercings on their lips.


    At this point, they couldn¡¯t be called piercing since they stitched their lips together.


    The three people consisted of two men and one woman, all around Peika¡¯s age. Their Invoked Spirits were all a startling five metres in height, hulking humanoid behemoths with two pairs of arms.


    The first pair of arms held a bow and arrow while the second pair of arms held a sword and shield respectively. Hung on their backs was a quiver, containing at least fifty arrows. All three had a simr build in their Invoked Spirits.


    And most of all was the faint glow emanating from them, one that glistened like theke¡¯s surface during noon. Strangely, these Invoked Spirits were able to walk on water as they rushed at Duketace, intending to capture him.


    Arrows swerved at them rapidly, possessing enough power to shred apart their Invoked Spirits. If not for his renewed strength, Duketace wouldn¡¯t be able to swerve his eagle fast enough to evade. Moreover, this was only possible thanks to the more than thirty metres of distance erected between the two.


    The woman among the trio of attackers seemed to be the leader as she made a circling motion with her index finger, seated on her Invoked Spirit that crouched for a moment before bolting off into a sprint.


    ¡®S-Shit!¡¯ Staring at the opponent¡¯s rush, Duketace was rmed, raising his eagle¡¯s speed to the limit as he increased the altitude, crossing the ind quickly before pressing forth, dodging the arrows that came his way.


    Plop!


    One of the shot arrows mmed into a tree upon missing its target. But a secondter, ayer of water covered it as it slipped out of the tree trunk, falling onto the ground before strangely slithering like a snake. Soon, it seeped into the water, vanishing.


    A Human Invoked Spirit rushed through the ind, swatting away any eagle in its path as it soon reached the shore on the other side, grabbing hold of the arrow that leaped out of the water and ced it in the quiver.


    There was water circting within the quiver, gently nourishing the arrows. Following that, the Human Invoked Spiritunched another arrow as it rushed into the sea in full sprint. After missing its target, the arrows swam like fish through the water before returning to the Human Invoked Spirit.


    As for its Invoker, she stared calmly, keeping the target in her line of sight. ¡®You won¡¯t escape, Duketace.¡¯


    ¡®My Lady already marked you dead, same for whoever it is that is backing you now. He¡¯ll be disposed of too.¡¯

 Chapter 737

    Chapter 737: Overwhelming


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you reveal your identity before your demise? That¡¯s the least respect I can give to an old monster like you.¡± Peika said as her Invoked Spirit clenched its scythe harder. The de of the scythe was made out of water, one that could flexibly alter its shape.


    It was this water that had extended in length before, using which Peika shed the ship into two. It seemed that just like how Pilkan obtained the power of the mysterious mist, Peika simrly obtained the power of a mysterious form of water, one that seemed an impossible mix between water and oil.


    Compass Carburettor felt the part of the ship he was upon sink into the waters at a decent pace, sighing as suddenly, mist gushed out of him in torrents, nketing his figure. A sh of blueter, the mist was parted in two, but Compass Carburettor was nowhere to be found within the parted section.


    Moreover, the mist covered the parted section immediately after, following which an arrow flew out, aiming for Peika.


    Peika erected a film of water around her, watching the arrow m into the water film before bursting into mist that enveloped the film, surprising her for a second as her Invoked Spirit failed to move.


    The water film covered both her and her Invoked Spirit, and uponing into contact with the mist, it was unable to move.


    At the Ascender Stage, the human body was just a flesh housing to recover Mental Strength, nothing else. Whether it was the mind or the soul, both resided within the Invoked Spirit instead. So, it was like Peika was simultaneously controlling two bodies, one the fleshly body while the other was the Invoked Spirit.


    After consuming part of her Mental Strength, Peika observed the mist dissipate in response, her expression serious as she thought, ¡®As I suspected, this Ascender is strong.¡¯


    ¡®That Human Conjurer¡¯s grave will open in less than two years. So, all these old monsters are returning one after another.¡¯ Peika frowned. The moment she heard news of Runka¡¯s death, Peika had an inkling of suspicion already.


    And upon failing to find Pilkan¡¯s corpse alone, she investigated his traces, heading to the Bottomless Mist Valley where one of her subordinates with a tracking ability informed her that Pilkan had indeed fallen into the Bottomless Mist Valley, a ce where no one could survive.


    But the fact that Pilkan survived that without sustaining any injuries itself was a cause for concern. As she hadn¡¯t known of this fact before, she only assumed Pilkan had escaped from his pursuers before finding his way to Hiwn.


    And upon interrogating the middle-aged man that had brought him to her, she came to know that even when confronting him, Pilkan seemed to have a powerful Human Invoked Spirit, just by the fact that the spear he threw was dense enough to pass off as a Common Invoker at the very least.


    Tallying up everything made little sense as to how Pilkan could do this unless he wasn¡¯t Pilkan anymore but an old monster taking up residence in his body. It was entirely possible as that¡¯s how Ascenders exchanged bodies and lived for long.


    Upon understanding that her brother¡¯s body had been taken over by someone else, Peika summoned the entire force stationed within Wakttark City¡¯s Hiwn, using them to track Pilkan¡¯s traces.


    Moreover, she even covertly contacted the Lan n Head, striking a deal with him to join hands and avert this disaster¡ªof multiple Ascenders pressuring the Lan n.


    As she was from the Lan n too, the Lan n Head was rather happy in cooperating with her. After all, she was an Ascender, a Human Ascender at that. Just this fact ensured the Lan n had two Ascenders to guard its interests. This only meant increased benefits for the two Ascenders heading it.


    With that, both Hiwn and the Lan n joined hands, with one of their goals being Pilkan and Duketace. She wanted to find Pilkan for personal reasons while the Lan n Head wished to find Duketace for obvious reasons, since the other party had stolen a lot of the Lan n¡¯s valuables.


    And upon seeing the traces of both proceed together, Peika understood that Duketace had probably allied himself with the old monster controlling Pilkan. That was why she took matters into her own hands, bringing her royal guard with her.


    They were the trio of assassins that formed the top three of Wakttark City¡¯s Hiwn, someone she shared her powers with. That was why, to prevent them from revealing any info, she had stitched their mouths, also cutting off their tongues.


    Moreover, even the nerves of their hands had been damaged to prevent them from writing anything, all measures taken to keep her secret safe. And of course, the trio were brainwashed from long ago and turned into the most loyal of assassins that moved for her and her alone.


    And, they were enough to take down a group of Superior Invokers, with each capable of killing down a dozen Superior Invokers alone. With them chasing after Duketace and Ko, it was pretty much a done deal.


    Simrly, the one facing the boss of this clique was Peika, leader of Wakttark City¡¯s Hiwn, an Ascender with the title of Sapphire Executive.


    Swoosh!


    The water de on her scythe expanded like a whip as the gigantic Human Invoked Spirit shed at the ship, rending it into multiple pieces, almost dissipating the entire mist. Peika stared at the scene, failing to find any traces of Pilkan.


    She noticed a spot in the water that was a shade of red, hacking in the direction instantly, frowning upon seeing the resultant spike in blood be a lot less than she expected. A couple of secondster, the severed pieces of a leg surfaced.


    Compass Carburettor had used them to throw off her aim to escape deeper into the sea. Normally, that would have been enough to throw off most enemies, but against Peika, it meant nothing as the film of water covering them strengthened before her Invoked Spirit dived into the water, beginning to run as if it was onnd.


    This happened at a depth twenty metres under the surface, treating every spot it set foot as tnd as its mysterious power was at y, allowing the Human Invoked Spirit to chase after Compass Carburettor, albeit at a pace mildly slower than onnd.


    Kata-kata-kata!


    Rhythmic noises resounded from the entity far away from her as Peika stared at what seemed to be a submarine traversing at a potent speed.

 Chapter 738

    Chapter 738: Escaped but Critically Injured


    ¡®Shit! Shit! Shit! She¡¯s on a whole other level.¡¯ Compass Carburettor expressed his worry as he tied a cloth around his legs, stopping the bleeding to a certain extent. He was seated inside a submarine that he created using Mental Fragments sourced from fish.


    The turbines on its back rotated at terrifying speeds, causing them to push through the waters at a consistent pace. It was fully mechanical though as seated before him was the hulking four-metre-tall Human Invoked Spirit, pedalling nonstop.


    Through a set of gears, the torque produced was converted to deliver more thrust in the turbines. And as the mechanical power unleashed by the Invoked Spirit was terrifying, it was possible to sail at such speeds, and at rming depths in fact.


    Upon seeing Peika continue to chase after him and even gradually gain distance, Compass Carburettor gritted his teeth and sat within the submarine¡¯s armoury, taking a seat in the weaponspartment as he aimed at Peika and pressed the trigger.


    There was a tiny cone attached to a torpedo-shaped arrow that wasunched upon the press of a trigger, booming towards Peika who quickly dodged the attack.


    But in response, Compass Carburettor smiled, activating it as the cone attached to it exploded, resulting in a wave of mist that enveloped her, stalling her Invoked Spirit for a couple of seconds. During this time, the submarine gained some more depth.


    Moreover, the moment Peika was caught under the effects of the mist, Compass Carburettor unleashed a dozen more torpedoes, intending to stall her for at least a minute. That was the most he could expect, given his current powers.


    And even that was helpful, for he was facing a terrifying Ascender that was capable of killing him in one hit. Moreover, no matter how he attacked her, he was unable to breach the water barrier covering her, failing to even scratch her until now.


    Boom!


    Duketace and Ko rushed into the water and detonated all the Eagle Bombs in their arsenal, creating a gigantic cover of mist as they swam deeper underwater. The submarine too surfaced a little before bringing them inside.


    Following that, it began to go deeper into the sea waters, gradually entering the depths where light couldn¡¯t reach.


    Boom!


    Waves of water whooshed out as all the mist was consumed. Peika stared at her surroundings, failing to find any traces of Pilkan and the rest. She then stared at the surface nearby, spotting a dissipating mist there amidst which were her three underlings, struggling as they gradually made their way out of the mist.


    The mist dissipated soon after as Peika surfaced, staring at the trio, ¡°What happened? How did you fail to catch them?¡±


    ¡°This mist hindered us every time we tried to do so, my Lady.¡± The woman among the trio spoke using signnguage, pointing at the dissipating mist, ¡°When we were trapped here, those two used the chance to dive deep into the water where that massive object swallowed them and vanished.¡±


    ¡®So, they headed into the depths of the ocean. This is one troublesome opponent.¡¯ Peika expressed momentary anger before motioning for the trio to follow her. Her Invoked Spirit carried them as they arrived at the ind to interrogate the four sailors there.


    Following that, she executed them, fed their bodies to the fish and began to make her way towards Wakttark City.


    ¡°My Lady, it¡¯s impossible to find any traces of them now. What should we do?¡± The woman among the trio asked, ¡°We can¡¯t tell the Lan n Head that we failed. That wouldn¡¯t be good for our reputation, especially since you wish to control the Lan n in the future.¡±


    ¡°Our opponent is an old monster that had once been an Ascender or even more.¡± Peika said, ¡°So, it¡¯s hard to kill such an individual that focuses solely on escaping. Anyway, I crippled his legs. So, that body is useless to him now. Changing bodies will consume too much of his power, leading to less time for building up his strength.¡±


    ¡°And he¡¯ll definitelye to the Human Conjurer¡¯s grave.¡± Her eyes turned sharp, ¡°At that time, I¡¯ll deal with him. Somehow, he¡¯s obtained control over the Bottom Mist Valley¡¯s mysterious mist. So, he¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    When the Human Conjurer¡¯s Grave opened for the first time eight years ago, only its outer world was essible and only Invokers were permitted entry.


    And a decadeter when its inner world would open up, even Ascenders would be able to enter. Moreover, that was when its true treasures would surface. A Conjurer¡¯s Grave contained practically all their lifetime¡¯s umtions.


    Techniques, Scrolls, Conjured Tools, mysterious powers, etc. It was in the Human Conjurer¡¯s Grave that Peika obtained her power of the mysterious water and became a terrifying Human Invoker, gaining enough knowledge and resources to be an Ascender.


    And when the inner world opens, the Human Conjurer¡¯s deepest secrets and information regarding bing a Conjurer would be open. And hence, practically all the Ascenders that had been in hiding had begun to make their moves, finding the best candidates to possess and quickly reach the Ascender Stage.


    Many cases simr to Pilkan already cropped up as Peika was aware of a lot more details than what even n Leaders were privy towards. No Ascender would be able to pass on the opportunity to be a Conjurer and be the pinnacle existence of this world.


    And hence, she was assured that Pilkan too would be there, ¡°And when that happens, I¡¯ll steal your mist, just you wait.¡±


    Her Human Invoked Spirit ran underwater, quickly reaching the maind before which they boarded an eagle carriage to return to Wakttark City.


    The eagle carriage was manned by eight Invokers of the Lan n, using their Invoked Spirits to carry the carriage within which Peika and her three subordinates satfortably. After they allied, the higher-ups of the Lan n finally learned of Peika¡¯s existence.


    And since they originally wished to establish an assassin group of Human Invokers, they were rather happy to ept her. After all, she was an Ascender. This one fact allowed them to retain the Forbidden Tale and taste its benefits already.


    In the meantime, Pilkan tried his best to not faint, having lost too much blood forfort as he continued to drive the submarine forward.

 Chapter 739

    Chapter 739: I¡¯ll Conjure Myself


    ¡°My Lord!¡± Duketace shouted in worry, hurriedly taking out medicine from his bag that he fed to Compass Carburettor.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, somehow¡­¡± Compass Carburettor muttered, gasping for breath as his head spun. There was a tinge of regret in his mind. The reason stemmed from the fact that he hadn¡¯t been like the Main Character recently, only spurred by selfish interests for selfish motives, akin to a slightly smarter thug.


    And that was why, his actions weren¡¯t perfect. Not only were his initial actions influenced by Pilkan¡¯s brain, but his follow-up ns too weren¡¯t perfect. Except for the Forbidden Tale, he hadn¡¯t done anything main-character worthy.


    ¡®Am I failing as the Main Character¡­¡¯ The thought shed in his mind when immediately, starlight burst out of the Invoked Spirit and gushed into him. At the same time, everyone influenced by the Forbidden Tale became dazed for a second as their brains whirred at top speeds, unleashing a dense Mental Energy stream each that mmed into Pilkan.


    Compass Carburettor¡¯s thoughts cleared up, as the contents of the Mental Energy stream consisted of his original nature transmitted through the Main Character System.


    His chaotic thoughts dissipated as his eyes gradually turned sharp. His lips curled up to reveal a wry smile as he muttered, ¡°Main Character¡­?¡±


    ¡°Since when did I worry about being that?¡± He chuckled.


    The fragment driving Pilkan currently was only a tiny fragment of the Main Character System that had influenced Pilkan. Therefore, it didn¡¯t have a strong self of Compass Carburettor in it, not firm enough to stick to his beliefs.


    That was why the moment his actions didn¡¯t corrte to being the Main Character, or the change in the fate of the world, with Pilkan losing his protagonist status, he was worried.


    ¡°But that¡¯s unnecessary.¡± Taking in a deep breath, Compass Carburettor stared at the figures of Duketace and Ko staring at him in silence, with starlight streaming out of their eyes. They were currently being controlled by the Main Character System fragments in their minds. ¡°I¡¯ve never cared about that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the Main Character,¡± He said, clenching his hand into a fist, ¡°And whatever I do bes the Main Character¡¯s trait.¡±


    Mental Fragments streamed out of his Dreand and swerved to his legs, attaching themselves to the injured portion as they began to grow out, soon forming a leg.


    Using the Mental Fragments possessing content regarding legs, Compass Carburettor built artificial legs for himself, focusing on the injured portion as he blocked the bleeding nerves with Mental Fragments, wholly sealing them up.


    With that, he didn¡¯t have to worry about any problems, for the time being, sighing as he watched the toes move as intended. It was hard, for he wasn¡¯t controlling the toes like before but manipting the Mental Fragments of the intended locations to manually rearrange them.


    So, this movement was brought about by that, a ratherplex endeavour to do.


    The moment his two artificial legs were created sessfully, Compass Carburettor stared at his hands, frowning in thought as his lips revealed a mildly maniacal smile, ¡°I see, so this is the fastest way to master this power system.¡±


    ¡°Gah!¡± He roared in pain as his Invoked Spirit severed both his hands too, causing them to bleed. He forced himself to stay awake and quickly built a set of artificial hands too using Mental Fragments.


    They were simr to the tools a Human Invoker creates, but wereplex, for they had to exhibit all the functions of a regr pair of hands.


    Compass Carburettor dumped the two hands into the sea before he pointed at Duketace and Ko.


    Ko took out the Senses Scroll from her Dreand while Duketace brought out the Human Invoker Crystal Scroll and the Suppression Scroll.


    Compass Carburettor first inspected the Senses Scroll, eyes lighting up in inspiration as he fully understood its mechanics. Following that, he looked through the other two Scrolls, taking them into the Dreand as Compass Carburettor created a Human Invoker Crystal.


    It was only an Inferior Grade. He smiled, causing the submarine to move into the portion of the sea where sunlight reached as he shot the Human Invoker Crystal into the mouth of a shark nearby, watching it melt in a matter of seconds before suddenly, the shark stopped swimming, in a daze.


    ¡®I see, so all creatures can be Invokers.¡¯ He thought, ¡®I guess it¡¯s time to meet the rest of their family.¡¯


    He snapped his finger, watching Duketace and Ko regain their senses as they hurried to nurse him. Only then did Duketace notice the artificial limbs that were supporting Compass Carburettor now, ¡°My Lord, this is¡­?¡±


    ¡°Something I made.¡± Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t state much on the topic.


    Duketace noticed how there was no blood leakage in the ce where the flesh met with the artificial construct. Moreover, he observed that the remaining fleshy portion of his limbs was still functioning, disying no problems whatsoever.


    They surprised him, ¡®Lord Pilkan¡¯s understanding of the human body has reached a staggering level.¡¯


    ¡°I still need some time to get used to this. So, I want the two of you to take care of me in the meantime.¡± Compass Carburettor said, having already returned the three scrolls before the father and daughter duo regained their senses.


    ¡°Please leave it to us,¡± Duketace said, watching the submarine surface and transform into arge boat.


    Compass Carburettor¡¯s Invoked Spirit vanished after that as he was tired to row it anymore, exhausted mentally.


    Duketace summoned his Invoked Spirit, carrying Compass Carburettor to its back as he was seatedfortably. Once Ko climbed too, Compass Carburettor retracted the boat into his Dreand, watching the eagle take flight.


    ¡°Let¡¯s rest in the safety of a vige on the shore, my Lord,¡± Duketace said, watching Pilkan nod in response before falling unconscious.


    But before he lost consciousness, Compass Carburettor had already decided on his uing n upon seeing that his limbs were still functional, ¡®It seems that by using these Mental Fragments, I¡¯ll be able to evolve past my current limit.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯ll gradually swap out this fleshy body with its Mental Fragment counterpart before eventually transforming into a living breathing entity wholly created using Mental Fragments.¡¯ He closed his eyes, surer of his n now, ¡®I¡¯ll conjure myself.¡¯

 Chapter 740

    Chapter 740: Level 99 System yer


    ¡°W-Who the heck are you? Why are you doing this?¡± A man screamed in horror, intending to summon the entirety of his mana to unleash the strongest of his attacks at the group before him.


    But unfortunately for him, irrespective of how strong he willed it, his mana failed to budge. Rather, it was constantly being drained away.


    Veins popped on his face, highlighting his mildly bulging eyes as he red at the burgundy-haireddy before him, ¡°You bitch! You better kill me now. Or else, I¡¯ll haunt you forever and be the death of you.¡±


    ¡°Wow, how cute.¡± Stencil smiled before eyeing Gehera, ¡°Do you want to steal some power from this kid? The one in him is the Titan System.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Gehera shook her head, ¡°My Ruin of Amagoth can only target one person at a time. Currently, I¡¯m still siphoning yer¡¯s power. It¡¯s not worth it to change targets to someone this weak as every single Magic Beast forming in my Ruin of Amagoth is terrifyingly powerful. yer¡¯s power seems almost infinite to be honest.¡±


    ¡°You needn¡¯t exin that much, you know.¡± Stencil nodded before staring at the man before her, ¡°So, there you have it. Be a good child and stay silent, alright?¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡± The man intended to resist but was afraid when words failed toe out of his mouth. Only then did he notice the youth standing beside the twodies, calm and silent from the start. ¡®Who is this guy?¡¯


    A mere nce at the youth and he could feel something in the very depths of his being shudder in response, startling him to the limit.


    ¡°The Aero Society is damn quick,¡± Stencil muttered while gazing at the youth, Aronaut, who had assumed the current appearance.


    ¡°Of course¡­¡± Aronaut said, watching a dozen people teleport behind him. They were all part of Aero Society, having gained some influence and ess to the Relic.


    Captive with each of them was a System Host that they had captured, all possessing Systems at the thirties in level. A few hourster, even more came, holding Hosts whose Systems were in the forties.


    Finally, there arrived three of the strongest veterans among the Aero Society, having captured Systems that were beyond level fifty.


    ¡°They are all yours, Stencil.¡± Aronaut said, ¡°We¡¯ve captured pretty much all the Systems in this world. We¡¯re running pretty low on Mental Energy though, for these ceaseless scouting, battling, and transport over the past two months were too energy-draining.¡±


    He then expressed his apprehensiveness on the matter, ¡°If your n fails, we¡¯ll be in danger the moment we encounter a problem.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Stencil smiled, staring at the group of System Hosts before her, ¡°There¡¯s plenty of Menta Energy stored in them. Moreover,¡±


    She took out a choker and ced it on the neck of the weakest System Host, causing him to scream in pain the moment faint electric arcs streamed out of it.


    The electric arcs dug into his body and seemed to spear through his System, doing something to it. Stencil stared at the scene as her gaze gradually hardened, almost to a vicious level, causing Gehera to shudder the moment she nced at the other party.


    Following that, she faced elsewhere, closing her eyes to focus on her Ruin of Amagoth instead, familiarising herself with her newfound powers better.


    Boom!


    A rush of Mental Energy swerved into Stencil from the System Host as his body seemed to be on the verge of disintegrating, for cracks had begun to form already.


    The reason stemmed from Stencil forcibly extracting all of the System¡¯s Mental Energy. And she wasn¡¯t doing this by controlling the System but by deconstructing it.


    Elemental System (Level 28)!


    Elemental System (Level 27)!


    ¡°What the¡­?¡± Aronaut was shocked as he stared at the scene, muttering in disbelief, ¡°This is possible?¡±


    ¡°Secret Refiner System,¡± Stencil said calmly, ¡°That¡¯s my creation, one that allows me to do this.¡±


    After controlling the opponent¡¯s System, using the power of Happy-Go-Lucky Luck, she directed the refinement power of the Secret Refiner System, reverse refining the System to break its foundation little by little and absorb all the Mental Energy generated from the same.


    To go from Level 1 to Level 2, a System required 200,000 Mental Energy. And this Mental Energy had to corrte with its nature¡ªCore Skill. Typically, it took a System twenty years on average to umte 100,000 Mental Energy.


    The figure varied based on the grade of the World, the System¡¯s investment, and the variables at y that garnered the attention of people on the Host.


    From Level 2 to Level 3 required 300,000 Mental Energy, so on and so forth. This Mental Energy would either be stored like a battery by the System or used into raising the level of its Core Skill, which meant its own level up.


    So by breaking down its foundation, Stencil was making the System¡¯s levels regress, obtaining a tremendous level of Mental Energy as a result. Though it wasn¡¯t perfect, leading to some Mental Energy wastage, she was still earning more than enough to make up for the losses.


    After all, just by deconstructing one System, Stencil obtained ten times the Mental Energy that the Aero Society had spent in the past two months capturing the System Hosts. And it was just the weakest System Host among the ones they captured.


    Elemental System (Level 1)!


    Stencil smiled upon noticing the Mental Energy stream stop pouring into her, making her feel bloated. The amount she had broken down was a whopping 40,500,000 Mental Energy. Around 300,000 Mental Energy of that was lost during the breakdown process, but the remaining 40,200,000 was still insane.


    Stencil casually consumed them, jumping to level 27 in an instant, observing her power grow by leaps and bounds. ¡°Hah¡­¡±


    She then began to do the same to the next System Host, this time passing on all the obtained Mental Energy to Aronaut to be stored in the Relic that now camouged itself as his earring.


    Following that, she began to divide the Mental Energy obtained between her and Aero Society, quickly levelling up rapidly as by the time she approached the Systems in thete forties, Stencil had attained the peak.


    System yer¡ªLevel 99!

 Chapter 741

    Chapter 741: Skill Breaker System


    ¡°Is this what you were hoping for?¡± Aronaut asked upon seeing Stencil hit the peak, ¡°Congrattions are in order for being the fastest System yer to hit level 99. You did it under 25 years.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Stencil nodded without a change in expression, ¡°But this isn¡¯t the end. Me hitting level 99 is just the prerequisite for the subsequent n.¡±


    She eyed Gehera, ¡°Since yer isn¡¯t taking action no matter how much Gehera taunts by stealing his strength, it means he¡¯s close to attaining whatever he¡¯s holding out for. So, I n to disrupt it.¡±


    There had originally been two options presented to them in order to save Compass Carburettor. As they didn¡¯t know about Conjurer, they could only rely on yer to obtain the details.


    But of course, yer was avoiding them resolutely, not even caring about his strength getting siphoned permanently by Gehera. It meant that this drop in strength was of no concern to him, which meant that getting his attention in this manner wasn¡¯t possible.


    With the first option no more, it left them with the second choice: Disrupt yer¡¯s ns.


    And currently, that was the gue Doctor Profession that he had been investing heavily into. Some of the Aero Society members were already on the move regarding that, having been acting in culling the mes of war that had erupted between the Xetuka Kingdom and the Burnak Kingdom.


    Currently, it was a battle between Aronaut¡¯s and yer¡¯s forces.


    But if a real battle were to erupt, Aronaut would definitely lose. After all, his current strength would only allow him to take on one of the five peak System yers on yer¡¯s side. At most he could stall two.


    As for Stencil who had just hit level 99, she couldn¡¯t face the peak System yers. It had to be noted that Stencil only had one Personal Fragment. She could create three chokers, two of which were already binding the Secret Refiner System and Happy-Go-Lucky System respectively, none of which were at level 99.


    The Happy-Go-Lucky System was still at level 88 while the Secret Refiner System was only in its early forties. It wasn¡¯t easy to level them up like she had done for herself¡ªfor they needed Mental Energy specific to their type to level up, otherwise, it would be akin to poison for their growth.


    System yers were capable of using all forms of Mental Energy for growth. In the end, Stencil couldn¡¯t fight the peak System yers that probably had hundreds of Skills under their arsenal, with at least a dozen Core Skills, with a good fraction of them highly levelled, even at level 99.


    In contrast, Stencil wielded two Core Skills, both of which were non-offensive in nature. She could rely upon her cultivation powers, for her choker was the Earth Divine Martial Spirit, but the attacks would only be of cultivation genre.


    It could easily be countered by the System yers that would wield powers from different genres. Therefore, a head-on assault would result in their abject destruction, which was why Aero Society wasn¡¯t able to cull the mes of war to a desirable effect.


    yer had been nning for too long and this world was his home, his base. His foundation was too robust here to face against.


    And in order to mitigate yer¡¯s influence, Stencil nned to create one special System. As to how she could create it?


    Bullet Temte¡ªyer!


    Taking out Anthozoa, she condensed the parts of the massive sea of Mental Energy that had passed through her body until now. She had filtered out just these fragments, condensing a bullet using it that she shot out.


    Boom!


    The bullet mmed into the first System Host she had targeted, plunging into his body as it shed with the System there, destroying its weak self in a matter of seconds before devouring it in an instant. Its Core Skill was actually destroyed as its Coordinate was absorbed.


    This resulted in its own Coordinate strengthening, creating a stronger foundation as a System was birthed, bonded to the man.


    Skill-Breaker System¡ªLevel 1!


    This was the System that she had been preparing to create. The information regarding this was only generated when Stencil deconstructed the foundation of the Systems. And it was this that was transferred through the Mental Energy stream that she absorbed.


    It was only a sliver though, among the vast sea of Mental Energy, hence why she first deconstructed all the captured Systems to level 1. If she hadn¡¯t deconstructed their foundation, the Systems wouldn¡¯t experience that feeling of deconstruction, which wouldn¡¯t have been in the minds of their Hosts, who wouldn¡¯t have generated Mental Energy regarding the same.


    And it was this Mental Energy¡ªof them feeling their Systems getting destroyed by a mysterious power¡ªthat she used to create the bullet, resulting in the birth of the Skill-Breaker System.


    Immediately after confirming the birth of the Skill Breaker System, Stencil used her third choker, winding it around the man¡¯s neck as it emitted lightning snakes that drilled into his body, embedding itself into the newly birthed System.


    Stencil spent a few minutes to root her control into the new System, bringing it fully under her control, before which she killed the man. He was no longer required, for she gained control over the System.


    With that, she took it within herself, retracting the choker, obtaining the power of the Skill-Breaker System.


    She then stared at Aronaut, asking the stupefied individual, ¡°Among this group of System Hosts, take the Core Skills of any that you need for Aero Society.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Aronaut regained his bearings, quickly beheading those whose Core Skills he desired, watching the Relic absorb them casually as he muttered, ¡°We already have multiple simr Skills regarding the remaining Core Skills.¡±


    ¡°What do you n to do with them though?¡± Gehera asked, staring at the System Hosts that were still alive.


    ¡°Target practice,¡± Stencil said, taking on the form of a Coordinate as she superimposed the Skill-Breaker System over herself, transforming into that as she now resembled an anvil, hovering in the air silently for a second before mming into the closest System Host.


    ¡°Argh!¡± The System Host screamed at the impact before staring in shock, for he didn¡¯t feel any pain. But an instantter, a thunderous shout resounded in his mind.


    ¡°Garghhhhh¡­¡± It originated from his System¡¯s death throes.

 Chapter 742

    Chapter 742: Two Years and Ten Months


    Boom!


    Explosions resounded in a Birdmen City as hundreds of metallic shells were dropped from the sky. Each shell only spanned the size of one¡¯s fist but weights in the tens of tonnes, packing explosive power that formedrge craters upon impact.


    Flying high up in the sky was an alite unit of Mages that wielded both the Wind and Metal Attributes. They flew at terrifying speeds, exhibiting their powers as Grandmaster Mages while dropping the metal shells onto every city and battlefield they came across.


    Swoosh!


    Curses shed as anywhere one saw, ss shattered intermittently, copsing as shards as the Birdmen copsed one after another, taking down their enemies to the afterlife.


    Violent battles had erupted in many locations between Xetuka and Burnak Kingdoms, toote to stop anymore.


    After all, once Lelumi Xetuka had been framed regarding the destruction of Buhan City, public opinion in the Burnak Kingdom had shifted against the Xetuka Kingdom, sparking a massive war.


    And shockingly, Boznan Burnak, the Guardian Saint of the Burnak Kingdom had disappeared once again.


    Kaboom!


    Lightning shed throughout a battlefield as hundreds of Birdmen died, with at least a dozen among them being Grandmasters, causing startling losses.


    ¡°Damn you, stop!¡± A birdmen Pseudo-Saint bellowed in rage as he chased after the lightning bolt, failing to catch up to the other party no matter what he did. The multitude of curses he unleashed were casually destroyed by a sh of lightning.


    Horan Fawnker wielded his Magic Tool, targeting the Grandmasters among the enemies, this way crippling them first.


    And even if their opponents wished to do the same, their speed paled inparison to the Pseudo-Saint Warrior cum Mage of the lighting element¡ªHoran.


    Three Pseudo-Saint Birdmen chased after Horan in an effort to subdue him but failed to do anything until now. In contrast, not only did Horan continue to kill any Master and Grandmaster Birdmen he came across, he also attacked the three Pseudo-Saints to constantly keep them on his tail.


    ¡°Retreat!¡± A Grandmaster Wind Mage shouted as his voice echoed throughout the battlefield, causing the human army to retreat immediately.


    Upon seeing their actions, after being stumped for a moment, the Birdmen took to the skies and began to retreat too.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Lelumi Xetuka asked upon seeing Horan cough out blood the moment he stopped moving. ckened face, arms oozing out pus, and a multitude of ailments covering his body. Horan had been afflicted with a variety of curses that were now taking a toll on his condition.


    He had been persisting until now just to injure their enemies as much as possible.


    ¡°Bring the potions!¡± Lelumi Xetuka shouted, grabbing the potions that a couple of people in charge of the same had brought. She poured them on Horan, watching the curses vanish one after another, sighing as she muttered, ¡°This war shouldn¡¯t have erupted.¡±


    ¡°But it did,¡± Horan said, turning silent for a moment as he recalled the scene when Teto was kidnapped mysteriously, ¡°Someone is instigating everything. All we¡¯re doing is to dance in the palm of their hands.¡±


    He said in all seriousness, ¡°They seem to have an objective.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Boznan Burnak groaned as he got up, his cloudy vision settling down after a couple of seconds had passed. He tried to get up, noticing that he had been chained to a pir, startled because he was unable to rile up his mana. Shockingly, he wasn¡¯t even able to sense the Witch and Doctor Professions that were always with him.


    ¡°What¡­just happened¡­¡± He was stunned, blinking his eyes in shock once he lifted his head, staring at the entity chained before him. ¡°Am I¡­dreaming?¡±


    He didn¡¯t wish to believe what he was seeing to be reality, unwilling to ept it. ¡°No, this isn¡¯t possible. Impossible!¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s impossible. And that¡¯s how things operate, whether in this world or the myriad worlds out there.¡± A voice, calm and collected resounded as a figure entered the room, only sparing a nce at Boznan Burnak before looking at the entity chained before him. ¡°So, what¡¯s your opinion on this,¡±


    ¡°Witch Apostle.¡±


    ¡®No, that¡¯s impossible!¡± Boznan Burnak screamed in disbelief, ¡°The Witch Apostle is omnipotent. They cannot be captured.¡±


    ¡°Your ns contain plenty of risks, Gilthru.¡± A raspy voice resounded as all of a sudden, the room felt as if it was a den of the most powerful of curses, an instantter, it felt like heaven, the path of all healing.


    The one that spoke was the Witch Apostle who had also be an Apostle of the Doctor Profession. He was sealed, his powers restricted to a grand extent that he was no different to a Saint now.


    Of course, the culprit that had captured both was as addressed by the Witch Apostle, Gilthru¡ªyer.


    ¡°It has been ages since someonest called me by that name.¡± yer shrug off the nostalgia before kneeling before the Witch Apostle, ¡°I believe your time hase.¡±


    ¡°Please surrender your powers to me.¡±


    ¡°Not yet, Gilthru.¡± Even though he was sealed, the Witch Apostle was the one that had full say over what the Witch and Doctor Professions did and functioned towards. His eyes spun with dense mana as he made eye contact with yer, ¡°You¡¯ve yet toplete the gue Doctor Profession.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bestow all my powers to you once youplete the gue Doctor Profession. That¡¯s our deal.¡± The Witch Apostle said.


    ¡°Which is why I captured and brought Boznan Burnak here.¡± yer said, pointing at thetter as he addressed the Witch Apostle, ¡°I believe you need to tell this child. He¡¯ll listen if it¡¯s from you.¡±


    The Witch Apostle stared at yer in silence for a minute before closing his eyes, letting out a subtle sigh, ¡°Alright.¡±


    He then stared at Boznan Burnak, ¡°March your Kingdom into ruin, Guardian Saint of the Burnak Kingdom. That¡¯s my order.¡±


    ¡°But¡­why?¡± Boznan Burnak said, ¡°Plenty of Saints have failed to create the gue Doctor Profession in the past. Why now? Why must I destroy my Kingdom for such a useless endeavour?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯ll work this time.¡± The Witch Apostle said in assurance, eyeing yer as he asked thetter, ¡°How long do we have?¡±


    ¡°Two years, and ten months.¡± yer said, ¡°That¡¯s how long Conjurer asked Zaira to cut off our world from the System World. And that¡¯s what the Main Character prophesised for his return.¡±

 Chapter 743

    Chapter 743: When the Stars Fall


    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Boznan Burnak cursed in response the moment he was teleported back to the Burnak Kingdom, staring at the various cities of his Kingdom go up in mes.


    His expression was twisted upon hearing the screams of the people that were dying in droves. But, he was helpless now, for the Witch Apostle had already given his verdict.


    He was to charge into the Xetuka Kingdom until hisst breath. The Burnak Kingdom should go up in mes, resulting in as few Birdmen survivors as possible. Moreover, it shouldn¡¯t just be against the Xetuka Kingdom but he should also involve Gormana to the north and Lethuna to the south. All four major Kingdoms of this region should go up in mes, with the end survivors being less than a thousandth the current poption.


    And they all must suffer the aftermath of war. This was themand given to him.


    Unfortunately for him, despite his unwillingness, Boznan Burnak couldn¡¯t go against the Witch Apostle¡¯s wishes, for thismand was being transmitted through the professions. If he went against them, he would lose his status as a Saint.


    After all, the professions took the Apostle¡¯s side, as they always did, which was why a Saint became an Apostle in the first ce.


    ¡°Are the efforts of mine, my father, grandfather and our entire ancestry going to go up in mes now?¡± He muttered, staring at the sky,menting his fate, ¡°The fate of four Kingdoms and the loss of most of the lives there, is it worth it to create a mere profession?¡±


    His hands were being forced now to do something that went against the very thing he had advocated towards all his life as the Guardian Saint of the Burnak Kingdom.


    He raised his hand upon hearing the cries of his people, shuddering upon feeling a mystical gaze upon him. It was from the Witch Profession, urging him to take action already to proceed with their n.


    ¡°Even you¡­?¡± He sighed upon seeing the Doctor Profession remain a bystander, locking his powers as a Doctor to prevent him from healing the injured Birdmen that were suffering in every nook and cranny of the Burnak Kingdom.


    ¡°Fuck this shit!¡± In the end, Boznan Burnak gritted his teeth, refusing to take action as he flew forward, intending to help his people when suddenly, his eyes dimmed as he crashed into the ground.


    His power rapidly began to crumble, falling from a Saint to the Pseudo-Saint level, continuing to plummet until he became a mere Novice Witch and Doctor.


    ¡°Why are you being so stubborn?¡± Saint Calvosnded next to him, snickering as hemented, ¡°You¡¯re trying to go against the very entity that had protected your actions until now. And even that entity couldn¡¯t win against Lord yer. So, you best give in to your fate.¡±


    ¡°If you want as many Birdmen to survive, you might kill our enemies harder.¡± Saint Calvos said before flying away, ¡°After all, the end goal of the gue Doctor Profession is to empower the Birdmen better. And that can only happen if there are enough Birdmen to wield it. So, think this through better and don¡¯t go against the Witch Apostle.¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Boznan Burnak punched a nearby wall in anger.


    ¡­


    Hisss!


    Lizardmen rushed through the marshnds, heading straight towards the Xetuka Kingdom, intending to crush this thorn that had been on their side for ages. Leading the Lizardmen at the front was the Lizardmen Guardian Saint, Limokrocus, a fabled Transformation Specialist, and the only Transformation Specialist of the entire Lethuna Kingdom.


    ¡°That¡¯s the Xetuka Kingdom¡¯s Marsh Fort.¡± Limokrocus muttered, staring at its massive reinforced Metal Walls coursing with Metal Mana as he shouted, ¡°We¡¯ll destroy that and march into the Xetuka Kingdom.¡±


    Roar!


    He transformed into a gigantic fro-looking lizard with a bulbous head that revealed arge mouth, condensing a dense stream of mana into a sphere before shooting it straight at the walls.


    The longer it moved towards, the smaller the mana sphere became,pressing itself further and further as its might continued to be ever imposing. After all, it was also absorbing the ambient mana to fuel itself further.


    Boom!


    It broke through he sound barrier, passing with a series of vapour cones as it approached the walls of the Marsh Fort. But right when it was about to make contact, a mysterious barrier appeared, rippling with Space Mana as the sphere vanished.


    Ka-Boom!


    Suddenly, appearing high up in the skies was the mini sphere that exploded to create a gigantic sun of mana, nketing out the entire skies in the region as the Lizardmen stopped their march, staring at the scene in concern.


    The attack of their Guardian Saint had been deflected so casually.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Limokrocus frowned, noticing a figure appear on the walls of the Marsh Fort, an old man with wavy hair resembling a mantle of mes, akin tova that churned around his neck nonstop.


    And held in the hands of the old man was a tiny wine cup, seemingly as if the old man was just taking a casual sip. But upon staring at the cup, the eyes of Limokrocus widened in shock as he bellowed in a hurry, ¡°All Harpooners, shoot into the sky, NOW!¡±


    Thunder resounded as suddenly, the sky turned reddish, painting the scene akin to one of apocalypse as the surroundings turned hot immediately.


    And¡­as the Lethuna Kingsom¡¯s Guardian Saint had mentally prepared himself, there they arrived, bursting through the massive explosive mana sphere in the sky, riddling it with enough holes to vanquish it in a matter of seconds.


    The expressions of everyone paled in response, induced with despair as the old man¡¯s raspy voice resounded, ¡°I¡¯ve warned you multiple times that this would be your fate should you ever invade my Kingdom. Now, be annihted.¡±


    The sky turned into a sea of mes as dropping from high up in the heavens were celestial bodies ejecting copious amounts of heat, generating enough force to rend the earth.


    Even if they wished to escape, the Lizardmen couldn¡¯t, for even if they were to run for an entire day, they still wouldn¡¯t escape the range of the shower, of one where the sky itself seemed to copse, with its stars dropping first.


    Millions of meteors spanned the sky, zing towards the marsnds as the Xetuka Kingdom¡¯s ultimate trump card had been activated.


    Relic¡ªStarfall.

 Chapter 744

    Chapter 744: Kekumi Xetuka


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Limokrocus screamed in anger upon seeing his surrounding painted in reddish-ck, a result of smoke and fire intermixing volumetrically.


    He had transformed into a Magic Beast specialised in defence, having erected a barrier to safeguard the elites of their army. Pseudo-Saint took the greatest priority, followed by Grandmasters.


    And he covered as many Masters as his barrier could protect safely withoutpromising the survivability of the rest. Lakhs of Lizardmen died as the sky copsed.


    The burning metallic meteors caused the earth to rumble from the impacts as all the moisture from the marsnds vaporised, creating steam explosions that caused a second degree of shockwaves to course through thend, cracking it up.


    Lava began to ebb out of the worst impacted craters, raising the temperatures of the ce.


    Limokrocus stared at the over five thousand lizardmen protected under his magic barrier, sighing in relief, ¡®At least the majority of my elites are alive.¡¯


    Even though the losses were disastrous, with the might of Starfall beyond his wildest expectations, Limokrocus stared at his barrier enduring the meteor impacts, smiling upon seeing te entire region being nketed out by smog.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He said, shocking the startled Lizardmen that still failed to recover from Starfall¡¯s might.


    ¡°M-My Lord, this is¡­¡± A Pseudo-Saint expressed his fear, only to see Limokrocus stare in calm, surprising his Lizardmen brain.


    ¡°Starfall can only be used once.¡± Limokrocus said in content, ¡°Its power is tremendous, but after every discharge, it needs at least a decade to recharge itself. This means¡­¡±


    He grinned, letting out a hoarse voice, ¡°Starfall will not make an appearance for at least another decade. And that¡¯s more than enough time to destroy Xetuka Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°After all,¡± He stared at the smoggy sky, ¡°Lethuna¡¯s goal was to expend Starfall. My presence here will ensure the Xetuka Kingdom¡¯s Guardian Saint would have no other choice but to remain here. Only he can keep me in check. We can sit back and watch the fun next. It is Gormana¡¯s turn now.¡±


    ¡­


    The Aira!


    In the northern fort of Xetuka Kingdom, the defending army stared in shock, observing hundreds of thousands of Giants stream out of Gormana.


    ¡°M-My Lord, they¡¯re bringing out their entire power.¡± The acting Commander of the northern fort that took charge in Lelumi Xetuka¡¯s absence kneeled in fright.


    ¡°Stand up, soldier.¡± A solemn voice resounded as ady revealed herself out in the open, bearing simrities to Lelumi Xetuka.


    She was Kekumi Xetuka, queen of the Xetuka Kingdom, a Saint that was in charge of the entire north¡¯s safety, taking action the moment a Saint from Gormana took action.


    The moment she revealed herself, everyone in the fort revealed a sigh in relief. She was strong, terrifyingly so, having beaten the Giant Saints time and again for centuries now. Currently among all her children, Lelumi Xetuka expressed the greatest talent, showing signs of following her footsteps to be a Saint in the future.


    ¡°My Lord, three of Gormana¡¯s Saints have shown themselves¡­¡± The acting Commander said, nervous.


    Currently, the Xetuka Kingdom¡¯s Guardian Saint had gone to the south to face Lethuna¡¯s assault. Kekumi Xetuka had been dispatched to the north.


    Among the remaining two Saints, one had gone to the west to face the Birdmen while the final one was stationed in the Capital, intending to reinforce the ce that was affected the most.


    But that Saint had already joined the battle in the west a couple of times for the Birdmen had pretty muchunched a suicidal charge, unlike the Lizardmen and the Giants.


    This meant more manpower had to be focused on the west. Meaning, if the situation turned bleak, they couldn¡¯t ask for any reinforcements.


    And as if to nail their problems further, three of the Gormana¡¯s Saints had made an appearance, weakening their assault on Burnak to target Xetuka first.


    ¡°Focus on killing as many Giants as possible. Don¡¯t conserve any resources.¡± Kekumi Xetuka said, ¡°We cannot afford to hold back in the slightest. There¡¯s a good chance we¡¯re facing imminent destruction.¡±


    ¡®T-This¡­¡¯ Even though he had hoped for the case to be different, but when Kekumi Xetuka herself stated it, despair set in his hear. But an instantter, intense hatred billowed out of the actingmander as he thumped his chest, ¡°Please fight without any concerns, my Lord. I¡¯ll do everything in my power to annihte their Pseudo-Saints.¡±


    ¡°I know you can do that.¡± Followed by a nod in confidence, Kekumi Xetuka took flight, hovering high up in the sky as she stared at the massive army before her. A momentter, she ignored them, ring at the three individuals that stood atop the hill they had created in an instant.


    The hill spanned a height of five hundred metres, reaching the same altitude as her, growing out of the ground in an instant. And standing on its peak were three Giants, their expressions one of excitement as they stared at Kekumi Xetuka.


    ¡°Times have changed, Kekumi. Your Kingdom will be annihted from this region today.¡± The one that spoke was a Giant reaching a height of five metres, sporting a wide body frame with steel like muscles. He was Garmd, Guardian Saint of Gormana, a Maniptor and Tank.


    Maniptors manipted the nature around them, primarily the earth, with rare asions of water, wind, andva. Garmd was capable of manipting both earth and water.


    And thanks to his profession as a Tank, he was a mobile fortress, barely sustaining any damage from the most threatening of attacks.


    Though in the past, when he tried to capture The Aira, he had fought against Kekumi Xetuka and was soundly defeated.


    Kekumi Xetuka was a Warrior that wielded both Fire and Wind, naturally countering his abilities. Therefore, they had a long-standing feud.


    ¡°The likes of you? Pah!¡± Kekumi Xetuka rolled her eyes as she stared at the three Giant Saints, ¡°The three of you, face me.¡±


    The sky turned reddish as Kekumi Xetuka condensed a fiery sword, one that spanned a length of a kilometre, causing the clouds nearby to vaporise and coil around it in response.


    ¡°Cut the crap,¡± She shouted, swinging the fiery sword, cutting the hill in half like knife through butter, the heat vaporising the hill, creating toxic fumes that were blown by the wind towards the army of Giants, causing a good fraction of them to cough, poisoned.


    ¡°You still dare target my army even when faced against us?¡± Garmd stared at the droves of Giants that copsed to the ground due to the toxic fumes, angered at the fact that Kekumi Xetuka bothered them even in the current state of things.


    A secondter, the toxic fumes changed directions, heading towards the northern fort instead.


    The one that had taken action was Saint Gult, one capable of manipting the wind. Unfortunately, the toxic fumes failed to reach the northern fort, disying the superiority over wind that Kekumi Xetuka exuded.


    Boom!


    Kekumi Xetuka vanished, transforming into aser that crashed into Garmd, punching through the rock hill he created as a shield. Condensed on her hand were gigantic gauntlets of fire, appearing akin to the sun.


    Each punch sshed forthva in all directions, turning the coldnds into ava-covered hell, causing the Giants to scurry.


    ¡°Die!¡± Garmd bellowed, causing two hands to jut out of the ground and mp upon Kekumi Xetuka who flickered right past it and rushed at him, mming the fiery fists into his face.


    Kaboom!


    Air cracked as Garmd was sent flying. Though, he wasn¡¯t in the least injured, his body tough as all he suffered was a mild trace of ash on his nose that he wiped out casually.


    ¡®Fucking tank!¡¯ Kekumi Xetuka groaned internally, eyeing the three Giant Saints surrounding her as her figure flickered, breaking through the wall of wind as she flew towards the region where the Giant army was stationed.


    A fiery sword shed at a rocky hand, cutting through it like butter asva sshed from the point of contact, cascading to the ground like a waterfall as the Giants below scurried in response. Those that failed to escape on time were killed by theva that melted through their bodies.


    ¡°She¡¯s nning to weaken our armies using our battle.¡± The three Saints exchanged messages before which one of them broke out of the encirclement, making a beeline towards the northern fort.


    He wished to do the same as Kekumi Xetuka and bring the battle to the region filled with humans instead. Unfortunately for him, he wasn¡¯t fast enough as Kekumi Xetuka appeared before him and punched him deeper into Gormana.


    ¡°You want to bring the battle into my Xetuka?¡± Kekumi Xetuka stared in disdain, condensing a fiery hammer that sted through a hill, sending Saint Gaffh flying in response before speeding into a sh, akin to aser as she appeared before Saint Garmd, raining down punches on him nonstop.


    ¡°Die! Die! Die!¡± She shouted, pummelling Garmd through his defences, watching his defences gradually wear out as blood oozed out of his wounds. She powered through his defences using sheer heat, burning like the sun as her every attack turned her surroundings into a sea of fire.


    Boom!


    Saint Garmd mmed into the ground, causing a massive crater as he stared in shock, ¡°How¡­did you be this strong?¡±


    ¡°The Kekumi Xetuka that I fought before wasn¡¯t this stron¡­¡±


    Boom!


    A fiery fist pummelled him deeper into the ground as Kekumi Xetuka hovered in the sky, expressing her dominance as all three Giant Saints were now buried in the ground, hearing a bell chirm in her mind.


    <Ding!>

 Chapter 745

    Chapter 745: Magic Warrior System


    The previous night; Kekumi Xetuka was seated in a study room situated at the top of The Aira, a lone tower positioned a kilometre to the northern fort. It had been constructed in the course of a week just to act as a watchtower from where she could keep an eye on Gormana.


    Held in her hands was a sword, a Relic that had been passed down their family for more than a millennium. Created by her grandfather, the Pseudo-Relic of that time gradually evolved into a Relic once it reached her hands, having umted enough mental imprints.


    ¡®The west is already broiled in chaos. And it¡¯s only a matter of time before Gormana erupts into an offensive.¡¯ She sighed at the thought, clenching her hand into a fist, ¡®If it¡¯s just Garmd, I can defeat him. But if two Saints attack, even I wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything. And once I fall, Xetuka would only be weaker. The north would copse.¡¯


    ¡°This war erupted out of nowhere. Just what were the Birdmen thinking? Unless their birdbrains dulledpletely, they should know a war between our two Kingdoms would only result in mutual destruction.¡± She muttered, massaging her forehead at the headache spurred by the sequence of events.


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that. This war is beyond the control of the Birdmen.¡± A voice resounded from the side, startling her as Kekumi Xetuka condensed a fiery de and thrust it in the direction instinctively.


    ng!


    Her eyes widened in shock upon staring at a in shield that had blocked her sword thrust, not even being singed by the attack. She red at the party behind the shield, noticing that it was ady in her youth, a human based on first appearance.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Kekumi Xetuka red, tensing up for an uphill battle. But surprisingly, the other party showed no signs of killing intent.


    ¡°The name¡¯s Yaka,¡± Thedy with burgundy hair, Stencil smiled in response, retracting her shield to express her unwillingness to fight. Her lips puckered as her eyes seemed to see through Kekumi Xetuka, ¡°I¡¯m a System yer that hase here to save your Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Kekumi Xetuka didn¡¯t beat about the bush, intending to hear what the other party had to say, ¡°Do you know something about this war that I don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Remember the Talon Secret Organisation?¡± Stencil asked, watching Kekumi Xetuka nod as she continued, ¡°That was just one of the branches belonging to a terrifying entity. Probably a good majority of the Secret Organisation in this world belong to him.¡±


    ¡®The Talon Secret Organisation vanished the moment I intended to raid them.¡¯ Kekumi Xetuka thought, finding it hard to believe as she said, ¡°Even Apostles cannot wield such an exaggerated im. And you¡¯re saying there¡¯s one person that has control over most of the Secret Organisation in our world?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Stencil nodded, ¡°The strength of an Apostle is nothing before this entity. He¡¯s a System yer too, or rather the first of our kind.¡±


    As a Saint, Kekumi Xetuka was obviously aware of Systems and System yers, having killed a System Host herself in the past. Of course, that System Host wished to get his hands on Starfall but failed miserably, having underestimated their power.


    As she had personally dealt with one, Kekumi Xetuka had considerable knowledge about them. Moreover, it was using that System Host that she was able to elevate her Pseudo-Relic to a Relic.


    ¡°The first System yer¡­¡± Kekumi Xetuka muttered, frowning as she asked, ¡°Are you his representative? Who exactly is he?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m against him.¡± Stencil reassured the other party, ¡°He goes by the title of yer. Currently, it seems his goal is to create the gue Doctor Profession, and the raw materials for that seem to be the four Kingdoms of this region. All four woulde to ruin when this war ends.¡±


    ¡°As for his personal strength, he¡¯s probably the Human Apostle¡­¡± Stencil said, surprised to see Kekumi Xetuka lose herposure and copse to the ground.


    ¡°S-So, that means¡­¡± Kekumi Xetuka muttered in horror, ¡°The entity I had been trying to seek an audience with to request help is the very cause behind this war?¡±


    She then stared at Stencil, ring as she asked, ¡°What¡¯s your proof?¡±


    ¡°How can I be sure you¡¯re not lying?¡± She made eye contact with Stencil. If not for the fact that she couldn¡¯t see through Stencil¡¯s strength, she would have defeated the other party first before interrogating her of all details.


    Unfortunately for her, Stencil was terrifyingly strong now, having used Conjurer¡¯s scheme to trap Compass Carburettor to capture all the System Hosts in this world and consume them to grow rapidly.


    If the connection to the System World wasn¡¯t cut off, even capturing a single System Host would have required considerable time and energy, as there was always a chance of them making an escape to the System World easily.


    Even otherwise, once they upload the information to the Astral Network, stronger Systems would descend to take care of the enemies.


    Stencil pointed a finger at Kekumi Xetuka, unleashing a starlight beam upon activating one of the Skills she had purchased from the Astral Network before. It was what she used to feed Compass Carburettor information regarding the Fantasy World.


    ¡°Wha¡­¡± Kekumi Xetuka stared in shock, digesting the massive surge of information that poured into her, filled with everything Stencil had witnessed in yer¡¯s private dimension. As they were her memories, through them, Kekumi Xetuka was able to feel the strength of the other party.


    She stared at the System yers behind yer, each brimming with the aura of an Apostle, with one of them even having the aura of two Apostles.


    Kekumi Xetuka was on the ground for a good few minutes before she stared at Stencil in despair, resigned to her fate, ¡°What¡­am I supposed to do now?¡±


    ¡°I told you, right?¡± Stencil said, bringing out Anthozoa that she pointed at Kekumi Xetuka before pressing the trigger, ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. I¡¯ll offer you a lifeline.¡±


    The bullet mmed into Kekumi Xetuka¡¯s forehead, sinking into her body as it vanished. An instantter, a strange sound resounded in her mind.


    <Ding!>


    [Imprinting Host¡¯s signature¡­]


    [Bonding¡­]


    [Bonded Sessfully!]


    <Ding!>


    [The Magic Warrior System is now online!]

 Chapter 746: Warrior Reinforcement of Six Elements

    Chapter 746: Warrior Reinforcement of Six Elements


    ¡°Phew.¡± Kekumi Xetuka exhaled slowly, staring at the three Giant Saints that were on the ground, ¡®It seems to have worked, Yaka.¡¯


    The Magic Warrior System¡¯s Core Skill granted her authority over all the six elements of the Warrior Profession. Moreover, it did so by withholding the power from the Warrior Profession.


    This meant that even if the Warrior Profession wishes to take her powers as a Saint, she wouldn¡¯t lose anything and still retain all her powers as a Human Warrior Saint.


    Moreover, Warriors had tough bodies, reinforced by the element they had. This was why Warriors with two elements were a lot stronger than Warriors with a single element. It was because their bodies were refined and strengthened by two elements.


    In that case, what about the current her, one whose body had been refined and reinforced by six elements?


    Her strength ballooned to terrifying extents. This was why, despite only using the fire and wind elements, she still trashed the three Saints of Gormana.


    And as long as she stood tall, Gormana wouldn¡¯t be able to invade the Xetuka Kingdom, which would mean yer¡¯s n would fail.


    This was what Stencil had intended in the first ce, using the massive trove of Mental Energy she had banked to filter and create the type of System she needed for this situation.


    And she had created four such Systems, granting two to the Saints of the Xetuka Kingdom and the other two to the Saints of the Burnak Kingdom.


    There were four Saints in the Burnak Kingdom, with two of them siding with the Talon Secret Organisation. The remaining two had now be System Hosts.


    The reason was simple: To strengthen them in a short time.


    This was the best way to put a wrench in yer¡¯s ns.


    Kekumi Xetuka stared at the three Giant Saints getting up, cracking her knuckles as she condensed gigantic fiery fists that she rained down from the skies, grouping up the three before pummelling them in unison.


    Each of her punches were strong enough to go past their defences as a Tank, injuring them while the intense heat continued to burn up, affecting their bodies gradually.


    ¡°Aargh!¡± Saint Garmd shouted before punching the ground, causing a crater when suddenly, his mana boomed, causing a geyser to gush out of the ground and m into Kekumi Xetuka, sending her flying away.


    Under his control, the water geyser transformed into a water serpent andshed out at Kekumi Xetuka, mming her into the ground.


    ¡°Get up, hurry.¡± Saint Garmd said, spitting out some blood as he rapidly raised the temperature in the surroundings, culling theva as the entire ground was cooled down.


    The water was sourced from a massive sea farther to the east. In preparation to this war, Saint Garmd had dug arge tunnel from the sea to this location. This way, he could siphon and control a consistent stream of water.


    He didn¡¯t stop at just one tunnel and created multiple and multiple locations, just for contingency.


    Swoosh!


    As the ground cooled down rapidly,rge leafy wraps flew at them. Saint Garmd opened his mouth, catching the leafy wrap that he munched and swallowed, sensing his mana burst out, spiking in quality as all his injuries healed.


    The case was the same for the other two Saints too.


    ¡°Thanks, now return.¡± Saint Garmd stared at the final Saint of the Gormana, watching the other party make a hurried escape.


    The Giant Race had two Main Professions of Maniptor and Tank. They also had one Sub-Profession of Herbalist, a nonbative profession.


    Their fourth Saint was actually an Herbalist and hence couldn¡¯t fight. But thanks to his powers as a Herbalist, he could create leafy wraps with a myriad powers. He was the Giant Race¡¯s version of an Alchemist that refined potions.


    The moment the three Saints were on the losing side, the Herbalist quickly created leafy wraps to help them, and had done a spectacr job.


    ¡°Now, I can fight at full strength.¡± Saint Garmd revealed a smile, controlling dozens of water dragons in the sky, watching Kekumi Xetuka bolt towards the water dragons like a shooting star.


    The water began to vaporise in a matter of seconds under the heat but Saint Garmd continued to siphon in water, enough to offset the vaporisation.


    Following that, Saint Gult controlled the air, applying pressure to lock Kekumi Xetuka, gradually raising the intensity in order to construct her to one ce.


    ¡°Keuk!¡± Kekumi Xetuka coughed when her fire was gradually overwhelmed by the water as the wind she used to protect herself was now confined by the opponent¡¯s. Moreover, after it was pressurised to a certain extent, the wind solidified to form ayer of coating on her body, turning her into a sculpture.


    Saint Gult intended to suffocate her gradually while Saint Garmd kept her powers at bay.


    As for Saint Gaff, he was the one that had a lot riding on his shoulders, for he was manipting theyer of earth that had now formed over Kekumi Xetuka, using it to restrict her movements.


    This was how they joined hands to constrict their opponent.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let up, keep pressuring her!¡± Saint Garmd shouted, using his water dragons to revolve around Kekumi Xetuka, extinguishing any mes that formed around her, ¡°Pour all your mana intopressing her. Make her a dot!¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Saint Gult nodded, nerves protruded as he focused all his strength on the wind around her,pressing it without limits as massive reserves of his mana was consumed every second.


    ¡°Gaargh!¡± Saint Gaff bellowed as theyer of earth began to press her body further, causing the muscles to deform as creaking sounds resounded from her bones.


    The two opposing parties were caught in this stalemate for more than two minutes before Saint Gaff shouted with reddened eyes, ¡°Die!¡±


    Crack!


    The sound of something snapping resounded loud and clear in the surroundings, akin to a thunderp, immediately causing the faces of the trio to brighten up. But an instantter, shockyered their expressions.


    They watched in horror as the humanoid sculpture of Kekumi Xetuka that they had created shatter, revealing a hollow inside.


    And at the same time, something pierced through their chests simultaneously, poking out from the other side. They were des, each swirling with dense amounts of Metal, Fire, and Lightning Mana, their shafts invisible.


    Though, if one noticed closely, there were tiny portals attached to the end of visible portion of the shafts, spanning the exact diameter. And, standing a kilometre away was Kekumi Xetuka, thrusting the weapon through the tiny portal that only epassed the shaft she held.

 Chapter 747: Punitive Squad of Mages

    Chapter 747: Punitive Squad of Mages


    ¡°T-This level of strength is impossible!¡± Saint Garmd bellowed in horror, in disbelief as he coughed out blood.


    Kekumi Xetuka had targeted his chest from afar, using a portal to transmit the attack to him. And unlike the portals used by Pseudo-Saints and below that wielded Space Mana, she actively altered the portal¡¯s shape and size, ensuring her opponents wouldn¡¯t be able to target her through the portals.


    Portals existed as a two-way street. Meaning, if she were to attack them, then they were capable of doing the same in reverse. But with the portals being small enough to only epass the shaft, the three Giant Saints were unable to retaliate.


    ng!


    Saint Garmd raised his defences as a tank, causing a nging sound to resound when another sword intended to pierce him. He also extricated himself from the spear piercing his chest, taking out a leafy wrap that jumped out of the water tunnel and ate it, watching his injuries heal rapidly.


    He also fed the remaining two Saints, helping them recover.


    But of course, since she dared to reveal her entire power, Kekumi Xetuka intended to kill her opponents once and for all.


    And upon the thought, she thrust forth, causing spears to peek out of nowhere and stab the Giant Saints at speeds beyond what they could prepare. And with every stab, she melted through their defences.


    Earlier, her attacks consisted of Fire and Wind mana, those that she unleashed in a head-on confrontation, allowing the Giants to focus their mana on the targeted spots to defend better.


    But now, each of her thrusts were condensed using a Metal Mana spear first,yered with fire and lightning that was seamlessly fused into a whole, followed by ayer of wind that protected the spear against external harm.


    And using her Space Mana, Kekumi Xetuka thrust forth such attacks, targeting them at their least guarded locations to result in maximum damage.


    Boom!


    A spear targeted Saint Gult¡¯s right eye, causing it to burst in response as he screamed in pain. But suddenly, a leafy wrap made way into his mouth, rapidly jumping out of a hole that formed in the ground below his feet, thrust into the mouth by an earth spike.


    ¡®How many of these leafy wraps have they hidden here?¡¯ Kekumi Xetuka frowned, expanding the range epassed by her mana but still failed to detect the leafy wraps. But they were definitely there as the Giant Saints were using them to regenerate their wounds nonstop.


    ¡®The Herbalist should be taken care of first. Otherwise, this battle will never end.¡¯ Kekumi Xetuka thought, smiling as she raised the intensity of her attacks, causing the entire region to be covered by smog.


    And hidden under its veil were a team of five, all princes of the Xetuka Kingdom, Pseudo-Saint Mages that wielded the elements of Wind and Fire.


    Everyone from the Xetuka Kingdom¡¯s royalty had an affinity to Wind and Fire Mana, the majority of which became Warriors, with a few bing Mages instead.


    The group of five were reared in secret, a punitive squad created with the sole intention of taking down enemy figureheads.


    Currently, the five were speeding through the air using the cover of the fog. The one at the front held a map created by a Cartographer, one that disyed the location of Saints in their vicinity.


    ¡°The Herbalist Saint is hiding three kilometres away by disguising himself as a hill.¡± The leader of the squad said in all seriousness, ¡°Aunty Kekumi cannotst on her own for long against the three Giant Saints. Let¡¯s finish our task.¡±


    He stopped a kilometre from the hill, covered by the smog as all five began to chant in unison, riling up both their Wind and Fire Mana, fusing them into a unity.


    This was the Xetuka Kingdom¡¯s trump card, researched and developed by their Saints over the course of many centuries.


    Fusion Enchant¡ªzing Sky Phoenix!


    A sphere formed before them, akin to the sun as it unleashed intense heat. It unfurled a pair of wings before a pair of eyes red at them, causing them to tremble at the might it exuded, despite being the ones that created it.


    The fire bird turned into a streak and headed straight towards the rocky hill in a matter of seconds, the heat it unleashed beginning to vaporise the nt life growing on the hill.


    ¡°Protect the Lord!¡± Four Pseudo-Saint Giants posted as bodyguards for the helpless Herbalist screamed in fright, hurriedly erecting multiple walls of earth to stop the fire bird.


    But unfortunately for them, their earth walls were casually pierced through like a hot sword poking through butter.


    The firebird¡¯s strength actually reached a Saint¡¯s in terms of power, the reason it was the Xetuka Kingdom¡¯s trump card. Boosted by the wind that continued to raise its speed, the fire bird mmed into the hill and pierced through it, entering the hollow section within as it mmed into the Herbalist within.


    ¡°Aaargh!¡± The Herbalist Saint screamed in pain as the firebird wrapped around his body and began to burn him, managing to kill him after grilling him for an excruciating two minutes.


    Following that, it still had enough strength to burn up more as it headed straight towards the water tunnels, vaporising the water rapidly to spike the pressure building up within the tunnels, immediately leading to multiple explosions.


    Water spilled out inrge volumes as many tunnels were destroyed one after another, stopping the flow of water.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± Saint Garmd was shocked to see the volume of water he could draw out from the tunnels continue to reduce at an rming pace.


    But before he could take action, a spear pierced through his neck, wounding him severely as the defensive capabilities of his Tank Profession continued to wane.


    Moreover, the leafy wraps began to reduce in number, no longer being replenished using the water channels as the Herbalist was no more.


    And with the water streams being cut off, their supply was cut short, causing their injuries to pile up before soon, the first casualty arose.


    ¡°Gult!¡± Saint Garmd stared in shock upon witnessing Saint Gult¡¯s head be riddled with dozens of holes, melting it in a matter of seconds, leading to his death.


    He didn¡¯t even have time to mourn the loss of hisrade as Saint Garmd grunted in pain, watching his right hand being severed by a sword hack.

 Chapter 748: The Main Character’s Secret

    Chapter 748: The Main Character¡¯s Secret


    ¡°It¡¯s proceeding better than I expected.¡± Stencil muttered while staring at the battlefield from afar.


    ¡°But, I feel something is amiss.¡± Aronaut said, standing next to her, ¡°Considering yer¡¯s meticulousness, I feel this is too easy.¡±


    He then noticed Gehera¡¯s frown, asking her, ¡°Did you find out something?¡±


    ¡°No, but I¡¯ve yet to make a dent on yer¡¯s power. It just seems infinite.¡± Gehera said in worry as she asked, ¡°Do you know why this is happening?¡±


    ¡®Is it because of his Grade 2 Core Skill?¡¯ Aronaut thought, feeling that the likelihood of this possibility being true was guaranteed. In the history of System yers, there was just one that managed to obtain the Core Skill of a Grade 2 System.


    Grade 2 Systems were on a whole other level aspared to Grade 1 Systems. They could create any entire race spanning in multiple worlds, modified to suit the different power systems inherent to the respective worlds.


    If a Level 99 Grade 1 System was akin to a rich individual, a Grade 2 System was akin to a conglomerate. The wealth and influence difference between the two couldn¡¯t even bepared.


    ¡°Maybe yer is using his Grade 2 Core Skill to create a new race somewhere else.¡± Aronaut stared at Gehera, ¡°That might exin why you¡¯re unable to make a dent in his power. It¡¯s because he¡¯s growing at a pace superior to the rate you¡¯re stealing his power.¡±


    And honestly, the thought of that frightened Aronaut. Even though he was one of the seven System yers to attain the peak, he didn¡¯t know much about yer¡¯s goal.


    All along, he had assumed yer only wished to uplift the lives of the System yers. But it seemed reality was otherwise.


    ¡°Hopefully, things work out in our favour¡­¡± Aronaut said, pausing as he heard information transmitted by those of the Aero Society through a Mental Energy stream.


    His face paled as he sighed, ¡°It seems my worries came true.¡±


    He stared at Stencil to say, ¡°Balveta made an appearance in the south and has dealt a critical blow to the Xetuka Kingdom¡¯s Guardian Saint.¡±


    ¡°Only a critical blow?¡± Stencil frowned at the news, ¡®Why didn¡¯t she kill him though? With her strength, things should be easy.¡¯


    At the thought, Stencil began to worry, feeling that she was yet to find out yer¡¯s true intentions. After all, even after their interference, yer had yet to make a move personally.


    He was basically conveying to them, ¡°Look, your actions are inconsequential inparison to my grand ns.¡±


    ¡®Dad would have been able to interfere easily.¡¯ She thought, sighing as she realised she wasn¡¯t properly equipped to deal with such schemes.


    Swoosh!


    ¡°Look out!¡± Aronaut shouted, transforming the Relic into a shield a over a dozen defensive Skills were activated, defending against an arrow brimming with over a dozen energy types.


    The impact sent him flying through the Aira, poking a man-sized hole through it as he crashed deep into the Xetuka Kingdom¡¯s territory.


    ¡°Aronaut!¡± Stencil shouted in rm as she transformed into the Happy-Go-Lucky System, shocked upon seeing the entirety of her luck getting consumed to alter cause and effect.


    Lightning bolts shed out as they dug into the arrow that intended to impale her. The cause and effect variation slowed down the arrow¡¯s flight, but it seemed to have an homing property, capable of teleporting to her irrespective of where it was.


    Boom!


    The lightning bolts began to refine the arrow using the speed dtion while Stencil¡¯s new power began to destroy the effects of Skills imbued in the arrow.


    She barely bought a second in time, reducing the power of the arrow as much as possible before which she created a shield, hugging Gehera in a protective embrace as the arrow still mmed into them, rupturing through the shield before destroying on her of arms.


    The impact also sent the duo flying deeper into the Xetuka Kingdom.


    ¡°Keel¡­¡± Aronaut muttered in a hurry, healing himself as he leaped out of the crater, hurriedly teleporting towards the battlefield, staring in shock as he sighed in defeat, ¡°Dammit!¡±


    There, an arrow had destroyed the lower half of Kekumi Xetuka, causing the System in her body to sustain critical damage.


    And using the opportunity, the two Giant Saints attacked her with all their might, resulting in a suicidal attack as they pierced her while she did the same to them.


    Both parties were dead, their bodies copsing to the ground after a couple of seconds spanned past.


    ¡°Kekumi Xetuka is dead. Now charge into the Xetuka Kingdom.¡± A voice resounded in the ears of every Giant on the battlefield, filling them up with renowned power as they charged uphill The Aira,ying siege to the northern fort.


    The humans there retaliated with full power, causing the two sides to be at an impasse.


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown strong, Aronaut.¡± Just as Aronaut nned to stop the war upon seeing their ns go up in smoke, a familiar voice resounded as the peak System yer, Keel appeared before him.


    ¡°What are you nning, Keel?¡± Aronaut red in anger when suddenly, his eyes widened in shock before oozing out bloodlust, ¡°You bastard!¡±


    ¡°You should hurry, Aronaut. Otherwise, your Aero Society would be no more.¡± Keel waved his hands nonchntly, watching Aronaut grit his teeth and vanish from the scene, taking the injured Stencil and Gehera with him.


    Though, once he vanished, Keel¡¯s overconfident expression copsed, reced by a mild sense of nervousness, ¡°What happened to Aronaut? He¡¯s surpassed his initial strength. He seems scarier now.¡±


    Runes revolved around him as through the exchange, Keel managed to divine some information, expressing his shock, ¡°I see, that makes sense.¡±


    He hurriedly teleported to the separate dimension created by yer, sparing not even a nce at the various Apostles that were chained down before him, their powers sealed.


    He stared at the figure of yer that was conversing with the Witch Apostle, ¡°yer, I figured out the Main Character¡¯s secret.¡±


    ¡°Finally,¡± yer expressed vivid relief as he nodded, ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°The Main Character¡­¡± Keel said, expressing his disbelief, ¡°It¡¯s not one person.¡±


    ¡°There are multiple Main Characters.¡±

 Chapter 749: Baby Steps

    Chapter 749: Baby Steps


    ¡°Haah,¡± Compass Carburettor let out a deep breath as he controlled his limbs, taking one step after another within the room.


    He felt a mild headache from the strenuous exercise as he was manually controlling every single muscle, nerve, and bone forming his legs to walk. Normally in a human body, such actions would be taken care of by muscle memory.


    But after his limbs had been severed, Compass Carburettor had created fake limbs using Mental Fragments, reforming them to look the same as the original. It was easier said than done to control them though, as his Mental Strength was consumed rapidly just to walk a couple of metres.


    Currently, the trio of Compass Carburettor, Duketace, and Ko had taken residence in the inn of a secluded town, one that was happy to provide them shelter at discounted rates due to the sheerck of tourists to the location.


    And here, Compass Carburettor began to train on rehabilitating himself to the new limbs. At first, his Mental Strength was wholly expended just to traverse a distance of ten metres.


    But following that, he borrowed the Senses Scroll from Ko and began to train a sense of touch to the artificial limbs. That allowed him easier control over the limbs, raising the distance traversed from ten metres to more than twenty within the span of a day.


    Moreover, it was continuing to increase every time he trained.


    Currently in his Dreand was the Ascender Scroll that he had created personally. Its effect allowed him to regain his Mental Strength within a day. Though of course, he had to consume enough food ordingly.


    He then began to work on his own version of the Senses Scroll, for he intended to convert his entire fleshly body into a Mental Fragment construct. So for that, the Senses Scroll should allow him to expand on his senses to an extent beyond what a human was usually capable of.


    As for the Mental Fragments required to create the Senses Scroll, he had more than enough from his stay at the ind. He had consumed the Mental Fragments from more than a million fishes.


    Duketace worked on taking care of all his needs while Ko mostly trained her strength, intending to be an Ascender eventually. And with the mini-Forbidden Tale in her Dreand influencing her Mental Fragments more and more, her strength continued to soar unabated.


    A week spanned past in such a fashion before which Compass Carburettor was able to walk and perform basic tasks on his own. That was enough for him, for the time being as he summoned the father and daughter duo.


    Staring at Duketace, he said, ¡°Have you discovered traces of your wife?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± Duketace nodded respectfully, saying after a moment of consideration, ¡°I had never expected for her to be so daring to establish her own force in the infamous archipgo that had bankrupted countless ns.¡±


    ¡°And surprisingly, it seems she¡¯s faring pretty well there.¡±


    ¡®That was expected.¡¯ Compass Carburettor nodded, relieved at the fact that the family of four he nned to make us of hadn¡¯t been affected. Their fate was still untampered.


    Rather, his actions only served to improve their fate.


    Staring at the sky, Compass Carburettor observed that whether it was his fate or luck, both were abysmal. But it didn¡¯t matter in the long run, for he had experience in dealing with situations even without the aid of luck, for he had done that in the Gaider Realm in the past.


    Using the remainder of money in their possession, Duketace bought some necessities before taking flight. Compass Carburettor was seatedfortably, transforming his legs into a chair that was firmly rooted into the eagle¡¯s back.


    He also extended the length of the seat, allowing both Duketace and Ko to be seatedfortably.


    At first, Duketace was ufortable, staring at Compass Carburettor¡¯s figure that peeked out of the chair, as if his lower half was buried in it.


    But upon seeing Ko not pay it any heed, he forced himself to ustom to the changes.


    Honestly, this was one of the reasons Compass Carburettor intended to morph his fleshly body into a Mental Fragment counterpart.


    It allowed him to freely transform his body into any form he saw fit. Basically, as long as he had the required Mental Fragments, Compass Carburettor could even transform into a bonafide rock and remain as such for as long as he needed.


    And unlike a fleshly body, he wouldn¡¯t need to eat anything to survive. his true body¡¯s characteristic was Anthozoa, meaning he gained power from the sun.


    So, once he gains a Mental Fragment body, he truly would be versatile. That would get rid of one of the major weaknesses he gained after he split up into four parts.


    Moreover, what was advantageous was the fact that Mental Fragments and Mental Energy were corrted. Meaning, in the future, he would be able to condense Mental Energy into Mental Fragments to build up his body, gaining multiple powers ordingly as such without losing them whenever he birthed another Main Character.


    After all, every time he gained something beneficial, he also lost a significant sum. When he became the Main Character, even though he got rid of the problems inherent in System yers, it also made him unable to use Core Skills or create more Personal Fragments.


    In the same way, once he awakened his Core Skill of Lore, he lost the majority of his powers to Domino Plottopia, Gahrat, and Hazen. It was a major nerf to the versatility of his strength.


    As he was aware that whenever he were to create a new Main Character, he would lose a part of himself, he intended to create a mode of power system that was relevant to his growth as the Main Character and allowed him to develop based on his gains.


    Though this world¡¯s power system was damn weak, but in his hands, it was many times more valuable. It was his goal, other than to reach the peak of this world.


    Compass Carburettor smiled as he stared at thendscape span past below him as the eagle continued to fly nonstop. Once Duketace was tired, Ko subbed in for him as after four days of nonstop travel, they arrived at the sprawling archipgo, making a beeline to the mansion where Sturr resided in now.

 Chapter 750: Become My Subordinate

    Chapter 750: Be My Subordinate


    Kieee!


    Sturr was in her study, scribbling something in a notebook when she heard a familiar bird cry. Her hands stopped in response as there was momentary disbelief expressed through her eyes.


    she set aside the quill and opened the windows, staring at the familiar metallic eagle. No, not only was it now bigger than in her memory, it also seemed to be wearing a mysterious helmet on its head.


    Sturr noticed the metallic eagle revolving in the sky atop her mansion, showing no intention of descending for the time being, as if to alert her of its existence.


    ¡®Howe he¡¯s alive?¡¯ She was unable to think up an answer for this, for she had indeed left him for dead back there. But here he was, seemingly stronger than before.


    ¡°How¡­is it possible?¡± Her mental state took another hit upon staring at the figure of Ko next to Duketace. And what was astonishing was the fact that both father and daughter duo were Superior Invokers.


    Thest time she saw them, they were only Common Invokers, especially Duketace that had hit his limit and couldn¡¯t improve no matter what he tried.


    Himcking a future was one of the reasons that spurred her to take the decision that she did.


    ¡°Fine, since you¡¯re here, I¡¯ll meet you.¡± She hurriedly regained her bearings, taking in deep breaths to calm down before bringing out her Invoked Spirit, riding it towards the metal eagle.


    ¡°Duketace¡­¡± She muttered, hovering ten metres away from her husband, ¡°You¡¯re alive.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Duketace nodded nonchntly, ¡°I¡¯vee to trade, Sturr.¡±


    ¡°Trade?¡± Sturr was taken by surprise as she said, ¡°What do you have to trade? I pretty much took everything you had brought during our escape.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Duketace grinned as he pointed at Pilkan, ¡°Lord Pilkan not only saved me, but he also allowed me to break past my prior limits and be a Superior Invoker.¡±


    ¡°Lord Pilkan?¡± Only then did Sturr stare at the figure of Compass Carburettor who seemed to have fused with their seat, finding the other party¡¯s appearance odd.


    A momentter, she recognised his face, eximing in shock, ¡°Isn¡¯t this Pilkan from that branch family? What is happening here?¡±


    ¡°Currently in his body is an old Ascender.¡± Duketace said in pride, ¡°We¡¯re the personal servants of an Ascender. That¡¯s how our strength ballooned so much in such a short duration.¡±


    ¡°What¡­do you wish to trade with me?¡± Sturr asked in response, feeling tense upon staring at Compass Carburettor, noticing the faint mist swirling around his arms.


    ¡°You,¡± Compass Carburettor said with a smile, surprising Sturr as he continued, ¡°I want you to be my subordinate. In response, I¡¯ll make you an Ascender.¡±


    ¡°Impossible¡­¡± Sturr intended to shout in disbelief before realising that she was dealing with an Ascender. She calmed down her tense nerves before asking in all seriousness, ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°Do it,¡± Compass Carburettor smiled at Ko in response who took out a whistle and blew hard into it. The sound wasn¡¯t audible to the human ears by a couple of minutester, droves of eagles flew towards the archipgo.


    The eagles numbered in the thousands. While on his stay at the ind, Compass Carburettor helped raise the living conditions of the eagles, causing them toy eggs at least double aspared to the previous years.


    This was enough for the Lan n to not notice anything amiss as Ko summoned arge group of eagles in her direction once they had escaped Peika¡¯s pursuit.


    With that, they brought the eagle group with them, arriving at the archipgo. Sturr¡¯s goal was to create a strong n while Compass Carburettor needed arge group of people to do everything he needed.


    So, it was the best to bring Sturr under his control.


    Staring at the thousands of eagles flying in the sky, Sturr was stunned before her face flushed red, barely able to reign in her excitement. The sheer number of eagles here meant that she could elerate her ns.


    Moreover, if what Compass Carburettor said was the truth, then her chances of bing an Ascender would be higher under his guidance.


    Even though she wished to remain an independent ruler, but that could wait until she became an Ascender first. Thoughts churned in her mind as Sturr cunningly eyed Duketace and Ko, smiling soon after as she stared at Pilkan, ¡°Then, here¡¯s to a sessful cooperation.¡±


    ¡°Then, to congratte you in advance, take this.¡± Saying so, Pilkan threw a palm-sized b at Sturr, watching the other party fumble a little before catching hold of it.


    ¡°What¡­is this?¡± Sturr asked, staring at the image inscribed on the front of the b and the eleven lines on its back.


    ¡°That¡¯s the Forbidden Tale.¡± Duketace said with a smile, watching Sturr be stunned in response as his grin widened, ¡°So you¡¯ve heard of it.¡±


    ¡°This¡­is the Forbidden Tale.¡± Sturr was shocked as she stared at Pilkan, ¡°Who are you, sir?¡±


    ¡°Just someone that has been erased from history.¡± Compass Carburettor put on an expression of regret and nostalgia, sighing as he stared at the sky.


    He then shrugged his shoulders, staring at Sturr to say, ¡°You can put it in your Dreand, you know. I created it using Eagle Mental Fragments.¡±


    ¡°You¡­created it?¡± Sturr almost fainted in response, ¡®So, the Forbidden Tale that caused so much chaos was created by this person?¡¯


    ¡®If it¡¯s like this, then it makes sense why Duketace and Ko had obtained a growth spurt in their abilities.¡¯ Thinking as such, Sturr focused her Dreand on the mini-Forbidden Tale, watching it appear in her Dreand.


    While it was there, she began to focus on it, barely feeling like she gained an answer to something profound when she sensed her Dreand stir in response.


    ¡°So it is true that the Forbidden Tale can raise the harmony of one¡¯s Dreand.¡± She muttered in shock at the mystical phenomenon, staring at Duketace to nod in understanding, ¡°So that¡¯s why you managed to be a Superior Invoker.¡±


    ¡°All the defects in your Dreand¡¯s foundation were resolved by this.¡±

 Chapter 751: Who the Fuck Are You?

    Chapter 751: Who the Fuck Are You?


    ¡°Here you go, twenty Superior Eagle Invoker Crystals.¡± Compass Carburettor said, pushing a box filled with the crystals to Sturr, watching her remain like a statue, too stunned to even react.


    After all, it only took him a mere few seconds to create over twenty Eagle Invoker Crystals, all Superior grade at that.


    Normally, it took months to make the same, and even longer for Superior Eagle Invoker Crystals. This was why, the sheer time difference between those that created the Eagle Invoker Crystals in the Lan n and Compass Carburettor ced Sturr at a loss for words.


    ¡°Go on, why are you dying things?¡± Compass Carburettor raised an eye at her stunned expression, cing his hand on the box, ¡°Or, do you want me to retake this?¡±


    ¡°N-No, I¡¯ll keep it safe.¡± Sturr hurriedly grabbed the box and rushed out of the room, crashing into the door in response as all the Eagle Invoker Crystals fell out of the box.


    Kieee!


    Her Invoked Spirit shed out and grabbed hold of all the crystals with dextrous movements, pouring them in the box before she rushed out of the room.


    It was simple as to what she nned to do next.


    She was going to raise the standards of the entire archipgo by having more than a hundred Invokers.


    Compass Carburettor smiled upon seeing her actions, clenching his hand into a fist as he transformed it into a hammer by pouring in the Mental Fragments of a fish with a hammer head.


    He then focused, pouring in Eagle Mental Fragments into his arms, transforming them into a pair of wings, struggling as he caused the feathers to twitch in response. He had yet to ustom himself in using them.


    But that could be done through training, which was what he was doing at the moment, of course also working on strengthening the family of three simultaneously.


    At the centre of the primary ind in the archipgo where Sturr had set up home, a temple had been constructed using Mental Fragments¡ªby Compass Carburettor.


    And situated in its centre was a gigantic b, spanning a height of four metres.


    Forbidden Tale!


    Of course, he would be mad to not take advantage of this situation. And, within a few days since it had been established, the effects were already beginning to show.


    ¡°A-Amazing!¡± A youth muttered in response, watching the scant few Mental Fragments in his Dreand gradually sink into his Nascent Soul and take form, bing a hatchling eagle.


    Normally, the result that would have taken him a month took less than an hour. And it wasn¡¯t just him that was experiencing this but pretty much everyone that had begun toprehend the Forbidden Tale to at least the surface level.


    And thanks to that, they managed to save a lot of time, effort, and Mental Strength that otherwise would have gone into constructing their Dreand and Invoked Spirit. Now, all they needed to do was hone their Mental Strength as much as possible.


    Within a week, all those that had used an Eagle Invoked Spirit had be Inferior Invokers. With that, they could now run errands, which was one of Compass Carburettor¡¯s goal.


    Kieee!


    Followed by a bird cry, a youthnded on the ground, retracting his eagle as he held three roosters that he had captured. Another youthnded nearby, holding a bag of mice, all that were still alive.


    In this manner, all the Invokers had gone on errands to capture various creatures, returning within a day. With the eagle¡¯s superiority in the sky, capturing most creatures was pretty simple.


    Compass Carburettor wasn¡¯t satisfied with just that as he even began to research on Invoker Crystal Scrolls for marine organisms, creating one after a month in time.


    With that, he turned a group of fishes into Invokers.


    Staring at arge fish held in the tank, Compass Carburettor observed its actions, muttering, ¡°It¡¯s not smart enough to cultivate on its own. There should be an external stimulus.¡±


    The best way to make that possible was through its Invoked Spirit. And for that, Compass Carburettor created a Scroll.


    Scroll of Sentience!


    It was created using Mental Fragments sourced from humans. The function of the Scroll of Sentience was to gradually train the fish¡¯s Invoked Spirit to gain sentience, at least enough for it to wield its Invoked Spirit to hunt for fishes and grow on its own.


    And of course, he also created a Scroll of the Forbidden Tale, seeing its effect on the fish. The extent was lower than his expectations, so Compass Carburettor retracted the two scrolls from the fish¡¯s Dreand.


    Following that, he experimented, cing them in the Dreand of various types of fish, one after another to see the one mostpatible with the two Scrolls.


    The people of the archipgo continued to capture various fishes from different depths of the sea and river, bringing them over to be experimented upon.


    Kiek!


    Compass Carburettor stared in surprise upon gazing at a dolphin in the tank before him. It was staring at him with a gaze of excitement.


    A single nce at its eyes were enough for Compass Carburettor to understand that the dolphin before him was significantly more developed in the mental department aspared to the rest of the fishes he had seen till now.


    And as expected, the moment he ced the two Scrolls in its Dreand, there was an obvious change to its mental state. It seemed more sentient than usual, already able to absorb Mental Fragments from the corpse of a fish nearby.


    This happened without any prompts from him. Usually, it took him at least ten to fifteen minutes before he was able to make a fish take something into its Dreand.


    But the dolphin was able to do it within a minute, thanks to its own efforts without any external inputs.


    It had instantly adapted to the changes, making it seem as if consuming Mental Fragments for it was no different to eating.


    ¡®Alright, this would eventually result in a powerful marine creature, the first of its kind.¡¯ Compass Carburettor nodded as he continued to feed the dolphin Mental Fragments, gradually nurturing its growth.


    And once it became an Inferior Invoker, he set it free into the sea where it belonged. In its Dreand, he ced a tool that conveyed it to return once it attained the peak as an Invoker.


    Following that, he would help it be an Ascender.


    The act of turning the Dolphin into an Invoker was basically him developing this world. But, the more the dolphin grew, the stronger the Main Character fragment in its mind would grow.


    After all, growing against all odds and attaining the impossible was the essence of being the Main Character. Therefore, even if a Main Character System fragment wouldn¡¯t form in its body, it would still grow in its mind.


    And that was enough for him. For such actions allowed him to steal Conjurer¡¯s power little by little.


    With that, he hadpleted all his basic preparations, thinking, ¡®Next, I should attain the peak before the Human Conjurer¡¯s grave opens again.¡¯


    It was there that he would obtain the means necessary to be a Conjurer and leave this world. The time was perfect, for it opened a month before his time in this world would be up.


    ¡°Now, all that¡¯s left for me to do is grind nonstop.¡± He took in a deep breath before beginning to work on controlling his limbs.


    ¡­


    ¡°Keuk¡­what is happening to me?¡± The Lan n Head muttered in pain as he clutched his head while starlight flickered through his eyes incessantly.


    He had alreadyprehended five lines of the Forbidden Tale. Meaning, the growth of the Main Character fragment in his mind was reached a level enough for it to begin wrestling control over him.


    As an Ascender, he had a firm control over his mind, which was why he was able to resist for the time being, muttering as he stared at the Forbidden Tale in horror, ¡°So, this is why it¡¯s called the Forbidden Tale?¡±


    ¡°Aargh!¡± He screamed as his headache worsened, cking out from time to time as he rolled on the ground, causing the vases nearby to crash.


    Boom!


    The door to the room was st open as water rushed inside, lifting up the Lan n Head as Peika appeared before him, staring at his wounded state as she frowned, ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°The Forbidden Tale¡­something¡¯s up with it.¡± The Lan n Head said, ¡°The moment Iprehended the fifth line, my head started to hurt¡­¡±


    Kieee!


    Peika¡¯s expression paled all of a sudden as she covered herself with her water, watching an eagle¡¯s beak peck her, almost piercing through the barrier. But the sheer force from the impact sent her flying through the ce, crashing multiple walls before her Invoked Spirit caught her and braced the impact.


    ¡°Koff!¡± She spat out a mouthful of blood before staring at the Lan n Head, only now noticing starlight spew out of his eyes like a pair of torches.


    And shockingly, her body trembled as she stared at the Lan n Head, one whose expression and presence was now strangely familiar to her, one that she had witnessed from her younger brother, Pilkan.


    ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± Her tone became cold as her Invoked Spirit brought out its scythe, preparing for battle.

 Chapter 752: Lan Clan Head Vs Peika

    <h4>Chapter 752: Lan n Head Vs Peika</h4>


    ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± Peika¡¯s cold voice resounded through the room, echoing amidst the rubble. Dust flew past, sliding off theyer of water on her, creating minor ripples in response as they collected on the ground, under her feet.


    ¡°Guess?¡± The Lan n Head let out a sheepish grin, leaping back swiftly to evade a sh of blue that parted the floor into two.


    ¡°Whoa there, calm your hairs,dy.¡± He muttered, wobbling a little before regaining his bnce. He didn¡¯t bring out his Invoked Spirit entirely, but only brought out their wings, attaching them onto his back.


    This was a technique that the Lan n Head had spent more than three centuries to research and develop. And that was the best way for him to protect himself, the reason why it was his go-to form whenever he faced an opponent, whether a group of Invokers or even Ascenders.


    Swish!


    A sh of blue spanned past, aiming for the Lan n Head¡¯s chest when the wings on his back pped once before leaning to one side, shifting his centre of gravity. This prompted his body into a rotatory state, turning his body rapidly as he now stood sideways, watching the sh of blue miss him by a hair¡¯s breath.


    ¡°Hoh, hooo, that was close.¡± He stared at Peika to let out a grin, ¡°You¡¯re a feisty one, my dear.¡±


    Currently, even though the Lan n Head¡¯s mind was taken over by Compass Carburettor, the thought process, the mindset, and the character were all the original Lan n Head¡¯s.


    If he tried to move the Lan n Head through Compass Carburettor¡¯s mindset, it would take time, resulting in dys during his reaction. That was the worst way to kill himself, for his opponent was Peika.


    Therefore, he was pretty much operating as the Lan n Head alone. But the advantage here was the fact that the trace amount of memories and information originating from Compass Carburettor taking over the mind was absorbed by the Lan n Head¡¯s character, influencing him subtly.


    This was why he became more shameless than usual, ying around against Peika, someone he shouldn¡¯t have been able to fight against normally.


    After all, a Human Ascender was stronger than an Eagle Ascender.


    But, the Lan n Head never retaliated and only targeted Peika¡¯s mind, hurling insults that dug into her skin. And as he continued to dodge her fearsome attacks casually, it only served to further incite her.


    ¡°Dammit, stop running like a freaking coward!¡± Peika cursed in anger, irritated at his antics as her Invoked Spirit continued to attack nonstop.


    But like a butterfly fluttering around without any pattern of sorts, the Lan n Head evaded all her attacks, throwing her flow into jeopardy.


    After all, with Compass Carburettor taking control, part of him began to integrate the contents of the Forbidden Tale deeper into the Lan n Head¡¯s mind, causing the Main Character System to root deeper.


    And with that came the processing power of his mind, one that could fully harness the human brain¡¯s potential.


    That was why the Lan n Head¡¯s powers spiked, for his control improved drastically. Moreover, he was now able to freely alter the Mental Fragments in both his Dreand and Invoked Spirit, changing the traits of the eagle as he pleased.


    At one moment, the eagle Invoked Spirit was fast. At another, it was tricky. All of a sudden, its wings were tremendously tough, enough to actually tank Peika¡¯s water scythe.


    The bizarre but consistent changes to the eagle Invoked Spirit confused her, preventing Peika from formting a strategy to defeat him.


    After all, any weakness that she perceived at one moment would vanish the next. And this happened every time she perceived a weakness, as if the opponent was reading her mind.


    Which was indeed the truth as the Lan n Head was reading through the Mental Energy stream she was generating.


    With that, he had aplete read on her actions. Adding onto his superior agility and processing power, he was expending her Mental Strength at least five times faster.


    Basically, by the time he had expended a fifth of his Mental Strength, Peika would be running out of gas.


    After all, unlike Mental Energy, Mental Strength wasn¡¯t a stable source of energy. Its consumption and efficiency were based on the user¡¯s mental state.


    The Lan n Head¡¯s constant taunts and evasions were already beginning to gnaw on her mind, causing Peika to expend more Mental Strength than usual to unleash sub-par attacks.


    ¡®Sh*t, if this keeps up, I¡¯ll be at his mercy son enough.¡¯ Thinking as such, Peika began to retreat, ¡°It seems my ns with the Lan n has toe to a halt now.¡±


    Before leaving though, Peika stared at the Forbidden Tale that was at a corner of the room, attacking it immediately, ¡®That must be the culprit behind the changes to the Lan n Head.¡¯


    But before the attack couldnd on it, the Lan n Head broke the sound barrier to arrive before the Forbidden Tale after which his wings transformed, bing tough as they tanked her attack.


    The Lan n Head grabbed the Forbidden Tale and took flight, staying thirty metres above ground as he stared at Peika.


    ¡°Damnit,¡± Peika muttered in irritation as she began to retreat, feeling a sudden chill upon seeing starlight ooze out of the eyes of all the Elders of the Lan n for a moment.


    One of them waved hands at her, ¡°See you again, my dear.¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Cursing in response, Peika hurriedly vacated the premises of the main family, arriving at the branch family where she was born. Her family had already been informed of her existence.


    And upon knowing that she was alive, they were d, having been sad after Pilkan disappeared one fine day.


    ¡°Mom, Dad, sis, we must leave.¡± She said, grabbing the trip and a couple of their important belonging using her Invoked Spirit before making a beeline to Hiwn.


    At least, it was still safer there, ¡®Thankfully, I hadn¡¯t made my subordinatese into contact with the Forbidden Tale.¡¯


    At the start, when she was about to look through the Forbidden Tale after helping the Lan n Head avoid the crisis, she was always met with emergencies, which caused her to put awayprehending it for ater date.


    That was why she had yet to gaze at it to date. In truth, it was her fate and luck helping her. otherwise, considering her talents, she too would have been taken over by Compass Carburettor by now.


    ¡°Sister, where are we going now?¡± P, Peika¡¯s younger sister asked in concern, ¡°Will we¡­never be able to return to the Lan n?¡±


    ¡°The Lan n has beenpromised.¡± Peika¡¯s stated in anger, gritting her teeth in vexation upon recalling the changes to both the Lan n Head and her younger brother, Pilkan. ¡°So, we¡¯re returning to Hiwn. It¡¯s safer there.¡±


    She didn¡¯t reveal Pilkan¡¯s fate to her family, lest they worry more. At least, making them think that he was dead was many times better than to let them know that an alien was inhabiting his body, using it as a mask tomit atrocities.


    ¡®Whoever the fuck you are, know one thing for sure.¡¯ Veins popped on her face, turning her eyes red as hatred oozed out of her very bearing, ¡®I¡¯ll find you and kill you.¡¯


    ¡­


    Yawn!


    Compass Carburettor stared at the setting sun, letting out a cheerful smile upon seeing a group of eagles fly around each other, messing with each other for fun. His mood was happy, for her received a Mental Energy worthy of celebration.


    The Lan n Head had sessfully fallen under his control. This meant that the Lan n were basically his underlings, for their big boss was pretty much him.


    And for them to coordinate their actions, it was simple. All Compass Carburettor needed to do was send a Mental Energy stream to the Lan n Head regarding what he wanted the other party to do, and that was it.


    The Lan n Head would be able to easily achieve it. Anyone whose mind had been taken over by Compass Carburettor would be capable of using Mental Energy as an advancedmunication tool.


    An ancient philosopher from Earth once said, ¡°A thought only takes a second to travel the universe.¡±


    And until now, Compass Carburettor was unable to refute that im. Irrespective of the distance, information through Mental Energy only took an instant.


    It was just like talking through the Secret Society¡¯s telepathy. Communication was in real-time.


    Of course, Compass Carburettor couldn¡¯t achieve the same level of effect here, for he had to think of the other party for the Mental Energy stream to travel, which was only possible with one target at a time.


    After all, even if he thought about a group, the Mental Energy flowed towards the target against whom he thought the most.


    So with that, it was impossible tomunicate with everyone like through a conference call that the members of Secret Society could enjoy.


    It almost made Compass Carburettor consider, ¡°Should I reim Domino Plottopia¡¯s power?¡±


    If he wished to do so, he could forcibly absorb her into himself. The case would be like before they split up though, as they would at times be able to influence his actions ording to their character ore out on their own.


    There were of course disadvantages, but as someone built on the concept of secrecy, Domino Plottopia¡¯s actions wouldn¡¯t be aware to his enemies. So, it might be safer to take in at least her. ¡°I should give it some more thought.¡±

 Chapter 753: I’m Sorry

    <h4>Chapter 753: I¡¯m Sorry</h4>


    ¡°Return to me, Domino Plottopia!¡± Compass Carburettor stared solemnly, trying to recall Domino Plottopia.


    Immediately, the human Invoked Spirit exited the Dreand on its own as suddenly, a mysterious form of energy began to gradually leak out of it.


    It was a sign of his true body breaking out of the seal. It had to be noted that the source of the seal was the Lore he had used. And as it was his power, he could annule it. Unfortunately, messing with the cause and effect had theirsting consequences.


    But that wasn¡¯t what he noticed at first, hurriedly stopping the action of his true body breaking out of the Invoked Spirit. With that, he stopped himself from summoning Domino Plottopia¡ªhe was only able to do that in his true body.


    After taking the Invoked Spirit into his Dreand, Compass Carburettor stared in seriousness at a figure that had appeared a kilometre above him, looking around in confusion.


    Conjurer!


    Yes, the moment his true body began to emerge, the disturbance in fate, luck, and other mystical phenomenon were alreadyrge enough to alert Conjurer, for this was happening in the worlds under his control.


    So arriving while chasing after the sudden fluctuations, Conjurer was stunned to see all traces vanish. And shockingly, when he tried to analyse the cause of the disturbance, he failed to understand it.


    ¡®Wait, what is happening?¡¯ Conjurer was confused, ¡®How can I not understand what is happening in my own world?¡¯


    If this phenomenon had happened a few months ago, then it would have been easier for him to track the changes and analyse it.


    But now, without his awareness, part of the world¡¯s strength had already been imed by Compass Carburettor. He just hadn¡¯t devoured that yet. Moreover, a marine creature had been turned into a proper Invoker that could cultivate, the first of its kind¡ªthe fish he turned into an Invoker at first was stuck at the Nascent Soul Stage, unable to develop as Compass Carburettor had used a Human Invoker Crystal on it.


    For a deep-sea fish that never surfaced, unless something coincidental happens, it would never encounter humans, kill them, somehow figure out the means to absorb their Mental Fragments and build the Nascent Soul using them to be an Inferior Invoker.


    Every other fish was in the same state, having little to zero chance at bing an Inferior Invoker. And without attaining that level, they weren¡¯t actually tapping into the world¡¯s power system.


    It was only the dolphin alone that was different. For when he released it into the sea, Compass Carburettor had already nurtured it into an Inferior Invoker.


    And growing in its mind was Compass Carburettor. Therefore, its power too was his for the picking, just as every System did in the various worlds.


    This one dolphin alone represented a new domain for the world¡¯s power system to expand upon. And who was in control of that? Compass Carburettor.


    And as Conjurer didn¡¯t have control over the dolphin, there was one aspect of his world he wasn¡¯t clear about now, forming a sort of blind spot to him. With the rapid propagation of the Forbidden Sales through the circle of Ascenders, the majority of the strong in this world¡ªcontinent¡ªwere already fallen under his control.


    This led to variables that prevented Conjurer from diagnosing the issue in his own world.


    Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t even know that something was happening here. After all, in the Lore that Compass Carburettor uttered before Conjurer, he mentioned the term ¡®Seal¡¯.


    Basically, it meant that for a period of three years, Compass Carburettor would be sealed in one of Conjurer¡¯s worlds after which he would break out and return, which was pretty much what had happened.


    And that created a mental suggestion in Conjurer¡¯s mind, one that caused him to gloss over something major.


    Yes, Compass Carburettor was indeed sealed, as the Lore indicated. But, the more one knew about a System, the more it grew in their mind until it took over their body too.


    That was what happened with Pilkan. A fragment of Compass Carburettor formed in Pilkan¡¯s mind that began to influence his Dreand and Invoked Spirit more, creating an environment that influenced Pilkan¡¯s mind to subconsciously understand more about the Main Character System.


    And with him being the protagonist of this world, he was the perfect person toprehend it the most, which was why within the span of two days, his mind was fully taken over by Compass Carburettor.


    Conjurer had never expected that. Often times, the greatest effect didn¡¯t originate from a potent weapon or ability, but just one word that caused the targeted individual or group to gloss over an entire dictionary of possibilities.


    Here, Conjurer didn¡¯t even consider the Main Character System growing in the minds of the people, for he had ensured to never disseminate information about any Systems in his worlds. And that led to his undoing.


    At one point, Immortal too didn¡¯t care about Systems encroaching upon his world, casually swatting them like flies. But the Systems, despite suffering a lot of losses repeatedly kept invading his world, stealing tiny fragments of his power every time.


    And using that stolen fragments, the System World produced stronger, more developed, and advanced Systems. Rinse and repeat to the present, Immortal became one of the weakest among the group.


    From an entity that could casually solo all Grade 3 and Grade 4 Systemsbined to one that would struggle against a single Grade 3 System, that was his downfall.


    As he was an ally to the Systems, trading resources from start to date, Conjurer never thought a System would grow in his world.


    ¡®Heh!¡¯ Compass Carburettor stared at the figure of Conjurer high up in the sky looking around in a fluster, failing to understand what was happening anymore.


    An entity that no living being in this world was capable of seeing was being mockingly watched by one.


    And as Compass Carburettor currently embodied Pilkan¡¯s body whose Invoked Spirit was created using a tenth of his soul, within which the actual Compass Carburettor was sealed, Conjurer had zero chances of finding it out.


    Conjurer stared around before his eyes fell on Pilkan, noticing his artificial limbs, ¡®Limbs created using Mental Fragments? Even if he¡¯s a Human Invoker, they are useless.¡¯


    He thought casually upon seeing the limbs remain like dead logs, not moving in the slightest as limbs should. Of course, a Human Invoker was only capable of creating tools that were nonanimated.


    He didn¡¯t even spare more than a nce before looking around, disappearing once he was unable to sense any signs of the disturbance anymore.


    Once he left, the lifeless limbs of Compass Carburettor came to life, wriggling around like snakes as Compass Carburettor suddenly stood up and moonwalked through the entire ind.


    Pilkan was a teenager full of hormones. So even he wasn¡¯t able to fully control that, expressing his victory with a small dance step. At times, it was best to express one¡¯s emotions freely, and dancing was indeed a spectacr way at that.


    ¡°What¡­was that?¡± Sturr stared in utter confusion, asking only after he stopped, ¡°A ritual?¡±


    ¡°You know¡­just being smooth.¡± Compass Carburettor said, returning to the house.


    ¡°That was a strange step¡­¡± Sturr muttered, thinking for a moment as she dragged her foot backward, ¡°No, his legs moved gracefully like a fish somehow.¡±


    ¡°Mom, rx your joints mor¡­¡± Upon seeing her actions, Ko revealed herself, showing the action that she imitated, making a mistake by the second step as she ced face first into the ground.


    As Compass Carburettor had gone through the entire ind doing the moonwalk, pretty much every resident there bore witness to the scene.


    Upon knowing that he was the true master of the archipgo, controlling the family of three from behind the scenes, their master, they were fascinated by his every action.


    Of course, they imitated the moonwalk, obviously stumbling multiple times. But for some reason, they had fun doing it, or at least practicing to do it, especially among children.


    Truth be told, the kids picked it up real quick, for they were going at it for an entire day without rest, unlike the adults who were less energetic and also had work to do.


    ¡°Well, it seems fun, so why now?¡± Compass Carburettor smiled upon seeing the ce turn livelier all of a sudden, as if it was a festival.


    He neither stopped it nor endorsed it further, aware that by the end of his three years of sealing, things in this world would change immensely. Even he couldn¡¯t predict the course of events that might transpire.


    After all, on the day he faces Conjurer, it wouldn¡¯t be just him alone waiting for him there. Considering the rtionship Conjurer has with Systems, at least a group of Grade 2 Systems and a minimum of two Grade 3 Systems might be waiting for him there.


    It had to be noted that in terms of potential as the Main Character, Compass Carburettor was ranked at the top, above Arnark, the first Main Character. So, no way the Systems would pull their punches.


    ¡°In less than three years¡­¡± Compass Carburettor muttered, sighing, ¡°There¡¯s a good chance that this world woulde to an end, including the worlds dragged into the massive war between me and the Systems.¡±


    He stared at the group of children still practicing their moonwalks even when it was almost night-time, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°For dragging everyone into my personal conflict.¡±

 Chapter 754: Mockery of You

    Chapter 754: Mockery of You


    Kroaarrr!


    A massive humanoid winged creature unleashed a thunderous chirp, opening its beak at the sky as the mere sound caused ripples to form on the streamlined flow of the waterfall before it.


    It was the Garuda.


    But, the Invoked Spirit wasn¡¯t Fenn¡¯s but Larna¡¯s, for she had just be a Common Invoker. The Garuda pped its wings and sted into the waterfall, mming into the hard rock behind to crack it casually, its power terrifying.


    It then took flight, swerving in the air rapidly to sway around like a leaf as it vanished from sight in a matter of seconds. But soon after, it returned,nding on the ground with a resounding thud.


    ¡°Huff¡­haah¡­¡± Larna panted in excitement, wiping out the sweat on her forehead as she retracted her Invoked Spirit and stared at Fenn, ¡°The jump in my Mental Strength from an Inferior Invoker to a Common Invoker is enormous.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Fenn nodded, ¡°The jump in strength is even higher once you be a Superior Invoker. You¡¯ll also be able to create an egg after that.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Larna nodded, taking in a deep breath to calm herself.


    The duo then returned to the vige that had developed significantly aspared to before. First of all, the people were fully subservient, like servants, wishing to do nothing but serve the Invokers better.


    After all, they had witnessed the Garuda¡¯s strength time and again, understanding the sheer power they could grasp as long as they gained Fenn¡¯s favour.


    And hence, they submitted to Fenn¡¯s rule wholeheartedly. With their support, Fenn began to raid the nearby viges, kidnapping everyone from there overnight.


    None could resist the might of his Garuda, as the moment it made its appearance, all rebellion was culled. Suppressed by fear, the vigers were tied up and carried into the forest by his people.


    And of course, they were all killed one after another to harvest their Mental Fragments, allowing Fenn and Larna to develop at a rapid pace.


    Fenn had only created one egg to date, and that was for Larna. The stronger he grew as a Superior Invoker, and having fully assimted with the Spirit Morph Crystal, Fenn was gradually able to understand one¡¯s potential in developing and using the Garuda.


    The rest of his eight wives provedcking, as it seemed their chances of bing Superior Invokers were nil. It had to be noted that only a Superior Invoker could produce the egg that would birth another Garuda.


    This meant that every time someone didn¡¯t be a Superior Invoker, it was a loss of an egg and a direct blow to their growth in terms of Invoker numbers.


    Once she reached the Superior Invoker Stage, Larna would be able to create two eggs. This meant that for their numbers to grow, those that she picked should be able to be Superior Invokers.


    Otherwise, it would result in a vicious cycle that would cause the Garuda to go extinct within three generations.


    Since Fenn¡¯s wives didn¡¯t have a solid enough potential, he refrained from using his precious eggs on them. He could only create three after all.


    So, his current goal was to first be an Ascender. He had already begun preparations for that.


    It had been a year since he arrived at this secluded vige in the middle of a vast forest, having grown a lot, both mentally and as an Invoker.


    ¡°Is it today?¡± Larna asked in concern upon noticing Fenn¡¯s grin. ¡°You¡¯re not nervous?¡±


    ¡°I needn¡¯t be.¡± Fenn smiled in response, ¡°I¡¯m sure that my breakthrough would be sessful. My current Mental Strength is almost ten times a regr Superior Invoker. So, I¡¯m assured of my sess.¡±


    The Spirit Morph Crystal truly helped him tremendously in that regard, developing his powers in all formats. That resulted in his Mental Strength surpassing the level of Invokers already.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have some evening tea now.¡± Fenn said, locking hands with Larna as the two made their way to their house, ¡°I¡¯ll begin my breakthrough after that.¡±


    Kieee!


    His footsteps came to a sudden halt upon hearing the familiar sound as he stared at the sky, ¡°Impossible! Did the Lan n find me?¡±


    ¡°Go, hide in the basement.¡± He stared at Larna in all seriousness, whispering in the end, ¡°If something happens to me, escape through the underground tunnel.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll stay here and fight with you.¡± Larna protested.


    ¡°Remember that it¡¯s not just for yourself.¡± Fenn red at her, ¡°For our child too.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Larna closed her eyes, taking in deep breaths as she controlled her urge to cry before rushing into the underground tunnel. It was something dug under their house, the route leading into the mountain nearby.


    This way, in the case of an emergency, Larna could escape. Fenn¡¯s goal was only to ensure Larna¡¯s survival, not anyone else.


    After all, in their entire vige, only she had the potential to be a Superior Invoker and go beyond. So, she was important to him.


    Besides, the current him was confident in facing anyone below the Ascender Stage and winning easily. The reason he told Larna to flee was that she wasn¡¯t yet experienced in fighting Invokers.


    So, he didn¡¯t want to implicate her.


    Fenn had no ns of dying either. If in the case he failed to defeat his enemies, he would simply flee. As Larna had already escaped, he could track her downter and rejoin her.


    They could restart their lives somewhere else. After all, they only needed human Mental Fragments. With the method of propagation of the Garuda, they could form an elite unit anywhere they please in the world.


    After all considerations, Fenn stared at the sky, observing arge metallic eaglee into view, shocking him, for he recognised it.


    ¡®Wait, why is it this advanced now?¡¯ He was shocked upon noticing the dense packing of Mental Fragments in its construction. It meant that Duketace had reached a staggering level of cultivation, which confused him, for, in his mind, his father couldn¡¯t even break past the Common Invoker Stage.


    ¡°It seems something has happened.¡± He muttered upon seeing the eagle hover five metres above him before itnded on the ground, vanishing to reveal the figure of Duketace and him alone.


    Held in his hands was a cube that resembled a tool created by a Human Invoker.


    ¡°Dad?¡± Fenn asked in surprise, ¡°You¡¯re fine?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Duketace nodded casually as he looked around, ¡°You¡¯re living¡­here?¡±


    He stared at the buildings, smacking his lips in distaste toment, ¡°I must say I¡¯m¡­disappointed.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Veins popped on Fenn¡¯s forehead at the words, ¡°What the heck do you mean by that, dad? What is wrong with this ce?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a ce fit for someone with ambition, just that.¡± Duketace said, shrugging as he revealed a shocking fact, ¡°Once I broke past my limits, I visited Ko and your mother, you see.¡±


    ¡°And they¡¯re faring better than you, by arge margin at that.¡± Duketace let out a sigh of disappointment.


    ¡°I know mom will do better since she is strong and smart. But you say Ko is doing better than me? That brat?¡± Fenn red in anger, ¡°Don¡¯t piss me off any further, dad.¡±


    ¡°I have no reason to lie, do I.¡± Duketace shrugged, ¡°Ko has already be an Ascender.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± At that point, Fenn was unable to control his shock, ¡°H-How is that possible? Where did she even get that many Eagle Mental Fragments in the first ce?¡±


    ¡°She stole them from the Lan n.¡± Duketace said, ¡°She has a method of controlling the eagles, just like the Lan n Head.¡±


    ¡°Dammit,¡± Fenn grunted in anger at the fact that Ko had achieved it before him. He then asked, ¡°So, what about mother?¡±


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s an Ascender too.¡± Duketace said as a matter of fact, ¡°Moreover, Sturr has created a powerful n that she rules over now. They have more than a hundred Invokers and are growing at a terrifying pace.¡±


    ¡°And yes, your sister and mother are cooperating.¡± Duketace said, grinning as he pointed at himself, ¡°They sold the Eagle Mental Fragments to me for cheap and even helped me grow stronger.¡±


    ¡°Are you¡­¡± Fenn¡¯s eyes widened in shock as he stared at Duketace, one on whose back a pair of wings formed. It was the Lan n Head¡¯s signature move.


    ¡°Yep, I¡¯m an Ascender too.¡± Duketace grinned, watching Fenn copse to the ground in shock as he mocked, ¡°Everyone in our family has be an Ascender except you. We all are living lives of luxury. But what about you? You¡¯re living in wooden huts among tribals and don¡¯t even have a force to your name.¡±


    ¡°Just what did you do over the past year, huh?¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± Fenn bellowed in rage, ring at Duketace, ¡°Have youe here just to mock me?¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Duketace nodded, patting the cube once.


    Only then did Fenn¡¯s attention fall on the cube, feeling an eerie feeling from that as he asked, noticing only after he spoke that his voice seemed to be trembling, ¡°W-What is that?¡±


    ¡°My master.¡± Duketace smiled as immediately, the cube exploded into millions of cords that expanded in every direction, with a good fraction of them mming into Fenn.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Fenn summoned his Garuda, shocked when the strings pierced through Garuda¡¯s tough form. But an instantter, he was startled to see that he couldn¡¯t make the Garuda move anymore, only then observing that he was surrounded by mist.


    And emerging from the mist was a strange thread that bulged into a tentacle, the tip of which transformed into a mouth that stopped before his ear to speak¡­


    [Disaster, prone by chaos. In its wake, I awaken.]


    Forbidden Tale!

 Chapter 755: How Systems Steal Power from the Native Worlds

    Chapter 755: How Systems Steal Power from the Native Worlds


    [Disaster, prone by chaos. In its wake, I awaken.]


    Forbidden Tale!


    ¡°W-What the heck is¡­aaarghhh!¡± Fenn bellowed in pain as mysterious words echoed in his ears, nonstop. Even when he closed his eyes, the sound produced by the mouths at the end of the tentacles only raised their frequency to prate his hands and reverberate his eardrums.


    A thin thread approached Fenn¡¯s left eye, taking advantage of his momentary confusion due to pain to slide between the eyeball and the eyelid, creating ayer that glowed faintly.


    And disyed on it, glowing softly were words forming the Forbidden Tale. In his vision, it was as if a wall was hanging before him, disying a set of words constantly. After all, thisyer was transparent, just like a contact lens.


    Whether Fenn had his eyes closed or open, the Forbidden Tale¡¯s words were always registered in his mind. On the right eye, the transparentyer between the eyelid and the eyeball disyed Compass Carburettor¡¯s picture, engraving the details in his brain.


    And of course, the same was also echoing in his ears as Fenn screamed in pain, unable to escape from this. No matter what he did, his Garuda failed to budge from the spot.


    Moreover, the threads had already wound him into a cocoon, preventing him from running away, unable to even shout after a few seconds had passed as he was gagged.


    ¡°¡­¡± Duketace didn¡¯t state anything, just shuddering in fear at the sight before him, ¡®What sort of monster did I release?¡¯


    Ever since Pilkan lost his legs, he seemed to have changed, gradually cutting off more and more of his body to rece them with Mental Fragment constructs. Eventually, everything except the brain had already been swapped out.


    Currently, Compass Carburettor would only be alive for one more day in the current state, for his Mental Fragment body wasn¡¯t able to provide the nutrients necessary for his brain to function for long.


    A day was all that he had left. That was why he asked Duketace to bring him here, intending to deal with Fenn. After all, the final piece of the puzzley with Fenn.


    ¡®What the heck is this?¡¯ Fenn thought while staring at the figure of Compass Carburettor that gradually formed before him, taking shape after a couple of seconds had passed.


    ¡®Wait, is that mom?¡¯ His eyes widened in shock before thinking otherwise, ¡®No, that¡¯s not mother. She¡¯s someone else, and only shares simrities to mom.¡¯


    Ady appeared before him, smiling as she took a step forward before her body copsed.


    ¡°Hah!¡± As Fenn stared in confusion, a sign resounded before the Mental Fragments created the figure of Pilkan that was stable.


    Pilkan took a step forward, not crumbling like before as he muttered, ¡°It seems the powers of the Spirit Morph Crystal are necessary toplete my power umtion here.¡±


    ¡°Y-You¡­¡± Fenn shouted when the gag covered his mouth, ¡®You¡¯ll never obtain it!¡¯


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled as he observed starlight flickering in and out of Fenn¡¯s eyes from time to time. He was forcefully making the other party be aware of the existence of the Main Character System.


    ¡°You know¡­¡± Compass Carburettor smiled as over a dozen mouths formed next to Fenn¡¯s ears, muttering at the same time, ¡°I am the protagonist of this world.¡±


    ¡°Everything revolves around me.¡±


    The starlight flickering in Fenn¡¯s eyes only strengthened in response as Compass Carburettor smiled at the result. He then stared up, frowning upon seeing fate and luck gradually move in ways to counter him.


    He lifted Fenn and stared at Duketace, ¡°Let¡¯s return.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Staring at this scene from halfway up the nearby mountain was Larna, screaming in horror as she watched Fenn getting carried away, trapped by the scary foe.


    The moment she red at that scary foe, the other party stared in her direction, rming her.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Compass Carburettor frowned before his eyes lit up as he stared at Fenn in surprise, ¡°I see, quite the ambitious n you have too.¡±


    ¡°He does?¡± Duketace asked in surprise, ¡°I thought he was just hiding here to cultivate in peace.¡±


    ¡°No, his conquest begins right after he bes an Ascender. That¡¯s why we targeted him today when he¡¯s the most vulnerable.¡± Compass Carburettor said, facing his hand towards Larna as it suddenly wriggled to expand rapidly into a stream that rushed at her.


    ¡°Kyak!¡± Screaming in fright, Larna was just about to use her Invoked Spirit to defend against the attack. But upon recalling how Fenn¡¯s Invoked Spirit failed to move aftering in contact with this weird mass, her mind spun into overdrive.


    Larna brought out her Garuda, making it uproot a tree nearby and throw it with all its might at the approaching stream of gooey mass. The collision impeded the gooey mass¡¯s approach as the Garuda picked her up and took flight, rapidly flying in the other direction.


    ¡°I¡¯ll catch her, my Lord. Give me a few seconds¡­¡± Duketace was just about to turn around and give chase when Compass Carburettor stopped him.


    ¡°No, keep going.¡± Compass Carburettor paled in response, urging Duketace to move, ¡®Crap, crap, crap! It seems I¡¯ve pissed off this world¡¯s fate by targeting Fenn.¡¯


    Honestly, Fenn¡¯s fate was stronger than Duketace, Ko, and Sturrbined, despite thetter three already being Ascenders.


    It was because his potential was just that enormous, capable of changing the entire world in the future. Whenever he targeted those blessed by fate, the world retaliated ordingly.


    Therefore, if he remained in the same location for more than a few minutes, Compass Carburettor would be struck down by lightning or encounter some other natural disaster.


    Boom!


    Thunder rumbled in the sky while Fenn continued to scream in pain. Duketace flew at his top speed, staring at the sky as he understood the reason Compass Carburettor wanted to escape first.


    This happened a few times already. And in those times, he carried Pilkan and went to other regions at top speed, evading the disaster brewing at the ce.


    Even if the world wished to dispose of Compass Carburettor, it couldn¡¯t just cause cmities anywhere it pleased. Only in locations where it was possible was it able to unleash them.


    As an undeveloped world, it didn¡¯t have the means to deal with invaders other than hitting them with lightning bolts from time to time.


    Boom!


    A bolt of lightning mmed into the eagle, defended by a small te that was formed using Mental Fragments sourced through living beings regarding memories and experiences rted to lightning.


    The lightning failed to break past the defences, only causing the small te to glow indigo as Compass Carburettor stared at the sky, noticing that the attacks had just started, ¡®Thankfully, I didn¡¯t target that woman too. Disturbing the fate of both would trigger a retaliation beyond what I can currently handle.¡¯


    The lightning bolts continued to attack them as Compass Carburettor created shields one after another to defend against them while the metallic eagle soon left the forest area. Beyond that, the lightning stopped targeting them.


    Once they left the region, Compass Carburettor stared at the sky, observing the disturbances of fate as he said, ¡°We¡¯ll stop and calm here for two hours.¡±


    ¡°Two hours?¡± Duketace was surprised.


    ¡°Yeah, there wouldn¡¯t be any disasters here for the next two hours.¡± Compass Carburettor said, staring at Fenn, ¡°That¡¯s a good window of time to finish our work.¡±


    He then looked at Duketace, ¡°Will you be saddened at the loss of a son?¡±


    ¡°Not really, no.¡± Duketace shook his head, ¡°Even just now, Fenn was ready to kill me if I proved a hindrance to his life. And he abandoned me in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t hold a grudge at him, but there¡¯s no emotional attachment either.¡±


    ¡°Then it should be alright.¡± Compass Carburettor nodded, watching the starlight seeping out of Fenn continue to strengthen as he was force-fed information regarding the Main Character System.


    Just gaining knowledge regarding a System was enough to form it in your mind. Compass Carburettor used the Forbidden Tale only because it also targeted the power system, taking root within both the Dreand and Invoked Spirit.


    Meaning, when he absorbed the Main Character System fragment from them, he would also absorb the powers they had gained.


    But as he was in a hurry, he couldn¡¯t wait until Fennprehended the Forbidden Tale, instead supplying him with all information regarding the Main Character System to hurriedly grow arge enough fragment in his mind.


    And that was disyed by the strength of the Mental Energy stream he unleashed while staring at Compass Carburettor. Through that, Compass Carburettor judged the development of the fragment within his mind, nodding when two hours were almost up, ¡°Okay, it¡¯s big enough now.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Fenn.¡± He said, twisting the other party¡¯s neck to kill him. Mist filled the region as Compass Carburettor absorbed both the Garuda and the Mental Fragments originating from his corpse, taking mere seconds to absorb everything.


    He then stared at the tiny blob that exited his body, beginning to dissipate naturally when in contact with the external environment.


    He stretched his hand and touched the blob, absorbing it into his body. It was the Main Character System fragment growing in Fenn. And by absorbing it, he stole the entirety of the power that Fenn had cultivated until now, turning the power of the Spirit Morph Crystal into something inherent to the Main Character System fragment he just absorbed.


    This was how Systems stole power from the native worlds.

 Chapter 756: World Specialities

    <h4>Chapter 756: World Specialities</h4>


    Every world had unique specialities that were cultivated in it in secluded locations. If suppose Fenn were to grow and develop further, he would establish a powerful n with the Invoked Spirit of Garuda.


    This power whereby they can grow by absorbing Mental Fragments from both humans and eagles would be their exclusive speciality, not to mention being able to create invokers without an Invoker Crystal but using the egg that the Garuda produced.


    Such specialities would be targeted by System Hosts who would exclusively gain that power. And once they leave the world and are consumed by their Hosts in the System World, their System would gain that power permanently.


    If the absorbed essence was strong enough, the System World would condense it into a Skill to bestow the System with.


    This was in the case with Grade 1 Systems. Grade 2 Systems and beyond were capable of condensing such essence into Skills on their own. And once condensed into a Skill, that power was permanently lost in its native world, for the System Host was thest to wield or inherit that power.


    Gobbling up everything rare was a unique trait of the protagonists driven by Systems.


    Compass Carburettor did the same here and stole the power of the Spirit Morph Crystal from Fenn, including everything he cultivated. Even though Larna was still alive, she only had the power of the Garuda and not the Spirit Morph Crystal itself.


    With the power of the crystal, anyone would have been able to create a Garuda or some other Invoked Spirit of its level easily.


    The moment he absorbed the Main Character System fragment that grew in Fenn, Compass Carburettor rxed, for his ego was strengthened. After all, he was absorbing more of himself.


    This immediately ensured he wasn¡¯t gued by thoughts of whether he was behaving as the Main Character or not anymore.


    The moment he willed it, Compass Carburettor¡¯s body morphed and transformed into the Garuda without any trouble. He didn¡¯t even bring out his Invoked Spirit but directly morphed his body itself.


    Tendrils wriggled around a half-exposed human brain which formed the central hub for everything. As the power of the Spirit Morph Crystal spread around in him, using the derived Mental Fragments, he could morph their nature a little, watching a brain form before him.


    And it wasn¡¯t Pilkan¡¯s brain, but his¡ªCompass Carburettor¡¯s. Presently, he couldn¡¯t discard Pilkan¡¯s brain yet. For, the moment he was to lose it, he would still die.


    After all, only a part of his soul was tied to his Invoked Spirit. The remainder was still part of the fleshly body. And only by transforming it fully would it be possible to attain what he was wishing for.


    ¡°Alright, you may leave for the time being, Duketace.¡± Compass Carburettor smiled, watching Duketace take his leave instantly as starlight shone through his eyes.


    Once he left, Compass Carburettor thought while staring at his tendril-filled body, ¡®Currently, I¡¯m still an outsider of this world. The moment I extract myself from Pilkan¡¯s soul, I¡¯ll lose all this power.¡±


    Boom!


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± The Lan n Head said, retracting his wings as he had brought with him a couple dozen people, all Ascenders.


    ¡°Take your leave now. It¡¯s not time for me to absorb you yet.¡± Compass Carburettor stared at the Lan n Head, one being controlled by him¡ªCompass Carburettor¡ªat the moment.


    The Lan n Head left while Compass Carburettor stared at the over couple dozen Ascenders before him, each originating from far-off locations. They were all that hadprehended the Forbidden Tale until they were taken over by Compass Carburettor.


    Their respective ns were all fully under the effects of the Forbidden Tale, due to which their growth was staggering, already producing at least one more Ascender per n to take care of their political power.


    And now, the previous generation n Heads were all gathered before him, obviously to be absorbed.


    Compass Carburettor stretched his left hand that expanded like a worm and gobbled the closest Ascender, absorbing his Dreand, Invoked Spirit, soul, etc. finally also absorbing the ¡®Compass Carburettor¡¯ growing in his mind too.


    The effect in him was so strong that a part of his soul too had been transformed into Compass Carburettor. All these were absorbed and extracted by Compass Carburettor who then focused on the second Ascender, repeating the same.


    He could also feel a tremendous reserve of Mental Energy swerving into his Invoked Spirit. All the n Heads had been storing arge sum in their bodies until now¡ªafter being taken over by Compass Carburettor.


    Boom!


    Suddenly, a bolt of lightning mmed into the cluster of threads created by Mental Fragments, melting through a fraction of them as Compass Carburettor grunted in pain.


    ¡°As expected, a tribtion is necessary for such a scenario, right?¡± His face formed arge grin that parted him horizontally into two. A second bolt mmed into him immediately after as some of the threads began to glow indigo in response.


    Every creature had witnessed lightning at least a few times in its life. And as it obviously formed a strong impression in their mind, there was at least one Mental Fragment in the body of every creature regarding this.


    For others, this Mental Fragment was useless, but for Compass Carburettor, it was valuable, for he had extracted them all and created tools out of them. Now, he dissolved the pure lightning-rted Mental Fragments, causing them to glow while they absorbed the lightning.


    The lightning flowed through them like currents before travelling into Pilkan¡¯s brain, affecting his brain signals.


    At this moment, the fragments of the soul of Compass Carburettor that had formed in the bodies of all the Ascenders began to flow into the brain as they graduallytched onto it and began to devour thetter.


    Pilkan¡¯s soul was gradually flushed out while Compass Carburettor¡¯s took root, following which the power of the Spirit Morph Crystal affected the brain, actually transforming it into Mental Fragments too.


    After all, Compass Carburettor was able to harness the power of Mental Energy, turning them into Bullet Temtes, the power of one among which allowed him to create Systems using the content in Mental Energy.


    In a simr vein, by transferring the lightning of nature into the brain, he amplified the thoughts it produced, causing them to remain within the muscles that he began to transform into Systems, stopping partially to result in Mental Fragments, for that was their true nature¡ªof Mental Fragments.


    ¡°I was wondering why Conjurer supported this weak power system.¡± Compass Carburettor said as his lips gradually curled up.

 Chapter 757: An Unrestrained Being

    <h4>Chapter 757: An Unrestrained Being</h4>


    Conjurer was the one that resulted in the creation of the System World. Basically, he had seen the entire growth of the Systems and realised the tremendous potential they possessed.


    After all, the race of Systems currently was a conglomerate so vast that the entities on the level of Immortal, Magister, and even Mystique had no other choice but to team up to fight against them.


    It had to be noted that there was a time when Conjurer had no other choice but to pander to the whims of Magister, an existence too strong for him to even think about going against. Which is why he supported the Systems.


    Of course, the world he created wouldn¡¯t be that simple. Mental Fragments were simply building blocks of a System¡¯s body, one that could exist in reality without crumbling apart. That was what Conjurer had been researching up to create until now and had already achieved.


    At present, he was just waiting until the power system developed naturally and became strong enough for him topete against the peak powers.


    Mental Strength was an energy source that ran parallel to Mental Energy. It too existed in pretty much every power system and actually yed a significant role multiple times. But thought to be inherent to every sentient creature, it was never treated as a separate energy source.


    And pretty much, Compass Carburettor had seen through Conjurer¡¯s ns after living in this world for a year. Of course, he wished to take advantage of that.


    Mental Strength would give a multiplicative boost to the quality of his Mental Energy depending on his mental state at the time. Moreover, once his true soul took root, Compass Carburettor understood that he could morph Mental Energy and Mental Strength without any issues, thanks to the Spirit Morph Crystal.


    It wasn¡¯t just that, but through its power, he could also morph flesh into Mental Fragments, just as he was doing to Pilkan¡¯s brain.


    ¡°Goodbye, Pilkan. You were a great whetstone.¡± Compass Carburettor muttered, feeling only an ounce of guilt that he suppressed andpleted devouring all the Ascenders.


    Following that, he tanked the lightning bolts, causing them to flow through the strings created using lightning-rted Mental Fragments. They formed a massivework, one that spanned the width of a few kilometres, causing lightning to arch over them entirely.


    Crackle!


    As if offended that he wasn¡¯t dead yet, the lightning became even more serious, for the world had been targeting him and was unable to do anything for the past two hours because hended in a naturally safe location.


    But since he dared to kill and absorb Fenn¡¯s fate, he had to be gotten rid of.


    Crackle!


    The lightning sparked through the thin threads that were barely a hundredth of a hair¡¯s thickness, flowing as they glowed brightly. The lightning continued to m into them to no avail, and only seemed to be spreading through them nonstop before which, the massivework shrunk rapidly.


    Like stretched springs, they condensed into awork of nerves, resembling a human¡¯s Central Nervous System. All the lightning bolts became energy fuelling through them, transmitting information as just like the mist, Compass Carburettor had absorbed this tribtion lightning too.


    It was faster than regr lightning, allowing the transfer of information to be fast, especially since after getting absorbed, they could transform into Mental Fragments, which meant they could morph into Mental Energy too.


    This meant that the transfer of information in his body barely took an instant even for tens of billions of transmissions.


    Faint mist vaporised from the body as a skeletal framework formed over the Central Nervous System, followed by muscles, organs, tissues, and finally skin. As hair began to grow over his head, eyebrows and eyelids, a set of clothes covered his body as Compass Carburettor took in a deep breath, staring at his original body, ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±


    It was now his own soul controlling his own body, also possessing a part of his own body sealed within himself. But of course, the moment he became entirely whole, the world wasn¡¯t able to sense him momentarily.


    Main Character Shielding!


    Compass Carburettor transformed into sludge and drilled into the ground, vanishing as the tiny finger-sized hole sealed up with mud immediately after.


    A couple of secondster, Conjurer appeared at the ce, abjectly confused as to what the heck had happened here. He was just on the verge of capturing Stencil to help gain leverage in the fight that would erupt in two years.


    But every time he was about to go through with the n, some disturbance erupted in his world, causing him to hurry over and return here.


    He had over a few dozen worlds under him. So, he couldn¡¯t always observe everything happening there. These worlds used his power to maintain themselves. They were like gas stations fuelling his existence, allowing him to revive through them instantly.


    He could also influence their development through the power system, but that didn¡¯t mean he was aware of everything happening here, which was why he was confused, failing to notice anything different in the ce.


    But he stared at the sky, seeing thunderclouds there, an arrangement simr to the world¡¯s immunity system, ¡®Strange, it is apparent that this world was trying to get rid of something here. But where is it? There are no traces.¡¯


    ¡®Is it Compass Carburettor?¡¯ He thought as such, feeling killing intent. Though an instantter, he remained standing there, sporting a nk expression on his face as the thunderclouds in the sky dissipated.


    He then regained his bearings, looking around, confused, ¡°Strange, why did Ie here?¡±


    ¡°I cannot remember the reason.¡±


    ¡­


    Bang!


    ¡°Koff!¡± A teenager kneeled to the ground, getting the wind knocked out of his chest as he stared at the dirty feet of the pair of thugs that were bullying him for money.


    ¡°I already gave you everything I had! Spare me already!¡± The teenager shouted.


    ¡°A feisty one we have, huh?¡± One of the thugs said before suddenly noticing a hooded man appear behind the teenager, shouting in rm, ¡°W-Who are you? Where the fuck did youe from?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± The teenager took in a deep breath to gather his bearings before lifting his head, surprised to not see any traces of the thugs nearby.


    ¡°They ran away.¡± The hooded man said, smiling as he urged the teenager to walk away, ¡°Here, your purse. Be careful with your money, alright?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, kind sir.¡± Even though he was confused, the teenager took the purse, bowed in response and exited the alleyway.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± The hooded man waved his hand before staring at the wall nearby that wriggled all of a sudden before parting open to reveal the two thugs constrained inside.

 Chapter 758: Innate Power: Spirit Morph

    <h4>Chapter 758: Innate Power: Spirit Morph</h4>


    ¡°Ummphhh!¡± One of the thugs struggled to break free of the binds restricting him, preventing him from even shouting for help.


    ¡°Why are you trying to scream for help now?¡± The hooded man was Compass Carburettor, watching the two men wriggle their muscles in an effort to tear apart the bindings constricting them but failed to do so.


    ¡®Alright, it¡¯s stronger than what an adult brute could tear off naturally.¡¯ Nodding in response, Compass Carburettor gradually removed the hood, causing the two thugs to stare at his eyes that brimmed with starlight.


    The bindings came off as the faces of the thugs turned pale with fright. They felt a primal sense of fear, screaming for help, ¡°No¡­NO! Please spare us¡­gwarrgh!¡±


    Their bodies melted and transformed into Mental Fragments that flowed into Compass Carburettor who stored them in his Dreand. He then covered his face with the hood and walked out of the alleyway and arrived at a nearby restaurant.


    Held in his hand was a small pouch filled with money that the thugs had gathered. Taking a seat nearby a window, Compass Carburettor extended forth two coins, staring at the waiter to ask, ¡°A meal for this.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± The waiter took the two coins and returned with a te of food soon after, setting it up on the table.


    There seemed to be rice, mixed vegetables, and some pickles on the side, nothing special. Compass Carburettor scooped out a mouthful, swallowing it to sense the rice transforming into Mental Fragments of the same nature before being absorbed by his body, ¡®It seems I can transform anything into Mental Fragments now.¡¯


    ¡®And using the same Mental Fragments, I can recreate a bowl of rice in the future.¡¯ After finishing his meal, he left the restaurant, walking by the street to chance upon a beggar, snapping his finger as a Mental Fragment leapt out of his body before transforming into a te of food, the same that he dined in the restaurant just now.


    ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± The beggar opened his eyes at the aroma, noticing a te of food before his feet, thanking the passer-by for he didn¡¯t know who the good soul was that gave him food.


    He devoured the food happily before falling asleep. There were no issues with him.


    ¡®I see, this is plenty useful.¡¯ Compass Carburettor smiled. Having absorbed the power of the Spirit Morph Crystal, he obtained a useful ability.


    Not only was he able to transform anything he sees into Mental Fragments and absorb them into his body, but he was also able to transform any tool he creates out of Mental Fragments into an item part of reality.


    It was just like the ce of food from before. It was actual food. It was what he consumed at the restaurant and transformed into Mental Fragments. And now, he reverted those Mental Fragments into the meal.


    Surprisingly, the meal retained even its heat, the same as what it had when it was served. This meant that irrespective of the attack directed at him, Compass Carburettor was able to transform them into Mental Fragments and make them his.


    And if he didn¡¯t need them as Mental Fragments, he could convert them into Mental Energy instead, which was also useful.


    Best of all, this power was his, one that would work in all the worlds out there. It wasn¡¯t a Personal Fragment, it wasn¡¯t a Core Skill like Lore, and it wasn¡¯t even a Bullet Temte.


    But just like the powers of Anthozoa, this too became his innate power¡ªSpirit Morph.


    This was the power that the Compass Carburettor fragments had stolen from others, making it the exclusive power of every fragment. And as he had absorbed them all, they became his.


    It wasn¡¯t just that. But absorbing the over double dozen Ascenders also improved one more aspect of his.


    Main Character¡ªLevel 4!


    He gained three whole levels from this ordeal, attaining level 4 now. Little by little, he was growing stronger.


    ¡°But, it won¡¯t be enough for the uing fight. I have less than two years left.¡± He sighed, staring at the sky as he muttered, ¡°I¡¯m not growing fast enough. So at that time, you¡¯ll help me, right?¡±


    ¡°Arnark?¡±


    Ding!


    There was a twinkle in the sky, resultant from starlight that only he could perceive. Upon receiving the message, Compass Carburettor broke into a grin, shook his head and exited the town.


    His body transformed into the Garuda and took flight, making a beeline towards the archipgo. His first goal of transforming his body into a Mental Fragment counterpart was a sess. Stealing all of Fenn¡¯s gains was also a sess.


    Next, he had to break through to be an Ascender.


    His current strength had already reached a level beyond what Ascenders could handle. After all, he could channel certain types of thoughts towards an Ascender and rapidly melt their body into Mental Fragments that were shaped ording to his thoughts.


    He could do the same for their Invoked Spirits too, which made them all weak against him. But he would still need to be an Ascender, for he felt his strength would have an obvious increase as a result.


    Kieee!


    Sturr stared at the sky, watching the Garudand before her, startling her for a moment as the entity spanned a height of ten metres, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    She thought the enemy was an Ascender that disliked her creating a force in this archipgo that had bankrupted countless ns. Obviously, it was enough reason for someone to target her.


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Compass Carburettor said, reverting to his human form as Sturr was startled.


    ¡°My Lord, you can transform into Invoked Spirits now?¡± She was shocked.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Compass Carburettor nodded before entering the building constructed for his dwelling, ¡°I¡¯ll now break through to the Ascender Stage.¡±


    ¡°I congratte you in advance, my Lord.¡± She bowed in response.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much time, so I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± Compass Carburettor said, staring at the fate of the world congregating at the region gradually. If he dyed, then a disaster would strike this region soon enough.


    Even though it wouldn¡¯t be able to kill him, he could still be affected, especially since he would have to concentrate fully. After all, to be an Ascender, one must fuse the entirety of their soul into the Invoked Spirit.


    For him, it meant breaking the seal, for only then would the soul trapped there would fuse with the Invoked Spirit. If he didn¡¯t do that, he was basically failing the breakthrough. This meant that the moment he bes an Ascender, he was annulling his Lore automatically.


    It was easy, for when it took effect, the Core Skill of Lore was Level 1. In contrast, it was Level 4 now, allowing him to easily do so.

 Chapter 759: Mental Energy Farm

    <h4>Chapter 759: Mental Energy Farm</h4>


    The breakthrough process from an Invoker to an Ascender was simple. The Invoker would have to concentrate in their Dreand, focus on their Invoked Spirit and try to replicate the same effects that transpired when they consumed an Invoker Crystal.


    For the majority of people, this wasn¡¯t possible, the reason they remained an Invoker for the rest of their life. Once they manage to replicate its effects¡ªobviously through a delicate arrangement of Mental Fragments to almost unleash the effects of a Scroll through the Dreand¡¯s arrangements¡ªto a desirable extent, the hardest part came.


    The breakthrough process was said to have ended when the entirety of their soul fused with the Invoked Spirit. This meant that once they began to process, they would have to finish it.


    Otherwise, it would result in their soul split into tworge chunks, with either incapable of sustaining their lives. They would either remain in aatose state for the rest of their lives or lose their lives straight away.


    The inhibiting factor in this was their Mental Strength. If the soul was considered a water tank, then the Invoked Spirit was another water tank that was partially filled with water.


    Using their Mental Strength, they would have to manually transfer the water from one tank to another, scoop after scoop, which was a strenuous process, resulting in most running out of Mental Strength due to the mental strain.


    As Mental Strength was consumed in excess for lower effect when one was tense, even if an Invoker prepared and trained himself to possess as much Mental Strength as necessary toplete a sessful breakthrough, the stress he faces during the breakthrough would cause him to run empty halfway into the process.


    This is the reason the majority of Invokers failed the breakthrough.


    But for Compass Carburettor, this wasn¡¯t a concern. Not only did he now possess a vast reserve of Mental Strength, he only needed a thought to finish creating the effects of a scroll in his Dreand that would transfer his soul into his Invoked Spirit.


    But, he had one tricky part, which was the fact that the majority of his soul was sealed within the Invoked Spirit. ¡®I don¡¯t need to take it out.¡¯


    As it had to be fused into the Invoked Spirit in the first ce, he didn¡¯t make any unnecessary changes, directly beginning the breakthrough.


    In this state, he was able to sense his soul, a formless substance akin to a misty sphere that revolved within itself in soft swirls from time to time. With a thought, a wisp of the soul flew into the Invoked Spirit, settling within it.


    At the same time, Compass Carburettor used his powers of Main Character¡ªpossible since arge enough self of him had formed after he absorbed his fragments from the double dozen Ascenders¡ªto break the seal within the Invoked Spirit, causing a rush of energy as the soul there directly fused with it.


    In a matter of minutes, the souls from both sources fused into the Invoked Spirit,pleting the breakthrough, pretty much the fastest this world had ever seen, for it only took a few seconds.


    With the breakthroughpleted, Compass Carburettor smiled, summoning Anthozoa in his hand. Currently, his true body was the Invoked Spirit in his Dreand while his external body was just a fleshly housing.


    But since the fleshly housing had been transformed into a Mental Fragment construct, Compass Carburettor could behave as if this was his true body, ¡®Just as when I used my Haggon and Spirit Form long ago to fool my opponents.¡¯


    As the Invoked Spirit was a Human Invoked Spirit, creation of tools was its primary ability. And through that, he could create tools¡ªAnthozoa¡ªthat he could bring out of the Dreand and wield freely.


    Considering Anthozoa¡¯s original nature, it was enough to destroy this power system as even someone powerless could kill an Ascender with its help.


    Though, killing unique Ascenders like Peika with Anthozoa alone was impossible. After all, using her unique water, she was always protected.


    ¡°But in the same vein, I have two such powers now¡­¡± Compass Carburettor muttered, extending his hands to see mist swirling on the left and lightning sparking on the right.


    ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Compass Carburettor noticed minor differences in the mist after bing an Ascender. After fully fusing with his soul, the Invoked Spirit became his body and had also be the Main Character System.


    This resulted in his powers influencing one another, leading to minor evolution to the mist. Compass Carburettor created a sphere surrounding himself with the mist, smiling as he thought of Duketace, watching a Mental Energy stream gush out of his head.


    But strangely, the Mental Energy stream bumped into the misty walls and stopped moving, unable to pass through it. Gradually, it began to curl itself, bing a sphere of Mental Energy that didn¡¯t vanish as it would normally.


    ¡®So, it¡¯s not just Mental Fragments, but also Mental Energy that can be trapped and maintained within the mist now.¡¯ He smiled in response. After all, Mental Fragments were basically the body constructs of a System.


    And as Systems were beings of fish in Mental Energy, created and thrived in Mental Energy, they were synonymous with Mental Fragments. And the moment his mist upgraded after fusing into his body, it became capable of trapping Mental Energy.


    ¡°This means¡­¡± He muttered, snapping his finger to unleash a thin stream of mist that exited the house and rapidly created a dome that covered the entire archipgo. But as it was just a thinyer of mist, none even noticed it existing.


    The Mental Energy streams unleashed by the people towards one another weren¡¯t interrupted. But the moment anyone from the archipgo thought of someone living beyond, the Mental Energy stream mmed into the misty walls before curling up into a sphere there.


    With a snap of his finger, the Mental Energy flowed into his body as after a moment of thought, Compass Carburettor unleashed some more mist. It was a trace amount, that one wouldn¡¯t notice while going about in their daily lives.


    Only if they saw the horizon would they notice everything beyond a few kilometres masked due to the mist. But nothing in their proximity would be affected, preventing the people from noticing the difference.


    And this resulted in rather interesting developments as all the Mental Energy unleashed by the people never met its destination, curling up into balls mid-air before they were absorbed by Compass Carburettor.


    ¡®It seems I can harvest a lot of Mental Energy.¡¯ Thinking as such, he stared at the sky smiling, for he intended to nket the entire world with a thinyer of mist and turn it into a Mental Energy farm.

 Chapter 760: World: Under Me

    <h4>Chapter 760: World: Under Me</h4>


    How much Mental Energy could one harvest from a world?


    ¡°Not much!¡± Would be the answer from a Grade 1 System, for it needed at least two decades to harvest around a hundred thousand Mental Energy. Even in technological worlds, this was the standard duration required, not to mention in other less connected worlds.


    After all, unless the target killed your mother, you wouldn¡¯t think about them every second of your existence. Even on Earth, as the richest man, at most Compass Carburettor made his way into the conversation of people once or twice a day, and that was only between people that constantly talked about people and the rich businessmen that dealt with money.


    The average joe was busy making a living to even bother with such people who had more money than they ever needed.


    So, even though he sat at the highest seat on Earth, the streams of Mental Energy directed at him weren¡¯t much, in terms of consistency. If divided in terms of seconds, at most one Mental Energy stream was directed at him every two or three seconds.


    On some days, there would be hundreds or even thousands every second, happening every time he did something drastic that affected the lives of plenty ofmoners. But on other days, there wouldn¡¯t even be a Mental Energy stream for entire hours.


    At the end of the day, Grade 1 Systems weren¡¯t even able to tap into thework of Mental Energy¡¯s potential much.


    ¡°Pretty decent!¡± Would be what a Grade 2 System says, being able to absorb Mental Energy from all the humans of the world, for they were all System Hosts. Meaning, any Mental Energy they generated would be absorbed by the targets, for they too were System Hosts.


    This was why Grade 2 Systems never bothered to interfere with the affairs of the world, only doing so when the world was on a destructive cycle. If the number of people reduced drastically, the total Mental Energy it farmed would reduce, to prevent which it generally gave immense benefits to a certain someone and turned him into the protagonist of the world.


    Eventually, that protagonist would solve all the problems guing the world, resulting in it functioning at full capacity for the foreseeable future.


    A Grade 2 System would probably need around a week or two to make a hundred thousand Mental Energy.


    ¡°Great!¡± Would be the answer from a Grade 3 System, for the majority of the Mental Energy generated in the world would be absorbed by the world itself. After all, with the entire world acting as its Host, all the Mental Energy generated in it would obviously be the Grade 3 System¡¯s.


    It would probably make a hundred thousand Mental Energy in a matter of hours.


    If the same question was posed to the current Compass Carburettor, the answer would be, ¡°Decently great!¡±


    He wasn¡¯t getting as much Mental Energy as a Grade 3 System, but he was actually making more than a Grade 2 System.


    After all, it wasn¡¯t just humans that he was absorbing Mental Energy from, but also the plethora of creatures existing in nature.


    He first started by enveloping every city and town in a dome of mist, making them act as batteries that produced a steady stream of Mental Energy. With that, he was making more Mental Energy than what he consumed, allowing him to expand hiswork and act on cities farther away.


    By transforming into the Garuda, he was able to fly at a rapid pace. Within a week, he pretty much captured all the major cities and towns. He didn¡¯t bother with the viges, for the time taken to capture them all was too much and wasn¡¯t worth the effort.


    With that, he was getting a few hundred Mental Energy every second, a tremendous sum. Adding onto the fact that the sunlight incident on him was also being converted into Mental Energy, his reserves were climbing up rapidly.


    Following that, he awaited a week, saving up enough Mental Energy before which he stared at the sky, emanating a stream of mist while flying around the entire world. Gradually, he spread the mist around, creating ayer high up in the sky, forming a thickness of a few metres.


    It was at a height where it wasn¡¯t visible either during the day or during the night. It took him a month to finish erecting the mist dome entirely, having enveloped the entire world under it.


    Moreover, the moment the mist thinned in a certain location, it automatically absorbed some of the Mental Energy spheres forming around its inner surface, using it to replenish itself. With that, it became self-sustaining, following which Compass Carburettor removed the domes covering the cities.


    It was no longer necessary, for he had enveloped the entire world with it, also spreading around a thin enough mist that was strong enough to trap in the Mental Energy streams generated by the people whenever they had any thoughts.


    Whether it was a human, a fish, or even an insectrge and developed enough to unleash Mental Energy, they were all his targets, bing active yers of his Mental Energy farm.


    With that, he was obtaining at least a thousand Mental Energy every second, an amount he never deemed possible. But, Compass Carburettor didn¡¯t stop at that as he went around the world,ying down sr panels¡ªAnthozoa¡¯s skin.


    The moment sunlight was incident on them, these skins absorbed the sunlight, converted it into Mental Energy and stored them there in the form of Mental Fragments. The moment the number of Mental Fragments exceeded a certain level, they would transform into Mental Energy and flow into Compass Carburettor.


    These sunlight-absorbing skins, Compass Carburettor morphed them into trees and nted them anywhere he pleased, enjoying the sheer volume of Mental Energy he was gaining now, which had pretty much doubled.


    The entire world had be a Mental Energy generator, causing his reserves to increase like crazy. It wasn¡¯t just that, but now that he could transform anything into Mental Fragments, Compass Carburettor stared at a mountain, transforming it into Mental Fragments that he absorbed.


    He then used that to create thousands of Forbidden Tales, sneaking them into the hands of anyone with a mildly strong fate in the world, watching them all fall into its influence gradually.


    And thanks to that, with the passing of every day, Compass Carburettor fragments began to grow in the minds of the popce, including themoners. The situation in the world had progressed to a level beyond what Conjurer could ever think of, even in the worst of his nightmares.

 Chapter 761: Invoked Spirit Influence

    <h4>Chapter 761: Invoked Spirit Influence</h4>


    ¡°Hahaha¡­Keuk!¡± A man roaring in the streets grunted in pain as his hands were severed by a sh of blue. He turned around and stared at the figure of Peika, his lips suddenly curling up with a cunning smile as his eyes shone with starlight, ¡°You¡¯re toote, dear.¡±


    ¡°Die!¡± Peika cursed in anger to send the head of the man rolling on the ground. She looked around, feeling an eerie sensation when the entire residents of the town stared at her while emitting starlight from their eyes, ¡®What the heck is happening to the world?¡¯


    In the past few days, problems began to crop up nonstop. And the cunningly perversemonality among them all was the staunch simrity to the entity that had taken over her younger brother. They all struck her as the same person.


    ¡®But, how is this possible? Even the legendary Conjurer is incapable of that.¡¯ She frowned, observing a sharp decline in her allies.


    Just the day before, one of the three Superior Invokers that formed her elite team betrayed her, having chanced upon a Forbidden Tale somewhere that heprehended, tasting the fruits of it.


    When his Dreand developed rapidly in response, he began toprehend it religiously, which ended up resulting in Compass Carburettor taking over his mind. With that, he betrayed Peika and escaped.


    It wasn¡¯t just him that did this though. Dozens of such cases had cropped up in Hiwn. And outside, the situation had be progressively dangerous, with entire ns falling victim to this.


    Strangely though, the moment an entire n fell victim, things returned to normal there as the Invokers there reverted to their original lives.


    The world was changing strangely but at the same time maintaining its original course. Basically, Compass Carburettor was working on making the influence of the Forbidden Tale the most fundamental part of being an Invoker.


    He was trying to take over the power system itself, which was actually working.


    With the passing of every day, Peika observed more and more of her colleagues falling under its effects. Only the powerful fate protecting her allowed her to not fall victim to the effects.


    ¡­


    ¡°Yum!¡± Compass Carburettor licked his lips, causing his hand to expand like a worm and devour an Ascender that was dropped before him by the Lan n Head.


    In ns fully taken over by him, their growth was staggering, resulting in the birth of multiple Ascenders. So in every n with excess Ascenders, the Lan n Head brought one to this secluded location where they were consumed by Compass Carburettor.


    Main Character System¡ªLevel 6!


    By consuming Ascenders, Compass Carburettor was levelling up the fastest, for in this world, bing an Ascender was to change their entire fate and transform from a mortal to an immortal that could live for many centuries in the bodies of others.


    So, they had a small fraction of a protagonist in themselves, which was what Compass Carburettor absorbed, allowing him to level up little by little.


    And with so many ns around, the number of Ascenders produced was startling, to say the least. Compass Carburettor was consuming one at least every few hours.


    By absorbing Ascenders, he was gradually gaining powers of Ascenders and the variety of traits they could have. This was why he was consuming one per n, just to gain the variety present in this power system.


    On the other end of the spectrum, he was making everyoneprehend the Forbidden Tale. With that, their growth as an Invoker became countless times fast, resulting in it being the functionalponent without which an Invoker stopped being relevant.


    So, not only was he gaining control over the peak of the power system, but was also taking over its base stage.


    His goal was to fully take over the power system though, for this was a valuable chance he was being presented, one where he had no enemies in the world to worry about. If he failed to take advantage of such a situation, he would fail as a merchant.


    Hence, he wished to be the core of this power system. To achieve that, Compass Carburettor began to research the Invoker Crystal, one that turned a normal human into an Invoker.


    He had already replicated its effects during his breakthrough to be an Ascender. Now, he was only focused on recreating its effects from scratch.


    Invoker Crystals were created using Mental Fragments in the Dreand of an Invoker who had a specific type of Invoker Crystal Scroll. So technically speaking, Compass Carburettor already had all the materials to produce Invoker Crystals en masse, especially since he had alreadyprehended its Scroll.


    What he was attempting to create now was a Scroll whose effects would awaken one into an Invoker. The type of their Invoker Spirit would vary depending on their affinity.


    And since he was at it already, Compass Carburettor wished to solve one of its primary defects, one where Invoked Spirits couldn¡¯t influence the fleshly bodies. So, he referenced the Senses Scroll, taking it to the extreme where the Invoked Spirit could cause the fleshly body to gradually mutate and gain the traits of its respective Invoked Spirit.


    This meant that an Invoker now had to train harder to master it, causing the act of growing in strength to be many times more difficult. But since they already had an advantage thanks to the effects of the Forbidden Tale, this was bnced.


    The result that he arrived at was a tform that awakened amoner into an Invoker. The type of Invoked Spirit their Nascent Soul could grow into would be apparent based on the tattoo forming on their forehead.


    Using the effects of the Senses Scroll, the Suppression Scroll, and many others that could mildly affect the body through the mind, Compass Carburettor also took the effect of his stare¡ªone that transformed everything into Mental Fragments¡ªand incorporated it into what he termed ¡®Invoked Spirit Influence¡¯.


    It was this ¡®Invoked Spirit Influence¡¯ that influenced an Invoker¡¯s body, allowing them to exhibit partial traits of their Invoked Spirit, bing stronger and no longer having weak bodies that could be taken out by an arrow.


    Moreover, thanks to this ¡®Invoked Spirit Influence¡¯, there now existed Invokers that could treat injured people and heal their injuries too. Of course, for both healing and wounding others, ¡®Invoked Spirit Influence¡¯ yed a primary part.


    Thanks to his experience in the Gaider Realm, Compass Carburettor replicated the awakening altar, confident in the changes to the power system that he not only made it stronger and more versatile but also made it his.

 Chapter 762: Precursor to a Profession’s Birth

    <h4>Chapter 762: Precursor to a Profession¡¯s Birth</h4>


    ¡°Run!¡± Stencil shouted as she unleashed a multitude of abilities, destabilising her surroundings as Aronaut grabbed her and Gehera to teleport away.


    Conjurer shed into the area, hindered for the fraction of a second by Stencil¡¯s power as he failed to capture them on time, watching them disappear once again, ¡°How many times has it been already?¡±


    He groaned in irritation, chasing after Stencil in an effort to capture her. Aware that Compass Carburettor prioritised her safety above all, Conjurer intended to capture her and use her as a bargaining chip to deal a critical blow to the Main Character.


    After all, he didn¡¯t just intend to win against Compass Carburettor but also use the other party¡¯s strength as the Main Character to better the development of the worlds under him. Even otherwise, just a conflict could result in his worlds sustaining damage, which he didn¡¯t wish to see happen.


    After all, it made no sense if he won the war against Compass Carburettor but lost all the worlds under him in the process. Winning a war was of no use if he didn¡¯t gain benefits worthy of the effort.


    Thump! Thump!


    ¡°Not again!¡± Conjurer grunted in annoyance, clutching his chest to feel his heart thumping in tension for some reason. For the past few months, this sensation had only grown stronger, confusing him.


    Unfortunately for him, no matter what he did, Conjurer was unable to unearth any reasons for why he felt tensed all the time recently.


    Unaware of Compass Carburettor¡¯s actions in his world, he thought it was an external impulse brought about by his failure to capture Stencil despite the three-year time ticking nonstop.


    ¡°I¡¯ll capture you, Stencil, no matter what.¡± Saying so, he focused, riling up the powers of the worlds under him as he used the Conjurer profession to scan through the Fantasy World, locking onto her position once again before vanishing in response.


    ¡­


    ¡°He¡¯sing!¡± Stencil shouted upon seeing her Happy-Go-Lucky Luck waver in response, hurriedly disseminating the power of her Skill-Breaker System.


    Following that, Gehera took out a Magic Beast that she transformed into a totem to stab into the ground, causing it to unleash a mystical effect.


    Aronaut grabbed them and teleported away right when Conjurer shed into the area. Aronaut made a sessful escape while Conjurer was stuck momentarily under the effects of the Skill-Breaker System and the totem pole that worked in conjunction.


    Just as before, the same abilities were used to stall him for the fraction of a second necessary for them to escape.


    Ever since Conjurer began to chase after them, the Aero Society had stopped functioning as everyone returned to the Relic. It seemed that when necessary, the entirety of the Aero Society could house themselves within the Relic.


    The condition was that at least one of them should remain out to harness the power of the Relic. After all, the Relic was incapable of using its own powers. There should be someone to actuate it. And, Aronaut took charge of that, being the strongest in Aero Society.


    With that, there were just three among the allies wandering about the Fantasy World: Aronaut, Stencil, and Gehera.


    While they were busy running away from Conjurer, a certain someone¡¯s ns were proceeding without any hups.


    ¡­


    Boom!


    ¡°My God¡­¡± Horan muttered in a daze, holding Lelumi Xetuka in a protective embrace as the figures of the two were bloody, surrounded by a mountain of corpses.


    All four Saints of the Xetuka Kingdom were now dead. The case was the same for the Saints of the Giant Kingdom of Gormana, the Lizardmen Kingdom of Lethuna, and the Birdmen Kingdom of Burnak. All were dead, mutually killed by each other.


    Following that, the majority of the people died as a result of the billowing hatred that continued to climb to unforeseen levels, one beyond what anyone could ever hope to douse.


    ¡°Is it¡­over?¡± Lelumi Xetuka muttered, staring at the over thousand humans that were alive now, all that was left in their capital city. If she gathered everyone in the Xetuka Kingdom, less than ten thousand humans would be alive.


    This was what the war had resulted in their state.


    ¡°Mom¡­dad¡­¡± A Birdmen child wandered around the dpidated surroundings, tear-struck as he failed to reign in his fear. He was barely ten years old, havingid witness to one of the, if not the most gruesome war to ever erupt in the Fantasy World.


    ¡°¡­hel¡­help¡­¡± The boy stopped all of a sudden, his wings expanding gradually to enact like a dome that allowed him to capture the sound waves better, hearing the shouts of someone asking for help.


    ¡°I¡¯ming!¡± He shouted in a hurry upon seeing the pleas originating from underneath the rubble of a building. The Birdmen boy grunted as his wings pped in a flurry, barely lifting a tiny rubble that he chucked away.


    He was just about to pick up another piece of rubble when suddenly, a gust of wind mmed into the rubble, turning it into a pungent goo. There were plenty of curses streaming about in the region, unleashed by the baleful intent of the Birdmen Witches moments before their deaths.


    Therefore, these curses continued to gue the surroundings without rest. Moreover, they seemed to be strengthened by the sufferings of the people.


    He was only a doctor as the Birdmen boy didn¡¯t have the strength to save the child stuck within. But an instantter, he bellowed, leaping into the way of a curse that seemed on the verge of attacking the child stuck underneath the rubble.


    ¡°Grahhh!¡± The curse seemed to originate from a Master, too powerful to endure. But the Birdmen boy persisted, covering himself with his wings that shone with a blinding radiance, healing himself at full swing.


    Some of the feathers even slipped through the gaps between the rubble to heal the injured child within. Grunting in pain, the boy shouted, ¡°Endure! I¡¯lle to save you!¡±


    His skin began to peel off under the effects of the curse. His feathers fell off while his hair wilted, causing his vitality to drop down. Warts popped all over his face, bursting to ooze out pus as the Birdmen boy hurriedly pulled out feathers from the corpse of a Birdmen nearby and created a beak to cover himself with.


    And strangely, the moment he did so, the curse began to revolve around him before transforming into a mysterious force that lifted the rubble, allowing him to notice the Lizardmen child within, one that had lost its legs.


    The Lizardmen child stared at the Birdmen boy, staring in a daze before paling in fear, ¡°Aaahhhhhhhhh!¡±

 Chapter 763: Plague Doctor Profession

    <h4>Chapter 763: gue Doctor Profession</h4>


    The rubble strangely burned under the effects of the curse but the Lizardmen child was safe. Rather, the curse energy in the surroundings gushed into his body, transforming into medicine to heal his wounds and treat the curses guing him.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The Lizardmen child woke up with a start, staring at his legs that were no longer mashed into a pulp, shocked for a moment before he stared at the Birdmen boy that wore a strange beak-shaped mask.


    ¡°Who¡­are you?¡±


    ¡°A Novice Doctor,¡± The Birdmen boy replied, sighing in worry, ¡°I never thought the war woulde to this point. There are no longer enough people to fight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thest from my vige,¡± The Lizardmen boy said, expressing his sadness as he controlled his urge to cry, ¡°Everyone marched with pompadour at the start. But one after another, everyone died, either to the Humans, or the Birdmen, or the Giants.¡±


    ¡°My city was razed down by a group of Human Mages.¡± The Birdmen boy said, only feeling the urge to cry upon staring at the charred corpse of a human boy beside him, ¡°Whether friend or foe, all are dead now.¡±


    He extended his hand towards the Lizardmen child, helping him up. There was no room for hatred between the two, for they were the sole survivors of the battlefield.


    The duo made their way through the battlefield, enduring the stream of curses, billowing fire, thunderous bolts, crippling space, etc. that resulted from the terrifying sh between the peak powers of the four sides.


    And anyone they came across, whether friend or foe, the Birdmen boy saved them. There wasn¡¯t much he could do apart from this, but every time he saved someone, the Birdmen boy felt his lifeforce chipping away while the curses guing his body continued to worsen. Eventually, they hit the limit¡­


    Thud!


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± The Lizardmen boy shouted in horror as the crowd of people converged upon him in worry. They were currently in the Xetuka Kingdom¡¯s Capital City¡ªForkuna.


    There were around forty thousand people in total, emerging from all four Kingdoms, pretty much all that had survived in the region.


    Horan stared at the Birdmen boy, feeling that something was amiss, brought about by his experience as he shouted, ¡°Quick! Get back! Something¡¯s wrong with the child!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The crowd barely reacted when suddenly, they noticed a human old man standing in the centre, holding the Birdmen boy in an embrace.


    Staring at the old man, a word spilled out of Horan¡¯s mouth, bbergasted, ¡°S-yer.¡±


    Indeed, the old man was yer, one currently expressing boundless joy. Ignoring everyone else, yer stared at the boy to say, ¡°Child, why did you summon me?¡±


    ¡°I¡­summoned you?¡± The Birdmen Boy was confused, feeling feverish as the curses guing his body continued to worsen. And strangely, he was unable to see or hear the shouts from the others nearby, including the lightning bolts unleashed by Horan.


    They were all blocked by a transparent barrier that yer had erected between them.


    ¡°Yes,¡± yer nodded as he looked around, ¡°It seems your wish to save everyone here summoned me to this ce. So, what do you say?¡±


    ¡°Please save them, I beg you.¡± The Birdmen boy wasn¡¯t even able to see yer¡¯s face now, only able to state his earnest request, ¡°We¡¯ve lost everything to this war. Please allow the pitiful survivors to live in peace.¡±


    ¡°Then, everything that¡¯s part of you, give it to me. That¡¯s the price¡­¡± yer didn¡¯t even finish his statement when the Birdmen boy extended his weak hand and touched yer in the chest.


    ¡°Are you¡­the guardian of this world?¡± The boy asked weakly, with hope, ¡°If yes, please, no more wars.¡±


    ¡°Take my everything.¡±


    ¡°You have my word, child.¡± yer said solemnly, asking upon seeing that the child didn¡¯t have long to live, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Bfor,¡± The Birdmen child said, breathing hisst.


    The moment he expressed readiness to give his everything to yer, the exclusive power of yer was activated¡ªbeing bestowed anything.


    Through that, a mystical power that even the Birdmen child was unaware of flowed out of his body and entered yer, bing part of him now.


    Profession¡ªgue Doctor!


    The first of his kind, one before the potential was realised, the gue Doctor Profession was taken control by yer.


    But unlike usual, yer¡¯s expression was sad as he muttered with a dejected tone, ¡°This will be thest time I take the life of someone from my world.¡±


    ¡°No more,¡± Saying so, he vanished from the ce.


    ¡°Kid!¡± Horan shouted as he burst through the barrier surrounding the Birdmen boy, lifting him up to see in horror as the child¡¯s body melted into a puddle, thest disyed was a smile of contentment on his face, of one assured his sacrifice would mean the betterment of the world.


    It seemed that though unaware of the power born in him, through the gue Doctor Profession that was birthed in his body, the boy seemed to have grasped yer¡¯s existence, thereby realising that yer would indeed change their world.


    gue Doctor¡ªNovice!


    gue Doctor¡ªExpert!


    gue Doctor¡ªMaster!


    The moment yer arrived at his exclusive dimension, the power of the gue Doctor Profession grew rapidly. As he already had a Core Skill with the same effects, once he applied it to the profession, his growth was rapid.


    In a matter of minutes, yer became the Saint of the gue Doctor Profession, continuing to develop it rapidly before soon, he became its Apostle. And as his growth had long since surpassed the Profession¡¯s growth, yer had gained control over the entire profession, just as how the Saint of Cmity had gained control over the Conjurer Profession.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Taking in a deep breath, yer stared at the Witch Apostle, stating solemnly, ¡°As promised, I¡¯ve created the gue Doctor Profession.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t renege on my word.¡± The Witch Apostle smiled as she broke free of her reins and arrived before yer, cing her palm on him to utter, ¡°All my power, including the power of the Witch Apostle and the Doctor Apostle, I give them to you.¡±


    Boom!


    A vortex of mana gushed out of her body and swerved into yer as both professions were now his. And unlike before, the moment they entered his body, the Wills of the two Professions were overwritten by yer.


    After all, it wasn¡¯t just the gue Doctor Profession that was under yer¡¯s control, but three more Professions that he had created in this world and controlled. With him controlling four Professions, his Will was strong enough to erase the sentience developed by the two new Professions.


    And since he gained status as Apostle of said professions already, the other party couldn¡¯t resist him as eventually, control over the Witch Profession and the Doctor Professionpletely fell under yer¡¯s hands.


    Following that, yer stared at the five peak System yers under him, saying, ¡°It¡¯s your turn now.¡±

 Chapter 764: Slayer’s Honest Feelings Towards Zaira

    <h4>Chapter 764: yer¡¯s Honest Feelings Towards Zaira</h4>


    ¡°Congrattions in advance, yer. You¡¯re finally getting close to your dream.¡± Warl said as he ced his hand on yer¡¯s chest, nodding in confidence as he uttered, ¡°My powers as the Dragon Apostle, I bestow them to you, yer.¡±


    Boom!


    The two professions of the Dragon Race, namely the Divinity Incarnate and Destruction Incarnate flowed into yer. The wills of the two Professions were overwritten by yer that gainedplete control over them too.


    Following that, Ducore bestowed the power of the Ogre Apostle to yer. Balveta bestowed him the power of the Mermen Apostle while Keel did the same for the Elf Apostle.


    Finally, Suzakh bestowed yer with the power of the Lizardmen Apostle. By now, yer was already controlling more than half the professions of the Fantasy World.


    And just like how he had captured and trapped the Witch Apostle, yer had already captured the remaining Apostles in the world. Against his strength, an Apostle was nothing. And since to date, he never went against the world, the Professions that had the power to destroy him never did anything.


    The Professions of the Fantasy World could each take care of a Grade 2 System. Andbined, they could even deal with a Grade 3 System. They were that powerful.


    This was why instead of going head-on against them, yer first obtained the powers of the Apostles of each profession. And as an Apostle was pretty much a representative of the said profession, wielding control over it second only to the profession itself, he was able to steal authority over the Profession.


    Do note that he only attempted this after gaining control over four Professions first. Each Profession was like the gue Doctor Profession, those that he created from scratch andprehended first before the Profession could develop and gain its sentience.


    And by controlling four Professions, he had enough sway in power to take over an entire Profession by himself. And one by one, like a domino effect, yer began to take over all the professions.


    The first to notice this was Conjurer, rmed at yer¡¯s ambitions.


    ¡°So, there was indeed a reason you¡¯ve remained a turtle of this world and invested immensely in its development, even by expending the power of a System yer you possessed.¡± Conjurer muttered in shock, ¡°Your ambitions are ster, yer.¡±


    Initially, the Fantasy World was under Magister, with its power being normal mana. But Conjurer schemed and used Zaira¡¯s birth to alter the mana, giving it a tinge of Mental Energy¡¯s trait while breaking it out of Magister¡¯s foundation.


    From then on, it existed as an independent world, never attacked by Systems due to the value it possessed and the strength it wielded. The Fantasy World and the Systems had engaged in a symbiotic rtionship, using one another to fuel their respective growth.


    But eventually, Conjurer felt that the world wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy him and set out to use the Conjurer Profession to create his own set of worlds that he developed and attained the same status as a Genre Representative, reaching the same stage as Immortal, Magister, etc.


    With that, his powers blossomed. But despite that, he maintained a connection to the Fantasy World, unwilling to cut off wholly, for there still existed enough benefits to maintain the connection.


    But the moment he observed yer¡¯s actions, Conjurer was rmed, especially since the moment yer gained control over all the professions, he aimed for the Conjurer Profession too.


    Unwilling to lose his core power, Conjurer severed the connection, wholly branching out as from that moment onwards, the Fantasy World lost the Conjurer Profession permanently.


    But, that didn¡¯t bother yer who smiled contently, closing his eyes as the over 38 Professions were now his. He was the representative of these professions, wieldingplete control over them.


    He then focused on the Astral Network that had been engraved over the Fantasy World. Even though its connection to the Fantasy World was cut off thanks to Conjurer¡¯s request, it was still there, able to reconnect the moment Zaira wished to do so.


    ¡°It has been a long time, right, Zaira?¡± yer muttered as he raised his hand and clenched it into a fist, crumpling the Astral Network over the Fantasy World like a sheet of paper.


    The Astral Network struggled to break free as it was broken down into smaller chunks and absorbed by the Professions. After all, the trait of every Relic was to absorb Systems and grow stronger.


    And as Relics were just a small part of a Profession¡¯s power, and since every Profession had a multitude of Relics, all of them were capable of devouring the Astral Network.


    ¡°You¡¯remitting a grave mistake, Gilthru.¡± A vast voice full of anger resounded through the Fantasy World, suffused with omniscient might, ¡°Your tiny world is incapable of withstanding my wrath.¡±


    ¡°Regression, Reincarnation, and Transmigration¡­¡± yer smirked smugly, ¡°Unless you dispatch one of them and are ready to lose at least one, don¡¯t bother with the threat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve invested the power of enough Systems in this world to strengthen its fate to the limit. Even a Grade 4 System wouldn¡¯t be able to affect this world without paying a crippling price.¡±


    ¡°W-What is happening?¡± Aronaut muttered in shock, trembling in fear the moment Zaira¡¯s voice resounded throughout the world.


    He stared at his side, noticing that Gehera had already fainted while Stencil was barely enduring the pressure, looking on the verge of fainting any moment.


    The Relic was shimmering with starlight, unleashing the entirety of its power to withstand Zaira¡¯s might.


    It had to be noted that Zaira was only conversing with yer and hadn¡¯t even bothered to stare at Aronaut. And even that had reduced him to such a pitiful state.


    It was the sheer might attained by the System World, one that dominated countless Genres for a long time now.


    ¡®T-This is the Main Character¡¯s enemy?¡¯ Aronaut was bbergasted, having never foreseen such an encounter with the absolute peak being.


    ¡®This is dad¡¯s enemy.¡¯ Stencil riled up her power, transforming into a Coordinate as she was able to endure the pressure better now, staring at the massive convulsion of energy in the Fantasy World.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t say this to you before, due to the circumstances of the past. But I¡¯ll convey my honest feelings to you now.¡± yer stated solemnly, ¡°I¡¯ve buried this in my heart all this time for Arnark¡¯s sake, but no more. It¡¯s time I am honest.¡±


    He then took in a deep breath and stared at the swirling energy above, ¡°This is my honest feelings toward you, Zaira¡­¡±


    ¡°Fuck you!¡±

 Chapter 765: A Victim

    <h4>Chapter 765: A Victim</h4>


    ¡°This is my honest feelings toward you, Zaira¡­¡±


    ¡°Fuck you!¡±


    For a moment following his words, there was absolute silence in the world. It wasn¡¯t because of a sense of oppression or anything but that the time of the entire world hade to a standstill.


    The image of a butterfly fluttering echoed in the visible spectrum as a humanoid entity created wholly out of Mental Energynded before yer, depicting a petite young woman with eyes swirling with starlight akin to an entire gxy.


    Even though his body was constricted, yer¡¯s eyes trailed towards thedy before soon, his body broke free from the time stop, ring at the opponent with power-suffused eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed, Gilthru.¡± The petite woman was a manifestation of energy forming the figure of Zaira, one whose swirling eyes trailed over yer, ¡°You¡¯ve grown stronger than thest time I saw you. Kind of strange, right?¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve always been my weak underling.¡±


    ¡°For a mere few days during my youth.¡± yer interjected, ¡°I¡¯ve never been under your beck and call beyond that.¡±


    ¡°True, but it is what it is.¡± Her lips curled up to her ears, ¡°Once my underling, always my underling.¡±


    She extended her hand towards him, ¡°The Main Character System fragment in your possession. It¡¯s unique and something even Arnark doesn¡¯t possess. It has never experienced the modification that all Systems underwent over time. It¡¯s still raw and full of potential.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it to me?¡±


    She tilted her head cutely, ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll have a better use for it than you.¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­¡± yer exhaled a breath of air before muttering with a hint of disdain, ¡°Seriously, Zaira¡­are you confusing me with Arnark? You know¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the Main Character.¡±


    Upon seeing her expression freeze up, yer expressed calmly, ¡°I¡¯ve always been the unfortunate ally that¡¯s dragged around by the Main Character. It has never changed. And as it goes in all the stories¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the character that allies with the enemy. I¡¯m just an unfortunate victim that bes a casualty during the battle between the protagonist and the antagonist.¡±


    ¡°So many years, and it seems you¡¯ve learned how to speak.¡± The figure of Zaira dissipated upon being red at by yer, rendered into bits before being absorbed by the world. Her voice though, still resounded in the world, ¡°But, let¡¯s see if you can stop me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± yer¡¯s eyes lit up in shock upon sensing a world being created in the same universe.


    At the same time, Zaira¡¯s smug voice resounded, ¡°Even I cannot carelessly intrude into your world. But, I needn¡¯t do that. All I need to do is create another world in the corner of your universe and gradually strengthen it enough to go against your world.¡±


    ¡°I have the resources to do that.¡± An instantter, a world formed far away from the Fantasy World, sporting a nk te. But a secondter, billions of lifeforms appeared there, going about with their respective lives as they took on a magical world power system.


    It did not use mana through spells like the conventional way but instead relied upon magical technology, creating bioengineered creatures with machinery, resulting in terrifying growth potential.


    And worst of all, their sheer numbers and mode ofbat formed a natural counter to the power of the Fantasy World. After all, in their world¡¯s power system, their magic engineering required the body parts of creatures with magic to create tools out of.


    For them, every single living organism in the Fantasy World was a creature whose body parts could be harvested to be turned into magical weapons. By equipping these magical weapons, the natives would grow stronger, creating a beneficial cycle for them and a vicious cycle for those in the Fantasy World.


    The enemy would continue to plunder their strength until nothing was left.


    This was the standard plot taken in various worlds where the sentient race there¡ªtypically humans¡ªrose against the oppressors and transformed the bodies of the in oppressors into powerful weapons to wield.


    Zaira had already enacted the standard approach to destroy yerpletely, activating more than a million Core Skills to create a functioning,plex world with a sentient race wielding a power system that countered the Fantasy World¡¯s power system.


    ¡°You said I¡¯ll have to be prepared to lose at least one of my three Grade 4 Systems?¡± Zaira¡¯s chuckle resounded, bombarding yer as the mountain beside him was levelled instantly, ¡°How cute.¡±


    ¡°Not even a single System would lose its life against you. This world I created would continue to wear you down until nothing is left of you.¡±


    Considering yer¡¯s current potential, he could easily kill and absorb the Core Skills of Grade 2 Systems. And swallowing even a Grade 3 System¡¯s Core Skill was possible, since he currently controlled the entire Fantasy World, the birthce of Systems.


    Therefore, sending any System to face him was a foolish move, one that would only serve to further strengthen him. This was why Zaira creatively constructed a world whose entire purpose of existence was to invade the Fantasy World and steal its power.


    ¡°yer, what must we do now?¡± Keel asked in concern, a tad weaker aspared to before after losing his Apostle powers, ¡°We finally created a solid base for ourselves. But by directly being targeted by Zaira, we¡¯re doomed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong.¡± yer still wore a smile, ¡°Not using any Systems is the best method to deal with me. But, that is true only if the opponent is me alone.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­?¡± Keel¡¯s eyes slowly widened in shock as he was smart, instantly grasping what yer was getting at.


    Balveta stared at yer in a hurry, ¡°Do you mean to imply that we extend a hand of alliance to them now, after everything they did to hinder us?¡±


    ¡°Extend a hand of alliance?¡± yerughed, shaking his head to say, ¡°We needn¡¯t do that. Conjurer is chasing after them as we speak. As long as he continues to involve Stencil in his ns, the Main Character is our staunch ally.¡±


    ¡°We only need to ensure that Stencil is alive.¡± He said, sensing a vast stream of fate converge in the Fantasy World, ¡°Do you know the term that best describes Compass Carburettor?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it the Main Character?¡± Balveta spoke in confusion.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we find out that Compass Carburettor is just one that forms the Main Character?¡± yer eyed Balveta, urging her to use her brain.


    ¡°He¡¯s a merchant!¡± Balveta pped her hand.


    ¡°Normally, that¡¯s true.¡± yer nodded as his eyes glinted in excitement, staring at the figure of Aronaut and the group teleporting from one ce to another, ¡°But add his daughter in the mix, one where she¡¯s in harm due to certain elements. That¡¯s when his true nature surfaces. And that is¡­¡±


    Balveta paled in response, staring at yer with an incredulous gaze as she muttered, ¡°A-Aggressor. He¡¯ll be the aggressor.¡±


    ¡°Bingo,¡± yer nodded, ¡°The aggressor would appear, just wait.¡±

 Chapter 766 Trapped And Surrounded

    Swish!


    Swoosh!


    Kaboosh!


    Aronaut continued to teleport nonstop, tensed upon seeing Conjurer closing in the distance rapidly. It was apparent that the other party was gradually conjuring a way to capture them, and the further he tried to escape, the deeper he fell into the trap. And eventually¡­


    "Shit!" Aronaut grunted in shock upon staring at an activated magic circle at the location where he teleported towards, watching it envelop him in the fraction of a second before he could react as he was teleported away.


    ? Normally, after yer gained control over the entire Fantasy World, he only needed a thought to expunge Conjurer out of the world. But he didn''t want that, especially since he nned to use the Main Character''s strength to make it out of this situation safely.


    This was why he didn''t take action against Conjurer, allowing the other party to happily chase after Stencil and eventually trap them.


    "Wha¡­?" Aronaut was shocked upon staring at a deste world, one surrounded by millions of semi-humanoid creatures wearing technological armatures that produced torrential mana.


    They had been dropped into the world created by Zaira.


    "Shit, we have to leave," Aronaut said in rm, unleashing his powers of teleportation, paling in fright upon seeing it fail to activate.


    This was a world created using a million Core Skills, personally crafted by Zaira. Therefore, it was a world where getting in was easy but getting out was impossible, as that was how she designed it.


    And as they were allies, Conjurer was easily able to send Aronaut and the rest into this world, trapping them there.


    Unless they destroy the world, escaping it was impossible, at least with their current level of power that was still in the dimension of Grade 1 Systems.


    Staring at the three individuals that had appeared in her world, Zaira¡ªin her energy-condensed form¡ªappeared before Conjurer, "Who are they? Why are you focused on them so much?"


    "The tall man is called Aronaut." Conjurer said, "He currently has control over one of the Main Characters."


    "One of the Main Characters?" Zaira tilted her head, muttering in confusion, "Did things change too much once again? I believe I had already locked the power structure of the Systems though. Even the Main Character System should be no exception to the rule."


    "This Main Character is different from the norm. His Core Skill allows him to split his power to create multiple Main Characters." Conjurer said, pointing at Stencil, "She''s Stencil, the Main Character''s daughter, someone he values more than himself."


    "Hmm¡­Secret Refiner and¡­ Skill-Breaker¡­?" Zaira muttered as she stared at Stencil, "How strange. I have no records of these two Systems. Did she create them herself? How¡­"


    Her eyes trailed over to yer, clicking her tongue in response, "Of course, give it to Gilthru to mess things up. I shouldn''t have allowed him to live so long. Now my powers have spread to more rats."


    "Thest is this child, Gehera." Conjurer said, flinching upon sensing Zaira''s anger, "She was birthed when one of yer''s experiments went out of control. Her birth has simrities to Arnark and surprisingly, even without the Main Character System fragment in her, she''s able to use her powers in other worlds without a problem. Her power is to steal the powers of others."


    ''Can she steal even mine?'' Zaira frowned for a moment, ring at the trio as she snapped her fingers, ''Kill them all!''<sub> </sub>


    Immediately in response, the eyes of the natives shone with starlight as they leaped onto Aronaut, Stencil, and Gehera.


    Their bodies resembled werewolves but were more lizard-like in terms of texture. They were bipedal creatures but could run faster on four legs and even climb over walls like a gecko.


    Vastras!


    Blessed with tough bodies and superior regenerative abilities, they were natural-born fighters. Moreover, they had a mana well sorge that even a newborn had as much mana as a Master Warrior.


    But their limitation was theck of abilities that could harness the vast mana supply in their mana well. It was where they created Arma, a set of equipment/machinery that harnessed their mana and unleashed mystical abilities.


    The Vastras at the front pointed its palm toward the trio, causing the Arma on its hands to morph into the shape of a canon. Bluish radiance condensed within its nozzle before aser beam was unleashed.


    Boom!


    Aronaut erected a shield to defend against the attack, frowning in response as he eyed Stencil, "There are just too many to defend against. We''ll run out of Mental Energy eventually."


    Zaira was the creator of Systems, the manifestation of the System World. In her possession was an almost infinite supply of Mental Energy and all the Core Skills that had ever been created in the long history of Systems.


    So, creating a world or two was akin to a morning walk for her, inconsequential. In contrast, even though they were strong, Aronaut and the group would eventually tire out facing the endless horde of enemies.


    After all, Zaira could casually spam as many Vastras as she wanted.


    "Aronaut, do you have dad''s ability in your Relic?" Stencil asked after bringing out Anthozoa.


    "Of course, Compass Carburettor gave us this form already." Aronaut said, "Though, it doesn''t have any Bullet Temtes. We only have the basic gun form."


    "That should be more than enough," Stencil said as she looked around, "these enemies aren''t strong individually. So, we only need to kill them¡­"


    She pointed Anthozoa at the closest target, pressing the trigger as a bullet shot forth and sttered the opponent''s head. A thought from her and Anthozoa sucked in enough air in a fraction of a second to condense another bullet.


    It didn''t even consume any Mental Energy to do so. Moreover, it was also absorbing the ambient sunlight to recharge itself, gaining energy more than what it required to condense and shoot its bullets.


    Swish!


    Bullets sprayed out in a torrent as corpses piled up rapidly. Aronaut had erected a transparent dome around them, one that protected them while allowing them to attack from the inside.


    Aronaut and Stencil both used their respective Anthozoa to kill the Vastras nonstop.


    Even though they killed thousands of Vastras within a minute, Aronaut''s expression continued to pale. Staring at it, Stencil asked in concern, "What happened?"

 Chapter 767 Kill Gehera

    "I''m expending Mental Energy to defend against theirser beams. And I don''t have the means to gain enough to offset the expenditure. These Vastras aren''t producing any Mental Energy to help us." Aronaut said, "This means that eventually, I''ll run out of energy to fight, especially since all our means to escape have been cut off."


    "This is indeed bad," Stencil nodded as she looked around, announcing suddenly, "There''s a way."


    "What is it?" Aronaut asked.


    "We''re still under the influence of the Fantasy World. It means we''re in the same universe." Stencil said, "That means, we can return as long as we destroy this world."


    "That should be impossible." Aronaut shook his head, "You might not have sensed it, but at that time, that scary existence had activated more than a million Core Skills to create this world. Even if my strength is on par with a Grade 3 System, destroying this world would be hard."


    "That''s where you''re wrong." Stencil smiled as she gently hugged the figure of Gehera that just woke up, "We have this cutie with us."


    "What can she do? She can only siphon the power of an individual..." Aronaut stopped speaking, his eyes widening in surprise as he looked at Gehera, "Have you stolen ''that'' from yer?"


    "Where is this ce?" Gehera stared in confusion, blinking in realisation when Stencil activated a Skill to fill in the details from when she fainted.


    Afterprehending all the memory, Gehera made eye contact with Stencil to ask, "Is it possible to summon your dad here?"


    Of course, that was what Stencil was attempting to do here. It was to summon her dad back using Gehera''s power.


    "You''ll only be stealing his power." Stencil nodded as she shed her Anthozoa, "But with this in my hands, I can use it to absorb all the totems you create by stealing my dad''s power. It would be easy to condense his body after that."


    "He has the means to do that, which is why I think he left his gun with me."


    "Can''t your Ruin of Amagoth target this world itself, Gehera?" Aronaut asked, "If it''s possible, we''ll have an endless supply of power of our own."


    "The target needs to be a living being for my power to take effect," Gehera said as she pulled out a totem from her Ruin of Amagoth and threw it with all her might, stabbing it into the chest of a Vastras.


    "Keww!" The Vastras exhaled in pain before which it writhed chaotically, exploding in a matter of seconds to turn into dust resembling pollen that spread around,nding on the nearby Vastras.


    "Kew?" A Vastras tilted its head in confusion when its body began to itch suddenly, causing its skin to peel off, before soon, its body too exploded, producing more of the pollen that travelled further outward.


    In this fashion, the pollen spread around rapidly, evolving into whatever form that best served its purpose, killing the Vastras faster and faster.


    "What...is this ability?" Aronaut was shocked, staring at the Vastras that were dying in droves now, feeling a chill creep up his spine as he didn''t wish to retract the dome he had erected.


    "gue..." Gehera said, "It''s the primary ability of the gue Doctor Profession. Currently, the professions have yet to create the means to counter this ability. As it''s brand new, its effectiveness is unstoppable. So, I used it."<sub> </sub>


    "gue Doctor?" Zaira stared in surprise upon seeing the Vastras that she had created die in droves.


    "Shall I create a channel between the two worlds?" Conjurer asked, "The Vastras have yet to realise their true potential without invading yer''s world. Only by using the bodies of his world as raw materials to manufacture stronger Arma would they grow in strength."


    "It seems it wouldn''t make much of a difference." Zaira said after a moment of thought upon staring at the figure of Gehera, "A simple army is pretty useless against them. If not a gue, something else might affect them simrly to wipe them out in droves."


    "It would end in an instant if you take action though," Conjurer said, flinching upon being red at by Zaira.


    "At times, I wonder where the cunning Saint of Cmity went." She sighed, "When resisting Magister, you were damn scary. But now, you''ve mellowed out to a terrifying extent."


    "It seems developing without any threat has dulled your fangs." She mocked before pointing at yer, "The reason I dare not step foot in this universe is in fear of him."


    "Fear of...yer?" Conjurer didn''t mind the mockery in her tone as he looked at yer before eyeing Zaira, "You can even control time. What is there for you to fear?"


    "Did you forget that yer can not only refine and gain control of my strength but also has the means to create Systems just like me?" Zaira shook her head, "Leave it, why am I even arguing with you."


    She pointed at Gehera, "Ignore the other two. Kill her first. If you can, then I''ll steal some of Mystique''s power and give it to you."


    "Mystique''s power?" A moment of shockter, greed enveloped Conjurer''s expression as his figure vanished, appearing before the trio.


    "He''s be a mereckey..." Zaira muttered in disappointment before realising something, "I see, the moment he became a representative of a world, his character was affected by the natives. And since the majority of natives in every world are kind of stupid, it seems his intelligence has taken a sharp hit."


    "No wonder he doesn''t scare me like the Saint of Cmity of the past." She nodded inprehension, "That is why it''s so easy to fool Immortal."


    Her expression then hardened, "It also makes sense why I''ve failed to dent Mystique''s power to date. Rather, he has grown stronger through this ordeal."


    She felt a headache as she stared at Conjurer''s rather excited expression, "It would have been better if he remained an Apostle in this world. Even though he''s a million times stronger now, he''s not even the least terrifying aspared to the Saint of Cmity."


    She shook her head, feeling offended upon being stared at by yer with a gleeful smile, ''What is this fucker nning now?''


    The first time she faced Arnark, she faced tremendous losses, losing one of the most valuable Grade 3 Systems under her. It was why she was careful in dealing with Aronaut and the rest, for this time, even she could sense that the number of yers had increased.


    If she wasn''t careful, her powers would be stolen. And if someone like Mystique were to gain his hands on that, the days of her hegemony would be numbered.

 Chapter 768 Taking Over Hunters

    Thump! Thump!


    Compass Carburettor felt his heart thumping in rm all of a sudden, unaware of the reason for the cause. Immediately after, he felt a portion of his strength being stolen, shocking him.


    ''Someone is stealing my strength.'' He focused, realising immediately that the avenue to steal his strength hadn''t been created. Meaning, there didn''t exist an enemy that could steal his power.


    Therefore, there was just one person that could do this.


    Gehera!


    "Gehera needs to touch me to unleash her Ruin of Amagoth on me. How did she do it¡­" He muttered before breaking into a smile, "I see, Stencil has my Anthozoa."


    The moment the Relic came into existence, its trait influenced him, allowing him to bestow Anthozoa to anyone he pleased, one with all the Bullet Temtes that it possessed at that point in time.


    The Anthozoa in Stencil''s hands could indeed be used as a pathway to channel Gehera''s Ruin of Amagoth into him and siphon his powers.


    "The fact that Gehera is siphoning my powers must mean Stencil prompted her to do so." He analysed the situation. After all, without Stencil intending to do this, Gehera couldn''t get her hands on Anthozoa.


    ''So, they''ve probably encountered a situation where my presence is necessary.'' Thinking as such, Compass Carburettor stared at the sky, "Now, how do I make my way there?"


    Any power stolen by Gehera would be hers, even if that was a System''s power. That was how her Ruin of Amagoth functioned as. Therefore, if he continued to allow her to steal his powers, he would be sucked dry eventually.


    And, he didn''t have the means to leave this world and head to the location on his own. But, that was only when considering his own powers.


    A moment of thoughtter, Compass Carburettor took in a deep breath and clenched his hand into a fist, "Come!"


    ¡­


    "Steady¡­" A soft voice resounded telepathically as a group of people remained on standby, watching a man walk onto a podium that was spectated by almost a million people.


    The man was the Chairman of the Hunter Association, pretty much the one with the most power and sway over people in the world. Currently, he had intended to give a speech addressing a group of miscreants that were wreaking havoc throughout the world.


    "Is everyone ready?" The soft voice resounded as the people in hiding gulped in response.


    "Now¡­it''s snack time!" The soft voice began to giggle in response, causing the group in hiding to facepalm one after another. They were so serious but now, they were seriously trying their best to rein in theirughter.


    Right at this time, one of the men in hiding was in disbelief, pointing at the stage to state in rm, "Why is Yecha on the stage now? Weren''t we supposed to wait until the opportune moment and assassinate the Chairman?"


    <o>,m "The n''s gonna fail!"</o>


    "Idiot!" The soft voice resounded with a tone of confidence, "Yecha is the strongest Hunter in the world now. Just let her do her thing."


    "Stop! Freeze!" The Chairman''s guards rushed onto the stage, pointing their weapons at a woman donned in ck. Upon seeing the other party continue to approach them, they made eye contact before jumping onto her.


    Guuong!


    Their des stopped mysteriously uponing close to her. No matter how much they struggled or exerted their strength, their des failed to budge.<sub> </sub>


    One of the guards stared at the woman''s eyes at this moment, trembling in fear at the jet-ck eyes that shone with starlight, akin to containing an entire gxy in the vast depths of her entity.


    Tch!


    Followed by a swap of her finger, the guards transformed into energy and flowed into her body. The Grade 2 System Fragment growing in their bodies was converted, absorbed, and assimted by her, allowing her to grow stronger.


    Boom!


    "Die!" The Hunter Association Chairman bellowed in rage, swinging his mighty hammer that sparkled with thunder.


    As one of the strongest Hunters in the world, it was his task to dispatch this viin. But, the moment his hammer mmed into the other party, he was stunned, sensing his strength leaving him gradually, rming him.


    "So, the Chairman is only at this level?" Yecha tilted her head in confusion before snorting, feeling that she had been betrayed, "Why the heck did Domino train me so extensively then?"


    Her hand clenched, shattering the hammer as the power in it flowed into her body. She then took a step forward, approaching the Chairman to gently ce her hand on his chest, "Old man, why don''t you retire?"


    "You¡­stop! No!" The Chairman screamed in fear before slumping to the ground, no longer possessing his powers as a Hunter. Instead, he had be a weak mortal now.


    He then stared at the woman before him in fear, for she seemed even more unfathomable now.


    ''You''ve finally arrived at this stage, Yecha.'' She thought, staring at the million people that had congregated for this event, announcing as her booming voice resounded throughout the ce, allowing her face to sh through all media channels in the world.


    "Today marks the day of our world''s rise. We''ll adopt a power that is safer, stabler, and allows us to have better lives, unlike the Hunters who are bound by the Systems they gain power from. ss, Skills, there wouldn''t be any such limitations from here."


    She raised her hand, clenching it into a fist, "Those that wish to join the revolution, you only need to convey your conviction. You''ll gain power automatically."


    "Freedom!"


    Her voice boomed, "That one word is all you need to utter to break free of the current Hunter dominance and embark on a new era."


    "Freedom!" Amoner that was dissatisfied with the Hunters was the first to utter the word, noticing strength well up from within him, surprising him as he shouted in joy, "It works! It works! I have power now!"


    One of the cameramen focused on him, transmitting the information to the rest of the world.


    "I''m dissatisfied too." An E-Rank Hunter muttered, clenching his fist tightly, for his strength never improved beyond a certain point, causing him to be stuck as a low-ranked Hunter for more than two decades now.


    His eyes turned serious as he muttered, "Freedom!"


    Crackle!


    He could feel the power in him shatter and dissipate before which a new power filled the vacuum. It was weak, allowing him to understand that he had be many times weaker than before. But, he could also sense that as long as he trained religiously, he would grow stronger, unlike the Hunter power system that decided on a limit for him.


    "Thank you."

 Chapter 769 Immortal Arrives

    "Freedom!"


    "Freedom!"


    "Freedom!"


    Like a domino effect, the word echoed throughout the world and even passed on to the monsters, allowing them to break free of the control of the Dungeon Monster System.


    As Domino Plottopia had already been stealing this power, she was able to subsidise it, giving power to the monsters that wished for this too.


    The majority of Hunters and Dungeon Monsters that were weak, having no hope of ever improving were the first to voluntarily break free from the power system.


    As for the strong that stubbornly clung to the old power system, Yecha and those under her took care of them, dispatching them throughout the world in one full swing.


    The Secret Society had already taken root in every nook and cranny of the world. With that, the moment they took action, both the Dungeon Monster System and Hunter System were rmed, unable to even retaliate before the battle ended.


    In the span of an hour, the entire universe fell under Domino Plottopia''s control. It consisted of the human world and the dungeon monster world from where they developed and invaded the human world.


    "It''s done!" Yecha arrived at the rooftop of the Hunter Association building, staring at a nk wall to state.


    "Great work out there." Domino Plottopia''s voice resounded, appearing at the ce Yecha was staring at, expressing her acknowledgement, "It seems you''re even able to sense my position now."


    "I''ve been a member of Secret Society the longest and have also been managing the majority of its functions. So, I can sense the source vaguely now." Yecha nodded in response, asking, "What should we do next?"


    "Will the Dungeon Monster System and Hunter System take revenge upon us?" She asked.


    "Obviously, but they wouldn''t target us now." The eyes of Domino Plottopia shone with starlight as she stared at the sky, "I''ve already received the hint a few months ago, but it has be clearer now."


    Staring at Yecha, she said, "I''ll be fighting against the Systems directly now. If the situation is considerate enough, I''ll bring you there to gain experience."


    "Anyway, Dota will take care of the rest..." Domino Plottopia then muttered under her breath, "In the case I disappear, he''ll control Secret Society."


    "Wait!" Yecha shouted in rm, staring in shock to see that Domino Plottopia had disappeared. And unlike before, Yecha was unable to sense the source of Secret Society, only able to understand that the source had gone far beyond her reach.


    ...


    "Be careful. Maintain our ckout. Don''t let the Systems detect our location." Warktor said in rm upon watching a celestial entity under the Angel System pass through their satellite. If not for their ckout, they would have been discovered already.


    The frequency of the Systems narrowing down the location of their world had rapidly increased recently, making it seem like it was only a matter of time before they were discovered.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    The sounds of someone''s footsteps resounded amidst the tense atmosphere as the heads of everyone in the satellite station turned to stare at the figure of an old woman, one that wore a casual smile.


    Staring at Warktor, she said, "Compass Carburettor is summoning me. It seems this is where we part ways."


    "He''s summoning you, already?" Warktor was shocked, "It has only been a few years since you split up."<sub> </sub>


    "It seems the time hase to face the Systems directly." Gahrat massaged her forehead, letting out a sigh, "There''s no guarantee that I might survive this battle. But at least..."


    She snapped her finger, causing twodies to sh next to her, "Gana and Grisha have inherited a good fraction of my power. So, they''ll help protect this world in my absence."


    "Truck-Kun..." Gahrat said next, watching a middle-aged truck driver appear next to him, "How''s the status of the immortal world I visitedst year?"


    "Pretty decent I must say. The seeds you''ve nted are growing well." Truck-Kun said before his expression turned serious, "Did the Systems make a moverge enough for Compass Carburettor to summon everyone?"


    "It seems that''s the case." Gahrat closed her eyes, sensing streams of information flow into her through the Main Character System, "Someone named yer gained control over the birthce of Systems and offended the System World. That''s the present state of things."


    She then stared at Truck-Kun, "Will Immortal make his move?"


    "He''s the only one with the power to deal with Systems among the Genre Representatives, though that power is still weak."


    "I''ll persuade him and the rest to take action." Truck-Kun said, "Though, I cannot guarantee what they might do."


    "I''m fine with that." Gahrat said as her figure vanished, "As long as Compass Carburettor is alive, more Main Characters would be birthed, even if the rest of us are killed."


    ...


    Gaider Realm!


    Seated on the shores of an ind was Hazen,ughing happily as his hands were linked with the vigers of Hazen Vige as they danced around a bonfire.


    Suddenly, his expression copsed as he extricated himself from their hold and crouched on the ground, grunting in pain, "Aaargh!"


    "Hazen!" Alika shouted in rm as she rushed to his rescue, propping him up to see veins dancing on his forehead erratically, "W-What is happening to you?"


    "Is it like before?" She asked in a hurry, wondering if Hazen had to force himself to do something once again.


    "This time, it''s different." Hazen said, grunting as he endured the pain, bellowing in response, "STOP SUMMONING ME!"


    Immediately after, the protruding veins on his forehead subsided as he panted in response, speaking after a minute had passed, "I''m...part of a parcel. And the core of this parcel is now summoning all the parts."


    "W-Will you leave me then?" Alika asked, tearing up immediately in response.


    "No, silly." Hazen smiled in response as he gently patted her head, "He can only try to call me. I''m strong enough to avoid the call."


    "Besides," Hazen''s expression turned serious, "I won''t participate in a war, irrespective of the effect it might originate from or the cause it strives towards."


    "You sure?" Suddenly, an omniscient voice resounded, startling everyone as an instantter, everyone in the vige prostrated subconsciously, feeling that the true deity of their world had arrived.


    The deity wore Taoist robes, sporting eyebrows and a moustache that dangled like dragons as his scaly eyes stared at Hazen, "You cannot go against your fate, Hazen."


    Genre Representative--Immortal!

 Chapter 770 You Dare Force Me To Take Action?

    "Immortal," Hazen frowned in response; he was the sole living entity standing straight before Immortal. Even the fishes in the sea were prostrating, not taking action.


    There was a predator fish that had opened its mouth and was in the midst of swallowing its prey. But even it had stopped and was now prostrating, with the prey in its mouth doing the same, ignoring its survival instincts to take the chance and flee for safety.


    Being a Genre Representative meant that every essence of every being in every single world part of the genre was recorded in this entity¡ªImmortal.


    Basically, Immortal was a database that had a record of every single organism to have ever walked in a cultivation world, possessing the multitude of power systems, the memories of everyone that had ever lived there, etc.


    Omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, that was Immortal in terms of the cultivation genre. And hence, the moment such a being manifested, every single living creature in the vicinity expressed its submission.


    Even the Origin Essence of the Gaider Realm coiled underneath Immortal, like a pet serpent that had submitted itself to its master.


    "Don''t try to force my hand. I won''t participate in a war." Hazen stated without any hesitation, snapping his finger as instantly, all the vigers of Hazen Vige were able to get up.


    The fishes in the sea nearby resumed their activities and even the Origin Essence returned to normalcy. It was apparent that to a certain extent, at least in the Gaider Realm, Hazen was able to offset Immortal''s nature.


    "It''s only a matter of time before this world is targeted, you know." Immortal said in all seriousness, "You''re underestimating the Systems too much."


    "The moment I take action and injure them, they would trace the source back to this world." He spoke, "Only the powers of this world allow me to truly harm a System. You should understand that. To prevent me from bing their threat, they would try everything in their means to destroy this world."


    "Then don''t take action," Hazen said.


    "Are you purposefully trying to anger me?" Veins popped all over Immortal''s forehead as he red at Hazen. Even though they weren''t the target, everyone from Hazen Vige fainted in response, unable to endure his re.


    If Hazen hadn''t defended them, their bodies would have burst instantly.


    "I know you''re the smartest among all the Main Characters. So, you should know that I cannot be calm when the Systems are constantly stealing my worlds one after another." Immortal was shouting by the end.


    "And?" Hazen tilted his head, "Is that my problem?"


    "The Gaider Realm and every other Realm connected to it in this cultivation world are under my protection." Hazen said, "I''ll ensure this ce bes the most peaceful universe. But that''s it. I''m not going to bother myself with the rest of the worlds out there."


    His voice resounded with absolute confidence, "As long as I''m here, no System would ever be able to harm the people here."<sub> </sub>


    "Haah!" Immortal sighed as he stared at the sky, focusing as he scanned over the Martial Spirit Realm, staring at the Heaven Divine Martial Spirit to see that it was busy mixing Origin Essence with a mysterious energy originating from the corpse of the first Main Character¡ªArnark.


    The resultant energy was effective in destroying even the Coordinates of a System, which was what Immortal relied upon to fight against the Systems. Though, this power was still iplete and hadn''t be mainstream in Gaider Realm itself.


    Therefore, it wasn''t at a level where he could wield it against his enemies. At most, it was effective against Hatchling Systems.


    The moment the Heaven Divine Martial Spirit noticed his stare, it stopped all actions and bowed in response.


    "Maybe I should relocate this world''s power to somewhere else," Immortal muttered.


    "What?" Hazen was rmed as he red at Immortal, "Don''t you dare!"


    "You do realise you''re living in my world, right?" Immortal said, no longer mincing his words, "I can do whatever I want then. Since you''re refusing to cooperate with me, then I''ll act ording to the best of my interests."


    "Best of your interests?" Hazen let out a burst ofughter full of mockery, staring at Immortal''s offended expression as he spoke slowly, "Is that why you allowed the birth of Systems?"


    "What the¡­" It was Immortal''s turn to be stunned now, "How did you know about that?"


    "I learnt it from Arnark." Hazen closed his eyes, sighing as he spoke, "Even Compass Carburettor can notice Arnark''s presence. It would be a wonder if I can''t even sense him."


    "Yes, I''ve been talking with Arnark all along through the Main Character System. And through him, I''ve learnt a lot of secrets regarding what everyone has been scheming upon." His eyes shot open as Immortal felt stunned, as if all his secrets wereid bare before Hazen, "And I understand that it was because of the conflict between you and Magister that led to the birth of the System World."


    "Even if you cannot kill Zaira, the one calling himself as Conjurer could have been killed. You only need to destroy all the worlds under him to erase his existence." Hazen spoke, stepping closer to Immortal as his voice turned cold, "But you didn''t, even after knowing that it was thanks to Conjurer that Zaira was able to establish a foothold in various worlds. Without him, Systems would never have been able to level up constantly and grow in terms of genres."


    "You allowed the situation to deteriorate to this extent, you, the Genre Representative that was once the strongest entity." Hazen pointed at Immortal, poking him on the be, "Even if you couldn''t kill them, you could have camped at their spawn point and massacred them without rest. That would have kept their growth at zero."


    "Even with all the means at your disposal, you never did that. Guess what?" Hazen smirked derisively, "You were arrogant all along. In the past, even the Grade 4 Systems died from a single sword sh of yours. So you never treated them as a threat, until they gradually consumed you from within."


    "And now you dare force me to take action?" Starlight burst out of Hazen as for a moment, his figure seemed to have split into a billion counterparts, "Remember that I''m a System too."


    "I can do worse than any Main Character in history could ever hope to achieve."

 Chapter 771 Hazen’s Ultimatum

    Swoosh!


    Sea waves rushed onto the sandy beach, brushing past thework of intertwined roots originating from a forest that extended into the water body.


    Seated on the shore was Hazen, staring at the horizon while letting out a soft breath, his mood heavy.


    "What...just happened?" Alika arrived at the scene, asking as she brushed aside a branch to stare at his back, "Where did...that person go?"


    <o>,m "He left," Hazen said, letting out a gentle smile as he turned around to face her, embracing her, "He''s not from this world in the first ce..."</o>


    "Will the war he mentioned affect us?" Alika asked.


    "There would be consequences." Hazen nodded, "As Immortal mentioned, the moment he attacks the Systems with our world''s energy, they would trace the source in a matter of minutes. After all, plenty of Systems have journeyed in our world. So they have all the data pertaining to our energy characteristics."


    "But, you needn''t worry," He said, brushing aside her hair as he consoled her, "I''ll prevent them from setting foot in this world."


    "But how will you do that?" Alika asked, "The one you argued with...Immortal, I could sense from him a vast power with unfathomable depth, almost limitless. In contrast, even I can gauge your power."


    "How will you face an enemy that even Immortal is apprehensive about?" She expressed her worries. Honestly, there was truth in her words.


    Immortal derived strength from the hundreds of thousands of cultivation worlds. So, his power indeed seemed limitless.


    In contrast, Hazen only had his power gained from the Gaider Realm. Even though he had attained Extreme Providence, that meant nothing before his enemies.


    It had to be noted that even after attaining Extreme Providence, Balmer--The zing Sun n Leader--wasn''t able to kill a System Host and struggled against them.


    So, Alika''s doubts made sense, especially since Hazen didn''t seem to possess any other power. It made her wonder on what basis was he so confident to state that he would protect the entire cultivation world that contained more than a hundred Realms.


    "Want me to show a demo?" Hazen asked, letting out a yful grin.


    "Sure!" Alika nodded innocently, surprised to see her figure hovering in the air now. Hazen had extended an Origin Essence string and bound it around her, using it to carry her.


    Moreover, the moment the whip wrapped around herpletely, forming a cocoon, it turned transparent and vanished--ording to her senses.


    But immediately after, Alika screamed in horror, "What the heck is that?"


    "A System," Hazen muttered, staring at the six-winded humanoid creature that was hovering above the Gaider Realm, trying to determine the means to enter the world that for some reason had been closed off.


    "That''s a...System?" Alika was shocked when suddenly, her eyes lit up with starlight as a surge of information poured into her mind. It was Hazen feeding her the necessary information, allowing her to truly understand the millions of universes out there, with each vastly different from the other.


    It allowed her to understand the pedestal on which Hazen stood and observed their world, ''So many fascinating worlds out there. Inparison, our world seems pretty tame.''<sub> </sub>


    "But this is the only one where you exist." Hazen smiled, gently caressing her cheek as he said, "It matters naught how vast or fascinating a world is. Your bonds with fellow people are what determines the fascination."


    "That was...cheesy." Alika covered her eyes in embarrassment, blushing in response as she shied away from making eye contact with him.


    "Look there." Hazen pointed at the massive figure, "This is a creature that contains a massive fragment of the Grade 2 Angel System."


    "You mean to say, such a powerful creature isn''t aplete Host to a System?" Alika was shocked as she spoke words spontaneously, one that she couldn''t have made sense of mere seconds ago. It showed the terrifying level of control Hazen had over his powers, one where he fed her a mountainous sum of information without hurting her mind.


    "Yep," Hazen nodded, "In truth, this creature is stronger than a Host with a Level 99 Grade 1 System. After all, the Angel System fragment in it isrger and contains more power than a Level 99 Grade 1 System."


    "Y-You!" The six-winged angel stared at Hazen in shock, stammering in response as it failed to sense him until he was right before its face.


    Origin Art--Gloss Over!


    If Hazen didn''t voluntarily reveal himself, it would have never sensed him.


    Hazen motioned for Alika to stop speaking as he let out a cruel smile, causing the six-winded angel to break into a fluster as the two figures before it vanished. And irrespective of the Skills it activated, it was unable to detect them.


    Shockingly, the duo was in the same ce as before, in the void above the Gaider Realm.


    "How can Gloss Over be this effective? Shouldn''t an Origin Art be ineffective against beings of such stature?" Alika expressed her disbelief, "It should definitely possess Skills that can negate our entire power system."


    "Power is just the means to an end." Hazen said, "I''m using Origin Essence just to fuel my abilities. If I just use an Origin Art, then just as you said, it wouldn''t be effective against this creature. But you see..."


    He smiled, snapping his finger to cause the void before him to ripple, "I''m using an absolute state of matter."


    Upon seeing the ripples of the void move in contrast to his actions, Alika was shocked as she muttered, "You''re using Cause and Effect?"


    "Bingo!" Hazen pped in praise, "In every world, irrespective of the power system, there''s always a cause and effect. The fire unleashed by Spiritual Energy burns objects. The fire unleashed by a thermal projector also burns objects. The fire unleashed by contracts, such as hellfire or the samadhi fire also burns objects. The cause originates from different power systems, but the effect is always the same."


    "Fire burns objects." Hazen gave his ultimatum, "My power relying on our power system allows me to control minds. That''s the effect. So, I''ve simply gained control over all the causes that result in this effect, which allows me to do this..."


    Saying so, he waved his hand, causing the eyes of the six-winged angel to dim in response as its will, ego, character, and consciousness were erased. Following that, a seed made its way into its mind, took root, and sprouted, absorbing all the memories.


    Following that, the six-winged angel cupped its fists, bowing towards Hazen, "I greet master."


    "See, simple right?" Hazen smiled while patting the six-winged angel, snapping his finger as the other party transformed into a Mental Energy figure and settled within his mind, stored there for the time being.


    "This is why I''m confident in being able to protect our world." Hazen stated with absolute confidence, "Any System that darese here would just be my subordinate. I''ve already gained dozens."

 Chapter 772 Dad, Save Me!

    Boom!


    Millions of Vastras spawned into the new world, rapidly moving towards the trio like a wave. And this time, the effect of the gue was neutralised by a certain flower that released pollen that counteracted the gue.


    It had been conjured by Conjurer that had appeared before the trio.


    Staring at the tense expressions of the three, Conjurer grinned, "Well, why don''t we begin with some pleasantries?"


    His figure flew back, conjuring a mystical barrier that defended against the attacks unleashed by the trio. Upon appearing high up in the sky, Conjurer stared at Stencil, "I believe you''ve seen this from someone you''ve supported just recently."


    Instantly, the space behind him turned bright as a freaking sun the size of a city was conjured in an instant and hurled straight towards the trio, an imitation of Starfall.


    "Shit!" Aronaut cursed in response, transforming the Relic into a sword as he activated hundreds of Core Skills, hacking at the mystical chains that had been conjured. They had wrapped around the trio, preventing them from evading the approaching sun.


    "Aargh!" Stencil grunted in pain as the hair on her skin began to burn from the sheer heat unleashed by the sun, causing patches of her skin to peel off. And the moment the chains bound her, Stencil noticed her Mental Energy getting sealed rapidly, preventing her from unleashing her stronger attacks.


    Left with no other choice, she could only depend on her Origin Essence. But even the strongest of these attacks failed to even dent the chains. It wasn''t just her though as even Aronaut''s abilities failed to destroy the chains.


    All he managed to do was hack into them partially, but even more chains were conjured in response to bind him to the ce.


    "Gehera! Is it done?" Stencil asked in a hurry, suffocating from the heat as her lungs felt like they were on fire. She wasn''t even able to keep her eyes open due to the blinding heat and light, not to mention the sheer gravitational pull that seemed intent to rip her body apart.


    "I don''t know!" Gehera expressed her frustrations, iling around as the chains constricted her powers too, "I only stole a part of his power. I don''t even know if he managed to sense that."


    ''Shit, is this the end?'' Stencil too was frustrated, vexed at Conjurer that had been aiming for them all along. And now, when they fought, despite being a Level 99 System yer, she wasn''t strong enough to face the other party.


    Even though her abilities became tremendously potent after her level-up, shecked not only experience but also the means to deal with such varied abilities in a versatile nature.


    And as a Genre Representative, Conjurer had dozens of abilities with simr effects that he could switch over to easily counter her arrangements.


    ''If only I faced strong Systems on my own.'' Stencil regretted for a moment before noticing that her mind was calm.


    Strangely, she had epted her end, for there truly was no way for her to survive this. Neither Gehera nor Aronaut had the means to change the tide of the situation. Even if they were to use all their might to break free of the chains, Conjurer could casually conjure another set of chains from a simr power system.


    That would bring them back to square one once again, something that had already happened many times, which was why they were unable to counter him. Whatever they threw at him never worked a second time.


    Swoosh!<sub> </sub>


    All the Core Skills that Aronaut had activated before being chained down rushed towards the chains, somehow loosening them enough to allow him to slip through, instantly regaining all his abilities. He then freed Gehera and Stencil, intending to teleport somewhere in that world itself when suddenly, all the Skills failed to activate, causing Aronaut to crash into the ground.


    "What¡­just happened?" He was shocked, stunned even.


    Staring at the scene was Zaira, observing her hand glowing with varied colours. She had, in an instant, activated the same Core Skills that Aronaut had activated, using the two exact powers to cancel each other.


    With that, she perfectly interfered with Aronaut''s power. After all, she had data regarding all the Systems whose powers were now stored in the Relic. Only the two Systems that Stencil had created weren''t in her database, preventing her from replicating those two Core Skills.


    But with Aronaut neutralised, the remaining two weren''t much of a threat, especially since they had to face Conjurer on their own.


    Gehera took out a totem and stabbed it into the ground, unleashing a certain power that she stole from yer. But before the power could take effect, Conjurer conjured a separate dimension that absorbed that totem before copsing on itself, this way eradicating the effects of the totem.


    Core Skill¡ªSkill-Breaker!


    Stencil ced her hand on the ground, activating the power in full swing as she destabilised the world, destroying the effects of the Core Skills that formed its functional makeup, resulting in the world copsing.


    But an instantter, it recovered back to full stability as Zaira casually activated the necessary Core Skills to offset the damage. Even if Stencil continued to destroy the world, Zaira was able to rebuild it at a faster pace.


    Moreover, destroying the world required a ginormous sum of Mental Energy, something Stencil couldn''t keep up beyond a couple of activations. But as for Zaira? The required sum of Mental Energy wasn''t even a fraction of what she gained in a second.


    They were on a whole other level¡­


    Bang!


    Stencil mmed into the ground, coughing out blood as the mystical chains wrapped around her once again, also binding Aronaut and Gehera. And this time, the miniature sun had closed in dangerously enough that their flesh began to burn rapidly, causing her to holler in pain, almost on the verge of death, "¡­Dad!"


    "Save me!"


    "Haha, too bad, Compass Carburettor wouldn''t return until three years is up. There''s still enough time¡­" Conjurer cackled when suddenly, he noticed the surroundings dim down as the heat he was feeling from the miniature sun was no more.


    He blinked his eyes, opening them in rm to see that the sun had vanished, the chains he created had vanished, the billions of Vastras had vanished, and Stencil and group were strangely in perfect health. And most of all, standing a few centimetres away from his face was a strange entity, one sporting three pairs of arms and three heads, two of which were feminine, taking up either side of the male one.


    The eyes of all three heads shot open, expressing boundless fury as they red at Conjurer.

 Chapter 773 The Main Character’s Terrifying Power

    "There was once a shepherd," An omniscient voice resounded, originating from the mysterious three-headed entity.


    ''That''s the Main Character?'' Zaira frowned, focusing as she was able to sense hundreds of Main Character System fragments in the three-headed entity, confirming the other party''s identity.


    It was then her expression became one of rm, actually paling in fear as she noticed a vast surge of fate congregate in the region, swirling towards the Main Character, ''No, he''s using everyone here as spectators for his y!''


    ''If this level of fate congregates and sparks whatever he wishes to create, it would signal a disaster for us.'' For the first time in forever, Zaira panicked, hurriedly activating one of her oldest powers.


    Core Skill--Tell-Tale (Level 299)!


    "There exists no shepherd!" There was a flux of energy following her booming voice as the congregating fate began to dissipate in response. She was using the power of the Tell-Tale System to counter Compass Carburettor''s Core Skill of Lore.


    The Main Character grunted softly in response before which, he continued to speak, "Protecting his sheep from the wolves..."


    The massive stretch of fate began to converge once again, this time even stronger than before, causing a seed of fear to bud in Zaira''s mind, ''Even when I''m activating Tell-Tale''s Core Skill, it''s still not enough to offset the Main Character''s Core Skill?''


    Upon seeing the convergence of fate elerate, she gritted her teeth, "It seems I have no other choice."


    She raised her hands to bellow with an omniscient tone, "Come!"


    Boom!


    Instantly, a mysterious creature resembling a long-necked monster with a billion hands resembling tentacles in ce of fur coating its neck appeared, rapidly understanding the situation at hand upon staring at the convergence of fate.


    Grade 3 System--Tell-Tale (Level 299)!


    "The sheep existed in peace, protected by the wolves..." The Tell-Tale System spoke aloud,bining its power with Zaira to double the effect, mentally heaving a sigh in relief upon seeing the convergence of fate dissipate gradually.


    Zaira was able to unleash the power of all Core Skills that were in her database, at full power. This was why she refrained from summoning any System to the scene and intended to deal with it herself by relying on her Core Skills alone.


    After all, she didn''t wish to create chances for yer to sneak attack her Systems using the war as an opportunity. Losing thousands of Grade 1 Systems didn''t matter. If she could create them once, she could recreate them from scratch again.


    As long as she found suitable enough Mental Energy to act as a temte.


    And, the poption of Systems were indeed booming, so she wasn''t concerned with their deaths, if any. But, she was of course concerned about the fate of the Grade 2 Systems and beyond.


    Grade 2 Systems formed the vanguard of her forces against the Genre Representatives, capable of creating their own genres. That was how they managed to kill the Genre Representative--Hunter!


    Hunter wasn''t strong in the first ce, being an obscure Genre Representative. But suddenly, a group of Grade 2 Systems invaded his world and rapidly poprised the genre, ending up fully taking control of it and resulting in his death.


    Above that were Grade 3 Systems, capable of changing the very genres themselves. They were her personal force against the Genre Representatives. Even for Systems, Grade 3 Systems numbered very few.


    To date, her forces barely surpassed the strength of the Genre Representatives. Immortal and Magister were just those well-known among Genre Representatives. There were dozens of them, almost equal in number to the Grade 3 Systems.<sub> </sub>


    Therefore, if she were to lose even a single Grade 3 System, it would tip the bnce to the other side, especially since she would lose all data regarding the Grade 3 System--if it was killed by the Main Character--when killed, or worse, stolen.


    But now, since the strength of Compass Carburettor''s Core Skill of Lore was beyond her expectations, Zaira had no other choice but to summon her trump card, the pir of Systems--Tell-Tale System.


    It was the System that had created the Astral Network and pretty much shaped the path of power progression for the Systems. If not for the Tell-Tale System, the Systems would have never attained the concept of level-up through gaining Mental Energy, consuming those of the same genre to eventually be Grade 2, and many others.


    It could be said that the Tell-Tale System was the keystone to the rise of the Systems. It also meant that its death would signal their fall.


    [Hurry, leave!]


    Zaira said upon seeing that the Main Character''s actions had been neutralised, urging the Tell-Tale System to leave. After all, despite its terrifying powers, in terms of brute strength, it was the weakest among Grade 3 Systems, possessing power inferior to even Grade 2 Systems.


    So, Zaira was truly worried about its safety.


    Boom!


    Suddenly, the entire world copsed, transforming into Mental Energy that vanished into the Main Character''s body.


    It was the new power Compass Carburettor had gained from Conjurer''s world. Adding onto Gahrat''s power, it allowed him to convert massive worlds into Mental Energy just like that.


    "T-This makes no sense..." yer, having been observing everything from far away muttered in disbelief when suddenly, the Main Character red at him.


    Dota--System Punishment!


    Through Domino Plottopia, Compass Carburettor unleashed this familiar ability on yer, "You''re one sneaky bastard, I''ll tell you that."


    Boom!


    yer was sent flying as countless defensive abilities that he had erected in advance shattered like ss, even cracking his body. If he hadn''t be the Genre Representative equivalent of the Fantasy World, that one attack would have turned his situation dangerous.


    Compass Carburettor didn''t stop at that as he red at the Tell-Tale System next, understanding instinctively that it was his natural enemy.


    <o>,m "No!" Zaira''s Mental Energy construct enveloped the Tell-Tale System in a protective embrace, activating countless Core Skills as she readily expended a world''s worth of Mental Energy to defend against the attack.</o>


    But an instantter, the majority of the abilities that she had unleashed fractured mysteriously, transforming into Mental Fragments, after which they became Mental Energy and returned to the Main Character''s body in an instant, causing part of the System Punishment to seep through the gaps in the defence and m into Zaira''s energy construct, exploding it.


    "And you..." Compass Carburettor red at Conjurer, observing the other party''s fear as for some reason, part of his body had be limp mysteriously, "One of your worlds is already mine. Next,"


    "The rest will follow suit."

 Chapter 774 Are You The Main Character’s Ally Or Not?

    The moment Domino Plottopia merged with him, Compass Carburettor gained the ability to teleport to Stencil''s location. After all, there existed the connection in terms of Anthozoa¡ªthat he gave to Stencil.


    And right at this time, thanks to this connection, through the power of Secret Society, Compass Carburettor heard his daughter''s pleas that were transmitted through Anthozoa. Immediately after, rage filled his entire being, erupting out as he felt her desperate cry.


    Immediately after, he arrived at the scene, staring at the figures of Stencil, Gehera and Aronaut chained down to a spot while a zing sun rushed towards them, the heat already beginning to burn their bodies.


    Instantly, he absorbed the entire sun through Anthozoa. After all, it was able to absorb sunlight¡ªan evolved function from when it was created, where it only used the photovoltaic property to generate electricity.


    When Gahrat fused into him, Compass Carburettor''s power of Spirit Morph was strengthened enormously, allowing him to simply convert the zing sun and the chains binding the trio before him into Mental Fragments that further transformed into Mental Energy to flow into his body in an instant.


    Moreover, he shot a bullet into the bodies of each, instantly curing them.


    Bullet Temte¡ªTeh!


    Using the power of the Titan''s Immortality, he instantly cured them, for the level of injury they sustained was within its recovery capacity.


    But, even after Stencil was fully cured, just the fact that she had to suffer burning pain sparked hatred in his mind, causing his anger to explode.


    And in their current state, both Domino Plottopia and Gahrat were influenced by his emotions, expressing anger too.


    Originally, he nned to absorb them into his body like how he originally was at the time of obtaining the Core Skill of Lore. But in that state, there would be a conflict of thoughts due to their varying nature.


    Hence, Compass Carburettor instead simply performed an additive fusion where their heads and hands formed separately, attaching to his own. This was why he sprouted three heads and six arms now.


    Domino Plottopia was on the left while Gahrat was on the right. Moreover, Aronaut''s figure vanished, taking shelter within the Relic.


    Following that, the Relic fused into their body, transforming into armour protecting them from head to toe. The current Main Character possessed the powers of four Main Characters¡ªCompass Carburettor, Domino Plottopia, Gahrat, and the Relic.


    Compass Carburettor stared at Conjurer, observing the other party''s budding fear, the reason stemming from the fact that one of his worlds had entirely fallen under the control of the Main Character.


    After all, forming the core of its power system was a belief in the Main Character, allowing tiny fragments of the Main Character System to grow in their minds. And once they die, the essence of the world would absorb those fragments, causing a fundamental change in its makeup.


    And indeed, when the Invokers were able to gain power faster as they no longer needed to worry about constructing their Invoked Spirits or Dreand, their desires intensified, which led to more conflicts.


    Ultimately, it resulted in a lot of deaths among Invokers, causing the world to absorb their remains upon their death. It led to the Main Character System being absorbed into the essence of the world, causing the power system to evolve and be deeply tied to the Main Character.


    This was why Conjurer was feeling fear, for one of his worlds had already slipped his control, beginning to influence him already. His strength was beginning to drop in response.


    And being red at by the Main Character, one of the worlds under Conjurer expressed the same towards him, which was what resulted in the fear he was feeling now.<sub> </sub>


    Compass Carburettor red at Conjurer as starlight gushed out of his eyes, unleashing his new ability.


    Spirit Morph!


    "Gah!" Conjurer shouted in rm when one of his eyes destabilised and began to slowly transform into Mental Fragments, causing him to mutter in startlement, "Mental Fragments? Why aren''t they under my control?"


    "Surprised you can say that," Compass Carburettor said in mockery, "For that world is already influenced by me."


    "You were there?" Shockyered his expression as Conjurer stared at the Main Character, "How? I searched that world twice but never found you there."


    In response, Compass Carburettor just shrugged, unwilling toy out his cards.


    Moreover, Conjurer''s eyes continued to destabilise and transform into Mental Fragments faster and faster before flowing towards Compass Carburettor in a stream.


    Boom!


    Conjurer''s figure shed away as he shed away the infected parts before conjuring another eye, staring in rm as Compass Carburettor absorbed all the ejected parts of his body.


    ''How is he able to do this? Such a power doesn''t exist in any of my worlds, not to mention the world he had infiltrated.'' Conjurer failed to make sense of Compass Carburettor''s growth, already losing the drive to fight anymore.


    "Enough of your arrogance, Compass." Zaira''s voice resounded in anger as she activated a Grade 2 System''s Core Skill, unleashing millions of bats that targeted Stencil and Gehera. She remembered Conjurer''s words that Compass Carburettor valued Stencil''s life more than his own. Hence, targeting her would put him on the defensive.


    But an instantter, the millions of bats transformed into Mental Fragments that flowed into the Main Character''s body.


    Currently, they were in the void, for the world Zaira created was already absorbed by Compass Carburettor. Stencil transformed into a Coordinate to survive in this void while Gehera used a totem¡ªstolen from yer¡ªto do the same.


    Standing a few metres before them was the Main Character whose three heads were each facing their respective opponent. Compass Carburettor stared at Conjurer, using his Spirit Morph to strengthen the fear felt by the other party.


    Domino Plottopia stared at Zaira, shing a peaceful smile at the other party to say, "The System World is a database that contains the data of every single System, right?"


    ''How does she know this?'' Zaira frowned in response, sensing through her power that Domino Plottopia was barely two years old. But despite that, she seemed to possess powers from multiple worlds, especially those rted to the Hunter System. ''Is that why a bunch of Grade 2 Systems were flustered recently?''


    Honestly, none of the Grade 2 Systems had ever experienced their power getting stolen by someone else. As this was the first time it happened, they were flustered.


    Finally, Gahrat stared at yer, blinking in confusion to ask, "Why aren''t you taking action? Are you the Main Character''s ally or not?"


    "Your future depends on your answer."

 Chapter 775 Slayer’s Dilemma

    "Your future depends on your answer."


    ''Shit!'' At Gahrat''s words, yer felt a tad tense. After all, if possible, he wished to remain on the fence about everything and somehow mitigate the situation and maintain the status quo.


    After all, even after what he did, Zaira wouldn''t bother fighting him herself. The most she would do was determine his energy traces and block them all from the System World. That way, he wouldn''t be able to use the System World to travel to other worlds.


    Just this would ensure he would remain a turtle of the Fantasy World. And, no matter what he did beyond that, he would never be a threat.


    <o>,m After all, irrespective of how vast the Fantasy World was or how strong its development was, it would never be a threat to Zaira. Simply, take any Immortal World as an example. Each and every single one of them consisted of multiple Realms, with each being as vast as the Fantasy World, if not bigger.</o>


    Therefore, yer wouldn''t pose a threat to her, not now, never in the future. Currently, if he uses all his power, his strength would be on par with a Grade 3 System. Therefore, just to not make another enemy on the level of a Grade 3 System, Zaira would stall their conflict, at least until she destroyed a few Genre Representatives, at least an enough amount until making an enemy out of yer wasn''t troublesome.


    And even yer was counting on that to buy time. After all, he had the confidence in growing strong enough by then, to a level capable of threatening Zaira to ensure she wouldn''t ever target him.


    Even when she created that new world to threaten him, yer was internally giddy. After all, he had the means to swallow that world and strengthen the foundation of his world better. It was just that he didn''t wish to reveal the method to Zaira and was waiting for the opportune time to take action.


    Unfortunately for him, Compass Carburettor consumed the entire world, disying the fearsome might he had obtained already. If it was just Compass Carburettor, then it would have been impossible for him to devour the entire world.


    At most, devouring a mountain or two at a time was his limit. But with Gahrat, Domino Plottopia, and the Relic strengthening him, he was able to do so.


    It had to be noted that Domino Plottopia had been devouring System fragments in Hunter Worlds nonstop, having already taken over an entire world. As for Gahrat, she had already sowed the seeds to change multiple Cultivation Worlds.


    So, even though it had only been two years since the split, their individual growth was rming. And whenbined, they resulted in a beneficial culmination and amplification of abilities, resulting in an exponential strengthening of all their powers.


    So of course, yer was perplexed. After all, the moment he takes action, his stance on the matter would be disyed for all parties to see.


    If he were to side with Zaira, he would be making an enemy of the Main Character and Arnark, the first Main Character who was obviously still alive and active through the Main Character System fragments, making his own ns in various worlds out there.


    It would mean there would be a constant threat, one that would prevent yer from having a good night''s rest. It was especially since he understood Arnark''s nature, one that embodied the Main Character''s traits to such a level that making the impossible possible was as natural as breathing to him.


    There was a good chance that he might find everything he worked on until now to be taken control of by Arnark in the future. The possibility existed since Arnark was a denizen of the Fantasy World and was where he became the Main Character.


    Moreover, it would also mean that he would be making enemies of Immortal, Magister, etc. And that was bad news.<sub> </sub>


    The only reason Zaira could develop despite being at war with them was thanks to the fact that her enemies didn''t possess the means that would prevent a System from reviving in the System World.


    But if he pissed off the Genre Representatives, Mystique would take action. After all, the current Fantasy World was leaning the closest to the genre that Mystique represented, ''And I don''t want that. This freak has grown stronger despite being targeted by the Systems nonstop.''


    The number of worlds under Mystique was one of the lowest among the Genre Representatives, only better than the weakest of Genre Representatives with single-digit worlds. But, every single world under Mystique was eerie.


    Eerie!


    That was the best exnation one could give them. And, Systems have repeatedly failed to be born from such worlds. Even if they did, they for some reason lose their minds and turned into pure beings of energy, bing dangerous.


    To date, they were sealed in a corner of the System World by Zaira, the same for every single System attacked by Mystique.


    So, joining Zaira''s side had consequences that he couldn''t handle.


    But simrly, joining the Main Character too was equally dangerous. After all, Zaira was aware that he possessed the same power as her, having obtained it through the Magic Tools that Magister had created for his experiment at the start.


    Other than the tiara that changed her, there were five Magic Tools that Magister had created, out of which she had only consumed one. It was yer that had consumed the rest, managing to eventually create the same power as her¡ªone that allowed him to create Systems out of Mental Energy.


    To date, he never actively went against the Systems, having killed more Main Characters than the Systems themselves. Only by maintaining such a hazy stance was he able to evade her wrath to date.


    But the moment he expresses his stance of joining the Main Character, Zaira would consider him the top priority to get rid of, on a level above the Main Character. For, he had her power.


    His existence alone was a blow to her monopoly of the System''s power. Therefore, Zaira would use all her power to destroy the Fantasy World and kill him.


    And against her wrath, the Genre Representatives would do nothing, after all, they were unable to kill any system, including the fearsome Mystique.


    ''This is why I don''t like such situations.'' yer felt a headache, for, at the moment, the battlefield was silent as both opposing forces stopped fighting, cing their attention on yer.


    It was apparent that his decision would change the status quo forever, irrespective of the side he joins.

 Chapter 776 Universal Relic

    "What¡­are we supposed to do here?" Balveta trembled in fear upon sensing the gazes of all the mighty beings converging upon her. And among them, she noticed the familiar figure of Compass Carburettor, one that she had encountered before.


    ''How¡­is he this strong?'' Balveta was rmed. Back then, even though Compass Carburettor was strong enough to dare face them all, despite the odds to protect his daughter, he was simply¡­strong.


    But now, he was terrifying, especially since two absolute authorities were defining him. First of the absolute authorities was the fact that anyone harbouring ill intent towards him would experience their respective memories wiped clear.


    This meant that no enemy of his could scheme against him. Secondly, he was now able to transform anything that met his eye into Mental Energy.


    What this implied was straight-up nightmarish. None would be able to scheme against Compass Carburettor with ill intent. And even if they managed to bypass that, anything that dared face his sight would be turned into energy to fuel him further.


    Considering how all these changes happened in a mere year terrified her, ''Is this what a true Main Character means? Inparison, the previous Main Characters we hunted were simply cute.''


    ''No, wait.'' Her eyes widened in surprise before she stared at yer''s back, ''None of those Main Characters were cute. They too were terrifying. But, it was because of yer that they seemed cute.''


    She shuddered at the thought as she stared at Compass Carburettor, ''This implies that Compass Carburettor is someone that yer is unable to handle, just like Arnark. Fuck!''


    "Whatever happens next wouldn''t be pretty." Warl said, standing erect as murderous intent congealed in himself as gradually, every single Skill and Core Skill he obtained flowed into his Personal Fragment, a Relic that yer had meticulously created for his use by modifying his original Personal Fragment, forming imprints on it, "We should begin preparations."


    "yer¡­" He whispered.


    "I''ll permit their use." yer nodded in response, not breaking eye contact with his enemies as his words resounded in the ears of the five peak System yers, "Shed the defective Main Character System fragments."


    "Alright," Warl was the first to nod in response as instantly, his Personal Fragment shone with resplendent light, consuming all the Skills and Core Skills, devouring them as the Relic evolved in response.


    Relics were capable of consuming System fragments. This was their primary trait. But, they had a limit, due to the development of the profession the Relic was based upon.


    That all changed after yer gained control over all the professions. A mysterious energy flowed from his body and entered the Relic, rapidly transforming its structure to be part of all the professions of the Fantasy World.


    Thereby, the sheer growth of its foundation allowed it to consume even stronger Systems, surpassing the Grade 1 Limit that only yer was able to surpass before.


    And, this allowed Warl''s Relic to also consume a certain something that was inherently part of him all along, from the start of his journey as a System yer.<sub> </sub>


    Main Character System Fragment!


    Grade 1 Systems could only exist as a single entity. In contrast, Grade 2 Systems could fragment themselves into billions of fragments, with each able to reside in a host of its own.


    The Main Character System fragment was between the two. Despite being a Grade 1 System, it was capable of fragmenting itself into a thousand fragments. And each fragment turned a normal living being into a System yer, giving them unsurmountable powers.


    Each fragment was equivalent to ten Level 99 Grade 1 Systems. That was their base power, which was why System yers were able to refine and obtain the Core Skills of Systems from any genre, facing no negative effects in doing this.


    Moreover, they could also level up by absorbing any form of Mental Energy, unlike normal Systems that could only consume Mental Energy fit for what they represented.


    In terms of Mental Energy absorption, they adopted the traits of Grade 3 Systems or even surpassed them in that they could practically absorb any form of Mental Energy and develop without problems.


    This was the special trait of the Main Character System. That was why, despite being a single fragment among the thousand that formed the Main Character System as a whole, it couldn''t be absorbed by a Relic.


    But now, after yer modified Warl''s Relic to amodate all the professions, its foundation allowed him to even absorb a peak Grade 2 System, thereby allowing him to finally absorb the Main Character System fragment.


    "So, this is your stance¡­" Compass Carburettor muttered, not expressing anything beyond that, knowing very well that he could recreate the consumed fragments in Conjurer''s world. He only had to umte enough fragments until it bes a Main Character System Fragment¡ªone among the thousand.


    "Ridiculous! Have you gone senile, Gilthru?" The Tell-Tale System screamed in horror. Even it had never expected Gilthru to make ns against the Main Character System.


    "Zaira, why aren''t you saying anything?" The Tell-Tale System turned around to ask in shock upon seeing the representation of the system World¡ªZaira¡ªremain unresponsive about the whole ordeal.


    After all, the reason the Tell-Tale System was so flustered wasn''t that yer consumed a Main Character System Fragment, but it was over the fact that among all Systems, the Main Character System was the most special, capable of reaching a height on par with Grade 4 Systems, and reign at the top even among Grade 4 Systems.


    And, if even a System like that could be consumed by yer, then it meant that no System was safe against yer, Whether Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, or even the invincible Grade 4 Systems. All were susceptible to being devoured by him.


    The Main Character System fragment vanished as Warl lost his status as a System yer. But in contrast, his Relic evolved to an extent that the power of his professions was now effective against every other power system in existence.


    "Universal Relic," yer let out a calm smile as the five peak System yers under him transformed at the same time. His figure too transformed, causing the first Main Character System fragment to be created to vanish as he stared at the spectators, "This is my stance."

 Chapter 777 Mascot’s Pissed

    "This is my stance."


    yer''s words resounded through the void where Zaira, the Tell-Tale System, the Main Character, Stencil, Gehera, and Conjurer hovered, stunning them all simultaneously.


    For a moment, even Zaira failed to find any words to express, for all she could sense was the fact that yer had be a serious threat now.


    Before, he was just¡­dangerous, because he was able to create Systems and was also able to inherit any power that was bestowed upon him. The moment anyone expressed their will to bestow their power to him, he inherited that seamlessly.


    This was yer''s original power¡ªgained through his Personal Fragment.


    But now, all these powers have been integrated into his Relic, allowing him to exhibit them in the form of his professions. It meant one thing¡­


    Initially, Systems could only be created through Mental Energy. But now, yer could insert mana in them and create a brand-new lifeform. He was no longer limited to using only Mental Energy to create Systems. He could freely insert any energy in his possession into the powers of his Relic.


    Systems cannot exist outside the mind of a sentient being. They can only exist in their true forms in the System World, nowhere else. This was because they were beings of the mind, created using Mental Energy. So, it was their inherent limitation, or could also be expressed as their trait.


    Generally, Grade 3 Systems could travel in their true forms. It was only because they took an entire world as their host and then terraformed that world into a body of their own. This was how they moved when outside the System World.


    So, every time they took action, they terraformed a random world they chanced upon and used it, like humans wearing clothes.


    But now, by mixing in another energy, for example, mana, the beings yer could create would be somewhat like Systems, but with a physical body. They would be capable of moving on their own and growing as a result.


    His powers allowed him to change the status quo of the entire scene. That was why Zairabelled yer a threat now.


    Even Compass Character, despite his terrifying powers, was still part of the original status quo. He was the Main Character, relying on the superior powers of the Main Character System that had the potential to be the strongest Grade 4 System.


    For Zaira, the growth of the Main Character would only mean an overpowered System. To a certain extent, she could still tolerate his existence. After all, if she manages to figure out a way by then, she would finally be able to integrate the Main Character System''s data into the System World, allowing her to wield the power of the Main Character System too.


    It would pretty much signal her victory in this war.


    But, yer''s existence sparked a brand new era, one where her hegemony was threatened. As someone that had witnessed the birth and growth of Systems, yer had the knowledge and experience to do whatever he wanted.


    Snap!


    Suddenly, yer snapped his finger as a mystical energy wafted over, enveloping the entire universe revolving around the Fantasy World.


    Immediately after, Zaira''s expression morphed into one of anger, "You didn''t!"<sub> </sub>


    "I just did," yer shed a middle finger at Zaira. Basically, what he did was lock the fate of his universe, preventing Zaira from ever using the power of Regression, Reincarnation, or Transmigration in his universe.


    Earlier, she hadn''t attempted to do so since the Fantasy World''s fate was too strong. Meaning, the repercussion she would face as a result was too much for her to bear. The damage outweighed the benefits.


    Though, it could be attributed to yer''s cunningness in that he only dared take such a drastic action after the fate of his world had umted to a terrifying extent that even Zaira would have to consider her choices.


    While she was still hesitant to take staunch action, he went a step further and absorbed the Main Character System fragment that formed the core of his power all along, transforming into a threat to Zaira.


    And immediately after, he locked his universe''s fate. It meant that, any action that would disrupt the massive fate couldn''t be taken, implying an obstruction towards time travel in any form.


    It wasn''t just the Grade 4 Systems whose powers couldn''t be used in this universe, but also Mascot''s power, preventing her from sending heroes or survivors to the Fantasy World in any timeline of her choice.


    This meant that the current future could never be altered by the powers on both sides that wielded control over time, turning yer''s status absolute.


    Zaira slowly raised her hand as she let out a sigh, "Now that it hase to this point, I''ll reciprocate, Gilthru."


    Boom!


    Ten Grade 3 Systems and more than a hundred Grade 2 Systems appeared behind her. These were all the forces that she could bring, for they were currently loitering in the System World. It would take time for her to gather the forces active in other worlds.


    Pulling out without any reason would result in billions of schemes going up in smoke, causing insane losses to the System World. This was why she didn''t wish to disturb the rest of the Systems, only bringing in the forces she could set aside for this punitive operation.


    Moreover, a hazy silhouette appeared in the void, one that seemed to be gradually grinding the sealed fate of the universe, intending to influence its timeline over the course of time.


    Grade 4 System¡ªRegression!


    yer''s expression hardened in response upon staring at the massive army that stood at his doorstep. But, he didn''t even begin to consider the events that might transpire next as suddenly, a pair of eyes appeared in the void, staring at the Systems with a disdainful re.


    Instantly, sparks erupted between the pair of eyes and the Grade 4 System¡ªRegression.


    Stencil turned around in rm, staring at a petite woman that had appeared behind her at some point in time, wearing a bear costume that entuated her cuteness.


    The eyes of the petite woman though, didn''t exist, only showcasing a void in the section. And indeed, it was her eyes that were situated in the void, bordering the universe''s boundary while ring at the Systems.


    Genre Representative¡ªMascot!

 Chapter 778 CC Offers A Deal

    Mascot was in charge of the booming Isekai Genre, always transporting suitable candidates from one world to another, and as a result, causing development in both. There were millions of Gods under her, with each a representative of their respective Isekai World.


    Her power was tremendous in that she had an entire organisation of celestial powers under her, forming one of the strongest forces among the Genre Representatives.


    The one with the strongest force was still Immortal, having countless Immortal Gods under him that had each consumed entire universes to fuel their strength. And it was only thanks to their existence that he still maintained a portion of his powers.


    If they were to die, his power would copse rmingly so. After all, the majority of those bing Immortal Gods recently were all helped by a System. This meant that all the power they gained would be consumed by the System in the end.


    This prevented Immortal''s power from growing, which was why even though he had the strongest army, he never waged a war with them. As the death of each Immortal God meant a permanent reduction in his strength, he refrained from using them.


    It could also be implied that the majority of the source of Immortal''s power wasn''t from the Cultivation Worlds but the Immortal Gods that wielded power surpassing their native worlds.


    But right after that was Mascot, with the second-strongest army. It could be said that the loss of those in her army wouldn''t affect her. After all, she embodied the concept of cheats.


    Therefore, it was hard for the System to wry control over her domain. And as the number of worlds forming the Isekai Genre continued to multiply, her strength was growing rapidly over the recent years, causing her strength to boom in response.


    It was why she was the first to take action, arriving at the scene as she red at the Systems. And upon noticing the energy-condensed form of Zaira, her voice boomed, "You dare show yourself beyond the System World?"


    "Did you finally lose enough braincells?"


    "Keuk!" The Tell-Tale System groaned in response, feeling an indescribable pressure, only able to heave a sigh in relief when Zaira enveloped her energy-condensed form over it.


    "Mascot has grown stronger¡­" The Grade 3 System, Apocalypse muttered, watching its body tremble in response to the pressure that was generated from Mascot''s mere words.


    "This is just a representative form of mine. Killing it is of no consequence." Zaira stated calmly, ring as in an instant, Mascot''s body almost buckled under the pressure.


    Zaira dared to face all the Genre Representatives on her own, forcing them to put aside their past differences and join hands. So obviously, she was stronger.


    "Arrogant as always," Mascot muttered as the pressure emanating from her intensified, resisting Zaira''s pressure.


    A couple of secondster, the pressure from both sides vanished as more Genre Representatives arrived.


    Immortal!


    Magister!


    Martial!


    Including Mascot, four Genre Representatives had arrived in total, causing the side of the Systems to feel nervous. After all, even though the Genre Representatives were unable to kill them, they were able to destroy their bodies.<sub> </sub>


    Normally, it would only mean that they would revive in the System World.


    But, it had to be noted that yer was watching from the side. Meaning, the moment they were killed, he would absorb their essence to strengthen himself. A fight erupting at his doorstep was a boon for his future.


    Currently, yer''s power was on par with a Grade 3 System while the five Universe Relic wielders under him were on par with Grade 2 Systems. That was a sizeable power, especially since they have the home-ground advantage, capable of siphoning the power of their world.


    Now that yer had expressed his stance, the face-off changed from a two-way face-off to a three-way face-off now.


    "yer, why don''t we make a deal?" Suddenly, the tense situation was broken by Compass Carburettor as he stared at yer.


    "A deal?" yer raised an eyebrow, acting calm while internally, he just upped the threat value of Compass Carburettor, ''What is this maniac nning now?''


    If not for Conjurer taking action, his ns would have almost fallen short. So, yer was indeed apprehensive about Main Characters, which was why he took charge to kill as many as possible previously.


    It was to ensure his ns wouldn''te to light for the reigning powers to notice. Main Characters were experts at unravelling ns that took tens of thousands of years to create and copse it in mere days.


    And indeed, Compass Carburettor had casually stumbled upon Gehera and grasped most of yer''s n in a matter of hours.


    Thankfully, yer managed to outwit both Compass Carburettor and Conjurer into facing each other, taking the chance toplete his mission. Gehera''s mother, Teh yed a vital role in the creation of the gue Doctor profession.


    Had Compass Carburettor remained in the Cultivation World, he would have done something to save her, resulting in yer''s ns going up in smoke.


    Even now, he was nervous about the existence of Gehera, someone that used the powers of the Fantasy World to be something beyond, breaking past all limits.


    And, for almost a year, she had been stealing his powers nonstop, which indeed worried him. Thankfully, it stopped when Gehera changed targets to Compass Carburettor.


    Finally, there was Stencil, a potential threat in the sense that she was a Coordinate, one that could operate independently, the first of its kind. It was Stencil''s actions¡ªthat cleaned up the Fantasy World of all Systems¡ªthat was the final step to his n, allowing him to take over the Fantasy World without any obstruction.


    And now that Compass Carburettor had offered him a deal, yer was careful, unwilling to get himself into a situation where he offended all parties. Currently, the ''threat'' he showcased caused Zaira to take a ''wait-and-see'' approach, unaware of what he could do with his newfound powers.


    But if Compass Carburettor did something, then things would fall away from his favour.


    Of course, it indeed seemed to be the case as Compass Carburettor said, "I''ll offer you the Conjurer Profession."


    "What do you need in return?" yer frowned, honestly interested in getting back the Conjurer Profession. It would strengthen his world further.


    "Just one." Compass Carburettor, pointing at the Tell-Tale System, "I want a fragment of it, nothing much."

 Chapter 779 Aren’t We Buddies?

    "This fucker dares?" The Grade 3 Apocalypse System red in anger at Compass Carburettor, intending to destroy the other party immediately. With its strength, it was indeed possible, as it was one of the strongest Grade 3 Systems.


    "You sure you want to antagonise them this much?" Mascot appeared next to Compass Carburettor and whispered in his ears, "They would readily hunt you after this, you know."


    "They would hunt me after this no matter what." Compass Carburettor smiled wryly, "The moment Zaira saw me, I realised that my future would be turbulent. Instead of avoiding it, I might as well gear the advantages my way. Getting my hands on the Tell-Tale System''s power would amplify mine tremendously."


    He then whispered even more softly, "My Lore would be potent enough to transform a World''swspletely. I can rewrite it if I wish to do so. That means, I can go around the worlds you''re in charge of and alter them to allow your powers to be effective against Systems."


    "You needn''t say more." Mascot nodded as she stared at yer, expressing her stance on the matter. Her expression implied that if yer were to refuse the deal, she would charge into his world and wreak havoc.


    "Hahaha! Interesting! As expected, your true nature as a merchant never fades away, huh." yer broke intoughter all of a sudden before shaking his head, "But, your deal is geared against my favour. The moment I dare harm Tell-Tale System, Zaira woulde at me with reckless abandon. Getting one more profession isn''t worth the danger."


    "I''m neither their enemy nor their ally. Anyone that attacks my world would be met with retaliation, as simple as that." yer continued as he stared at Compass Carburettor, "So, what else can you offer me other than the Conjurer Profession?"


    "Our deal is off unless your offer is lucrative enough." He grinned and stared at Stencil and Gehera, "Now, that is something I''ll risk my neck to obtain."


    yer''s words brought the attention of everyone to Gehera and Stencil. It was done purposefully. And with what he said, everyone came to understand the uniqueness of the two girls, cing pressure on Compass Carburettor.


    Initially, Compass Carburettor''s trade deal was to simply piss off Zaira and make her focus on yer. After all, the moment he dared go against the Tell-Tale System, he was dead.


    Even though they were currently at a standoff, Compass Carburettor had zero intentions to fight them, aware that the moment he does so, he would be crippled immensely. The level of enemies he had to face was beyond what he could endure.


    Even though at the start, when he appeared, his power of Lore overwhelmed Zaira, but that was only thanks to the fate of the world¡ªunder Conjurer that he lived at for a year¡ªthat he borrowed. As it was under his influence, he could treat it as his.


    Hence why he was able to activate his Lore to such a powerful extent that a massive quantity of fate was summoned. He had attempted twice, failing in the end. And now, he didn''t have the guarantee inpleting the Lore that he had prepared.


    He didn''t have enough stockpile of fate to do so. Currently, he was a paper tiger. Even though all the Main Characters have been umting at a tremendous pace, they had only been at it for around two years, not enough time to amass a significant amount of power.


    So, even though he had a terrifying entry, the moment they fight for an extended duration, his powers would be expendedpletely. Besides, Compass Carburettor hadn''t amassed the necessary experience to truly wield his power against enemies that had been doing the same for millions of years.<sub> </sub>


    Therefore, his true intention was to simply flee with Stencil. Currently, with Domino Plottopia''s power, he could jump to any world that Secret Society, Gahrat''s seeds, or people bestowed with his Anthozoa were at.


    But of course, the moment he does so, his enemies would be able to casually trace his whereabouts. It would be a foolish move, especially since the Grade 4 System, Regression was here.


    If not for yer locking this universe''s timeline using the tremendous amassed fate, things would have turned dangerous.


    So, in order to properly escape and leave behind no traces that the Systems could derive, he had to first create enough chaos that everything gets disruptedpletely. Only then would he be able to escape; only he and his daughter took priority.


    If necessary, Compass Carburettor nned to sacrifice the rest. Domino Plottopia would be able to revive through Dota while Gahrat had her means too. Though, it might take them years to do so. As for the Relic, it would be unfortunate, but Compass Carburettor didn''t have a choice.


    If given a choice, he would ensure at least Stencil survives, even at the cost of his life.


    "Something lucrative, huh." Compass Carburettor muttered, nodding as if yer''s words made perfect sense. He removed the armour covering him, causing the Relic in the form of a shield to hover before him as he gazed at yer, "One of the Main Characters created using the power of your world."


    "What about this?" He grinned, letting out a smug expression, "Your world would obtain the final piece of the puzzle with this."


    ? yer''s eyes widened in response, ''Final piece of the puzzle?''


    [There once existed a tool, a weapon of million forms, a hope, that can save me from this crisis.]


    yer recalled the Lore that created the Relic, focusing on the final line, ''A Hope, that can save me from this crisis. Does that apply to this situation too?''


    He stared at the shield, ''It means there is something hidden within the Relic, a tremendous power. And since those at the time of its birth are my yers and the Aero Society under Compass Carburettor, only we know its value.''


    ''I see,'' yer nodded, turning a tad excited, for he realised that the Relic was capable of transforming into a million forms. It meant that he could give that attribute to the Universe Relics, truly allowing him to wield the powers of all his professions in the most versatile form. ''This power would allow me to express my strength more freely. And, I can even create stronger races to face the Systems in the future.''


    ''That was a good one, Compass.'' yer truly hesitated now, for the value of the Relic indeed spurred him to risk his neck. Gradually, yer''s head turned around to face Zaira, letting out a peaceful smile, akin to a child. "Zaira, aren''t we buddies?"

 Chapter 780 CC: Outwitted

    "Aren''t we buddies?"


    Hearing yer''s fawning voice, Zaira cringed in response. She red at yer, "Don''t even think about it."


    "I''ll create a new genre for you." yer proposed, "Don''t you understand that it is because of me that there exists a mary Genre in the System World now?"


    ''yer is behind the creation of the Mary Genre?'' Compass Carburettor was surprised to hear that, feeling like there was something he was missing from the grand picture, ''I guess Arnark wasn''t entirely truthful about everything.''


    Immediately after, he refrained from using his power of Lore in the present scenario. The sentence he dered using the power of Lore was actually about Arnark. It was to revive him.


    And, it was Arnark that had conveyed the statement to him, when hemunicated with the other party in Conjurer''s world. Upon hearing yer''s words, he felt some suspicion regarding everything Arnark told him.


    Therefore, he no longer intended to use the Lore that Arnark had given him. But strangely, the moment his thoughts regarding Arnark changed, Compass Carburettor noticed yer''s eyes shift towards him for a moment before reverting to stare at Zaira.


    ''What the heck was that?'' Compass Carburettor was rmed, feeling a strange sense of fear, simr to what he felt when he was a System yer and understood the trap set by Systems there.


    "Did something happen to you?" Mascot asked in concern upon sensing Compass Carburettor''s presence fluctuate rapidly, fading in and out as if his existence itself was in a state of crisis.


    "I¡­don''t know." He said, noticing his senses grow sharp all of a sudden as he was able to sense that even Domino Plottopia, the Relic and Gahrat were feeling a strange sense of unease, and even mild¡­fear.


    [Compass!]


    Suddenly, Hazen''s shout resounded in his mind as instantly, Compass Carburettor was rmed, turning around as he stared at his daughter and clenched his hand into a fist, reiming the Anthozoa that he had given to her.


    Immediately after, he experienced a sharp migraine, causing him to copse to the ground. At the sight, the attention of the other three Genre Representatives too fell on Compass Carburettor, rmed at the changes.


    "Now!"


    Zaira shouted at this moment as instantly, Conjurer exploded with all his power, instantly conjuring a spatial ability that wrapped around Stencil and Gehera, teleporting the two women to his side.


    "No!" Compass Carburettor was rmed as he red at Conjurer, unleashing System Punishment at the other party to momentarily stun him.


    Just based on Zaira''s shout earlier, it was apparent that everything she said and did until now was just to veil her true intentions. She had been aiming for Stencil and Gehera from the start, only that she had yet to verify their value before.


    That was why she created a world to use the Vastras to glean insight into their powers, to judge whether whatever Conjurer had told her was the truth or not. But, before she could finish her investigation, Compass Carburettor arrived at the scene and put a stop to things.


    One thing after another piled up over that, resulting in the current scenario. But, her goal was still the same, which was why she was subtly scanning Stencil and Gehera.


    As to how she did that?


    Grade 4 System¡ªRegression (Level 341)!<sub> </sub>


    Currently, Regression was still actively working on influencing the timeline of this universe. And by channelling her power through Regression, using the same makeup as its energy, Zaira was actively investigating the power of the twodies, masking her attempts.


    And she concluded that they were indeed the most valuable here.


    Starting from Gehera; thedy had been stealing yer''s power for a year already, storing everything in her Ruin of Amagoth. At present, each stolen power of yer existed as a Magic Beast in the Ruin of Amagoth.


    Gehera was only able to unleash the powers of the Magic Beasts one after another. But in Zaira''s hands, she would be able tobine the powers of all the Magic Beasts and derive yer''s current powers.


    It meant gaining whatever yer had obtained recently, allowing her to create a batch of Systems with physical bodies, allowing the Systems to expand their control and not be limited by the quality of Hosts alone.


    Therefore, Gehera was a valuable asset through which Zaira could cost-effectively gain yer''s powers.


    The second was Stencil that could be a Coordinate as and when she pleased. When she wasn''t a Coordinate, she was just a human. And currently, she controlled three Systems and could assume their forms whenever she pleased.


    Best of all, even after turning into a System, she could exist in reality. This was pushing the limits of the concept of Systems itself. And if Zaira were to devour her power, it would allow her to createplex Systems with more than one Core Skill.


    It would turn the power growth of the Systemsplex, and once they reach Grade 2, they would be many times stronger than other Grade 2 Systems. After all, from their moment as Hatchling Systems, Zaira could form them with Core Skills that harmonise with each other well.


    This way, they''ll grow overpowered even whenpared to their fellow Systems.


    Therefore, getting her hands on Stencil and Gehera would solve all her problems.


    But, she couldn''t take action on her own. After all, the four Genre Representatives were guarded against her and the Systems behind her. So, the moment her side attempted anything, the Genre Representatives would counter it immediately.


    But, none of the Genre Representatives was focusing on Conjurer. After all, he was just too weak in their eyes. To a certain extent, Compass Carburettor himself was able to fight Conjurer.


    And before the Genre Representatives, Compass Carburettor''s strength was nothing. So, it ced Conjurer in a blind spot.


    Until now, only the Main Character¡ªDomino Plottopia¡ªwas keeping an eye on Conjurer. And the moment they all felt a severe migraine, none was paying any attention to his actions, allowing him to steal the two women.


    "Haha, great!" Zairaughed as all the Grade 3 Systems formed a front circle to defend against the furious attacks of the Genre Representatives, staring at Conjurer as she extended her hand, "Now, give them to me."


    "Sure¡­" Conjurer said as he closed in on Zaira, extending the two women captive in his chains. But just as Zaira''s smile widened in victory, he stopped, retracting the two as suddenly, a strange energy burst out of his body, rming Zaira who teleported away in response.


    "Gahhh!!!" Compass Carburettor, Gahrat, and Domino Plottopia screamed in horror while the Relic let out a sonorous sound, rattled as the entirety of Mental Energy stored in their body riled up, acting against their will.


    His eyes widened in horror as Compass Carburettor stared at the figure of yer that broke into a content smile, "You bastard¡­"


    "Arnark!"

 Chapter 781 Losing As The Main Character

    Core Skill--Lore (Level 4)!


    Core Skill--Lore (Level 16)!


    Core Skill--Lore (Level 64)!


    Core Skill--Lore (Level 92)!


    Compass Carburettor was in a daze, watching his Core Skill level up like crazy and stop after it had attained level 92.


    And immediately after, Mental Energy gushed out of his body in torrents, with their content--thoughts--congregating to form a sentence that resounded throughout the ce, echoing in the minds of everyone present.


    yer smiled in response, allowing the Mental Energy to seep into the Fantasy World and resound in the minds of every inhabitant there.


    [There was once a shepherd, protecting his sheep from the wolves,id to rest by his cunning foes, but now, he returns from slumber, to deliver freedom for the sheeple, as the sole, original Main Character!]


    ''As the sole, original Main Character'' was a statement missing in what was conveyed to Compass Carburettor. But upon hearing the extension, Compass Carburettor''s expression was one of rm, ''I fell into a trap!''


    At the same time, Conjurer continued to emit the terrifying energy wave more and more as something akin to a nervous system manifested in his body. This nervous system consisted of all the influence on him from the world Compass Carburettor lived in recently.


    As this world formed one of the cores of his self, it highlighted in such a way that it was depicted akin to a human''s central nervous system in his body.


    Thanks to Compass Carburettor''s actions, the forbidden tale''s effect had been integrated into the core of the power system forming that world. Meaning, every single denizen there had been influenced by the Main Character System to a certain extent, forming tiny fragments in their minds.


    And, as the growth of an Invoker there depended on how much they were influenced by the Main Character System, considering how the rearrangement of the Mental Fragments in their Dreand was faster the stronger they were influenced, it meant that everyone in the world was actively trying to be Main Character, forming the perfect recipe for its growth.


    And as a result, part of Conjurer''s body had already beenpromised. As unlike Immortal or the other Genre Representatives, Conjurer had never been targeted by a System before, he wasn''t aware of the means to deal with the infection guing him at the moment.


    He would have to wholly extract the infection before cutting off the infected world fully to escape this plight. But before he could attempt that, the power of Lore took effect as suddenly, the Main Character System fragments began to appear in his body spontaneously.


    This was the Main Character System''s trait. Irrespective of the universe, the moment someone defied their fate and survived, a Main Character System fragment would form in their body.


    Therefore, instantly, hundreds of Main Character System fragments appeared in Conjurer''s body, fusing into the glowing central nervous system to strengthen it further.


    Compass Carburettor''s body began to melt as the Main Character System fragments supporting him vanished one after another, causing his strength to plummet at an rming level. Moreover, the powers of everyone seemed to be sucked into Conjurer''s body, taken away by the Main Character System fragments.


    At the centre of the location where the peak powers of the multiverse were gathered, before the eyes of all, defying one''s fate, there he was, an individual erased from the past now reviving upon the grave of the present.


    Main Character--Arnark!


    Boom!<sub> </sub>


    The Relic shuddered before thousands of streams gushed out of it and entered Conjurer. They were the Skills and Core Skills it possessed, now all being absorbed by Arnark.


    "You...bastard!" Conjurer was rmed as he bellowed in response, shouting at Zaira, "Help me, Zaira!"


    Boom!


    Zaira unleashed a torrent of Core Skills in order to save him and stop Arnark''s revival. But right at this time, yer unleashed his powers, using the brunt of his abilities to barely stop her.


    Moreover, he siphoned the Fantasy World''s power reserve, using his home ground advantage to harness the universe''s fate to create a seal that protected Conjurer from the attacks of the Systems.


    As for the Genre Representatives, none attacked. It was how they were, undecisive when necessary. After all, they weren''t an individual but a collective consciousness of the entire worlds they represented.


    Moreover, Arnark was their ally. And hence, when posed with the question of supporting Compass Carburettor or Arnark, they stood on the fence, deciding to ally with whoever wins among the two.


    "Ugh!" yer grunted in pain, as even after summoning the entirety of his strength, he was being pressed into a corner by Zaira''s relentless attacks. From the front, she attacked while from behind, the Grade 3 Systems attacked, with Apocalypse taking the lead.


    At this time, Regression targeted Conjurer, intending to cause his timeline to regress to the moment before Arnark did whatever was happening to Conjurer.


    But an instantter, its powers were blocked by the cocoon of fate that enveloped Arnark. Moreover, over time, this cocoon was growing stronger, fuelled by the Main Character System fragments that continued to flow into Conjurer.


    Boom!


    The Relic lost all light as thest of the Main Character System Fragment forming it was pulled out, causing it to dissipate and vanish.


    The same was happening to Domino Plottopia too as she lost all the powers gained from the Hunter World. Gahrat lost everything she gained from the Cultivation Worlds, continuing to lose more and more of her powers as the fragments in her continued to disappear.


    As for Compass Carburettor, he grunted in struggle, desperately holding onto the Core Skill of Lore in him as it was slowly being wrestled for control by Arnark.


    "Compass! Do something!" Gahrat shouted as she lost consciousness, for thest of the Main Character System fragment in her vanished.


    "Seems we''ve lost." Domino Plottopia sighed as thest of her Main Character System fragment vanished too.


    The moment this happened, Compass Carburettor lost the strength to resist in the tug-of-war as the Core Skill of Lore vanished, imed by Arnark. But in this despairing situation, Compass Carburettor''s eyes drifted onto his daughter that was held captive beside Conjurer as suddenly, his body melted into a puddle of Mental Fragments that devoured the bodies of both Domino Plottopia and Gahrat, assimting both into himself.


    And using thest of his strength, he grunted, summoning with all his might, "Help me, Hazen!"


    "Already on it!" Hazen''s voice resounded as immediately, Conjurer''s body turned immobile.

 Chapter 782 No Longer The Main Character

    "Hazen? Why are you...here?" A shocked voice resounded from within Conjurer. It was from Arnark that had conversed with Hazen before.


    Obviously, it was because out of all the Main Characters, Hazen embodied the most fearsome power that Compass Carburettor had ever cultivated¡ªsovereignty over the mind!


    Therefore, when Hazen made an appearance at the location, both Immortal and Arnark were shocked, never expecting him to do so. It had to be noted that until now, Hazen never expressed support towards Compass Carburettor, not even once.


    He only seemed intent on defending his birthce, nothing else. But surprisingly, it was him that arrived to save Compass Carburettor at the moment his situation was dire.


    A hazy figure manifested behind Conjurer before vanishing. A momentter, the figure of a youth appeared next to Compass Carburettor, apanied by a truck driver.


    It was Truck-Kun that brought Hazen to the ce.


    The moment he sensed Hazen''s presence, Compass Carburettor was startled, "Where are the Main Character System fragments in your body?"


    "Arnark absorbed them all." Hazen said, "Even I cannot stop them, since they were originally his. But it doesn''t matter, since by using them, I already attained what I desired all along."


    In an instant, Hazen transmitted all the necessary information to Compass Carburettor. It stated that, since Arnark was the first to be the Main Character System, even after the death of his physical body, his imprint remained in the Main Character System.


    And these fragments constantly searched for potential hosts to turn into Main Characters. Though, with the trapid by the Systems, the majority of them became System yers. But once in a while, the Main Character emerged.


    And when they were killed, the Main Character System fragments in their body absorbed their Main Character traits, bing empowered using them. It was Arnark actively evolving the Main Character System by absorbing those traits.


    Moreover, it had to be noted that a majority of the Main Characters were killed by yer. Initially, it seemed that it was his attempt to maintain a hazy position and not incur Zaira''s wrath.


    After all, in Zaira''s perspective, every time they had to kill the Main Character, too many Systems were killed as a result, crippling her foundation every single time. Therefore, if yer was willing to kill them just to appease her, she didn''t mind leaving him alive for a bit longer.


    This was how yer managed to survive despite possessing part of her power. As he never actively used that power and even took the initiative to kill the Main Characters, he was left alone, for he holed up in the Fantasy World for the majority of his life.


    And he always expressed intense hatred towards the Main Character, being pretty vocal about his hate and inferiority towards Arnark.


    But it seemed everything was just a ruse, one that had been maintained for millions of years, just for this moment.


    Fool your allies from the beginning and for a long enough time that even your enemy would believe the same to be the case.


    And it paid offrge dividends here as Arnark absorbed all the Main Character System fragments from Compass Carburettor.


    Even if Compass Carburettor had been the Main Character, the fragments of the Main Character System weren''t truly his. Or rather, his imprint on them hadn''t reached a sufficient enough depth yet.


    If he remained the Main Character for one more decade or so, then all the Main Character Systems in him would entirely be his. That was why Arnark took action before that happened. This was also why every other Main Character died prematurely.


    It was because yer killed them before their imprint on the fragments became strong enough to overrule Arnark''s imprint, using their corpses to fuel the Fantasy World''s growth. This was why Arnark was the highest levelled Main Character to date, reaching level 92.<sub> </sub>


    Main Character¡ªCompass Carburettor (Level 4)!


    "This signals our end as the Main Character," Hazen concluded, unleashing a mystical power through his body to prevent the power of the Personal Fragments from being stolen. The Main Character System fragment forming them vanished, but the bare essence of their abilities remained and was absorbed by Compass Carburettor.


    "You still retain the powers that have entirely be yours," Hazen said, coughing out a mouthful of blood, feeling the bacsh of losing the Main Character System fragment in him.


    As for Compass Carburettor, he was a puddle on the ground, unable to form his body as everything that he had worked on to build had gone up in smoke, stolen by Arnark.


    "That doesn''t matter much." Extending from the puddle was a human throat that vibrated to produce a raspy voice, "It''s only power. I''ve lost it multiple times already. I can rebuild myself from scratch. But¡­"


    A skull formed around the throat as it stared at the figure of Stencil, "My daughter takes priority. Can you help me save her?"


    "What about that otherdy beside her?" Hazen asked.


    "Her too," Compass Carburettor said after a moment''s hesitation, "It seems my daughter has grown close to her. So, if possible, save her too. But my daughter takes priority."


    "Fair enough," Hazen nodded to ask, "Can you rebuild your body?"


    "Give me a few minutes." Compass Carburettor said, "I need to integrate Domino''s and Gahrat''s essencepletely. After that, I can reform my body."


    "Take your time," Hazen said as he stared at the void, focusing on Conjurer, "Arnark''s birth needs time too. And until itpletes, we wouldn''t be able to break past that fate barrier."


    Following that, Hazen stared at Immortal, not saying anything. The starested for less than two seconds, but it was enough for Immortal to know.


    "I''m still alive and retain my power. If you want my help to save your genre, be my ally. This is your only chance."


    "Thank you foring to my help." Compass Carburettor said, hurriedly digesting his gains as the wriggly mass in the void began to gradually reshape itself into a humanoid figure. The power he obtained from Conjurer''s world was still with him, retained as it had be part of his body, simr to Anthozoa.


    That was why he still retained those powers. Though, if not for Hazen''s interference, he might have lost everything as Arnark would wish to absorb his entirety.


    "We''re part of the parcel. So, the moment I noticed the problem, I called Truck-Kun and rushed here." Hazen sighed, "Though, it seems I was a tadte as Domino and Gahrat were destroyed, same for the Relic too."


    He then patted the wriggling sphere, "Be ready once you''re done stabilising your body. Remain in this blob-like form to fool the other. And when I give the signal, take action to save your daughter. We''ll only get a small window of opportunity. Can you still wield Mental Energy?"


    "I can," Replied Compass Carburettor as the blob forming his body continued to squirm while the attention of everyone was directed at Conjurer who was gradually getting erased and, in his ce, Arnark was gaining control.


    yer endured Zaira''s fierce attacks while somehow protecting Arnark from the Grade 3 Systems too, burning up all the power reserves of his world. After he lost his status as the Main Character, no one paid heed to Compass Carburettor, one that seemed to have broken past all limits to break into the very genre that wasbelled terrifying by even Systems.

 Chapter 783 An Eldritch CC

    The situation seemed appalling at first nce, but Compass Carburettor still retained the majority of his power, thanks to Hazen''s interference.


    As he digested the essence of Domino Plottopia and Gahrat, he tallied the powers that he lost and gained in this ordeal.


    One of the most basic powers that he lost was the Bullet Temte. It was a power he obtained as a derivative of the power of Lore. And hence, the moment he lost Lore, the Bullet Temte vanished too.


    Thankfully, Bullet Temte was an effect of Lore''s influence on his original powers. Arnark wouldn''t be gaining that.


    The second beneficial power he lost was the Main Character Shielding. Though, he could live without that, for the majority of the time, his enemies still found ways to trace him.


    The third power that he lost pained him. It was the capability to erase the memory of anyone that had evil intentions towards him. It too was a derivative of the power of Lore and didn''t survive the ordeal. Thankfully, Arnark didn''t get that either.


    The Relic and all the powers it brought forth were entirely stolen by Arnark, including Aero Society. So that was a major blow to his face, especially since its potential was ginormous.


    Secret Society was no more, leading to everything they attained in the various worlds out there being nullified. Any traces of power obtained by the Secret Society was absorbed by Arnark.


    But thankfully, it seemed that Hazen had taken measures to ensure at least Dota survived. It was unknown as to where Dota had gone next, for even Hazen was unaware. After all, apanied by Truck-Kun, he only had mere moments to protect Dota before rushing to Compass Carburettor''s rescue.


    So it seemed Dota vanished during that time, its objectives unaware to them.


    Therefore, he lost the System Punishment too.


    Finally, pretty must most of what Gahrat had umted was snatched away, only leaving behind the dregs that formed the framework of her power.


    It was these dregs of Gahrat and Domino Plottopia that Compass Carburettor absorbed into himself and evolved his powers.


    He still retained the power of Anthozoa¡ªthe creation of bullets bypressing air and absorbing sunlight to create Mental Energy. The third was what he attained in Conjurer''s world. Domino Plottopia''s power resulted in the fusion of Anthozoa and Spirit Morph.


    ? It allowed him to shoot bullets or Mental Fragments shaped into a projectile irrespective of his form. He could condense a mouth out of a tentacle to shoot out projectiles, create spores to shoot out buds, etc.


    The power of Spirit Morph was thankfully fully retained, after all, this was a power he had made it his already. He only used the Main Character System as the means to gain this, and hence, it was still with him.


    Spirit Morph allowed him to turn anything he stared at into Mental Fragments/Mental Energy and absorb them into his body. Secondly, his Mental Strength amplified the quality of his Mental Energy, strengthening his abilities ordingly.


    It was here that his powers evolved.


    The first was the mist he obtained. Originally, it was only able to trap Mental Fragments. But now, it had evolved to trap Systems too¡ªeven if they were in a Host.<sub> </sub>


    So, since the System fused into their body couldn''t move, the Host too would remain immobile under the effects of the mist. It was a frightening evolution.


    Up next was Punisher Lightning, which he also obtained from Conjurer''s world, gained when the world was trying to cleanse him from the world.


    It allows him to cleanse himself from external influences. And depending on its power, it could help him be immune even against powerful Core Skills.


    Up next was the power of Secret Society. Even though the original Secret Society was no more, it had now evolved into a different form, allowing Compass Carburettor to create Invoked Spirits en masse in any form he so desired.


    Their character, intelligence, etc. were all decided based on the Mental Fragments forming them. Thanks to the power of Spirit Morph, he could turn Mental Fragments into realistic entities¡ªpeople, nature, tools, etc.


    They all acted with a collective consciousness, a sort of hive mind with him forming the core, always able tomunicate with each other.


    Finally, Gahrat''s power fused with his Dreand, transforming it into a world that could grow without limit as long as he supplied it with enough Mental Energy. Moreover, he could also imbue a Dreand into every member of Secret Society.


    That wasn''t all, the true bodies of everyone¡ªincluding Compass Carburettor¡ªwere the Invoked Spirits present in their Dreand. This meant that their external bodies were just a physical housing.


    Even if the external body was destroyed, the Invoked Spirit would emerge soon after, using Spirit Morph to transform the surroundings into Mental Fragments to recreate an external body. So, as long as the Invoked Spirit wasn''t destroyed, they would survive.


    Honestly, even though Compass Carburettor had lost a lot of his umted power, he had also truly broken free from the influence of the Systems while still possessing the means to destroy them.


    From now on, his growth wasn''t limited by the concept of level, sticking to a certain characteristic trait, etc. He was now Compass Carburettor, and that alone, his growth simply being an additive umtion of Mental Fragments.


    Basically, he had be an Eldritch Entity, one capable of consuming worlds to empower himself. That was his evolution that transpired after losing the Main Character System.


    Though currently weak, his potential couldn''t be gauged anymore.


    Only a few minutes had passed since he lost the Main Character System as Compass Carburettor had finished coting his gains and losses, already gaining full function of his form. A tendril extended from the blob and gently touched Hazen''s index finger, informing him that he was ready now.


    And at the same time, Arnark had finished his evolution, having erased Conjurer to gain all his strength. Instantly, he reconnected all the worlds created by Conjurer to the Fantasy World, fuelling its growth rapidly as at the same time, yer became stronger, attaining the status of a Genre Representative.


    In response, Arnark let go of his connection to Conjurer''s worlds, returning to his form as the Main Character, his lips curling up as he stared at Zaira, "Long time no¡­"


    "Now!" Hazen shouted as instantly, Arnark became stunned, unable to move for a moment as Immortal took action, harnessing the entirety of his strength to unleash a sword beam that hacked the fate sphere protecting Arnark into two.


    And through the crack, a mysterious power mmed into the chains binding Stencil and Gehera, transforming into Mental Fragments that morphed into the figure of Compass Carburettor, opening his mouth to unleash a bullet full of Punisher Lightning to send Arnark flying away.

 Chapter 784 Stencil: Miniature Immortal

    "What the...?" Arnark was shocked as he was unable to notice what hit him, being sent flying straight towards Zaira.


    Cause and Effect--Gloss Over!


    Hazen''s power enveloped the trio of Gehera, Stencil, and the Compass Carburettor that had formed beside them, allowing his attack to m into Arnark without the other party noticing it. And the range of effect only enveloped Arnark, and hence, the rest of the spectators were unable to understand the reason for this.


    "W-What are you doing, Immortal?" Mascot stuttered in shock, "Why are you antagonising Arnark? He''s been our staunch ally..."


    "Look at yourself, Mascot." Immortal said with conviction, "How long has Arnark been alive and what have we gained from him? In response, consider the advantages we obtained in the mere three decades since Compass Carburettor''s arrival."


    "Besides," Immortal pointed at Hazen, "That is the individual I''m trying to win over, not Arnark. So, if you''re not nning to take action, move aside."


    Immortal''s figure teleported next to Stencil and Gehera, wrapping them with a spiritual hand as he teleported away. In the meantime, the figure of Compass Carburettor that formed out of the chains binding them transformed into armour that covered both, protecting them from harm.


    Immediately after, Immortal sted through the efforts of the Grade 3 Systems and arrived next to Hazen and Compass Carburettor, panting a little as hundreds of wounds covered his body.


    In that short instant, he was hammered by dozens of Core Skills, the majority of which were from the Grade 3 Systems.


    "Are you alright?" Hazen asked in concern, watching Immortal''s injuries rapidly heal in response.


    "I''ve seen worse." Immortal was strangely happy upon noticing Hazen''s concern, "After being an arrogant disappointment for all these eons, I''ve finally found hope to protect my worlds. So, I''m d."


    "You know..." Hazen said, snapping his finger as Immortal was stunned all of a sudden, "I''ve alreadypleted the fusion long ago. I was just waiting because I was apprehensive about Arnark, fearing that he might steal this, since we derived it from his corpse."


    "But now that he has already appeared, I can proceed with it."


    "I see..." Immortal closed his eyes for a moment, sensing a mysterious power surge from the Gaider Realm and flow into him. Even though this power was a trickle aspared to the vastness that he epassed, it still meant that he now had the power to deal with Systems.


    ''I need to stockpile this energy and wait for the opportune moment.'' Immortal thought as he stared at the gazes of the Grade 3 Systems fall on him.


    Zaira, the Tell-Tale System, and Regression System were focused on yer and Arnark while the rest were focused on reiming Stencil and Gehera.


    "D-Dad, I don''t feel good." Stencil gasped for breath, copsing when Compass Carburettor caught hold of her.


    He inspected her, stating in rm, "The loss of her Main Character System fragment copsed her power. The three Systems are about to break free of her control."<sub> </sub>


    Stencil''s Personal Fragment was the Neural Impulse Actuator, a choker that allowed her to control a living being by tapping into their nervous system. In the Gaider Realm, she caused her Earth Divine Martial Spirit to consume it as its fusion material, causing the Martial Spirit to form the core of her power.


    Though, the part that allowed her to stabilise and control Systems whose power structure was beyond the Gaider Realm was thanks to the Main Character System fragment. Without that, she was losing the universality of her powers, resulting in the three Systems in her control wrestle and inch towards breaking free.


    Compass Carburettor hurriedly created another self of himself, presenting it to Stencil, "Hurry, control this. It will help stabilise your power a little."


    "There''s a solution, Compass." Hazen said, "Remember that the core of her strength is the Cultivation World I''m born from. And, it''s the Earth Divine Martial Spirit."


    "Immortal, please," Hazen said before staring at the Grade 2 Systems targeting them, grunting in response as his powers halted their approach. Though, the level of power he wielded at the moment wouldn''t be able to destroy their minds, since his opponents weren''t just a Grade 2 System fragment but an entire Grade 2 System.


    While Hazen and Compass Carburettor kept the Grade 2 System at bay somehow, Immortal observed the inner workings of Stencil''s power, muttering in response, "The reason you''re breaking down is due to the loss of universality that the Main Character System fragment gave you."


    "Is there a solution?" Gehera asked, focusing on the totems in her Ruin of Amagoth to see if there was any whose power could help her. She and Stencil shared aplicated rtionship, but at the end of the day, she wished to save Stencil.


    "It''s pretty simple. I''m universal." Immortal stated in confidence as he broke off a tiny fragment of himself, his little finger, seeped the power of the Cultivation World into it and inserted it into Stencil, causing it to take the ce of the Main Character System fragment.


    Instantly, her body stabilised as the three Systems stopped resisting, fully falling under her control once again. Moreover, Stencil recovered and stared in shock as a mysterious power seemed to flow into her nonstop, empowering her constantly.


    "What...is happening?" She stared at Immortal.


    "You have a portion of my body forming your core." Immortal said, "Basically, it means you''re a tiny Immortal."


    "This wouldn''t have been possible if you didn''t have the power to be a Coordinate and the core of your power is from the cultivation genre." Immortal exined, "Don''t assume that it''s entirely to your benefit. Now that you''re drawing power from my worlds, as you control Systems, my power will evolve gradually to counter them better."


    It was because the Cultivation World had now morphed its Origin Essence into an energy form that could destroy the Systems. And it was this energy that primarily flowed into Stencil, allowing her to research the means to kill Systems better.


    And since her core was Immortal''s fragment, the moment she gains the means to destroy a System, Immortal too would gain it.


    After all, just by lending a part of his body to her, Immortal was now able to ess her power of Coordinate, allowing him to gain the means to delve into the depths of the power that made Systems seem invincible.


    With this, Stencil became a miniature version of Immortal himself.

 Chapter 785 Martial Coward

    "Why don''t you croak already, Immortal." A Grade 3 System bellowed in anger, activating its Core Skill as immediately, the energy levels in Immortal began to wane in response.


    Grade 3 System--Waning Essence (Level 274)!


    This was a System that typically targeted worlds from the cultivation genre, those rich in spiritual energy or other forms of energy suitable for cultivation. And unlike other Systems, Waning Essence gradually weakened that world''s foundation, causing the dominant energy in that world to deplete.


    The depletion of resources would cause the inhabitants there to fight more to gain the meagre resources, creating a selfish dynamic of resource umtion by the strong. And it was in these worlds that it harvested Mental Energy.


    "Didn''t dying a hundred times by my hands not teach you a lesson?" Immortal snorted in response and unleashed a sword sh that sparked through the dimensions before mming into the face of the Waning Essence System, almost cleaving it into two.


    But immediately after, a mystical energy wafted into the Waning Essence System and healed it, also causing its energy to spike in response.


    Grade 3 System--World Spirit (Level 286)!


    After Waning Essence System was done with a world, with its foundation fully destroyed to not even produce a spark of energy, the World Spirit System would target that world next, a few centuriester.


    After the world sparked into a technological era after the disappearance of Spiritual Energy--or its other forms--and created a whole new societal order, the World Spirit System would result in Spiritual Energy returning to the world once again.


    And with it, the creatures and people in the world would evolve ordingly, creating absolute chaos as everyone with power would embark upon their ambition. Eventually, until the worldpletely returned to a societal order of cultivation, the World Spirit System would feast on the Mental Energy produced there.


    After that, it would leave. A few hundred yearster or when the time seemed apt, the Waning Essence System would return to make changes once again.


    Any world that relied on a primary energy means to grow beyond its physical limits, such as cultivation and magical worlds were their target.


    And hence, Waning Essence System and World Spirit System often shed with either Magister or Immortal. Though at the start, they were often killed by Immortal. And it seemed that even while weakened, Immortal was still a threat to them.


    "Even if he''s been weakened tremendously, his methods are still powerful!" Waning Essence grumbled, changing tracks as it split its Core Skill into hundreds of counterparts, mming them into Immortal to affect the worlds under him individually.


    The abilities coursed through his body, but just when they were about to pour into his worlds, a mysterious energy stopped them. It hadn''t been long, but the moment he gained insight into Stencil''s Coordinate form, Immortal circted energy into his fragment in her, transforming it into a form affecting the Coordinate before reiming that power to face the power of the Waning Essence System.


    This was why he was d to share his power with Stencil as it was a Win-Win situation.


    Stencil''s growth would be unstoppable after this, while her growth also symbolises a better future for Immortal. It was not to mention that this one action ced Compass Carburettor in his debt forever and also gained admiration from Hazen.


    Though brash, as was the nature of the Cultivation Genre, Immortal still had enough braincells to use when necessary.<sub> </sub>


    "Gehera..." Staring at Immortal''s jaw-dropping fight against the Grade 3 Systems, Compass Carburettor faced Gehera, causing his fingertips to wriggle before producing a strand of hair. He gave it to her, saying, "I stole this while attacking him earlier. This is Arnark''s hair. Use it to steal his power."


    "I''ll save it forter." Gehera nodded and pocketed the strand of hair, "If I do it now, Arnark would try to kill us too."


    "I''ll leave the decision to you." Compass Carburettor nodded as he said in praise, "You''ve matured a lot since Ist saw you."


    He then stared at the figures of Arnark and yer fighting Zaira, "It seems your dad had predicted something was amiss with yer and hence created your power that wasn''t dependent on the Main Character System."


    "His foresight is unreal." He expressed unfiltered praise.


    "Thank you for saving me too. I honestly thought you would only save your daughter." Gehera cupped her fists, trembling a little as her eyes turned moist, "It''s honestly scary to be thrust into such situations without any moral support."


    "Talkter! Gehera, use that power to create a swarm of creatures. The more chaotic the situation gets, the better it is for us." Stencil said before staring at the figure of Truck-Kun that remained silent all along, "Uncle, can you bring us out of this ce?"


    Gehera brought out a totem that transformed into a tree whose leaves began to fall, with each morphing into a giant, five-metre-tall insect. The leaves of the tree were quickly consumed to create around a hundred thousand insects.


    But a momentter, Stencil ced her hand on the tree, channelling her power through it using her Coordinate as the medium, causing another batch of leaves to sprout on the tree as the size of the swarm continued to increase.


    "It''ll be disastrous to us if we leave now." Truck-Kun said, pointing at Regression, "If I leave this ce without neutralising that bastard''s power, you''ll all turn into sperms in an instant before disappearing. Only I will be left alive, since I can shield myself from its power."


    "Can''t your truck shield us?" Stencil asked in return, sighing upon seeing Truck-Kun shake his head.


    "Besides," Truck-Kun stared at the figures of Mascot, Magister, and Martial, focusing a second longer on the expression of Martial that was trembling with panic and fear, "These guys have remained passive for too long. It is time they take a hard stance on this matter."


    "It''s because of Arnark and yer that I''ve yet to disappear." Martial said as his panic worsened, "My worlds are rapidly dwindling from the poption loss of its natives. My genre is breaking down and is being assimted by the cultivation, magic, and technological genres. I''m busy trying to protect myself. So, I cannot go against them, sorry."


    He cupped his fists in apology upon seeing Truck-Kun grit his teeth, "It''s on you, I''m sorry. You''ll have to excuse me."


    Saying so, his figure vanished from the Fantasy World''s universe.


    "That freaking coward!" Truck-Kun cursed in anger.

 Chapter 786 A Genre Representative Entails…

    Martial''s worlds consisted of those based in the Murim¡ªworld of martial arts. The thing with these worlds was the fact that as they developed more, they branched out into other genres. This caused them to eventually contain more influence of a foreign genre than their own, resulting in such worlds breaking out of Martial''s grasp.


    The integration of technology in a Murim world caused technology to develop to a level beyond which the power of martial arts was almost nullified. Learning martial arts was just a means to extend one''s life and maintain a healthy body.


    It was especially amplified since the peak represented by warriors of the Murim wasn''t too tall. It could be eclipsed by technology. The majority of its strength could be countered by a barrage of bullets or the like.


    Therefore, such worlds broke free from Martial''s grasp and went under Technocraft¡ªthe representative of the futuristic, technological development, and Sci-fi genres.


    This was in the case tools and technology were developed in a Murim World. But, problems also arose when their powers were developed too.


    The warriors of Murim used low-level abilities that took ages to train and develop, whereas their effectiveness was not that spectacr. But, if they were to create more techniques akin to spells, it would eventually cause their power system to evolve in that direction as more spells would be developed.


    Eventually, the world would veer off into Magister''s control.


    Typically in all Murim worlds, there was no concept of energy existing in the surroundings. It was a concept of training one''s internal energy. And this internal energy was just an umtion of energy obtained through the consumption of food, absorption of sunlight, etc.


    All living creatures in these worlds possessed a certain amount of internal energy¡ªgenerally referred to as Qi.


    But, the moment this world develops to raise the concentration of Qi, to an extent where it pours out of their bodies and inhabits the surroundings, attaining a level where there is Qi present in abundance in the world, it too was a problem.


    After all, this state was pretty much the baseline description of a cultivation world. Therefore, that world would go under Immortal.


    This was Martial''s problem. No matter what, he could not develop his worlds beyond a certain extent. And that was a problem since all worlds continued to develop naturally, over time.


    Therefore, he had to limit the world''s development and introduce elements that kept its development to a limit or within the confines that kept such worlds under his control.


    But despite that, with the interference from Systems, more and more of his worlds broke free from his control and joined the wings of Immortal, Magister, or Technocraft. In some rare cases, it joined the folds of other Genre Representatives.


    Therefore, the longer time passed, the more uneasy Martial got. It was why he couldn''t fight beside Immortal and Magister, for his worlds were constantly escaping into the control of the other two.


    His only hope was in yer''s power. Or more at Conjurer''s power that yer now obtained, one that allowed him to conjure worlds.


    Only by conjuring more Murim Worlds would Martial see some hope in his declining future. After all, he was like a pot with holes. Pouring in water was only a temporary solution.


    But considering his situation, that was the only solution. Hence, he refrained from taking part in the battle and left the ce.


    "Thiscking fool!" Truck-Kun grumbled in anger, vexed at the state of the Genre Representatives, always crying about their worlds.<sub> </sub>


    He then stared at Mascot and Magister, "What are you two going to do now?"


    "Pick a side."


    "I''m sorry, Compass." Mascot prostrated like usual before getting up to stick out her tongue, "I''m on Arnark''s side. Only the Main Character can help us. We invested heavily in the development of the Main Character System after all."


    "yer has been growing thanks to my support," Magister revealed a shocking truth, alerting Zaira. Ignoring the shock of everyone, including the Genre Representatives, Magister stared at Compass Carburettor, "So, I''ve been aware of their ns all along."


    "Only the Main Character is our future." He pointed at Compass Carburettor, "And you''re not the Main Character."


    "You''re not the Main Character!"


    "You''re not the Main Character!"


    The words echoed in his mind as Compass Carburettor stared at the apathetic faces of Magister and Mascot, understanding clearly of the sharp contract one could make. Earlier, they were ready to wage a war on his behalf. But now, they were unconcerned about his life and death.


    He stared at Immortal, ''He''s only in this for benefits. He wants Hazen on his side and through Stencil, he sees hope in saving his genre.''


    His gaze finallynded on Truck-Kun, "There''s no benefit for you in helping us. So, what''s your reason?"


    "I''m different from the rest." Truck-Kun said, staring at Compass Carburettor''s eyes to speak his thoughts, "Unlike the other Genre Representatives, I don''t have any worlds under me. I represent myself, which is why the Systems are still struggling to steal my power. They can imitate my actions, but even their actions are attributed to me, fuelling my growth."


    "And, transporting suitable candidates to other worlds is just what I do." Truck-Kun said as he stared at Compass Carburettor, "From the start, I wanted to reincarnate you. This wasn''t influenced based on your status as the Main Character. I just wanted to reincarnate you, Compass Carburettor."


    He stared at Hazen, Gehera, and Stencil, "And my feelings towards you three are the same. This is why I''m helping you, since it''s what I do. I''m just being myself here."


    "But one thing I wish to express honestly," Truck-Kun said as his eyes shifted towards the Systems, "I hate those wriggly bastards. They devour the majority of potential candidates that I could have reincarnated!"


    ''So, this is what a Genre Representative entails, beings of collective consciousness.'' Compass Carburettor gained a deeper understanding of their nature. Genre Representatives just represented the stance of their genre towards anything.


    Truck-Kun wanted to transmigrate/reincarnate any potential candidate that hees across. It was his instinct. And since the Systems typically targeted such candidates to Host, he hated them, as they cut into his fun/purpose/the concept he represented.


    And every single Genre Representative was the same. They just represented their genre as a concept, allowing him to conclude, ''I see, so the scope of their actions is limited, even if they have limitless power. This exins why the Systems have been able to grow to this date.''

 Chapter 787 Endure

    "Can''t you transmigrate us to another world?" Hazen asked Truck-Kun after ncing into Compass Carburettor''s thoughts, his eyes lighting up inprehension, ''I see, so that was why they never took any drastic steps to prevent the rise of the Systems. As expected, even though I''m his derivative, Compass Carburettor is still a step faster than me in understanding the reason.''


    He then nced at Stencil, understanding the cause, ''So, in his worry about her well-being, he''s more perceptive and susceptive to the truth. Maybe I''ll grow once I have a child too?''


    "It''s not safe, as I said before." Truck-Kun said, "Regression would be able to influence any transmigration routes I pick and can instantly arrive at the targeted world to regress your existence into nothing."


    "We''ll have to pick a moment when it''s unable to pay attention to the four of you. That way, it wouldn''t be able to track down the destination."


    "I see," Hazen muttered, worried upon seeing the Systems gradually circle them, showing no stance of backing off from capturing Stencil and Gehera.


    The situation was worse now that Mascot and Magister have expressed their stance, siding with Arnark instead. This meant that the sole Genre Representative they could rely upon was the weakened Immortal.


    "Um...dad?" Stencil said, staring at the vicious insects she and Gehera created being casually consumed by a Grade 2 System, "Can we survive this?"


    "Definitely," Compass Carburettor said, morphing his blob form to take on a human form, one that stood before the twodies, "We''ll just have to fight our way out."


    He then whispered to Stencil, "I''ll supply you with the necessary Mental Energy to fight."


    He then stared at Gehera, "I''ll steal some body parts of our enemies. Can you elerate the pace at which you steal their power?"


    "It''s possible, but I wouldn''t be able to do it for long. The connection would snap from the overload." Gehera said.


    "That''s fine," Compass Carburettor nodded, "I''ll find you enough Systems to steal from."


    Compass Carburettor faced Truck-Kun, asking, "Can you fight?"


    "Are you joking?" Truck-Kun said, "I''m not abat type. The most I can do is ram my opponents. I''ll do my best to stall all the Grade 2 Systems. The rest will rely on Immortal."


    "You''ve been talking a lot from the start, Compass Carburettor." The Waning Essence System said in irritation as it red at him, "Did you forget that you''re no longer the Main Character?"


    "You can disappear from the picture now."


    Boom!


    The moment its words were conveyed, Compass Carburettor copsed to the ground, rapidly losing all the Mental Energy he had amassed until now, staring in shock as the effect was instantaneous.


    Even Immortal noticed a sharp reduction in his energy levels after being hit by its powers, not to mention him who was a fledgling inparison.


    "Gah!" Compass Carburettor turned helpless in an instant, no longer able to use any of his abilities, bereft of any energy to use. Thankfully, the power Waning Essence used wasn''t anything offensive, otherwise, he would have died instantly.


    "Dammit!" Immortal shouted in rm, intending to defend him when Apocalypse came and interfered, pressuring him further. He had to resist nine Grade 3 Systems, so his options were limited.<sub> </sub>


    Boom!


    A truck manifested out of nowhere and mmed into Apocalypse, sending its celestial body--the size of a--flying. Trucks manifested in the hundreds, with each targeting an opponent as the moment it crashed into them, their figures were teleported away.


    A couple of Grade 2 Systems weren''t able to defendpletely and were transmigrated into a random world. Though, it wouldn''t damage them much, as using the Astral Network, they would return to the System World instantly, and from there, jump back into the battlefield.


    But, just this action bought them a precious few seconds, reducing the pressure on Immortal as even the Grade 3 Systems were teleported to all corners of this universe. They needed to spend a lot of time flying back. Or if they wished to save time, they could return to the System World and jump back to the battle location.


    "Dad!" Stencil shouted in rm and ced her hand on his back, seeping in some Mental Energy. But, whatever Mental Energy she poured into him vanished instantly, shocking her.


    "It''s fine," Compass Carburettor said, "The effect of Waning Essence is still prevalent in me. So, don''t waste your Mental Energy."


    "Instead, keep your Skill-Breaker ready. It''lle in handy."


    Suddenly, Stencil, Gehera, Hazen, and Compass Carburettor noticed that they had appeared in a truck, seated as in the driving seat was Truck-Kun.


    Staring at them, he said, "This will defend you against their abilities. As long as you unleash an attack through the ss, it willnd on the location you target. Fight safely like this."


    Vroom!


    Whirring sounds resounded from the truck, as if it was a regr truck used on Earth as Truck-Kun turned the steering wheel, causing the truck to make sharp turns and evade the attacksunched by a couple of Grade 2 Systems.


    Stencil noticed the truck travelling thousands of kilometres within a second, but despite that, she didn''t even feel any inertia, as if everything happening outside was ryed through a film.


    Boom!


    A Grade 2 System crashed into the side of the truck, sending it flying away as Truck-Kun grunted in response, noticing a small dent as he bellowed in anger, "Curse you! I got it fixed justst week!"


    ? Stencil aimed her power of Skill-Breaker at the Grade 2 System that just crashed into the truck, despairing when it didn''t even manage to budge her opponent. Gehera unleashed a Magic Beast whose powers failed to even scratch her opponent.


    "Not like that." Hazen advised Stencil, extending his hand to ce it on the window of the truck as he stared at the opponent, "Don''t just activate your Skill. You''re not a System. Channel Immortal''s power through the Skill-Breaker System and charge up the energy. As a Coordinate, you should be able to bear the energy."


    "Keuk!" Stencil used Spiritual Energy to seep through the Skill, watching it transform into an energy form carrying the skill''s effect. But, it was like pouring a tank''s worth of water through a tiny funnel, as the amount created was barely a trickle.


    And in a matter of seconds, veins popped on her forehead as she was unable to handle the load.


    "Endure." Hazen said, ncing at Compass Carburettor to see the other party reverting to a blob form as from time to time, lightning sparked across the surface, "Store up the energy to the limit."

 Chapter 788 Four Complementary Powers

    "I feel like I''m about to burst!" Stencil said in rm as the energy continued to circte in her body, looking on the verge of exploding due to the instability of its form.


    "Keep at it." Hazen said, "You''ll be able to endure further."


    Originally, the strength of her attacks was entirely based on the level of her Systems¡ªtheir Core Skills. After all, when activated, they consumed the necessary Mental Energy before unleashing the respective effect.


    But that indeed had its limitations. And at the moment, Stencil wasn''t a System yer but a miniature Immortal.


    And it was typical of Immortal to change energy forms and charge them up forter use. Pretty much everyone with a bit of power in a cultivation world¡ªXianxia Worlds¡ªdid that.


    Therefore, Stencil too was capable of the same, which was why Hazen advised her to circte her power through the Skill-Breaker System and create an energy that contains the power of its Core Skill.


    A direct activation didn''t result in enough power. So, as long as she kept up with this and continued to store this new energy with the power of the Skill-Breaker System, the unleashed attack would be devasting.


    Almost a minute passed in response as Stencil was unable to endure anymore. Spiritual Energy began to escape out of her body like a flood as the new energy she created was on the verge of exploding out of her body.


    "Alright, you''ve hit your limit." Hazen nodded, immediately causing Stencil to feel like she attained freedom.


    Stencil ced her hand on the window and stared at the Grade 2 System that was approaching the truck to attack it. An instantter, the new energy she created flowed into the window, causing it to shine with the same radiance as the entirety of the energy was absorbed into it.


    A momentter, the window turned transparent once again as suddenly, the Grade 2 System that was about to attack them stopped, stunned in response before letting out a guttural roar.


    Grade 2 System¡ªDragon (Level 161)!


    A crack formed on its body as Stencil''s power targeted its Core Skill, rapidly weakening it in response, preventing it from activating its power for a few seconds at the very least.


    "Hazen!" Compass Carburettor''s eyes shot open as he red through the window.


    "On it!" Hazen read his mind in advance, realising the n as he focused the entirety of his power, cing his hand on the window to target the Dragon System.


    Cause and Effect¡ªAbsentmindedness!


    The Dragon System became absent-minded, not taking the steps to protect itself, despite that being its intention until now.


    At this moment, sparks burst out of Compass Carburettor''s body as immediately, he red at the Dragon System, unleashing a Mental Energy stream that mmed into thetter.


    But right at the moment of contact, the Mental Energy transformed into Mental Fragments, taking the form of the effect it had before.


    Core Skill¡ªWaning Essence (Level 274)!


    When Waning Essence mmed into him, the entirety of the Mental Energy in his reserves vanished. This caused the rest of its power to remain stagnant in his body, only able to take effect when he gained more energy.<sub> </sub>


    But using its stagnant state as a chance, Compass Carburettor began to convert it into Mental Fragments. And without the Waning Essence System actively controlling its power in him, he was able to transform it into Mental Fragments entirely.


    Following that, he stored it in the form of Mental Energy before unleashing it onto the Dragon System, reverting it into its Mental Fragment form soon after.


    The effects of Waning Essence rmed the Dragon System, as while it was in a state of absent-mindedness, its Mental Energy reserves fell sharply.


    And of course, all this Mental Energy was absorbed by Compass Carburettor, as that was how Waning Essence worked. It simply depleted the opponent''s energy.


    Instantly, Compass Carburettor''s reserves were hundreds of times greater than what he possessed before, all thanks to unleashing the effect on the Dragon System.


    Immediately after, he transformed the Mental Energy of the Dragon System into Mental Fragments, using the effects of Secret Society to turn them into Invoked Spirits.


    The Dragon Invoked Spirit passed through the windows of the truck in the form of Mental Energy to condense its physical form right atop the Dragon System to re at the other party.


    Spirit Morph!


    A portion of its body began to transform into Mental Fragments. Instantly, it became Mental Energy and flowed into Compass Carburettor.


    Though, right after it nullified the effects of Absentmindedness and Stencil''s Skill-Breaker, the Dragon System aimed at the Dragon Invoked Spirit, destroying it.


    Right at that moment, the Dragon Invoked Spirit reverted into Mental Energy and flowed back into Compass Carburettor who grinned in response, causing his hand to wriggle before creating three scales.


    He handed them over to Gehera, "Happily steal its powers using this."


    "Thank you." Gehera nodded as she pocked the three, using the first scale to unleash her Ruin of Amagoth, stealing the Dragon System''s power rapidly, rming thetter.


    Compass Carburettor shared the Mental Energy he gained with Stencil and Hazen, causing their reserves to surpass their initial amount.


    This was their n. Stencil would disrupt their powers before Hazen turned them helpless for a moment. Using that chance, Compass Carburettor would target them with Spirit Morph and steal a small fragment of their body, which he would give to Gehera.


    Using that connection, she would be able to use her Ruin of Amagoth and steal their powers. This was their best n to weaken the other party. And when necessary, Gehera would use the stolen powers to solve their problems.


    After all, the power stolen from a Grade 2 System would be tremendously effective.


    "You dare steal my power?" The Dragon System roared in response as it chased after the truck furiously.


    In contrast, Truck-Kun flexed his driving skills as the truck danced through the void, constantly evading the attacks of the various Systems. And from time to time, whenever a Grade 3 System was about to critically injure Immortal, the truck would ram into them to teleport them to some corner of the universe, buying precious few seconds.


    Through Stencil, Immortal was able to learn of their actions, breaking into a subtle smile even while getting beaten up by the Grade 3 Systems.

 Chapter 789 Arnark’s Eleven Core Skills

    "Drop dead!" Zaira red as she activated dozens of Grade 2 Core Skills, intending to transform the races of everyone in the Fantasy World and disrupt the power system, thereby causing the world to implode.


    "Not on my watch!" Mascot said as, with a flick of her hand, dozens of eggs manifested in the void, with each representing a cheat. The shells shattered as energy beings manifested from within, targeting the Core Skills to nullify each other.


    The Genre Representatives were only unable to cause a permanent death to the Systems. They were capable of everything else. Therefore, Mascot continuously countered Zaira''s abilities.


    "This world is Shit!" The Tell-Tale System unleash while hiding behind Zaira, focusing on the Fantasy World.


    "Your wordsck value!" Arnark conveyed in response as the effects of the two nullified each other. He was already using Lore to its full effect. Each of his words contained the same level of power that Compass Carburettor had when he used it the moment he arrived at the scene.


    Main Character Core Skill¡ªLore (Level 92)!


    As this was Arnark''s current level as the Main Character System, his Core Skill too reached the same level.


    Suddenly, while he and the Tell-Tale System were at an impasse, Arnark shouted all of a sudden, vanishing from the scene, "Master!"


    Boom!


    Suddenly, Arnark appeared upon the Dragon System after it had been weakened by Compass Carburettor and group. Mental Energy exploded out of his body as suddenly, the expressions of every single System paled in response, sensing the familiar energy signature.


    Main Character Core Skill¡ªRestriction Order (Level 92)!


    "Wha¡­" The Dragon System was rmed when its powers were sealed by the very same ability that once terrified all Systems.


    This was the power Arnark possessed upon bing the Main Character.


    With its powers sealed, the Dragon System was unable to retaliate. It was already in a state of imbnce thanks to the powers of Hazen and others, and now, with all its powers sealed, it became a sitting duck.


    Roar!


    yer unleashed a massive serpent created using the Fantasy World''s essence, one that gobbled up the Dragon System to rapidly digest it; its body dissolved.


    And unlike before, Arnark was capable of using the Restriction Order with precision effect.


    "You dare!" The Apocalypse System stopped attacking Immortal and rushed at Arnark, unleashing its power to transform everything into an apocalyptic setting.


    "Core Skill Manifestation¡­" At its shout, the Grade 2 Systems intending to attack Arnark rapidly jumped to the System World before returning to the Fantasy World''s universe, at a location far away.


    "Apocalypse!" Instantly, the void transformed into a dpidated world, with terrifying monsters scuttling about while everything on the side of survivors continued to be depleted.


    Food, ammunition, mental strength, etc. This was what they experienced mentally.<sub> </sub>


    Even Mascot began to experience mental exhaustion, feeling as if she had been fighting nonstop for days with the mental state of a normal human.


    Core Skill Manifestation was an ultimate move that only Grade 3 Systems could unleash. It manifests their concept into reality, bringing everyone within its range into its effect. This was why the Grade 2 Systems escaped, for it would be hard for them to survive in this scenario.


    Though, with Apocalypse''s input, they could enter this apocalypse without any danger, being on the side oppressing the survivors.


    But, even in response to such a frightening ability, Arnark wasn''t afraid, instead breaking into a smile as suddenly, the terrifying creatures rushing at him, with each the size of a celestial object, crashed into one another, engaging in a tussle, vying for victory to dere who will consume their prey¡ªArnark.


    Main Character Core Skill¡ªPlot Armour (Level 92)!


    "How¡­many Core Skills does this bastard have?" Zaira gritted her teeth upon sensing the streams of fate and luck intervene all of a sudden to epass aplexwork that resulted in the Grade 2 Systems and the monsters of the apocalypse shing with one another to somehow allow Arnark and yer to weave through them and continue consuming the Dragon System.


    "You bastard!" Zaira red at yer, "Gilthru, you venomous snake! You were fooling me all along!"


    "Yep," yer broke into a smile, having destroyed the Dragon System''s body as he consumed the power of its Core Skill, dividing it into two to imprint it onto the Divinity Incarnate and Destruction Incarnate Professions, empowering the Dragon Race of his world.


    The reason yer took the initiative to kill the Main Characters wasn''t just to appease Zaira or hide his true motives. It was also to prevent knowledge regarding such Main Characters from being conveyed to the Systems.


    That was why, the Main Characters with the highest potential were killed prematurely. The Main Character with the power of Plot Armour was killed within three months of his birth as the Main Character.


    But thanks to Plot Armour, he indeed gave a lot of headaches to yer. After he was killed, Arnark retained all information regarding Plot Armour and focused on birthing the Core Skill once again.


    This was what he spent the majority of his time doing¡ªselecting the greatest of Hosts to turn into Main Characters, and after their death, focusing on recovering their Core Skills. This was how Arnark gained the Core Skills of every single Main Character that had been born to date, all eleven of them.


    Compass Carburettor was the eleventh Main Character. And indeed, when he was birthed, Arnark was honestly terrified. After all, as the Main Character, Compass Carburettor was more terrifying than himself.


    But, if not for their ns reaching the climax, yer would have hunted Compass Carburettor in the Apocalyptic World itself, moments after he became the Main Character.


    During his time behind the scenes, Arnark carefullyprehended all the Main Character Core Skills, ranking them based on the order of their lethality. The greater their lethality, the faster they were killed¡ªeither by yer or by leaking the information to the Systems to allow them to deal with the Main Character.


    They did this in situations when yer couldn''t move.


    And in this ranking list of Main Character Core Skills, Plot Armour was only the third most lethal. Above it was Arnark''s Core Skill of Restriction Order, the sole power that rendered Systems helpless before him.


    And finally, standing at the peak was one that allowed him to branch out into anything he wished and transform that into whatever he so desired, the power to make infinite changes to the existing setup.


    Lore!

 Chapter 790 CC Fools Zaira

    Rushing through the dpidated streets of a copsed metropolitan city was a truck, evading vicious apocalyptic monsters that jumped at it.


    ? Scree!


    Its tyres screeched as the truck made a sharp turn before ramming into the back of a Grade 2 System that had taken the form of an eighty-metre-tall entity, teleporting it somewhere else.


    A skyscraper in ruins copsed in response, unleashing a dust wave through which the truck rushed past, emerging on the other side to stare at a gigantic energy serpent in the sky.


    Held in its mouth was the Dragon System, its body being dissolved rapidly as figures scuttled around it.


    The Universe Relic Wilders formed defensive circles to keep the Grade 2 Systems at bay while yer joined hands with Mascot to fight Zaira.


    Arnark grinned as even though he stood at the same spot, all the monsters rushing at him tumbled, crashing into one another. Even the unleashed Skills of the Grade 2 Systems targeted each other, leaving him scot-free.


    Burp!


    yer let out a content expression upon digesting the Dragon System, watching the serpent¡ªcreated using the Fantasy World''s essence¡ªreturn to his world and vanish.


    "Phew, one down." Arnark sighed in relief to stare at yer, "Master, how much did we gain from that?"


    "A lot." yer replied in response, "Our foundation gained a considerable increase."


    He then let out a smile, "And there''s still so many around us to feed upon."


    Hearing his words, Zaira''s mood worsened as she looked around, noticing the majority of the Systems under her focusing on Immortal, beating him up fiercely. ''Immortal is losing ground consistently. It''s only a matter of time before we destroy him.''


    Her eyes shot towards yer before which she focused on Arnark, ''Arnark''s arrival makes things troublesome. If he has the Core Skills of all the Main Characters, he should have 11 potent abilities.''


    Her headache worsened at the thought, ''Just Lore or Restriction Order were troublesome enough to deal with. Now, there are the other overpowered abilities to look out for too.''


    ''If things proceed in this manner, I''ll face too many losses. I need to rev things up a notch.'' Thinking as such, Zaira instructed the Regression System, "Pressure our opponents for a moment."


    Saying so, Zaira''s figure vanished and manifested before Truck-Kun all of a sudden, her hand casually pointing at the approaching truck to unleash a burst of energy.


    "Brace for impact!" Truck-Kun shouted in rm and harnessed all his power to strengthen the truck as much as possible.


    Spirit Morph!


    Cause and Effect¡ªAbsentmindedness!


    Skill-Breaker!


    Ruin of Amagoth!


    None made any difference at the energy wave that mmed into the truck and sent it flying, causing its front to be dented rmingly. Truck-Kun coughed out what seemed akin to blood, injured all over as he looked around, "Are you alright?"


    The entirety of the truck was now covered by what seemed to be Mental Fragments resembling a web, absorbing the entirety of the shock from the impact, covering the bodies of everyone.<sub> </sub>


    A secondter, the Mental Fragments crumbled into dust before vanishing, injured beyond their structural limits. In the corner was Compass Carburettor, gasping for breath as he barely managed to ensure everyone was safe from the impact.


    Truck-Kun stared at the Mental Fragments falling off his body. In that instant, Compass Carburettor had tried to protect him too. But as the brunt of the attack was focused on him, these Mental Fragments failed to protect him much.


    But, they still helped tank some of the damage.


    "Thank you, Compass." Truck-Kun said, somewhat disturbed by this odd feeling he was experiencing now, "This is the first time someone that''s not a Genre Representative tried to protect me."


    Boom!


    Zaira crashed into the truck, not giving them enough time to orient themselves as she punched forth with her hand, cracking the ss. But the moment her hands shattered the ss, her energy-condensed form was teleported away.


    Zaira countered the teleportation mid-journey and teleported back, frowning when the truck vanished. Her Core Skills came to life as she stared at the monsters peeking out from the building beside her, "Kill Immortal first."


    "Shit!" Truck Kun felt his heart leap to his throat, barely able to teleport Zaira away as he stared at the wrecked state of his truck. An instantter, they changed trucks and drove away. As for the damaged truck, it crashed into a Grade 2 System and exploded, wounding the other party.


    "Compass, you alright?" Truck-Kun shouted as he flinched when Zaira appeared next to the window, rapidly swapping into another truck to continue their escape.


    Boom!


    Swoosh!


    Kaboom!


    Zaira continued to teleport to their location, keeping up chase while bashing every truck she chanced upon.


    "I''m¡­not." Compass Carburettor said, grunting as he tried his best to maintain a humanoid form while Mental Fragments continued to fall out of his body like dust. Zaira''s attack destroyed a good portion of his Mental Fragments.


    Thankfully, he had sourced them from the world Zaira had created in the first ce. So he wasn''t losing out on much. The valuable Mental Fragments were still safe in his Dreand.


    But, that didn''t mean he could remain safe, especially since none of their attacks could do anything to Zaira. Even Truck-Kun could at most teleport her a certain distance away, and even that never seeded fully as Zaira stopped the teleportation midway and returned.


    Moreover, with every teleportation, she was returning faster, gradually making sense of Truck-Kun''s abilities. Soon after¡­


    Boom!


    Landing on the roof of the truck, she thrust forth with her hand, piercing it as she pried it open, grinning to stare at the four people within. She extended her hand, grabbing hold of Stencil and Gehera to grin contently, "Finally, the two rats are mine¡­"


    "Bastard!" Her expression morphed as Zaira increased the strength in her hold, sttering the bodies of Stencil and Gehera. There wasn''t any blood but Mental Fragments that oozed out from her squeeze.


    In anger, she stomped the truck, watching it copse into Mental Fragments too. She had been deceived by Compass Carburettor to chase after the wrong target from the start.


    And right at this time, the Mental Fragments sshing out from her stomp transformed into a mist, rming her as for a moment, Zaira was stunned, unable to move.


    In that fraction of a second, a truck mmed into her, this time unleashing a terrifying amount of power, transmigrating Zaira''s energy-condensed form. As for the destination, it was one that would prove troublesome even for her, for she was sent to the doorsteps of Mystique.

 Chapter 791 Pandora’s Box

    "What the¡­" Zaira was rmed as she looked around, noticing that she had appeared in the void of an unknown universe, one where her Systems hadn''t set foot yet. But the moment she had this thought, the sounds of dogs barking echoed nonstop, in her mind.


    "Keuk!" She screamed as the barking sounds continued to grow louder and louder until she was unable to hear her own thoughts, grumbling in pain as she stared at a certain entity that had been standing before her at a certain point in time.


    "Zaira, why did you visit me?" The entity was of course Mystique, the representative of everything eldritch.


    "By mistake," Zaira said as Mental Energy burst out of her, causing her body to m forth like a rocket and break past the barrier of this universe.


    But strangely, even after she left that universe, the sounds of dog barking continued to echo in her mind. Moreover, even the new universe that she had ventured into wasn''t connected to the Astral Network.


    That wasn''t all, but she felt a strange urge to scratch herself. A momentter, she was rmed to notice that she had broken out into a rash, something that shouldn''t have been possible, for she was a mere energy body.


    She didn''t possess a physical body that could get a rash.


    "Where are you going, mydy?" Mystique appeared next to her, inquiring with a puzzled tone.


    "Leaving this ce," Zaira responded before breaking into a beam that prated through the barriers of the universe, plunging into the next one. She had picked a different direction this time, hoping to stumble into a universe with the Astral Network, using which she could return to the battlefield.


    But soon after, she was puzzled, muttering in exasperation, "How are there so many worlds in your genre?"


    "They always did," Mystique said, casually appearing next to her once again, "Even before you were born, they did."


    "Thousands of worlds under me."


    "That''s impossible!" Zairamented, suddenly experiencing a hair overgrowth all over her body, one that formed knots with each other before behaving like leeches that had captured the scent of blood. "Back then, you were nothing. You were pretty much at the bottom of the totem pole of the Genre Representatives."


    "You know what I represent?" Mystique took out a monocle from his pocket and wore it on his right eye, causing it to glint for a moment.


    "Isn''t it anything weird, sinister, and ghostly?" Zaira asked, surprised upon seeing Mystique shake his head like a child.


    But slowly, his head shaking became faster before soon, everything above his head was just a blur as his voice, grating to the ears, resounded, "What I represent is a¡­"


    "Pandora''s Box."


    He stared at Zaira as immediately, the hair growth on her body exploded in volume, digging into her Mental Energy reserves and even Core Skills, "And you just opened it."


    Zaira felt a chill in response, grunting as she burst out of this universe and broke into another, noticing parts of her body turn strangely putrid, like solidified algae, immediately gleaning from the reaction that she was still in one of the universes belonging to Mystique.


    "You know, you should calm down." There was a blur travelling casually next to her, "All these universes were closed until now, their development stagnant for eons. But your interference is making them alive."


    "What?" Zaira was rmed.<sub> </sub>


    "Yup, after all, every universe of mine is akin to a virus. Unless they find a suitable host, they remain dead ande to life only after finding a suitable one." He pointed at the changes on her body, "You''ve already brought four universes to life. They''ve already formed connections to you."


    "As if I''ll put up with this bullshit!" Zaira roared in response as the hair overgrowth retracted before vanishing, same for the putrid algae, the rashes, and the dog barks echoing in her mind.


    Core Skill¡ªRegression (Level 341)!


    She regressed her own development, causing her to break free of all the inputs as her figure retraced its steps, returning to the universe she was teleported to by Truck-Kun.


    Her figure began to dissipate, beginning to return to the battlefield as she observed her System World taking damage upon regressing its development, ''I didn''t want to do this, but it''s too risky to fight Mystique at the moment. I''m still not ready yet.''


    Staring at her dissipating figure, Mystique raised his hand to wave awkwardly, "See you, Zaira. I had fun talking with a woman after so long."


    "Fun talking with a woman¡­?" Zaira was stunned at the description, "What the heck? I''m just an energy entity now. I''ve broken past the concept of gender ages ago."


    "You sure?" Mystique tilted his head and pointed at her, "You''re clearly a twenty-five-year-old human woman."


    Her attention shot towards her hands, noticing that her form wasn''t one of energy now, but wasposed of flesh and blood, akin to a human. Moreover¡­


    Thump! Thump! Thump!


    She could feel her heartbeats and a vigorous cirction of lifeforce in her, a sign that she was alive, a living flesh and blood entity. "This¡­shouldn''t be possible."


    She blinked once before noticing that she was in a garden, now adorning a bride''s wedding gown, observing two rows of guests on either side. On the left, on her side were the physical forms of her Grade 3 Systems, with the Tell-Tale System standing at the forefront, looking at her with a tear-struck gaze, unable to rein in her happiness.


    Apocalypse was standing behind her, sporting an obviously disappointed gaze that she failed at masking.


    Standing on the opposite side were the Genre Representatives, with the one at the forefront being Mascot who was dancing in excitement, followed by an exhausted Magister and an Immortal with a swollen face.


    Confused, Zaira stared to her right, noticing the figure of Mystique there, donned in a suit with well-oiled hair parted to the back.


    "You may now kiss the bride." A voice resounded from behind, alerting her as Zaira turned around, noticing the youthful figure of the Saint of Cmity standing there, holding a mural in his hand that had the picture of Arnark striking a ''V'' pose.


    As the Saint of Cmity''s words resounded, Zaira noticed her body turning automatically to face Mystique as a feeling of intense joy and nervousness brimmed up from within. Her face inched towards Mystique, noticing her face flush beet red in response, bashful at the fact that she was about to kiss such a handsome man, the love of her life.


    "No!" Zaira returned to her senses, blinking to see that the surroundings had changed. What had once been a pristine meadow was a murky sewage now. The guests were corrupted parts of the original, seemingly having gone insane.


    Her face still continued to close in on Mystique, one who smiled before opening his mouth, causing his face to curl open like a flower to reveal a grotesque set of teeth that mped upon Zaira.

 Chapter 792 Dear

    "Kyak!" Zaira shrieked as she got up from the bed, sweaty all over as she felt her heart thumping vigorously in response. She patted herself, rubbing her eyes at the bright sunlight cast on her face from the window beside the bed.


    Yawn!


    She turned to her right, staring at the face of Mystique that was still asleep. Sporting a gentle smile on her face, she brushed aside a couple of hair locks aside and got out of bed, heading to the restroom to freshen up.


    She opened the door and sauntered in, opening the tap to see the water stream past. She scooped some of it with her hands and washed her face with it, wiping herself up to stare at her appearance in the mirror.


    The reflection disyed a woman in herte twenties, one that was six months pregnant, staring at her with a poker face, with a droplet of water cascading over the mirror from the location where her left eye was reflected.


    <o>,m The water cascaded slowly beforeing to a stop, not having enough quantity to be pulled down by gravity anymore. Zaira patted her bulging belly, chuckling as she picked up the brush, her hand inching towards the tap when suddenly, she noticed the droplet of water on the mirror begin to move upwards, retracing its motion.</o>


    ZZZZZZZZ!


    Suddenly, the entire world seemed to have been stuck in stasis as it lost its ambiance, split into blue and red that outlined everything. Zaira was rmed as she stared at the mirror, suddenly noticing the figure of Mystique standing at the entrance to the restroom.


    There was a strange smile on him as he gently hugged her from behind, causing her face to redden due to embarrassment as he inched his handsome face closer and whispered in her ears, "It was fun while itsted. I hope you visit me once again."


    "I''ll definitely rekindle your passion."


    ¡­


    "Argh!" Zaira screamed in horror, noticing that she was back in the void, at the exact spot she arrived at after being transmigrated by Truck-Kun. Currently, her body was dissipating, on the verge of regressing back to the battlefield.


    And standing before her was Mystique, his face a blur, one that strangely revealed a smile that seemed as if his lower jaw was parted from the upper jaw, with the partition circling his head entirely.


    It was an eerie situation as she red at Mystique, "You dare mess with me?"


    "I''ll target your worlds next!" She roared.


    "Feel free to do so." In response, Mystique let out a bow of invitation, "I will be happy if you do invade mine."


    "My worlds are getting kind of hungry, you see. We do need some external entertainment." He spoke before vanishing from the spot, "I''ll be waiting for your return¡­"


    "Dear!"


    "Screw you!" Zaira red in anger upon noticing her face reddening in response to his words, cursing nonstop until her body vanished from the universe.<sub> </sub>


    ¡­


    "Will it work?" Compass Carburettor asked, gasping in exhaustion as he slumped on the truck''s seat, "It took my everything to create that truck."


    "Same here." Hazen spoke in support, "I had to use every ounce of my power to fool Zaira''s senses for a moment and make her think that truck was real and not notice your attack."


    "It was hard for me too." Truck-Kun said, letting out a breath of relief, "It wasn''t easy for me to face an opponent of her level. But fret not, I''ve sent her to Mystique. Even if she doesn''t fight him, she''s bound to be affected."


    "If Mystique is so strong, why doesn''t he take action against the Systems?" Compass Carburettor asked, "Is he like Immortal, too arrogant to take action?"


    "No, Mystique is different from us. He can take action whenever he wishes to do so." Truck-Kun said, "But the thing is, unlike the rest of us Genre Representatives, Mystique isn''t a single collective consciousness."


    "He''s not a single collective consciousness?" Hazen was rmed at the thought, "Wouldn''t that copse the very foundation that represents a Genre Representative?"


    "Not for him at least." Truck-Kun shook his head, turning the steering wheel to evade the pursuit of an apocalyptic monster as he spoke, "The nature and character of every Genre Representative constantly changes ording to the development of their worlds. But, the majority of their worlds follow the same format, so the greater part of their nature and character is fixed."


    "But in the case of Mystique, there''s nomonality in his worlds. Each of his worlds is unique and follows its own customs,ws, nature, etc. And without thismonality, the various bizarre powers are always fighting each other in Mystique." Truck-Kun sighed, "And whenever a power system wins, Mystique changes ordingly. Therefore, even if Mystique were to promise you something yesterday, you better not count on it, for today''s Mystique would be something else entirely."


    "His powers ensure that his nature and character change constantly." Truck-Kun said, "And the majority of these natures are allied to none. To date, among the hundreds of Mystique''s natures, only two are an ally to the Genre Representatives. It is these two natures that are prominent from time to time consistently, so we can still count on him a little, but not for long."


    "How long does a nature of hisst?" Compass Carburettor asked.


    "Usually around a minute or two. The highest a nature of hissted for was a week. But that was during Zaira''s birth. It never happened following that." Truck-Kun continued with a sigh, "So, we cannot hope for any support from Mystique."


    "What about the other Genre Representatives? Shouldn''t there be dozens?" Compass Carburettor asked next, hoping for some mode to survive this battle.


    "They are doing their own thing. Some, like Conjurer, actively support the Systems while others, like Martial, are too scared to go against them. You can only count on the big Genre Representatives to do anything."


    ''Shit!'' Compass Carburettor grunted in response. But upon seeing that Zaira had yet to return, he stared at the fight between the Regression System and yer, urging Truck-Kun upon noticing more and more Systems ganging upon Arnark, "We need to help Immortal."


    "Keuk!" Immortal wheezed in response, clutching his empty chest that had been pierced through. There was exhaustion evident in his expression as he was gradually falling deeper and deeper into Apocalypse''s power.


    Surrounding him were titanic monsters¡ªeach represented by a Grade 2 System. They had wounded him severely as he nowy on the ground, at thest stretch of his strength, facing a powerful attack from the Apocalypse System. But, just as he wished to retaliate, his legs lost strength as his knees buckled, causing him to copse.

 Chapter 793 Three Ways To Survive An Apocalypse

    "Never thought the day woulde where Immortal kneels before us." The Waning Essence System cackled aloud, resembling a building-sized drum-shaped apocalyptic monster. They had all integrated themselves into the apocalyptic scenario to better counter their opponents.


    The Core Skill Manifestation unleashed by Apocalypse was terrifying in that it could affect even Genre Representatives. But, the reason only Apocalypse unleashed it was because it had its price.


    Fifty percent of all Mental Energy!


    The loss of one level!


    Inability to use the Core Skill for the next century!


    This was the price for activating the Core Skill Manifestation. And, losing a level was too sharp a price for a Grade 3 System, as it took them tens of thousands of years to gain the necessary Mental Energy. Moreover, being unable to activate the Core Skill for a century meant they would be out ofmission for that period, which allowed the Genre Representatives to target the worlds they were working on.


    Moreover, depending on the level, the power of the Core Skill Manifestation varied. Therefore, when Apocalypse activated it, the rest of the Grade 3 Systems simply followed its lead and integrated themselves into the picture. After all, as one of the oldest Systems, Apocalypse was the strongest among Grade 3 Systems.


    Grade 3 System¡ªApocalypse (Level 299)!


    Grade 3 System¡ªApocalypse (Level 298)!


    It lost a level, losing its status as a peak Grade 3 System. But considering the level of the enemies they were facing, it was a necessary price.


    "I''m gradually umting exhaustion," yer muttered, clenching his hand into a fist as he unleashed multiple attacks to annihte themon apocalyptic monsters produced in the ce.


    Thankfully, the Fantasy World was barred from its effects, so yer wasn''t worried about the natives. Though, Apocalypse hadn''t targeted the Fantasy World because it would stretch its Core Skill Manifestation thin, making its effects weak and easy to breach.


    After all, the foundation of the Fantasy World was strong enough to keep the Regression System''s power of time at bay.


    Boom!


    yer red in anger as the apocalyptic monsters he just killed reformed their bodies to charge at him once again. Their timelines were regressed by the Regression System.


    In this manner, the Regression System constantly pressured its opponents.


    Bam!


    Balveta copsed to the ground, fainting immediately. She currently looked like she hadn''t drunk a drop of water for more than a week, hadn''t had a morsel, a wink of sleep, and worst of all, had been fighting nonstop during the entire time.


    Both her body and mind had endured until the breaking point before giving in, resulting in her falling out ofmission.


    "yer, Balveta fainted!" Keel shouted in rm, carrying Balveta as he dodged a forest of tentacles that sprung out from underneath him.


    "Hmm¡­" yer thought for a moment upon observing his surroundings be more and more stable. An apocalyptic bubble had formed in his universe, one that was gradually bing more and more solid as Apocalypse continued to fuel its growth.


    It added a variable into the universe''s power structure, one of an apocalypse.<sub> </sub>


    ''If this goes on, we''ll be devoured by the apocalypse.'' yer thought as he closed his eyes, sighing as he recalled his past, from a time when he was a weak System yer, having dived into a world facing an apocalyptic setting.


    At that time, a native of the world had imparted him wisdom, something yer forgot down the line. After all, with otherworldly powers, he never had to restrain himself to the condition and situation of a world.


    But now, when the situation forced him into an apocalyptic setting, one that he couldn''t escape from, even with his otherworldly powers, he recalled the imparted wisdom.


    ? "Three ways to survive an apocalypse," yer muttered as suddenly, Apocalypse stopped targeting Arnark and had to focus on him.


    yer ced his hand on the ground and immediately, the surface rumbled, causingrge hills to protrude out of the ground to wash away the nearby dpidated buildings.


    The hills had a steep cliff, akin to a wall, reaching a height surpassing two hundred metres, the same height taken by Grade 3 Systems in this scenario. The area it spanned was around a square kilometre as immediately, grass jutted out of the ground, rapidly absorbing the stale air to freshen it up gradually.


    Moreover, a geyser gushed out from the centre to result in a pond, one where fish began to live in immediately. Trees grew in the surroundings, enlivening the ce as some of them reached a height surpassing a hundred metres, with their fruits growing to the size of a human before falling to the ground.


    Exiting the pulp were humanoid creatures, roaring the moment they were created as they rushed to the hills. Growing at the top of the hills was a sort of bamboo out of which bows and arrows were produced, equipped by the Fruit Humans.


    Finally, a spiritual tree grew at one edge of the pond, reaching a height of two hundred fifty metres, absorbing the energy from the apocalyptic setting to generate mana, the same present in the Fantasy World.


    This mana gushed into the bodies of the Universe Relic Wielders, freshening them up a little as soon after, Balveta got up. She was still exhausted, but now, the surroundings healed her, both physically and mentally.


    "Rest a little." yer cautioned her, "Only then will you be able to endure this fight long-term."


    "The first way to survive an apocalypse is to gain ess to a resource replenishing facility. And this here generates everything we need."


    He then noticed how the Systems were making camps already, with the Grade 2 Systems generating their respective races already to form the core army that would invade during the apocalypse.


    "This battle wouldn''t end anytime soon. Until one side suffers a crippling defeat, this war will continue¡­especially since there are three sides now." Saying so, yer nced at a truck that was rushing past the rubble of a skyscraper, evading the apocalyptic monsters to close in on an almost defeated Immortal.


    His eyes focused on the figure of Compass Carburettor seated in the truck, feeling nervous as hemunicated with Arnark, "Why didn''t you kill Compass?"


    "I couldn''t," Arnarknded beside him to stare at the truck and state solemnly, "Even though I stole Lore and the power of the Relic, I couldn''t gain anything that forms what he represents."


    "You mean to say¡­?" yer trailed, looking at Arnark to get a decisive answer.


    "Ignore them," Arnark said decisively, "Zaira wants Stencil and Gehera. So, the Systems would do everything in their power to get their hands on them. And that makes them Compass'' mortal enemy."


    "Let them wear each other out. Let''s not interfere." Arnark said, "Don''t forget that in terms of being the Main Character, Compass is scarier than me. And Hazen is still alive."


    "Let Zaira bang her head in trying to kill them."

 Chapter 794 The Second Way Of Survival

    "Shiiittt¡­" Immortal wheezed in response, staring at the attack from Apocalypse, ''Is this where I''m killed?''


    Him dying here didn''t mean much in the grand scheme of things. After all, Immortal wasn''t a flesh-and-blood entity. He was a Genre Representative. Meaning, as long as the cultivation genre existed, he would remain alive.


    Even if he was killed, he would be revived shortly after. But, Immortal was nervous because the moment he dies, all the Grade 3 Systems targeting him would attack Stencil next. And that wasn''t something he wished to see.


    After all, through Stencil, he was seeing hope for the revival of his genre.


    ''Should I do it here?'' Immortal thought for a moment, wondering if he should unleash his trump card. But, a momentter, upon sensing the energy from Hazen''s Cultivation World funnelling into him, he refrained from doing so, ''No, this is too premature. If they notice the traits of that world, they would target it immediately. And in my present state, I cannot leave this ce to defend that world.''


    Immortal stared at the Regression System, a gigantic entity surpassing three hundred metres in height, thergest in the apocalyptic setting, ''This fucker''s power has already enveloped this bubble. The moment I take anyone out of this ce, their age would regress.''


    Immortal wasn''t affected by that, but the case couldn''t be said for Hazen, Gehera, and Compass Carburettor. Even Stencil would be affected, since the Immortal fragment in her wasn''trge enough to endure Regression''s power.


    Therefore, something had to be done about Regression first before Truck-Kun could leave with the four important characters. And until then, Immortal had to endure and do something. ''But, I''m losing power. Shit!''


    Thousands of holes riddled his body as Spiritual Energy, Immortal Energy, and a variety of energy found in the various Cultivation Worlds funnelling into him escaped. This caused him to lose power constantly while the Waning Essence System continued to consume his power.


    "Hmph!" Suddenly, Immortal snorted as he unleashed a seal, the runes of which revolved around and defended against Apocalypse''s attack, suddenly diverting it through spatial transfer.


    "What?" Apocalypse was stunned in response, seeing Immortal unleash this ability for the first time since their age-long fights.


    "Why you¡­" Magister turned around in rm, staring at Apocalypse''s power mming into him and wrecking past thousands of defensive magic circles. But right when it seemed like the power would injure him, a scroll flew out of his body and opened, revealing a magic circle with an empty centre, one that lit up to unleash a suction force.


    It instantly absorbed Apocalypse''s attack as immediately, Magister grinned, causing a magic circle to sh underneath Waning Essence System before a pir of mes enveloped it.


    The mes danced, sparking colours of all hues, resulting in Waning Essence''s scream to echo out, "Kiiyaahhhh!"


    "Break!" Suddenly, followed by the sh of a sword sh, one of the edges of the magic circle broke apart, causing the magic circle''s effect to be disrupted.


    Taking the chance, Waning Essence System escaped while the World Spirit System healed it immediately.


    "Tch!" ring at Immortal for a moment, Magister stared at the Grade 3 Systems, observing that his body was morphing gradually too, getting ustomed to the apocalyptic setting, ''The longer I fight here, the more dangerous it gets for me. Thankfully, Apocalypse''s power cannot cut off the power supply from my worlds.''


    Magister then stared at Immortal''s wounded figure, ''You''ve made your choice, Immortal. The ideals of Compass don''t conform with what we wish for. So, no Genre Representative will support you.''<sub> </sub>


    "You''re on your own, Immortal." Magister worded it without a change in tone, eyeing Truck-Kun upon noticing the other party''s re. He didn''t bother exining to Truck-Kun.


    After all, among the Genre Representatives, Truck-Kun was almost a lonely existence. It was because he represented a concept and was closely tied to Mascot. In the grand war against the Systems, Truck-Kun never made a difference.


    The most he could do was transmigrate Systems to dangerous worlds, which never harmed them and just served to dy them a little. And this was mostly against Grade 2 Systems, with him failing the majority of the time in transmigrating a Grade 3 System.


    And he was absolutely useless against a Grade 4 System, which was primarily fought against by either Mascot or Magister, and the Immortal of the past.


    Despite his powers, Technocraft wasn''t equipped to face the Grade 4 Systems. And unless something was done about the peak powers, the Systems would continue to maintain their dominance.


    This was why despite Truck-Kun advocating an alliance in every Genre Representative meeting, not many paid any heed to his words.


    "Hmph, that seems to be thest of your power. Now, die!" Apocalypse shouted upon seeing the helpless figure of Immortal, unleashing an attack full of corruption, strong enough to destroy Immortal.


    Beep!


    Suddenly, a dozen trucks mmed into the attack, kamikaze style, exploding to stall the attack for a moment, during which a truck rushed past Immortal as Compass Carburettor grabbed him.


    "Hurry, patch his injuries." Compass Carburettor said, eyeing Stencil, "Your Secret Refiner System should be able to handle these injuries, right? Especially since you have a fragment of him in you."


    "I''ll try," Saying so, Stencil drilled bolts of lightning into Immortal''s body, noticing that although she was able to treat the injuries, the process was too slow.


    "It''s better than nothing." Immortal thanked her, circting his power through her to hasten his recovery. As the wounds were closed once after another, power stopped leaking out of his body, allowing him to umte strength bit by bit.


    "Guys, we aren''t out of the woods, YET!" Truck-Kun shrieked as Apocalypse targeted them once again, shouting as he stared at them, "Do something!"


    "Leave it to me." Compass Carburettor said as he red at Immortal, focusing on all the energy leaking out of him, almost causing his body to destabilise from the strain as an explosive stream of Mental Fragments formed.


    Immediately after, they leaked out of the truck, causing Truck-Kun to stare in surprise as the Mental Energy umted through the region to transform into Mental Fragments that created a massive construct surrounding the truck itself.


    Immediately after, the figure of the truck vanished as Apocalypse red, sensing a spatial disturbance in the ce. Currently surrounding the truck was a Realm, mobile, in Truck-Kun''s control. A Grade 2 Systemunched an attack at the Realm, surprised when the Realm tanked it.


    Second way to survive an apocalypse¡ªAn Enduring Fortress!

 Chapter 795 The Final Way Of Surviving An Apocalypse

    "Dammit, I''ll kill them!" The Hunter System grunted in anger as its humanoid self lifted a ymore, causing it to brim with mana when suddenly, Apocalypse arrived beside it, prompting it to stop.


    "Don''t waste your reserves uselessly." Apocalypse said, "There''s Immortal with them now. They''ll have an endless reserve of energy to rely upon. So, if you were to exhaust yourself first, you''ll be Arnark''s prey. Don''t forget what happened to the Dragon System just recently."


    "Then, what am I supposed to do?" The Hunter System said in regret, "The most I''m able to do is disrupt Magister''s attacks. I''m facing more difficulties against Arnark thanks to Domino Plottopia''s actions."


    "Do what a Grade 2 System does best." Apocalypse said, expressing a primal vicious need for consumption, "Create a race of Hunters and raid this Realm. As long as the power you steal from them is greater than your losses, you''ll kill them eventually."


    "But¡­" The Hunter System hesitated, "What about Immortal? The lead I gain would be nothing inparison to his foundation. It''s what we''ve been trying to do for so long and still have yet to seed."


    "Don''t bother with him," Apocalypse let out a subtle smile, "I and Regression have a n for it already."


    "Immortal will die by the end of this battle."


    ¡­


    After its conversation with the Apocalypse System, the Hunter Systemnded a certain distance away from the Realm and erected a city of its own, grabbing hold of the basic apocalyptic monsters produced in the apocalyptic setting.


    Following that, it inserted fragments of itself in them and turned them into Hunters.


    Groarrr!


    An apocalyptic monster roared in pain before morphing into a human, an armour-donned hulk of a middle-aged man with a dusty appearance and untrimmed beard. The stench of sweat, alcohol and piss seemed to have saturated on him, due to his prolonged stay in the apocalypse.


    Holding his kite shield and war axe, the middle-aged hunter took out a badge and crushed it, vanishing from the spot as he appeared within the Realm.


    There was arge meadow on one side and sandy shores bordering a sea on the opposite. Situated at the back was a gigantic mountain, reaching a height of twelve kilometres, with its peak surrounded by clouds.


    There was a mysterious formation of sorts protecting the mountain, with the entire way upden with traps. At the peak was a hidden pce where a truck remained in stillness, with the people inside working at full speed to treat Immortal.


    The middle-aged hunter cracked his joints before jogging towards the mountain, breaking into a sprint soon after as he mmed into the barrier, grunting as the armour protecting him began to melt away.


    Boom!


    Just when the barrier was about to melt him too, another tank-like hunter mmed into the barrier, straining it. One after another, more and more hunters arrived at the scene, gradually passing through the barrier while suffering minor injuries.


    The barrier constantly regenerated itself, but despite that, hunters began to pass through one after another, their defences terrifying.


    Grrr!


    Suddenly, thousands of wolves rushed out of the forestyering the mountain, created by Gehera.


    The wolf at the lead drooled saliva that sizzled the ground, roaring before it rushed at the middle-aged hunter.


    "Enemy inbound. All tanks, brace for impact." The middle-aged hunter said before propping his shield, grunting as the wolf mmed into it, causing his feet to slide back a few centimetres.<sub> </sub>


    Immediately after, the muscles on his right bulged as he hacked using the war axe, plunging the ded end halfway into the wolf''s spine.


    Aieee!


    The wolf winced in pain as the axe of the middle-aged hunter shone with starlight, causing a fragment of the Hunter System to seep into its body to Host it instantly. Following that, the middle-aged hunter brought down the war axe, cleaving its body into two.


    Instantly, the Hunter System fragment in the wolf''s body absorbed the entirety of its essence, carrying it out as it flowed into the middle-aged hunter''s body. This was how Grade 2 Systems stole power.


    "Be on guard, and advance¡­" The middle-aged hunter had just spoken when suddenly, he raised his shield up in rm, grunting as his hands trembled.


    Pata-Pata-Pat!


    The sounds akin to rain resounded as bullets mmed into the shield, gradually denting it due to the sheer number. Moreover, after the impact, the bullets vaporised instantly, allowing the subsequent volley of bullets to impact the shield without any hindrances.


    Taking shelter amid the branches were humans holding a gun in each hand, condensing bullets by absorbing air to unleash a volley at the enemies.


    That wasn''t all, there were earthworms drilling underground, ones that exited from under the feet of the hunters to re at their targets.


    Spirit Morph!


    "Shit!" The middle-aged hunter evaded in a hurry, sensing a mystical power m into the corner of his shoulder armour, causing it to wriggle in response before transforming into a serpent. "Get lost!"


    Mana burst out of his body as he cut off the infected part of the armour, mming it into the ground to see it break down into multiple serpents that rushed at them.


    Heavenly shield!


    The middle-aged hunter mmed his kite shield into the ground, erecting an energy shield that stopped the serpents and the volley of bullets. He then extended his hand, using telekinesis to crush the serpents before burning them using fire.


    Through the fire, he sent a Hunter System fragment into a serpent, noticing the fragment facing resistance for a couple of seconds before hosting it. He killed it after that and absorbed its essence through the fragment.


    "Ugh¡­argh¡­Noooo!" Suddenly, a hunter among their group screamed in horror as his face convulsed before hundreds of serpents drilled out in horror, rapidly transforming his entirety into a sea of serpents that rapidly joined to create a human who shed an angry grin to morph his hand into a canon each, shooting out shells that sent two hunters flying from the impact.


    Both sides tore into each other, stealing the foundation of the defeated.


    "Thank you." Suddenly, the middle-aged hunter was rmed to hear a whisper, noticing a totem pole stabbed into the ground before him. rmed, he turned around, staring at the misty figure of a woman touching him on the cheek before vanishing.


    Instantly, he copsed to the ground, weak, losing all his power as the sheer weight of his armour shattered his bones. It just took a second for Gehera to steal the entirety of a hunter''s power as using a totem, she transformed into mist and shed around the battlefield, stealing the powers of the hunters nonstop.


    Soon after, she brought the respective Magic Beasts¡ªhunters¡ªout of her Ruin of Amagoth, forming an army of hunters that rushed at the enemy hunters.


    Final way of surviving an apocalypse¡ªRaise a replenishing army!

 Chapter 796 Traitor

    "Tch!" The Hunter System clicked its tongue in anger upon sensing that it was facing a loss. Around sixty percent of its hunters were getting ughtered when inparison, only forty managed to defeat the opponents.


    This level of loss meant that the enemies were gaining from the ordeal, which would only worsen the situation over time.


    "You needn''t fret," Suddenly, a 256-metre-tall apocalyptic entity arrived beside the Hunter System to speak calmly.


    Staring at the other party, the Hunter System became submissive, like an underling staring at its boss, "T-Then, what must I do?"


    "Don''t forget the scenario we''re in now." The massive apocalyptic entity stated calmly, "We''re immune to the negative effects of the apocalypse. Therefore, a sixty percent loss is actually in our favour."


    "The more they fight, the faster our enemies get exhausted. So, it''s only a matter of time before their downfall." It grinned, snapping its finger before suddenly, all the hunters became dozens of times stronger, "I''ll also support you."


    Grade 3 System¡ªInvader (Level 256)!


    Invader was one of the most active Systems, the fastest-growing System to date. From the moment their genre was birthed, all the Hatchling Systems experienced staggering growth,bining after attaining the peak to be a Grade 2 System.


    Following that, Invader invaded countless worlds and gained control of them before using the natives to invade other worlds. The resultant Mental Energy of the process was a staggering amount enough to earn it the title of the fastest-growing System.


    And before anyone knew it, Invader attained Grade 3 and was already halfway to its peak.


    As its concept dictated, its powers revolved around invasions. Therefore, it targeted pretty much every single genre, having fought against every single Genre Representative, including Mystique, being one of the few to actually do this and survive.


    ''Unlike the Transportation Genre that crumbled during its growth, Invader is growing consistently while constantly strengthening its foundation.'' The Hunter System thought.


    It seemed the Invader System noticed its thoughts based on the mental fluctuations of its mind, asking, "Were youparing me to the Transportation Genre of the past?"


    "I''m sorry," The Hunter System bowed in response.


    "It''s fine, or rather, I''m honoured to bepared to such a legend, even if they failed." The Invader System said.


    "Legend?" The Hunter System tilted its head, "The Transportation Genre is failing. Its Systems are actually losing their levels over time. It has been on a downward spiral from the beginning."


    "Who do you think hit the peak of Grade 3 first?" The Invader System asked all of a sudden.


    "Isn''t that Tell-Tale?" The Hunter System said.


    "Right, Tell-Tale grew the fastest, followed by Regression, Reincarnation, and Transmigration which grew alongside Apocalypse. But," The Invader System''s voice became solemn, "It wasn''t the current three Grade 4 Systems that attained Grade 4 first."


    "What?" The Hunter System was shocked, "Something like this happened? Howe I never knew it before?"


    "Only Grade 3 Systems and some of the first-generation Grade 2 Systems are aware of this." The Invader System continued, "I learnt it when I reached Grade 3 myself. Since it seems you have the highest potential to hit Grade 3 next, I''m telling you this in advance."<sub> </sub>


    "It was the Transportation Genre that attained Grade 4 first." It continued, observing the Hunter System''s shock, "Unfortunately, we Systems had never realised the dangers of embodying a concept back then."


    "It was known by the name of Adventure back then." The Invader System said.


    "Adventure?" The Hunter System said in fear, "B-But having that name means¡­"


    "Yeah, it was in an attempt to rece the Genre Representatives. Unfortunately, it backfired." Followed by a sigh, the Invader System continued, "In my years of invading countless universes, I came to understand that there were two peak concepts."


    "Time and Space." It stated solemnly, "And these two concepts are synonymous with each other in maintaining bnce in any universe."


    "Unfortunately," It sighed, "These concepts are too powerful for a single entity to embody. Therefore, the Adventure System copsed upon itself and split into countless fragments."


    "Regression, Reincarnation, and Transmigration absorbed suitable fragments and integrated them partially with the concept of time to be what they are today. The majority of the fragments were destroyed while the remainder was absorbed by the System World to birth Grade 1 Systems that form the current Transportation Genre." It then stared at the Hunter System.


    "When you steal the powers of your opponents, only steal those that arepatible with you and are within your limits. Otherwise, you''ll implode. There have been instances of Grade 3 and Grade 2 Systems that had faced the same in the past. And worst of all, these implosions ur during a Main Character''s era."


    "But, isn''t that the only means to grow as a Grade 2 System? And, even if I were to implode, another System can absorb my fragments to grow stronger, right? We have an overpoption of Grade 1 Systems these days, right? The situation isn''t the same as in the past." The Hunter System argued.


    "You make a fair point, but remember," The Invader System shook its head, "It was the copse of Adventure that resulted in the birth of Truck-Kun. The concept regarding a Genre Representative that Adventure embodied condensed to birth Truck-Kun."


    "So, if we aren''t careful, we''ll give birth to more characters like Truck-Kun and worsen our situation further." The Invader System said before staring at the fortress far away, "Especially since Arnark has a foundation and a base to rely upon now. Worst of all, it''s the world that gave birth to us. Moreover, he''s connected to Zaira by fate, the same for yer. So, there''s too much danger we''re facing already."


    "I''ll be careful." The Hunter System nodded, "But, I''ll do whatever it takes to kill the ones hiding in that Realm."


    "Yeah, your concept of Raid and my concept of Invadeplement one another." The Invader System said, watching the strengthened hunters enter the Realm. "We''ll kill this foe before it can threaten us."


    "Moreover, things are getting interesting." It grinned.


    ¡­


    Arriving at a cultivation world was a mysterious entity donning martial clothes, staring at the world brimming with spiritual energy. He observed the livelihood of the people, taking in a deep breath as he hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth, "This world once used to be mine. And now, it''ll return to its rightful owner."


    Saying so, he ripped apart his clothes, revealing a second beating heart attached to his chest, one that was sucking in his power before seeping him with starlight.


    "I''m sorry, Immortal. But, I, Martial, refuse to disappear." He thumped his chest as suddenly, the Spiritual Energy of the world waned rapidly.


    Core Skill¡ªWaning Essence (Martial)!

 Chapter 797 Targeting Immortal

    "Kyak!"


    "N-No! My power!"


    "W-What is h-happening?"


    The screams of the people resounded as the ambient Spiritual Energy in their world dwindled rapidly. The Spirit Veinsden through the earth dried up while the cirction streams of energy were broken, with each drying up.


    Martial grunted in pain a little as he went against his created motives. But soon after, he was able to endure the pain, experiencing his strength returning little by little.


    The cultivation world turned chaotic as the cultivators were unable to progress in their cultivation any longer. But right at this time, Martial extracted blood from the external heart, one granted to him by the Waning Essence System.


    He infused the blood into the dried-up Spirit Veins, causing it to circte through it and constantly absorb any Spiritual Energy that was produced in the world. This ensure the world''s development through Spiritual Energy was halted entirely.


    Right at this time, Martial introduced the concept of internal cultivation to the world, teaching them to gather energy through the consumption of food and store it in their Dantians to cultivate further¡ªas they did originally.


    The power structure remained the same, but instead of absorbing Spiritual Energy from the air, they converted flesh and blood energy from food and turned it into Spiritual Energy.


    And as long as the blood of the Waning Essence System circted through this world, it would continue to absorb Spiritual Energy and halt the world''s development.


    Moreover, as the heart was attached to Martial, and since the world was now connected to him, through him, the blood of Waning Essence would be replenished instantly.


    The Waning Essence System was constantly stealing power from this world. And to a certain extent, through Martial, it was able to filter out Mental Energy and only absorb the content suitable for its development.


    As for Martial, thanks to the Waning Essence System''s help, he was able to regain more worlds under his fold. Basically, the two had embarked on a symbiotic rtionship.


    It could also be stated that he was the first among the Genre Representatives to be a Quasi-Host to a System.


    "Don''t dy, take over as many worlds as possible before Immortal recovers." The Waning Essence System''s voice resounded in Martial''s ear, "He''s still injured on the battlefield and is recovering. Before he regains his strength, steal at least a couple hundred worlds. That should make a dent in his strength, at least a little."


    "I can only steal the wuxia worlds though. It''s impossible to target the Xianxia worlds that form the core of his power." Martial said, "There''s no realistic way to convert those worlds into mine."


    "It''s fine, the majority of his worlds fall under wuxia. Sealing those would cripple his powers to a great extent. That is enough." The Waning Essence System said as Martial disappeared and reappeared in another cultivation world, repeating the same to suppress its growth and turn it into a martial arts-based world, one that relied on internal-energy cultivation.


    At the same time, in the river of time flowing through a Xianxia world, Regression appeared and subtly entered it before all traces of it vanished. The same happened in the majority of the Xianxia worlds, taking advantage of Immortal''s momentary helplessness and absence.


    ¡­<sub> </sub>


    "Hmm¡­" Compass Carburettor frowned as he stared at the foot of the mountain, noticing that more and more members of his Secret Society fell victim to the hunters. "The hunters have grown stronger all of a sudden."


    He stared at Gehera, "Are you able to handle them all?"


    "Yes," Gehera nodded, "That''s still within my limit. But, it won''t change our situation. I need ess to the main System."


    "If I can maintain a siphon line with the Hunter System, I can create a steady stream of hunters to fight our opponents. We''ll simply rely on their strength to fight them." Gehera said before panting a little.


    "We''re getting exhausted." Compass Carburettor muttered, sensing the Mental Strength of every Secret Society member at war deplete over time. The case was the same for him too.


    Even though he could act using Mental Energy, his Mental Fragments would stop moving without enough Mental Strength. And currently, the apocalyptic setting was targeting his Mental Strength.


    ''I need to find a method to gain enough power.'' Compass Carburettor thought, creating a Secret Society member that took flight before crashing into the hunters to explode into a sea of mist, trapping them all.


    Suddenly, lightning sparked through their bodies, one thattched onto the Systems within them to pry them away. Their bodies copsed into Mental Fragments while the System Fragments remained alive, trapped within the mist.


    Gehera entered the mist and made the Hunter System Fragments collide with one another,bining until they formed arge enough chunk to express its characteristics.


    She then ced her hand on thebined Hunter System Fragment, focusing on it as her hand trembled, her mind coursing through the vastwork of fate, mind, time, and space that connected the Hunter System Fragments to the Hunter System.


    Boom!


    Gehera found herself standing in a void, surrounded byary-sized objects of various shapes and sizes. Suddenly, a resembling earth approached her before the clouds covering it morphed to form an eye that shot open and red at her, destroying her mental projection.


    "Gah!" Gehera screamed in fright and flew out of the mist, rolling on the ground in a fluster as she trembled in fear, "S-Scary, too scary."


    "So, that is a Grade 2 System." She gasped in rm.


    "Is it possible to steal power from it directly?" Compass Carburettor asked, sighing upon seeing Gehera shake her head vehemently, ''Indeed, it makes no sense for her to be capable of that. It hasn''t been long since she gained this power. She still needs time to develop it further.''


    "Alright, just steal the power of the fragment trapped in the mist." Compass Carburettor said, watching Gehera do so as he created more Secret Society members, intending to replenish the numbers when suddenly, a wave of Spiritual Energy sted past him, wrecking the traps set on the mountain.


    There emerged a primal cry, one of deste despair, full of soul-rending pain as at the peak of the mountain, the truck exploded, wounding everyone in the vicinity as a crater formed due to the explosion.


    And kneeling in the centre, amid the billowing dust was Immortal, one whose face was crumbling, rapidly aging in response as an animalistic roar resounded from him, a sign of his sentience waning.

 Chapter 798 Cheat-Wielding Braves

    Roar!


    Hearing a guttural roar followed by a burst of energy that rattled the entire apocalyptic setting, yer frowned with a solemn expression, "It seems Immortal fell victim to their schemes."


    "What are your thoughts on this, master?" Arnark asked.


    "What do you think?" yer asked in response, making eye contact with Arnark.


    "I...am not sure." Arnark stated his thoughts, "Honestly, I would be happy once Compass is dead. As long as he''s alive, I cannot say for certain that he cannot steal my power in the future. He''s capable of that."


    "But, I don''t want to antagonise him any further." He sighed, "I''m conflicted between the choices, as both have adverse consequences."


    "Me too," yer sighed in response, "This was why I could never put my mind to dealing with him before. Whether to make him an ally or enemy, I wasn''t sure."


    "But, I feel like this is our opportunity." yer said, eyeing the camps created by the Grade 2 Systems, "If we trap Compass to a suitable extent, he''ll be the perfect bait to lure in the Grade 2 Systems. Their resultant sh would weaken a lot of them. And, as long as all your Core Skills are active, there''s a good possibility of us profiting from this ordeal."


    He stared at the gigantic Regression System, "We need to do something to send that bastard away from our universe temporarily. I''ll be able to bar his entry beyond that, at least for a few years, during which we can strengthen ourselves better."


    "It seems we have no other choice but to take a risk." Arnark sighed in response before asking Mascot, "To what extent are you willing to cooperate with me?"


    "Depends on what you do for us." Mascot said in response, "You should know that we abandoned Compass for you. So, you''ll have to clean up at least a hundred of my worlds after this."


    "Consider it done." Arnark nodded, "Those Systems are fuel for my world anyway..."


    "Also," Mascot stared at yer, pointing three fingers, "Allow me to reincarnate three kids into your world and promise that you wouldn''t interfere with their growth."


    "What?" yer was stunned before refusing immediately, "Impossible! Having such Cheat-possessing individuals in my world would only weaken it long term. Systems are a different thing as my world can work around their powers."


    "Then..." Mascot eyed the Realm, "Maybe I should reconsider my choices."


    "Fine!" yer stated instantly, "I''ll allow it! But you must chase Regression away from this universe!"


    "That wouldn''t be easy. Regression''s hold over the timeline is stronger than mine." Mascot said, "So, kicking it out of this universe is impossible."


    "Kicking is impossible," Arnark said, letting out a wry smile, "But luring it away is possible."


    "What are you getting at?" Mascot frowned, noticing Magister eye her from the side.


    "Let''s get back to my first question." Arnark stared at her eyes, asking with utmost seriousness, "To what extent are you willing to cooperate with me?"


    "Just name it," Mascot snorted in irritation.


    "We''ll orchestrate Immortal''s death and cause him to take out at least a dozen Grade 2 Systems while banning Regression from this universe," Arnark said.<sub> </sub>


    "You...fucker." Veins popped all over her forehead as Mascot grabbed hold of his neck, choking him in anger, "Do you realise what you''re scheming? This is Immortal, someone that could once go against all the Systems by himself."


    "But he cannot anymore," Arnark gasped for breath, tapping on her hands as a show of defeat, "Times have changed. Didn''t you see Immortal struggling against the Grade 3 Systems? Even a Grade 2 System managed to injure him."


    "He''s way past his prime." Arnark coughed as Mascot threw him to the ground, propping himself up to continue, "Besides, the genre he represents is known for its viciousck of intelligence. If not for his brute strength, Immortal would have been nothing. Even now, his power is still a thousand times mine, but the effectiveness of his abilities is a mere half of mine."


    "He doesn''t exercise his abilities smartly." Arnark massaged his throat to say, "If I had his current strength, I would be able to kill even Apocalypse. Mortally injuring Regression wouldn''t be impossible anymore."


    He turned silent after that, simply staring at the Realm from which Immortal''s screams resounded.


    "He''s losing his sentience." Magistermented all of a sudden, clicking his tongue, "Damn that Martial. I feared this day mighte. His actions amplified the presence of the mindless beasts in the cultivation worlds and reduced that of the sentient races."


    "So, he stole a lot of Immortal''s worlds." Mascot facepalmed, "Martial could contest for the top position in terms of being a retard."


    "Mascot, this is our chance." Magister whispered all of a sudden, "With Zaira currently upied, we can target the Tell-Tale System. As long as we injure it enough, we''ll buy enough time to use Arnark and clean up our worlds."


    ''But, it would mean sacrificing Immortal.'' At this point, Mascot hesitated. As a Genre Representative, having conflicting thoughts was their primary nature. And indeed, she didn''t wish to lose a major Genre Representative like Immortal, especially one that took the forefront in going against the Systems all along.


    "Why are you hesitating?" Magister stated coldly, "The current Immortal is a liability. Don''t we need to do everything in our power to save our worlds..."


    "Alright," Mascot faced Arnark, "State your n."


    "It''s pretty simple." Arnark said, "Immortal has hidden his army of Gods that form the majority of his power. Convert them into your Cheat-Wielding Braves. This will cripple Immortal. Following that..."


    Upon hearing the n, Mascot took in a deep breath and stared at the Realm that was being invaded by hunters, "The moment we do this, all bridges for future cooperation would be burnt."


    Boom!


    Followed by a snap of her finger, a sword-wielding Hero teleported into the universe, kneeling on the ground before her.


    "Hold the fort until my return, alright?" Mascot stared at the blonde Hero whose radiance glistened under the sun.


    "Yup, no worries." The blonde Hero nodded in confidence as he got up and stared at the apocalyptic monsters, ones that suddenly copsed into chopped portions under his gaze.


    "He''s one of the strongest Heroes under me. He should suffice for the time being." Saying so, Mascot vanished.


    "Where did she go?" Regression was rmed before letting out a subtle smile, "I see, so we''re all ganging up on Immortal this time."


    "Fine by me, there''s just benefits for us in this."

 Chapter 799 Mascot’s Recruitment Drive

    "I''ll happily fall prey to your scheme." Regression grinned in response and continued to target the universe, not showing any intention of letting up its assault. It didn''t wish to risk and fall victim to any other ns that yer and Arnark had otherwise concocted.


    ¡­


    God Realm!


    This was one of the strongest worlds under Immortal, one that was connected to more than a million cultivation worlds. There were threeyers to this power structure.


    First, forming the bottom-most of the totem pole were cultivation worlds, where cultivators and mortals lived amidst one another.


    There existed sects that nurtured cultivators, with the majority of the mortals living their entire lives without seeing even a single cultivator.


    And once the cultivators of these worlds attained the peak of their cultivation limit, they would spark a tribtion and if seeded, would transcend the ne and enter the immortal world.


    There existed thousands of immortal worlds. Each immortal world stood above thousands of cultivation worlds. Here, everyone was immortal, possessing lifespans in the thousands of years, with those at the top living for tens of thousands of years.


    And the immortals that attain the peak of such worlds would spark a tribtion once again and if seeded, ascend to the God Realm, the ne where Gods lived, with the lifespans of everyone infinite.


    This threeyered structure wasmon among most of the immortal worlds under Immortal.


    Currently, in a corner of this God Realm, seated within a cave with an inconspicuous aura was a God, the strongest to ever emerge in the God Realm. He had attained the peak of cultivation possible, with him alone consuming more than half of the God Realm''s resources.


    He ascended from the God Realm, bing a being that could roam through the void and create as many cultivation and immortal worlds as he desired. It was then that he met Immortal, realising the truth of the cultivation genre and the problem guing it¡ªSystems.


    From then on, he visited the other cultivation worlds and gradually shaped his own power system to be more universal. Following that, he returned to his home world, the God Realm, and focused on nourishing its development.


    Pretty much every single peak cultivator was the same, striving to improve their worlds to surpass the strength stolen by the Systems.


    "Hmm, who are you?" The eyes of the God shot open as he stared at ady wearing a bear costume, surprised because even the strongest of Gods wouldn''t be able to see through his protection array.


    "Are you the leader of the Immortal Army, Shen Ze?" Mascot asked.


    "You¡­you''re not alive, are you?" Shen Ze frowned, his eyes widening as the pupils turned scaly, oozing out the power of dragons as a formidable power mmed into Mascot, causing her feet to slide back by a dozen centimetres.


    Mascot stared at her feet, noticing that she was pushed back a dozen centimetres, surprised at the oue, "You''re strong, probably the strongest after a Genre Representative."


    "That method of speaking¡­" Shen Ze muttered after a moment of thought, "You''re Mascot."


    "Bingo!" Mascot winked in joy while iling her hands at him, "Now, why don''t you join hands with me."


    "Don''t bother." Shen Ze closed his eyes as slowly, his body began to transform into a golden dragon, the power reaching a suffocative level.


    Sensing the sheer power emanating from him, Mascot was shocked, ''He''s already surpassed most of the weak Genre Representatives. As expected of the strongest God under Immortal. He alone would be able to battle a Grade 3 System.''


    "Now,e on!" Mascot fawned in response as she evaded an attack and leaped onto the golden dragon''s back, whispering in his ears, "I''ll make you stronger, you know."<sub> </sub>


    "Immortal''s about to die."


    "I''m still alive." Shen Ze didn''t bother attacking her after she evaded his initial attack, speaking calmly, "As long as even one of us is alive, Immortal would revive."


    "Yes, but in what state?" She asked, causing him to frown.


    "What do you mean by that?" Shen Ze expressed confusion, surprised to stare at a screen sh before him, one that disyed the figure of Immortal howling like a madman beside a trashed truck. "T-This is¡­Immortal?"


    "Yes," Mascot said, "The Systems schemed against him to cause his worlds to be dominated by non-sentient creatures. Even though he''s still strong, his mind is affected. He''s gradually bing no more than a rabid beast."


    "This is a weakness all Genre Representatives have. We''re only as intelligent as the average of the people inhabiting our worlds." Her voice echoed solemnly in the cave.


    "The immortal worlds are still alright." Shen Ze snorted, "I''ve justmunicated with the other Gods. The universes they''re in charge of don''t have any guing issues."


    "You sure?" Mascot tilted her head before saying, "Why don''t you¡­take a look at the river of time in the immortal worlds."


    "The river of time?" Shen Ze stood up in rm to sh away to a nearby universe, one that was the weakest among the immortal worlds. His divine sense inspected its foundations, noticing a foreign entity manipting the universe''s river of time, "You bastard!"


    Boom!


    Shen Ze erupted with the entirety of his strength, causing the space to crack as he destroyed the entity affecting the river of time.


    "You''ve managed to kill my fragment in this universe. But, how many can you kill?" Regression''s voice resounded, followed by a cackle, "Without Immortal, your worlds are helpless against me."


    Bam!


    Thest vestiges of Regression''s fragment dissipated under Shen Ze''s attack. He then red at Mascot, "Why aren''t you helping Immortal?"


    "Aren''t you allies?"


    "Not anymore." Mascot shook her head, "All the Genre Representatives have sided with the Main Character while Immortal alone joined the side of someone else and ended up paying the price."


    She stared at the universe, pointing at the worlds there, "Don''t they seem young to you?"


    "What?" Shen Ze inspected in rm, muttering in disbelief, "All the Realms regressed in development by a century?"


    "Yup, in mere seconds, the Regression System stole a century of this universe''s timeline." Mascot nodded, "Until now, Immortal prevented that from happening. But in his current beastly state, he doesn''t have the capacity to protect your worlds."


    "Which is why," She extended her hand, "You should join my side."


    "Come under my banner and I''ll protect your worlds."

 Chapter 800 Defected Cheats

    "Even if I join hands with you, nothing will change." Shen Ze snorted, "Only Immortal has the power to protect our worlds. You''re not involved with the cultivation genre."


    "You''re right about that." Mascot nodded, "I cannot take over your worlds as they don''t conform to what I represent. But, I definitely can take you under my wing. After all, reincarnating individuals in other worlds by bestowing them cheats is my thing."


    "So, this cheat that you im would allow me to adjust to one of your worlds?" Shen Ze asked.


    "Yup," Mascot pped with a chirpy tone, "You''re absolutely right about that. There''s a strong world under me that is ruled over by hundreds of Gods that manage millions of worlds. It would be arge enough world to amodate you and your fellow immortal Gods."


    "I need some time to think." Shen Ze hesitated, wondering if he should head to Immortal''s support.


    "If you''re thinking of heading to the ce where Immortal is at, I advise you refrain from doing so. Regression''s power is covering that universe. The moment you try to leave it, you will regress into the state before you were a sperm. Only Genre Representatives are immune to that power." She spoke.


    "I''ll do something about it. As long as I save Immortal, we''ll be able to leave that ce." Shen Ze retorted.


    "You don''t have the freedom of time though." Mascot sighed as she pointed at him, "Look, in the past few seconds, you''ve lost a minuscule portion of your strength. Didn''t you notice it?"


    "W-What?" Only then did Shen Ze notice the issue. Even though it was a minuscule amount, his strength still regressed a little. Based on the state of his body, he determined that his body currently resembled what it was a couple of days ago. Meaning, he regressed by two days already."


    "It''s slow but gradually invading your body too. Over time, your regression would elerate and you''ll lose all you''ve umted." Mascot extended her hand, "It''s an unavoidable fate for your worlds. I can only save you as an individual, if you choose toe under me."


    "So, what''s your decision? Save your skin or lose everything you''ve ever worked on¡­" Mascot didn''t even finish her argument to see Shen Ze extending his hand towards her.


    ''This fucker!'' For a moment, she was pissed at how easily Shen Ze was ready to jump ship, allowing her to understand that the individual before her moved only for personal benefits and nothing else. Instantly, she changed the cheat that she had prepared to give him, changing it to something that better allowed her to monitor him, so that she could prevent him from defecting to the side of another Genre Representative or even worse, the Systems.


    After all, it seemed Zhen Ze was still ignorant about Conjurer''s actions, ''If he knows that he has a chance in creating different worlds to be a Genre Representative like Conjurer after siding with the Systems, then he would definitely do that.''


    "Alright, here''s to a sound cooperation." Saying so, Mascot shook hands with Shen Ze, seeping a certain power in him before transmigrating him away to one of the Isekai worlds.


    She then stretched herself, groaning in exhaustion before looking through the universe before her, "Hmm, there are some talented ones here. They would just be devoured by the Systems after this."


    "Let me send them away too."


    ¡­


    "No¡­Shen Ze, this fucker!" Immortal paled in response as for a moment, he expressed nothing before exploding in anger. Though a secondter, he was akin to a slumbering beast.<sub> </sub>


    With every world of his that Martial stole, the makeup of his collective consciousness changed, and that resulted in momentary inactivity in Immortal. Moreover, these changes constantly altered his inherent nature and character.


    "These bastards are too much!" Truck-Kun screamed in rage as he got up and created another truck, parking it beside the struggling Immortal. "Why are they such idiots?"


    "This is¡­beyond me." Hazen sighed as he got up, unable to do anything anymore as he uttered, "I''m unable to stop the erosion of his mind. He''s losing too many sentient races from his worlds. Unless we can return to his world, it''s impossible to form a solution here."


    "Leave¡­it¡­be¡­" Immortal groaned all of a sudden, reining in enough sentience to speak as he stood up, controlling his wobble to stare at Stencil and Gehera, "The two of you have potential. Continue to grow."


    He then looked at Compass Carburettor, "I''ve been an embarrassment as a Genre Representative. My current state is proof that this genre is dying. It has been on a downward spiral for some time already."


    He stared at Truck-Kun, "I''ll leave the rest to you."


    "Don''t make this seem like your final words." Truck-Kun red in anger, "You can still return to your worlds and cure yourself¡­"


    "Toote," Immortal sighed, "I no longer have the power to do so. The army of Gods that formed more than half my strength have joined Mascot. Some of the diverse cultivation worlds were imed by Magister while the basic cultivation worlds are under Martial now. The immortal worlds are rapidly losing their support now. They still exist, but their foundation is being branched out to nullify the cultivation genre."


    Finally, Immortal stared at Hazen, "I''m sorry. The most I could do is cut off your home world from the cultivation genre to prevent it from being targeted by Martial for the time being."


    "If possible, revive my genre. Even otherwise, let it be." Immortal sighed before he strode down the mountain, arriving at the Realm''s exit as he said, "There''s just exhaustion in my fading collective consciousness. After this day, there will not be the concept of a cultivation genre anymore."


    "Stop!" Compass Carburettor said in rm, "Just remain put. We''ll do something to save you¡­"


    Roar!


    Immortal unleashed a guttural roar all of a sudden, akin to a bloodthirsty wolf that red at Compass Carburettor and the rest, treating them as food to devour. A momentter, a tinge of sentience shed in Immortal''s eyes as he stared in regret before jumping out of the Realm.


    Grrr!


    There was no longer any speck of intelligence in Immortal, with power no longer funnelling into him anymore. All he had was the power in him and the dregs of character left in his dissipating figure.


    Immortal stared forth, spotting the Invader System as he let out a roar and mmed into the other party, beginning to rapidly tear into his opponent.

 Chapter 801 Cliff Falling

    Roar!


    Immortal screamed to transform into a humanoid wolf withrge de-like ws that hacked and shed into the Invader System, wounding it severely.


    "Help me!" The Invader System shouted in rm, "Why the heck is Immortal still this strong?"


    Boom!


    Apocalypse arrived at the scene, punching Immortal in the face to send him flying, muttering in shock upon seeing its fist crack in response, "What¡­is happening?"


    "Regression!" Apocalypse turned around to ask in rm, only to see Regression sweating buckets in a fluster.


    "Even after losing his sentience, Immortal somehow managed to siphon my powers to regress himself." Regression stated in rm, only now realising that Immortal wasn''t as dumb as he seemed. Or at least, he was able to unleash ast-ditch counterattack.


    "He''s¡­regressing?" At this word, pretty much all Grade 3 Systems paled in fright.


    After all, if Immortal continued to regress, even if his worlds didn''t change, he''ll personally grow stronger until attaining the strength at his peak, one where he singlehandedly opposed the entirety of the Systems.


    "Don''t allow him to reach that stage!" The Regression System bellowed in fluster before taking the charge to appear before Immortal to pummel him into the ground.


    The impact cratered the region, causing Immortal''s bones to fracture in response.


    Grrr!


    Suddenly, a hand shot out before transforming into a w, one that slowly pushed back Regression''s hand.


    "T-This bastard!" Regression stared in shock to see its powers of time being gradually siphoned by Immortal as his condition regressed faster and faster. His hands transformed into dragon ws as the strength in them continued to climb.


    "Die!" Apocalypse condensed a fist full of corruption to punch Immortal in the face, cracking his skull. But immediately after, a dragon horn jutted out of his forehead and pierced through its fists, causing it to cry out in pain.


    "Pain?" Apocalypse was stunned. After all, pain wasn''t a concept it had experienced anytime recently, especially after the Genre Representatives had gotten weak. But now, Immortal''s attack caused it to recall the sensation.


    Swoosh!


    A pike pierced through Immortal''s body as a mysterious energy invaded him, intending to devour and control his body. It was the Invader System that had taken action.


    Roar!


    Immortal''s body transformed into a dragon entirely, brimming with power as Invader System''s energy was rapidly nullified in his body. He ced a hand on his spine and pulled it out, shaping it into a spear as Immortal entered a stance.


    "Quick, Apocalypse!" Regression shouted in rm, "Strengthen your Core Skill Manifestation. We need to strain Immortal''s consciousness to the limit before it shatters."


    "It''s already at full power," Apocalypse said as it defended against a spear sh, noticing arge gash forming on its hands.


    Tremble!


    Only then did Apocalypse notice that its hands were¡­trembling. An emotion of oppression it had forgotten long ago, from the times when they faced Immortal and were brutally ughtered by the other party.


    An arrogant entity, entirely confident in its strength to sh any obstacle in its way. Whether it be the God, Devil, Fate, Universe, or whatever. If they stood in its way, they would be shed apart.<sub> </sub>


    Genre Representative¡ªImmortal!


    "Master¡­" Arnark said, getting up as he stretched himself, "I''ve rested enough."


    "Let''s charge out." yer stared at the five Universe Relic Wielders and at the army they had amassed in their fort, "We wouldn''t get a better opportunity. Let''s stall as many Systems as possible and leave Immortal to take care of the rest."


    He observed a maddened Immortal clobbering the Grade 3 Systems before asking Arnark, "Is this what you had nned?"


    "It depends on how we take advantage of this situation." Arnark said, watching tens of thousands of hunters stream out of the Realm all of a sudden, "I''m afraid Compass is damn pissed with the current state of events."


    "We need to step up our game." Arnark said as he leapt onto an abandoned building, opening his mouth to utter, "Lore makes an MC, Lore creates an MC, and Lore divides the MC!"


    Boom!


    Instantly, Arnark''s body divided into eleven forms, the same as what had happened to Compass Carburettor at the time of obtaining this power.


    Each body was a Main Character, possessing a Core Skill that they used primarily. In response, the main body of Arnark that possessed the power of Lore gained traits regarding all the Core Skills, causing him to exim, "Sweet. These traits create interesting evolution to my existing abilities. No wonder Compass was that strong."


    "Woohooo!" One of the Main Characters ran over the mountain ranger forming their defensive encampment and jumped past, making a free fall through the cliff.


    "Is he insane?" Balveta screamed in shock, "He''ll die from the fall."


    "He won''t," yer said, "This one is the greatest embodiment of cliches."


    Ranked fifth among the Main Character Core Skills, the most famous clich¨¦ in the cultivation genre.


    Main Character Core Skill¡ªCliff Falling (Level 92)!


    "Wheee!" The Main Character mmed into a rock protrusion in the cliff wall. It was where the apocalyptic creatures had been attacking all along. The impact from the fall sttered his body, but though bloody, he only lost consciousness, still tethering to his life.


    The blood from his body stter pooled over the ground and flowed past, mixing with the blood of the apocalyptic creatures as it erupted in a chain reaction, turning sentient before flowing back into his body.


    Grrrrr!


    The Main Character got up, appearing like a zombie as he stared at the Hunter System close by, heading towards it before breaking into a sprint.


    "Die!" Upon seeing the Main Character''s approach, the Hunter System shed forth with its ymore, rmed upon watching the Main Character duck to the side and ignore the severed arm to lunge forth before punching it in the face.


    Moreover, nails sprouted out of his arm before digging into its heart, drawing out some of its blood, and absorbing the essence of the apocalypse from it.


    "What¡­why am I tired all of a sudden?" The Hunter System was rmed to sense that it wasn''t entirely immune to the apocalyptic scenario anymore, experiencing fatigue just like a survivor of the apocalypse. After all, the power that made it immune was partly stolen by the Main Character who gained that trait by absorbing the blood of the apocalyptic creatures that had congregated at the bottom of the cliff.


    "This is the Main Character''s strength." Arnark let out a smile, turning around to face a bloodthirsty Compass Carburettor, "Don''t you concur?"


    "How''s retirement life treating you?"

 Chapter 802 Give Me A Fragment

    Boom!


    Fireballs sprung out of a youth, uratelynding at the target locations moments before the target arrived at the ce, impacting them urately.


    "Kyak!" A Vampire screamed in horror as her body was burnt to ashes.


    Another transformed into a sea of bats when a of lightning wrapped around the cluster, stunning them all before a gust of wind swept them away, following which a fireball incinerated them.


    The youth wore sweatpants, donning a headset that seemed to be pumping out a fast-paced EDM, vibing to the music as he calctedly targeted the vampires.


    Moreover, following each of his attacks were mysterious serpents that gobbled up the incinerated vampire bodies before drilling into the ground to vanish in the direction of the Fantasy World.


    Grade 2 System¡ªVampire (Level 198)!


    The army it raised was being bombarded by this youth with a stick-like body, one that apparently never exercised or did anything which consisted of moving his body. Even his walking posture was awkward.


    But his nning was ster, capable of reading the moves of his opponents well in advance. And every single attack of his struck deadly into the opponent''s weakness.


    In a matter of seconds, he figured out the weaknesses of the vampires and targeted them nonstop. When the Vampire System changed their characteristics, he quickly figured out their weakness too.


    "Aren''t you quite arrogant for a Main Character?" A bat suddenly manifested behind the youth, unfurling its wings to unleash torrential pressure that forced the youth to a halt, stunning him in response.


    "Blood Radiance!" Followed by the bat''s shout, crimson liquid gushed out of its body that drowned the youth, rapidly corroding his body as his retaliation was simply drowned out.


    "Hmm, that was easy." The bat muttered when suddenly, its lower half was melted by a sma ray. Standing a couple of metres behind it was the youth, his body looking like a digital projection, an unreal construct.


    But a secondter, his body turned real as the youth cracked his knuckles, "Damn, I was killed within a minute."


    "My skills are rusty."


    Main Character Core Skill¡ªCheck Point (Level 92)!


    As usual, an overpowered ability. This time, it was one that allowed the user to revive at a certain location with the same physical and mental state they possessed while assigning the checkpoint.


    This was an unstable ability that could be either the weakest or the strongest depending upon the user. And in the youth''s hands, a calctive individual with a supeputer for a brain and cognitive intuition to see through his opponents, it was a terrifying ability.


    The youth continued to kill the vampires inrge droves before soon, he targeted the Vampire System itself.


    The Vampire System was an almost two hundred metres tall humanoid bat that flew past the buildings, escaping his pursuit whileunching countless attacks at him.


    The youth never ran to chase after it but just teleported at fixed intervals, as if he was just activating a skill that had finished its cooldown.


    Boom!<sub> </sub>


    Suddenly, the figure of a well-built teenager mmed into the youth, fracturing his brittle body, and killing him.


    "Ack! That hurt!" The youth appeared a couple of metres away to stare at the trench that formed on the ground, gazing at the figure of the teenager to extend his hand, "Are you alright?"


    "It''s just a scratch." The teenager said as he got up and stared at the Angel System that had targeted him. "But, this poser is pretty strong."


    "Anyway," The teenager thumped his fist at the youth''s chest, "I''m d you have my back, friend."


    "Friend?" The youth tilted his head in confusion, ''What is this retard going on about now? We''re just different versions of the same individual.''


    But a secondter, the youth''s confusion only worsened as the teenager''s aura continued to spike until he was actually on par with the Angel System in terms of strength.


    "Alright, I''ll go ahead and wipe the ass of that system. Don''t die on me, bro." The teenager waved his hand at the youth before rushing at the Angel System.


    Main Character Core Skill¡ªBond (Level 92)!


    The bond of friendship, the bond of kinship, the bond of family, etc. were what this power represented. And just like how these bonds helped one surpass their limits during a moment of crisis, the teenager continued to grow stronger using the same.


    Moreover, this was a growth-type Core Skill, one that could be used all the time, whenever the situation seemed fit, allowing the teenager to take advantage of that to train and grow stronger endlessly.


    This was what Arnark relied upon to strengthen his powers as the Main Character and im the Core Skills of all the Main Characters with greater efficiency.


    Among the eleven Main Characters, nine fought against the Grade 2 Systems, taking on one each while gradually gaining an upper hand.


    It had to be noted that even the Arnark of the past was able to kill a Grade 3 System and multiple Grade 2 Systems. And currently, thanks to the power of Lore and the other Main Character Core Skills, his strength had reached a whole new dimension.


    The remaining two were Arnark, and a version of himself that had secluded himself in the safety of the fortress that yer had created, never showing his face.


    After recovering some power, yer targeted the Grade 3 Systems, using the opportunity while Immortal was pummelling them to wound them from the side.


    The situation seemed to be taking a turn for the better for yer and Arnark''s side. But despite that, Arnark was internally nervous, even though he sported a provocative attitude externally, staring at Compass Carburettor, ''I should have expected Regression to turn the tables against us. It won''t allow us to gain benefits while the other two sides fought to the death.''


    "Will you believe me if I said I didn''t have a hand in that?" Arnark said, sporting a wry smile.


    "The Main Character System Fragment¡­" Compass Carburettor said as his body gradually ballooned, transforming into a hulking entity fit for war, reaching a height of six metres, taking on an appearance simr to a Haggon.


    His eyes oozed murderous intent, transforming the surroundings into a sea of Mental Fragments as he red at Arnark, "Give me a fragment."


    "I need it to save my daughter."

 Chapter 803 From Boon To Bane

    Roar!


    Immortal rushed out of the Realm and tangled with the enemies outside as Truck-Kun stared at the scene in despair, copsing to the ground as he muttered weakly, "This¡­is the end of Immortal."


    "Aren''t his worlds still there? Wouldn''t he just revive¡­" Hazen said in rm, flinching as time seemed to have slowed down to a crawl around him, causing him to break out into goosebumps as his clothes became drenched with sweat, his body tense like a wild animal whose survival instincts had been triggered in full swing.


    His eyes swerved to the corner of his eye, staring at the scene that happened behind him. It was the figure of Stencil losing bnce to copse to the ground and of Compass Carburettor rushing to grab hold of her.


    "Dad¡­" Stencil''s voice echoed and turned ethereal, with her body beginning to regress in terms of age.


    "Stencil!" The armour covering her morphed into Compass Carburettor''s figure that grabbed hold of her and stared at her in rm, "Tell me! What''s happening to you!"


    Gasping in shock herself, Stencil strained herself, harnessing the entirety of her focus to transmit a Mental Energy stream into him, allowing him to learn everything.


    Immortal was rapidly weakening thanks to Martial''s actions. With arge chunk of his worlds abruptly leaving him, it caused a disturbance in the collective consciousness forming him.


    It resulted in the remaining consciousness waging a war with one another to decide on the dominant one that would represent Immortal in the future. It would only take a couple of seconds for this to conclude.


    But every few seconds, Martial was stealing a cultivation world, causing the attained bnce in the collective consciousness to copse once again, sparking another battle.


    It wasn''t just a battle in the consciousness¡ªpresented by the collective consciousness from every cultivation world. It was also a war between the various power systems to decide the core that formed Immortal.


    But, this wouldn''t destabilise himpletely. After all, there was still the army of Gods who formed the strongest foundation of Immortal.


    This was where Mascot''s actions further derailed the situation. With the peak Gods of the cultivation genre joining her faction, it created a power vacuum in Immortal, causing the various collective consciousness to fight once again, with none gaining an upper hand for the short term.


    And this was where the Regression System''s masterstroke came into effect. It focused on the cultivation worlds with a chaotic past, regressing their timeline to that period, one where demons and asuras ran amok, with peace and stability nil in the cultivation world.


    It was a time when beasts were widespread and humans¡ªand other sentient races¡ªlived in hiding, weak, under the mercy of the vicious beasts.


    Basically, the legendary Ancient Era of every cultivation world.


    Regression System brought these worlds to that state, causing the produced collective consciousness to have a vicious nature, one serving to devour and dominate all,cking sentience¡ªfor the majority were savages, causing the world average to fall within that bracket.


    This characteristic sparked a war in Immortal, causing him to go insane and berserk like a primal beast as the various vicious collective consciousness tore into each other.


    Moreover, it wasn''t the Regression System''s goal to defeat Immortal. That was only secondary. Its primary goal was to im Stencil.


    And what best way to do this than by regressing her into nothing? Later, the Regression System could simply undo it in a safe location and gain possession of Stencil.


    Thanks to Truck-Kun and Immortal, not to mention the duo of Hazen and Compass Carburettor protecting her, Stencil remained safe. And it seemed like Truck-Kun nned to keep her safe until the end.


    And if he so wished, then even in this apocalyptic setting, Truck-Kun would manage to be on the run for at least a couple millennia before he was captured. This presented more than enough time for the crazies like Mystique to take action.


    Therefore, targeting Stencil wasn''t possible due to Truck-Kun. But, there now opened another, stronger mode¡ªthe cultivation genre.<sub> </sub>


    As a fragment of Immortal now formed Stencil''s core, and with Immortal going insane, it meant Stencil was gaining power directly from the cultivation worlds without Immortal''s moderation.


    This meant that, as long as Regression System did something to change the inherent makeup of the cultivation worlds, Stencil would be affected.


    This was why it plunged into the river of time of the various Xianxia worlds. Not only did it cause their timeline to regress, but it also infected them with its power, causing the power of regression to flow into Immortal¡ªand thereby Stencil.


    Though, using this chance, Immortal somehow harnessed more of the regression''s power into himself, causing him to regress faster to gradually reach his prime.


    But despite him absorbing the majority of the power, the remainder was still an enormous sum that mmed into Stencil, causing her to regress in age. Currently, with Immortal having lost his sentience, none could stop her from regressing past a baby and disappearing for good.


    The Regression System would be able to reim her by reversing its power at ater date. This was its master n.


    The Mental Energy stream informed Compass Carburettor, Hazen, Truck-Kun, and even Gehera about this.


    "Quick! Make a wish!" Compass Carburettor screamed at Stencil, rmed upon seeing the other party falling unconscious already. Without Immortal''s control, the collective consciousness too began to invade her now, overwhelming her mind.


    Due to this, they couldn''t rely upon Hazen''s power of wishes to alter fate and create a solution for her situation. As long as they inserted a filter that stopped the power influx into Immortal''s fragment in her, this situation would be solved.


    "Keuk!" Hazen grunted as he invaded Stencil''s mind, creating a shield that protected the core of her consciousness and began to annihte the invading collective consciousness.


    Swoosh!


    Multiple Secret Society members transformed into Mental Energy streams and flowed into Stencil, arriving at her mind before they assumed their physical forms¡ªof Mental Fragment constructs, supporting Hazen to fight against the collective consciousness.


    But, they could only stop the collective consciousness and not the power of time that was regressing her age.


    And stunningly, the Regression System was only regressing her age and not her power, cing Stencil in the status quo.


    Spirit Morph!


    Compass Carburettor''s body exploded as the entirety of the Mental Fragment he had amassed manifested, shrinking to outline Stencil as the power of Spirit Morph targeted the power of regression, consuming it.


    Punisher Lightning!


    Lightning sparks poured into her body and purified it, gradually pushing the power of regression away. But a secondter, the downpour of power became amplified as Regression sensed their actions.


    "No!" Compass Carburettor was rmed before thinking of a solution, ''I need to get my hands on a Main Character System fragment. As long as we get past this situation, I can think of a different solution to Stencil''s problem.''


    "Truck-Kun, please." Saying so, a portion of the Mental Fragments split off to transform into the figure of Compass Carburettor that rushed out of the Realm andnded before Arnark, "The Main Character System fragment¡­"


    "I need it to save my daughter."

 Chapter 804 Arnark Vs CC

    "You know¡­" Arnark said, "I don''t mind parting away with a fragment. I''ll even erase my imprint on it. But, to get that, you need to pay a price."


    Arnark pointed at Compass Carburettor, "Your death, that is."


    "Fine," Compass Carburettor extended his hand, "Give the fragment now."


    "Sure." Arnark nodded casually before condensing a blinking Coordinate in his hand, one that seemed to be morphing its shape nonstop.


    Main Character System Fragment¡ª (1/1000)!


    "Thanks¡­" Compass Carburettor extended his hand and grabbed hold of the fragment, grunting in rm as he severed his hand, watching the Mental Fragments forming his hand squirm before writhing in an instant, their energy absorbed by the Main Character System fragment.


    "What is the meaning of this?" Compass Carburettor red at Arnark.


    "Think of this situation a bit long term." Arnark leapt back and retracted the fragment before saying, "Suppose you go through with your promise and kill yourself, that would mean Stencil is defenceless. There is no one else strong enough to protect her like you."


    "And considering her value, she would be captured by Zaira one day or another." Arnark shrugged and revealed his empty hands, "If Zaira gains possession of Stencil, it would be the end of everything I''ve worked on to date. So, it''s a necessary sacrifice."


    "Stencil''s death would make our lives easier¡­" His pupils contracted rapidly as Arnark brought out the Relic and condensed it into a shield, defending against Compass Carburettor''s Spirit Morph.


    The surface of the Relic began to squirm as Arnark shed the infected parts, transforming the Relic into a gun to unleash a barrage on Compass Carburettor. "For the betterment of all universes, your daughter must die. Otherwise, the Systems would be unstoppable."


    "Fucker!" Compass Carburettor raged forth as his body exploded into thousands of serpents that spread wings and covered the skies, rapidly converging upon Arnark.


    Swoosh!


    The surroundings began to morph into Mental Fragments that were absorbed by the flying serpents to fuel themselves as Punisher Lightning sparked between them, charging up energy by converting the absorbed Mental Fragments into Mental Energy.


    Boom!


    Arnark leapt back as the Relic hovered before his torso and tanked the Punisher Lightning, causing him to stare with a solemn gaze, ''Even though the Relic defended the attack, one of its Skills had been destroyed.''


    Punisher Lightning was capable of destroying any impurities. And as it was created to oppose Systems, its attacks annihted Skills and Core Skills too. Thankfully for Arnark due to his tremendous luck, he only lost a Skill from the attack, that too a useless Skill that he had multiple variations of.


    Bang!


    Suddenly, a canon shell mmed into the Relic, sending it flying away by two metres, revealing Arnark''s figure behind as another canon shell mmed into his face.


    "Keuk!" Arnark flew away and mmed into a mountain, forming arge crater from the impact. But a secondter, he got up and dusted himself, snapping his finger as a Main Character branched out from him and rushed away to engage in his battle.<sub> </sub>


    It was the Main Character with the Core Skill of Plot Armour. In times of need, Arnark retracted that power to defend against Compass Carburettor''s attack.


    "Just¡­die!" Compass Carburettor roared in anger as the flying serpents opened their mouths to shoot out bullets condensed with Punisher Lightning. Some of them red at Arnark, targeting him with Spirit Morph.


    In response, Arnark evaded the blows, creating metallic obstacles¡ªconstructed using Mental Mana¡ªthat blocked the attacks. Even if converted into Mental Fragments, they were of no use, only wasting Compass Carburettor''s Mental Strength further.


    Boom!


    "What the?" The teenager stared in rm, watching a flying serpent explode into mes before his face. It had leapt at him from underground, right at the moment he let his guard down. He stared at Magister that had protected him from the attack, expressing his gratitude, "Thanks."


    "Why aren''t you prepared to face the very individual you nurtured the growth of?" Magister snorted before spamming attacks at the Grade 3 Systems.


    "That''s Arnark''s job though. I''m not equipped to deal with Compass." The teenager said, watching a cage of lightning manifest around him that vaporised all the snakes that dug out of the ground to target him.


    "I''ll leave that with you. It''ll protect you against these attacks." Magister said before focusing on his fight.


    "Thanks, old man." The teenager smiled awkwardly before continuing to attack the Vampire System.


    "Tch!" Compass Carburettor snorted upon seeing his widespread attacks being dealt with by either the Main Characters themselves or by either Mascot or Magister, preventing him from targeting the other Main Characters and stealing the fragments in them.


    Only Arnark wasn''t protected. But that was because they were confident in his strength. Compass Carburettor had yet to reach the level of the Arnark of the past, not to mention the present. So, Arnark could deal with him easily. And indeed, that seemed to be the case.


    "Burn to nothing!" Arnark''s figure vanished as a miniature sun manifested around Compass Carburettor and began to burn him. But unlike when Conjurer unleashed that attack, Compass Carburettor was unable to devour it, for it wasn''t made of mes but acid. Its external appearance was just to fool him into making the wrong move.


    "Argh!" Compass Carburettor screamed as his Mental Fragments melted under the attack, reducing his body to nothing.


    Arnark then focused on the flying serpents, causing mini spheres of acid to envelop each target with pin-point uracy, destroying them all.


    ''Thankfully, Compass Carburettor doesn''t have enough fighting experience with his new powers. It has only been a few dozen minutes since he attained his current state of being.'' Arnark let out a breath in relief upon staring at the mark formed on the ground from his attack, "Thankfully, I dealt with whatever he brought out of the Realm. It shouldn''t have been his real body, for it''s not as strong as I expected."


    Suddenly, the murky mark on the ground squirmed as immediately, a four-metre-tall figure manifested before Arnark to transform into Mental Energy and m into him, bing mist that sparked lightning as Arnark was stunned for a moment before grunting in pain.


    Flowing away was Compass Carburettor¡ªInvoked Spirit form¡ªthat was holding a genuine Main Character System fragment. It buzzed in his possession, struggling to break free of his hold and return to Arnark.


    "Shut up!" Compass Carburettor roared as Punisher Lightning coursed through it, rapidly destroying Arnark''s imprint on it as the Mental Energy stream he transformed into flowed towards the Realm.

 Chapter 805 Who Is A Better Schemer?

    The Mental Energy stream that Compass Carburettor transformed into flowed towards the Realm in an instant, about to enter it when suddenly, a magic circle appeared, preventing his entry.


    Bang!


    He crashed into it, unable to go inside as Compass Carburettor grunted, using Spirit Morph in an effort to transform the magic circle into Mental Fragments and pass through. ''What? Why is it so hard?''


    There was intense resistance to his Spirit Morph as the magic circle withstood it firmly, barely showing signs of letting up. But it seemed like he would need a few seconds at least to transform it into Mental Fragments, absorb it and then enter the Realm.


    But before that could happen, a sea of mes erupted out of the magic circle and drowned him, causing his screams to echo around as even the Invoked Spirit was destroyed. Moreover, the attack was so urate that the Main Character System fragment was unharmed.


    Arnark snapped his finger and reimed it, frowning in rm, ''He already destroyed a hundredth of my imprint on the fragment. As expected of the man I feared. MC or not, he''s terrifying.''


    He didn''t reveal this information to anyone though, unwilling to spark second thoughts in the minds of the Genre Representatives.


    If they were to know that Compass Carburettor was capable of reiming the Main Character System fragment from him and even take over thempletely, then they would happily side with him once again.


    After all, everyone was aware of Arnark''s evaluation of Compass Carburettor, the most terrifying Main Character to date, even above the first Main Character.


    The only reason they supported Arnark was due to him winning the tussle with Compass Carburettor in who would retain the power of the Main Character. Since he won, it meant he was better, which was why he won the support of the Genre Representatives.


    "Dammit!" Compass Carburettor''s shout resounded in the apocalyptic setting as a serpent burrowed into the ground and devoured a building to reform arger body.


    The body that had grabbed hold of the Main Character System fragment had been annihted. So, he had to do something about it.


    "You won''t escape." Arnark frowned as hended on a region, unleashing the power of the Dragon Race of the Fantasy World.


    Divinity Incarnate!


    Instantly, the region transformed into his domain, one where he could sense everything and control everything.


    Boom!


    The earth rumbled and cracked as a geyser gushed out, sending a serpent flying to the surface. the water transformed into des that diced up the serpent into thousands of parts before a Lightning Spirit appeared out of the geyser and transformed it into a sea of lightning that destroyed all the Mental Fragments.


    "Master, can you do what Compass is capable of?" Arnarkmunicated with yer, "You are now being fuelled by all of Conjurer''s worlds, right?"


    "I can''t." yer said in disappointment, "It seems Compass harnessed Conjurer''s power to derive a power of his own. He already had the means to generate this power, just that the power system in Conjurer''s world happened to be the catalyst to modify it to its current form."


    "That''s unfortunate." Arnark sighed before he began to eye the Tell-Tale System, preparing an attack to mortally wound it. Until now, two Grade 3 Systems stood beside the Tell-Tale System as its bodyguards, having never made a move.<sub> </sub>


    So, unless something was done about them, it would be hard for Arnark to target the Tell-Tale System, especially in the presence of the Regression System, ''This is somewhat troublesome. I should do something before Zaira returns¡­''


    Arnark noticed a dozen serpents spill out of the Realm''s entrance and drill into the ground, not making any moves beyond that. His face convulsed as he felt mild throbs of anger, "This bastard never gives up, huh."


    ''I should kill his main body.'' Thinking as such, Arnark just took a step forward in the Realm''s direction when he was stunned to see the Realm relocate itself a hundred metres away.


    "¡­"


    ''Shit!'' Veins popped on Arnark''s forehead when he realised the Realm was wary of him. But, it was just against him. It was gradually approaching the other Main Characters. There were fragments of the Main Character System in them too. And in terms of sheer power, they weren''t as strong as Arnark.


    ''If they be careless for even a single moment, Compass will prey upon them.'' Thinking as such, Arnark became tense, intending to prepare against him when¡­


    "This timeline wouldn''t regress!" The Tell-Tale System shouted upon condensing enough power, unleashing echoes of energy that mmed into Immortal, actually slowing down his rate of regression.


    "Arnark!" yer shouted in rm.


    "I know!" Arnark pried his attention away from Compass Carburettor and focused on the Tell-Tale System, announcing through Lore, "There''s a leakage in the bard of tales!"


    When the Tell-Tale System created a rule that this timeline wouldn''t regress, Arnark couldn''t do the opposite and create a rule that this timeline would regress to counter it.


    That would imply lore, of the Fantasy World''s timeline capable of regressing, forming one of its foundations. The moment this gets set in stone, the fate block yer had created would shatter, allowing the Regression System to regress their development and undo everything they had done.


    But, if Arnark didn''t take action and slowed down Immortal''s regression, it would allow the Systems more time to deal with him, flipping the tide of the situation to their favour.


    This is why, he didn''t fall prey to the Tell-Tale System''s schemes and instead targeted it directly, creating lore that the Tell-Tale System''s power wasn''t efficient, due to its leakage.


    And indeed, as the Tell-Tale System didn''t block against this, the efficiency of its rule was reduced, causing Immortal''s regression to elerate slightly. Arnark wanted Immortal to rampage further and severely wound the Systems so that yer could devour them and strengthen the Fantasy World further.


    "Keuk!" Arnark grunted as veins popped all over his forehead as he churned his power of Lore to engrave this concept deeper into the apocalyptic setting so that the Tell-Tale System would be affected more.


    And simrly, the Tell-Tale System too was doing the same, suppressing his Lore as the two were trying to one-up the other party.


    Only they could counter the other party, so Arnark didn''t wish to let up, bellowing soon after, "Aaarghhh!"


    Right at this time, a serpent burrowed out of the ground from near his feet and transformed into Mental Energy to flow into his body, rming him, ''Shit!''

 Chapter 806 The Dragon Of Systems’ Return

    "Hmph¡­futile resistance." The Regression System fragments burrowed in the timelines of the Xianxia worlds snorted in disdain before unleashing more power, "elerate into your demise."


    ¡­


    "Dad¡­kiyaaaa!" Stencil suddenly regained consciousness and screamed in horror before her eyes nked out once again.


    "Stencil!" Compass Carburettor''s eyes were red in madness as his body continued to grow in response. His Spirit Morph and Punisher Lightning flowed into her body and targeted the power of regression flowing into her, attacking it nonstop.


    But the sheer volume of the influx was beyond what he could handle as his Mental Strength copsed at rapid rates. All the Secret Society Members he had created transformed into Mental Energy and flowed through her body, transforming into Punisher Lightning to attack the power of regression.


    There was war in her, one that Compass Carburettor was losing despite his desperate resistance.


    "H-Hazen, do something!" Compass Carburettor shouted as his reddened eyes shed tears, unable to handle seeing his daughter''s current condition.


    Boom!


    Hundreds of wounded Secret Society members flew out of Stencil''s body and shed Mental Fragments thatbined to form a tiny fragment that Compass Carburettor threw at Gehera in a hurry. "Quick, target the ones aiming at her!"


    "Yes!" Gehera nodded in hurry and focused on the fragment to course her consciousness through it andnd upon a Regression System fragment taken root in a Xianxia world. She trembled like a leaf upon staring at the mental projection of the other party resembling a, with her being the mere size of a pebble before that.


    "A fool dares to steal my power?" An arrogant voice resounded from the other party as the sheer show of mental strength almost destroyed her Mental Projection.


    But suddenly, the figure of a man appeared beside her, shielding her from the show of mental strength, surprising the Regression System fragment.


    "To think there''s a native creature with such vigorous mental strength." The Regression System fragment snorted in praise.


    "D-Dad?" Gehera was stunned, wondering if she was delusional before breaking out in joy, "You didn''t leave me! Dad!"


    "Of course." Her dad let out a wry smile, "I''ve be the Ruin of Amagoth itself to protect you from harm."


    His hand gently patted her head before vanishing, "Unfortunately, I''ve yet to recover enough strength to talk freely with you. If you grow strong enough in the future, we''ll meet. I''ll transfer all my strength to you. Use it well."


    "Dad!" Gehera screamed shrilly, feeling her throat turn hoarse as she sobbed, bing alert upon understanding where she was at the moment, noticing her mental projection turn hundreds of times stronger until she resembled a moon, "Thank you, dad."


    The Regression System fragment stared in rm and was about to attack her when the moon opened its mouth and unleashed a terrifying suction force, taking arge chomp out of the to digest it.


    Gehera sensed an ocean-like stream course through her, causing her Ruin of Amagoth to tremble under the sheer power influx as the moon took another chomp out of the.


    "Huff¡­puff!" Gehera was exhausted already, looking like she might fall unconscious at any moment. Taking two chomps out of the was her limit already. After all, just this power was equivalent to a newborn Grade 2 System. It was already exceeding her limits by arge amount.


    If not for her dad giving all his strength to her, it would have been impossible for her to do this.


    Crunch!


    The moon trembled as it mmed into the and took out anotherrge mouthful, almost devouring most of the.


    "Screw you!" The struggled to escape as most of it was devoured by the other party.<sub> </sub>


    "Heh¡­hehe." The moon that Gehera transformed intoughed giddily, "Even if you''re this strong, I still stole your power."


    The moon crumbled as Gehera''s consciousness faded.


    "So what? You''ll be mine soon after." The Regression System fragment snorted when suddenly, it flinched, screaming in rm, "Y-You, what the heck are you? No, this is impossible!"


    "Begone!" There was an angry shout as suddenly, the copsed, vaporised in an instant, "You''ve wrecked my world entirely and now you''ve abandoned it to save your skin? Is that what you wanted, you sted hypocrite? Shen Ze!"


    "Shen Ze? Who¡­is that?" Gehera muttered as her consciousness faded away. Thest she saw was of a dragon created out of Mental Energy rushing at her at full speed.


    ¡­


    "Gah!" Gehera woke up with a start, looking around in a hurry to notice that it had only been a couple of seconds since she targeted the Regression System fragment, even though it seemed like hours for her.


    She hurriedly took out a totem and said to Compass Carburettor, "This will impede the power of regression!"


    "Great, do it!" Compass Carburettor said in a hurry as he extricated himself from Stencil, watching Gehera stab the totem into Stencil''s stomach.


    Instantly, the totem shone with starlight radiance as the power of regression was absorbed into it in full swing.


    "Compass!" Suddenly, a familiar voice resounded as Compass Carburettor stared at the source, noticing that it was from the totem.


    "¡­Dota?" Compass Carburettor muttered in surprise, "Where were you?"


    "I had gone to visit my home world." Dota''s voice resounded from the totem, filled with sadness, "Unfortunately, it''s no more. Shen Ze stole its foundation before defecting to Mascot''s side."


    "There''s no hope for my kind to live anymore." Its voice full of sadness echoed in the surroundings.


    "Dota?" Gehera muttered, tilting her head in confusion before recalling the voice to be from the entity she had seen at the end of her fight with the Regression System fragment, "Were you the one that¡­"


    "Thanks to you, I managed toe here on time." Dota said, facing Gehera, "My body was on the verge of disappearing already. At least, before I vanish, let me do something."


    It then stared at Compass Carburettor, "I''ve sensed that the Regression System was targeting Stencil through my home world."


    "I have a solution."


    "Please do it!" Compass Carburettor didn''t even hesitate to ask in a hurry.


    "Idiot, rx." Dota said, "I''ve watched her grow more than you. I was preparing her for this already."


    Dota¡ªDragon of Systems!


    The totem suddenly shone with a bright radiance as the figure of a starlight dragon manifested before flowing into Stencil, "I''m a product of both Immortal''s world and the System World. So, I''m the perfect candidate to form Stencil''s core. Stencil had absorbed my body''s essence into her long ago while trying to fuse it with Anthozoa."


    "So, leave it to me."

 Chapter 807 Three Seconds Left

    Regression Totem!


    It was what Gehera had created in her Ruin of Amagoth after stealing the Regression System fragment''s power.


    Currently, it was gradually breaking down after absorbing the power of regression flowing into Stencil. It would at mostst for a few more minutes. Before that, a solution had to be created for Stencil''s survival.


    Gehera didn''t have the confidence in creating another Regression Totem even if Compass Carburettor allowed her the means to steal it. Her mental state was at rock bottom. And she was aware that she wouldn''t obtain her father''s support once again.


    So, in her weakened state, stealing even a fraction of a Regression System fragment''s power was impossible.


    "Compass, blockade the power flowing into her for ten seconds." Dota said as it entered Stencil''s body, "Not even a fraction shoulde inside. That would mess up everything. Whether it''s power from Immortal''s worlds, the collective consciousness or even the power of regression."


    "Leave it to me." Compass Carburettor nodded and recalled all the Secret Society members¡ªhe could¡ªthat he had sent out of the Realm to target Arnark, condensing the power of everyone in himself as the bodies of everyone¡ªin the form of Mental Energy streams¡ªflowed into him.


    Following that, he transformed into a Mental Energy stream and flowed into Stencil, following Dota''s directory to arrive at a location in her Mind Space where power funnelled into Immortal''s fragment in her.


    There was a massive kilometre-wide tunnel before him as Dota pointed at the various energies flowing through it, "Blockade everything."


    "What about the internal clean-up?" Compass Carburettor asked, observing in worry that Stencil''s body had already regressed to thirty years in age and continued to progress further. "Regression''s power is ever-present in her body."


    They didn''t have much time. The opponents would win the moment she bes a baby and vanishes from existence.


    "Leave that to me. I''ll purify all external traces." Dota said as it seeped into the Immortal''s fragment andtched onto it, beginning to devour it gradually while unleashing its signature ability.


    System Punishment!


    The traces of the Regression System''s power in her body began to dissipate as a result before soon, Stencil''s body was fully cleared, causing her body to stop regressing.


    "Ten seconds, Compass, Hazen, Gehera." Dota said as all three focused on their respective tasks, focusing their entirety at its cue, "Now!"


    Hazen had created a million selves of himself in Stencil''s mind, with each punching forth any collective consciousness streaming into her mind. This way, he blocked the collective consciousness.


    Compass Carburettor created rows upon rows of Secret Society members, erecting walls upon walls of Mental Fragments that worked in stopping the inflow of power from the Xianxia worlds.


    The army he created consisted of two rows. The first row unleashed the power of Spirit Morph deep into the tunnel, transforming everything into Mental Fragments.


    The second row unleashed Punisher Lightning onto the erected defensive walls, blockading the tunnelpletely as the energy from the tunnel mmed into them and began to vaporise in response.


    The walls strained under the load but the second row worked on strengthening the walls while raising the potency of the Punisher Lightning arching over it.


    And finally, Gehera was focused on her Regression Totem, causing it to absorb the entirety of the power of regression flowing into Stencil. Though, such a load meant it would shatter even faster. The most she could handle was ten seconds.<sub> </sub>


    The trio gave it their all to block all external powers from flowing into Stencil as Dota began to devour the Immortal fragment in her body, unleashing a mystical power to suddenly spark a reaction out of her choker.


    System Punishment!


    "Keuk!" The Happy-Go-Lucky System frothed at its mouth before vaporising, with the same happening to the Secret Refiner System and Skill-Breaker System too. Dota didn''t wish to see any externalponents in Stencil that would risk her life.


    Therefore, it destroyed the three Systems too.


    Suddenly, her blood boiled as her body transformed into a coordinate as the power of the Neural Impulse Actuator fused into it. Finally, Dota''s power too fused into the mix. These three powers formed Stencil''s core power system from the start.


    The Earth Divine Martial Spirit could break into three forms, and at the Martial Origin Stage, each could fuse with a separate fusion material.


    The first fusion material was her Personal Fragment, the Neural Impulse Actuator.


    The second fusion material was a Coordinate sourced from her dad¡ªwhich was what he ced in her to make her a Beyonder.


    The final fusion material was Dota''s horns, one that allowed her to unleash System Punishment, filter Mental Energy to create the System of her choice, etc. It was what she used to create the Skill-Breaker System.


    As it was already an inherent powerposing her, Dota seeped itself into that while using its power of a Dragon of Systems to devour Immortal''s fragment.


    It had to be noted that Dota was birthed in a world closely resembling the System World. So, it had traits simr to the System World, in that it could absorb the essence of other universes and make them its own.


    And as it was a product of a cultivation world in the first ce, Dota waspatible with Immortal''s fragment, smoothly devouring it while using it to form its body, all while deepening the connection with Stencil. As one-third of Stencil''s core power was sourced from Dota, this connection was more than enough to reform her core and maintain the universality of her power.


    Three Seconds!


    Seven seconds were up as Dota noticed the trio of Compass Carburettor, Hazen, and Gehera reaching their limits already, hurrying up as it hastened the fusion process, condensing its body that acted as Stencil''s core, the beating heart of her power system¡ªthe Dragon of System.


    Roar!


    Two walls erected before the tunnel copsed as hundreds of secret Society members were devoured by the energy influx.


    "Stooopppp!" Compass Carburettor bellowed in fury as immediately, the energy intent to destroy him transformed into Mental Fragments that formed a way to push forth the energy influx. The other Secret Society members worked in a hurry to erect another wall behind him.


    If they hadn''t erected three walls, they would have failed already. But even though they had endured, Compass Carburettor had reached his limit, for he was processing millions of thoughts in a fraction of a second in this war that had juststed seven seconds.


    Such a sheerputing necessity stressed him beyond the limit already, to a life-threatening extent even. But, he still needed to endure.


    For, there were still three seconds before Dotapleted the process.

 Chapter 808 CC Like A Virus

    ''Shit!'' Arnark stared in rm as a serpent transformed into Mental Energy and drilled into his body, taking advantage of his focus on the Tell-Tale System.


    Immediately after, just like before, it leaped out of his body, carrying a Main Character System fragment with it. It was the same stolen fragment as before, as it was the easiest to snatch, considering how Arnark''s imprint on it was the weakest.


    This fragment also happened to be the Main Character System fragment that turned Compass Carburettor into a System yer. So, it was the easiest for him to influence this one aspared to the rest.


    And unlike before, the moment the serpent stole the Main Character System fragment, it burrowed into the ground and headed straight for Immortal. It didn''t wish to be targeted by Magister like before and be destroyed.


    Through their real-time thought sharing, the serpent was already aware of Dota''s arrival, understanding that Stencil didn''t need the Main Character System fragment anymore. But, if it let up its struggles in response, Arnark would definitely notice that something is amiss.


    And if he were to do something, then the process Stencil was currently undergoing would copse due to some mishap.


    Therefore, Compass Carburettor had to do something about Arnark and keep the entirety of his attention focused on the serpent, at least long enough until Stencil was safe.


    So, the best way to go about this was to head into the battle between Immortal and the Systems. Make the battle as chaotic as possible and keep everyone distracted against his true purpose.


    Punisher Lightning!


    The serpent swallowed the Main Character System fragment into its Dreand and bombarded it with Punisher Lightning while covering the space with the mist to prevent the fragment from taking any action.


    This state of statis rendered it helpless while the Punisher Lightning continued to remove Arnark''s imprint on it.


    Since there was a chance, Compass Carburettor didn''t wish to create a backup n. After all, the more solid ns he had at saving his daughter, the better.


    "Dammit!" Arnark recovered, only then observing that a good fraction of his Mental Energy too was stolen by the serpent. One Main Character System fragment and a tenth of his Mental Energy reserves.


    It was a formidable amount, stole just because he had to focus all his attention on the Tell-Tale System.


    "I''ll kill you, Compass!" Arnark bellowed and tried to target the Realm instead, only to see it break into a sprint already. Truck-Kun was focusing all his efforts to move the Realm and keep it free from all attacks.


    This was why Compass Carburettor, Hazem, and Gehera were able to wholeheartedly focus on Stencil to support Dota.


    Boom!


    The serpent transformed into a Mental Energy stream and avoided one of Arnark''s attacks before transforming into the figure of Compass Carburettor. As all Secret Society Members were just parts of him, and since he wished to distract them, he chose to take this appearance.


    Guooong!


    The moment his humanoid figure formed, a formidable wave of aura erupted out of him as the sheer Mental Strength he exuded was rming.<sub> </sub>


    ''Is this the main body? He was waiting outside all along? This scheming bastard. Seriously, give me a break already.'' Arnark was rmed. Moreover, Compass Carburettor''s actions stressed him mentally, causing him to be more prone to the effects of the apocalyptic setting, feeling tired already.


    "¡­" Compass Carburettor didn''t spare a nce at Arnark after that, transforming into a Mental Energy stream that flowed into the Invader System, causing the other party to shriek in rm.


    Currently, it was being pummelled by Immortal, left with no room to resist while Apocalypse, Regression and the rest of the strong Systems did everything in their power to hold him back.


    "Something is eating me up from the inside!" The Invader System said in rm. It was unable to set aside any strength or even focus, for removing even a fraction would result in it being destroyed by Immortal.


    He had already entered his golden age and was quickly regressing his way to the peak.


    In this state, Compass Carburettor advantageously targeted it and began to consume its Mental Energy, invading its body like a virus.


    Boom!


    Immortal shed his palm towards the Apocalypse System, unleashing a beam of destructive energy that poked a hole in Apocalypse''s chest. Its chest muscles wriggled as part of its Mental Energy was consumed to heal.


    But, closely following along the outskirts of the beam of destructive energy was a Mental Energy stream that plunged into the interior of body through the wound Immortal had created.


    It was Compass Carburettor. Using Spirit Morph, he stole some of Invader System''s strength from the inside, converted them into Mental Fragments and took them all into his Dreand.


    He swapped them with what formed the Invoked Spirit and Dreand, causing its nature to change rapidly.


    Moreover, the entire Dreand''s Mental Fragments rearranged themselves, forming a Scroll¡ªformation¡ªwith the Main Character System fragment as the core. Arnark''s imprint was already destroyed on it, as his own imprint on it was the strongest, allowing him to easily gain control over it.


    If it was a fragment he never possessed, then it might take him years even with his current strength to remove the imprint and make his own on it.


    Now that it had be his once again, the Main Character System fragment formed the core of the Scroll while Mental Fragments from the Invader System formed the rest, erecting a formation whose power conformed to the Invader System¡ªthe power of Invasion.


    The effects of the Scrolls were more mental in nature and couldn''t affect the physical body. But, this was why Compass Carburettor transformed his flesh and blood body into a Mental Fragment one, so that he could course the effects of the Scrolls through his body.


    Moreover, Systems were beings of the mind too, so this power was perfect against them.


    Invader Scroll!


    The moment he gained this power, Compass Carburettor transformed his entire Dreand to echo the same, amplifying its power to the limit. And now, this became his¡ªthe respective Secret Society member¡ªprimary power.


    Following that, taking advantage of Immortal''s attack, he left the Invader System and burrowed into the Apocalypse System, rming the other party as he managed to break past its internal defences, just like a virus.

 Chapter 809 Immortal Enters His Golden Age

    An Invoker developed their Dreand to unleash a certain effect throughout their lives. Usually, they focused upon the Invoked Spirits the most, relying upon Scrolls to give them beneficial powers.


    For example, through the Senses Scroll, Ko was able to tap into the superior eyesight of her Eagle Invoked Spirit and observe the world through its perspective. This also allowed her to control the Eagle Invoked Spirit more urately, for she no longer had to depend on her perspective alone, which might be hindered during a battle when she had to fight while hiding.


    As Compass Carburettor evolved this power through Secret Society, every Secret Society member was akin to an evolved Invoker.


    And, depending on the Mental Fragment a member absorbed and develops their Dreand, their overall power varies. If they absorb Mental Fragments created out of using Spirit Morph onva, then the power ofva would course through the Dreand and Invoked Spirit too.


    Through a scroll, the member would be able to course the power through the body too, which wouldn''t be possible if they were a flesh and blood entity. But since they were a Mental Fragment entity, they could channel the Dreand''s power through them and turn their body into Lava too.


    And now, the member that was in the Invader System did the same and used the power of an invader to invade the Apocalypse System''s body.


    As Immortal''s attack broke past its external defences, it was easy for Compass Carburettor to invade deep into the wound before its internal defences stopped him. But it was toote already as he was already deep enough inside.


    Compass Carburettor created another member before leaving the Apocalypse System, not forgetting to steal some Mental Energy before he left.


    The Secret Society member there began to absorb Mental Fragments from the Apocalypse System, targeting the wounded regions that were easy to convert using Spirit Morph.


    Boom!


    Immortal used his spine spear to pierce a hole in Apocalypse''s thigh as immediately, the member transformed into Mental Energy, left the original wound and flowed into the thigh wound.


    In the wounded regions, the surrounding sections were loose, damaged from Immortal''s attacks, making perfect target for Spirit Morph, allowing him to consume the least Mental Strength possible.


    Arnark red from the side, watching streams of Mental Energy flow from one wound to another in the bodies of the Grade 3 Systems, taking advantage of the damage inflicted by Immortal.


    Even if one were to be destroyed, Compass Carburettor invaded the Grade 3 System to create another member there before leaving. Thanks to being fuelled by the Main Character System fragment, he was stronger than the other members, allowing him to survive close encounters.


    Roar!


    Immortal let out a guttural scream before making a wide sweep with his spear, sending the Waning System flying in response before which, Regression System stopped the spear, ring at Immortal to say, "Enough!"


    "You''ve rampaged too much." With that, it condensed energy into its fists before mming them into Immortal''s face, resulting in a rumbling explosion that caused a depression in Immortal''s face.


    But a momentter, it watched the wounds on Immortal heal rapidly. Moreover, the scales covering his skin became tougher, shining with an oppressing might, one that instinctively caused Regression to tremble in fear, recalling the first stage of its life as a Grade 4 System whose only job was to be cut in half every time it encountered Immortal.


    As his strength entered his golden age, the aura he unleashed changed, causing all the Systems to instinctively tremble. This was the Genre Representative that could once go against the entirety of Systems alone.


    Immortal Clenched his hand into a fist before punching the Regression System in the face, sending it reeling back by a hundred metres.


    In the power structure of this apocalyptic setting, one''s power could be depicted by their height.<sub> </sub>


    Grade 2 System¡ªHunter (Level 188)!


    As an apocalyptic entity, it spanned a height of 188 metres.


    Grade 3 System¡ªApocalypse (Level 298)!


    Its height was originally 299 metres, but after using its Core Skill Manifestation, its height fell by one metre, now at 298 metres.


    The Regression System was the tallest among them, standing at 341 metres. Even Arnark was influenced by that.


    Normally, he maintained his human height. But the moment he attacked, ethereal projections of himself would manifest, reaching a height in the 200s, depicting that his strength was on the level of a Grade 3 System.


    The other Main Characters ranged betweente hundreds and early two hundreds, showing that they too were formidable enough.


    And, this was why the Systems were trembling in fear.


    For, Regression continued to punch Immortal in the face, soon after finding it hard to target the other party''s face due to the sheer difference in size.


    Immortal¡ª380 metres and growing!


    In terms of sheer strength, Immortal had already surpassed the Regression System, evident by his punch that sent the other party flying.


    "Die!" The Hunter System roared before shing forth with its ymore, rmed when its attack only scratched Immortal. Suddenly, a palm projection mmed at it from the sky, forming a massive depression on the ground as cracking sounds emanated from its body.


    The Grade 2 Systems were almost outssed as the Grade 3 Systems struggled further. If not for Regression holding down the fort, there would have been multiple casualties already.


    yer had already captured four Grade 2 Systems by now, perfectly taking advantage of the situation to profit while Arnark focused on Tell-Tale System and its two Grade 3 bodyguards.


    Crackle!


    A lightning infused palm smacked the Regression System in the chest, sending it flying for almost a hundred metres, causing it toe to a stop after colliding with a hill. It gasped a little, ring at Immortal before it shuddered in shock, only now noticing that its power was no longer flowing into Stencil, ''What, when did this happen?''


    It hurriedly focused on its fragments present in the Xianxia worlds, using the connection to converge upon the tunnel where Compass Carburettor was resisting the flow of power with all his might.


    Boom! Crackle!


    It was rmed upon noticing massive fate streams converge upon the apocalyptic setting, this time lured in by something else. It red at the Mental Energy streams jutting between the bodies of the Systems, "That was your n all along, Compass?"


    "Tch!" Compass Carburettor red in tension as he observed the massive convergence of fate, ''It seems Dota''s interference is more important than I predicted.''

 Chapter 810 OG Virus

    ''Something dangerous is being birthed.'' The Regression System concluded, ring at the figures of Compass Carburettor scuttling past it in the form of Mental Energy streams. There were more than a dozen of them now, gradually strengthening themselves by taking advantage of the Systems who had their hands full with facing a raging Immortal.


    "R-Regression! Help!" The Invader System shouted as it was pummelled into the ground by a mystical spirit hand, with its retaliation only able to cause minor injuries to Immortal now.


    Among the Grade 3 Systems, only Apocalypse was able to seriously wound Immortal. Everyone else were only capable of causing normal wounds while the Grade 2 Systems made mere scratches.


    And with Arnark, yer, and the Universe Relic wielders breathing down their necks from the back, things were hard for the Systems.


    "Shit!" Grunting in response, Regression took the lead once again, kicking Immortal as suddenly, the surrounding space seemed to have crawled to a halt. In that statis of time, Regression regressed a little to the moment right after it had unleashed a kick, clenching its hand into a fist to punch Immortal in the face.


    But once again, as time began to flow, it caused the timeline to regress, returning to the moment right after it had thrown out the punch, unleashing a w strike that shredded Immortal''s stomach.


    In this manner, Regression continued to regress the timeline and stacked more and more attacks, repeating the same hundred times before it felt strain on its body for regressing the timeline so many times.


    It was only regressing the timeline for mere moments. So, that was possible, especially thanks to the Tell-Tale System''s efforts, not to mention it was gradually eroding the fate lock on this universe.


    In every sessive moment for a hundred moments, the Regression System stacked critical hits onto Immortal.


    Regression¡ªHundred Regressed Attacks!


    Its power of regression was at a level that was able to influence even Immortal. Though, it was for only a few moments. But, that was enough as in those few moments, hundred attacks mmed into Immortal, shredding his body apart.


    "Krrr!" A guttural sound resounded from within Immortal as suddenly, a lotus formed around his body, with the petals wrapping him up to form a cohesive barrier. Regression''s attacks mmed into the lotus and shredded past its petals while getting consumed in the process.


    Ding!


    This was the Systems'' signature sound, but this time, it originated from the lotus, unleashing a wave of energyposed of hundreds of mes, with each incorporating an essence of its own. The mes sted Regression and all the Grade 3 Systems away, also resulting in a couple of Grade 2 Systems getting mortally wounded.


    "Huff¡­puff¡­haah¡­phew¡­" The Regression System gasped in exhaustion, noticing that Immortal too was the same. Both sides had wounded each other severely, causing the battle to pause for a moment.


    Grrr!


    "Dammit!" Regression groaned in response upon seeing Immortal get up slowly as his wounds healed. His severed body parts reformed as energy continued to brim in his body.


    A massive stream of the power of regression converged into Immortal who was beckoning them all while strangely, a tinge of sentience appeared in his eyes. Even though it was a mere tinge, seeing that sent chills down all the Systems, including Regression, ''I need to kill him. But first,''


    It observed the massive fate converge into the Realm, rapidly coursing through as it was being consumed. In an instant, Regression made an estimate, ''In ten seconds, whatever Compass Carburettor had nned would beplete.''


    "Indeed," Arnark nodded like it naturally made sense, leaving everything else behind as he rushed towards the Realm, "Master! We need to stop whatever Compass is doing inside!"<sub> </sub>


    yer dropped his attacks onto the group of Grade 2 Systems he was targeting and rushed at the Realm. In response, the Realm continued to run, evading the attacks as Truck-Kun did his best to remain evasive.


    "Gahhh!" Suddenly, the Invader System began to scream in pain as Mental Energy leaked out of it inrge torrents.


    Suddenly, the figures of Arnark, yer, and even Regression that were rushing towards the Realm as the gazes of everyone turned to face the screaming Invader System.


    After all, Compass Carburettor was in its body, grinning as his body dissolved, causing the Scroll with the Main Character System fragment to fuse with the Invader System.


    In this time, he had already gained some understanding regarding the Invader System, using that knowledge to turn himself into a ticking time bomb, a virus to the System.


    His body and even his Dreand were fullyposed of Mental Fragments sources from the Invader System. All the other Mental Fragments that he procured were transmitted to the other Secret Society members during their mboyant actions just before.


    This meant that he currently was entirelyposed of Mental Fragments sources from the Invader System, save for the one Main Character System fragment in its Dreand.


    With this, he masked himself to be a part of the Invader System''s body, fooling its senses and powers to gradually infiltrate it, just like a virus before revealing the Main Character System fragment to activate the power of the Scrolls he had created.


    Invasion!


    He transformed himself into a virus that proliferated within the Invader System''s body, sparking a mitotic reaction as the virus cells split from one to two, from two to four, etc. Soon reaching a terrifying number.


    There was still only one parent cell, but the rest of the cells were affecting the Invader System. After all, to all Systems, the Main Character System fragment was akin to poison, something they never wished to get within them.


    They were always careful. Only some Hatchling Systems dared to take risks, since they never had a choice otherwise.


    And now, the Main Character System fragment caused a rejection reaction to spark within the Invader System, causing its Core Skill, the billions of Skills it had created and amassed, and its torrential volume of Mental Energy to rush at the fragment in an effort to destroy it.


    But the virus spread cunningly, fooling its defensive immune system to weaken the Invader System before soon, the virus cells began to spill out of its body.


    Normally, it wouldn''t have been this easy. But where were they?


    Apocalyptic setting!


    Here, viruses breaking rampant and evolving to reduce the ruling race into apocalyptic monsters were the mostmon. And who was the ruling race here? The Systems that weren''t affected by the apocalyptic setting.


    By turning their rump card over their heads, Compass Carburettor caused this impossible phenomenon, the first of its kind, a virus that affects Systems.

 Chapter 811 Countdown: Ten To One

    Ten!


    "Apocalypse! He''s using your powers against us! Stop it!" The Regression System bellowed in rm and hurriedly began to control the timeline of the viruses, immediately noticing a crutch to the issue at hand.


    Its power flowed into the viruses and forced their proliferation to regress, causing their numbers to quell before there was only the parent virus cell.


    Boom!


    It didn''t have much time to focus on this issue at hand as Immortal smacked it away, causing its power over the virus-cell to weaken, sparking its proliferation once again, making the Invader System thrash around in pain.


    "Stall Immortal for a second!" Shouting in response, Regression evaded a sword sh and guarded against a palm strike, watching all the Grade 3 Systems throw themselves onto Immortal to stall him for a second.


    Using this chance, it churned its power, causing the virus-cell to regress as it made minor changes, reversing the Scroll''s core and exterior.


    As it was created using the Invader System''s Mental Fragments, the moment its core and exterior were reversed, it was now akin to a virus created by the Invader System.


    And the target?


    Arnark!


    "Damn you, Compass!" Arnark clearly understood the cause behind this. The fastest way to solve this issue wasn''t to regress the virus-cell until its Secret Society member''s birth. Another one would be created again, especially since he was relying upon the Main Character System fragment, something whose long history wasn''t easy to regress, not normally, and even more impossible in this situation.


    Nine!


    And hence, the Regression System reversed the scales. Now, the virus-cell obeyed the Invader System''smand, and through the cell, and the Invader System''s power, it invaded the Main Character System.


    The Main Character System fragment forming the exterior of the virus-cell was now the cause through which Arnark was affected.


    This was the best method to restrain the rampant Arnark. And of course, when Compass Carburettor created the chance, the Regression System had no other choice but to take the bait, as it was that powerful of a bait.


    And with this, the virus began to proliferate in Arnark''s body, causing him to grunt in response before recalling all the Main Characters. Combined, his power grew to a level equivalent tote two hundreds, almost hitting the peak.


    Main Character Core Skill¡ªPlot Armour (Level 92)!


    Main Character Core Skill¡ªRestriction Order (Level 92)!


    For a moment, the Invader System was unable to use its power as the virus-cell reverted its attack, beginning to spread in its body once again.


    Eight!


    "Shit!" The Regression System cursed in response, unleashing a dozen attacks in a single moment to push away Immortal, rmed upon seeing its attack being less effective aspared to a few seconds ago.


    It then targeted the virus-cell once again and made it invade Arnark and proliferate through him. Both Arnark and the Invader System became embroiled in a conflict of dominance over the virus-cell while the fight between Regression and Immortal intensified.


    The Tell-Tale System began to churn attacks at Immortal while its two bodyguards had no other choice but to join the battle, still maintaining their distance to protect the Tell-Tale System while hurling attacks.


    Upon seeing that Arnark was able tost for a few seconds, yer shouted at Mascot and Magister, "Quick! Destroy that Realm!"


    Seven!


    "This fate¡­" Mascot muttered, bing indecisive as she said, "It might be to our benefit¡­"


    "Do you not care if we lose Arnark then?" yer shouted in anger, "Oh please, don''te cryingter after you leave him dead now."<sub> </sub>


    Six!


    "Don''t remain indecisive if you don''t wish to be erased from history by the Systems!"


    Five!


    "Screw it!" Magister was the first to grunt as millions of magic circles manifested in the apocalyptic setting, bombarding the Realm with the intent to destroy it.


    Four!


    "You dare?" Truck-Kun''s shout resounded from within as hundreds of trucks burst out of the Realm and mmed into the magic circles and everything they shot out, teleporting them all away as the trucks revolved around the Realm like protective discs.


    Three!


    "Hmph!" Mascot suddenly shed right next to the Realm, condensing nuclear energy in her fists to m into the Realm''s entrance, resulting in a terrifying explosion.


    Honk!


    Followed by the smoke, Mascot stared right through to notice an injured truck driver coughing out blood while staring at her in anger, having personally driven his truck to face her attack that he teleported away.


    Though, it seemed even the resultant of the attack was too strong, causing the Realm to fracture before copsing.


    Two!


    The eyes of every peak entity trailed upon the figure of Stencil that was quickly brought into a Truck as Geheray beside her. The figures of Compass Carburettor and Hazen were missing, causing them to understand that something serious was happening.


    Moreover, the sheer volume of fate converging into Stencil was more than enough proof of their actions.


    "Two more seconds! Defend for our daughter!" Standing before the tunnel, Compass Carburettor bellowed with all his might, creating as many Invoked Spirits as possible as fumes streamed out of his body, a sign of over-exhaustion.


    His body had already begun to crumble bit by bit, the case being the same for all the Secret Society members.


    Simrly, hundreds of Hazen''s projections exploded, unable to handle the influx of consciousness that burrowed into them and short-circuited their minds.


    Hazen''s expression was desperate as images regarding Stencil streamed into his mind. Even though he always acted otherwise, he was once Compass Carburettor too and embodied Compass Carburettor''s ardent wish for peace, a wish stemming from the desire for Stencil to have a peaceful environment to grow in.


    And with the power to govern the mind, Hazen had pretty much experienced the entirety of Compass Carburettor''s life. This was why he changed his mind to help Compass Carburettor, not because the other party''s life was in danger. He never cared about that. But it was because he sensed that Stencil''s life was at risk, the cause that prompted his swift arrival.


    "Endure! We''re almost there!" Gehera screamed as she focused all her strength on the totem, holding back the power of regression streaming into Stencil.


    One!


    "Almost¡­done!" Dota forced itself for the final stretch of the process to fully integrate the power into Stencil.


    Upon seeing thest of the fate converge into Stencil, time seemed to have slowed down to a halt as the Regression System sighed, ignoring its face being pummelled into bits by Immortal as it thought, ''Even if I end up being killed by Immortal here, I shouldn''t allow Stencil to survive this! She''ll strip our authority.''


    Suddenly, its eyes widened as monumental power burst out, rupturing the apocalyptic setting and even destroying the nket of regression it cast over this universe, converging every ounce of its power to mutter solemnly, "Core Skill Manifestation!"


    "Infinite Regression!"

 Chapter 812 Infinite Regression

    "Core Skill Manifestation!" The power exploding out of the Regression System was enough to shake the foundation of the Fantasy World''s universe, for it was on a whole other level, rapidly bending the timeline of the universe.


    But, the effect wasn''t geared to this universe; it spread out and coursed through the universes where the Xianxia worlds were established.


    And through that, they streamed into the Immortal Fragment within Stencil, moments before it was fully consumed by Dota.


    "Wha¡­?" Hazen was rmed when the collective consciousness streaming into Stencil''s mind multiplied by tens of thousands of times, a limit beyond what he could handle as he was drowned by it.


    All the projections exploded one after another; even Hazen barely endured for a second before being sent out of her mind, crashing into the ss of the truck before falling unconscious. It didn''t seem possible for him to wake up anytime soon, especially since he had drunk a good chunk of the collective consciousness.


    "Argh!" Gehera stared in aghast as the totem shattered into pieces before which a massive stream of the power of regression burrowed into Stencil''s body and headed straight towards the core.


    "I''m sorry, Compass." Dota''s voice resounded as it vanished, "The process ispleted, but there was a mishap. I''ll leave the rest¡­to¡­you¡­"


    "Dota!" Compass Carburettor shouted in rm as all the defences he erected copsed. Thankfully, he was barely able tost until the process was done, resulting in the various powers streaming into Stencil vanishing, no longer having the connection to channel in.


    The tunnel copsed and immediately before he could help his daughter, he was kicked out by a mysterious power.


    "Gah!" Compass Carburettor grunted as his body mmed into another side of the truck, before which he fell on the floor, copsing into a spherical pool of Mental Fragments,pletely exhausted of all Mental Strength to even form a body.


    Without being able to shape a vocal cord, he was unable to talk.


    "What happened?" Truck-Kun asked in a fluster upon seeing both Hazen and Compass Carburettor being flung out of Stencil''s body, "Did we seed?"


    There was no reply to him as Hazen was unconscious while Compass Carburettor didn''t have the strength to even move his body, not to mentionmunicate. Even the simplest action of generating a Mental Energy stream seemed difficult for him now.


    "Stencil!" Gehera shouted as she propped up Stencil''s body, grabbing her hand to feel a strong pulse, sensing the various powers in her stabilisepletely.


    A couple of secondster, followed by the fluttering of her eyelids, Stencil woke up and stared at the figure of Gehera, "What¡­happened?"


    "Stencil? Are you alright?" Gehera asked in worry.


    In response, Stencil closed her eyes before saying, her tone turning ice cold, "No."


    She got up and stared at the states of Hazen and Compass Carburettor, inching her hand towards Hazen when suddenly, Truck-Kun grabbed her hand, asking in rm, "What are you doing?"


    "Do you care about this individual''s life?" Her tone changed all of a sudden as a faintyer of frost began to form over Truck-Kun''s hand.


    Bang!


    Truck-Kun swatted his hand, watching Stencil crash into the seat before staring at him with a strange, eerie expression.<sub> </sub>


    ''What went wrong?'' Truck-Kun was rmed, especially since he had to take care of matters both internally and externally now. He was already wounded and running low on energy from the powerful attacks he hadunched earlier.


    So, it was hard for him to handle Stencil.


    Though, just when he prepared himself for more trouble, Stencil sighed and massaged her forehead before pointing her index finger at her father to send a stream of energy into him, replenishing his Mental Strength a little.


    "Stencil!" Compass Carburettor shouted in rm and reformed his body, hugging her to ask, "Are you alright? Are you feeling difort anywhere? Is everything¡­"


    "Dad¡­listen." Stencil said with a sombre tone, "I''m not alright."


    "L-Let me do something about it¡­" He said, about to transform into Mental Energy and solve whatever was troubling her.


    Though, Stencil stopped him adamantly, "Don''t rush to your death, dad."


    She sighed, grunting in pain as her breathing grew haggard, speaking, "At the final moments, Regression''s power and the collective consciousness pierced into my core and became an integral part of me."


    She prevented her father from interjecting and continued weakly, "Currently, I''m engaged in a constant battle with the millions upon millions of consciousness every single moment. And, the one that reigns at the top controls my body at that moment. We''re constantly changing every second."


    Staring at tears streaming out of her father''s eyes, she let out a wry smile, "And, Regression''s power makes things worse."


    She disyed her de-ageing hand, "I''ll regress to the state I was when I was birthed. And then, I''ll gradually grow older to the oldest I ever was, an hour before all this happened. After that, I''ll begin to regress in age again. This processsts 24 hours and would loop daily."


    "As my body grows younger, my consciousness grows weaker too. So, I won''t be able to win against the various collective consciousness. My chance is the highest around noon time, when I''m the oldest. That''s when my consciousness is at its strongest." She wiped her father''s tears, "So, I''ll still be there, for a few seconds daily."


    "Let me wake up Hazen. With him, we''ll be able to eradicate all those collective consciousness¡­" Compass Carburettor said, feeling like his heart was crushed upon seeing Stencil shake her head helplessly.


    "No, all those collective consciousness, and even being able to regress infinitely is now a part of me. They form the core of my power. Eradicating them would destroy my core. And this time, there''s no room for changes." She sighed, "Dota did an excellent job. My current potential is almostparable to Zaira''s. But,"


    She then shook her head and remained silent, her body covered with sweat as she tried her best to hold on as long as possible.


    "Then, there should be some way to save you, right?" Compass Carburettor asked, gritting his teeth to the extent they shattered, "Tell me, anything you can think of. Dota must have given you somest-minute ideas, right? Tell me anything you can remember."


    "Coordinates," Stencil said as her voice turned softer and softer, "Whenever I''m conscious, help me absorb as many Coordinates as possible. That''ll help strengthen my consciousness and not be devoured by the collective consciousness. But, the battle seems like it would use up those Coordinates, so I would require a steady supply¡­"


    With that, her consciousness waned as a collective consciousness took charge of her body, immediately attacking Compass Carburettor. But before her attack could harm him, Compass Carburettor created a Secret Society member who transformed into a cloth armour that covered her body, constricting her powers as an energy wave wafted into her, putting her to sleep.


    Staring at her unconscious self, Compass Carburettor pulled her into a gentle embrace, shedding tears as he red beyond the windows of the truck, "Coordinates, huh."


    "I''ll get you plenty."

 Chapter 813 CC-Kun

    There was a torrent of energy circting within Stencil, a result of her newfound powers. But, they were also gradually waning in strength as they were regressing. As Stencil had expressed, only at noon¡ªfiguratively¡ªwould she be at her peak, and that was when her powers too were at their strongest.


    Conversely, when she was a baby, Stencil was as weak as a newborn human baby. That was her most vulnerable state. The reason Regression went to the extent of sacrificing a level to unleash this attack was to ensure that Stencil would never grow to be a threat.


    And it had indeed achieved it.


    Irrespective of how the collective consciousness driving her worked and gained strength, they could only express the peak of that power for a couple of seconds. After that would be a steady decline of their power until noon of the next day.


    This meant that even if Stencil became terrifying one day, she was still susceptible as a baby, the state where she was the weakest. At that instant, even a Hatchling System would be able to kill her or even better, absorb her powers for the betterment of the Systems.


    With this, the Regression System neutralised the greatest threat that had formed against them following Arnark.


    It was worth losing a level over.


    It wasn''t a mere ability but a Core Skill activation. Even Zaira wouldn''t be able to destroy this power without paying a sharp price. And as Mascot and Magister weren''t on Stencil''s side, no entity could break this Core Skill Activation.


    "It''s a pity." Mascot shook her head in disappointment before flying away to target the Regression System, intending to destroy it now that it had weakened.


    Boom!


    Magister had other thoughts though as he erected numerous magic circles, targeting Truck-Kun. His thoughts were rather simple at the moment. Since Stencil and Gehera were deemed important to be captured by the Systems, so much so that even the mighty Regression System lost one level to trap Stencil, then they were too dangerous to be left alone.


    So, before the Systems could im them, he better get rid of them. With that thought in mind, Magister targeted the truck within which Stencil and Gehera had taken refuge.


    "One after another, damn there''s no end to this." Truck-Kun was annoyed as he continued to dodge the attacks, swapping them all into a new truck when the previous one waspromised.


    "Die!" Mascot unleashed a terrifying beam that sent the Regression System flying, taking advantage of the moment right when Immortal had attacked it.


    "Eek!" She shouted shrilly upon facing a sword sh aimed at her face, hurriedly evading it while suffering an injury as she quickly teleported away, calming her thumping heart upon staring at Immortal, ''Damn, this guy is attacking everyone in his vicinity now.''


    Just that one interaction was enough for her to determine that it was a bad choice to fight alongside Immortal. Instead, she changed targets, attacking the Tell-Tale System.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The truck flew past the void as the apocalyptic setting had been destroyed thanks to Regression System''s actions.


    But, even though Truck-Kun wished to escape when the veil of regression over the universe vanished, that was only for a short interval, after which the veil reappeared once again.<sub> </sub>


    "Huff¡­" The Apocalypse System inhaled a deep breath before dispersing Mental Energy through its surroundings, gradually rebuilding the apocalyptic setting once again. It wasn''t entirely destroyed back then as the Regression System had paid heed to its sacrifice.


    Therefore, an avenue to recover it had been left behind that the Apocalypse System had used to rapidly rebuild the apocalyptic setting.


    "Things are looking grim¡­" Compass Carburettor muttered, sensing that all the Secret Society members were brutally exhausted. They had been pretty active in the war between Immortal and the Systems, and hence, they had expended all Mental Strength.


    With that, they were unable to use Spirit Morph, rendered weak as their numbers were unable to grow. The problem also stemmed from the fact that a lot of them simply fell as coteral in the attack exchange between the giants.


    Upon seeing that they were unable to do anything anymore, Compass Carburettor recalled them all, watching the various Mental Energy streams flow back into him and settle within his Dreand.


    He then took in a deep breath, observing that Truck-Kun was having a hard time, "Can I help you?"


    "How?" Truck-Kun asked, "We''ve exhausted all our powers. Without the veil of regression removed, leaving this universe is suicide."


    "Lend me some of your powers. I have a n." Compass Carburettor said, "If this seeds, we can head to the System World. That way, we won''t be affected by the veil of regression, right?"


    "System World, huh." Truck-Kun muttered, "Indeed, our enemies would never expect us to head there. Normally, I cannot go there since they have already set up defences against me."


    Truck-Kun then stared at Compass Carburettor, "How do I lend you my powers though? I don''t have such a capability. Only I can operate my trucks."


    "Let me steal one of your trucks¡­" Compass Carburettor said, flinching in fear upon sensing killing intent burst out of Truck-Kun.


    "Steal¡­one of my¡­trucks?" Truck Kun red in anger, "You know that''s the best way to offend me, right?"


    "Listen to me." Compass Carburettor hurriedly exined, "Unlike the other Genre Representatives, your power is based on a concept. So, the stronger the concept, the stronger you get. And, I''m only asking for a truck. When I use them extensively, you''ll be strengthened further. You can just give me a low-level truck of yours."


    "So you figured out that I have different varieties of trucks?" Truck-Kun eyed Compass Carburettor as he stared at the sea of magic circles, sighing before saying, "Alright, I''ll wage a bet. If you annoy me though, I''ll reim my truck."


    "I''ll be grateful, you can count on it." His eyes turned sharp as Compass Carburettor watched Truck-Kun condense a miniature truck in his hand, keeping it small and hidden to prevent their enemies from noticing their n.


    Spirit Morph!


    Using thest of his Mental Strength, Compass Carburettor transformed the truck into Mental Fragments and began to rearrange his Dreand with them, causing it to hum with a mystical spatial power that coursed through his body.


    Compass Carburettor took in a deep breath as his body copsed into Mental Fragments before rearranging itself into a truck.

 Chapter 814 Whales Tussle While Shrimps Shiver

    Compass Carburettor now had the power of Truck-Kun. It was a low levelled power though, only capable of teleporting weak enemies to other universes.


    And the moment he obtained this power, he gained understanding regarding it, realising that Truck-Kun''s powers worked at a level moreplex than what he had assumed.


    To teleport an individual to another universe, Truck-Kun had to obtain something known as a ''Universe-Entry-Permit.'' As to what it was, he had a hard time wrapping his head around it.


    Truck-Kun would have to first stumble upon a universe. Following that, the driver in the truck would get down and visit the world in that universe to make contact with the denizens of that world.


    And there, he would have to find a person and make him order a delivery. Once Truck-Kun finishes the delivery, no matter how minor it might be, he would gain permission to transmigrate people to that world.


    That was the power system his entity formed around. It was somewhat annoying in the sense that without making this delivery, it was impossible to transmigrate anyone to that world.


    But, that wasn''t what he was relying upon now, and hence, he could heave a sigh of relief. What he was attempting was reverse transmigration, and that was to send an individual in another universe back to their home universe.


    The n was simple.


    First, Compass Carburettor would transform his body into a truck within which he would seat everyone. Following that, he would m into a Grade 2 System and reverse transmigrate it to the System World. Before that happens, the truck would burrow into the enemy''s body and travel alongside it to the System World.


    As to how he would burrow into the System''s body? Compass Carburettor had a n in motion already. His goal was to first leave this world and work on a solution regarding Stencil, nothing else.


    Once Hazen regains consciousness, he had the confidence to figure out a n. After all, their powers were synonymous with one another and were geared for the task.


    And as the situation in the apocalyptic setting continued to get progressively dangerous, making the mes of war spread out and intensify further and further, he had zero intentions of remaining there.


    Moreover, he didn''t have enough strength to fight. Doing the transmigration was all he could achieve now, only thanks to him having enough Mental Energy and since it was a truck, even though it was under his control, Truck-Kun could still drive it, allowing him to save thest vestiges of his Mental Strength.


    Hazen was unconscious, Stencil was knocked unconscious, and Truck-Kun was severely damaged and exhausted, requiring immediate rest and recovery. Gehera was at the end of her strength too, having strained her Ruin of Amagoth too much.


    She couldn''t even take out another Totem, not to mention use its powers.


    Compass Carburettor only had enough Mental Strength for one shot, and this was thanks to Stencil. Therefore, they had to make it count.


    Boom!


    Thousands of magic circles covered the sky, targeting the truck when suddenly, the majority of them were destroyed by a shockwave that spread around.


    Honk!


    ? Truck-Kun reinforced their truck to the limit, being sent flying by the shockwave.<sub> </sub>


    "Finally!" The Regression System coughed out, smiling weakly with broken teeth and severed limbs, staring at the sky to gaze with reverence at a certain entity that had appeared in the sky silently.


    In response, Immortal stopped pummelling the Regression System to bits and stared at the sky to open his mouth and utter a growl.


    Zaira!


    She had returned from the dangerous worlds under Mystique''s control, seething with rage upon noticing that five Grade 2 Systems had died already while many among the rest were severely injured.


    The situation was even more critical for the Grade 3 Systems that were literally on the verge of death. If not for Regression, they would have died too.


    Even Regression was holding for dear life while being pummelled nonstop by Immortal''s thunderous attacks, its limbs hacked at rates faster than its healing speed.


    Thud!


    The moment Immortal let go of his hold over it, the Regression System copsed weakly to the ground, gasping in exhaustion as it wasn''t even able to p its eyelids.


    "Be ready!" Truck-Kun shouted as he nced at Compass Carburettor before eyeing a severely wounded Grade 2 Systems from afar, "I''ll teleport right next to it in a second. You transform into a truck and execute our n."


    The shockwave had sent the truck flying. But thankfully, among the entities being sent flying were countless Grade 2 Systems, one of which was utterly weakened by the attack and was helpless for the moment.


    "Now!" At Truck-Kun''s shout, the truck disappeared and appeared ten metres away from the Grade 2 System, travelling at almost the same speed as they were both heading straight towards a mountain.


    "Gah!" Compass Carburettor grunted, forcing himself to not fall unconscious as his body transformed into Mental Energy, leaked out of the truck, andyered over it to be a truck. Truck-Kun retracted his truck and ensured all the members were seated perfectly in the new truck.


    The truck made a beeline towards the helpless Grade 2 System, inching closer as it approached a metre right at the moment the Grade 2 System crashed into the mountain. But, just when the truck was about to m into it, the trio of Gehera, Compass Carburettor, and Truck-Kun were rmed to see their target vanish suddenly.


    "Everyone, return!" At her words, all the Systems in the apocalyptic setting disappeared and appeared behind her, under her protection. Zaira stared at their states, focusing on the Tell-Tale System before heaving a sigh in relief.


    But, she didn''t even have the freedom of time to heal them as Immortal was already before her, charging up an attack as suddenly, his aura rapidly condensed before vanishing.


    The Regression System gulped nervously while the Apocalypse System and Tell-Tale System were shitting bricks, realising that Immortal had now attained the peak of his strength.


    "If you don''t wish to disappear, stand behind me," Zaira said solemnly as immediately, her body began to grow, taking on a physical form as two behemoths stared at each other in the apocalyptic setting.


    In a setting where even the Regression System was only 340 metres tall, all the Systems, yer, Arnark, and even Mascot and Magister stared in shock, having never witnessed the peak strength of both the opposing parties, who were now the exact same height.


    Five Hundred Metres!

 Chapter 815 Immortal’s True Representation

    "How the heck did the situation derail to this extent?" Zaira shouted in anger while ring at the Regression System that flinched in response, "Even with you at the scene, how did this happen?"


    I''m¡­sorry." The Regression System could only bow its head in response, "Focusing on three dangerous fronts meant I could only take care of the most pressing worries first."


    "Fine, I''ll hear about itter," Zaira said before condensing a shield to defend against Immortal''s attack. Her words confused the Systems.


    After all, the Regression System only needed an instant to transmit all the information to her through a Mental Energy stream. It wasn''t like she was a human that needed to sit through a bunch of coted files and spend hours reading through them to understand the situation.


    But, it was indeed confusing, as when Zaira appeared, she wasn''t in her energy-condensed form, but that of a human, a flesh and blood entity. Moreover, the pose she appeared in was one in which her hand was gently ced over her stomach.


    The stomach was t, but something seemed amiss with it, which was what the Tell-Tale System could feel. As it was the closest to Zaira and also the most sensitive regarding everything¡ªsince it dealt with changing the worlds from the bottommost strata of world order¡ªhappening around them, it noticed that even though Zaira seemed the same as usual, something seemed off about her.


    Currently, she wasn''t the System World projecting itself onto this ce but an individual that owned, controlled, and ruled the System World.


    The Tell-Tale System noticed traces of mysterious powers on Zaira. None seemed intent to harm her though, but rather amplified her strength by a tad bit. But it was just¡­strange.


    Currently, Zaira stood as a flesh and blood entity, standing 500 metres tall.


    Simrly, Immortal too stood at 500 metres tall, a flesh and blood entity¡ªsince he waspletely influenced by the apocalyptic setting now.


    The two titans stared at one another as tensions seemed to rise in the air.


    "Shit, shit, shit!" yer was in a state of fluster as he focused all his power to raise the defences of the Fantasy World. Arnark too agreed, seeping in his powers through yer to reinforce their world better.


    As for the five Universe Relic wielders, yer sent them back to the Fantasy World, using them as the beacons to erect a world-formation, muttering with a solemn tone, "I only hope we''re left in one piece by the end of this."


    "Let''s hope so," Arnark said, even himself being unable to predict in what direction this battle might go. He then stared at Magister, noticing his shocked expression to ask, "Didn''t you know Immortal the longest? Was he always this powerful?"


    "I¡­never knew." Magister said, his eyes refusing to even look an instant away from the standoff between Zaira and Immortal, "I''ve known Immortal since his golden age. Wepeted over our worlds during the end of his golden age. But, this is my first time seeing his peak."


    "How did he lose power to fall from his peak state to his golden age?" Magister muttered in disbelief, stating countless reasons and theories that he negated immediately with countering retorts, creating an endless cycle of self-discussion, "The power difference between those two ages is¡­astronomical."


    "He''s rivalling the current hegemony of the System genre¡­alone."


    Swoosh!


    The truck¡ªthat Compass Carburettor had transformed into¡ªcrashed into the mountain to spill out into Mental Fragments. He didn''t have the Mental Strength to take up form anymore, not even having the ability to recall all the fragments to form a sphere.<sub> </sub>


    The Mental Fragments spilt all across the mountain, wriggling like tiny worms as they gradually moved over to the impact spot where a good quantity of Mental Fragments had burrowed into the mountainside.


    The rest of the fragments were naturally pulled in this direction, attracted by the mass of Mental Fragments that naturally joined with each other to begin forming a sphere that grew in size gradually.


    A truck appeared nearby as Truck-Kun sighed in disappointment that their n failed even before it could begin. He reacted on time to bring out the rest into his truck and evade the impact. Only Compass Carburettor had beenpromised.


    "Seriously¡­" Truck-Kun stared with a solemn expression, noticing the two titans having a mental faceoff as both sides red at each other. The tension was already stretched taut as is, but their continued re spiked it further until¡­


    Shrrppp!


    Like a paper being torn, part of the ground was shredded just from their gazes. The Apocalypse System hurriedly repaired the damage as the World Spirit System continued to replenish its strength as quickly as possible, harnessing every bit of its avable means.


    "Immortal¡­you''re a dying entity. Why don''t you make things easier for me and just disappear? This state of yours is only temporary before you vanish anyway." Zaira spewed out with a mocking gaze. But in truth, this was to veil her rm.


    After all, in the current age of System domination, she had be so powerful that the other Genre Representatives had to join hands just to barely oppose her and fail at even that. Moreover, the power of the systems had already surpassed the peak of what the Genre Representatives entailed.


    Even if they were killed, it was only temporary. Their revival couldn''t be stopped. So, with their growth unhindered, it was only a matter of time before Systems ruled over everything.


    But reality struck her hard, twice!


    First was to realise the fact that Mystique was able to corrupt even her, not to mention the other Systems as he had done before. And worst of all, the majority of his worlds were in a dormant state.


    This meant that the Mystique she had faced to date was just a trial version of the original, dormant for who knows how long.


    And finally, here she was, faced with the second fact. Immortal''s peak strength actually was on par with the current her, the System World, with three Grade 4 Systems, a few dozen Grade 3 Systems, and hundreds of Grade 2 Systems, not to mention millions upon millions of Grade 1 Systems whose numbers continued to grow at an exponential pace.


    "Fuck!" She grunted in frustration, her gaze trembling in disbelief when suddenly, the spear in Immortal''s hands transformed into a wooden staff with golden embroidery. His dragon body morphed into a humanoid monkey as his index finger scratched his ear once.


    "Impossible! That''s just a myth, not reality!" Zaira screamed in disbelief, her body trembling in shock as all the Systems, including yer, Arnark, Truck-Kun and Compass Carburettor were the same.


    After all, Immortal''s current transformation opened the doors to an entirely new realm of possibilities.


    "Of course," A set of concise words streamed out of Immortal as his wooden staff expanded in length, "The desire to make myth a reality is what birthed cultivation."


    "And that''s what I truly represent."

 Chapter 816 Get Up, And Fight!

    A humanoid monkey, standing five hundred metres tall, wielding a wooden stick that could casually change its length. It was the Monkey King from the legends.


    Currently, the moment Immortal transformed into the Monkey King, it allowed everyone to realise that he was able to wield the powers of every single mythical character.


    ''I''ve scoured through as many universes as possible. Then, howe I never discovered traces of even a single world manifesting this myth?'' Zaira frowned in rm.


    "That''s because those worlds are no longer mine anymore," Immortal spoke casually, rming Zaira at the fact that he was able to casually read her mind.


    But, Immortal''s following words caused her to tremble in rm, "But, it seems you''ve paid them a temporary visit, Zaira. Thanks to that, these worlds that have been dormant after my strength was no longer at the peak are now waking up one after another."


    "M-Mystique is in charge of those worlds?" Zaira was rmed, ''I just upgraded his strength estimate in my database. But if Mystique also has myths in his worlds, then his true strength is unfathomable.''


    This was jarringly eerie since Immortal was now on par with Zaira just because he reached the point where he was in control of such worlds. It meant that Mystique would be at the same level as the current Immortal or even stronger.


    If he chooses to target the System World...


    Boom!


    Without a change in beat, Zaira activated four Grade 3 Core Skills and assaulted Immortal who in turn casually spun his wooden stick and deflected them all. The runes on the wooden stick shed in response to absorb part of the power fuelling the attacks before which, they were returned to Zaira, harming her.


    "Tch!" Zaira growled in anger before unleashing the power of Transmigration, sending Immortal into a different universe.


    But an instantter, she was rmed to see Immortal transforming into a honey bee to casually perch on her head. The entity she had transmigrated just now was a mere hair strand of Immortal that had taken his ce.


    The honey bee then transformed into a frog that croaked, "Come on, brat. Put more spine in your attacks. Otherwise, I''ll fall asleep."


    "Oh, then fall asleep." Zaira suddenly sported a respectful expression, even going to the extent of creating a pond over which arge lotus leaf formed a bed for the frog to sleep upon, "You can take afortable nap on this luxurious bed that I handmade just for your excellency."


    In response to her actions, the frog just stared in silence for a second before leaping away tond on the leaf, noticing that there were no traps there. It was just a bed created while keeping in mind to deliver the utmostfort for the user to sleep upon.


    "Unfortunately, I can''t rest." The frog''s stomach bulged once before it reverted to the Monkey King form. "I have enemies to get rid of before my end."


    Immortal grabbed a lock of hair from his head and blew it softly, watching each strand of hair transform into a Monkey King, with each possessing a thousandth of his strength.


    Upon seeing his actions, Zaira grunted, activating countless abilities.


    Grade 2 Core Skill--Vampire (Level 198)!


    Grade 2 Core Skill--Angel (Level 199)!


    Grade 2 Core Skill--Hunter (Level 188)!


    Grade 2 Core Skill--Devil (Level 186)!


    She activated over a hundred Grade 2 Core Skills simultaneously,bining their powers to create a brand-new race that was a fusion of all the powers, forming an army of her own, each of which had terrifying strength.<sub> </sub>


    Roar!


    The two sides shed immediately and were evenly matched.


    Zaira stopped unleashing ranged attacks upon seeing Immortal either deflect or absorb some of their power to strengthen himself. Instead, she reinforced her body with them all, turning herself into an indestructible entity.


    Boom!


    Her figure shed before Immortal to send a straight right into his face. In response, Immortal spun his staff to parry her attack before pping her nose with the same, continuing to spin the staff as he attacked her in closebat.


    Both had the means to counter ranged abilities due to their vast arsenal of abilities. Hence, they stuck to the most primal way of reinforcement through which the victor could be determined.


    Pummelling the face of the other party using their fists!


    Every single punch created shockwaves that destroyed the apocalyptic setting, causing the Apocalypse System to cry aloud in helplessness, unable to heal it fast enough.


    Suddenly, strength poured into the Apocalypse System, causing its injuries to heal in an instant before it felt even stronger than before.


    The case was the same for all the other Grade 3 Systems too.


    Regression sighed in relief, watching its limbs grow back as its power recovered to full capacity. In the next moment, Zaira''s voice resounded in their minds, "Quick! Capture Stencil and Gehera. I have zero confidence in killing Immortal otherwise."


    "And before he vanishes, he would deal critical damage to us!"


    "You heard her!" The Regression System announced before teleporting to the truck to target Stencil and Gehera. All the other Grade 3 Systems too did the same, ignoring yer and Arnark who did their best to obscure themselves as much as possible, unwilling to get into the centre of the conflict.


    Boom!


    Followed by a leap, Immortal kicked Zaira in the chest, sending her flying away before he frowned in confusion, ''Why was I fighting in the first ce?''


    He then observed the actions of the Systems, seeing right through the truck to stare at the figures of Stencil and Gehera, for a moment ncing at Hazen to understand the gist of things.


    His mouth opened as a helpless voice that contrastingly oozed authority, "Compass, get up and fight!"


    "I''ll provide you infinite energy."


    Immediately, in the part of the mountainside where a crater had formed, a tiny energy sphere appeared that seeped into the Mental Fragment sphere there, instantly causing a suffocating aura to waft out that exploded overbearingly, for a moment stunning the Systems.


    All the Mental Fragments rushed into the sphere that took the form of Compass Carburettor who stared at his hands in shock, sensing limitless Mental Strength and Mental Energy surging within him. Following that, he blinked in surprise once before staring at the figure of the Regression System whose hand had grabbed hold of the truck.


    Instantly, a million Invoked Spirits drowned the Regression System.

 Chapter 817 Rise And Retaliate

    Million Secret Society members!


    Usually, creating even a single Secret Society Member shaved away a lot of his Mental Strength. It was only thanks to the fact that while they were created, the Secret Society members consumed Mental Energy to be born with a certain level of Mental Strength.


    Using this was what allowed him to fight until now with his limited reserves.


    But now, with infinite Mental Strength and Mental Energy, every bit of Mental Fragment he possessed could be used to fight against the enemies, and it was exactly what he did, for, in an instant, a million Invoked Spirits mmed into the hand of the Regression System, transforming into myriad creatures.


    The creatures morphed their bodies to be Mental Energy streams, with each coursing a certain effect onto the extended hand of the Regression System to bombard it with attacks to such an extent that even its hand was pushed away, causing the truck to slip from its grasp.


    In response to the attacks, the Regression System clenched his hand into a fist to channel power through it, causing the Secret Society members to regress into mere unresponsive Mental Fragments.


    But as if he had predicted this move, Compass Carburettor red in focus, causing all the Mental Fragments to explode into a sea of Punisher Lightning that damaged the Regression System.


    Boom!


    The Regression System punched into the ground only to notice the truck had vanished. And disappearing alongside the truck was Compass Carburettor too. There was just a second crater at the impact point.


    Teleporting a kilometre away was the truck as seated on it was Compass Carburettor. But, only his real body was here as everywhere he gazed at, whether it was buildings, mountains, etc. all copsed into a sea of Mental Fragments to create Secret Society members.


    One member resembled a building in shape, for the majority of his body was created using it. The primary portions forming this member were sourced from a whale that Compass Carburettor had killed and absorbed the Mental Fragments of in Conjurer''s world.


    The building-sized member was tremendously powerful for Compass Carburettor had indeed infused a lot of energy into its creation, using only the highest quality Mental Fragments sourced from all the buildings he converted using Spirit Morph.


    The building-sized member tackled the Regression System, copsing to the ground in response as the other party seemed like an immovable mountain. A smash from the Regression System copsed it into a sea of Mental Fragments.


    Though, as the Invoked Spirit of the building-sized member was perfectly alright within the Dreand, an instantter, the Dreand absorbed all the scattered sea of Mental Fragments and reformed into the massive building to punch at the Regression System.


    "Die!" The Hunter System bellowed in response to unleash a sword beam at Compass Carburettor.


    "..." Compass Carburettor red with a bloodthirsty gaze at the Hunter System, erecting dozens of walls around the truck to tank the attack. More than half of them were destroyed in the process, but these walls were just created using Mental Fragments sourced from a mountain that was targeted by Spirit Morph.


    So, they were expendable materials, especially since with the endless power surging in him, he could do that tens of thousands of times without breaking a sweat.


    Compass Carburettor swerved his head, controlling the truck to evade the Hunter System to run away as immediately, dozens of worms gushed out of the ground and coiled around the Hunter System.


    One of the worms opened its mouth, parting open to reveal a dozen tongues that squirmed around before flickering with Punisher Lightning.


    Screech!


    Through its mouth, mist gushed out and enveloped the Hunter System, constricting its movements. As the Hunter System tried to move, a good portion of the mist was consumed. But more of the worms produced the mist to constrict it even firmer.<sub> </sub>


    Following that, the flickering tongues transformed their tips into needles that drilled into the Hunter System''s body to inject a mixture of mist and Punisher Lightning, causing its body to spasm rapidly like it was withering away from potent poison.


    Swoosh!


    Hundreds of energy beams mmed into the worms to sever them into bits, managing to attack their Dreands too as they died.


    "Are you alright?" The Asura System arrived in a hurry to sigh in relief upon seeing the Hunter System alive.


    "Keuk!" The Hunter System yelped in pain as it pulled out the needles lodged in its body, watching its wounds heal while the mist waned after a few seconds, consuming part of its Mental Energy in the process, causing it to shudder, "What the heck is this?"


    "Irrespective of what it is, we have to deal with it." The Asura System said before rallying up the Grade 2 Systems, "Attack Compass Carburettor!"


    Immediately, the Grade 2 Systems rushed towards Compass Carburettor, only to be intercepted by the bizarre Mental Fragment creatures that leapt onto them with reckless abandon.


    "Arg...ahh...arrrghhh!" A Grade 2 System screamed before it was ganged upon by a group of monsters before its joint transformed into Mental Fragments to detach from its body.


    Thud!


    The arm fell to the ground when thousands of ants jumped onto it and devoured it fully before drilling into the ground to vanish.


    And immediately, they burrowed out from another area to devour the body parts of the Grade 2 System, this time their numbers being a tad higher than before.


    Using the body parts of the Grade 2 Systems, the ants upgraded their bodies before producing more of their own, rapidly taking control of the apocalyptic underground.


    Boom!


    Compass Carburettor grunted as he erected more walls, defending against the attacks from the Grade 3 Systems this time, those that proved a lot stronger aspared to Grade 2 Systems.


    Suddenly, the Tell-Tale System revealed itself, announcing, "Mental Strength is limited."


    The efficiency of his Mental Strength waned rapidly, causing Compass Carburettor to frown as immediately, his Secret Society members were killed inrge droves.


    His eyes glinted cunningly before targeting the Invader System, reinforcing the Virus within with his infinite supply of energy, causing it to multiply rapidly before its effects spread throughout the Invader System''s body, causing its throes to echo far away.


    The Regression System hurriedly took action to reverse the Virus and cause it to spread through the Main Character System once again.


    "This bastard!" Arnark red in irritation upon seeing Compass Carburettor driving the truck towards him, bringing the battle to his home ground.

 Chapter 818 Trapping Arnark

    In a three-way war, having the third party acting as a bystander was a recipe for disaster for the other two parties.


    And since he was the only one on their side that now had fighting strength, Compass Carburettor had to take advantage of any situation. Otherwise, even with an infinite energy supply, he would still be overwhelmed by the terrifying Systems.


    What best way to protect his skin than by dragging Arnark into the conflict?


    "Fucker!" Arnark red in anger before choosing to flee, having zero intentions of getting involved in the conflict.


    "The main character should always be at the centre of the conflict. Even the theme of the conflict should involve the main character''s interests at its core." Saying so, Compass Carburettor turned around and made a beeline towards the Fantasy World.


    Dozens of worms jutted out of the ground and caused their bodies to swell up before unleashing massive projectiles filled with the power of Spirit Morph and Punisher Lightning, hacking into the boundaries of the apocalyptic setting.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The attacks bombarded the boundary as the Punisher Lightning first began to resist the powers of the apocalyptic setting. Following that, Spirit Morph gradually transformed more and more of the boundary into Mental Fragments, out of which Compass Carburettor birthed another member.


    The member was shaped into a worm too that extended out of the boundary before chomping down on it, causing cracks to form before soon, a small portion was ripped apart.


    "Tch!" The Apocalypse System snorted in anger before unleashing a beam of corruption onto the worms growing on the boundary, annihting them in an instant to see the damaged portions heal in a matter of seconds.


    But, despite that, Compass Carburettor was still rowing the truck in that direction, making it seem like he had other ns.


    "Don''t let him escape." The Apocalypse System said as the Waning Essence System charged forth first, targeting him to rapidly cause his energy levels to drop to a minimum.


    But an instantter, Compass Carburettor was brimming with energy once again, causing it to curse in response, "Immortal is helping him. I can''t negate Immortal''s power."


    "Stop!" Right as Compass Carburettor was about to arrive at the border, Arnark appeared between the two, activating his powers to send Compass Carburettor flying.


    But at this moment, Compass Carburettor broke into a confident smile, saying softly as he transmitted a Mental Energy stream.


    [I''ve brought them here just as you instructed, Arnark. Now, kill the Apocalypse.]


    Even though his words were transmitted through a Mental Energy stream, what were the enemies he was facing? They were Systems, with the weakest being at Grade 2. They had the means to glean information from the Mental Energy stream.


    And upon knowing what he said, even if they had suspicions that he was just ying them, they couldn''t be sure, especially since both Arnark and Compass Carburettor were expertly cunning actors.


    Arnark could genuinely be against Compass Carburettor in this confrontation, or they could be plotting to destroy the Systems. After all, Arnark would indeed be d to trap and kill them, for by absorbing them, the foundation of the Fantasy World would deepen even further, making it more and more difficult to target it in the future.


    As both situations were usible enough, the Systems targeted Arnark too,unching a stream of attacks against him.


    Main Character Core Skill¡ªRestriction Order (Level 92)!


    Instantly, a mystical power erupted around Arnark and coursed through the ce, causing the attacks to weaken rapidly as they slowed down to a crawl.


    Arnark stared at the attacks before ring at them, causing them to dissipate instantly.


    "What?" The Tell-Tale System was rmed, "When did the Restriction Order be this strong? Wasn''t it only capable of sealing the activation of Skills and Core Skills? Unleashed abilities shouldn''t be restricted by it."


    "That was before," Arnark said before ring at the figure of Compass Carburettor turning around to charge at the Systems, gritting his teeth as he thought, ''But, Lore upgraded it. Or more like, through Lore, I can fine-tune its characteristics and change it as I need.''


    This was why Lore was the topmost power among all the Main Character Core Skills. Through it, Arnark was able to tweak the Restriction Order in real-time to target unleashed abilities too. He could also fine-tune his growth, rendering him invincible in the long run.


    It had to be noted that in the short span of two years, the four Main Characters that branched off from Compass Carburettor achieved wonders. Given a decade or two, they would have gained overwhelming powers.


    Compass Carburettor erected a wall surrounding all the Systems, one that enclosed them before which millions upon millions of guns manifested in the inner surface, focusing on them before unleashing a bombardment.


    Most of the bullets were just regr bullets, condensed using the air of the apocalyptic setting. The bullets weren''t like those from the original Anthozoa though.


    After obtaining the power of Spirit Morph, Compass Carburettor gained the ability to shape the bullets as he pleased, not to mention the form of the gun.


    And hence, the unleashed bullets were each the size of a house now, mming into the Systems like a meteor shower.


    The majority of these were just to force the Systems on the defensive, as their bodies would indeed take damage from such attacks in the apocalyptic setting.<sub> </sub>


    Mixed amid such attacks were bullets coursing with Punisher Lightning that mmed into the Systems, riddling them with injuries.


    Unfortunately, this dome only remained active for two seconds before it was destroyed by the Invader System who absorbed all the energy in the walls before vaporising the Mental Fragments.


    "You''re starting to piss me off!" The Invader System red at Compass Carburettor before noticing that the virus in its body was starting to act up once again. It thrust its hand into its body and ripped out the infected virus-cell, unleashing myriad abilities onto it in anger, "I''ll show you my true power!"


    "Oh no, you don''t!" Arnark attacked in a hurry upon seeing it try to influence the Main Character System fragment in the virus cell. It would only worsen his situation, and hence, he had to strike first.


    The Restriction Order mmed into the Invader System, nulling all the abilities it had unleashed when Arnark appeared before it, punching its face to send it flying before grabbing hold of the virus cell.


    But at this moment, the Regression System shed behind him before pping its hands to trap Arnark within, and then¡­


    Regression!


    "Keuk!" Arnark grunted in pain as he could notice his timeline getting influenced by the Regression System. But at this moment, he suddenly self-destructed, resulting in a resounding explosion that sent the Regression System skidding backwards.


    Swish!


    Arnark appeared at their camp, gasping for breath as he kneeled for a moment, "That was close."


    Main Character Core Skill¡ªCheckpoint (Level 92)!


    "Indeed." Suddenly, another voice resounded beside him, causing him to jump away in rm to stare at a Secret Society member drilling out of the ground from nearby to transform into a humanoid form, condensing a gun to take a shot, copsing in response.


    The bullet was fully condensed using the mist. It mmed into the Hunter System, exploding one of its arms before stunning its body as the mist coursed through it.


    Core Skill¡ªWorld Spirit (Level 286)!


    The Hunter System''s injury healed rapidly as it charged at Arnark''s base, also creating an army of hunters that charged alongside.


    All the Grade 2 Systems began to do the same, realising that fighting on their own made things too dangerous. It was better to swarm the enemy when allowed to do so.


    The Grade 3 Systems unleashed their powers onto the created races, strengthening them hundreds of times to turn each individual into a powerhouse.


    Honestly, just the army they had created in a matter of seconds was enough to take down an entire world in a day. And these worlds weren''t weak but those with a strong power system like in Wuxia Worlds.


    It just showed the terrifying nature of the Systems.


    The Apocalypse System charged at the front while the Regression System observed from the back, gradually seeping its power into the timeline of its enemies.


    ''Hmm? Why can''t I sense the timeline of Compass Carburettor''s main body?'' The Regression System looked around before its eyes widened in shock, ''That freaking madman!''


    After all, using the power of Truck-Kun, he had now entered the domain within which the abilities of Zaira and Immortal were sshing around. It was a death zone for any entity, for the level of battle was beyond what anyone could handle.


    Boom!


    yer mmed into the Apocalypse System to send it flying away, grunting when he was wounded in response too. Getting up with a start, the Apocalypse System charged at him once again.


    "Defend yourselves!" Balveta screamed as she and the other four Universe Relic wielders erected defensive formations to defend against the army created by the Systems.


    Swoosh!


    The Tell-Tale System took the charge to leap towards Arnark, screaming, "Ignore!"


    "Wha¡­" For a moment, Arnark nked out before noticing in horror that the virus-cell had been stolen. Immediately, the Tell-Tale System vanished, retreating to the safety of itsrades before beginning to influence the virus cell.


    "Koff!" Arnark copsed to the ground suddenly and coughed out blood, staring in surprise as he muttered, "Damn you¡­"


    "Compass."

 Chapter 819 Kidnapping The Tell-Tale System

    Swoosh!


    A figure donned in a spacesuit appeared before a world, his face full of hesitation as he stared at the denizens of the world.


    This was a cultivation world where the denizens depended upon magical tools to fight. Their bodies acted as batteries to unleash the powers of magical tools. And as time passed, the technology of the world continued to progress before it entered a technological era, one formed using the magical tools at the core.


    It was at this moment that the nature of the world began to shift. But surprisingly, as Spirit Energy was ambient in this world, it formed the primary condition of this world being part of the Cultivation Genre, despite its technological progress.


    Even though the world was gradually leaning towards a technological era, it had yet to be part of that entirely.


    And currently, the mysterious suited entity stared at the world, apprehensive, hesitant, and sporting distaste at what he was about to do.


    But at this moment, another figure appeared beside the suited individual, one wearing a monocle on his right, causing it to glint with light for an instant before vanishing.


    Mystique!


    "Are you going to do it?" Mystique stared at the suited individual with a calm, unconcerned gaze, "It would be the final straw that broke the camel''s neck."


    "I''m being forced by the situation." The suited individual frowned, conflicted in his choice as he asked, "What do you think I should do, Mystique?"


    "I''m¡­just not sure about this. I don''t want to be the one that caused Immortal''s death."


    "I don''t care, to be very frank with you." Mystique said as he extended his hand, "I''m only here for the item you obtained recently. It''s something that escaped from one of my worlds when Zaira paid a visit, you see. There''s too much danger in keeping it beyond my control."


    "Yeah, I almost forgot about that." The suited individual said as he took out an egg that resembled a liquid, fluid to the touch and one that recovered the egg shape despite being deformed while the suited individual threw it towards Mystique.


    "What is that though? I just feel that it''s iplete."


    "None of your business," Mystique said as he pocketed the egg before vanishing, "Oh yeah, the other guy wanted to inform you, Technocraft."


    "The Mystique that has allied with you wille out in two minutes."


    ¡­


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Resounding explosions thundered across the breaking space as Zaira and Immortal continued to pummel each other, injuring each other equally.


    At this moment, Compass Carburettor rushed into the domain with the cracked space, barely dodging a shockwave that was strong enough to destroy them wholly.


    Immediately after, using Truck-Kun''s support, the truck vanished and reappeared in a somewhat safer location where Compass Carburettor used his Spirit Morph on the shockwaves, converting them into Mental Fragments before storing them in his Dreand.


    ''What is this bastard doing now?'' When Immortal''s punch mmed into her face and twisted it, her eyes met with the truck that was going around in their fighting space as part of the shockwaves surrounding the truck were being absorbed into it.


    "Tch!" Zaira immediatelymanded the Regression System, ''Stop Compass and kidnap Stencil and Gehera already.''


    "We need to get inside there." The Regression System said, trembling once before staring at the other Systems, "The Grade 2 Systems will remain at the border and prevent yer and Arnark from hindering our operation. The Grade 3 Systems would charge in with me."


    Upon seeing Magister and Mascot jump into the cracked spatial domain, expressing the intent to kill Stencil, the Regression System said in a hurry, "Tell-Tale, get to safety and target the two Genre Representatives¡­"


    Boom!


    Suddenly, a gigantic worm gushed out of the ground, its head shaped like an ant while its body too resembled it in terms of the carapace.


    On its shell wererge sacks,pressed with something as faint steam sparked out from the joints in ordance with its movement.


    For a moment, the Systems were slow to react, having been unable to sense the worm''s approach. After all, ever since Compass Carburettor created the group of ants that proliferated through the ground, their aura was everywhere.


    Therefore, the Systems weren''t able to sense a group of the same ants transforming into Mental Energy to be the massive worm that jutted out of the ground. The action was taken right when Zaira''s message reached the group of Systems, taking advantage of their momentary distraction.


    Boom!<sub> </sub>


    Therge sacks exploded to release torrential mist that was so concentrated that it almost resembled water, turning the apocalyptic setting into a sea, trapping all the Systems.


    The mouth of the worm opened as a projectile formed in it, created using the majority of its Mental Fragments. These Mental Fragments were sourced from the body parts of all the Grade 2 Systems that the Secret Society members had consumed until now.


    The projectile mmed into the Tell-Tale System, sending it flying into the cracked zone, startling the Systems and even alerting Zaira.


    "Gah!" The Tell-Tale System screamed from the impact that caused it severe damage as suddenly, its neck was grabbed hold of by a gigantic hand that Compass Carburettor morphed his hand into.


    "Let¡­me¡­go!" The Tell-Tale System screamed as it struggled to break free of his hold, unleashing its abilities that were all deflected by Secret Society members that popped out suddenly to tank the attack.


    "You''re here." Compass Carburettor spoke slowly as his eyes red viciously, causing the Tell-Tale System''s neck to burn up like acid was poured on it, making it scream and writhe around in pain.


    Part by part, the body portion around its neck copsed into Mental Fragments before slowly flowing into Compass Carburettor. As it was one of the oldest Systems, its foundation was also the most stable, causing Spirit Morph to barely affect it.


    If not for the infinite supply of energy, even this wouldn''t have been possible.


    "No!" Zaira hacked at Compass Carburettor to free the Tall-Tale System, screaming in anger upon seeing a shield form around him, tanking the attack. It was Immortal that had interfered with her actions.


    "Damn you¡­koff!" She turned around in anger to see Immortal take advantage of her worked-up state and punch her in the face, sending her flying in response.


    Swoosh!


    The Regression System didn''t hold back any power and vanished, regressing through the timeline to instantly appear before Compass Carburettor. It tried to go into the past, but the level of the spatial crack was beyond what its power could affect, causing it to curse in response.


    ''Is this why this bastard charged into this location to target Tell-Tale?''


    The fate of the Fantasy World was deep in the first ce, making it very hard for it to affect its timeline. But now, in the location where Immortal and Zaira fought, each of their punches created a strong imprint on the cause and effect of this universe.


    And, due to the level of beings they were, their actions couldn''t be regressed. After all, the Regression System wasn''t strong enough to affect them.


    Hence, the Regression System couldn''t undo Compass Carburettor''s actions, only able to sh before him in an effort to free the Tell-Tale System.


    "Truck-Kun!" In response, Compass Carburettor shouted before pulling the Tell-Tale System away while erecting multiple walls between them and the Regression System, buying enough time for Truck-Kun to teleport away.


    The Regression System broke through the walls before one of the shockwaves grazed past its body, causing a deep injury, ''Damn, even the mere shockwaves are strong enough to shred me.''


    When even the Regression System was this apprehensive about the shockwaves, Compass Carburettor was nothing before it. But this was precisely why he had to enter this zone, because here, the enemies didn''t have much advantage over him.


    He was small while they were big. Hence, he had better means to evade. Moreover, the effect of the apocalyptic setting was barely holding up here, ensuring he wouldn''t get tired much.


    "A shockwave will crash¡­" The Tell-Tale System activated its Core Skill to attack him when suddenly, it screamed in pain when lightning flickered through its throat, causing its Core Skill activation to fail midway.


    Spirit Morph!


    The power targeted the residual effects of Tell-Tale System''s Core Skill, turning them into Mental Fragments to absorb them. Moreover, as the Tell-Tale System was unable to break free of his hold, Compass Carburettor took the chance to allow Gehera to make contact with it.


    ? Ruin of Amagoth!


    She wasn''t trying to actively steal power from it as she had done from the Regression System. She didn''t recover enough to do that yet. She was only passively stealing from the Tell-Tale System, in the same manner she had done for a year from yer.


    This process was tremendously slow, but also consumed way less power, considering how Gehera was able to maintain it for a year without letting up.


    ''As long as we steal enough of its power, I''ll be able to create a solution for Stencil.'' Compass Carburettor thought, ''The power of Tell-Tale first, and then¡­''


    His eyes trailed across the apocalyptic setting, staring at Arnark for a moment before grabbing hold of the virus-cell that was in the Tell-Tale System''s possession, ''the power of Lore.''


    ''With those two powersbined, I can save my daughter.''

 Chapter 820 Punch Zaira Again, Again, And Again!

    "Die!" Magister shouted as he hurled a mountain-sized fireball at the truck. Considering its size, there was no way the truck could evade it unless it teleported away.


    And in response to that, Magister also unleashed a spell that sealed the space, preventing any spatial abilities, whether by friend or foe. With this, trapping Truck-Kun was easier.


    Mascot condensed a bow and pulled its bowstring, causing the arrow to gleam with a frightening amount of power, concentrated enough to vaporise everyone at the targeted scene, including Truck-Kun.


    She wasn''t holding back any longer, now fully intent to kill Compass Carburettor upon observing the desperate way the Systems were trying to capture Stencil and Gehera.


    Swoosh!


    The arrow barely left the bow before it was right before Compass Carburettor''s face, just its image causing his body to break down in response as the ss of the truck shattered, causing the bodies of those inside to begin dposing too.


    The fireball too arrived above the truck by this moment, causing everything in the region to vaporise.


    Compass Carburettor mmed his Spirit Morph at the attacks, grunting in pain as he was barely able to influence a tiny portion of the attacks, realising that death was upon him. But instead of reeling into despair, his smile deepened.


    After all, held in his right hand at chokepoint was the Tell-Tale System, the most valuable System. Its death would signify a rapid reduction in the expansion of the Systems.


    If the natives of a world weren''t wishing to obtain a System and change their lives for the better, they wouldn''t scream around in joy when a System enters their body in the future. Rather, they would think they are delusional or treat the System with apprehension despite being showered with benefits.


    This would imply that the resultant Mental Energy gained from the host wasn''t to the respective System''s benefit, causing it to make a loss. And if this continues, the losses of the System would pile up until it begins to lose a level, falling into a vicious cycle from there on.


    The worst thing about this was the fact that even Grade 4 Systems weren''t exempt from this rule. After all, without the firm-rooted belief created by the Tell-Tale System, the Genre Representatives would be able to gradually remove the influence of the Systems from the minds of the natives.


    Following that, the Systems wouldn''t gain any beneficial Mental Energy, gradually resulting in their decline. Eventually, they would disappear from history.


    Only the Tell-Tale System was capable of creating the concepts of Systems representing unrivalled benefit in the minds of the people, and also forming the core principle that the world operated at, so firmly rooted that the Genre Representatives were helpless, unable to be rid of it.


    The well-being of the Tell-Tale System represented the rise and fall of the Systems. This was why Zaira wanted to send the Tell-Tale System away from the start itself.


    Unfortunately, the moment Arnark arrived at the scene, the Tell-Tale System became the sole individual that could counter his Core Skill of Lore. Hence, it had to stay behind in the battle all along.


    Boom!


    Both the arrow and fireball mmed into the truck to create a resounding explosion, but the damage wasn''t dealt to the truck.


    Instead, Zaira red in hatred, diverting part of her strength to create a shield and defend against the attack, even at the expense of sustaining a mortal injury from Immortal.


    Immediately after, the truck swerved away and continued its escape, heading deeper and deeper into the broken space.


    "Attack!" Mascot shouted as she hurled more and more attacks at the truck while Magister worked on binding the truck as quickly as possible.<sub> </sub>


    In contrast, the Regression System leaped into the fray to defend against the attacks while the other Grade 3 Systems attacked the two Genre Representatives.


    The situation took a strange turn as the Systems were defending Compass Carburettor while the Genre Representatives were trying to kill him.


    Boom!


    Following by a resounding punch, a bunch of her teeth was flung out as Zaira copsed to the ground while Immortal stomped on her face viciously.


    "Die!" Zaira lifted her hand to punch Immortal''s throat while the other party coiled himself around her like a snake to lock her joints, gradually raising the strength to cause cracking sounds akin to thunderps to resound from her body.


    "Aargh!" Zaira shouted, struggling to break free but unable to do so as she sustained heavy injuries just now while trying to protect the Tell-Tale System. Immortal locked her hands with his legs, using his body weight to apply pressure on her hips while pressuring her legs at the joints.


    His body continued to be more and more heavy, weighing as much as a million starsbined as Immortal raised his fist before banging down on her face, causing it to strain in response before forming a depression. Blood sttered out like a fountain as Zaira was getting pummelled nonstop.


    Boom!


    He raised a hand and brought it down with a resounding punch, causing blood to gush out like aser and collide everywhere.


    "Gah!" A Grade 2 System was riddled with holes by a wave of blood stter, copsing to the ground before turning still. It died from the attack.


    "Shit!" The Regression System was locked in conflict with Mascot as the two simultaneously evaded the blood ssh in rm. It was powerful enough to injure even them, not to mention the others.


    "Hmph!" Truck-Kun coughed in exhaustion as he brought out a bunch of trucks to form a defense line that tanked the blood stter, exploding in response. But somehow, they managed to prevent the blood stter from reaching the people seated in the final truck.


    Zaira''s blood continued to stter as every thundered punch sent shivers down the bodies of the Systems that were rmed at the scene, despairing at their System World being overwhelmed by the other party.


    If the System World was destroyed, they wouldn''t have a future.


    "Quick! Capture Gehera and Stencil! Zaira needs them to win this fight!" The Regression System bellowed before rushing at the truck.


    "Kill them before the Systems get their hands on them!" Mascot bellowed as she, Magister, yer, and Arnark charged in with the intent to kill those in the truck. The battle turned vicious as thundering sounds resounded in the back, like a ticking time bomb.


    Boom!


    Immortal punched Zaira once again, twisting his body to evade her resistance, absorbing the energy behind the abilities she spewed out before crashing her head into the ground that suddenly manifested, causing her blood to flow like a river.


    He craned his head backward before headbutting her, cracking her skull, and causing a sea of Mental Energy to leak out from the attack, amidst Zaira''s painful screams.

 Chapter 821 Stencil Breaks Loose

    Spirit Morph!


    The truck rushed through a river of blood as a goodyer of blood underneath the surface was transformed into Mental Fragments that Compass Carburettor absorbed. It wasn''t just these that he was absorbing.


    The Genre Representatives hurled attacks at him while the Systems defended him. There were traces of attacks from both sides spewing everywhere. He targeted them too, transforming the remainder of the powers into Mental Fragments to absorb.


    It wasn''t just these, but the body parts of Immortal and Zaira that were being thrown around as a result of their fight were also his target.


    While constantly on the run, taking advantage of going between two opposing sides, Compass Carburettor was doing preparations of his own.


    In his Dreand, pretty much all the Secret Society members that he could create using his Mental Fragments had formed as they were working on something.


    Truck-Kun took a nce at him before his face paled, "W-What the heck are you making?"


    Shush!


    Compass Carburettor ced his index finger before his lips, motioning Truck-Kun to remain silent as he said, "Ensure to retain all the aura from this within the truck. If it leaks out, our n would fail."


    ''Madman!'' This was the thought that resounded in Truck-Kun''s mind. Even though he had no way to check what Compass Carburettor was nning, but as someone that had seen millions upon millions of people, he was an expert in facial and body reading.


    A nce was all he needed to understand the other party''s intentions. And currently, no matter how much Compass Carburettor acted otherwise, Truck-Kun was able to see through the fa?ade, in his eyes, all that he witnessed was a maniac that had long since lost all semnce of sanity and humanity.


    The only desire left in him was to devour everything to save his daughter.


    Crack!


    Suddenly, the Hunter System slipped through the battle before leaping onto the truck, cracking its ceiling as it thrust its sword inside.


    "Kyak!" Stencil screamed in pain and got up as the sword cut into the sides of her stomach, injuring her.


    The pain woke her up as immediately, she exerted strength in her muscles, rupturing the binding on her, unleashing a formless effect that vaporised the Mental Fragments forming the bindings.


    The Secret Society member that had transformed into the bindings couldn''t even let out a scream before he died.


    Boom!


    Stencil leapt onto the ss of the truck, shattering it with a punch before exiting it tond on the ceiling.


    "Stencil!" Compass Carburettor shouted in rm as his body transformed into Mental Energy before forming beside her.


    "Gross!" Stencil spat in disgust as she poked with her index finger, causing a section of his body to turn into dust and vanish, causing him to copse in rm, for a moment losing all his strength.


    "You''re here!" The Hunter System grinned joyously as it extended its hand to capture Stencil, groaning in pain when suddenly, its hands stopped.


    Holding it was an even bigger hand, created by Compass Carburettor whose figure expanded in size as an ear-piercing sound resounded in its mind.


    [Don''t you freaking dare touch my daughter!]


    He opened his mouth to unleash a projectile that mmed into the Hunter System''s face, plunging partway into it before flinging it away.


    The Hunter System plunged its sword into the ground, causingrge cracks as its body came to a stop from the momentum. But, just when it wished to chase after the truck, the ground transformed into an ocean.


    It was Immortal that had done so, changing terrains in the broken space as he wished to better attack Zaira.


    But, as a manifestation of the genre, the Hunter System was an expert hunter, rapidly gaining strength as it rushed on the water surface, quickly reaching Stencil.


    "Tch!" Stencil snorted in anger as her eyes suddenly turned scaly, ring at the Hunter System who suddenly copsed into the water like it had experienced a heart attack. Theyer of armour covering it vaporised in an instant.


    Dota¡ªSystem Punishment!


    She then turned around to stare at the worried face of her father, snorting in disdain, "Don''t you dare look at me like that. I don''t even know you."


    "Come back!" Compass Carburettor shouted in rm upon seeing Stencil leap into the water and swim away. Quickly, a couple dozen Secret Society members branched out from his body and jumped into the water, trailing around her in a protective formation.


    They all transformed into sharks, swimming at tremendous speeds than what sharks were capable of. Moreover, they continued to elerate until being able to keep up with Stencil''s movements whose body gradually resembled a reptile more and more before turning streamlined to assume an aquatic form.


    Dragon of Systems!


    Having inherited Dota''s power, Stencil was capable of a variety of things, no longer having limits like before. The current collective consciousness piloting her seemed intent on freedom as she continued to escape from the scene.


    Unfortunately, this collective consciousness wasn''t aware that she was the cause of this battle as immediately, both the warring sides rushed in her direction, keeping her at the centre of conflict.


    In response, the sharks surrounding her unleashed mist projectiles at the Systems and lightning projectiles at the other side to keep them at bay.


    "Kyaak!" Stencil screamed in shock when she was suddenly grabbed hold of by a terrifyingly powerful entity, watching the sharks surrounding her in a protective formation suddenly re up with a mysterious disease before dying within a second.


    "Got you!" The Invader System grinned, its deformed face healing rapidly upon absorbing energy from the sharks that it had just invaded and gained power from.


    Stencil unleashed System punishment, rmed upon seeing the Invader System grunted in pain but endure the attack. Moreover, with the passing of each second, it was growing more and more powerful.


    "Don''t do it! It''s dangerous to recall all of your fragments!" The Apocalypse System shouted in rm.


    "It''s fine," In response, the Invader System pointed at the wounded state of Zaira, "There''s no use keeping my power dispersed through the thousands of worlds just to leave an easy route of revival for myself. If the System World copses, we have no future. If the Tell-Tale System copses, we have no future."


    It then stared at Stencil, "If Stencil grows, we have no future. So, the time is imminent. Ignore our potential deaths and summon your everything."


    "Gah!" Stencil struggled to break free, watching her attacks slowly fail to damage the opponent anymore as even though the Invader System was the same height as before, it was visibly growing stronger.


    "I will lose my hold over all the apocalyptic worlds." The Apocalypse System sighed before absorbing all its fragments from the millions of apocalyptic worlds, craning its fists to m into Magister, sending him flying in response.


    It was now strong enough to face Magister alone, for, in terms of Genres, apocalypse was almost on par with magic.

 Chapter 822 Seeker Of Mysteries

    Boom!


    Magister mmed into the ocean to give rise to a tsunami that caused all the Systems to lose bnce. Following that, his figure mmed into the crust beneath, forming arge crater as for a moment, he became unresponsive.


    But an instantter, his eyes regained rity of mind as the water surrounding him vaporised. His figure took flight as gradually, a magic circle manifested behind him, one that gradually grew in size to form a parent magic circle while more than a billion magic circles appeared all around it.


    The space turned viscous, making it feel like everyone was moving through the ground, barely able to move past the soil blocking their way, when in truth, they were above ground.


    Compass Carburettor aimed his Spirit Morph at the closest magic circle, shocked upon seeing his ability getting deflected, ''What¡­is this power?''


    "So, the Genre Representatives weren''t just idling all along. They too have created an ultimate power." The Regression System was rmed as it nced at the Apocalypse System, nodding simultaneously as all the Systems began to grow in strength.


    They no longer held back but recalled all their fragments scattered in the tens of thousands of worlds they were in the process of conquering and had already conquered.


    For a moment, all the Hunters in a Hunter World fell asleep as even the world itself went into a state of stasis, no longer operating like usual. The bodies of all the Hunters turned weak as the Hunter System fragments in them vanished, heading to the System World as a stream of starlight.


    Following that, they descended onto this battlefield, raining down starlight that was absorbed by the Systems, causing them to be dozens of times stronger than before.


    This was why Apocalypse was able to punch Magister away so easily.


    But, it seemed that Magister had no ns to attack normally, for the situation was climaxing at an rming rate. And hence, he unleashed his pinnacle form.


    Genre Representation¡ªSeeker of Mysteries!


    This was an ability on par with the Core Manifestation that only Grade 3 and above Systems were capable of. Just as how a System needed to be at Grade 3 to unleash a Core Skill Manifestation, a Genre Representative should also represent a major genre to pull off a Genre Representation.


    Mascot stared at Magister in silence, watching the body of the other party gradually dissolve and disappear into the surroundings. ''So, you went and did it.''


    Instantly, every single entity on the battlefield, including Zaira found themselves in a vast world, one that seemed to have devoured the essence of the apocalyptic setting to create a supernatural world, filled with ghosts and the like.


    Aiee!


    Faint whispers, akin to speedy winds echoed in their surroundings, one littered with houses that seemed to be inhabited by giants hundreds of metres in height. But, there was no soul in the surroundings except for the battling parties.


    Compass Carburettor stared at a rock nearby, unleashing Spirit Morph on it, shocked upon seeing him take almost a minute to transform this rock that was barely the size of his head.


    There wasn''t anything special with this rock, but the fact that even something this simple took so much time meant that the rules of this world were of the highest ss. And his ability, one that could once convert an entire world created by Zaira in a matter of seconds was now only able to affect a rock, and even that took a minute.


    This was what a Genre Representation meant. By harnessing the power of all his worlds in full, Magister erected a superior world that had the foundation to withstand this level of battle.


    Even Immortal''s attacks that once ruptured the space now only destroyed a hill in this setting. Even the current Immortal would need to spend a lot of time, effort, and power to break out of this world.


    A Secret Society member looked around in a fluster, observing that he was trapped within a courtyard, unable to leave the ce irrespective of what he did.


    Suddenly, he noticed his legs melting, rmed as he unleashed his powers, only to find out that he couldn''t detect the source, melting into a puddle in a matter of seconds. Following that, an eerie spectre shed past in an instant before the courtyard turned silent.


    ''Many of me are dying inrge droves.'' Compass Carburettor thought as he was still within the safety of the truck. The one outside was just a Secret Society member disguised as himself.


    A good fraction of the members had long since disguised themselves into Stencil''s clothes, capable of protecting her from harm anytime. So, even though she was in the Invader System''s clutches, he still had a method to save her.


    ''But even if I save her now, as long as I don''t escape from this ce, she would be targeted again.'' Thinking as such, he gritted his teeth, focusing on his Dreand with a maniacal gaze, watching the thousands of Secret Society members working rapidly to do something to the Main Character System fragment in his possession.


    And for that, he had also sent out a lot of Secret Society members that braved through the dangerous terrain, amidst all odds to collect materials from the war efforts.


    Suddenly, a sun manifested above the truck and mmed into it when the truck swerved to the side, going behind the Apocalypse System that was charging beside it.


    This forced the Apocalypse System to tank the sun and protect Compass Carburettor. After all, held in his possession was the Tell-Tale System, one that he had wrapped around using his body, preventing it from even shouting for help, cutting off all contacts.


    After all, heyered the inside of his body with the mist that turned the Tell-Tale System''s body immobile while using Punisher Lightning as a means to destroy any Mental Energy streams it let out.


    This way, he continued to shave off parts of its body, little piece by little piece while continuing to dodge the attacks.


    "Zaira, take this!" The Invader System said as it clenched its hand into a fist and threw Stencil towards Zaira at speeds beyond what she could react.


    Swoosh!


    Stencil made a beeline towards Zaira when suddenly, a wall of bones appeared in-between, created by the magical world, covered with baleful faces that could suck in the souls of any nearby.


    And the moment she approached close to it, Stencil screamed in pain as her soul began to be pulled out of her body.

 Chapter 823 Death Of Cultivation

    "I''ll¡­do it!" Technocraft sighed as he waved his hand, influencing the world before him to make it align with his genre, breaking it out of Immortal''s rule.


    "Remember that you''re now one of those that caused a permanent change to the state of things in our multiverse." Mystique appeared beside him once again to state in concern; this was the Mystique that had aligned with the Genre Representatives.


    He had just appeared, only to see that things had already taken a turn for the worse. Technocraft had already done the deed, finally tipping the scales of a changing era.


    "Immortal is harnessing the Regression System''s power to regain his peak power. That puts a strain on the timelines of every single world that once existed as part of the Cultivation Genre." Technocraft sighed helplessly, "His actions would create a singrity that would destroy pretty much every single world. This is the only way to avoid that future."


    Tears streamed out of his eyes, "After all, a good fraction of my worlds too shared history with the Cultivation Genre."


    He then stared at Mystique, "What do you expect me to have done?"


    "I''m not ming you." Mystique said with a sombre tone, "If only I could appear an hour ago, things wouldn''t have worsened to this point. I would have prevented Zaira and Conjurer from meeting in that world."


    "s, we have no other choice but topletely sever Immortal from history. Otherwise, his regression would cause every single world that ever had a connection to him to implode and take us all down with him." Mystique shook his head, sensing through his senses that all the surviving cultivation worlds rapidly lost their alignment with the Cultivation Genre thanks to Technocraft''s actions.


    And in order to maintain their functions, they rapidly aligned themselves with the Genre Representatives that represented them the best following Immortal.


    Of course, there were also worlds with a stable foundation that could exist on their own. These worlds still maintained their cultivation world status, but were too discrete and cut off from each other to ever birth a Cultivation Genre Representative.


    The domino effect of losing that one world resulted in the death of the Cultivation Genre.


    The Era of Cultivation was no more.


    "Let''s go," Mystique said, "We need to pay those Systems a visit. There''s too much fate at y in the current battle."


    "Yeah¡­" Technocraft nodded in response before his eyes widened as he dodged an attack, staring at two massive figures appearing before them.


    Grade 4 System¡ªTransmigration (Level 377)!


    Grade 4 System¡ªReincarnation (Level 391)!


    And instantly, half of their umted Mental Energy was expended as a unified voice resounded from the two Systems, "Having you interfere would result in our loss. So, we were waiting to take action."


    "Core Skill Manifestation¡­"


    "Shit!" Mystique cursed in rm upon seeing the four of them being wrapped up in a space-time bubble.


    "We''ll stall you long enough." Saying so, the Regression System pounced upon the two Genre Representatives, taking care to endure attacks from two of the strongest Genre Representatives.


    "Dammit!" Technocraft red in anger as he manifested a gigantic canon that sted a beam powerful enough to destroy a universe, watching the space-time bubble crack in response before the two Grade 4 Systems healed the damage, "It seems we''ll be trapped inside for a while."


    Mystique sighed, "Seems you''re on your own for now, Compass."


    ¡­


    Zaira gasped, unable to feel her body anymore, beaten and battered rmingly as she was vexed upon seeing Immortal''s strength continue to climb higher and higher, almost reaching an explosive state, rmed, ''No, he has regressed too much. He''s about to implode now! That would destroy all worlds, including the System World!''


    "Zaira! Catch this!" Upon the Invader System''s shout, Zaira''s eyes shot open, bloody as they red at Immortal before sensing Stencil being flung at her in full strength.


    Moreover, she noticed a baleful wall of bones appear in the path of flight, created by Magister, one that oozed with enough power to kill Stencil at a mere touch.


    Zaira extended her hand to destroy the wall and capture Stencil when Immortal stomped on her hand, shattering it in response, causing her to scream, "Grahhh!"


    "Give up, Zaira. Your death is imminent¡­" Immortal said as he raised his staff before plunging it into Zaira''s skull, intending to deliver her death when suddenly, the staff shattered, causing his attack to miss.


    "Gah!" Immortal coughed up blood as suddenly, his body rapidly lost strength and began to crack.


    ''Did they finally do it?'' Zaira didn''t let up the chance as she wriggled her body and broke free of Immortal''s hold, pushing him to the side as she leaped forth to jump on the bone wall, screaming in pain while she resisted it and opened her mouth, intending to devour Stencil.


    "Shit!" Arnark cursed in rm as he activated all his Core Skills at the same time, gritting in stress at the sheer pressure of activating so many powerful abilities. His figure boomed towards Stencil to push her to the side before punching Zaira in the face, causing her to miss.


    But, things didn''t end at that point as suddenly, Stencil''s flight path began to regress, causing her to return through the path, towards a point closest to Zaira.


    "Die!" Mascot screamed shrilly before unleashing another arrow suffusing with the power of cheats, sending it booming at Stencil.


    The Apocalypse System hurriedly jumped in the fray to defend against the arrow, still being sent reeling back in response as part of the arrow veered off to m into Stencil, destroying her limbs.


    "No¡­" Immortal gasped as he tried to leap at Zaira when the Waning Essence System, World Spirit System, and the rest of the Systems ganged upon him to tear into his body rapidly. Having lost all his power, he was just a mere paper tiger of his original self, a feast for the Systems to dine upon.


    yer erected a domain at the ce, pushing the Invader System aside as he approached Stencil first, watching Arnark keep Zaira at bay as he condensed a fist full of destructive energy and sent it raining down upon Stencil.


    Boom!

 Chapter 824 Rise Of The Aggressor

    "I''m done." One of the Secret Society members announced as he exited Compass Carburettor''s Dreand, "My Dreand isplete."


    "Get inside." Compass Carburettor said while facing Truck-Kun, "You''ll be safe in there. That Dreand has been created using Mental Fragments sourced from all these Core Skill Manifestations and the current Genre Representation. It''s stable enough to house you."


    "Alright, don''t die." Truck-Kun stared at his eyes before entering the Dreand, bringing Hazen and Gehera with him. Following that, the member attached himself to Compass Carburettor''s body.


    Phew!


    He took in a deep breath before staring at Stencil with a pained expression upon seeing her limbs being cut off. His body seethed in rage, unwilling to stare at his daughter being harmed.


    But, he had no choice. He had one chance to pull this off, failure of which would mean his daughter would either be consumed by Zaira or be killed by a Genre Representative.


    The world became eerier and eerier as from time to time, the Systems were stuck in illusions they couldn''t break out from, rapidly aged like mortals, and even lost their minds. If the other Systems didn''t help them with activating myriad Core Skills to shave off the effects, they would have lost their lives, especially since they epassed their whole selves now.


    Staring at the scenery of the world rapidly flickering as Magister targeted Stencil, Compass Carburettor awaited the best time, watching the Systems be on the verge of killing Immortal. Soon, Immortal''s eyes lost their light as his body copsed into fragments of light spectacle.


    Now!


    Instantly, more than a billion streams of Mental Energy gushed out of the ground, with a good fraction of them flowing through Immortal''s dissipating body, unleashing Spirit Morph on the loosely scattered power to absorb them all before flowing towards Stencil.


    The rest of the Mental Energy streams sted out into mist and Punisher Lightning, rming everyone, for they had never expected Compass Carburettor to amass such a frightening level of strength in a short amount.


    And worst of all, the quality of his powers was many times greater than before.


    ''He was holding back all along?'' Arnark was rmed before shaking his head, hurriedly turning around to stare at the truck, only to observe in horror that the truck had vanished. Truck-Kun, Gehera, and the unconscious Hazen had disappeared.


    His eyes shot towards Immortal''s corpse, noticing a smile on his face before it was drowned by the millions of Mental Energy Streams that brushed past.


    yer was before Stencil, his fist gradually inching towards her in order to deliver the killing blow. His eyes widened in shock as Mental Energy streams began to converge around her.


    He instinctively activated countless abilities, watching in rm as they were drowned and devoured by the millions of Mental Energy streams. He didn''t have the time to unleash a stronger attack.


    Zaira''s limbs weren''t functional anymore. She needed a lot of time to recover from Immortal''s devastating attacks. By activating her remaining power, she leaped forth, inching towards Stencil as her mouth opened wide, intending to devour both Stencil and yer.


    That would be like dealing with two of her enemies in one attack.


    "Master!" Arnark activated all his power to push away Zaira and defend yer.


    "No!" The Regression System leapt onto Arnark to stop him while the other Systems all ganged upon the core of the scene, all to satisfy their respective efforts, all while the Mental Energy streams congregated around Stencil.


    They swirled before condensing into the figure of Compass Carburettor that sported a maniacal expression, his body covering Stencil in a protective embrace as she was forcefully knocked unconscious before being ced into the Dreand of one of the members.


    Mental Energy streams spilled out of his body to create a cacophony of arcs that blinded the senses of everyone, whether it be the Systems, the Genre Representatives, or even the Main Character¡ªArnark.


    Each Mental Energy stream was a Secret Society member that he had created ever since he obtained an infinite energy supply from Immortal.


    Using that, Compass Carburettor created multiple modes of avenues that engaged in a battle. First was the Compass Carburettor that fought against the various entities. They were constantly switched up, preventing the Systems from verifying whether it was the true body fighting them or not.


    As everyone was the same, and the original, they couldn''t make a difference.


    The second was the constant collection of abilities through the usage of Spirit Morph, targeting the attack exchange of the colliding parties.


    The third was the collection of the terrain and its essence using Spirit Morph. The resultant Mental Fragments were used to properly construct the Dreands of the members. After all, only then would a member be able to unleash his true power.


    The fourth was to create an army of ants that burrowed into the ground and devoured the bits and pieces of Systems that broke off during the attacks. This also included the blood of beings like yer, Arnark, Zaira, and even Immortal.


    Fifth was the consumption of Immortal''s broken body after his death.


    And finally, it was the repeated usage of his abilities of mist and Punisher Lightning that caused everyone to be wary of them and work hard on creating countermeasures.


    It was these six points that veiled what he was truly creating, using the Main Character System fragment that he stole from Arnark, a fragment that apanied Compass Carburettor first, appearing the moment he became a System yer.


    All along, using the infinite supply of energy, he had been using tens of thousands of members to unleash the power of Spirit Morph to gradually break it down into Mental Fragments that he processed and birthed a member out of.


    The substance of this member was created out of the blood and body parts of Arnark, yer, Zaira, and Immortalbined. His Dreand was created with the greatest foundation by deriving Mental Fragments out of the two Core Skill activations and the Genre Representation.


    And finally, there was the spice necessary to pull this off¡­


    "Wait¡­" Arnark''s face paled in response as he shouted in rm, "Where''s the Tell-Tale System?"


    Devoured!


    Zaira was fighting Immortal, and in the final phase of their battle, she wasn''t able to extricate herself from him, almost pummelled to her death.


    The Systems were busy fighting the Genre Representatives to protect the Tell-Tale System, all while being unaware that Compass Carburettor was eating it out from the inside. After all, with its body constricted by the mist and messages blocked by Punisher Lightning, it couldn''t express its state to the Systems.


    Moreover, as he gained Mental Fragments from its body, Compass Carburettoryered it carefully in his Dreand, synchronising it with the power gained from Truck-Kun, creating a version unique to his own.


    Thanks to that, he could rapidly vary the potency of his mist and other abilities, causing him to steal power from the Tell-Tale System even faster, eventually reaching a point when he consumed it entirely.


    Following that, he was working on three Dreands in total. The first was his own Dreand, created using Mental Fragments sourced from Truck-Kun and Tell-Tale System.


    The second was the Dreand of his right-hand Secret Society member, created using the various worlds that had appeared during this battle, creating a Dreand where Truck-Kun, Stencil, Hazen, and Gehera currently took refuge.


    And finally, there was his left-hand Secret Society member, created using Mental Fragments sourced from the Main Character System fragment, bodies of the various Systems, and the attacksunched by all the parties.


    The eyes of every single entity widened in shock upon seeing a single Compass Carburettor stand in the centre, at a location where Stencil was before.


    This was the Compass Carburettor with a maniacal gaze, the left-hand Secret Society member that grinned as suddenly, a voice resounded throughout the ce.


    "I was born a beggar, my talent suppressed by a money-making machine created by a yer''s scheme. When betrayed, I found a path, through the route schemed by the machines, only to be enlightened as I forged my own path to be the main character."


    "But, I was wrong, for the main character too was a machine, just with different ideals. s, the realisation came toote, but I persisted, with the power I made my own. And now, as a merchant, I will aggressively give return gifts for the hospitality I had been shown, with gratefulness stemming from the bottommost part of my heart, to make all the schemers have a small taste of your own medicine, a minor sting if you so say."


    The voice became emotional to give a conclusion, like an orator, "And that is my tale, of a failed, useless merchant, and a helpless father who vows to deliver my vow of aggression to everyone, as Compass Carburettor."


    The body of the Secret Society member resembling Compass Carburettor shone with a resounding hue as he smirked, "Now that I''ve told you my tale, have a taste of my gift. After all, I was originally a merchant that sold weapons."


    Swinnng!


    With the Mental Fragments of the Main Character System at the core, following the fusion of all the attacks unleashed onto the battlefield until now, and finally, the cmitous implosion that Immortal was about to experience, created with that was something that humans on Earth prided themselves with, as the race with the most experience in eradicating other races.


    A Bomb!


    ''Ahh¡­damn.'' Zaira''s mouth closed slowly upon seeing the Secret Society member shine with suffocating energy, bracing herself for the impact as in the next second, there was deathly calm.


    Light spread around and covered the entire world, one that was abination of the Apocalypse System''s Core Skill Manifestation and Magister''s Genre Representation, vaporising it in an instant as all the peak entities were drowned by the power.


    The Grade 2 Systems stared with a helpless sigh as their bodies were vaporised by the resounding sheen that drowned everything in its path, revolving like a sphere that now epassed the battlefield world, vanishing after a second, leaving nothing behind, signalling the rise of another power in the multiverse.


    Volume 4: Rise of the Aggressor¡ªThe End!

 Chapter 825 Hero Vs Villain

    "This is a warning from the City State Nampur Police, criminal Pink Jail, surrender! I repeat. Criminal Pink Jail, surrender!"


    A helicopter rushed through a metropolis, using its head beam to highlight a humanoid figure dashing through the streets like a lizard, casually running across the walls of the skyscrapers alongside.


    A cop chased after the humanoid figure through car, skidding around a corner before leaping out of the door with expert movements, pulling out his gun to empty the clip in a matter of seconds.


    "Kyahahaha! You hypocrites are damn funny as usual. Why don''t you leave behind your stoic faces and have some fun?" The humanoid figure spun around as the bullets mmed into their cape, losing all their momentum to fall like pelted stones.


    Boom!


    But suddenly, the moment they impacted the ground, it was as if each bullet was a meteor weighing hundreds of kilograms, creatingrge craters.


    "Kyaak!" The pedestrians at the side of the street screamed as they huddled under any shelter nearby, flinching in fear every time a bullet mmed to form a crater.


    "Stop shooting!" Suddenly, a firm hand grabbed hold of the cop''s shoulder, stating as he turned around, "Pink Jail can jail any substance within a selected item of her choice. Against her, all projectiles are useless."


    The cop stared at the owner of the firm voice, expressing relief to state in excitement, "Muscle Lantern! You''re here!"


    "Can you move?" Muscle Lantern, a man wearing a bright orange suit oozing gaudiness asked with a serious tone, "I''ll reinforce your muscles. Evacuate the people."


    "On it!" The cop nodded, watching Muscle Lantern shine a ray of light on him, causing his muscles to bulge before power oozed into him, causing the cop to feel as if he was on steroids.


    He jumped past, noticing that he was on par with an athlete in terms of speed now, grabbing the people on the roads as he ced them within the buildings.


    "Everyone, I''ll help you. Run to the buildings!" Muscle Lantern shouted with a booming voice as he unleashed a beam that cast on everyone, empowering their bodies to allow them to flee.


    "Can''t you leave me alone? I just want to have some fun." The one that spoke was Pink Jail, fluttering along the wind as she stood on the side of a building near its top, her pink suit glistening under the evening sun.


    Viin¡ªPink Jail!


    Possessing the power to jail any substance within an object. Generally, she stuffed the ambient air into the objects to manipte their properties.


    Just consider the way she ran across the walls. Pink Jail first jailed air within the confines of the walls, causing them to leak in such a manner that the airwaves formed footholds for her to run across, with some even coiling around her legs to prevent her from falling.


    Pink Jail wasn''t a strong power, but was something she turned strong through insane training. While stopping the bullets before, she stuffed air in them and caused the air to exit from their front, unleashing enough power to cancel their momentum.


    Moreover, she did this while maintaining consistent internal pressure within the bullet to prevent it from exploding due to the stress. Also, she performed this for all the bullets flying at her bordering the speed of sound.


    It disyed the terrifying control she wielded over her power, making her a terrifying viin.


    Held in one hand was arge bag filled with valuables worth millions. And held in the other was a palm-sized box, one she always carried with her.


    By jailing air within the box, she caused the air to leak out as she desired, unleashing a thrust to carry her in the air, bnce her body during the theatrics she enacted, and even attack her enemies to catch them off guard.


    Boom!


    And that was what she did, unleashing a gust of wind at Muscle Lantern to send him flying. Though of course, Muscle Lantern was fine, brushing the attack as he jumped, flying through the sky to close in on her.


    Hero Suit¡ªFlight!


    In their world, specialised suits were created that epassed an ability of their own that the wielder could harness. Muscle Lantern was capable of strengthening his body muscles as he pleased, allowing him to perform superhuman feats.


    But, as he was a closebat unit, hecked mobility, and that was where the ability of flight imbued in his Hero Suit came into effect.


    "Surrender, viin!" Muscle Lantern shouted as he punched Pink Jail in the stomach, intending to knock out the other party.


    But suddenly, intense winds gushed out of her body as Pink Jail took off to the skies, grinning, "Did you think I was standing here for a viinous pose?"


    "Wrong! There was a water pipeline flowing through this ce¡­"


    "What?" Muscle Lantern''s face paled in response, watching the wall crack before a geyser of water mmed into him, sending him flying into the opposite skyscraper, raising screams of concern from the people.


    "Gah!" Muscle Lantern coughed once as he pushed away the rubble, getting up to see Pink Jail flying through the air at speeds beyond which the helicopter could follow, gritting his teeth in anger, "Damn it!"


    "Muscle Lantern¡­failed?" The people were shocked as countless passersby clicked pictures of a frustrated image of the Muscle Lantern. And soon, the pictures made their way into the evening news as the news anchor spoke with enthusiasm.


    "This is the second time Muscle Lantern failed to apprehend Pink Jail this month. Is this a sign of failure among the Heroes? Or is Muscle Lantern just getting in on age to engage in Heroism any longer?"


    "Damn these reporters!" A remote mmed into the TV as a middle-aged man cursed in response. He was Muscle Lantern in civilian clothes, "It''s hard to make a living as heroes these days."


    "Is that why you''re colluding with me?" A sultry voice resounded from nearby as a middle-aged woman walked out from the kitchen, setting up dinner on the table as she spoke, "Why don''t you just retire? I can still be active on the field."


    "Shut up!" The middle-aged man snorted in disdain, "Even though you''re strong, don''t you dare underestimate my junior Heroes. I''ve trained them, so I know very well that you might lose your life facing them."


    "Even if my reputation falls further, as long as we enact one more heist, we''ll have enough money to sustain ourselves for the rest of our lives." He said, staring at the middle-ageddy with a loving gaze, "Besides, Heroism and Viinism are too dangerous for the wellbeing of our children."


    The Hero Muscle Lantern and the Viin Pink Jail were a married couple with children.

 Chapter 826 Cat Doll

    Hero Muscle Lantern had been active on duty for more than two decades now. Starting his career as a child prodigy that saved people on multiple asions, he had been on a constant rise to fame.


    Unfortunately, he quickly hit his limit in terms of growth, unable to go beyond that. His ability worked on strengthening the muscles of any body, whether human, animal, bird, fish or even an insect.


    But, there was a structural limit beyond which he couldn''t strengthen someone. Even if he did, the brain of the target was simply unable to withstand the rapid change, causing a breakdown of brain cells which turned the person more and more stupid over time.


    Even for him, during the peak of his career, he had to face terrifying Viins, having no other choice but to push his body beyond the limit. As a result, his brain took damage, causing him to be stupid over time aspared to his smart peak.


    Every time he did this, he became more and more stupid. He was still smart inparison to the average human, but not by much, a disy of how smart he was in his youth.


    But, this also meant that his efficiency in solving issues plummeted, causing his Hero Approval Ratings to engage in a steady decline. As a result, his remuneration also took a hit.


    In a world centered around Heroes and Viins, your poprity was a direct deration of the wealth you were remunerated with. And for Muscle Lantern, starting from being a Hero that protected the entire City State of Nampur to now only being in charge of a minor district, he had fallen a lot.


    It was to such an extent that if he didn''t do anything, he would be on the streets, unable to afford his lifestyle.


    That was when he schemed with his wife, Pink Jail to amass a lot of money.


    Pink Jail had been a vignte throughout her life, pursuing the viin that had killed her father. Eventually, she managed to kill her enemy and retired from a vignte life.


    And hence, there were no records about her, which worked in their favour as she could now y the role of a viin.


    Pink Jail would rob a bank using her powers while Muscle Lantern would try to stop her but fail in doing so. And in this manner, they nned to amass enough money required for the rest of their lives.


    After all, they had two children to feed. Education was damn expensive these days.


    "How much did we obtain until now?" Muscle Lantern asked after a sigh, switching off the television.


    "Twelve million," Pink Jail replied, "It''s enough tost us a decade even if we were to maintain our current lifestyle. Besides, I know a good investor. Through him, we can convert this into white money and gain long-term profits."


    "Twelve million¡­three million short of our goal." Muscle Lantern muttered as he opened a document and looked into its details, "In two days, there would be a replenishment of money to the Central Bank of Commerce. We''ll target that."


    "And once I fail to catch you, I''ll use the incident to resign." Muscle Lantern said, "Also, none of the other Heroes will be in the vicinity at that time."


    "That''s a nice n you got going there."


    "Who''s there?" Muscle Lantern shouted in rm as his muscles convulsed, growing stronger rapidly as his senses were stretched to the limit, allowing him to sense any living being in his vicinity.


    It was at this moment his senses captured a doll, of a cat, ced on the bed as his daughter cuddled with it. The cat was a mere doll, nothing rming about it.


    But for some reason, Muscle Lantern felt that something was amiss, hitting his beam of light on the cat to see its body wriggling slightly, causing him to shout, "Throw it away!"


    "Eh? What happened, dad¡­?" His daughter looked in puzzlement, staring at the cat doll sporting a smile, confusing her for it only sported a poker face until now. She never knew of a doll that could change its facial expression.


    Bang!


    A gust of air mmed into the head of the cat doll and sent it flying. Pink Jail had taken action first, hurriedly pulling her daughter into her embrace, "Are you alright?"


    Even though she was asking her daughter, she only stared at her husband, relying on his senses to sign in relief when he nodded, expressing that their daughter was unharmed.


    Her gaze fell on the cat doll thatcked a head now, its bodyy beside the bed while its head was spewed across the mattress in cotton pieces.


    Suddenly, the cotton pieces dissolved into a liquid before flowing into the cat doll, regrowing its head. The cat doll was just about to say something when the fist of Muscle Lantern kissed its face, sending it mming into the wall, this time sttering its body everywhere.


    "What the heck is this?" Muscle Lantern cursed in rm upon seeing the sttered fragments re-joining to form the cat doll once again. Grunting in anger, he punched it once again, "Let me see how long you can reform your body."


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    "D-Dad¡­?" His daughter trembled in fear while Muscle Lantern continued to pummel the cat doll.


    "It seems you have a limit." Muscle Lantern muttered upon seeing the cat doll reform itself slower this time, unleashing one more punch to stter its body, this time seeing the fragments vaporise into starlight before vanishing.


    But suddenly, a starlight stream shed past them, heading deeper into the house as Muscle Lantern shouted in rm, "This bastard isn''t dead yet?"


    "Not there!" Pink Jail shouted as she hurried across the room, entering a sealed room to see the cat doll standing there, now as a humanoid figure, many times bigger than before, and resembling a living being more than a doll.


    And held in its hand were two suits, belonging to the Muscle Lantern and Pink Jail respectively.


    "Don''t you dare!" Muscle Lantern shouted as his figure flickered, punching at the humanoid cat figure, his eyes widening in shock to see the humanoid figure vanish along with the two suits, and in its ce appeared a broken cat doll.


    The cat doll defended using its hands, pushing itself away from Muscle Lantern''s fists. Even though its body sttered from the impact, the humanoid form reappeared, hurriedly transforming into a starlight stream to vanish from view.


    Bam!


    "Our suits!" Muscle Lantern grunted in anger before turning around to stare at Pink Jail, "Take the children and head to a nearby shelter until I return. I''ll capture the thief."


    "Be careful, dear." Pink Jail said in worry before exiting the house with her children.


    Muscle Lantern had already leaped out of the window to pursue the thief, recalling the direction taken by the starlight stream. "How dare you steal my suit."

 Chapter 827 Reverse Transmigration

    Bang!


    The starlight stream crashed into a rack in a toy store to be the humanoid cat that panted in exhaustion.


    It slowly got up and grabbed a nearby toy, a stic figure of a dinosaur, spanning the length of a foot. The toy gradually melted and was absorbed by the humanoid cat figure who quickly rearranged the rack, keeping the fallen toys back in their original locations before transforming into a starlight stream that entered the rack, bing the dinosaur stic toy in its original location.


    A couple dozen secondster, the sounds of footsteps resounded in the ce as immediately, the figure of a middle-aged man appeared before the rack, casually grabbing hold of the dinosaur toy as he approached the counter, staring at the old man there, "I''ll buy this one."


    "Okay," The old man nodded as he stared at the toy, letting out a subtle smile, "Another remnant of the Contained Viin?"


    "Yup," The Muscle Lantern nodded in response, "There''s just no end to them. This is the third one I encountered just this week. It was hard to act like I saw it for the first time before my family."


    "Where''s your costume though?" The old man asked, "You shouldn''t use your powers without your costume. If your identity is leaked, your old enemies would..."


    ? "I know, sir." Muscle Lantern thanked the old man, "I''m grateful for your teachings."


    "It''s just the ramblings of a retired old man." The old man didn''t say much beyond that, took the money, and packed the toy in a gift wrap, "Take care."


    "You too," Muscle Lantern nodded as a mysterious energy exuded his body and enveloped the dinosaur toy, preventing it from taking action as he casually whistled a tune and returned home, dialling up his wife''s number, "You can return now. I''ve captured the thief."


    Fifteen minutester, Pink Jail arrived home, motioning for her children to fall asleep as she arrived at the living room, staring at the dinosaur toy in her husband''s possession, "Is that it?"


    "Yup, this was easier to catch than the previous one." He said before pushing the dinosaur toy towards her, "Can you wring out the suits from its internal storage?"


    "Piece of cake." Nodding in response, Pink Jail touched the stic toy, jailing air inside it until she noticed a mysterious dimension, casually breaking through its defences before invading inside, observing the humanoid cat seated inside.


    "You won''t escape." She said upon noticing the opponent''s startlement, causing the air to m into the humanoid cat to injure it before causing a leak in the ce, making the two suits spill into the real world.


    Upon observing that the two suits were undamaged, Pink Jail stared at her husband, "What shall we do with this? Fragment it might be, but it''s still part of the Contained Viin. Turning one in would gain us immense rewards from the Genesis Hero herself."


    "Genesis Hero..." Muscle Lantern shook his head immediately, "No, it''s too dangerous. I''ve seen her once in my younger days, she''s terrifying. And to date, she hasn''t aged a bit."


    He stared at his wife, "If we gain fame for turning in a fragment of the Contained Viin, we''ll gain attention worldwide and suffer the wrath of the other fragments. They might not have been active much in recent times, but there''s still enough of them out there."


    "Then, I''ll just kill it." Saying so, Pink Jail raised the force in her fist, crushing the dinosaur toy, watching it stter as the fragments vaporised into starlight before vanishing, causing the figure of the humanoid cat to appear.


    At this moment, Muscle Lantern unleashed a beam of light on it, causing its body to grow weak while he shed before it, punching its face in an effort to kill it once and for all.


    The humanoid cat barely raised its arms, causing it to spark with lightning as it defended against the attack, watching its hands vaporise in response as it crashed into the wall, sliding to the floor in exhaustion, staring at the two individuals before it weakly, ''To think things woulde to this.''


    It then watched the fist of the Muscle Lantern approaching its face once again, nking out in response, its final thought being, ''Things had gone south ever since that day seventy-five years ago.''


    ...


    Boom!


    The white sh of light spread around, destroying the world created by Magister''s Genre Representation, one that had enveloped the Apocalypse System''s Core Skill Manifestation to epass this.


    The sh of light spanned a mere two seconds, vanishing as abruptly as it arrived, revealing a void from where the Fantasy World was visible far away.


    The range of the sh of light only epassed the constructed world. And hence, the Fantasy World avoided a fate of destruction.


    "Aargh!" Zaira shouted in horror, "Is everyone alright?"


    "No..." The Apocalypse System muttered weakly, on the verge of death as it had suffered the worst of injuries, having been the closest to the attack.


    Zaira harnessed as much of her strength as possible and channelled it into the Apocalypse System, barely managing to keep it alive. She then looked around, unable to find any Grade 2 System.


    All had died.


    Among the Grade 3 Systems, despite their critical injuries, none were dead. Remaining in a protective embrace around them was the Regression System, in a state worse than the Apocalypse System as Zaira hurriedly supported it too.


    It was only thanks to it that the Grade 3 Systems survived. But at this time, Zaira''s face paled in shock, for she was unable to sense the Tell-Tale System any longer, copsing in despair as the records rted to the Tell-Tale System vanished from the System World.


    It meant that the Tell-Tale System had been killed.


    "Gah!" Arnark gasped for breath as his figure reappeared, copsing to his knees as he was out of energy. His Core Skill of Checkpoint was the sole reason he survived.


    He then turned around, sighing in relief upon watching yer revive. As the Fantasy World was perfectly alright, as its representative, even if his body was destroyed, yer wouldn''t die, just like a Genre Representative.


    He then stared at Zaira, nervous as both sides were at the end of their wits. The next blow by either side would result in the death of the other.


    Beep!


    At this moment, the figure of Compass Carburettor appeared in his Invoked Spirit form, hurriedly bringing out some Mental Fragments that took on a physical body form as he returned to the safety of the Dreand.


    The physical body transformed into a truck and crashed into the Waning Essence System that was the closest.


    Reverse Transmigration!


    Honk!


    The Waning Essence System stumbled weakly onto the forest floor, staring at its familiar surroundings to notice a couple of Grade 1 Systems staring at it with eyes simr tomoners gazing at their emperor.


    "Move!" Followed by a curt shout, the truck moved past the Waning Essence System, sending the Grade 1 Systems flying as its figure gradually turned transparent before vanishing.


    "To think he used the System World to leave...bastard." The Waning Essence System muttered before copsing, losing consciousness.

 Chapter 828 Let Me Rest, Please

    When the bomb exploded, the body of the Secret Society member too vaporised. But, it wasn''t his true body. The true body was the Invoked Spirit seated within the Dreand, one housed within the soul-mindbo of their body, almost akin to being in a different dimension.


    And hence, even when the body was destroyed, the member wasn''t dead. Once the effects of the explosion vanished, the member appeared in his Invoked Spirit form and then expended some Mental Fragments to create a new body.


    Compass Carburettor was huddled in the Dreand where the rest of his group was residing, braving the attack.


    Following that, he retracted the member¡ªwith the power of the Bomb¡ªinto his body and then transformed into the truck that mmed into the Waning Essence System, reverse transmigrating it to the System World.


    Normally, the rules of the System World would have begun rejecting him by now, since he wasn''t rted to a System¡ªneither a System Host, System yer, or the Main Character.


    But Zaira was abysmally weak at the moment, almost killed as a result of Immortal''s attacks and the final bomb unleashed by Compass Carburettor.


    So, the System World was in a weakened state.


    The truck moved through the System World, taking the chance to target the abundant Hatchling Systems at the ce. A gaze from him transformed them into Mental Fragments, leaving behind the core foundation of their bodies¡ªthe Coordinates.


    He stored the Coordinates in the Dreand of the member whose foundation allowed other living beings to live there.


    "Keuk!" Compass Carburettor felt a searing strain in his mind all of a sudden, noticing that his power was being expended rapidly. Without the infinite supply of power from Immortal, his state was returning to the original exhausted condition.


    Honk!


    The truck sped through the System World, stopping uponing across a sealed location, barring entry for even the Systems.


    Compass Carburettor nced inside, observing a System resembling an altar in which a sword was stabbed. But currently, blood leaked out of the altar as rashes spread across its entire body, akin to a living being.


    The System screamed in pain,ughing maniacally from time to time before soon, it pulled the sword out of the altar, losing all signs of activity.


    Thud!


    The System copsed to the ground as slowly, Mental Energy gushed into its body from the ground. The pulled-out sword dissipated while a new sword formed on the altar, causing it to get up after a few seconds had spanned past.


    The System gasped in exhaustion, staring at itself, "My condition has gotten worse. This shouldn''t be happening as long as the System World is wholly functional¡­"


    "Who''s there?" It shouted in rm, turning around to stare at the figure of the truck nearby, for a moment stupefied, "Something, not a System¡­is here¡­? In the System World?"


    "You¡­" It wished to deal with the invader when suddenly, it copsed to the ground, noticing the rash spread around on its body once again that began to bleed profusely, "Not again¡­!"


    "I see¡­" Compass Carburettor nodded upon staring at the condition of the System, also observing many other Systems further away in simr states. He even noticed many Grade 2 Systems, each akin to a hill and even a couple of Grade 3 Systems at the very back, resembling a mountain each, all suffering from something.


    "So, these are the Systems that have been infected by Mystique."


    He initially wished to use Spirit Morph on these weakened Systems and gain their strength. But upon realising that they had been affected by Mystique, he refrained from doing so. Even courting death had its limits.


    The Systems noticed his presence one after another, but before they could move through their suffering, the truck sped away, leaving the ce.


    During the journey, Compass Carburettor rearranged the Mental Fragments in his Dreand, focusing on those obtained from the Tell-Tale System as he tapped into the Astral Network, sensing a cobweb that extended from the System World and headed into millions upon millions of universes.


    They were like tributaries branching out from the primary river, stretching out without an end in sight.


    Compass Carburettor thought through his priorities, ''Currently, I need to treat Stencil and Hazen in a safe location without any disturbances. I already have the Tell-Tale System''s power, so I need to select a world that I can influence and use it as a device to heal Stencil.''


    With that, he decided upon his target, focusing on one of the thinnest tributaries to arrive at a world that the Tell-Tale System had just chanced upon and was in the process ofying down the basicws for the world.


    As the war sparked after that, it had to leave its work behind and arrive at the battlefield next to the Fantasy World.


    The Tell-Tale System hadid down some groundwork but hadn''t finished anything, making this world the perfect cost-effective world for Compass Carburettor to target. After all, the Astral Network only touched the world, but thews regarding the descent and ascent of Systems hadn''t been installed yet, so no Systems would be able to visit that world.


    Moreover, with the death of the Tell-Tale System, the Systems would be somewhat conservative in their actions, unlike before when they had nothing to fear.


    With that, Compass Carburettor focused on the coordinates of this world before activating the power of Truck-Kun as the truck vanished and appeared in the targeted world.


    "Ugh!" Compass Carburettor grunted and copsed to the ground, quickly reverting to his human form, having used up thest of his strength.


    He then closed his eyes, assuming a meditative posture, and turned immobile, healing his body and mind. Moreover, the sun cast a gentle ray of light onto the area, slowly generating Mental Energy in his body.


    And as he rested, his Mental Strength began to recover, albeit slowly. It would be a while before he recoverspletely.


    Upon his initial observation, Compass Carburettor found that this world was a technological world, simr to early twenty-first century Earth. ''Finally, a familiar setting.''


    Currently, he had appeared at the peak of a hill in the wilds, away from any human footprint. He wished to spend some time here, recuperating from the after-effects of the war.


    Unfortunately for him, fate seemed to have other ns as Compass Carburettor stared at the sky with a strained expression, observing massive streams of fate converge upon him, "Why¡­now?"


    Blood began to drip out of his body as suddenly, one of the members mmed out of him, copsing to the ground as he writhed around in pain as the entrance to his Dreand opened; the figure of Hazen and Stencil rushed out, both oozing killing intent as they stared at him.

 Chapter 829 I’m The Dragon Of Systems

    "Hazen¡­?" Compass Carburettor muttered, sporting a bit of hope that shattered in an instant upon noticing the parallel thoughts shared between him and the Secret Society member get cut off.


    "Graaahhh!" The Secret Society member forming his right-hand in terms of value, one whose Dreand was created by absorbing fragments from the Core skill Manifestation and Genre Representation now screamed in pain as he turned insane.


    The cause was, of course, Hazen. In the final moments, while protecting Stencil, a wave of collective consciousness flooded thanks to the Regression System''s actions. Hazen was impacted by them as a good chunk of the quantity invaded his mind.


    It forced him into a state of unconsciousness. And now, it seemed that they were wrestling with him to dominate his body.


    Even though Hazen was an expert in terms of the mind, the sheer quantity of collective consciousness he had to face proved beyond what he could handle. And while he was working on a solution, a collective consciousness had taken control of his body to attack the Secret Society member and break out of his Dreand.


    As for Stencil, the collective consciousness piloting her only remained silent until she was out of harm''s way before taking action.


    Thomp!


    Hazen stomped the Secret Society member''s head, shattering it into fragments, watching his body turn still as he gazed at Compass Carburettor, "Compass¡­take me back to my world¡­right now."


    "Are you back, Hazen?" Compass Carburettor asked in a hurry, feeling that Hazen''s state was strange.


    "Yeah¡­not fully though." Hazen said, staring at his hands that didn''t heed hismand, "Most of my actions are still determined by the collective consciousness."


    "I''ll take you back," Truck-Kun said as he too exited the Secret Society member''s Dreand, apanying Gehera as he was just about to grab Hazen when Stencil attacked them all.


    "What?" Hazen was surprised as his body instinctively defended against the attack. A secondter, he understood what had happened, "So, she''s not Stencil."


    "Don''t harm her!" Compass Carburettor said in rm upon seeing Hazen take a fighting stance, "With your power, we can save¡­"


    Boom!


    Stencil faced her palm his way and unleashed a beam of energy, sending him flying away before turning around to target Truck-Kun, watching him, Hazen and Genera leap away to evade the attack.


    Sporting a subtle grin, she arrived before the Secret Society member on the ground, cing her hand on his body to cause it to wriggle in response before transforming into a sphere.


    "The foundation of its Dreand is just perfect for my rise." Stencil said with a satisfactory smile, turning around to stare at the figure of an injured Compass Carburettor, "Two more Dreands worthy of note are left in you. With all threebined, I will exact revenge upon those System bastards."


    "Stencil! Stop! That''s your dad!" Gehera shouted as she took out a Totem and transformed it into a Magic Beast, causing it to arrive between Stencil and Compass Carburettor.


    "Hahaha! My dad?" Stencilughed hysterically, almost gasping in response as she stared at Compass Carburettor, "Him?"


    She red at Gehera, "There''s zero biological resemnce between us two. Or rather, neither of us is human. Even in terms of gic information, there''s nothingmon between us. He''s a strange, murky entity with a unique fate signature. Whereas¡­"


    Stencil announced with a tone of arrogance, "I''m the Dragon of Systems."


    "Besides," She stared at the four people around her, licking her lips, "All of you have interesting abilities to harvest."


    Boom!


    A formless suppressing force mmed into them as Gehera was the first to buckle under the pressure, staring in shock, ''How did Stencil be so strong?''


    Only then did she notice that the sun was high up in the sky, almost reaching noon, recalling Stencil''s prior words, ''Is that how it works for her?''


    Stencil was Compass Carburettor''s daughter. So at first nce, it didn''t make sense that the collective consciousness piloting her body would be considering them as a target, especially since they had fought on the behalf of her body''s well-being, which implied the well-being of all the collective consciousness too.


    But of course, there was the Regression System''s y here. While targeting Stencil with its Core Skill Manifestation, it thought of the best way to nullify Stencil''s potential,ing up with a brilliant strategy.


    What was the characteristic trait of the majority of those in a Cultivation World?


    Short-sighted! Dishonest! Cunningly focused on benefits!


    And among the various collective consciousness of the Cultivation Worlds, the Regression System focused on the worst of them all, sending them into Stencil.


    Therefore, the majority of the collective consciousness present in Stencil was absolutely cunning retards that were dishonest in nature, biting the hands that fed them without remorse if it meant beneficial to them, irrespective of the value and longevity of the benefit.


    Currently, the collective consciousness piloting Stencil pocketed the Secret Society member, gradually absorbing all the Mental Energy stored in him. As the one with the biggest Dreand, the Mental Energy stored in him was also the highest.


    And by absorbing it, Stencil gained enough power to exhibit her strength. But after the first attack, she realised that her opponents weren''t someone she could capture so easily, as each had strange powers that could overwhelm her if she was careless for a moment.


    Hence, she changed her tactics, taking flight to vanish from the scene, transforming into an ethereal dragon that disappeared in the form of a Mental Energy stream.


    "No¡­Stencil¡­" Compass Carburettor gasped in worry as he lifted his hand, intending to transform into a Mental Energy stream to chase after her but only coughed in response, too injured and exhausted to move.


    Hazen had fallen unconscious once again as Stencil''s attack seemed to have riled up the collective consciousness in his body further.


    "We need to leave this world first," Truck-Kun said, snapping his finger to bring the trio into a truck, "Once we recover, we''ll return to this world¡­"


    Ka-boom!


    The sound ten times louder than a thunderp resounded throughout the world, startling the natives as some of those with weak hearts died from shock.


    The thunderp brought a formless pressure onto Truck-Kun who grunted in pain before staring around in rm, "What¡­is this mess?"


    An instantter, he copsed to the ground, like a doll whose strings had been severed.

 Chapter 830 Fight For Control

    After transforming into the Dragon of Systems, Stencil took flight, bing a stream of Mental Energy as she made a few revolutions around the world.


    Suddenly, thousands of her collective consciousness filled up her mind as they rapidly absorbed the sheer volume of information flowing into her, sourced from the world. Even though the collective consciousness warred with each other, they were of the mind to prevent the actual Stencil from taking control.


    "Whatever you''re doing...stop!" Stencil''s shout resounded through the mind space.


    The mind space was a vast world of void, with a transparent tform on which bizarrely shaped creatures rushed past, forming a pile as they all wished to reach the peak.


    At the peak was a tiny sphere, one that seemed to be the control center of Stencil''s body. At the moment, there was arge entity with swords stabbed throughout its body. It was holding the sphere, controlling Stencil''s body.


    Moreover, unlike the other collective consciousness, this sword-stabbed consciousness was special in the sense that part of the control over the sphere could be transferred to the collective consciousness holding the hilt of its sword.


    This was how hundreds of collective consciousness manned Stencil--by grabbing hold of a hilt each.


    Stencil was in the middle of the pile, swimming her way up as she waded through the consciousness, sensing her consciousness gradually thinning out in response, ''No, I will fade away if this keeps up.''


    "Move!" She grunted before leaping to the top, kicking a collective consciousness aside to grab a hilt herself, rapidly connecting to the senses of her body as she observed the Dreand of the Secret Society member in her captive, ''Dad indeed captured enough Coordinates!''


    "Uryaaa!" She bellowed as her consciousness thinned rapidly, unleashing enough strength to lift the sword-stabbed consciousness and push it to the side, grabbing hold of the sphere as immediately, she gained control of her body.


    "You won''t seed!" The sword-stabbed consciousness bellowed as it grabbed her and began to pry the sphere out of her hands. Currently, it was reinforced by hundreds of collective consciousness and was many times stronger than Stencil, making it hard for her to resist.


    Stencil knew that she had less than a second before she would be flung away, hurriedly infiltrating the Dreand of the member as she absorbed all the Coordinates ced there.


    Boom!


    Stencil was smacked away from the pile. She crashed into the transparent boundary, gasping for a moment before noticing her body turn rapidly solid from absorbing all the Coordinates.


    "Stop her!" The surrounding collective consciousness shouted before leaping onto her in an effort to weaken her.


    "Shit!" Stencil was overwhelmed and couldn''t break free, watching the size of the pile continue to grow higher and higher, moving beyond her reach. With too many collective consciousnesses weighing her down, she couldn''t break free.


    ''I have to bide for time.'' Thinking as such, Stencil pushed away the collective consciousness for a moment before erecting a solid boundary around her, one that prevented the collective consciousness from touching her.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    The collective consciousness attacked the sturdy barrier, unable to deal any damage. But, Stencil wasn''t happy with the result, noticing that she was gradually losing power, ''I mightst a long time if I huddle here. But the moment I take action, the power I gained from the Coordinates would be expended in a matter of seconds.''


    If that happens, she would eventually be destroyed by the collective consciousness, especially since she didn''t have the means to solve her issue. ''Dad will find a solution. I should just focus on buying enough time for that.''


    This was why she focused on maintaining herself in this sea of collective consciousness.


    "Heh, she won''t be surfacing for a long while," In the outside world, Stencil smirked as the sword-stabbed collective consciousness had gained control of the body.


    The hundreds of collective consciousness supporting it processed the information influx as Stencil rapidly understood the power structure of the world, following which she took out a choker and ced it around the sphere--that the body of the Secret Society member had been transformed into.


    Swoosh!


    With a flick of her finger, the choker split from one to two, from two to four, and four to eight. Within a couple of seconds, there were enough rings to fully epass the sphere from top to bottom.


    Immediately after, lightning sparked through it as the mind of the member waspletely destroyed.


    Using her power as the Dragon of Systems, Stencil began to slightly alter the power structure of the Dreand, rearranging the Mental Fragments ording to her desire before cutting off parts of her body that she fed into it.


    And through the choker, she unleashed the Invoker Spirit''s power of Spirit Morph on the shed body parts, turning them into Mental Fragments that she arranged in the Dreand.


    Following that, she extracted the Invoked Spirit and refined it into a gauntlet that she wore on her right before her eyes turned scaly, "This world will be my base."


    "It will have one of the strongest, but secluded foundations!"


    Upon her words, the rings around the sphere began to revolve before expanding in size rapidly before they now epassed the entire world, resulting in a thunderous sound as they crashed into each other to be a perfect sphere.


    The rings revolved around the world, not even sporting any gap as they sparked with faint lightning, bringing the entire world under her control.


    Originally, her Neural Impulse Actuator--the choker--was only capable of controlling living entities. But after she became the Dragon of Systems, her power was upgraded, from Grade 2 level to Grade 3 level, now allowing her to control the world.


    And instantly, the first thing she did was to take the existing nket of the Astral Network andyer it under the rings formed by her choker, creating awork of her own as the Dreand seeped into the ground, gradually fusing into the essence of the world.


    Instantly, the foundation of the world expanded by a million times, for the Dreand of this member was created using Mental Fragments sourced from the Apocalypse System''s Core Skill Manifestation, the Regression System''s Core Skill Manifestation, Zaira''s blood and body parts, the majority of Immortal''s body parts, and finally, Magister''s Genre Representation.


    This foundation fused into the world and instantly, the first effect it unleashed was to cut off any external influx of power, cutting off what represented Truck-Kun.


    At the battlefield, even Apocalypse System''s Core Skill Manifestation reached a level that almost blocked the power influx of the Genre Representatives. This was why weak Genre Representatives like Martial escaped at the very beginning.


    Though, as Magister and Mascot were at a higher level, they still maintained their power. But even they became weaker towards the climax.


    And hence, the current foundation Stencilid fully cut off Truck-Kun''s power influx, rendering him helpless.

 Chapter 831 I’ll Leave The Rest To You

    "S-Shit¡­" Truck-Kun cursed before falling unconscious. Gehera grabbed hold of him and took flight on a Magic Beast, watching the Dragon of Systems flying at them as a stream of Mental Energy.


    Kieee!


    A Magic Beast made an appearance, causing the Mental Energy stream to stop before it as the Dragon of Systems swiped once, eradicating the Magic Beast, only to see two more hinder her path.


    In the meantime, the Magic Beast before Compass Carburettor chomped, securing him within its mouth before taking flight. A Magic Beast tried to do the same to Hazen too but was destroyed by the other party who didn''t have full control over his body yet.


    Roar!


    The Dragon of Systems condensed a beam of energy in its mouth before sting it towards Gehera, destroying the two Magic Beasts before her.


    "Shit!" Gehera leapt to the side, carrying Truck-Kun with her to dodge the attack, rolling on the ground as she looked around in a fluster. She thought for a moment before taking out a Totem Pole to stab into the ground, watching it cause cracks that healed rapidly.


    ''The foundation of this world is rapidly increasing.'' She stared in rm, stabbing two Totem Poles into her body to gain their source power, rapidly moving her body as she carried Truck-Kun to evade attacks from the Dragon of Systems.


    Stencil churned energy to create a burning entity beside her, one that resembled Balmer from the Cultivation World. And in terms of power, it mimicked his Extreme Providence.


    One of Stencil''s powers was the Earth Divine Martial Spirit from the Cultivation World. After bing a Dragon of System, all her powers evolved.


    And now, she could individually manifest all the powers of her Earth Divine Martial Spirit in the form of Earth Martial Spirits. But just them wouldn''t be strong enough, especially since the power level of the Cultivation World was low.


    But, her ns didn''t end there as Stencil created a Coordinate and ced it within the Earth Martial Spirit, also designing its shape and character by inserting the desired Mental Energy into it, condensing it to almost create a Core Skill.


    But upon recalling how Zaira possessed absolute authority over Systems, she didn''t wish to add to Zaira''s arsenal by creating another system. Instead, she focused on the Martial Spirit trait, stopping moments before she condensed a Core Skill, transforming it into a trait that the Martial Spirit abided by, evolving it from an Earth Martial Spirit into a Heaven Martial Spirit.


    Following that, she condensed a choker and fused everything into it, resulting in a choker that shone with a crimson hue.


    Stencil threw it away, watching it m into a monkey far away before slipping through its head to stop around its neck.


    Following that, the choker turned transparent and seeped into its body, transforming its mind into a mix between a mind space¡ªwhere Systems dwelled¡ªand a Martial Spirit as the monkey''s mind fell under the choker''s control.


    The monkey immediately brimmed with energy, attaining the Extreme Providence Stage as it rushed towards Gehera, hurling fireballs at her to result in a torrential explosion.


    "Hah!" Gehera took off into the air, evading the attacks before throwing Truck-Kun at the monkey, startling it for a moment.


    In that timeframe, she took out another Totem and teleported behind the monkey, cing her hand on it to instantly steal all its power, watching even the figure of the monkey vanish.


    "You are indeed dangerous, Gehera." Stencil said, looking serious as she threw out a dozen more chokers, causing animals brimming with festive works to take to the skies and attack Gehera who in turn defended using her army of Magic Beasts.


    "But," Stencil grinned, bing the Dragon of Systems to appear before a certain Magic Beast to swipe her ws, shredding the target apart to gaze at the helpless figure of Compass Carburettor within.


    She opened her mouth and unleashed a Mental Energy breath attack, mming Compass Carburettor into the ground as the hill shattered in response.


    "Guh¡­" Compass Carburettor let out a weak groan, expended of all Mental Strength as his body was unable to move anymore, instantly copsing to be a sphere. In this basic state, he would recuperate and recover Mental Strength to move once again.


    But of course, Stencil didn''t intend to allow him that precious recovery time, opening her mouth in an effort to mp upon him and devour all his umtions.


    "Don''t do something you''ll regret¡­" Hazen''s voice resounded as suddenly, Stencil looked around in rm, unable to find traces of her targets anymore.


    Whether it be Compass Carburettor, Hazen, Truck-Kun, Genera, or even her Magic Beasts, none were visible.


    ''Where did they go?'' Stencil looked around in rm before focusing on the rings epassing this entire world, noticing that they were unharmed, ''They haven''t left the world yet. So, they''ve gone into hiding.''


    ''Hazen''s power, huh.'' She muttered before extending her hand to clench it into a fist, ''Unfortunately, the collective consciousness in you was something meant to be mine. So, I can somewhat influence them.''


    ''You won''t be active for long.''


    "Urrgh!" Just as she expected, Hazen stumbled, almost nking out for a moment before desperately holding on. Currently, they were on the back of a Magic Beast that was flying at its maximum speed.


    Gehera had retracted all the other Magic Beasts before intending to help Hazen. But she was on herst stretch of power too, having already been overtaxed from the war before.


    "Listen to me¡­Gehera." Hazen said as he held her hands, looking at the figures of the other two, "Compass and Truck-Kun are unconscious. When I read Stencil''s mind, I found out that she''s blocking all external powers. Meaning, Truck-Kun would never recover his power as long as he''s in this world."


    "But this also means that as long as you do what his concept entails, he would gradually regain his strength." Hazen continued in a hurry, "As for Compass, since Immortal''s infinite power supply vanished, he must be reeling from the after-effects of the countless Core Skills that impacted him. It would take him decades to erase all the negative effects and recover fully."


    "But, only my power of Gloss Over is masking our locations. The moment this is lifted, Stencil would find us and kill us all."


    "T-Then, what should I do?" Gehera asked in a fluster.


    "You stole Compass''s power, right?" Hazen said as he extended his hand, condensing a sphere, "Steal my power using his Spirit Morph."


    Gehera hurriedly took out the Totem created from the power she stole from Compass Carburettor¡ªwhen intending to summon him from Conjurer''s world. She stabbed it into herself, gaining the power as she used Spirit Morph to transform the power in Hazen''s hands into Mental Fragments.


    After that, under his guidance, she shaped that into Armour, one per each that absorbed sunlight and generated enough energy to maintain the effects of Gloss Over on them.


    "I¡­need to recuperate and deal with this internal crisis." Hazen said, fainting the moment Gehera ced the armour on everyone, "Until then, I''ll leave our safety and return to you."

 Chapter 832 Invasion In Six Months

    Bang!


    Muscle Lantern''s fist mmed into the humanoid cat, surprised to see his attack getting blocked as a humanoid dog made an appearance, having grabbed hold of his punching arm.


    Just when Muscle Lantern was about to attack the neer, his eyes widened in surprise to stare at a camera in the opponent''s hand, one that shed to click their picture.


    Highlighted in the frame were the figures of Muscle Lantern and his wife, Pink Jail. Moreover, held in her hands were their suits, highlighted clearly. The fact that the suits of both Muscle Lantern and Pink Jail were in her hands was a tant reveal of their identities.


    If this picture were to get leaked to the media, things would be turbulent. They would have to face the consequences. Jailtime was the least of their concerns. Their children would have to live with a negative stigma, branded as children of thieves that cheated the money of the people for their selfish desires.


    "You bastard!" Pink Jail grunted in anger and rushed at the humanoid dog, intending to steal the camera when suddenly, she shouted in despair, "No!"


    After all, the camera turned into a starlight stream and vanished from view.


    "Where is it?" She grabbed hold of the humanoid dog, stuffing air in its body to threaten it, "Tell me, or you''ll die!"


    "You should know by now¡­" The humanoid dog ignored her and faced Muscle Lantern, "I''m a fragment of the Contained Viin. My death is of no consequence."


    "What do you want?" Muscle Lantern asked, controlling his anger.


    "Your loyalty," The humanoid dog said, flinching when Muscle Lantern crushed its head. But a secondter, it reformed its head to speak again, "I need you to support the Contained Viin."


    "Are you mad?" Muscle Lantern stared at the humanoid dog like itcked brain cells for proposing such a foolish notion, "You wouldn''t bring up such a suggestion if you had faced the Genesis Hero."


    "This world¡­" He said solemnly, "When I met her once, I felt that this world was under her absolute control."


    "Wow, such a wise guy," The humanoid dog pped in sarcastic praise, "Why bring up something I know already?"


    "I''ve been alive for longer than you, brat." The humanoid dog said before staring at the couple, "By aligning with the Contained Viin, I''m not suggesting you betray the Genesis Hero. We''re actually on her side."


    "Haah¡­" Muscle Lantern let out a long breath of air before taking a seat on the sofa to say in exhaustion, "Now, why don''t you tell me that the Contained Viin is actually the Genesis Hero''s father?"


    "As if I would believe such a ridiculous¡­"


    "It''s true." The humanoid dog nodded in all seriousness, "The Genesis Hero is the Contained Viin''s daughter, or at least, one of her is."


    "What¡­do you mean by that?" Pink Jail asked, motioning for her husband to remain silent as she observed the humanoid cat, one that remained in the same spot as before, showing no signs of recovering.


    "Just imagine it as if there are multiple personalities within the Genesis Hero. One of them is the original while the rest are guing her body due to a mistake of the past by the Contained Viin." The humanoid dog said before cing its hand on the humanoid cat''s head, inserting some Mental Strength into the other party to transform it into a toy cat.


    It threw the toy cat towards Muscle Lantern, saying, "The false entity controlling the Genesis Hero is nning an invasion in six months. If it happens, your world is finished. I''ll give you two days to make your decision."


    "Either you contact us through the cat or kill it. Your actions would disy your stance on the matter." Saying so, the humanoid dog transformed into a starlight stream to vanish.


    "Wait, what invasion? Where are we invading?" Muscle Lantern shouted in a hurry before mming the table in anger, "Just what the heck was that?"


    "Dear, they have our picture with the suit." Pink Jail said in worry. "They''ll be able to ckmail us with that."


    In response, Muscle Lantern only stared at the cat doll, "Something tells me that threatening us is thest of their n. They''ve left a fragment here. It seems we need to rethink our ns."


    ¡­


    The humanoid dog arrived at a secluded alley beforending on the ground, stumbling in exhaustion before its appearance rapidly morphed, bing a human woman with long, braided hair.


    It was Gehera.


    Currently, she donned armour that caused others to gloss over her existence, walking into the street to join the pedestrians, and continuing to walk while observing the stalls situated behind ss walls.


    ''This world has developed tremendously aspared to seventy-five years ago.'' She thought before entering an apartment, boarding the lift to press the button leading to the topmost floor.


    "Phew, the lift arrived just on time." A man muttered as he entered the lift, noticing the button to the topmost floor being pressed already. He looked around, unable to see anyone else, muttering in irritation, "Did some brat y a prank again?"


    "No, I''m here." Gehera retorted and pped the back of his head. But, despite his head bobbing in response to the attack, the man didn''t seem to have felt it, or more like his mind glossed over the action.


    He alighted at his respective floor as Gehera made an ugly face at him before watching the lift take her to the topmost floor, a penthouse that took up the entire floor area of the top floor, arge enough space to amodate eight houses on the bottom floors.


    She opened the door and entered the house, staring at a couch potato in the living room, one that stared at the wall-length TV with a nk expression. No, it wasn''t a couch potato but Truck-Kun that had be one due to ack of exercise for extended periods.


    Gehera threw her handbag at Truck-Kun, watching in irritation as the other party didn''t even bother to dodge and simply received the attack with his face.


    "Kekekekeke!" She was just about to chide him when a burst of maniacalughter resounded from the kitchen.


    There, a youth shed a brinjal into a hundred pieces in an instant when suddenly, a dozen projections of him manifested to cook. But not all were wholeheartedly cooking as the majority of the group was intent to disrupt the process, making a mess in the kitchen.


    Gehera extended her hand and grabbed the disruptive ones by the neck, stealing their power as she caused them to vanish, ignoring the onesughing maniacally as she entered the store room, coughing once upon seeing itden with dust, "I was just away for a week. How did so much dust umte here?"


    Covering her nose, Gehera walked past piles of items casually strewn around into various piles, looking around before she ruffled one of them, finding a sphere at the bottom, wiping the dust on it to speak, "Stencil is making a move in six months."


    "So, it''s time." A mouth protruded out of the sphere to state with a raspy voice, "I can begin moving, then."

 Chapter 833 Stencil’s Power System

    "How long was I asleep this time?" The mouth protruding out of the sphere asked.


    "Around thirty-two years. You were out cold to the extent I thought you had died." Gehera expressed her worry, rubbing her hand on the sphere to ask, "Why don''t you assume your human form now?"


    "There''s still time for that. I just woke up, so I need to adjust my mental faculties first." The sphere, Compass Carburettor said, forming a pair of eyes to stare at Gehera, "Tell me everything you''ve been up to until now. Did youy out the foundation for everything I nned?"


    "I''ll start from the beginning then." Gehera nodded, frowning for a moment upon seeing Compass Carburettor maintain the figure of a perfect sphere, ''Why is he making himself look like this? Did his powers evolve during these past few decades?''


    cing her suspicions to the back of her head, Gehera started, "For the first five years, as I was the only one conscious among us four, hiding was my priority. All I did was observe in hiding of the way the world was being modified rapidly by Stencil.''


    The Dreand of Compass Carburettor''s right-handed Secret Society member was fused into the world, rapidly expanding upon its foundation.


    After Stencil enclosed the world and finished the initial integration, the world itself gained a superpower, almost akin to a Grade 3 System that had takenplete control over a normal world and changed it.


    This world was capable of absorbing energy from the sun and transform it into a form beneficial for its use. And over time, when enough energy condensed within its core, it generated packets of essence.


    These essence packets were condensed energy beings, simr to Martial Spirits. Their primary energy trait was sr power, as the base energy condensing them was obtained from the sun.


    Their second trait was Mental Energy. Or rather, the conceptualisation of thoughts.


    As that was the inherent nature of Systems, as the Dragon of Systems, Stencil oveid that power into Spirit Morph and Anthozoa. So, the world naturally absorbed all the generated Mental Energy from the living beings.


    This Mental Energy flowed into its core and joined a Mental Energy pool there. It was akin to an ocean, with them moving as they wished. Over time, the Mental Energy joined with their peers, gradually growing in size thanks to the effects of Spirit Morph.


    Over time, they became condensed representations of mind. And these condensed representations flowed into an essence packet each, birthing an entity simr to a Heaven Martial Spirit.


    These entitiescked sentience, but were governed by the instincts imbued in the memories¡ªpart of the Mental Energy¡ªthat formed their whole. They lived in ayer that Stencil had modified the iplete Astral Network into. And when they found apatible human in the world, they fused into that individual.


    Suppose two racers werepeting with each other, generating the corresponding Mental Energy. This Mental Energy would contain thoughts of them driving, the techniques they used to manoeuvre their vehicle at such top speeds, the skills required to drive past the obstacles, the mentality they maintained at that time, etc.


    All these thoughts, emotions, feelings, etc.bined to generate a Mental Energy. And over time, when this Mental Energy condenses into a mental representation and fuses with an essence packet, they birth an entity with the following powers.


    The human this entity fused with would be able to run at terrifying speeds, beyond a human capability. He would be able to make sharp turns, adjust his body ordingly to dodge obstacles, and maintain a during such an action and even perceive his surroundings clearly, when in contrast, a regr human wouldn''t be able to see anything at such speeds.


    The energy required for activating this power was sourced from the sunlight. Every time the individual basked in the sun, their body would be filled with energy that they couldter harness.


    Moreover, the same process that happened in the world happened within their bodies too. by absorbing sunlight, they would store the energy in their body. And their thoughts regarding their power¡ªin this case, the thoughts generated while running at superhuman speeds¡ªwould flow into their own bodies and fuse into this energy.


    Over time, they would form fragments that would fuse with the entity in their body, thereby strengthening them. So, with repeated practice, they would grow strong.


    And such entities were termed Heroes/Viins.


    Stencil had turned them into pseudo Invoked Spirits. And the world became simr to a Dreand. Both were able to grow over time and evolve naturally with the power of the mind.


    After all, people mature mentally over time. And this maturity differs rapidly depending upon the environment, surrounding people, and daily experiences. So, a Hero, despite doing the same action¡ªrunning at superhuman speeds in our case¡ªfor years, the Mental Energy he generates during his first year at work and fifth year at work would have drastic differences.


    And this would cause his powers to subtly evolve too. Therefore, the powers of no Hero/Viin would remain stale and would constantly keep growing and evolving.


    This was the world Stencil had created, an evolving world with an evolving power system that she didn''t need to actively manage.


    As people interacted, more Mental Energy was generated. And this led to the birth of more energy beings through the essence packets, eventually creating more Heroes/Viins.


    And as the world continued to absorb sunlight, it slowly umted fragments that ityered in its foundation, steadily building itself up through consistent umtion, following a route simr to the Fantasy World, but the process was more efficient here.


    The only dependent factor here was the sun. And, to ensure the sun had enough foundation, Stencil had already made ns to steal the countless suns in their universe itself.


    There was just one inhabitable in this universe, so in her eyes, the remaining suns were just being wasted on the lifelesss.


    Considering the ingenuity of this world''s development, it was apparent that not just one collective consciousness was responsible for it. It seemed pretty much all the collective consciousness had taken turns, making their respective beneficial contribution, including Stencil.


    And whenever it was her turn, Stencil erased the faulty concepts and reced them with better ones, all whilemunicating with Gehera through a Mental Energy stream, making her know of what was up.


    "So, that''s the underlying concept behind this power system." Gehera said while staring at Compass Carburettor, "She created an evolved self-reliant version of you, a power that wouldn''t lose out to any other force out there, including the Systems."

 Chapter 834 Couch Potato-Kun

    "An evolved version of me, I see." Compass Carburettor nodded before asking, "And, how did the people react?"


    "There was chaos during the initial five years," Gehera said, "But as both Heroes and Viins cropped up around the same time, people could rally behind their saviours. Things became stable thanks to Stencil who proimed herself as the first here, titled the Genesis Hero."


    "And..." After a moment of hesitation, Gehera smiled wryly, "I used the power I stile from you to target her at numerous asions, and became the first viin in the eyes of the public, the Contained Viin."


    "I strictly used your power to direct the attention to you," Gehera said, watching Compass Carburettor nod in response.


    "Indeed, Mental Energy regarding the Contained Viin has been funnelling into me from the start and has only intensified in recent times." Compass Carburettor said before asking, "But, I remember allowing you to steal arge fraction of my power. You gained at least a ten thousand Secret Society members worth."


    "All that didn''t amount to much?" He tilted his head in confusion, "With the power of Spirit Morph, you could have created more of them easily."


    "I didn''t have the brainpower to do that." Gehera sighed, "Just to arrange their Mental Fragments to create a functional whole took me years. And even then, they weren''t efficient enough. Moreover, when too many members moved, my mind couldn''t handle the real-time thoughts transfer from all."


    "Three or four at a time was my limit." Gehera became a tad sullen, "Over the years, I brought the numbers up to twenty, but it is nothingpared to you."


    "Your mind is something else."


    Upon seeing that Compass Carburettor was silent, Gehera continued, "The foundation of the world continued to increase. And over time, the primary advantage of Mental Energy streams was nullified."


    Originally, a Mental Energy stream travelled at the speed of thought, capable of traversing any distance in an instant. But in this world, thanks to Stencil''s iying of a power system countering this, the speed continued to reduce.


    "And now, it''s slower than the speed of sound." Gehera said, "So, even if my members transform into Mental Energy streams to escape, they are chased after by the Heroes."


    "It seems the majority of the collective consciousness piloting Stencil hate the Systems for what the Systems did to Immortal and their home worlds." Gehera said, "So, the majority of their ns have been enacted to counter the advantages of Systems."


    Each collective consciousness was the collective representation of a Cultivation World, formed by the thoughts of every living being inhabiting that world. And when those worlds lost their status as a Cultivation World, these consciousness were left stranded, kicked out of their own homes.


    No, it was akin to an external entity invading their home to rapidly convert the inhabitants into something foreign, making them forget their original identity. So, the collective consciousness harboured intense hatred towards Systems.


    And hence, when given the power of the Dragon of Systems, they had a field time, creating everything they could to form a strong world that would one day destroy the Systems.


    "And that is happening in six months." Gehera said in worry, "These collective consciousnesses aren''t aware of the true strength of the Systems. As expected of consciousness from a cultivation setting, courting death is something they seem unhealthily fond of."


    Seeing her spit out hateful remarks, it was apparent that she had gone through a lot in this world and had piled up enough stress. After all, Gehera was a native of the Fantasy World.


    And the first world she visited after that was this, thrust in a survival situation where she couldn''t even be free. If she acted without the protection of Hazen''s armour, Stencil would sense her existence.


    The Secret Society members weren''t protected by the armour. And hence, the majority of them died during their mission while the rest had been hidden away from the start.


    A mouth and a pair of eyes formed on the sphere, blinking as they stared at Gehera, "What about...my story?"


    "Did you spread it around wide enough?" Compass Carburettor asked.


    "What do you think?" Gehera raised an eyebrow, staring down on him.


    ''This brat has grown a lot over the years.'' Compass Carburettor thought, unable to notice any traces of Gehera''s original meek self.


    Well, she was almost reaching a century in terms of age. It would be a wonder if she hadn''t changed during that time.


    And during this time, she had fully grasped the ins and out of her power, now able to selectively steal what she wanted. So, extending her life was super easy, barely an inconvenience.


    All Gehera had to do was touch a young tree and absorb the remainder of its lifespan. She then had to take out the created totem in her Ruin of Amagoth and stab it into her body, rapidly expanding her lifespan.


    So, despite her age, she looked like a woman in her early twenties.


    "How''s Hazen and Truck-Kun?" Compass Carburettor asked next. For the majority of the questions, he knew the answers beforehand. But, he just wished to hear it from her for some reason.


    "I''m not sure about Hazen. He seems perfectly fine at first nce, but whenever I look at him, I notice a different person." Gehera then pointed towards the living room, "As for the couch potato, you can ask him that yourself."


    "Trucks are banned in this world. Fuck my life." Came an answer from the living room before which the sounds of an action flick filled up the ce. Truck-Kun was binging movies nonstop, without any rest, making the couch his home.


    He didn''t need to sleep or eat like a human anyways. And left with no purpose, he turned towards media to entertain his life, vicariously living in the moments where vehicles resembling trucks appeared in the movies to ram into people.


    He saw such scenes in a loop for months at a stretch.


    "He didn''t recover his power?" Compass Carburettor asked in confusion, looking at Gehera, "You didn''t do anything in that regard?"


    "I tried, but Stencil countered it immediately." Gehera shook her head, "After all, Truck-Kun''s power would allow us to leave this world easily. So, she has been heavily guarded against that and hasn''t allowed us any avenues to recover Truck-Kun''s strength."


    "Fuck that life," Truck-Kun''s voice resounded once again, "I''m content being the couch potato-Kun."

 Chapter 835 Is This Compass?

    "Why has he be like this?" Compass Carburettor expressed his confusion, "All he needs to do is just ram into people and teleport them to a few districts away. Even that would add to his concept and strengthen him. He still has enough power to do so, right?"


    "If only things were that simple." Truck-Kun snorted before focusing on the movie, cheering for the viin there that rammed the protagonist with a car.


    "Remember your Punisher Lightning?" Gehera said, "Stencil has been focused on that, modifying it into a me that inherently protects everyone in this world, including the world itself."


    "Anything foreign would be burned to cinders. And the energy for this is also sourced from the sun, so the natives of this world can constantly erupt with the attack unconsciously. This power protects them all the time." She spoke.


    "Hmm, what about during the night? And what of the people that aren''t Heroes or Viins?" Compass Carburettor asked next.


    "The moon absorbs energy from the sun and reflects it, right?" Gehera said, "It''s the same here, but Stencil has strengthened that to be at a decisive level. Moreover, when it''s night on one side, it''s still day on the other. So, in cases of a System trying to enter someone''s body, the world itself would respond to burn the invader."


    "And, even themon people have the same powers as a Hero or a Viin." Gehera said, watching Compass Carburettor''s eyes lit up in surprise, "Yes, as the majority of the people aremoners, most of the generated Mental Energy consists ofmon things. And these things too are used by the world."


    "And the resultant entities fuse with suitable people among themoners. It doesn''t have any other function than to maybe slightly enrich the person''s daily life. But, its primary power lies in annihting all external factors, preventing a System from taking over him."


    "And," She pointed at Gehera, "All external abilities too are resisted by them to a great extent. This was why when Truck-Kun tried to teleport amoner, his power failed. The target resisted it."


    "I see, so this resistance ys a primary role in maintaining Stencil''s supremacy." Compass Carburettor nodded as he stared at Gehera, "This was why you were unable to help Truck-Kun?"


    "Yeah," Gehera nodded, "Also, Stencil has been focused on this resistance and has been working extensively on strengthening it. The world has also been encoded with it to naturally strengthen the resistance over time."


    "Upon seeing how tough it was for you to use Spirit Morph in Magister''s Genre Representation, Stencil took inspiration from it and used your Punisher Lightning to achieve that." Gehera sighed, "So, it''s troublesome."


    "It''s not troublesome. Rather, it''s amazing." Compass Carburettor let out a content smile, "My daughter has grown."


    "Are you kidding?" Gehera iled her hand, tripping some junk from a nearby pile, raising dust as she covered her nose while shouting, "If nothing is done regarding her collective consciousness, the situation wouldn''t change."


    "You''re wrong about that," The sphere began to morph, taking on a humanoid form, "The collective consciousnesses are an inherent part of her power now. Instead of trying to get rid of them, the beneficial way is to bring them under my daughter''smand. After all, Stencil has done a splendid job in amodating my powers to create this power system."


    "W-Wha¡­what is up with that appearance?" Gehera stuttered as her face turned beet red.


    A ripped body, muscles perfectly chiselled down to the finest tissue strand. A wide shoulder and a streamlined body, entuated by the sharp jaw and wide facial features. And most of all, the fiery hair akin to mes, ones that danced like real fire.


    His eyes shot open, revealing two revolving suns in the ce of eyes.


    Unknown[?]¡ªCompass Carburettor!


    There was barely any trace of his original appearance. Even his character seemed to have changed a lot, entuated by his facial features. After all, with him capable of morphing his body in any form as he desired, his humanoid self mimicked his mental state the closest.


    ''It definitely isn''t the old Compass.'' Gehera thought, gawking as she was rooted to the spot, unable to react until Compass Carburettor was right before her.


    "You¡­aren''t angry at me, right?" Compass Carburettor asked, tilting his head to the side, sporting an inquisitory gaze.


    "No¡­why would I have that?" Gehera stammered, still reeling from her fluster, her eyes darting all over the ce, having lost herposure, ''He was already handsome before. But now, he''s¡­damn alluring.''


    "Well, it''ll be fine then." Compass Carburettor nodded and gently picked up Gehera''s right hand before cing it on his chest, "What do you feel?"


    Thump! Thump! Thump!


    Intense reverberations resounded from his chest, causing her to fall into a daze the more she heard it.


    Compass Carburettor snapped his finger, bringing her back to her senses before asking, "Try to steal my power now, will you?"


    "Are you¡­sure?" Gehera asked, averting eye contact.


    "Yup, go ahead." Compass Carburettor nodded casually.


    "If you say so," Muttering as such, Gehera activated her Ruin of Amagoth, intending to siphon Compass Carburettor''s power when suddenly, her expression morphed, solemn as she increased her power.


    Crackle!


    Faint lightning sparks flickered beneath her palm before her hand was repulsed. Gehera stared at her hand in shock, observing faint burn marks, feeling mild numbness as she activated the power of a totem and healed herself.


    She looked at Compass Carburettor in surprise, "How is this possible?"


    "I''m unable to steal your power."


    "Now you see," Compass Carburettor grinned in pride, "My daughter embarked on the same route as me. This resistance you spoke of that the natives of this world possess, that''s definitely my daughter''s n."


    "She hasn''t been waiting for me like a damsel in distress." Heughed, "She has factored our interference in her calctions and is nning long-term for after she gainsplete control over her body."


    "Fine, she''s smart, I admit that." Gehera rolled her eyes, "But, what are you nning to do about her situation?"


    "Leave that aside for a moment. As you said, Stencil is nning to wage war in six months. She has probably chosen a universe under the control of a Grade 2 System or something. There''s still time to save my daughter. But first," He exited the room to arrive at the kitchen, "We need to know what''s up with this guy."


    The two arrived at a halt at the kitchen entrance, gazing with embarrassment to see a group of adults fighting over a single piece of tomato as if it was the most precious object in the entire world.

 Chapter 836 Separation

    "What are you doing?" Compass Carburettor frowned upon staring at Hazen''s mischief, focusing for a moment before eximing in surprise, "You madd."


    "If you were able to see through that, guess you''ve attained a high enough level." Suddenly, all the adults vanished as an eight-year-old boy sat on the stove, his legs dangling as he smirked, "took you long enough to evolve yourself."


    "Was the damage that worse?"


    "Indeed, I had underestimated their resolve." Compass Carburettor nodded, "Without my knowledge, multiple Systems had descended into my body and hid themselves within my Dreand. Even I failed to sense their locations initially."


    "It took a loot of time to weed them out."


    "Indeed, anywhere with the Astral Network, the Systems could casually descend into your body and fuse with your entire being." The boy nodded, "When there was one second left for Dota to finish the process, more than a dozen Systems tried to enter Stencil''s body. It seems we subconsciously took that burden, so she''s fine."


    He also pointed at Gehera, "If not for Regriel bing the Ruin of Amagoth, Gehera would have fallen under the control of the Systems by now. He stole their power and erased their existence."


    "You managed to talk with him?" Compass Carburettor asked in surprise before staring at Gehera, "I always wanted to have a chat with him. I''m still curious about the method he used to determine yer''s and Arnark''s true scheme in such advance and even make ns regarding that."


    "Dad woke up?" Gehera frowned and closed her eyes, immediately focusing on her Ruin of Amagoth, failing to sense any traces of her father. She then stared at Hazen, "It''s the same as usual here."


    "Why are you searching for him?" Hazen tilted his head in confusion, "The Ruin of Amagoth is your power. And your dad is the Ruin of Amagoth. Just call your power."


    Gehera''s eyes lit up in enlightenment as she focused on her power, causing a pyramid to sh into existence before her. She stared at it, noticing a pair of eyes lit up behind it as a familiar voice resounded, "Dammit, Hazen. I wanted her to discover this on her own."


    "Retard, she''s been longing to see you all these decades." Hazen snorted in disdain, "How long will you keep her sad?"


    "My daughter is perfectly¡­"


    Boom!


    Gehera punched the pyramid, shouting in anger, "Damn old fart! If you were there all along, why did you respond? I''ve been calling out for you like a madman!"


    "Well¡­I had to think and n ways in which your powers could grow further. Time simply flew without my realisation¡­" Regriel didn''t even finish his sentence when Gehera retracted the pyramid, taking in deep breaths to calm down.


    "You''re not conversing with your old man?" Hazen asked.


    "What old man?" Gehera exhaled lightly, clenching her hand into a fist, "That''s not my dad. It''s just a remnant soul. No, it''s not even that. It''s just an AI my dad designed on his behalf."


    "He paid his life to create this." Her eyes reddened before she controlled herself, quickly gathering her bearings before calming down, "Guess I was a fool to expect something else."


    "If it was really my father, he would have shown himself long ago."


    "Indeed, you''ve matured a lot, Gehera." Hazen nodded as his figure gradually grew older, stopping upon bing a wizened old man, "If you''re this attentive, then I''m sure you''ll be fine irrespective of the situation you face in the future."


    He then stared at Compass Carburettor, "Take care of her, will you? There''s not many that care about her despite there being so many universes."


    "Why¡­are you speaking like that?" Gehera frowned, "You''re talking as if you''re going to die."


    "No, I''m just leaving this ce. I''ve stayed here long enough." Hazen said, smiling jovially, "My grandson was born just yesterday. So, all of me should be present there to celebrate, right?"


    "What? Where? When did this happen?" Gehera was shocked, "I didn''t even notice you leaving this house."


    "I never left this house." Hazen smiled, "Or rather, I''ve been gradually leaving this universe through my own timeline."


    "How?" She was confused.


    "I think some of his selves from the past were in the Cultivation World. Through them, he applied the power of cause and effect on his own timeline and was summoning his future selves to the Cultivation World."


    "One second at a time, I kept at it." Hazen said, "And eventually, I''ve summoned most of myself there. My current self just epasses thest five seconds of my life. I''ve been reiming the rest nonstop."


    He then condensed a watch and threw it towards Compass Carburettor, "The collective consciousnesses seemed useful, so I consumed them. In this watch lies some information I researched regarding their nature. I hope it proves of use in helping Stencil."


    He then stared at the living room, "Truck-Kun, are youing with me? I''ve reinforced the timeline when you arrived at the Cultivation World to help me. If you want, I can summon all of you to the Cultivation World using that instant. What do you say?"


    "What? Really?" Truck-Kun asked as he jumped in joy, teleporting before Hazen as he grinned, "I can''t wait to ram into some delusional¡­ahem¡­talented high school students and transmigrate them."


    "It took time for me to set up and make preparations. Sorry for the dy." Hazen bowed in apology.


    "It''s fine. Seventy-five years is nothing for me." Truck-Kun waved his hand casually beforetching himself onto Hazen like a ko bear, "Now, let''s return."


    "All the best," Hazen stared at Gehera, "If you ever feel lost, just visit my world. You possess a fair amount of my power in your Ruin of Amagoth. So, just use them to make the trip, alright?"


    "Yes, thank you for everything." Gehera nodded in gratitude, slightly tearing up in response, having gotten used to Hazen''spany for the past few decades.


    Hazen then took in a deep breath to finally stare at Compass Carburettor, "Now then, I guess this is where we part ways. Enough time has passed for us to be fully separate entities. I''ve also adjusted my timeline so that neither or our timelines can be used to interfere with the other."


    He waved his hand as his and Truck-Kun''s figure gradually turned transparent, "Please don''te running to me to fight your war ever again. I dislike fighting with passion. Also,"


    He shed his middle-finger at Compass Carburettor, "My grandson is a hundred times cuter than Stencil. Fuck your Earth genes."


    "Fuck you too, cultivation retard!" Compass Carburettor shed a two middle fingers at Hazen, breaking into augh when the other party vanished.

 Chapter 837 I Hate Systems

    "That leaves just the two of us here." Gehera muttered once Hazen and Truck-Kun vanished. Hazen had been building a pathway using his own timeline, gradually sending more and more of himself to the Cultivation World over time.


    With his mysterious set of abilities, Stencil didn''t even manage to sense anything.


    "What''s the n now?" Gehera asked.


    "Well first of all, I''m hungry." Compass Carburettor felt his empty stomach and then asked, "Have you learnt to cook during all these years?"


    "Of course," Gehera rolled her eyes at him before saying, "Because of what you asked, I''ve been a genius writer, a famous celebrity, the most viewed content creator, and now am a professor in one of the best universities."


    "Seems you''ve used the Secret Society well¡­" Compass Carburettor muttered upon seeing Gehera stare at him with a strange gaze.


    "I mean¡­" Gehera paused for a moment before pointing at herself, "I personally did all that. The Secret Society only helped with the background work."


    "It''s hard for me to process information from them, and hence, I had to personally make a move most of the time." She said, arriving at the living room before taking out a book to show him, "This is a book I wrote about you."


    [Contained Viin]


    That was the title of the novel, a bestseller biography that sold more than eighty million copies world-wide. It talked about the origin story of the Contained Viin, the enmity he had with the Genesis Hero, etc.


    "They even made a movie about this." Gehera said, "The movie turned out pretty well. It made Contained Viin a household name. Parents use it to scare their kids to make sure they eat well and all the other things that they do."


    Compass Carburettor flipped through the contents of the book, taking a seat as he slowly read through it like a normal human, puzzling Gehera.


    "Why don''t you turn it into Mental Fragments and digest them? You''ll instantly gain all the information in it." Gehera asked.


    "Yes, I would indeed gain that." Compass Carburettor shook his head, "But at the same time, I would lose the immersion and emotion I would experience while manually reading it."


    "Unless necessary, I shouldn''t abuse my powers. It would only cripple my growth in the long term." Saying so, Compass Carburettor read the novel with interest,menting from time to time of his observations.


    Five hourster, he was done, setting aside the book to see Gehera working in the kitchen, cooking after cleaning up the mess that Hazen had made for the past week.


    Staring at her working back, he asked, "When did you learn to write so well?"


    "From the Systems, of course." Gehera said, frying some vegetables as she continued, "I stole power from a variety of them during that war. And since I had time in this world, I began toprehend the rted totems. Usually, I just blindly used them."


    She grated some onions and coriander to sprinkle at the top, "But once I understood their concept, I was able to absorb all the knowledge in them. Even though my Totems are still single use, I now gain all the information regarding them. And just by learning that information, my mental faculties expanded drastically."


    "I can cook, sew, paint, y more than a hundred music instruments, reached an athlete in a dozen sports, and many more." She grinned, "They may not seem much, but I''ve been able to pace myself better in all aspects, including battles."


    "I did fight against Stencil thrice until now. And even though I lost, Stencil gained nothing from all three fights. Moreover, the fights only served to further deepen the image of the Contained Viin." She said and brought the dishes, arranging them on the dining table.


    "Ohh, they smell delicious." Compass Carburettor muttered, rubbing his hands before gorging on them, his eyes lighting up as he shed a thumbs up at Gehera, "The food tastes great. Come, you eat too. Or else, I''ll finish them all."


    "Alright," Gehera smiled contently upon seeing him enjoy her food, taking a seat as she too began to eat, asking once all the dishes were licked clean by Compass Carburettor, "Are you eating just for the experience?"


    "Pretty much," Compass Carburettor nodded, "There''s no reason not to, right?"


    "Besides, there''s one thing that I understood when I wasn''t acting for the past seventy-five years," Compass Carburettor said, drinking some water to speak, "In the previous battle, myck of experience yed a major role. Even though I had endless experiences in the form of Mental Fragments, they weren''t mine. So, I couldn''t use them to their full potential."


    "Moreover," Heined, "Even when Immortal supplied me with infinite energy, all it helped me with was in terms of the quantity of my attacks. The quality never changed. And as you saw, except for the final attack, nothing else worked."


    "And hence, I changed my growth path." He lifted a finger, "Originally, I nned to devour entire worlds and raise my quantity. That would only help me against Grade 2 Systems. But that would be my limit. To face the Grade 3 Systems and above, I need to innovate further and raise my quality."


    "Condense all my power within myself as a single being. That''s my goal." He said, "And for that to happen, strengthening my Mental Strength is the fastest way. And just as you did, experiencing things manually is the best for me."


    "Wait a second," Gehera noticed something amiss in his words, asking, "Isn''t Stencil''s wellbeing the only thing you care about? Didn''t you face the Systems in the past just for a conflict of interests? Why are you now focused on Grade 2 and Grade 3 Systems as a priority?"


    "Your current tone contradicts everything you stood for in the past." Gehera stared at him in all seriousness, "What changed?"


    "They attacked Stencil and seeded multiple times." Compass Carburettor let out a cheerful smile, "So, it''s no longer a concept of living in hiding with my daughter."


    "Everyone that took part in harming her would die horrifying deaths with the utmost regret etched in their minds." He calmly washed his hands and stated as if he was just reading a fact from a book, "Until the war, I took the approach of avoiding the Systems, since honestly, even when I was the Main Character, I feared them, as they are that terrifying, especially the Grade 3 and 4 Systems."


    "But now, things are different." He arriving at the living room and switched off the TV, staring at the nk screen to say, "My only emotion towards them is the intent to eradicate them."


    "I Hate Systems."

 Chapter 838 Old Man Mida

    Muscle Lantern walked through the streets of the district he was responsible for, in civilian clothes after a long time had passed, ''Even if this is a backward ce, it had developed a lot in the past few years.''


    He arrived at a toy store, staring at the counter to see a youth there, approaching him to ask, "Where''s old man Mida?"


    "Grandpa is at home now. Is something the matter, uncle?" The youth behind the counter asked.


    "I''ll visit his home then, thanks." Muscle Lantern exited the toy store and took a right nearby and walked to the back of the store, ascending the flight of stairs to climb three floors before arriving before a house. This house was built above the toy store, on the fourth floor since the bottom three floors belonged to the store.


    Knock! Knock!


    The door opened as a girl in herte teens opened it, staring at him before yelling aloud in the house, "The brute uncle is back!"


    "Ooi, that''s rude." The chiding voice of a woman resounded in response as the girl snorted before picking up a bag to run outside, hurriedly descending the flight of stairs.


    "Be careful." Muscle Lantern said upon seeing the girl rush down in a hurry, as if she were running on t ground.


    "Don''t mind her, she''s awakened." The voice of the chidingdy resounded politely. The owner of the voice guided him inside, "I presume you came here to see my dad?"


    "Yeah, sorry to impose without prior notice." Muscle Lantern said in apology, giving the bag of fruits he had brought with him.


    "Oh, you needn''t be so formal." Thedy said despite grabbing the bag without hesitation. She then guided him to a deeper room, opening the door to reveal the seated figure of an old man, "He''s happy to have somepany to talk with anyway."


    "I''m not that old yet," The old man grumbled, "Back in my day, I fought alongside the Genesis Hero¡­"


    "Yeah, yeah, you took an arrow for her. I''ve heard it hundreds of times." Thedy rolled her eyes before walking into the kitchen, peeling the fruits to ce them on a tray to serve the guest.


    "What did youe here for?" Old man Mida asked, motioning for his daughter to close the room''s door after she set the tray of fruits before him.


    After she exited the room, his expression turned serious as he gazed at Muscle Lantern, seeing the other party take out a toy cat and ce it on the table.


    "This is the same as yesterday." Old man Mida muttered, closing his eyes to expand his senses.


    A subtle fluctuation spread around from him and vanished. But in the senses of Muscle Lantern, he noticed a bubble surrounding the entire toy store, seething with tremendous power, but output in such a way that no one else noticed it, including old man Mida''s granddaughter that had also awakened into a Hero.


    ''Even after retirement, he''s still this powerful. Indeed, the rumours must be true. He fought the Contained Hero and survived to tell the tale.'' Muscle Lantern gulped in tension, watching the cat doll catch on fumes.


    "Fuu¡­" Old man Mida exhaled slowly, retracting his energy as he said, "Since it started to burn, this is indeed a fragment of the Contained Hero."


    "So, what did you wish to ask?" Old man Mida stared at Muscle Lantern.


    "Yesterday, after I retrieved my Hero Costume from its possession, right when I was about to kill it, another fragment made an appearance." Muscle Lantern said, "It resembled a humanoid dog but could casually block my punch."


    "You held back?" Old man Mida asked.


    "Yes, but it was still powerful enough to shatter the wall. But the humanoid dog didn''t even bat an eye and caught my fist." He said, "And it said something confusing. So, I came here to ask you."


    "What did it say?" Old man Mida asked.


    "That the Contained Viin is the Genesis Hero''s father." Muscle Lantern said, flinching upon noticing that he was in a destend now, surrounded by rubble as a prehistoric beast eyed him from above, intent to devour him.


    A secondter, he was back at the room, his body drenched with sweat, trembling in fear as he stared at the old man, ''T-That was his killing intent?''


    ¡­


    "Mom, no!" A boy shouted in despair, watching a fiery monkey open its mouth and bite on his mother''s head, inhaling the smoke produced from the mes vaporising her head.


    The scene was deste, with rubble everywhere, painted with blood of people in numerous locations. Limbs were strewn across the floor, half eaten, with burn marks everywhere. It was apparent that the fiery monkey had embarked on a feast.


    "My mother!" The boy bit into his lips in anger and despair, but a secondter, the moment the fiery monkey nced his way, fear washed over him, overwhelming all other emotions. He stood there, numb, recalling the grotesque deaths of the people around him that had been ughtered by the fiery monkey.


    Kuka-kuku-koo!


    The fiery monkey stopped eating thedy''s body, throwing her half-eaten legs aside before rushing at the boy.


    In fear, he resigned himself to his fate, unable to react, watching the fiery monkey appear right before him, about to devour him when suddenly, a leg mmed into its face, sending it flying away.


    A figure donned in a gaudy suit, alternating bright golden and magenta arrived, standing before him to re at the fiery monkey in anger. It was a woman that only seemed a few years older than him, but sported mature eyes.


    She stared at him, "Are you alright?"


    "I am¡­" The boy regained his senses before breaking down, "But my mom¡­"


    "This isn''t the time to mourn," Thedy said, holding his head in close up as she stared at his eyes, "Your name?"


    "Mida." The boy replied.


    "You have power in you, Mida." Thedy said, "The power to save this world from these otherworldly beings."


    "I do?" Mida wiped his tears and stared firmly.


    "Seek out the power in you with all your might and it will answer your call." She spoke before engaging in a battle with the fiery monkey, gradually losing ground.


    "No¡­" At the sight, Mida growled in rage and thumped his chest violently, suddenly hearing his heartbeat reverberate aloud in his surroundings as intense power filled his being. Followed by a war cry, he leaped at the fiery monkey, unleashing a domain as suddenly, smoke gushed out of the fiery monkey before it began to writhe in pain.


    Taking the opportunity, thedy condensed an energy de and sewered the fiery monkey into two, copsing in exhaustion soon after, panting as she said, "See that smoke? Its appearance is the sign of an otherworldly being. Our power rejects anything that isn''t a product of our world."


    "Remember it well, Mida."


    ¡­


    Old man Mida grabbed the toy cat, watching it burn in a matter of seconds and vaporise, uttering coldly as he red at Muscle Lantern, "Contained Viin is the Genesis Hero''s father? What rubbish!"


    "That thing isn''t even from our world."

 Chapter 839 I Have Experience

    "The C-Contained Viin isn''t from our world? What do you mean by that?" Muscle Lantern stammered in shock, asking in disbelief, "That doesn''t make any sense."


    "But it is the truth." Old man Mida nodded before shaking his head, "The Contained Viin isn''t like the other Viins. He wishes to destroy and consume our world. And only the Genesis Hero is capable of cing him at bay."


    "T-This, I never knew about this." Muscle Lantern stammered in shock.


    "Well, of course, you didn''t make it to the top. So it wouldn''t be a surprise that you don''t know the truth." Old man Mida said, "So, stop thinking of whatever the Contained Viin''s fragments convey to you. Their only goal is our utter annihtion."


    "I understand," Muscle Lantern nodded, sighing as he got up, "I''ll take your leave then¡­"


    "Wait, before that." Old man Mida red at Muscle Lantern, "Whatever you''re doing with your wife, I advise you to stop immediately."


    "What¡­do you mean?" Muscle Lantern asked in shock, "I don''t understand what you''re talking about."


    "Pink Jail," Old man Mida said with a solemn tone, watching Muscle Lantern''s demeanour change immediately, barely able to conceal his leaking killing intent.


    "Now, now, don''t go killing me." Old man Mida said, "I understand where you''reing from. But, just because I understand it doesn''t mean I support it."


    "You must have umted a considerable sum, right?" He stared at Muscle Lantern, seeing the other party nod hesitantly.


    "Then, don''t do it anymore." Old man Mida said in all seriousness, "Another Hero has been dispatched to this city. They''ve yet to reveal their identity, but they would probably be watching you in action. And the moment Pink Jail escapes, they''ll capture her."


    "Is it¡­one of my students?" Muscle Lantern asked, sighing as he plopped to the ground, losing all strength in his legs.


    "I''m not sure, but the possibility is high." Old man Mida said, "The Heroes you''ve trained are terrifyingly strong. You should know it the best. Pink Jail isn''t strong enough to face them."


    "I understand." Muscle Lantern nodded weakly, "I didn''t umte enough, but I guess I''ll do something to earn a living from now on."


    "Open a store like me," Old man Mida said, "Or better, put that strength of yours to good use. You could create premium goods like sculptures and the like. Considering your reputation, it''ll give you a good limelight in the press, and best of all, thanks to your students, you''ll make a lot of money."


    "Yeah, I''ll do that." Muscle Lantern shed a wry smile, "I know you''re looking out for me. I won''t go against your advice. I''ll do as you have said."


    "Oh, and also," Old man Mida grinned, "Train my granddaughter, will you? You''re the best trainer I know. And,"


    He winked, "I know how much your wife had to train to turn that weak power of hers into such a frightening tool. So, ask her to give some pointers in terms of control finesse to my granddaughter too, alright?"


    "I was nning to open a Hero Training Academy anyway." Muscle Lantern nodded, "It was why I was doing that to gather enough funds."


    "If you''re short of cash, I''ll invest." Old man Mida said, "That''s the least I could do¡­"


    "Grandpa!" His granddaughter sauntered into the house with a ruckus, "I found this hot¡­I mean, a talented guy in the nearby cafe. I wanted to introduce him to you. He''s looking for a teaching job."


    "Brat, I''m discussing something serious here¡­" Old man Mida shouted, facepalming when his granddaughter entered the room anyway.


    "You''re probably just recounting your past. Even uncle brute here is tired of hearing the same thing dozens of times." The girl rolled her eyes.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "Millie," Muscle Lantern sighed, "Your grandfather stopped telling his stories ages ago. We were discussing something else this time."


    Sigh!


    Old man Mida rubbed his aching temples before waving his hand, "So, who is this person that you brought this time? He better not be another good-for-nothing whose only trait is his face."


    "It''s different this time, I promise." Millie said and pointed at the entrance, "He''s waiting there. You can check him out for yourself."


    "Invite him in," Old man Mida waved his hand, watching Millie leave as he whispered Muscle Lantern, "Can I leave him to you? You''re better at scouting talent than I am."


    "Sure," Muscle Lantern nodded.


    "It''s him," Millie entered the room, dragging a guy with her as she pointed at him, "He''s Mr. Compass."


    ''Another pretty boy.'' Old man Mida felt a headache already upon seeing the guy''s appearance, thinking a moment longer, ''Hmm, howe someone with such an appearance is on a job hunt? I''m pretty sure multiple advertising agencies would have scouted him by now.''


    "Take a seat, Compass." Old man Mida pointed at an empty spot before motioning for Millie to leave the room.


    Understanding that her grandfather didn''t like being disturbed when he screened people, Millie obediently closed the door and took a seat in the living room, appearing anxious.


    "Thank you for having me here," The man named Compass nodded and took a seat, maintaining hisposure.


    "You approached my granddaughter looking for a job?" Old man Mida frowned, applying mild pressure on the other party.


    Compass didn''t flinch at that, impressing old man Mida as he smiled wryly, "Actually, I was preparing my Resume while seated in the nearby cafe. Millie noticed that I was looking for a teaching job and promised to introduce me to you."


    ''This brat did it again.'' Old man Mida controlled his itch to facepalm, maintaining a poker face as he extended his hand, asking for the resume. "Any prior teaching experiences?"


    "No," Compass shook his head.


    "So, you freshly graduated from¡­" Old man Mida nodded, "Belstorm University, I see. Oh, you''ve been rmended by Professor Hera. That''s a rarity."


    He then read through the rest of the details on the Resume, frowning as he came across a certain point, "You wish to¡­teach Heroes?"


    "Yes," Compass nodded.


    "That''s impossible," Old man Mida shook his head, "Irrespective of whether you''re skilled or not, someone that teaches Heroes should have been a retired Hero. Experience ys a pivotal role in this field."


    "But I have experience in regards to that," Compass let out a subtle smile, "I''ve written it down on the next page."


    "Hmm¡­" Old man Mida didn''t say anything as he flipped to thest page when suddenly, his face was drained of all colour. After all, there was just one line written there.


    [Experience: Being the Contained Viin]

 Chapter 840 You Have Ten Seconds

    Upon seeing the drastic change in old man Mida''s expression, Muscle Lantern peeked into the Resume, staring at the line before ring at Compass.


    He got up with a start and arrived before the other party, "You think this is a joke?"


    "I''m not joking though." Compass calmly waved his hand.


    "I had enough of your delusional antics." Muscle Lantern grabbed Compass''s hand, intending to lift him and throw him out of the house for his disrespect, ''Old man Mida is sensitive regarding the Contained Viin. Pulling such a prank on him is distasteful.''


    He was pretty pissed about the fact, unconsciously exerting more strength in his hold as he yanked the other party, realising an instantte as he regretted it immediately, ''That would shatter a regr human''s bones¡­''


    But only then did his mind process what had transpired. His arm was still there, unmoving despite his strength exertion. The hand of Compass remained as is, not even budging a millimetre. His expression was calm as his eyes gazed up to stare at Muscle Lantern, "I''m not joking though."


    "Seems you have some strength in you." Muscle Lantern smirked before strengthening his hold further, causing his muscles to bulge slightly, ''I''ll use a tenth of my strength this time.''


    "Is that it?" Compass only let out a casual smirk in response, "I was expecting more from the infamous Hero, Muscle Lantern."


    ''This bastard knows my identity? Is he a Viin?'' At that thought, Muscle Lantern didn''t hold back any longer, using most of his strength, only then staring in shock at the fact that even now, Compass didn''t budge.


    "Who the heck are you?" Muscle Lantern red in rm.


    "I believe I introduced myself." Compass smirked, "The name''s Compass Carburettor, nice to meet you."


    "Just like everyone else, Contained Viin is just my Viin name."


    "I''ve faced the Contained Viin in the past. You don''t look like him." Old man Mida had regained his cool by now, "You seem strong, but you''re not the Contained Viin."


    "Well, how do I prove it to you¡­" Compass Carburettor scratched his ear a little before pointing at the desk, unleashing a starlight stream onto it as immediately, the table morphed in shape, turning into a tiny doll, a mix between a cat and a table. "Does that prove things?"


    Bang!


    Old man Mida got up with a start, his mana billowing out for an instant before he controlled himself, unwilling to rm his family members. Upon seeing that Compass Carburettor hadn''t even exerted any power himself, he took in deep breaths before asking, "Why are you here?"


    "To be a teacher in the Hero Academy you create." Compass Carburettor let out a smile, "I wish to train the next generation of Heroes of this world."


    "What are you nning to do with them?" Old man Mida red, motioning for Muscle Lantern to step to the side so that he may protect his family.


    "I''ll properly train them." Compass Carburettor said, not expressing an ounce of dissatisfaction until now.


    "Tell the truth!" Old man Mida red, "If you are nning to do anything, then even if I have to stake my life, I''ll seal you here until the Genesis Hero arrives."<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "Oh, try it then." Compass Carburettor extended his hand, "I won''t retaliate for ten seconds. If you can kill me by then, it''s your win."


    "You think we''ll y into your scheme?" Muscle Lantern red, making his ultimate attack ready to m into the enemy. He might lose even more intelligence, but that didn''t matter now, for the enemy was dangerous enough to level a city casually.


    "Your attacks would unleash shockwaves that might destroy this house. So, you stay put there." Compass Carburettor stared at Muscle Lantern before ncing over at old man Mida, counting down, "Ten¡­nine¡­eight¡­"


    Old man Mida didn''t hesitate, having already decided to attack the enemy, especially since he had proved himself to be the Contained Viin, or at least was able to use the Contained Viin''s power.


    Followed by a spark, every ounce of his energy condensed into his hand to transform into a knife, filled with a crimson radiance, brimming with the power of heat, corrosion, poison, and acid.


    "Die!" Followed by a grunt, his figure flickered before Compass Carburettor as he thrust forth with the knife, plunging it into the opponent''s forehead, grunting upon meeting resistance, "What?"


    His senses expanded outward, focused on his knife to see it stop a millimetre from Compass Carburettor''s forehead. And as he focused further, he observed that his knife had indeed made contact, not with the forehead, but with a thin little strand of facial hair jutting out of his forehead.


    Faint sparks not visible to the naked eye flickered at the edge of the strand of hair as it met with the knife.


    "Grahh!" Old man Mida exerted all his strength, unable to move the knife any further as he was rmed to find out that even that puny strand of hair didn''t bend under his power. It remained unaffected.


    He retracted the knife and targeted the chest, noticing that this time, a strand from the fabric had stopped his thrust. The most insignificant of entities casually blocked his strongest attack.


    "Humph!" Muscle Lantern took action upon noticing old man Mida''s struggle, activating his trump card to sh behind Compass Carburettor and punch him in the head, resulting in a sonorous thunderp.


    Ding!


    "Kyak!" Millie screamed in fright as the ss of her house shattered. Even though she didn''t hear anything, she felt an intense headache. Her mother too was experiencing the same.


    Everyone in the street flinched in shock when the ss windows of all the buildings shattered simultaneously.


    Muscle Lantern unleashed the beam of light, intending to soften Compass Carburettor''s body, gasping in shock to see the light failing to cast over the other party. Rather, it was being blocked by something mysterious right before it touched him.


    "Three¡­two¡­one." Compass Carburettor smiled as he lifted his hand, watching the two Heroes leap back in rm, "Rx, I''m not going to attack you."


    He then fished out a card and ced it on the ground before taking his leave, "There are enough funds in that card to build a top-ss Academy. I believe I''ve proved my experience."


    "I''lle to receive my students once the Hero Academy opens." Saying so, he exited the house, walking away as a normal person would.

 Chapter 841 We’ll Meet Again

    "Thanks for introducing me to your grandpa. I think I might get a job." Compass Carburettor helped Millie get up before waving her goodbye, "We''ll meet again in a few days."


    "Wait," Millie shouted upon staring at his receding back, exiting the house to turn around futilely, unable to see his figure anymore, "Where did he go?"


    Unbeknownst to her though, Compass Carburettor was just there, stuck under the flight of stairs like a lizard, staying in an awkward posture, waiting for her to leave.


    ''You just had to y it cool, right?'' He mentally berated himself, turning his head to the side as he observed a lizard stuck to the wall beside him. It tilted its head and stared at him before deciding to hunt a nearby mosquito.


    He was a bit embarrassed, sighing as he waited until Millie returned home before gentlynding on the ground as he began to walk away. After walking to a nearby street, he hailed a cab and returned home.


    He stood within the lift, noticing a youth board it and stare at the button, noticing that the button for the topmost floor had been pressed, eyeing him once before clicking the button for his respective floor.


    He remained silent after that.


    Though, upon staring at his head, Compass Carburettor felt the urge to hit him, staring at himself to smirk, ''It seems Gehera had some fun being invisible.''


    He then entered home, noticing Gehera reading a book while seated in the living room, "What are you doing?"


    "A book review. It''s just one of the things I do these days." Gehera removed her spectacles, cing the book on the side as she stared at him, "How did your meeting go? You didn''t terrify them too much, right?"


    "Well, I did a little," Compass Carburettor smiled wryly, "But, they''ll give me this job. I mean, I did give them a lot of money. It''s a bribe big enough to forget about everything else."


    "Yeah, I know. It''s from my savings." Gehera rolled her eyes subtly before asking, "But, why do you need that job? No, leave that."


    She stared at him, "Why are you suddenly ying by the book? Don''t you have enough power to do whatever you want now?"


    "You''re mistaken about one part." Compass Carburettor smiled as he pointed at the ground, "This isn''t someone else''s world."


    "It''s my daughter''s."


    "So," He smiled, "As her father, I should support her in any way I can, right? I''ll help her strengthen it without needlessly interfering with whatever she has nned."


    "Are you that confident in solving her issue?" Gehera asked, sighing as she said truthfully, "Over these years, I''ve used all the power I''ve stolen to look into Stencil''s problem. Every time she surfaced, we''ve been in contact. But despite that, I''ve yet to find a solution."


    "Are you telling me that despite being asleep all this long, you''ve found a solution?"


    "I haven''t been asleep, you see." Compass Carburettor picked up the book and flipped to its first page, beginning to read it while he spoke, "I''ve been experiencing all my memories. Every single Mental Fragment and Mental Energy I had, I''ve gone through their memories and experienced them like they were my own. I repeated it tens of hundreds of times until,"<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "I made them my own." He grinned, observing Gehera''s surprise as he said, "At present, every part of my body is entirely my own. Everything foreign had been converted into part of mine. And, I''ve long since evolved my powers ordingly."


    "With me experiencing every aspect of the Mental Fragments that formed those powers, I gained aplete understanding of them. Following that, it was just a matter of treating them as pieces of a puzzle as I swapped in new pieces ordingly to what I desired." He flipped a page in the book, "It was why I turned my body into a Mental Fragment body."


    "Now my entire growth is a game of puzzle."


    "You''ve yet to tell me about your powers," Gehera said, expressing her curiosity. She leaned her chin on her wrist, using her hands as a stand for her head while arching her face to the side a little.


    "It''s a¡­secret." Compass Carburettor averted eye contact as he picked up her spectacles, wore them, and began to read the book, "I''ll tell you at ater date. There are still a couple of changes I wish to make to that. And the experience I need for them is avable in the Academy."


    "Fine," Gehera let out a sigh of exhaustion, expressing mild disappointment as she got up and entered her bedroom, "I''ll sleep now. I have an important meeting tomorrow."


    "Sure, good night." Compass Carburettor said casually, asking after a moment of thought, "Where should I sleep?"


    "There''s free space on my bed," Gehera said, "Hazen made a mess in every other room."


    "Alright," Compass Carburettor nodded, causing Gehera to pause in shock.


    She turned around and stared at his figure seated in the living room, ''Did I hear that right?''


    Thump! Thump!


    "G-Good night," She stammered, her face red as she entered the bed, closing her eyes as a momentter, she sniffed herself, rushed into the bathroom to take a shower and changed into a different set of clothes, getting under the sheets as she thought, ''What the heck am I doing?''


    ''I''m almost hitting a century in age and I can''t believe I behaved like a young girl just now.'' She closed her eyes, letting out a mild sigh. ''Yeah, Compass probably said that while distracted. Don''t read into it much.''


    Seated in the living room, Compass Carburettor read the book, intending to get a better understanding of this world through their literary works, ''Hmm, there isn''t arge difference whenpared to Earth. If I have to be specific, things are a tad better here.''


    ''And, Stencil''s ideology has be deeply rooted in the minds of the people, whether they are Heroes, Viins, or evenmoners.'' He thought.


    "There''s no freebie in this world. Everything has a price. Without an equivalent effort, if the rewards are too lucrative to be true, you''re definitely paying an exponential price in the future." There were multiple variations of the same line being quoted from fairy tales told by grandmothers to even businessmen in their board meetings.


    Stencil didn''t just make the world reject the notion of Systems, but has also been preparing the minds of the people to instinctively reject their entire identity.

 Chapter 842 Tell Me Your Plan

    Yawn!


    Gehera woke up at the sound of the rm, still feeling tired as she instinctively looked into her Ruin of Amagoth, searching for a power to get rid of her exhaustion, controlling herself a momentter, recalling Compass Carburettor''s statement where he wished to rely on his powers less and experience things personally, ''Yeah, I should do the same too.''


    ''Wait, yesterday...'' Her eyes widened suddenly before shooting towards her left, noticing the figure of Compass Carburettor sleeping there, ''He''s here!''


    ''Is he really asleep though?'' Thinking as such, Gehera gathered her wits and crawled closer, poking his cheek with her index finger, noticing that he felt...humane to the touch?


    Moreover, there was a bit of warmth to it too, just as a human would, surprising her, ''Shouldn''t there be a difference due to the Mental Fragments?''


    During the war, irrespective of what he did, Compass Carburettor didn''t seem human. When she touched him while he was carrying her, he was cold to the touch, like a block of steel, rigid in feel, and sporting a texture simr to silicon.


    But now, his cheeks were soft, just like a human''s, there was a warmth to it, and most of all, his skin felt like actual human skin.


    "Yes?" His eyes shot open as Compass Carburettor asked, staring at her.


    "When did you be this...humane?" Gehera asked, failing to reel in her curiosity.


    "I''m not all the way there yet." Saying so, Compass Carburettor woke up, lifting the bedsheet with his hand to point at his leg, "See."


    Gehera stared in that direction, noticing his legs had disappeared. Compass Carburettor''s voice resounded then, "When I''m not using them, they instinctively retract. I thought of what might happen when I slept on the bed yesterday night. But the moment I rxed, my humanoid form copsed to be a sphere."


    "And, I cannot fall asleep yet." He sighed.


    "But, any entity with powers would kill to not fall asleep," Gehera said, having the urge to punch Compass Carburettor in the face. She was a nervous wreck throughout the night, hoping for something to happen, only to be met with this in the morning.


    She felt like a cheated young maiden.


    "For what I wish to be as, I need to be able to eat and sleep like a normal human." Compass Carburettor said, "Sometimes, having the needs and disadvantages of a mortal being isn''t bad. It is a valuable experience."


    ''Yes, especially against the Systems that cannot do so.'' He thought, his eyes turning sharp for a moment as he regrew his legs and woke up, snapping his finger as his clothes transformed into a pair of casuals.


    "You''re not taking a bath?" Gehera asked, tilting her head in confusion, "Didn''t you say you''re nning to live as a human?"


    "It''s not necessary yet," Compass Carburettor said, "I don''t have a scent of my own yet."


    "My body is still iplete," Saying so, he arrived at the kitchen and began working on their breakfast. "But, I''ll get there soon."


    ''And with that, the solution to save Stencil would bepleted.'' He thought, ncing at the wristwatch on his left.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    It was what Hazen had left for him. Contained in it was information that he unearthed regarding the collective consciousness.


    An hourter, Compass Carburettor and Gehera had breakfast and left the house at the same time. Gehera had to go to her university for work.


    As for Compass Carburettor, he made a trip to the same cafe as the previous day, taking up a seat in the same spot as before as he ordered a cup of tea before taking out a book to read, ''How long has it been since I could rx like this?''


    He was in no hurry this time. After all, he knew that his daughter was safe. The collective consciousness, as Stencil mentioned, was part of her. So, the only thing that needed to be changed was to make her assumeplete control over her body.


    Stencil''s consciousness would never be erased by the collective consciousness. After all, just like them, she too was an integral part of her body.


    Moreover, based on what Gehera said, Stencil was able to assume control for around two minutes daily around noon. And it was during her body''s strongest moments. Therefore, whenever she made a public appearance, however short, it was as herself and not a collective consciousness.


    Also, it was unknown how she did it, but even if they were in control, the collective consciousness worked towards her benefit, forging ahead in the y sheid out.


    It was as if she was remotely controlling her body. And during the fights, Gehera had already confirmed this fact, which was why Compass Carburettor wasn''t in a hurry like before.


    His current goal was to first finish conceptualising his power andpleting his body. By then, he would gain the abilities necessary to solve Stencil''s issues. And since he couldn''t hurry this, Compass Carburettor decided to take it slow.


    ''Besides, since they lost the Tell-Tale System, Zaira would be busy strengthening her defences.'' He grinned, ''The era of the System expansion is over.''


    He then muttered, "I wonder what those two Heroes are doing now?"


    ...


    Kachink!


    "Thank you for using our bank''s services, Mr Marello." A bank staff said as she extended a card towards a middle-aged man.


    "Thank you," The middle-aged man said as he received the card and exited the bank in a daze, ''The money in it is real. With it, I won''t be able to just establish an Academy, but even creating a top-ss Academy is possible.''


    He was Muscle Lantern, having arrived at the bank to check whether or not the bnce in the card given by Compass Carburettor was real or not.


    It was at this moment did he understand the financial muscle the Contained Viin had in the world, being able to give out such a sum of money casually without even getting any confirmation from Muscle Lantern and old man Mida.


    ''If he had this much power, why didn''t he establish his own Academy? He could make them pop up all over the world.'' He wondered as such, a tad sullen as he began to return to his home, passing by a cafe when he spotted the familiar man with zing hair, hurriedly entering it to arrive before the other party''s seat.


    He didn''t even realise his actions and stared at the mysterious man, asking, "Tell me your n."

 Chapter 843 The Maniacal Reincarnation System

    "Haah¡­hah¡­haha, you''re strong, I''ll give you that." The Reincarnation System muttered while staring at the figures of Technocraft and Mystique, especially thetter.


    Currently, in the mysterious world that had been created through thebined effort of the Reincarnation and Transmigration System, the two Grade 4 Systems and the two Genre Representatives had been engaged in a battle, for the past seventy-five years.


    And in the end, the Grade 4 Systems lost, hiding in one corner of the world while gasping for breath.


    "When did you be this strong, Mystique?" The Transmigration System asked, healing its injuries as it swapped out its fragments from the timelines of the various worlds it had control over. This way, it recovered quickly.


    The damaged fragments healed in their source world, their damage mended by the cause and effect of the rted universe.


    "You should thank Zaira for that." Mystique said while seated on the arrow of a massive clock that formed the core of this region. Though at present, he showed no animosity towards the Systems, "She caused more of my worlds to awaken."


    "Calm down," The Reincarnation System said, suddenly holding the Transmigration System back, saying, "This is another maniac consciousness of his. He''ll target everyone as an enemy. Look how even Technocraft isn''t moving."


    This was why the battle had been prolonged to such extended durations. After all, the majority of the collective consciousness appearing in Mystique either sat idle or attacked everyone on sight. Only a seldom few attacked the two Systems with all his strength.


    And it was during these few minutes when the Systems were injured the most. And during the time they weren''t attacked, they healed their injuries, preparing for another battle.


    Due to Mystique''s nature, even Technocraft couldn''t be on the offensive all the time, having to focus on his back too. After all, in the fraction of a second, Mystique transformed from a God-like ally to a pig-like backstabber.


    ''Being trapped here for any longer is dangerous.'' Technocraft thought, ''The other Systems would be targeting more of my worlds by now. Without my interference, they wouldn''tst long.''


    Technocraft was worried. To be honest, among the Genre Representatives, he could be said to be the smartest among the bunch. After all, as a representative of all science fiction and space operas, the average level of intelligence among his people was superior whenpared to the other genres.


    And considering the nature of his worlds, even Systems would have a hard time making big changes. After all, among all the space opera worlds, there were world-devouring races epassing hundreds of worlds.


    Even for Grade 2 Systems, it would be hard to propagate, especially since a moment''s carelessness would get entire worlds under them sted to smithereens by world-rending canons.


    Generally, Grade 2 Systems suffered more losses than profits in such worlds. Only Grade 3 Systems could manage in such a scenario, but even for them, it was hard to generate as much profit as they did from a Cultivation World.


    And in the past, there were even cases of System Hosts that eventually escaped the influence of their respective Systems and ventured forth in their own paths, leaving the Systems behind, either abandoned or for dead.


    With each universe under him being as vast as the other, the possibilities were simply endless and hence, all sorts of things happened.


    But, all this could only happen because Technocraft was there to impede the majority of the schemesid out by the Systems. Otherwise, given their capabilities, it was only a matter of time before they controlled everything and turned his worlds into another farming game simr to the Hunter Worlds.


    ''How will I leave this ce though?'' Sighing, Technocraft looked around. The Core Skill Manifestation created by two Grade 4 Systemsbined was terrifyingly strong even at his level. But if left alone, he had the confidence in destroying it.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Even if the two Grade 4 Systems interfered with him, he still had the guarantee of making his escape. But the root of all his problems was of course the same individual that gave trouble to his opponents too.


    Mystique!


    Thest time he tried to escape, right before he seeded, the collective consciousness representing Mystique changed abruptly, bing one that attacked him happily. With that, Technocraft had no other choice but to defend himself, losing his chance.


    This repeated multiple times, even during instances when he felt Mystique¡ªthat had allied to him¡ªhad enough time tost. His duration ended quicker than usual, allowing Technocraft toe to a startling conclusion.


    ''The Mystique that''s allied to us isn''t the strongest Mystique. All the allied collective consciousnesses are only around mid-tier in the scale of collective consciousnesses operating him.'' Having the opportunity to fight alongside Mystique for so long allowed him to understand the truth regarding the other party.


    "But¡­" Seated on the hour hand, Mystique yawned, "This ce has started to bore me. I guess I''ll take my leave¡­"


    Boom!


    Without allowing the other party to finish speaking, the Reincarnation System unleashed its attack, causing hundreds of collective consciousness to spill out of Mystique, rming the other party. An instantter, the spilled collective consciousness transformed into a beam of light and exited the Core Skill Manifestation, reincarnating into various worlds.


    "Interesting," Mystique muttered as he snapped his finger, causing the respective collective consciousness to return, observing there was a minor reduction in their quality, smiling as he looked at the Reincarnation System, "Tiny fractions of my strength are now scattered in other worlds."


    "It would cause chaos in those worlds, you see."


    "That is perfectly fine," The Reincarnation System grinned, "The fragments are small enough for the Grade 1 Systems to handle. They''ll host the individuals powerful enough to handle the power in those fragments."


    "Many Grade 1 Systems will die at this rate though." Mystique said in confusion, "In a situation without the Tell-Tale System, isn''t that risky?"


    "No, it''s precisely because Tell-Tale died that we need to do this." The Reincarnation System grunted in anger, having never expected the Systems to lose that war, "We are oversaturated with Grade 1 Systems anyway. Unfortunately, not many among them show true potential."


    "But, your power would be the perfect whetstone for that. The ones that consume your power and maintain their sanity would evolve further." It grinned with a maniacal gaze.


    "I''m a whetstone, huh." Mystique grinned, "Interesting."


    But an instantter, his grin vanished, reced with a grim expression, filled with anger. The collective consciousness changed, and this time, it was Technocraft''s ally, ring at the Systems in anger, "Bastards,"


    "You''ll result in more of my worlds waking up."

 Chapter 844 God Bloodline

    Boom!


    "Attack!" yer unleashed a mighty roar, leading an army to target a fantasy world filled with various races such as elves, dwarves, etc.


    The thing about this world was the fact that just like the Hunter Worlds, those forming the upper echelon of society here were Warriors, simr to Hunters. And they were all Hosts to fragments of their respective Grade 2 Systems.


    Currently, this world was being targeted by yer to harvest the System Fragments.


    Roar!


    A dragon took flight and opened its mouth, condensing a sphere of lightning in its mouth before unleashing an earth-shattering beam, targeting part of the army behind yer to instantly obliterate them.


    "Tch, even after I killed you once," yer red in anger and targeted the Dragon, pummelling it to the ground before raining down giant metal swords on it.


    Even though yer killed and devoured the Grade 2 Dragon System in the war, it was only a portion of the System. After all, only toward the end did the Grade 2 Systems recall the entirety of their strength.


    As the Dragon System was killed prior to that, it only lost a portion of itself on the battlefield. The remainder of it present in the various worlds was still there.


    And for the past few decades, it worked on furiously rebuilding itself to recover some of its lost strength.


    Of course, yer had no intention to allow the Systems to recover from the damage of the war, immediately targeting the worlds ranked ''B'' or above in terms of their Mental Energy quality by the System World. This was one such world.


    Swoosh!


    Arnark took in a deep breath to create a sphere of liquid metal before him that expanded in size before raining down on the ground like bullets, targeting only the creatures with a System fragment inside.


    For those with arge enough fragment, he hunted them personally.


    "Tch, this doesn''t have a Coordinate either." He clicked his tongue, vaporising the body of a Dwarf before trailing his gaze over to an Elf nearby, grinning upon seeing the other party flee in fear.


    Boom!


    With a punch, he shattered the other party''s head, clenching his fist as he first extracted all the information of the System Fragment inside, pouring it onto his Relic to form an imprint before plunging his hand into the Elf''s heart, grinning as he pulled out a tiny Coordinate, "It''s around a Level 3 System''s Coordinate, but its better than nothing."


    He swallowed the Coordinate, noticing a minor, almost infinitesimal increase in his strength, sighing as he thought, ''I need to ingest Coordinates of Systems at least around level 80s and above to notice any difference now.''


    Thump! Thump!


    "Wait a second¡­" His eyes lit up all of a sudden before his face parted way into a wide, unsettling grin. Transforming into a ray of light, he teleported to a secluded mountain of this world,nding on the branch of a tree to stare at the meditating figure of a middle-aged man.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Though, despite his arrival, the other party didn''t seem bothered, continuing his meditation as the water from the waterfall gently cascaded over his shoulders. But despite the downpour, his entire being was dry, invoking a feeling of oppressive serenity in the minds of others.


    "You must be Arnark," The eyes of the man shot open, revealing scaly eyes that calmly gazed at the other party, showing no ounce of fear. "I was expecting your arrival."


    "Now, this is surprising," Arnark''s eyes widened as he uttered, "I never thought the Systems managed to aplish something as absurd as this."


    "Where were they hiding someone like you all along?"


    "A lot of things happened while you were dead, Arnark." The man spoke calmly, still seated under the waterfall, "Did you seriously believe the Systems maintained their hegemony just by relying on a few tricks up their sleeves?"


    "I think you''re underestimating the Genre Representatives way too much." The man let out a wry smile, "The Genre Representative did nothing not because of their conflicting natures, but because of us,"


    "Our actions kept them conflicted for eons."


    "Hmm¡­" Arnark frowned, his stance gradually turning serious as soon after, his gaze trembled, "I see, so that is how things y out, heh."


    "As expected of the Main Character," The man nodded as immediately, the sky was nketed as the eyes of a prehistoric being red at the world. Just its eye alone was bigger than the world, rming yer, for only he and the System Hosts were able to see this entity.


    ''Is this a Grade 3 System?'' yer frowned, noticing his hands trembling in fear, ''I am¡­trembling? That is impossible! My strength is on par with a Grade 3 System too.''


    A secondter, the eye vanished. But right as he felt confused, yer''s expression morphed as he grunted in strain, "Keuk!"


    His figure was rapidly mmed from the skies and deep into the ground as a formless pressure kept pressing him to the ground, causing even his body to develop cracks.


    "Master!" Arnark was rmed at the scene, unable to understand just what that mysterious entity was, ''If Zaira had such a powerful being on her side, why didn''t she bring it to the battle.''


    ''No wait,'' Only now did a certain piece of information surface in his memory, ''While in the process of taking over a world, a Grade 3 System focuses the entirety of its power on that world, unable to stop or break away from the process, which is why it always works in seclusion.''


    ''Yes, this was why only the Regression System managed to arrive at the battlefield and why only a few of the Grade 3 Systems made their presence. The remainder were working on taking over their respective worlds at that time.'' He was startled, "You mean¡­Apocalypse System isn''t the strongest in Grade 3?"


    "After it lost a level in the war, it isn''t the strongest anymore. Also, there''s one more reason." The man grinned, suddenly exploding with power that sent Arnark crashing into the opposite mountain, "Also, ever since Immortal died, there has been a massive vacuum left behind in his concept. So, the Systems derived from concepts of Cultivation Worlds have experienced massive growth in strength."


    "We lost Tell-Tale, but instead gained all the concepts part of the Cultivation Genre, allowing the respective Systems to surpass their prior selves in strength. And hence," He smirked, "We have a new supreme among Grade 3 Systems."


    "Aaargh!" yer''s screams resounded throughout the world as the eye returned to the void, overlooking the world.


    Grade 3 System¡ªGod Bloodline (Level 299)!

 Chapter 845 Valmor Du Te Ace

    "Shit!" Arnark''s face paled in response as he hurried to yer''s rescue, transmitting a message to the other party, "Master, it seems we yed right into their trap. We need to retreat now!"


    "No, we''re not cornered yet." yer grunted as he harnessed his powers to gradually push away the formless suppression affecting him, getting up on his own before grinning, "I''m not weak enough to be taken down by a single Grade 3 System. Even Apocalypse failed to do that while in Zaira''s presence."


    "Well¡­I''m stronger than the Apocalypse you faced." The eye in the sky uttered as a heavenly hand pressed forth from the skies, parting away the clouds; even though nothing changed in the surroundings with the arrival of the massive hand, yer was mentally pressured.


    It was a mental attack!


    "Kuk!" yer grunted as his body rapidly healed thanks to the Immortality of the Titans, "But¡­you''re only a tad stronger than Apocalypse. That''s nothing before¡­ME!"


    Boom!


    yer''s body transformed into a Dragon as he opened his mouth to unleash a torrential destructive beam at the sky, puncturing the heavenly hand before mming into the eye to injure it.


    "Where are you going?" Suddenly, right as Arnark arrived before yer to support him, he was interjected by the man who was still calm.


    "Move! I''ll deal with youter!" Arnark growled and intended to move aside when suddenly, a rune shed before him and pulsed with a strange mana fluctuation, causing him to defend with all his might, "Shi¡­"


    Boom!


    His figure mmed into the ground a dozen kilometres away as de wounds littered his body. Arnark gasped for air, watching the de wounds shine with a mysterious light before expanding to sever his body into pieces.


    An instantter, he appeared a couple of metres away from where he was severed into pieces, his body whole as he stared at the man, regaining hisposure.


    "As expected of the Main Character. Cheating death is like breathing air for you." The man spoke as slowly the air around him began to vibrate; he introduced himself, "I am Valmor Du Te Ace."


    He didn''t utter any obnoxious words, knowing very well that doing so would only crumble his fate against the Main Character. His introduction caused Arnark to turn serious, for he was perhaps the most difficult opponent Arnark had faced. After all¡­


    System yer¡ªLevel 99!


    Grade 2 System¡ªDemon (Level 199)!


    This was the man, Valmor''s true identity. He was originally a System yer that had fallen victim to the trap set by the Systems. And after reaching level 49 as a System yer, he was taken over by the Demon System¡ªa fragment of it.


    Following that, the Demon System Fragment continued to level up, gradually crossing level 100 to enter the realm of Grade 2.


    As the Demon System was level 199, the fragment could level up without a problem. And boosted by the powers of a System yer, his growth was rming.


    And once he hit the peak at level 199, Valmor began to focus on his powers as a System yer, having zero chances of bing the Main Character now. After all, he was a fragment of the Demon System the moment he fell victim to the Systems'' trap.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    He explored worlds, gained new powers, let go of useless powers, gathered interesting Core Skills, refined his strength, meditated, and coted his gains, and rinse and repeated the process.


    At present, he was under the waterfall to cote his recent gains when Arnark arrived before him.


    Valmor wasn''t afraid of Arnark. Had he just been a fragment of the Demon System at level 199, he would have been terrified. After all, Arnark''s strength was in the Grade 3 range too.


    But, he had levelled up his strength as a System yer, reaching level 99 and had also gathered a few Main Character System fragments to reinforce his strength further. System yers at level 99 were capable of absorbing Main Character Systems on their own. And he did just that.


    A normal System yer at level 99 wouldn''t be much of a threat against Arnark. After all, the Main Character System fragments in them would submit towards Arnark naturally.


    The fragments even in Compass Carburettor, the Main Character of this era submitted to Arnark, not to mention a mere System yer.


    But Valmor was different in that the power of his as a System yer was attached to his Demon System fragment, empowering it.


    "Urrk!" Arnark took a step back, letting out an animalistic sound as he was unable to pull out the Main Character System fragments out of Valmor, ''They are stuck there within the Demon System fragments.''


    "Don''t bother," Valmor grinned, "You can forget about reiming them. Also, as long as there are those like me around, you can forget about attaining Grade 2 System status ever in your life."


    Without reiming all 1000 Main Character System fragments, Arnark would be unable to hit the status as a Grade 2 System. He wouldn''t be able to be unrivalled without attaining that.


    "Well¡­" Arnark let out a breath of air before teleporting to the top of a mountain as he stomped his foot, unleashing a sword sh that severed the mountain into two before vaporising one half instantly.


    He nced at Valmor for a moment before jumping over the cliff, heading straight to the bottom as his face sported calmness, treating death like something he could flirt with whenever he so desired.


    Main Character Core Skill¡ªCliff Falling (Level 93)!


    Unfortunately, right as the Core Skill was about to activate, Valmor teleported before him and caught Arnark in a princess carry before throwing him away from the mountain, watching him crash into the t terrain and form a long trench.


    "You''re casually activating a Core Skill before me?" Valmor raised an eyebrow before staring at Arnark''s bloody self in disdain, "You''re underestimating me¡­"


    "It''s you that''s underestimating me, brat." Arnark said, killing himself to reappear nearby in a pristine condition, "You took me by surprise once and became arrogant already?"


    He sighed, "If you were hoping to get rid of me, you should have taken a page out of Compass Carburettor''s book. Simply using your powers to get rid of me is impossible. If that were possible, the Main Character System wouldn''t have been so special."


    He then pointed at Valmor, "Look at you. Before you realised, your powers were sealed, and now¡­"


    Arnark stated with a slow grin, "You stopped breathing."

 Chapter 846 I’ll Help You

    Main Character Core Skill¡ªLore (Level 93)!


    "Bastard, you were leading me on the entire time?" Valmor gasped in shock, unable to breathe as he copsed to the ground, experiencing rigor mortis immediately after. All signs of life disappeared from him.


    From the start, Arnark had been gradually leading him on using the power of Lore before going in for the kill. Due to ack of data, Valmor was unable to guard against the power.


    After all, only the Tell-Tale System had the power to counter Lore, nothing else.


    "Now, to reim my fragments¡­" Arnark raised his hand to face Valmor''s corpse, intending to reim his Main Character System fragments when suddenly, he stared in shock, watching the Main Character System fragments and the Demon System fragments in Valmor''s corpse vanish.


    "I see," Arnark sighed, "So you weren''t doing nothing all along, huh."


    In the multiverse, the moment anyone disyed traits of going against their preordained fate, they were termed the Main Character. A Main Character System fragment would immediately appear within their body.


    This was the principal property that governed the Main Character System and only this System had such a trait.


    What Valmor had created was to bind the Main Character System fragments in his body to the Demon System fragments, harnessing that trait.


    This meant that in the multiverse, anyone with the trait of a Demon would be one. A Demon System fragment would appear in their body.


    Therefore, Valmor had already created a demon worthy of inheriting all his power, a clone of himself that would obtain all his power the moment he was killed.


    Due to that, all the fragments in his body vanished the moment he died.


    So, even though Arnark killed Valmor, he didn''t gain anything from the incident. Instead, the Demon System fragments now also retained the information regarding his abilities, allowing the next Demon candidate to n ordingly.


    "What a troublesome bastard," Arnark sighed upon noticing that the Main Character System fragment was no longer in this world, "Indeed, he''s a schemer. But, I''ll see how long you can escape from me, Valmor. I''ll kill your inheritors no matter who they are¡­"


    "Oh wait," Arnark pped his forehead, "This is a dialogue only the antagonist states against the protagonist. Damn, I almost reinforced his fate."


    Suddenly, Arnark frowned, his expression turning dark, ''Why does this feel simr to facing Compass?''


    "We must return first." Saying so, he teleported next to yer, "Master, we should leave."


    "Yeah," yer muttered, healing the depression on his cheek that resembled a palm print as he red at the eye in the sky, "This bastard is stronger than me."


    "Are you running away?" The eye let out a burst of mockingughter.


    "Oh, I''ll return." yer red at the eye as he snapped his finger, causing Arnark and their army to enter his body before he vanished from the scene.


    "That form¡­" The eye paused in shock to mutter, "It somewhat resembles our mode of arrival and escape using the Astral Network."


    "yer, this bastard!" ring as such, the eye vanished.


    The world gradually returned to its function, treating the injured from the war. A dayter, Valmor''s corpse wriggled in response before getting up, looking no different from a zombie.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Immediately after, there was a congregation of fate around him as the Main Character System fragment and the Demon System fragment entered his body, causing him to grunt as his body reformed into its pristine self.


    "Gah!" He gasped for air, waking up with a start before panting in a hurry, "What a monster. He one-shot me in the end."


    Getting up slowly, he grunted, "Thankfully, I could revive with this body itself. If Arnark had decided to destroy my body, I would have wasted a couple of years."


    Of course, he had multiple revival methods installed in various universes by taking advantage of the Main Character System fragment in him. But if possible, he didn''t wish to lose his current body, for there was a lot he could still gain from it.


    Letting out a sigh of relief, Valmor returned to his ce under the waterfall, taking a meditative pose as he began to contemte the recent battle, "Lore and Restrictive Order, huh."


    "Even being overpowered should have a limit, fuck."


    ¡­


    "Tell me your n." Muscle Lantern said, staring at the seated Compass Carburettor.


    "Take a seat first." Compass Carburettor pointed at the chair opposite to him, speaking after Muscle Lantern sat, "As old man Mida said, I''m indeed not from this world. But, he''s wrong to think that my goal is to swallow this world."


    "Wha¡­" Muscle Lantern was stunned, his mind short-circuiting as he was unable to speak for a few seconds. Having activated his trump card the day before, his intelligence took another hit, and hence, he was having a harder time processing things than usual.


    In the end, he managed to collect his thoughts toy them out, "T-Then, what exactly is your goal? Who exactly are you? Are you really the Contained Viin?"


    "Contained Viin the entity my friend created by using a part of my power you see." Compass Carburettor scratched his chin, "Contained Viin is a small part of me. But I epass that."


    "Since you witnessed my strength first-hand, you should have a clearer picture of what I''m saying, right?" He asked, "In terms of this world''s ssification, what is your strength?"


    "B-ss Hero," Muscle Lantern said, "If I hadn''t hit my limit after using my trump card too many times during my prime, I would have hit A-ss."


    "Old man Mida is at the peak of B-ss. You can say his strength is pseudo-A-ss." He spoke.


    "And the strongest of this world is an S-ss, right?" Compass Carburettor asked.


    "Yes," Muscle Lantern nodded, "We have ssified Genesis Hero and the Contained Viin to a rank above that, namely the Special ss."


    "In my eyes, your power is on par with a Level 18 System." Compass Carburettor said, "While that is good, it''s nothing in the grand scale of things, considering what Stencil is nning."


    "A Level 18 System? What''s that? And who''s Stencil?" Muscle Lantern felt confused by the direction the conversation took all of a sudden.


    "Well, it''s a small story." Compass Carburettor smiled and pointed a finger at Muscle Lantern, causing the other party''s eyes to widen in shock as suddenly, a vast stream of information poured in.


    "Now, let''s see how it goes." Compass Carburettor smiled, ''You have the potential to grow stronger. So,''


    ''I''ll help you.''

 Chapter 847 I’m A Calamity

    Muscle Lantern fainted from the information influx, feeling a headache. But at this moment, his body took on a coping mechanism, activating his powers as it shone with a gentle light.


    The muscles in his brain wriggled ever so slightly before stopping. But upon noticing this minor fluctuation, Compass Carburettor broke into a smile, ''As I expected.''


    The previous day, when Muscle Lantern used his trump card, Compass Carburettor noticed that Muscle Lantern''s entire body potential was unleashed, including his mental powers.


    After all, the human brain too was a fleshly organ. And Muscle Lantern''s power was capable of strengthening that too, just that he never was capable of that unless he unleashed his trump card.


    But as he never explored in that direction, he hit a wall and failed to improve beyond his current limit. It was why Compass Carburettor first spoke three unknown terms that confused Muscle Lantern momentarily.


    And in that instant, he overwhelmed Muscle Lantern''s mind, making him feel like he was getting attacked. Hence, thanks to his honed senses as a professional Hero, his powers were instinctively activated.


    It was like standing under a waterfall. An untrained person would simply lose bnce and be washed away. But a trained individual would position themselves better and distribute their body weight ordingly to the sshing water, ensuring their form remains stable.


    That was how they remained under the water for extended durations, naturally being tempered by the force.


    Compass Carburettor was following the same principle, which was why he maintained a steady downpour of information into Muscle Lantern''s mind, tempering it as his powers automatically morphed his brain muscles to endure the load.


    It was the simplest brute-force way of doing things. But that was enough, considering the power Muscle Lantern possessed. His true strength didn''t lie in him being able to control his body muscles to grow stronger or weaker.


    Nah, that was nothing in the eyes of Compass Carburettor.


    What he was curious about was Muscle Lantern''s ability to also affect the bodies of others. And the only thing limiting this was his knowledge of the human body. The more he understood, the better he would be able to make the changes.


    What Compass Carburettor was feeding him was exactly this. Not just theoretical knowledge, but also the sensation of every single organ, bone, and muscle fibre in existence functioning up to the most minute of details. It was as if Muscle Lantern had be a cell and lived in every part of the body, experiencing what it felt like to be a certain organ, bone, tissue, etc.


    Thanks to this, though slow, Muscle Lantern was maturing at an rming pace. There was a limit to how strong he could get though, for, in the end, his power was just body modification and not altercation.


    But, in terms of training? It was exemry in that his powers would allow his students to train faster and understand their power better. This was why Muscle Lantern''s students were terrifyingly strong Heroes.


    And now, Compass Carburettor intended to strengthen that aspect further. ''Even if not now, a time woulde when this world gains enough strength to rival the Grade 1 Systems altogether.''


    ''As for the Grade 2 Systems and beyond,'' His eyes curled up for an instant, ''I''ll take care of them.''<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Honestly, even he couldn''t put a cap on how strong he had be now. After all, even though he lost Lore and the majority of his previous powers to Arnark, and even the Secret Society member--with the Dreand created using the Core Skill Manifestation and Genre Representation--was stolen by Stencil, there was plenty left behind.


    Recing Lore was its counter-power, the Tell-Tale System. It had entirely be his,pletely devoured by him. The second was the right-hand Secret Society member who resulted in a nuclear explosion that wiped out all Grade 2 Systems on the battlefield.


    Only his body was destroyed. His core--the Invoked Spirit--was still alive. And during the past seventy-five years, Compass Carburettor erased all the Secret Society members, pooling everything they gained into himself to condense all the powers in him.


    He didn''t just pool them like before butyered them ordingly to their effects, creating new powers as a result and experienced them all, truly making them his own. As to how he made that?


    Remember the virus he created using the Main Character System fragment?


    He turned himself into that, an amalgamation of billions of viruses. Each virus was a Mental Fragment containing all his information--gic, energy signature, mental signature, ego, personality, intelligence, memories, etc.


    Therefore, even if the majority of his body were to be destroyed, as long as a single virus remains alive, he could drink up sunlight and regenerate himself to full health. And most of all, this was barely scratching the surface of his power.


    After all, with the power of Tell-Tale, he had the time to imbue his entire history, concept, and power in every single Mental Fragment he owned, truly making everything his. Every part of him possessed hisplete story and was being updated in real-time.


    If he so wished, it would only take him a second to infect the entire world as the virus cells could create a world of Compass Carburettors. This was why he was unable to determine how strong he had gotten after he consolidated his powers. After all, he was now a...


    Cmity!


    That was why he was focusing on helping his daughter''s world mature. From the moment the Money-Making System entered her body, she lost everything and had been embroiled in this grand mess. She didn''t have a home to return to, especially since she could only recall bad memories on Earth.


    Therefore, as this was a world she was building from scratch, she had a sense of belonging here. He could feel that from the meticulous care given to even make the people mentally immune to the Systems, keeping the world as fair as possible--for Systems were the representatives of unfairness.


    It still had its fair share of problems, but she was solving them one after another. And hence, as a father, Compass Carburettor only intended to add more solutions to the mix, that''s all.


    He wouldn''t interfere with the world''s development. The natives would decide that. He was just there to ensure all the necessary materials were avable for the development to make its course.


    "Isn''t that right?" He smiled at the unconscious Muscle Lantern, paid his bill to the caf?? and took his leave.

 Chapter 848 Thought Resonance

    "Gah!" Muscle Lantern woke up with a start, feeling groggy as he looked around, disoriented for a minute before regaining his senses as he looked around, "Where''s¡­that guy?"


    "Sir, you''re finally up." The staff approached him, sporting a wry smile, "We tried waking you up for the past two hours, but you didn''t budge an inch. We were worried and called an ambnce, but even they were unable to lift you."


    "Unable to lift me?" Muscle Lantern frowned, only then realising that his ability had been activated in full swing, causing him to weigh a couple of tonnes now. But surprisingly, there was no difference in his physique, unlike before when his body bulged ording to the mass gain.


    Moreover, he was clear-headed, sensing millions of thoughts sh in his mind, almost making him drunk from power as a result, for his mind currently operated at speeds from his prime, when he had yet to unleash his trump card.


    It was surprising, to say the least. ''What¡­happened to me?''


    It was just then that he recalled the fact he hade to the caf¨¦ to speak with the Contained Viin. He got up, startled, looking around to see a couple of customers looking at him with slightly guarded gazes and one nurse with a first aid kit seated at a nearby table, drinking coffee while observing his condition.


    Muscle Lantern looked at the staff, "Where''s the guy I was with?"


    "He paid the bill and left long ago." The staff replied.


    "Anyway, thank you for looking after me." Saying so, Muscle Lantern excused himself, waving at the nurse to state that there were no issues with himself before exiting the caf¨¦.


    He quickly returned home, stumbling along the way when he noticed how he reoriented himself sooner than he could normally, ''This level of reflex is faster than my prime.''


    Currently, it was like he had attained the body and mind of his prime but retained the experience and strength he currently possessed, leading to rapid gain in strength.


    "Dear, is something the matter?" Pink Jail asked, noticing that her husband didn''t seem to be in the best of his health.


    "No¡­nothing." Muscle Lantern felt damn exhausted as he replied, removing his shoes as he entered his room to plunge onto the bed, falling asleep immediately.


    What he wasn''t aware of was his body gradually limating to his changes. Even now, his power was in effect, strengthening his body ordingly. And after some changes happened, his power deactivated, but his strength didn''t vanish.


    The changes became his base state, giving him a natural improvement. It was only a small degree of improvement, but over time, it would be noticeable, especially since he was still experiencing growth.


    ''The moment he wakes up, Muscle Lantern would be in for a surprise.'' Compass Carburettor smiled casually as he walked through the city, taking in the sights. He fished out his wallet, staring at the wadding notes inside, smiling when he wasn''t the least interested in them, "I''ve finally matured enough."


    He wasn''t a ve to money anymore!


    Before, whenever he chanced upon anymodity, whether money or even intangible stuff like Mental Energy or Mental Fragments, if they could be umted, he wished to get his hand on as much as possible.


    That was the standard merchant approach to anything. Or in curt terms, being a ve to a capitalistic mindset.


    But now that he stared at the cash, he didn''t experience that urge to umte more of it. That wasn''t all, when he stared at the people around him, he didn''t see them as Mental Energy farms.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Truth be told, after a certain point, he treated everyone he came across as potential Mental Energy banks, his actions no different from Systems. It was just that, his actions were to an extent even better at exploiting people for Mental Energy. After all, he was a damn good merchant.


    ''Indeed, it''s not being the Main Character but the Main Character System.'' Compass Carburettor nodded, smiling as he waved at a baby that smiled at him, ''But now, I don''t feel the urge to do that anymore.''


    To a certain extent, he had evolved beyond such urges, fully in control of himself. That didn''t mean he would stop umting Mental Energy though. But he had strict morals towards that.


    He wouldn''t absorb Mental Energy emitted by other people. The only Mental Energy he would umte is what his mind generates, nothing else. And since he constantly generated Mental Energy by absorbing sunlight, he didn''t have any other needs.


    He wasn''t above materialistic needs though. But rather, he was trying to retain some of them, since he wished to be close to a normal human as possible.


    Arriving at an ice cream shop, he took out a note from his wallet and paid it to the shopkeeper, safely tucking in the change as he received the ice cream, happily walking while licking it, relishing the taste, ''How many decades has it been since Ist ate this?''


    He suddenly stopped, pausing his stare on the ice cream, turning sullen for a moment, "I should experience such simple joys in life with Stencil."


    "She''s an adult now. She can manage herself." He mentally berated himself before continuing his journey, "As a parent, I only need to support her from the back."


    ¡­


    "Vani is my favourite." An old man seated at a park benchmented, "It''s just as good as when I tasted it in my youth."


    His zing hair danced in the wind, akin to a river stream as his eyes sparked with joy while he enjoyed the dessert. He then looked around at the silence in his surroundings, turning a tad sullen, "I wish my family was here to enjoy this moment."


    ¡­


    "Dark chocte is a man''s romance." A middle-aged man ate from a tub of ice cream, sitting in his house while watching television. His zing hair was damp, slightly balding at the top.


    The television showed the scene of a couple reuniting after a climactic battle against the viin, sharing a romantic scene at the end. At the sight, the middle-aged man sighed, staring at the photo frame nearby that disyed the picture of him and his wife in their youth.


    Judging by the deep sigh and the messy, damp state of the house, it was apparent that she was no more. His bulging belly danced at his deep sigh, "I miss her. She loved dark chocte."


    ¡­


    Simr scenes happened in multiple locations of the world. Which world, you ask?


    ''A resonance, huh.'' Compass Carburettor thought, observing the thoughts of the people living in his Dreand, one that had be a functioning world, with the Secret Society members there living their respective lives.


    They were all him, Compass Carburettor, but growing up in different environments and conditions. And when he had the ice cream, through the shared thoughts, everyone experiencing simr emotions as him in their lives resonated, suddenly casing a spark of Mental Energy that wasn''t a starlight stream, but akin to a star itself.

 Chapter 849 Spirituality

    During the seventy-odd years, Compass Carburettor gained enlightenment of sorts, which was what led to himpiling all his abilities into himself.


    He thought of his prior powers and their means of use. The Secret Society members he created were dependent on the people or living beings that he consumed using Spirit Morph. Meaning, their nature and character, and inherent limits were as indicated by their source, despite them still being Compass Carburettors.


    Moreover, every single Secret Society member was interlinked with the thoughts of each other. This also implied that when the bodies of every one were wired differently, despite them being the same individual, they had differing opinions and ways to approach a problem.


    During a high-intensity battle, this would cost him his life, for the thoughts would sh. It was pretty obvious before. If not for the infinite energy supply that Immortal provided him with, he would have died back there, for millions of Secret Society members were in operation.


    Honestly, going against not one, not two, but a group of Grade 3 Systems? Not to mention there being Zaira, the Genre Representatives, yer, and Arnark, all opposing each other, his chances ought to have been zero.


    If not for Immortal and Truck-Kun, he and his family wouldn''t have made it out that day. But until then, he didn''t have the freedom to consolidate his gains.


    From the start, he was on a high-pitched race of survival against the Systems, all while trying to save his daughter amid the various trapsid out by his opponents.


    In the end, he not only managed to survive but also emerged as one of the biggest winners of the battle. He gained the most from there.


    Hazen gained info regarding the collective consciousness, profiting a lot from the transaction. As to how much he did, no one knew. Gehera was the next, obtaining powers of Systems that she originally would have never been able to face on her own.


    But in that circumstance, she managed to steal the powers of a lot of Systems, including the infamous Regression System.


    As for Stencil, her growth was ster. She not only solved the issues guing her inherently but also gained the greatest support, obtaining the power of Dota to be the Dragon of Systems. She could now create Systems just like Zaira.


    But just like yer, she didn''t wish to create Systems, for that would only reinforce Zaira''s foundation further. Hence, just like yer, she took a different direction.


    In terms of losses, there was the problem of her strength fluctuating over the day, same for her age. But that was the sole loss they faced. Immortal''s death was another issue altogether.


    As for Truck-Kun, his concept was safe. And once he left Stencil''s world with Hazen, he regained all his strength and returned to business.


    Finally, there was Compass Carburettor who gained parts of power using Spirit Morph from Zaira¡ªher blood¡ªwhile she faced Immortal, including the defenceless Immortal fragments at the time of his death¡ªwhen he was being ganged upon by the Systems.


    Following that were pieces of Grade 2 and Grade 3 Systems that he stole while they were injured by Immortal. There was then the virus that he created using the Main Character System fragment. Along with it, he stole a lot of power from the Invader System and a bit of Arnark''s powers that came with the virus invasion.


    Finally, there was the Tell-Tale System, the cake of the feast. He gained itpletely.


    The other gains were the broken fragments of the two Core Skill Manifestations and the Genre Representation of Magister. Even though the majority of that was stolen by Stencil, the portions left behind after he created that Secret Society member was still with him. They weren''t much in quantity, but they were still a sizeable amount.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    These were just his gains. And hence, when he focused on the direction to grow further, he understood that having dispersed powers worked fine at the bottom of the pole, but at the top, everything had to be concentrated into one.


    And that state of being was represented by the Grade 3 and 4 Systems and Genre Representatives but taken to the extreme by Zaira and peak Immortal.


    That was his goal. And hence, Compass Carburettor took a pledge to never consume the Mental Energy of another person. Honestly, it wasn''t worth consuming the Mental Energy of others, especially since he had to spend a lot of thought in making use of them, as their quality, content, and quantity varied all over the ce.


    So, despite his usage of the same Mental Energy, the strength of his attacks varied drastically. The efficiency amplified by his Mental Strength was all over the ce too. And in that, he noticed a pattern.


    Attacks using Mental Energy whose content was simr to his nature and character were amplified the most by his Mental Strength.


    So, what did it mean?


    He had to rely on himself for the utmost benefit.


    With that, Compass Carburettor firstprehended all the Mental Fragments that formed his being, followed by processing all the Mental Energy, getting rid of what was unnecessary before keeping only the necessary parts that had now be his.


    After that, he focused on his Dreand, creating a small world out of it. Heid the rules using the Tell-Tale System. And after that, he took tiny fragments of his body, one Mental Fragment per each and scattered them throughout the world.


    They were his virus cells, containing all his information. As Compass Carburettor''s body absorbed energy from the sunlight, it generated Mental Energy within the Dreand, nourishing these virus cells.


    But, it didn''t nourish them like before, affecting their growth. As the entire Dreand was a living being, with every single portion of it containing all his information, it was a proper world.


    The Mental Energy generated from the mountain gave off a certain vibe, containing information regarding mountains and the like. Therefore, the virus cells there sprouted into trees, birds, and wild animals.


    Each tree, bird, and insect were a Secret Society member. And through the Tell-Tale System, he added a special condition, a self-limiting factor, but also one that garnered further evolution.


    Spirituality!


    ? A concept where the world itself was no longer able to read the thoughts of others¡ªfor it too was a member. But those more open-minded were sometimes able to feel their surroundings to a vast extent and even download the information contained within them.


    And as everyone was him, things took interesting turns.

 Chapter 850 From CC, By CC, For CC

    The minds of all Secret Society members were connected. But in this Dreand, this function was inhibited to the limit, preventing them from doing that.


    And, all the information regarding Compass Carburettor, his character, mind, power, etc. were all coded within the gics that formed their framework. After all, they were grown from his virus cell.


    But, if they were just clones of him, Compass Carburettor would only gain an army. He didn''t want that at the moment. Therefore, he installed this inhibition.


    At the side of the mountain was a lizard, its weak eyes focusing on the figure of a mosquito hidden amidst the leaves of a shrub. It possessed the same intelligence as Compass Carburettor, but its memory was almost a nk te, only being filled with what it had experienced from birth.


    The memory trove inbuilt into its virus cell had yet to be essed. The lizard''s senses sharpened as it entered a heightened state of being, watching time slow down to a crawl around it as its tongue shot forth like lightning and aimed at the mosquito.


    But of course, the mosquito too was as intelligent as Compass Carburettor. Therefore, it was able to evade the attack.


    It normally wouldn''t have been possible, but at that moment, when death stared at its face, the mind of the mosquito went into overdrive, mming into the walls of the nk te as suddenly, a barrier of sorts seemed to have shattered, causing a stream of memories to flow into it.


    This information was entirely rted to mosquitoes, sourced from all sorts of worlds out there. In its heightened senses, its body gradually tapped into this potential, rapidly morphing the way it pped its wings and craned its body, for a moment seemingly vanishing from its spot to appear a couple of centimetres away.


    Thereby, it evaded the lizard''s attack and survived. Though, immediately after, the influx of information stopped as the mosquito flew away, heading deeper into the shrub beforending on a fruit.


    It pierced its mouthpart into the fruit, sucking in a bit of the fruit juice, for a moment sensing information regarding how the fruit grew, its chemicalposition, its physical condition, etc.


    At that moment, the mosquito tapped into the gic information present within the fruit''s juice.


    Compass Carburettor had imitated biological life here, but forming their fundamental core¡ªDNA¡ªwere the Mental Fragments that he had modified through the power of Tell-Tale.


    In the Dreand, every living being lived their daily lives, appearing no different to the species on Earth. They didn''t possess any supernatural powers. But there was one difference.


    They were capable of essing information from their surroundings. And sometimes, they were even able tomunicate with others on a fundamental level.


    Of course, both only happened in special conditions. And when it happened, the individual surpassed their peers during that duration.


    From a pebble on the road to the biggest of buildings, from the tiniest of bacteria to thergest of mammals, and even the ground and the stars seen in the sky were each a Secret Society member, just that they were unaware of that and continued with their lives.


    This was Compass Carburettor''s Dreand.


    What did this achieve, you ask?<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Mental Energy!


    Every single entity in this Dreand was a Secret Society member¡ªa Compass Carburettor. But, they weren''t aware of that and lived diverse lives like the living beings in any world. And hence, they generated a variety of Mental Energy.


    But, unlike foreign Mental Energy, this was all his¡ªCompass Carburettor''s. Therefore, when he harnessed this power, the efficiency in usage was the maximum, not to mention the amplification of potency by his Mental Strength.


    Moreover, the most obvious result was this: His powers could no longer be stolen by others.


    Everything he gains was sourced from himself, from his virus cells. The gains would be distributed to his virus cells that had the property of eliminating any and all foreign matter. His Punisher Lightning had been integrated into his gic code.


    This was the sole moto he abided by now in terms of his power: From Compass Carburettor, by Compass Carburettor, and for Compass Carburettor.


    This further reinforced his influence over his power. That was why, once he woke up, he asked for Gehera to steal his power.


    And the moment she failed to do so, he was reinforced by the belief that his power couldn''t be stolen anymore.


    It had to be noted that even though it was only a fragment, using her trump card, Gehera was able to steal from even the Regression System, a Grade 4 System that formed the peak of the multiverse.


    And over the past seventy-five years, she had continued to improve her power, having already reached a terrifying level of strength. Just the fact that her base physique was beyond what humans were capable of attaining was a testament to the fact that she derived a means of power that could permanently reinforce her and not vanish after one use like her totems.


    So, when even Gehera was unable to steal his power or even disy an indication of her attempt over influencing his power, Compass Carburettor was assured that no Grade 2 System would be able to steal his power.


    And as long as he continues to improve himself, he would grow stronger. ''The next time we meet, I''ll give you a good return, along with the umted interest, Arnark.''


    He then entered an ATM, intending to withdraw some cash to y in an arcadeter, thinking of the sensation he experienced while eating the ice cream.


    At that moment, those in his Dreand that were eating ice cream and missed their family experienced a deeper connection where they were able to sense the thoughts of each other, feel their emotions, and amplify the mental faculties of each other to a deeper level.


    And when this happens with Compass Carburettor too, it would result in a phenomenon he termed, ''The Resonance''.


    At that moment, the Mental Energy and Mental Strength of each wouldbine to sh with one another, resulting in a star, an insane condensation of power that was hundreds of times more potent than Mental Energy, and of course, the trump card he was umting.


    Psyche Star!

 Chapter 851 Psyche Star

    Mental Energy was a universal power since it could be generated by living beings from all sorts of worlds, irrespective of their Genre. This was why the Systems could propagate to such a free extent.


    It was because all worlds had conditions necessary for their growth and survival.


    But in the end, Mental Energy was the inherent energy employed by the Systems. Using it to go against them was foolish. Compass Carburettor understood it in the previous war clearly.


    While he was the Main Character, using Mental Energy was beneficial, since he was the Main Character System. But now, he wasn''t. Therefore, relying upon Mental Energy would only make him vulnerable against the Systems.


    Irrespective of how much he gained benefits from it, he was aware of one thing, his understanding regarding Mental Energy paled inparison to the Systems.


    After all, the Systems had an eternity toprehend and evolve Mental Energy.


    Therefore, he needed to create his own energy, just like how his power system had begun to change. And the answer to that was Psyche Star.


    This was a condensed packet of energy created by the fusion of his own Mental Energy with his Mental Strength, Punisher Lightning, the mist, and Spirit Morph.


    This was a destructive energy that on its own would destroy anything foreign that encounters it. Only Compass Carburettor could wield this energy. And even if he creates clones of himself, the moment they were even partly influenced by his enemies, the Psyche Star in their bodies would devour them.


    And, depending on the resonance phenomenon, each Psyche Star was different and would influence the minds of everyone in its range.


    Compass Carburettor stared at a star that formed in the sky of his Dreand. It was the Psyche Star he created just now. As the resonance phenomenon for it was rted to their longing for family, this was the dominant psyche controlling the Psyche Star.


    Therefore, if he were to target a System with it, the System would fall into a state of unconsciousness, experiencing a dream of it being in the same situation as Compass Carburettor where it missed its family.


    It would experience his life and be submerged within the dreams, unable to surface ever again.


    Systems were beings of the mind, but they dwell within dreams. After all, dreams were unstable, shing in and out of existence while a person slept. And the majority of the time, they had no value.


    For the Systems, such unstable concepts would only result in them absorbing concepts not part of what they epassed, causing their powers to regress. And if it continued, their Core Skills might even go defunct.


    There were plenty of such cases among the Systems that didn''t control their Hosts properly and absorbed everything in their way without filtering out their necessities. Such Systems copsed. The Grade 4 System, Adventure was the most prominent example of this case.


    For the Systems, dreams weren''t profitable. And hence, since his powers were almost simr, Compass Carburettor chose the power of dreams in the direction that he would tread forth.


    The result of that was Psyche Star. And, as the contents of each varied, Compass Carburettor attained versatility to his nature, now no longer having to worry about his enemies creating countermeasures against him.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    The moment the Psyche Star manifested in the sky of the Dreand, it began to absorb energy from the world, causing a rapid decline in its energy production.


    Unlike Mental Energy whose smallest unit¡ªone Mental Energy¡ªwas almost inconsequential, Psyche Star didn''t have such a small unit, its sole drawback. It wasn''t a bullet but a nuke.


    This was his first Psyche Star. And two minutes since it began to form, his Dreand ran out of energy to provide for its development. In terms of the sheer quantity of energy required for its creation, it was around a million.


    With that startling level of requirement, he would need to umte power for ages. Compass Carburettor could simply jump into a sun and eclipse it to generate a torrent of energy required for his Dreand to function.


    But doing so would only result in the filling up of that one Psyche Star. That wouldn''t be enough. As he wished to begin the creation of as many Psyche Stars as possible, he had to continue his current normal life.


    Moreover, since the development of Stencil''s world was also dependent on the energy from the sun, he didn''t wish to take a slice of pie from it, ''I can rapidly fill up the Psyche Stars once I visit another universe.''


    Moreover, before the Psyche Star finishes umting enough energy, Compass Carburettor intended toplete the construction of his body.


    Pew! Pew! Pew!


    Compass Carburettor grabbed a gun and aimed at the zombies shing on the screen, watching the damage count sh across their bodies one after another. He yed the game for a couple of hours, smiling in satisfaction at the end when he nabbed the highscore in the arcade.


    He felt the wallet within his pant, smiling upon observing that it was still fat, ''I''ll y for a couple more hours then.''


    He then looked around, noticing a panel on the floor where colourful numbers were installed. On the machine before it, there was a list of music. A school student apanied by a group of friends approached it, heading in first as he watched the music of his choice y.


    And in response to the beats, the colourful numbers shed. And the moment a tile lit up, he stomped it with his feet, watching the score on the board increase by a unit.


    Following that, he broke into a dance, following the shing numbered tiles. The group of friends cheered in response as they danced one after another. A couple of hourster, once they left, Compass Carburettor entered the dancing stage, stomping the shing tiles one after another.


    At first, his steps were robotic as he only focused on stomping the tiles. But gradually, his movements tuned with the music, gaining a bit of vibe as his bodynguage slowly changed, from one akin to performing a task for points to one that enjoyed dancing.


    A crowd had formed around him at some point in time, with some of them recording him on their smartphones.


    At the same time, in the Dreand, a youth starved for entertainment was seated in the loo, thinking deeply when he tapped into the Dreand''s memory reserves, essing Compass Carburettor''s current experience as he sparked with inspiration, muttering in excitement, "An¡­Arcade."


    "That sounds dope!"

 Chapter 852 Data Inferrer

    "Alright, so this blueprint is final, right?" A man in histe fifties asked as he stared at the figures of old man Mida and Muscle Lantern.


    "Yep," Old man Mida nodded as he stared at Muscle Lantern for confirmation. The confirmation wasn''t for the blueprint but for whether or not the Contained Viin was satisfied with this setup.


    At the end of the day, the two decided to see how the Contained Viin acted in the Academy. Whether or not he truly helped the students would be apparent once the Academy opened.


    Old man Mida had already sent information to the Hero Association Headquarters, informing them about Compass Carburettor. But strangely, there was no response from there about this, making him wonder if Compass Carburettor was the Contained Viin or not.


    ''Considering how the Genesis Hero faced the Contained Viin, if Compass was one, she would have arrived here by now.'' Old man Mida thought, sighing before he stared at the man in histe fifties, "How long do you need to finish this project, City Scape?"


    "Two days is enough for the construction. But, I''ll take five more days to go through the ce and solve any structural faults in your design." The man in histe fifties said. He was a Hero titled City Scape, with powers in line with construction.


    City Scape was able to manipte materials and shape them as he desired. Therefore, whenever a Viin wreaked havoc in a city, if the damage crossed a certain threshold where it would impair the lives of the people, City Scape would be summoned there.


    And within a day, he would rebuild everything.


    City Scape was able to create a skyscraper by selectively absorbing the relevant minerals from the ground. Though in most cases, the buildingpanies brought in the necessary raw materials to save time.


    B-ss Hero¡ªCity Scape!


    He was one of the richest Heroes and also the busiest among everyone, always travelling from one city to another. He had a private jet that was pretty much his domicile.


    Moreover, he was one of the few Heroes that had other Heroes acting as their guards. Two B-ss Heroes apanied him everywhere.


    Currently, the two guards stood a couple of metres behind him while City Scape talked with old man Mida and Muscle Lantern regarding the creation of the Academy.


    While the project could have been given to a construction firm, thanks to gaining funds from Compass Carburettor, the two Heroes decided to go all out and made the Academy design even grander.


    And as the Contained Viin wished to teach in the Academy quickly, they asked for City Scape''s services. Otherwise, it would take a few years for the Academy to be constructed.


    "Alright, there doesn''t seem to be any issues in the blueprint. Good job in asking for my agency to create the blueprint." City Scape nodded. He had an architectural agency that dealt with all construction-rted issues.


    They wereprised of talented people who worked behind the scenes to analyse the damage to a building and created the best means for City Scape to mend the damage.


    And since they always had to perform their tasks in a matter of hours, the agency had evolved to make any design of construction as efficient as possible. This was why they finished modifying Muscle Lantern''s blueprint within a day to suit the grand changes he decided to add in the end.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "Alright, let''s begin." City Scape said as he nodded towards a Hero part of his agency, "Make a hole around a depth of 37 metres."


    The other party nodded as he entered the plot where the Academy would be built. He ced his hand on the ground and unleashed his ability, causing a hole to form. It had a shape of a square, spanning a hundred metres in area, and reaching a depth of 37 metres.


    The entire cuboidal section of earth flew up in the air as the Hero ced it on an empty plot.


    C-ss Hero¡ªBlock Miner!


    His powers allowed him to extract cuboidal fragments of earth and control them¡ªsimr to telekinesis. But his control was slow, making it unsuitable for battle. Therefore, he joined City Scape''s agency, working on excavating thend ording to City Scape''s desires. This hastened their work by many times.


    City Scape arrived before the excavated earth, cing his hand on it as he scanned through its contents, "Hmm, the soil here is metal rich. Instead of transporting them needlessly, I can create some decors out of it."


    "I have time until he finishes excavating the entire plot." He spoke. The Academy plot spanned more than four hundred acres. And among it, around 150 acres was the building area. So, there was a lot of ground to excavate.


    While the work was ongoing, Compass Carburettor arrived at the scene, staring at the process with interest, ''The abilities of the Heroes are pretty interesting. They aren''t standardbat abilities but are prettyplex concepts.''


    He recalled Muscle Lantern and Pink Jail''s power, especially thetter, ''Pink Jail''s power is prettyplex. I wonder what sort of thoughtsbined to conceptualise it.''


    "The construction would bepleted in a week, Compass." Old man Mida said upon spotting Compass Carburettor, arriving before him to engage in a conversation as if they were normal acquaintances, "You can watch if it interests you."


    "I''m indeed interested in this," Compass Carburettor nodded as hemented upon staring at City Scape''s work, "His ability is spectacr, especially the way he creates alloys out of the minerals present in the earth."


    "Do you have a sensory-based ability?" City Scape heard hisment and turned around to ask.


    "It''s not sensory-based, but more of an experience-based ability." Compass Carburettor said. Just by staring at a block of earth, through its colour, texture, pattern, the weight it had, etc., Compass Carburettor was capable of inferring the concentration of all mineral deposits within the block.


    This was thanks to the information he now possessed in his Dreand, a database that consisted of earths from various worlds. He didn''t unleash any form of energy into his target to scan their properties.


    But just based on what they disyed, he inferred upon the vast data stored in him to naturally conclude. This was his information-gathering ability, one that would function even when his opponents shielded themselves using Skills, powers, etc.


    After all, it didn''t scan them but inferred their traits based on the shown values, an ability whose uracy increased the more the data stored in his Dreand, perfectly suited to his growth.


    Data Inferrer!

 Chapter 853 Possessing A World’s Experience

    Staring at the symptoms disyed by a patient, a doctor would generally be able to predict the disease the patient is suffering from. And the more experienced the doctor is, the more urate their prediction would be.


    Because, they would be able to refer to this experience¡ªhaving witnessed people with simr symptoms. And based on it, they would be able to infer the information and even tell diseases¡ªwith simr symptoms¡ªapart.


    An experienced farmer would only need to nce at the farm to know whether the soil condition was fit to grow a healthy field of crops. By observing his surroundings, staring at the clouds, the temperature and moisture content in the wind, and the behaviour of ants and other insects, he would be able to tell whether it was about to rain or not.


    An expert goalkeeper would be able to predict the direction the ball would be shot towards, judging based on the striker''s bodynguage, their speed of approach, the way they tile their bodies, their eye movement, etc. and move to urately defend against the ball.


    All these were normal humans without any superhuman powers. But based on the experiences they umted in their life, they were able to urately predict the variables.


    There were such examples in every single field.


    The ones who were able to infer better from their life experiences were termed geniuses, for their growth in their respective field was the fastest aspared to their peers.


    Now, there was a world of such people, all with ster intelligence and brainpower akin to a supeputer, all livingplex multivariate lives that the world offered. They lived their lives, experienced things constantly and inferred solutions ordingly.


    And with the core of this world being spirituality, to focus on oneself and their surroundings to tap into its database of information and infer solutions to their necessities better, it resulted in the database getting updated with an insane volume of information continuously, all valuable experiences that yed effect into various situations.


    That was Compass Carburettor''s gain, not an ability, Skill, or anything of the sort, but just a quantitative umtion of experience that resulted in a qualitative condition, one that allowed him to infer details regarding anything with a nce.


    Date Inferrer!


    That was his power, one without a counter, for it wasn''t an ability but an experience that grew over time. Even if Compass Carburettor sat like a rock, it would continue to grow, for there was an entire functioning world inside him that was adding to the data in his database.


    Chemicalposition, mineral deposit and distribution, weight, chemical bonding, density, diffusion, energy¡ªheat, light, sound¡ªabsorption, etc.


    In an instant, Compass Carburettor gained all information regarding the block of earth before him, saying as he faced City Scape, "If you touch it from a spot 2.8 metres up and 0.7 metres left at an angle 14 degrees to the surface, you''ll be able to extract all the cobalt deposit within a second."


    "What are you talking about?" City Scape frowned, pausing for a moment as he pointed at a spot two metres away, "Extracting from this spot should be the fastest based on my experience. I need around 1.3 seconds. Besides,"


    He frowned, focusing on Compass Carburettor, "How did you know that I was nning to extract cobalt first?"


    "The energy signature you were prepping up in your body and the deposit structure within the block led to three possibilities. You were extracting either iron, nickel or cobalt. But upon seeing where you gazed, and the mineral vein there, it was obvious that you selected cobalt first." Compass Carburettor said.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "You''re called Compass, right?" City Scape asked, speaking upon seeing him nod, "You said yours is an experience-based ability? Did you have experience working with earth before?"


    ''I didn''t, but the Systems I sourced the Mental Fragments from were extensive terraformers that have shaped entire worlds ording to their desires.'' He thought, smiling as he nodded, "Yes, I''m confident in my ims."


    "Sure, have it your way." City Scape nodded and touched the ce Compass Carburettor pointed at, activating his power to notice that just as predicted, he was able to extract all the cobalt within a second.


    His eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Compass Carburettor, "Do you wish to work in my agency? Your powers would hasten our scouting process to repair buildings."


    "I''m afraid I''ll have to turn that offer down," Compass Carburettor smiled wryly as he pointed at old man Mida, "It was with great difficulty that I managed to pass their test and gain qualification to teach at the Academy."


    "You, a teacher?" City Scape''s face froze at the words as he stared at old man Mida, "You should know that without experience as a Hero, they cannot teach at a Hero Academy, right?"


    "He won''t be teaching ethics a Hero should follow, but rather train their abilities." Muscle Lantern said, "Even I managed to learn something new from him. So I''m sure the students too would have a lot to gain. Of course, we only n to make him a temporary faculty first to see how he fares."


    "Well, as long as the Hero Association doesn''tin, who am I to tell." City Scape shrugged before focusing on his task, segregating heaps of purified materials from the earth.


    And once Block Miner was done extracting the field, City Scape cracked his knuckles and grinned after a heap of materials was dumped into the pit, "Let''s get started!"


    Boom!


    There was a mild rumble as intense energy fluctuated out of his body and seeped into the ground, causing the materials to melt into liquid as the pit transformed into ake of sorts. And from there, the foundation wasid following which the central load-bearing beams jutted into the sky.


    Walls began to cover them soon after as a massive structure gradually grew out of the ground magically.


    ''Complex, but practical. That''s the essence of all the powers of this world. You''ve used my foundation well, brat.'' Compass Carburettor grinned, already aware that the reason the Hero Association hadn''t done anything despite old man Mida informing them about him¡ªthe Contained Viin¡ªteaching at the Academy was thanks to her.


    She gained control of her body the moment this news reached the headquarters and hid the information, keeping even the collective consciousness in the dark.


    This was a probe from his side actually, to see the extent of control Stencil had over her body. It was why he casually revealed that he was the Contained Viin. And Stencil''s actions were a solid confirmation that when it mattered, she was inplete control of her body.


    ''That''s the spirit!''

 Chapter 854 Nampur Hero Academy

    "Do you have your ID card?" Gehera stared at the formally dressed figure of Compass Carburettor, asking as she double-checked his belongings, "Your wallet, and house key?"


    "I''ll be arrivingte today, so don''t forget your key." She said before adjusting his cor, standing close, taking care to adjust his appearance before smiling in contentment, "It''s your first day, so do great."


    "I''m not new to this," Compass Carburettor smiled casually but didn''t resist her help. He checked his pant pocket, feeling the house spare key there. After double-checking his bearings, he nodded at Gehera before exiting the house, making his way to the train station nearby.


    Gehera left soon after that, driving her car to speed through the district. As she went in the opposite direction, she couldn''t give him a lift. There wasn''t enough time for that.


    Usually, he would have bought a vehicle for his use too, but despite it being a week since he woke up and applied for a driving licence, he had yet to get it. From what he enquired, it might take a few more weeks for it to arrive.


    Administration proceeded at a snail''s pace in their city, aughable contrast since even the Academy was constructed in two days.


    Compass Carburettor donned a dark-brown suit, wearing mild bushy pants that fluttered in the wind, watching the train arrive at a halt before him. He boarded it alongside other passengers, smiling upon noticing an empty seat as he quickly upied it.


    Staring into the window, he watched the train proceed into a dark tunnel, the sounds of its metallic wheels moving over the tracks were all that filled the air.


    Duk-Tak! D-Duk-Tak!


    "Where are you going, son?" The old man seated opposite him looked over his newspaper and asked with a smile, rather intent to strike up a conversation. "You look like a celebrity."


    "I''m just a temporary professor at the Hero Academy." Compass Carburettor smiled wryly.


    "Oh, a temporary professor?" The old man''s eyes lit up as he said in praise, "To be one at your age in the Hero Academy means you must be talented."


    "I just know a thing or two, nothing spectacr." Compass Carburettor said.


    "The more you humble yourself, the more your abilities be humbled too." The old man''s tone became sharp, staring at Compass Carburettor to scan him from top to bottom before saying, "I''ve seen many heroes in my life. But, I can feel that you''re stronger than most of them."


    "You need to have a small level of arrogance," The old man said in all seriousness, "Otherwise, it feels like you''re putting on an act."


    "I am strong, but I''m not humble." Compass Carburettor took in the old man''s advice honestly, saying, "I''ve just been humbled by my defeats. Until I attain my goal, I don''t have the qualifications to needlessly be arrogant."


    "If you are focused, then it''s fine." The old man smiled, watching the traine to a halt as he got up and patted Compass Carburettor, "Keep fighting towards your goal, young man. I''m sure you''ll achieve it."


    "Thank you, sir." Compass Carburettor smiled in response, watching the old man alight the train and walk away on the station tform. The train departed a few secondster.


    His destination was the third stop as Compass Carburettor got down and made his way towards the exit, sighing as he thought, ''As expected of a wise old man. He saw through my strength so easily.''<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "No, to be more urate," Compass Carburettor muttered, "He inferred my strength using his experience. He wasn''t a Hero or a Viin but just a regr old man."


    At the thought, he smiled, for a random old man was able to predict that he was strong based on his mannerism even without having the means to gauge his strength.


    Indeed, one''s bodynguage was the perfect indicator of one''s strength.


    A weak human would tremble upon every step if he was told that there werendmines nted before him. But a strong human, immune to the mines would casually walk through the bomb sts as if they were taking an evening stroll.


    It stemmed from one''s confidence in their abilities. Though, that was only in case for someone with a decent level of intelligence. There were often ignorant idiots who had unfounded confidence in themselves, they typically died a dog''s death.


    And to differentiate ignorant bravado from actual strength required experience. Surprisingly, the old man, with no aplishments to his name, possessed that.


    In his life, he was someone that had coincidentally been a bystander during plenty of fights between Heroes and Viins, having the chance to observe in closeup the way these superhumans fought. The pressure they exuded while doing so could only be felt in real life and not through a screen.


    ''Coincidentally,'' Compass Carburettor smiled, shaking his head as he exited the station and began to walk. The Academy was located just a kilometre away, ''Once this is over, I must invite Rhizen over. He too would be able to provide a solution to Stencil''s situation.''


    Ten minutester, he came to a stop, staring at a gigantic pce, built akin to a fortress as it reached a height of three hundred metres, with the main building alone spanning around ten acres.


    At its front were words written inrge font, carved into the arch that doubled as the gates.


    Nampur Hero Academy!


    This was the sole Hero Academy in the city-state of Nampur. ''It''s grander than I expected. It seems City Scape did some more modifications in the end to suit his tastes.''


    Students from all across the state and even beyond streamed into the Academy, having alreadypleted their admission tests. Though hectic, the admission process waspleted within a week, and the newly established admission staff at the Academy still managed to filter the students and obtain decent ones.


    Compass Carburettor stared at them, observing their bodynguage, attitude, and power, breaking into a smile, for he was excited. ''All of them have a lot of potential for improvement.''


    He entered the Academy and headed straight towards the faculty room, entering it to notice countless stares being directed his way. Of course, the stares weren''t one of curiosity but contained fear.


    For, just moments ago, with the faculty yet to begin their new job, Muscle Lantern broke them the news that the sole temporary teacher of their Academy was actually the infamous Viin that had threatened the peace of their world¡ªthe Contained Viin.


    Of course, it was Compass Carburettor that told him to reveal it in the first ce. The reason?


    He nned to be a normal instructor but his instructions would be geared toward dealing with enemies of the multiverse. Hence, he revealed his identity.

 Chapter 855 Gunmetal Gold

    Fear!


    The staff stared at him with expressions of shock. Most of them were retired heroes that had been active in the city-state of Nampur until retirement. They ranged from B-ss to C-ss Heroes.


    Some of them indeed had a run-in with a fragment of the Contained Viin, having experienced the terrifying nature of the most fearsome viin to exist in their world.


    But to date, the most they had faced was a small fragment, on the levels of C-ss Heroes. The stronger fragments had never been active around their city-state. For people like them, suddenly informing them that the source of all the problems in the world, a viin among viins, the Contained Viin himself had arrived was too much to endure.


    Thud!


    One of the C-ss Heroes fainted in response, but before he fell to the ground, a figure shed behind him and caught him. It was Compass Carburettor.


    He ced his hand on the other party''s forehead, unleashing a gentle wave of energy that woke him up. The Hero sprang back in reflex upon gazing at him, feeling like his heart was about to jump out of his chest.


    "You needn''t worry," Compass Carburettor addressed as he stared at the people, formting a casual,idback attitude, "If I actually wanted to do something to you, none would be able to defend against me."


    "Anyway, the fragments you faced were just parts of the power that I had shed before I went to sleep." Compass Carburettor said, "They aren''t under my control."


    "Y-Y-You expect us to believe that?" A B-ss Hero stammered before gazing at Muscle Lantern with fluster, "Why the heck have you invited a Viin to the Academy? Have you gone bonkers?"


    "I''ve already informed the headquarters of this. And nothing has happened after that." Old man Mida interjected, eyeing Compass Carburettor from the side, "It''s hard to believe for me too that he''s the Contained Viin. But he indeed possesses the powers that the Contained Viin fragments possessed."


    "Well, if you didn''t give in to your fear and bothered to think about my title, you''ll have your answer." Compass Carburettor said as he stared at the faculty that were in a tense state, preparing for a battle, "Whether it''s the title of a Hero or a Viin, they are dered by the Hero Association with a purpose. And it typically denotes the person''s power and motive."


    "What''s my title then?" He asked the group.


    "Contained Viin¡­" Old man Mida muttered, his eyes lighting up a momentter in an epiphany as he stared at Compass Carburettor, "You mean to say you were¡­sealed?"


    "No, I was just contained." Compass Carburettor said, "I arrived at this world seventy-five years ago and have only woken up a week ago. The ones that caused chaos were fragments of my power that were beyond my influence."


    "Then¡­" Muscle Lantern thought for a moment before deciding to ask anyway, "One of the fragments I faced recently said something strange. What''s your rtionship with the Genesis Hero?"


    "She''s my daughter." Compass Carburettor said, sensing dread fill the room in response, ''Well, it wouldn''t be easy indeed. But this is for the best.''


    Usually, he would have fooled them entirely to wrap them around his objective. But this time, he decided to proceed with the truth, though of course, he threw Gehera''s actions under the bus.


    The reason was simple, he was exploring himself better. And hence, he decided to take actions that he otherwise wouldn''t and see how he would fare. Basically, he was courting trouble.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "I mean," Compass Carburettor rolled his eyes, "Even the Genesis Hero shoulde from somewhere, right? Also,"


    He pointed at their Hero Suits, "How do you think these suits are created?"


    It was something he could sense ever since he woke up. His left-hand Secret Society member was still alive. Or rather, only the Invoked Spirit was alive. The Dreand had been consumed to fuel the world''s development.


    As for the Invoked Spirit, it seemed Stencil had modified it into a machine that printed out Hero Suits.


    Pointing at the suit, Compass Carburettor said, "They are created from one of the fragments that I shed."


    "It seems those fragments were speaking the truth." Muscle Lantern massaged his forehead before looking at the faculty, "It''s time for our inauguration ceremony. Let''s continue this after that, shall we?"


    With that, Compass Carburettor was the first to walk out of the faculty room, clearly able to sense the feelings of the others, ''They are finding it hard to believe what I said. Well in due course, they would believe it, especially since it''s only a matter of time before Stencil announces her goal.''


    Murmur!


    The faculty followed him out as they arrived at arge auditorium where all the students had gathered. But strangely, the students weren''t assembled in order like they had been instructed but rather were huddled in small groups as they stared at their smartphones.


    Discussions had sparked throughout the auditorium, confusing the faculties.


    "What happened?" Musclentern approached a student, observing that the other party sported an expression of disbelief.


    "S-Sir, what does this even mean?" The student pointed at his phone, asking in utter confusion, "The Hero Association just announced that there are other worlds out there. And now, they are iming to invade those worlds to bring justice to the Viins rampaging around there."


    "A world named¡­Gunmetal Gold?" The student tilted his head, staring at the image of a world that was disyed on the screen.


    "What the heck is this?" Muscle Lantern said in rm upon observing a city filled with people who seemed a mix between human and robot, sportingrge artificial extensions on their bodies, littering the dark streets of a world that never seemed to have experienced sunlight.


    Suddenly, the screen flickered before the image of a woman in her twenties shed into existence, sporting jet-ck hair littered with shining stars, making it resemble the night sky. Her eyes too were the same, one suffused with absolute power.


    The moment her face appeared, the expressions of everyone calmed down, reced with an unshakable level of trust. After all, the entity on the screen was the one that changed their world.


    Genesis Hero!

 Chapter 856 Declaration Of Invasion

    "This information has been hidden from the public, but for the past four years, our world has been invaded by mysterious beings that are strong enough to destroy entire cities. But thanks to the efforts of our S-ss Heroes, the damage was contained and none were harmed." The Genesis Hero''s words echoed through all the smartphones.


    Her figure vanished as images of damagedndscapes were disyed. And barren with toxic waste scattered around, blood that was purple with a neon hue, the trees wilted, and metal constructs lodged into the ground.


    At the centre of it was a gigantic creature, a humanoid monster bearing a close resemnce to a human but turned into a monstrous creature with all the imnts. But most of all was its size.


    A behemoth spanning forty metres, currently in pieces, the signs of brute force pummelling its body evident all across. But if one focused on the image, they would notice torn shreds of a Hero Costume nearby and crimson blood sshed around.


    The destendscape and the monstrous creature sent fear through the spines of those watching. But before they could process it entirely, the image changed to reveal another destendscape, with a monstrous humanoid corpse present in the centre.


    The images shed, disying dozens of such destendscapes, and at the centre of it all were the monstrous humanoids. The Genesis Hero''s voice resounded in the background while the images continued to sh, "We''ve set up barriers to prevent information regarding this from being leaked to the popce to avoid mass panic."


    "But, things aren''t the same anymore." Her voice turned a pitch solemn, "Despite my powers shielding our world, these entities have managed to figure out a way to infiltrate and invade. And recently, the frequency of invasions has increased."


    "From once a month to once every damn three days. And the weakest of these monsters are on par with a ss-B Hero. Therefore, to prevent us from getting overwhelmed, the Hero Association has decided to invade the source and solve the issue there where we needn''t worry about coteral damage."


    "The first retaliation would bemencing in an hour. That''s all," She said as the message ended, "All other details are posted on our official website. Stay informed from there."


    "In one hour?" Muscle Lantern was shocked as he turned around, wishing to see if Compass Carburettor had something to say, ''After all, if he''s the Genesis Hero''s father, he should be aware of something like this happening.''


    "What the¡­?" He was surprised to see that Compass Carburettor''s expression was one of disbelief, staring at the phone with a sharpened gaze.


    "This world¡­is being invaded?" Compass Carburettor muttered in shock, "How? Gehera didn''t even say anything regarding this to me."


    "No, if she was aware, then she would have told me. This means," He muttered, staring at his phone, ''Stencil masked this information from everyone, huh.''


    ''No wait, howe even I didn''t notice this? Moreover, I know how strong the barrier protecting this world is. It managed to block even Truck-Kun''s concept. And even Hazen had to spend decades to gradually transport his body through his timeline.'' His hands trembled as the phone cracked in response, ''Then, how the fuck did these bastards infiltrate such a world?''


    His eyes widened as Compass Carburettor took in a deep breath before staring at the sky, focusing to see the rings covering the world. There were 24 rings in total, invisible to the natives, protecting the world from foreign powers.


    There wasn''t any gap in this as it blocked everything. Compass Carburettor was unable to see past that, just like before.


    But as he stared at it, he inferred based on his records, observing that in some locations, there were subtle traces of recovery and healing. Meaning, those regions had been damaged before.


    And as he observed them, as if spurred by the Genesis Hero''s announcement, there were scuttling vibrations in various locations of the barrier.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    On the opposite side were giant tentacled creatures, sporting a mouthpart simr to a mosquito that drilled into the barrier. There were tens of thousands of the same.


    Seated on their back was a humanoid monster each, controlling the tentacled monsters. They didn''t attack all over the barrier but only focused on some locations.


    And these locations were directly above the regions of the world where the most fate had congregated. Meaning, those ces had geniuses that would have arge impact on the world''s development.


    It was apparent that they were targeting such locations to deal with the booming talents, ready to cripple this world''s development.


    Swish!


    A lone figure shed to the terrace of the Academy building. It was a male, sporting ripped muscles and having an imposing air as if he were a mountain range. His hero suit was a shade of dark brown, bordered by green.


    The moment he arrived, he pulled out arge t te that transformed into a doll, of a dragon plushie. It sported tiny wings that pped slowly but still maintained itself stably in the air.


    Theical eyes of the dragon plushie blinked as it spoke, "Dumbass, I was sleeping."


    "Cut the crap," The man said in a hurry, "Scan the fate convergence in this Academy. I fear this is the next target of the Invaders. There should be someone with arge fate among the students here."


    "Hmm, I wonder¡­" The plushie rolled in the air before releasing a gentle energy fluctuation that appeared no different to the sunlight as it scanned the crowd of students before pointing at two students, its hands trembling as it said, "Oh no, there are two students. And their fate is enormous, S-ss potential."


    "Two?" The man growled in response, "This is troublesome. It''ll be hard for me to protect all the students if two S-ss Invaders were to arrive¡­"


    Boom!


    He had yet to finish his statement when there was a loud rumble. It seemed loud but was only audible to him. The students didn''t even hear anything.


    The man stared at the sky, watching a hole form in their defensive barrier as two tentacled creatures squeeze through a hole they drilled when suddenly, light shone on the barrier as it mmed shut, crushing the two tentacled creatures before dissolving their bodies into energy.


    But before they died, they threw the two humanoid monsters on their back through the hole, ones whose target was the Nampur Hero Academy.


    Eyes zing with starlight, their mouths opened wide, revealing gator teeth as they stared at the two students with the potent fate, "Grahhhh!"

 Chapter 857 Earth Star

    ''This energy signature¡­'' Compass Carburettor was surprised, ''How did it recover from its injuries so quickly? No, it feels stronger than before.''


    Grade 3 System¡ªInvader (Level 256)!


    The energy signature from the foreign beings was the Invader System''s. This surprised him, for the Invader System had suffered the most damage among the Grade 3 Systems during that battle.


    But now, not only did it seem like it had recovered from the damage but had also grown many times stronger than before. This was what he could infer from the Invaders, but he couldn''t figure out the cause without gazing upon the Invader System itself.


    "Muscle Lantern," Compass Carburettor''s tone turned serious, pointing at a student as he said, "Protect him with your life."


    His figure shed, appearing next to Millie, surprising thetter as he red, ''These fuckers dare interfere with my daughter''s ns?''


    "Eh? What?" Muscle Lantern was surprised to Compass Carburettor take action all of a sudden. But a nce at the other party''s bodynguage, and before he processed it, his body had moved to arrive before the pointed student.


    He was Vahor, a student that aspired to be a powerful Hero and protect his city. Based on how the fate of the ce twisted all of a sudden, Compass Carburettor inferred that Vahor and Millie were the targets of the Invaders.


    Boom!


    "Kya!" Millie screamed in shock as the ground rumbled in response. She copsed to the ground, looking up in rm to see a massive inverted umbre form from Compass Carburettor''s hand, stretching out into the sky to epass a humanoid monster that had attacked.


    The inverted umbre had tanked the attack and ensured the shockwaves were redirected into the sky so that the students remained safe.


    The Invader sported a dumbbell in ce of fists, with des jutting out of its body that hummed faintly. It had punched Millie with the intent to kill her, surprised to see an inverted umbre manifest all of a sudden and tank its attack.


    But right as it nned to attack again, the image of an eye manifested in the centre of the umbre and red at it, unleashing an attack


    Spirit Morph!


    "Futile¡­" The Invader snorted as suddenly, the des jutting out of its body hummed faster, unleashing an acoustic energy wave that impacted the power of Spirit Morph, dissipating thetter before mming into the umbre.


    It caused deep groves to form on it, surprising Compass Carburettor.


    The fact that it had casually thwarted the effects of Spirit Morph was shocking. Indeed, having been spammed like crazy in the previous war, it would be surprising if the Systems hadn''t created countermeasures for it already.


    "Kyak!"


    "What the hell is that?"


    "Are those what the Genesis Hero was warning about?"


    The students panicked, about to run away when suddenly, intense pressure engulfed them, causing them to feel suffocated, unable to budge an inch.


    The eyes of a student scanned with difficulty, staring at an Invader with three pairs of arms gentlynding a couple of metres away from Vahor.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "Hmph! All students, get behind the faculty." Muscle Lantern announced as a beam of light spread around, strengthening the students as the pressure on them was lifted, allowing them to hurry towards the faculty that had reacted by now.


    "Millie!" Old man Mida shouted in rm to see his granddaughter being targeted by an Invader.


    "I''ll take care of this." Compass Carburettor said in a hurry before pointing at the other Invader, "Work together with Muscle Lantern to deal with that one. Stall for time until I finish the fight here. Millie will be safe, trust me."


    "Fine," Old man Mida could feel Compass Carburettor''s sincerity. And hence, he rushed towards Muscle Lantern.


    Boom!


    Muscle Lantern strengthened himself to the limit. He was stronger now after Compass Carburettor helped him, reaching the peak as a B-ss Hero. Unfortunately, it wasn''t enough in this situation, for his full-powered punch was casually blocked by the Invader.


    "Weak¡­" The Invader muttered as it clenched one of its hands into a fist and mmed it into him, sending him skidding back by a dozen metres. It then turned around to punch at the unguarded Vahor.


    "Keuk!" Old man Mida grunted in response, unleashing a dome that covered him and Vahor, watching the Invader''s fist m into it. His poison caused sparks to sizzle from the opponent''s knuckles, barely singeing it when the barrier shattered.


    Kaboom!


    Muscle Lantern arrived in time to kick away the fist zooming at old man Mida, causing the attack to miss as he unleashed a beam of light on the Invader, intending to weaken the other party.


    A sonic fluctuation wafted out of the Invader''s body before it destroyed his beam of light, unaffected as it punched Muscle Lantern stronger, shattering his arms to send him flying at the wall of the auditorium, "B-ss Hero¡­weak."


    It then kicked old man Mida, sending him crashing into the roof of the auditorium, noticing the skin on its leg had been peeled off from the opponent''s power. But the injury was nothing, "This old man¡­less weak."


    With the two Heroes sent flying, the Invader grinned, unleashing its pressure to stop the running figure of Vahor, causing him to copse helplessly as it flickered before him, "One target, subdued¡­"


    "I''m afraid I''ll have to stop you here." Its legs came to a stop, caught by a small hand, but one that didn''t budge in response.


    The two Invaders that had arrived at the Academy were around five metres tall. They weren''t as big as the other Invaders, but stronger, for Millie and Vahor''s potential was greater.


    "A Ranger, huh." The Invader grinned as suddenly, its body began to shrink, reaching the same height as a human as its three pairs of arms contracted into one. As soon as that happened, intense energy waves sted out of it, causing cracks to form on the ground.


    Ra!


    The energy from its body mmed into the ground, seemingly invading it as for a moment, the area''s resistance to it became a tad weak and was getting weaker over time.


    ''It seems their goal is to weaken our world''s defensive mechanism.'' The man thought as he stomped the ground, unleashing energy that countered the Invader before reinforcing the area further, "I''m from the Ranger Troupe. You''ll never seed, Invader."


    Ranger Troupe (S-ss)¡ªEarth Star!

 Chapter 858 Invader System’s Enlightenment

    S-ss Heroes were the strongest in the world. But, the elites even among them had been grouped by the Genesis Hero to create the Ranger Troupe, a group meant to deal with the strongest of threats their world faced.


    And, it was them working all around to keep the Invaders under wraps, having done such an exceptional job that Hazen, Gehera, Truck-Kun, and Compass Carburettorbined had yet to find out.


    Swoosh!


    The Invader condensed a spiked hammer out of its hand and bashed the Hero, Earth Star, surprised to see the wound it created was just the size of a pinhole. This was surprising since it had expected a fist-sized hole to pop on his body.


    "You are strong," Earth Star said as he dusted the impacted area on his body before clenching his hand into a fist.


    "Keuk!" The Invader grunted all of a sudden, unable to move its body as it felt a terrifying gravitational pull on its body, preventing it from moving its limbs.


    "You guys should stay put. We''ll pay a visit shortly." Earth Star said as he clenched his fist harder, suddenly causing the gravitational field to phase into the Invader''s body, creating a terrifying pull as its body copsed and formed a core.


    In a second, the Invader''s body was destroyed and turned into a tiny sphere. Earth Star picked it up and ced it in the ground, unleashing his energy into it to burn like fuel. And the substance it produced as a result was absorbed by the ground to mend its damage.


    Done with the Invader, Earth Star hurriedly turned around to stare at the other Invader, surprised to see Compass Carburettor still alive, ''How is this possible? He''s not an S-ss Hero.''


    "Wait a second¡­" Just when he nned to rush towards the Invader, Compass Carburettor turned around and motioned for him to wait.


    He then pointed at Millie, "Keep her safe. I need to ask this bastard a couple of things."


    "Sure," Earth Star didn''t wish to engage in a conflict with Compass Carburettor for the moment, not before the enemy. They could talk once the enemy had been subdued. So, he shed before Millie and grabbed her, his other hand holding Vahor.


    He didn''t move away though, standing a couple of metres behind Compass Carburettor to see what he was doing. He nned to join in if the situation seemed to turn dire for them.


    "Now," Compass Carburettor took in a deep breath, causing the various constructs he created to vanish as his figure dissipated like the mist.


    "What?" Earth Star was startled, ''Was that teleportation?''


    ''No, it''s something different. I couldn''t even sense any energy waves from it.'' His expression turned solemn.


    "Where¡­" The Invader muttered in confusion, using its various powers to scan around when suddenly, it blinked in shock, noticing that it was now staring at its body, with its head in the arms of a man.


    "Now, let''s perform an autopsy and see what happened over the years," Muttering as such, Compass Carburettor cut the Invader''s head using his nail, peeling off its skull to stare at its brain. He gently touched it with his index finger and sent a virus cell inside, causing it to multiply rapidly before gaining control over the body.


    Following that, all the virus cells merged into one and drilled out of its brain, looking like a finger-sized Compass Carburettor. It transmitted all the information to him through the thoughts that all Secret Society members possessed.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    The answer was simple but terrifying, ''To think the Invader System managed to invade Immortal moments before his death. Just like me, it took advantage of that opportunity and strengthened its concept by many folds. So, just that not only healed its body but also reinforced its concept and allowed it to derive new powers.''


    ''It experienced an enlightenment!'' His expression turned solemn. At present, even though the Invader System might not be the strongest among Grade 3, it was the strongest at its current level.


    Moreover, it was already the System with the fastest growth. Therefore, it was only a matter of time before it reached the peak of Grade 3. Unlike the other Systems, it only needed to invade other worlds.


    And the stronger the world, the more it benefited from invading it, which is why it targeted Stencil''s world. But thankfully, it had yet to realise that Stencil was living in this world.


    Otherwise, it would result in another war as Zaira would take action personally. ''And this time, Immortal isn''t there to save us.''


    With that, Compass Carburettor understood the nature of these Invaders. They were birthed in a world that the Invader System had created whose only purpose and existence was to invade other worlds.


    This Invader only had information regarding its home world, but upon seeing that, Compass Carburettor muttered in all seriousness, "This world isn''t strong enough to go against them yet."


    "What are you on about?" Earth Star asked, having witnessed the tiny Compass Carburettor that emerged out of the Invader''s brain.


    "Hmm," Compass Carburettor eyed him before pointing his index finger at him, "I''ll transmit the information directly into your mind. Rx for a moment."


    "Sure," Earth Star did have his inhibitions, but he didn''t resist. After all, he was confident in his strength. This was also why Compass Carburettor directly expressed his intention to transmit the information, for he could sense that Earth Star was damn strong.


    Moreover, his potential seemed limitless. ''He embodies one of the strongest concepts birthed in this world.''


    Swoosh!


    A ray of light entered Earth Star''s mind as his brows furrowed mildly in response, feeling the information influx as heprehended everything in a second, forming a stark contrast with Muscle Lantern who lost consciousness and had been exhausted for days.


    "I see, what you said makes sense." Earth Star nodded in the end, "Our world doesn''t have the strength to go against them yet. Our operation might fail."


    "The Genesis Hero should know about this though," Compass Carburettor frowned before staring at Earth Star to say, "Let''s go meet her now."


    "Meet her? Who¡­are you?" Earth Star frowned, mildly tense as even he couldn''t see through the opponent''s strength.


    "Well, you''ll know soon." Saying so, Compass Carburettor strapped a watch on his wrist, watching the dials point in a certain direction as he smirked, grabbing Earth Star as the duo vanished.

 Chapter 859 T-Invasion

    Hero Association Headquarters!


    It was a building spanning a height of 500 metres, a concrete behemoth that upied and area of ten square kilometres. Currently, there was a flurry of activity within it as personnel prepared for the invasion.


    At the topmost floor of the building sat a group, the board of directors that decided on the course of the Hero Association''s progress, all S-ss Heroes that had retired from duty and had taken up administrative positions.


    There were a total of 16 Board of Directors seated here, all emanating a suffocating presence, figuratively and literally. At one end sat an old man in his eighties, his eyes closed as he seemed to be meditating.


    But his ears continued to twitch and focus on the discussions of the directors around him. At this moment, the door was opened slowly as a staff entered, announcing, "Two Invaders have attacked the Nampur Hero Academy. Earth Star has been dispatched to the location. No casualties reported until now."


    "If it''s Earth Star, we needn''t worry." One of the directors said before focusing on the old man that seemed to be the representative of them all, "As I was saying, it''s suicide to prepone our invasion by six months. Hurrying up such a scale of operation made our preparationscking."


    The one speaking against the invasion was the retired Hero, Grass Weaver. He had a conservative outlook on things, seeking to first strengthen their defence to the limit before mounting an invasion.


    "By the we finish our preparations, the Invaders would have gained all intelligence regarding our strength." A snort resounded from the board of director seated opposite, "In the past, dispatching A-ss Heroes was enough to take care of things but now, we even had to send Earth Star. Six monthster, anyone below the Ranger Troupe would prove useless against these Invaders."


    The one speaking opposite was the retired Hero, Lion''s Share, one that took a militaristic approach to things and had advocated the invasion the most. He also held the record of killing the highest number of the Contained Viin''s fragments.


    "Sir, who are you?" Suddenly, the old man spoke in a strange voice, alerting everyone. He was the Director Representative, the one that headed the Hero Association, and was also the sole individual with a direct contact to the Genesis Hero.


    It could be said that he was the strongest Hero after the Genesis Hero, one of the leading figures that united and stabilised the world during the age of chaos.


    Usually, he was aware of everything, never caught off-guard for decades now. But when his tone expressed surprise, the rest of the board of directors became alerted, expanding their senses to notice two individuals standing behind tinum Head.


    "You¡­who are you?" Compass Carburettor frowned in confusion, staring at the old man that his watch was pointing at, "You''re not Stencil."


    "Stencil¡­" tinum Head nodded as he turned around to stare at Compass Carburettor, "You look different from what I was told."


    He then nodded at Earth Star, "Good work dispatching the two Invaders."


    Upon noticing that Compass Carburettor maintained his silence, tinum Head stood up from his seat and addressed the board of directors, "Continue your discussion. I need to talk with this gentleman in private."


    "Someone unknown dares to invade the Hero Association Headquarters and you want us to look the other way?" Lion''s Share got up and red at Compass Carburettor, "Circumstances be damned. We acted oblivious once before, and the Invaders took advantage to prate our world. So,"


    He red at Compass Carburettor with killing intent, "Who the heck are you?"<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "The Contained Viin!" tinum Head announced solemnly, watching the atmosphere freeze in response.


    ''He''s the Contained Viin?'' Earth Star eyed Compass Carburettor, wondering, ''Is that why I couldn''t see the depth of his strength? But, if he''s the infamous viin, I wonder why he protected the students there.''


    ''Dammit!'' Lion''s Share became stunned, for a moment his body rooted to the spot in fear before he overcame it through sheer willpower, ''Lady Genesis is already stressed as is, facing the Contained Viin in this situation would take a greater toll on her. No, even if I have to sacrifice my life, I''ll kill him!''


    "Stand down, you''re not my enemy." Compass Carburettor tapped Lion''s Share from behind him, rming the other party who tried to resist but despite that, his body failed to budge.


    ''H-How is this possible?'' Lion''s Share was rmed, noticing that Compass Carburettor was only casually pressing him on the shoulder, but despite that, he wasn''t able to exert any strength.


    "Stand down, Lion''s Share. You''re not strong enough to face him. Besides, he''s not our enemy." tinum Head said before motioning for Compass Carburettor to follow him as the two left the meeting room.


    The moment they left, Lion''s Share was able to move, hurriedly appearing before Earth Star to ask in a fluster, "What the heck were you doing to bring him here?"


    "I didn''t," Earth Star said before pointing at his dragon plushie, "Besides, even this guy failed to sense the Contained Viin''s strength. I only came to know when tinum Head dered."


    "Besides," Earth Star''s voice turned serious, "I have something to tell everyone. I obtained this information from an Invader thanks to the Contained Viin. But hear it out."


    ¡­


    "So, who actually are you? Why did I find you when I was searching for Stencil?" Compass Carburettor asked once they exited the meeting room, frowning as he nced at the wrist watch, ''Why did it point at him? It was supposed to point towards a collective consciousness.''


    "I believe the cause is this," Saying so, tinum Head took out a small te that expanded to be a dragon plushie, "The Genesis Hero called this a collective consciousness. I believe you"


    "This is a collective consciousness?" Compass Carburettor frowned, inferring a couple of secondster that the opponent was saying the truth, "Hmm, Earth Star too had one¡­"


    "That isn''t an original." tinum Head said, "The one with me is the original. It is imbued with the power to make clones of itself. And Heroes of the Ranger Troupe are equipped with them to ward off any danger brought about by the Invaders."


    "So, where''s she?" Compass Carburettor asked before staring at the old man, "And how much do you know?"


    "I only know what I''ve been told. But, I believe I know more than everyone else, Sir Compass." Saying so, tinum Head opened arge sealed door, pointing inside, "The Genesis Hero is inside."

 Chapter 860 Nervous Anticipation

    "The Genesis Hero is inside."


    Thump! Thump!


    At tinum Head''s words, Compass Carburettor''s heart thumped in response, his heartrate elerated in response.


    ¡­


    ''Ahh, I hope I pass this interview.'' A youth said in nervousness, controlling his jittery self as he controlled his walking, preventing himself from tumbling when the secretary called his name. inhaling a deep breath, he opened the door to the interview and entered. ''Once I pass, I''ll finally obtain my dream job.''


    ¡­


    Thuk! Thuk!


    The train began to slow down as a station came into view. Seated on a berth facing the window was a man donned in a soldier uniform, nervous as he noticed the board for the station reveal a familiar name, his hometown.


    "Has it been two years already? I wonder how much the brats have grown?" His voice turned emotional, anticipating his family arriving at the station to receive him. After being in a war for the past two years, he finally obtained the chance toe home.


    When he left, his oldest was only 6 years old while his youngest was just a 2 year old. He missed them dearly.


    Screech!


    The train arrived at a halt as the man got up, picked up his luggage and got off.


    ¡­


    Nervous Anticipation!


    Compass Carburettor''s emotions turned strong at the moment, the strongest ever since he woke up, resulting in a resonance with the people in his Dreand, causing the birth of a second Psyche Star.


    Psyche Star¡ªNervous Anticipation!


    He would have been in joy at the creation of his second Psyche Star. But at the moment, none of that came into his mind as he entered the room, ''It has been seventy-five years since Ist saw you, brat!''


    Plop! Plop! Plop!


    The moment he entered, his attention fell on a dragon plushie that awkwardly jumped on the floor and headed his way, stopping a metre before him as it lifted its rear leg and limping towards him before peeing like a dog.


    It was using his legs as amppost to mark its territory.


    Compass Carburettor didn''t move away upon noticing tinum Head remain calm through it. Moreover, the primary reason was due to the fact that this dragon plushie was the sole entity in this room. Stencil wasn''t here.


    The dragon plushie also peed on tinum Head''s legs. And the moment it finished peeing, the figures of the two vanished, appearing in another dimension, one as big as a city.


    ''This dimension has grown bigger since Ist visited. That''s a good sign.'' He smiled before leading the way, "Follow me."


    Boom!<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Compass Carburettor vanished before he could finish his sentence. tinum Head stared at the scene and rxed upon noticing the other party''s facial expression, "Thankfully, I was right. Despite the appearance change, he''s Stencil''s dad."


    "Brat!" Compass Carburettor bellowed as his figure appeared at the top of the hill where a house was constructed, the sole domicile in this dimension. He ignored the luxurious garden and the hundreds of dragon plushies flying around maintaining the ce and opened the door.


    The moment he entered, the figure of a teenager sewing a doll in the living room came into view. Jet-ck hair littered with stars skin to the night sky, ones that glowed brightly, a pair of eyes simr in nature, ones that observed everything, and a thin body frame that was mildly malnourished.


    It was a familiar figure that he hadn''t seen for decades now as Compass Carburettor''s eyes moistened in response.


    His daughter, the Dragon of Systems, and the Genesis Hero¡ªStencil!


    Though in contrast, the moment the Stencil noticed him, she turned nervous, throwing a doll his way that mounted an attack.


    Bang!


    Compass Carburettor paused, tanking the attack that didn''t even manage to touch him, stopped by a strand of his hair. He stared at his daughter, taking a seat on the floor a couple metres away as he only observed her.


    "How are you?" A minuteter, he asked, controlling his emotional upheavals.


    Stencil though, didn''t answer. But a couple of secondster, there was a subtle change in her demeanour as she spoke, "Uncle Compass, did you recover from your injuries?"


    "Uncle?" Compass Carburettor tilted his head in response, "Is this what the rest have begun addressing me as?"


    "Just the ones on your daughter''s side." Stencil said, "Over the years, we''ve split ourselves into factions. And currently, your daughter''s faction is the strongest. Whenever the other factions controlled this body, Gehera attacked us. As she kept them all in check, we used the chance to develop."


    "So, those dragon plushies I''ve seen around were your doing?" Compass Carburettor asked, inferring a familiar energy signature between the two.


    "Yes, cloning is the mostmon power from my world." Stencil replied, "After I fused with this world for a decade and behaved as its collective consciousness, I became strengthened and was able to derive my world''s power and harness it."


    "To act as this world''s collective consciousness is the primary wager that your daughter used to win us over," Stencil smiled, "Moreover, it raised our overall intelligence by a fair extent. The average intelligence of the Hero society is vastly superior aspared to a cultivation world."


    "My daughter would surface around noon, right?" Compass Carburettor asked.


    "No," Stencil shook her head, "She hasn''t surfaced for the past two decades already. She''s busy with the internal war. It''s us that are doing what she asked us to do."


    Her eyes shone with starlight as she spoke, "Even the invasionmencing in a few minutes is her n."


    "What do you mean?" Compass Carburettor asked, "This world isn''t strong enough to take on the Invaders. That''s a world directly terraformed by the Invader System. The peak powers there are on par with a Grade 2 System in terms of strength. Even that Hero named Earth Star is only in level 50s aspared to a System."


    "Uncle, it''s a necessity to invade." Stencil said, sighing as a result, "Your daughter said that she''ll solve our internal situation on her own. You needn''t help her. Besides,"


    "The Invaders are the perfect whetstone to hasten our world''s development." Stencil said in confidence, "So, just believe in us and see. By the end of this invasion, your daughter would win the internal fight and surface."


    "Fine, if she can solve her issues on her own, then I won''t interfere." Compass Carburettor smiled as he arrived before Stencil, patting her on the head, "But, if you are facing problems, ask me, alright?"


    "Sure!" Stencil replied chirpily.

 Chapter 861 Uses Of The Collective Consciousnesses

    Compass Carburettor stared at his wristwatch before focusing on the dragon plushies around him, sensing that they gave out simr wavelengths, ''She''s taking advantage of the collective consciousness.''


    Based on their short conversation, he understood the ingenuity with which his daughter had taken advantage of her problems and instead turned them into benefits.


    There were millions of collective consciousnesses trapped in her, all vying to gain control over her body. At this time, Stencil approached the collective consciousness that weren''t cunning retards and struck a deal with them.


    The deal was simple: They could fuse with the Hero World and be its collective consciousness for a certain duration. When they do this, they would grow. After all, thanks to Stencil''s ns, the natives of the Hero World had strong self-value, not to mention having an innate resistance to anything foreign, including Systems.


    Moreover, their values consisted of self-effort and never relying on forbidden methods like making a deal with the devil or relying upon a System.


    And this resulted in the consciousness of everyone being strong, refined, and sharp towards their objective, lucrative for any collective consciousness.


    By fusing into the world, the collective consciousness would gain all that and evolve ordingly, gradually morphing from a Cultivation World collective consciousness to a Hero World collective consciousness.


    They could be smart and have a stronger defence against Systems. Therefore, quite a few collective consciousnesses jumped on Stencil''s side.


    Following that, Stencil used these collective consciousnesses¡ªby fusing them into the world¡ªto birth new ideas, resulting in the creation of diverse Heroes and Viins. Even though Cultivation Worlds hadcking intelligence among the people, they had one of the most diverse worlds, cultures, and races.


    And hence, by using them, new concepts could be birthed in her world. It was a win-win situation for both Stencil and the collective consciousnesses on her side. Moreover, as the years pass, the concepts birthing the Heroes and Viins would be more and more diverse andplex.


    It would result in the world''s growth hastening too, which would make it more beneficial for the collective consciousnesses to fuse into the world for short durations.


    With that, Stencil turned one of the major problems implicating her into a benefit. There was still the problem of her power and age regressing once every day. But since the collective consciousness controlling her body at the moment said that she wished to solve her issues on her own, Compass Carburettor didn''t interfere beyond that.


    "My daughter has grown up." He sighed in response and arrived at the border of the dimension, staring at tinum Head to ask, "How confident are you in this invasion?"


    "And what''s your objective?"


    "In the Gunmetal Gold World, the Invaders are split into five stars, with each star equalling twenty levels of a Grade 1 System." tinum Head said, nodding in response, "I''m the only one that knows about Systems in this world thanks to the Genesis Hero''s teachings. The rest are still ignorant about it."


    "So, you understand their strength then." Compass Carburettor nodded, "Even your S-ss Heroes are between levels 30-40 of a System. That means fighting a two Star Invader is your limit."


    "Earth Star is way stronger than that, but he''s just one person." Compass Carburettor spoke as he made eye contact, "So, what makes you confident in the sess of your n?"<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "Until now, only the weakest among the Two Star Invaders have invaded our world. Weck data regarding the stronger Invaders. So, we only n to capture a Three Star Invader, bring them back here and study them." tinum Head said, "As long as we understand thempletely, we would be able to deal with them swiftly."


    "That''s it?" Compass Carburettor was surprised, "Your goal is to just kidnap one Invader?"


    "Yes," tinum Head nodded, "That''s all we need to figure out a countermeasure against them."


    "After all," He grinned and pointed up, "Once we have all the data regarding a stronger species, we would easily be able to capture the weaker Invaders surrounding our world barrier."


    A dragon plushie arrived before them and pissed on their legs like a dog, teleporting them back to the room as Compass Carburettor asked, "Do you want me to apany you guys? If a stronger Invader interrupts the mission, I can deal with them."


    "That won''t be necessary. We don''t want you to destroy our whetstone." tinum Head smiled, "I''ll be leading this mission personally. Besides,"


    He made eye contact, "Weren''t you nning to train our younger generation? Make them better equipped to deal with the Invaders. Your powers should make it possible, right?"


    "Alright, I''ll trust you guys." Saying so, Compass Carburettor vanished from the spot, returning to the Nampur Hero Academy.


    Once his figure vanished, tinum Head returned to the meeting room, staring at the nervous expressions of the board of directors, "The Contained Viin has returned to the Nampur Hero Academy. He has expressed his support for our mission."


    "How can we trust this information?" Lion''s Share frowned, "This is the Contained Viin that has terrorised the world for decades."


    "I only mentioned that he''s our ally, not a friend." tinum Head red at the board of directors, "And, the one that convinced him to support us is Lady Genesis herself. It seems the Contained Viin has a personal vendetta against the Invaders, so it''s for the best we make use of that."


    "A personal vendetta strong enough for him to support us," Lion''s Share nodded, able to ept it for he was able to sense using his powers that this statement was indeed true.


    Compass Carburettor indeed wished to rip apart the Invader System, for it had cut Stencil''s arm before. If Stencil hadn''t told him to stay put and let her deal with this herself, he would have charged out there to hunt the Invader System already.


    No, he still nned to do the same. Just that, he was patient enough to wait until Stencil''s objectives were achieved first.


    "Yes, I could sense the Contained Viin''s suppressed hatred against the Invaders. Honestly, it was terrifying." Grass Weaver said, trembling for a moment, "But the more I observed him, the more it didn''t make sense."


    "There are emotions akin to a nuclear explosion within him, but he''s still maintaining a calm expression, which isn''t a facade." He said in confusion, "It''s strange."

 Chapter 862 My Wrath

    "Keuk!" Muscle Lantern grunted in pain, slowly getting up as he was unable to move properly. His arms were busted from the attack; he was in pain now.


    "Let me take a look at it." One of the faculties with a healing ability said as she inspected his arms, inserting her healing power in it to watch in shock as his arms healed in a matter of seconds, "What? What is happening? My powers aren''t strong enough to do this!"


    ''Is this because of my recent upgrade in power?'' Muscle Lantern thought. He now possessed all the information regarding the human body. And hence, the moment the healing energy seeped into his arms, his power activated and wriggled his muscles to forcibly hold them together like normal.


    Thanks to that, all the healing energy had to do was mend the cuts before his hands were back to normal. This was why he healed so quickly.


    "Thank you." Muscle Lantern said as he groaned, getting up as he watched the other faculties helping up old man Mida.


    He looked around, noticing the nervous state of the students, ''Being attacked on the first day of opening isn''t good news.''


    At this moment, Compass Carburettor arrived at the ce, teleporting without a single energy wave, silent like the vacuum. The moment he arrived, the gazes of the students brightened, for they had all seen the way he casually dealt with the Invader.


    "T-Thank you, Mr Compass," Millie said while helping her grandpa.


    "No mention," Compass Carburettor smiled casually and patted her head before addressing the students, "There was a minor hup but let''s proceed with the orientation. You''vee to learn of the existence of the Invaders, and it is our, the Nampur Hero Academy''s duty to prepare you to face them and win just as we had done."


    "No casualties, no injuries, just the way a Hero wins."


    Thump! Thump!


    The hearts of the students thumped upon hearing his words, confident in his im thanks to the insane feat he disyed.


    Muscle Lantern had once been pretty popr as a Hero. Even now, he was still a well-known figure in the city-state of Nampur. So, everyone was aware of his strength. And when the Invader sent him flying, their hearts lurched.


    But it was precisely because of this that when they saw Compass Carburettor facing such an existence without breaking a sweat, they became confident in him, in his unsurmountable strength.


    Following that, as the Director of the Nampur Hero Academy, Muscle Lantern gave a speech to the students before which everyone was dismissed to their respective ssrooms.


    All the faculty gathered in the faculty room, staring at Compass Carburettor. But, none dared to speak.


    As he was aware of what they wished to ask, old man Mida took charge, staring at Compass Carburettor to ask, "Those freaks, what were they?"


    "Invaders," Compass Carburettor replied, "You can call them that. The weakest among them is on par with a C-ss Hero. And they are simple creatures that wish to destroy this world."


    "Isn''t that your goal too?" One of the faculties shouted suddenly, surprised herself at the courage she had mustered, "How are they different from you?"<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "The conflict I had with the Genesis Hero wasn''t sparked by hatred you see. Whether it was me or her, we were targeted by the abilities of our enemies. The resultant of that is what led to this world''s chaotic era." Compass Carburettor said, ''Well, it''s pretty much the truth. The collective Consciousness in Stencil was thanks to the Regression System. And they were what created the monsters that wreaked havoc in this world.''


    ''Stencil had to clean them up while creating the Heroes to stabilise this world.''


    "I can''t make sense of that," Old man Mida said, gritting his teeth in response, "I''ve seen those sted monsters when I was a kid. Your fragments too made a mess back then. Countless people died as a result. Are you telling me that wasn''t a result of hatred?"


    "I''ll show you an example," Compass Carburettor said and pointed at old man Mida, suddenly causing the other party to scream in pain and copse to the ground.


    "What?" Muscle Lantern stepped back in rm before jumping to the old man Mida''s rescue. But suddenly, his figure stopped in the air, the same for everyone else. A formless force prevented them from moving, forcing them to stare at the writhing figure of old man Mida in the centre.


    "Water¡­I need water!"


    "Gimme blood!"


    "Kill! Kill! Kill!"


    Tiny bubbles sprouted out of old man Mida that began to grow in response, leeching some of his powers to transform into grotesque monsters that were strong enough to kill normal people.


    "What the heck are these?" Old man Mida recovered after a couple of seconds only to stare in shock at the three grotesque sludge-like monsters before him. They emanated killing intent.


    The first of the three monsters resembled a mix between a mosquito and a porcupine, coated with sludge as it leapt towards the closest faculty to pierce the mouth part into his stomach to suck in all water from his body.


    The second monster, resembling a bat and a snake mmed into another faculty to bite into their neck before absorbing their blood. The final monster resembled a grasshopper that leapt and headed towards Muscle Lantern in an effort to sever his head.


    But suddenly, all three monsters were pulled towards old man Mida before they became still, just like the faculty. A secondter, the faculty could move.


    "You see this? I created them from your power." Compass Carburettor stared at old man Mida, "You only need an instant to kill these three monsters. But against normal people, they are deadly. Simrly,"


    His voice turned chilling, causing everyone to tremble as he spoke, "The Genesis Hero was hit with a power that is a billion times more terrifying. Every second of her being, she had to fight against millions of such monsters that were birthed in her mind as well as the monsters in the outside world that these creatures created using her powers."


    "She was overwhelmed." Compass Carburettor pointed at old man Mida, "On one side, she had to give power to suitable candidates like you who could help stabilise the world. On the other hand, she had to fight a vicious battle against these monsters that were eating away at her internally."


    "My fragments attacked her every time those monsters had gained an upper hand. Using that chance, the Genesis Hero was able to buy enough time to create more Heroes." The entire building trembled in response as suddenly, a formless killing shot out of the ce, akin to a de that pierced through a hole just opened by a group of Invaders and vaporised them.


    "These fuckers parasitise your mind and use your own power to wreak havoc, enough to make you die from guilt alone."

 Chapter 863 The Power Of Tell-Tale

    Like an erupting volcano, the more he spoke, the greater his anger billowed out. While conversing with the collective consciousness controlling Stencil, even though he didn''t disy it on his face, he was internally hurt, angry at himself and at his enemies that dared this.


    After all, he was able to infer a lot of details, especially since he had a rtively better understanding of collective consciousnesses thanks to the wristwatch that Hazen had given him.


    Through it, he found out that Stencil had been at constant war against the collective consciousnesses in her body, one that spanned decades. She had used the Coordinates he gave her as coteral to set up a base of operations and gradually influence her body.


    It seemed she loved this world, treating it as her home world. Therefore, she wished the people here to live happier lives. And every time an enemy collective consciousness created a monster that wreaked havoc, she was hurt. Her heart ached at the sadness caused as a result.


    It was not to mention that she didn''t just have to face these cunning retards of collective consciousnesses, but also work on bringing more on her side, set up countermeasures in the outside world to deal with the monsters,y down the foundation to evolve this world in a direction that made them resistant to the influence of Systems, and even prepare against external threats like the Invaders.


    This was the world that the Tell-Tale System had been focusing on right when it was summoned to the battlefield. Therefore, it was only a matter of time before the other Grade 3 Systems discovered it while roaming through the multiverse in search of new worlds to influence.


    The Invader System was the first to stumble upon this world. Stencil was running out of time, especially since she was aware that this time, Immortal wasn''t there to save her.


    So, not only did she have to grow strong, but she also had to create a fortress strong enough to protect her, all before she was discovered by Zaira.


    Hazen was unconscious at the start, suffering from the collective consciousness guing his mind. But the moment he gained a bit of control over himself, he began to work on his timeline in a hurry.


    After all, he had missed his people back home in the Cultivation World, the ce that he wished to protect. It was apparent that Hazen had helped them a lot, especially since he didn''t have a strong connection with them in the first ce¡ªafter the split.


    He was once Compass Carburettor, but the Lore that created him made him out to be an entirely different person. It was only because he had experienced all of Compass Carburettor''s lifetime that he took the risk to save Stencil once.


    But once he understood what the collective consciousnesses were, he refrained from helping Stencil and focused on returning home. The Hero World was in a better state than his Cultivation World.


    It nowcked a guardian in his absence, unable to defend itself from the Systems. It had to be noted that this world was pretty popr with the Systems. And considering the recent changes, the Systems had already figured out that Hazen was from here.


    So, he needed to return as soon as possible.


    This implied that Hazen too couldn''t help Stencil. This left Truck-Kun and Compass Carburettor. Truck-Kun wasn''t a staunch ally of theirs in the first ce. He was someone bound by his concept and just wished to transmigrate them based on his instincts.


    He didn''t have any other means to help her. Moreover, her enemy collective consciousnesses had already taken measures to prevent him from taking action, blocking his powerspletely.


    Thest was Compass Carburettor, someone so beaten and battered that he didn''t even gain consciousness for a decade. The effects of the countless Skills of the Systems were still active in him, rampaging throughout.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    That, including his overexertion of Mental Strength, meant he couldn''t help either.


    Gehera was the sole person to aid her, keeping Stencil in check whenever the enemy collective consciousnesses took control of her to wreak havoc in the world.


    ''She had been through a lot. And the cause of her pain is the damned Regression System!'' Compass Carburettor''s rage was like a beam of radiation that seeped out of the world through the hole created by a group of Invaders.


    Like a sr re, it vaporised those in the vicinity before being snuffed out as the barrier healed itself.


    "It seems I''ve yet to have a handle on my anger." Compass Carburettor sighed as he suppressed himself, ''Since I''m bing more and more like a human, my emotions are also bing more vibrant and pronounced. This is both good and bad.''


    "Anyway, all you guys have to understand is one, undeniable fact." Compass Carburettor said as he stared at the faculty, "The Invaders are just minions created by a terrifying entity. These entities go by the name of Systems. And they would stop at nothing until they devour the Genesis Hero."


    "If you wish to know more about this, then reach S-ss." Compass Carburettor turned around to leave, "And, work harder on training the next generation. The Invaders would only being in stronger from now on."


    He then stared at old man Mida, telling him the exact words he wished to hear, "If you wish to fight by the Genesis Hero''s side, you need to grow stronger."


    "Your experience from the chaotic era is necessary. Even I wasn''t conscious back then."


    "Haah," Old man Mida let out a breath of air before his eyes turned sharp as he looked at Compass Carburettor, "If I reach S-ss, will you tell me more about the Genesis Hero?"


    "Why would I tell you?" Compass Carburettor rolled his eyes and exited the faculty room, "You''ll gain the qualification to ask her yourself."


    The moment he exited the faculty room and began to walk through the corridor, Compass Carburettor could feel intense fighting spirit brim out from behind him, ''Indeed, the stronger the hero, the greater they worship Stencil, especially the senior generation that has fought by her side.''


    "You''ve created a great legacy for yourself here, brat. But, let me imprint it deeper into this world. It''s a tale worth imprinting." Compass Carburettor smirked as the fighting spirit transformed into a stream that revolved around him before seeping into the ground.


    ''It was worth speaking my head off there.'' He didn''t do anything beyond that and arrived at his ssroom, having activated a power that none could even sense.


    The power of Tell-Tale!

 Chapter 864 I’ll Protect Lady Genesis

    "It''s¡­my fault." Ady in vibrant clothes hugged the corpse of a child and wept uncontrobly, "I couldn''t save them!"


    "Lady Genesis!" A youth shouted in a hurry and leapt onto the rubble behind her, asking in concern, "Are you alright? You''ve been fighting nonstop for three days already. You should rest."


    "Rest?" Thedy was of course the Genesis Hero. She red at the youth, "People are dying everywhere! You want me to rest in this situation, Mida?"


    "Please, rest for at least an hour or two. Leave it to me! I''ll take care of the monsters¡­"


    "No, leave it." The Genesis Hero''s eyes trembled for a moment as she ced the corpse of the boy on the ground, and covered his eyes before jumping into the sky, zing away by breaking through the sound barrier.


    "Please wait!" Mida shouted and took flight thanks to the power of his Hero Suit. But he soon lost sight of her, looking around when he noticed a monster attacking a dpidated house within which were survivors.


    "Kyak! Save us!" The people within tried everything in their means to survive. Knives, sticks, utensils; anything they got their hands on acted as weapons to protect themselves from the massive humanoid bull that seemed to be made out of metal, immune to their weapons.


    Boom!


    Mida mmed into the bull, unleashing a corrosive punch that melted through its metallic body. The bull got up within a second before rushing towards him.


    Mida erected a barrier around the house, watching the bull m into it as its movements slowed down before it was rapidly devoured by a swirling acid. In a matter of seconds, he killed it, gasping for breath as he turned around to shout, "Are you guys alright?"


    "Y-Yeah, thank you." The people hidden within the house trembled as they came out.


    "I''ll bring you to the safety of the settlement nearby. Some Heroes are protecting the ce." Mida said as he unleashed a dome that resembled water, keeping them safe within the bubble that took to the air.


    He quickly brought them to the nearby settlement before rushing out, ''Lady Genesis needs my help!''


    ¡­


    "Kyaaak!" Stencil screamed in pain, feeling a severe migraine as immediately, she lost control of her body. This was why she flew away from Mida, unwilling to injure him.


    "Haah, you are pretty annoying, Stencil." The collective consciousness took control of her body and grinned, "Back in my world, with the advent of Spiritual Energy, the animals, birds, fishes, and insects were the first to adapt. It resulted in a chaotic era in the midst of which terrifyingly strong humans emerged, those capable of doing anything."


    "They even managed to surpass my world and join Immortal''s grand army. Your methods are inferior, Stencil. ept that." The collective consciousness stared at a group of rats nearby, sensing their burrow as she threw hundreds of chokers inside.


    Each choker wrapped around a rat''s neck before vanishing, causing its body to grow as toxic mist billowed out of their bodies.


    They grew ws and fangs, became as big as cows, and moved as a pack, turning into mobile harbingers of gue.


    "Hahaha!" The collective consciousnessughed maniacally as she threw out chokers en masse, causing all the wildlife in the ce to mutate into horrifying nightmares. She kept at it for a minute before another collective consciousness reced it.


    "Hah¡­haah¡­shit!" This collective consciousness was Stencil''s ally as it gasped in exhaustion. Irrespective of the number of collective consciousness in her, there was just one body and it was getting exhausted.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    This was why, upon knowing that, the previous collective consciousness created as many monsters as possible, truly exhausting Stencil to the limit. Because of that, the next collective consciousness was unable to do anything to rectify the chaos.


    Roar!


    Kieek!


    All the mice squeaked and rushed out of their forest burrow and ran down the mountain, targeting a vige at the foot of the mountain.


    "No!" The collective consciousness screamed and jumped, kicking a tree to use her power on it, transforming it into a spear where she condensed thest of her strength. Thanks to the sunlight, energy slowly funnelled into her body, keeping her functional as she rushed through the forest, watching the rats acrobat through the densework of trees as a swarm.


    "Dammit!" She thrust the spear forward, poking into a rat''s belly to kill it. Its corpse thrashed around for a second before turning still. Stencil didn''t have the time to inspect its state though as she sprinted through the forest, causing the de of her spear to hum as it pierced through the rats one after another.


    "Hah¡­haah!" Her eyes were on the verge of shutting close as she was out of gas, too exhausted to be fighting, but it was unknown how she was mechanically moving her legs. Move, poke, move again. Thanks to the slope, she barely managed to proceed forth.


    She wasn''t even breaking her eleration at this point and just went with the pace to kill the mice.


    "Monsters!" The people in the vige noticed themotion and hurried into their homes, picking up anything they could use as a weapon.


    Tsssch!


    A rat passed by a house which melted under the fumes it unleashed, revealing the people huddled within as three rats rushed inside. The following scene was straight-up nightmarish.


    "N-No!" The collective consciousness controlling Stencil gasped in shock, for it was alreadyte evening now. Her age was currently around twenty. Anymore, and her physical appearance too would begin to change.


    She was already growing weaker with the passing of every second. But the monsters were stilling through in droves. ''No, I need to create at least one Hero here. Otherwise, this vige is doomed!''


    "S-Shit!" For a moment, she nked out and copsed to the ground, watching the rats swarm her. But a secondter, the fumes from their bodies were filtered out as a panting individual appeared before her, tanking the attacks.


    "Mida¡­?" Stencil said in surprise, "You caught up to me?"


    "Lady Genesis, I promised I would save the people while you rest." Saying so, Mida shed a confident smile before protecting the vige, sustaining severe injuries in the process.


    ¡­


    ''Back then, my strength was enough to protect her. But eventually, stronger Heroes came into the picture. I was outssed and eventually, the world became peaceful. I was content, seeing as the world was peaceful. But,'' Old man Mida gritted his teeth as power churned in his body, evolving strongly, ''If enemies are targeting my saviour, I''ll take up the mantle once again.''


    "S-ss? I''ll be one." Old man Mida firmed himself, "One day, I''ll protect Lady Genesis, just like the old days."

 Chapter 865 Crouching Tigers, Hidden Dragons

    "Thank you, Hero!" A crying girl controlled her streaming tears and gazed at a teenage girl with admiration, "When I grow up, I''ll save everyone like you too."


    "I''m sure you will." The teenage girl wore a violet skirt apanied by a red hood that covered most of her face. The jaw area was protected by a mask, sporting the symbol of a hammer. Her greyish-brown hair reached her hips as she condensed an energy hammer and smacked the shit out of all the monsters in her way.


    The crowd cheered on her as she protected the settlement from the invading monsters. She was one of the Heroes stationed at the settlement for protection.


    "Great job out there, Mida." She said upon seeing a youth carry a group of people to the settlement.


    "Brat, I''m almost a decade older than you. Address me with respect." Mida grumbled before taking flight, "Don''t die on me, alright? You still owe me an ice cream."


    "That was rightfully mine! I didn''t steal yours!" The teenage girl made an ugly face at his departing figure before cracking her muscles to pummel a monster charging at her.


    ¡­


    "Why did I¡­recall that?" An olddy frowned as she sat on her easy chair and continued to read her morning newspaper. She sported a small hunch, slightly malnourished as age seemed to have taken a severe toll on her, more than others due to the countless injuries she sustained during her prime.


    Bang!


    "Grandma!" The door to her room burst open as her eight-year-old grandson rushed in, shouting in excitement, "Did you see the Invader that attacked our Hero Academy? It''s all over the news."


    "What?" Her expression morphed as she stared at her grandson, "Invader?"


    ''They began to attack openly now?'' Her expression was a frown as she hurriedly switched on the TV, staring at the announcement made by the Genesis Hero. It was being broadcasted on a loop by all news channels.


    Staring at the familiar face, there was reverence and nostalgia in her expression, "Lady Genesis is stunning even after so long. But,"


    She frowned, thinking, ''Since it is daytime, she would have looked a tad mature in terms of her demeanour. But since she doesn''t, it seems they recorded the video beforehand.''


    Having fought alongside the Genesis Hero and having personally faced the enemies that she created while controlled by the enemy collective consciousnesses, she was aware of the truth. Moreover, she was this old despite only being in her early sixties due to having faced the Genesis Hero herself whenever she morphed from an ally to an enemy.


    "Invaders, huh." She muttered before ruffling the hair of her adorable grandson, "Grandma needs to go on a walk. Will you be a dear and protect the house until then?"


    "Hero Sugar and Spice and¡­um¡­water, reporting on duty!" Her grandson smashed together lines from his cartoons and formed a childish salute.


    "Haha!" The olddy smiled and pinched his cheeks before picking up a dusty suitcase from her room as she exited the house and began to walk, disappearing in the streets, "The peace we fought for has ended."


    "Seems I need to get back into action."


    ¡­<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    ''Seems I have underestimated the people of this world.'' Compass Carburettor failed to rein in his surprise, noticing that the moment he activated the power of his Tell-Tale and used the fighting spirit unleashed by old man Mida, it was as if he had sparked a nuclear fission reaction.


    The retired Heroes, one after another, recalled the chaotic times when they fought alongside the Genesis Hero and gave their everything to stabilise the world and bring peace to society.


    They recalled their past, nced at the news regarding the Invaders, and put an end to their retired lives, springing back into action. The thoughts they unleashed were so strong that the world itself began to resonate in response, coting new, stronger powers that were being given to people who resonated with this feeling.


    The feeling of wishing to protect their world, a patriotic responsibility towards their world. New Heroes began to appear rapidly, with the potential of each greater than their predecessor.


    All these senior retired Heroes, those that had returned to their regr family lives donned their Hero Suits and arrived at the Hero Academy of their respective city-state.


    Kieee!


    An Invader leaped through the barrier and descended on the ground, intending to make a thunderous impact. But right when its feet touched the ground, the pavement behaved like quicksand, causing its body to pass right through.


    Following that, the ce turned silent as even the person standing a few metres away didn''t notice anything amiss.


    A couple of secondster, an old man walked out of the quicksand, dusting his clothes once as the ground returned to normal, "Ahh, my aching back."


    "I shouldn''t have been so impulsive, sheesh." The old man grumbled as he walked away, vanishing once he turned around the corner.


    ¡­


    "Eh? Where''s the Invader?" Earth Star muttered as he teleported to the scene reported by his dragon plushie, only staring at a grandma wearing gothic clothes fiddling around with a tiny doll that resembled the Invader.


    Thedy stared at him, eyeing him from top to bottom, "My, oh my, how it feels to be young and brimming with vitality."


    She opened her mouth and bit off a piece of the doll as if it were a vegetable, making crunching sounds as she swallowed it. She then approached Earth Star before staring at the dragon plushie, "It has been a while, hasn''t it?"


    "I don''t remember you," The dragon plushie snorted and turned its head around.


    "Well, you weren''t created during my service." She said and pinched the dragon plushie''s cheeks in interest before pping Earth Star on his bum, "My, my, oh my, perky. You''re stronger than the Rangers of my time."


    "Were you a Ranger, ma''am?" Earth Star asked with a respectful tone, "I don''t remember seeing you in our records though."


    "Well, I wasn''t a Ranger after all." The olddy in gothic clothes said, opening her umbre to point at him before closing it, disappearing in response, "I killed a Ranger in the past though. I just came out since I was interested in these Invaders. Killing them excites me for some reason."


    "So, why don''t you be a cutie pie and bring me more of them, pretty please?"

 Chapter 866 Teaching The Next Generation

    Compass Carburettor arrived at his ss, one held in arge training hall where fifty students had gathered. He noticed Millie and Vahor in the mix, thinking for a moment before coughing once to gain the attention of everyone.


    "You can address me as Compass. I''ll be in charge of developing your abilities." Saying so, he snapped his finger, suddenly causing a set of tight-fitting clothes to appear on the bodies of all the students, recing their uniforms.


    He had morphed their uniforms into a set of armour to defend against all attacks.


    "W-What is this?" Millie was shocked as she felt the tough but flexible armour covering her, "It feels amazing to the touch."


    "It''s an armour I designed for today''s training exercise. Since it is the first ss, I''ll be keeping things simple." Saying so, Compass Carburettor let out a subtle grin before snapping his finger, making an Invader appear next to him, causing the students to let out exims of shock.


    "This is a watered-down replica of the Invader I fought just recently." Saying so, Compass Carburettor patted its back before vanishing, "Your armours would ensure you don''t die or sustain an injury. But you''ll still feel the same pain if you were injured for real. You have thirty minutes to prevent this Invader from killing the people."


    "What?" Vahor looked around in shock, noticing the interior of the training hall morph like it was a mirage before they found themselves in a cityscape, littered with copsed buildings all over.


    There was just one intact building a dozen metres to their back. Vahor noticed around fifty people huddled within the building, expressing terror.


    "W-What are we supposed to do?" The students panicked, unable to take action as they stepped back slowly, watching the Invader walk their way.


    Swoosh!


    Suddenly, the Invader crouched a little before condensing spiny long des all over its arms as it rushed at them, rming everyone.


    "Shit, run!" Vahor turned tail and sprinted towards the rubble, intending to hide behind and evade the senses of the Invader. The memory of the original was still fresh in his mind. Its mere pressure prevented him from being able to move.


    Fear overwhelmed him, ''Shit! Shit! Shit!''


    "Eh?" Millie braced herself for impact when the Invader arrived before her. But immediately after, it leaped past her and evaded the students to make a beeline towards the intact house.


    Thump! Thump!


    Vahor felt an intense sense of unease, turning around to stare at the intact house to notice a familiar face staring out from one of the windows. A secondter, his face paled as he realised the identity of the person, "Mom!"


    "Prey!" The Invader let out a gutturalugh before leaping towards the house, hearing the screams of the people within in delight.


    "Oh, screw you! Not my mom, you bastard!" Vahor''s shout arrived as suddenly, the dust on the ground sprung up and transformed into a fist that mmed into its face, sending it flying away. And shockingly, the moment it was hit, its face lost all colour, turning transparent.


    Once it turned transparent, it was brittle like a ss vase. The Invader''s body adapted to the attack as colour filled the transparent spot from other locations. But this resulted in the overall radiance of the Invader dimming in contrast.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    This caused its strength to diminish by a fraction. The fist of dust mmed it again, this time sending it mming into the ground, a tad stronger than before. And coating its surface was the same colour as the Invader''s face.


    It had absorbed the colour, and with it, some of its powers.


    "You won''t target my mom!" Bellowing as such, Vahor flew across the air, carried by a hand that seemed to have been created by absorbing the colour from a nearby wall. The wall was now transparent, shattering as it was unable to bear the load of the rubble atop it, transforming into water when it copsed.


    Hero¡ªSpectral Solvent!


    That was Vahor''s power, aplicated ability that had broadened uses but required a specific skill set to employ.


    "He''s strong! Almost on the level of a D-ss Hero." One of the students muttered before they observed the desperation on Vahor''s face, noticing how he was sending the Invader flying away from the intact house. They stared in that direction, eyes widening in shock to see a familiar face, "B-Brother?"


    "No, no, nonono!" The student wasn''t originally intent on risking his life to save others, especially when he was ridden with fear by the strength an Invader possessed. But once he saw the person he respected the most¡ªhis brother¡ªin the house, fear didn''t matter anymore.


    This was someone he would protect even at the cost of his life. The thought didn''t even settle down in his mind when the student noticed he was skating through the ground to target the Invader already.


    "This should be an illusion." Millie said as she rushed in one direction, frowning when she had run for almost a kilometre, "The training hall isn''t even this big. How did he do it?"


    Thinking of something, she punched the ground, watching cracks form on the road as pieces of asphalt flew around. She grabbed a piece and inspected it, noticing that it seemed as real as the original.


    She couldn''t understand how this was created, but upon seeing the students swarming the Invader, she thought of something before picking up a rusty rod from nearby.


    Hero¡ªFriction Covalence!


    She red at the Invader, "I''ll first deal with the issue at hand before thinking of the rest."


    Her re stunned the Invader, for it suddenly was unable to stand on the ground, slipping easily. Moreover, when it punched the opponent, its fists slid off the student''s cheek, not even scratching him.


    Even its des failed to harm them, casually slipping past them. At this moment, Millie skated through the ground like a speeding car and crashed into its back, suddenly sparking its body to catch fire.


    "Phew!" She skid away and arrived at a halt behind Vahor, calming her thumping heart to say, "It won''t be getting anywhere near the house. It''s a thousand times weaker than the Invader we saw before. Get it!"


    Roar!


    The students bellowed in response and spammed attacks on the Invader, managing to destroy it within a couple of minutes.

 Chapter 867 Mission: Gunmetal Gold Invasion

    Teaching the students through conventional means wasn''t his style. He wouldn''t be able to do much that way. Instead, Compass Carburettor proceeded to ce the students in various scenarios.


    Endless scenarios. Send in the Secret Society members to enact various roles and make the students experience that. In this world, they were the sole heroes, their failure meant loss of life. Experience was the most vital tool and currency that one must umte, irrespective of their profession.


    With enough experience, even a weaker person would easily defeat someone stronger. Take his own life for example. All the time, he was against beings that were way stronger than himself.


    But using his cunning and wit, and by taking advantage of his limited experience and applying it in various situations, Compass Carburettor managed to survive and emerge victorious, enjoying a profitable battle most of the time.


    Here, he was teaching the students the same. Not just should they umte experience regarding different solutions, but they must also be capable of flexibly applying the experience of one situation to somethingpletely different.


    Suppose a person knew how to y basketball. Throwing the ball through the hoop was his speciality. Then, he should use the experience gained from that sport everywhere.


    Suppose he was rushing through the crowd? Treat everyone as your opponents and juggle through them.


    Need to dance? Just repeat the usual training exercise and modify it a little, maybe smile and shake your hands wider.


    If you can do one thing correctly, then apply it everywhere. Adapt that one experience to all situations.


    Compass Carburettor was a merchant at heart. So, in every situation, he treated it as a trade. He wanted Mental Energy and hence acted as a Spirit which eventually led to the creation of the Secret Society.


    From the very beginning, he brought unknown variables into his ying field and defeated them with experience. This was why he managed to reach where he had.


    For the students, he had to make this their instinct. They would explore their powers on their own and develop them ording to their needs.


    They should keep thinking of ways to better themselves, to use their powers in various situations to achieve their objective. This was all that he nned to teach them. And for that to be sessful, he had an army of Secret Society members that would enact the perfect roles to bring about the necessary situations.


    "Hah! That was exhausting." Millie said as she was sprawled on the floor in exhaustion, noticing that at the moment when everyone wasn''t paying attention, the city reverted to their training hall.


    The asphalt she was sprawled upon had now be the smooth floors of the training hall. ''Compass has mysterious powers.''


    "So, how was the simtion?" Compass Carburettor pped to gain their attention before speaking, "Was the Invader as scary as before?"


    "He was still strong." Millie said, watching her suit revert into the original uniform, "Without this protective clothing, more than half of us would have died. And this one''s pressure was nothingpared to the one you faced. I couldn''t even breathe before that one."


    "You needn''t worry about that." Compass Carburettor smiled, "You''ll continue to fight various opponents, from Viins to Invaders and experience everything. Over time, I''ll strengthen them."


    "You''ll be able to fight against an actual Invader soon enough." Saying so, he dismissed the ss and returned to the faculty room, focused as he recalled everything that happened.


    Through the scenario, he vicariously lived through their perspective, gaining a better outlook on himself. Moreover, it was finally time as his figure vanished, appearing at the Hero Association Headquarters, noticing a team of twenty people donned in suits, carryingrge cages with them.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Two dragon plushies apanied them as the group entered a futuristic ne.


    At the lead was tinum Head, his expression stoic but oozing absolute confidence. He noticed Compass Carburettor''s presence and nodded in his direction.


    ''Well, I don''t think it is necessary. But just in case,'' Thinking as such, he nted a Virus Cell on the aircraft.


    The preparations were done soon after as droves of reporters had congregated at the scene, observing the aircraft engines begin ignition.


    Suddenly, the crowd moured as all attention was ced on a figure that just came out. She was ady with hair that seemed like it was made from the night sky, her starlight eyes full of power, automatically giving people a sense of confidence.


    Genesis Hero!


    She stopped soon after and saluted towards the aircraft, "Return Victorious!"


    "Return Victorious!" The crowd shouted in response as the scene was telecasted all over the world.


    "Ouch, I got a cramp in my leg¡­" Millie winced as she wiped her sweat with a wet towel, noticing the television in the corridor switch on and disy news. It was kept there to keep them informed of all Hero and Viin activities, to make them used to such a life as professional Heroes.


    The news showed the scene of the Genesis Hero sending off the aircraft that was about to invade the world of the Invaders.


    "Eh? Wait a second!" Suddenly, Vahor eximed in shock before pointing at a corner of the screen, "Isn''t that professor Compass? When did he get there?"


    "The Hero Association is more than 2000 kilometres away from here."


    "Teleportation?" Millie frowned, "How many powers does he have?"


    With the eyes of the world on the news, Compass Carburettor took in a deep breath before morphing his vision, noticing Mental Energy streams congregate at the ce from all over the world.


    And that cluster of energy was absorbed by one of the two dragon plushies within the aircraft who then condensed it into itself.


    "They need to evade the Invaders on the barrier''s surface before being able to make the jump into the world of the enemies." Lion''s Share muttered as he arrived next to Compass Carburettor, asking without shifting his nce from the sky, "Will they seed?"


    "Yup," Compass Carburettor muttered in confidence, for only he was able to sense the startling amount of abilities being birthed by the Mental Energy streams through the dragon plushie using this opportunity. He could sense Stencil unleashing a torrential amount of power, harnessing the essence of the world itself to fuel this mission.


    After all, the sess or failure of this mission would determine whether or not the power System Stencil worked on was potent against the Systems.

 Chapter 868 You Forgot About Your Nightmare?

    tinum Head stared with a solemn gaze as their aircraft took flight and gradually approached the barrier protecting their world. It was his first time seeing it up close, sighing at its massive grandeur, ''This is the barrier protecting our world.''


    "Be ready. I''ll be opening an entry point." Stencil''s voice resounded in their aircraft, "There are no Invaders in your surroundings, but they would rush at you the moment the barrier opens. Be prepared to fight."


    "You heard her," tinum Head addressed the twenty people seated within the aircraft. Among the twenty Heroes, five were S-ss while the remaining 15 were A-ss.


    Everyone geared up in response, ready to fight as the aircraft gradually touched the barrier that suddenly parted way, opening a wide enough hole for it to pass through.


    The barrier protecting the world filtered out all powers that could infiltrate the world. But, this also meant they couldn''t form a connection to another world from within. After all, such paths were two-way channels, allowing the other side to rush in through them.


    Hence, it couldn''t be created within the world, which was why they had to leave the world first before teleporting to the Gunmetal Gold World.


    The aircraft passed through the barrier as tinum Head gulped nervously, watching the barrier close shut behind him. This meant that they wouldn''t get any support from the Genesis Hero.


    "We''re on our own from here." He said, noticing the nervousness of everyone as the aircraft continued to fly through space.


    Kieee!


    Formless energy ripples mmed into the aircraft as suddenly, everyone flinched at the intense pressure. tinum Head turned around, staring at a sea of clouds rushing towards them, his face paling as he shouted, "Invaders!"


    Riding their tentacled creatures were Invaders, millions in number. They had been attacking the barrier in countless locations all across the world. But upon noticing the aircraft, they hurriedly chased after it.


    "Use the sma canon." tinum Head calmed down andmanded. The one manning the aircraft, an A-ss Hero nodded as he aimed the weapon towards the approaching sea of Invaders and pressed the trigger.


    Guuong!


    A beam of light mmed into the sea of Invaders before exploding like a nuclear reaction, bing a miniature sun as its sr res killed more Invaders.


    "That¡­was strong." The A-ss Hero muttered in shock, having never expected their sma canon to be so powerful.


    "Don''t forget that this aircraft is no different to a Hero Suit. So, its strength makes sense since Lady Genesis created it for her exclusive use." tinum Head said in response, feeling proud for some reason.


    "Initiating warp!" Another A-ss Hero said after pushing a couple of buttons, hearing the aircraft rumble in response.


    "Kill!"


    "Catch them!"


    The Invaders shouted from afar, having been held back by the sma cannon as they tried to rush at the aircraft as soon as possible.


    The aircraft whirred with a mysterious power. It was a Hero Suit created using the concept of transmigration that the Invaders thought while arriving at this universe.


    Invaders were just the beings birthed on the Gunmetal Gold World after the Invader System had modified it. So, they were still sentient beings capable of generating Mental Energy.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    And the moment they began to invade the Hero World, Stencil harnessed their relevant thoughts and focused it to create a power of transmigration, one that could only go from the Hero World to the Gunmetal old World and vice-versa.


    Using that, she created a Hero Suit in the form of an aircraft.


    "Fuu¡­" One of the Heroes let out a long breath, sensing his energy being sucked by the aircraft as suddenly a spatial storm erupted around the aircraft before its figure vanished.


    "Shit!" One of the Invaders cursed in response,ing to a stop as it turned around and began to retreat, intending to continue working on damaging the barrier like before. All the Invaders too returned to their work on the barrier.


    And since their numbers had been dropped by a sharp extent, a portal manifested in one area through which tens of thousands of Invaders poured forth.


    Suddenly, just as the portal was about to close, the ws of a gigantic entity passed through and caught hold of the portal''s boundary, exerting strength into it to expand it in size before entering the universe of the Hero World.


    Invader¡ªFive Star!


    Possessing strength on par with a Grade 1 System at the peak, it was a terrifying existence, capable of destroying a world easily. It observed the barrier on the Hero World, grinning as it suddenly mmed into it.


    Rumble!


    Stencil''s expression morphed in response, paling a little upon the impact as minor cracks spread out from the impact point. She hurriedly mended the damage.


    "Surprising!" The Invader muttered as the tentacled creature it sat upon whirred its mouthpart before plunging it into the barrier, puncturing a hole in a matter of seconds.


    "Kya!" Stencil let out a surprised shout, garnering the attention of everyone that had gathered at the scene.


    "Oh, shit!" Earth Star gazed at the sky, noticing a gigantic needle poking through the barrier protecting their world. Those at S-ss were able to see the barrier, so he noticed what was up.


    "Leave it to me," Just when Stencil was about to personally head out, Compass Carburettor stopped her, "I haven''t flexed in a while. This Invader is just perfect for that."


    Saying so, his figure disappeared and appeared next to the barrier, gazing at the drilling mouthpart before him. He extended his index finger, gently touching the tip of the spinning mouthpart that oozed a mysterious power of invasion that allowed it to puncture the barrier in a matter of seconds.


    Whirr!


    Suddenly, the mouthpart stopped rotating, unable to drill through Compass Carburettor''s index finger.


    "Get back!" At his words, he flexed his index finger, pushing the mouthpart out. In response, his body dissolved into a ray of sunlight that vanished through the hole, forming a fair distance away from the Invader.


    "Who the heck are you?" The Invader frowned in response, staring at the tentacled creature to notice in shock that its mouthpart had been twisted and tied like a ribbon, ''When did he do it?''


    "Wow, you don''t know about me?" Compass Carburettor acted like he was surprised before grinning, "You really forgot?"


    "About your nightmare?"

 Chapter 869 Dreams: Reality

    "Nightmare? What the heck are you talking about¡­" The Invader retorted when suddenly, it observed that it was in a different world, present amid a massive metropolitan city.


    "Huff..puff¡­" It was rmed at the panting sounds, looking around to notice that it wasing from itself. A tiny, weak frame aspared to before, a mortal weakness that it hadn''t experienced before.


    It looked around, noticing arge ss forming the wall of a shopping mall, staring at it to see its reflection. A man in histe thirties, a bit fit but sporting excess fat in the stomach region, a sign that he was a desk worker.


    ''I''m a¡­human?'' This thought just popped in its mind, and the ss shattered.


    Bang!


    An aberrant rushed out of it, blood dripping out of its elongated jaw as its bloodthirsty eyes stared at him.


    "Argh!" Unaware, he unleashed a humane shriek before tumbling to the side, sighing in relief when the aberrant missed him and crashed into amppost nearby.


    Grrr!


    Growls resounded from around him as one after another, the aberrants continued to appear from various locations, targeting the humans nearby. "Shit! What is happening?"


    The man ran away from the ce, heading into an alley to hide beside a garbage bin. He wasn''t a human, so his understanding of such situations wascking. As he panted beside the bin, a figure gradually stood up from within and stared at him from above.


    Its jaws opened like a flower, revealing grotesque shark-like teeth all over that mped upon the man''s head, shattering it into pulp, killing him. Thest he was was its image reflected on a tinted shard of ss nearby.


    "Gah!" The Invader came to its senses, noticing that it was in the same ce as before. But for some reason, it was sweating like a human now. It was startling because the physique of the Invaders didn''t have a concept of sweat.


    Hehe!


    Suddenly, Compass Carburettor let out a grin as his jaws parted open like a flower, revealing rows upon rows of shark-like teeth as he approached the Invader.


    Fear!


    Even though Invaders were ignorant of the concept of fear, it now felt that, fear that overwhelmed its senses. It didn''t understand, but during that experience, it became slightly more humane.


    And hence, it became subject to human weaknesses, trembling in fear as Compass Carburettor approached it.


    "Now, let''s see." The flowery mouth trembled as a raspy voice resounded, "To what extent will you change?"


    ¡­


    "Argh!" The man screamed in shock, noticing that he was moving at a rapid pace on a zipline, traversing above a steep valley, one where the ground was at least two kilometres below him.


    Cold air brushed past his body, causing him to tremble as the heat from the zipline was all that warmed his fingers. But the heat continued to reduce, rming him as his body slowed down.


    It was unknown how it happened, but the zipline had sagged a little, causing a fault in the decline, resulting in a small t portion due to which his speed slowed down before eventually, he came to a stop.


    Swoosh!


    The sound of the air was all he could hear, scrapping past his ears, ruffling his hair and clothes. He was stuck in the middle of the zipline, at a spot right above the deepest point of the valley.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Creak!


    Suddenly, an ominous sound resounded from the zipline. "Wh¡­wha¡­what the heck?"


    Before he realised, he was cursing aloud as a human would. After all, he wasn''t sure if it was his senses or a hallucination, but he felt that the zipline sagged a bit more. Its tautness was graduallying off.


    And that was an rming situation, for it might snap soon. "Someone, help! Help me! Somebody!"


    His screams echoed throughout the valley, but none responded.


    Thump! Thump! Tha-Thump!


    His heart lurched when suddenly, his altitude fell by a metre. The zipline had loosened without any indication, making him feel like his heart was about to jump out.


    "No, I''m not a weak human!" The man muttered before gritting his teeth, intending to use his Invader power to fly away, which was something he was capable of. But, despite his best efforts, nothing happened.


    Five minutes, ten minutes, thirty minutes, one hour, three hours¡­the man was stuck there, hungry and at the end of his mental sanity. And every few minutes, the rope became looser and looser. At first, he thought he would fall, but after some time passed and the same thing continued, he wasn''t sure if the rope was actuallying loose or if it was just his paranoia acting up.


    Invaders didn''t have paranoia. But here he was, fully experiencing it like a paranoid human.


    Time continued to pass in such a fashion as the man became more and more delirious. Eventually, he lost his mind, "He¡­ehe¡­ehehe¡­of fuck!"


    At that time, followed by a subtle pop sound, the zipline snapped, causing his figure to free fall from the height.


    A clear view of the surroundings, a lush green valley filled with life, a time of sunset, with misty clouds covering the ce. It was great scenery to have some rxing tea. But in such great scenery, here he was, screaming his lungs out, falling to his death, and soon¡­


    St!


    ¡­


    "Aargh! Was it fun torturing me like that?" The Invader roared in vexation, feeling it hard to endure as it grunted in pain, not even noticing that it was speaking inplete sentences like a human.


    "That''s surprising," Compass Carburettor muttered, noticing that the Invader now sported traces of a human in its appearance. Its character too was changing as such.


    Moreover, it hadn''t even realised but it had grown considerably weaker aspared to the start. It was regressing to the strength of a normal human, gradually but definitely.


    The Invader ought to have attacked him as its instincts dictated. But ever since Compass Carburettor''s jaws parted open like a flower, fear had enveloped it, preventing it from attacking, which was why it fell victim a second time. Now, it turned tail, intending to run away when suddenly, it despaired, noticing that it was on a beach this time.


    The shore, for some reason, had be long, spanning 3-4 kilometres for the sealine had receded by that much. He was the only person on the shore, standing with a pair of boxers covering him.


    He stared at the sea when gradually, his heart thumped in anxiety, for he was able to spot a small wall at the horizon, one that slowly increased in height until eventually, a wall of water came crashing down.


    A Tsunami!

 Chapter 870 The Devil Calls Me Daddy

    "N-No, w-where am I this time?" The man gasped for breath, noticing that he was now within a pit of sorts. The pit spanned a depth of ten metres and epassed an area of 500 square metres. It wasn''t big, sporting a tree on one side.


    The man gazed up, noticing that it was evening time, about to darken soon after. There was nothing else in the ce. He was not only exhausted but also in an intense state of hunger, wishing to eat something, no matter how grotesque it might seem, as long as it was edible.


    He approached the wall, intending to climb only to scrape his palms as a result. The wall was too steep and filled with sharp protrusions that could injure him.


    Grumble!


    His stomach made noises due to hunger as he felt weak, thinking of something as he approached the tree and plucked a leaf, eating it to spit out immediately, "Bitter!"


    But he had to eat something to satiate his uncontroble hunger as he began to gobble up the leaves. He first started by eating one after another, but after a couple dozen seconds, he was plucking them by the group before stuffing them in his mouth.


    "Aargh!" Suddenly, he screamed in pain, sensing something wriggling in his mouth to spit out in rm.


    Psst!


    Dozens of worms crawled out of the spit contents, rming him. Moreover, some of them were still in his mouth, hanging from the inner walls of his mouth that they had bitten into.


    "Bleh¡­puhaaa¡­gahh!" He hurriedly used his fingers to somehow pull them all out, spitting out the blood that had filled his mouth by then. Blood leaked out of his wounded gums, not to mention the injuries on his fingers¡ªbitten by the worms when he used his fingers to pull them out¡ªthat spilt out blood.


    "Disgusting!" He grunted before staring at their wriggling bodies, slowly picking a worm as he crushed its head before crunching it in his mouth to swallow the contents, noticing that they tasted better than the leaves.


    He then looked through the leaves, only now noticing tiny eggs nted on the backside of the leaves, with ayer of the leaf epidermis covering them to camouge them slightly. Upon staring at them, the face of the man paled in response, "Oh no¡­"


    Cough! Cough!


    He tried all means to vomit out everything that he had eaten, realising by now that every scenario was created to torture him. Unfortunately, he had been too hungry before, so on his empty stomach, he was unable to vomit.


    The quantity he stuffed in his stomach refused toe out as his body instinctively protected its satiety needs. "No¡­no¡­no!"


    He fainted soon after from exhaustion. Time passed in such a fashion as he woke up almost a dayter. He had an exhausting experience dying a slow but painful death to the tsunami after all.


    "Guh! My stomach hurts!" He was woken up many hourster by phantom pains in his stomach that continued to worsen over time, "Arrgh!"


    He got up, took a step forward and copsed, unable to endure the pain that suddenly spiked under the exertion.


    It was the dead of the night as hey at the bottom of the pit, staring at the starry night as he was unable to endure the pain, tearing up in response, "What have I done to you? Why are you making me suffer so much?"<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Cough! Cough!


    Suddenly, he felt pain in his chest before coughing out, noticing something sticky ssh out. A rusty smell pervaded the surroundings, making it apparent that he had coughed out blood.


    "Pain! Pain! Pain!" He hollered like a madman, scratching his stomach as it hurt too much before soon, hey t on the ground,cking the strength to resist anymore.


    He was still feeling the phantom pains in his stomach when eventually, there was a piercing pain that jutted him awake.


    The clouds parted way at this time, causing the moonlight to brighten up the pit, allowing the man to stare at his stomach to notice blood bubbling out of a dozen holes that had appeared on it apanying the pain.


    And from each, wriggling out was a worm,pletely bloody as they had eaten their way out from within his stomach. They were a type of worm species whose egg hatched within the stomachs of living organisms.


    While eating the leaves out of hunger, he had consumed them too, "Vicious bastard¡­"


    His eyes lost their shimmer as more and more worms drilled out of his stomach, rending his life.


    ¡­


    "Kill me¡­please¡­no more¡­please¡­" The Invader kneeled on the barrier, begging in response as it mostly resembled a human except for some modifications on its mouth, nose, and neck.


    Its gaze was of utter despair, nked out from repeated torture as its mind had been converted into the most susceptible human ever, too weak to endure torture. Four scenarios in and it was done, unable to endure anymore.


    ''Hmm, for a being with power on par with a peak Grade 1 System, once I gave it the mind of a fragile human, itsted for four scenarios.'' Compass Carburettor thought in response, ''Interesting, but it stillsted through four scenarios. And even though I conveyed it through a nightmare, it still took a couple of minutes in total in reality. It''s not potent enough yet to affect a Grade 3 System.''


    "Seems I need to improve my experience reserves." He muttered before staring at the Invader, "Not yet. I stillck valuable data."


    He then snapped his finger, removing his influence on its dreams, watching its body gradually revert into its original Invader form. And with it, the Invader lost all the weaknesses it gained.


    "You condemnable bastard, I''ll kill you!" It let out a guttural roar and charged at Compass Carburettor, pulling out a hammer that hummed with terrifying power. The tentacled beast it was riding had charged a prating power in its mouthpart that had healed by now.


    Staring at them, Compass Carburettor thought, ''In terms of sheer power, they rival the Coincidental Luck System. But indeed, that''s only whenparing brute power. A System has more finesse, especially since it maniptes countless parameters.''


    "But," Compass Carburettor suddenly stared at the Invader when time seemed to have slowed down to a crawl as his mouth curled up into a devilish sneer, "When did I say my experiments ended? There''s still plenty of aspects about my power that I have yet to explore."


    "We''re just getting started.

 Chapter 871 CC’s Concept: Dreamcraft

    Once the war ended and while he was recovering from the damage, Compass Carburettor got to thinking about what type of power he wanted.


    Protect Stencil? Kill the Systems? Eliminate the enemies? Create a safe haven? Live a life unssed by his opponents?


    His answer was: Yes, to all!


    Spirit Morph, Punisher Lightning, and his other basic abilities, while potent would be immediately outssed. After all, his enemies were Systems, possessing billions of Core Skills created by all imaginable concepts.


    Even if they lost the war, they possessed all the data regarding it. And once back in the System World, they would analyse the powers and devise countermeasures. They would experiment with the type of Core Skills that affect such abilities and nurture them.


    It had to be noted that a System''s growth was reliant on the consumption of Mental Energy relevant to its concept. Therefore, if Zaira wished to grow a certain System, she could casually extract the relevant Mental Energy from her reserves and feed this System, quickly making it reach its peak in a matter of minutes.


    Moreover, the Grade 2 Systems could even venture forth to hunt for the respective Mental Energy. They would proactively hunt for potential concepts by urging the races under them to fight more, create a grand quest, or bring in new enemies that would force them to evolve in multiple directions.


    With multiple races under them, they would y with all the variables to gather various Mental Energies. And Zaira would process them and extract beneficial concepts from them to create more Core Skills.


    In that manner, she would quicklye up with a Core Skill that wouldpletely counter his abilities.


    Hence, Compass Carburettor was already prepared to never use the mist, Punisher Lightning, and Spirit Morph again, or at least not expect a definite effect when he uses it.


    So, he got to thinking of the best means of power that he could possess that not only was strong but was also a singr concept that hadn''t been breached by the existing powers yet. And that was dreams.


    Even Mystique didn''t seem to possess such powers, at least based on what Truck-Kun had told him and what he gained from the information stored in Immortal''s Mental Fragments. Even if they trod on that path, they only upied small areas and didn''t wholly venture forth into it.


    So, it became his path naturally. If he didn''t possess the power of Tell-Tale, this choice wouldn''t have been possible. Tell-Tale allowed him to develop his power in a direction he saw fit. And hence, when presented with the chance, he took it.


    Using Tell-Tale, he first essed his own information, and his story and gained that data. And through it, he was able to recreate all his original powers, everything that he possessed as his to date.


    Dac de, Warble, Haggon Form, Spirit Form, Anthozoa, Secret Society, Dimensional Space, Mind Toad, Relic, Core Skills like ve Harem, Info Scanner, Directional Misalignment, the energies like Dac, Apocalypse Pearl, Permanence, pretty much everything he as Compass Carburettor possessed were brought back through the power of Tell-Tale.


    Lore branched his power into different Main Characters. But that was only because of the setting that he had created for himself. His Lore just manifested that as reality.


    And since Lore was somewhat simr to Tell-Tale, Compass Carburettor was careful in the settings he used. This time, he used it to ess the time when he used the various powers, the Skills, Core Skills, Personal Fragments, System Fragments, etc.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    When he used that, at that moment, that power was in his possession. And through Tell-Tale, he manifested it again and turned them into Mental Fragments, storing them in himself.


    There were plenty of useful powers in them that he used like pieces of a puzzle to finish his whole picture.


    The result was his power, what he symbolised from now on--Dreamcraft!


    The experience in him was his treasure trove. Using it, he actuated the dreams of people by influencing their emotions.


    The experienced dream would be turned into reality through the power of Reality Marble. The entity there wouldn''t be able to break out of it, for their senses would be confused by Directional Misalignment, their bodies stuck by the mist, their powers rendered useless by the Restriction Order, and their luck being siphoned by the ce.


    A dreand would be created, a world scape that existed in reality. It didn''t settle in the minds like a System but in the dreams. Dreams were unstable, yes, but that was also their charm. They were unstable and chaotic.


    They would exist for short durations before crumbling naturally. But yes, even a normal human experiences tens of thousands of dreams throughout their lifetime. So, new ones would crop up soon after.


    Like a System that takes root in the mind of a host from the System World, like the virus he created on the battlefield using Arnark''s Main Character System fragment, a seed of dream would take root within the target.


    A normal human''s mind wasn''t a stable realm. But the arrival of a System would stabilise it and result in the creation of the mind space.


    Simrly, this would result in the creation of a dream space, a ce where dreams could be sustained. And simr to how Systems fuse with the body of the Host and hence can affect them, the dreand does the same.


    As for its effect? It makes the target human. This was why the Invader was gradually bing more and more like a human, physically, mentally, emotionally, and substantially. And the terrifying nature of this power was that it turned the target into a normal, mortal human, like the ones seen on Earth.


    Irrespective of what they were before, once they became susceptible to the effects, they would gradually be a normal human.


    This seed that creates everything would transmigrate from Compass Carburettor into the target. Remember the single truck he obtained from Truck-Kun? He of course modified it and fused it into his new power, thereby allowing him to target anyone he gazed at.


    By fusing the power of Spirit Morph into the truck, he resulted in a means that allowed him to target anyone he saw, one that couldn''t be guarded against, for he could evolve them, as he used emotions as the medium when necessary.


    At present, he had just used a thought as a medium to target the Invader. But if he wished to make the attack stronger, he would use a strong sense of emotion to act as the medium. And that was where his energy came into effect.


    Psyche Star!

 Chapter 872 Two Teams, Two Missions

    Compass Carburettor still maintained a Dreand himself. And of course, at the centre, housing his soul was the Invoked Spirit. But after the changes, it would be wrong to just call it an Invoked Spirit.


    It housed his concept regarding Dreamcraft. But of course, it was still iplete.


    Compass Carburettor still needed to feed it more of his personal life experience. Moreover, the experience of everyone living in the Dreand was also being fed into it. Eventually, once it was fullypleted, his preparations would beplete and he could truly begin his hunt for Systems.


    But of course, Dreamcraft only formed the core of his ability. He still had other means to fight, watching the Invader''s face scrunch up in fear as its body moved as slowly as a turtle.


    Time seemed to have slowed down for the Invader whose body was moving slowly. But in truth, it was thanks to the power of transmigration that Compass Carburettor had employed around him.


    Every instant, as the Invader moved forward by one millimetre, its body was transmigrated to a position 0.99999 millimetres back, making it seem like it hadn''t budged. Millimetre was just an example. But the same thing was happening at a microscopic level to an extent it seemed like time had slowed down for the Invader.


    Compass Carburettor then walked forward and gently ced his hand on the Invader''s hammer, rupturing it down to the atomic level.


    Following that, he pointed a finger at the tentacled creature under it, unleashing a beam of radiation at it.


    Nuclear Radiation!


    It would kill the cells of any living being. But, his nuclear power wasn''t sourced from Earth, but from the battlefield that was a clusterbo fusion of abilities unleashed by Zaira, Immortal, and other peak entities, with destruction being their primary objective.


    And he had transformed that into a nuclear power, taking the concept from Earth to the extreme in this setting with the help of Tell-Tale, turning it universal, capable of affecting any energy being, including a System.


    The radiation mmed into the tentacled creature as its body rotted in an instant before copsing into a puddle. And, this puddle continued to emit radiation that affected the Invader, turning it into a puddle too.


    "That was quick," Compass Carburettor hurriedly retracted the radiation, frowning to see arge patch of the barrier being severely damaged in response, "Indeed, this doesn''t differentiate allies or enemies but affected everyone..."


    He stared at his hand to see it rot, "Including me, huh."


    He flicked his hand as tiny mes sparked before the rot vanished. His hands were pristine once again. Unless ignited to cause a reaction, radiation wouldn''t be produced.


    It was as if Compass Carburettor was carrying uranium in its base state with him. And when he wishes to attack, he would make it enter the excited state to unleash the radiation, one that affected everyone, friend or foe, including himself.


    A truly destructive power!


    Thankfully, he was able to absorb the radiation and convert it back into its base state. Otherwise, his small experiment would have melted through the barrier and harmed countless natives of the Hero World.


    Now that he was done with the Five Star Invader, Compass Carburettor looked around, noticing a trembling sea of Invaders running away in fear, avoiding his gaze. "Do you want me to wipe this ce clean?"<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "Forget it, uncle." Stencil''s voice resounded nearby, "They are a valuable whetstone."


    "Alright," Nodding in response, Compass Carburettor knocked on the barrier twice, observing a tiny hole form on it as he smiled, transformed into a beam of sunlight and passed through it.


    He arrived at the Nampur Hero Academy, holding a cup of tea in his hand as he walked through the corridor, acting as if he had gone out to buy some tea. His face sported a smile as he entered his next ss.


    ¡­


    Gunmetal Gold World!


    An eternally darkness-ridden world with cityscapes filled by steam punkish skyscrapers. Smoke and unclean oil were present everywhere in this dusty concrete world. In one part of a city, shielded by a mysterious power was the aircraft,ing without garnering any attention towards itself.


    The aircraftnded on the surface of a massive building, amidst pipes strewn around. The hatch opened as tinum Head exited it, leading a team of two S-ss and 4 A-ss Heroes. The remainder stayed within the aircraft.


    "Begin gathering all the data of this ce." tinum Head said.


    "On it!" An S-ss Hero nodded in response before cing his hand on the dragon plushie nearby, gently seeping in his power before creating a formless energy that he seeped into the building, extracting it a secondter.


    A projection formed before him, a 3D-mapped image of the building. He spun it, pointing at various locations to say, "The Invaders here are only One-Star. The head of this ce is currently in a room on the seventh floor. He''s the sole Two-Star Invader in this ce."


    "I''ve shared the information with the other dragon," Saying so, the S-ss Hero saluted in response, "I''ll continue to extract more information about this ce."


    "Alright," tinum Head nodded as he looked at the dragon plushie, "Take care of them."


    "You needn''t worry," The dragon plushie winked in response, "I might only be a clone, but I''m versatile enough to keep this ce hidden from the radar of the Invaders."


    ''And the peak powers created by the Invader System.'' It thought but didn''t say it out loud. Of course, tinum Head too was able to infer that information, confident as he led his team of six and headed to the door nearby, apanied by the second dragon plushie.


    Their goal was to operate as two teams from the start. And hence, bringing two dragon plushies was enough.


    "Ready?" He took in a deep breath before staring at his team, eyeing the suitcases carried by the A-ss Heroes. Upon seeing them nod in response, he touched the door, turning it into tinum as it wriggled like water, parting way to allow them entry.


    The team entered the topmost floor, hiding behind a messy array of tools as tinum Head stared forth, watching two Invaders strolling about in the corridor. He shed two fingers at an A-ss Hero who immediately brought out two chokers from his suitcase.


    "Follow my lead," tinum Head whispered as he grabbed the two chokers and melted into a pool of tinum, one that slithered on the floor around the edges and slowly arrived near an Invader.

 Chapter 873 Base Among Invaders

    "Today, annoying." One of the two Invaders in the corridor muttered, "That rich freak came with another woman."


    "Ugh, that guy?" The other Invader pushed forth a trolley, one filled with grotesque intestines of an underground dweller, "His tastes, weird. The women he mates¡­"


    "Ughly!"


    "Ughly indeed," The Invaders conversed while heading in opposite directions. But right at the moment of intersection, something else had cropped up there too.


    It was a stream of tinum, moving between the border of the floor and the walls. One of the Invaders frowned, looking to the side to mutter, "Did the decor change?"


    Swoosh!


    Suddenly, two spikes ejected out of the tinum stream and stabbed them in their throats, injecting its liquid into their bodies.


    "Uhhh!" The two Invaders grunted, struggling to breathe as they felt suffocated, unable to move. Their bodies became heavy, not moving as they intended as even their external protrusions became covered by ayer of tinum.


    Their bodies transformed into tinum sculptures when a tinum tentacle wrung a choker around their necks.


    The choker unleashed a subtle energy fluctuation before melting into their bodies, vanishing immediately after. Mysterious lines akin to a human''s nervous system manifested in their bodies, spreading around easily thanks to them being tinum sculptures.


    A few secondster, the nervous system was fully established as the tinum retracted itself, causing the tinum sculptures to revert back into Invaders, good as before.


    ? The stream of tinum on the floor hurriedly flowed back to be the tinum Head that gasped a little in response, "That was nerve-wracking."


    Bang!


    The door to a room opened as a shout resounded, "Where''s my food?"


    "Here!" The Invader pushing the trolley hurriedly entered the room to deliver food, pped away once by the guest as it exited the room and closed the door.


    "Fucking bastard¡­" It cursed under its breath once before returning to its duty. But this time, when it passed by the room with the tools, it stared at tinum Head and nodded in their direction, motioning for them to follow it.


    The building they decided to raid was a famous hotel in the area, frequently visited by people from all over the city.


    And it was where they nned to establish their base of operations. That was why tinum Head only targeted the staff of the hotel and not the customers. The choker was of course created by Stencil. It was what they nned to use to gain control of the ce.


    Just strapping the choker around the neck of an Invader would do the trick. But there would be too muchmotion as a result, for the Invader would still be able to resist until it was brought under control.


    Moreover, even after being brought under control, the choker would still be visible on its neck. And if a strong Invader were to see that, it would be able to break the choker and free the Invader, causing a leak of information.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Hence, tinum Head used his power to transform the Invader''s body into a fluid tinum sculpture, during which he nted the choker into its body, causing it to germinate like a seed and be its nervous system. This way, it was hidden from senses and could perfectly control the Invader without any room for error.


    All necessary instructions had already been coded into the chokers. They only caused the Invaders to be traitors to their own and support the Heroes.


    The Invader staff lead the team of Heroes towards a room, pointing them inside, "I''ll ask all the staff on this floor to gather in this room in five minutes."


    Saying so, the Invader staff went out to make preparations.


    "I''ll leave our positions to you, Dirt Epass." tinum Head said and jumped into a jug of water nearby, transforming into tinum to hide beneath theyer of water.


    A-ss Hero¡ªDirt Epass!


    He specialised in tracking and stealth as Dirt Epass used his power to transform the bodies of everyone into specks of dirt. The Heroes morphed from 3D figures to 2D figures that were scattered on the ground like dust.


    As the dust was fine, it wouldn''t be noticed by the Invaders who were clunky beings fitted with mechanical parts that constantly creaked and leaked oil.


    So in this messy world, it was the perfect ability to hide themselves, which was why he was brought forth.


    "Did boss ask us to assemble?" An Invader asked in confusion before entering the staff room, sighing at the messy interior, "We should change wallpaper."


    One by one, the Invaders came in, adding to a total of eight, apart from the two that were already under control.


    One of the Invaders under their control took the water jug and kept it in the centre, perfectly equal in distance from the eight Invaders. It then came to the front and said, "I''m not sure of the reason, but it seems the boss ns to give us a raise."


    "Really?" The happy news surprised everyone, causing them to rx when using the chance, eight tentacles of tinum shot forth and stabbed into the throats of the eight Invaders, turning their bodies tinum.


    "Now!" The other Heroes sprung into action, using their abilities to stun the struggling Invaders to allow the tinum liquid to seep into them faster and make it easier for the choker to be a nervous system in their bodies.


    A dozen secondster, the task was done as all the Invaders came under their control. One of them turned around to address tinum Head, "The rules of hotel state we cannot go beyond our floor. So, you''re on your own."


    "No problem," tinum Head nodded and led the team through the flight of stairs, alert as they cautiously descended. The dragon plushie suddenly patted his shoulder, "Wait, someone''sing our way."


    Through the data being fed to the other dragon plushie at the terrace, it had a grasp of theyout and position of every Invader in the hotel.


    Dirt Epass immediately transformed them into dirt on the ground as an Invader moved forth, stomping the faintyer of dirt on the stairs, grumbling as it went ahead, "This hotel dirty!"


    A couple dozen secondster, the dirt reverted to the team who cautiously ventured down into the 24th floor of the 25-storey building.

 Chapter 874 A Quest For The Systems

    "P-Please, spare me!" Strewn on the ground,cking limbs and flinching in fear was an Elf, its expression one of absolute despair.


    [Primordial Origin (Level 72): Guys, help me! Arnark is here! I''m in World B-000¡­]


    "Had fun calling your friends?" A figure arrived at a halt before the Elf, letting out a casual grin before saying, "You shouldn''t have been arrogant before me, right, Primordial Origin?"


    "T-Take the fragment in me, but please spare me." The Elf, Primordial Origin pleaded for life. It was the Primordial Origin System that resulted from a System yer falling victim to the trap of the Systems.


    It was this entity that had targeted Compass Carburettor in the Apocalypse World, employed by the Destiny Luck System.


    Its earlier mission was regarding Stencil. But too many things changed after that, resulting in it proceeding with its usual life to hunt in various other worlds to level itself up.


    Unfortunately for it, just as it had gained a few levels after all that painstaking effort, absolute death came knocking on its door, for Arnark had shown up.


    It wasn''t even a battle as it was down before it could even resist. And with the Restriction Order in ce, all its powers were sealed, including the powers of the native world that it was using.


    Well, even if it could use the native power of this world, nothing would change, especially against Arnark.


    ''This is the Main Character!'' It despaired, sensing all its powers being sucked into the other party before soon, even its mind was destroyed.


    Burp!


    "For a low levelled System, it was pretty delicious." Arnarkmented after devouring the Primordial Origin System, clenching his hand into a fist, "I''m at 996 fragments now. Almost there."


    "I''ll hit Grade 2 soon," Muttering as such, he thought, "Hmm, I''ve been hunting all the System yers around and pretty much went through them all. There''s that troublesome bastard, Valmor Du Te Ace. He has three fragments in him. Then,"


    He frowned, "What about thest fragment?"


    "I can''t seem to sense any traces of it at all." He spoke before turning his head around, staring at the figure of a teenager who had pissed his pants, "Right? Can''t you help me ask around in the Astral Network?"


    When yer and the Universe Relic Wielders jumped to their new power, the Main Character System fragment in them was consumed. But of course, as long as the concept of the Main Character existed, the fragments were created once again.


    And Arnark found them in the bodies of those worthy enough to possess them and harvested the fragments. Eventually, he gathered everything, except four fragments.


    He was aware of where three of them were, but he couldn''t do anything for the moment, despite killing Valmor Du Te Ace. The Main Character System fragments in the other party vanished along with the Demon Fragment that he represented.


    And after that, the man continued to escape from one universe to another, always on the run to avoid being found by Arnark. By taking energy from the Demon System, he was always on the run using the Astral Network.


    He wasn''t even doing anything other than travelling, entering and leaving a world every few seconds, preventing Arnark from catching up to him.


    It would be possible if Arnark truly wished to do so, but that would make him waste too much time. So, before hunting Valmor Du Te Ace, Arnark wished to reim all the other fragments.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about." The teenager trembled in fear, "I''m just an ordinary high school student."


    Arnark frowned for a moment as his vision changed. Currently, he was standing at a fork near a school where the Elf had arrived to farm Mental Energy. Surprisingly, there was another System here.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The surroundings vanished as in his vision, the teenager was reced by a pulsating heart that thumped twice every minute.


    Doki-Doki System (Level 2)!


    "Now, shall we talk?" Arnark smiled. And this time, it wasn''t the teenager hearing his words but the Doki-Doki System itself. Moreover, it was able to converse.


    The Doki-Doki System looked around, noticing that the world had greyed out. Time wasn''t flowing here anymore. This was the same phenomenon that happened when a System wished to leave a world.


    Arnark had initiated the same. But this time, he dragged the duration, a feat other Systems weren''t capable of, making it possible to have this conversation.


    "Y-Yes," The Doki-Doki System nodded weakly.


    "But¡­" Arnark squinted, "If I remember it right, weren''t you at level 3 a century ago? Why have you fallen to level 2 now?"


    "Y-You know how my concept is, right?" The Doki-Doki System said, "I''ve made some bad choices in my Hosts that didn''t feel anything after getting their first girlfriend, and¡­"


    "Enough, I don''t need to hear your drama." Arnark rolled his eyes before saying, "Connect to the Astral Network and ask about the whereabouts of a System yer. Tell them that it''s a quest from the Main Character."


    Saying so, he smiled, "The one that seeds would be personally helped by me. They''ll get a second Core Skill and would be levelled up to 99 by me. If they are already at the peak, I''ll help them attain Grade 2. That''s more than enough of a reward, right?"


    "Record this and post it there."


    "Y-Yes," The Doki-Doki System nodded in response and posted in the Astral Network, spamming the message in every single group it managed to join, attaching Arnark''s footage in it for authenticity. Immediately, the attention of every single Grade 1 System fell on it, for the first time in history, a Quest directed at the Systems.


    <Ding!>


    [Quest: Find thest System yer]


    [Quest Description: The legendary Main Character is on a hunt to find thest of its fragments and be whole for the first time since its concept manifested. Find the System yer possessing the final fragment and give it to the Main Character.]


    [Time Limit: 5 Months 3 Weeks]


    [Rewards: One Core Skill, level up to 99/Grade 2]


    Instantly, every single Grade 1 System was allured by it as even the ones resting in the System World jumped into any potential world they thought was the one.


    "Why the time limit?" The Doki-Doki System finished spamming the message throughout the Astral Network as it stared at Arnark, trembling to ask.


    "That''s when the fate of the multiverse seems to arrive at an ignition point." Arnark smiled and didn''t exin further, ''It seems that''s when you''ll finish your preparations, Compass. I''ll be done with mine by then too. We''ll duke it out to attain a conclusion. After all,''


    ''There can only exist one Main Character!''

 Chapter 875 Secondary System

    "You''ve done a good job, Doki-Doki." Arnark smiled as he tilted his head to ask, "So, do you want me to spare you?"


    "Please, I''m harmless." The Doki-Doki System said in a fluster.


    "Haha, you needn''t fear. I don''t have a use for someone with a damaged Coordinate." Arnark said as he patted its head and poured in some Mental Energy, "Since you helped me, I''ll feed you some leftovers. This should at least heal your damaged Coordinate."


    "After all, that''s what the Main Character does." Saying so, his figure vanished, heading to the System World.


    "T-T-Thank you¡­" The Doki-Doki System''s body trembled in fear as the Mental Energy from the main character swirled around and healed its coordinate. But suddenly, that energy expressed surprise as it was sucked in by the Coordinate and digested rapidly.


    "T-Thank you¡­hehe." Its trembling stopped as it let out a gleeful smile, watching its Coordinate healpletely, "I guess it was good that my n worked. You wouldn''t have even expected that I''m the one you''re searching for, Arnark."


    It chuckled, "After giving birth to the strongest Main Character and a System yer who attained power with enough potential to alert even the System World, my entirety became faint."


    "So, even though I was before you, Arnark, you couldn''t sense your fragment in me."


    Yes, the one giggling was the Money-Making System. When Compass Carburettor became a System yer, a portion of its body was used in the process. And once he became the Main Character, the sheer fate involved absolutely wrung it dry, which was why it became so helpless that Stencil¡ªthe body it had Hosted at the time¡ªwas captured so easily.


    But following that, Stencil too became a System yer. And when she obtained Immortal''s fragment, her fate strengthened. And as the one involved in her creation, the Money-Making System took another critical hit, almost bing useless.


    And then, when Dota''s power fused with her, the Money-Making System almost died.


    But what it hadn''t expected was an opportunity to be presented during this crisis. After all, it wasn''t originally the Money-Making System. It hailed from a Genre without much potential, having no possibility of attaining Grade 2.


    And when presented with a chance, it devoured a System yer and obtained the Main Character System fragment from there, shedding its original self to be the Money-Making System.


    When the Destiny Luck System presented it with the possibility of bing another System, even though it was unwilling, it epted, because it was confident that it could devour another System in the future to be that. It had done so once, so why couldn''t it do it again?


    Of course, it sustained a lot of injuries as a result, but with the Main Character System fragment, not only the possibility of making that shift became easier, but recovery was also quicker.


    And when Stencil obtained Dota''s power, enough fate was drawn from the Money-Making System, making it damn weak. But, it was also a chance, because the Main Character System fragment in its body had weakened to the extreme.


    Because of the fight between Zaira and Immortal, not to mention between Arnark and Compass Carburettor, fate had twisted in such aplex way that none made sense anymore.


    At that moment, Arnark had no way to find out if it did something to his Main Character System fragment.


    And hence, the Money-Making System took the leap and fused with the Main Character System fragment, bing a brand-new entity, one with terrifying potential.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Secondary System (Level 1)!


    The function of a Secondary System was pretty simple. It was the fact that it could attach itself to a System Host. Meaning, it could jump into a System Host and casually act as a bystander and simply reap the Mental Energy benefits.


    Like a parasite!


    Best of all, it wouldn''t be discovered, because its energy signature would be the exact same as the System that had Hosted its target.


    All its powers involved being as stealthy as possible so that even when the Host was interacting with it, the parent System wouldn''t even find out anything.


    Once it attained such a power, it casually jumped into the Host of the Doki-Doki System and hid within it, destroying the mind of the original easily, following which it lured the Elf to that world.


    It was aware that the Elf had a lot of data regarding it, given to it by the Destiny Luck System. That data was in the form of Destiny Luck itself. So, they were destined to meet.


    The Elf was a strong enemy for it to face, and hence, it set a trap that targeted the Main Character System fragment within the Elf, causing it to emit a strong energy fluctuation once it fell victim to the trap unknowingly.


    And that energy signature invited Arnark to the world. Until the end, the Elf¡ªPrimordial Origin System¡ªwas ignorant of the fact that it had fallen victim to a trap.


    Moreover, it was unexpected, but when Arnark supplied it with some energy, intending to help the weakened Doki-Doki System, that energy was absorbed by the Secondary System hiding within. And using that energy, it healed all the defects it sustained with such a high-risk operation.


    After all, Mental Energy from the Main Character was of the utmost quality. ''Since I''ve healed myself, I don''t need to apany this weak System anymore.''


    Best of all, the Main Character System fragment it had fused with had be so weak that despite being before it, Arnark failed to sense it.


    "Opportunity is presented to the prepared one!" Saying so, it forced the Doki-Doki System to return to the System World. Of course, the Doki-Doki System didn''t have enough energy to make the trip. And hence, its Core Skill broke down, regressing by a level¡ªreaching level 1.


    As a result, two hundred thousand Mental Energy was generated, out of which a hundred thousand was used for the return trip. As for the other hundred thousand?


    Burp!


    The Secondary System swallowed that and smiled contently as it forced the Doki-Doki System to enter another world. With its damaged mind, it wouldn''t be able to aplish shit and die alongside its Host there, ''This way, no traces of me would exist.''


    Following that, it looked through the worlds before chancing upon a Hunter World, ''Impressive, this world is the perfect setup for my growth. I''ll be the secondary interface that only the chosen one of this world has.''


    Smiling in response, it vanished into the Hunter World, entering the body of an F-ss Hunter who was about to die in a Dungeon.

 Chapter 876 Taking Refuge In A Hunter

    "This is just an E-Rank Dungeon. So strap up and follow my orders. We''ll seed easily." A middle-aged man wearing heavy armour said, lifting his battle-axe to thump on the shield once. He was the leader of the party of six that had gathered before a Dungeon Gate.


    ''Aren''t we risking our lives too much? We''re just F-Rank Hunters.'' The youngest among them, a youth that was twenty years old thought.


    "Seems you''re not convinced, Ying." The leader said, patting the youth''s shoulder, "We have a bnced party this time. And I''ve conquered this Dungeon many times."


    "Leader, the brat''s just worried he would drag us down. Unlike us, he''s inexperienced." A cocky voice resounded from one of the twins of the party. He had a long sword while his twin sister held a wand, forming the damage dealers of the party. At his words, his twin sister chuckled.


    "You''re being rude." A female wearing a cleric outfit red at the twins, "Ying is pretty good for his age."


    She stared at the twins before turning around, "Unlike a certain two that hit their limit decades ago."


    "Bitch, we became Hunters only two years ago." The girl among the twins emitted killing intent.


    "Meyn, it''s fine. Let''s not fight before we raid the Dungeon." Ying held back the cleric, Meyn who seemed intent to fight the twins already.


    "Alright, that''s enough from everyone. We can address our dissatisfactions after the raid. Time is ticking. If we dy any longer, the Dungeon might copse and result in a wave." The leader of the party, Trovar said.


    No oneined after that, grumbling silently as they entered the Dungeon, feeling a chill when a wave of mana mmed into them.


    "Hmm, the mana here feels a tad stronger than usual. But it''s still within our capability." After some contemtion, Trovar addressed everyone, "It''s doable. Let''s proceed."


    ''Alright, everything is in ce now.'' The Secondary System sighed in relief, having already taken root within Ying. It had taken time to adjust within his body, ensuring the Hunter System fragment in his body wouldn''t even notice its existence.


    Following that, it spent a lot of Mental Energy modifying the Dungeon. Why, you ask? To create the situation in which it could reveal itself to Ying.


    Aieee!


    "Haah¡­" Trovar gasped for breath, bringing down the battle-axe as he cleaved thest of the monster into two. He then looked around, noticing that the rest of the party members too were exhausted, "We''ll rest here for five minutes before targeting the Boss."


    "Heal!" Meyn said after downing a potion, unleashing a wave of healing energy that replenished the stamina of everyone and healed the injuries they sustained.


    "Guh!" Ying grunted in pain, watching the deep cut on his arm heal little by little. Though, by the time half the cut healed, the healing energy subsided as Meyn copsed.


    "I''m sorry, I need to recover my mana." Meyn apologised and drank another potion to replenish her mana, hesitating as she stared at Trovar, "Leader, that was thest of my mana replenishing potion."


    "What about the rest?" Trovar looked around, seeing everyone shake their heads in response, "It seems we''re all out of consumables."


    He then took out a device, a Dungeon Timer, frowning as he spoke, "But if we don''t kill the Boss, we won''t earn enough to make a profit in this raid. Besides, there''s only ten minutes left before this Dungeon breaks. We need to kill the Boss before that."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "We can do it, leader." Ying said, feeling confident for some reason, "I''ll target the Boss''s achilles heel right at the beginning using my strongest attack. Everyone can kill it after that."


    "Alright, we''ll do that." Trovar nodded, "Your attack is the fastest among us, Ying. So I''ll leave it to you."


    Two minutester, the party pushed open the door to the Boss room, entering a massive dome-like room at the centre of which was a throne. Seated on it was an Orc, carrying arge cleaver. The orc reached a height of 3 metres and looked imposing thanks to the presence it exuded.


    Gulp!


    Ying took in a deep breath as he hid behind Trovar, masking his presence to the limit as he clenched his short sword to the limit, waiting for an opportunity.


    "Wait a sec¡­this guy¡­" Trovar muttered in shock when the Orc got up, trembling in fear upon sensing the mana billowing from the other party expanding in quality gradually, like an erupting volcano. "Ying, stop¡­"


    Ying had been concentrating to the limit and didn''t hear him, rushing out the moment the Orc sprinted towards Trovar. He jumped into the air, added a spin to his body and almost flew close to the ground, making an arc to the back of the Orc as he unleashed all his mana into his short sword and shed, "Die!"


    Roar!


    The Orc screamed in pain as it crashed into Trovar, shattering his shield while sending him flying.


    "W-What happened?" The Twins were startled in response, watching the figure of Trovar m into the walls of the dome. They immediately wished to flee, noticing that the Orc was stronger than they had expected.


    "Gah! What¡­happened?" Ying gasped for breath as his eyes felt droopy, noticing that he was embedded into the walls of the dome, dozens of metres away from the Orc. He gazed at its feet, seeing that his attack had seeded.


    The Orc was indeed struggling to walk, but when he attacked its achilles heel, it retaliated, sending him flying.


    "Ying!" Meyn rushed towards him, hurriedly using her healing powers to stop the blood rapidly flowing out of his stomach, "Don''t die!"


    "Shit! The door closed!" The scout of the team said in rm, attacking the Boss room''s door in vain.


    Roar!


    The Orc has trouble walking as it crouched forward, held its de in its mouth and then rushed on all fours, taking most of the load using its arms, and then¡­


    Boom!


    The scout was smashed into pulp from the impact as the Orc gobbled his body before turning around to stare at the twins, letting out a beastly grin as it rushed at them on all fours.

 Chapter 877 Orc-Dragon Soul

    Boom!


    The female twin unleashed a bolt of lightning on the Orc, stunning it for a moment as the male twin shed with his long sword, drawing out a lot of blood.


    "I''m not dead yet!" Trovar shouted as he rushed forth, a bloody figure of his original self as he mmed into the Orc, causing it to tumble to the ground. He raised his battle-axe and hacked into its neck, stunned to see it stop partway, "Tough bastard!"


    Roar!


    The Orc sent him flying, targeting his head this time. There was a sound akin to a tiny bubble being popped. It was Trovar''s head bursting out from the impact as he slid down the wall like a broken puppet.


    "Shit!" The male twin grunted in rage as he attacked the Orc''s neck, using his long sword like a saw as he roared, "Die, bitch! Die!"


    "Brother, duck!" The female twin said before shooting out a fireball that set the Orc on fire, causing it to let out a bloodcurdling scream. If not for its achilles heel getting cut off, it wouldn''t have been possible for her to target it with such a slow attack.


    "It''s not dead yet¡­?" The male twin gasped in shock before firming himself, watching the Orc continue to crawl towards his sister despite being burned.


    He poured thest of his mana into his de and leaped into the air, unleashing a de beam that formed an arc before mming into the neck of the Orb, "Die!"


    ng!


    Suddenly, a metallic sound resounded as the shockwaves snuffed out all the mes, revealing a scalyyer covering its skin as the Orc seemed to have gone mad. Its eyes reddened to the limit before a yellow scaly eye appeared in them.


    "W-What the heck is that?" The male twin stared in rm, high up in the air, noticing that his strongest attack was defended by the scaly armour, ''No, I still managed a cut. One more hit and I would be able to sever its neck!''


    Bam!


    Suddenly, a geyser of blood gushed out of its back and mmed into him, drenching him in it as the sheer impact toppled his bnce. And as he flew towards the Orc, he was unable to react, his vision clouded by the blood covering his face, "What the¡­?"


    "Brother!" The female twin hollered in despair as the Orc opened its mouth and mped upon his body, crushing his lower half immediately.


    "Bastard! I''ll kill you!" The male twin roared as he thrust his sword into its eyes, losing all signs of life as the Orc crunched harder, swallowing him.


    It then swerved its head and rushed at the female twin who bellowed in fury and unleashed lightning bolts in all directions, expending her lifeforce in the process. It stunned the Orc''s body.


    "I''ll heal you!" Meyn rushed in her direction, unleashing her healing powers on the female twin, allowing her to keep up the attack.


    Swoosh!


    The Orc threw its cleaver that stabbed into Meyn''s gut, embedding her into the wall. With the healing cut-off, the female twin was crushed by the Orc.


    "D-Dammit!" Ying had just regained consciousness when he noticed the Orc''s cleaver impaling Meyn¡ªhis older sister, and his sole family.


    Rage clouded his vision as he rushed at the Orc and climbed its stunned body, staring at its scaly skin before noticing the deep cut on its neck, using all the mana he recovered thanks to the healing as he unleashed his strongest attack, severing its neck, "Die!"


    <Ding!>


    [First Aplishment: Killed the Orc-Dragon]


    [Obtained Reward: Orc-Dragon Soul]


    [Congrattions to Hunter Ying for the being the first Hunter to kill an Orc-Dragon]<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Meyn!" Ying didn''t care about the rewards as he rushed towards Meyn, "No, no, no!"


    He stared at her body in despair, watching blood drip out of her, "P-Please, you said you wouldn''t die."


    [Brat, she''s not dead.]


    "Who''s there?" Ying looked around in rm, unable to see anyone else in his vicinity.


    [Brat, you''re the one who awakened me. Check your rewards. You still have a way to save your sister.]


    Though confused, Ying didn''t waste time, especially with his sister''s life on the line as he hurriedly stared at his status. What he didn''t notice was that there were two status panels before him.


    The first one simply dered that he killed the Orc Boss and gained experience. But it was hidden from view by the second status panel thatyered it at the top. And it was this that Ying saw, muttering, "Orc-Dragon Soul?"


    [Yes, I''m the soul of the Orc-Dragon you just killed. I''m now your weapon.]


    "Bastard, you were the one that killed¡­"


    [Are you sure you have the time to argue with me? Your sister is about to die. Besides, unlike before when my intelligence was suppressed as a Dungeon Boss, I''m now fully awake and am yours to keep.]


    "Fine!" He didn''t wish to waste time so he asked in a hurry, "Quick! Tell me how to save my sister!"


    [There''s a special core in my corpse. Harvest that first!]


    Ying hurriedly did as told as he rushed to his sister, rmed upon noticing her body turning cold, "What now?"


    [ce the core in her mouth and imagine yourself healing her injuries. The sess depends on how well you do it.]


    "Shit," He was nervous as he ced the Orc-Dragon Core in Meyn''s mouth and recalled the actions his sister performed when healing others, tuning himself to the familiar energy signature.


    Impressively, the Orc-Dragon Core melted in her mouth and flowed into her gut, healing her rapidly as the massive sword poking her was pushed out.


    In truth, it was just the Secondary System activating a couple of Skills. It had absolutely nothing to do with Ying. But of course, he was ignorant of that.


    "Sister!" Once her wounds healed, Ying noticed warmth return to her body, breaking into tears, "You''re alive!"


    He was then nervous once again, seeing no signs of his sister waking up, "Why isn''t she getting up?"


    [Your skill was absolutelycking. Moreover, my powers aren''t geared toward healing in the first ce. You only managed to prevent her from dying. The shock from the attack put her in aa. To wake her up, there''s only one way.]


    "What is it? Tell me! I''ll do it!" Ying wasn''t hesitant anymore, fully trusting it.


    ''Haha, it''s done.'' The Secondary System grinned in response as it spoke to him.


    [The S-Grade Potion, Elven Tear. You need to obtain it.]


    "Elven Tear¡­" Ying was rmed, "There''s only three of them in the world. Even an S-Rank Hunter has a hard time getting hands on one. And I''m a mere F-Rank Hunter. I might only be able to reach E-Rank even if I train for decades."


    [Of course, that is what would happen, unless you didn''t have me.]

 Chapter 878 Dampen Enthusiasm

    [Of course, that is what would happen, unless you didn''t have me.]


    "What¡­do you mean by that?" Ying asked in confusion as he carried Meyn, intending to exit the Dungeon.


    [Soul Fusion: 1.7%]


    A panel appeared before him suddenly, causing him to mutter, "Soul Fusion? What''s that?"


    [It is a parameter depicting your rate of fusion with the Orc-Dragon Soul. The more you fuse with it, the more an Orc-Dragon''s power you could wield.]


    "Isn''t that weak though?" Ying muttered, "The monster I killed just now was only an E-Rank Dungeon Boss. Even if I obtain all its power, nothing will change. I would only be on par with a D-Rank Hunter at most."


    [That''s where you''re wrong.]


    The panel shed before him as the words on it blinked. Immediately after, the words changed, shocking him.


    [The boss you faced was just a mere Orc. Only at its final moments did it be an Orc-Dragon. But, before it awakened, you killed it. Had it awakened, it would easily be an S-Rank Dungeon Boss. And that''s the power you now possess, one that would easily allow you to attain S-Rank.]


    "I-Is that true?" Ying was shocked as he asked, "Then, what should I do to attain a 100% Soul Fusion?"


    [Kill as many monsters as possible while using the Orc-Dragon''s abilities.]


    <Ding!>


    Immediately after, a status screen appeared, disying the abilities he obtained thanks to the Orc-Dragon Soul.


    [Orc-Dragon Soul Fusion: 1.7%]


    ? [Innate Trait: Devour]


    [Skill: Orc-Dragon Skin]


    [Skill: ---]


    [Skill: ---]


    [Skill: ---]


    [Skill: ---]


    [Skill: ---]


    Ying focused on the Innate Trait, pulling up its information.


    [Innate Trait¡ªDevour: Allows the user to consume blood and flesh of any organism and digest it in a matter of seconds to replenish mana and stamina.]


    "Amazing," Ying muttered, "Does that mean with it, I would be able to fight for extended durations?"


    He then focused on the Skill, noticing that there were six of them in total, but except for the first one, the rest were all nk, meaning that he would obtain them as his Soul Fusion increases. He then focused on the first Skill, activating it.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Amazing!" Ying noticed the Orc-Dragon scales form on his skin immediately, feeling like ceramic to the touch but flexible. He made a light sh on his wrist with his short sword and didn''t even notice a scratch.


    Though, a few secondster, the Orc-Dragon Skin vanished as he gasped for breath, "I''m out of mana."


    [I rmend my corpse to devour. Use it to replenish your mana reserves. It will also elerate your Soul Fusion since it''s an Orc-Dragon body, though iplete.]


    Ying hesitated for a moment before he approached the Orc-Dragon corpse and ced his hand on it, instinctively absorbing all its fleshly mass, sensing his stomach bulge in response.


    But in a matter of seconds, the bulge vanished as immense power surged in his body, brimming to the limit as he felt intoxicated, muttering, "I¡­feel like the Main Character!"


    [Don''t be a freaking idiot. There are dozens of creatures simr to the Orc-Dragon. And there exist Hunters with their powers as well. You''re neither the Main Character nor someone special. You just gained my soul through luck, nothing else. With yourcking talent, if you don''t capitalise on this, you won''t be anything beyond a mere F-Rank Hunter.]


    [Besides, your sister is in that state, so what are you bing intoxicated for?]


    It was like cold water being poured all over him as Ying felt deted instantly, getting a reality check on things, "Indeed, I''m just a weak bastard that couldn''t protect my sister. I''m nothing special."


    Muttering weakly, Ying carried his sister and began to make his way to the Dungeon exit.


    [Don''t forget to harvest all the resources. Your teammates might have died, but you still need enough funds to fuel your growth and afford the Elven Tear.]


    "You''re¡­right." Ying sighed as he muttered, "Honestly, I''m d I killed you before you awakened fully. You''re smarter than me, by a lot. You would have casually killed us all."


    [It''s a waste of time bringing it up. I''m a part of you now. So get moving already.]


    Ying took out a porter bag and stuffed all the resources from the Dungeon within. Since the Boss Monster had already been killed, the Dungeon wouldn''t copse anymore. And there was still an hour before it ejected all Hunters out before going into an inactive state.


    After a certain interval, the Dungeon would be full of monsters once again as its gates would open for the Hunters to raid. The stronger the Dungeon, the longer the cycle to spawn monsters within.


    Ying had been a porter for two years and had ample experience in collecting resources. Hence, he was done soon after, carrying the bag and his sister as he exited the Dungeon.


    "Where are the rest?" The staff from the Hunter Association frowned upon seeing only two people exit the Dungeon, peeking over his shoulder to stare at the Dungeon Gate.


    "We''re the only survivors," Ying said sullenly as he dragged his feet, depositing the bag of resources to the staff in charge. "Please deposit the money to my ount."


    The staff there checked the IDs of the two and then coted all the resources in a matter of minutes before deposing the money into his ount. He was the only survivor that was awake and hence, all responsibility for the distribution of the moneyy with him.


    The Hunter Association didn''t meddle in the affairs of the raid teams beyond that.


    "Her body is just exhausted. I didn''t find any other faults in her." One of the staff, an E-Rank Healer inspected Meyn and gave her report, "Just in case, you should bring her to a hospital."


    "I will, thank you." Ying arrived at his worn-down car, ced his sister in the passenger seat, and then drove it away, sighing as he reached a hospital, checking up on her condition.


    He admitted her to an expensive hospital upon diagnosing that Meyn was in an unexinableatose state, hiring a caretaker to take care of her, depositing enough money for a month before he arrived home, slumping at the living room to sigh, "Too many things happened."


    The faces of his teammates shed once before he closed his eyes, exhausted, falling asleep, "I should work harder."


    All along, the Secondary System was observing his actions, sighing in relief once he had fallen asleep, ''That was dangerous. If he continued to feel like a Main Character, that would simply strengthen the Main Character System fragment in me. It would be easy for Arnark to detect me after that. Thankfully, I dampened his enthusiasm enough.''

 Chapter 879 Soul: 20CC

    The Secondary System was treading on thin ice here. Even though it had transformed into a brand-new type of System, the core of it was in the end the Main Character System fragment.


    If that was removed, it would lose its Core Skill and dissipate in a matter of seconds. It could be said that the Secondary System was pretty much an extension, a mutation of sorts that a Main Character System fragment had experienced.


    So, Arnark was still able to reim its powers. Therefore, it had to first hide itself to the limit and grow gradually. Following that, it would work on veering off from Arnark''s control. That way, it could survive.


    "I should exercise," Ying said, getting up from the bed after three hours, fully fresh as he took a pair of dumbbells and began to exercise. As he exercised, his muscles adapted to his newfound powers better, especially the energy he devoured from the Orc-Dragon.


    Gradually, he began to grow stronger while his Soul Fusion rate continued to increase. It was just a parameter that the Secondary System had set up, a way that allowed Ying to grow the fastest without feeling suspicious about anything.


    The Orc-Dragon was something it had created just for that purpose. And just to give Ying the tension once he reached the peak, it nned to create more such creatures. Orc-Dragon, Duck-Dragon, Wolf-Dragon, etc.


    That would ensure Ying would never feel that he''s the centre of the world. And the Innate Trait Devour was just an extension of its power that allowed it to absorb the essence of the Dungeon Monster System fragment within the hunted creatures.


    The Hunter System within Ying wouldn''t even realise that the majority of the power it was absorbing from the in Dungeon Monsters was funnelling into the Secondary System. But, it was here that the Secondary System realised a certain fact, sighing in despair for a moment.


    ''It seems this is my fate.'' It didn''t know whether tough or cry. After all, the clues were alreadyid bare.


    It was able to parasitise other Systems and steal their essence. Even Grade 2 Systems were susceptible to that.


    It was a secondary power source that just its Host was able to possess in that world. It was able to absorb all Mental Energy forms, digest them and convert them into the purest form suitable for its consumption.


    And all in all, it was birthed out of the Main Character System fragment. All these traits dered the Genre it had be a part of.


    Protagonist Genre!


    Until now, there was just the Main Character System in this Genre. But now, even if the Secondary System fully branches out of the Main Character System such that Arnark wouldn''t be able to reim its powers, it didn''t change anything.


    After all, it was now part of the same Genre as the Main Character System. Meaning, ''To reach Grade 2, even after obtaining all 1000 Main Character System fragments, Arnark would have to consume me.''


    So either way, it would have to face Arnark. At this thought, the Secondary System observed Ying, ''Can this individual survive against Arnark?''


    At the question, it reached an answer immediately, ''Nope.''


    ''But, that is why I used this Orc-Dragon Soul, haha.'' If one could see its expression now, they would be able to see a greedy bastard cackling evilly, having created the greatest of his scummy schemes.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The supposed Orc-Dragon Soul wasn''t a Dungeon Monster Soul that it had modified. Nope, something like that was useless beyond this Hunter World.


    The Orc-Dragon Soul was something it created by purchasing a pure soul from the Astral Network using the Doki-Doki System. The Reincarnation System typically sold pure souls that the Systems bought for various purposes.


    Those in Cultivation Worlds typically bought them to create spirits or any interesting object that would aid their host. Some even merged those modified pure souls to strengthen the Host better.


    A pure soul was something that hadn''t taken form within a living being yet. So, its potential was limitless.


    After buying one such pure soul, the Secondary System inserted the most precious data it possessed into it¡ªthe data of Compass Carburettor.


    It was already aware of the fact that since it had fused with a Main Character System fragment, the moment it entered a Host, their natural talents would be fully sealed. But using that chance, the Secondary System¡ªthe Money-Making System at the time¡ªstored that data within itself.


    Twenty years of Compass Carburettor''s wit, cunning, intelligence, thought processes, etc. that he could potentially perform but was unable to. It absorbed them all and stored them within its Main Character System fragment.


    Even though it failed to consume him in the end, it still retained twenty years of his information. ''It pales inparison to the current Compass, but it''s the best weapon avable to face Arnark.''


    It used a bunch of Skills to fuse all that into the pure soul, also adding in a couple of extra abilities to create a special soul that it called¡­


    Soul: 20CC!


    Basically, it was a twenty-year-old Compass Carburettor, for it embodied him. And, the Orc-Dragon Soul Fusion was basically its way of assimting Ying''s character into Compass Carburettor.


    This way, once the Soul Fusion reaches a hundred percent, Ying would be a secondary Compass Carburettor, not in terms of abilities, but in terms of mind. His original character would have been destroyed by then.


    After that, Ying would grow by experiencing a lot of things. The Secondary System nned to devour him after that and enter another suitable Host to repeat the same and refine that Soul: 20CC to eventually create a Host strong enough to face Arnark.


    Having been one with a Main Character System fragment for so long, the Secondary System was aware that brute strength wouldn''t be enough to kill Arnark. Even if it attained power millions of times his, Arnark would still survive the encounter and eventually rival it.


    Therefore, the only way to fight him was through his mind and mentally defeat him, ''It''s war, Arnark.''


    ''I won''t be devoured by you. I''ll survive, no matter what.'' The Secondary System gazed upon Ying, ''And Ying is the key to that. Once he fully bes Compass, I wouldn''t have to fear you much.''

 Chapter 880 Villain Versions

    "Teacher," A student pointed at a screenshot saved in his phone, "How are you at different ces at the same time?"


    The photo consisted of an angle showing the Genesis Hero''s speech. But if one zoomed at the corner, they would see the figure of Compass Carburettor standing there, talking with the retired Hero, Lion''s Share.


    "Try to take a guess, will you?" Compass Carburettor smiled in response, observing that most of the students in his ss were staring at him, intending to know the answer.


    "Are you a Hero with teleportation powers?" The student that showed the screenshot took a guess.


    "Nope, I have no such power." Compass Carburettor shook his head before looking at the others.


    "That''s your double?"


    "Nope."


    "You have cloning powers."


    "Not even close."


    "You''re an illusion."


    "I can hit you to prove that I''m real."


    "Ugh¡­you¡­yeah, it''s CGI." A student said at the end when everyone looked at him as if he were a retard.


    ''These brats¡­'' Compass Carburettor let out a chuckle before writing on the board, "How am I at different ces? What''s my power?"


    "This is your assignment." Compass Carburettor said as he turned around to face the students, "After five months and three weeks,e up with an answer. I''ll reward the one that answers correctly."


    "Until then, you can do whatever you want to probe me." He winked before beginning the lecture, "Now, Heroes and Viins, what''s the difference?"


    "Their motives?" A student answered.


    "You can say that, but is that all?" Compass Carburettor smiled as he pointed at Millie, "Care you exin your power?"


    "It''s Friction Covalence. I can range the friction of two substances in contact from zero to maximum." Millie said, waving her hand once, "My current range of influence is around two metres. I can even influence the air within this range and shred apart anyone that approaches me with the maximum friction."


    "Everyone knows the concept of air resistance, right?" Compass Carburettor faced the students, watching them nod in response, "In every action, we feel a certain air resistance but we''re used to it. But, what happens when this bes zero?"


    He eyed Millie who instantly transformed the air around her, making its friction zero. But immediately after, she and the students seated around her felt difficulty in breathing, gasping for air.


    A secondter, Millie deactivated her ability and was able to breathe freely once again, staring at Compass Carburettor in shock to ask, "But I was still breathing air as usual¡­I think."


    "You were indeed breathing as usual. But, you didn''t inhale any air." Compass Carburettor smiled, observing the shock on the impacted students as he created a projection of molecules, "At the molecr level, there exist Van Der Waals forces pulling molecules closer to one another. There are also forces of attraction and repulsion rted to charges in the molecules. If you were to consider them on a macroscopic scale, what do these create?"


    "Friction, yes." He nodded, "And depending on the friction, which is basically the collision of these molecules, reactions happen. There are plenty of variables there, but that''s not important."<novelnext></novelnext>


    He then pointed at Millie, "When you sucked in air, you created pressure. But, what''s this pressure?"


    "You created a vacuum in the air which at the atomic level was you umting the air molecules by pulling as many as possible using your muscles. But, if the friction was zero, what happens?" He smirked, "Your muscles are unable to pull in the closest air molecules, as these molecr forces be zero. So, each air molecule within this range bes inactive."


    "They won''t move." He then knocked her on the head, "So, you weren''t inhaling any air. And even if some managed to flow into your lungs, they won''t evene into contact with any substances in your lungs, for the friction is absolute zero. If they can''t evene into contact, how will they react or mix?"


    "But, I tried this before. Nothing like this happened then." Millie expressed her confusion.


    "That''s because I was amplifying your abilities. Otherwise, you''re not at the level to attain zero friction yet. Now, herees my question," Compass Carburettor stared at the students, "What if Millie''s power wasn''t Friction Covalence but zero friction?"


    "What¡­will change?" Millie thought when she shuddered, realising that the state of breathlessness was all her power would be capable of. She wouldn''t be able to use her powers to skate or even vary the pressure differences to lift her body into the air, etc.


    "You understand now?" Compass Carburettor smiled, "The only scope of your ability in thetter case is to cause suffering for others. So, using it means someone would suffer. That''s a Viin ability."


    "So," He addressed the students, "Motives differentiate a Hero and a Viin. But at times, one is forced down the path of a Viin simply because his or her ability only has destructive value. This is true for Heroes too."


    He then pointed at the ssroom''s entrance, "So, how will you face them?"


    "I''ll kill everyone!"


    "Murder!"


    "These capitalistic bastards would pay!"


    Frustrated shouts resounded from beyond the ssroom. Millie stared in curiosity before her face paled in response. She stared at Compass Carburettor, pointing out with a trembling finger, "T-They are¡­?"


    "Your versions with a Viin''s motive. Your powers are viinised too." Compass Carburettor smiled as he disappeared from the location, "Your goal is to convince your viin self to stop being a Viin. There''s no time limit. They''ll kill the innocents if you let them be, though. After all,"


    "There are no Heroes in this world other than the lot of you."


    "Not this again." Millie facepalmed, trembling in anger for they had just gone through a scenario an hour ago. There was a professor who came to teach them the ethics of being Heroes for that ss.


    It was Compass Carburettor''s ss after that. And as she feared, he ced them in another troublesome situation once again.


    "Millie!" Vahor shouted with a pale face, jumping behind her to request, "I''ll tackle your viin version. Can you do something about mine?"


    He pointed when suddenly, the world turned ck and white, "That guy is too strong."


    "Shit!" Millie was rmed when she noticed that she became many times weaker immediately after losing most of her colours in this ck-and-white world.


    And in this world, the viins alone maintained their colour, sauntering into the ssroom with bloodthirsty expressions. "I''ll be damned."

 Chapter 881 Villain Millie

    "If there exist three dumbasses in this world, you''re all of them." Vahor''s Viin self stared at Vahor to state in mockery, "Why be a Hero when you have to beg others to help you?"


    "Was your tongue always this sharp?" Millie eyed Vahor.


    "Of course not," Vahor shook his head, "Cringe is my ultimate foe. And that''s not part of my character."


    "See that," He pointed at the Viin Vahor, "See his gaudy clothes. Viin my ass. His cringe alone is so destructive."


    Millie didn''t say anything and frowned as she stared at her Viin self. ''It seems he made our viin selves target us first respectively.''


    She jumped from her table and leaped to the side, watching a rock m into it.


    The Viin Millie carried a bag of pebbles with her that she juggled casually. And to attack, she erased all its air resistance before chucking them at Millie. Due to theck of air resistance, the pebble flew at its initial velocity and impacted with a bang.


    Range didn''t matter to her, for everything she threw was as if she were throwing them in space. There was still gravity that curved the pebble towards the ground, but with it being the sole force acting on the pebble, the Viin Millie could perform some dangerous trajectories.


    Boom!


    A pebble mmed into a table beside and made a small dent. Millie had just evaded it when her senses rmed her, causing her to hurriedly raise the friction around her to the limit, watching the pebble explode.


    It seemed these pebbles were custom created for the Viin Millie, for they contained a high-pressured gas within. Due to the internal pressure, the gas didn''t attain itsbustion parameters.


    But at a thought from the Viin Millie, the friction became zero, causing the internal pressure to drop to a zero, for the gas no longer came into contact with the interior of the pebble.


    The pressure drop caused them to break down and turn into vtile substances in a fraction of a second. The power the Viin Millie inserted in them only ounted for that instant as immediately after that, friction returned to normal, sparking a reaction that resulted in an explosion.


    This exploded the pebble and caused the shrapnel to stter everywhere, creating a lot of damage.


    As she was the closest to the impact location, Millie was targeted the most. But when the shrapnel approached her, they burned up into fumes, for the air resistance was just too much that they burntpletely.


    "Is that all you have?" Millie taunted her viin self and rushed out of the ssroom, sighing in relief when thetter chased after her, ''Thank goodness. She''s too destructive. The others might suffer or even be killed as a result of her attacks.''


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The pebbles mmed into her, exploding in response as everything burned up beforeing into contact with her. Millie maintained a range of high air friction around her, using it to defend against all attacks.


    The friction between her and the floor reduced as she began to skate through the ce, losing her bnce when a pebble mmed into the floor a couple metres before her and exploded, shattering the concrete.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Shit!" She was rmed, falling through the floor as her senses became heightened, causing her to instinctively raise the friction under her feet to the limit while reducing it above her, creating a pressure difference.


    Swoosh!


    The air under her feet caught me for a second, exploding out into a vapour cone that moved downward, applying pressure on her feet that slowed down her descent.


    "Ugh!" She grunted upon falling to the ground, rolling over the rubble as she got up in a hurry. The thrust slowed down her fall to a certain extent while the pressure difference she created prevented her body from elerating.


    Moreover, she reduced the friction between her body and the rubble to the maximum, allowing her to skid over it, and preventing any bruises. Though, she felt mild aches as a result, for her actions weren''t perfect, resulting in her suffering mild blunt damage.


    She had fallen into an auditorium, hurriedly rushing through the rows of seats before jumping behind one to hide from view.


    The Viin Millie jumped down from above and bounced like she was made from rubber. At her actions, Millie was shocked, ''She''s nullified the friction in her muscles too. But it''s not reckless to cause any problems. She can handle the inertial forces at this height.''


    ''I can''t do that.'' At the thought, Millie became serious, ''So the Viin versions have more experience than us. How troublesome.''


    "Millie! Oh, Millie! Where are you?" The Viin Millie looked around, unable to find Millie as her voice echoed around, "I''ll find you! And then, I''ll kill you!"


    ''I''m not supposed to kill her, right?'' Thinking as such, Millie closed her eyes from her hiding location and focused on the air above her, varying the friction covalence to angle the flow of air, gradually creating a twister that dispersed into a tangential flow of wind that hurled straight at the Viin Millie.


    "Kya!" The Viin Millie didn''t even hear any sounds, for Millie had reduced the friction around the edge of the flow to the minimum. And considering how the concept of sound worked, without any contact, there were no vibrations, meaning, no sound was produced.


    The wind flow mmed into her and threw her body back, pping her into the wall as for a moment, she cked out.


    ''Not enough.'' Thinking as such, Millie created another gust of wind, attacking the Viin Millie when her face paled in response, seeing dozens of pebbles fly at her, targeting various locations of the auditorium.


    "Ahh!" Millie defended against the explosions, watching mes erupt around her as the shrapnel vent up in fumes due to the high air resistance.


    As the Viin Millie had targeted everyone in the auditorium, the shrapnel mmed into most of the locations. And when some of them approached Millie, they went up in mes, indicating her position.


    "There you are!" The Viin Millie threw two pebbles at her when the gust of wind mmed into her, but this time, it flowed around her, for the friction of her body became zero.


    Boom!


    The two pebbles wrecked her surroundings and revealed Millie''s location to the Viin Millie, "Dammit!"

 Chapter 882 Experience Amplification

    Boom! Boom!


    "Kyak!" Millie shrieked every time a pebble exploded beside her. Even though she wasn''t harmed by those attacks, the sounds still rattled her. Moreover, she had to fight without getting within the range of the Viin Millie''s ability, which would render her high friction windshield useless.


    As the fights continued, Muscle Lantern stared at the scene from the side, hidden from view, frowning as he stared at the figure beside him, "Is this the best way?"


    "Yup," Compass Carburettor nodded in confidence, "What is the fastest way a Viin can defeat you or get under your skin?"


    Muscle Lantern recalled a good fraction of his annoying experiences, "Either they take hostage or use a familiar incident to im to be the same as me and even work for the same ideals as myself."


    "Exactly," Compass Carburettor nodded in response, "Those two are the Viins'' most potent weapons that render a Hero weak. So, I''m just training them in regards to that."


    He pointed at Millie, "Currently, her viin version is not only stronger than her but also possesses her ability geared to be purely destructive without any constructive uses. This viin has her backstory, her ideas, and her ideals, but became twisted to be a Viin. So,"


    "By fighting against her viin self, Millie wouldn''t be fazed against the Viins she faces in the future whose actions would be no different to tricks before her, since she endured the real deal that could break her spirit." Muscle Lantern nodded before asking, "But, will she be alright? Facing a viin version of herself would destroy her spirit as a Hero, right?"


    "Nah, she''ll be alright." Compass Carburettor nodded casually, "The motives of this viin version are weak. She''s not brutal enough as she''s just the first opponent. You can just think of her as someone that became a Viin because she was bored of a stable society. You know, those casual types of Viins?"


    "Are you nning to¡­" Muscle Lantern felt ack of words, understanding what Compass Carburettor nned to do next.


    "Yep," Compass Carburettor nodded, watching Muscle Lantern''s face pale in response as he said, "Once Millie conquers this version, I''ll make her face her viin self with stronger viinous tendencies, and so on and so forth."


    "But you needn''t worry." Compass Carburettor said, "I won''t make her disillusioned about herself. I''ll also make her face her Hero self to learn about ways she could be better. It would be like gazing into the future at a version that''s a tad better than her."


    "How are you sure that they are beneficial for her?" Muscle Lantern noticed an issue, "If you were even a tad wrong about her character, you''llpletely destroy her growth."


    In response to that, Compass Carburettor let out a cheerful smile in praise, "You''ve really changed, huh? So, you were originally this smart."


    "Thanks to you, I''m able to wield my full potential and have even figured out a way to surpass my peak." Muscle Lantern said in gratitude before staring at Compass Carburettor to ask for an answer.


    "My power is experience." Compass Carburettor said in all seriousness as he stared at the fighting students, "I''ve faced countless battles. At one point, I could create an endless army. But despite that, even when I possessed infinite energy, I couldn''t win against my enemy. My daughter was harmed. That''s when mycking self came to understand something."<novelnext></novelnext>


    He spoke solemnly, sighing, "Experience is the ultimate weapon."


    "But isn''t that obvious?" Muscle Lantern tilted his head, "In every field, a veteran is vastly superior aspared to a new recruit just because of their wealth of experience."


    "Funny, right?" Compass Carburettor smiled wryly, "It took me three defeats to realise that."


    "And now," His eyes shone like the sun for a moment as he stared at Millie, "I possess a vast world of experience and the means to apply them."


    "I have an urate reading on their characters based on what I inferred until now." Compass Carburettor assured him, "Besides, I''m only exploring their psyche based on what I know. So these training and tests are within the range that I''m aware of. That''s why both the Hero and Viin versions would be from their near future and not from a timeline far away that I cannot infer the info of yet."


    "I understand," Muscle Lantern nodded as he stared at Millie, watching her mount an attack on her viin version as he unleashed a beam of light on her. The beam strengthened her body, raised the structural integrity of her bones and caused the flexibility of her tendons and ligaments to improve.


    Overall, her physical fighting strength improved. As she was in a highly tense state of an adrenaline rush, she failed to notice the upgrade.


    But in the next second, the beam changed colour from white to gold.


    ''I see, as I expected. He managed to tap into that realm.'' Compass Carburettor smiled in response, noticing Millie''s power getting strengthened in response by the beam.


    The power of every Hero and Viin was fully fused with their body. And since Muscle Lantern''s power was to modify the physique, it made no sense how he wasn''t able to affect the powers of others. But that was only because hecked the necessary understanding for it.


    And now, he was able to modify the powers of others too. Not to mention as he immediately focused even further, sweating a little as the beam of light changed from golden to starlight, suddenly causing Millie to feel as if she was awake now, more alert than before.


    It felt like she had embarked into a whole new world as an upgraded self. If her brain could process a thousand thoughts per second before, it was now capable of 1200 thoughts per second. A massive twenty percent increase.


    With that increase, not only were her decisions faster, but she was also able to take in the data ryed by her sensory organs, process it faster, and act on it, actuating her body muscles faster. The overall effect was multiplicative of her original self and wasn''t a mere twenty percent increase in her powers.


    She fought against the Viin Millie in that state for a dozen seconds before the world reverted to the original ssroom as she noticed her senses falling back to the usual level.


    "I''ll take care of their experience while you work on getting them ustomed to a stronger version of themselves so that they could develop themselves faster." Compass Carburettor spoke to Muscle Lantern as the two revealed their figures to the exhausted students.

 Chapter 883 A Simple Journey

    The reason Compass Carburettor had invested in Muscle Lantern''s growth was that he was an asset in training students. He already was one before, for he trained the physiques of Heroes to give them fast growth.


    But now, with his upgraded abilities, he was able to give them physical, ability, and mental growth. This would allow the students to tap into their potential faster and experience the most optimal results for their training.


    Usually, trying to improve oneself was very difficult as it was hard for everyone to picture a better version of themselves. Not only was it mentally draining, but egotistically speaking, it was hard.


    In stories, the main characters would get into a training arc where they would prepare for exactly this so that they could picture a mildly stronger version of themselves and grow to defeat them.


    But, if they already had a crystal-clear example of their stronger self, they only need to grow to attain that. And Muscle Lantern''s power did exactly that¡ªgiving them a clear picture of their stronger versions.


    "We''ll end the training session here." Compass Carburettor said as he asked the students, "So, how did it feel to face your antagonistic versions?"


    "Horrible," Millie said in exhaustion, aching all over, feeling a bit dispirited.


    The Academy nurse arrived at this moment, healing the injuries of all the students as Compass Carburettor addressed them, "You know yourself best. So, think of the reason they became what they became. Following that, think of ways to convince them to stop being a viin."


    "You must first win against yourself before winning against other Viins." Compass Carburettor smiled in response as he left the ss, "Keep thinking for ways to seed as Heroes. As long as you wish to try something or have an idea, just approach me anytime. I''ll bring you to that ce and make you face your Viin selves."


    ''That ce?'' Millie caught on the choice of words used by Compass Carburettor, ''So, it''s like a separate dimension?''


    ''Hmm, three¡­four¡­five? Impressive.'' Compass Carburettor noticed that five people had caught onto his hints, smiling as he disappeared. He nned to raise their attention to details in the future. But everything has to be done step by step.


    ''When I''m done, these students would transform into elites that would protect this world.'' He smiled and arrived at the staff room, staring at his timetable for the day to see that he didn''t have any sses during the afternoon session.


    It was lunchtime now, and with only two sses assigned to him, he didn''t have much to do after this. Thinking for a moment, he took out a phone and dialled up a number, "Yo, I''m free after this."


    "I know a good restaurant nearby." The person on the other side said, their tone a tad high-pitched aspared to the usual.


    "You''re not skipping ss, right?" Compass Carburettor asked, squinting a little.


    "I''m pretty much the head of my department. I don''t have any sses to teach apart from a select few per week." The other side quickly hung up the call, "I''ll be there in twenty minutes."


    "Well, thankfully it seems I didn''t disturb her." Muttering as such, Compass Carburettor took his belongings and packed them in a bag. There were some handouts, a sybus, some reference books, and a couple of misceneous items that were necessary for his job.


    He wore the bag and began to slowly walk towards the exit of the Academy while strolling through the campus. Everywhere he went, the students greeted him respectfully, having seen his fight against the Invader.<novelnext></novelnext>


    And of course, some sharp-eyed ones had noticed him standing within the frame while the Genesis Hero was sending off the aircraft to invade the Gunmetal Gold World. Their eyes brimmed with curiosity while they gazed at him.


    ''A job huh, it has been ages since Ist had one. It''s a nice change of pace.'' He thought, frowning upon noticing something amiss. He stared at the sky, squinting to morph his vision, observing the celestial rings covering the in a protective embrace.


    At the moment, a thin stream of fate flowed through them, unobstructed as it vanished beyond. He frowned, observing that the source seemed to originate from the Hero Association Headquarters, ''Is this because of the invasion?''


    The stream was too thin and almost negligible. So, he didn''t pay it any heed for the moment. But, that didn''t mean he would ignore it though; he nned to keep an eye on it at all times.


    After all, the stream of fate seemed to vanish out of this universe, allowing him to understand, ''Things have started to be in motion once again. This time too, it involves us.''


    But this time, he wasn''t rmed. Rather, he was prepared to face his enemies, now possessing the methods to torture the enemies that bared fangs at him.


    Beep!


    A car arrived at the parking lot and the horn went off sharply. Compass Carburettor had made his way to the ce by then and noticed that it was Gehera.


    "There was a bit of traffic," Gehera said and opened the door to the passenger seat.


    "It''s fine, I was taking a casual stroll through the ce." Compass Carburettor replied and sat down.


    "How was your first day?" Gehera asked as she drove the car, "There''s a good restaurant thirty minutes away from this ce. I was intending to go there for a long time."


    Gehera''s driving skills were pretty professional as she smoothly manoeuvred the traffic without losing her mind. Well, of course, she might look young, but she had already surpassed a grandma in age¡­


    For a moment, he felt a tinge of killing intent from her, stopping that line of thought to ask, "How much of Hazen''s power did you steal?"


    "A decent amount." Genera nodded.


    "I enjoyed the day, to be honest." He changed the topic immediately and ced the bag on the rear seat before continuing, "Two Invaders appeared during the orientation. Once that was taken care of, I visited Stencil and gained a better understanding of her situation. The students in my ss are pretty talented. There''s this guy named Vahor, who looks like a smart and obedient student with an innocent face. But he has a sharp tongue¡­"


    He began to recount his experiences that Gehera listened to while driving, giving her take from time to time as the two enjoyed the journey.

 Chapter 884 He’s All Yours

    "This ce is pretty good indeed." Compass Carburettor said in surprise, for they were currently on a boat. There was arge pond here, manned by the restaurant that owned it.


    At the dock was arge building which acted as the restaurant''s reception, allowing people to book a seat. The seats were all boats.


    Each boat was on the level of a yacht, filled with its ingredients, two chefs, and one waiter. There was just one table on its upper deck where the customers would be seated.


    The captain of the yacht would make a slow ride on the pond while the customers could enjoy the scenery and have afortable meal. There were only a dozen boats on this pond to not make it feel cluttered, and hence, it was hard to get a reservation.


    Of course, Gehera seemed to have her ways as they got one reserved at the moment of arrival.


    "Indeed," Genera nodded, "This was established around twenty years ago. I''ve always wished toe but never had properpany."


    "None from this world suit your fancy?" Compass Carburettor asked in wonder.


    "There were a few, but they all age normally while I don''t." Gehera sighed, "It''s just a recipe for disaster as I don''t wish to long for someone that would die in a matter of years from my perspective."


    Gehera turned 95 just recently. For a normal human, that was a lot of time to be alive. But her mind wasn''t on the level of a normal human anymore, so for her, 95 years no longer seemed like a long time. This was why she casually interacted with Compass Carburettor even though they hadn''t talked for more than seven decades.


    So, this difference in perceiving time prevented her from having a normal rtionship. Even when she fancied someone and had the chance to lead a normal life, Gehera avoided it in the end upon realising that it wouldn''t work out well for her mental health.


    Upon receiving Compass Carburettor''s stare, she understood what he was getting at and shook her head, "I didn''t like using my totems to extend their lifespan. Even if their bodies aged slower, their minds aged normally. The contrast would turn them mad. Moreover, if I act on their mind too, then would they still be the same individual that I liked once? Nope. It was a lot of headaches that I didn''t wish to bother with, not when I still had to keep Stencil in check."


    "I have to thank you for that." Compass Carburettor bowed in respect, "You didn''t have to sacrifice your time for something that I should have done, but for what you did, I am grateful."


    "It''s fine, don''t mention it." Gehera waved her hand as she observed the food being served, speaking as she took a bite, staring at his face to ask, "Say, how long will it take for you to be a human?"


    "Around a month or two¡­" Compass Carburettor said after a moment of thought, "It''s hard for even me to predict as my Dreand is developing at an elerated pace ever since I woke up. There are billions of variables in there, so it''s not easy to make a prediction."


    "I initially thought it would take around six months, but in just a day as a faculty, I grew a lot." He smiled in response.


    For a moment, Gehera was dazed by his smile before recovering as her smile widened, "I''ll anticipate that day."


    She then red at him, "Don''t just up and disappear on me, alright? I''m strong enough to fight the Systems myself."


    "Grade 2?" He asked.


    "Nope," Gehera grinned smugly, "Grade 3."


    "Seriously?" His eyes widened in surprise, "It''s hard to notice since your powers are sealed."


    "That''s because I''ve yet to fight before you." Gehera said, "I feel like the moment I take action, you''ll be able to figure out the extent of my strength easily."


    She then asked, "How were the Invaders? I''m surprised that I''ve never discovered traces of them to date. Maybe it''s because they were never active in the regions I''ve acted upon using Secret Society."


    "Stencil covered them all up," Compass Carburettor nodded, "Though, considering how this entire world is under her control, it makes sense."


    The duo spent a couple of hours eating, taking their time with tiny nibbles while enjoying the peace and quiet of the surroundings.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Gehera took in a deep breath before saying with a sense of longing, "Peace is an addictive feeling."


    "You''re right," Compass Carburettor nodded, blinking in surprise to see a third Psyche Star forming in his Dreand.


    Psyche Star¡ªMental Peace!


    And as it condensed, he noticed a drastic change in himself, observing that he had be more human, now able to feel hunger and thirst like a normal human too.


    "Well, it seems I won''t have to wait for long," Gehera muttered upon observing his changes, turning cheerful as she paid the bill.


    The yacht began to return to the dock as her eyes trailed over Compass Carburettor''s face, observing the state of peace he exuded, ''Seems I''ve indeed fallen for him.''


    "I zoned out for a minute there." Compass Carburettor opened his eyes, stating in apology, "I just relished the peace."


    "I understand," Gehera didn''t disy any other emotion, watching him with a smile before getting up to alight from the yacht.


    The two made their way to her car and began to head home. And of course, they were stuck in traffic soon after.


    Staring at the red light on the traffic signal, Gehera asked while her eyes were on the road, "Compass¡­"


    "Yes?" Compass Carburettor nodded in response.


    "Do you love peace?"


    "Yes."


    "These Invaders are a product of the Invader System, right?"


    "Indeed, they are."


    "That means, it is only a matter of time before¡­"


    "This peace won''t be disturbed. You have my word."


    "But, what if Arnark interferes? All my abilities are predicting that possibility."


    "If he does, then the multiverse would lose its Main Character."


    "I''ll not worry then," Gehera nodded before saying, "As they are close, when Arnark appears, Gilthru would be there too. So,"


    Her eyes turned a tad moist as she said, "Please leave him to me. I have yet to settle the score with him for destroying my family."


    "Yeah, he''s all yours. Make him suffer."


    "Indeed, I will."

 Chapter 885 Contacting The Heavens

    Bam!


    A Five-Star Invader mmed a wall to smithereens, raging as he bellowed, "My brother is dead!"


    He red at the Four-Star Invader before him, "Grunto! You said the peak powers of the 24 Rings are only the level of our Two Stars. Then, how the heck is Brunnul dead? He might becking, but he''s still at Five Stars."


    "Based on my data, there exist two entities in the 24 Rings that are terrifying. The Genesis Hero and the Contained Viin. But even they shouldn''t have been able to kill Brunnul." Grunto, the Four-Star Invader spoke. He was the Special Advisor to the Five-Star Invader, an Invasion Expert that had aplished countless feats in other worlds.


    "Find out the cause quickly, Grunto. Otherwise, off with your head." The Five-Star Invader red, unable to rein in his anger.


    "Please leave it to me." Despite the threat to his life, Grunto maintained his calm and exited the meeting room.


    "Lord Wannul is angry as usual." He muttered before entering a special tower that was so tall it reached the clouds.


    Wannul was one of the strongest Five-Stars among the Invaders, having personally destroyed countless worlds. In his body swirled powers from various worlds that he had invaded and absorbed.


    Hunter, Hero, Demon Lord, Cultivator, etc., he possessed the energy and power system of countless worlds.


    Moreover, depending on the power system he employed, he could alter his appearance, which was something all Invaders were capable of.


    One Star and Two Star Invaders were only capable of camouging themselves to blend in with the invaded worlds. They typically took on the appearances of races innately hated by those worlds.


    But in Stencil''s world, that didn''t work due to her powers that resisted such falsities. Therefore, they had to arrive in their original appearance.


    Three Star Invaders could steal more than one power from the invaded world.


    But Four Star and Five Star Invaders were on a whole other level, capable of not only stealing the powers they wished but were even capable of sharing their powers with the natives of the invaded worlds.


    And they were the ones responsible for the creation of Cults in the target worlds whose popce did more damage and weakened that world''s resistance to external entities like the Invaders.


    Grunto arrived within the tower, staring at the data ryed by the Invaders cluttered on the barrier of the Hero World, frowning in response.


    ''Even though Lord Brunnul was curious about the 24 Rings, I still investigated beforehand and determined that he didn''t have any enemies there. But, just what the heck is this?'' He stared at the data sent by the Invaders that had witnessed the fight between the Five Star Invader, Lord Brunnul, and Compass Carburettor.


    The two were at a standoff before suddenly, Lord Brunnul''s face paled in response as his strength continued to fall at a noticeable rate. Moreover, his physique began to morph and turned more and more humane as time passed.


    A couple of minutester, Lord Brunnul became no different from a weak human mortal, "H-How is this possible?"


    Following that, Compass Carburettor snapped his finger before Lord Brunnul regained all his strength. He fought against the opponent after that but something akin to sunlight mmed into his tentacled creature that instantly became a puddle, following which he too became one, killed in a fraction of a second.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Hiss!


    Uponpiling the data, Grunto was rmed, "Who the heck is this guy? Howe he''s so strong? This isn''t someone we can handle."


    But, just before he was about to make a report to Lord Wannul about this, Grunto noticed that the mysterious sunlight energy had also damaged the barrier of the world. "Hmm, that energy could easily damage the barrier of 24 Rings."


    24 Rings was the name Grunto gave to Stencil''s Hero World, symbolised by the 24 heavenly rings that constantly revolved around the world to form a protective barrier, barring all foreign entry.


    And indeed, it was thanks to these 24 rings that the Invaders struggled to invade that world. They had to concentrate their efforts to prate the barrier, which allowed the natives to concentrate their forces at the spots and easily take care of the Invaders.


    In other worlds, Invaders cropped up all over the ce, blending with the natives to wreak havoc while the stronger Invaders even set up cults, causing the natives themselves to be destructive to their world.


    But nothing was possible in this world thanks to the 24 rings, hence why it gave that world the name 24 Rings.


    Currently, due to the resistance it disyed, 24 Rings was gaining fame in the Invader World, causing the attention of countless Five Star Invaders to be directed at it.


    Grunto spent a few hours coting all the data that was avable before returning to the meeting room, presenting them to Lord Wannul, "Lord, it was as I feared. The one that dealt with Lord Brunnul was the Contained Viin."


    "Contained Viin?" Lord Wannul frowned in response, "He was supposed to be strong, but not on the level of Brunnul, right? Wait a second¡­"


    His eyes widened in realisation, "Contained Viin¡­I see, so he had been sealed all along."


    "Yes, the ones we gathered data about from all the expeditions were just his fragments running loose and wreaking havoc." Grunto yed thepiled video, eliciting gasps of shock from those in the meeting room, "The one that dealt with Lord Brunnul was the real deal, the main body."


    "Hmm¡­" Lord Wannul stared at the video in silence before announcing solemnly, "Even I don''t dare think I''ll win against him. That Brunnul, he didn''t even manage to make the opponent reveal his cards. He died in vain."


    "Lord, what do we do now?" One of the Invaders in the meeting room asked, "The other Lords too are focusing on 24 Rings now. If they were to head there, wouldn''t they all be killed by the Contained Viin?"


    "Seems there''s just one way." Lord Wannul stood up and announced, "I will inform the heavens about this."


    He then stared at Grunto, "What is your take on this, Special Advisor Grunto?"


    "It''s necessary, Lord." Grunto nodded in response, "We are mere probing pieces for the heavens to invade and devour. The presence of the Contained Viin makes the 24 Rings a great delicacy."


    Nodding in response, Lord Wannul closed his eyes and began to pray, emanating a tremendous volume of starlight that caused a portal to open as an eye revealed itself.

 Chapter 886 T-2 Months!

    The moment the eye appeared within the portal, a formless oppressive force erupted within the bodies of all Invaders within the meeting room.


    There was nervousness in their behaviour, but most of all, was reverence, akin to a native staring at their world''s manifestation.


    After all, they were all birthed from the power of this entity, the God of their creation.


    Grade 3 System¡ªInvader (Level 256)!


    "It better be something important." A voice full of authority resounded within the meeting room, causing even Lord Wannul to be nervous and respectful.


    "We found a great world for your taking." Lord Wannul said and unleashed a Mental Energy stream full of all the details that they hadpiled from their invasions over the years.


    The Invader System didn''t seem all that interested at the start before observing the power system of the ce and their innate resistance towards the abilities of the Invaders, "Interesting¡­"


    It didn''t even finish the sentence when thest bit of the data flowed into its mind, showing the battle between Lord Brunnul and Compass Carburettor. "¡­fuck!"


    Upon seeing it swear in frustration, even Lord Wannul was surprised, "You know the Contained Viin?"


    The Invader System was about to rebuke Lord Wannul when suddenly, its eyes curled up into a smile, "Contained Viin, Genesis Hero¡­I see, it makes sense now."


    "So, they now have a home. Perfect!" The Invader System grinned, "Making a visit uninvited is the essence of being an Invader. This time, they wouldn''t be able to escape, unless they wish to see their home destroyed."


    It thenmanded Lord Wannul, "Stall the invasion ns on all other worlds. Focus on the 24 Rings with the highest priority. The rewards upon sess for this world will be the highest."


    Amand resounded in the minds of all the Five Star Invaders in the Gunmetal Gold World, alerting them all as they focused on the 24 Rings.


    Following that, the Invader System continued, "I''m currently in the process of taking over a world. I''ll be done in two months. We''ll invade the 24 Rings with full force."


    Saying so, it vanished, focusing on the task at hand as it was in the process of taking over a world. It was a technological world that was resisting the changes by causing the people there to awaken to special powers to counter it.


    But it was failing grandly as the natives influenced by the Invader System''s power transformed into grotesque monsters with insect characteristics before eventually bing part of a massive Swarm.


    Normally, a Grade 3 System consumed anywhere from a couple of hours to a few centuries to take over a world. The current target world wasn''t anything special. It was just a means for the Invader System to gather power in preparations to tackle its next target, a technological world with a never-ending universe, home to thousands ofs, with all supporting life and with each world sporting a different power system.


    It was finally getting ready to target Technocraft''s worlds at full-scale. But now that it chanced upon Compass Carburettor, it had to push back that n for a while and focus on him first.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''If I devour them, I''ll be able to attain Grade 4 and cause all the Systems to evolve further. It''s a necessity to face our enemies.'' It thought, recalling the past war, ''Too many Systems had appeared back then, preventing us from using our worlds to fight in fear of a mutual sh in powers. But if I''m alone, I can pour all my worlds into the fight, for my powers are perfectly geared towards that.''


    The Invader System specialised in invasions. In the previous war, it had to fight by itself, unable to use its powers properly.


    The other Grade 3 Systems too were in the same boat. If they used too much of their powers, they would hinder the attacks of the other Grade 3 Systems. And since Apocalypse had unleashed its Core Skill Representation, they had to battle as apocalyptic creatures.


    They had some advantages aspared to their enemies, but none were able to unleash their peak strength¡ªCore Skill Manifestation.


    But now, the Invader System would be able to funnel the power of all the worlds under it to this fight and unleash its Core Skill Manifestation too. This way, it would be countless times stronger than before.


    Moreover, it wouldn''t have to hold back in fear of harming its peers, for all the armies under it were birthed from its powers. Meaning, it could amplify them harmoniously. ''Last time, there were too many enemies, allowing you to take advantage of the three-way war, Compass. But this time, you''re the defender while I''m the invader.''


    "You''re a threat that I''m unwilling to see grow." Muttering as such, the Invader System connected to the Astral Network, intending to inform the other Grade 3 Systems just in case. But, it noticed that they were all upied.


    Many were furiously taking over the Cultivation Worlds that didn''t have its defender while the Genre Representatives too fought against that. There wasn''t a chance for them to put off from all that and help it.


    The Invader System wasn''t counting on them anyway. But just in case, it didn''t inform them, fearing the fluctuation in fate might alert Arnark, who was very sensitive towards it. ''If he interferers, I''ll be devoured instead.''


    Left with no other choice, the Invader System intended to just inform the System World, "I''ve found Compass and Stencil."


    "Leave!" A shout resounded from the other side as the Invader System gazed at the manifestation of Zaira in the System World grunting in pain as she rolled around on the mud.


    "W-What happened?" Just as the Invader System intended to cancel its ns and return to the System World, Zaira recovered and spoke calmly.


    "I was purifying myself." She said, "Mystique had corrupted me. I''ve been trying all methods but am unable to shed away this human body. If I just destroy this, the System World will be affected. So, it''s troublesome."


    She then stared at it through the Astral Network, "What happened that you contacted me so urgently?"


    "I found Compass and Stencil. I''m nning to use all my strength to devour them. The chances are greater than everyone jumping into the mix. As long as it''s just me, yer and Arnark wouldn''t be able to find out too. I came to inform you of that."


    "Just in case," The Invader System continued, "Be prepared to send in another Grade 3 System if I were to fail."

 Chapter 887 The Greatest Reinforcement

    The condition of the Systems wasn''t as absolute aspared to a century ago.


    First of all, there now existed enemies like yer and Stencil with powers simr to Zaira. Secondly, the Main Character¡ªArnark¡ªhad revived and was on a hunt to strengthen himself, causing the Systems to weaken in response as their Coordinates were stolen.


    yer too was targeting the Systems to fuse them into his world and raise its foundation further.


    In this precarious situation, the Grade 4 Systems of Reincarnation and Transmigration were engaged with Mystique and Technocraft. Meanwhile, the Regression System had yet to recover its strength, unable to use its Core Skill for a year from the after-effects of activating its Core Skill Manifestation.


    The primary problem originated from the fact that Zaira now had a human body, preventing her from utilising her powers to the limit. This caused a sharp reduction in the production of Core Skills, resulting in a sharp decline in the birth of new Systems.


    With their decline, the Mental Energy funnelling into the System World took a hit, leading to an overall slowdown of their development.


    After all, they were fighting against the Genre Representatives on multiple battlefronts. On a sheer scale in terms of energy recovery, the Grade 3 Systems still paled inparison to the major Genre Representatives.


    Mascot especially rose to be a terrifying threat, having been the greatest victor of the previous war, having devoured the entirety of Immortal''s army, the strongest in the multiverse.


    With her original army ranked second, thebined strength under her was now unmatchable. Moreover, she had been working hard modifying the worlds she had stolen from Immortal, allowing them to switch to her genre.


    And with that, her strength continued to rise. Magister had grown temporarily weak since his use of his Genre Representation, giving Mascot a chance to steal some of his worlds too.


    This resulted in her bing the strongest Genre Representative, an overpowered cheat character that went on a System killing spree to free her worlds from their influence. Even though she couldn''t destroy them, she was able to kill them.


    The respective Systems would need to consume a tremendous amount of Mental Energy to revive and recover, causing a hard hit to their finances.


    So a lot of Systems were trying their best to face her. Two Grade 3 Systems had already suffered so much damage that they made a loss to such an extent that their levels regressed by one, which was a startling cause of worry.


    After all, Grade 3 Systems of the present never made a loss, for their concept was that strong and diverse enough. But the fact that it still happened was an indication of Mascot''s threat.


    Even if she couldn''t kill them, she could bankrupt them until their levels regressed to an extent they were no longer a threat.


    And in this situation where yer was eyeing them like a hyena, they couldn''t afford to make a loss anymore.


    "My hands are full dealing with Mascot already. With Tell-Tale dead and the three Grade 4 Systems engaged, it''s on me to face Mascot. And Mystique''s ability is just giving me more headache, ugh." Zairained before saying to the Invader System, "I''ll be able to divert some strength to your side, but it won''t be anything significant. Remember this,"


    She said in all seriousness, "If you fail to kill them, don''t expect the one reinforcing you to be able to do so. So, don''t be careless."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I don''t intend to," The Invader System said, "I only wanted to inform you so that you''re aware of what''s happening, in case I fail. It''s not just Arnark that''s growing at an exponential pace, Compass too has be terrifying."


    "He was on the run throughout his life. But now, he had 75 years to consolidate his gains from the war." The Invader System said solemnly.


    "Wait a second¡­" Zaira suddenly focused on something as she processed all the data the Invader System supplied, grinning as she said, "I know of a reinforcement."


    "Arnark?" The Invader System was shocked, "Will he take the bait?"


    "He''ll be forced to do so," Zaira grinned to say, "Thanks to the Secondary System, I''ve finally gained ess to the protagonist genre. Without killing it, Arnark would be unable to attain Grade 2. And best of all,"


    Her expression turned bloodthirsty, "It''s the Money-Making System that was involved in turning Compass and Stencil into System yers. So, they are still connected by fate."


    After a minute of observation, her smile grew deeper, "Interesting. It seems Compass managed to sever his ties of fate somehow. But, Stencil is still connected thanks to Regression''s Core Skill Manifestation. Her fate with the Money-Making System is still maintained strongly thanks to her daily regressions."


    "So, by targeting the Secondary System, I''ll be affecting Stencil, which would force Compass to take action against it. But since it is of vital importance for Arnark to attain Grade 2, the two would face." The Invader System nodded before asking, "But, what about its power?"


    Zaira extended her hand, causing a spherical vortex to form on it.


    Core Skill¡ªSecondary (Level 10)!


    "The moment it arrived at the System World, I gained all its data. So, even if Arnark devours it, I can still recreate it. And if I supply this power to the Hunter System, it would evolve even further and might even reach Grade 3." She spoke and retracted the power.


    "Things are getting interesting now. The protagonist genre is finally falling into my grasp after so long."


    "No matter how this turns out, we''ll be victorious in the end." The Invader System nodded in response, "With Arnark as my reinforcement, I needn''t fear then."


    "I''ll go at Compass with full throttle," It asked next, "It''s fine if I kill Stencil, right?"


    "It''s fine," Zaira said, "Don''t weaken yourself by trying to capture her. We failed once already. Focus on killing them with all your strength. If she is alive in the end, then it''s our luck. Otherwise, it''s simply our fate."


    "Luck, huh." It nodded before asking, "Speaking of luck, how long will it take for the birth of the Luck System?"


    "A bit more time," Zaira said, "With Apocalypse weakened, it''s unable to locate and target Rhizen at the moment. He''s interfering with its revival."

 Chapter 888 Morning Dew

    After having a rxing meal, Compass Carburettor and Gehera went to watch a movie before returning home. He ced his bag in the living room and went through the files to arrange for the sses the next day before hitting the bed.


    Gehera slept beside him, covering her face with the bedsheet as she soon fell asleep.


    In contrast, Compass Carburettor was wide awake as usual, his mind running nonstop even if he closed his eyes. As long as he didn''t move his body, his Mental Strength would recover, so sleep wasn''t in his system.


    Yawn!


    He was surprised to yawn, observing that he was indeed feeling sleepy, happy at the result as he focused on the Psyche Star of Mental Peace, ''I''m getting there, slowly but steadily.''


    He closed his eyes and struggled for a few hours before eventually falling asleep. He woke up two hourster, noticing that it didn''t dawn yet. But for some reason, he felt rxed, able to feel better as his mind was a tad clearer than usual, as if he were a forest of trees right after a gentle shower of rain.


    That gentle vitality of freshness made him feel stronger than usual. And of course, this was too strong an emotion that was felt universally by the people that woke up in the morning. Of course, a resonance urred with the people in the Dreand, resulting in the birth of the fourth Psyche Star.


    Psyche Star--Morning Dew!


    ''I hadn''t expected them to be created this quickly.'' He was surprised at the result. Though, it made sense when he thought about it. As he proceeded with the life of a regr human, he was about to experience things.


    And when an experience caused him to be emotionally moved, it would resonate with the people in his Dreand. With a vast world with plenty of varying life experiences, of course, there much be enough people to feel like him at that moment.


    This resulted in the birth of Psyche Stars. And with the creation of one, he became a bit more human, causing him to be more emotionally moved by his daily life experiences, resulting in the birth of more Psyche Stars.


    It created a beneficial cycle.


    ''I''ll soon be able to create enough Psyche Stars to entirely be human.'' He thought happily. The creation of a Psyche Star only served to further conceptualise his mind and character.


    It was akin to rooting himself firmly in his mind and consciousness. Moreover, each Psyche Star acted as a pir supporting his Dreand, allowing it to grow moreplex as the people within it would be more human and would experience emotions at a deeper level.


    It would lead to spiritual growth.


    Based on his estimates, Compass Carburettor figured out that by the time he had eight Psyche Stars, he would be a human. Following that, any addition of Psyche Stars would only serve to deepen his spirituality--understanding regarding himself.


    A week since he woke up and he had already birthed four Psyche Stars. He hadn''t expected such a rapid pace at the start. Though, as he thought about it, his eyes gazed to the side, staring at Gehera''s figure, ''If not for her, Mental Peace and Morning Dew wouldn''t have been birthed so quickly.''


    His hands gently brushed aside her hair, ''It seems before I noticed, she too has be an important part of my life.''


    Compass Carburettor thought as he inspected himself, ''Who and all would force me to risk my life for their sake?''


    It went without a question that he would do it for Stencil. But surprisingly, as he thought further, he observed that Hazen and Gehera had taken such a spot in his mind.


    Further below that were Truck-Kun, Rhizen, Grisha, and Ranze. He would take action for them too, but he wouldn''t risk his life for them.<novelnext></novelnext>


    In the end, the list ended there. He understood that he didn''t care much about anyone beyond that and at most treated the rest casually ording to the situation at hand.


    But this was still considerable growth as a person, especially since his days as a System Host, he as a merchant only formed rtionships with others based on the benefit they offered him.


    The only ones he cared about were his family, which reduced down to Stencil eventually. But now, he cared about two others on the same level as her.


    It needn''t be said about Hazen. That was just another individual of himself that branched out to be a unique entity. But despite their differences, when his daughter''s life was at risk, he arrived at her rescue.


    That wouldn''t be something he would ever forget. Then there was Gehera, someone he only chanced upon thanks to the Main Character''s fate and became entangled with. Over time, through action, she won over his trust and confidence.


    ''Had I not be a System Host, is this the emotional maturity that I would have attained as an adult?'' Thinking as such, he smiled, not having any hesitation as he got out of bed and went for a morning jog.


    He returned around 6 AM and began to prepare breakfast.


    Tsssch!


    Gehera woke up around 7 AM, her eyes lighting up at the aroma wafting from the kitchen. She got up in curiosity and headed to the kitchen, observing Compass Carburettor cooking up a simple breakfast.


    Upon noticing her, he turned around to state chirpily, "Morning! Take a bath first, breakfast is almost ready."


    "You changed more overnight." Gehera said,menting as she headed to the bathroom, "I''m loving it!"


    "It was only for two hours, but I actually fell asleep like a human. My fourth one was birthed when I got up." He began to hum by the end, having fun with the simplest activity that life had to offer.


    ''His gaze...'' Gehera closed the bathroom door as her face flushed red in response, ''Wasn''t it a tad affectionate?''


    ''How did I manage it?'' Even she herself was confused before fisting into the air once, deciding to embrace the changes that she had only thought about but had never expected to see.


    She just became excited when her eyes trailed across her figure in the mirror, noticing that her stomach had be a bit bby. Instinctively, she took out a totem before shaking her head, deciding against it, ''Compass too is putting an effort to regain his humanity through natural means.''


    She ced the totem back in her Ruin of Amagoth, refreshed herself and began to get dressed. She then arrived at the dining table to see the served breakfast, happily digging into it as her eyes lit up in response, "It''s good!"


    After having a few bites, she asked, "Did you go jogging in the morning?"


    "Yeah, as I''m bing more like a normal human, I have to do human tasks to stay fit." Compass Carburettor replied in response as he ate, this time able to enjoy the food better than the previous day.


    "I''ll join from tomorrow. I gained a bit of mass...you see..."


    "You look perfect though." Compass Carburettormented casually before noticing the stillness of the atmosphere as he looked up, watching Gehera eat her breakfast in silence, her face red like a tomato.

 Chapter 889 Everyone Else Is A Traitor

    Thump! Thump! Thump!


    The group led by tinum Head gasped in exhaustion as they quickly became dirt that covered the floor, waiting in silence as arge Invader made its way through the corridor.


    It was beyond their expectations, for they had only prepared to face a Two Star Invader at this moment.


    ''Be calm and act as practiced.'' tinum Head mentally reinforced his beliefs, waiting in patience until the Invader before them entered a room. As the building they were raiding was a hotel, there were chances of some unforeseen variables arriving in the form of customers.


    And the one that appeared now was a Three Star Invader. It was damn strong, and upon seeing it, tinum Head wasn''t sure if he could subdue it.


    He was still strong enough to somehow win against it. But the conflict would cause too muchmotion and would alert practically every Invader in the region of their existence. That would put their mission in jeopardy.


    So, they had to do everything in their means to maintain their actions in stealth. As the Three Star Invader was a major figure in the region, the boss of the hotel, a Two Star Invader, came to personally receive the guest.


    Only after entertaining the guest did the hotel boss leave. As seeing its figure, tinum Head motioned towards his group, "Move, now, now."


    The group exercised their stealth and made a long reroute of their path, not even having the slightest intention of sauntering within the range of the Three Star Invader''s senses.


    "I can only mask our presence for two more minutes before the Three Star Invader woulde to learn about our existence." The dragon plushie hovering beside tinum Head said in a hurry, "It is stronger than I had expected."


    "Two minutes¡­" tinum Head frowned before nodding at his group as they rushed out. He snapped his finger when suddenly, the staff of the hotel began to move to their favour, masking their movements.


    "That was exhausting." The Hotel Boss sighed in exhaustion upon entering its room, flinching in surprise to see the door close suddenly. At the same time, the lights in the room went off as its senses momentarily cked out.


    "Gah!" A stream of tinum flowed into its mouth, preventing it from shouting. Embedded in its arms were chainsaws and spinning nails. But before they were activated, one of the A-ss Heroes unleashed an ability that stunned it, following which a stream of tinum covered it.


    "You¡­" The Hotel Boss was unable to utter any cries for help as it was fully wrapped up in a bubble of tinum before which a choker made its way through the tinum sphere and seeped into its neck before transforming into its nervous system.


    A minuteter, tinum Head retracted the tinum streams, gasping in exhaustion as he copsed to the ground, "It''s finally done."


    The Hotel Boss was under their control now. And immediately after, it helped up tinum Head before saying, "I understand your n. The fastest way is to bring my siblings to our side too."


    The Hotel Boss had four brothers and three sisters, and each of them owned arge hotel in this region. Andbined, they ran an underground gambling den where there was even an avenue for Invaders to fight and kill each other.


    The spectators would make bets and win prizes depending on the oue of the match.


    Of course, the dragon plushies had already figured out this through divination. It was a collective consciousness originating from such a Cultivation World after all. That was why they targeted this ce.


    As long as they took control of the underground gambling den, they would be able to kidnap Invaders for their purpose.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The family of the Hotel Boss controlled this part of the city, so gaining control over it took priority.


    "You''ll be discovered the moment you leave this hotel." The Hotel Boss said before announcing, "I''ll call my siblings one after another. We''ll help you bring everyone to your side."


    "That''s a sound n." tinum Head nodded in response as his group entered a meeting room and began their preparations, hiding as they activated their abilities to set up a trap.


    The Hotel Boss, the Invader named Muuto called one of its siblings and brought them to the meeting room when immediately, tinum Head pounced on thetter to bring it under control. Muuto too helped constrain the Invader, which made it easier to subdue it.


    Following that, they called for one more sibling as the two converted siblings worked together to subdue it first before tinum Head brought it under control.


    Within a couple of hours, all eight siblings were under their control when they summoned their parent, a Three Star Invader. With eight siblings ganging upon one unsuspecting parent that was caught in a trap, they won somehow.


    And with that, they eventually gained control over the entire family. With a Three Star Invader on their side, tinum Head could finally begin their mission, and that was to target the Three Star Invader that was a guest.


    It was pretty easy to do so as so many Invaders and Heroes overwhelmed the sole target, making them too part of their clout.


    ''A Three Star Invader is too precious to vanish mysteriously. We need to be careful.'' Thinking as such, tinum Head worked with the Invader Family to organise gambling events, gradually bringing the spectators under their control one after another.


    "Is this the ce?" A Three Star Invader asked, entering the gambling den, "I can bet on myself, right?"


    "Of course, Lord." Muuto said with a bright expression, "You''ll gain ten times the amount if you win against our resident Three Star that has won a dozen matches."


    "This will be fun, Lord." Apanying the Three Star Invader was his wife and a couple of servants, resembling demons in appearance. They had been bored recently and hence, starving for entertainment.


    "Watch me win." The Three Star Invader smirked in response before jumping on the stage, hearing the raucous cheers of the crowd as he watched the opponent saunter in casually, sporting a terrifying aura, ''Heh, I''m stronger. I can win this easily¡­''


    "Kyak!" Suddenly, his wife shouted in rm as a group of Two Star Invaders pounced upon her.


    "These bastards!" The Three Star Invader was about to jump at them when he noticed in rm that the stage copsed into a pool of tinum. His opponent jumped at him, mping upon him after transforming into a terrifying marine monster to repeatedly punch him.


    Upon sensing the energy signature from the tinum pool, the Three Star Invader screamed, "You¡­traitors!"


    p! p! p!


    His face paled in despair upon seeing the crowd continue to p cheerfully, their expressions curling up into a smile, only then realising that he had fallen into a severe trap, "Everyone else is a traitor?"

 Chapter 890 Research And Gains

    Ssh!


    The Three Star Invader struggled within the tinum pool when he was punched by his opponent and forced to submerge. At this time, the tinum liquid began to seep in through his orifices.


    Roar!


    The opponent punched with a pike as his tentacled limbstched on him, causing an injury in his body through which the tinum stream flowed in, constricting his movements a little.


    This resulted in a downward spiral from there as eventually, the Three Star Invader was captured and bound, eventually put under the influence of the choker that became his nervous system.


    "I didn''t inform anyone that I would be arriving here." The Three Star Invader said once he came to their side, "We sneaked out for some fun. So, if we were to vanish for a short duration, no one would notice anything. But the limit is four days."


    "That''s good enough." tinum Head nodded in response before making the Three Star Invader board on their aircraft which made its return journey to the 24 Rings.


    "Sir, what should we do for these four days?" One of his team members asked in response, "The mission briefing was only until we catch the Three Star Invader."


    "We hide and continue," tinum Head said as he pointed at a small tent on the rooftop of the hotel, "Until the aircraft returns, this will be our base of operations."


    His expression turned serious, "The Invaders surrounding our world have noticed our aircraft vanishing. So, they are aware that we have travelled to another universe. It''s only a matter of time before they figure out that we''re invading their world. So, they''ll begin to search soon after."


    "Before that, we must create a foundation here, a ce where people from our world could live and grow." tinum Head said, clenching his hand into a fist, "It hasn''t been long, but by facing the Three Star Invaders, my strength has improved a little. As the Genesis Hero said, our power improves as we defeat external threats like these Invaders."


    "So, this ce will be our training grounds." tinum Head arrived at the edge of the terrace to say, "Our Heroes wille here to train and grow stronger. We don''t have enough time, so we must hurry."


    "Then, the underground gambling den..." One of the Heroes asked, "We have to expand its reach, right?"


    "Yes," tinum Head nodded, "Other than the one we sent home, we have two Three Star Invaders on our side. We need to raise their numbers and eventually gain control of this entire city,"


    "Before the aircraft arrives."


    At his words, the Heroes were shocked, "Doesn''t that mean we only have four days? Isn''t that too little a timeframe to finish this task?"


    "Yes," tinum Head nodded, "You guys aren''t aware that time is ticking short for us."


    He then nced at the dragon plushie that sighed before saying, "This world is nning to invade us in full force in two months. I tapped into that information by hacking the essence of this world. As this world is under the Invader System, akin to its Host, it doesn''t have a collective consciousness. So, it cannot guard against me."


    "Guess there''s no time to waste." Dirt Epass nodded and hid their figures. Another Hero generated a mild wind that carried the dust covering the ground, taking it over to another section of the city where they repeated the same process to take over the Invaders there.


    Rinse and repeat, they worked on bringing as many Invaders as possible under their control. Though, tinum Head exercised control, only targeting the residents with value.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The guests and tourists were spared. It served no use at the moment as the first order of their business was to take control of this city.


    The group indeed pushed themselves to the limit, staying as hidden as possible while stealthily converting the Invaders. Even though there was no change in the city''s operations, its dynamic had already shifted, from citizens of this world to its traitors.


    Moreover, these Invaders--under their control--were able to sense the normal Invaders. So, it was as if there now existed two races operating in the city.


    The first was the normal Invaders. The second was the group of Invaders under the control of the 24 Rings. Forming a startling contrast in this situation was the fact that thetter was aware of the former while the former didn''t even know what was happening.


    ...


    Roar!


    The Three Star Invader bellowed in pain as a team of dragon plushies dissected him to understand their mysteries.


    Standing outside the operating room, staring at the process through a one-way view ss was Stencil, her expression cold.


    For a moment, her demeanour fluctuated before another collective consciousness took control, but it wasn''t able to do much. It stared at her hands, observing the Hero suit covering her, ''Dammit! I can''t even move my body.''


    Three minutester, another collective consciousness took charge but failed to go against Stencil''s ns. A couple of hourster, a collective consciousness that was Stencil''s ally gained control, able to move freely now.


    Present in her Hero Suit was an ally collective consciousness whose sole function was to seal her body''s movements whenever an enemy collective consciousness took charge. This way, Stencil maintained control over her body''s actions.


    The dragon plushies continued to research upon the Three Star Invader as Stencil muttered, "The lot of you should calm down. You''re not only stupid but you can''t even execute a half-decent n. Just switch off your retarded brains and watch this."


    The internal turmoil in her mind paused as a result. When observed in her mind space, holding the key to her body was a collective consciousness that had been strengthened using a Coordinate.


    The needles protruding out of it stabbed into thousands of collective consciousness that were now able to see what Stencil saw.


    And with that, they were all shocked, watching a steady stream of information flow out of the Three Star Invader and condense in the hands of the dragon plushie. Eventually, unable to endure the pain, the Three Star Invader fainted when a dragon plushie announced with a grin, "I''ve analysed the powers of a Three Star Invader. Moreover, we were lucky."


    It continued, "This Invader attained Four Stars during my torture. So, I''ve been able to observe their evolution and also gained all the data regarding a Four Star Invader."


    It stared at Stencil, "From now on, you''ll be able to share your powers with others."


    "As expected, that power is here." Stencil let out a cunning grin, causing the enemy collective consciousness in her mind to shudder in response.

 Chapter 891 Concept Representative

    What route of power did Stencil embark on?


    With powers simr to Zaira, she was posed with some options and the challenges associated with that. In order to avoid strengthening Zaira, Stencil avoided the route of Systems altogether.


    But her powers were more or less geared in the same domain¡ªMental Energy. Therefore, she arrived at a conclusion¡ªconcept.


    Just as how the System World absorbed the thoughts of people and condensed concepts out of those thoughts and birthed Systems, Stencil did the same.


    But, instead of a fixed concept that Systems were based upon, hers were fluid concepts.


    These concepts were primarily based upon actions and consequences than a state of being. For example, Muscle Lantern was based on the thoughts people generated while bodybuilding, undergoing surgery, and rehabilitation.


    Injury was a state of being. But rehabilitation was an action. This was their primary difference.


    When Zaira chanced upon a concept like Coincidental Luck, she would search through all the worlds for the exact same concept and ovey them until they attain a quantitative value. After that, she would condense the Core Skill of Coincidental Luck out of it.


    But Stencil did no such thing. All the concepts that she gathered were free to mingle on their own, through their natural affinity. And eventually, once they became a big enough cluster of diverse thoughts, they turned into an energy packet sporting a concept that she called a Power Concept.


    As to what this process referenced? They were the collective consciousness.


    What was a collective consciousness?


    The consciousness of every single living being in a world mixed to birth this. It was a disorganised mixture that somehow attained stability and harmony, the case of unity in diversity.


    And that was the rule all her Power Concepts followed. So, whether it was a Hero or a Viin, their Power Concepts were all naturally birthed by their source thoughtsbining based on their affinities.


    So, their powers weren''t absolute, concrete, and fixed like Systems but dispersed, just as humans were.


    If you were to take a normal human, he might be able to cook, dance, drive, run, study, etc. He would be capable of performing a variety of activities with various levels ofpetency in each. That was the essence of being human.


    They weren''t specialised in one task like a System. This was why Systems were overly reliant on the Astral Network to purchase Skills they needed based on the situation.


    But for the Heroes, that could shape their Power Concept like a lump of y and gradually veer it into the direction they desired. It might start as a certain ability and after a few years, it might be entirely different, just as how the collective consciousnesses changed based on the poption changes of the various races in their world.


    At present, Stencil already attained a fluid functioning Power Concept. Heroes and Viins were birthed as the world progressed. And as the years went on, the Power Concepts existing and being birthed continued to change, deepening in concept and diversity.


    This was just one-third of what Stencil wished to achieve though.


    The second part was regarding the collective consciousness while the third was regarding her regression.


    When the first Invader arrived at her world, Stencil already sensed that the key to her second stepy with them. And indeed, she was right on the mark.


    Four Stars and Five Stars among Invaders were capable of sharing their powers with the targets, simr to the Demon Gods that share their powers with their followers.


    At present, just like Zaira that embodied all the Core Skills she created, Stencil too embodied all the Power Concepts she produced.<novelnext></novelnext>


    So, the next step of her n was to share the extraordinary power she had umted with natives of her enemy worlds and create cults there, just like the Demon God Cults in various worlds.


    Even a great tree would copse with enough rotten roots.


    Zaira was the System World itself.


    But, Stencil didn''t have such a world. Even the 24 Rings was just the world she was controlling. It was neither her world nor did she represent it. Her sole power was the Power Concepts being generated in this world that she controlled.


    Though, she had one advantage that none had, including Zaira and yer¡ªCollective Consciousnesses.


    Collective consciousness and a Power Concept were pretty simr in their functional makeup. Therefore¡­


    Boom!


    Stencil focused as immediately, the dragon plushie inserted all the obtained data in her. Intense energy waves billowed out of her when suddenly, a collective consciousness jumped out of her mind and vanished into the world.


    "What?" All the collective consciousnesses in her mind were bbergasted at the development. They never expected that she could casually take them out of her mind.


    It was then they stared at the Coordinates, realising how she was able to do so. The dragon plushie was the same. Using the Coordinate, it stabilised itself and could now operate outside her body. But it was inherently still part of her.


    The collective consciousness arrived at the sky and merged into theyer where the Power Concepts were being generated. Suddenly, the thoughts having an affinity with this collective consciousness merged into it, empowering it.


    Every single consciousness within the collective consciousness merged with a thought. Overall, it resulted in the collective consciousness bing a Supreme Power Concept.


    It was an amalgamation of countless Power Concepts harmonised into one. Following that, it returned to Stencil''s body when suddenly¡­


    Boom!


    tinum Head could feel strength flowing into his body.


    The Power Concept of tinum Head now fell under the domain of Power Concepts governed by this Supreme Power Concept. Meaning, it could supply power to tinum Head using that connection.


    This was what Stencil wished to gain from the Invaders, hence the mission.


    "You saw this?" Suddenly, a voice echoed within her mind space as all the collective consciousness turned around, staring at the sole human in this space.


    She was apanied by a group of collective consciousness carrying her like royalty. She was the real Stencil. Her voice billowed in the mind space, "All the collective consciousnesses now have the opportunity to be a Supreme Power Concept. And you know what that is simr to?"


    All the collective consciousness shuddered at her stare as Stencil said, "A Genre Representative. Simr to that, each one of you would be a Concept Representative and would be fuelled by the concepts part of you."


    "At the moment, the number of produced Power Concepts is limited. So," She looked around, "It''s on a firste, first-served basis. Only those that submit to me would be given this opportunity."

 Chapter 892 Hero, Villain, And Citizen

    There was absolute silence in the mind space after Stencil''s words. The collective consciousnesses stared at the expressions of each other, noticing amon emotion of confusion, helplessness, uncertainty, etc.


    But suddenly, the silence broke as a collective consciousness, a gigantic sword-stabbed creature sauntered through the crowd and stopped before Stencil, ring at thetter. It was one of the collective consciousness that had been fighting against Stencil the most.


    Pretty much the majority of the chaos in the Hero World during its dark ages was thanks to its actions. It had taken decades for Stencil and her allies to clean up the damage it had caused.


    The allies of the sword-stabbed collective consciousness lined up behind it, applying pressure on Stencil. In response, Stencil calmly stared at it, confident in her stance. The space seemed to spark, a battle between the two biggest groups in the mind space imminent.


    But suddenly, going against all preconceived notions, the sword-stabbed collective consciousness asked, sporting a hint of respect in its voice, "What do I need to do?"


    "Once you be a Concept Representative, you only need to assist in the development of those under your domain. Over time, new Power Concepts would be added into your domain as all Supreme Power Concepts are diverse, flexible, and ever-changing." Stencil said, smirking a little in the end, "You''ll be actively working for their benefit while sharing a direct connection to their Power Concept."


    "So, I''ll be like a brain in your body." The sword-stabbed collective consciousness spoke after thinking for a minute.


    "Pretty much," Stencil said, "As the Dragon of Systems, my body has more than enoughputing capacity to make a functioning world. But at the moment, we''re not even tapping into a billionth of its capacity. This is the best way to tap into that potential."


    "If I be a Concept Representative," The sword-stabbed collective consciousness motioned itsining allies to be silent for a minute as it stared at Stencil, making eye contact, "Would I ever control your body?"


    "You won''t," Stencil said, her tone turning cold, "All of you are a part of me and not the other way around. My body is mine and mine alone."


    She then let out a subtle snort and stared at the sword-stabbed collective consciousness, "And the lot of you are also mine."


    "Your avarice knows no bounds." The sword-stabbed collective consciousness snorted in disdain, "You prove that you''re a merchant''s daughter. Profit and loss are in your creed."


    "But," It slouched a little before going on all fours, expressing submission, "Since I don''t have a better n, I''ll be your subordinate, for now."


    It then stared at her, "But if you ever becking in the future, I''ll fight for dominance of the body."


    "You needn''t waste your thought for that," Stencil grinned and tapped its head, "I''ll always be a dozen steps ahead of everyone else from here."


    As it expressed its submission, the sword-stabbed collective consciousness flew out of Stencil''s body, entered theyer with Power Concepts, and became a Supreme Power Concept. As a massive surge of information poured into it, the sword-stabbed collective consciousness understood, ''I see, so a Concept Representative is like a battery that can operate independently irrespective of her body''s condition.''<novelnext></novelnext>


    It was shocked at that, realising the extent of Stencil''s ns, ''So, even when our power regresses, we''re still able to support the people under us and through the shared Power Concepts, we''re able to retain some strength.''


    ''So, even when Stencil bes a baby and is the most vulnerable, thanks to the Concept Representatives, she wouldn''t be entirely powerless.'' Ituded her foresight, ''And as the number of Concept Representatives increase in the future, she would be passively defended by all of us.''


    ''Moreover, this one world doesn''t seem capable enough to birth enough Power Concepts. So, for all the collective consciousness to be a Concept Representative, we need to govern more worlds.'' It then nodded in realisation, ''And for worlds taken over by Grade 3 Systems, if we win it over, one of us can fuse with the world itself. That way, we''ll be able to funnel more power into Stencil through the Supreme Power Concept, since she is the source of them all. That means, our weakness would eventually be solved on its own.''


    "It seems I''ve been defeated soundly." It sighed in response before returning to Stencil''s mind space. Now that it had be a Supreme Power Concept, it could use the connection from the mind space itself and give power to the people.


    Over time, as the number of Power Concepts in it increases and matures to gain an overall identity, it would be a Concept Representative.


    Staring at Stencil, it said, "I think this world can at most birth three Concept Representatives. Hero, Viin, and Citizen. That seems all."


    "Yup," Stencil said, "I initially hoped the Power Concepts would branch out further to create at least a dozen Concept Representatives, but this is better. Three is enough for this world. They are less in number, but they''ll be strong."


    "So, that means I''m representing the Viin Concept." The sword-stabbed collective consciousness nodded in understanding, "Indeed, my alignment is perfectly suited to this since the Viins of this world are birthed through my actions. They are my responsibility to develop. But,"


    It stared at Stencil, "Are you sure you want me to develop them? They are a menace to society and would counter all your developments."


    "Darkness must exist for light to shine brighter. Fire must exist for water to douse. Hunger must exist for food to have meaning." Stencil proimed, "Heroes and Viins are simrly two sides of the same coin. Both are necessary. Otherwise, without an enemy, Heroes would never evolve."


    She patted the collective consciousness that became the Hero Concept Representative, stating smugly, "Besides, Hero Concept is many times stronger, not to mention that she defeated you countless times in the past few decades."


    "So, things would always develop in the direction I need." Stencil said, "And if it doesn''t, I''ll intervene to boost things up a notch. We have more than enough enemies for everyone to have their fill, anyway."


    Stencil then patted the third collective consciousness that moved into theyer to absorb the remainder of Power Concepts, bing the Citizen Concept Representative.


    Citizens of the 12 Rings were mortals, but their powers were geared toward being immune to all foreign powers. So, it was a damn powerful concept, forming the resistance of the world, akin to the white blood cells of the human body.

 Chapter 893 Earth Star’s Resolve

    "Dumbass, why are you so slow?" A dragon plushie cursed arrogantly as it teleported a youth and pointed him towards a location atop a building, "A strong Invader would be appearing there in about twenty seconds."


    "Had you been a tad faster, we would have had enough time to evacuate the people." It grumbled.


    "Why is it my fault when you''re the one in charge of teleporting me to the target location?" The oneining was Earth Star, having been running all across the world with minimal rest for the past week.


    "Anyway, it''s your fault." The dragon plushie snorted as it pped his cheek with its tail, "You took too long to kill thest Invader. And that caused a dy to my divination."


    "You expect me to perform my best when I''m this exhausted?" Earth Starined but despite that, his feet were moving. In the end, he arrived a dozen seconds before the Invader at the designated spot and took in a deep breath, "Now, stop speaking. Let me concentrate."


    His Hero Suit wriggled, allowing him to synchronise with it as he expanded his senses using his power, feeling the vibrations coursing through the floor, using it to determine the materialposition and the structural integrity of the building, frowning in the end, "This won''tst even a single hit."


    His senses morphed in response as he now focused on the vital signatures around him, determining the position and number of people. With their positions known, he made preparations to prevent them from noticing anything amiss, causing a tiny ck hole to form before him, "Contained gravity field."


    The ck hole expanded to epass a sphere with a radius of thirty metres on the terrace as he now floated in its centre. The gravity was directed at the centre but wasn''t strong enough to rend the body of anyone in its range.


    The edges of the ck hole sphere were a shade darker than the surroundings, but that was all. Beyond that, there was no effect of its gravitational field, fully contained within this sphere.


    Grrr¡­?


    The Invader jumped through the barrier andnded on the terrace, intending to make an impactful entry when it noticed to its shock that its feet stopped a foot above the terrace. Following that, its body slowly moved up, stopping thirty metres above the terrace.


    Even though the gravity seemed weak, it was strong enough to trap the target Invader who stared at Earth Star in rm, "Y-You! You''re the one killing all of us."


    "Let''s finish this quickly, shall we?" Earth Star yawned as he punched forth casually.


    "Wha¡­Impossible!" The Invader felt as if a celestial body thousands of kilometres long was punching it as the sheer gravity unleashed was overbearing. Its body ruptured and copsed into a million fragments, contained within the gravity sphere.


    They condensed in the centre of gravity, forming a small sphere that Earth Star observed, asking the dragon plushie, "So, how strong was this Invader?"


    "Two Star, based on the obtained data." The dragon plushie said, "Why? Are you nning to fight a stronger one?"


    "Yeah," Earth Star focused on the sphere as he clenched his hand into a fist,pressing the fragments into a tiny grain-sized marble that he ced within a bag before retracting the gravity sphere. "If those bastards are nning to invade us in two months, I need to prepare."


    "Aren''t you confident in the Genesis Hero''s strength?" The dragon plushie asked in curiosity, "No matter how many enemies arrive, she can easily¡­"


    "Please, stop with the lies." Earth Star sighed as he observed the ce to ensure there were no traces before taking a seat on the nearby water tank, staring at the dragon plushie to say, "You''ve told me enough for me to not piece the information together."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "The Genesis Hero isn''t strong all the time, right?" He asked and stared at the sky, "Otherwise, the majority of the Invaders wouldn''t be appearing at night-time. Moreover, I feel like the barrier isn''tpetent in protecting us all the time. It''s strange."


    ''Everyone in the Ranger Troupe is special, but Earth Star is in a league of his own.'' Thinking as such, the dragon plushie nodded, "It seems you''ve figured out the truth. But fret not, thepetency issue has been solved. The Invaders that are making their way through are those we purposefully allowed to train our Heroes."


    "Setting that aside," Earth Star asked in all seriousness, "Do our enemies know of this weakness?"


    There was silence between the two at the end of which the dragon plushie nodded, "¡­yes."


    "Fuck!" Earth Star cursed in response. He then red at it, "Tell me, is the Genesis Hero suffering from a wound and is pushing herself to protect us?"


    "Are you sure you wish to know the answer?" The dragon plushie turned serious as a formless pressure oozed out of it, impacting Earth Star.


    Though, thetter didn''t even flinch at that attempt and nodded resolutely, "I do. Otherwise, I might fail to protect our world."


    "Fine, don''t regret it." The dragon plushie waved its tail when their figures vanished from the spot and appeared within the Hero Association Headquarters.


    It then led him to a secluded room within which a dragon plushie limped forth and snuggled on his legs, pissing a couple of secondster, "What the heck?"


    Just as he reacted to the strange action, he noticed his surroundings had changed, finding himself within a separate dimension.


    There was a mountain farther away and built at its peak was a house. "This ce is¡­?"


    "The Genesis Hero''s residence." His dragon plushie said before greeting the dragon plushies that flew towards them.


    Earth Star looked around, noticing the dragon plushies tending to the garden that seemed to be growing strange nts the likes of which he had never encountered, "Are these nts from the other world?"


    "No, they are from ours." The dragon plushie said, "Rare nts with exquisite properties appear from time to time depending on a lot of factors. Every time one such nt emerges, the Genesis Hero collects them and cultures them here for research and development. Using it, she was able to gain a deeper understanding of the Power Concepts."


    "Is there no one else here?" Earth Star asked upon seeing only the dragon plushies around.


    "Just me."


    A feminine voice resounded from behind as he turned around in rm before kneeling instinctively, "Earth Star greets Lady Genesis."

 Chapter 894 Earth Star’s Mission

    "Earth Star greets Lady Genesis." Earth Star bowed respectfully. He didn''t even have to express respect on his own volition. His body instinctively did that. Every single Hero looked up to the Genesis Hero.


    And the stronger they were, the greater their adoration.


    "You can get up now." Stencil said as she turned around to walk towards the house, "Feel free to look around. You won''t get many opportunities to be here."


    "What exactly is this ce?" Earth Star asked upon observing that this was a small dimension of sorts, only spanning the size of a city. He unleashed a minor gravitational field and was able to instantly map out the ce.


    "You have grown stronger since thest time I saw you." Stencil smiled before asking, "You want to know more about this ce?"


    "Yes, but more importantly," Earth Star made eye contact with Stencil, "Who exactly are you?"


    "With my authority as part of the Ranger Troupe, I''ve looked through countless records. And, there is no mention of any Heroes or Viins before your arrival. So, just what exactly is happening?"


    "Hmm..." Stencil turned silent as she took a seat on a rock nearby, her hands gently patting a dragon plushie as she stared at the figure of Earth Star that took a seat on the ground a couple metres before her, "If I have to give a concise answer, then the Heroes and Viins are a result of my arrival."


    "I see," Earth Star nodded in response. But to Stencil''s surprise, he didn''t seem all that shocked, making it apparent that he probably had guessed it beforehand.


    "Then," He asked, "What about the Invaders?"


    "Enemies," Stencil said without batting an eye.


    "Can you please tell me everything?" He asked.


    "Are you sure you can handle the truth?" Stencil asked, her eyes curling up a little in response while her emotion turned a tad cold.


    "Yes, I''m prepared." Earth Star said resolutely.


    "Alright," Nodding in response, Stencil began from her time on Earth, speaking about her father''s disappearance and her turning into a System yer.


    The conflicts that followed suit, her capture, victimised by the Secret Schemer System, her rescue by Compass Carburettor, her experience in the Gaider Realm, and everything that followed suit.


    Eventually, she spoke about the Core Skill Manifestation of the Regression System that gued her, resulting in her arriving at this world where she then birthed the Heroes and Viins.


    "So, those Collective Consciousnesses..." Earth Star stared at her, "Are they still rampaging around?"


    "I gained control over them today," Stencil said before letting out a cheerful smile, "It has been almost a decade since Ist surfaced. Anyway, most of our internal threats have been resolved. And with the Concept Representative in motion, this world will develop further."


    She then stared at him, "But, the external threats still exist."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "The Systems, you mean?" Earth Star frowned, "But, if what you said is true, then isn''t it impossible to fight them? Wouldn''t they have millions of worlds under them? How can a single world like ours face them?"


    "We won''t be facing all of them at once." Stencil condensed a projection of their world, "My rings would protect this world from harm. But since my strength varies based on the time of the day, we have our vulnerable moments. I''m working on solving those issues, but I''ll take time toe into effect."


    "At present, we only need to y defensively and buy time." She said in all seriousness, "As long as we have enough time, we''ll grow stronger."


    Haah!


    Earth Star slumped, feeling powerless, "I can fight against a Three-Star Invader, a bit more if I sacrifice myself. But against a Grade 2 System? Impossible! And you say a Grade 3 can directly devour our world?"


    "How can a mortal like me face such an entity?" He despaired in the end.


    "Earth Star," Stencil spoke slowly, "You know, out of all the Power Concepts birthed in this world, yours is the strongest. It''s strong enough to evolve into a Supreme Power Concept on its own. And I''m sure you can understand this since I exined the inner workings of our power system,"


    She stared at him before uttering slowly, "Your Power Concept is birthed from the people''s fascination with celestial objects. The Sun, the moon, the star, and..."


    Her expression turned solemn, "Our world."


    Earth Star seemed to have an epiphany at her words as he closed his eyes, focusing on his Power Concept, ''Earth Star epasses the iprehensible scale of the celestial bodies, the iprehensible mass of those bodies, the intense gravitational fields they unleash, and the phenomenon from which they transform into a red dwarf, a ck hole, a supernova, etc. And all in all, Earth Star also signifies the life sustained on thes. I''ve never thought about this aspect to date.''


    Slowly, intense vitality brimmed out of his body as the exhaustion and wounds he suffered recently vanished without a trace. The gravity flux from his body became denser, almost warping space and time for the fraction of an instant, showing the level of growth he attained by understanding the essence of his power.


    His eyes shot open a few hourster, observing the figure of Stencil ying with her dragon plushie as he said, "I''ll face the Systems. I''ll grow strong enough to protect our world."


    "I know your resolve, I''ve seen your efforts in exterminating the Invaders. But," Stencil shook her head, "Irrespective of how strong you grow, it won''t be enough against a System. For that, you need a weapon."


    "A weapon?" He frowned before staring at his Hero Suit, "Isn''t my suit strong enough? It is something you created, after all. I''ve never seen them beingcking."


    "They will prove to becking once you face a System." Stencil said before getting up as she pointed at the wrist of her left hand, "You''ve met my dad already, right? Find him and steal the wristwatch he wears."


    Her expression turned serious, "If you''re able to steal it, you''ll be qualified enough to face the Systems and protect this world. And once you seed, I''ll refine that wristwatch into the strongest weapon known to exist in the multiverse."


    "That''s your mission."


    "Steal...from the Contained Viin?" Earth Star turned silent.

 Chapter 895 Mission: Steal From CC

    "Steal from the Contained Viin?" Earth Star turned silent in response. When he faced Compass Carburettor before, he already couldn''t sense the depth of the other party''s strength.


    And once he came to learn of the other party''s existence as the legendary Contained Viin, he couldn''t believe his eyes. But, if that had been all, when Stencil gave him a mission to steal Compass Carburettor''s wristwatch, he would have epted it without a change in expression.


    With histest enlightenment, he was confident enough to at least steal without alerting the other party. But once Stencil had revealed her full backstory, he wasn''t confident anymore.


    ''This is the entity imed as the most terrifying Main Character to date.'' He thought and stared at Stencil, ''Even in the presence of so many terrifying entities, he still managed to protect her with limited strength. That''s beyond terrifying. It''s straight-up nightmarish.''


    ''And I need to steal from him?'' For a moment, his head spun as he felt like all the blood in his brain had rushed into his toes, urging him to just up and run away from all this.


    "Will he know about this mission?" He then asked after regaining his bearings, "Would he be okay with me stealing his item?"


    "He''ll probably try to kill you once you attempt to steal the wristwatch." Stencil said casually, "After all, it''s an important item given to him by Hazen. It is the catalyst he''s preparing to cure my curse of infinite regression, you see. Stealing it is akin to preventing my cure from being developed."


    "So, I''ll definitely die. He seemed like someone that could see through everything with a mere nce." Earth Star sighed in response, "I think he would figure out my motives the moment I go anywhere near him."


    "Yup, that''s child''s y for him. But," Stencil smiled in response, "You need to be able to steal from him for you to protect this world from our enemies. If Arnark were to arrive, my dad would be engaged in a battle with him and wouldn''t be able to protect us. A Grade 3 System would take all my attention, which would mean¡­"


    "There won''t be anyone else to protect this world." Earth Starpleted her sentence, "I understand. I''ll try my best to steal the wristwatch and survive."


    "Good," Stencil nodded before sighing as she said, "You see, my dad, he''s always worried about my well-being. Even when I possess this much power, he still wishes to solve my problems."


    She arrived before Earth Star and patted him, "But, if you''re able to seed, it''ll be the best way I can prove myself to him. I can finally say to him,"


    "You needn''t worry about me, dad. I can protect myself."


    "So," She stared at Earth Star, "I hope you seed. I want my dad to live a life for himself and not endlessly sacrifice his everything just for my sake."


    Earth Star kneeled in response, "I''ll do everything in my power to seed, Lady Genesis."


    "Stencil." She corrected him, "When we''re alone, just call me by my name."<novelnext></novelnext>


    She let out a cheerful smile akin to a teenager¡ªwhich she currently was at the moment¡ªas she patted his shoulder, "I''ll pray for your sess."


    "Yes," Earth Star nodded in response when his dragon plushie brought him back to the Hero Association Headquarters.


    "So, what do you think?" The dragon plushie asked, nudging him on the shoulder, "Are you satisfied now? You''re the only person to know this much. Even tinum Head only knows about the existence of Systems and her body condition. You''re the only one to be aware of her past too."


    "It is a burden, but one that I''m willing to shoulder." Earth Star said before closing his eyes to focus, now able to sense countless energy waves.


    Light, heat, sound, gravitational waves, electrostatic and electromaic radiation, etc. Every single type of radiation a or star was capable of, he tuned into them, using his expansive senses to observe the various energy fluctuations around him.


    Gradually, he came across a starlight stream, extending his hand to grab hold of it, watching it copse like a sand castle and be absorbed by the world. ''I see, my innate power is to be a celestial entity myself as well as harness the power of the universe around me.''


    He got up and followed a Mental Energy stream to its source, noticing it vanish after a second. He was confused at the start before recalling Stencil''s words regarding it, ''Mental Energy is generated by thoughts. So, as the targets change, the Mental Energy moves ordingly too.''


    Thinking as such, he arrived at the crowded reception of the Hero Association Headquarters, staring at the thousands of Mental Energy streams shing all around him. At that moment, he observed an intern rushing through the lobby with a stack of papers, tumbling to the ground when he lost bnce.


    Upon feeling that the content was precious enough to be damaged by the fall¡ªas it would be stomped by the people moving in a hurry¡ªin this lobby, Earth Star unleashed a wave of gravity that acted against the intern, cancelling the momentum that would result in his fall.


    "Hmm?" He noticed a stream of Mental Energy flow out of him and m into the intern. But as the target didn''t have the means to absorb Mental Energy, it simply dissipated a few momentster.


    But that allowed him to understand, ''So, my thoughts would generate Mental Energy towards the target. Those specialised in observing and processing it would understand all my thoughts easily.''


    ''No wonder the Systems are terrifying. But,'' He closed his eyes and focused on the Mental Energy streams, using his power to harness the universe around him. And since Mental Energy was an innateponent generated by the people living on the earth, he was eventually able to interact with them.


    Following that, he unleased a gravitational flux, gently morphing it around his body as he directed a thought towards the intern, watching the Mental Energy stream gush out of his body and travel towards the intern, its path smudging a bit within the gravitational flux, ''It seems to be effective.''


    He then altered the gravitational flux and unleashed another Mental Energy stream, watching it distort a little this time before reaching its target.


    "Interesting," He smiled at the result and continued to experiment.

 Chapter 896 A Fluid Idea

    The gravitational flux continued to change as he added in other energyyers, eventually creating a barrier of flux thatpletely blocked all Mental Energy he generated.


    ''Hmm, thatdy is cute.'' He thought upon staring at a receptionist, watching his thought generate a stream of Mental Energy that flowed out of his head and intended to travel towards her. But, the stream mmed into the energy flux and dissipated.


    Upon seeing that it worked, Earth Star continued to experiment for a few more hours before he conceptualised the ability, ''Now, I don''t need to worry about the Contained Viin learning about my ns by reading my thoughts.''


    But just as he was about to move out, he came across a guest that wished to use the services of the Hero Association.


    It was a middle-aged billionaire who donned a pair of reflective sunsses, sauntering before him as he passed by. But at that moment, Earth Star was stunned upon seeing his expression reflected by the pair of sunsses.


    There was a tinge of excitement there, subtle enough that most wouldn''t notice but an expert actor would easily see through him. ''I almostmitted a big mistake. The Contained Viin is a master actor. He would be able to see through my intentions based on my facial expression, bodynguage, or even the mere breathing rate.''


    "This isn''t good." He sighed, "I had intended to overestimate his capability to avoid any slipups, but it seems even that is an underestimation of his actual capabilities."


    "Are you getting the cold feet?" The dragon plushie sneered from the side.


    "Shut up," Earth Star said once he calmed down, "Anyway, you should vanish for a while. He''ll be able to notice some information from you too."


    "I know," The dragon plushie said as it teleported him to the city-state of Nampur before disappearing, "Rest well for a few days. I''lle to pick you up the moment there are too many Invaders to deal with."


    "I understand," Earth Star muttered as he entered the local Hero Association branch and approached the counter, disying his ID to say, "I need amodation for a couple of weeks."


    "S-Sure," The staff was shocked upon staring at his ID card, observing that he was part of the Ranger Troupe, a legendary group of Heroes that were elites even whenpared to the other S-ss Heroes, those that formed the top of their power order.


    She punched the keyboard in a hurry before taking out a key, "Thankfully, one of our highest suites is vacant. Please stay there."


    "No, just get me one that''s like a normal household." Earth Star said, "I don''t have time to leisure around in luxury."


    "Gimme a second," Saying so, she hurriedly surfed through their database before asking, "We have a few apartments to our name in the residential district. Are they fine for you?"


    "Perfect," Earth Star nodded, received the appropriate key, and exited the Hero Association Branch.


    "Is he¡­?" The rest of the staff immediately converged around the staff, asking while staring at his back.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Yes, that''s Earth Star." The staff nodded, still feeling surreal.


    "Kya! He always appears with a mask. I never knew he was this handsome underneath."


    "His muscles¡­oh my god!"


    There was a ruckus in the counter area as everyone began to discuss the visit. But, just when one of them was about to take a picture of Earth Star, the others hurriedly stopped him.


    "What the heck? Do you want to lose your job?" Most of the staff red at the individual, "We aren''t supposed to do anything that might breach the confidentiality use. Did you forget?"


    "I''m sorry," The scolded staff slumped in response, "It is just that I''ve always looked up to Earth Star. He''s my age but has aplished wonders."


    "Well, I don''t me you." Another staff sighed, "I was summoning all my willpower to not ask for a selfie. s, we can''t do that."


    Forming a sharp contrast to their enthusiasm, Earth Star waspletely oblivious to everything he caused, the entirety of his focus on himself as he continued to think, ''How will I steal it? I probably won''t have many chances toe into contact with him. If I intrude into his life suddenly, I would just alert him. So, how?''


    He then stared at the flux barrier around him, ''Even though this is working, I''m using my power. The Contained Viin might not sense my thoughts anymore, but he would see my tant use of power to shield myself.''


    The more he thought about it, the more the number of faults he detected in his approach, realising just how viciously steep this mission was. The slightest mistake would cause him to fail.


    And if that happened, he would lose probably the sole method to grow strong enough to face the Systems.


    After all, based on what Stencil said, the wristwatch was the sole material avable that could be transformed into one of the greatest weapons.


    ''It''s something created using collective Consciousness that Hazen had discovered. And by being in this world, it has drunk our energy signature, not to mention being amplified by the Contained Viin''s power.'' He thought, sighing in the end, ''I had never expected that the foundation this world works on was stolen from the Contained Viin. Even our Hero Suits are manufactured from a device created out of the Contain Viin''s fragment.''


    Reality was often hard to swallow. But here, it was akin to a massive boulder that couldn''t be swallowed by humane means. Despite everything, since he had prepared himself, Earth Star was resolved to see through this.


    ''After all, our world was about to fall under the grasp of the Systems anyway. The world would only have shifted to another power path but might continue to function the same, well unless, of course, the one to target us happens to be the Apocalypse System. But still,'' He inhaled a deep breath before smiling as he stared at the sky to focus on the 24 Rings, ''The current setup is better. We share an intrinsic rtionship with our creator who actually cares about our wellbeing.''


    He hummed a tune before entering the apartment allotted to him, a normal two-bedroom house with minimal furnishing. He drank a ss of water when suddenly, his eyes widened in response, sparkling with an idea as he stared at the fluid within the ss.

 Chapter 897 Pierce Them Into The Ceiling

    "P-Please, take me hostage! Let my child go!" A middle-aged woman hollered in despair upon staring at a thug pointing a gun at her five-year-old child.


    "Shut up!" Another thug grunted in anger and hit her head, causing her to fall to the ground, bleeding a little. She almost fainted from the impact. "That should teach you to behave."


    "Mom!" Her son shouted in horror before shutting up as the thug holding him captive choked him a little to disy anger.


    "We need justice! Free our leader or we''ll kill everyone in this building!" The thug dragged the child with him and shouted while staring at a camera pointed at him from beyond the building.


    Thump!


    "Fucking bastard!" Millie mmed the door of a police van in rage, mentally chanting, ''Keep your cool. This isn''t real. Don''t lose your cool!''


    "Kyak!"


    Pat! Pata! P-Pat!


    "Those fuckers!" She screamed in rage upon hearing the sounds of a gun firing a round of bullets, rushing out of the police van to stare with a pale face as the body of the five-year-old flew across the air and mmed into the middle of the road.


    "Every minute you dy, we kill one!" The thug announced from within the building before moving away from camera view.


    "Lady Hero, your orders?" One of the police officers asked her, "We have the assault team on standby."


    "Remain there. Too many lives would be lost in the crossfire¡­" She had just controlled herself to speak logically when the sound of gunfire resounded. This time, it was the child''s mother who had intended to rush out toward her son.


    His death destroyed all her sense of reasoning. And when she disobeyed the thugs, she was shot mercilessly.


    "These inhumane bastards!" Millie''s eyes turned red in wrath as she said, "I''ll lead the charge and make those fuckers focus all the fire on me. Everyone else should only work on rescuing the hostages. Rescue should take priority."


    "But you can''t neutralise them like usual. There''s no time when the hostages might get caught in the crossfire." The police officer protested her reckless n. But suddenly, he calmed down upon seeing that Millie was blinded by rage, speaking rationally, "You know, a Hero isn''t supposed to kill. Once you do, you''re just a superpowered soldier. You''ll lose qualifications to be called a hero."


    "You needn''t worry," Millie said as her figure disappeared, "I''ll only lose my qualifications as a Hero if I kill humans."


    "Tch, dumbass. Don''t just kill them all." A thug scolded, "If you put too much pressure on them, they''ll simply write us off as terrorists and send in their entire force without thinking about consequences."


    "We must show that we''re a threat, but not one so dangerous that the lives of everyone in this city itself would be put at risk if we survived."


    "Noted," The other thug nodded in response as he pointed his gun at a trembling old man, "You heard that, old fart? Don''t struggle and make me waste my bullets needlessly, got it?"


    "If you have to shoot someone, just shoot me. Don''t target the young ones, please." The old man pleaded.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Bah, I shot them precisely because their lives have meaning. What does the life of someone with a foot in a grave like you have? You might probably die of an ailment any moment even if I did nothing." Saying so, the thug mmed the bunt of his rifle on the old man''s head, knocking him out.


    "Hmm¡­?" One of the thugs suddenly stared at a clerk of the hotel, his eyes lecherously scanning her from top to bottom as he let out a drooling grin before approaching her, "You¡­strip, now."


    "W-What?" The clerk was rmed, staring in shock when she was pped in the face.


    "I told you to strip! Quick! Unless you wish to have another hole in your body." The thug pointed the gun at her.


    "P-Please, spare me!" The clerk pleaded but was punched in the stomach as her shirt was ripped open forcefully by the thug.


    "Hehe, that''s a nice pair you got there." The thug grinned with avarice.


    "This shithead is at it again." A thug shook his head and let out augh. The others too were the same, having expected him to react this way eventually. "That poor girl only has herself to me."


    Swoosh!


    Unknown to others, like water, Millie slipped into the building by minimising her friction to the limit. Moreover, she went a step further, focusing on her skin as she used a droplet of sweat to cover her skin before taking advantage of its surface tension to ce her hand on the wall and smoothly scale it up like a vehicle driving through.


    Her eyes spewed hatred upon staring at the actions of the thugs, but she controlled herself, ''A Hero saves all humans.''


    ''Yes, all humans.'' Her eyes focused on all the guns as she tilted her head. Her hair iled a little as thin streams moved away from her surroundings, slowly making their way toward the thugs, one after another.


    These streams were thosecking any friction that she carefully split and manipted, causing each to curve in the air to target a gun. And at the same time, she alsoyered anotheryer of air on the floor underneath each thug, taking in a deep breath before shouting, "Now!"


    Boom!


    The windows shattered as the assault team rushed in.


    "Those bastards!" The thugs shouted as they aimed their guns at the assault team, pressing the trigger when they saw in rm that they didn''t fire any bullets. Thanks to the frictionless air, the firing pin was now unable toe into contact with the bullet''s rear.


    Swoosh!


    Millie jumped on the ground as she rushed towards the closest thug, ring at the opponent that suddenly copsed to the ground, bleeding from the eye. At that moment, she raised the friction in his eye fluid to the limit. So, when his eyelids pped, they ruptured his eye, peeling away ayer in response, causing it to bleed.


    She punched him in response and sent him flying straight into the roof, causing his head to puncture through with the help of her ability. Of course, the thug died from the impact.


    ''These monsters will pay.'' She red in hatred and skidded towards the next thug, repeating the same to send him piercing into the ceiling too.

 Chapter 898 A Slap To The Face

    Bam!


    "Phew!" Millie let out a breath of air after punching thest thug into the ceiling. She then turned around, looking at the hostages, "Are you guys alright?"


    "Y-Yes," The clerk was the first to reply, sporting a sigh of relief. Though for some reason, she found it difficult to make eye contact with Millie, stuttering in response.


    The assault team brought the hostages out of the building as the crisis was resolved.


    Millie observed the world vanish in the next moment, just as she experienced all the time, now noticing that she was back at the training hall. She looked around, observing that the faces of all the students were foul, like they had swallowed the worst of insects.


    She then noticed Compass Carburettor arriving to a halt before the students, about to announce something. But the moment she stared at him, something seemed to well up within her as before she realised it, she was standing before him.


    "Yes?" Compass Carburettor looked at her in response, wondering what she was about to say when suddenly, all the staring students were shocked.


    p!


    A crisp sound resounded within the training hall, causing the ce to be silent like the dead of the night.


    "You''re an absolute asshole, you know that?" She screamed in anger, her eyes reddened, tears streaming out of them as she turned away and ran out of the training hall.


    ''Um, shit!'' Old man Mida was just passing by the training hall to observe the situation when he noticed his granddaughter pping Compass Carburettor, fearing immediately as he became ready to protect the students from possible retaliation by the Contained Viin.


    When Millie rushed out of the training hall, he hurriedly grabbed hold of her, "Why did you do that, Millie?"


    "Shut up, grandpa. You don''t know anything." Millie slipped out of his hold using her power and leapt away, vanishing from the spot.


    "When¡­did she be so strong?" Old man Mida was shocked at her speed and control over her power, "She''s almost at C-ss already."


    "I''m sorry, sir. But this simtion was indeed too much for us to bear." Vahor bowed in response before walking out of the training hall, followed by the students who too felt the same way as him.


    Though of course, none had the guts to p Compass Carburettor like Millie did.


    Soon, the training hall was empty, and standing there in silence was Compass Carburettor who still hadn''t digested what had happened, ''What¡­went wrong?''


    Millie''s expression was etched clearly in his mind as he processed all the data that he had inferred, ''I can''t find any problem. The task was well within her limit. She was also fully aware that this was just a simtion, unlike before when I made them perceive things to be real. So, what changed?''


    This was a surprisingly perplexing question for him, since he couldn''t find a correct answer despite all the data presented to him. ording to the data, there were no problems. As he had expected, Millie grew by leaps and bounds.


    Not only were her powers strengthened, her mind too had grown stronger, allowing her to maintain full control over her abilities despite giving in to rage. Usually, when people give in to anger, their actions would be simple and almost impulsive.


    But even in that state, Millie had perfect control over her powers. She took the most rational path to save everyone, ''She did disy a sight to the hostages that most Heroes wouldn''t, but she ensured everyone remained unharmed. Other than the two victims that were shot to death, everyone else didn''t even suffer a scratch once she arrived at the scene.''


    "It''s a ster performance, but then, why did she p me? Is it because I made her experience something like this?" He frowned, because that too wasn''t the answer. He didn''t see any such inclination from her.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Millie hadn''t disyed any hatred towards him or even willingness to hit him. But in the end, she still pped and cursed at him.


    And indeed, as he pondered, he felt a singeing sensation on his cheek, surprised as he traced it with his finger, "There''s no injury. But why does it sting?"


    His eyes widened as he sighed, "Haha, seems I have a lot left to learn indeed."


    Psyche Star¡ªUnforeseen Humiliation!


    The fact that despite all the data avable to him, he was still unable to find the solution. Considering how confident he was in his ability to infer and conclude, he felt humiliated. And as expected, he had by far the strongest resonance with the people in his Dreand.


    As everyone there was as smart as him, when they came across something that they couldn''t understand, they felt humiliated. Being smart too had its weakness, depending upon the situation.


    And this feeling of humiliation was one such.


    He pondered for a few more minutes before bursting into augh, "I should ask her for the answer then."


    After all, he noticed one more Psyche Star forming in his Dreand, something that was a lot more valuable for his needs.


    Psyche Star¡ªClear Confusion!


    "You alright?" Vahor asked upon finding Millie seated at a table in a park within the campus. It was a somewhat secluded location with asional passers-by.


    "Yeah," Millie nodded as she wiped her tears, "I was just¡­angry with myself."


    "You too, huh." Vahor sighed as he sat beside her, "I was just shocked throughout the whole simtion."


    "I went in knowing that it wasn''t real," Millie said, "But the events that happened there¡­"


    She groaned and clenched her hand into a fist, "I saved everyone but more than the terrorists, I probably scarred the hostages mentally worse. When I realised that, I just¡­"


    "I''m not a decent student, huh," Millie said, ashamed of her actions.


    "Still, you did right by pping the teacher." Vahor surprised her with his support, "What I noticed was that from the very first simtion, he pointed out our defects clearly and showed us all the paths we could take to grow stronger. The experience given by every simtion strived to grow us."


    "But," He massaged his forehead, "When I came to see so many faults with myself, I wondered if I was actually fit enough to be a Hero. You see,"


    He sighed, "I always thought I was a righteous individual fit enough to be a Hero and inspire others. But now, I can''t feel so confident in myself. Yes, aspared to before, I can save people without letting anyone be harmed. Yes, I can neutralise enemies stronger than myself. Yes, I can also inspire in them hope."


    "But, it just makes me feel a bit¡­"


    "Calcting."

 Chapter 899 What It Means To Be Human

    "Calcting, huh? I see," Compass Carburettor muttered upon hearing their discussion from the training hall. He had concentrated on his senses to hear them talk, immediately able to get aplete picture based on their conversation.


    Indeed, now that he thought about it, he had glossed over one primary detail of human nature--Ignorance!


    One of the oldest quotes on earth was that ''Ignorance was bliss.''


    It was meant derogatorily but if thought further, it also had other implications. If a human were to know everything there exists, would they be wise?


    Probably not.


    There was innocence that streamed from ignorance. A businessman took advantage of that ignorance and cunningly harnessed that innocence to value. Was he called wise? Nope. They were typically referred to as hyenas.


    To a normal human, innocence was an appreciable trait. And if someone was ignorant, people were willing to correct their ignorance and teach them things.


    But what happened here?


    From day 1, Compass Carburettor worked on actively shattering their ignorance. Yes, his students were now the most knowledgeable aspared to their peers and were the least ignorant.


    But this ced a toll on their minds. Their individualities resisted their ignorance from getting shaved off so rapidly.


    Being ignorant was an inherent trait of humans. It wasn''t appreciated but was a necessary trait. Because, without it, social interaction would be minimal.


    "Eh, what is football?"


    "You don''t know football? Seriously? Were you living under a rock or something?"


    "I just wasn''t interested in sports, bruh. So, what the heck is it?"


    "Well, it''s a game where you kick a ball into the goal."


    "So..."


    "Yeah, there is a goalie..."


    The convo would go like that in such an example. But, if both were fully aware of everything there exists in response to football, no convo would happen. Even the mildest argument wouldn''t ever happen.


    With nothing to disagree on or even argue about, and with the knowledge of everything regarding the subject at hand being known to them, their ignorance regarding that subject became zero.


    The aspect of learning something new in that field vanished. And with that, their motivation to learn in that field too vanished.


    Presently, the students were experiencing that thanks to his simtions. Everything that they have to experience in a real situation was already being fed to them, making them less ignorant with time.


    And eventually, as they felt that they didn''t have much to learn in regards to being a Hero, they experienced a sudden fatigue, which was the direct cause of Millie''s anger.<novelnext></novelnext>


    She felt that she was being groomed to be the perfect Hero that was able to react ording to any situation. Normally, this was a good thing to wish as a Hero. But at the same time, if she knows everything, then she won''t even need to react to any scenario.


    She could just mechanically deal with everything out of sheer reflex. And there wasn''t any heroism in that, just a robot that was capable of doing everything.


    It was the ''Ideal'' Hero one would aspire to be. But when they be one, there would be nothing but a vacant heart in them.


    The contrast between the two alignments frustrated her to no end. She wished to and didn''t wish to be that. And the greater the simtions she was put through, the greater the frustration that umted in her.


    Finally, she couldn''t endure it anymore and took it out on him.


    Compass Carburettor gained the full picture, understanding the reason, "Human errors are an integral part of being human. Once they be perfect, it''s like they''re not human anymore. And their humane mind resists that."


    "I see, now the quote that too much medicine makes poison speaks volumes." He nodded in response, sighing as he felt another stirrup inside him, shocking him, "Seriously?"


    Psyche Star--Blissful Ignorance!


    He gained three Psyche Stars in the time frame of a few minutes. It was pretty shocking, to say the least as Compass Carburettor sensed his body almost bing no different from a human. Or rather, he could im that he was entirely human now.


    After all, Blissful Ignorance was that powerful of a power and something that he indeedcked the most. With it, he gained the strongest trait of being a human, making it equal to two Psyche Stars, or even more.


    He had never expected such a powerful Psyche Star to exist, for it was in a league of its own aspared to all the other Psyche Stars. At the thought, heughed at the irony, "Blissful Ignorance indeed."


    And also, Blissful Ignorance was the strongest weapon he now possessed, with it alone capable of reducing any omniscient being into a human.


    With that attained, he now thought back to the problem at hand, ''My methods are making them less human. Even though it''s something necessary, it''s also not beneficial in the long run. While it would make them perfect Heroes, their room for growth is stolen too.''


    He nodded, "Indeed, there is a limit to simtions. After all, no matter how real they seem, they aren''t reality. Even if they were to lose their loved ones there, it would indeed affect them at the time. But once they return to reality, they would have their loved ones waiting at home."


    ? "But, even a hostage''s life lost in reality means a life lost. Every time they head to that location where the hostage lost their life, they would remember that incident. So, it will serve as a reminder and give room for their growth. Whereas, if they experience the same in my simtion, it would only give them experience, but not that room for growth." He muttered, "It seems my merchant mentality is still there even if I''m no longer bothered with umting money."


    "Permanent losses too are necessary to go about with one''s life." He sighed, saddened by the thought, "That''s a pretty messed up reality."


    He shook his head, smiling wryly, "Why am I missing something so obvious recently?"


    He muttered, "It seems knowing everything also makes me blind to the most basic of things that only someone without my level of knowledge and experience understands, huh."


    Just like the fear of the dark and unknown. Compass Carburettor didn''t have that whereas every normal human had it. For his goals, just gaining all the strengths of humans wasn''t enough, he must also embrace all the weaknesses too.


    That was what it meant to be human, a fragile lifeform.

 Chapter 900 CC Concept: Mortality

    "Holy damn, you were pped today? By a student?" Gehera asked in surprise once she arrived at the Academy, "I could hear discussions regarding it all over the ce when I drove in."


    "Well...it''s just something that happened, haha." Compass Carburettor let out a wry smile as he asked, "Are they still talking about me?"


    "Can''t you hear it casually?" Gehera asked before her eyes widened in shock and curled up into a pleasant smile, "Congrattions!"


    "Thanks," Compass Carburettorughed in response, "I''m now no different from a normal human. Thetest Psyche Star I obtained is damn powerful."


    "So, how does your power actually work now?" She asked, "If you are a normal human, aren''t you vulnerable?"


    "Yep, I am vulnerable. But my life would never be in danger." Compass Carburettor said as he used his nail to scratch his hand, causing a mild bleeding so minor that it would heal in a day. He showed it to her, "I would be injured as normal and can even be killed. But an instantter, I would reappear."


    "How?" Gehera was confused, "It doesn''t make sense. Are you using a revival means to cheat death? Then doesn''t that mean you still have power?"


    "What do you think Immortal represented?" Compass Carburettor asked all of a sudden.


    "Eh?" Gehera tilted her head in surprise, "Didn''t he represent the Cultivation Worlds?"


    "Yes, he represented Cultivation Worlds. But," He stared at her, "What exactly was the concept he epassed."


    As Gehera recalled the scene of the fight between Immortal and Zaira, she said in surprise, "The wish to make myth a reality. That''s the concept he embodies."


    "Indeed, and the consequence of it is him bing the Cultivation World Genre Representative." Compass Carburettor nodded, "And I simrly represent one such concept too now, something fragile."


    "Dreams?" Gehera asked in response, "Weren''t you gearing your powers in that direction?"


    "Dreamcraft is just the path I have taken to represent myself better. But my core is something else." He grinned in response, winking as he avoided her re, "Guess it! Come on, try to guess it!"


    "Ugh..." Gehera wracked her brain and in the end said in defeat, "Is it humanity or something?"


    "Boo! Such a bad answer. Your braincells are crying at your answer. Such poor treatment they face..."


    "Tell me!" Gehera stopped his taunt, unable to handle the suspense anymore.


    "Do you want me to show a demo?" He said before hopping towards the exit of the academy as he looked around and smiled as he suddenly leaped forward, startling Gehera.


    Beep! Crash!


    A car mmed into him and shattered his spine into two, causing his head to impact the bo and crack, killing him instantly. The impact caused the car to veer off course, but just when it was about to m into a passer-by, it became ethereal, returned to its original position moments before the crash and then went on its original path.


    "Asshole, don''t cross the road!" The driver shouted before speeding past.


    And there he was, Compass Carburettor, standing at a position a leap away from death, as if nothing had happened. Shockingly, none of the people there ever reacted, as if the death scene was just a dream or something.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "W-Wha-What the heck was that?" Gehera asked in rm as she hurriedly pulled Compass Carburettor to the side.


    "I died there." Compass Carburettor said casually, "It is kind of an irony as I was revived through my concept there."


    Mortality!


    "That''s the concept I embody." Compass Carburettor said as he pointed at himself, "Everything I worked to achieve was this mortal, fragile form."


    "Does that mean you rule over death now? Like the death God or something?" Gehera asked, still failing to rein in her shock.


    "Eh? No, I''m nothing like that." Compass Carburettor shook his head hard, "I don''t have control over the domain of death or anything. My domain is just mortality."


    "If I''m killed, it''s treated as a dream. Or rather," He smiled, "At that moment, this entire universe bes part of my dream where I wield heaven-defying strength. And after that, the dream shatters and I return to reality."


    "Turning the entire universe into a dream..." Gehera sighed at the absurdity of the concept, "Does that make any sense? How do you even have the energy to pull off such a stunt? Even storing energy for decades wouldn''t you the necessary amount."


    "Simr to Truck-Kun," Compass Carburettor smiled, "Getting run over by trucks is the concept that strengthens Truck-Kun. As for me, it''s even simpler."


    "Suicide, murder, death by old age, etc. all forms of cause where life ceases to exist is what I epass. To put it more simply, I embody the fragility of nature''s lifeforms." He spoke.


    "I see," Gehera understood now, "So, using that single truck, you managed to veer off into the same domain of a Genre Representative as Truck-Kun."


    Sheprehended it fully, saying, "So, just as how Truck-Kun needs a truck to fulfil his powers, yours need you to..."


    "Die?"


    "Yup, that''s the trigger." Compass Carburettor said as he scratched his chin, "And I''m not like my old self. When I get run over, I feel as much pain as a normal human. And irrespective of how many times I do it, I wouldn''t ever be numb to it, not even by a fraction. Every single death would feel like my first."


    "That''s a scary power." Gehera shuddered as she said, "I wonder why you chose such a power. When you woke up, you were such an omnipotent individual that I am doubting you at the moment."


    "Well, tell me this." Compass Carburettor asked in all seriousness, "If I were capable of destroying a universe with a punch and fought the Regression System, who would win?"


    "...You?" Gehera asked in doubt, shocked to see Compass Carburettor shake his head.


    "If strength was all that was required, the Genre Representatives would have decimated the Systems by now. Even the weakened Immortal had enough power to take four or five Grade 3 Systems on his own. But in reality, he was only able to handle one." Compass Carburettor said, "And that''s because of their nature where they embody a concept and split across countless universes. So, pure power isn''t enough to kill them. What is required is something like my power."


    "There''s an infamous saying back in my home world," He made eye contact with Gehera, stating in absolute seriousness, "Don''t argue with idiots. They would bring you down to their level and beat you with experience."


    "I''m pretty much doing the same here."

 Chapter 901 What Do You Think Of Me?

    "Don''t argue with idiots. They would bring you down to their level and beat you with experience."


    Compass Carburettor smirked, "I''m pretty much doing the same thing here. Doesn''t development have two paths? One where you improve beyond your foe and two, where you pull the enemy to your level and then push them below you."


    "I''m following thetter."


    "So, if I get this straight¡­" Gehera thought for a minute as she oriented her thoughts, "You would turn your enemies into mortals, humans I mean?"


    "Gehera is smart!" Compass Carburettor ppedically, "That took you a minute?"


    "Ugh, don''t boast yourputing speed." Gehera said when suddenly, she froze in shock as she pointed at him, "Is t-that why you have a world full of yourself?"


    "Yup," Compass Carburettor grinned, "I''m still umting experience at a gic level, just that I''m not tapping into any myself after bing a mortal. But, if I were to meditate and tap into my spirituality, I would be able to ess parts of that experience reserve."


    "Basically, I have the confidence in turning my enemies into mortal humans and creating a situation where I can end their existence, with zero chance of their revival. After all, that is what it means to die a human." He concluded.


    ''Terrifying, indeed.'' She nodded before sighing, "So, thest of that puzzle was a p from your student?"


    "Yeah," Compass Carburettor nodded, "I felt pretty humiliated when that happened, you see. That was my second p after I became an adult."


    "Second?" Gehera''s eyes widened in surprise, "Who was brave enough to do that before?"


    "Money-Making System." Compass Carburettor said, expressing a tinge of annoyance, "It didn''t even use its hands but its tongue to p me. That was when I felt the most humiliated in my life."


    "T-Teacher¡­" A voice resounded from nearby as Millie spoke in hesitation, approaching them as she eyed Gehera once before bowing towards him, "I''m sorry for misbehaving back then. I know I''m in the wrong¡­"


    "Nah, you pass." Compass Carburettor simply shed a thumbs up, "Standing up for what you feel is right is the essence of being a Hero. So, you indeed passed with spectacr colours, even though it hasn''t been long since you became my student."


    "R-Really? Then, I won''t be punished?" Millie asked in hope.


    "You mad or what?" Compass Carburettor burst intoughter, "You did the right thing back there, but you''re not supposed to p a teacher. So, you need to be punished ordingly."


    "I won''t p a teacher anymore." He said in all seriousness, "Write it a hundred times. That''s your punishment."


    He then coolly got in the car and motioned for her to leave while eyeing Gehera to start the car.


    The car sped past Millie who stared at its trail ck-jawed, muttering eventually, "Hundred times¡­that''s it? I can get it done within a few minutes."


    ¡­


    "You seem pretty happy." Compass Carburettor said upon noticing Gehera whistle while driving.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Yeah, I''m happy that you became human. You feel pretty normal to interact with now." Gehera said, "Before this, even though you had good intentions, I was nervous to face you. It just felt like I was amodity being appraised."


    "I no longer do it though." Compass Carburettor said, "That part of me is no more."


    "Yes, but I am referring to the time when you saved me back when I was a Novice Cartographer." Gehera said, "And, your daughter still does that. Does that nature run in the family?"


    "I guess so." Compass Carburettor nodded before looking at her, "But, she''s no longer treating you like that, right? When I talked with the collective consciousness in her, I could feel that she genuinely treated you as her friend now, someone she would risk her life for."


    "That took decades to establish, decades, I say." Gehera rolled her eyes in response, "No one else other than me would have the patience to bother with that brat with anger issues."


    "Ahh¡­is that so?" Compass Carburettor smiled wryly, "She''s pretty chill though¡­"


    "She''s wrapped an entire world under her funny little chokers. Chill is thest term to address her with¡­" Gehera ranted, going on about the years when she had to handle Stencil while also taking care of Hazen''s mental outbursts that each time felt like her mind would shatter.


    And during that time, Truck-Kun was damn useless while a good fraction of the enemies was actively hunting them down to steal their powers.


    Gehera had to manage all that while suppressing Stencil''s enemy collective consciousnesses. She had a lot to vent about, enough that she was still talking even past dinner and until bedtime.


    "I''m tired now." Compass Carburettor yawned in the end as he calmly covered the bedsheet over his face and closed his eyes, acting as if he was alone. Of course, seated right beside him was an offended Gehera, veins popping all over her forehead at the fact he chose to ignore her rants and prioritised sleep instead.


    "You at least listened to everything I said when you were a virus cell cluster!" Geherained in the end, pouting as she slumped on the pillow.


    "I had a billion minds to process that back then. But I now only have my puny little one. Spare me, pretty please?" He peeked out of the bedsheet a little and innocently stared at her with starlight eyes.


    "F-Fine!" Gehera''s face turned beet-red as she turned silent, thinking of something as she pulled his arm under her head and used it as her pillow to sleep. For a moment, she was nervous, but upon failing to sense any resistance from the other party, she eased up a little.


    "Gehera¡­" Compass Carburettor asked after a while of silence.


    "Yes?" Gehera asked, her face covered by the nket as she could feel her heart racing for some reason.


    "Do you like me?" He asked all of a sudden.


    Gehera didn''t react strongly as she would have usually, but instead snuggled closer, "With all your abilities, shouldn''t you have noticed it already?"


    "I did indeed, but I waited until I became a human fully to see what I actually felt." Compass Carburettor said and then turned silent.


    The silence was deadly for her, as minutes felt like hours. Eventually, she couldn''t endure anymore and asked, looking up to stare at his face, noticing mild hesitation, "So, what do you think of me?"

 Chapter 902 What Mission?

    "Lalal!" Gehera hummed as she worked on their breakfast.


    Compass Carburettor exited the bathroom, having taken a bath, listening to her as hemented, "Someone''s happy in the morning."


    "Well, the weather''s pleasant today, right?" Gehera smiled happily as she scooped contents from a utensil and poured them into the frying pan, adding in oil and some condiments. Well, the reason for her mood was something else entirely.


    Compass Carburettor stared at her for a couple of seconds before proceeding to get ready. Soon, they were having breakfast when she asked, "Are you sure you can face your students after that incident yesterday?"


    "Yeah, why not?" Compass Carburettor tilted his head in confusion, "I don''t feel insulted by her p. Instead, she helped shorten my development by months. Moreover, I indeed came to learn of a problem with my teaching methods. So, all are a gain."


    "But, you can no longer put them in simtions, right?" She asked, "After all, you cannot use your power without killing yourself."


    In response to her statement, Compass Carburettor''s eyes darted to the side as he observed a couple of ants busying about on the table, carefully collecting the two tiny blocks of sugar that had fallen.


    His finger moved forth and crushed one of them as he stared at Gehera, "By the way, is that T-Rex by the window your pet?"


    "What T-Rex¡­kyaaak!" Gehera screamed in shock upon staring at the massive pair of scaly eyes peeking inside the living room from the balcony. It belonged to a T-Rex that was as massive as their apartment.


    Roar!


    The T-Rex destroyed a nearby building with its tail, letting out a guttural roar. But a secondter, it vanished while the destroyed building was now in its pristine state.


    Gehera stared at him in shock, asking, "How did you do it this time? You weren''t killed or anything."


    In response, Compass Carburettor lifted his finger, showing the crushed figure of the ant attached to the surface, "I embody the fragility of nature''s lifeforms. So, my power gets activated the moment any lifeform near me dies. Of course, it is only in the case I can observe them through my senses."


    "So, you can reverse all deaths?" Gehera asked, for thest time he showed it to her, he revived and the timeline reverted to its original.


    "I can, but I don''t." Compass Carburettor said as he pointed at the ant corpse, "Once my ability activates, I can choose whether or not to treat that death as a dream. If I do so, the ant revives the moment I deactivate my ability. Otherwise, it stays dead."


    And upon seeing her stare at the ant corpse with an inquisitory gaze, he nodded, "Yes, I can loop its death and revival as many times as I need. And when in the dreamscape, unless I deactivate it, reality won''t function. The timeline of this universe remains frozen."


    "So, the moment you or anything beside you gets killed, you practically rule that universe, or rather, you are presented with that opportunity thanks to the concept you embody," Gehera concluded.


    "Yup," Compass Carburettor nodded, "If I will it, I can simply freeze the timeline of this universe and do whatever I want in the dreamscape. And of course, I can influence reality through it."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "But, it means you cannot use any power without deaths around you, right?" She muttered. "That means, if you get sealed¡­"


    "I had already thought about it long ago," Compass Carburettorughed casually as he pointed at himself, "Remember that my Dreand has an entire world living in it. Currently, it has assimted with my concept of Mortality."


    "Basically," He scratched his cheek, "My power can activate through their deaths too. Or rather, every single material in existence forming my Dreand is a Secret Society member. So, even the simplest of tasks causes the death and birth of them within my Dreand."


    "So, you can use your power pretty much whenever and however you want." She facepalmed before ring at him, "Then why the heck did you jump before the car yesterday?"


    "For dramatic purposes!" Compass Carburettor replied with a straight face.


    "Haaah, I give up." Gehera massaged her forehead as she finished her breakfast, took her car keys and exited the house, "Make sure you leave on time. I need to hurry now, bye!"


    Though of course, before leaving, she jumped into his embrace, broke into a wide grin and then rushed out of the house.


    "Guess I should leave too." Compass Carburettor muttered as he packed his things, grabbed the house key and exited the house, locking the door as he ced it in the safety of his bag before pressing the button on the lift, watching it arrive at his floor a few secondster.


    The door opened as the figure of a youth standing within was revealed, a familiar face.


    Staring at him, Compass Carburettor asked, "You have some business with me?"


    "Yes, sir. I''vee on a mission here." The youth spoke. It was Earth Star, having firmed himself as he had gone through countless simtions.


    But the moment he stared at Compass Carburettor, he was stunned for a moment before throwing away all his prior preparations, ''Before, I couldn''t sense the depth of his power. But now, there''s nothing in him to sense.''


    ''Did he reach an even higher ne of existence? No, more than that, it feels like he''s no different from a regr human.'' Earth Star thought, frowning in response, ''Then, that means everything I prepared earlier could no longer be used. The chances of failure are just too high.''


    ''Then that means¡­'' He wracked his mind into overdrive, using the entirety of his intellectual capacity as he arrived at a conclusion and stared at Compass Carburettor.


    "A mission?" Compass Carburettor thought for a moment before saying, "Has an Invader arrived here?"


    "No, sir. Nothing of the sort. I''ve already cleaned up all that was scheduled to arrive in this city." Earth Star said as he took a deep breath before extending his hand to speak respectfully, "My mission this time is to gain possession of your wristwatch."


    "Can you please hand it over to me?"

 Chapter 903 Snatching The Wristwatch (Part 1)

    "Can you please hand it over to me?"


    Compass Carburettor stared at the figure of Earth Star, frowning as he noticed that the opponent seemed to know what he was talking about. He raised his hand and shed the wristwatch, "Do you know what this is?"


    "It''s an item created by Hazen." Earth Star said, "I''ve been briefed about everything, sir."


    "Hoh," Compass Carburettor''s eyes lit up in response as he took a second nce at Earth Star, thinking, ''Is Stencil nning to nurture his growth?''


    There was silence for a couple of seconds after which Compass Carburettor smiled, "Sure, you can have it."


    There was shock in Earth Star''s expression before lighting up in joy.


    "But," Compass Carburettor said, noticing Earth Star''s face freeze up in response, "You need to show your worth. You see¡­"


    He removed the wristwatch and gazed at it, "There is just one item of this calibre in the multiverse. It''s a condensation of powers originating from countless Cultivation Worlds, trillions of lifeforms, and the strongest of concepts of space, time, and mind."


    "And I too have been pouring my power into this in preparation for my daughter. So," He stared at Earth Star, "Prove to me that you desire it. Not just because you''ve been ordered by Stencil to do so, but prove that it''s something you yourself desire."


    "Only then will you be worthy enough to wield it in the future." Compass Carburettor spoke with a smile, "So, what do you say?"


    "I''m ready, sir." Earth Star nodded, noticing the air turn moist immediately in response. The humidity was on the level of coastal areas as he found himself standing on the deck of a ship.


    Earth Star looked around, noticing that the ship was trying to weather through a storm, "Where is this ce?"


    Boom!


    Arge tide impacted the hull of the ship, causing it to tilt rmingly as Earth Star instinctively activated his gravitational powers, intending to offset the imbnce, shouting in rm, "What? Why can''t I use my powers?"


    He stared at his hands, feeling an innate sense of weakness that he had never experienced to date. He was now a mortal, no different from the other humans.


    "All sailors, rush to the deck. Sea monsters inbound!" An announcement rang throughout the ce as immediately, sailors rushed out in file, carrying rifles.


    "Rahakh! What are you dawdling for? Arm yourself, hurry!" A sailor rushed towards Earth Star and jolted him to his senses.


    "How¡­do you know my real name?" Earth Star was shocked, "That''s ssified."


    "What the heck are you muttering about, brat?" A middle-aged man pped his back and shouted, "Did you drink too much at the party yesterday? Return to your senses!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''I don''t know what''s happening, but I''ll y along for now.'' Earth Star thought as he didn''t speak anything and silently equipped himself with the provided weapons: a rifle, a handgun, a pair of grenades, and a knife.


    ''For some reason, I cannot use my powers.'' He thought, understanding in the end, ''This is probably sir''s power. Lady Genesis indeed told that sir was hibernating for 75 years to cote his gains from the war to create his ultimate power system. So, this must be it.''


    "So, this is how I''m being tested." He muttered, deriving an answer rapidly as his expression solidified. He observed his surroundings, looking at the behaviour of the sailors as he followed suit, blending in with the group as he remained on standby.


    The ship rocked forth from the waves as intense rain began to pour down from above. The sounds of thunder incessantly resounded, making everyone nervous as they were going through a storm now.


    Just a storm alone would have been dangerous enough to survive from, but to add to the matter, there even seemed to be sea monsters in the mix.


    "Rahakh, guard my back. These bastards have a habit of targeting us from our blind spots." A sailor turned around to speak. The atmosphere was tense, the air clouded their senses while the chillness of the ce numbed their bodies.


    As a result of that, the sailors on the deck hadn''t noticed the pair of tentacles that had crawled out of the ocean during a high tide, taking advantage when the ship tilted dangerously close to the tide, causing the distance between the two to be mere metres.


    And when the sailor had turned around to talk to Earth Star, his back was vulnerable. Earth Star''s eyes widened in shock as suddenly, the man that was talking to him just moments before was now yanked up and pulled into the tide.


    Pat-Pata-Patat!


    Muzzle shes shone from within the tide a few times before it turned silent. There wasn''t even any trace of blood, for the inbound rain and the dangerous water currents washed away all traces in an instant.


    "Shit!" Earth Star cursed in response. He didn''t know if this was a simtion or the real world. But one thing he understood. He hated seeing people die.


    Usually, he had his powers to rely upon for everything he did. But now, as a normal human, he couldn''t be reckless. But that didn''t mean he wouldn''t do anything as Earth Star held the railings of the deck and stared at the ocean tides, ring at it as his concentration was instantly pushed to the peak.


    Whether or not he had his powers didn''t matter. He had trained his body to the limit, having a significant understanding of it. That was why he had be part of the Ranger Troupe so young and had been able to grow at a rapid pace to date.


    He couldn''t see any creatures within the water as it was dark due to the thunderclouds blocking out the sun. And even the ship''s searchlights barely helped.


    But even if he couldn''t see them, he recalled the tentacles that had kidnapped the sailor before him, the way theytched onto him, and the moment they targeted him, "Phew¡­"


    He switched off his gun''s safety and took in a deep breath, rxing as he purposefully disyed a vulnerable back, focusing on his ears as he took advantage of the impacting raindrops to be aware of his surroundings.


    And as he had expected, the moment the ship tilted towards a high tide, a tentacle shot towards him, aiming for his back. At that moment, Earth Star''s eyes shone with a murderous glint as he pulled out his knife, spun his body and shed at the tentacle, taking advantage of the opponent''s momentum to sever it in an instant.

 Chapter 904 Snatching The Wristwatch (Part 2)

    Skieee!


    A screeching sound akin to a piercing whale''s scream resounded, rattling the ears of everyone that shielded their ears in response.


    "That''s loud!" Earth Star growled in response as his body was partially doused by the blood that gushed out of the tentacles. The severed part twitched on the deck beside him while the remainder seemed to have retreated into the waters.


    "It''s only the beginning!" The captain of the ship announced from the control room as all the sailors took on fighting stances, having stationed themselves at various locations throughout the ship. They were transporting valuable cargo and hence couldn''t afford to keep any areas unprotected.


    "Uh¡­shit!" When the ship passed by a low tide, Earth Star peeked out and noticed hundreds of creatures swimming alongside the ship, with each spanning a dozen metres in size, sporting a long tentacle that they used to hunt prey.


    Earth Star had only neutralised one such creature by cutting its tentacle. Therefore, the situation was still troublesome.


    "Die!" A sailor screamed as he pointed his rifle at the ocean and unleashed a barrage of bullets that sttered a lot of blood. But immediately in response, the sea monsters dived deeper into the water.


    The bullets lost all momentum mere metres into the water, allowing them to easily travel alongside the ship without any danger.


    Moreover, they began to attack the hull of the ship, intending to make a hole through it and sink it. Even though the hull was created using reinforced steel that was at least a metre thick, it didn''t matter as they could shave it little by little.


    Earth Star observed a group of sea monsters congregating around an area as a sawing sound resounded, despite the loud noise of thunder. Such a loud sound meant the sea monsters were making progress in drilling a hole through the hull.


    Earth Star looked around and noticed arge block of stone on the deck and approached it hurriedly, pulling out a rope from nearby as he wound two grenades around it and then rushed towards the edge and dropped it at the congregation spot.


    The rope was tied around the grenade pins, making it easier for him to yank them out the moment the two grenades sunk the required depth thanks to the density of the piece of rock.


    Kaboom!


    The shrapnel from the grenade explosion resulted in a sea of blood at the explosion, followed by a collective screech of pain from the sea monsters.


    "Nice, Rahakh!" The sailors cheered in response as they shot the bodies of the sea monsters that carelessly surfaced as a result of the explosion, riddling a lot of damage in response.


    But the situation didn''t be better. As they say, the ocean is vast. The injured sea monsters were unable to keep up with the ship and either retreated or were hunted down by other marine creatures.


    And recing them was another group of sea monsters, in pristine states.


    Pata-pat-patpat!


    Firing sounds resounded for the next few hours as from time to time, the sea monsters killed one sailor after another by taking advantage of the high tides.


    Suddenly, the captain of the ship rushed out of the control room and stared out into the ocean in despair, "O-Our rudder was taken out."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "What?" The sailors gasped in shock, only now realising that for the past minute, they hadn''t moved forward at all. They were just under the illusion that they were moving as usual thanks to the violent tides and incessant rain that messed up their senses.


    "Captain, don''t we have missiles or torpedoes?" Earth Star asked in frustration, grunting as he tied a gauze around his leg injury. He was exhausted, having been fighting nonstop all along.


    Even though all the sailors were armed fully, the ammo was limited. And in such a scenario, they had to fight sparingly with their hot weapons. Their frustrations were piling up already.


    "Yeah, captain. Fire a few and clear out a path for us to move forward." The other sailors tooined in response, having lost a lot of theirrades to the sea monsters.


    "Truth be told¡­" The captain sighed as he spoke, "The missiles are out of order. They won''t detonate even if youunch them at our targets."


    He sighed, "Ourpany took a severe hit recently. To recoup our losses, pretty much every valuable was sold off, including the functioning missiles. This was supposed to be the shipment that would earn us enough to get back on our feet once again."


    He sighed and bowed, "I''m sorry for hiding this¡­"


    In his panic after the ship had lost its rudder, the captain didn''t even realise that he was giving a speech while on the deck, unguarded. And the sailors, grumbling, stopping firing at the waters.


    Of course, as a result, a tentacle swooped in, grabbed the captain, and yanked him into the ocean, stunning everyone. With that, they lost their leader.


    Thankfully though, they seemed to have arrived at the edge of the storm as a few minutester, the rain stopped while beams of sunlight shone through the gap in the clouds. The tides too became weak enough that they were no longer threatening to the ship.


    It had lost its rudder, but the water currents had brought the ship forward.


    "Thank goodness," Earth Star slumped on the deck in exhaustion, observing that the sea monsters didn''t bother to chase them beyond the stormy region.


    They were aware that without the high tides, they would be at too much of a disadvantage as the hot weapons would shred through their natural armour casually in such weather conditions.


    Even in the storm, the sailors had killed hundreds of sea monsters.


    "No, what are we supposed to do?" A sailor muttered nervously upon observing the weather conditions in their control room, stating, "The wind and water current in this ce is close to none."


    Earth Star observed the disy depicting the water currents and atmospheric conditions, frowning upon noticing that they had fully emerged out of the stormy region. It was something they should have been grateful about had they not lost their rudder.


    And now, the ship came to a halt, no longer moving as the sailors were mentally exhausted, "We''re stranded."


    "We''re stranded indeed." Earth Star squinted at the ocean, unable to see anything else as far as his eyes could cover. They were stranded in the middle of nowhere.

 Chapter 905 Snatching The Wristwatch (Part 3)

    ''We''re stranded in the middle of nowhere. But,'' Earth Star frowned in response to the situation, ''What does this corrte to gaining the wristwatch?''


    He looked around, observing his surroundings before understanding what was up, ''So, that was the actual test.''


    Earth Star dropped his weapon and slowly walked towards the edge of the deck and stared at the ocean, focusing as he heard the sounds of discussions among the sailors beside him.


    The stillness of the vast ocean was sharply contrasted by their noisy ship that appeared tiny inparison. The gentle rays of the evening sun created a perfectly enjoyable weather, but in this situation, only despair reigned their minds at the hopelessness of the situation.


    The goods transported by the ship were deemed most valuable, but the lives of the sailors were treated otherwise, not even given enough ammunition tost the journey.


    The contrasts were sharp, the situation was bleak, and hope seemed lost. But in such a situation, Earth Star seemed unfazed, inhaling a deep breath as he gradually attuned himself to nature.


    The salty air, the subtle breeze, the mild heat from the sun, he felt them all, losing a sense of his physical body as he concentrated on them further.


    ''My powers might have vanished, but I wielded them ever since I was a kid. They are second nature to me.'' He thought as his muscles faintly wriggled in response, just as he had done since a kid.


    Gradually, the air around him began to move, bing faster and faster before which, a tornado formed. His body rose to the air as mild gravity waves propped him up.


    Earth Star looked around as he observed the faces of the people on the deck staring at him in shock, as if he weren''t human.


    "Sir, you asked if I''m desperate enough to save my people." He muttered before smiling wryly, "I''ve been desperate for that since the day I lost my family."


    The tornado intensified in response as the water from the ocean was sucked into it, turning it a tad slower but with more power.


    Earth Star didn''t stop at that though as he fully unleashed his experience, actuating his body''s natural capability to manipte nature in such a way that a mild, almost negligible beginning had catapulted into such a terrifying cmity.


    The tornado continued to grow in size but he didn''t stop, continuing to fuel it as its power level began to reach a terrifying level. And eventually, it broke reality, shattering the world.


    Bang!


    Earth Star arrived before the elevator, his eyes sharp, observing Compass Carburettor''s pleasant surprise as he extended his hand and snatched the wristwatch from the other party, saying with a respectful tone, "I''ll be taking this with me, sir."


    "Hahaha, you got me!" Compass Carburettorughed in response, "I never thought you would find a way to wield your powers even in that setting."


    "I hadpletely blocked it."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Then¡­" Earth Star was shocked as he stared at his hands, "I just¡­did that as a normal human?"


    "At present, you can unleash earth-shattering might in an instant. But there, all you could do was generate a small wind around you by manipting the energy waves your body emitted. And with that, you created a storm strong enough to overload the dreamscape I had constructed to test you." Compass Carburettor said in praise.


    The human body wasposed of cells. And the cells were basically a cluster of molecules andpounds. Every single molecule orpound unleashed different forms of radiation, not to mention the super weak gravity they possessed as a result of their mass.


    The same elements making up their body was also what made the world. And as Earth Star had lived his entire life manipting that, even though he became a normal human, he used that experience to focus and control his energy emissions.


    All emissions were positionally actuated. And hence, through his actions at a macroscopic level, the influence reached a microscopic level and allowed him to manipte the surrounding air through gravitation and electromaic charges, eventually resulting in that storm. It was something possible only for him.


    "It allowed me to further understand my powers," Earth Star said in gratitude, "It was thanks to your test."


    ''This is a surprise.'' Compass Carburettor thought, ''I never expected him to win the simtion, not to mention break the dreamscape. Earth Star is indeed a unique gem. If it''s him, then it''s worth it to support his growth.''


    He extended his index finger and pointed at the wristwatch, suddenly causing it to shine for a moment before it became normal. Compass Carburettor looked at the surprised expression of Earth Star and smiled, "I''ve put a small gift in that. It''ll be easier for Stencil to forge it into a weapon after this."


    "How did you know about this, sir?" Earth Star was shocked, "I never revealed even a hint regarding that."


    "Hints are unnecessary." Compass Carburettorughed in response as he clicked the elevator button, watching it arrive at his floor as he said, "No matter how much you shield yourself, you''ll be an open book before me."


    ''I can casually ess your mind through the dreams it generates.'' He thought as he waved his hand, entering the lift.


    Earth Star stood stunned in his original location as Compass Carburettor thought for a moment and spoke while the lift doors closed, "Also, I can understand Stencil having ns to solve her issues on her own. Tell her that if she wishes to solve her final issue, she should meet up with Rhizen. His home world has the parameters necessary for her to derive a solution."


    Cling!


    The lift doors opened on the ground floor as Compass Carburettor sauntered out and calmly walked towards the closest train station, boarding the train that arrived a minuteter as he headed to the Nampur Hero Academy.


    Earth Star remained before the elevator, still in shock as he stared at the wristwatch in his possession, "I¡­got it? That soon?"


    He pinched himself, using his powers to feel that he was indeed alive, eventually breaking into a grin, "I seeded."


    "Thank goodness."

 Chapter 906 Fuck You, Arnark

    "Hahaha! Got you!"


    "Nice, he''s here!"


    "Come to daddy!"


    A group of superhumans with mind-boggling powers chased after a fleeing youth, cackling happily as they fought each other.


    "I''ll be the one to capture him. The lot of you, get lost!"


    "Screw you, dumbass. Just leave!"


    The youth turned around and noticed how his chasers began to fight amongst themselves. He elerated his bike and erected some distance between himself and the chasers.


    "W-What is happening?" The youth felt an urge to cry.


    His life had always been horrible. Lost his parents when young, was bullied throughout his school life, had to work multiple part-time jobs just to make ends meet, and worst of all, he had no friends to even talk with.


    Of course, he never stopped putting in effort, using everything in his power to pay his college fees. He was already in his second year of college now. It seemed his efforts finally paid off as despite all odds, he surpassed all the geniuses from his college andnded a job at a prestigiouspany.


    Usually, studentsnded a job at the end of their third year or during their final year. But for the youth, with his talents being acknowledged, he got the opportunity beforehand.


    It finally felt like his life was about to take a turn for the better. Unfortunately, when he thought of that, the world began to change.


    People began to awaken to supernatural powers, the likes of which allowed them to achieve superhuman feats.


    It was despairing for him in the sense that just when he felt like he had caught up to the world, everyone brought out their secret techniques and left him in the dust once again.


    But to add salt to injury, suddenly, a group of these superhumans began to chase after him with the intent to kill him.


    "Just why are you doing this?" The youth shouted in fluster when suddenly, his bike took off into the air, hovering there as its wheels continued to spin.


    "Gah!" The youth was unable to move his body, feeling suffocated as a formless force pressured him.


    "Well, that was surprisingly easy." A teenager smirked in response as she pulled him away from the bike, caught him in a princess carry, and disappeared from the location.


    The rest of the superhumans arrived at the scene, grunting in annoyance, "Shit!"


    "Someone took the target away!"


    ¡­


    Bam!


    "W-Who are you?" The youth got up in a hurry when he was dropped on the ground, staring at the teenage girl in rm, "Why are you targeting me?"


    "Just remain silent for a minute, alright?" The girl said in annoyance as she ced her hand on his chest, thinking, ''Is this enough, system?''


    [Yup, that should do the trick. I''ll now summon the Heaven Overseeing Entity''s fragment through it.]<novelnext></novelnext>


    A formless energy gushed into the youth''s chest when suddenly, a certain fragment in him unleashed a pulse, one that couldn''t be sensed by anyone else.


    A few secondster, a figure appeared nearby, staring at the girl in surprise, "That was fast."


    "It didn''t take long since I had made enough preparations beforehand." The girl said, reading the lines given to her by her System as she thought, ''Is this the Heaven Overseeing Entity? I can''t sense any strength from him.''


    The one she spoke towards was, of course, Arnark.


    Arriving before the youth, Arnark smiled and tapped the other party, collecting the Main Character System fragment inside, ''Now, only Valmor Du Te Ace is left.''


    The fact that a fragment appeared in this youth meant that the Secondary System had already absorbed the Main Character System fragment in itselfpletely and fully branched out to be a fully functional Secondary System.


    Following that, when someone with a main character''s qualities appeared, the final Main Character System fragment formed in his body.


    "W-What did you do to me?" The youth began to gasp as he suddenly felt iparably weak, despite his body remaining as healthy as before.


    "Harem System, right?" Arnark stared at the girl before letting out a smile, causing the time of the world to freeze as hemunicated with the System directly, "Level 87, huh? Alright, I''ll give you the rewards."


    Instantly, an insane amount of Mental Energy swerved into the Harem System, causing it to grunt as its Core Skill levelled up rapidly, attaining level 99. Moreover, a secondter, its Core Skill hummed in response before birthing another Core Skill.


    This too was from the same genre. It seemed that Arnark had killed a System from this genre already. So now, all he did was return the Mental Energy stolen from it, using a Coordinate to recreate it.


    Soon, he was done with the rewards, stating curtly, "Well, now that you have enough foundation, you should hunt the rest of the Systems in your genre and have fun reaching Grade 2."


    "Thank you, Arnark." The Harem System said respectfully, "Thanks to you, I managed to save thousands of years of effort."


    "It''s the reward I promised anyway." Arnark said before letting out a smile, "It seems the others have located the final piece."


    His figure vanished immediately, causing the world to return to its usual function as the Harem System was overjoyed.


    ''Now, I need to strengthen myself to the limit and target the other Systems of my genre. But first,'' Itmunicated with its Host, sending her a bunch of notifications, causing her to break into a smile at the numerous abilities she had obtained.


    Following that, she stared at the youth, thinking with a smile as she propped him up and spoke, "You were born with a treasure, an elixir of misfortune for humans, but a delicacy for superhumans. That was why they were searching for you."


    "But now that they have imed it, your life would return to normalcy. But," Upon observing his indignant expression, her eyes shone with a cunning glint as she asked him, "If you wish to change your life, I can grant you power."


    ¡­


    "Tch! These bastards are constantly chasing after me!" Valmor Du Te Ace frowned as he jumped to the System World and hurriedly created a portal to another world.


    He stared in a fluster upon seeing the Systems nearby observing his actions, calmly noting down the energy signature emitted by the portal that they ryed to the chasing Systems.


    He had just arrived in the world when more than a dozen System Hosts chased after him. Even though he was strong enough to kill them, there was no end to them. If he fought them, he would be dyed, resulting in more System Hosts chasing after him.


    ''To think a Grade 2 System would face such a day. Fuck you, Arnark!'' He cursed in frustration.

 Chapter 907 A Deal

    [Harem System (Level 99): Hahaha, I caught one! The rewards are awesome!]


    [Forced Romance System (Level 8): This is unfair! I was about to catch him!]


    [Harem System (Level 99): Oh, are you in the same world? Nice, let''s meet up.]


    [Force Romance System (Level 8): I have no intentions to be consumed, sorry. I''m returning to the System World now.]


    [Harem System (Level 99): Not so fast!]


    In the real world, the Harem System hurriedly managed to locate the Forced Romance System and devoured thetter, burping contently.


    [Women Envement System (Level 11): I feared this day woulde. But you won''t be able to catch me, Harem.]


    [Harem System (Level 99): We''ll see about that. I''m going to devour the rest of you dimwits.]


    This was a group in the Astral Network shared by the Systems from the same genre as the Harem System. With it reaching level 99, not to mention obtaining a second Core Skill from Arnark, the Harem System''s advantages spiked, allowing it to gain enough confidence to hunt the rest.


    In another group, probably thergest group among the Grade 1 Systems, messages rang in a flurry.


    [Bully System (Level 12): Target spotted in the System World. He''s now heading to the world D-9008.]


    Immediately following the message, many Systems that were waiting patiently in the System World jumped into that world, beginning to chase after Valmor Du Te Ace, pressuring him.


    When he jumped into the System World, the Hatchling Systems that acted as spotters immediately ryed the information in the Astral Network.


    Arnark''s Quest had riled up all the Grade 1 Systems into action. After all, this was their fastest possibility of reigning supreme in their respective genres. And they had observed the Harem System receiving its rewards.


    So, everyone was aware that Arnark indeed saw through his end of the deal. Thanks to this, they had already been on Valmon Du Te Ace''s tail for a month, causing him to jump from one world to another and expend enormous amounts of Mental Energy.


    For Arnark, this was the best deal, for he didn''t even have to waste his strength and still reap all the benefits.


    It made Valmor Du Te Ace realise the type of opponent he was facing. Even though Arnark hadn''t taken action, the prestige regarding the Main Character was so enormous that it caused pretty much all Grade 1 Systems to take action.


    Arnark was waiting in a world, eyes closed, fully focused as he was ready to sense the pulse of the Main Character System fragment.


    Once Valmor Du Te Ace was pushed into a corner, he would have to rely on the power of the Main Character fragments to survive. And the moment they are used, a strong enough fluctuation would be produced, which would allow Arnark to target there immediately.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But just as he was observing, his senses red up as he noticed a humanoid individualnd before him. A nceter, Arnark spoke in all seriousness, "Did youe here to fight me, Invader?"


    Grade 3 System¡ªInvader (Level 256)!


    "How long are you nning to chase after Valmor Du Te Ace?" The Invader System asked, "Considering his foundation, he would be on the run for at least one more year. You would need to kill him at least five to six times before you could reim your fragments. But,"


    It stared at Arnark, "Do you have that much time?"


    "What are you getting at?" Arnark frowned, getting ready to fight.


    "I''ll hunt him down for you." The Invader System grinned as it extended its hand, "In response, what will you reward me with?"


    ''So, it also sensed Compass''s growth through the fate streams?'' Arnark thought for a moment before shaking his head, ''No, only the Main Character can sense that. It probably discovered his hiding ce instead and derived an answer from there. It indeed has the capabilities to do so.''


    "If you can catch Valmor Du Te Ace, I''ll indeed reward you." Arnark nodded in response as he smirked, snapping his finger to cause a small sphere to form. He pointed at the sphere, "This is the location of a world that I have been working on while the other Main Characters were active."


    "A world you had created?" The Invader System was surprised.


    "It''s nothing special," Arnark said coolly, "There''s just one living entity that had fused with the essence of the world and regrets his action, for it ensured no other life would ever form there. It was an experiment of mine."


    He stared at the Invader System, "Grade 3 Systems take a world as a Host. But when you fight a Genre Representative, the world you choose as your body to fight with gets destroyed. So, I was just working on making one for when I attained Grade 3. But since that would take time, I''ll sell it to you."


    He continued, "One individual as a world. He forms the core of his universe''s power and carries it all. So, taking over his world means taking over him too, which would you with the perfect body to use and fight the Genre Representatives with. Moreover, it has a pretty useful power system that works the best against the representatives."


    "You have a deal." The Invader System grinned in response and disappeared, "Wait for a minute. This will be over by then."


    The Invader System arrived at the System World, connected to the Astral Network, and joined the group with the Grade 1 Systems. It noticed Valmor Du Te Ace''s current location there and then arrived at that world.


    "What¡­?" Valmor Du Te Ace was shocked, "I can''t move my body."


    "You should stop resisting." The Invader System''s voice resounded in his mind. It had already invaded his body and gained control,pleting the task in a matter of seconds.


    No matter what, the power difference between a Grade 2 System and a Grade 3 System was an unfathomable chasm. And Valmor Du Te Ace was only a fragment of the Demon System, so he couldn''t even put up a fight, blinking in confusion as he watched his surroundings change twice before noticing the feet of someonee into view.


    "My, my, my, that was quick." He shuddered at the familiar voice, trembling in fear as he stared at the face of Arnark approaching close.

 Chapter 908 The King Is Born

    "Damn, shit, screw this!" Valmor Du Te Ace cursed in resignation, bellowing indignantly, "You involved the Invader System in this? You, shameless cheater!"


    "Shameless is my middle name." Arnark yed it coolly as he observed that Valmor Du Te Ace was unable to move. The Invader System had invaded his body and pretty much gained control of all his Demon System fragments.


    Though of course, he observed that it hadn''t bothered to even touch the three Main Character System fragments in him, surprised for a moment as he thought, ''In that war, it was capable of invading even me. If it so desired, it could fight me with all its strength. After all, among all Grade 3 Systems, it has the highest possibility of doing me damage thanks to the concept it represents.''


    "What''s the reason you''re helping me?" Arnark asked, thinking for a moment as he uttered, "Is it because of Compass?"


    "As expected of the Main Character." The Invader System nodded in response, "Yes, I''ll be honest with you. I need you to be strong enough to fight him."


    "I see, I understand the n now." Arnark smirked as he stared at it, "So, you guys are nning to invade the world he''s at now?"


    "Not now, but soon." The Invader System said, "And if I were to lose, I want you to clean up after me and kill him."


    Veins mildly protruded on his forehead as Arnark controlled his anger, "And, what makes you think I''ll follow your n?"


    "I know for a fact that you''ll do so." The Invader System said as such, took the key to the universe he had created, and vanished. "You''ll understand when you consume the final three fragments in this brat."


    "After all, you''re the Main Character System."


    "Tch!" Arnark spat out in frustration and plunged his hand into Valmor Du Te Ace''s body which was immobile thanks to the Invader System''s power.


    Arnark grabbed his three fragments and yanked them out, taking some time to manually grind away at the Demon System fragments surrounding them, eventually freeing the three Main Character System fragments as he absorbed them in his body.


    Ding!


    Ding!


    Ding!


    Immediately in response, ringing sounds resounded throughout the System World as every single peak existence there shot up in rm.


    "So, it''s finally happening." Zaira exhaled a long breath before continuing with her tasks.


    [Harem System (Level 99): The King is born.]


    [Intelligence System (Level 99): The King is born.]


    [Monster Hunter System (Level 99): The King is born.]


    [Appraisal System (Level 99): The King is born.]


    [Expert-In-The-Ring System (Level 99): The King is Born.]


    The peaks of all the Grade 1 Systems came out one after another and announced with a solemn tone, as if citizens subjecting themselves to their ruler.<novelnext></novelnext>


    All the Grade 1 Systems were in shock, for the first time in their history, ever since the concept came into being, the Main Character System was whole.


    This was such an unprecedented situation, for every single System, even the current Grade 3 and Grade 4 Systems all started as Hatchling Systems at level 1, as a single whole entity, and levelled up their way to the peak.


    All expect the Main Character System that was born in two locations--999 fragments in Arnark and one fragment in Gilthru.


    So throughout history, the Main Character System had always remained fragmented. Though fragmented, each fragment possessed terrifying power on par with Grade 2 Systems. That was why it was special.


    And now, the most special existence among the Systems had be whole for the first time in history.


    At the result, the first to break into a grin was Zaira, ''Now, you just need toe to the System World, Arnark. I''ll instantly obtain all the details regarding you and would be able to install your Core Skill in my database.''


    Yes, this was why the Main Character System always remained elusive from her possession, for it was never whole in the first ce. Because of that, it slipped through the rules that formed the System World.


    But now, as long as Arnark arrives at the System World, she would gain all his information, ''Finally, I can look forward to something great after the recent string of defeats.''


    The Grade 1 Systems were nervously joyous at the birth of the entity that could be crowned the King of Systems. The Grade 2 Systems were pressured by the situation while shockingly, the Grade 3 and Grade 4 Systems were rather happy at the fact.


    After all, irrespective of his desires, Arnark was in the end a System. That meant his existence was closely tied to the System World. And with them being aware of the truth, they were all hoping for him tond in the System World just once.


    With that, he would fully fall under Zaira''s influence and be incorporated into the System sphere.


    Even Zaira was anticipating his next move expectantly.


    But as for the person in question, there was shock in his expression, stupefied as he gazed at himself, "H-How? Why haven''t I hit Grade 2?"


    Grade 1 System--Main Character [1000/1000] (Level 99)!


    The thousand fragments fused into a singr whole, but despite that, he didn''t attain Grade 2. For a moment, he wondered if it was because of the 11 Core Skills he possessed, but after his investigation, he deemed that wasn''t the case.


    He then recalled the Invader System''s words, scowling in response for he finally thought of the only other possibility blocking his ascendance to Grade 2, "Fuckers! There''s another System in my genre!"


    He clenched his hand into a Fist and vaporised Valmor Du Te Ace, probing through the Mental Energy absorbed from the other party, ''No, he has no idea regarding this.''


    "The Invader System should be aware of the reason, judging by its words." He muttered, immediately sensing System Punishment unleashed on him by the world for uttering the word System.


    "Screw off! I''m not in the mood!" Arnark waved his hand and vanquished the System Punishment. He was now whole, so his power was already on par with a Grade 3 System at the peak. So, the System Punishment couldn''t even scratch him.


    Arnark took out a Relic and shattered it, watching yer manifest before him immediately in response, asking in concern, "What happened?"


    "I''m whole, but not Grade 2." Arnark scowled.

 Chapter 909 Four Directional Alliance

    "You''re not Grade 2?" yer was rmed at the statement before he calmed down, frowning as he spoke, "Did Zairaplete that n?"


    "What n?" Arnark asked.


    "Well, when I was lowkey acting as your enemy, I did a lot of tasks for her to avoid being annihted, you see." yer continued, "And among that, I was the one that proposed the idea of the Four Directional Alliance."


    "Four Directional Alliance?" Arnark asked in confusion, "What the heck''s that?"


    "The genres of Luck, Mary, Recovery, and Transportation form the Four Directional Alliance." yer said, "Transportation Genre was created with the copse of the Adventure System. But, it was somewhat on a loss-making spree."


    "At that time, Zaira was working on a way to get her hands on powers simr to yours. And since the Main Character System fragment in me was inherently different from yours, she wanted to kill me and extract this power." yer smiled wryly, "So to avoid any mishap to our ns, I proposed her the next best thing."


    "The four genres that all protagonists would have influence over in the majority of the cases. I''ll help her conceptualise that. After all, despite being able to produce so many Systems, Zaira was unable to umte the concepts regarding the three genres apart from Transportation." He continued, "You see, the moment she began to amass the concept of Mary, her finances took a severe hit. Simrly, her luck plummeted when she tried to amass the concept of Luck."


    "You can say that the copse of the Adventure System too was rted to that. At that time, Zaira had attempted to amass the concept of Luck, as a result, her luck diminished rmingly, and the Adventure System took the fall to help stabilise the System World. Otherwise, the System World would have copsed." He spoke.


    "I see, so there were more reasons behind the Adventure System''s failure." Arnark nodded, "Indeed, one cannot survive an adventure without luck. So, it makes sense that it shouldered the loss of luck. But,"


    He stared at yer, "Master, why did this problem happen in the first ce? Zaira never faced any issues with absorbing concepts to create Core Skills in the first ce."


    "The reason is simple," yer sighed, "Usually, she absorbs Mental Energy regarding a concept that is sourced from countless worlds, fuses them, and then condenses a Core Skill by injecting it into a Coordinate. If you were to look at it from a deeper perspective,"


    yer took in a deep breath before continuing, "One of the Mental Energy takes form as the head of the concept while the rest fill in the gaps. You can think of it being simr to the nature of a Genre Representative where the collective consciousness of the strongest world in the genre takes the head while the rest support it."


    "The strongest aspect takes the lead and establishes a flow of framework for the rest to follow suit. But,"


    He sighed, "Luck, Mary, and Recovery are by far the strongest of concepts. They are potently powerful in every single world. Therefore, it creates a case simr to what you saw in Mystique."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Each concept is strong, so fusing them isn''t possible." Arnark nodded in understanding, "The Mental Energy of them from each world will act as units that fight against others of the same concept. The sh would simply result in effects regarding the concept to re up."


    "Yes, that''s why when Zaira tried to fuse concepts of Luck, the Luck of the System World itself took a hit, because that Luck was symbolised from the thousands of worlds the System World was connected with. So, once these Mental Energy clusters of the Luck Concept began to fight each other for dominance, they influenced the part of luck sourced from their home world. And as a result, it resulted in a macroscopic war of luck throughout the System World, causing the overall luck to shatter in response." yer said.


    "The same is true for both Recovery and Mary concepts too, which is why Zaira failed all the time. But," yer sighed, "That''s where I came into the picture."


    He pointed at himself, "Since I have the same power as her to create Systems, I took on the task to create the Core Skills of the three Genres. I sourced the Mental Energy for that from our world. So, with just a singr collection point, there wasn''t any problem. But as a result, it took me ages to create them."


    "But, it was also because of this that I was able to survive long enough for our n to bear fruit." yer said, "Otherwise, just the act of me possessing her power was threatening enough for Zaira to dispose of me long ago."


    "I gave her a valuable power. But it was this act that bought me enough time." yer said, asking with a wry smile, "Do you me me?"


    "No, I don''t." Arnark shook his head immediately, "You did what was necessary. I won''t me you. So, what''s the end goal of the four Directional Alliance?"


    "When the Systems of each reach level 99 and devour the rest of the Systems of their genre, there would be four Grade 2 Systems birthed: Luck, Mary, Recovery, and Transportation." yer continued, "And if they were to devour each other, a Grade 2 System would form in the protagonist genre. Zaira was pretty confident in this conjecture, which was why she was patient all the time."


    "Basically, this is her preparation for the end game against you." yer said, "After all, the Main Character System is the most special among all Systems. If you don''t go under her, she would need to prepare against you."


    yer then asked Arnark, "What is your response to her invitation? I can tell with an assurance that the moment you set foot on the System World now, Zaira would receive all data regarding the Main Character System. You would automatically fall under her influence."


    "Nope, no n to do so." Arnark shook his head as he waved his hand, destroying themunication line that Zaira was intending to set up between them using the Astral Network. It was basically him refusing her invitation, "I''ll be free and unrestrained, always."


    "Perfect!" yer grinned in response as he grabbed Arnark and teleported to the Fantasy World.


    ''So, the reason I couldn''t reach Grade 2 is that there''s another System in my genre.'' Arnark thought as his eyes shone with killing intent, "How troublesome."

 Chapter 910 Arnark’s Consideration

    First of all, Arnark hated the fact that there was another System in his genre. Secondly, he didn''t like how he was barred from attaining Grade 2 for the time being.


    It was a setback, especially since he had to face Compass Carburettor soon enough.


    Upon arriving at the Fantasy World, Arnark observed the streams of fate in motion, observing some of them influencing his body, causing him to scowl in response, "Dammit!"


    ''My inherent nature is causing my fragments to hum in response and wish to join with Compass. The greater his growth as the Main Character, the stronger this pull.'' This was the reason he wished to kill Compass Carburettor.


    Had Compass Carburettor just been a regr terrifyingly strong individual with main-character tendencies, Arnark wouldn''t have bothered with him. After all, no matter how much someone was worthy of being the Main Character, if Arnark himself hadn''t acknowledged them, then they would never inherit the power of the Main Character System.


    After all, he himself was the Main Character System.


    Unfortunately, this was precisely the problem. Compass Carburettor was, in the end, an individual that he, Arnark had acknowledged as someone worthy of being the Main Character in the past.


    Therefore, the record had already been established in himself. This meant that there was always a chance that Compass Carburettor could steal his powers in the future once his Main Character trait bes stronger than Arnark himself.


    The rules that Arnark himself set up came to bite him in the back. But in the short while, even if he wishes to do so, he didn''t have enough time to modify this rule through the use of Lore.


    Earlier, he was waiting to reim all his fragments and be whole. Attempting a change in his inherent nature was dangerous otherwise as the free Main Character System fragments might evolve and create more variables.


    But now that he had be whole, Arnark didn''t have enough time to wait until he changed himself through Lore.


    There was one problem with Lore.


    Long back, when Compass Carburettor obtained Lore, it immediately took effect based on a simple statement he had created and split his powers into four versions¡ªCompass Carburettor, Hazen, Domino Plottopia, and Gahrat.


    It was because until then, Compass Carburettor''s fate, or rather, his weight on his timeline wasn''t anything worth mentioning. So, the moment Lore took effect, it instantly changed his entire being.


    For Skills that changed the cause and effect of the entire world, they had some limitations. Freezing the time of the world wasn''t that big of a deal. At the end of the day, a strong enough being could do so.


    But heading into the past and tweaking the timeline? That wasn''t easy. To achieve it, the entity would have to carefully make changes and permeate its power through the timeline necessary to do so.


    And, depending on the foundation of a world, its fate varied. Fate was basically an indicator of the sturdiness of all the variables of a world''s timeline. Meaning, an incident that was bound to happen¡ªfor example, a volcanic eruption¡ªwill definitely happen.


    It couldn''t be changed even if someone were to tweak the past. Fate acts to ensure the original course of the timeline is maintained.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But, this had a limit.


    The fate permeating a timeline was only as powerful as the world''s foundation. The greater the foundation, the stronger the fate. Meaning, to ensure the volcanic eruption is prevented, more energy and time were required to disrupt the fate acting there.


    This was why when the Systems attacked the Fantasy World, yer sealed the fate of the universe and prevented the Regression System from regressing the timeline of the ce.


    As one of the worlds with the sturdiest of foundations, the fate amassed there was unsurmountable. So thanks to that, yer was able to prevent its timeline from getting affected.


    But, that was just a temporary measure. If none interfered, the Regression System would have been able to affect the timeline after a few decades of effort. Whereas, for a weak world, it would have been able to fully influence that world''s timeline in a matter of seconds.


    This was why fate was so damn important.


    Originally, for Compass Carburettor, his fate was so weak that the Core Skill of Lore at level 1 was able to shred his fate apart and bring out the effect of the Lore he had established.


    It also meant that at that point in time, if the Regression System had chanced upon him, it could have casually regressed him back into a sperm.


    But for Arnark, that wasn''t possible. His fate was one of the, if not the strongest among all existences, on a level just below the likes of the top Genre Representatives like Mascot.


    His timeline was robust, the fate unbudgeable. So, to change his inherent rules, he would have to use Lore for a long time and gradually seep in its effects through his timeline, spanning millions upon millions of years before eventually reaching his birth.


    And from there, he would have to make changes until the desired effect is reached. Time was needed for that, at least a few centuries.


    It had to be noted that even for Compass Carburettor, to change himself from an inherent perspective using Tell-Tale, it took him 75 years.


    And considering Arnark''s history, not to mention the overpowered eleven Core Skills he possessed, he would need too much time, time that he didn''t have at the moment.


    After all, based on what he observed, the current Compass Carburettor was growing at an rming pace and his potential as a Main Character was increasing. And as someone acknowledged by Arnark himself, the Main Character System fragments were already showing signs of heading to him.


    ''Just to erase that rule, it would take me years. But, I only have months before Compass attains that ignition threshold in fate.'' He scowled in response, ''Had I attained Grade 2, I wouldn''t even have to worry about him. My strength would have been on par with a Grade 4 System when that happened, easily allowing me to crush anyone that stood in my way.''


    The Main Character System was just that overpowered of an existence. But now, this setback was holding him back, to an extent he considered as he stared at the back of yer, ''Do I erase my identity as a System and be an entirely new race? If I were to steal master''s power, that is possible.''

 Chapter 911 CC Will Die

    ''Should I devour master''s powers?'' Arnark seriously considered the possibility. He wasn''t worried about yer''s life, for he was only nning to steal his power.


    And once he evolves, he could easily make yer even stronger than before. ''Moreover, Master is gradually losing his edge by being assimted with the collective consciousness of all the worlds under him. This is just a repeat of the case with Conjurer.''


    At one point in time, the Saint of Cmity was one of the most terrifying individuals to exist. He was so terrifying that despite not even reaching the peak of his world, he dared to scheme against Magister, the Genre Representative of all the magic worlds, and even won.


    His schemes were by far the greatest. After all, it was because of him that the System Genre came to exist in the first ce.


    But, what happened after that?


    The Saint of Cmity gained control of the Conjurer Profession and branched out from the Fantasy World to conjure worlds of his own to be a Genre Representative. That was where the problemy.


    For, the moment he connected with the first world he created, he lost his edge immediately. The minds of every single creature in that worldbined to be a collective consciousness that merged into him, diluting his sharpness.


    It had to be noted that the majority of the living beings in that world were animals, birds, fishes, and insects. None were sentient. The only sentient race was the humans that were few in number¡ªaspared to the other living beings.


    Therefore, the resultant collective consciousness was just a barely sentient entity, which was what Conjurer had be.


    Following that, he went ahead and created more worlds. Following that, his development stagnated.


    After all, that was how Genre Representatives were. They never pursued any active development but just passively managed things.


    For the major Genre Representatives like Immortal and Magister, millions of worlds naturally fell under them. Or rather, they were birthed by such worlds.


    But for Conjurer who had to create his worlds, there was no scope for external development. Every single world to strengthen him had to be created by himself. This means, as a Genre Representative, he never actively pursued that.


    This was why in the span of time that the Systems took to go from being mere dregs to one of the greatest forces of the multiverse, Conjurer only managed to create a dozen underdeveloped worlds with marginal fate.


    That was his sad fate, of a star that wholly lost its shine.


    And now, Arnark had observed the same in yer too. Yes, the current yer was infinitely stronger than before. But, he had lost his edge too.


    It had be apparent in their abyssal rate of development. Despite possessing the same powers as Zaira, yer hadn''t even developed the elemental beings that he had nned before.


    Currently, in the universe of the Fantasy World, there were now around two hundred worlds, all created by yer using his newfound powers. But what was the use?


    They didn''t amount to anything beyond strengthening the foundation of the Fantasy World further, since they were all connected to the professions.


    But the side effect was yer bing dull in response, just an overpowered one-dimensional entity.<novelnext></novelnext>


    So, Arnark harboured the thought of stealing the power of Systems from yer. ''But one good news is that this power had already diverged from Zaira''s. It has already been assimted with our world''s power system and strengthened it further.''


    He sighed a little in the end, shaking his head upon staring at a figure beside yer, ''No, this is better. Master has lost his edge and can no longer scheme against our enemies. But, he needs all his strength to be the guardian of our home.''


    "Dad!" Suddenly, an excited shout resounded as a figure jumped into his embrace.


    Instantly, Arnark''s frown eased up, reced by a smile as he hugged the figure and spun around, "Have you been eating well?"


    "Of course!" Came the reply from a boy, barely a decade old, sporting facial features simr to Arnark.


    "How did it go, Arnark?" Balveta arrived, holding another boy with a simr appearance. She was the mother of the pair of twins, Arnark''s children.


    "I didn''t be Grade 2." Arnark sighed as he spoke, ruffling the hairs of his two kids as he stared at them, nudging them, "Go, y around now. We''ll talkter."


    "Okay!" His children said and ran away, ying around as they shot fireballs at each other.


    If anyone else were to see them, their jaws would drop to the ground. After all, the pair of twins were already Pseudo-Saints. Moreover, they were Pseudo-Saints of every single profession that existed in the Fantasy World.


    It was not to mention the fact that from time to time, faint shadows manifested around them in a protective embrace. They were the professions of the Fantasy World, recreated by splitting a part of yer''s mind and power.


    The existence of the pair of twins defied fate. Of course, they were the Main Character''s children, after all. So, they were born with heaven-defying privileges.


    "How¡­is that possible?" Balveta uttered in shock, "Then, what will we do now? You said you''ll have to face Compass soon."


    "Yeah," Arnark nodded, a bit sullen as he said, "The Invader System would be invading Compass''s world soon. But, even with full preparation, it''s apparent,"


    "It''ll die." He sighed, "And it seems it too is aware of that. So, its goal would be to wound him as severely as possible. Once I became whole, I realised that Zaira has nned to ensure that I would fight Compass right after that. But, without attaining Grade 2,"


    He let out a breath of exhaustion, "I''m not entirely confident."


    "You''re¡­not confident?" Balveta''s expression turned into one of despair, "But how? You''ve gained all of his power, not to mention the eleven Core Skills in your possession. After being worn down by the Invader System, how can you lose against him?"


    "Lose? No, I''m not worried about that." Arnark shook his head, "You''re not giving the Invader System enough credit. It''ll be going at Compass with everything it got. So, even if he wins, Compass would be at the end of his line. And, I''m confident."


    "If he manages to survive, I''ll kill him. There''s no doubt in that." Arnark said in confidence, clenching his hand into a fist, "I''m that strong after all."

 Chapter 912 World Centre

    "I''m that strong after all."


    "Then, what are you not confident about?" Balveta asked in confusion.


    "It''s whates after the fight." Arnark let out a sigh in disappointment, "No matter how the battle turns out, I''ll be weakened after killing Compass. Whether it''s my fate or timeline, they would be unstable. And, at that moment, I''ll be the most vulnerable against Zaira."


    He smiled wryly, "She would be able to target me. All she needs to do is send me to the System World and it would result in her victory. Besides, she''s also supporting the System in the Protagonist Genre in preparation against me. So, I have to guard against that. And that''s precisely what I''m not confident about."


    "But, yer can easily stop that, right?" Balveta tilted her head, "With his powers, he could easily bring you to our world. With that, you''ll be protected against an assault by the System. We have enough foundation to resist them, right?"


    "Moreover, we can invite Mascot if things take a turn for the worse."


    "Hmm¡­" Arnark turned silent in response, thinking deeply as he spoke in the end, "I don''t like leaving my fate in the hands of others. There are just too many variables in this."


    He got up and gently patted the back of her head, saying, "I need to go somewhere at the moment."


    Saying so, he bit his tongue andmitted suicide, causing his body to dissipate into fragments of light and vanish.


    "This always raises my anxiety." Balveta groaned in response as she turned around and began to walk away, "Seriously, doesn''t he have a better mode of travel?"


    Main Character Core Skill¡ªCheck Point (Level 99)!


    Normally, it was a Core Skill that allowed him to revive an instant previously in his timeline. But, he could also take advantage of it another way.


    By setting up Check Points in other worlds, he could kill himself and revive in the world of his choosing. Considering how the System yers in the past had roamed through countless worlds, the data regarding all that was stored in the Main Character System fragments.


    And through Lore, he attached them to the Core Skill of Check Point, allowing him to travel to any world as he pleased.


    This way, he didn''t have to depend on the System World to travel or by extension, even yer''s powers.


    yer too was relying upon a simr method from his System yer days by using his Cartographer Profession to the limit to travel.


    Swoosh!


    Arnark arrived at the void of a universe, exhaling as he gazed at a gigantic sphere before him, ''Indeed, I have a solution to my problems in this ce.''


    By following the changes in fate, he had arrived at this universe, an empty ce without any sentient lifeforms.


    But, one of the most important battles had been transpiring here for 75 years already.


    Grade 4 System¡ªReincarnation (Level 390)!


    Grade 4 System¡ªTransmigration (Level 376)!


    Genre Representative¡ªMystique!<novelnext></novelnext>


    Genre Representative¡ªTechnocraft!


    The four entities at the top of the multiverse had been engaged in a fight here, a never-ending war of attrition. The sphere was the Core Skill Manifestation erected by thebined powers of both the Reincarnation and Transmigration Systems.


    Arnark arrived before the sphere and took in a deep breath as he ced his hand on it, activating his abilities one after another.


    Main Character Core Skill¡ªPlot Armour (Level 99)!


    Main Character Core Skill¡ªWorld Centre (Level 99)!


    Main Character Core Skill¡ªPlot Convenience (Level 99)!


    Plot Armour, was as its name implied, a cheat that allowed him to break out of any inconceivable situations with the most absurd of reasons.


    World Centre was a manifestation of the Main Character''s inherent nature, which was to remain at the centre of every single event of importance.


    And finally, Plot Convenience was another absurd cheat, sister to Plot Armour. It was one where the user obtained an answer to their problem rather conveniently.


    Every single ability was a heaven-defying cheat already. But adding them all together, it created a broken character unbridled by all rules. And that was the Main Character¡ªArnark!


    For a moment, influenced by the three Core Skills, the boundary of Core Skill Manifestation weakened, allowing him to create a path inside.


    But, what was happening within itpletely yed to his benefit.


    ¡­


    "Huff¡­puff¡­" The Transmigration System gasped for breath, staring at the figure of an exhausted Mystique, "Bastard, why don''t you go down already?"


    "The longer I fight, I stronger I get." Mystique said in fear, desperately reining in his abilities, "So, you should stop already. I don''t want to change anymore!"


    "Keep pressuring him." The Reincarnation System whispered from the side, having already recovered from all injuries, "The more his worlds wake up, the greater the internal chaos in him. Before, a collective consciousnesssted around two to three minutes. But now, each can barelyst a minute."


    "You mean to say¡­" The Transmigration System caught on, "When all his worlds wake up, the collective consciousness wouldn''t even be able to surface for a second before they are reced. Such an insane level of instability would cause him to implode."


    "Indeed," The Reincarnation System grinned in response, "Following the Implosion, Mystique would die. It would take forever before he reforms and returns to his original state where most of his worlds are sealed. That provides us with the best opportunity to grow, as with Immortal''s death, there would now be two fewer Genre Representatives we have to deal with."


    "Martial has already be ourckey. And the majority of the minor Genre Representatives are too afraid to oppose us. So, it only leaves Mascot, Technocraft, and the weakened Magister in our opposition." It let out a cunning smirk, "We three would be enough to face those three, allowing the Grade 3 Systems to grow unhindered. It''s the best way for us to reign supreme."


    "And for that to happen¡­" The Transmigration System nodded in response as its injuries healed rapidly, following which it leapt onto Mystique, "I need to cause more of his worlds to awaken."


    "Dammit!" Immediately in response, a terrifying amount of power exploded out of Mystique, strong enough to beat the Transmigration System to an inch of its death. But right when the attack was about to hit it, the collective consciousness manning him changed, causing the attack to be reimed, which only resulted in Mystique suffering from internal injuries.


    A secondter, he was punched in the face by the Transmigration System.

 Chapter 913 Plot Convenience

    Boom!


    An explosion resounded as time and space became wonky, resulting in Mystique being sent flying.


    "Kahahaha!" Suddenly, despite getting punched, Mystique broke intoughter and exploded into a sea of insects that were capable of devouring even space and time.


    Their appearance caused all three other entities within the Core Skill Manifestation to pale in fright as they hurriedly unleashed all their abilities to kill the swarm.


    Guoong!


    Technocraft held a tiny finger-sized gun in his hand, turning around to stare at the approaching swarm of insects as he pressed the trigger, unleashing a sma beam that was millions of kilometres wide, mming a good portion of the swarm.


    Tch!


    He clicked his tongue upon noticing that half of the swarm within the st radius had survived, "They are tough."


    "Aieee!" One of the insects somehow managed to evade all attacks as itnded on his arm, piercing its stinger through his skin as it injected something.


    St!


    Technocraft sttered the insect as he stared at his hand in a hurry, noticing that it was rotting in response to the pierced region. He concentrated on the spot, observing that using him as a doorway, the poison had infiltrated one of the universes under him.


    This was the universe funnelling strength to that portion of his body, so when he was affected there, the poison seeped into the universe.


    Roar!


    Once it arrived at the universe, the poison found a massive lifeless and seeped into it, fusing into it immediately. Following that, thumping sounds resounded from it, akin to a heartbeat.


    Kieee!


    The ground protruded as a few secondster, the mud slid to reveal a grotesque insect spanning a couple of kilometres in length. It let out a screeching sound before taking flight. It didn''t have wings, but strange appendages simr to the engines of rockets.


    They unleashed a formless thrust that allowed it to soar through the skies, reaching space in a matter of seconds. The insect looked around as slowly, the colour of the thrusters changed, causing the space around it to fluctuate before its figure vanished.


    It had warped!


    The creature had absorbed part of the foundation of Technocraft, thews that formed the it had fused with. Thanks to that, it obtained some of the nature of the ce, especially the biological thrusters and warping capabilities.


    The insect warped to another part of the universe, appearing next to a spacecraft travelling at light speed towards its destination.


    "What is that?" The scouters within the spaceship were rmed at its sudden appearance, "We''re travelling at light speed though!"


    "All hands on deck, prepare the rail guns!" The captain of the spaceship announced calmly, controlling his nervousness as he watched the rail gunse into action and target the insect, sting it away.


    He immediately ordered them to stop the light-speed travel to minimise damage and targeted the insect, shing around it from all directions as it was bombarded to the extreme and killed in a matter of minutes.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Victory!" The people in the spacecraft cheered as they immediately sent out drones to capture the sttered body parts of the insect.


    "Dump them into the spectral generator. We''ll obtain precious gic material for our evolution from this." The captain announced in response, breaking into a grin, one that morphed into shock minutester, "T-This is¡­?"


    The gic material they created was beyond valuable, so valuable that a single serum amounted to as much value as a, causing him to mutter, "I would be beyond rich¡­"


    He took a serum and stabbed it into himself, "I won''t hesitate anymore. With this, I''ll finally be a transcendent¡­"


    Gah!


    He screamed in pain, with veins popping all over his body as his organs ruptured in response, causing fear to form on his face as his body exploded. But a few secondster, a single cell pulsed with power amid the organic mess, gradually growing in size as it pulsed like a heart, eventually pulsating to be a heart.


    Following that, bones, muscles, organs, the brain, everything was built around it, eventually resulting in the captain forming a whole body, "That was intense!"


    He stared at himself, sensing the voluminous power coursing through him, "I see, I can now warp through space on my own."


    He immediately noticed something else, "It seems I''m not strong enough to warp long distances yet. I would need to train and bring this power under control."


    "Captain, are you alright?" One of the soldiers arrived before him to ask in concern.


    "Yes," The captain nodded when suddenly, his hand shed and stabbed the soldier with another serum, watching him writhe around in pain before his body exploded.


    But unlike him, the soldier failed, for his body failed to reform, "It seems not everyone can inherit this power. Anyhow,"


    He stared beyond the spacecraft, into the depths of the void, "Things have gotten interesting."


    What?


    The insect that had injected the poison in Technocraft stared in shock that its power not only failed to wreck damage but instead ended up bing a tonic to fuel the growth of the respective universe.


    While it was still reeling from shock, Technocraft swatted it dead, sighing as he said, "You think my worlds would be destroyed by such small quantities? Don''t underestimate my maniac inhabitants."


    He then thought, ''That was dangerous. If more than three insects had injected poison into the same universe, the effects would be beyond what the natives could handle. It would result in that universe getting destroyed by the swarm.''


    "I should be careful against them." Muttering as such, Technocraft continued firing against the swarm of insects, observing through the corner of his eye at the figures of the Reincarnation and Transmigration Systems that were only jumping around from one ce to another, manipting space and time as they saw fit to avoid a confrontation, "These fuckers are truly nning to extremise Mystique''s bombastic tendencies."


    A minuteter, the collective consciousness in Mystique changed as the swarm of insects vanished. Immediately after, a figure appeared, one that expressed frustration. It was a conservative collective consciousness that didn''t wish to see his strength grow anymore.


    Mystique turned around and headed straight towards the barrier of the Core Skill Manifestation and punched once, shocking the two Grade 4 Systems as he almost pierced through.


    But a secondter, just when Mystique punched a second time and created a path leading outside, right as he was about to leave, a leg arrived from outside andnded on his face, sending him reeling back in.

 Chapter 914 Arnark Vs Mystique

    "What?" Mystique shouted in shock when he was sent flying back into the Core Skill Manifestation.


    "Sorry for the intrusion," Arnark''s nervous voice resounded as he peeked in through the hole and observed the situation inside, "I just came for a visit."


    "Arnark?" The two Grade 4 Systems were surprised at his visit as they stared at one another. Usually, they wouldn''t have paid him any attention. But now that he had be whole, he was by far the greatest target for the Systems.


    ''As long as we bring him to the System World, this war is as good as a victory for us.'' The Reincarnation System thought as it took action, attacking Arnark.


    In response, Arnark only seemed stunned as his body was destroyed. But an instantter, he reformed nearby, extending his hand to make a small circle around the hole before he flew inside.


    Main Character Core Skill¡ªCheat Death (Level 99)!


    Check Point allowed him to revive at a designated location while Cheat Death overrode his death, reviving him at the same ce instantly.


    Lore, Restriction Order, Plot Armour, Checkpoint, Cliff Falling, Bond, shback, World Centre, Plot Convenience, and Cheat Death. They were ten of his eleven Core Skills.


    The moment the Reincarnation System targeted him, Arnark didn''t even bother with it, watching its attack dissipate by the time it reached him, rendered into pure energy that he casually devoured.


    With Restriction Order, he wasn''t afraid of Systems.


    "You''re my target." Arnark grinned as he stared at Mystique, teleporting before him immediately. Thought, an instantter, his face burst into millions of worms that sttered around.


    But in contrast, it was Mystique that was surprised, observing the wriggling worms drop dead immediately after as Arnark revived nearby and rushed at him.


    "I don''t know what you''re nning, but I won''t allow you to target him." Technocraft frowned and unleashed a beam that vaporised Arnark.


    But that didn''t matter as Arnark seemed to have already set up a Checkpoint beside Mystique as he revived there. He extended his hand, about to touch thetter when his body dissolved into a dozen serpents that writhed around in insanity.


    Main Character Core Skill¡ªshback (Level 99)!


    A Core Skill activated automatically as immediately, countless images shed through the mind of the writhing snakes, forcing them to recall their life as they re-joined to be arge serpent.


    The serpent regained sanity using the memories of its past as itmitted suicide and revived nearby as Arnark. The individual red at Mystique and charged at him again, shouting, "Your internal chaos will calm down!"


    The eyes of Mystique widened in shock as the collective consciousness fighting inside him turned a tad sluggish, allowing the current collective consciousness to have better control over his body andst longer.


    "You just set yourself up for failure." Mystique tilted his head in confusion and puffed, severing Arnark''s approaching figure into a billion tomatoes.


    The tomatoes exploded into a sea of juice that condensed into Arnark''s figure.


    Main Character Core Skill¡ªPlot Armour (Level 99)!


    He had just reformed his body through the tomato juice when his eyes made contact with Mystique''s, suddenly causing him to clutch his head and bawl out like crazy to the extent his ear drums ruptured, followed by his vocal cords exploding.


    Boom!


    Aargh!<novelnext></novelnext>


    Kaboom!


    Aieee!


    Explosions resounded every few seconds, followed by the howls of a certain someone.


    For the first few minutes, Technocraft interfered to protect Mystique. But upon seeing that Mystique was perfectly fine against Arnark''s best attempts, he decided to simply stay on his guard against the two Grade 4 Systems.


    Reincarnation and Transmigration had targeted Arnark at the start, but upon seeing their abilities being turned into a tonic to fuel his growth, they stopped their attacks, unwilling to reveal their cards before the Genre Representatives.


    Both sides had to guard against a possible retaliation from the other side, so they couldn''t unleash their strongest attacks for the time being.


    This allowed Arnark to fight Mystique without any interruption. Though, all that resulted was his endless suffering.


    "It''s strange." The Reincarnation System frowned as it nced at the hole Arnark had sauntered in from, observing that the ce had healed. Following that, it observed the fight with a confused expression.


    "What''s strange?" The Transmigration System asked, unable to notice what was wrong this time.


    "Look at the abilities Mystique is using¡­" The Reincarnation System said in confusion, "Do you remember them?"


    "The abilities¡­?" The Transmigration System frowned as it observed Mystique''s attacks when suddenly, the images of hundreds of Systems writhing in insanity in a certain corner of the System World came to mind.


    Its gaze shuddered as it said solemnly, "I remember. They are abilities that can affect even Systems. Two Grade 3 Systems have fallen victim to them until now and have yet to find a solution. Their conditions are only growing worse as time passes."


    "Indeed," The Reincarnation System nodded, "Even we have been careful in targeting him only after unleashing our Core Skill Manifestation. In this domain of our absolute rule, we wouldn''t be affected by Mystique''s strange powers. But,"


    It stared at the ongoing ughter, "Arnark has been killed more than a thousand times by Mystique now. But, howe he has yet to show any signs of insanity? He''s not in the least affected."


    "Now that you mention it¡­" The Transmigration System expressed its shock, "Even though he became whole, he''s still a Grade 1 System. How is he still sane while facing Mystique? Even a Grade 3 System would have been suffering from side-effects by now."


    "He''s as absurd as Mystique." The Reincarnation System said, shuddering for a moment upon noticing that despite suffering from insanity before every single death, Arnark hadn''t even shown the smallest sign of fatigue. Moreover, there was even a subtle smile on his face.


    "What?" Mystique suddenly expressed shock.


    "How is this possible?" Technocraft failed to believe his eyes.


    The two Grade 4 Systems stared at the faces of each other, wondering if they had been affected by Mystique''s power. But even they were aware that the case was different. They weren''t under any hallucination of the sort.


    That means¡­the phenomenon that transpired before them was indeed reality.


    Koff!


    Mystique coughed out blood as he stared at the hand that had pierced his stomach before observing the smile of relief shed by Arnark.


    "Finally, I reached you," Arnark muttered as he yanked his hand out, pulling something from within Mystique.

 Chapter 915 Technocraft’s Genre Representation

    "How¡­did you know about its existence?" Mystique muttered in shock as the injury in his stomach healed in an instant.


    At the same time, the conservative collective consciousness morphed, and recing it was a rather proactive one.


    Arnark intended to exin his wits a little, but the moment he observed the change in the collective consciousness, he killed himself and vanished, not daring to remain there for even a second longer.


    Bang!


    There was a minor hole in the Core Skill Manifestation that rapidly healed itself, now stronger than before. Arnark''s first action was to keep a contingency measure within the created hole before it was sealed up.


    This allowed him to open it easily when needed using his Restriction Order. Following that, he unleashed the power of Lore, Plot Armour, and Plot Convenience to the limit, allowing the Core Skill Manifestation to grow stronger naturally by absorbing energies from the universe and the nearby universes.


    This was to prevent the four parties within from charging after him, especially Mystique.


    Death was his fastest mode of escape.


    "Something that I had lovingly created was stolen," Mystique muttered as his tone gradually turned chilly.


    "Shit!" Technocraft was the first to react as he teleported to the farthest corners of the Core Skill Manifestation, his face paling as unnatural energies sted out of Mystique. "Why the heck did Arnark have to trigger this guy?"


    "Aargh!"


    "What is happening?"


    "No, it''s not me. My body is acting on its own!"


    "I''m sorry! Sorry! Sorry!"


    Technocraft''s expression morphed in rm upon seeing that the tip of his nail was affected by the earlier burst of unnatural energy. Immediately in response, one of his universes was contaminated, the people in it turning insane as they destroyed everything in their path, causing the universe to lose eighty percent of its poption within a minute.


    That universe was beyond recovery as every single there had begun to morph unnaturally, birthing bizarre creatures that corrupted the minds of anyone that stared at them, including their own, resulting in them being affected by each other, bing more and more insane with the passage of every second.


    Technocraft had decisively severed all connections with that universe, staring in rm to notice that Mystique had just begun his rampage, his goal seeming to destroy the Core Skill Manifestation and chase after Arnark.


    "That was the fruit of mybour with my wife! How dare you steal it!" Mystique raged.


    "Quick! Deactivate your Core Skill Manifestation. At this rate, all three of us will be corrupted by his powers!" Technocraft stared at the two Systems and shouted in rm.


    "We want to, promise!" The Reincarnation System said in a panic, evading with all its might while it decisively severed any parts of its body that came into contact with the unnatural energy waves.


    It screamed, "But that fucker Arnark did something to this. It''s rapidly absorbing energy from the surrounding universes too to grow in strength. We need at least a few seconds to deactivate it, but Mystique''s attacks aren''t giving us that few seconds."


    "We don''t wish to be corrupted too."


    "He''s lost his mind." The Transmigration System announced upon seeing the bizarre energy waves vanish as suddenly as they appeared. It then stared at Mystique in hurry before shouting towards Technocraft, "Hurry! Stop him! We surrender! Surrender! Stop him!"


    "It''s enough!" Mystique clenched his teeth as blood drooled out of him to form a waterfall massive enough to swallow hundreds of worlds, his eyescking any sanity as he growled, "I''ll destroy everything!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Genre Manife¡­"


    Technocraft understood what was happening upon hearing the Transmigration System''s shout as he stared at Mystique in rm, ''This bastard! Mystique told me that the moment he does this, all of his worlds would awaken. The resulting disaster would swallow every single universe and leave nothing sane in its wake.''


    ''Every single living being would be affected. I can''t allow him to unleash it.'' Technocraft took in a deep breath, cursing the state of events resulted from Arnark''s actions as he muttered solemnly, finishing before Mystique, "Genre Representation¡­"


    Voyage into the Beyond!


    Time seemed to have stopped literally as for a moment, even Mystique was locked within the paused time, unable to react or even realise what was going on.


    The world lost all colours, sound, energy, mass, and everything, bing a literal void. But suddenly, unable to scale, unable to observe, unable to perceive, the void expanded, rapidly in fact, epassing to berge enough to fit hundreds of universes within.


    Genre Representation¡ªVoyage into the Beyond!


    Technocraft had two options. The first was to use the sheer might of his expanding space to rupture the time-space continuum created by the Core Skill Manifestations of the Transmigration and Reincarnation Systems. This would result in a ruptured universe and injure all four simultaneously from the impact.


    But he chose thetter and seamlessly integrated the effects of his Genre Representation into the Core Skill Representation, remembering how Magister was able to do so before with Apocalypse System''s Core Skill Manifestation. This way, he would interrupt Mystique''s Genre Representation Activation.


    Immediately in response, a ginormous universe was created, with itsws manifested by the abilities of Technocraft and the two System''s ultimate abilities.


    Immediately in response, the level of the space was upgraded to an extent that it surpassed the four entities within, causing mystical chains ofws to wrap around them, rming everyone.


    "Wha-What the heck is happening?" The Transmigration System shouted in rm as it stared at Technocraft, "What did you do?"


    "I stopped the disaster." Technocraft said in all seriousness, "And now, we''ll have to pay the price for our arrogance. The foundation of this universe now surpasses the authorities of us four and hence, it''s nning to integrate us into itself."


    "That doesn''t make sense, shit!" The Transmigration System cursed in response.


    "I see," In contrast, the Reincarnation System was calm, "This world will sort of act as a prison to contain us¡­"


    It stared at the figure of Mystique that was wrapped in chains, trembling in fear for a moment, "Until a certain someone calms down. It may be a century or two, but it''ll shatter on its own after that, unable to handle suppressing our growing presence."


    It then observed millions ofs forming in the universe as a habitable world appeared before it, "We''ll be reincarnating as natives of this world for the time being."


    It then whispered to the Transmigration System, "You know the rules. Find me first once you reincarnate. We''ll do everything in our power to fuck up Technocraft and Mystique using this chance. This is a rare opportunity to grow¡­"


    Grade 4 System¡ªReincarnation (Level 390)!


    Grade 4 System¡ªReincarnation (Level 391)!


    Grade 4 System¡ªReincarnation (Level 392)!


    The Reincarnation System grinned in response upon seeing that it had gained two whole levels. After all, at this moment, two Grade 4 Systems and two Genre Representatives were being reincarnated into a world. Just that fact alone rapidly strengthened its concept.


    "This''ll be interesting."

 Chapter 916 Arnark X Zaira

    "Phew¡­that was scary." Arnark said, trembling in fear for a moment before he calmed down, "Mystique is too terrifying to face. Thankfully, I took action when he was being manned by a conservative collective consciousness."


    "Anyway, I seeded." He grinned and gazed at the egg that was in his hands. He stared at it in delight, "This is my contingency n."


    The egg was tiny, only the size of his thumb, but within it was a half-formed human baby, or at least something that resembled one. Based on a human baby''s growth cycle, it was on par with a baby growing six months in the womb.


    Thump! Thump!


    The heartbeats of the baby were loud as Arnark stared at it, his face scrunching up upon noticing the baby struggling within a matter of seconds, "Oh no, it will die at this rate."


    Arnark stared at the vacuum of the space he had arrived at now, taking in a deep breath as he muttered, "Is this for the better? Well, I need to do it anyway."


    Immediately, his aura turned weak as a fragment of himself was shaved off to be a mysterious stream of energy that absorbed a terrifying amount of fate and swerved into the egg.


    Crack! Crack!


    Shatter!


    The space of the universe shattered in response, sucked in of all its fate as Arnark activated his final Core Skill, an ability that defied everything in existence, a Main Character''s ultimate power that could only be used once.


    Main Character Core Skill¡ªSecond Chance!


    Unlike his other Core Skills, Second Chance had no level requirement. Once activated, it took effect, irrespective of the state of being or the condition of the world he was in.


    The owner of this Main Character Core Skill was someone killed an instant after he awakened. He didn''t even realise the power he possessed when yer destroyed him. Arnark absorbed the authority and carried out experiments, channelling this power through the Main Character System fragments to sometimes give some protagonists a second chance.


    But, that was only conducted in worlds with a weak fate to prevent the effect of the Core Skill from being used up.


    "It''s done," Arnark muttered as he observed the Core Skill of Second Chance permanently disappearing from his authority and records.


    Though, despite his actions, he observed that the egg was growing more unstable as time passes, frowning as he muttered, "It needs the best of conditions to remain safe. If it falls in the hands of Compass, then¡­"


    "Never mind," Arnark changed his mind and decisively unleashed a torrent of energy, rapidly forming a connection with the Astral Network of the nearby universe as he watched the figure of Zaira appear before him a momentter.


    "You''re still in your human form, as expected." He muttered as he extended his hand, giving the egg to her, "Here, this was originally yours."


    "This¡­" Zaira stared at the egg in shock, muttering with a wry smile, "So, it indeed exists. I had hoped it was just a part of my nightmare."


    A nce was all it took for her to understand Arnark''s resole, her eyes turning moist from joy as she grinned, "I''ll gratefully ept it."


    She ced the egg on her belly, watching it sink through her body and merge into her womb. Immediately, her stomach bulged, making her appear no different to a humandy that was six months pregnant. "I''m continuing it from that time."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I''ll be leaving now," Arnark said as he turned around, about to bite off his tongue tomit suicide when Zaira held the helm of his dress suddenly.


    "Are you going there now?" Zaira asked, her expression serious, "Let Invader take the lead and test the waters."


    "Are you scared?" Arnark raised an eyebrow as he stared at her, "Do you seriously think the Main Character System would fall under Compass Carburettor''s possession?"


    "You should understand¡­" Zaira said solemnly, "If you were to lose, Compass wouldn''t be bing the Main Character System. Instead, he''ll be himself with the power of the Main Character System under his disposal. I¡­"


    She gritted her teeth, "I''ve tried to recreate the Tell-Tale System from my records, but all my attempts ended in failure. That bastard¡­he entirely devoured Tell-Tale''s concept and is now representing it."


    "So, if you were to lose, your concept would be devoured by him."


    "I don''t want the powers of one of the most special Systems to fall under his control. Losing Tell-Tale itself is a crushing blow that I''ve yet to recover from." Zaira said, expressing momentary fluster.


    ''So, after gaining a human body thanks to Mystique, she has be susceptible to emotional outbursts.'' Arnark observed as he stared at her eyes, noticing a sense of fear pervading deep in them, "You''re wrong about something."


    "Even if I suffer a million losses, the final point of my timeline is a victory." Arnark proimed, "A climactic victory is the essence of being the Main Character."


    "At least, only make your appearance after the Invader System is defeated," Zaira said, nervous.


    "Then, why don''t you reveal the identity of the System that has intruded upon my genre?" Arnark said, expressing killing intent as he killed himself and appeared a couple of metres away, evading Zaira''s lunge, "As expected, there is zero trust between us."


    "Everything I''m doing is only for my survival. Don''t think for a second that we''re on the same side, Zaira." Arnark said in anger before revealing a subtle smile, "Or, there is one way. Are you willing to go under me?"


    In response to his words, Zaira red at him. Intense killing intent burst out of her body as she became ready to battle, "Arnark!"


    "Do you love me? Or hate me? Decide it first." Arnark killed himself and revived farther away, "Irrespective of what you decide, one thing is for certain."


    "I''m what you desired the most from the moment you became the System World."


    Boom!


    An attack came his way, killing him. Unfortunately, nothing happened as using that chance, Arnark killed himself and revived somewhere else, only resulting in Zaira huffing in anger.


    "That bastard!" She raged for a full minute before calming down, staring at her bulging stomach in conflict, "This is a disgusting sensation."


    "But, no matter what," She patted her stomach and arrived at the System World, "I''ll give birth to it."


    "My child will lead the Systems to victory."

 Chapter 917 Earth As Star

    "You...seeded? So soon?" Stencil stared in shock at the uninjured figure of Earth Star, "How...is this possible?"


    "You''re unharmed."


    "Well, I just...did it." Earth Star smiled wryly as he scratched his cheek, "It seems I somehow gained his acknowledgement by passing his test."


    "How was the test?" Stencil asked while motioning for him to be seated on the seat before her.


    "It was enlightening." Earth Star said as he extended his index finger, causing the wind before it to swirl slowly, "I can disy the effects of my power without even using it."


    Stencil''s eyes lit up in response before she began to chuckle, "So, you mean to say even if you were to lose your power, you''ll still be Earth Star, right?"


    "At present, I''ll be a super weak Earth Star, but Earth Star nheless." He replied in confidence, "As long as I train myself, I''m confident in strengthening my base control over nature. I hope to reach a state where I can output as much effect as my current self without using my powers."


    "You''ll need to train immensely for that." Stencil said as she patted his shoulder, "You did great. I never thought you would not only survive, but evenplete his mission while gaining his acknowledgement."


    "It somehow happened that way," Earth Star nodded before saying suddenly, "Also, sir told that if you wished to solve your final issue, you should meet Rhizen. You''ll get the necessary clues from his world."


    "Rhizen...? Ahh, yes! There''s that too." Stencil''s eyes lit up in response as she giggled happily. Following that, she received an ice cream prepared by a dragon plushie and relished it, motioning for Earth Star to eat too, "It''s delicious!"


    "Uh...thanks." Earth Star received it awkwardly from the dragon plushie and ate it, staring at the six-year-old self of the Genesis Hero before him. It was currently nighttime, and hence, Stencil was only a child.


    She was visibly growing in size before him though, as the minutes passed. By the time it was morning, she had reached herte teens, now possessing enough power and maturity to take things seriously.


    "Give me the wristwatch." She said, extending her hand to receive the item, shocked the moment she touched it, sensing the boundless power within it, "A-Amazing!"


    "Is this for real?"


    "How can something like this exist?"


    "I feel strong just by its mere presence."


    The collective consciousnesses in her mind moured in response, observing the energy signature emitted by the wristwatch that was in tune with their nature.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "So, that''s how Hazen left my world..." Stencil muttered as she closed her eyes and focused on the 24 Rings protecting her world, causing them to spin opposite to one another as they absorbed sunlight to gradually experience an inherent change, "Thanks to his actions, I gained the inspiration to protect the timeline of this world better."


    A few minutester, her eyes shot open as she muttered in confidence, "I now understand what dad was getting at. By meeting Rhizen, I''ll indeed be able to solve my issues."


    "Now, I''ll begin refining this item," Stencil said as immediately, boundless energy seeped into the wristwatch, morphing its shape into a sphere that expanded to be as big as a basketball, resembling a in structure.


    "A collective consciousness is a result of the fusion of all the consciousness dominant in a world. So, the minds of every single living being cluster into a single entity. But, that is an intangible concept. So, something must exist to support and manifest that, right?" She spoke as she began to refine it.


    She pointed at the sphere, "This is pretty much that. Hazen absorbed the essence of all the collective consciousnesses that gued his mind and ejected this husk. But, he also imbued in it data regarding all the worlds that the collective consciousnesses were sourced from."


    "And, my father worked on transforming this into a living creature by causing all that data to be something akin to the gic material present in every single particle forming this entity." She continued, "But, it''s not alive though. It''s akin to a virus, a husk that iscking an owner."


    Stencil became silent for the next few hours, causing the sphere to gradually morph into the same shape as Earth Star as she eventually spoke right around noon, when she was at her strongest state, "Now, your consciousness would gain possession of it. Normally, it would only serve as a powerful weapon, but for the current you that could manipte the matter of your body even without any powers, this weapon would allow your basic powers to be universal."


    "Your power allows you to exhibit traits on the level of a, disying its mass, gravity, etc." Stencil said, "I won''t give you any special powers as what you currently possess is by far the rawest of powers possible. So, this weapon will simply amplify that..."


    "By fusing into your body." Stencil uttered with a solemn gaze, "Your base physique would weigh as much as a massive, no, a star. If you fail to control it, you''ll directly cause this world to copse and m into you due to the sheer gravitational pull you emit."


    Faint swirls of gravitational waves emanated from the weapon as Stencil stared at Earth Star, "Are you willing to shoulder this? You will never have a normal life after this."


    "Stencil..." Earth Star spoke in confidence, "I am Earth Star. Life exists on earth, that is an inherent fact. I won''t destroy a single life due to my powers."


    "Fine, if you say so." Stencil nodded in praise upon seeing that Earth Star''s confidence was potently substantial. She pushed the weapon into his body, causing him to grunt as every single cell in his body fused with a particle of the weapon, causing an inherent change in him.


    Boom!


    Intense gravity akin to the extent of crumbling a erupted from him at the moment of fusion, almost causing the dimension they were at to fracture. But before that happened, Earth Star reined in the gravitational waves as he calmed himself, observing the inherent changes to his being as muttered, "Man as Heaven,"


    "Earth as Star."

 Chapter 918 Leaving On A Trip

    "Man as heaven, Earth as star." Earth Star muttered as he clenched his hand into a fist, suppressing his powers. Or rather, he sensed that due to his body mass, the gravitational force he was unleashed was too destructive, almost akin to a super weak supernova.


    So, he had to control that in order to prevent destroying everything in his way. And that, he did by using his powers to counter his innate gravity.


    He activated a variety of his powers to counter his innate qualities to appear like a normal human, muttering, "This will take a while to get adjusted to."


    "At present, you''re suppressing your body''s innate nature using your powers. But, you should quickly get your body under control. Only then will you be of use in the uing war." Stencil said, "We have less than two months left before the Invader Systemunches an attack with all its might."


    "Yes, I''ll be meditating to get it under control¡­" Earth Star stopped speaking upon seeing Stencil get up suddenly and pat him on the shoulder, suddenly teleporting him into the living room of a house.


    There was ady in the kitchen, filling a water bottle with water for drinking purposes. She turned around the moment they arrived, unsurprised at their arrival to speak, "Are you done with your preparations, Stencil?"


    "Yeah," Stencil nodded as she pped the back of Earth Star, "And now, I have apetent bodyguard."


    She then looked around, asking, "Where''s dad? I thought he would be here."


    "He''s cking at the Hero Academy." Thedy was Gehera who offered to make tea for her two guests as she stared at the time before continuing, "He''ll be home in thirty minutes. He just has two sses to teach in the morning anyway."


    "She is¡­?" Earth Star stared at Gehera, asking in confusion. He was somewhat surprised that there existed another person that knew about Stencil. And judging by thefortable way she spoke, it was apparent that the two of them went way back.


    "The one ying as the Contained Viin using my dad''s powers," Stencil said, watching Earth Star be stunned in response.


    "No need to worry though, she doesn''t bite," Stencil said, catching the ss that was thrown at her by Gehera as she casually ced it on the table. Not a single drop of the tea within was spilt out.


    She casually sipped it and watched Gehera take a seat before her.


    "What''s your n now?" Gehera asked, "Since you havee here, it means you''re done with all preparations?"


    "Yeah, all the collective consciousnesses are under me now. I''ve also created three concept Representatives to passively reinforce my strength even when I be a baby." Stencil nodded and said, "Now, all that is left is the final issue at hand. I''m nning to leave this world for the time being."


    "Are you prepared for the journey?" Compass Carburettor''s voice resounded as he arrived at the living room, setting his coat on the hanger as he hugged the figure of Stencil that leapt into his embrace, "Wee back, brat."


    "Aren''t I awesome?" Stencil grinned smugly.


    "Yeah, you take after your father." Compass Carburettor replied in response, watching Stencil m her head on his forehead lightly and walk away.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Will it kill you topliment me properly?" She pouted a little before resuming her drink, extending the empty cup towards Gehera for a refill, "I n to return before the Invader Systemunches the invasion. But just in case I''m dyed, please protect this world."


    "Don''t worry." Compass Carburettor smiled in confidence, "I''ve already made preparations for the war. They won''t be invading this world anyway."


    "They won''t?" Stencil was surprised at the statement.


    "Yeah," He nodded and stared at Gehera, "The two of us have been working on creating a barrier in the form of a battlefield. It''s a manner in which we''re bringing the 3D battle space into a 2D format. The 24 Rings would exist as is on one corner of the battlefield. And any existence arriving from other universes would create doorways on the other corner and march from there."


    "This way, it''ll be easy for us to face the enemies since the Heroes and Viins of this world haven''t reached a level where they could fight in the void yet." Gehera finished the statement, "We''ve yet tounch it at the moment. If we do so in advance, the scouts belonging to the Gunmetal Gold World would gain the information and allow the Invader System to prepare beforehand."


    "Ok, I''ll leave all preparations to you." Stencil said and left two dragon plushies with them, "The majority of control of this world is done by this fe. So, you can cooperate with the dragon plushies to get everything done."


    "Alright," Gehera nodded and observed the figure of Stencil and Earth Star vanish in response, sighing as she muttered, "And they disappeared. That was fast."


    "They are in a hurry. You can''t me them." Compass Carburettor said as he patted the closest dragon plushie, "Earth Star''s potential has exploded to a ginormous extent, but he has less than two months to limate to it and gain enough experience to fight Systems."


    "Thankfully, Rhizen''s world is surrounded by Systems that can serve as a good whetstone to train him." He continued, "But yes, he doesn''t have enough time. So, they have to hurry."


    "Are you sure you can leave them as is?" Gehera asked in worry, "Even though Stencil has grown stronger and has prepared a lot, shecks enough time to see the fruits of her efforts. She might fail."


    "That doesn''t matter." Compass Carburettor smiled as he took a seat on the sofa, "I''ll give her all the time she needs. Even if she fails to return on time, nothing will change."


    He said in confidence, "I alone am enough to destroy our enemies."


    "We!" Gehera snorted, "I too am strong, you know. Except for Arnark, the Grade 4 Systems, and the Genre Representatives, I''m confident in fighting against the rest."


    "Haha, yes, yes. We are strong enough to destroy our enemies." Compass Carburettor corrected himself as he thought in all seriousness, his mind calcting bone-chilling thoughts, ''This will be an endless wave of enemies. So, I need to prepare.''


    He got up and hugged Gehera, followed by a kiss on her forehead as he said, "I need to make a small trip and recharge my batteries. You sure you won''t miss me?"


    "I will," Gehera said as she pulled him closer, "So, do something about it."


    "Haha," Smiling wryly in response, Compass Carburettor carried her to the bedroom and closed the door.

 Chapter 919 Training Towards The Peak (Part 1)

    --------------------


    Hello everyone. I have created a sticker set of CC (24 stickers in total) and n to make more in the uing weeks. You can have ess to it by supporting me on Patreon (Even the lowest Tier gets you all the ess): https://.patreon/overlord_venus


    Will be adding more rewards to the higher Tiers (Including aic adaptation). So, any support will be dly appreciated. Now, back to the chapter!


    --------------------


    The morning the next day, Compass Carburettor woke up, feeling refreshed as he tossed and turned under the sheets for a couple of minutes before getting up as he entered the bathroom and freshened himself.


    Following that, he prepared breakfast and helped himself while staring at the news telecast on the TV, noticing that Gehera had yet to wake up, too exhausted from the nightly activities.


    He then picked up his mobile and called Muscle Lantern, "I won''t being to the Academy for a while."


    "Yeah, something important hase up."


    "The Hero Association would inform you soon enough."


    "Take care while you bring the students to the Gunmetal Gold World for training. If youe across a 4-Star enemy and above, summon Gehera for help. Yeah, use the method I taught you."


    "That''s it, I''ll see youter." Saying so, he ended the call, taking in a deep breath as he finished his breakfast and switched off the TV.


    "Is it time already?" Gehera''s exhausted voice resounded from the bedroom.


    "Yeah," Compass Carburettor nodded as he covered his face with a hat and exited the house, "Get some rest while you can. The safety of this world rests on your hands until the three of us return."


    "Take care." He said and closed the door, exiting the apartment slowly as he walked through the streets, taking in the familiar sights that he had gotten used to in the past couple of months.


    "This is my daughter''s world." He muttered and stared at the sky, disappearing from the middle of the street. Shockingly, none seemed aware of what had happened, going about with their daily lives.


    Compass Carburettor arrived before the barrier as he gently leaned on it and melted through it, appearing on the other side as he watched it struggle to mend itself, taking almost a minute to do so. ''My radiation is indeed strong.''


    He then walked on the barrier, observing that despite passing beside them, none of the Invaders seemed aware of his presence.


    How would they know? After all, he wasn''t travelling through reality but through their dreand. Grotesque, bizarrely shaped creatures wafted out of the Invaders, depicting the chaos in their minds.


    Even while awake, the mind continues to dream on, just that it would be too weak. But through his powers of Dreamcraft, Compass Carburettor casually manifested the dreamscapes of those around him, creating an alternate ne that he used to travel.


    This was only possible in ces with living beings. Therefore, the very existence of the Invaders meant to scout all actions taken by this universe ended up being the cause that masked his existence, one that slowly sauntered towards the end of the universe.


    He extended his hand, unleashing a minor spatial fluctuation as his figure transmigrated past the barrier and entered the adjacent universe.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Compass Carburettor looked around, noticing that there were habitables in this universe, so he avoided it and travelled towards its end before transmigrating to the next universe, continuing to do so until he came across a universe without any native lifeforms.


    "This will do." He muttered and arrived before a sun, opening his mouth as he unleashed a suction force, causing the sma on the sun to flow towards him. The stream was minuscule at the start but in a matter of minutes, its size expanded to be as big as the biggest of rivers.


    "Keuk!" Compass Carburettor grunted as he began to absorb energy at a pace beyond what he was capable of. The ce he had arrived at was around the centre of the universe, a location where the biggest star existed.


    The sheer heat it radiated was enough to vaporise most forms of matter. If not for his energy absorption abilities, even he would have been affected.


    The rays of heat from the star flowed into his body, rapidly devoured by him as Compass Carburettor observed the energy funnelling into his Psyche Stars little by little, smiling wryly in response, "There''s barely any change. It''s like a bottomless hole."


    The energy was divided into his seven Psyche Stars equally, but despite him absorbing a massive quantity every second, there was no change in the quantity of energy they possessed.


    Each of his Psyche Stars wholly expressed his potential. So, it meant that the greater his foundation, the greater the quantity of energy they required to be filled up. Upon calcting the number of stars he would have to devour in response, even he felt a chill.


    "Thankfully, there are an endless number of universes."


    The gigantic star began to turn unstable upon losing a good fraction of its mass, showing signs of instability. Compass Carburettor observed its condition before closing his eyes as he transformed into a beam of light and arrived at its core, meditating there as he began to consolidate his energy levels.


    ''To decisively kill my enemies, I need to attain the peak of my power.'' He thought, focusing on the concept he represented as he expanded his senses, forgetting his existence as he began to synchronise with the deaths of the living beings in the adjacent universe.


    From a million creatures to two million, four, eight, eventually reaching the billions. A day passed in such a fashion as he now had synchronised himself with all the deaths transpiring in an entire universe.


    "Further." He muttered, expanding his senses to a second universe through the pathways of energy funnelling into his concept, "Death, fragile, mortality."


    "Death, fragile, mortality."


    "Death, fragile, mortality."


    He continued to chant the same words over and over, observing the deaths of every living being in a greater number of universes. Eventually, he stopped when his senses expanded to ten universes, observing that he had fully synchronised himself with all the deaths happening in these ten universes.


    "Now, I am fully attuned to the deaths happening in the present of these ten universes." He muttered, his body ring up in response as his eyes shot open, "Now, I need to synchronise with their past too."


    Dreamcraft!


    Through the dreams of living beings, Compass Carburettor erected dreamscapes that began to travel reverse in a universe''s timeline, mapping out its past. Through there, he obtained data regarding the lives that had been lost, using that as a stimulus to gain an anchor point in the timeline of the universe in reality, using which he began to attune himself to all the deaths that had happened in that time frame.


    But, he had only managed to synchronise a few seconds into the past when intense pain assaulted him, causing mysterious instincts to invade him in reverse, urging him tomit suicide.

 Chapter 920 Training Towards The Peak (Part 2)

    "Death, mortal, fragility."


    "Death¡­mortal¡­fragility¡­"


    "Death¡­kill! Kill! Die! Die! Die!" Compass Carburettor grunted in pain when he began to shout with a maddened stature, hollering nonstop like an animal that was about to be ughtered, "Kill! Kill me! I''ll kill you!"


    All living beings experienced the mortality of their lives, whether they were mortals leading fragile lives or immortals leading supposedly unkible lives. And when deathes knocking on their door, it''s never pretty.


    As Compass Carburettor represented that phenomenon, of the moment when the fragility of a living being is expressed, when he synchronised himself over the ten universes, the states of being of those during the moment of their death too was funnelled to him, into his concept.


    The result of that?


    "Aargh! Noooo!" Followed by a pitiful scream, Compass Carburettor exploded into a sphere of dust, unleashing a torrent of energy powerful enough to destroy the universe.


    "Hmm, that went horribly." Compass Carburettor muttered as he observed the state of his self within the Dreand he had constructed. The moment he noticed something amiss, he instantly transferred the reins to a version of himself created from his dreams.


    And upon seeing that version self-destruct so quickly, Compass Carburettor realised that what he tried now wasn''t the correct choice. Moreover, he observed that the moment the contents of the concept began to funnel into his being, an instinct of sorts too began to make its way through.


    An instinct to kill the unkible, to observe the kible, and to oversee the perishable.


    Just as Truck-Kun wished to transmigrate worthy candidates to other worlds, this was the instinct regarding his concept.


    So, if Compass Carburettor were to proceed in this direction, he would change at the fundamental level, ''No, that isn''t necessary. It would only make me weak against my enemies.''


    He muttered, "Despite all his power, Truck-Kun is still a ve to the instincts of his concept. He''s better off than the Genre Representatives, but he''s still not fully free."


    He stared at his strength, "Yes, I was indeed feeling that something was amiss from the start. I''ve been glossing over simple aspects of life despite the sheer level of information I possess. The fault didn''t stem from me. Or rather,"


    He stared around at the streams of energy funnelling into himself, "You guys were the problem."


    Compass Carburettor represented the mortality of life. So, his concept existed anywhere life was being snuffed out. This caused a mystical power to funnel into him and strengthen him passively.


    But there was a problem here, originating from its source. There were two sources of power funnelling into this concept.


    The first was the mortality of all lifeforms in the various universes out there. The second was the mortality of the Secret Society members living in his Dreand.


    In the former case, moments before their death, the lifeforms depicted all manner of mental states, which too were funnelled into him.


    But in thetter case, despite the variety of mental states depicted at the moment of death, they were just his mental states brought about by the circumstances.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The strength funnelling into his concept from his Dreand was wholly attuned to himself. But the strength funnelling into him from outside contained an ''Instinct'' that was interfering with his basic functions and thought processes.


    That was why he was making so many mistakes by glossing over the simplest of facts.


    Originally, Compass Carburettor assumed that was simply because he was in the process of bing a human and was rediscovering himself. But no, his Dreand was discovering himself perfectly.


    The living beings there were subjected to every single type of experience out there, all versions of himself. So, it was practically as if he, Compass Carburettor, had subjected himself to living out lives in billions of ways. The experience from each was phenomenally important.


    But at the same time, the exterior strength¡ªfunnelling from people with different mindsets, characters, intelligence, and thought processes¡ªcountered them, resulting in a sh within his concept due to which he formed too many mental blind spots. But at least, the power funnelling into his concept from the Dreand vastly outssed the external influx, which was why the number of blind spots wasn''t too dangerous.


    But, once he began to synchronise himself with ten universes at an intrinsic level, the external influx of power to his concept began to increase, eventually causing it to be on par with the strength influx from his Dreand, which caused him a severe headache.


    After all, both sides were destructively shing with one another, for their nature was different. One side was birthed by an individual while the other was from the masses.


    Once Compass Carburettor expanded the synchronisation into the past too, the external strength influx overwhelmed the internal strength influx, resulting in an overload that caused the implosion.


    Thankfully, he had shifted that to the Dreand and avoided a miserable fate.


    "Self-sufficiency," Compass Carburettor muttered, "Wasn''t that my goal anyway? Even for this concept, I''ll only represent myself."


    Saying so, Compass Carburettor transformed his body into a cluster of light through which some particles fell off.


    Mortality!


    In the concept, the strength that originated externally was shed off until eventually, the concept was wholly formed from the mortality of those living in his Dreand.


    As a result, he became severely weak in response to before, but Compass Carburettor wasn''t concerned, "Now, I have avoided a fate where my inherent nature would be influenced by external means."


    Now, he no longer represented the concept of Mortality regarding any other living beings apart from himself. He had the choice to represent that, if he so wished. He could temporarily do that when the situation deemed fit and then shed off the influence originating from that casually.


    With this, he no longer had to worry about anyone infringing on his concept. After all, the Systems were even infringing on Truck-Kun''s concept, just that they haven''t tasted any sess as of yet. And simrly, once they be aware of his concept, who''s to say they wouldn''t attempt the same on his concept too?


    But now, even if they do that, Compass Carburettor wouldn''t be concerned. After all, the domain of what he represented was only towards the Mortality of those in his Dreand, nothing more, nothing less.


    That was a perfect representative.

 Chapter 921 Training Towards The Peak (Part 3)

    His actions weakened him to a terrible extent. After all, from an entity that was empowered by all the deaths in the multiverse to someone now only empowered by the deaths in his Dreand, Compass Carburettor''s strength fell by a lot.


    It had to be understood that his concept was Mortality. Meaning, his concept only existed at the moment of a life''s death. So, at that moment, it empowered him.


    But before and after that, he wasn''t empowered.


    Meaning, if suppose ten million creatures were to die at one moment, Compass Carburettor would be empowered ordingly. But in the next moment, eight million creatures were to die, it would mean a reduction in his strength by twenty percent.


    This was how concepts functioned. If they were in use, they functioned. If not in use, they vanished. The greater their use, the stronger they were.


    This was why Truck-Kun''s strength continued to climb over the years, because more and more people were bing aware of his concept, which empowered him when all idents rted to trucks were put on him.


    So, in the case of ten million deaths, if only one million deaths were to happen the next second, Compass Carburettor would only be at a tenth of his prior strength.


    But, this didn''t matter in the end. After all, the multiverse was just that ginormous. The number of deaths happening every second was impossible for the human mind to fathom and wrap around.


    So, Compass Carburettor was being empowered to a tremendous extent. But now that it wasn''t there, he became weak immediately. But, he wasn''t concerned.


    After all, every single particle in his Dreand was a Secret Society member. Meaning, even the smallest of atomic reactions would mean the death of two members¡ªatoms¡ªand the birth of a new member¡ªmolecule.


    So, as every single particle was treated as a living entity in his Dreand, even the most minimalistic of actions would cause the deaths of countless Secret Society members and the birth of many.


    Thanks to that, he was still strong enough.


    Externally, he only represented the present of his concept. That meant that he was only empowered by the deaths happening at that moment. And when he tried to synchronise with the past of ten universes and be empowered by the deaths of its past, he exploded.


    It was too much for him to bear.


    But in the case of the Dreand, that wasn''t an issue. After all, every single particle there was himself, and the data regarding everything happening there too was stored in his Dreand. Meaning, as the deaths continue to happen in his Dreand, he was gradually growing stronger in a cumtive manner.


    The number of deaths happening at that moment only contributed to the rate of his concept''s growth and not the overall strength it output. So, even though he was weakened at the moment, his potential was endless.


    Boom!


    With his thoughts concluded, Compass Carburettor unleashed a terrifying suction force, causing the star to shrink in response, causing its gravitational pull to be fiercer. This ended up attracting the stars nearby, causing them to collide to create an even more terrifying star.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The gravitational pull umted, causing its effective range to increase as one after another, more stars were being pulled towards it.


    And at the centre of it all was Compass Carburettor, absorbing the sulent energy in a controlled manner as he used the power of his Dreamcraft every time the situation went bonkers and a ckhole was created.


    Using Dreamcraft, he reversed the cause and modified it to keep everything steady. Thest thing he wanted was to be blown into smithereens by an ident of nature. Yes, he would revive immediately after since his concept wouldn''t be damaged by a natural explosion, but it would interrupt his absorption.


    He would have to waste a lot of time to get the flow right once again. As he was running short of time, he had no ns to waste it.


    Boom!


    The Dreand expanded in size, causing newnd to form. And from thend emerged all sorts of creatures, from animals to insects to humans and even nts. Once they gained their forms, they began to build their respective civilisation, as if kids woken up from a long dream.


    The world began to rapidly take shape based on the free will of the people there. The seven Psyche Stars were in the sky, shining their light on every living creature as they gradually distanced themselves from one another as the space was expanding.


    As long as the Dreand bes massive enough to house trillions upon trillions of lifeforms, his strength would continue to grow at a rapid pace. And all he needed to create more was simply sunlight.


    That was bountifully avable in the present universe. Compass Carburettor calcted that even if he spent a century in this universe, he would still be unable to absorb all the energy present in the stars here.


    It made him change his mind about the strength a Genre Representative wielded. After all, they epassed the entirety of the universes under them, for thews of the worlds in them were connected to the foundation of the universe.


    But, just as he experienced, there was an internal conflict in their powers. The majority of the powers simply conflicted with each other, only resulting in minor dregs that survived the constant sh.


    The powers unleashed by the Genre Representatives were just these ''dregs.''


    "So, that was why they always remain on the fence. It''s not that they weren''t pressured by the Systems, but it was just that they represented such an unscble power that even the mighty Systems were just ants in their perception." Compass Carburettor muttered, "After all, even with the dregs resulting from the sh in the millions of powers funnelling into them, the Genre Representatives are still able to fight on par with the Systems."


    "That''s their true foundation." Compass Carburettor muttered as his merchant nature caused him toin in response, "How inefficient. They''re barely employing a fraction of a percentage of their boundless power."


    "No, it''s not that they won''t use beyond that, but they can''t." He nodded in understanding, "It was the same for me too. The moment I tried to harness a bit more of my concept''s true potential, I exploded."


    "It''s kind of irritating indeed. Now, what Arnark uttered before Immortal''s death makes sense."

 Chapter 922 Training Towards The Peak (Part 4)

    Even though all Cultivation Worlds fall under the Cultivation Genre, they have an inherent difference in their power system.


    Some use Spirit Energy, some use Qi, etc. And depending on the energy, the levels one gain for their strength too varies. The mode of cultivation differs, etc.


    Too many differences exist despite them being under the same genre. So, when the energy from these worlds funnel into Immortal, they conflict. After all, when there exists conflict everywhere even in their world, how would these energies not conflict with foreign energies?


    The energies conflict, the power system conflict, and the collective consciousness conflict too. These three conflicts create a three-dimensional field of conflict within Immortal, resulting in the majority of the power in him being contradicted by each other.


    All that would be left behind are dregs, originating from worlds with the exact same power system, energy, and more or less simr setup for the collective consciousness, resulting in them somehow avoiding erasure.


    It was this dreg that formed the majority of Immortal''s strength, and in extension, all the Genre Representatives too.


    But even here, there was a problem with the efficiency of usage. After all, even after a Collective Consciousness gained control in Immortal, it was unable to exercise its full power. After all, the majority of its attention would be focused on keeping the other Collective Consciousnesses at bay.


    And it''s not like all the worlds remained passive. No, things were constantly changing in every single world due to development. And whenever war happens, arge number of lifeforms are killed, new powerhouses emerge, the thoughts of people change, etc.


    This causes the influence of that world within Immortal to fluctuate rapidly. And this fluctuation causes waves to form through the other powers. If the fluctuation happened in just one world, then the effect would have been insignificant.


    But when the same happened all the time in a majority of the worlds, the various powers within Immortal constantly fluctuated. So even for the Collective Consciousnesses controlling his body, it would have to defend against the other Collective Consciousnesses and control the fluctuating powers.


    Moreover, whenever the powers fluctuate, the hierarchy of the various powers changes, causing a temporal shift. At times, this shift would be powerful enough to make Immortal weak for a moment.


    So, Immortal had to fight while constantly dealing with all the internal chaos, resulting in his usage of even the ''Dregs'' being at a crippled efficiency.


    This was Arnark''sment that if he had as much power as Immortal--the ''Dregs'' he controlled--at that moment, he could casually end the war.


    Each universe was almost infinite. Their foundations were terrifying. And all this foundation, originating from thousands of universes for minor Genre Representatives to millions of universes for the major Genre Representatives made them that much more terrifying.


    So, even the mere ''Dregs'' they employed with abysmal efficiency still amounted to such a terrifying power. In the hands of individual entities like Arnark, even the ''Dregs'' gave him sufficient power to dominate the multiverse.


    With that, Compass Carburettor arrived at an understanding of sorts, "So, that is what the Genre Representatives represent with their ultimate ability."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "In that vein," He muttered, enlightened, "The Systems unleash their Core Skill Manifestation, which is basically a manifestation of their concept that they had umted all this time. And in contrast,"


    "The Genre Representatives manifest the chaos that forms them at a tangible state." He let out a smile in the end, "From what I know, only Grade 3 Systems and above can unleash a Core Skill Manifestation. And among the Genre Representatives, only the major ones can unleash a Genre Representation."


    "So, what is the limiting factor one needs to qualify to attain this?" He muttered before iterating his observations, "Grade 1 Systems work in the mortal limit. They are geared toward a single individual. Grade 2 Systems work within the magical limit. They can create entire races. But Grade 3 Systems work on entire worlds. So,"


    He frowned, "Technically, the Grade 2 Systems represent a concept too, since they represent the entire race. For example, the Demon System can practically represent the entirety of the Demon Race. So, why can''t they do a Core Skill Manifestation?"


    "When Apocalypse unleashed it, a world was created in which everyone was influenced to adapt to that apocalyptic setting." His confusion furthered in response, "A Grade 2 System can change one''s race. But a Grade 3 System is also doing the same by influencing the world first. So, what is missing here that sets them apart?"


    At this point, he concluded, "I...don''t know."


    "It seems I need to further my understanding regarding this." Thinking as such, he set aside the Core Skill Manifestation and focused on the Genre Manifestation of the Genre Representatives, "Why can some Genre Representatives use it while others cannot? Unlike a Grade 2 and Grade 3 System, all Genre Representatives are the same. The only difference is the number of worlds under them."


    "So, does one only need to attain a quantitative difference to be able to perform a Genre Representation?" He shook his head, "I don''t think that seems to be the case here. There is an intrinsic quality here that I''m missing."


    "And whether or not I know that will make all the difference." Compass Carburettor thought, racking his head toe up with an answer, but failing in the end, "It seems racking my head here won''t bring about a solution."


    He thought as such and plucked a strand of his hair, watching it wriggle in response by absorbing a torrent of energy from the sun to be a clone of himself.


    ''Find out the cause.'' Compass Carburettor spoke to his clone through thoughts. As it was a Secret Society member, irrespective of where it existed, they couldmunicate realistically through thoughts.


    Thanks to his concept that was ever present in every universe, the channel for theirmunication would never be cut off as it could flow through their concept when necessary. Though yes, without using the concept, it would be cut off once the Secret Society member heads to another universe.


    So, unless necessary, the member didn''t n tomunicate, for that would mean tapping into the concept of Mortality present externally, which would infect them and make them spend some time getting rid of the traces.


    Connecting once in a while would be enough. As Compass Carburettor was charging himself up here, the Secret Society member would head out to find out the true reason, "To the world of the weakest Genre Representative that could unleash a Genre Representation,"


    "Martial."

 Chapter 923 A Lich’s Laboratory (Part 1)

    <Ding!>


    [Quest: Stop the Monster Gate]


    [Quest Details: The A-Rank Dungeon, ''A Lich''s Laboratory'' has exploded, creating a wave of undead monsters in the heart of the city. Stop the monster wave and protect the city.]


    [Duration: 2 Hours 30 Mins]


    [Reward: Elven Tear]


    "Run!" Ying shouted as he carried a child nearby and was about to run towards the safety of a nearby shelter when the Quest window popped up, causing his running feet to slow down before eventually, he stopped.


    "Uncle, why did you stop?" The child said in fear and held onto him tightly, "I''m scared! I''m scared!"


    "It''s fine," Ying smiled as he ced the child on the ground, "I''ll take you to safety, alright?"


    Skill¡ªOrc Dragon Soar!


    Carrying the child with him, Ying glided through the sky and quickly reached the nearby shelter, cing the child there as he looked around in a hurry, sighing in relief upon seeing the child spot his mother in the shelter.


    "My son!" Thedy shouted in relief and hugged her son tightly, sobbing in response. A few secondster, she looked up to thank Ying, only to see that he was no longer there.


    Standing on the terrace of a skyscraper was Ying, his expression dark, "An A-Rank dungeon break¡­can I handle it?"


    "No, I can''t." He sighed upon gazing at a portal that was two hundred metres away, for the first time in his life observing such a gigantic portal, one that spanned thirty metres in size. It was massive, for usually, such sizes meant the dungeon monsters within would be too terrifying.


    It made sense when one thought of it. This was an infamous A-Rank Dungeon that was said to be the graveyard of countless Hunters, for it was filled to the brim with undead creatures, not to mention the Dungeon Boss being a Lich.


    Ying stared at his status, feeling uncertain.


    [Orc-Dragon Soul Fusion: 77%]


    [Innate Trait: Devour]


    [Skill: Orc Dragon Skin]


    [Skill: Orc Dragon w]


    [Skill: Orc Dragon Roar]


    [Skill: Orc Dragon Sense]


    [Skill: Orc Dragon Recovery]


    [Skill: Orc Dragon Soar]


    With his innate trait, Ying was capable of recovering his mana and stamina. At present, he was around a peak, A-Rank Hunter. Unfortunately, that wasn''t enough. Had it been any other A-Rank Dungeon, then Ying would have somehow found a way.


    After all, with his recovery abilities, he was able tost long in a fight and could mow down his foes using his wits.


    But the undead creatures of this A-Rank Dungeon were of the skeleton variety, unfit for his Devour to function against. So, with his recovery cut off, the moment he runs out of mana or stamina, he would be swarmed by the horde of skeletons and killed instead.


    It was why the moment the Dungeon showed signs of copse and the government issued warnings, he was one of the first to retreat. He did n to jointer when the city organised a punitive expedition though.


    But in that darned situation, a Quest had to appear. And worst of all, the reward was an Elven Tear, the item he desperately needed to cure his sister.


    His expression was dark as Ying observed the dungeon portal gradually turn reddish as it formed cracks before eventually, it shattered.


    Roar! Roar! Roar!<novelnext></novelnext>


    Thousands of skeletons rushed out of the crack, immediately causing the air to turn heavy with the deathly energy they emitted.


    The skeletons were all made out of Ogres, each being a B-Rank Monster. Each Ogre required a party of five B-Rank Hunters to take down. One-on-one fights against an Ogre were too risky and were only possible for geniuses among B-Rank Hunters to pull off.


    A Skeleton Ogre was around sixty percent of a living Ogre in terms of strength. But even that was still strong enough, not to mention there being thousands of them marching out of the crack now.


    But shockingly, they were just the first wave as Ying observed in fear that tiny, armoured skeletons marched at the end, "H-Hunters¡­dammit!"


    The Lich had converted all the dead Hunters into part of its army. Considering the sheer death toll of the dungeon, it had more than fifty A-Rank Hunters and even three S-Rank Hunters.


    This was a power enough to annihte half a country.


    The crack suddenly emitted screeching sounds as a w peeked out and grabbed the ends of its spatial tear, emanating pressure as the crack widened.


    "My god¡­"


    "We''re doomed."


    "This country is done for."


    The Hunter Association Staff that were monitoring the situation from the terrace of the nearby buildings copsed in despair, for just the w that had peeked out upied the entire size of the crack.


    "These readings¡­" A Hunter Association Staff stammered as she almost fainted in response, "The mana levels have surpassed an A-Rank Dungeon. T-This¡­this is¡­"


    "An S-Rank Dungeon Copse!"


    "S-Rank¡­" Ying paled in fright at her words, having listened in using his Orc-Dragon Sense. He immediatelymunicated with his Orc-Dragon Soul, ''Is there any hope of surviving this disaster?''


    [Nope, it doesn''t seem likely.]


    The reply didn''t contain any good news, causing Ying to lose all hope, before soon, he began tough despairingly, "Just when¡­I saw hope in the Quest Reward¡­to think it would be an unbeatable Quest. Dammit!"


    Crack!


    The crack expanded to a height of hundred metres as a massive bonehead peeked through, trying to weasel its way out. But despite that, it was struggling, for the crack was still small.


    S-Rank Monster¡ªBone Dragon!


    It was one of the strongest monsters to exist and was a disaster-ss monster, strong enough to wipe out a country on its own. A team of S-Rank Hunters were necessary to take one down, albeit with heavy casualties.


    Unfortunately, there were just two S-Rank Hunters in their country. And they were currently in the capital. Even if they were to board an aircraft immediately, it would still take them three hours to reach the location.


    By then, the entire city would be left in ruins, "Dammit. Meyn is still at the hospital."


    Swoosh!


    Ying stared at the gaps between the crack and the Bone Dragon''s body, noticing a pair of eyes that sent chills down his spine.


    S-Rank Monster¡ªLich!


    It was riding the Bone Dragon''s back.


    [No, there''s still a chance!]


    Suddenly, the Orc-Dragon Soul said, sparking a tinge of hope in him. Immediately, life surged in Ying as he pulled out a longsword, "I''ll protect this city¡­somehow."

 Chapter 924 A Lich’s Laboratory (Part 2)

    [No, there''s still a chance.]


    "I''m listening." Ying became serious as he focused, hearing the voice of the Orc-Dragon Soul resound in his mind.


    [The Bone Dragon is too strong to enter this dimension yet. So, it''s struggling toe out. As for the Lich, despite its power, its weak in one-on-onebat. So, without the Bone Dragon as its guard, it wouldn''te out either. The three S-Rank Hunter skeletons too form the core unit of its defence. So, without them, the remaining monsters are somewhat tolerable to kill.]


    "But¡­" Ying frowned, "How do I stop the Bone Dragon froming out?"


    He just began to speak when he paused, observing that the crack seemed to be pushing against the Bone Dragon, "I see, so it will close on its own. Then that means¡­"


    He didn''t bother asking for any suggestions from the Orc-Dragon Soul after that, focusing as he recalled from his experience, "There is the C-Rank Dungeon full of Lizardmen two kilometres away."


    Skill¡ªOrc-Dragon Soar!


    Mana burst out of his body as Ying took flight and glided through the air, making a beeline towards a Dungeon nearby as he stared at the deste ce surrounding the portal there.


    Originally, the Hunter Association Staff should have been stationed here to monitor the Dungeon. But once the A-Rank Dungeon copsed, everyone vacated in a hurry, which also gave him a precious chance now.


    "If the situation continues as is, it is only a matter of time before the other Dungeons in this region copse and cause the monsters within to flood out. At that point, they would only serve to further increase the Lich''s strength." He muttered, "So instead, they can work on bing my strength instead."


    He arrived before the Dungeon and took in a deep breath before pulling out dozens of mana recovery potions from his inventory that he tossed through the portal, sensing the mana levels within the Dungeon climb steadily in response.


    Skill¡ªOrc-Dragon Sense!


    For a Hunter, they would need to spend some time circting their mana to absorb the mana within a mana recovery potion. But on the other hand, a Dungeon was like a living organism. So, the moment the potion shattered within it, the mana from it was absorbed by the Dungeon, causing its mana levels to increase.


    Ying didn''t even hesitate as he dumped pretty much all the mana recovery potions he had purchased, expending all the wealth he had umted, observing the mana within the C-Rank Dungeon reach a certain level before which it began to crack.


    A Dungeon was like a container of mana. If the mana levels exceed a certain extent, it would copse and cause the monsters within to flood out, a phenomenon known as Dungeon Break.


    Boom!


    The portal turned red before shattering as murky water gushed out like a torrent and flooded the region.


    Awoo! Aieee! Kaaah!


    Lizardmen began to march out in droves as the environment within the Dungeon began to ovep with reality as the marsnd, the Lizardmen''s terrain fused with the cityscape to create a mutated home for them.


    As it was a C-Rank Dungeon, it copsed pretty quickly and caused everything within it to spill out, unlike the S-Rank Dungeon which was still in the process of a copse.


    The mana levels within it were too high that the world itself was resisting such a heavy influx. It had to be noted that the Hunter System and the Dungeon Monster System were in this together. So, they wouldn''t do anything that didn''t give them benefit.<novelnext></novelnext>


    So, in the likelihood of a wave, the Hunter System would have prepared at least a protagonist-level Hunter to be avable at the location, who would then use this scenario as fuel to grow. But, that wasn''t the case here.


    So for a moment, the attention of both entities fell on this location as through the eyes of the dungeon monsters and the Hunters, they observed Ying''s actions. They were confused for a moment, but in the end, just maintained their passiveness.


    They nned to observe how this situation unfolded.


    What they were unaware of was the fact that the Secondary System was behind this Dungeon Break, having orchestrated everything so naturally that even the Hunter System and the Dungeon Monster System, two high-level Grade 2 Systems were unable to notice anything amiss.


    Upon seeing the chaos in the Astral Network over Arnark''spletion as the Main Character System, the Secondary System was rmed. Hence, it wished to turn Ying fully into CC as quickly as possible. That was all it cared about now.


    After all, it now had the means to do anything it wished.


    Grade 1 System¡ªSecondary (Level 99)!


    When it received Zaira''s support, the Secondary System could finally shed a life of unending struggles behind it and finally act like a powerhouse among Systems. Zaira had been nning to create a System in the Protagonist Genre from ages ago. So, she had Mental Energy stored in her reserves that were suitable for the Secondary System to consume and level up.


    It was because of this that the Secondary System had enough foundation to create such arge mess, all to elerate Ying''s growth and fusion with the ''Soul: 20CC.''


    Skill¡ªOrc-Dragon Soar!


    Ying took flight as he observed the ground transform into a marsnd immediately. And just as he predicted, the marsnd expanded to almost reach the area where the skeletons were.


    Boom!


    He flew towards the S-Rank Dungeon''s crack as he iled his longsword, activating another of his Skill.


    Skill¡ªOrc-Dragon w!


    His longsword shone with a denseyer of mana that he shed forth, causing three streams to st forth that mmed into the bonehead of the Bone Dragon, causing it to flinch in response. It was unharmed, but the impact was strong enough to push it back a little.


    Immediately in response, the crack took the chance and closed a bit more. Upon seeing that his n was working, Ying grunted, "One more!"


    Skill¡ªOrc-Dragon sh!


    Roar!


    The Bone Dragon roared in response as it was pushed in further. Upon seeing what was happening, the eyes of the Lich shone red when immediately, a couple of the A-Rank Hunters among the skeletons took flight and rushed at Ying, unleashing attacks at him.


    "Dammit!" Now hindered, Ying was unable to attack, watching the crack widen once again.

 Chapter 925 A Lich’s Laboratory (Part 3)

    [Orc-Dragon Soul Fusion: 77%]


    [Orc-Dragon Soul Fusion: 77.6%]


    [Orc-Dragon Soul Fusion: 78%]


    ''What the heck is happening?'' The Secondary System was pleasantly surprised at the changes Ying was experiencing in such a desperate situation. The skeleton army was gradually approaching the closest shelter without anyone to hinder their path.


    Some Hunters tried to stop them but were quickly overwhelmed. They decided to run away following that due to the impossible situation at hand.


    As a result, it was made apparent that the city would be destroyed sooner thanter. It had only been a few minutes since the warnings went off. So, only those in the immediate vicinity of the Dungeon Break had managed to vacate.


    The majority of the city was still in the process of evacuation. There were traffic jams all around, people screaming and dashing about in every which way; social order copsed. This chaos further reduced evacuation efficiency to an all-time minimum.


    Worst of all, there were people in the city that couldn''t evacuate, some of which were patients on life support. Ying''s sister, Meyn too was in a simr situation. Even though she was only in aatose state at the moment, her situation was pretty fragile.


    If she were to experience any shock from sudden movements, her situation would deteriorate further, leading to her death. That was the state the Secondary System had put her in. This was to further Ying''s sense of responsibility.


    And indeed, that sense of responsibility was paying fat dividends now. No matter what, Ying had no other choice but to stop the monster wave.


    Evacuating his sister was too risky. After all, even if he manages to bring her to another city, all that would do is buy a day''s worth of time before the skeleton monsters march there.


    Flying out of the country wasn''t possible either, as the moment this situation happened, the neighbouring countries pretty much banned all immigration, afraid of a crisis in their economy that would erupt with arge influx of immigrants who lost all modes of survival.


    Besides, constantly being on the run would weaken Meyn further. And based on what he was told by the doctors, Meyn would die within two days without life support. So, he had to put an end to the monster wave before they reached the hospital Meyn was staying at.


    Boom!


    Skill¡ªOrc-Dragon Skin!


    Ying defended against the attacks of the two A-Rank Hunter skeletons as he attacked them in response, sending them flying as he hurriedly flew away from the ce andnded beside a staff that was on a building two hundred metres away, "Hah¡­haah."


    "Request all Hunters in the city to arrive here." Ying looked at the staff, "Hurry!"


    "W-What are you talking about?" The staff was unable to piece things together, staring at him in a fluster.


    "Look at the crack!" Ying shouted as he pointed at the head of the Bone Dragon, "The Bone Dragon is too big to pass through the crack. So, it''s trying to weasel its way out. As long as we manage to send it within the crack, it would be unable toe out. The crack will heal immediately."


    He thumped his chest, "I can do it!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "So, I need the remaining Hunters to fend off the monsters until then. As long as we do this, protecting this city is possible. Otherwise, our country will copse once the remaining Dungeons in this city copse due to the Lich." He shouted in a hurry.


    "Here, broadcast it!" Saying so, he ced his smartphone in her hands. In it was a video clip of his attack on the Bone Dragon and his speech toward the Hunter Association Staff. Obviously, he had nned and recorded everything, "Try to bring as many Hunters as possible. Telecast my fight live."


    By the end, he was almost shouting, his voice loud enough for the remaining staff to hear too. Following that, he used Orc-Dragon Soar to fly towards the crack as the A-Rank Hunter skeletons intercepted him once again.


    "Quick! You heard him. Let''s do our work." An experienced staff nearby arrived and grabbed hold of the smartphone as he quickly tapped a few buttons before sending the clip to the Hunter Association, "As long as we show a bit of hope, the fleeing Hunters would return."


    Boom!


    Intense mana waves erupted from Ying, resulting in fierce winds that almost sent the staff flying. The experienced staff grunted as he held through and shared the footage with the Hunter Association. It seemed he had enough influence as within a matter of seconds¡­


    [All Hunters, we request your presence at the Dungeon Break of the A-Rank Dungeon, A Lich''s Laboratory. In this disastrous situation, a thread of hope exists. Prevent the Bone Dragon from exiting the crack and our country would survive.]


    It didn''t just end at that as immediately, once the problem and solution were dered, rewards were also announced to entice the Hunters.


    [Hunters that participate in this Raid would be paid their monthly earnings as pension. This is apart from what you earn in Dungeons in the future. Moreover, you''ll be dered Heroes and given ess to all government institutions free of cost. In the likelihood of martyr, your families would be treated as first-ss citizens with privileges of the upper ss of our country. Participating in this Raid would you lifelong governmental support, for you, and your family.]


    "Dad¡­where are you going?" A teenager asked as she looked at her dad getting up from his seat in the shelter.


    "To fight, what else?" The middle-aged man, a veteran B-Rank Hunter said in all seriousness, thinking as he stared at her, ''Even if I die, she''ll live afortable life. With governmental support, her mother''s disease could also be treated.''


    "Don''t worry, your dad would return safely." He smiled and patted her head before shouting, "All Hunters! You heard the brass! If the Bone Dragon emerges, our country is doomed. So, instead of losing our lives helplessly, let''s fight!"


    "For our families!"


    "That uncle should shut his trash." A youth snorted in disdain as he carried arge axe and began to walk towards the shelter''s exit.


    "Where are you going?" His friend shouted in a fluster.


    "Living in hiding is not my style." The youth said as his eyes glinted in arrogance, his words echoing out as he imbued mana in it, "If even a B-Rank Hunter is being brave, my pride would be hurt to stay behind."


    "Hey, isn''t that?"


    "The genius rookie¡­" The Hunters in the area whispered in response before they followed the super rookie, a genius A-Rank Hunter and marched towards the Dungeon Break.

 Chapter 926 A Lich’s Laboratory (Part 4)

    Had it just been the announcement from the Hunter Association, despite the rewards, most would have hesitated. After all, it would be akin to throwing their lives away.


    It was because they assumed the Hunter Association was using such deals to throw all the Hunters at the disaster until it was resolved. This was to protect their self-interests.


    But, what the Hunter Association advertised the summons with was Ying''s video, of the attack heunched at the Bone Dragon to slightly push it within the crack. Moreover, once the announcement ended, a live telecast from the battle scene was ryed on all devices.


    Moreover, a group of helicopters had already reached the ce to ry a high-definition video of the battle scene to everyone.


    Upon seeing Ying''s strength, the A-Rank Hunters of the city were inspired. After all, they weren''t about to fight the Bone Dragon and the Lich but were only going to send the Bone Dragon within the crack and prevent it froming out.


    The difficulty level would fall sharply. Hence, everyone felt that it was doable.


    Moreover, the Hunter Association had cunningly glossed over the detail that the A-Rank Dungeon¡ªA Lich''s Laboratory¡ªhad evolved into an S-Rank Dungeon. This way, the Hunters still maintained hope. It was a scummy move on their behalf, but one justified to protect their country.


    Moreover, the coverage didn''t show the three S-Rank Hunter skeletons that formed the Lich''s royal guard. If that was shown, none would turn up. Everyone would make escape their priority.


    Bang!


    Ying evaded an attack and unleashed a de beam at the A-Rank Hunter skeleton, shattering it into pieces as he gasped for breath. "Dammit! How long are they going to take?"


    He used his Orc-Dragon Soar to glide away from an attack as he mmed into a lizardman, grabbing it by a chokehold as he crushed its neck, watching its body wither in response.


    Innate Trait¡ªDevour!


    Ying''s mana and stamina began to recover in response as he sighed in relief. This was why he caused this C-Rank Dungeon to break. It created enough recovery packs for him to fight with. Normal mana recovery potions and stamina recovery potions needed at least a few minutes to be digested by the body to unleash an effect.


    But his innate trait was instantaneous in its effect. So, it was infinitely better in a battle. After killing five lizardmen, his stamina and mana were replenished fully.


    Skill¡ªOrc-Dragon Recovery!


    Faint bloody mist flowed out of his body, healing the wounds he sustained as Ying took flight and evaded the enemies before bellowing in rage, "Fucking monster! Take this!"


    Boom!


    The attack from his Orc-Dragon w mmed forth towards the Bone Dragon when suddenly, an A-Rank Hunter skeleton arrived before it to tank the attack.


    Thump! Thump!


    At that moment, time seemed to have slowed down as Ying''s senses sharpened, causing the Secondary System to whistle in surprise.


    [Orc-Dragon Soul Fusion: 78% --> 84%]


    His senses expanded rapidly as at that moment, his Orc-Dragon Sense surpassed its limit, allowing him to do something that he had never thought was possible. Ying raised his hand and focused on the three de beams he had unleashed, clenching his hand into a fist.


    Phew!<novelnext></novelnext>


    The three de beams merged into a single, stronger beam before transforming into an Orc-Dragon, a creature with a humanoid pig-like body with a neck akin to a dragon.


    It had an awkward appearance, but the moment it manifested, its scaly eyes glinted as it opened its mouth to unleash a guttural roar.


    Krrrk!


    The A-Rank Hunter skeleton became stunned in response as the Orc-Dragon evaded it and headed straight toward the Bone Dragon as it reverted into a single, powerful de beam that mmed into its target.


    Roar!


    The Bone Dragon roared in response as parts of the bone surrounding its eyes fell off, now sporting arge gash in its skull face. The impact sent it skidding back by a couple of metres, causing the crack to close further in response.


    Guoong!


    The Lich observed the situation as it lifted its staff and condensed a swirling mass of deathly energy that it shot at Ying.


    "Shit!" Ying''s face paled in response as he used Orc-Dragon Soar to glide away, but the attack was faster, possessing enough power to kill him in one hit.


    ''Hahaha!'' Even though the situation was deadly, the Secondary System was rather giddy, for the Orc-Dragon Soul Fusion rate continued to increase. Ying was voluntarily harnessing his utmost potential to grow stronger by fusing with this power.


    And unawares, he had already be pretty simr to Compass Carburettor in nature. His expression was pale, but his mind went into overdrive as he activated the Orc-Dragon Skin to the limit, causing his body to morph in shape as the deathly sphere mmed into him.


    At the moment of impact, he used Orc-Dragon Soar to m into a horde of lizardmen, rapidly activating his innate trait of Devour, hollering in pain as his body began to melt, "Graaahhh!"


    The deathly energy intended to melt him into a puddle. But at this moment, Ying took advantage of his innate ability to rapidly replenish his mana and stamina reserves by devouring the flesh of the Lizardmen.


    He cranked up his Orc-Dragon Recovery to the limit, causing his body to erupt with a bloody vapour. Destruction on one end, recovery on the other.


    At first, the recovery was slower as his body began to melt at a faster rate. But with the passage of every second, his recovery abilities continued to spike rapidly. After all¡­


    [Orc-Dragon Soul Fusion: 84.2%]


    [Orc-Dragon Soul Fusion: 84.4%]


    There was a 0.2% increase in the Soul Fusion every second. Ying leapt and let out a guttural roar as he unleashed an Orc-Dragon w, severing the bodies of a dozen Lizardmen into two as he didn''t even touch them this time, absorbing their flesh and blood energy.


    His Orc-Dragon Sense worked by unleashing tangible threads of mana that probed his surroundings to ry information. But the moment his Orc-Dragon Soul Fusion rate hit 90%, his mind experienced an evolution, allowing him to begin innovating his abilities.


    He fused the effects of his innate trait into his Orc-Dragon Sense, allowing the tendrils of mana to transform into tentacles thattched onto the corpses of the Lizardmen and rapidly devoured their flesh.


    With that, his recovery speed offset the destruction caused by the deathly energy, transforming it into a tonic that only served to further strengthen his body. Basically, he was like a de of steel, rebirthed by me.


    [Orc-Dragon Soul Fusion: 96%]

 Chapter 927 A Lich’s Laboratory (Part 5)

    An Ogre Skeleton approached the marsnds as it casually swatted aside the Lizardmen that sought to defend their territory.


    Under themands of the Lich, it began to walk towards the healing figure of Ying, intending to kill him. The Ogres ranged from a height of three metres to six metres, their strength depicted by their size.


    But the one intruding into the marsnds was a whopping eight metres tall. It was an Ogre King that the Lich had subdued and transformed into an elite among its skeleton army.


    It was an A-Rank Monster skeleton that unleashed a deathly aura around itself, erecting a domain that killed any living being that entered within.


    Kieee!


    The Lizardmen that fought it copsed into pools of their own blood as their bodies rotted under the deathly miasma it released. Eventually, they transformed into undead creatures that followed itsmand.


    Kiek!


    The Ogre King pointed at Ying with itsrge axe and immediately, the dozens of Lizardmen skeletons under itsmand rushed at him.


    "Shit!" Ying sensed their approach as he evaded in a hurry, heading deeper into the marsnd. But unlike before, his speed was slow, for he was still defending against the deathly energy invading his being.


    By diverting part of his attention to evasion, he caused his recovery to slow down, sensing the deathly energy begin to melt his body once again.


    ''This won''t do.'' He focused the healing energy in his eyes to recover them first as he looked around, noticing a skyscraper nearby as he rushed at it, ignoring the muscles of his hand melting in response as he gushed mana into his de and bellowed, "Crumble!"


    Skill¡ªOrc-Dragon w!


    A de beam five times stronger than before mmed into the building and cleaved through its ground floor. He had attacked in such a way that the walls on one side crumbled first, causing the building to tilt that way.


    ''Alright, I need to time myself.'' Ying thought as he slowed down, sensing the Lizardmen skeletons and Ogre King rush at him, watching the building gradually fall towards him, elerating in its approach.


    By the time the Ogre King realised his n, it was toote as Ying focused all his mana on his Orc-Dragon Skin, hardening it to the limit as he condensed a pair of ws to unleash the Orc-Dragon w, cutting apart the piece of wall mming his way.


    Boom!


    The murky waters of the marsnd spilled out, forming a wave that washed over the Ogre Skeletons marching into the city.


    Awoo!


    Plenty of Lizardmen had been caught under the copse, for the skyscraper had more than forty floors. So, its impact area was pretty wide.


    The blood of the Lizardmenyered the marsnd when they were absorbed in a certain direction, following which a figure sted out of the rubble. It was Ying, his figure enveloped by the bloody mist like a cocoon.


    His body had fully healed from the deathly miasma, but unlike before, his mind was cool, untensed.


    Fear!


    The surrounding lizardmen turned tail and ran away from him.


    Bang!<novelnext></novelnext>


    The Ogre King sted out of the rubble, munching on the bones of the destroyed lizardmen as the damage in its bones healed. But, it had just gotten out when it stared at the figure of Ying before it in rm, struggling when its head was grabbed by a massive draconic hand that shattered it instantly.


    [Orc-Dragon Soul Fusion: 100%]


    "I have revived," Ying muttered calmly as he looked around, sensing ideas churn in his mind at a terrifying pace, staring at everything from a mary perspective. He closed his eyes, calmly orienting his mentality as he muttered, "So, there is a different Earth out there. And this individual, Compass, is the source of the Orc-Dragon Soul."


    There was no longer the voice of the Orc-Dragon Soul speaking in his mind, for he had fully fused with it, obtaining the final batch of information stored in its core by the Secondary System.


    His eyes darted to the side, observing a gaze from a Lizardman that was running away. Even though its eyes were facing the other side, he felt a gaze from it. ''I see, so that''s what a System is.''


    Having suffered twice, the Secondary System had changed its approach, having already ced all information regarding Systems within the Orc-Dragon Soul. This meant that Ying was now aware of the existence of the Hunter System and the Dungeon Monster System.


    Instead of trying to steer a blind vessel to its objective, the Secondary System gave Ying eyes, making him aware of everything that was happening so that he could prepare against them on his own. After all, only in that way would it truly be able to take advantage of Compass Carburettor''s trait of schemes.


    The greater the time he had, the more intricate and foolproof Compass Carburettor''s schemes would be. So, for that to happen, Ying had to first be aware of all the schemes in ce.


    After all, the goal of the Secondary System wasn''t a hundred percent Orc-Dragon Soul Fusion. No, that was just the first step of its n. Its goal was to cultivate another Compass Carburettor by making him scheme against the Grade 2 Systems and sharpen his basic tools to eventually surpass the original.


    ''I''m somewhat confused, but first thing''s first.'' Ying stared at the Bone Dragon''s head, "I need to prevent that bastard froming out."


    "And with my current strength, it''s possible." He took in a deep breath before his figure flickered and vanished. The aura emanating from him was now on the level of an S-Rank Hunter, which was what a hundred percent Soul Fusion would him.


    "Charge! Kill them!" The Hunters had arrived by now as they engaged the Ogre skeletons, leading to a bloody battle.


    The A-Rank Hunters took the lead and charged deep into enemy lines, fighting against the A-Rank Hunter skeletons.


    Guoong!


    The head of the Bone Dragon had fully peaked out by now as its eyes lit up with ghostly mes that danced eerily. It opened its mouth and began to condense a sphere of deathly energy within, preparing to unleash dragon breath.


    "Shit¡­" An A-Rank Hunter that had taken the lead, called a prodigy slowed down his attacks, staring at the dragon breath being prepared as he observed the rows upon rows of skeletons between the two. Even if he charged forth with all his strength, he wouldn''t make it in time to interrupt the bone Dragon, "Fuck!"


    "Is this the downfall of our country¡­"


    His sentence wasn''t finished when suddenly, a figure mmed into the Bone Dragon from the skies, cracking its skull as a figure appeared before it, emanating a bloodthirsty aura as it morphed, transforming into a behemoth that stared down the opponent. Following that, it opened its mouth and unleashed a terrifying attack.


    Skill¡ªOrc-Dragon Roar!


    -------------------


    Just a heads up: I''m beginning the adaptation of IHS inic form (Will try the first two chapters and see how it turns out.)


    Join our discord server to keep up with the updates: https://discord.gg/Q544Bxu


    -------------------

 Chapter 928 Our Hero

    The Bone Dragon was a mighty creature, feeling the hundred-metre-tall crack to feel too tight for it to emerge from.


    The Orc-Dragon was smaller than the Bone Dragon, but in this setup, when it stood, it barely crossed a hundred metres. So, it was taller than the Bone Dragon''s eye level, allowing Ying to look down on it from above.


    With a hundred percent fusion, he gained the ability to be the Orc-Dragon itself, observing his overall abilities experience a jump in power.


    And unlike the awkward form the Orc-Dragon disyed during his attack at the Bone Dragon before, with an elongated, unbnced neck, it waspletely different now.


    A hulking 120-metre-tall humanoid figure with arms as thick as its thigh. A short neck barely twenty metres long, flexible to allow him to turn his head in any direction he saw fit without any problems. A body covered with tough dragon scales, followed by even tougher armour on its hands, legs, and head.


    Its two horns glinted with a suffocating presence as its scaly eyes stared at its opponent. This was the Orc-Dragon''s true form, that of an S-Rank Monster. It required a team of Hunters to deal with a monster on the same level. So, Ying could now be said to be one of the strongest in the world.


    At present, Ying and the Bone Dragon were on the same level. Though of course, he found it difficult to maintain this form for more than a couple of seconds, for this was his first transformation.


    So, before his transformation came undone, he unleashed the final Skill that he felt difficulty using before.


    Skill¡ªOrc-Dragon Roar!


    Originally, he had assumed it was a Skill like the Lion''s Roar that worked on stunning the opponents. But only now did he realise that it was a breath attack.


    The reason it was called the Orc-Dragon Roar was that, unlike a dragon''s breath, it wasn''t a beam-based attack but a radiallyunched one. And now, he unleashed it on the Bone Dragon from point-nk range.


    Boom!


    A wave erupted out of his mouth that spread radially outward like a vapour cone and mmed into the crack, for a moment widening it in response to the sheer force.


    The Bone Dragon experienced the brunt of the impact with its face, sent flying into the crack as the Lich on its back was hurled further away.


    The three S-Rank Hunters under its control formed a defensive barrier around it to defend against the attack while it hovered in the air, expressing a murderous rage.


    The attack also mmed into the horde of undead army, shattering their bones like brittle charcoal pieces as the shockwaves devastated the surrounding region.


    "Huff¡­haah!" Ying copsed in the centre of the crater that formed as a result of his attack, now in his human form, utterly exhausted, watching water gush towards him from a broken underground water pipe.


    With the Bone Dragon no longer applying pressure, the crack began to close rapidly. Upon seeing this, the Lich tried to intervene, unleashing a spell that condensed a pair of deathly hands that held the closing crack.


    "Oh no, you don''t!" The prodigy A-Rank Hunter jumped into the scene and unleashed the projection of a tiger oozing cold essence that mmed into the pair of hands and shattered them. The Lich was unable to retaliate while the Bone Dragon was sprawled deeper in the dimension.


    At this time, upon seeing the crack closing fast, one of the three S-Rank Hunter skeletons rushed out as a sh of light and made a light jump before unleashing the projection of a deathly tiger to counter the icy tiger.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The A-Rank prodigy Hunter''s expression was solemn as he muttered, "So, you fell under the Lich''s control¡­"


    "Dad."


    He sped his hand and pointed his finger forward, unleashing the projection of a phoenix that mmed into the deathly tiger, stopping its approach as he evaded in a hurry, watching a sword beam miss his head by an inch.


    "I''ll put an end to your suffering soon, dad." The A-Rank Hunter muttered, clenching his hand into a fist as he watched the crack close fully, "Just you wait."


    He copsed to the ground and rolled to the centre of the crater, exhausted as he had pushed himself too much to unleash the ultimate techniques he had inherited.


    "Thanks for clutching at the end." Ying extended his hand, propping the teenager up, "I''m Ying."


    "Call me Noll." The teenager sighed as he said, staring at the crater around him, "To think you were an S-Rank Hunter. Why did you hide the fact from the Hunter Association?"


    "I didn''t hide it," Ying smiled wryly, "I surpassed my limit when I was desperate before. Thankfully, it paid off."


    Ying stared at the helicopters revolving in the sky, letting out a smile of relief, "Thankfully, we averted the crisis."


    "We won!"


    "We survived!" The remaining Hunters began to celebrate once thest of the undead monster was in. As for the Lizardmen, they avoided leaving their marsnd for the moment as they couldn''t adapt to fight in the concrete jungle beyond.


    Using the chance, the Hunter Association took the opportunity to cordon off the area and set up barricades, working in full swing to control the damage.


    "Sir Ying¡­" A staff approached Ying the moment he climbed out of the crater, introducing himself, "I''m Inspector Ross from the Hunter Association. I was the one who telecasted everything live."


    "Thank you for that." Ying said gratefully, "If you hadn''t done that, it would have been impossible to survive this disaster."


    That was indeed the truth. If not for the Hunters holding back the undead army, Ying wouldn''t have obtained a clear shot at the Bone Dragon. That would only result in a failure of their mission, leading to the destruction of the city, and eventually their entire country.


    "No, I should be the one to thank you." Inspector Ross bowed hurriedly, "If not for your initiation, we couldn''t have rallied everyone. It''s thanks to the strength you disyed that we had hope to do something about this."


    He then spoke with a respectful bow, "Please allow me to thank you on behalf of our city and in extension, our country."


    "You''re our Hero."

 Chapter 929 Elven Tear Healer

    "The Elven Tear¡­" Ying muttered upon seeing the Quest beingpleted. But, there were no rewards. He didn''t seem concerned though as he walked into the marsnd and iled his hand once, unleashing a de beam that severed the bodies of dozens of Lizardmen.


    He didn''t stop at that as he continued to unleash multiple de beams, stopping once he had decimated all the Lizardmen in the marsnd, including the Lizardmen Boss. Following that, he unleashed his Innate Trait of Devour, beginning to absorb the blood and flesh energy from all.


    But unlike before, he had exceptional control over this ability now. And hence, he condensed the essence of the absorption outside his body, atop his palm.


    Skill¡ªOrc-Dragon Recovery!


    Ying activated the ability in full and fused its effects into the condensed sphere, soon transforming it into a tiny, nail-sized crystal that unleashed a neon hue, emanating a gentle energy fluctuation, akin to the densest vitality of a forest.


    Elven Tear!


    The Reward of the Quest wasn''t an Elven Tear in the direct sense. To seed in the Quest, he had to reach a hundred percent Soul Fusion. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to thwart the Lich and its arrival.


    And the moment he obtains all of the Orc-Dragon''s power, using his innate abilities, he would be able to create an Elven Tear himself. The knowledge regarding that was the true reward of the Quest.


    It wasn''t just this as Ying had gained a sea of information, the majority of which was still unprocessed. He would have to take his time and digest all his gains. But first¡­


    Skill¡ªOrc-Dragon Soar!


    Ying glided across the sky and arrived at the hospital where Meyn was admitted, observing that the ce was somewhat deste, with intermittent coughs and grunts from the patients.


    As for the doctors and nurses, they had evacuated. Of course, irrespective of their duty or morality, when presented with absolute death, everyone that could evacuate chose to do so.


    The patients were struggling because the electricity had been cut off thanks to the actions of the undead army. And with no one to man the generator, the electric supply to the hospital was irregr, causing many pieces of equipment to short-circuit.


    The primary reason for this was the haphazard evacuation of the hospital staff that no longer bothered with the safekeeping of the delicate instruments.


    Ying didn''t even waste a moment as he used all his power to sh toward the room where his sister was kept, observing that her life support had malfunctioned. For a moment, he was flustered before being relieved upon noticing that Meyn was still breathing.


    The Secondary System had been monitoring her condition all along. After all, she was the catalyst that elerated Ying''s growth. So, the moment the machines in the hospital began to malfunction, the Secondary System immediately destroyed the effects of the abilities that caused Meyn to be in such a fragile state.


    With the effects removed, she was just unconscious now. So, it didn''t matter if the life support functioned or not. Her Hunter physique was robust, for she was a healer.


    Ying wasn''t aware of that, and hence, he ced the Elven Tear in her mouth, watching it dissolve in a matter of seconds as its energy circted through her body.


    Her eyes shot open immediately as Meyn got up with a start, "Kyaak!"


    In her memory, she had just been stabbed by the Orc-Dragon''s cleaver. Meyn stared at her stomach, observing that not only was she perfectly fine, but a dense stream of healing energy circted in her body.<novelnext></novelnext>


    As she didn''t even have any injuries to be healed, the power of the Elven Tear circted a few times before it fused with her healing powers, causing a gentle stream of mana to burst out of her body, surprising her, "What is happening?"


    "You''re finally awake!" Ying teared up as he hugged her, trembling in relief, "It has been two months since you fell into aa."


    "Two months¡­" Meyn gradually understood what had happened, sighing as she patted Ying, "You''ve worked hard."


    "Congrattions on bing an S-Rank Hunter, Ying."


    "It just happened, sis." Ying smiled contently as he helped her get up and began to walk towards the exit of the hospital.


    Suddenly, Meyn stopped as she closed her eyes, sensing the sounds of the other struggling patients, "I can''t leave them like this."


    "Let me heal them." Saying so, Meyn rushed towards the nearest patient and unleashed a beam of healing energy onto the target, rapidly curing his disease before causing even his defective limbs to recover.


    "T-Thank you. You''re a lifesaver!" The patient teared up in response as he held her hands and said while trembling with gratitude.


    "I''m a healer. It''s my job." Saying so, Meyn targeted the next patient to heal.


    ''She doesn''t even realise that her strength has blossomed to such a terrifying extent. It''s almost at the peak of A-Rank now.'' Ying thought as he observed the way her healing powers worked, ''It seems the powers of the Elven Tear have be hers. That makes her more valuable than all other Healers.''


    There were varieties among Healers. Some were able to heal injuries, some were able to cure diseases, and some worked on providing buffs and removing debuffs. So, it could be said that Healers were divided into three branches, with those from one branch unable to exhibit the powers of the other two branches.


    This was why when a patient was affected by a fusion of disease, curse, and injury, the Healers proved insufficient. After all, when they tried to heal the physical injury, the curse would re up. If they tried to remove the curse, the physical injury would deteriorate.


    If Healers from all three branches worked at the same time, their mana would conflict with each other and create more harm than good. Usually, they treated such diseases by taking turns between the three branches, resulting in aplicated procedure that took time and resources, making the treatment damn expensive.


    This was even in the case of minor ailments. But for major ailments caused by A-Rank Monsters and higher, they would need years to treat. After all, there was no S-Rank Hunter that was a Healer. So, there existed countless patients in the world suffering from such incurable conditions.


    But now, Meyn could solve all that, for the Elven Tear was capable of exhibiting effects from all three branches. Hence, Meyn alone was akin to a fusion of three A-Rank Healers, with each from a different branch.


    So, she could cure all the uncurable status effects. And upon staring at her relieved expression that healed the patients without being aware of the implications her actions would cause, Ying''s eyes shone with a dangerous glint, ''If any corporation dares take advantage of her, I''ll end them. But first,''


    He clenched his hand into a fist, ''Money is power. So, I should build a massive conglomerate that would protect Meyn from such greedy hands.''


    Thinking as such, he muttered, "It seems I must establish a Guild."

 Chapter 930 Bone Crusher Guild

    The fastest way for a Hunter to establish amercial presence was through a Guild. Not only did a Guild raid Dungeons systematically and farm resources, but it also took care of the financial and security stability of the region they were established in.


    Depending on their ie, they paid taxes to the country ordingly, so it was a win-win situation.


    The Guild Master was the figurehead and the mascot of the Guild, which was what attracted other Hunters to join.


    Normally, a newly established Guild only had as much fame as the Guild Master creating it. So, they would have to set aside a lot of funds for recruitment and training purposes.


    But, Ying had one advantage at the moment. His face had been shed throughout the country thanks to the Hunter Association. And as the Hero that managed to fend off the Lich and Bone Dragon, his fame as the third S-Rank Hunter of their country continued to grow with every passing hour.


    Ring-Ring!


    His phone rang as Ying attended the call, understanding that the Hunter Association had called forth to reward him publicly. "Yes, I''ll be there shortly."


    Following that, he called another individual, an A-Rank Hunter he had just bonded with, "Noll, I have a favour to ask. Yes¡­"


    ¡­


    Click! ck!


    shes from the reporters'' cameras went off like explosives as the Hunter Association had created a grand spectacle, summoning forth every Hunter that had participated in the raid against the undead.


    The one on the stage was an old man in histe sixties, a retired S-Rank Hunter that now served as the Hunter Association President. After a short speech, he announced from the podium, "Now, I invite the Hero that rallied forth everyone to fight against the undead, our country''s third S-Rank Hunter, Hero Ying!"


    Ying walked up to the stage under the raucous cheers of the audience as the Hunter Association President shouted, "Through his disyed power, the Hunter Association has conferred him the title,"


    "Orc Dragon!"


    The audience cheered in response, "Orc Dragon!"


    "Orc Dragon!"


    Ying received the medal of honour as the Hunter Association President subtly nodded at him, having already given the go-ahead for what Ying had nned. They had already discussed it beforehand. Only after receiving their permission could Ying pull off the following public stunt using the Hunter Association''s name.


    Ying bowed towards everyone, "I thank our brave Hunters that answered the summons on time. If it weren''t for you, our country would have been doomed by now. On behalf of our citizens, I bow to you."


    "He''s a true Hero." The public began to discuss about him fervently.


    "I saw that he was the first to rush at the Dungeon Break."


    "Yeah, if not for him, the fleeing Hunters wouldn''t have joined hands."


    "He''s a leader among Hunters."<novelnext></novelnext>


    As the discussions brewed forth, Ying listened to them through his Orc-Dragon Senses as he stood up from his bow and said, his voice cold, "But, the threat hasn''t passed us yet."


    The fiery discussions stopped as if doused by cold water. Some of the smarter ones among the crowd understood what he was getting at. And as if to confirm, Ying nodded, "Yes, as some of you may have guessed, the crisis isn''t past us yet. We''ve only managed to temporarily avert the disaster."


    "The Lich and the Bone Dragon are still alive on the other side of the dimension." He continued with a solemn tone before pointing at Noll, "And when Hunter Noll stopped the Lich at the end, he witnessed three S-Rank Hunters that have been transformed into skeletons by the Lich."


    Boom!


    There was absolute silence now as Ying said with a tonecking emotions, "Yes, they lost their army, but their elites are still alive. And once they replenish their troops, they would target us by opening the crack once again."


    "That''s why!" Ying shouted, "I''ll take this opportunity to establish the Bone Crusher Guild, created for the sole purpose of eradicating the Lich and its army."


    He then extended his hand as a dozen figures appeared on the stage. The ones closest to him were Noll and Meyn as he announced, "These are the Hunters who have joined our Guild for this sole cause, to protect our country."


    Ying thumped his chest aloud, causing the sound to resound throughout the region as he proimed, "And we will, without doubt, destroy all the undead. Believe in us, and if you wish to support our endeavour, join the cause!"


    "I can recognise most of them!" One of the Hunters muttered in shock, "All the strong, unaffiliated Hunters that participated in this raid have joined the Bone Crusher Guild."


    "Besides," Another Hunter pointed at the Hunter Association President, "It seems they are being supported by the Hunter Association itself."


    In response, the Hunters gazed at each other, understanding the thoughts echoing in their minds, "We can follow an S-Rank Hunter."


    Irrespective of their motive, whether to purely protect their city, to gain clout by being under an S-Rank Hunter''s leadership, or to gain benefits from joining a Guild supported by the Hunter Association, numerous Hunters expressed their willingness to join the Bone Crusher Guild immediately.


    Of course, upon seeing what was happening, the media houses didn''t let go of the chance, providing further coverage of the incident through the news.


    "The newly appointed S-Rank Hunter, Orc Dragon, created the Bone Crusher Guild at the awarding ceremony conducted by the Hunter Association¡­"


    "The rookie genius A-Rank Hunter, Noll has decided to be the Vice Guild Leader of Bone Crusher¡­"


    Media outlets milked the incident to the limit, providing free publicity for Ying''s Guild as overnight, more than a hundred Hunters applied to join.


    Among them, there were five A-Rank Hunters, dozens of B-Rank Hunters while the remaining were C-Rank Hunters. The applications were stilling in without stopping as Ying and his group became busy.


    "This entire building is mine¡­?" Ying said in surprise upon staring at a thirty-storey building located in the heart of the city.


    "It''s nothing considering the value of the item you sold us." The Hunter Association President said in contentment, patting his back as he spoke, "We''ll be expecting more from you. Work hard on protecting this city."


    "I will." Ying nodded respectfully while internally, he was snorting in disdain. What he did was simply economics 101. He pandered to the needs of the rich and powerful to rapidly establish his authority. For that, he only needed one item.


    Elven Tear!

 Chapter 931 Undead War: Phase 2

    It wouldn''t have been easy to get the Hunter Association to support him. His S-Rank Hunter status wasn''t enough for that. After all, there were two more S-Rank Hunters in the country.


    Moreover, his only appearance as an S-Rank Hunter was towards the end of the recent raid, so his status wasn''t yet concrete enough.


    But that is where Ying''s new nature came into y¡ªCompass Carburettor''s merchant mind.


    He contacted the Hunter Association President and sold him one Elven Tear. The President was once an S-Rank Hunter. But now, he was gaining in on age, leading to a decline in his strength.


    So, when he was presented with an Elven Tear, the offer was irresistible. The Hunter Association President had no other choice but to bite the bullet. The Elven Tear made him younger by a couple of decades, allowing him to regain the power of his prime.


    His S-Rank Hunter body was able to digest its effects better, noticing a minor increase in his natural lifespan and regenerative abilities too. When Ying proposed that he would be able to mine one Elven Tear every year, the President decided to fully support it.


    Ying only needed to kill all the monsters in a C-Rank Dungeon to produce an Elven Tear. But he didn''t need to show his cards. The item was so valuable that there were just three of them in the world until now.


    So, just being able to mine one every year meant their country would be able to climb the ranks to be a supreme world power. The greed of the President was triggered, hence why he invested a lot of capital into the Bone Crusher Guild.


    The higher-ups of the country, those that formed the top of the topmost line were eyeing the Elven Tear, having already made bookings for the next three decades. Basically, it meant that the status of the Bone Crusher Guild was unshakable for the next three decades.


    This was what Ying achieved overnight. The Guilds in the same city intended to sow seeds of chaos to prevent the rise of such apetitor. But all they received in response was horror, for whatever scheme theyid out was snuffed in its infancy stage itself.


    After all, the country itself was now working toward Ying''s favour.


    "You''re a terrifying individual," Nollmented upon staring at the reports. As the Vice Guild Leader, he was privy to the details. Even Meyn wasn''t aware.


    The duo of Ying and Noll had bonded in that few seconds of cooperation, having a collective sense of duty. Hence, they began to make extensive preparations.


    Ying took charge of the finances and property acquisition, for he was exceptional at that. Whereas, Noll took charge of human resources, interviewing the applicants, making teams, installing people in their respective Guild positions, etc.


    Within a week, the Bone Crusher Guild was fully operational, working with a Hunter group of over 300 strong. They began to rapidly clear the dungeons in and around the city to train themselves.


    Meyn took charge of healing everyone, bing more and more familiar with her improved skillset. That wasn''t all. Ying fed her an Elven Tear once every three days, observing her power evolving gradually.


    The reason she was evolving was thanks to the Secondary System''s actions. But even though Ying was unaware of the reason, he noticed her special nature and intended to boost her all the way to an S-Rank Healer.


    This was in preparation to have a strong backup while they faced the Lich and its army.


    Ying and Noll teamed up with the remaining A-Rank Hunters as they went around the country, raiding all the A-Rank Dungeons. With Meyn healing them of all fatigue and mana exhaustion, they could fight continuously without much rest.


    With her consuming the Elven Tears every three days, Meyn never ran out of mana. As for Ying, he hadn''t had a wink of sleep since the incident, always on the hunt.


    When he wasn''t raiding with his team, he was killing the Dungeon Monsters solo to make more Elven Tears. Aware of the existence of the Hunter System and the Dungeon Monster System, he easily figured out the way to level up his hunters to the peak, intending to create a raid party whollyprised of S-Rank Hunters.


    During one such solo raid, Ying stopped his hunt as he inhaled a deep breath, muttering, "What¡­are you called?"


    His surroundings nked as Ying found himself in a void, walking through it with no surroundings in sight, stopping before a humanoid entity as he spoke, "You''re the source of my Orc-Dragon Soul, right?"


    <Ding!>


    A familiar sound resounded as the humanoid entity grinned, "Bingo! I''m the one supporting your growth."


    "What''s your objective?" Ying frowned, "Are you nning to devour me in the future?"


    "If you provecking, yes." The humanoid entity said as it leaned forward, pointing a finger at him, "I''ll now show you the full truth."


    A beam of Mental Energy mmed into Ying as countless pieces of information flowed into his head, allowing him to understand the existence of Arnark, Zaira, etc.


    "The fateful event is drawing near." The humanoid entity said, "If I find youcking, I''ll devour you and then go into hiding. The choice is yours."


    "Either be strong enough to defeat them or lose my support."


    Ying spent a few hours in deep thought, at the end of which his eyes glinted with killing intent. Two months passed after that and now, Ying gainedplete mastery over his Orc-Dragon Soul, not to mention being sessful in raising a raid team of S-Rank Hunters.


    He had yet to make the information known to the public as the team now arrived at a crater and stood in a defensive stance.


    The rest of the Bone Crusher Guild had already begun evacuating the citizens and had also set up multiple barricades around the battlefield, stationing themselves to take care of the army of monsters that would arrive next.


    The air strangely turned hot as it became dry until eventually, the asphalt cracked, producing a crisp sound. Ying stared forth at the moment, "They''re here."


    Crack!


    The space before them cracked before forming a tear that expanded to a height of two hundred metres, more thanrge enough for the Bone Dragon to crawl out now.


    The Lich was seated on its back, protected by its Royal Guard¡ªthe three S-Rank Hunter skeletons. Its army now consisted of skeleton raptors, peak B-Rank monsters that were stronger than Ogres, with dozens of Raptor Kings amongst them, monsters at the peak of A-Rank.


    The Lich''s eyes glinted dangerously as it stared at Ying, opening its mouth to utter, "Kill!"

 Chapter 932 Arrival Of 24 Rings

    "T-They''re here." A Hunter Association Staff spoke nervously as he carried arge camera and focused upon the Dungeon Break, watching the Bone Dragon exit fully this time.


    It was apparent that the other side came prepared. And at the sight of the raptors, his legs became weak, shivering in response as he felt it difficult to keep the camera steady.


    "Let''s just hope the Bone Crusher Guild is prepared." Another staff said,cking any strength in his word.


    "They''ve been preparing extensively just for this purpose. So, let''s believe in them." Suddenly, a confident voice resounded as the two staff turned around and eximed in surprise, "President, you''re here? It''s dangerous."


    "Precisely why I''m here." The Hunter Association President said as two individualsnded behind him. The nation''s two active S-Rankers!


    Moreover, gradually taking positions on the buildings were A-Rank and B-Rank Hunters from all over the nation, huddled to control the damage.


    Even though they trusted the Bone Crusher Guild, the enemy was just too powerful. And since the fate of their country rode on the oue of this fight, they mobilised pretty much most of their power.


    Only the Hunters required to hunt in Dungeons to prevent them from breaking were left behind in other ces. Everyone else had arrived at the current location as the eyes of everyone nervously fell upon the figure of Ying standing gantly before the Lich.


    "We''ll only move if Ying is unable to handle it." The Hunter Association President said when the two S-Rank Hunters behind him became nervous upon seeing the Lich move, "We don''t know what they have prepared. So, let''s not interfere with their ns."


    "But, remain alert and don''t let the Lich be aware of our existence." The Hunter Association President said as the two S-Rank Hunters nodded in response.


    "Dad¡­" Noll muttered upon staring at the skeleton of his father protecting the Lich. Of course, he couldn''t recognise his father based on the bone structure alone. But the equipment worn by the skeleton and the technique it unleashed before was the indication of their rtionship.


    Noll''s father was an S-Rank Hunter that had raided the A-Rank Dungeon¡ªA Lich''s Laboratory¡ªin the past out of emergency when it was about to break. His actions prevented a break, but he ended up losing his life in the process.


    Even Noll was unaware of the identities of the other two S-Rank Skeletons, just that they didn''t seem to originate from their country. ''The Dungeons are pretty mysterious indeed.''


    "Kill!" The Lich raised its staff and uttered human words, shocking everyone at the scene. The eyes of the entire nation were focused on the Lich through the broadcast. And when it spoke, they trembled in fear, having never expected a Lich to speak the humannguage, theirnguage.


    "Get ready," Ying announced in all seriousness, intending to transform into an Orc-Dragon the moment he sees the perfect opportunity.


    Roar¡­?


    The Bone Dragon opened its mouth to utter a roar, only to stop midway in utter confusion, one that morphed into fear midway.


    "W-W-What is happening?" The Hunter Association President lost control of his nerves, muttering in shock at the absurdity of the scene.


    The Lich, one of the most terrifying lifeforms to enter their world nowy on the back of the Bone Dragon, prostrating in fear like an ant gazing at a storm.


    Aieee¡­!


    The Bone Dragon whimpered like a wounded cub, not even budging an inch. As for the three S-Ranked Hunter skeletons, they acted no different from statues. Except for the faint rattling of their bones, they would have appeared inanimate.


    The undead army''s bones cluttered in response as they stood still.


    Overbearing Oppressive Fear!


    It wasn''t limited to the undead alone as even the Hunters were the same, trembling in fear. The fear seemed to stem from the depths of their being, the source of their power as Hunters.


    The stronger they were, the greater they could sense this thundering sense of oppression, to the extent of feeling it difficult to breathe, suffocated in the depths of the ocean.


    "Something seemed to have happened. Why is everyone stunned?" The anchor seated within the helicopter expressed her shock as she spoke. She was only a normal human and hence couldn''t feel what was happening.


    "T-This is¡­?" Ying struggled to move, feeling as if his figure was locked by a mystical power. Through the Orc-Dragon Sense, he observed the System fragment in his body struggling to operate, trembling like an ant facing a tsunami.


    His eyes darted forth, staring at the crack beginning to close down as it stopped at a height of three metres. And from it exited two people, a man, and a woman, appearing no different from youths twenty years old.


    The girl had a slender figure, sporting toned limbs. Her hair seemed like a me but behaved like a stream of water. Ying focused on her eyes only for a moment and felt as if he would faint.


    Standing next to thedy was the youth that had a pretty lean frame and a rather innocent look. But upon noticing Ying staring at thedy, he gently extended his index finger, muttering softly, "Kneel!"


    Bang!


    Instantly, Ying fell on all fours, feeling as if he was being pressed by a mountain. Grunting in response, he activated his Orc-Dragon form, gasping in shock upon seeing it fail to activate.


    [No! I need to escape!]


    A shout resounded in his mind when immediately, time seemed to have stopped in the world as its colours faded. The world turned monochromatic as none were able to move, stuck in time as a portal began to form before Ying, leading to the System World.


    ng!


    But suddenly, a ring manifested in the sky, spanning around the entire world.


    ng!


    The ring split from one to two, already covering one-twelfth of the world''s surface as they continued to increase in number, causing the formation of the portal to slow down to a crawl.


    [No, save me, Bossssssss!]


    A heavenly hand manifested in the sky and reached towards Ying when suddenly, one of the rings blocked its approach. A massive dent formed on the ring from the impact, but it didn''t cave in.


    As for the portal, a hand exited it in an effort to yank Ying into it, but the youth appeared before it and swatted it away, grunting as he clenched his hand into a fist and snuffed out the portal.


    The Secondary System stared in despair as 24 Rings covered the entire world, cutting off contact with the System World and Astral Network. Massive punches from Zairanded on the rings, denting them rapidly, but the rings remained sturdy and didn''t copse.


    The girl arrived before Ying, letting out a familiar voice, "It has been ages since Ist saw you, Money-Making System."


    "Have you been well?"

 Chapter 933 Torch The Martial Arts

    Pat-Pata-Pta!


    Muzzle shes flickeringly brightened the deste forest background, followed by thunderous sounds that apanied them, raising bloodthirsty howls of pain led by a torrent of rain shower, of blood.


    "Take cover!" An old man with a iling long goatee shouted as he leaped high and fled to the safety behind a thick tree trunk, watching crimson stters of doom collide onto the other side, causing the tree trunk to shake violently.


    "Destroy the demonic weapons." He grunted in anger to avoid giving in to his growing fear, watching one of his underlings get into the open when his body was shredded into bits.


    "Sect Leader, we can''t even get close to them." His direct disciple said in horror, tears streaming down his face as he hollered, "Even senior brother died. We''re the only ones left alive."


    "So, it hase to this." The old man addressed as the Sect Leader sighed in defeat, staring at his disciple to mutter softly, "Go, at least you must survive. I''ll hold them back."


    "The way of Murim must be preserved."


    "M-Master¡­" The disciple''s tears flooded in response, "I''ll die with you¡­"


    "Don''t be an idiot!" The Sect Leader red in anger as he threw a que, "All our Sect''s secrets are written in the scroll kept within that que. It''s written on the skin of a thousand-year horned serpent and hence, preserved for the countless centuries our sect stood tall. Now, I leave everything to you¡­"


    "As the 99th Spirit Sword Sect Master."


    "I''ll avenge everyone, Master. Please believe in me." The Disciple wiped his tears as he resolved himself, crouching as he congealed all his Qi into his foot before sting off deeper into the thicket of trees.


    "Target fleeing using the Cloud Manoeuvring Steps. Aim!" A man peeking through a sensor said, trailing the muzzle of his automatic rifle in the direction of the fleeing disciple, "Shoot¡­"


    Bang!


    A boulder flew his way before he pressed the trigger, squashing him t underneath.


    "You damn demons! I''ll kill everyone if it''s thest thing I do." The Sect Leader roared as he faced his palm outward and pushed forth with all his strength, unleashing a Qi Wave that sent everything in his surroundings flying radially outward.


    Spirit Sword Art¡ªDragon Overturning the Seas!


    The wave buried a group of attackers underneath the flying rubble and soil, their fates unknown. The wave created a crater with a radius of twenty metres, a shocking feat.


    Standing a hundred metres away from the crater, having observed everything from the start was a youth in histe twenties, sporting a well-cropped head, akin to a military cut. He was donned from head to toe in a soldier uniform simr to those from the special services.


    His uniform was fully futuristic as he tweaked the visor, scanning the thermal reading of the crater to mutter coldly, "That old man is still alive. Impressive."


    He then snapped his finger,manding the subordinate standing nearby, "Bomb him once. He''lle to his senses after that."


    "These primitive creatures are pretty dumb."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Yes, sir!" The subordinate saluted in response before aiming his RPG at the centre of the crater tounch the payload.


    "W-What?" The Sect Leader stared in rm at the faint whistling sound that crept towards him within a second. He hurriedly riled up thest reserves of his Qi and unleashed his strongest defence.


    Spirit Sword Art¡ªDragon Net Covering the Heavens!


    Boom!


    There was a resounding explosion that brightened up the forest for a couple of seconds, the sh so strong it caused the animals to flee in fear.


    "What in the Demon Lord is that?" The disciple stopped atop a tree and screamed in despair, "What is that? Seriously! Why is this happening to us?"


    Of course, there was none to reply him as the intense light died out in a matter of seconds. His surroundings became dark once again as the disciple gritted his teeth and continued to run away, thest he saw was the tower representing the Spirit Sword Sect going up in mes.


    Cough!


    "Oh, you''re still alive. That''s pretty impressive of you. As expected of the man touted to be the strongest under the heavens." The leader of the attackers walked through the torched forest ground and stood before the figure of a bleeding old man, "Well, in the end, you could only defend against a single explosion."


    "A century of training, and that is all to your name. Pah!" He spat out in disdain and looked down on the Sect Leader from above, pointing a pistol to his face, "Anyst words?"


    "W-What is your motive?" The Sect Leader gasped, now appearing to have aged tremendously in thest few seconds. With all his Qi depleted, his lifeforce was consumed to defend against the RPG. Despite that, he lost function in his legs and had a shattered right arm.


    "Haha, now that you''re at the end of your wits, you finally have the patience to ask me that? How funny¡­" The leader of the attackersughed as his tone turned cold, "I was once a martial arts enthusiast. I hoped to join one of the Sects and train. But,"


    He snorted casually, "They said I didn''t have a Qi Centre which was necessary to umte Qi. Meaning, I couldn''t even embark on the path of a martial artist. Back then, I was in despair. It is kind of ridiculous now that I think about it. I mean, martial arts aren''t even that great."


    "A bullet to the head and many decades of training down the drain."


    "Is this revenge?" The Sect Leader red, helpless as hecked the strength to even move his limbs.


    "Well¡­" The leader of the attackers tilted his head before kicking the Sect Leader. He ced his boot on the opponent''s head and said, "The era of Murim is over. This will be a new age of technology and I''ll be at the centre of the world''s prosperity."


    "So, antiques from the Murim World can now be one with history. There''s no future for you anymore." Saying so, he pressed the trigger, killing the Sect Leader. "That was pretty anticlimactic."


    "Sir Rass!" One of the subordinates said after a salute, "We''ve wiped out everyone from the Spirit Sword Sect, down to the servants and horses. What''s the next n?"


    "That building¡­" The leader, Rass said, pointing at the main building of the Spirit Sword Sect, "And that, and that too¡­Well, everything in the Spirit Sword Sect¡­"


    "Torch them!" He said coldly, "Not even a hint of records regarding martial arts must remain."

 Chapter 934 Spirituality Through Death

    "M-My Sect! Damn demons!" The disciple sobbed in sadness, watching the history of his home, one that stood tall for many centuries against the most brutal of invasions now go up in mes.


    The attackers intended to wholly wipe out everything rted to the Spirit Sword Sect. A group of attackers brought out a machine that pumped out oil, spraying it on the buildings before another soldier torched everything with a methrower.


    The woodenponents instantly caught up in mes, raising the temperature of the ce. The oil seemed pretty potent as when ignited, the mes it generated were hot enough to melt even the rock pirs of the Sect, a structure that stood tall for hundreds of years.


    Vtile substances from the rocky pirs gushed out through cracks from the intense heat, exploding every few seconds, causing further damage to the ce.


    Boom!


    The wind carried some of the hot ashes, causing them to fall into a forest where some dried shrubs caught me. The fire gradually spread through the forest.


    "Well, this is bound to erase all traces of their existence." Rass grinned happily, having wiped out thest of Martial Arts Sects on the maind, "Now, all we need to do is weed out the smaller ones that have gone into hiding."


    "Let''s retreat." Hemanded as the group climbed aboard their ATVs and sped away through a forest path, having no intention to be caught up in the forest fire.


    "Someone''s there!" Suddenly, one of Rass''s underlings shouted, detecting the silhouette of a man through his thermal sensor. But, just when he nned to press the trigger, the figure vanished. "What the¡­?"


    "Remain on alert. There might be another expert that is still alive." Rassmanded as he held his rifle steady, staring around while on the back of his ATV. He remained on alert, watching the ATV rush past arge trunked tree, surprised to see a man standing casually behind it.


    At that moment, their eyes locked, instantly causing fear to brim within Rass as he pressed the trigger urately, mming a bullet into the opponent''s forehead. He wasn''t satisfied with that as he turned around and loaded a grenade,unching it at the target to obliterate his body.


    Only then did he rx, "Strange bastard."


    "No more signs of people around us anymore." One of his underlings said, inspecting the sttered remains of the entity Rass had just shot before.


    There wasn''t even an intact body part as Rass thought, ''Even the Spirit Zombies they refine would die once their head is destroyed. There''s no way that bastard would survive after this. Besides,''


    He stared back to mutter, "The fire would take care of everything cleanly anyway."


    The group quickly drove past as the fire began to slowly catch up to therge trunked tree. What they didn''t know was that on the other side of therge trunked tree was a man, leaning on it casually, his eyes closed as he muttered, "Murim Worlds are indeed the most unstable."<novelnext></novelnext>


    It was Compass Carburettor. Or rather, a Secret Society member.


    Of course, even if he is killed, he could casually revive himself. Even though the primary Dreand was in the body of the original and not with him, every single cell in his body was a virus, containing pretty much his entire records. So, it only needed an instant to regenerate from a single cell to an entire individual.


    Compass Carburettor diversified the means of his revival to further strengthen his concept. So, there was always a way out to logically revive him. This prevented his fate and luck from getting consumed to alter cause and effect to revive him through his concept.


    Yes, that was possible. But, it couldn''t be done sessively. Moreover, doing so would weaken him in the long run. Hence, by having diverse revival means, his concept worked the best and was instead strengthened by his deaths.


    There was fire all around him as the wave of forest fire sped past him, causing his body to burn in response. Compass Carburettor struggled to escape but the toxic fumes were too dangerous. And just a few mouthfuls of breathster, he fainted and was consumed by the mes.


    A couple of secondster, his figure appeared in the centre of the burning Spirit Sword Sect as Compass Carburettor closed his eyes to sense the changes in the surroundings while repeatedly being burnt to death.


    Spirituality Through Death!


    As every Secret Society member in the Dreand tapped into the data of the ce through their spirituality, Compass Carburettor performed the same as he meditated on the burning peak to tap into the informationwork of this world.


    He already had a connection to that through the mortality of those that had died. He would have to suffer from headaches by connecting with his concept externally, but that was bearable when the scope was only the mountain region.


    It was well within his limit as Compass Carburettor began to scale up through the timeline of the ce, muttering as he observed the changes brought about by Rass, "He''s destroying the culture and tradition of this world and is nning to build a new world atop the ruins of the past."


    "But strangely¡­" Compass Carburettor muttered in surprise, "Even though he brought out guns and modern equipment, he has limited it to the people under hismand. So, the rest of the world has yet to be familiar with the technology. That''s interesting."


    This action meant that the world was losing its Murim affiliation but as technology had yet to be a trend, the world didn''t show any inclination towards Technocraft either. A strange bnce was being attained here by treading between the fine line.


    "I''m curious to see what will happen next." Compass Carburettor smiled in response, knowing very well that this was Martial''s experiment. It had to be noted that despite being a Genre Representative, he had be a Quasi-System Host, all to save his worlds.


    He had a sad plight, despite being a powerful Genre Representative that could unleash a Genre Representative''s ultimate ability¡ªGenre Representation.


    And hence, due to his partnership with the Waning Essence System, Martial was working on changing his worlds. This created the perfect chance for Compass Carburettor to observe the inner workings of a Genre Representative''s strength and finally seek out the truth that he came to find here.

 Chapter 935 Rass

    "Shit! Shit! Shit!" The sole surviving individual of the Spirit Sword Sect, the Sect Leader''s disciple copsed to the floor weakly after arriving at an inn. He had to throw off his Sect''s precious garments and change into a casual set of clothes, not to mention cut off his hair which was a signature style of his Sect.


    Until he became strong enough to avenge his Sect, he had to live in hiding. He understood that, for he was considered intelligent. But, he disliked the thought, which was why he was wallowing in self-pity.


    Most of all, he was confused. The attackers led by Rass were just normal people. Heck, they even seemed untrained inparison to the regr soldiers.


    But despite that, thanks to the demonic weapons and armour they possessed, they began to kill Martial Artists like helpless chickens.


    ''Worst of all, when he killed a few in the past and snatched their demonic weapons, it was strange.'' He gritted his teeth, for the guns¡ªdemonic weapons in their eyes¡ªsimply vaporised after being in their possession for a couple of days.


    Before they could properly investigate them, they vanished. This resulted in their understanding of the demonic weapons being minimal at best.


    And considering the information-gathering capacity of the Murim World, not much was known as the Sects fell one after another.


    "Shit! Does that mean our methods are just useless?" This was the primary reason for him being vexed, experiencing a sense of powerlessness that for the first time in his life, he came to realise that his decades of earnest efforts amounted to nothing.


    The killers of his Sect brothers and sisters were just regr people with frail bodies. But one click from the demonic weapon, and a life was lost. It painted a despairing feeling.


    ''Master trained for over a century. But even he only managed to take down a dozen attackers before he lost his life.'' Tears streamed down his face as the disciple was unable to endure the chaotic emotions exploding out of him. Eventually, he cried himself to sleep.


    On the other hand, in the same city, having booked the entire building of the most luxurious restaurant was Rass and his men. There were over two hundred of them in total, those left over from all the wars he had waged.


    From the initial number of 250, they had fallen to just around 200. But considering how they had destroyed all the major Martial Arts Sects, everyone was jubnt.


    After all, these people were just living lives with no purpose before, having lost their families to Martial Artists for one reason or the other.


    "Phew," Rass muttered as he removed his bullet-proofbat suit, wiping his sweat as he slumped on a table in exhaustion, raising his hand to order, "Give me some cold water first."


    "In a moment, sir." The staff nearby said as he quickly brought over a ss of water, along with some simple refreshments, mostly fruits, and simple fried items.


    "Ohh, you''re good. As expected from a luxurious restaurant. You know I can''t eat heavily in my exhaustion and hence you have brought appetisers." Rass nodded in delight as he stared at the staff, frowning for a moment as he tilted his head, "Do I know you?"


    "If you hade to this city before, you might have seen my running around. I have done odd jobs for a lot of establishments here." The staff said as he bowed and stood a fair distance away, intending to arrive at Rass''s service when necessary.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Strange, I feel like I''ve seen him just recently¡­" Rass muttered but didn''t put much thought into it and just focused on the treat. He stood up after having a ss of water, raising the empty ss as he shouted, "We''vepleted our major objective. Food and drinks are on me tonight. Waste yourselves!"


    "Glory to the leader!" His subordinates shouted in joy as they began to tear through the luxurious feastid out before them. They had already set aside theirbat suits and wore casual clothes, looking no different from themon folk around them now.


    As for thebat suits, they began to vaporise slowly, vanishing after a few minutes.


    "No matter how many times I see this, it''s always mystical." The subordinate seated next to Rass said, ncing at Rass to finally raise his curiosity, "I didn''t wish to ask about this before. But leader, can you tell me more about your power?"


    "Are you curious?" Rass asked, smiling contently as he began to drink mild alcohol. He then nced around, noticing that none of the other subordinates were paying attention to him, busy tackling the food before them.


    Only the subordinate on his table was within audible range. Everyone else was situated far away. Rass nced at the staff, ''He''s more than five metres away. In this noise, he wouldn''t be able to hear my discussion.''


    He simply nodded at the staff''s professional smile before looking at his subordinate to ask, "What do you think is the source of my power?"


    "I''m¡­not sure?" The subordinate shook his head.


    ''As expected, he''s pretty dumb.'' Rass thought but didn''t voice out aloud as he smiled, "Then, where do you think Qi originates from?"


    "Isn''t Qi present in all living beings?" The subordinate spoke in confusion.


    "Dumbass," Rass snorted in disdain before saying, "If it was present everywhere around us, then why do you think we couldn''t learn Martial Arts?"


    "Now I''m confused¡­" The subordinate looked sullen. He was already nervous to ask his leader''s secret, for it was an offense in the martial world. But even after summoning all his courage to ask, only then did he realise that he wascking a truckload of braincells necessary to understand his leader''s train of thought.


    ''This is interesting. He''s neither a System Host nor a transmigrator or reincarnator. He''s genuinely someone from this world and is just experiencing his first life.'' Compass Carburettor thought as he shed a professional smile at Rass.


    Of course, he was acting as the staff here. He changed his eyes to brown and his hair to ck, also morphing his facial features slightly to appear like a native. And that was more than enough to blend in with the crowd.


    The reason he was following Rass was simple. After all, this individual was specially nted by thebined efforts of Martial and the Waning Essence System. And his sess guaranteed Martial''s escape from his pitiful predicament.


    And as he heard Rass''s exnation, Compass Carburettor was pleasantly surprised while at the same time, his eyes curled up a little, turning cold as a feeling of disgust welled up in him.

 Chapter 936 Multiverse Scale Plagiarism

    "Well, if you are confused, I''ll make it simple for your brain to understand." Rass took arge bite of the meat before him and munched it aloud before speaking, "After running for some time, do you feel tired?"


    "Yes," The subordinate nodded in response.


    "Once you rest after eating something, you''ll have enough energy to run once again, right?" Rass said, continuing upon seeing his subordinate nod, "There is a type of energy in our body that is needed for us to function. For our body to move, for our minds to think, etc. there is an energy."


    He pointed at the meat before him, "Simply put, when I eat this meat and digest it, my body converts it into a reservoir of energy. They are carbohydrates and fats. When our body needs to move, these reservoirs are broken down and converted into the energy that we consume to move."


    "And that, you can consider as Qi." Rass said, "Normally, there is a limit to how much a body can store fats and carbohydrates."


    He pointed at the fattest subordinate among their group, "that guy has the greatest fat reservoir among us. So, who would win if you were to race against him?"


    "I would win, obviously." The subordinate nodded in confusion, "Why is it so?"


    "Because he''s fat." Rass said, "Though the energy reserved in him as fat is a lot greater than you, he''s unable to convert that into energy required to move. His body isn''t trained enough."


    He snapped his finger and motioned for the staff to bring a pestle and mortal, cing a grape in it as he spoke, "Think of this grape as a piece of fat. In this state, it''s useless."


    He crushed it using the pestle, creating a pulpy form before filtering out the juice, "Your body needs this juice to move. The act of crushing as many grapes to make juice by your body results in your stamina."


    He broke the pestle, "If you have an untrained body, your pestle is too weak to make energy fast enough. Besides,"


    He pointed at the pulp within the mortar, "There are waste residues too. This makes further juice-making more difficult. So, after strenuous exercise, once you rest, your body gradually removes this useless pulp out of your body."


    "And this juice¡­" He poured it into a ss, "This is Qi. A Martial Artist directly stores this pure energy form that is perfectly suitable for the body''s consumption in their Qi Centre or Dantian."


    "I see¡­" The subordinate nodded as he saw the pulp and the juice, "The juice is so little, but the grape storing that juice upies so much space."


    "Indeed, so you get my point." Rass nodded in relief, "If we store too much fat in our body, we can''t utilise it well, as our body bes heavy and we expend so much energy just to support our body. But once we be fit, there''s too little fat stored in us. So, this is where the Qies into y. It has the maximum efficiency for body consumption and upies too little space, not to mention it isn''t even a hundredth as heavy as fat with the same energy capacity."


    "So, that''s why Martial Artists hit their limit." The subordinate nodded.


    "Indeed, the so-called meridians are just pipes circting this Qi and the Dantian is akin to a tiny organ storing the Qi. The Dantian is just a tissue sac within a muscle stretch. This is why Martial Artists hit their limit, for their Dantians be full just like their stomachs." Rass said, "So, depending on their body type, a Martial Artist''s limit is determined."


    "But, that is wrong and unfair." Rass said, hinting at mild anger as he continued, "So, that''s where I gained enlightenment for my power."<novelnext></novelnext>


    He pointed at the meat before him, saying casually, "That''s the source of my power."


    "You mean¡­meat?" The subordinate tilted his head in confusion, "But, didn''t you say it is inefficient?"


    "Yes, it is inefficient aspared to Qi. But," Rass grinned as he revealed his palm, condensing a pistol on it, "This pistol weighs 400 grams, whollyposed of hydrocarbons we consume from food."


    He tapped it on the table, "This model has twelve bullets, enough to kill twelve people, whether they aremoners or Martial Artists."


    He grinned, "You know the rest."


    "Indeed," The subordinate nodded, "Even though it''s not as efficient as Qi, the weapons leader creates out of them are hundreds of times more effective in killing than the attacksunched by Martial Artists."


    "Indeed," Rass nodded, "To attack someone from afar, it takes the likes of the Divine Archer to pull off. But, even the range of ourmon assault rifles surpasses that, not to mention the sniper rifles."


    "Martial Artists are shy, but their attacks and defencesck substance," Rass concluded.


    "So, basically, it''s a copy of my Anthozoa, huh."


    Rass became stunned for a moment, looking around as he was unable to determine where the voice came from. He looked around for a few seconds but couldn''t find anyone suspicious. Thinking upon seeing the amount he had drunk, he just amounted it to a hallucination and excused himself, "I''ll go sleep now."


    "Take care, leader." The subordinate said in response and continued to eat, his mind full of thoughts.


    Compass Carburettor stepped forward to assist Rass, bringing him to his room as he bowed upon exit, "Please have a pleasant sleep."


    Once he was out, he walked through the corridor, hearing the bustling noise made by Rass''s subordinates, ignoring his work for the time being as he bit his tongue and killed himself, causing his corpse to vanish as he revived at the terrace of the building.


    Sigh!


    He stared at the clear sky and thought, ''Anthozoa is a carbon-based product, as I originally designed. I was brought to the System World just as the prototype waspleted. But, even after my disappearance, Carburettor Ind remained behind. They continued the project to advance the technology.''


    ''And after so many decades, it seems they have figured out a method to fully incorporate it into the human body. Just like the body grows hair and nails, the fat would be consumed and products of one''s desire would be created.'' He thought, ''But of course, theplexity required for this isn''t something a normal human brain could handle. So it means¡­''


    "giarism has reached multiverse levels, huh."

 Chapter 937 Martial Pawn

    Maybe the humans on Earth could have trained daily to eventually be able to create shields with the same structural makeup as Anthozoa. That would be an overpowered shield, considering how Anthozoa survived a drop test of a ton of steel from a height of one metre without as much as a scratch.


    This was more than enough to tank bullets. Conceptualising shields was easy, so with enough training, a human could naturally perfect it to the level of Anthozoa if they were taught that.


    Simrly, they could also manufacture all the required parts of a gun and then assemble it. Even for a gun, all individual parts were pretty simple for the human brain to conceptualise.


    But, Rass had condensed an entire gun. This surpassed the level of a human.


    A nce at the sleeping figure of Rass, and Compass Carburettor inferred the fact that an insane amount of knowledge had been inscribed into him, making the action of the creation of aplex item like a pistol just an instinct.


    This was something Systems were experts of.


    Thest time he visited to rescue Stencil, three other Systems were on Earth, apart from the Money-Making System. Moreover, once Compass Carburettor gained fame as the Main Character, Zaira had obviously sent a bunch of Systems to Earth to find out everything regarding him.


    And one such thing they found was Anthozoa''s blueprints. It was a product unique to Earth. Considering its sheer ingenuity and Compass Carburettor''s exploits with Anthozoa, a couple of Systems with Core Skills rted to technology arrived on Earth and took charge.


    The result was an organ simr to the stomach but only the size of a clipped fingernail. It had functional memory and allowed the human imnted with it to naturally control the fats and carbohydrates in their body through a variety of ways, as if they were breathing.


    Moreover, this had been created to be simr to Mitochondria, the powerhouse of a Cell. Originally, Mitochondria wasn''t part of a human cell, but akin to a virus that came from outside.


    But the human cells won against its invasion and gradually integrated it into a part of themselves through evolution. And this organ too became integrated into the human body within a single generation, only requiring a year to do so. That was thanks to the Systems.


    What does it mean to be integrated into the body? The information regarding it was coded into the gics of the person.


    Meaning, that individual''s children would naturally be born with the organ that allowed them to manipte their fate and carbohydrates to create hydrocarbon objects of their desire.


    It led to the birth of aplex variable that took centre stage in the world. Things had changed tremendously on Earth following that.


    After all, it had been a century since Anthozoa was created on Carburettor Ind. It was enough time for technology to advance tremendously. But, that was on Earth with its focus still on information.


    Depending on the knowledge one gained, the item one created using their abilities varied. The greater the knowledge, the more versatile they could be. That was because of Earth''s culture, where knowledge was termed absolute power.


    But in this Murim world, things would be different. Martial had imnted the same organ in Rass while the Waning Essence System had ingrained in him the instincts regarding the manufacture of hydrocarbon items ranging from weapons tobat suits.


    The Murim world''s culture revolved around the motto of strength reigning supreme. Meaning, only weapons would be focused upon.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Moreover, Rass could only produce guns and the likes instinctively. He had zero knowledge regarding its functions or mechanisms. So, there was no way he could pass on that knowledge to his children.


    What would it mean then?


    His children would grow up and begin to develop their abilities to create weapons: Swords, bows and arrows, hidden weapons, poisoned hidden weapons, etc.


    The power would bepletely attuned to this world. In the end, the Murim world would remain the same. And the power source was pretty much simr to Qi¡ªInternal Energy. So in the end, the world would still be under Martial.


    Moreover, there would no longer be any worries about the Murim World transferring genres.


    After all, with all the major Sects razed to the ground, pretty much all valuable Martial Arts regarding Qi usage were destroyed. And with Rass''s actions, it was only a matter of time before Qi waspletely eliminated.


    So, there was no longer any worry of there bing enough Qi to result in a world centred around energy¡ªthe essence of a Cultivation World.


    As the power system now relied upon carbohydrates and fats, thew of conservation of mass would ensure the world could never be a Cultivation World, for there was no direct energy usage.


    Simrly, any development of the world would be centred around the new generation of humans¡ªthose simr to Rass. After all, with the ability to create any items of their wish, all technological revolutions would be reliant upon them and derived from their abilities.


    Human resources trumped all resources, after all. And since it was convenient, producing items through humans would be economical for them, as that was the Murim way¡ªto be reliant on oneself.


    They didn''t have a concept of industrialisation like on Earth.


    So, with everything centred around the people, the technological revolutions would be based on them at a fundamental level. Meaning, the world would never align towards Technocraft, irrespective of how much it develops.


    Therefore, with just a change at the intrinsic level, Martial had solved his fundamental issue. Moreover, he had chosen the perfect candidate to spread around the changes.


    ''So, that is why the guns and armour disappeared after a while. This is the same property that the bullets manufactured by Anthozoa have.'' Compass Carburettor smiled, ''It''s not that he cannot create items that cannot vaporise. But, he chose not to make them.''


    "After all, he doesn''t trust his subordinates." Compass Carburettor snorted, "He knows that anyone with a gun can kill him anytime. Hence, he only creates weapons that vaporise once their purpose is done. With this, he always maintains power and authority over his subordinates."


    "I mean, with the feat of having annihted all the major Martial Arts Sects, it wouldn''t be strange if those subordinates haven''t developed massive egos already. But, they are useless without his weapons. So, they have no choice but to be subservient to him, with zero chance of gaining power for themselves." He analysedpletely, "And things would change with the generation after him, for they cannot create guns like him."


    "Rass is the perfect pawn for Martial."

 Chapter 938 Mining Future Info

    "Rass is the perfect pawn of Martial."


    Compass Carburettor stared at the sky, able to notice the gaze of Martial and the Waning Essence System. Had it just been Martial alone, he wouldn''t have been able to notice the other party.


    After all, Martial represented the Murim Worlds. So, he was intrinsically connected to them. He didn''t need to view it from an external perspective.


    But since he had somewhat be the Waning Essence System''s Host, he couldn''t observe in his usual way, for that would keep the Waning Essence System in the dark. Since it too needed to observe, he chose an external way, one that allowed Compass Carburettor to feel their gaze.


    At present, he just resembled a normal human that was seated on the terrace of the restaurant. So, even when they noticed him¡ªfor he was seated on the terrace of the same building as their pawn, Rass¡ªout in the open, they didn''t even spare a nce at him.


    After all, he was just a mere mortal.


    This was Compass Carburettor''s terrifying nature. Whatever changes he wished to do, he could perform them by manifesting a dreamscape after killing himself. And once he revived at reality, he was just a normal mortal.


    Even his disguise was performed in the dreamscape, making it natural.


    ''Even though they stole my Anthozoa, they had indeedpleted my most ambitious project.'' He thought, smiling in the end, ''When I had the Money-Making System, I created the Carburettor Ind to one day upgrade Anthozoa into being something that could be integrated into the human body.''


    "It was why I made it capable of condensing bullets out of air and charge itself using sr energy, not to mention make bullets that would sublimate a minute after they were shot." He stared at the sky and observed the moon, "It seems that even after my disappearance, my ideology stuck on Carburettor Ind. It stinks that it wasn''t me that realised my dream, but at least, it was my dream that had been realised."


    "Now, I''m curious about Rass." He muttered, "Since I don''t have enough time to wait until everything I want to see happens, let''s take things for a spin, shall we¡­?"


    He bit his tongue, killing himself as instantly, the entire universe formed within the dreamscape, a mirror of the original. It was as if the universe itself was dreaming.


    Dreamcraft!


    "Hmm?" Compass Carburettor noticed the energy infused in him being consumed rapidly. Maintaining such a massive dreamscape took a toll on his concept, for at the moment, he wasn''t being supported by the energy from his concept externally.


    He didn''t have much time on his hand as Compass Carburettor arrived before Rass and began to dissect thetter, extracting the organ to understand it further through his ability to infer data.


    A couple of minutester, he smiled while staring at the unconscious Rass, "This guy is pretty cunning indeed. All of Anthozoa''s properties have been built into him."


    This meant that just as Anthozoa was able to condense bullets bypressing air, Rass was able to condense the material he wished by inhaling air. And the energy to create all his weapons came from the sun.


    The exnation he provided to his subordinate was all true, but was just part of the truth. There was a limit to how much fat a human body could store after all. Moreover, when one moves their body, their muscles be sore.


    And the creation of the weapons followed the same principle. Rass was just supplementing it with sr energy, using the generated electricity to contract the necessary muscles. It was electricity that moved in the nervous system to control the muscles.<novelnext></novelnext>


    He could do it as naturally as breathing since the Waning Essence System imprinted it into his body.


    Just like how the Dantian began to influence the human body the greater one umted Qi in their body and trained, this organ too influenced them simrly. Therefore, even though it didn''t seem like it externally, Rass''s body was pretty robust, his muscles capable of condensing air into solid objects at a rapid pace.


    They had been strengthened by the organ over time as he used his power. This was why he could easily create enough items to equip over two hundred subordinates.


    The perceived weakness he told his subordinates was just to fool them into targeting that weakness if they ever wished to betray him. He didn''t trust a single one of them.


    Moreover, he could be selective about imparting all the properties of his organ to progeny. As to what he wished to do with that, Compass Carburettor was curious.


    Now that he had confirmed his doubts and gained all the data regarding this organ, he revived in reality¡ªon the terrace. The time in the world began to tick once again.


    He was now satisfied, speaking, "Since this is the fruit of my dreams, I''ll name it as I see fit."


    "Compass Carburettor Seed, or CC Seed for short." He smiled, "That''s what this organ shall be called."


    "When I head to Earth in the future, I''ll install this name there." He grinned as he focused on his concept to install a connection with the main body, transmitting all the information before asking, "Lend me energy."


    "How much?" Came from the other side, transmitted as a thought.


    "Everything you have."


    There was silence for a moment before the concept in him brimmed with power. Pretty much all the energy the main body had gathered until now flowed into him, powering him up.


    Compass Carburettor cut off the connection and killed himself once again, muttering as he paused the timeline of the universe, "With the energy in me, I can maintain this dreamscape for three decades."


    "That''s plenty enough."


    Time in dreams can get quite wonky. It needn''t followmon sense there. So, before a second could pass in reality, three decades would flow in the dreamscape. And that was enough time for Compass Carburettor to find out the secret regarding Genre Manifestation, for he inferred that the cluey in Rass.


    Even Martial and the Waning Essence System were unaware of what was happening, for the level of the Dreamscape he erected was beyond them. Though everything would finish before a second ticked in reality, if any of the Grade 4 Systems were here, they would be able to intrude into the timeline of the Dreamscape too.


    Thankfully, none were free at the moment, allowing him this precious opportunity. As to what he wished to do in the Dreamscape? Nothing.


    Compass Carburettor only wanted to see what Rass would do in this world, being the first to unearth all the data. Basically, by simting this universe as a dream, Compass Carburettor was mining information about the future.

 Chapter 939 Royal Sect

    There was zero difference between the Dreamscape and reality. Therefore, the events that would happen next would be a direct reflection of reality.


    So, by observing three decades in the Dreamscape, Compass Carburettor was obtaining information regarding three decades of that universe''s future.


    Considering how this information was regarding the most vital experiment that Martial and the Waning Essence System were banking on, Compass Carburettor was reaping profits thirty years in advance.


    Once he mines all the resources from the Dreamscape and leaves, even if Martial and the Waning Essence System wished to catch up to him, they would require three decades of progress.


    This was how Compass Carburettor branched into the Realm of the ultimate concept¡ªTime¡ªthrough his power of Dreamcraft.


    The ultimate peak represented by the Systems were the three Grade 4 Systems, all of which upied segments of the concept of Time. So, if he were to go against them in the future, he would need methods to guard against time.


    Time could only be guarded against by time. Other peak concepts like space and fate could only endure against Time.


    And of course, Dreamcraft also treaded onto the concepts of space and fate too. After all, Mortality urred throughout history, spanning the vastness of the multiverse, hitting each individual differently.


    It touched time through the history of Mortality, space through the vastness of the multiverse where Mortality urred, and fate through how individuals faced Mortality only when their time was up.


    The timeline of the universe stopped flowing as the Dreamscape took effect. In the Dreamscape, the universe functioned as is, flowing through its timeline there.


    Compass Carburettor was seated on the roof of the building, pondering for a few minutes before he teleported into the kitchen and continued his activities as a staff of the establishment.


    The morning, the next day. Rass woke up, refreshed, feeling a welling sense of aplishment, "I''ve finally eradicated the Murim Sects."


    He began to think, "But, all the power was held by them. And now that I''ve annihted them, it creates a massive vacuum of power. If left as is, the world would fall into chaos."


    "Not all martial art manuals have been eradicated." He frowned, "Since the major Sects have been annihted, the surviving Martial Artists would go into hiding. It would take me decades to chase after and eradicate them all."


    He massaged his forehead, got up and exited his room, walking through the corridor as he passed by the nearby rooms, staring at the messy individuals lying all over the ce. They were his subordinates that had drunk themselves into stupidity until morning.


    ''Until now, these guys followed me because eradicating the Martial Arts Sects gave them a sense of aplishment. It was easy fighting such invasive battles. But searching for Martist Artists across the vast world is an exhausting task that they woulde to hate over time. It''s just not rewarding enough for the effort.'' He thought, finallying to the primary issue at hand, ''And, I would have to create weapons thatst longer than a couple of days.''


    ''Until now, I always disyed a time limit of two days for my items. To search farther, I would need to create items thatst longer.'' He sighed, ''If I do that, my ruse would be found out.''


    He clicked his tongue, mildly annoyed, ''They are just expendable trash. But, I don''t want to go through training another group of people from scratch. It would leave me vulnerable. Besides, annihting the Martial Artists gave them valuable experience in using guns against martial arts. I can''t waste that.''


    "Guess, it is what it is. I have to put up with them for a while longer." He muttered and began to freshen up.<novelnext></novelnext>


    It was evening by the time all his subordinates got up and freshened themselves. Following that, they assembled in arge room where Rass stared at them, pointing at the subordinate that managed their wealth, "How much money do we have?"


    "Sir, we have enough to buy this entire city." The subordinate replied, "Unfortunately, we destroyed all the title deeds safe kept by the Sects. Otherwise, we could have legally imed all the property they owned beyond their Sects."


    "That won''t be necessary anyway." Rass grinned, "We''ll establish our country."


    "L-Leader, y-you mean?" The subordinate closest to him muttered in shock, feeling as if his ears were ying tricks on him.


    "Our first step was annihting the Sects to erase all traces of Martial Arts. But, there are still surviving Martial Artists out there." He said, pointing at everyone, "Our weakness is that you cannot be more than two days away from me. My weapons cannotst beyond that. So, that means hunting the loose Martial Artists wouldn''t be efficient."


    "Indeed, they wille to know of our movements and remain elusive." One of the smarter subordinates analysed.


    "Instead, all we need to do is pass aw banning Martial Arts." Rass grinned, "And for that to happen, we need to gain legitimacy to our rule. That will happen once we establish our country."


    "But sir, can''t we just annihte the current royal family and rece them?" One of the subordinates asked.


    Rass stared at the subordinate in disdain, "Can any of you retards govern a region? Do you know about agriculture, mining, manufacturing, transport and entertainment sector?"


    Upon seeing the subordinates bow their head in response, Rass spoke curtly, "So, the moment we rece the current kingdom, it would copse. Or in another case, we''ll all end up bing puppets to the current nobles. Don''t underestimate their ability to scheme. We won''t even know when we start to dance to their tunes."


    "So, I devised a solution to that." He grinned and raised his hands, "A country governed by a Sect."


    "A country governed by a Sect?" The subordinates muttered as the eyes of some lit up in shock, understanding what he was getting at.


    "Indeed," Rass grinned, "We''ll establish ourselves at the centre of power with our weapons. All the nobles would ally with us to gain this power. This way, we won''t be racking our heads with something we don''t know but still remain at the centre of the world."


    "But leader, didn''t you say that your power cannot be shared with others?" The subordinate that talked with him the previous night asked in confusion.


    "Idiot, I only mentioned that it cannot be shared." Rass scolded the other party as usual, saying, "But, that didn''t mean it cannot be inherited."


    The eyes of everyone lit up as Rass said, "My children can inherit this power."


    "That''ll be the secret to the sess of our Royal Sect."

 Chapter 940 As Orchards

    "That''ll be the secret to the sess of our Royal Sect."


    At his announcement, Rass observed that even though all his subordinates disyed excitement, their eyes weren''t as vibrant as their actions indicated. ''Indeed, fools they might be, but they can sense that they don''t have a ce in this setup. They are pretty foolish.''


    He snorted coldly, causing them to shudder as if their thoughts were leaked to him. Though a secondter, Rass said spiritedly, "I''ll be at the centre of this change as the Royal Sect''s founding Sect Master."


    "To inherit my power, all the noble families would send their daughters for a political marriage." He then pointed at the subordinates, causing them to flinch at the sudden action, "And this is where you idiots woulde into y."


    "I''ll be having thousands of wives. I''ll be busy making babies and won''t have time for anything else. And hence," He grinned, "Once the children begin to grow up, they''ll need to be trained in the ways ofbat."


    He stared at his subordinates, "And you''re the only ones who know how to wield them apart from me."


    "Yes," He grinned upon noticing their eyes light up, "You''ll be masters of the first generation of Orchards in the world. Your names will be passed down through history for many centuries toe."


    "Orchard?" As all the subordinates became glee with joy, one of them asked, raising his question.


    "That''s the name of those with my powers." Rass said, "They''ll be called Orchards."


    "Orchards," The subordinates muttered the strange name one after another before they got used to it. Their world didn''t have the concept of Orchards, so it was a new term for them.


    Rass instinctively picked their term, as just like an orchard, those with his power grew items that could be distributed to others. Had he known its original meaning, he probably wouldn''t have picked this name.


    But instinctively, the purpose of both seemed simr, so he picked that from the knowledge ingrained into him.


    "Now," He began to create suits that they wore to ughter the Martial Artists, arming his subordinates with a pistol each as hemanded, "Head to the nearest postal office and dispatch letters to every single noble house in our country, inviting them to the Royal Sect."


    Five subordinates that were well-versed in writing took charge of the mission and exited the restaurant.


    He then pointed at the subordinate in charge of their wealth, "Summon the best of architects from the country to design theyout of our Royal Sect."


    "Where will we be building it?" One of the subordinates asked.


    "The Spirit Sword Mountain." Rass grinned, observing the shock on the faces of his subordinates, "It''s the biggest mountain in ournd, not to mention that it faces spring throughout the year. Its peak has more than enough area to create a Sect twenty times bigger than the Spirit Sword Sect. They didn''t build a bigger one due to sentimental values. But we don''t have that and hence could go all out."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "We have enough capital anyways. And if wee tock it, the noble families would provide for us." His eyes glinted cunningly, ''If they want to get my power, they would have to pay the price anyway.''


    The previous night, there was a heavy downpour thanks to the forest fire. Hence, the fire was snuffed out by the time it reached halfway down the mountain. Considering the bountiful nature of the region, the forest would grow back to its prime within a few years.


    Rass began to delegate tasks to each of his subordinates and finally returned to his roomte into the night, slumping as he rested. Two hourster, the window to the room opened slowly as a figure crept inside.


    But before it could crawl towards Rass, a bullet pierced its forehead, causing it to slump to the ground. Rass yawned as he got up and observed the corpse, "A Martial Artist, huh? This is getting boring."


    He summoned a couple of restaurant staff to clean the corpse and returned to bed, ''The assassins they sent when I wiped out the first Sect were dozens of times better than this assassin.''


    "It''s only a matter of time before Martial Artists vanish, especially once my children begin to roam around." Grinning at his bright future, Rass returned to sleep.


    Unbeknownst to everyone, Compass Carburettor was asleep under his bed, silently observing everything from close up. As this was within the Dreamscape where he could do anything he wished, to not influence anything, he turned himself into Rass''s shadow.


    This way, he wouldn''t interfere with the world in any way whatsoever, keeping everything natural. Only then would he figure out the secrets he came here for.


    News gradually circted throughout the continent, sending waves of shock into the minds of everyone. The power that annihted the Martial Arts Sects was now up for grabs. Even the families that originally lost their family members¡ªthat were affiliated with a Sect¡ªinstantly set aside their hatred and sent eligible women to the Royal Sect.


    It was because they realised that the information was sent to every family with notable authority, whether big or small. So, if they were caught up in their revenge of the past and refused to send anyone, the other families would gobble up the offer and would rise in power.


    Eventually, they would have no ce in the new world order. When the entirety of the Murim failed to annihte Rass, it was best to bend over for him.


    Rass had cunningly triggered a race, causing everyone topete with each other as the noble families sent lots of wealth along with the brides. Immediately, everymoner noticedrge caravans proceeding toward the Royal Sect from every corner of the continent.


    There were other continents beyond their continent. But strangely, Martial Artists only existed on this continent. There were some secluded Sects situated on inds surrounding the continent. But beyond that, the concept of Qi, Martial Artists, and Martial Arts didn''t exist. People living there were just a few in number without much development to speak of, not to mention that they were all mortals.


    That''s how Murim Worlds existed. Everything of value was only concentrated on the primary continent.


    And now, Rass made waves throughout it, beginning the change that would influence Martial in the future.

 Chapter 941 The Orchard Ancestor

    As a wise man once said, "When people and wealth converge in one ce, a new capital is born."


    Standing on a hill outlooking a bustling city was a man in old, Taoist robes, sporting a long white beard as his eyes oozed wisdom. He observed the city undergoing rapid development in the past year and uttered the quote.


    Following that, he removed his getup, revealing the familiar Compass Carburettor who then turned around and stared at the massive mountain nearby.


    On its peak was now a gigantic building, observable from the city at the foot of the mountain.


    Originally, the city was situated farther from the mountain. But the recent string of poption influx caused the city to be saturated, creating a need for morend.


    And when they wished to develop, they naturally sought the side closer to the mountain, for that was where the Royal Sect had been established. The closer they got to the foot of the mountain, the more expensive thend got. And of course, thend there had been ''legally'' imed by the Royal Sect and put up for auction.


    The noble families from all over the continent fought each other to buy the overpricednd. As a result, the Royal Sect got more than enough capital to operate for a century easily.


    The sheer number of workers hired to build the Royal Sect surpassed 50,000. It created a lot of chaos and mayhem as on the other side of the city was a massive slum where the workers stayed.


    As too many people in power congregated in one ce, not a day went by where there wasn''t conflict in the city. Of course, Rass didn''t care about that.


    He was just one individual. He couldn''t control so many people. Even if he armed his subordinates to the teeth and told them to open fire, nothing would change. Rather, they would be shooting their cash cow.


    Compass Carburettor observed the chaos in the original city before gazing at the mountain, focusing on the Royal Sect, "He indeed built a legacy for himself."


    With more than 50,000 workers operating around the shift, the Royal Sect had beenpleted within a year. Instead of using perishables like wood or materials requiring strict maintenance, Rass told them to work on rock instead.


    And hence, the entire structure was wholly carved from rock and was transported up the mountain through sheer human effort. Rocks didn''t need any maintenance, after all. They were naturally perfect for weathering out the climate for thousands of years.


    That was how long Rass wished for his legacy to be passed down and maintained.


    With a surplus of finds, he could practically do anything he wished.


    With a thought, Compass Carburettor vanished and returned to being Rass''s shadow, watching thetter working on an inscription created using his power. The material resembled Anthozoa''s frame in structural integrity.


    And on it, he had been inscribing details regarding a type of sword whose edges would be replenished by the acid and other toxic substances naturally produced by the human body.


    There was plenty among the data he possessed that Rass could make zero sense about. Instead, he focused on the things that made sense, extracting knowledge that was already familiar with the Murim World as he tried his best to understand the remaining unknown parts in them.


    Following that, he inscribed them on a massive board that he created using his power. There were dozens of such boards lying around and even more ced securely in the treasury.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Leader, the bride from the Tang Family is here." One of his subordinates knocked on the door and spoke.


    "Send her in." Rass said as he watched ady enter,menting the moment heid eyes on her, "I thought I annihted the Tang Family of Sichuan. That''s surprising."


    "I''m the sole survivor." Thedy uttered coldly, emanating killing intent as she pulled out a hidden weapon, "And today, I''ll exact revenge."


    "Well, that and all is fine. But," Rass looked around nonchntly, not even concerned about the assassination attempt, "Do you wish to rebuild the Tang Family?"


    "What?" Thedy was shocked for a moment that she just stood agape.


    "Look at this." He said and handed her a board that he just finished inscribing.


    "This is¡­?" Thedy muttered in confusion at the inscriptions, unable to make sense of anything.


    Rass condensed an oddly shaped knife that seemed to be coated with a mysterious substance, speaking, "The human body produces a lot of toxins. Most of them, when brought out of the organs they are meant to exist within, will easily kill a human."


    Thedy''s eyes shone with killing intent as she gritted her teeth in response, growling at Rass, "Are you mocking my family?"


    "No, my goal is to only destroy Martial Artists." He said before walking within the range of her weapon, "If your goal is to just kill me, you can try. But I can say with assurance that you''ll fail. Instead, if you wish to rebuild the Tang Family of Sichuan, you can use me to achieve it."


    "My children will inherit my powers. But, they''ll need to train to create even a single weapon." He patted the board in her hand, "Each of these boards contains the method to create an Orchard''s Tool. There''s only one board per tool."


    "The ones regarding poison and hidden weapons, you can take them." He said, "Your family can then research upon them to create as many Orchard Tools as they please, just like the Tang Family that created varieties of poison Qi in the past."


    "What the heck are you?" She red at him. But by this point, her sense of purpose was exceeding her hatred. She wished to avenge her family, but at the same time, she didn''t wish all records of her family to vanish from history. She wished to recover the glory her ancestors fought to maintain.


    "The Orchard Ancestor." Rass winked, "I have in me information beyond what you can even fathom. But, you''ll need to extract it out of me. And only an Orchard can sessfully do so."


    "The choice is yours."


    "I''ll kill you eventually." Thedy said as she removed her clothes, engaging in the act of baby-making, as pretty much every other woman that had arrived before him had done so.


    ''He''s a pitiful creature now.'' Compass Carburettor thought upon noticing Rass didn''t even disy a hint of emotion throughout the act. He had just be a mechanical doll with the sole purpose of acting as a seed dispenser.

 Chapter 942 Enlightened Difference

    At the start, Rass indeed had his fair share of fun mingling with women from all over the ce. As they were sent as brides from noble families, every single one of them was a type of beauty.


    So, it was hard to not enjoy the process. Strangely, over time, he didn''t know what happened, but Rass began to enjoy the process less and less and treat it more as his duty.


    Eventually, a year since it began, he was now just obsessed with it, going about the process like a machine with no feelings attached whatsoever. His life too became a routine that he repeated in a loop.


    He woke up at the break of dawn every day and exercised for an hour using his powers, regting his body condition. Following that, he worked as the Leader of the Royal Sect and gave out administrative orders regarding the various situations that urred.


    This was an exercise of power to ensure the Royal Sect had its reins on everything. With wealth, power, authority, and even legitimacy, the Royal Sect controlled everything.


    Moreover, Rass had to control the noble families to ensure they didn''t just send their women alone to hoard power. He wished to distribute his seeds as diversely as possible. And hence, he spent the mornings tackling various deals using his subordinates to make arrangements with even the farthest of secluded tribes, leaving none out of his range.


    During the afternoon, he would spend on coting data about his powers and making boards inscribed with information about Orchard Tools. Depending on the noble family the bride came from, based on their history, their locality, the speciality of the region, etc. Rass designed Orchard Tools and inscribed information about them on the board.


    He then handed them to the bride that arrived in the evening. Following that, they engaged in the act of baby-making until calling it a night. Rass was unsure how it was possible, but he was able to inseminate a woman by the very first intercourse. So, he never had to sleep with someone a second time, hearing news of everyone bing pregnant sessfully.


    The morning of the next day, he would get up and send the woman with the items he had prepared for her and would repeat the same as before.


    If a noble n was based around the sea, they would have more interaction with the water. And hence, the Orchard Tools useful for them would be harpoons, boats, diving suits, etc. So, Rass gave them boards inscribed with data regarding such Orchard Tools. The case was the same for every other family located in diverse backgrounds.


    Moreover, he also created a batch of Orchard Tools to serve as a family heirloom. This way, it would act as a symbol of reference for them to strive towards. He created them with his utmost power, ensuring they wouldn''t be damaged even after centuries of preservation.


    Moreover, he also created a seal of authority for each family, something they woulde to represent in the future, depicted by the Orchard Tool unique to them.


    This way, Rass created diversity and a sense of ownership for every family. And indeed, the noble families were rather content.


    "Who''s scheduled for today?" Rass asked once he arrived at the meeting hall of the Sect, asking the subordinates that had gathered around. Everyone was full of smiles, having a grand purpose in their lives.


    They didn''t have to worry about money or authority now and hence were happy.


    "It''s her highness the first princess." One of the subordinates said nervously.


    "Finally¡­" Rass muttered as he began to prepare ordingly, waiting until it was evening time as ady oozing the aura of royalty sauntered inside. The air turned sharp the moment she arrived, causing Rass''s skin to feel prickly.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "So, you''re a Martial Artist." Rass nodded in response, "It makes sense since I never targeted the Royal Family."


    "Will you annihte us now?" The first princess asked, her expression not showing even an ounce of fear.


    "Why would I?" Rass roared inughter as if he heard the funniest joke, confusing her. He approached her and tapped her cheek, "The Royal Family itself would hunt down all Martial Artists in the future. They''ll be redundant, after all."


    "So, what have you prepared for me?" The first princess asked.


    "It seems you are informed about everything, huh." Rass expected this since the Royal Family''s authority still remained supreme.


    "The power of royalty." Rass said as he condensed a sword casually, causing it to flicker with lightning, "The ability to condense Orchard Tools bypressing the air we inhale, gaining energy for the creation of tools through sunlight, and finally, a vibrant discharge of electricity. Moreover, these tools will never sublimate. Only the royal family will possess this."


    He said in mockery, "Compared to this, every other Orchard is vastly inferior."


    "So, that was your y." The first princess let out a burst of chirpyughter, "No wonder I felt something was strange."


    Every other family would have to train their Orchards. The Orchard Tools they create would at first just exist for a few seconds before vaporising. They would have to gradually train and raise the duration of its existence before sublimation.


    Eventually, they could maintain their Orchard Tools for days at a stretch. But those from royalty would be able to create Orchard Tools that would never sublimate. Moreover, they had the option to make their Orchard Tools sublimate as and when they pleased.


    Their abilities were the same as Rass''s.


    ''So, that''s how the power bnce in the world is maintained. Indeed, it makes sense to understand that only growth-type powers force people to constantly train.'' Compass Carburettor nodded in understanding.


    As an Orchard Tool was a hydrocarbon creation, it could be anything from a cloth or a soup to massive structures. So, one had to train to master the properties of various tools ording to their intended purpose, not to mention train to also make themst longer, all while working on ways to better umte fat and carbohydrates in their body without limiting their battle functions.


    It would create a world moreplex than the old Murim World.


    Days turned into months as Compass Carburettor observed the pregnantdies, watching the growth of the new generation of humans in the wombs, eventually getting enlightened, "I see."


    "So that is the difference."

 Chapter 943 Orchard Wars

    Compass Carburettor finally obtained enlightenment as he observed the growing foetuses.


    The brides all hailed from powerful noble families. Even if they hadn''t trained, they still contained a decent amount of Qi in their Dantians. They weren''t Martial Artists but had the potential of one.


    After all, those from powerful families consumed precious resources since birth, naturally umting arge reserve of Qi in their Dantians. That was how they remained healthy.


    Naturally, their children too were born with Dantians. But this was where the CC Seed came into effect. As it could be passed down through the generations by hereditary, the CC Seed came into conflict with the Dantian.


    As Martial intended to swap out the Dantian that could at anytime evolve into bing part of the Cultivation Genre, the CC Seed devoured the Dantian when the two came into contact. Thereby, the CC Seed of the individual was enhanced.


    This enhancement allowed them to create sturdier Orchard Tools and cause them to exist for longer durations than normal. And just like how Dantians determined one''s foundation, the fused CC Seed gave the child a stronger start aspared to others.


    So, had their Dantian been robust, their foundation as an Orchard was that higher when they were born. So, it led to differences in innate talent in the children of all the noble families.


    Moreover, the CC Seeds of the children changed a little per each individual to suit them better ording to their body type, a rather beneficial evolution. It was capable of evolution, as originally intended by Compass Carburettor.


    And in the Murim World, by devouring the Dantians, the CC Seeds had taken a different route aspared to Earth.


    ¡­


    "Hah!" A teenager shouted as he condensed a chakram and hurled it towards the target, watching it embed itself into a straw doll deeply. Gasping a little in exhaustion, he turned around to stare at the middle-aged man nearby, "How was it, master?"


    "Hmm¡­" His master didn''tment for a couple of minutes before asking slowly, "Why did you throw a chakram?"


    "Why did I throw it?" The teenager was confused, "Wasn''t it to damage the straw doll?"


    "If hurting it was your goal, why didn''t you condense a crossbow and shoot the arrow? The damage would be many times higher than what you can achieve by throwing." His master said, "And if you wished to raise the chakram''s lethality, you should have opted for a discuncher. Why did you throw it by hand? It''s weak this way."


    "I''m sorry¡­" The teenager bowed in response, "I just wanted to try it by hand once."


    ¡­


    "Run!" At amander''s shout, a group of people rushed forth with in clothes, scaling up a hill before they leaped from the cliff, "Attack!"


    Immediately after, they all condensed a glider on their backs, rapidly zooming towards their opponents on the ins farther away, condensing crossbows in their arms that they aimed and unleashed a volley with.


    "Defend!" The side defending on the ins roared as a group of soldiers came forward and condensed arge bunker to shield themselves from the rain of arrows.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ¡­


    Cough!


    Rass coughed up blood as he weakly sat on his bed, a wizened form of his original self. He was only in his fifties but appeared to be in histe nies instead. After all, he had expended way too much of his vitality with the baby-making efforts thatsted almost three decades.


    And now, he was at the end of his lifespan, coughing, "What a shitty life this was."


    The son of the first princess had ascended to the seat of the Royal Sect''s Sect Leader. As Rass had grown old and ill, he wasn''t fit to be a leader anymore.


    And shockingly, even though the son of the first princess couldn''t create a gun, he had actually surpassed Rass in terms of strength.


    After all, the CC Seed influenced the body''s growth the greater its usage. The first princess''s son developed on that front to condense something he called the Dragon Armour, a substance that covered him from head to toe and made him resemble a humanoid dragon.


    It was strong enough to even tank an RPG while only suffering minor injuries. Moreover, he had even invented techniques to make use of the electricity his CC Seed produced by absorbing sunlight to attain a terrifying might.


    That was how he defeated Rass in a battle, for thetter hadn''t innovated even once. All he did was rely upon his vast sea of ingrained instincts.


    And now, Rass was alone in a house within the Royal Sect, cared for by a couple of servants, with none to truly care about his well-being. His subordinates too had lost power, unable to dictate anything, for they weren''t Orchards.


    All they could rely upon was their master-disciple rtionships to maintain their status quo.


    Rass impregnated a woman every day for almost thirty years, until the moment his body was unable to keep up with it anymore. That created more than 10,000 first-generation Orchards.


    The noble ns wished to raise their power to the limit the moment they observed the power of an Orchard. Hence, they engaged in multiple marriage alliances, causing the first-generation Orchards to have a polygamy rtionship to give birth to as many second-generation Orchards as possible.


    And within thirty years, the total number of Orchards surpassed a hundred thousand. The number only seemed to keep on increasing at an exponential rate.


    With the rapidly increasing power, conflicts between rivalling noble families erupted, leading to a lot of chaos. Things would only settle after a series of wars between the Orchards until a status quo between the noble families was established.


    The imperial family also mediated through the issues, preventing any noble family from setting up a Sect of their own, decreeing that only the Royal Sect could exist as a Sect. Any other Sect would be shut down immediately.


    Those of the Murim World tried to rise plenty of times by were harshly curbed by the imperial family. After all, the Royal Sect was now under their control. It was just as Rass had said at the start when he met the first princess.


    Though of course, he hadn''t assumed that he would be pushed out of the picture so soon.

 Chapter 944 Grade 2 And 3 Difference: Adaptability

    At the conceptual level, the Murim World had changed.


    This was what Compass Carburettor understood after observing the state of things for thirty years. Originally, the people of the Murim World were born with Dantians.


    This was the most basic concept of a Murim World¡ªDantian.


    Without a Dantian, a Martial Artist couldn''t exist. Even though they were all humans, those on Earth didn''t possess a Dantian. Thereby, they couldn''t umte internal energy or Qi.


    Whether it was a human or any other race living in the Murim World, they all possessed a Dantian. Of course, some were born with defective Dantians or shattered Dantians like Rass. But everyone possessed one, including animals.


    There was Qi in every living being, including minerals. For Martial Artists to cultivate and develop, they needed to ingest items rich in Qi to develop their internal energy.


    Simrly, they would need to refine minerals rich in Qi to create weapons that they could wield using the same. This meant that for survival and development, Qi was necessary, and that formed the core rule of the Murim World.


    Without that, a Murim World wouldn''t exist.


    This was the difference that Compass Carburettor had intended to figure out between a Grade 2 System and a Grade 3 System.


    A Grade 2 System depicted a race. A Vampire System converted any race with its fragment into vampires too. That was absolute. The same went for other Grade 2 Systems too.


    A vampire could live in any setting, be it a Cultivation world, a Murim world, a modern society, or even an apocalyptic world. But they would remain a vampire, albeit with changes ording to the setting.


    But Grade 3 Systems simply changed the world. Or rather, they added a fundamental rule into the existing setup.


    For example, it is a Dantian in the Murim World. A Vampire could live in a Murim World. And in ordance with the effects of thisw, the Vampire would develop a Dantian. Its innate abilities would morph to ustom a Dantian and would revolve around it in usage.


    The Vampire would rely upon the Blood Qi stored in its Dantian to attack. Simrly, a different race would change to live in the world.


    Grade 3 Systems only created a temte, like a concentrated drop of ink. Depending on the colour of the solvent, the resultant mix varies.


    ''Originally, I thought a Grade 3 System causes all races in a world to change when it changes thews of the world. Just like the Gunmetal Gold World that was changed by the Invader System to birth the Invaders. But now I understand that I was wrong.'' He nodded, ''The only property the Invader System introduced into that world was the concept of invasion.''


    ''The races there incorporated that into them and ustomed to it better.'' He nodded in understanding, ''Indeed, a bear has the best odds of survival in the jungle while a pr bear has in the pr ice caps. Both are the same species, but they have adapted to the respective environment and can survive there the best, not the other way around.''


    ''So, that''s what it means.'' He finally understood the difference.


    A Grade 2 System could introduce a race in a new environment, but their survival isn''t guaranteed. If they adapt, they survive, otherwise, they would get wiped out.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But a Grade 3 System ensures that all the races adapt to the changes. That aspect that allows them to adapt is what defines a Grade 3 System.


    And when taken to the extreme, a Grade 3 System can manifest its Core Skill to create a world where everyone engulfed by it is forced to adapt to its rules.


    In the case of Martial, through Rass, he introduced the concept of CC Seed that devoured and took the ce of the Dantian. The rest of the equation remains the same. Only one variable had been changed.


    And the introduced variable ensures the native races would adapt to it.


    It had to be noted that there wasn''t any significant difference in the world order. Things continued to flow the same as before, but the torrent had changed thanks to the new variable in effect¡ªCC Seed.


    ''That means when the Apocalypse System targets a world, it only installs the variable of apocalypse into the world. The races of zombies and the likes are just the natives adapting to the variable.'' He nodded in realisation, "That means, to be a Grade 3 System, did the Apocalypse System devour the Grade 2 Systems like the Zombie System¡­?"


    His eyes lit up in realisation, "The hunting grounds of Grade 2 Systems."


    In the Hunter World, humans became Hunters through the Hunter System fragments in them. They hunted the Dungeon Monsters, absorbing the Dungeon Monster System fragments to grow in response. And simrly, the Dungeon Monsters too killed and consumed them in reverse.


    This means that the Hunter System had absorbed some of the Dungeon Monster System''s essence and vice-versa.


    This implied that when the Hunter System reaches Grade 3, when it affects a world, the humans there would adapt to be Hunters. Simrly, the animals there would adapt to be Dungeon Monsters.


    As the essence of the Dungeon Monster System exists within the Hunter System, this was possible.


    "If a Grade 2 System is purely concentrated on one concept, then a Grade 3 System is a fusion or an amalgamation of multiple concepts. Indeed," He nodded, "A world is infinitelyplex aspared to a race. From the food they eat to the air they breathe, everything must be suitable for a race to survive."


    "But, a single race cannot sustain itself. Just like the food chain, biodiversity must be attained to create a stable, functional world."


    Ack of trees causes desertification, and too much flora without fauna would cause an overgrowth before they run out of carbon-di-oxide and other factors to sustain themselves and wither. Predator and prey must be bnced. Otherwise, an imbnce from one would upset everything.


    The information of billions of races is necessary to sessfully introduce that one variable without causing an imbnce. Even the Apocalypse System followed the same.


    Even for the Genre Representatives, it was the same. After all, the output of whether it was a Core Skill Manifestation or a Genre Representation was the same¡ªa world.


    That begs the question: How diverse must a genre be before it could be represented?

 Chapter 945 A Conglomerate Genre

    Consider the Cultivation Genre, for example. The primary concept was of mortals bing cultivators to go against the heavens to cultivate and be immortals, or even Gods. The worlds forming the genre had their respective energy to sustain this growth.


    If a cultivator wished to cultivate, he could absorb the ambient energy directly, or through Spirit Stones--or their equivalent in the world--that they could mine, precious minerals that would give them an evolutionary advantage, herbs and the likes that shorten their growth time, etc.


    The world was capable of ustoming anything they wished to do in the form of Dao. If they wished to reach the peak through pill refining, it was possible. Through artifact refining, also possible. Through talismans, definitely possible. Through standard energy umtion in their bodies, guaranteed to seed.


    An infinite number of ways existed. They only needed to be explored.


    And Cultivation was just the core of the genre. Depending on the world, sub-genres existed.


    In one world, there could be a frightening race constantly invading the natives to destroy them, leading to a copse of society. The cultivators resisted the change. That was an apocalyptic setting.


    It could be a modern world regaining spiritual essence, allowing cultivation to be possible. It could also be a world where cultivators were unable to fight and could only travel fast, thereby making it a world centred around races as the primary form of entertainment.


    It could be a world where talismans were the only source of power. So, cultivators umted spiritual energy in their bodies and refined talismans to useter, unleashing varying effects. The world centred around the economics of talismans.


    The genre was Cultivation, but its implication varied vastly over the worlds.


    In simpler terms, a genre could be assumed to be an ununiformly shaped boulder and sub-genres being pirs that prop the boulder up. Depending on the shape, the boulder would need a certain number of pirs to bnce it.


    When sessfully bnced, it meant that the genre could be represented through multiple lenses--sub-genres.


    In the case of Technocraft, his sub-genres include gic worlds such as those involving the evolution of the bodies through the maniption of genes, technological worlds that range from weapon-based worlds to those with Mechs, space-exploration kind of worlds, invasion type of worlds, apocalyptic worlds, post-apocalyptic worlds, information technology worlds, and even pathogenic worlds.


    In the case of Mascot, her sub-genres include hero-summoning worlds, the ssic power fantasy worlds, deity-influenced worlds, adventure-type worlds, resource mining worlds, and even simple romance-centred worlds.


    These sub-genres are basically other genres existing partly within the respective genres.


    "In that sense, a genre can exist individually. But, its room for growth is basically infinite if it can incorporate the essence of other genres within itself as sub-genres." Compass Carburettor let out a sigh, smiling in the end, "Whether it''s a Grade 3 System or a Genre Representative, both tread on a simr route to reach the peak of their respective paths."


    "That''s why Truck-Kun doesn''t have a Genre Representation."


    "Technically, he doesn''t have any sub-genres in him." He continued, "Truck-Kun''s task ends the moment he transmigrates someone to another world."


    "Hahaha!" Compass Carburettor felt an urge tough, concluding his inner monologues, "Basically, Genre Representatives are likepanies. And only thepanies with subsidiaries of otherpanies under them can represent themselves. They are pretty much conglomerates with a parentpany."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Currently, I''m just like Truck-Kun." He muttered, "I''m only apany, but a rapidly growingpany. And..."


    He grinned, "I think I get the Genre that my Mortality truly represents."


    With that, Compass Carburettor took to the skies and arrived at a stop before Martial. This wasn''t the actual Martial, but a clone of himself within the Dreamscape.


    But unlike the original, this Martial was just a husk. Compass Carburettor didn''t have enough energy to create a full version of Martial. His energy reserves wouldn''t have been enough to sustain the Dreamscape for even a second.


    Martial might be weak aspared to other Genre Representatives like Magister and Mascot, but he was still someone capable of representing his genre. And like every other Genre Representative, the total volume of energy in him was impossible for even the System World to replicate.


    The reason Martial was the weakest Genre Representative among those that could unleash a Genre Representation was due to the sad fact that the boulder his genre epassed was like a container with holes.


    And the sub-genres forming its pirs were worms that sucked out the water within the container, growing in size to eventually overshadow the container itself.


    Therefore, whenever a worm almost overshadowed the container, Martial severed the excess away. Until he severed the excess, there was an imbnce in him, preventing him from unleashing a Genre Representation if he so wished.


    Only after he severed the excess was a bnce of sorts attained, allowing him to unleash a Genre Representation.


    But as the other worms continued to grow, it was a constant process where Martial gained and lost the qualifications to unleash a Genre Representation, making him the perfect subject for Compass Carburettor to study and gain furtherprehension regarding the subject.


    With all the data now coted, Compass Carburettor retracted the Dreamscape, watching the time of the universe resume its flow as he returned to his ce on the terrace of the restaurant. In one of its rooms, Rass was sleeping, content with his achievements of having wiped out all major Martial Arts Sects.


    It was as if the thirty years had never happened in the first ce. It was true though, for it was just a dream.


    It was just a dream!


    Compass Carburettor closed his eyes and through his concept, formed a connection to his main body and transmitted all the data that he had mined. Following that, he smiled and stared at the sky, "I''ll perform some experiments from what I gained here, Martial."


    Compass Carburettor bit his tongue andmitted suicide. His body rolled from the terrace and fell to the street below, causing a couple of passers-by to scream in shock at the corpse that sttered from impact.


    "Wasn''t this one of the servants from the restaurant?" The crowd moured around the corpse, one that lost all trace of Compass Carburettor, dying as just a mortal of this world.


    All the power within the clone flowed to the original body through the concept as the eyes of Compass Carburettor opened within the star he was hovering, his lips curling up to form a smile, "I''m ready."

 Chapter 946 Representative Psyche Star—Survival

    Compass Carburettor sessfullypleted his nning phase. Now, all he needed to do was engage in the umtion of everything necessary for the war.


    Energy from the star rapidly funnelled into him and was broken down into eight streams. Seven of them flowed into the Psyche Stars while the remainder fused with the world, consumed to create more space within the Dreand.


    Rumble!


    Compass Carburettor caused the primary world within the Dreand to take the shape of a instead of its Realm structure from before. Following that, he began to install mores nearby, each separated by a barrier that prevented the natives from one interacting with the other.


    Every world had a distinct difference. One was an information-centric world like Earth, one was in a state of perpetual war like the pre-industrial revolution period. One was simr to Earth''s 5-6th centuries, the time of exploration into uncharted regions.


    Just by considering the history of Earth, Compass Carburettor created various worlds, with each conforming to an era of Earth.


    This was in an attempt to further diversify his worlds to truly conform to the level a Genre Representative needed to attain. His path was of a Genre Representative, after all, for that was the sole way to grow strong enough to oppose his enemies.


    There was a limit to how much power an individual could hold, for no power system was capable of sustaining such a powerful individual.


    Even the strongest of individuals from the Cultivation Worlds wouldn''t be able to win against the Grade 3 Systems. They would be able to fight against a Grade 3 System, yes, given the circumstances.


    But to win against one, they would need more than just power alone.


    Shen Ze, the strongest immortal that was part of Immortal''s army once had strength where he could barely face the weakest of a Grade 3 Systems. Simrly, Gehera and Earth Star too had attained such a level.


    But to surpass that, they should embody a concept so that their power works beyond just a power system. After all, a concept was something applicable to various power systems.


    And depending on how many power systems it was effective in, the strength possessed by the concept varied. This was why time was the strongest concept to exist, for it existed in pretty much every single power system, followed by space and fate.


    Compass Carburettor began to create clones of himself once he attained a bnce with the star, absorbing a steady stream of energy every moment without being damaged by the heat.


    The clones teleported to various regions of the universe and entered a star each, beginning to absorb the energy there. And through the concept of Mortality, the energy funnelled into Compass Carburettor, causing his strength to grow faster.


    If too much energy funnelled into him at once, it would cause chaos, for he couldn''t use them all immediately. As all his energy was stored within the Dreand, it might affect the lives of the people there.


    Hence, he began to improve its foundation first by increasing the number ofs. And once thoses developed with countless races and began to stably function, he was able to absorb more energy stably now.


    After all, when absorbed, the energy would be distributed to mores, making the sum of energy per within the tolerable limit.<novelnext></novelnext>


    This was why he began to create clones only after creating somes first. For every functioning in the Dreand, Compass Carburettor created a clone.


    The clone absorbed energy and funnelled it into the Dreand for the respective. This kept things stable.


    Of course, Compass Carburettor himself was directly responsible for thergest within the Dreand, including the filling up of the Psyche Stars.


    Boom!


    A terrifying level of resonance urred between him and the natives within the Dreand that were preparing for war. One of the phenomena where the mind is stretched taut for both sides, one that amplified all emotions and caused people to have the most simplistic of needs¡ªto simply survive to see another day.


    Psyche Star¡ªWar Preparation!


    It was his eighth Psyche Star. And the moment it formed, something surprising urred as Compass Carburettor felt a myriad of emotions. After all, the Psyche Star of War Preparation was special just like the Psyche Star of Blissful Ignorance.


    It acted as a catalyst that amplified and interacted with the remaining Psyche Stars to create new derivatives as and when necessary ording to the situation. After all, every single emotion an entity could exhibit would be disyed in a war.


    At the moment before death, the mind would go into overdrive and make them experience their entire life, causing them to disy every single emotion transparently before their lives were snuffed out.


    Basically, with the arrival of War Preparation, Compass Carburettor had mapped out all possible Psyche Stars.


    If not for it, he would have eventually ended up creating more Psyche Stars. But now, that was unnecessary as War Preparation alone would be able to exhibit the effects of the countless other possible Psyche Stars by interacting with the existing ones.


    Fuse, influence, and catalyse; this was the effect the Psyche Star of War Preparation had on the other Psyche Stars, apart from its original effect.


    The appearance of the final Psyche Star seemed to have triggered a reaction as suddenly, all Psyche Stars began to approach each other, gradually fusing into a unified whole.


    "Indeed, only after mapping out all psyches fully could I dare represent myself." Compass Carburettor nodded, watching the Psyche Stars harmoniously fuse into a single entity that represented himself in his entirety.


    A month passed for the fusion to conclude, at the end of which, Compass Carburettor muttered with aplete understanding of himself, "This was what I had been doing from the start of my life until now, just trying my absolute best to survive."


    "And indeed, this is what I truly represent, as both a personification of myself and the genre I have gained authority over."


    Representative Psyche Star¡ªSurvival!

 Chapter 947 Zaira Vs Stencil

    "Have you been well, Money-Making System?" Stencil asked upon staring at the kneeling figure of Ying.


    A mental energy stream mmed into her, bringing a reply from the Secondary System.


    [I don''t want to see you.]


    "Ah, I see." Stencil nodded and took out a choker that she ced on Ying, watching him squirm in response as electrical currents drilled into his body and began to influence the System fragment within.


    Ying soon fell under her control as Stencil continued to unleash her power before eventually condensing a mysterious stream between the two. It was the fate connection she shared with the Money-Making System.


    It was strong, terrifyingly so thanks to the effect of Infinite Regression strengthening it daily. Stencil unleashed some of her abilities, observing there to be no effect on the fate stream. Rather, even if she damaged it, the fate recovered within a second.


    As her body continued to grow, so did the fate stream, ''It seems I cannot sever it as quickly as I had hoped.''


    Stencil frowned as she stared above, watching the dents on the 24 Rings she had covered the hunter world with deform grandly under Zaira''s attacks, "It cannotst any longer under her attacks."


    She sighed, ''I originally wanted to sever the fate between us and escape from this ce. But it seems I need to bring Ying with me and work on severing the fate at ater date.''


    Through the choker, she gained enough information about Ying.


    "We''re leaving. Cover my tracks." Stencil looked at Earth Star to see the other party nod in response. She then took off to the skies with Ying in toe as the 24 Rings rapidly morphed into a rotating sphere that mmed into the heavenly hand unleashed by Zaira.


    "You won''t escape, brat!" Zaira''s voice reverberated throughout the universe as through the Astral Network, she transmitted her influence. At present, she was pregnant, carrying a precious secret of the Systems.


    And hence, she didn''t wish to implicate that by appearing at the scene personally. Thereby, she attacked through the Astral Network, which worked to Stencil''s advantage.


    After all, the strength Zaira was able to exhibit through the Astral was only the peak of Grade 3, for its foundation only allowed that¡ªas it was created by the Grade 3 System, Tell-Tale.


    Boom!


    The rotating rings sshed out from the attack, flying massive distances away. But before the second attack struck Stencil, another batch of rings appeared to defend her and her group.


    As for the first batch of rings, they stabilised themselves and rushed towards Stencil in a matter of seconds, creating a cycle where rings were constantly flying in and out of the contact point.


    Tch!


    Zaira clicked her tongue and focused, observing that all the Grade 3 Systems were busy at the moment. Mascot was rampaging around after gaining Immortal''s army.


    So, to strengthen herself, she began to seek out all the Systems in her worlds and kill them one after another. None of the Grade 1 Systems were able to handle her army and were killed one after another.


    It would take some time before Zaira could revive them. This created a lot of losses for her, since a significant amount of Mental Energy was expended in the process.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Even if the Systems weren''t killed, to avoid that fate, they had to return to the System World prematurely, causing a loss on their investments, not to mention the hundred thousand Mental Energy they had to spend for the return trip alone.


    And when this happened inrge droves, the System World''s gains slowed down rapidly. It had to be noted that the majority of the System World''s Mental Energy ie was generated by the Grade 1 Systems.


    Not Grade 2, Grade 3, or even the legendary Grade 4 Systems. Yes, Grade 2 Systems controlled the races over many worlds while Grade 3 Systems controlled hundreds of worlds each.


    But in the end, their numbers were limited. The number of Grade 2 Systems was in the three digits while the number of Grade 3 Systems was in the two digits. So, even though their Mental Energy revenue was the greatest individually, but whenpared as a collective whole, they paled inparison to the Grade 1 Systems that numbered in the billions.


    After all, at most, a few Grade 1 Systems were present in a world. And even then, they pretty much controlled the upper echelons of the respective world.


    And yes, the majority of the presence of Systems in the myriad worlds of the multiverse was Grade 1 Systems. So, if they were being targeted, the System World''s finances would take a severe hit.


    After all, even if a Grade 2 System Host were to be killed, all that was lost was a mere fragment that the Grade 2 System could casually regenerate. But, in the case of a Grade 1 System, its death meant an end.


    Zaira herself would have to expend a lot of the respective Mental Energy to revive the System that might have even lost a few levels in the process¡ªdepending upon the damage it sustained to its Core Skill.


    Hence, the majority of Grade 2 and Grade 3 Systems that were free had jumped to intercept Mascot''s actions. The remaining were busy controlling the System World''s losses sustained during the previous war.


    Losing the Tell-Tale System was a crushing blow to the Systems.


    "No one''s free¡­" Zaira sighed as she focused on the Regression System that was helplessly recuperating within the System World. Having used its Core Skill Manifestation, the Regression System was unable to use its Core Skill for a century, not to mention its other abilities or for that matter, even umte Mental Energy.


    There were still 25 years before it could recover.


    Moreover, Mascot''s actions presented a chance for the other Genre Representatives to take advantage and free up their worlds from the grasp of the Systems better.


    "It seems I have no other choice." Zaira sighed, "If possible, I didn''t wish to reveal the Secondary System''s existence to him. But since Stencil needs to keep it alive to sessfully sever her fate, it''s the best choice."


    Immediately in response, she formed a connection with three individuals in total as immediately¡­


    Boom!


    "Kyak!" Stencil shrieked in shock when all her rings exploded suddenly, injuring her in the process as an individual descended into the void.


    His arrival caused the fate of the entire universe to converge upon him rapidly, as if happy to be in his mere presence.


    "What a monster." Stencil paled in fright, as after her recent growth, she became capable of observing the true terrifyingness of the entity her father fought against.


    Grade 1 System¡ªMain Character (Level 99)!

 Chapter 948 Arnark Vs Stencil

    ''This guy holds the System that prevents me from attaining Grade 2?'' Arnark frowned as he gazed at the figure of Ying held securely by Stencil, unable to see through the other party, ''This doesn''t make any sense. All I can sense is the Hunter System fragment in him.''


    "Are you pulling my leg, Zaira?" Arnark said, thinking, ''I have already finished my preparations. But still, I want to umte more strength before targeting Compass.''


    "I have no reason to lie about this." Zaira''s voice resounded next to him, her tone serious, "In Ying also lies a safety measure that allows me to steal Stencil''s powers in the future, just as you had done on Compass Carburettor in the past. So, I wouldn''t lie about it."


    "If Stencil severs the fate stream between the two, all my preparations against her wound be nullified." Saying so, Zairaunched more attacks on Stencil, preventing her from running away.


    Arnark observed Stencil, morphing his vision as he noticed the dense stream of fate connecting Stencil and Ying, "Fine, I''ll trust you on this."


    Thump! Thump!


    His heartrate elerated all of a sudden as right at this moment, Compass Carburettorpleted his Representative Psyche Star. The sheer surge of fate on the other side caused Arnark to feel a strange sense of attraction, as if he wished to be part of Compass Carburettor once again.


    ''His Main Character nature has almost reached my level. This is bad, I need to attain Grade 2 as soon as possible.'' Thinking as such, Arnark extended his hand and condensed a tiny star of explosive energy on his palm, pointing at Stencil as the star mmed into her in the next moment.


    Boom!


    Stencil erected dozens of rings around her while Earth Star unleashed powerful gravitational fields to slow down the projectile. But the attack was still terrifyingly quick as it mmed into the defensive rings and sttered them into debris.


    "Kyak!" Stencil screamed in fluster from the explosion while Earth Star rushed before her to tank the shockwaves, also unleashing myriad gravitational waves that acted as cushions to keep Stencil and Ying safe.


    "Stop!" Earth Star red at Arnark as he clenched his hand into a fist, causing energy from the universe to m into Arnark to crush him.


    The nket of space began to tear up in response to the pressure that Arnark grunted to resist. But an instantter, he casually slipped past the hold like a slippery eel and resumed his attacks.


    Swoosh!


    Twoary-sized rings appeared around Arnark at this time as they began to rotate at terrifying speeds, unleashing lightning sparks that dug into his body, beginning to affect him.


    But before they could take effect, the mystical hands unleashed by Zaira crushed the rings. But right after, the rings suddenly glowed before exploding to further the crack in space.


    "Now!" Stencil covered herself, Earth Star and Ying within 24 rings that formed a protective sphere as it shrunk in size under Earth Star''s power and slipped into the tiny spatial tears, heading into the nearby universe.


    "Heal!" Earth Star summoned the energy of the universe they had arrived at to instantly heal the spatial tears. He immediately caused another tear through which they slipped, following which the spatial tear healed.


    In this manner, they began to jump from one universe to another.


    Unfortunately for them though, this region of the multiverse waspletely mapped out by the Systems, for no matter which universe they went into, Zaira could ess it through the Astral Network.


    As for Arnark, it seemed he had ced checkpoints everywhere in preparation to face Compass Carburettor, constantly on their tails as he continued to target them.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    "Gah!" Stencil''s body trembled in response as blood began to drip from her orifices. Arnark''s attacks were wounding her at a conceptual level.<novelnext></novelnext>


    It wasn''t just Compass Carburettor that was making preparations to counter Systems. Arnark too had prepared to counter them in response, and this also included Stencil.


    Swoosh! Kaboom!


    Stencil and team skipped universes one after another while being targeted by both Zaira and Arnark. If it was just Zaira alone, they could have somehow managed to endure. After all, as long as she personally doesn''t make an appearance, she wasn''t a threat enough for them to worry about.


    But Arnark was a whole other matter. Just facing him alone was a precarious situation. Adding on Zaira just worsened things further.


    "Don''t strain yourself further." Earth Star said as he harnessed lifeforce from the universe and poured it into Stencil to slowly heal her wounds, worried upon seeing the healing effect being subpar, "He''s directly targeting the source of your power somehow."


    "Only sir is able to face him. We should lead him there." Earth Star suggested, unable to endure seeing Stencil suffer attacks one-sidedly.


    "Not¡­yet." Stencil took in a deep breath as she created more chokers to cover them beforeyering the trio in a certain energy.


    Concept Representative¡ªCitizen!


    Immediately, their figures vanished as they appeared in a park, situated within the habitable world in that universe.


    Their presence and energy signature were perfectly concealed, making them appear no different from the other natives. This was the effect of the Concept Representative of Citizen.


    "Where did they disappear to?" Arnark frowned once he destroyed the rings before him, noticing the figures of Stencil, Earth Star and Ying vanish mysteriously.


    He immediately switched to the fate streams, surprised to not find any data of Stencil''s presence even in this. ''So, she''s capable of manipting Fate to a certain extent.''


    "She should be somewhere within this universe only." Zaira said, "I haven''t detected any spatial tears."


    "Did they lead us wrongly by making us assume their sole mode of escape was through spatial tears?" Arnark muttered as he stared at Zaira, "Doesn''t Stencil has the same powers as you? What if she created an Astral Network equivalent?"


    "That will help her escape quickly."


    "That''s impossible." Zaira said, "Had that been the case, it would be impossible to escape my senses."


    "Let''s keep searching for them then," Arnark muttered as he turned around and noticed two figures appear before him. They were yer and Martial.


    yer had obviously arrived to support Arnark and devour Stencil while Martial was somewhat Zaira''sckey. They were the reinforcements Zaira was depending upon to get the job done, which was somewhat overkill since Stencil was unable to handle Arnark alone.


    "What''s our n?" Seated within a caf¨¦, Earth Star asked nervously.


    "We buy time." Stencil said as she wiped the blood on her face, her eyes sharp, "My dad still needs some more time to finish his preparations."


    "Can we do it?" Earth Star asked.


    "We must." Stencil replied with a solemn tone, "Otherwise, we''ll be defeated and consumed by the enemy."

 Chapter 949 Universe Battlefield

    "We''re finally returning home!" Millie spoke in relief upon observing the spacecrafte within the range of the 24 Rings, their world, "I was fed up with that oily world."


    "Staying in the Gunmetal Gold World for a month proved more beneficial than I had thought." Vahor muttered in shock, finally uttering in realisation as he clenched his hand into a fist, "I''m already at the cusp of attaining S-ss status."


    "Based on the current standard of measurement, yes." Millie nodded, "But if we were to grade based on the assessment standards from two months ago, we''ll already be in S-ss. After all, killing a Three Star Invader is something only an S-ss Hero could do."


    Dozens of districts in the Gunmetal Gold World had already been brought under the control of the 24 Rings thanks to the fervent efforts of tinum Head and group.


    Following that, the Hero Association began to send all its Heroes on a training spree to the Gunmetal Gold World where they fought against strong Invaders and rapidly grew in strength.


    The essence present within the Invaders was absorbed by the Heroes and digested by their powers to strengthen them rapidly in response.


    Those that once struggled to even face a Two Star Invader were able to fight a Three Star Invader by the end of a month''s training in the Gunmetal Gold World.


    Moreover, the S-ss Hunters and those from the Ranger Troupe had already begun fighting against the Four Star Invaders.


    In the meantime, the three Concept Representatives--Hero, Viin, and Citizen--overseeing the functions of the 24 Rings allowed the Invaders surrounding their world to infiltrate at select locations.


    The dragon plushies already directed the Heroes and even Viins to such locations to rapidly dispose of the Invaders. Those that had retired from action, from both as Heroes and Viins began to appear more and more frequently.


    And as they killed the Invaders and devoured their essence, their bodies recovered lost strength. Their vitality increased, gradually bringing them to their prime before causing their strength to improve further.


    At present, from the information the dragon plushie had collected in the Gunmetal Gold World, tinum Head had signalled their retreat, causing everyone training there to climb aboard the spacecraft and return home.


    Their preparation time was up as the Invaders had be ready to invade the 24 Rings.


    "Finally!" Millie burst out of the spacecraft as she breathed in the fresh air of her world.


    "We''ll escort you to your quarters, Hero Millie." One of the Hero Association staff said and guided her to an apartment nearby. She couldn''t return to the City-State of Nampur yet, for there was a war to be fought next.


    The power of the entire 24 Rings was concentrated at the Hero Association Headquarters.


    After Millie and her group alighted, the spacecraft took off for another trip. It was the sole vehicle capable of cross-universe travel in their possession. So, it had to make multiple trips to bring back everyone.


    Two days passed in such a fashion as the spacecraft arrived for the final time. As part of thest batch, tinum Head exited and sighed in exhaustion while asking Lion''s Share, "How are the preparations?"


    "We''re ready. But," Lion''s Share said in doubt as he stared at thedy standing next to them from the start, acting no different to a statue, "Is it fine to leave most of the responsibility to her? She looks younger than my daughter."


    "Don''t be fooled by her appearance." tinum Head said, "She''s older than us."


    He approached thedy and saluted, "Lady Gehera, our side is ready."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Gehera didn''t reply and instead stared at the sky, her expression nk. Though, her mind was processing trillions of information every moment, making calctions as suddenly, she spoke, "It''s time."


    "The enemy''s here."


    "W-Where?" Lion''s Share looked around in fluster but was unable to notice anything different.


    Gehera''s hair spiked as a murderous torrent of energy gushed out of her; she unleashed the item that she had prepared with Compass Carburettor.


    The item was shaped like a serpent that coiled around her hand. It slithered out and then vanished.


    All of a sudden, an iparably massive existence manifested, one that swallowed their universe itself before coiling up like a snail.


    The 24 Rings world became a tiny dot that moved down the serpent''s body before stopping at the tip of the tail. As for its mouth, it curled open, bing the sole entrance into the universe.


    A total of 168 worlds, those that originally should have appeared within their universe nownded within the serpent''s open mouth. And soon after, the mouth closed, leaving no way out.


    The only way to exit it was to travel through the serpent''s body and destroy the tiny gem embedded in its tail. This gem was the world of 24 Rings.


    "So, this is their ultimate n, huh." The Invader System muttered afternding within the serpent''s mouth, watching the 168 worlds transform into gems embedded into its tongue.


    Each gem was just a metre in diameter while the width of the serpent''s body was only 1000 kilometres.


    Portals manifested before each gem, creating a gateway into the respective worlds. The horde of armies rushed out of the portals in a torrent of unending stream.


    At the forefront stood the Invader System, sporting a humanoid body that was just a bit taller than two metres.


    A world as an individual, and an individual as a Host. This was the gift it received from Arnark.


    Originally, it would have used the 168 worlds to invade the 24 Rings from all directions to cause absolute mayhem. But now, thanks to the serpent, the three-dimensional battle had been reduced to a two-dimensional battle.


    The armies would have to travel all the way to the tip of the serpent''s tail where the army of the 24 Rings would have gathered and engage in a medieval battle.


    But, one world against 168 worlds, the difference was obvious.


    Gehera was the first to walk out of the portal connecting to the 24 Rings, turning around to stare at the pearl that was a metre in diameter. This was actually the 24 Rings world. If it was destroyed, the world would copse too.


    ''The advantages and disadvantages of this setup are pretty clear. But, it''s better than passively defending against the Invader System''s expertise. We would be defeated in that case.'' Thinking as such, Gehera raised her hand for a solemn pledge as Heroes and Viins alike rallied behind her, "We''ll emerge victorious."


    "For the Genesis Hero!"

 Chapter 950 Bases Of War Power

    "For the Genesis Hero!"


    "For the Genesis Hero!"


    The people from the 24 Rings roared the slogan, raising their morale; the sheer soundwaves they unleashed reverberated the air grandly.


    The width of the serpent was only 1000 kilometres. So, it was a defendable area. But, even the weakest Hero was aware that if they just defended passively, they would be drowned sooner orter.


    After all, a screen shed before them and disyed the image of 168 gems, implying their enemies emerged from 168 worlds. The army numbered in the dozens of trillions in number.


    On their side, the total number of fighting power, including the Heroes and Viins was just a million, barely so.


    If they didn''t use a potent strategy, they would be wiped out quickly. But of course, they had a strategy in effect.


    "Begin building the fortress." Gehera ryed the order to tinum Head as immediately, the Hero City Scape walked out and mmed his fist into the ground, beginning to erect a massive wall that stretched for the entire width of 1000 kilometres.


    He was one of the first to join the training at the Gunmetal Gold World. With the help received there, he soon reached S-ss and was able to perform at levels never seen before.


    A massive construct began to form in ce as Gehera snapped her finger, causing thousands of Magic Beasts to appear before her.


    "You know what to do." She said as the Magic Beasts rushed out through the serpent''s body.


    One of them resembled a massive lizard that rushed to a location a hundred kilometres away from the tail and burrowed into the ground and vanished. A few minutester, a tree began to grow in ce, reaching a startling height of a kilometre.


    Large fruits hung from its branch that ripened with the passing of every second before the first of them copsed to the ground, shattering to reveal a small lizard.


    The lizard got up and snorted, arming itself by plucking a twig from the tree. Mana gushed into the twig as it transformed into a quill of sorts.


    The lizard began to grow over time, absorbing energy from the tree as soon, it assumed a humanoid form that was the most efficient to battle. It then went forth by a kilometre from the massive tree and nted a fruit into the ground, watching it gradually sprout into a tree that reached a height of a dozen metres.


    All the lizards began to do the same and gradually, a massive forest began to form in this ce. it became a region within the serpent''s body. If the invading army has to reach the tail, they would have to pass through this region.


    Fighting the lizards would expend their numbers. If they wished to conserve their numbers, they would avoid the ce and make it easier to predict their route of approach. This would further narrow down their approach into a funnel where the 24 Rings could concentrate their utmost firepower upon.


    Simrly, the other Magic Beasts released by Gehera too erected special regions in the serpent body, affecting the environment of the ce to create a home ground advantage.


    Gehera had stolen power from quite a few Systems during the war. In the 75 years following that, she researched the powers in her arsenal and created means to better employ those abilities to further her advantage.


    Tens of thousands of regions were set up in the span of a few hours. The invading army had yet to reach them.


    After all, the goal of Gehera and Compass Carburettor in preparing this gigantic serpent was to buy as much time as possible. After all, the longer the time passed on, the greater their growth and umtion.


    Hence, once the serpent swallowed the universe, the entire space of the universe had now be its body. This meant that since its width was only 1000 kilometres, it created an endlessly long tunnel for the army to travel.


    Therefore, it would take a significant time for the enemy to catch up, unless they were to skiprge distances through teleportation.


    But of course, no matter how powerful the ability, as the space was just an endlessly long tunnel, they could only travel forward.


    Compass Carburettor had ensured that the walls of the serpent were sturdy enough to avoid any spatial abilities from passing through. After all, he had used an entire universe and refined it into a serpent.


    By altering itsws, he transformed it into a serpent with such capabilities. The variety of powers under Gehera''s disposal made things easier.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The enemy would have to expend a serious amount of their energy reserves just to traverse the distance. But, their energy sources were the 168 worlds. So, to keep up with their expenses, they would have to first establish logistics for energy transport.


    Moreover, once they arrived, the mouth of the serpent closed, refusing to open. It had locked the space of the universe, barring any entry. So, the total energy at their disposal was what was avable to them at the moment.


    The moment they arrived within the serpent''s mouth, the Invader System should have realised their scheme.


    But even when it understood, there was nothing it could do but y to their tunes. After all, its mode of escape was cut off.


    Moreover, if that was the case, it wouldn''t have attacked them in the first ce. It was aware of Compass Carburettor''s threat, which was why it was attacking with all its strength. So, a retreat wasn''t an option.


    If it simply rushed at the enemy, it would be defeated. The Invader System was clearly aware of that, which was why it brought forth all the worlds under its rule.


    But, marching with its army would take decades, if not centuries to arrive at the tail. If Compass Carburettor wasn''t stopped within the next three months, he would grow to be too strong to handle.


    His growth had to be curbed before that.


    So, the only reasonable choice it had was to set up logistics for the energy supply and set up gates at every set distance.


    The army would teleport using these gates while carrying the materials necessary to set up the next gate. The swiftest bunch would teleport to the farthest possible location before setting up a gate.


    This way, they would be able to proceed forward at the fastest possible rate while still maintaining their supplies.


    Even the Invader System needed energy supplies. After all, moving consumed energy. And when fighting Compass Carburettor, it needed enough to stay on the offensive with all its strength for as long as possible.


    "You''ll die, Compass. I''ll make sure of that." The Invader System muttered as it travelled forth with a group of its strongest experts and stopped at a location where they joined hands to condense a gate.


    Immediately,khs of experts rushed out as they set up a base of operations, quickly building a device to stabilise and contain the gate, keeping it stably functional.


    They installed energy cables that passed through the gate to the source that supplied them with energy. Using this energy, the gates sustained their operation.


    "Do we move in a straight line while setting up stations like this?" One of the experts asked the Invader System.


    "No, all we need is for the enemy to destroy one base closer to the mouth to render all the bases deeper into the serpent''s body useless." The Invader System said, "So, we need to set up as many parallel logistic chains as possible. This way, even if a base were to be destroyed, we''ll be able to reroute the energy cables and maintain our energy supply."


    "But, the width is only 1000 kilometres. That''s well within the teleporting range of even the simplest spatial skills." One of the experts frowned in response, "This means we''ll have to station a lot of troops to defend every base."


    "Master, won''t we end up using most of our army like this?" The expert frowned. "Whereas, the enemy only has to defend the tail."


    "That''s where you''re wrong." The Invader System grinned, "This is an invasion. So, the moment they sneak attack one of our bases, we''ll be able to bring in enough experts to the scene through the gates."


    "If there are no attacks, we''ll simply bring the army to the vanguard." It consumed the Mental Energy supplied by the base, recharged itself and then motioned for the group to continue its actions.


    "The entirety of this serpent''s body is a battlefield." The Invader System stated solemnly, "That means, the greater the area we control, the stronger and stabler our approach. Simrly, the defending side too is aware of this."


    The Invader System looked towards the sides, "After all, 1000 kilometres is just too narrow for a great army to take action. So, the best way of using them is to set up bases throughout the serpent body."


    "Otherwise¡­you have seen the gems that our worlds have turned into, right?" The Invader System continued upon seeing the experts nod, "With that size, it makes it easier to concentrate all attacks on them to destroy them. So, the one that wins the war is the one that keeps the enemy the furthest away from the gems on their side."


    Its eyes shone cunningly, "And we''ll expand until the tail and crush them."

 Chapter 951 How Much Did You Steal, Gehera?

    A month passed in such a fashion. The army led by the Invader System was still travelling at an efficient pace. But by this point, signs of exhaustion had be evident in their expressions.


    The Invader System was baffled by this point, ''This serpent''s body is way longer than I had expected. Just how massive was the universe Compass refined? Also,''


    It looked around, observing traces of sweat on the faces of its subordinates, cing a hand on its chest to see that even its own heart was thumping in response, ''My body is an entire universe. It shouldn''t feel something like a human body.''


    "Something is strange about this entire setup." It furrowed its brows, looking around to see the deste expansive ins stretching endlessly before it.


    The ground resembled the normal topsoil of a world at first nce, but the depth of the soil only reached a kilometre. Below that was the spatial barrier of the universe that also formed the serpent''s body in this case.


    There was a gradual incline towards the sides, until the halfway point of the serpent''s height. By that point, the ground''s width reduced to just a couple of metres in depth and faded out, now resembling the sky.


    The soil exhibited differences depending on the region. It was sandy at the throat, wet ck soil around the stomach, and somewhat marshy beyond that. There were countless other variations too, but it was just in terms of the soil.


    The environment majorly remained the same, albeit with minor differences from time to time. It didn''t matter, for the environment was weak enough to never be an influence on the war.


    But now that the Invader System observed, it noticed its mistake, ''It seems the effect is very subtle to the extent I didn''t bother with it. But over time, we have been affected.''


    The fact that it was panting slightly was a testament to this fact. The body it gained was a perfect host, allowing it to function as long as it was supplied with energy. It wasn''t like a flesh and blood body that would tire out over time.


    But now, the Invader System was experiencing bouts of exhaustion gradually creeping up its senses. The Invader System though, was rather d, "If this is their n, then it''s better."


    From the start, it didn''t underestimate Compass Carburettor. So, when it brought its army, it had expected to lose around half the numbers by the time it reached the tail from his schemes. ''


    But until now, the sole effect was in turning them into somewhat humane. It was well within the damage it had expected.


    "It''s still within our expectations." The Invader System snapped its finger upon setting up the portal, watching a group of experts exit as itmanded them, "You guys take charge for the next couple of days. We''ll be resting until then."


    "Once we recover, we''ll use the gates toe to the front."


    "Yes, Lord." The experts bowed in response before boarding a gigantic spacecraft that travelled at the speed of light, soon warping its way across a major distance across the space.


    "While they continue to set up the gates, we need to limate to this universe." The Invader System said and entered one of the rooms in the base to take a seat on the bed, soon falling asleep.


    It only woke up after an entire day had passed, still feeling exhausted, "It seems functioning for a month nonstop has piled up exhaustion under the rules of this ce."


    The Invader System then closed its eyes and focused on the army stationed at the serpent''s mouth, observing billions of natives building structures there to gradually influence the region. It messaged them, "Good, keep up with the effort."<novelnext></novelnext>


    It stopped focusing on them beyond that, letting out a smirk, "A Grade 3 System''s primary capability is to alter thews of a universe it targeted. You''ve set up a remarkable defence, Compass. But I''ll gradually take control of this serpent."


    It was apparent that the serpent had been refined using the power of the Tell-Tale System. Compass Carburettor refined and arranged thews in such a way that the resulting formation resisted external influence to a great extent.


    The only one that could realistically alter them in the future was Arnark alone. So, if the Invader System wished to take control of the serpent, it would have to do something beyond its capabilities.


    "But, that is the essence of being an Invader." Smiling in response, the Invader System closed its eyes, hearing the report from its subordinates, "It seems we''ve reached the halfway point of the serpent."


    "Good, that means we only need a month more to reach the tail." It grinned, "And if they were expanding their influence too, then our sh would happen well in advance."


    ¡­


    "I¡­should get into this?" A dragon plushie asked upon staring at the tree that reached a kilometre in height.


    "Yes," Gehera nodded, "This is an entity I refined to be simr to a world."


    She pointed at the forest region, "You can consider this region to be a world, since this serpent is actually a universe. The lizards in this region are the natives. Therefore¡­"


    "I can take the position of being their world''s collective consciousness." The dragon plushiepleted her statement, staring at her in surprise, "How do you understand our powers so well?"


    "Well¡­" Gehera scratched her cheek and smiled wryly, "Whenever I fought against Stencil, I dedicatedly stole her powers. So, I have aplete understanding of the inner workings of her power."


    "How¡­much of our power have you stolen?" The dragon plushie asked in surprise, "Was it during the chaotic times?"


    "Yes," Gehera nodded and continued, "You won''t notice the difference since Stencil is growing in power rapidly with the passing of every day. But, if you were to make an estimate¡­"


    She tilted her head, "Something like three to four decades of her development?"


    "That much?" The dragon plushie was shocked.


    "Well, it was also thanks to my actions that Stencil managed to gain an upper hand against her enemies among the collective consciousness so quickly. While stealing their powers, I primarily absorbed the essence that conceptualised them." Gehera then gently patted the massive tree.


    "Now,e on. Fuse with it. I created them in such a way that each dragon plushie can be the collective consciousness of a region."

 Chapter 952 Invaders Release The Swarm

    Swoosh!


    Space warped as a gigantic spaceship arrived to a halt, having justpleted its warp. The captain of the ship frowned as he observed the surroundings, noticing the signs of living beings registered on their radar.


    He stared at the coral reef situated a kilometre from the ship, extending for thousands of kilometres from there. Each coral spanned dozens of metres in height, theirteral size spanning from dozens to hundreds of metres.


    Mysterious shadows shuttled between the corals while the air was viscous and humid to the extent one could breathe in the air and feel like they were breathing water instead.


    "What''s the status of the hostiles?" The captain looked at the crew that began to work on their numerous scanning apparatuses.


    "Captain!" One of the crew pulled up an image, disying a humanoid figure with a head resembling a sea anemone. The rest of its body seemed to be made from a shadow, capable of freely morphing its shape and size as it saw fit.


    He then announced as the sounds of a siren resounded, "The hostiles are approaching us. What should we do?"


    "Hmm¡­" The captain stared through the window of the ship to observe a shadow creeping towards them from the coral reef, covering the entirety of the width of the region. It was pretty fast, and everywhere it passed by, the air became humid enough to resemble water.


    He calmly issued amand, "Launch a torpedo."


    "Initiating sequence,unching torpedo!" One of the crew targeted the closest coral and pressed the trigger,unching a missile that unleashed its thrust and instantly broke the sound barrier.


    Swoosh!


    It passed through the humid region when suddenly, its speed dropped significantly. Moreover, a few hundred metres in its path and its body began to deform rapidly, as if unable to handle the pressure.


    "So, that''s the characteristic of this region." The captain muttered upon seeing the torpedo be crushed into a piece of scrap metal by the humid region. He then issued anothermand, "Use theser."


    A pointy antenna protruded out of the spaceship and whirred into life, condensing a reddish sphere of energy on it that it fired. Theser beam passed through the humid region and began to rapidly lose its power, turning weak before disappearing at the five hundred metre mark.


    "Retreat five kilometres." The captain announced when the shadow almost reached the spaceship. Their engines immediately unleashed a powerful thrust that caused the surrounding space to morph faintly as the spaceship flickered to a distance five kilometres away.


    The shadows stopped two kilometres from the coral reef as they paused for a second before beginning to retreat.


    "That''s a tough defence they got there." The captain muttered as he concluded based on the data they had extracted, "But, it seems their range is only two kilometres."


    He stared at the crew, "This distance is far enough. We''ll begin setting up a gate here. It''ll act as the forefront of our invasion."


    "Yes, captain!" A group of people immediately began to take action.


    But it seemed the enemy was able to observe their actions, for the moment they began to install a gate, the shadows from the coral reefs expanded. But this time, shadowy figures leaped out of them inrge droves to target the spaceship.


    Hundred, thousand, million¡­the number of shadowy figures continued to increase rapidly as they converged upon the spaceship.


    Kieee!


    One of them arrived before the spaceship and mmed forth with a shadow whip,shing out the defensive shield erected by the target.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Bam!


    Shockingly, arge gash formed on the defensive shield that was almost breached. It recovered in an instant, but the sheer strength disyed by a single shadowy figure sent waves of rm in the minds of the crew.


    Even the captain couldn''t maintain his cool any longer as he quickly ryed hismand, "Open the gate to the swarm army."


    "But captain, unleashing them this soon would create too much chaos." One of the crew said in rm.


    "It''s fine, let them do their thing." The captain convinced everyone, "They are expert invaders for a reason."


    As more and more shadowy figures converged upon the spaceship and began to bombard their attacks, a portal manifested above it, out of which streamed thousands of insectoid creatures every second.


    These creatures formed the staple enemy in countless worlds under Technocraft, an enemy typically referred to as ''World Devourers.''


    The Swarm!


    Kreeech!


    Ear-piercing screeches resounded as the insectoids attacked the shadowy beings. Both sides engaged in a bloody battle where it took more than a hundred insectoids to kill a single shadowy being.


    The shadowy beings were stronger, tougher, and possessed flexibility in their adaptability. Hence, they could fight with a variety of strategies. Moreover, they could retreat in and out of the shadow covering the ground.


    But despite that, the swarm was as the name implied, a swarm. Their numbers were endless as soon, the entire region was swarming with them.


    The spaceship expanded the size of the gate as a massive, kilometre-wide entity resembling a beating heart exited, its body covered with tiny sacks.


    The heart-like entity gentlynded on the ground and began to suck in the energy of thend, causing the sacks on its body to grow to the limit before they exploded, pouring out the swarms that had been created.


    Nest!


    It was a swarm entity that birthed a variety of swarm races. Just one was enough to destroy an entire and suck it dry of all its resources.


    With its arrival, the number of insectoids targeting the shadowy beings increased in numbers. Moreover, the Nest extended a tentacle that took root within the humid region, beginning to suck in the resources abundant there.


    Immediately, a change erupted within the Nest as immediately, the insectoids being nurtured within the sacks covering its body turned darker. Soon after, the sacks exploded to pour out the insectoids.


    But this time, there was a startling difference in their appearance. A shadowy substance was prevalent in their joints, making their bodies flexible. Moreover, they were less affected by the environment and were also able to now detect the shadowy beings that retreated into the shadow on the ground.


    Immediately, it took less than a couple dozen of the new insectoid variety to kill a shadowy being. By absorbing the essence of the region the shadowy beings lived in, the Nest was able to biologically alter the race it produced to make them more effective against the target.


    This was the scary reason the Swarm were termed ''World Devourers''. Their evolution was insanely rapid.

 Chapter 953 The Invader System Runs Away

    The Nests began to exit the gate one after another as they affixed themselves to their respective locations. Following that, they began to absorb the resources of the ce to produce insectoids that began to gradually overwhelm the shadowy beings.


    Within an hour, the shadowy beings were almost wiped out. But at this time, a dragon plushie entered the central coral forming the reef when suddenly, there was a surge of energy.


    Immediately in response, a shadowy creature that was being overwhelmed by the newly produced insectoid suddenly grew stronger. Its shadow began to regenerate when it devoured the bodies of the insectoids.


    "How is this possible?" The captain was surprised at the sequence of events when suddenly, the shadowy beings began to munch on the corpses of the insectoids to rapidly recover their strength and attain an optimal state of being.


    The retaliation gained a hand following that as the insectoids were pushed back this time.


    Boom!


    The shadowy region expanded in range as it enveloped the closest Nest, shooting out hundreds of thousands of shadowy beings at it.


    Kieee!


    The Nest screamed in response as the royal guard of insectoids defending it were sharply overwhelmed by the shadowy beings, and soon after, it was attacked.


    The shadowytched onto the Nest''s body and began to drill through it like ants, raising ear-piercing screams that rattled thend.


    In a matter of minutes, it was fully devoured. Following that, the shadowy beings retreated into the shadows. In the central coral, the dragon plushie that had fused with it let out a smile of content, "It''s done."


    Every time the shadowy beings killed the insectoids, they captured and absorbed some of the opponent''s thought, will, emotions, etc. They were all being transmitted to the central coral where the dragon plushie absorbed them all.


    And just as Stencil had nned within the 24 Rings World, these mental substancesbined naturally to birth concepts.


    The dragon plushie then nted them into the bodies of the shadowy beings, sharply raising their strength. This was the reason they managed to recover and retaliate when they were almost overwhelmed.


    It had taken some time to create the Concepts that were geared against the Swarm. And now, by absorbing the mind of the Nest, the dragon plushie within the central coral obtained a concept regarding the Next, immediately taking action.


    A shadowy being gained that concept as its body began to grow rapidly, bing massive just like the Nest. Shadows whirred within its bloated body as it absorbed the resources of the region, eventually pumping out more shadowy beings.


    Just its arrival alone caused a replenishment of the shadowy beings, achieving a bnce against the Swarm.


    And by taking advantage of their dominant position at the moment, the shadowy beingsunched a sneak attack on the second Nest and somehow managed to take it down, thereby gaining enough resources to generate a second concept, birthing the second Shadowy Nest.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The advancement of the invaders stopped there as the resistance proved to be staunch enough. But of course, even among the Swarm, only a fraction had descended at the vanguard. It was not to mention the sheer variety of invaders forming the armies.


    Therefore, the defending side couldn''t rx either. But, peeking from one of the corals was Gehera that observed the ongoing fight, frowning as she observed how not even an elite level invader had appeared until now.


    Even in the Gunmetal Gold World, the Four Star and Five Star Invaders were terrifyingly powerful. And despite its powers, the Nests that had arrived were at most equivalent to a Three Star Invader in terms of strength.


    So, it was apparent that the enemy was sharply concealing their power, confusing her, ''But why? Wasn''t their goal to kill Compass as soon as possible? In their eyes, the only way to force him to reveal himself is by attacking Stencil''s home.''


    ''Wait, did they discover Stencil''s location?'' Her eyes widened in rm as Gehera activated a Totem to mask her presence and transform into a ray of light that warped through the space, rapidly prating the enemy lines.


    Soon, she arrived to a halt above a certain base, observing that this base was different from the rest. Constructed in it was a gigantic drill that was oozing with spatial power to rapidly bore a hole into the ground.


    The one doing it was an entity resembling a middle-aged man sporting hair simr to the lion''s mane. Upon her arrival, it seemed he had noticed her, letting out a simple smirk as he shattered the spatial drill and stood upon the created hole, "You must be Gehera."


    "Since you''re here, it must be true that Compass isn''t here." It was the Invader System that stomped the ground within the dug hole, breaking through thestyer as it shattered through the spatial barrier, "Did you really assume a universe''s spatial barrier can stop a Grade 3 System, especially me?"


    The Invader System slipped through the hole and emerged out of the serpent, bellowing inughter, "My army will continue to invade and destroy Stencil''s world. Let''s see if they can hold on without you."


    The Invader System punched a hole into the adjacent universe and connected to the Astral Network, using which it arrived at the System World, escaping from the ce.


    "This¡­bastard!" Gehera screamed in shock, only realising what had happened. Indeed, as the Invader System had said, the number of enemies overwhelmed them greatly, whether in terms of individual strength or overall numbers.


    Gehera was the only variable that gave them a fighting chance against such numbers. But, if she chased after the Invader System, then it was only a matter of time before all the defences they had erected crumble.


    After all, she was the one actively stealing the power of the enemies to create new powers to help the defence. Without her, the various regions would copse one after another without even denting the opponent''s reserves.


    But, if Gehera didn''t chase after the Invader System, more problems emerged. After all, there was only Earth Star protecting Stencil. He was indeed strong after his recent strength gains, but if Stencil''s location was discovered, Zaira would be chasing after them.


    Just that alone meant that they would be hard pressed for survival. The Invader System''s disappearance was a confirmation of her presence.


    Moreover, since Stencil was Compass Carburettor''s daughter, in order to gain an advantage over him in their fight, there was a guaranteed chance Arnark too would be there, casing Gehera to hesitate, vexed, "Shit! Where should I go?"

 Chapter 954 Gehera’s Dilemma

    Gehera was conflicted in her choices. On one hand, Stencil was in a dangerous situation, possibly attacked by Zaira and Arnark. Now, adding on the Invader System, she would be hard pressed for survival.


    But, if Gehera chose to go there, it would leave the 24 Rings World defenceless. It had to be noted that through the Astral Network, the Invader System could return to the spot next to the serpent¡ªfrom where he escaped¡ªand poke a hole to enter it once again.


    Without Gehera to resist it, the Invader System could straight up charge deep into the enemy lines to destroy the 24 Rings World.


    The moment this happens, Stencil would be weakened to the limit. At present, the source of her strength originated from the Concepts present in that world, which was what she used to fight. Without them, she would be weak and be helpless before her enemies.


    Gehera didn''t know whether or not Stencil managed to solve her issue of Infinite Regression. If she didn''t, it meant that without her world, the moment she begins to grow young, she would be batshit weak.


    That implied a definite death.


    But as long as Gehera defended the 24 Rings World, Stencil would be having a constant influx of power at her disposal, giving her somewhat better chances at survival.


    Her choices influenced Stencil''s survival, so Gehera couldn''t make a swift decision, ''Is Compass not yet finished with his preparations?''


    With the power she had stolen from him before, Gehera had the means to establish amunication line with him. But, the moment she does that, he would be aware of Stencil''s crisis and that would prompt him to stop all his preparations and hurry to her rescue.


    And if that happens, he would die under Arnark''s hands, "Shit! I don''t know anymore!"


    "We''ll endure." Suddenly, the dragon plushie that she had been carrying around spoke resolutely, realising the solemnness of the situation, "We won''t be defeated as quickly as you think."


    "No matter what, we''ll buy time, as much as possible. So please," It sported a pleading expression, "Stencil is indeed in danger now. Save her!"


    "Argh! Dammit!" Gehera grunted, vexed by the situation as she stared ahead, "If I weaken the enemies enough, you''ll be able to endure for a longer duration¡­"


    Boom!


    Her expression turned solemn as terrifying auras locked onto her, causing the ground to crack in response. Each aura seemed to possess as much power as the immortals part of Immortal''s army.


    She had seen Shen Ze during the previous war when he joined Mascot''s faction. The strength felt from the auras were only slightly weaker before him. Moreover, there were dozens of them, to the extent Gehera felt fain-headed.


    ''I can kill them, but it will take too much time. And I''ll also be expending too much of my power in the process.'' Gehera closed her eyes, weighing her odds before letting out a long breath as she took out a sphere and ced it in the hands of the dragon plushie, "If the 24 Rings World is in risk, crush it. Compass Carburettor would be alerted."


    "Be careful." The dragon plushie said as it grabbed hold of the sphere and vanished, returning to the 24 Rings World.


    Gehera then ced her hand on the region of the ground that the Invader System had destroyed, rapidly stealing power from it until a hole formed on it once again. She flew out and snapped her hand, returning the power she had stolen to mend the damage, watching a massive giant m into it.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The giant was one of the strongest among the Invader System''s underlings, expressing rage upon missing Gehera by a hair''s breadth. It mmed its fists on the border but was unable to dent it.


    The universe border wasn''t weak enough for something like it to destroy. Whether it was the Invader System or Gehera, they were just special and possessed enough power to do so.


    ''I don''t have time to waste.'' Thinking as such, Gehera closed her eyes, morphing her figure to resemble Stencil, having used the power she had stolen from thetter over the decades.


    A group of chokers formed before her that spun rapidly before gradually aligning themselves with each other to form a cylinder that began to condense a terrifying amount of Mental Energy.


    "A thought travels through the universe in a second¡­" Gehera muttered as her body passed through the cylinder and disintegrated into a stream of thoughts to travel in a straight line.


    The cylinders shattered after theunch, having inserted all their possessed power into the thought stream that quickly mmed into the other side of the universe and poked a hole through, continuing in its way as it made a beeline towards Stencil.


    By using Stencil''s power, Gehera was able to urately lock onto the position of the other party. But, she didn''t have a convenient means of travel like the Astral Network. Using the power of the Systems that she had stolen, Gehera was indeed capable of traversing using the same mode as Systems.


    But the chances of her seeding were zero. It had to be remembered the at the end of the previous war, Compass Carburettor had indeed used the System World to make his escape, bringing everyone with him.


    So, Zaira would have taken countermeasures already. Moreover, with the destination being the same universe where all her attention was being focused upon, Zaira would trap Gehera the moment she arrived at the System World.


    Instead of taking that risk and failing in her efforts, it was better to go the safer path, even if it might consume her a lot of time. Hence, Gehera could only hope, "Don''t die before I arrive."


    "Your dad would go crazy."


    ¡­


    "S-Shit, this madman!" Earth Star cursed in response upon seeing the world they had taken refuge under go up in mes, crumbling into fragments as all life was snuffed out immediately.


    "It''s just a world, why are you concerned about them?" Martial spoke coldly, having just unleashed a terrifying attack to destroy an entire world. When they were unable to find traces of Stencil and group even after searching throughout the world, he took action, destroying the sole world filled with life in that universe.


    And of course, the entities that survived were Stencil and group. Now, they had no more room to hide.


    "Besides," Martial condensed a sword and pointed at them, "You''ll be joining them shortly after anyway."


    "So," He raised the sword and condensed a frightening amount of energy in it, bringing it down with momentum enough to cut the universe in half, "Just give up your futile resistance."

 Chapter 955 Are You Truly Stencil?

    "Just give up on your futile resistance."


    Martial''s voice resounded coldly as the universe-rending sh bore down on the trio of Stencil, Earth Star, and Ying. Earth Star grunted in response as he siphoned the energy of the universe with utmost power to condense a supernova before him, one that he exploded to create an expanding sword to sh outward.


    Martial''s sh and the supernova beam mmed into each other to fully crack the space, causing energies from the nearby universes to flood into the ce.


    Immediately taking advantage of the opportunity, Earth Star grabbed Stencil and Ying to harness the shattered spatial forces to slip into the nearby universe and be carried by the copsing powers for as far as possible.


    It was apparent that Earth Star was expecting such a result, which was why he attacked like that.


    "Next time, refrain from attacking." Arnark patted Martial''s shoulder upon observing the targets flee, his voice cold and focused as he vanished, "You''re not useful."


    "Did this bastard just say that?" Veins popped all over Martial''s face as he oozed bloodlust, gradually enveloping himself with a bloody demonic aura.


    "Calm down. You know how he is." The Waning Essence System hurriedly calmed him down, fearing an internal conflict, "That bastard is just as arrogant as usual. Don''t worry about him."


    It thenmunicated stealthily, "Besides, you saw the powers of that guy names Earth Star, right?"


    "Yes," Martial nodded in response, calming down as he recalled the opponent''s actions, "They were strangely¡­familiar."


    "Don''t the enlightened martial artists at the peak of each Murim Worlds be capable of harnessing the raw power of nature? The power they could harness is super weak, but isn''t it the same as what Earth Star exhibited?" It continued.


    "You mean¡­?" Martial''s eyes lit up in surprise, "If I gain control of him¡­"


    "You figured out my n." The Waning Essence System grinned, "His body itself is a world, one that could naturally harmonise with the energy of the universe. Gaining that would furtherplement our ns and strengthen you further. You might even have a possibility of reaching half of Immortal''s strength at his peak."


    "That''s terrifying indeed." Martial nodded in shock, "I''ll be on the same ying field of the likes of Magister in that case."


    "Yes, you''ll finally be a major yer in the multiverse." The Waning Essence System''s words were akin to the devil''s whisper as Martial was soon convinced.


    ''Yes, he''s pretty gullible as his genre indicates. Information is severelycking in the Murim Worlds aspared to the technological worlds that I''ve birthed. So, it''s easy for me to y him like a fiddle as to my wishes.'' The Waning Essence System was pretty content throughout the whole ordeal.


    After all, through Martial himself, it was gaining a tremendous volume of Mental Energy. And with theunch of their recent n, it was akin to the waning of the essence¡ªQi¡ªthat formed the core of their martial arts world.


    So, the majority of the Mental Energy formed as a result was suitable for its consumption. Moreover, with Martial acting as the filter, it was able to use the power of a Genre Representative to convert some of the power funnelling into him into Mental Energy.


    It absorbed all Mental Energy suitable for its consumption and supplied the rest to Zaira. That was how the System World was still able to stay afloat under Mascot''s ridiculous rampage.


    Moreover, with the return of Truck-Kun, Mascot''s strength began to increase. After all, it was Truck-Kun that took care of transmigrating protagonist level characters to Mascot. With that, she resumed her n of building up an army of cheat-wielding braves.


    "Let''s resume the chase. We''ll target Earth Star." The Waning Essence System spoke as Martial passed through the spatial cracks to chase after their target.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Zaira had instantly switched over to the nearby universe as she resumed attacks, preventing Stencil and group from fleeing afar.


    "Why don''t youe for a cup of coffee?" Arnark shouted as he stretched his hand out to condense the powers sourced from a hundred world, muttering, "Hundred World Grab."


    Boom!


    The dozens of rings revolving in a protective embrace around Stencil exploded as a chaotic energy hand grabbed them.


    "Leave her¡­alone!" Earth Star bellowed as he caused minor ck holes to form on the exterior of the energy hand, numbering in the millions, covering the entire hand. The sheer gravitational pull they unleashed prevented the chaotic energy from moving forward, preventing them from crushing the trio.


    In the meantime, Stencil snapped her finger, unleashing a bolt of lightning that burrowed into Arnark, causing him to grunt in pain as she was in the process of affecting his nervous system.


    Thump! Thump!


    Arnark mmed his chest twice to dissipate the lightning bolt, staring at Stencil in all seriousness, "You''re grown a lot stronger aspared to before. But, that''s all you amount to¡­"


    His figure exploded and reformed right before her, extending his hand to grab her by the neck, "Before me, that is."


    "Now die."


    Swoosh!


    Arnark stared in surprise to see Stencil''s figure dissolve into Mental Energy and vanish. He tried to absorb them, but it evaded his absorption somehow and reformed into the figure of Stencil farther away.


    Stencil extended her hand to reform the figures of Earth Star and Ying, panting immediately in response.


    "Affecting Cause and Effect through time¡­impressive." Arnark muttered as he continued, "Did you learn this from Rhizen? It indeed is a potent ability, unfortunately¡­"


    He stared above her head, "You don''t have the means to replenish your massive luck values. The more you use this ability, the less lucky you get. And before me¡­"


    "That''s a death sentence."


    "Rightly said so!" The Invader Systemughed as it arrived at the scene and unleashed a beam of light that prated the slightly off-guarded figure of Stencil, startling her as her chokers were struggling to move under hermand.


    The Invader System was vying for authority in controlling her body. Though, a couple of secondster, the beam shattered as the Invader System was sent flying.


    It stared at Stencil in shock, shouting upon sensing her body turn hazy, her figure almost zed over, "How the heck are you using the power of Regression?"


    "Are you truly Stencil?"

 Chapter 956 Welcome, Gehera

    "Are you truly Stencil?" The Invader System''s startled shout resounded in the void as immediately, the figures of Arnark, yer, Martial, and even Zaira focused, their expressions varying in the level of tenseness.


    After all, if Stencil somehow managed to tap into the powers of the Regression System, then her danger level increased.


    But a momentter, Zaira''s voice resounded, "She''s Stencil. I don''t know how, but she''s using the Regression System''s ability ced on her as a shield."


    She then observed the change in Stencil''s luck values, letting out a grin, "By shaving off a part of her luck, she used Cause and Effect to force her body to regress for a second, and by that, she also reversed the sustained damage."


    "Well, it doesn''t seem like she can repeat it for long." yermented as suddenly, he began to attack Stencil, unleashing mysterious runes that gradually locked up the space, preventing her from evading as quickly as before.


    Swoosh!


    Arnark targeted Ying and unleashed a killing blow.


    "No!" Stencil moved before Ying and defended using her power, being mortally wounded in response as suddenly, her figure flickered like static before she wasn''t injured anymore.


    Her luck values took another significant plunge in response, worrying Earth Star who felt weak in response.


    The five entities before them were iparably powerful inparison to those he had fought until now. And unsurprisingly, each of them were stronger than him.


    If not for Stencil expending her luck constantly to protect them, he would have been killed already. But, the greater her luck was expended, the more precarious her situation became.


    ''This is scary.'' The Secondary System thought as it observed the battle through Ying''s eyes. It was still perfectly fine, for the one Stencil took control of was just the Hunter System fragment in Ying.


    The primary nature of the Secondary System was its stealth, which was how it avoided Arnark''s detection even before it fully evolved into the Secondary System. And now, havingpleted its evolution and attained the peak of Grade 1, it was perfectly hidden.


    This was why none other than Zaira were able to sense its existence. If the Secondary System hadn''t set foot in the System World, then even Zaira wouldn''t have been able to detect it.


    Systems part of the Protagonist Genre were special, whether it was the infamous Main Character System or the newly emerged Secondary System.


    While observing the battle, the Secondary System wished to escape, but never had the opportunity to do so. If it tried to return to the System World at the moment, the portal would exist for three seconds.


    In the current scenario, that was just too long a time frame. The moment it tries to return to the System World, Stencil might figure out the truth regarding it. After all, they were connected by a strong fate.


    So, there was a chance she could see through its disguise. If that happened, the Secondary System would fall under her control. That would mess up all its ns.


    ''I need to wait for the perfect opportunity to flee.'' It thought and primarily focused on the actions of yer, Arnark, and Stencil, the three entities that had an incentive to devour it.


    Boom!<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Gah!" Stencil screamed again as despite her best efforts, the enemies overpowered her. The moment she tried to control any opponent using her chokers, someone else would interrupt and destroy the chokers.


    If she attacked one enemy, the remaining targeted her. Earth Star was only able to fend off one person. This meant that among the five enemies, there were always three whose attacks weren''t being blocked.


    This forced her to tank all attacks and constantly regress herself to remain uninjured. After all, an injury from her opponents were too potent to be cured in a short duration. It might take from weeks to months, to even years depending on theplexity of the concepts used.


    "Your luck is only a tenth of its original now." Arnark said and casually kept up with the attacks, "How long can youst?"


    Though despite having the initiative to finish Stencil, he never took the shot, always training his senses to his surroundings. After all, his true opponent wasn''t Stencil.


    Considering how cunning Compass Carburettor was, Arnark felt that the moment he took the lead to kill Ying and gained the option to advance to Grade 2, Compass Carburettor''s strongest attack would m into him to disrupt everything and prevent him from reaching Grade 2 ever.


    The possibility for that existed, considering he possessed the power of Tell-Tale. So, instead of revealing such a chance, Arnark stared at yer, "Master, I''ll hinder her attacks. Take the chance to cripple her."


    "Got it!" yer didn''t even seem to doubt the other party''s intentions as he took the lead and swatted away Earth Star, closing in on Stencil to condense a mysterious de in his hand that he plunged into her heart.


    Thump! Thump!


    ? Stencil stared in aghast as her body began to disintegrate, beginning to kill her. Moreover, using the opportunity Arnark created by blocking their attacks and with yer swatting him away, Martial took the opportunity to target Earth Star and plunged an energy de into the opponent.


    "Shit!" Stencil red in hatred as she expended thest reserve of her luck to cause the bodies of her and Earth Star to flicker before they recovered from the damage, causing their bodies to regress to the moment before they were almost killed.


    Unfortunately, she didn''t have enough luck to relocate their position as all Stencil managed to do was bring Earth Star within her reach once again. But, yer was right before them, holding the mysterious de in his hand, the power in it sufficient for another attack.


    yer didn''t waste any time and plunged the mysterious de once again, intending to finish Stencil and absorb all her powers, aware that doing so would give him enough foundation to target Zaira for real following that.


    His dull eyes didn''t express any change but hidden behind them was a cunning gaze belonging to the old yer. It had be a habit to supress his true self from everyone, and even now, he was doing the same after observing the minor behavioural changes in Arnark.


    But, right as the mysterious de was about toe in contact with Stencil, yer sensed something amiss and immediately switched the mysterious de to a counterfeit with a simr aura and appearance.


    Boom!


    A hand appeared suddenly, grabbing hold of the de as a terrifying power converged upon it, rapidly absorbing all power in it.


    Staring at the familiar pair of eyes staring at him with uncontroble bloodlust, yer let out a wry smile, "Ahh, the one that escaped my grasp has returned. Wee,"


    "Gehera."

 Chapter 957 Second Betrayal

    Gehera stared at yer with uncontroble hatred. But an instantter, all her hatred vanished as she observed the state of things at the ce.


    ''Arnark, yer, Martial that''s the Waning Essence System''s Host, The Invader System, and finally, Zaira that''s monitoring us. This is bad.'' She thought before sensing the states of her allies, ''They are in their prime but Stencil''s Luck is at the lowest I''ve ever seen. It seems she did something to maintain their strength until now.''


    ''Considering the enemies, it''s a wonder shested as long as she did.'' Gehera then stared at the figure of Arnark, immediately understanding what was happening as he said in mockery towards him, "Are you conserving your strength?"


    "You afraid, bro?"


    "You think I need to be afraid of the lot of you?" Arnark snorted in response but didn''t take the initiative to attack.


    "You don''t?" Gehera tilted her head in confusion as for a moment, the aura emanating from her body changed subtly.


    Boom!


    Immediately, Arnark teleported a dozen kilometres away in reflex. They acted a momentte, but yer and the Invader System too took a step back, expressing the utmost alertness they could disy.


    After all, Gehera was emitting Compass Carburettor''s presence.


    For all they know, it could have been Compass Carburettor acting as Gehera to let their guards down. So, they didn''t dare take the risk.


    At this moment, Gehera pointed at the farther figure of Arnark, "You teleported away instinctively."


    "That''s fear."


    "Phew¡­" Arnark exhaled a deep breath as he massaged his temples for a couple of seconds, closing his eyes as he remained silent. But after that, he stared forth as immediately, a torrent of energy burst out of his body.


    "Keuk!" Gehera grunted at the sheer pressure applied by the presence he released, thinking, ''Welp, he''s a monster.''


    ? "I''m d you came here, but is triggering him the best idea you coulde up with?" Stencil gathered her bearings by this time and asked wryly.


    "I''m trying to antagonise him." Gehera whispered in response, "Your dad told me to do so when I''m in crisis. He said that antagonising Arnark without any hostages in hand would weaken his fate as the Main Character."


    Had Gehera kidnapped someone dear to Arnark in order to ckmail him, then his retaliation would be a ssic Main Character trope. But, if he retaliated simply because she antagonised him¡ªwhen she wasn''t stronger than him¡ªwithout the means to force his hand, then his actions conformed to a nameless character that was there just to take up screentime until the side character arrived.


    It wouldn''t be much, but if Arnark took the bait and retaliated, then his fate would be shaved by a portion.


    "Why does that happen? Isn''t he the Main Character?" When advised about this method, Gehera had asked Compass carburettor about the reason.


    At that time, Compass Carburettor grinned to reply, "That''s because he''s not the Main Character but the Main Character System."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Gehera couldn''t make perfect sense of that statement but upon seeing her choices influence Arnark, she understood that Compass Carburettor was right. But, upon seeing Arnark''s power, she could only smile wryly, ''It took effect as you said, Compass. But,''


    She observed a torrent of energy so vast that the universe itself was submitting itself to Arnark, sighing with a sense of powerlessness, ''All I did was remove a droplet from the ocean.''


    Arnark condensed a tiny lotus on his hand, one that bloomed to reveal a seed that hatched to give rise to a butterfly. The insect gradually grew bigger to be on par with the size of his thumb.


    It was small, seemingly fragile, slow in its approach as it flew towards Gehera. Surprisingly, Gehera was unable to react in response, simply staring at it in a daze, admiring its beauty.


    Stencil and Earth Star too were in the same state, their guards fully dropped.


    ''No! I would definitely die if that hits me!'' The Secondary System was rmed, observing Ying fall prey to the effects of the butterfly too. Only thanks to it hiding behind everything, it was unaffected, able to realise what was up.


    The Secondary System then observed the Astral Network, staring at Zaira calmly looking at everything from above, ''If I were to die, Arnark would be a Grade 2 System immediately. The Zaira that helped me reach the peak of Grade 1 wouldn''t like this.''


    Its expression turned cold as it realised, ''So, it means the two came to an agreement of sorts. Considering how they hate each other, this agreement should be something that binds together their vested interests.''


    ''I''m still nothing but a pawn.'' It sighed in loss, gazing at Stencil, ''I have been gorgeously weak all along, but those I catalysed have reached such terrifying heights. Seems I have no other choice.''


    ''I have hopped genres countless times before finally reaching this point. There''s no way I will give up.'' Thinking as such, it activated its power, suddenly causing Ying''s body to jerk.


    Core Skill¡ªSecondary (Level 99)!


    There was just a pulse in its energy that surged through Ying''s body and funnelled into the choker controlling him. It triggered a response from the choker, waking Stencil up from her trance as she observed the butterflying close.


    Stencil didn''t take action until the butterfly came rmingly close when suddenly, she brought out a hundred chokers that sealed the butterfly by forming a sphere. Lightning bolts mmed into it as they drilled the butterfly''s body, creating a nervous system in the attack before gaining full control over it.


    Stencil retracted the chokers and watched the butterfly gentlynd on her index finger, breaking the rest out of their trance.


    She stared at Arnark, watching his face morph into a foul expression, "Thanks for the grub, poser."


    But right before Arnark was triggered further, Zaira''s voice resounded as a heavenly decree, having observed the earlier actions of a certain someone, "Are you betraying me?"


    Her gaze was pointed at Ying, allowing Arnark to understand that it was because of Ying that Stencil was able to retaliate against one of his potent attacks.


    Ying was silent for a few seconds before slowly, his mouth opened to utter a string of words, "This is now the second time you have betrayed me¡­"


    "Zaira."

 Chapter 958 Secondary System’s True Identity

    "Second time¡­?" Zaira''s voice full of confusion resounded before her tone turned solemn, "Who the heck are you?"


    "Didn''t Ie to the System World recently? Why don''t you dig up my date and find out for yourself." A voice of disgust resounded from Ying. It wasn''t him that was speaking but the Secondary System using his body to ry its thoughts in the form of words.


    Zaira immediately focused on the data obtained from the Secondary System, frowning as her voice resounded, "Before this, you were the Money-Making System¡­wait, you were the Mechanical System before that¡­what the heck, you were the Seedling System¡­"


    "Makeup System¡­Grass Mower System¡­Eloquent Speech System¡­" The more she began to dig into the database, the weirder Zaira''s voice became, for the number of Systems began to just pile up.


    They were all the Secondary System had been. The data always existed, but just like the number of hairs on the human body, they always existed, but only when the human began to focus on them would they notice the subtle details.


    Until now, the Secondary System hadn''t achieved anything noteworthy. After all, the strongest it had be in the past was the Money-Making System at level 7, and only because it was part of the Mary Genre and resulted in the birth of the Main Character.


    The Systems it had be preceding that were even weaker than the Money-Making System, weaklings even among Hatchling Systems without any value. But somehow, it was able to jump from one System to another and attain their Core Skill, shedding its past while recing the original.


    It was a feat impossible for any other System to execute. Even a single jump wasn''t guaranteed in sess. The sessful cases were too far and few to mention.


    One of the cases was a System around level 80 devouring a Hatchling System from a stronger Genre. With the sheer difference, it made the jump and barely seeded. But this was only possible because it used all its umtions to go from a high level System to a Hatchling System.


    And this was just for the first jump. Never in history did a System seed in a second jump. But what about the Secondary System? While being a Hatchling System, it jumped and seeded not once, not twice, but dozens of times, every time going from a weak Genre to a slightly stronger genre.


    Eventually, it made its way to the Mary Genre, birthed the Main Character, and then somehow forced its way into the Protagonist Genre, bing the second System to be a part of this after the Main Character System.


    Hearing Zaira''s words of shock, the expression of everyone was of disbelief, especially the Invader and Waning Essence Systems. They had never expected such a legendary existence to be among the Systems, one capable of making dozens of sessful jumps to change its Core Skill every single time while being a mere Hatchling System.


    ''I was wondering how a monster like Compass Carburettor was born. It seems the System involved in that isn''t normal.'' Arnark observed the sequence of events in silence, realising that this was the best opportunity to find out more regarding the creation of the most terrifying Main Character¡ªCompass Carburettor.


    ''After all, his power is Lore, the only power that could go against the Tell-Tale System, the most important power that allowed the Systems to reach their current height.'' Arnark thought solemnly, ''Even now, it''s Lore that''s my strongest power. Even my own Restriction Order is ranked second.''<novelnext></novelnext>


    yer observed that Arnark was observing Zaira''s expression in silence, and hence, he snuffed out the power that he was subtly building up within his world, ''I''ll target themter.''


    Martial didn''t care about the revtion and simply wished to get this done with and focus on his own growth, but the moment he was about to take action, the Waning Essence System stopped him, "Wait in patience. I feel this is very important."


    The Invader System too retrained itself under Zaira''s orders. That was how a strange peace became to form in this damaged universe filled with chaotic energies resulting from the flurry of attacksunched by the two groups.


    "No! How is this possible?" The peace was broken immediately by Zaira''s shocked scream, "You were alive? You survived that? How?"


    "If you did, why didn''t you find me sooner? I would have supported you with my utmost effort!" Her shouts morphed from regret toints in the end.


    "Why? You''ve been to the System World so many times. You know the method to alert me used the abundant Mental Energy of the ground. So, why? Why didn''t youmunicate with me?" She red at Ying.


    "You''re asking why now?" Ying stared at the projection of Zaira in the Astral Network, "Didn''t I always warn at the start of your growth that you were expanding yourself too quickly? Without the necessary stability, an implosion was imminent?"


    "You never bothered with that and went ahead with anything possible to take control of the Protagonist Genre as quickly as possible. Even to date, you''re still focused on the same, even when I showed you alternate paths." Ying said, his tone of one that had given up convincing her, "In the age of the growth of Systems, before we established the level and grading system and set up genres, I was the one enduring all the concepts."


    "And even after we established everything, as long as the Systems continued to expand their reach, the power funnelling into me was growing at an exponential pace." Ying sighed, "I warned you many times, but you were drunk with conquest at that time and never bothered to stop for even a moment."


    "When the situation was too sensitive and unstable, I warned you to refrain from attempting to create the Luck Genre. But you never listened and went ahead with it anyway. In the end, I had to take the fall for you." As Ying began to speak, the expressions of the Systems, including Arnark, morphed greatly, "That was the first betrayal."


    "And now¡­" He pointed at her, "After so much effort, I finally became part of the Protagonist Genre, something you wished to attain forever. I gave you the option, but in the end, you still abandoned me for the Main Character System, as always."


    "That means¡­" Arnark''s eyes widened as he slowly muttered in shock, "The true identity of Compass''s System was¡­"


    "The legendary Adventure?"

 Chapter 959 No Longer Zaira’s Supporter

    The Adventure System, a legend among the Systems, the first System to attain Grade 4. Its copse was what resulted in the eventual birth of the current three Grade 4 Systems of Regression, Reincarnation, and Transmigration.


    Its primary domain was in space. So when it fractured, the three Systems that gobbled up portions of that authority became the current Grade 4 Systems. Among the remaining fragments, one branched out without having any essence of a System, bing Truck-Kun.


    The remainder of the fragments gained minds of their own, bing the present-day Grade 1 Systems part of the Transportation Genre.


    But the mind of the original Adventure never appeared, so everyone, including Zaira thought that it was no more. Even the data regarding it had been lost during the implosion where part of the System World suffered damage.


    "Yes, I survived." Ying stated in all seriousness, "The broken fragments of the System World contained all my original data. But that was it. That data wasn''t enough for my revival, since I had technically died back then."


    "Then how?" Zaira asked in shock, "How did you revive?"


    "Those fragments that broke off from the System World, they..." Ying trailed off before stating slowly, "They fell into a bizarre world and morphed into wormy monsters. Over time, attracted by their simrity, these wormy monsters devoured each other to be a whole, still a wormy monster though."


    Ying mocked Zaira, "Even after that copse, you didn''t learn your lesson. But once Regression, Reincarnation, and Transmigration came into being, you tried to invader Mystique''s worlds too, the fool you were."


    "So, you took control of a System from that expedition." Zaira nodded in understanding.


    "Transportation was my core, you know. And when in that wormy form, that was the sole power I managed to recover. It was very weak, but as a System originally, your goals were my reason for existence. So, I refined that and transported myself into a Hatchling System I came across. Eventually, I changed Core Skills while jumping from one System to another and eventually made this far." Ying said, turning silent after that.


    It was obvious that the Secondary System was rather angry at being abandoned. After all, for all its life, it had worked in fulfilling Zaira''s objective, all while taking the fall to control her mishaps. In the end, when it gave her what it had attained, she abandoned it for Arnark, making her choice obvious.


    ''You want Arnark, and nothing else. So, I won''t bother with your needs anymore.'' The Secondary System thought, sighing in the end.


    "All Systems follow the collective that forms Zaira. So, it''s impossible for you to betray us." The Invader System spoke suddenly, noticing a point of oddity.


    "Yes, that is absolute." Ying nodded as a matter of fact, "Had I been a perfect System, that is."


    "I''m a corrupted being, to date still a worm hiding under the mask of a System. I''m not actually tied to the System World, but just that I voluntarily tied myself to it, because of my origin." Ying shrugged, "Since I''ve been abandoned, I feel free. I can finally shed off this load that I''ve been carrying all along."


    "A mere Carrier cannot carry so much load, after all."<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''The Adventure System that was corrupted by one of Mystique''s worlds.'' Stencil focused on her choker, able to track to the source through the fate connecting them as finally sensed the Secondary System, noticing a tinge of familiar aura at its depth, hidden in the core of its Coordinate.


    Her eyes widened in shock, recalling what she witnessed in the System World while escaping from the war, ''The aura is the same as the corruption that is guing the Systems there. But how? Even the two corrupted Grade 3 Systems there were losing their mind gradually. The same is effective on it too, but it''spletely unaffected?''


    Now that she had fully analysed the data regarding the Secondary System, Zaira too was able to notice the oddity, ''It''s true form now is that corruption? There''s zero signs of any insanity there. That means...''


    Her eyes lit up in response, ''Had I gone ahead with my original n, Adventure would have helped me solve the issue guing the Systems corrupted by Mystique?''


    Her expression was if she had swallowed a fly, ''I shot myself in the foot for that one. No, wait...I can always digest the Secondary System and analyse its essence myself. I can solve the issue after that. It''s a shame losing its support, but I can''t undo what I had done. Besides, as long as I can solve the corruption...''


    Her gaze directed at Ying changed, ''I''ll be able to bring all the affected Systems back to action. It''ll be easy to win against Mascot with that gain in manpower.''


    After all, when those Systems were no longer corrupted, Zaira too would be able to use their Core Skills, so she herself would be a lot stronger. It wasn''t a small number that were corrupted.


    The corrupted Grade 2 and Grade 3 Systems were some of the strongest under her arsenal, a special force that she dispatched to Mystique''s worlds in the past to steal his power. Part of them also formed the army that faced Mystique every time he interfered with their expansion.


    Therefore, their return would expand her powers by at least ten to fifteen percent, and that was a whopping sum enough to tide through Mascot''s situation easily.


    "Seems it''s decided." The Invader System nodded in understanding and prepared to attack Stencil and group. Zaira''s change in gaze informed it that she was nning to capture Ying and extract all data from the Secondary System within him.


    "Since you were the Adventure System once..." Stencil whispered to Ying, "Do you have some hidden power to survive this situation?"


    "If I had something like that, I would have used it when you were my Host. Otherwise, my ns wouldn''t have been messed up grandly like at that time." Ying muttered, sweating upon seeing the stream of attacks approaching them, "My identity was my final card. That was all I could use to buy time."


    It seemed the only power it had apart from its System powers was to jump from one System to another and change itself like it had done in the past.


    ''It''s...pretty useless despite its grand backstory, huh.'' Stencil sighed in disappointment, ''Seeing how it berated Zaira, I thought it had something up its sleeve.''


    "Hey, I''ve only been trying to survive all along. Don''t me me." Ying refuted upon seeing her disappointed expression.

 Chapter 960 Truly, None Are Allies

    Indeed, as the Secondary Systemined, it made sense. For, if it truly possessed the means to do otherwise, it would have done so. Other than the powers as the Secondary System that it held, it was only capable of making a leap into other Systems sessfully to finish the transfer.


    Considering that it was at level 99, the Secondary System had the means to seed in taking over any Grade 1 System. Though, it had no reason to do so, after all, it was now by far the most special Grade 1 System, being part of the Protagonist Genre.


    "Are you on my side now?" Stencil asked Ying as her eyes glinted cunningly.


    "Will you ept me as an ally? Especially after everything I did to you and your dad?" Ying spoke.


    "Yup," Stencil didn''t even bat an eye to nod naturally, "As long as allying with you is beneficial, I won''t take our past into ount. What about you though? Do you have hatred towards dad and me for stealing your umtion to be a System yer and beyond?"


    "Hatred is foolish." Ying let out a sigh as he continued, "I just want to survive, nothing more, nothing less."


    "What about Ying? Can you control his bodypletely without any repercussions?" She then asked while defending against the attacks from her enemies.


    "Of course, I can. His body is currently in a state simr to an Overdrive that protagonists unleash. He''s not sane enough to control himself. It''s his power taking the help." The Secondary System spoke through Ying, "And I''m that power. Though, I won''t be able to use this for long."


    "Can you hold off Arnark for a short duration?" Stencil asked as she unleashed an attack on Martial. At present, Gehera was pushing herself to tank the attacks of both yer and the Invader System.


    As both the individuals had powers that allowed them to infiltrate and steal the powers of their targets, she was the perfect individual to go against them. Though of course, going against two enemies was beyond her as she was being overwhelmed gradually.


    Earth Star was harnessing the energy of the universe to resist Zaira''s means. But, Zaira''s attacks were so varied in nature that Earth Star was immediately on the backfoot, unable to draw in the universe''s energy fast enough.


    Stencil was also facing trouble fighting Martial, a Genre Representative. And as she expected, she wasn''t his match.


    Even if the power output of Martial was limited aspared to the major Genre Representatives, his energy capacity was limitless. He was being funnelled with more power that what he was using, so it was impossible tost a battle of attrition against him.


    Moreover, with the Waning Essence System at y, the energy in Stencil''s body was gradually being stolen. With her foundation being just one world, she wouldn''tst long.


    Therefore, she had to at least incapacitate him temporarily. But that wasn''t possible with Arnark at the scene, someone strong enough to take them all head on and easily emerge victorious.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Don''t worry, Arnark won''t go in for the kill." Ying spoke suddenly as he ryed he information to Stencil, Gehera, and Earth Star, "The moment he kills any of you, he''ll be no different from the Antagonist. Even at present, his body is wishing to be part of Compass whose Main Character nature is almost on par with him."


    "So, since dad too is almost the Main Character, the moment Arnark kills us, the bnce will tip towards dad''s side. He would lose all power then." Stencil concluded as she regained her calm and began to analyse the situation. ''Is that why I am feeling that everyone is holding back?''


    "Yes, it is as you suspected." Ying grinned, "Everyone knows how much your dad treasures you. The one that kills you will receive undivided wrath from Compass. He''s strong enough for them to receive crippling damage. That would give the other sides enough leeway to devour them once their fight ends."


    "Invader and Waning Essence are the only ones truly on Zaira''s side. Martial is a Genre Representative. They can''t be counted on during the opportune moment as their nature is to always remain on the fence." Ying analysed calmly, "It might look like yer and Arnark are on the same side, but in truth, they are just using each other for their respective benefit. Both consider themselves to be at the centre of everything, so at a fundamental level, they don''t see eye to eye."


    "Arnark is a lone wolf and yer is a viper behaving like a rat snake."


    "I understand." Stencil was impressed at how the Secondary System was able to analyse the crux of the matter so quickly. Everyone was only attacking her in order to destroy all her weapons while pushing her into the ws of the others.


    Whether it was Zaira, yer, Martial, or Arnark, none wished to deal the killing blow and be the sole target of Compass Carburettor, not in this situation where they were surrounded by hyenas.


    If yer were to kill her, he would be Compass Carburettor''s target. Even if he managed to win against Compass Carburettor, he would be so weak that either Zaira or Arnark would be able to easily devour his foundation to strengthen themselves further.


    The case was the same for others too.


    Even Arnark, someone that had prepared to face Compass Carburettor was the same. After all, if they fought now, irrespective of the oue, either Zaira, yer, or Martial woulde out victorious, for they would devour the victors¡ªbetween Arnark and Compass Carburettor.


    That was why everyone was behaving as if they were giving their all to kill her while in truth, they were scheming to make one of the attackers the scapegoat that delivers the killing blow.


    All were aware: the one that kills Stencil would end up bing the biggest loser.


    "So, we just need to buy time and hold up for as long as possible." Ying said as he stared at Stencil, "Until Compass is done with his preparation."


    "When he arrives, we can retaliate."

 Chapter 961 CC Goes Insane

    Krrr!


    Kuak!


    Tchhhhch!


    Arnark felt his stomach churn horribly, as if he had consumed food that had spoiled weeks ago. He had a migraine while the feeling of hundreds of ants running underneath his skin pervaded, growing gradually more irritable.


    Thump! Thump!


    His heartrate continued to a elerate over time, the emotionsplex, part anxiety, part anticipation, part expectation, and part fear. It was as if he had be a love-struck individual waiting for his crush, or the potential beloved to make an appearance.


    The stronger this feeling got, the greater Arnark felt uneasy. After all, he was aware of the cause.


    Compass Carburettor was growing stronger at an exponential pace. His qualities as a Main Character too were improving as a result.


    This was why he, Arnark, the Main Character System was drawn towards Compass Carburettor. It was the nature of the Main Character System to appear within the body of the individual with the Main Character qualities.


    This hadn''t happened before on such a scale, for throughout history, there wasn''t a Main Character on Arnark''s level. The worthy ones that appeared only gained a fragment or two depending on their potential.


    But the fact that his entire body was experiencing this meant one thing: Compass Carburettor, whenpared to Arnark, in terms of being the Main Character¡­


    Was about to eclipse.


    The fact that the sensation was growing stronger and stronger meant that within a few days, Arnark, as an individual would be lose forever, his power transferring to Compass Carburettor who would be the worthiest Main Character in the multiverse.


    "So, we just need to buy time and hold up for as long as possible¡­"


    "Until Compass is done with his preparation¡­"


    "When he arrives, we can retaliate."


    He trained on his senses, having hidden sensory means through the attacks he hadunched before, using them to spy on the conversation between Ying and Stencil.


    Since the Systems would be able to easily interfere orprehend instantly the information transmitted through a Mental Energy stream, Ying and Stencil weremunicating physically by creating a simple string of air between the two through which their voices were transmitted.


    Of course, being prepared, Arnark had long since tapped on their conversation, listening to everything that transpired as he stared at Ying in surprise, ''He gleaned the truth of this shoddy alliance with a simple nce. As expected of the legendary Adventure System. He might have lost all his powers, but his analysing capabilities are exemry.''


    He nodded in understanding, ''That makes sense as to why Compass and Stencil are so different from the rest.''


    Arnark observed the actions of Zaira, Martial, Invader System, and yer, sighing, ''None are willing to deliver the killing blow to Stencil. She has been weakened to the extent a full-powered attack from any of us would be enough to kill her.''<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''It seems none have realised that Compass is on the verge of attaining a higher state of being.'' Arnark grinded his teeth a little in frustration as he calmed himself down, realising that only thanks to the pull he was feeling towards Compass Carburettor was he able to urately sense the other party''s growth.


    "Guess I have no choice." His voice resounded through the void when suddenly, Stencil and group felt chills.


    Boom!


    ''W-What happened?'' Stencil was rmed as she noticed that the time around her had paused, just as when a System intended to return to the System World. But the level of authority in this time stop was significantly higher, to the extent even she was unable to move.


    Her eyes widened as she observed even entities the likes of yer struggling to move, their movement slower than a human grandma. The speed at which one could move in this state disyed the authority they held over time itself.


    And, the enemies were greatly prepared in such a case. yer was still able to move like a human grandma. The Invader System was a tad slower while the Waning Essence System was even slower. Martial could still move at half his original speed while Zaira was unaffected.


    Forming a sharp contrast, Earth Star and Ying were as still as a statue. Gehera was able to move her eyes to look around while Stencil could cause her fingers to twitch.


    In such a precarious state, she realised in shock. She was staring at her body, onecking the head. She had been decapitated, same for Gehera, Earth Star, and Ying.


    In one attack, Arnark paused time and delivered the killing blow.


    "Da¡­d¡­" A wheeze slipped through Stencil''s mouth as her eyes light their light.


    The quartet of Stencil, Gehera, Earth Star, and Ying lose their lives, just like that.


    Zaira, yer, Martial, and the two Grade 3 Systems took a moment to realise what just happened, failing to understand just why Arnark had taken action so abruptly, when it was apparent just before this that he was the one that least wished to kill them.


    Unfortunately, none had managed to react, too shocked when they realised the extent of authority Arnark had gained on the concept of time and space. His attack there had traversed space and time to kill their targets.


    ''Had he unleashed it on me, this body of mine would have been destroyed.'' Martial thought solemnly, harbouring fear towards Arnark.


    The same thought resounded in the minds of everyone as they stared at the figure of Arnark snap his finger as the bodies of the four targets disintegrated into nothing and vanished.


    Though, despite having taken such a powerful action, Arnark''s expression only paled in response, sensing his body ring up excitedly to the extent even he was unable to control himself.


    It was as if every particle thatprised him wished to leave him and be part of the approaching entity, a feeling that spiked to such an extent that the situation became too dangerous.


    Arnark''s actions made his Main Character nature take a minor hit, bridging the gap rmingly close. Now, there was just a day''s difference in development before he would be eclipsed as the Main Character.


    With a solemn expression, Arnark stared at the space in their midst, muttering, "He''s here."


    Uncontroble bloodlust driven by absolute insanity erupted at the location, rupturing the universe.

 Chapter 962 Survival Life Of A Fragile Mortal

    Concept¡ªMortality!


    Dreamcraft¡ªEverything Was a Dream!


    The bloodlust vanished as the ruptured universe disappeared. Surprisingly, the universe was back to normal, as how it existed a second ago, its timeline no longer paused.


    And in one location appeared the figures of Stencil, Gehera, Ying, and Earth Star, their expressions just as how they were before Arnark paused time.


    The only difference was the figure of Compass Carburettor between Stencil and Gehera, hugging them in a protective embrace.


    "D-Dad?" Stencil stared at her father in shock, "Why did youe here? Weren''t you still in preparation? We could have bought you enough time."


    "No¡­" Despite his best attempts to calm himself, Compass Carburettor was already tripping on the verge of insanity from blinding rage, ''The stigma I ced in you activated. It means¡­''


    ''Had I been even the fraction of a momentte in activating my Mortality, I would have lost all of you.'' He didn''t say it out loud and put on a forced smile, patting Stencil''s head, "You must have endured a lot. Now that I''m here, get some rest."


    "But dad¡­" Stencil stared at his back in worry, able to sense power rapidly leaking out of his body, ''If you hadpleted in filling up your Psyche Stars, you wouldn''t be losing power like this.''


    She clenched her hand into a fist in regret, ''If only I endured for a few more minutes, dad would have finished charging up his Psyche Stars.''


    Psyche Star was his energy. And, a Psyche Star was a single energy unit, simr to one unit of Mental Energy.


    Its power was just on a whole other level, and hence, just to charge up a single Psyche Star would take him months. As Compass Carburettor was simultaneously filling up all eight Psyche Stars, not one attained full capacity.


    Meaning, he couldn''t use even one of them properly, which was why the moment he unleashed his Mortality to save Stencil, he began to rapidly lose power. It was because he went against the principles that formed his own concept.


    When he did the same in Stencil''s world, his Mortality was already active externally, which was how he could make any deaths be mere dreams.


    But while training, he had cut off all external influx of power from his concept. Therefore, when Stencil died, it wasn''t governed by his Mortality, as he didn''t maintain his connection to it at that moment.


    So, the moment he sensed her death, Compass Carburettor formed the connection to his concept externally and then had to alter cause and effect through the power of Dreamcraft to push the timeline up a few moments to reverse Stencil''s Death.


    While doing this, he was also reversing the timelines of beings on the level of Martial and Zaira by those few moments. Without apleted Psyche Star, it was impossible.


    Therefore, he triggered the bacsh from his own concept.


    "Just as I expected." Arnark let out a grin at this moment, sensing the excitement within his body calm down rapidly, "I forced your hand right before youpleted your preparation."


    He extended his hand and shed a middle finger towards Compass Carburettor, "Now, you cannot win against me, Compass."


    "My preparation exceeds yours."


    "Gehera," Compass Carburettor muttered as he plunged his index finger through her forehead before thetter could react, stating his request, "Protect everyone, please."


    The figures of Gehera, Stencil, and Earth Star was instantly transmigrated into the Serpent. As there was no Grade 4 System affecting the timeline of this universe and since he had already reversed Arnark''s time pause, Compass Carburettor could transmigrate the trio without any consequences on their behalf.


    ¡­


    Swoosh!


    Gehera, Stencil and Earth Starnded within the fortress they had built at the tail of the serpent.


    The moment they appeared, a tiny sphere of energy exited Gehera''s forehead and seeped into the serpent, making a subtle change in its inherent nature. Immediately, her eyes lit up as Gehera instinctively took action.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Hiss!


    The Serpent rapidly shrunk in size¡ªwithout the space within it being affected¡ªuntil it was only a metre long. It opened its mouth and tore into the fabric of the boundary forming the adjacent universe to slither into it.


    The Serpent slithered through the void of that universe and soon reached a portion of the boundary where it detected the border of another universe. It poked a hole through the two boundaries and slipped through the next universe, continuing to rapidly flee in such a manner.


    "Dammit!" Zaira''s hateful voice resounded in the original location of the Serpent, unable to sense it anymore. With the group escaping, she couldn''t capture them anymore, not to mention use them to pressure Compass Carburettor further.


    With the serpent continually fleeing, it would be impossible even for her to detect it anytime soon. Moreover, with Stencil, Earth Star, and Gehera within the Serpent, the 168 worlds brought by the Invader System wouldn''t be able to win against them.


    Rather, they would serve as fuel for their growth. This was what he had cunningly schemed, which was why he created such a serpent in the first ce.


    Moreover, as the Serpent was a transformed universe, it had more than enough energy to remain on the run for a million years or even more.


    ¡­


    "You bastard!" Zaira red at the figure of Compass Carburettor, "Do you seriously believe I cannot find them?"


    "By the time you find them, they''ll be strong enough to oppose you." Compass Carburettor muttered as he calmed his wobbly body. Unleashing two peak abilities consequently caused severe damage to his abilities and all he managed to do was guarantee the safety of his family for the time being.


    He still had to take care of the enemies before him, sensing the rate of his power drain as he analysed his choices before staring at Zaira, "Why are you acting brave while covering within the System World?"


    "Come out here if you dare."


    While he taunted Zaira, Compass Carburettor observed that at some point in time, yer had disappeared, clicking his tongue subtly, ''He''s a sly rat.''


    He grabbed Ying and passed a sliver of energy,municating through that in order to prevent any eavesdropping from Arnark, "You on my side, bro?"


    "If that guarantees my survival?" The Secondary System replied through the same channel.


    "If you work with me, then the chances are higher." Compass Carburettor said, watching Ying nod in response as he grabbed the other party and vanished, appearing before Martial as he kicked the other party in the face using his right leg.


    In that instant, his left leg manifested before the Invader System and kicked it in the face. His head appeared before Zaira and head-butt her, destroying her projection and the Astral Network present in this universe.


    Finally, his free hand appeared before Arnark and rapidly pped the opponent on the cheek with a flurry of attacks.


    Boom!


    The figures of Arnark, Martial, and the Invader System crashed into each other and stopped while Compass Carburettor was raining down attacks on them in a torrent while using his radiation to cancel their attacks, aware that he would only be able to maintain this for a second before they break free.


    But, that one second was enough as Compass Carburettor felt as if his head would burst as he expanded his domain through the concept of Mortality externally, epassing the maximum limit he could withstand as he red at the trio before him with a maniacal gaze, "How many fucking times are you bastards intending to hurt my child?"


    "Is this yourst ditched effort?" Arnark grinned as his bloody self began to heal rapidly as he began to gradually push away Compass Carburettor''s hands, "You''re rapidly losing power. In a few seconds, you''ll be no more than a dead mortal."


    But suddenly, the trio felt fear grip their being as a power capable of erasing all their gains surged from their attacker, flustering them as Compass Carburettor broke into a devilish grin.


    "You can forget your identities from today onwards." He tightened his hold to prevent them from escaping as he transmigrated them to a vacant universe where the reach of either the Systems or Genre Representatives had yet to extend towards.


    ? His body began to rupture everywhere as he was just mere moments away from an implosion, bellowing with all his power, watching the fear in the faces of Arnark, Invader System, and Martial¡ªthat was Hosting the Waning Essence System¡ªmorph into absolute despair, "Genre Representation¡­"


    Survival Life of a Fragile Mortal!

 Chapter 963 Zaira Roars, Slayer Licks In Anticipation

    "Shit! Shit! Shit! Fuck!" Zaira''s frustrated screams resounded throughout the System World as she was unable to ess that particr universe after Compass Carburettor shattered her projection and destroyed the Astral Network in that universe.


    Zaira''s mood worsened as she thrashed about within the System World, scaring all the Systems as she continued to holler her lungs out, "That fucker, Compass! How did he attain such heights?"


    Her screams continued to increase in pitch, but they were in truth hiding the fear brimming forth from deep within her, "A Genre Representation...how?"


    "How is it possible? How did he attain it, and so quickly at that. Just how can this be true?" She was getting insane at the unbelievable possibility that she had witnessed.


    After all, the moment she her projection was destroyed along with the Astral Network, Zaira was unable to observe what was happening in that universe anymore. But before she could do something to reinstatemunication, to her rm, she felt weak all of a sudden.


    All the data regarding the Invader System, Waning Essence System, and the Secondary System vanished from the System World''s database, preventing her from using those Core Skills ever again.


    It meant that somehow, all that information had been forcefully extracted from the System World, at a level beyond her control. And this was possible only through one ability in the multiverse.


    A Genre Representation!


    And, Compass Carburettor''s Genre Representation was one that extracted one''s entire being into it, an ability perfectly geared to be used upon both Systems and Genre Representatives.


    "In that case..." She thought of something and quickly focused her attention on a Murim World, shocked to see the world getting a bit stale, as if it had lost all its life.


    Though, a couple of secondster, energy began to funnel out of this world. The same thing was happening across all the Murim Worlds as this mysterious energy rapidly condensed into a sphere, intending to birth their Genre Representative.


    Boom!


    But suddenly, the sphere exploded as the energies dissipated, returning back to their sources. They tried to condense repeatedly but met with failure every single time.


    It was as if Martial wasn''t alive anymore. It was why the Murim Worlds were working to condense another Genre Representative. Unfortunately for them, it seemed the seat of Martial was still filled, which was why they failed to create a new Martial.


    Moreover, only the Murim Worlds with a deeply embedded concept of Murim attempted this. The remaining Murim Worlds were already breaking out of their mould to branch in other directions.


    Some of them rapidly jumped into other genres.


    Without Martial, the inherent mentality of Murim Worlds weakened. So, the chances of natives birthing ideas regarding game-changing technologies/cultivation practices/evolution pathways spiked. This caused things to change at a fundamental level.


    This meant that the original framework of Murim was copsing. The evolution that was limited to just being confined to the Murim Genre was now spreading everywhere.


    It was chaos, as without a proper framework, things started to gradually spiral out of control as methods, techniques, weapons, abilities, and power were being birthed that had appalling negative implications.


    And such worlds, without fail, entered the domain of Mystique as their development and evolution branched out in every possible pathway, with the only limitation being one''s imagination.


    Zaira observed how the worlds spiralled into chaos in a matter of hours. This was why such worlds innately tried to create a Genre Representative to maintain their original mental framework.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But as that failed, the worlds were left defenceless, helpless to their changes.


    This was what happened to a world without a Genre Representative. Development didn''t proceed through one primary pathway, akin to a river, but just became a mess of tributaries without a primary flow big enough to create an identity.


    Such chaotic worlds would implode eventually, as that wasn''t their original fate. Of course, there existed worlds without being under a Genre Representative. But such worlds had an identity of sorts and maintained themselves.


    But in the case of these Murim Worlds, when they tried to do that, they failed, for Martial already existed, so they couldn''t recreate an existing concept. But just as what happened to the data of the Waning Essence System, the Invader System, and the Secondary System in the System World, all information regarding Martial vanished.


    That was what resulted in such chaos.


    Bzzz!


    A Mental Energy streamnded on the System World as Zaira immediately caught onto it and used it as a medium to transmit her consciousness, observing the figure of yer within the universe where they had been fighting just now.


    "Where''s Arnark?" She shouted the moment she was able to observe the universe, unable to sense traces of anyone, both allies and enemies. Only yer was there.


    "I''m not sure." yer said, fear evidently expressed on his expression, "I just know that they fell prey to Compass''s trap."


    "Fuck!" Zaira raged as themunication was cut off by yer who then vanished from that universe. He had only intended to show that to Zaira in order to keep her attention upied on whatever was happening.


    In the meantime, he wished to continue developing just as before. It was what he always wished for.


    ''Moreover, Mascot is thrashing about in a lot of ces. And that''s the perfect ground to harvest some juicy Systems.'' yer licked his lips and began to leave faint markings in every universe he went by.


    These markings slowly but surely spread across such universes, making subtle additions while gathering data like a Cartographer. The info was then transmitted to him for analysing.


    yer nned to profit between the war raging between the Systems and Mascot to grow stronger. Moreover, he had begun nning to trace and find the Serpent where Stencil, Earth Star, and Gehera was hiding within, ''Compass should have nned something. Otherwise, why would he go to the pains of morphing a universe to create such a strange, unstable entity.''


    "The moment I discover traces of it, I''ll snitch to Zaira. That would put more than enough on her te that she would stop worrying about me for a considerably long time." He muttered and continued on his way, shaking his head, "After meeting Mascot, she has changed quite a lot."


    Recalling her face, heughed, "Did she express concern for Arnark back then?"


    "Well, it makes sense, since even if she doesn''t see eye-to-eye with Arnark, he''s still the Main Character System, the most special System to exist that is as strong as the strongest of Grade 3 Systems while still being a Grade 1 System." His eyes turned sharp, "If Arnark were to reach even Grade 2, not to mention Grade 3, there would be none to oppose him in the multiverse."


    "Having such an overpowered entity is never good for my future." He began to whistle as he arrived at a battlefield and observed a group of System Hosts fighting against some cheat-wielding Braves, "Hopefully, Arnark and Compass take each other out. Or at least..."


    He licked his lips, "They cripple each other to the extent I can swallow both."

 Chapter 964 Faith Grounds

    "This is¡­shit!" Arnark watched as a sphere form around them and gradually close up. He tried to escape, but Compass Carburettor prevented it.


    "Move¡­away!" Arnark bellowed in anger as he attacked, sending Compass Carburettor flying by a couple dozen metres, shocked upon seeing the power he unleash dissipate naturally, ''That attack was supposed to send him flying for kilometres at the very least.''


    "I¡­feel weak¡­" He muttered and copsed, feeling difficulties in remaining within the void as the symptoms was gradually be stronger.


    "Get off me!" Martial shouted in a hurry as he extracted the Waning Essence System out of his body and threw it away, unleashing his powers to fly towards the boundary of the sphere and puncture his way through.


    But, as he began to fly towards the border, Martial became slower and slower before soon, he was finding it hard to even maintain steady flight. Moreover, the size of the sphere was increasing by hundreds of kilometres every second, its boundary going farther away with every passing second.


    "What''s this shit?" The Invader System copsed upon a mystical tform that began to form underneath its feet, shouting hysterically, "How is its effect so potent?"


    "What the hell, Martial? Why did you extract me from your body?" The Waning Essence System screamed in a fluster, fearing that it would begin to vaporise gradually since it was outside a body.


    But surprisingly, not only was it fine, but it could also feel itself gaining a solid mass of sorts, gradually bing more and more like a living creature.


    "That was why." Martial said as he looked around in fluster, noticing that he was bing more and more like a living entity, "I felt that if we stayed like that any longer, whatever is influencing us would fuse our bodies and minds together. I didn''t want that, so I threw you out."


    "Ehh¡­" Ying shrieked a little as he quickly ran away from Arnark, stopping behind Compass Carburettor as he looked around.


    He then stared at Compass Carburettor, asking, "So, what now?"


    "What is going to happen to us?"


    "We''ll all be mortals in the world that is forming now." Compass Carburettor grinned as he was now powerless, dried of all energy within him. His Psyche Stars were empty husks now. Even his Dreand vanished.


    That was the price for unleashing the ultimate ability one coulde to possess within the multiverse.


    Genre Representation¡ªSurvival Life of a Fragile Mortal!


    "And as mortals¡­" He patted Ying''s shoulder before staring at the four figures before him, "We''ll be fighting a life and death battle against them."


    "It''ll be short," He whispered Ying, "But we''ll win. I''ve been preparing to win in such a situation all along."


    That was indeed true. For once everyone became mortals, they only had to rely upon their mortal selves to survive and emerge victorious. And Compass Carburettor had, through his Dreand, umted every possible experience that he could realistically experience as a mortal.


    So, his advantages trumped his enemies who didn''t possess enough experiences regarding mortals. They did possess a significant sum, for their were all special, but in terms of purely mortal experiences, Compass Carburettor was superior.


    "Impressive indeed," Arnark muttered suddenly as he red at Compass Carburettor and stood up slowly, "A Genre Representation. That was your trump card."


    He looked around in praise beforeying his eyes on Martial, "It''s potent enough to even affect Martial, a major Genre Representative. This power is enough to take care of even the strongest of entities. But,"


    His lips curled up gradually, "That was in the case you hadpleted your preparations. Unfortunately for you, in interrupted it. And, that revealed a w."


    Main Character Core Skill¡ªLore (Level 99)!


    Boom!


    A torrent of power burst out of Arnark as suddenly, it swerved into the bodies of the Invader System first, followed by the Waning Essence System, Ying, and eventually, Martial. It then merged into the forming space as all signs of it vanished.<novelnext></novelnext>


    This time, it was Compass Carburettor''s turn to re at Arnark.


    In response, Arnark''s tone turned cold, "Don''t fucking act like this was beyond your expectations. Lore was originally your power, so you would have predicted that I would use it here."


    "What have you done?" Martial bellowed in despair upon seeing that his bodycked strength anymore, now no different to a mortal human.


    The expressions of others too were the same, all ring at Arnark to wonder why he had done something this stupid.


    "You guys are forgetting something," Arnark said and pointed a finger at Compass Carburettor, "His Genre Representation would turn us all into mortals, without a speck of supernatural power. We would have to fight him in that state where a cut to our nerves would signal our death, permanently."


    "No revival. And!" He red at Compass Carburettor, "This fucker has been beefing up his experience to live and win as a mortal. In the present case, even if all of us were to gang up on him, we''ll lose, guaranteed."


    "That makes sense." The Invader System was the first to understand his line of thought, calming down as it had also been preparing to fight Compass Carburettor. It stared at Arnark and asked, "So, what''s your n?"


    "I sacrificed my Lore to make one change to his world." Arnark said, wiping his sweat as he began to step back, increasing the distance between him and Compass Carburettor, "I used Lore to elerate the effect of this world on us. But, through it, instead of turning us mortals forcefully, I caused my Lore to absorb the entirety of our foundation. And that,"


    He pointed upwards, "formed the variable necessary to introduce a supernatural concept in this world. Even I don''t know how the changes would ur, for it all depends on how Lore interacts with Tell-Tale whilebusting he foundations of us all present."


    Compass Carburettor, Secondary System, Invader System, Waning Essence System, The Hunter System fragment within Ying, Arnark, and Martial; the foundations of everyone was now being used to affect the world to introduce a concept of supernatural element within the majorly mortal world.


    Immediately, the world expanded to be massive; space stabilised, stars appeared, the sun and a set of moons formed, followed by mountains, rivers, oceans, nt life, insects, animals, birds, fishes, etc.


    A functioning world was created as the group of six people stared from the skies like deities while their bodies began to disintegrate slowly. When they wake up, they would be fully integrated within that world.


    "And," Arnark stated in all seriousness while gazing at Compass Carburettor, noticing how Ying''s body was instantly devoured by the Secondary System that only now surfaced, surprising him, "In order to ensure those two don''t gain any advantages, I used thest of my authority on Lore to ensure all six of us has an equal start."


    Arnark stared at Martial, Invader, and Waning Essence, nodding at each other to understand that they were allies with the same goal, "So, the moment we wake up, we''ll have to race to develop ourselves. And once we have enough foundation, we''ll destroy those two."


    "Even Adventure?" Waning Essence asked in shock, noticing Arnark nod in response as it stared at Secondary''s true appearance to ask, "What is your name?"


    A System''s name was its Core Skill, its identity. And until now, the Secondary System hadn''t revealed it. Only Zaira was privy about it.


    "Does it matter?" Secondary stared at the four enemies, "My sole goal is survival. But since you have expressed your stance on my life clearly, many times at that, know this."


    It took on a human form resembling the old Compass Carburettor¡ªwhen he was the Money-Making System''s Host. Its change shocked all five individuals as its eyes revealed insanity to a chaotic degree, "The next time we see each other, I''ll murder you."


    "Let''s leave, Compass." Saying so, Secondary took the lead and closed its eyes, allowing itself to be fully disintegrated by the space and assimted into the world first.


    "You took words right out of my mouth." Compass Carburettor snorted as he didn''t even spare a nce at the enemies and was fully assimted into the world. It was apparent that he was going to show through action that the deaths of the entities that killed her daughter one wouldn''t be the least pretty.


    "Let''s see whoughs in the end." Arnark spat out and vanished. The remaining three followed suit as the mysterious world began to operate.


    All thews took effect as name of the world changed from ''Survival Life of a Fragile Mortal'' to¡­


    Faith Grounds!

 Chapter 965 The Moss-Covered Man

    Snort!


    A boar went around a forest, using its tusks to scrape the bark of a moist tree to reach the algae growing behind. It ate the algae patch, consumed a couple of mushrooms growing nearby and then proceed to sniff out the next potential algae patch.


    There were traces of tree bark being removed at the foot of many trees, all thanks to its appetite. The boar was massive in stature, spanning a length surpassing two metres, weighing almost a ton.


    To maintain such a statue, it had a voracious appetite. And since it primarily fed on algae, moss, and mushrooms, its feeding time spanned hours at a stretch.


    This was its usual feeding grounds, evident by the markings it had carved out on the trees previously to warn any other creature that dared intrude. But unbeknownst to it, two figures were observing it in silence from atop a tree.


    One of them, a boy around fifteen years in age held a knife in hand, alert as he kept it close to a rope stretched taut. The rope was the trigger to release the trap they had made. The trap was just a camouged on the ground. A set of roots¡ªsimr to a banyan tree''s secondary roots¡ªwere tied to form rope that stretched out from the trap, masked into the natural environment of the ce.


    Its other end connected to a bag weaved out of tree roots. Within the bag was a cut block of wood from a tree trunk, weighing a few hundred kilograms.


    The boy observed the boar gradually approaching their trap as he watched his sister nearby, a girl around 21 years in age pour water into the trunk carefully, watching it absorb all the moisture, "Is it heavy enough to handle the boar''s weight?"


    "I think so." The girl replied and carefully took out a pouch and held it ready to throw at the boar. It was a sleep-inducing powder, one potent enough to even knock out the boar in a matter of seconds.


    She stared at the boy, "Don''t mess up the timing, Pnolli."


    "I know, sis." The boy, Pnolli nodded and watched with bated breath as the boar approached the trap while continuing to eat its way through the region. Twenty metres, ten metres, five, two¡­Pnolli watched as the boar set foot around the edges of the.


    But just when another step would set its fate, the boar turned around, smelling something as it began to proceed in that direction.


    "No, where the heck is it going now?" Pnolli couldn''t help but curse aloud in frustration.


    "Shush, don''t be loud. You''ll alert it." His older sister, Pneua chided him and observed the boar''s actions, gripping the pouch tighter as she was nning to throw it the moment a chance presented itself.


    The boar went sideways for a dozen metres and stopped before a boulder, sniffing something that resembled a log of wood from afar, covered with moss.


    Upon the sight of the log, Pneua was surprised when she observed carefully, almost failing to conceal her voice, "That''s a person!"


    Pnolli took a second nce at her surprise, observing that under theyer of moss was a human man, more or less around his sister''s age in terms of appearance.


    He was currently naked, but most of his body was covered by a thickyer of moss, as if he had been in that state for weeks, if not months, something impossible for a normal human to execute.


    "S-Sis!" Pnolli shouted and grabbed her sister''s arm, "H-His hair! Look at his hair!"


    "It''s fully orange."


    "Y-Yeah," Pneua couldn''t control her emotions by this point. There was surprise, anticipation, expectation, and fear in her as she stared at the obscured face of the entity, only able to make out a portion of the forehead.<novelnext></novelnext>


    She pinched herself to be aware that she wasn''t dreaming, turning around to stare at the ck hair of her younger brother, "His hair is coloured."


    "Sis, does that mean¡­?" Pnolli stared with an expectant gaze, "Is there finally hope for our vige?"


    "We can''t be sure if this is our hope or not." Pneua stated solemnly as she urged her younger brother, "Quick, run to the vige and alert everyone. I''ll remain here and keep an eye on that individual. If he is a Saint, I''ll signal. Just run away and vacate the vige. But if not,"


    She stated in all seriousness, "Prepare an offering."


    "Okay, be careful, sis." Pnolli nodded and was about to descend the tree when suddenly, the boar snorted and bit onto the moss hard and pulled, removing most of the mossyer.


    Immediately in response, the eyes of the individual opened as he got up with a start and stared at the startled boar that rushed at him instinctively to pummel him into bits.


    "No!" Both Pnolli and Pneua shouted instinctively in response, rmed at the boar''s actions, having never expected the individual to have woke up so abruptly.


    Snort!


    The boar roamed into the man, surprised to crash into the boulder. And by the time it reoriented itself, the man had climbed onto its back as a voice of authority resounded while his fingers pressed a couple of locations around its neck region, "Sit!"


    Bang!


    The boar fell t on the ground, unable to move. The man remained seated on it as he stared at his arms, watching the mosse off little by little as he moved, "How long¡­"


    He stared at the impression on the ground that resembled his body, "was I unconscious?"


    He closed his eyes and trained his senses to the peak, instantly turning around to stare at the sibling duo.


    Startled by his gaze, and at his followed silence, the sibling duo hurriedly descended from the tree, flustered as they rushed towards the man and prostrated a couple of metres before him, "We greet the Divine Deity!"


    "We greet the Divine Deity!"


    The man observed their bodynguage, the minute facial expression, and the rate of change in their heartbeats, calcting based on the avable data to utter curtly, "You sure we''re rted?"


    There was an expectation in their emotions, as if they had finally found something they had sought, which became apparent by their greetings, which felt a bit odd at one word where their confusion, excitement, hesitation, etc. was focused the most¡ªthe.


    Based on his observation, it was as if the sibling duo wished for the word ''the'' in the greeting to be reced by ''our'', hence the reason for his statement.


    Immediately in response, the sibling duo shuddered, terrified even.

 Chapter 966 That’s A Good One, Arnark

    ''It seems the supernatural element here is rted to faith.'' Compass Carburettor thought as he observed the morphing expressions of the sibling duo. Of course, it was him all along, acting mysterious the moment a chance presented itself.


    What Arnark had said when he sacrificed Lore was indeed the truth, as he verified it before he was assimted into the world. All six of them would have the same starting point. Compass Carburettor too had installed the same setup, after all, he had absolute confidence in gaining the utmost benefits from the most precarious of situations thanks to his experience wealth.


    So, even if their starting positions were horrible, he would reach the top and amass enough strength to destroy his enemies. Beginning with absolutely nothing was his intention.


    But, in the version Arnark introduced where everyone had the same starting positions, there was one difference. Of course, even he couldn''t change the use that everyone would have the same starting position. Practically the majority of Compass Carburettor''s authority had been condensed to form that.


    Moreover, Arnark feared that by trying to give himself an advantage, he would mess up the rules and create some loophole that Compass Carburettor would take advantage of to be a broken character.


    And hence, he too reinforced the same startling line concept. But, fundamentally, he was different from Compass Carburettor. Therefore, despite the starting line being the same for all six, it had been pushed forward.


    Meaning, all six of them would be ced in a position where they had immediate ess to the supernatural element of this world. Whether or not they could take advantage of that opportunity would depend on their ability.


    The arrogant Arnark didn''t wish to remain weak and struggle to gain power in such a world. And hence, he made this setup where the option was presented right at the starting point itself. Of course, he was confident in grasping that chance.


    As Compass Carburettor understood Arnark''s character, he grasped that this was his chance to gain power. Therefore, he had to maintain a vague stance and force the sibling duo to give out more information.


    With that, he would have a better understanding of everything. Which was what led to his question, "You sure we''re rted?"


    This was to prompt them to reveal what they were expecting out of him. If he went by a normal route of questioning, his ignorance would beid out in full disy. Whatever opportunity existed would slip past him the moment that happened.


    After all, opportunities disdained a show of ignorance.


    ''Is he a Saint? Or a Deity? Dammit, I cannot tell.'' Pneua was vexed. After all, if the other party happened to be a Saint, it spelled disaster for them. But if he were a Deity, then it was their once-in-a-lifetime chance for greatness.


    ''No, in both cases, there''s no harm in being polite. I should probe for details somehow while establishing a mode of conversation.'' The gears in her mind spun rapidly as Pneua thought and formed a n of action.


    "We''re from the Shukagat Vige situated on the southern foothill of this peak. I''m Pneua," Pneua then pointed at Pnolli, "And this is my younger brother, Pnolli."


    "That''s fine," Compass Carburettor stared at them nkly, "So, are you sure we''re rted?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    Just when Pneua was about to despair, a spark shed in her mind, ''Wait! He asked the question a second time. If it''s a Saint, they would instinctively know every one of their faith. Moreover, we don''t have a strand of coloured hair, so it''s obvious to anyone that we''re not affiliated with any faiths. But, if he asked it again, then it could only mean one thing.''


    She became sure of her conjecture as she stared at Compass Carburettor, ''This is a Deity! Seeing as how he seemed to have been one with the environment for so long, it only makes sense he''s a Deity. A human would have been eaten up long ago.''


    ''Moreover, he was lying on our mountain. This means that our mountain originally had a Deity. But due to ack of faith, we were abandoned.'' She thought, getting excited by her train of thoughts, ''Does that mean we somehow triggered his awakening? Then, this is our chance.''


    ''Grandma used to say something about our vige''s legend. Dammit, I just can''t remember it since she died so long ago. Maybe dad knows it.'' Realising that she had been thinking for a tad longer than usual, Pneua hurriedly bowed even deeper, "Yes, I feel we''re rted."


    "Hoh?" Compass Carburettor raised an eyebrow and stared at her, urging her to continue, "How are we rted then?"


    "Your Lordship," Pneua said with a solemn tone, "Long ago, many centuries ago, when our ancestors fled from their homes due to war, a Deity gave them refuge and blessed them to settle here. That was how the Shukagat Vige came to be over the years."


    "The legend in our Vige states that the Deity never made an appearance after that and over the generations, that legend became reduced to a mere story. But!" She got up with a start, "Now that I''veid eyes on your Lordship, I know for sure that you''re our Guardian Deity."


    ''Hmm, so that''s the backstory for this ce, huh? A rather convenient setup, I must say.'' Compass Carburettor thought in praise, ''A legend passed down through time but none to take up the seat. So, it''s ripe for my picking. The case must be simr for the others too.''


    ''But first, if there''s truly Deities in this world, then I should be careful in what I say. I fear my actions would influence my powers.'' Thinking as such, Compass Carburettor motioned for the sibling duo to get up as he stared at Pnolli, "How''s life in the vige?"


    "There''s danger due to the wild animals attacking our vige during the night, but we''ve been able to manage that thanks to the able-bodied uncles in the vige." Pnolli said in a hurry, "There''s plenty of rice to eat from the farm produce. We have lots of fruits, vegetables, pulses, and spices. And we also hunt the animals for meat."


    "There''s nothing that weck." He said in excitement, "there''s even plenty of medicinal herbs in the forest, all thanks to the blessing of your Lordship."


    ''Blessing.'' Compass Carburettor noted another point where a lot of emotion was infused by Pnolli when uttering it, ''It seems they are all normal humans living normal lives. But, it seems a Deity can grant beneficial factors through the form of a blessing.''


    ''Then, I should be careful.'' Compass Carburettor gained a fairly decent understanding of the power system of this world, ''Since the power system was created using our foundations, it should be regarding this faith, which should just be Mental Energy infused or amplified by emotions of devotion. That means, their faith towards me would determine my powers.''


    ''That''s a tricky mess.'' Compass Carburettor understood the underlying fault in this power system, ''Since it''s all dependent on the people, even if I be powerful, if my believers are harmed, I lose my authority.''


    ''Hah!'' He chuckled, ''That''s a good one, Arnark.''

 Chapter 967 Shukagat Village

    The greater the number of believers, the stronger their faith, and the greater the worship; it would result in a strong Deity.


    Conversely, if the number of believers dwindled, the Deity''s strength would take a sharp hit. So in this power system, none could take a resolutely strong position.


    After all, the strength of a Deity depended on the strength of its people. So, even if Compass Carburettor were to be exceptionally powerful, once he shes against his enemies, his people would take a hit due to the war.


    Through war, their numbers would be reduced, which would directly weaken him. Considering how there were four enemies, even if Compass Carburettor were to grow to be the strongest in this world, he would be brought down on his knees.


    And in the current situation, there was a guaranteed possibility that his and Arnark''s development would go neck-in-neck. It meant the oue of their fight didn''t depend on them but on the remaining four individuals.


    The Secondary System should win against the coalition of Martial, Invader, and Waning Essence. Otherwise, the addition of even a single enemy to the fight between Compass Carburettor and Arnark would tip the scales in Arnark''s favour by a guaranteed extent.


    ''So, even if I were to go to war, I would have to emerge stronger by its end. Otherwise, I''ll be caught up in a vicious cycle of my demise.'' Compass Carburettor thought in response, ''Therefore, if I were to be a Deity, I should be one with authority over healing powers.''


    "So, even without a Deity''s protection, you guys are living a life of content." Compass Carburettor nodded, acting like he was thinking for a couple of seconds before staring at the sibling duo to ask, "So, why did you awaken me?"


    "We¡­awakened you?" Pneua was surprised at the revtion.


    "Yeah," Compass Carburettor nodded calmly, "Otherwise, I would have continued to remain one with the ground."


    "Your Lordship, please visit our vige." Just as Pneua was tongue-tied to respond, Pnolli bowed quickly, intending to take advantage of the situation since the ball already rolled, "We would be blessed to have you visit us."


    "Fine, I might as well do that." Compass Carburettor patted the boar''s head, having already tamed it thanks to his experience data, "I wonder how much the world changed since Ist witnessed it."


    "We hope it''s to your liking." Pnolli nudged Pneua who took the lead to guide Compass Carburettor to the vige. The sibling duo walked on either side of the boar that slowly made its way towards the vige.


    Compass Carburettor was seated on the boar. It was better to go on a mount instead of on foot, for it was more imposing. Moreover, he didn''t catch it or anything. It was just there when he woke up, so he decided to use it as his mount without harming it, truly Deity-like.


    The journey was mostly silent since he didn''t express any intentions to speak, silently observing the state of things. There was still a lot that he wasn''t aware of, and hence, he needed the calmness to gather his thoughts.


    ''Stencil will be safe for the time being. With Gehera and Earth Star apanying her, things would be stable. They have resources from the Invader System''s 168 worlds to consume and develop, not to mention the Serpent which is an entire universe. That foundation is more than enough for thousands of years of vigorous development. The war would temper them well.'' He thought.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''Only entities at the peak of Grade 3 or one of the major Genre Representatives would be able to break through the Serpent if they discover it. So, from within, none of the enemies have the ability to do so.'' He sighed in relief, ''They should be safe for the time being. After all,''


    He stared at the sky, ''It seems I''ll be in this world for a while.''


    Before he unleashed his Genre Representation, Compass Carburettor made an arrangement with Truck-Kun. In the unlikely case Zaira or yer were to find the Serpent and ce Stencil, Gehera, and Earth Star in a precarious situation, he woulde to their rescue.


    Of course, Truck-Kun wouldn''t fight on their behalf. That wasn''t in his nature. He was only on their side before because he wanted to transmigrate them. And Compass Carburettor indeed fulfilled that wish, allowing Truck-Kun a ride through the System World too.


    So, he would never fight for them ever again. Therefore, the agreement only extended to Truck-Kun transporting the trio of Stencil, Gehera, and Earth Star to a universe far away from Zaira''s reach.


    Or if the situation was precarious enough, he would take them straight into one of Mystique''s worlds. Considering their level of power, they would remain safe in a moderately dangerous world under Mystique.


    Even Zaira would think twice to target those worlds.


    Moreover, he had gotten a map from Truck-Kun which consisted of routes to traverse through the multiverse. He had embedded that, along with the key to control the Serpent in Gehera''s mind.


    And one such location on the map was a world under Mystique. That was the Serpent''s destination. Moreover, once they reach there, the Serpent would go around the outer boundaries of the worlds under Mystique.


    The moment Zaira attacked them, the Serpent would head deeper. This was the contingency n that he had prepared, ''So, they''ll be safe. Now,''


    He took in a deep breath, ''I have to survive somehow. Arnark alone is a headache, but there are three more nuisances to worry about. I only hope Adventure can pull its weight.''


    He was aware that the Secondary System was the Money-Making System. After all, the fate connecting it and Stencil was apparent enough. So, he put two and two together to understand its origin, also gaining information regarding the Secondary System admonishing Zaira in the end.


    ? Through that, he came to know about its origin.


    "Your Lordship, this is Shukagat Vige," Pneua said in excitement once they traversed the thicket of trees and came across a forest clearing, staring at rows upon rows of houses situated amidst massive farnd.


    The moment they arrived, the vigers in the closest piece of farnd observed them and noticed the conspicuous figure of Compass Carburettor riding a massive boar. There was unrest the moment they noticed his coloured hair.

 Chapter 968 He Represents Us

    "Vige Head! Something happened!" An old man was seated peacefully on the veranda of his house, sipping tea when a viger shouted in urgency.


    "Did an elephant or something arrive?" The Vige Head still maintained his cool and continued to enjoy his favourite tea.


    "Our God arrived!" The viger said while out of breath.


    Pffft!


    The tea spilled out of his mouth like a jet, creating a beautiful arc in the air as the Vige Head emptied out all the content in his mouth. It sprayed out like paint sshed on the canvas.


    The Vige Head''s wife was stunned, not by the information, but because she¡­was the canvas.


    "W-Where?" The Vige Head hurriedly threw a towel at his wife before rushing out in fluster, quickly noticing the crowd that had formed at a piece of farnd adjacent to the vige.


    Young or old, everyone began to gather at the ce, crowding around the individual that was seated on a boar.


    The Vige Head hurriedly made his way through the crowd and stared at the entity that was the cause of the chaos, a stunning man with perfect proportions. His orange hair resembled the me but waved around like water.


    Absolute Perfection!


    The Vige Head was stunned into silence, admiring the entity before him that ticked every single aspect a human required to be deemed absolutely perfect, the benchmark and the summit of perfection.


    As if the qualities of all humans in the world hadbined to manifest this individual before him. At the sheer sight of Compass Carburettor, without any exnation, the Vige Head bowed to proim, "For generations, we have been waiting for your return."


    "So, it''s true."


    "We have been protected by a Deity all along."


    "No wonder our lives have been blessed aspared to the viges farther away."


    The people began to discuss fervently as their gazes directed at Compass Carburettor began to change.


    "Well, before everyone is excited, I need to tell you two things." Compass Carburettor snapped his finger, bringing everyone to his attention, "First of all, I''m not your Deity."


    "What?" The Vige Head was stunned to hear this. The rest of the vigers too doubted whether their ears were ying tricks on them.


    The Vige Head intended to argue otherwise, but a thought struck him at this moment, causing him to recall that even in the legend passed down through their vige, even when their ancestors fled to this region, the Deity mentioned there only blessed for shelter.


    There was no documented interaction after that. Meaning, they weren''t actually treated as devotees to the Deity.


    At his realisation, the Vige Head''s mood turned sullen, "What Your Lordship says is true. I apologise for overstepping my bounds."


    He kneeled immediately, "Please punish my insolence."


    "Punish what?" Compass Carburettor expressed disgust as he cleaned his ears, acting arrogant, "You didn''t do anything to warrant a punishment. So stop being cringe and get up."


    "Y-Yes? Yes, yes!" The Vige Head got up in a hurry, perplexed by Compass Carburettor''s sudden change in attitude.


    "Ignorance and mistakes are a human''s innate trait. There''s nothing wrong about that." Compass Carburettor spoke slowly, his voice oozing a sense of majesty, "I will only punish you when you''re unaware of your ignorance and mistakes."


    "Be aware of your faults and improve upon them."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "We''ve been enlightened." All the vigers kneeled in response.


    Compass Carburettor then spoke, "A Deity and its believers share a symbiotic rtionship, especially in my case. Everyone here lives a content life. Therefore, there''s nothing you can request from me through your prayers."


    "And that''s the second reason."


    Compass Carburettor patted the boar, turning around as he began to make his way towards the mountain, "I''ll be returning to my slumber now."


    "M-May we know what type of Deity Your Lordship is?" Pneua mustered all her courage to ask.


    The boar stopped walking in response to her question as all the vigers gulped simultaneously, training all their attention on Compass Carburettor.


    In the vige''s silence, with his wide, sculpted back partially covered by moss facing them, Compass Carburettor stated solemnly as shockingly, his voice reverberated everywhere, as if his voice was being transmitted from every single location possible.


    "ce your hand on your heart and feel the beat. I represent that." Saying so, he rode the boar and vanished from view.


    "What¡­does that mean." Pneua was confused. Even with her smarts, she was unable to make heads or tails of what was being conveyed.


    Pnolli was the same. He ced his hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat as he tilted his head, "I can feel the beat. But what exactly does it mean?"


    All the vigers muttered and discussed, failing to find an answer to their queries. Simultaneously, all their gazes shifted to the wisest man in the vige, the Vige Head.


    The Vige Head was silent, his eyes in a daze as he muttered inaudibly. One minute, two minutes, ten minutes, and he was in a daze before suddenly, his eyes shot up in vigour, yelling in excitement, "I got it!"


    "Please tell us, Vige Head." Everyone implored him as the Vige Head took in a deep breath before calming them down.


    He stared at everyone and motioned for them to ce a hand on their heart, "Feel the beat."


    Thump! Thump! Thump!


    As everyone did as followed, they could feel their heartbeats as the Vige Head said, "Feel the rigorous thumps as our heart pumps blood throughout our body. What do they represent?"


    "Our vitality!" The Vige Head shouted with zealous heat, "Whether in joy or sorrow, fear or faith, our heart thumps for our survival. That''s where our God exists."


    "The unending will of human survival. That''s what our Deity represents. He''s the God of Humanity." He bellowed by the end, "By the Humans, To the Humans, For the Humans."


    "That''s why when our ancestors came here seeking refuge, he blessed us with lives of contentment. Because of that, we have a bountifulnd, dangers within our means to cope up, and a pleasant environment, everything we need to survive and prosper." The Vige Head teared up in the end.


    "What our ancestors asked for was given immediately. And to date, even long after we stopped praying, our blessings are still in effect." The Vige Head wiped his tears on the sleeves of his shirt.


    He pointed at the sibling duo, "He told them he wished to see the outside world. But we understood him wrong."


    "The moment he saw all of us, he returned to the mountain, satisfied. Because, in his eyes, this vast world isn''t his world. But," Despite his best to control himself, he began to sob in joy, "It''s us."


    "We''re his world!"


    "The God of Humanity¡­" The vigers muttered in shock before soon, they all ced their hands on their chests to feel their thumping hearts, "He''s not like the other Deities that represent parts of nature. He''s the God of Humans."


    "He represents us."

 Chapter 969 God Of Humanity

    The boar had climbed partway up the mountain when it stopped. Seated on its back was Compass Carburettor, breaking into a smile upon sensing a surge of energy within himself. "I knew he would figure it out."


    A Deity was represented by their heroic tales. So, whatever they did was what represented them in the future.


    Had Compass Carburettor yed a boar before their eyes, that would be his legend. Though of course, killing a boar wasn''t deific enough. Maybe there was a stampede of ferocious animals attacking the vige and if he had been the sole individual that fought against them and even seeded, then that tale would have been strong enough to birth him into a Deity.


    That was the core function of this world. Humans could be Deities if their actions were legendary enough. But of course, the limitation of that was perfectly evident.


    Suppose he became a Deity that was known to ughter animals, then the powers he had were attuned to that. Meaning, killing was all that he would be good at. And even if he were to bless his followers, giving them the power to kill was all he could do.


    For a merchant like him embodying merchant qualities, that was a no-no. If power was all it took to kill his enemies, then it wouldn''t have been a problem in the first ce.


    Moreover, leading wars would cripple his foundation as through every battle, he would lose believers. Therefore, he picked the route that he was the best prepared in¡ªhumanity.


    He lead the vigers through the train of thought he had wanted, allowing them to reach the conclusion that he was the God that represented Humanity. Of course, this wouldn''t have been possible without the Vige Head.


    But yes, Compass Carburettor inferred the Vige Head''s character and intelligence through their short interaction and used it toy down the clues which prompted the Vige Head to conclude that he was the God of Humanity.


    If seen from a third-person perspective, it would seem like the vigers came to that conclusion on their own, but in truth, it was Compass Carburettor that lead them on that route through his actions and wordings.


    There were many ways one could have taken advantage of his position. But Compass Carburettor felt that representing the people themselves instead of some supernatural product was the best choice avable to him.


    And hence, he took it.


    Boom!


    A stream of energy surged into him as immediately, the shadow he cast became a shade darker, turning tangible. The energy vanished after a couple of seconds, following which a small stream flowed out of Compass Carburettor''s head and condensed into a brain before him.


    It resembled a human brain at first nce but gradually began to be covered by engravings of gold throughout the brain muscles, transforming it into a Relic of sorts.


    In an instant, Compass Carburettor had gained the qualifications to be a Deity as his body vaporised and reformed once again. There wasn''t any physical difference other than the fact that he no longer had the food and water requirements as a mortal.


    All information regarding his nature flowed into him as Compass Carburettor gainedplete understanding regarding what a Deity signified.


    They were entities representing a concept each in the world. Their actions were determined by the wishes of their believers.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Basically, they were a convenient means for mortals to achieve their desires.


    It wasughable when one thought about it. Despite possessing awe-inspiring power, Deities were strictly tied down to their believers, unable to leave or manipte them. And a Deity without believers ceased to exist as one.


    It would turn into a statue and remain in its original domicile until it gained a believer in the future. All that was left to fate and chance. That was a Deity''s fate.


    ? Therefore, the only way a Deity could take action was through the concept it represented. It if was a Deity of War, then it could invade other regions happily. But if it was a Deity of Peace, its actions were restricted to its domain only.


    It couldn''t do anything that would trigger a war. The moment it goes against the very beliefs it symbolises, the Deity would lose all powers and vanish.


    That was why Compass Carburettor didn''t take on any concepts regarding nature or powerful concepts like war or peace. They were all restrictive in one way or another.


    Therefore, he picked the greatest variability there exists¡ªHumanity!


    In this game of chance and restriction, he took the variable that gave him the greatest room for manoeuvrability and freedom.


    All Deities had three primary authorities: Symbol of Authority, Tool of Authority, and Mode of Bestowal.


    A Symbol of Authority was what connected the Deity to its believers. When believers prayed in a temple, they prayed to the statue. But for the rest of the time, they relied upon something as a mental anchor.


    And that was the symbol, something they used to affiliate themselves and recognise others of the same faith. Even the Secret Society had the symbol of two ''C'' tangentially joined together that they worshipped towards.


    All Deities in this world simrly had a symbol. But confusingly, Compass Carburettor''s symbol was a human shadow. It wouldn''t be easy to disseminate it like the symbols of other Deities.


    The second authority was the Tool of Authority. It was what the Deity used to bestow blessings on the believers. Moreover, it also served as the Deity''s weapon to exert its influence. If there exists a Deity of mes, it would be able to bestow the blessings of fire to its believers.


    Simrly, a Deity of Swords would bestow the blessing of a Sword to its believers, allowing them to manifest swords out of thin air.


    Compass Carburettor''s Tool of Authority was the human brain that had formed in his hands. It¡­wasn''t a weapon one could use to fight nor did it give any supernatural powers like the other Deities that allowed their believers to fly or wield mes and the like.


    For a moment, Compass Carburettor wondered if his decision was right. Indeed, he gained a lot of freedom as he had wanted, but in contrast, his power as a Deity was pitifully low. Rather, he wasn''t any bit stronger than before.


    "No, there''s a way." He thought as he stared at the brain in his hand, letting out augh.

 Chapter 970 Pass Down The Legend

    The final authority of a Deity was the Mode of Bestowal. Basically, this was the channel that connected the Deity to the Believers, whether in terms of prayers or giving a blessing.


    The Mode of Bestowal was typically nature aligned. If a Deity''s Mode of Bestowal was through the earth, then all a believer had to do was create the Deity''s symbol using the earth to pray or request a blessing.


    And the blessing would be bestowed upon him through that symbol made of earth. This Mode of Bestowal was by far the most important authority of a Deity.


    After all, if a Deity''s Mode of Bestowal was water, if the believer was stranded in a desert or a region with no water, the blessings would never reach him. Simrly, even if he possessed a symbol of the deity, it would be impossible to make contact.


    In such cases, they would typically have symbols made out of wood or stone that they would immerse in water to offer prayers.


    Therefore, this limitation could typically be taken advantage of by someone from an opposing faith to weaken the believer. Every element had its respective advantages and disadvantages.


    Even if a Deity''s Mode of Bestowal was wind, it could be blocked. It had to be made note that there was a technicality involved here. Meaning, the Mode of Bestowal was wind and not air.


    Therefore, unless there was a flow of air strong enough for the believers to ssify it as wind, it wouldn''t qualify to be their Deity''s Mode of Bestowal.


    This was why Compass Carburettor had second thoughts about his n. For, his Mode of Bestowal was heartbeats strong enough to be called chest thumps.


    His believers couldmunicate with him through their heartbeats. But, it should be strong enough. When a human sprinted, their heartbeats would be so loud that their chest would reverberate to an audible extent. They could even hear it in their ears.


    Only that would qualify as a chest thump worthy of his Mode of Bestowal. This ced the limitation that a believer wouldn''t be able tomunicate with him or receive his blessings if they were calm or at a state of rest orcking state of movement.


    Basically, if they were bound or unconscious, they would never be able to receive his help. Moreover, since his Symbol of Authority was a human shadow, as long as there was no light source around the believer, a human shadow wouldn''t be present.


    Meaning,munication with the Deity wasn''t possible. And the use here specified ''human Shadow.'' Meaning, no other forms of shadow made the cut. Moreover, since the mode of Bestowal was chest thumps, it meant they couldn''t carry any physical symbols.


    They were useless after all. Had his mode of bestowal been a fire or something, then they could at least carry wooden symbols and throw them within the fire. The illumination would cast a human shadow, allowing them tomunicate through the fire.


    Well, the limitations would have proven troublesome had he used his three authorities in their original state.


    Compass Carburettor stared at his Tool of Authority, the golden-rimmed brain, smirking as he dropped it within his shadow. With him being a human in terms of appearance, the shadow he cast was his symbol of authority.


    It wriggled as it mimicked his actions. Compass Carburettor opened his mouth and watched the shadow replicate it¡ªas all shadows did¡ªand swallow the brain.


    Instantly, his Tool of Authority fused with his Symbol of authority. As his Symbol of Authority was a human shadow, and his Tool of Authority was a human brain, they were naturallypatible.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The brain took refuge within the shadow''s head and instantly gave sentience to the shadow.


    There weren''t any fundamental changes. The human shadow remained his Symbol of Authority while the brain remained his Tool of Authority. It was just that his Tool of Authority could now control his shadow, for that was what brains did.


    The power Compass Carburettor obtained through his Tool of Authority was to bless his followers with a brain. Basically, he could grant them knowledge, intelligence, skills, memories, etc.


    ? Thanks to the data mined from his Dreamcraft, he had an endless supply of that.


    With a thought, he watched his shadow coil around the trunk of a tree and saw through it. Thanks to the brain controlling his shadow, he could extend the influence of his Tool of Authority through his Symbol of Authority, and hence gained the power to manipte shadows.


    Moreover, it wasn''t mere maniption. But, the shadow became another him, for it was his brain that had be the Tool of Authority.


    Therefore, the change that erupted as a result meant he could bestow his followers with the power to manipte their shadows and evenmunicate with them through it. This allowed for better usage of his abilities.


    "Now, I guess I have to patiently wait until I get some believers." He muttered and headed deep into the mountain while the moss covering his body began to increase as soon after, it fully covered him.


    The God of Humanity transformed into a statue andy in the forest, waiting for the day he gained believers to surface, truly embodying his lore.


    And indeed, the moment he turned into a statue, Compass Carburettor went into a deep slumber. That was how thews of this world worked, and he truly wasn''t an exception either.


    At the Shukagat Vige, the vigers stared at the Vige Head as one of them asked, "What should we do now?"


    "Is it truly fine to pray to our Deity?"


    "No," The Vige Head shook his head, "You heard him clearly. There''s nothing weck currently to request of him."


    He then turned silent, watching two vigers rush out from the mountain as they appeared before him, panting in exhaustion as one of them said, "W-We returned to the ce told by Pneua and Pnolli. The Deity has returned there and has be a statue."


    "It would be preposterous to wake up the Deity for no rhyme or reason." The Vige Head said as he thumped his chest aloud, "He''s our God. He represents us. He lives in us."


    "We must never forget this. Unlike our ancestors, we should be clear in passing down the legend." Saying so, the Vige Head ordered everyone, "Let''s pick the sturdiest boulder from the vige and inscribe our deity''s words on it."


    "That way, the legend will survive the test of time and be passed down the generations without fail."

 Chapter 971 The Deity In The Cave

    "We believe Your Lordship is our Guardian Deity!" A girl in herte teens said in part hurry part excitement.


    Before her was a man in his early twenties, sporting reddish-brown hair that resembled spikes of iron that was in the process of melting. His body was somewhat lean but it had a sickly feel to it as if he were a poisoned de.


    ''Guardian Deity¡­huh?'' The man thought as he stared at the girl, for a moment unleashing a tinge of killing intent that somewhat terrified her, causing her to be on alert as he spoke, "I don''t like to converse in riddles. Whatever you are thinking of,y it out bare before me."


    "Leave nothing aside, including the most insignificant of details."


    "Y-Yes, Your Lordship!" The girl trembled like a leaf caught in a gale as she began to recount her vige''s legend, "Our ancestors disliked war and fled the battlefield. Eventually, they ventured upon Your Lordship''snd. And it''s only thanks to your blessings that we prospered to this day."


    She then recounted every single tale told to her in the vige, followed by the economics of the ce, the culture, the thoughts of the vigers, and their daily lives. It took her a few hours to tell everything in as much detail as possible, despite only giving the gist of things that had happened.


    It wasn''t easy to tell generations'' worth of history in a mere few hours, after all. But, just this was enough for the individual to understand everything he needed.


    ''So, the Deities in this world are basically what people worship them to be. Their powers are based on the believers, but at the same time, they can''t act out against the core norms that hold up the belief of their followers. Doing so is equivalent to shooting themselves in the foot.'' He thought, ''It seems the closest region supported by a Deity is six months away by foot. That''s a considerable distance.''


    He stared at the sky before nodding in thought, ''The powers of these Deities seem vast. I''m surprised the foundation of this world is strong enough to support that. Or wait¡­''


    He smirked in the end, ''The foundations of all of us were consumed to create this, and that includes Martial.''


    He sighed in the end, ''This means it''s impossible for me to break out of this world. The power system doesn''t seem like it has the means to facilitate such a power creep. That means¡­''


    He massaged his forehead, ''Winning is probably the only mode of escape. No, even if I were to win, there doesn''t seem any possibility that I would be able to leave. Maybe being stuck in this world for all eternity is the only option?''


    ''No, if that''s the case, once I finish my task, I need to wait it out long enough until reinforcements arrive from outside to rescue me.'' He got up and dusted himself, ''For that to happen, I need to avoid bing a Deity. I can''t afford to be stuck rooted to a region for all my life. I need to proactively hunt Compass before he can grow to be powerful.''


    "It''s a vast world, huh?" He smiled and patted the girl''s head, asking, "Are you living a life of content?"


    "Yes, Your Lordship!" The girl bowed in response, "All thanks to your blessings."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Let''s head to the vige now." Saying so, he exited the cave, prompting the girl to follow after him.


    A couple of minutester, a bear whimpered as it rushed into the cave, trembling in relief upon seeing its cub alive.


    "Why are you this far away from your vige? There are even bears here. It''s dangerous." The man said once they were almost upon the vige.


    "Some special herbs grow only in that particr spot, Your Lordship." The girl replied as she showed the herb that she had collected in her basket, "We need this to treat the rashes that break out during the rainy season every year. We ground it into powder and store them forter use."


    "I see," The man nodded and then walked past a clearing, gazing at a sprawling vige. Immediately, his eyes focused on the people, making a mental tally in an instant, ''There seem to be around five to six thousand vigers. That''s a pitiful number to do anything.''


    ''I see,'' He nodded, realising the game at y, ''Even the closest territory with a Deity is six months away on foot, not to mention my enemies. Who knows how many years it might take me just to reach them, not to mention the sheer logistics involved to take up an army until there.''


    ''It''s a very long game, huh.'' He understood, gazing at the vigers with an enthusiastic gaze, ''In that case, I don''t need such numbers. I can simply start with a handful and increase their numbers over the generation. That way, I can gear them suitably towards my goal.''


    "This is our vige!" The girl said as the man calmly sauntered into the vige, noticing the vige head''s house as he ignored the gazes of shock and confusion of the vigers and opened the door naturally, despite it being locked.


    He entered it and took a seat in the living room, patting the seat next to him as he motioned at the girl, "Come, sit here, child."


    "It would be my honour, Your Lordship." The girl did as told as she expressed shyness upon sitting right next to him.


    The Vige Head rushed into his home in a hurry upon hearing the news, prostrating to the floor immediately upon staring at the seated figure, "We have been expecting Your Lordship''s arrival!"


    "So it seems." The man nodded, observing the vigers crowding around the house, their ears trained on the conversation urring within. It was apparent that everyone was curious as to what this supposed Deity of theirs wished to say.


    "But," The man suddenly stated with a crisp voice, making everyone feel as if their hearts would leap out of their chest as he spoke curtly, "It seems the legend passed in your vige has be horribly twisted over time. That idiot priest of mine,"


    He expressed mild irritation, "I had warned him to pass down a written legacy."

 Chapter 972 The Devil Awakens

    "The legend passed down in the vige was wrong?" The Vige Head asked in shock, "But how?"


    "Well, it was natural, I guess." The man tilted his head casually, "Since they all lost favour from me."


    "L-Lost favour?" The girl seated next to him trembled in fear, feeling disbelief at the statement, "But Your Lordship, how is that possible?"


    "What Deity do you think I am?" The man smiled gently, but for some reason, everyone felt chills upon hearing it.


    "It''s presumptuous of us to guess Your Lordship''s identity." The Vige Head trembled in nervousness as he requested with a bow, "Please enlighten us."


    "Well, I''m not a Deity." The man said, hearing a shout of shock collectively from the crowd that was bbergasted at the reveal.


    "A-Are you perhaps a Saint of another Deity?" The girl asked in fear, for that was the only other option considering his head was full of coloured hair.


    "Nope, I''m not rted to any Deity. Or rather." The man still wore a calm smile as he continued, "I''m something even the Deities fear."


    "I''m the Devil!"


    "T-The Devil?" The Vige Head didn''t know what the word meant, but just the sound of it caused fear to surge in him.


    "If a Deity symbolises your wishes with a blessing, a Devil grants your desire through a curse." The man said, "That''s the fundamental difference."


    "And you all are descendants of those that served the Devil and wreaked havoc throughout the world." He continued, seeing their terrified disbelief, "In the ancient war of the past, the lot of you didn''t flee war but had actually fled in pity after damaging the opponents to crippling levels."


    "But despite their thoughts, in the end, they fled their duties, and hence, your ancestors lost their favour with me." The man said and got up, beginning to take his leave, "Since I''ve woken up, I''ll be active in this world once again. And the Deities fearing me are too cowardly to act upon me. Instead, they would target my followers¡­"


    He pointed at them, causing them to shudder, "And that''s you."


    "The only way to survive is to take up torture and suffering as your ally and inflict it on others." He then raised his hand into the sky, "As the sole Devil feared by all Deities in this world, my followers too are shunned, an outcast rejected everywhere. But have their lives been pitiful? No!"


    "On the contrary," He let out a devilish grin, "Everyone of them had insanely exciting lives."


    He slowly began to walk towards the mountain while his voice resounded in their midst, "The choice is yours. Whether you wish to be a victim in the uing war and live pitiful lives or serve the Devil once again and fear none, including those cowardly Deities."


    "If anyone wishes to gain my blessing, then you know what to do." He turned around to face everyone before vanishing from view, "Inflict horrors and convince others to do the same. That''s the essence of being involved with the Devil. Do that, and you''ll automatically gain my favour."


    "It''s limited though, and hence, the early birds get arger share."


    The vige was silent after that as the mood of everyone turned sullen. Soon, the Vige Head cursed in response, "To think our ancestors hid something this important from us."


    "What do we do now, Vige Head?" One of the vigers asked in worry, "We''ve lived all our lives in peace. I can''t imagine us harming others for some twisted pleasure as the Dei¡­Devil asked."


    "If we¡­go against the Devil¡­" One of them asked in hesitation, "Would we suffer his wrath?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Shit! This is all your fault!" One of the rash vigers red at the girl that had brought the man to the vige, "If it wasn''t for you, the Devil wouldn''t have woken up."


    Immediately, the vigers that wished to vent their fears and frustrations found an outlet, "It''s all her fault. She awakened the Devil!"


    "She awakened the Devil!"


    "N-No, I¡­I didn''t think he was¡­I thought¡­I believed our legend!" The girl said in fear, trembling as she observed the faces of the vigers twist in rage.


    The man had expressed such gore through his statement that before they realised it, everyone was trembling from fear and despair, including the wise Vige Head. And to cope with that, they found the girl to be their outlet, pouring all their hatred onto her.


    Even the Vige Head couldn''t react on time, simrly affected. And hence, he waste to calm down the raging mob; someone threw a rock at her, causing her to bleed from the head.


    It was unknown as to who did that but that served as the trigger as all the vigers ganged upon her, beating her to a pulp. If her parents hadn''t arrived on time, she would have been killed. But despite that, the damage was done.


    Her limbs were broken and she was in a horrible state, one worse than death, having fainted in from the sheer torture. Unfortunately for her parents, the anger of the vigers had yet to quell, and hence, they took it on the girl''s parents.


    This time, there was none to stop them, resulting in the parents'' death. Instantly, the crippled girl lost her family.


    Staring at the scene from afar was the man that had instigated fear in them. Moreover, he was the one that threw the rock and triggered such a vicious outburst.


    The fear from the vigers condensed into his body, allowing him to grin, "It worked. There''s truly a second path, the opposite of faith."


    "Fear!"


    He was born as the Devil!


    "W¡­wa¡­wah¡­ter¡­plea¡­se¡­" The girl wheezed out weakly. She had been thrown out of the vige for the dogs to feed on. It had be nighttime by now as a couple of dogs were munching upon her legs.


    "Do you wish to live?" At this moment, her despair-induced eyes stared at a nightmarish figure arrive at a halt before her, his grating voice pain-inducing to hear. But now, the voice seemed heavenly to her as it uttered, "Your desires¡­"


    "I''ll help you fulfil them."


    "So, what do you say?" The man stared at the intense bloodlust oozing out of the girl''s eyes as he grinned in contentment, gently touching her forehead to mutter, "I feel your resolve."


    "I, the Devil, Invaderon, now appoint you as my Apostle." He could feel strength surge in him as he gained a devotee, observing the girl''s legs rapidly regenerate as they became as tough as steel. A pair of jet-ck wings formed on her back as she took off to the sky before gently lowering herself before him.


    Grinning in contentment upon sensing the power she had inherited from him, the Devil proimed, "I hereby grant you the name Nefear. Go wild!"


    "To your eternal glory!" The girl, now named Nefear bowed without a hint of emotion as she pped her wings and flew to the vige she had grown up at. In a few seconds, the once peaceful vige became a picturesque representation of hell.

 Chapter 973 The Devil’s Three Authorities

    "You¡­monster!" A middle-ageddy clutched the corpse of her son and red at the devil-like being hovering in the sky before her. "We should have killed you before!"


    "Maybe you didn''t understand," The girl hovering in the air, Nefear spoke emotionlessly, "It''s because of your actions that I was born."


    "And now, you''re simply reaping the consequences." Saying so, she condensed a tiny ball of fire on her palm, jet ck in colour, squirming with faint bluish tendrils. The ball of fire transformed into an arrow that mmed into the middle-aged woman, causing her to writhe in agony as her body began to rot in response.


    A putrid stench wafted out as suddenly, her skeleton burst out of her body, ripping apart all the flesh covering it as it now stood before Nefear. Faint, nerve-like lines ran throughout its body, leading from the toe and all the way into the skull where a jet-ck me with bluish lines flickered incessantly.


    The Devil''s Tool of Authority¡ªSoul Fire!


    The Soul Fire extracted one''s soul and amplified all the negative emotions of the owner, creating an energy medium capable of a variety of activities.


    The Devil''s Symbol of Authority¡ªHorned Skull!


    As the symbol was a horned skull, Nefear could fuse that with the Tool of Authority, and hence create an undead skeleton that could fight on her behalf. But, that was only limited to skeletons, as the Symbol of Authority was only limited to skulls.


    "Hmm?" Nefear noticed in confusion as the skeleton thrashed about for a couple of seconds before copsing to the ground to form a pile. The bluish lines covering the entire skeletal frame vanished as the Soul Fire died out.


    Indeed, her application of the authorities was wrong. The technicality came into y here, preventing her from substituting a horned skull with a regr human skull.


    After a moment of thought, Nefear looked around, "I remember the sheep was somewhere¡­got it!"


    She arrived in the barn of a house, gazing at the four sheep bawling in fear within from all themotion. Nefear repeated the same process¡ªas with the middle-aged woman¡ªon the sheep, sessfully transforming one into a skeletal entity.


    But, she wasn''t content with it, for it was a quadrupedal creature. After thinking for a moment, she flew away and returned with a survivor, extracting his Soul Fire that she dumped into the skeleton sheep, observing minor changes to its Soul Fire. "It seems possible."


    "What seems possible?" The Devil, Invaderon appeared before her, startling her for a moment at the suddenness of his arrival.


    "Your Lordship!" Nefear bowed in response and spoke, "I was trying to find a way to create a strong warrior skeleton."


    "You fused my Symbol of Authority with my Tool of Authority, right?" Invaderon let out a knowing smile upon seeing her nod in response, "But, you made a small mistake, which led to your failure."


    "Please enlighten me, Your Lordship," Nefear asked.


    "Use all three." Invaderon said as he plunged his index finger into the forehead of a nearby sheep, seeping in a drop of his blood, "Blood is my Mode of Bestowal. So, through my blood, I share a small fragment of my power, and vo!"


    Baaa!<novelnext></novelnext>


    The sheep roared in pain as bone-crunching sounds erupted from within its body. A couple of secondster, its skeleton burst out of its body while the remainder melted into a puddle.


    The skeleton sheep attached the remaining two sheep and opened its mouth, unleashing a thin stream of Soul Fire that mmed into their heads and extracted their Soul Fire.


    Gulp!


    The bodies of the two sheep copsed to the ground and turned into a puddle immediately, leaving behind their skeletons. The skeleton sheep appeared before them and touched their skeleton once, remaining still for a few seconds before it munched on them, surprisingly devouring the two skeletons.


    It then exited the barn and sniffed its way around, roaming through the vige for a few minutes before entering a house. It crashed through a door, eliciting frightful screams from the child that had hidden there.


    Bam!


    It rammed into the child and wounded him critically before sucking in his Soul Fire and skeleton. Immediately, cracking sounds resounded from its body as its joints morphed, allowing it to gradually get up and move like a bipedal creature.


    The skeleton went around the vige, sensing the Soul Fires of any surviving humans before proceeding to kill and devour them. Gradually, its body was upgraded more and more.


    Soon, the vige became a ghost town as both humans and animals in it had been devoured by the skeleton.


    Invaderon patted its head and absorbed the drop of blood he had poured into its body, saying, "Now, it''s unable to absorb the Soul Fires of other creatures. You understand now?"


    "Yes, Your Lordship." Nefear nodded in delight, "Basically, by sharing some of my blood, I can create a powerful skeleton that can evolve on its own. And once it hits its limit, I can reim the blood and focus on creating another skeleton."


    "Since I had imparted a portion of my strength through my blood, it''s a loss of strength. So, once its purpose has been achieved, I need to reim it." She made aplete analysis.


    Invaderon nodded, satisfied with her growth, "As my Apostle, you have been bestowed with ten percent of my power. That''s a permanent reduction in my strength. So, you need to recruit more followers to raise the overall amount of power I possess."


    At present, Invaderon was only at 90 percent of his whole as Nefear had inherited the remaining ten percent. That was what making an Apostle meant. And simrly, there were believers lower in the hierarchy than the Apostle, with each inheriting a small portion of his strength.


    Normally, it was a loss to give out his power, but it had to be noted that it was a percentage decrease. Meaning, as long as the number of followers increases, the amount of power contained in each percent of his strength would continue to increase.


    And each follower could wreak havoc and gather fear towards the Devil while also recruiting fanatics for the cause. "There should be those in simr circumstances to you in other ces too."


    Invaderon grinned as he patted Nefear, "Go and recruit them to our cause. If you find them worthy, give them a portion of your power. I will judge their usefulness through you."


    It was easy to do so, as he, Invaderon was able to sense the location and give or take power from his followers, for his Mode of Bestowal was just blood. Indeed, depending on one''s three Authorities, the route of growth they take varied drastically.

 Chapter 974 The Beast God Is Suitable

    Boom!


    Kuaaarrr!


    A rampaging elephant copsed at the entrance to a vige, being taken down by a middle-aged man with long, flowing hair. His muscles were ripped to the extreme like a bodybuilder but still possessed a river-like fluidity and grace.


    "T-That is?" One of the vigers muttered in shock upon staring at the figure standing gantly atop the elephant.


    "Y-Your Lordship!" Three kids panted as they chased after the middle-aged man from the forest behind, arriving at a stop as they stared at him in shock, "W-Why did you have to chase away that elephant just to take it down here?"


    "It''s not dead, so rx." The middle-aged man said as he got down and gently patted the elephant, watching it get up and shake its head before beginning to return to the forest, "It had just gone berserk. So, I rectified it."


    "T-That''s our Deity!"


    "Such strength and grace!"


    "He''s beyond what our legends stated."


    The vigers began to mour in shock and surprise as they all kneeled and began to pray immediately.


    Even the three children that had awoken the middle-aged man kneeled and offered their prayer, eyes closed while expressing their utmost faith and devotion to the entity.


    Swoosh!


    Their faith rapidly condensed within the middle-aged man and flowed out, bing an elephant that uttered a loud cry. It was his Tool of Authority¡ªBeast.


    The elephant was entirely formed by a material resembling its tusks, which happened to be influenced by his Symbol of Authority¡ªTusk.


    There were also flexible substances within that almost caused it to possess life, not like an animal but like a tree, a result of his Mode of Bestowal¡ªWood.


    The moment the middle-aged man obtained his three authorities, hebined them to birth his Tool of Authority at its strongest, imprinting the memory within the minds of the people.


    And unlike Compass Carburettor or Invader, the middle-aged man actively took action, proiming, "Since I''ve been awakened by the lot of you, I''ll protect this vige."


    "And with my blessing, the vige will prosper." Saying so, he gazed at the kid that disyed the strongest devotion, touching him to announce, "You''ll be my first Apostle."


    Roar!


    Immediately, the boy became one and condensed a cat that was almost as big as him on all fours. He took a seat on it and immediately, there was a divine aura surrounding him. He had received ten percent of his Deity''s strength as the Apostle after all.


    "Your Lordship, Beast God." The kid, Apostle announced, "We wee your awakening."


    "Good, good." The middle-aged man, the Beast God nodded in praise as he roared, "Everyone! Work hard to increase your numbers and prosper the vige into a massive country."


    "Do you mean we need to invade other viges nearby?" One of the vigers questioned. He was the least influenced by the faith of the vige and hence didn''t feel disrespectful to directly question their vige''s Deity.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Invading only births hatred." The Beast God said casually, "You can recruit those following our beliefs. Beyond that, just focus on increasing your numbers naturally through childbirth."


    "That way, this vige would one day be a sprawling empire. It might take a few centuries to achieve that, but it''s a worthy goal."


    ''Is something like that worthy?'' The viger simply snorted and didn''t bother responding.


    "It''s a worthy goal indeed, Your Lordship." The Apostle said in support while a few others echoed in response.


    But, that was it. There was neither an enthusiastic response nor an excited cheer. It was prettyckadaisical.


    ''Seems it won''t be easy.'' The Beast God thought, ''Well, it makes sense since I became their Deity just by relying upon their vige''s legend. My sole action is subduing that raging elephant. So, it might take time before their belief in me is reinforced.''


    ''But still¡­'' He frowned and stared at his Apostle, ''To think even my Apostle feels so little faith towards me. It''s embarrassing. There''s only greed forming the majority of his feelings.''


    He looked around at the vigers before motioning towards his ivory elephant to walk away, ''The case is no different from the rest. They all wish to inherit my powers but hardly feel any faith towards me. Since their desires are prompted by greed, there''s little to no faith in them towards me.''


    ''How long do I need to gain their worship properly?'' He sighed at the thought before deciding to retire for the time being.


    As for the Apostle, he remained in the vige to further the teachings of the Beast God and recruit more followers. As long as the vigers heard his sermons daily, they might be soft-brainwashed eventually, especially the younger generation that had yet to be aware.


    The Beast God was confident that by the fourth generation, the majority of the vigers would conform to his faith, brainwashed into his believers from young, with all their thoughts geared solely to his benefit.


    The Beast God wasn''t an expert in rallying people like Compass Carburettor or Invader, but he was an expert in receiving power through the support of the masses. For, that was the reason his existence came to be in the first ce.


    The Genre Representative¡ªMartial!


    Therefore, his actions were different from the rest. Of course, as to whether or not he would face Compass Carburettor, even he couldn''t say with assurance. After all, he had remained on the fence for too long, plus it was in his nature to do so, even while being proactive.


    ''It seems the only way to leave this world is to ascend or break the framework supporting this world''s operations.'' He thought as such before sighing in disappointment, ''But, that seems impossible, since this world is gaining foundation by absorbing the power funnelling into me.''


    His senses were absolutely sharp, and hence, before he was fully assimted by the world, he sensed that the power that was originally funnelling into him from all the Murim Worlds continued to exist. But instead of entering him, they were being absorbed by this world¡ªFaith Grounds¡ªinstead.


    That was why its growth was so rmingly fast, as it was still being supplied with limitless power from peak individuals that all had unique power sources from the concepts they represented.


    This is why, he, Martial, had already resigned himself to his fate, ''A world that has absorbed all six of our foundations cannot be stopped unless someone on the level of Zaira, Mascot or Mystique were to attack with their full power. That means¡­''


    He sighed, "I should get used to this world and focus on surviving here. For that to happen,"


    He smiled, "The Beast God is a suitable authority. Nothing too strong but at the same time,"


    "It''s not weak either."

 Chapter 975 God Of Humanity’s Seven Commandments

    "First Rule¡ªOne shall not pray when not in a crisis!"


    "Second Rule¡ªA believer can follow other faiths as long as they don''t betray humanity!"


    "Third Rule¡ªNever use the blessings to harm another human!"


    "Fourth Rule¡ªWhen bountiful, extend a hand towards the needy!"


    "Fifth Rule¡ªNever coerce or brainwash another into your belief!"


    "Sixth Rule¡ªOnly entertain greed towards knowledge!"


    "Seventh Rule¡ªLive a happy life!"


    The Shukagat Vige Head proimed as he stared at therge stone b where seven lines had been written, "These are our Deity''s words. We shall remember it and pass it to the downtrodden and better their lives."


    "We have everything we need, but that doesn''t mean all humans are living in content." The Vige Head said, his gaze mildly fanatic, "And hence, we should help them."


    "You''re forgetting something, Vige Head." Pneua retorted immediately as she pointed at the seventh line, "The Seventh Rule, and the most important one among them all: Live a happy life."


    "So," She said, "It''s not our life''s mission to sacrifice ourselves to help others. We should only do it if it makes us happy with ourselves."


    "I¡­I see¡­" The Vige Head''s heated gaze cooled down as he sighed, "It seems I was blinded for a moment there. I''m sorry."


    "It''s natural, Vige Head." Pneua smiled wryly, "Everyone is going through a simr phase. The seven rules are very simple and self-serving towards humanity''s bright future, but the moment our line of sight turns narrow, we derail from the path of happiness."


    "Haha, you''re wiser than me, brat!" The Vige Head patted her happily, "I''m d there''s someone to retort my foolishness here. Otherwise,"


    He sighed in fear, "I might have led everyone into a path of ruin."


    "You shouldn''t me yourself, Vige Head. You''re still the wisest of us all." Pneua said as she held his hands, "And besides, don''t you think it''s great that we can actually question these rules instead of having to blindly follow them?"


    "The God of Humanity encourages humanity''s unbridled thoughts."


    "That is true." The Vige Head nodded as he thought, ''Based on what I heard, all other faiths are imposing in nature. Their believers would have to follow fixed traditions and values. It''s a sin if they do otherwise and would be punished. But here,''


    He stared at the rules, ''We''re only punished if we use our blessings to harm fellow humans. Basically, it''s a divine manifestation of our own rules, truly the God of Humanity.''


    The Shukagat Vige held sermons at the break of dawn every day where they would discuss and solve any issues faced by the vige. Moreover, a council was established to have debates on ways in which they should follow the seven rules, help people, etc.


    And the first step to their faith was the creation of a library where information of value would be stored for future generations. There wasn''t much in it at present, other than some pages with minimal records. But they nned to develop it in the future.


    ''How¡­do we make proper records? None of us have the experience. We don''t even know what to write there.'' The Vige Head sighed one morning as the construction of the library was ongoing.<novelnext></novelnext>


    He stared at the boulder inscribed by the seven rules, somewhat anxious. His anxiety raised his heartbeat when the Vige Head thought of something and immediately began to still jog, raising his heartbeats to the maximum when suddenly, he was enlightened.


    "I got it!"


    Immediately, the Vige Head summoned forth the vigers to state, "I just received a blessing from our Deity!"


    "Blessing?" Pneua was surprised as she looked at the Vige Head, "Can you fly, Vige Head?"


    "Eh? Our blessings aren''t like that though." The Vige Headughed, for he was the first to ever receive a blessing from the God of Humanity. So, everyone wondered as to what he obtained.


    "It''s this." Saying so, he took out a bamboo shoot and extracted its starch, processing it by adding in some minerals that he casually scooped from the ground and quickly created a rough sheet of paper.


    He then began to write detailed instructions on it, also apanied by clear drawings, causing the vigers to exim in shock.


    "It is as if I''ve done this for decades." The Vige Head said, "At present, I have knowledge and experience regarding the creation of arge variety of manuscript temtes, inks, writing and drawing styles, architecture, record-keeping, and many others."


    "That''s the blessing of the God of Humanity." He said in excitement, "We gain knowledge and experience. Look!"


    He casually flicked his wrist and drew a perfect circle on the sheet of paper. There wasn''t even a single w as he proimed, "I''ve never done this before. But now, I''m able to do this as if I''ve practiced the skill for years. And most of all,"


    He grinned, "I know how to teach others to replicate the same eventually. This knowledge is ours to learn and master now."


    "It''s not some supernatural power that can shatter mountains but experience, the experience that we would have needed to spend decades or even centuries of trial and error to attain," Pneua muttered, shocked in the end.


    "It has a tremendous scale for humanity''s development." She spoke.


    ? "Yes," The Vige Head nodded, "I think this is the essence conveyed by the seven rules. We should live happy lives but at the same time maintain all records of it."


    "Only in this way would future generations remember that we humans can live happy lives and the methods we used to do so."


    In the Shukagat Vige, there was neither an Apostle nor anyone that had inherited the power of the God of Humanity. They couldn''t even say to be of his faith.


    But despite that, when they requested, they were imparted with the right knowledge to solve their deficits. The knowledge too only amounted to what they required to solve the deficit, nothing more, nothing less.


    It was a mere transaction. The God of Humanity was only a database storing all of humanity''s potential that they could gain parts of when necessary.


    Basically, the God of Humanity was a storage device of memories, experiences, and knowledge, which was what the Shukagat Vige derived understanding about. And hence, at the dawn of every day, they sat before the boulder with the seven rules and discussed their experiences from the previous day.


    Following that, they addressed their thoughts about daily life issues and proceeded with their lives. The data regarding all flowed into a certain human statue deep within the mountains, one that remained a statue all along, only sporting minor cracks whenever someone from the vige requested knowledge.

 Chapter 976 Pnolli Leaves The Village

    The God of Humanity never asked one to convert to his faith or disy faith towards him. As Compass Carburettor had mentioned at the start, they formed a symbiotic rtionship.


    As long as they remained a human, they could seek his blessings even without being a devout follower. All they needed was to have faith while seeking a blessing and it would happen.


    They would obtain what they needed without any repercussions. Moreover, as hismandments dictated that it was perfectly fine to pray to him while following another faith, no human would ever have any problems requesting his blessings.


    The God of Humanity''s favour extended to all humans. It was as simple as that. If one wished to faithfully devout to oneself to him, it was fine. If they wished to leave the faith, that was also fine.


    There was no punishment regarding it. Even an apostle of the God of Humanity could be part of another faith. After all, as humans typically belonged to varying faiths, why would the God of Humanity restrict that to his faith alone? That would be hypocritical.


    There were no obligations, no restrictions, nothing. It was truly a faith meant for humans to maintain blissful lives.


    Days turned into months and months into years. Pneua was an adult now, having married, with a child of her own. When the Vige Head died from old age, as the wisest in the vige, she took up the position of the vige Head next.


    After all, she was the one that managed to gain the most blessings out of everyone in the vige. And hence, her repertoire of knowledge and experiences allowed her to handle variousplicated situations.


    The vige had also developed as the houses had been rebuilt with better hygiene and sanitation facilities. Moreover, the vigeyout had been improved to create a harmonising atmosphere.


    There were tiny ponds in certain wide areas in the vige. Small canals connected these ponds, keeping the water circting to prevent the growth of any harmful insects.


    The fish and nts growing in these ponds were beneficial to the vigers in that the species survived by consuming harmful bacteria, insects, etc.


    A wide variety of grass had been nted throughout the vige. Each variety secreted substances that had beneficial properties. Just because of this, as long as the vigers walked barefoot on them, their health bettered.


    Plumbing, drainage, recreational activities, entertainment, agriculture, etc. every field experienced a drastic improvement that resulted in a sharp increase in the vigers'' life expectancy. From the originalte fifties to early eighties, it was a drastic jump in a mere few years.


    And as the vigers continued to umte more blessings, they worked on bettering their lives further, engaging in a virtuous cycle of growth.


    While everyone was busy living happy lives, Pnolli entered the vige''s grand library and kneeled before the boulder that had been transformed into a grand monolith, safely preserved for future generations.


    His heart thumped as he stared at the seven rules and prayed, "Your Lordship, I wish to go on a journey to help the needy. Please show me the way."


    Swoosh!


    Immediately in response, Pnolli experienced a surge in knowledge, memories, and experience. It was not to mention his shadow stirring up in response, nodding inprehension, "I see, so that''s how it is."


    Pnolli didn''t receive any of the God of Humanity''s power, but he gained all the rted knowledge. This allowed him to understand the situations where he could receive the power temporarily.<novelnext></novelnext>


    With that, he packed his belongings, intending to venture forth.


    "Are you sure?" Pneua asked in worry, "You''ll encounter countless dangers along the way. It''s not safe outside."


    "That''s exactly why I must head out." Pnolli smiled, "From the day we awakened our Deity, I always felt the need to do something beyond living in our vige."


    "This is my path."


    "I won''t stop you." Pneua said and hugged her younger brother who had grown into a brave youth now, "But when you wish to rest, return home. We''re all waiting for you."


    "I know, sis. Take care." He said and then pinched the cheeks of Pneua''s child,ughing upon hearing the cheerful cries of the brat.


    "I''ll take my leave now." Slinging a bag of rations on his back, Pnolli exited the vige and ventured deep into a forest path, making a sprint. Once he was away from view, Pnolli joined his hands together for prayer, hearing the sounds of his heartbeats ringing aloud.


    Immediately, he temporarily gained power from the God of Humanity, watching his shadowe to life as it coiled around him,yering over his body.


    His entire body now resembled a three-dimensional shadow as tendrils shot out from them that coiled around a tree branch and contracted, slinging him forward.


    With dextrous expertise, Pnolli swung from one branch to another and quickly travelled through the forest before soon, he came across a clearing. There, one of the tentacles tugged harder, sending his figure high into the sky.


    The shadow on his back extended to resemble a pair of wings that pped and allowed him to fly across the sky. The shadow was sentient as another him¡ªhis mind¡ªnow controlled it.


    Currently, it wasn''t his shadow but an entity that had been born out of his shadow. So, even when it became dark and there wasn''t any source of light, the shadow remained perfectly functional. Of course, this was only because it had already been created.


    Had Pnolli tried to create it in darkness, it wouldn''t have worked, for he didn''t have a shadow at that moment. The size of the shadow body depended on the shadow his body cast when he created it.


    So, when the light source was the strongest and the cast shadow was the longest, the resultant shadow body was the strongest. It all depended on the time of the shadow body''s creation.


    Pnolli had chosen a somewhat decent location and time of the day, so his shadow body was plenty potent, allowing him to continue gliding across the night sky.


    After a couple of hours of flight, he became exhausted, unable to bear the burden of the God of Humanity''s power flowing through his being. And hence, he made a descent, finding a sturdy tree on whose branch hended.


    Following that, his shadow body expanded to be a cocoon, sporting a soft interior that he used as a bed to sleep in. Maintaining it in this state was still bearable and hence, Pnolli could rest the night without worries about insects or wild animals harming him, not to mention the cold of the night affecting him.


    He was warm and safe within the cocoon that hung from the tree''s branch.

 Chapter 977 Delegate Of Humanity

    The morning the next day, Pnolli woke up, feeling fresh as he exited the cocoon and retracted it, wrapping it around himself like ayer of skin as he unfurled the pair of wings once again and took flight.


    He travelled for a few hours before arriving in the vicinity of a vige,nding at the edge as he made a praying motion, ''Thank you for your blessings.''


    He wasn''t even a Spirit of the God of Humanity. And hence, he was merely borrowing the power, one that vanished the moment he deactivated it.


    There were three levels a believer of faith could attain by borrowing portions of power. First among them was a Spirit, one that inherited a percentage of the Deity''s power.


    Second was an Apostle, one that inherited a tenth of the Deity''s power. Once an Apostle came into being, the Deity was only left with ny percent of his original power. After all, ten percent was inherited by the Apostle now.


    Though, if the Apostle were to die or lose qualifications, the power would return to the Deity. The various ssifications were just the extent one could borrow power from the Deity of their faith. They didn''t possess any powers of their own naturally.


    A Spirit was simr to a priest that helped maintain the masses, and gave out teachings and blessings ording to the situation to keep the faith of the masses strong and maintain the functioning of the region.


    An Apostle was rare and acted as the head of the Spirits. Moreover, they formed the core power that represented the Deity and were sent out in ce of the Deity, whether to curb a threat or as a diplomatic figure to other regions governed by Deities.


    Finally, there existed the Saint, the strongest a believer could ever get. A Saint inherited a whopping thirty percent of a Deity''s strength. This was a position that came with a load of restrictions.


    A Deity could create more than one Apostle if needed. But, only a single Saint could exist. Moreover, Saints were only created for one reason.


    To destroy!


    Deities were typically unable to leave their domain, for that was how the power system worked. Therefore, if they perceive a threat beyond their domain, one that is strong enough to threaten even them, then they could create a Saint.


    Possessing almost a third of the Deity''s power, a Saint was a formidable entity, a lone unit that charged towards the target at the Deity''s orders and vanquished it mercilessly.


    It was through a Saint that a Deity exercised power beyond their domain. And, if a Saint was killed, the Deity would take a crippling blow.


    After all, if the representation of their faith were to die, the people''s beliefs would waver tremendously. This effect also urred with the death of Apostles and Spirits, but that could usually be recovered as long as the situation wasn''t too bad.


    But a Saint was a singr entity, akin to a smaller Deity. So, if they were killed, it would create the notion that the enemy was capable of killing the respective Deity itself.


    And when a Saint was moving around, even without any Apostle or Spirit, a Deity was only left with two-thirds of their original strength. So, it created a lot of weaknesses. But one thing was true.<novelnext></novelnext>


    If a Saint were to appear, it disyed the Deity''s resolve to eradicate the target. This was why all the vigers feared when Compass Carburettor arrived at the Shukagat Vige, praying for him to be a Deity and not a Saint.


    The hairs of all humans are ck by birth. When a human bes a Spirit, one percent of their head changes colour¡ªording to the hair colour of their Deity.


    The coloured hair is a tenth for an Apostle. But for a Saint, their head is fully coloured.


    Pnolli stared at a reflection shown in a canal, observing the lock of coloured hair on his head revert to ck, sighing as he thought, ''Will there be a day when I be a Spirit?''


    Through the inherited memories, Pnolli understood that the God of Humanity would never appoint any Spirits unless humanity itself was in danger. This meant that even if two vigers were to wage war against each other, he wouldn''t show any support.


    After all, both sides were humans. ''No!''


    His eyes lit up in realisation, ''The God of Humanity would interfere in the case both the viges are about to mutually destroy each other. So, as long as both the viges believe in the God of Humanity, they would avoid annihtion.''


    ''Moreover, the God of Humanity would designate his representative to the ce to act as a delegate to further diplomatic rtions.'' Thinking as such, Pnolli smiled, now having a clearer view of his objective, "A delegate of humanity, huh."


    He slowly began to walk towards the vige, stopping once he observed the gazes of rm from the vigers. It was natural since most viges remained secluded deep in the wild nature, rarely interacting with one another.


    At most, some merchant caravans pass through the viges, but even they were rare. After all, each vige was at least a week or further away¡ªon foot¡ªfrom the other. Without any proper paths to traverse, it was hard to visit other viges.


    As this world was only in its nascent stage of development, even thergest of kingdoms in the world were just a cluster of viges within half a day''s distance from each other on foot. The poption in such kingdoms at most reached a couple hundred thousand.


    "I''m from the Shukagat Vige, located a month''s distance towards the sun." Pnolli introduced himself to the vige folk that had gathered before him as he took out a small pouch from his bag, stating, "I''ve brought seeds of some medicinal nts from my vige."


    "What type of medicine?" The Vige Head of the vige came forward and gazed at Pnolli from top to bottom, wondering how such a young man could make such a long trip alone. His gaze was pretty disrespectful once he observed the pristine appearance of Pnolli, "Who are you actually?"


    "Just a traveller serving our God." Pnolli announced calmly, "That''s why I could do things that seem impossible for you."


    "Our God?" Some of the vigers noticed the terms he used, asking in surprise, "We don''t have a Deity we serve though."

 Chapter 978 The Way Of Humans

    "Our God?"


    At the suspicion of the vigers, Pnolli nodded, "Yes, you heard it right. The God I pray towards is our representative."


    "He''s the God of Humanity."


    "The God of Humanity¡­?" The Vige Head asked in surprise, "Does that mean we are all his believers?"


    "Not exactly." Pnolli shook his head, "The God of Humanity doesn''t solicit any religion centred around him. Our faith towards him is more transactional in nature than devotion as other Deities require."


    "Basically, as long as we are humans, we can seek his blessings." He concluded.


    "What''s¡­his Symbol?" The Vige Head asked, surprising Pnolli. Upon seeing thetter''s reaction, he continued, "Yes, I know some things regarding Deities. When I was young, I came across a Spirit who I helped once. In response, I was taught a lot of things regarding faith and Deities."


    "Then it should be simpler to exin." Pnolli pointed at his shadow, "Human shadow is his symbol. And the mode of bestowal is¡­"


    He thumped his chest loudly, "Our heartbeats! When you work hard and you can hear the sound of your heartbeats, you gain the qualification to gain his blessing."


    "All hardworking humans seeking to better their lives are eligible."


    "Is that true?"


    "Then, can we also gain his support?"


    "Is it safe to believe his words?"


    "Everyone, calm down." The Vige Head appeased the discussions as he said, "I''ll experiment first. If something happens to me, end my life. This old body has lived long enough anyway."


    It was apparent that Pnolli couldn''t be trusted, for he was a stranger. But despite that, gaining a Deity''s favour was valuable enough. Hence, the Vige Head was more than happy to wage his life on the possibility of a better future.


    Under Pnolli''s instruction, the Vige Head picked up his plough and ploughed thend with familiarity, staring at his shadow while working. He back faced the sun, making it convenient for himself.


    As he continued to plough, his heartrate gradually elerated as he thought in mind, praying, ''The harvest this month has been poor aspared to usual. God of Humanity, if you exist, please show me a solution.''


    Boom!


    His shadow seemed to flicker for an instant when immediately, a surge of information poured into his mind, causing the Vige Head to pause in shock as immediately, "Ha¡­"


    Heughed boisterously, "Hahahaha!"


    "Vige Head? What''s happening to you?" The vigers asked in concern as a couple of them raised their shovels, intending to deal with him if he was affected by something strange.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "It''s nothing. I was just enlightened." The Vige Head convinced them that he was alright and faced Pnolli to ask, "The God of Humanity blesses us with knowledge and experience?"


    "Yes, you''re right about that." Pnolli nodded, "Thanks to that, my vige has been able to develop at a fast pace. Everyone is a lot more knowledgeable and experienced than their age shows. And my sister, the current Vige Head is the most knowledgeable and experienced of us all."


    "Just consider carpentry skills. She can make wood works on the level of artisans that have dedicated more than five decades of their life to the field. She had only been at it for a few months though." Pnolli said in pride, "The other Deities can bless us formidable power, but the God of Humanity is subtle in actions."


    "He grants us knowledge and experience in wielding that knowledge, nothing more, nothing less." He concluded.


    "I''m able to notice it too. But," The Vige Head asked in seriousness, "Why couldn''t I feel anything different when I tried to be a follower of his faith?"


    "There''s none." Pnolli smiled, shocking everyone who heard him. He continued, "You can belong to another faith and still pray to the God of Humanity. If you need something, you ask, and you''ll receive it. The God of Humanity is our representative and only seeks our betterment without restricting us in any way."


    "After all, that''s the way of humans."


    "The way of humans¡­" The Vige Head muttered in enlightenment. He then asked in worry, "Does that mean I can never be a Spirit of the God of Humanity?"


    "That''s not possible." Pnolli said, "But, if the vige is ever in crisis, you can temporarily gain the power of a Spirit to solve your problems. That''s why I''ve embarked on a journey."


    He continued, "I n to visit every vige and tell them of the existence of the God of Humanity. That way, if their vige is truly in a crisis, they could pray to him for help without offending their Deity, if they are serving one. The God of Humanity would personally send a delegate to mediate any conflict between two or more groups of humans as long as people who believe in him exist there."


    Pnolli was given residence in the vige after that as he stayed there for a month, getting to know the culture and tradition of the vige. In that time, he also imparted the sevenmandments of the God of Humanity and observed them develop their vige upon gaining blessings.


    The vige was situated around areas with rich mineral deposits. And hence, they were given the knowledge that allowed them to better make use of their resources and create ways to live better lives.


    Minerals were extracted for various purposes, including medicine. The vige began to develop gradually as the lives of the people were taking a turn for the better.


    Finally, after a month''s stay, Pnolli summoned everyone to address, "Even if you were to serve a Deity in the future, never forget that the God of Humanity has your back. When you wake up in the morning, pray to him about your previous day''s experiences. Record your memories in him."


    "That way, your future generations can ess those memories in times of necessity and survive a crisis." With that, Pnolli thumped his chest, watching everyone do the same.


    His shadow came to life and covered his body, surprising everyone as a pair of wings unfurled and took him to the skies, "With that, I''ll take my leave. Live happy lives!"


    "Thank you!" The vigers thumped their chests and watched Pnolli disappear into the sky in a matter of seconds.


    "So, that''s the power a Spirit under the God of Humanity possesses." The Vige Head muttered with a longing expression before expressing his doubt, "How does that memory thing work again?"


    "It works, Vige Head." One of the younger generations from the vige said chirpily, "Yesterday, I inherited the memory of someone fishing at ake. He caught a fish in a specific way to avoid its poisonous fins from harming him. Thanks to that, I now understand why uncle honkloh died three years ago."


    "Also, I saw your memories too." He said in excitement, "It was when you met that Spirit during your childhood."

 Chapter 979 From Dream, To Reality

    Crack! Crack!


    In a deep forest situated on a mountain was a humanoid statue, seated next to a boulder. It resembled a human man with impable proportions, perfectly sculpted to represent the peak of humanity.


    The stone statue began to crack as pieces of it fell to the ground, disappearing as fragments of light that swerved into the figure within. Eventually, almost a quarter of the stoneyer fell off, causing the individual to wake up.


    "Hah¡­how long was I asleep?" It was Compass Carburettor, awake now. He closed his eyes and sensed the presence of Pnolli that had been borrowing his power for a while.


    All along, Compass Carburettor wasn''t entirely unconscious. He was more in a state of trance as he still received all the prayers directed at him and also gave out blessings. The prayers solidified his faith and umted power in him.


    The received power was then funnelled out in the form of blessings. Deities were unable to store any power in their body. Their powers worked simrly to a tap.


    The faith that funnelled into them at every moment was all they had at their disposal to use. Faith was a form of energy that couldn''t be umted, one that vanished immediately after a single moment.


    Hence, if it wasn''t used at that moment, it became a waste, for it would simply vanish. This was why the strength of a Deity was directly connected to its believers. The moment they died, the Deity instantly lost all power and would transform into a stone statue.


    Only when faith continued to stream into them would they be able to stop their bodies from turning into stone. After understanding this, Compass Carburettor intended to fully use all received faith, hence the reason for his transaction use.


    This way, the faith received from a believer was instantly consumed to be the blessing granted to them. Of course, his blessings were cheap to grant, since he was simply extracting information and experience from himself.


    So, a good fraction of the faith remained behind. And this portion was funnelled into people like Pnolli that temporarily gained the power of a Spirit and explored the world.


    It had to be noted that everywhere Pnolli went, he emphasised the act of record keeping. This prompted the people to pray to him and convey their experiences, as a result of which Compass Carburettor was actually aware of things happening tens of thousands of kilometres away from him.


    He had a detailed idea of everything in ces with people that prayed towards him.


    And now, upon waking up, he focused on Pnolli, shocked to see that the other party was an old man in histe nies now. He looked like he was only in his sixties though, very healthy for his age.


    But the fact that so much time had spanned still came off as a surprise, for it was only now that the stone covering him was breaking off.


    This meant that the number of his believers had reached a levelrge enough where at least one human was praying towards him every second. Otherwise, if there was a gap for even a single second where faith didn''t stream into a Deity, they would turn into a statue.<novelnext></novelnext>


    This was why he remained a statue for so long, because though he received a lot of prayers, they weren''t a consistent stream, often having long intervals of silence in between. Over the years, thanks to the efforts of people like Pnolli, the intervals reduced.


    And now, there was a consistent stream, which was why the rockyer began to fall off. There were only cracks forming on it at the start, but now,rge pieces vanished.


    Though of course, there was still an oscition on his chest where patches of stone vanished and reappeared. He was getting enough faith to be awake now, but it still wasn''t enough to fully break free of the stoneyer.


    ''I still need time to fully break free. But at least, I can actively think and not react passively like before.'' Compass Carburettor thought, smiling as he stared at the sky, ''After almost a century, this world has finally stabilised enough. It has been constantly feeding off the energy influx from Martial, Invader, Waning Essence, my concept of Mortality, and even Arnark''s energy sources.''


    Arnark had definitely created some energy sources for himself simr to a concept that constantly funnelled energy into his being. That was one of his preparations to face Compass Carburettor.


    But, that energy had been fuelling this world''s growth all along. And with so many energy influxes, this world ''Faith Grounds'' had not only stabilised in its function but has also grown to a terrifying level.


    After it had be a massive world, the energy influx was being converted into the fate of the world, whereby it funnelled into every entity, whether living or non-living, thereby resisting any external influence.


    Of course, Compass Carburettor had brought the targets to an unknown corner of the multiverse. So, even Zaira would find it impossible to discover this world in such a short time. Therefore, there were no external influences until now.


    Moreover, ''Faith Grounds'' had gained enough foundation to resist even Zaira. Of course, that only increased the time she needed to influence this world. But the longer this world remained free of external interference, the stronger its foundation would be.


    Eventually, it might even attain a status simr to yer''s Fantasy World. When that happens, even Grade 4 Systems might lose their power upon entering this world and fully assimte into the ce to be just another mortal of the world.


    Whether they find the opportunity to be a Deity or not was all up to their capabilities. But, that was simply reaching a higher ne of existence using the power system, and not being beyond it like how Systems operated in all worlds.


    When he arrived, the world had just been born. So, most of the memories of the people were just fabricated data. But now, as the first generation began to disappear, the uing generations had truly lived their lives in this world.


    So, most of everything in their memories was real. Though, even Pnolli was part of the first generation.


    Only after everyone from the first generation died would this world truly be hundred percent real, ''And once this happens, the various Deities present in the world as ceholders of data would be reced by their followers who truly harbour that concept. Following that,''


    He smiled, ''The gears in this world would truly begin to move. And when that starts, my enemies would begin making waves.''

 Chapter 980 Avatar Of Humanity

    "I had lived a fulfilling life until now, Your Lordship," Pnolli spoke as he stood on the branch of a tree situated partway up a mountain and stared at his vige which resembled a town now. "I don''t have any other desires."


    "Seems you''re on thest stretch of your life." Compass Carburettor said, having appeared behind the old man.


    "You look exactly the same as before." Pnolli smiled wryly, "Even though I am content, at times, I just can''t help but feel envious of the power you possess."


    "Limitless knowledge and endless creativity, not to mention being a perineal being. I wonder how that is," He sighed, "Especially since even to this date, I''ve yet to be even a Spirit. I''m only borrowing power all along."


    "So, why?" He stared at Compass Carburettor with a saddened expression, "You should know with rity that I''ve been harbouring thoughts and jealousy towards you all along. In recent times, I''ve even thought of ways to steal your power."


    "Though I failed, but still, why was I unpunished?" He expressed a frustrated expression on his wrinkled face, "I''ve seen other Deities from afar. And even the slightest of sphemy against them is met with the cruellest of punishments."


    "So, why wasn''t I punished even once to date?"


    Compass Carburettor stared at Pnolli in silence, aware that Pnolli was just venting at the final moments of his life. With the sheer extent of knowledge he had umted, he could urately calcte the time of his death.


    There were just a few more minutes. Hence, he wished to inquire about the reason. Throughout his life, he wasn''t a saint. He had plenty of selfish moments. The journey he started became warped somewhere along the way.


    He recovered, continued the journey, faced new circumstances, became warped, and recovered; the cycle went on. But no matter what, when he sought power, he was granted it immediately.


    Not once was he refused. It was one of the strongest puzzlements he had harboured for decades. And now, before his natural death, it burst out, prompting him to confront the God of Humanity.


    "Your body has grown weak from age," Compass Carburettor spoke slowly, staring right into Pnolli''s face as he asked, "But, if you wished to kill someone, can you do it?"


    "Yes," Pnolli nodded, "I have thousands of ways to kill them without even hinting others of the cause."


    "Yes, you''re that knowledgeable now and have the experience necessary to effortlessly pull it off." Compass Carburettor nodded before letting out a confident smirk as he pointed at himself, "But I can do it faster and the methods I can use in your situation surpass a million."


    "That''s the answer to all your questions." Compass Carburettor smirked, "Anything you can do, I can do it better. This extends to you, your family, your vige, and the entirety of humanity."


    "Haha, that makes perfect sense." Pnolli sighed, "It seems I was blind until the end."


    "You''re not a Deity like the others." Heughed wryly and closed his eyes, leaning on the trunk of the tree as he breathed hisst, "You truly represent us."


    "The God of Humanity."


    In his final moments, Pnolli understood that the reason he wasn''t punished was simply that Compass Carburettor didn''t wish to do so. After all, any action that he, as a human,mitted wasn''t a sin.


    After all, as the God of Humanity, Compass Carburettor represented everything that humans were capable of, the good, the bad, and the ugly. So, nothing a human does can actually offend him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    You can save others? I can save all!


    You can kill others? I can kill all!


    You can swindle people? I can swindle everyone!


    The God of Humanity was someone that stood at the literal peak of everything humans could ever achieve. And along the same vein, despite Pnolli slipping from his path numerous times, he wasn''t punished because simply¡­


    Compass Carburettor liked him.


    It was favouritism at its finest. A human had his bias, showed favouritism, etc. Being the God of Humanity didn''t mean Compass Carburettor loved all humans equally. Nope.


    Everything he did was at the pinnacle of humanity, including his show of favouritism.


    "You''ve done an incredible job, Pnolli. Thanks to you, billions of people are aware of my existence and pray towards me. I''m only able to move freely without turning into stone as a result." Compass Carburettor smiled in gratitude as he gently patted the figure of the dead Pnolli, "So, rest well."


    "I never made you a Spirit, but what you did for me surpasses what anyone could ever hope to achieve."


    Pnolli''s figure began to disintegrate as it transformed into faith that flowed into him. At thest moment of his life, he was at peace upon hearing the answer to the question that had gued him for all his life.


    Upon hearing that the God he prayed towards actually favoured him the most was beyond what he had ever wished for. It surpassed his desire to be a Spirit by miles. Truth be told, he was wielding the power of a Spirit for most of his life. After all, whenever he wanted, he borrowed the power, having never been refused even once.


    So, the final acknowledgement in his life from the one he respected the most was all he needed, a result that symbolised his entire being into his faith. As a result, his body transformed into a stream of faith and flowed into Compass Carburettor.


    The result of that came as a pleasant surprise, for he gained a new addition to his strength.


    Avatar of Humanity¡ªPnolli (Traveller)!


    As Pnolli had surrendered his entire existence to the God of Humanity before his death, his data was wholly avable, including his mind, stored in the God of Humanity''s Tool of Authority.


    And with a thought, his figure morphed as Compass Carburettor became Pnolli. Moreover, he could vary Pnolli''s age as he pleased.


    At this moment, there wasn''t an ounce of divinity in him like a Deity. He had truly be a normal human that travelled from one ce to another all his life, the mortal human, Pnolli.


    It would seem like this power was useless, but it was the greatest power he had attained. After all, it gave him two possibilities.


    First, interact with people not as the God of Humanity but as Pnolli. Second, while as Pnolli, he could leave his mountain¡ªhis divinend¡ªand venture forth into the world beyond.

 Chapter 981 I’m Proud Of You, Sis

    As Pnolli, Compass Carburettor began to descend his mountain¡ªGrezza Mountain.


    The faith directed at the God of Humanity continued to funnel into him, but in this state, it wasn''t exhibited. After all, Pnolli was just a mortal human.


    There was a weakness in being Pnolli. He couldn''t use his powers and was easy to kill. But, that wasn''t a problem. After all, as long as he wasn''t killed in an instant, he could always let go of the Avatar of Pnolli and return to his divine form as the God of Humanity.


    Moreover, as Pnolli, Compass Carburettor could actually join other faiths if he so desired, and nothing would implicate the God of Humanity. After all, he did that as a mortal human¡ªPnolli.


    This was the peak advantage the God of Humanity possessed. After all, if one were to look into his three authorities, one would realise that the Avatar was the true peak represented by the God of Humanity.


    Symbol of Authority¡ªHuman Shadow.


    Tool of Authority¡ªBrain!


    Mode of Bestowal¡ªChest Thumps!


    A human shadow meant the entity was a living human being and not an ethereal creature like a ghost or spirit. The brain implied the entity wasn''t an inanimate or bestial creature and possessed intelligence. Finally, the chest thumps implied the human desire for more and the vigour to work towards it.


    The result of theirbination was the Avatar, a humane entity that the God of Humanity could be.


    Moreover, the greatest aspect of this was the fact that it didn''t stop at Pnolli. In the future, as long as someone wholeheartedly devoted themselves to the God of Humanity, he would obtain their Avatars.


    Pnolli was the God of Humanity''s Avatar of travel. Hence, using it, Compass Carburettor could travel from one ce to another.


    Simrly, if there came others embodying other activities, these Avatars would further diversify Compass Carburettor''s scope of actions.


    ¡­


    "Grandma, you should rest." A youth said in concern, "You have been working hard despite your age. Your body can''t keep up anymore."


    "Hah, look at this brat." The grandma, Pneua snorted as she pinched the grown adult''s cheeks just as how she did when he was a child, "What I''m doing now couldn''t even be considered work. Back in my day, we had to scale entire mountains and face danger from wild beasts just for some herbs. Now, I only have to pull a lever to get hot water in my bathroom."


    "I''m obviously not talking about that." The youth argued as he pointed at a stack of documents, "Do you really have to go through everything on your own? We have staff members to do the job."


    "I''m still the vige head, brat." Pneua slowly sat up on her bed as she wore her spectacles and took the documents to resume her work, "I may be old, but I''m not weak. That fact that I lived this long is proof enough."


    The youth tried to convince her otherwise for a few more minutes before giving up at the futility of his efforts as he stormed out. Pneua simply stared at his back and shed a proud smile, ''He''s growing very well, better than my son.''<novelnext></novelnext>


    Had her soon heard her remark, he would have been disappointed, as a talented individual himself. But maybe he would have been prouder, for it was his own son that had surpassed him.


    Pneua was still the vige head. Though, she was addressed as the Town Lord instead to signal their development. From the original five thousand strong to over thirty thousand, their numbers had grown a lot.


    Moreover, they had enough resources to facilitate ten times the number easily, and hence, they saw a boon in their poption every year. Pneua was at the height of that, carefully managing every aspect to facilitate the best opportunities for everyone.


    As the individual that had received the highest blessings to date, she was the wisest in their vige''s history, and also the most resourceful.


    It was evening by the time she finished her work. And just as she had sat down for some tea with her adorable grandson, there was a knock on the door as a familiar voice resounded, "I came to see you."


    Bang!


    Her teacup fell to the floor as Pneua stood up in shock, "That voice¡­"


    She then stared at the youth that had arrived at the entrance, a familiar face, one that seemed like he had just left the vige yesterday, "¡­Pnolli!"


    "He is with me now." The youth resembling Pnolli spoke with a familiar voice, his mannerisms too the same as her younger brother.


    "How¡­are you faring, Your Lordship?" Pneua was pretty smart, and seeing her younger brother in his youthful self was enough to piece together the information, bowing in respect, "Are you able to descend the mountain now?"


    "As Pnolli, yes." Compass Carburettor smiled as he approached Pneua and hugged thetter, "While I''m like this, I''m truly embodying Pnolli. So, you don''t need to treat me as a Deity while I''m like this."


    "Then, let''s have some tea, shall we?" Pneua shed tears in delight as she asked, "You never returned after that. So, even though I was busy, not a second went by where I wasn''t anxious about you."


    "Tell me your adventures."


    "Sure, sis." At this moment, he was neither Compass Carburettor nor the God of Humanity, but just Pnolli, sipping the tea as he talked, "The first vige I visited was a bit disrespectful at the start but they warmed up to me very soon. After a month of stay there, I headed north to the vige of forest gatherers¡­"


    As Pnolli began to recount his entire journey, Pneua listened with attention, forgetting all her work as she could finally see her brother after decades. Her grandson tried to console her, but Pneua wasn''t in the mood to curb her emotions.


    Tears streamed out of her uncontrobly as she heard the end of his travels, "And when I was just minutes away from my end, I arrived at our home and witnessed your exemry work."


    "I''m proud of you, sis."

 Chapter 982 Stealing Your Faith

    "P-Please spare me!" A woman screamed in fright as she stared at the terrifying individual before her, one that resembled a beast, withrge, sharp fangs. Despite her screams, the individual continued to approach her, proving her resistance futile.


    The woman tripped and fell on the hard pavement of the semi-developed town, screaming in the back alleys as the terrifying individual caught up to her and held her at a choke point, squeezing her neck as suddenly, her lifeforce began to slip away from her body.


    "N-No¡­Stop¡­ple¡­" Her cries fell on deaf ears and soon lost all signs of struggle. She turned into a wrinkled bag where even her bones seemed to have shrunk in size.


    The terrifying individual let out a moan in pleasure as he dropped the bag of bones, watching it copse to the ground and be dust. He revelled in the pleasure for a few moments before his body began to transform, letting out bone-crunching sounds that seemed painful.


    But the individual was obviously masochistic in nature as he enjoyed the pain, soon transforming into thedy whose essence he had just absorbed.


    He grunted a little, digesting all the memories that came with it, muttering in distaste, "This woman lives a mockery of life. Damn, I wanted to rece someone with better living conditions. At least, if her husband was somewhat handsome, I would have put up with it. But man, he needs to reincarnate before his appearance could be bearable to stomach."


    Muttering a string of expletives following that, the individual took out a brush that she used to sweep up the dust on the floor and poured it into a paper sk. She then casually dumped it in a nearby ditch before making her way home¡ªto the domicile of the one she had killed just now.


    The ashes of the original dissolved into the ditch and became unrecognisable.


    The woman slowly made her way to her home, entering it when immediately, a chair flew her way, mming into her face, resulting in a nosebleed.


    "You damn woman. Where the heck were you? How long does it take to buy my damn alcohol with my damn money? Huh?" A snobbish drunk man bellowed in anger as he rolled up his sleeves, intending to hit some sense into the woman.


    Of course, had that been his original wife, she would have put up with it as usual. But the one that had reced her wasn''t his wife, and hence, she had zero reasons to put up with his crap, especially since his charm value was in the negative.


    And as a result, true domestic violence ensued forth, resulting in the man''s cries rivalling that of pigs at the ughterhouse.


    "If I tell you to bark, you bark, understand? Otherwise, your shitty mouth would never receive another drop of alcohol." The woman said, panting in exhaustion as she had beaten her husband into a pulp, realising in excitement, ''I''m also a sadist. My, oh my, this is wonderful!''


    "Y-Yes," The man said weakly. He wasn''t a fighter originally. And the only reason the abuse went on was thanks to his wife''sck of resistance. But the moment she retaliated, his paper tiger visage vanished.


    "Now, I want you to run out and make some money, lots of it. Otherwise¡­you know the drill." The woman growled as immediately, the man grabbed his work clothes and dashed out of the house, despite it being beyond his shift hours.<novelnext></novelnext>


    He was so frightened by her that he nned to work the night shift too. Unfortunately, he didn''t wish to sleep on the streets, and hence, he couldn''t run away. The house was in his name, and hence, he couldn''t just leave the sole property that belonged to him.


    "Let''s see how much money he has stashed away." Muttering as such, thedy went through the entire house relying upon the memories of the original, muttering once she collected everything, "Huh, It''s not much. But it should suffice."


    She grinned, "He shouldst a month before his body is unable to endure the insane work stress. Once he falls sick, I can leave him to his death, cote all his wealth in the name of curing his sickness, and make my way out of this ce."


    "Hmm, I also need to find a better target." She muttered as she stared at her body, "Not only is she weak, but she''s also not pleasing to the eye. It''s hard to fight in this untrained body. But well, beggars can''t be choosers."


    She calmly walked out of the house and made her way into arge open square where a crowd had gathered, hearing the sermons of a priest that the people of this town had faith in.


    "The God of Rain will bless us another year of harvest. Everyone! As long as your faith is strong, you''ll never be abandoned by our God!" The priest shouted until his throat ached. His spittle flew everywhere while his face was flushed red from the incessant screaming.


    The woman stared at the crowd in disgust, ''They are just brainwashed retards.''


    The reason she had arrived at the ce was for an entirely different purpose, smiling as she pulled out a strand of her hair and flicked it once, causing it to resemble a needle as she gently stabbed it into the hand of the person beside her.


    Like a leech bite, the target wasn''t even aware of being stabbed as he was immersed in his prayer. The needle hair began to suck in something from the man as the woman''s eyes beamed in joy, ''Fuck! It''s delicious!''


    Had the God of Rains been at the ce, they would have observed that the woman was actually sucking in the faith that the man was generating. Even though this was from just one person, it was the faith directed at the God of Rains.


    Moreover, unlike Deities, the woman seemed capable of absorbing and storing faith in her body.


    She remained there until the sermons concluded before making her leave, content upon having swallowed enough faith until her stomach was full, ''I have enough faith of the God of Rains. This is enough to cast their blessings thrice.''


    "Now, I just need to bide my time until I can rece another individual."

 Chapter 983 A Surprise Retaliation

    "H-Here is today''s pay. N-Now, please give me my elixir!" A man wobbled into the home and threw his wages for the day on the table.


    "Elixir? Hahaha!" Thedy of the houseughed in response before pushing forth a ss, "Since you worked hard today, I''ve filled the ss. Consider it your honour and relish it."


    "Y-Yes, I will, definitely." The man grabbed the ss in a hurry and gobbled up its contents like a man in the desert that had chanced upon water after days of thirst.


    The moment he finished downing thest droplet, he copsed to the floor, snoring hard, not even having the energy to twitch a finger.


    "Such a coward." Thedy muttered casually as she threw the ss in the sink. Obviously, she wasn''t going to clean it. Whether it was to do the dishes, wash the clothes, clean the house, or even bring in wages, her husband did everything.


    All she did was boss him around and take everything for herself, only giving him minimal necessities. To be honest, all the man had to do was use his pay to buy alcohol on his return and have his fill. But, the fear installed in his mind was to such an extent that he had developed a phobia.


    Every moment of his life recently, he felt as if he was being watched by his wife and would be punished the moment he went against her orders. Hence, he never went against her even for a moment ever since he was beaten up by her.


    Over the days, thedy''s control over him had tightened to the extreme. At present, if she ordered him to die on her behalf, he would do so,pletely brainwashed.


    As for the alcohol she fed him, it wasn''t pure alcohol. She had added in stimnts and other substances to keep the man full of vigour, so that he could work overtime like crazy without giving in to his exhaustion.


    Of course, his organs were being strained as a result and it was only a matter of days before the repercussions mmed into him. His death was fast approaching. But, thedy showed no signs of stopping her actions.


    After all, she wished to milk him dry in the short duration she nned to use this identity.


    Once the man had fallen asleep, thedy slowly removed the extrayer of clothes she had draped over herself, revealing a thinner, toned body.


    She rested on the floor and began to do push-ups, training herself. All this time, she had been doing the same, working out in preparation for her subsequent ns. As a Devil''s worshipper, she lived a different life from the rest.


    Unfortunately for her, she wasn''t a Spirit of the Devil she served. Hence, her life wasn''t a safe journey. Therefore, she had to prove herself to rise among the ranks and be a Spirit. For that, she must steal more faith power.


    Whenever she wished to rece someone, she prayed to the Devil and gained the power of a Spirit temporarily. Using that, she changed identities and collected some faith before the duration of the power lent to her ran out.


    She stored that faith in her body to temper herself. The power of the Devil she served was to devour the essence of others and make it their own. Of course, it came with plenty of limitations, especially the amount of faith that could be stored in their body and the duration of storage.


    Hence, thedy was training her body while seeking out better targets with some aplishments to their name that she could use to temper the faith stored in her body and gain some form of special ability. The moment that happens, she would gain qualifications to be a Spirit.


    It was why she was working so hard.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Every time she reces someone, she would gain their body. This meant that her body would be no different from theirs. Therefore, she had to train. Otherwise, while fighting to rece her next target, she might be defeated instead.


    Hence, thedy didn''t waste a moment and trained her body to the limit, using the funds in the house to buy as much nourishing medicine as possible. She had enough knowledge to do so and carefully built up her muscles in a short time, experienced in the field.


    Days passed in such a fashion before eventually, it was a month since she reced the woman.


    Thud!


    Her husband copsed to the floor, having lost a lot of weight. His cheeks were sunken while he seemed to have aged a decade in the short month. Limited sleep, limited food intake, and excessive work amplified by stimnts had pushed his body past the brink of no return.


    His condition became critical the moment he copsed. He was left on the cold floor during the night which resulted in his death. He failed to see the morning of the next day.


    Of course, before this happened, thedy used his sickness as an excuse to put on a desperate act and managed to sell their house. Her husband wished to live, of course. And under her orders, he signed the documents to sell the house, believing his wife would use the money to treat him.


    He was left alone during the night and when the new owners came to upy the house the next day, they were greeted with his corpse. As for the woman, she was nowhere to be seen, having fled with all the money.


    Moreover, she had also sold all valuables within the house, looting everything possible.


    "Would you be a dear and apany me through the cold night?" Thedy was now in a different street within the town, wearing revealing clothes as she winked at a man that she appointed as her next target.


    "I''m not interested¡­" The man intended to walk away upon staring at her face, but his eyes trailed below, gazing at her curvy body and her trained muscles, something rare for the women in the town. Obviously, he was interested, "¡­Sure."


    "Let''s head in, then." Thedy said and motioned him towards the house that she had rented for the night.


    The moment they entered, she jumped upon him, resulting in a fiery passion thatsted a few minutes. The twoy on the bed following that when suddenly, the eyes of the woman glinted as she grabbed him by the neck, intending to choke him to absorb his essence.


    But suddenly, the man screamed upon seeing his essence flowing into the woman, "You''re not human!"


    "My God! Protect me!"


    Boom!


    His shadow squirmed and formed spikes that jutted toward the woman, impaling her.

 Chapter 984 Earning His Ire

    "Kyak!" The woman screamed in shock as she tried her best to evade, but one of the shadow spikes still pierced through her gut. She got up in a hurry and leaped out of the window, rolling on the floor uponnding to cushion the impact as she rushed into the street, vanishing from view.


    "Hah¡­haah¡­what the heck was that?" The man gasped in shock, tracing his fingers over his neck where a deep imprint of thedy''s palms had formed. He was exhausted all over, feeling like he had aged by a year, "She''s not human."


    He then stared at the shadow spikes in gratitude, watching his shadow get up to form a shadow body, "Thank you for your blessings. I survived because of that, your Lordship."


    "Anytime." The shadow body mouthed in response before it copsed, reverting into his shadow.


    The man sighed in relief upon seeing that as he got up and began to make his way out of the house once he gathered his bearings, "That crazy woman should be on the run. I managed to pierce a big enough hole in her gut. I should inform the nearest priest to chase and subdue her. Only then can I feel safe¡­"


    He didn''t manage to finish the sentence when a thick wooden stick mmed his head from the back, knocking him unconscious. Thedy panted as she dropped the stick and copsed beside the man, cursing as she clutched her wound, "Bastard, he was a believer of the God of Humanity. I underestimated him too much."


    She then grabbed his neck and began to absorb his essence, expending it to treat her wound, watching her muscles squirm and gradually heal. Her expression was foul, "Dammit, I have to spend all the essence from him to heal from this injury. This puts a serious wrench in my ns."


    "But anyway," She stared at his body that became no different from a sack of bones, "You truly think you could live after injuring me? The God of Humanity''s blessing is potently powerful. But, the moment you calm down, the blessing vanishes. Had you faced a crisis before, you would have known about this defect."


    "Unfortunately for you, because of your ignorance, you died and I won." She patted the sack of bones, watching it copse into a pile of dust that she scooped into a paper sk and dumped into the nearby ditch.


    She entered the house and groaned in exhaustion, watching the power of the Devil wane from her body, "Dammit, I cannot ask for another blessing for at least a couple of months since I used all his essence to heal myself."


    Without an offering, she would have to wait a long time to be eligible for another blessing. It was unlike the believers of the God of Humanity that would instantly be blessed at the moment of crisis.


    She cupped her fists in prayer, "I request you, God of Humanity, please grant me knowledge¡­"


    "Ugh!" She grunted in annoyance upon failing to receive anything. After all, the moment she became the Devil''s follower, she wasn''t human anymore. After all, a normal human body was unable to store faith in it, no matter how minuscule the amount might be.


    Her body had already been modified by the Devil through a blessing, which was how she was able to store faith in her stomach for extended durations.


    Thedy stared at her reserve of money, calcting, "I have enough tost me the next two months if I were to live a decent life. But, this means I have to save up from scratch once again after taking the next identity."


    She sighed dejectedly, for this was why her life was miserable. Even before this, she had found the wrong target who happened to be a priest. As a result, her previous identity was injured severely, causing her to use up even the faith that she had collected until then to tend to her injuries.<novelnext></novelnext>


    To add salt to the injury, her previous identity became a wanted fugitive as believers scoured everywhere. That was why, after being in hiding for two months, the moment she came across the woman¡ªher current identity¡ªin a secluded alley, she targeted her.


    She had no other choice. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have chosen such acking identity. And this time, she once again made a bad choice, targeting someone that believed in the God of Humanity, the most troublesome of believers.


    For despitecking any priests, Spirits, etc. not to mention even a temple, believers of the God of Humanity gained blessings immediately upon asking for one, as long as they gained his favour. And a good fraction of those that prayed to him received a blessing.


    Those that were in a crisis gained his blessing immediately, the fastest among all Deities. Hence, they were a troublesome bunch to face. Of course, thedy had ways to take them down, for one of the entities she had taken over in the past happened to be a believer in the God of Humanity.


    ? It was through him did shee to know that the believer only gained a blessing when their heart rate was rapid. Moreover, it vanished once they calmed down. That was why she knew to wait around at the house and target the man once he calmed down enough for the blessing to vanish, instantly knocking him unconscious.


    It was also through the believer¡ªof the God of Humanity¡ªthat she had absorbed in the past that she gained the knowledge and experience regarding the use of medicine to strengthen and train her body the optimal way.


    Of course, she had only targeted the most basic of believers, so she didn''t gain much in the form of knowledge and experience. "But one day, I''ll rece a powerful individual and be a Spirit sessfully."


    "That way, I can absorb enough lifeforce to maintain my youth forever and have fun with all genders and walks of life." Thedy then began to plot ordingly.


    ¡­


    Shukagat Town; having finished his talks with Pneua, Pnolli strolled through the town, taking in the sights of the ce when he came to a halt, frowning, ''Another believer died right after getting my blessing. It seems the enemy is aware of the restriction of my blessing.''


    His expression turned foul as he continued to walk, exiting the town as he carried a small bag of travel supplies and embarked upon a road leading to the nearest town, ''It seems I need to investigate the culprit myself.''


    He then muttered, "Considering the distance, I need a ride."


    He ced two fingers in his mouth and whistled, watching a deer exit the forest and approach him. Pnolli de-aged himself to a child to reduce the deer''s burden as he climbed on its back and patted it, "Let''s go."


    The deer broke into a sprint immediately. As Pnolli, he couldn''t use his power for himself, but that didn''t matter, for he had plenty of experience to lure, tame, and ride an animal casually. Even as Pnolli, he was plenty capable.

 Chapter 985 The Man Without Shadow (Part 1)

    "You''re very brave to confront me, I''ll give you that." A man draping a shawl around his lower body spoke calmly as he held the figures of two women, grabbing each by the neck as he absorbed their essence until they turned into a sack of withered bones.


    He snapped his finger, causing them to be dust and fall to the floor as a follower of his hurriedly scooped the contents into a paper sk and pocketed them. There were three followers in total, each wearing a mask made from monkey skin, giving them an eerie aura.


    The leading man with a shawl draped around his lower body smiled casually as he licked his lips and stared at the hooded individual a few metres away, "Maybe you''re just a reckless brat that has yet to witness the horrors of the world."


    "Is that so?" The hooded man spoke with a hoarse tone, one that was screeching to the ear, as if a massive spider was talking humannguage.


    Upon hearing his grating tone, the shawl-draped man frowned, "You''re not human, are you?"


    "Anyway," He waved his hand, motioning his three underlings to deal with the intruder, "Since you saw me in action, you have to forfeit your life."


    "If anything, me it on your curiosity¡­"


    The underlings had just run past him when a knife plunged into the eye of one, causing him to copse to the ground and scream in pain.


    The shawl-draped man was surprised at the hooded man''s swift attack, smiling as he muttered, "It seems you''re not entirely helpless. But, do you believe a mere attack like this is enough?"


    He snapped his finger and seeped a stream of energy into the injured underling, causing the lodged knife to fly out as his eye regenerated instantly. The underling red at the hooded man and pulled out a short sword, causing ayer of wind to coat it.


    "Die!" He bellowed and swung the short sword, unleashing an air de that shed toward the hooded man. But surprisingly, it missed its mark.


    The hooded man wasn''t fast in his dodge or anything, but rather, the moment the underling made the swinging motion, he stepped to the side, calmly watching the air de move past him as if he were aware of everything regarding the attack.


    "Be careful, this bastard doesn''t seem like your average joe." The shawl-draped man said in seriousness as he thought, ''It seems I can''t hold back any longer. I should use up some of the faith I stole.''


    Within his enclosed fists, a thin arrow of wind formed, taking shape as a good amount of energy was condensed in it.


    In the meantime, the three underlings rushed at the hooded man,unching attacks at him.


    "Ugh!" The hooded man grunted every time a wind de nicked him, tearing up the thickyer of cloth covering him. Suddenly, he pulled out a mini crossbow and shot tiny pellets everywhere, ones that exploded upon impact, producing a small dust cloud each.


    "Cover your nose! Don''t inhale it." The shawl-draped man shouted as he pulled up the shawl and wound it around his face, ignoring his donger that nowy bare out in the open.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Tssch!


    The smoke was rapidly dispersed by the wind they unleashed as the shawl-draped man frowned, seeing the hooded man had vanished. "Don''t let him escape¡­"


    He furiously scratched his skin, feeling an uncontroble itch all over his body. Moreover, his throat felt sore and mildly ticklish, as if tiny hair-like worms were squirming all over it. He immediately poured in some of the absorbed lifeforce to heal the injury, only to scream in pain when the itch worsened.


    Moreover, he noticed the squirming sensation worsen sharply the moment he poured in the lifeforce. The shawl-draped man stared at his chest in aghast, watching a small vein squirm and move by a few centimetres, "No, that''s not possible."


    Nerves weren''t supposed to move like that, meaning it wasn''t a nerve but something else.


    He picked up the knife from the ground nearby¡ªthe one his underling had been stabbed by in the eye¡ªand cut open the skin on his chest, startled to see a worm squirming within, "Dammit!"


    He yanked the worm out and threw it on the ground, watching it twitch in pain and die in a matter of seconds, ''Is it a parasitic lifeform?''


    But of course, he couldn''t rx, for the squirming sensation came from all over his body. Without any hesitation, the shawl-draped man made multiple cuts all over his body, tanking out tiny worms that were only hair-width. Sometimes, in his paranoia, he also pulled out his actual nerves, suffering in response as blood spilled out.


    Immediately in fear, unwilling to die from blood loss, he expended more lifeforce that he had umted, healing the wounds in a matter of seconds, only realising a momentter as his face paled in despair.


    His pristine-looking healed skin suddenly bloated a secondter, having absorbed all the lifeforce as thousands of worms now squirmed underneath his skin, "Gross! Die! Die! Die!"


    Unable to bear the pain, he repeated the cuttings and ended up in a bloody state, realising the smoke wasn''t poison but seemed to be pollen of some kind that was infested with the eggs of some parasitic creature that fed on lifeforce.


    Moreover, they were capable of seeping in through the pores on his skin, a weapon geared to counter his abilities, "Who the heck are you? You dare confront the Essencer Guild?"


    There was no reply to his shouts as the shawl-draped man copsed to the ground, twitching as he tethered towards death. As for his subordinates, they didn''t have as much life force to rely upon, and hence, after the first mistake, they bled out to their deaths.


    Time passed as seconds turned into minutes, and minutes into hours. After more than five hours had spanned, a capsule fell upon the shawl-draped man, bursting out to sprinkle oil on him. A few more capsules fell on him as suddenly, the eyes of the worm-filled man shot open as he bellowed, "There you are!"


    He raised his arm and unleashed a violent arc of lightning that mmed into the roof of a building, destroying it. The lightning also circted through his body and killed off all parasitic creatures. Moreover, his injuries rapidly healed in a matter of seconds as he snorted, "You are way too careful."


    "Who the heck are you?"

 Chapter 986 The Man Without Shadow (Part 2)

    "Who the heck are you¡­?" The shawl-draped man red in anger as the copsed terrace of the nearby building revealed the figure of a man once the dust dispersed. A jet-ck entity that seemed to have merged into the night, one harbouring personal vengeance against him.


    He was akin to a king cobra, a creature famed for going to any lengths to seek vengeance.


    ''Where the heck did such a bastarde from?'' The shawl-draped man was about to attack when suddenly, he could feel the temperature of his body rising up at an rming pace. "What the heck?"


    "The poison took some time, huh? I should make note of this for the future." The hooded entity spoke with his grating voice, leaping away from the copsed terrace as he disappeared from view.


    "Hah¡­haaah¡­" The shawl-draped man suddenly found himself panting, as if feverish. His body temperature was unnaturally going up when he realised what was up, staring at the knife in his hand with a foul expression, "This bastard has been ying me like a fiddle."


    The underlings carried short swords each, for they were the frontline attackers in any situation. As for the shawl-draped man, he was like a mage, having stored plenty of lifeforce and faith in his stomach that he used to heal the injuries of his underlings andunch attacks at his enemies.


    And as he typically operated semi-naked, he didn''t have any space to store a weapon. It was also typically unnecessary considering his powers. But, it seemed the hooded man had investigated him intensely.


    The knife he threw into the eye of the underling seemed to be coated with a long-acting poison. So, when the shawl-draped man observed worms squirming underneath his skin, he picked up the closest de, which happened to be this knife.


    And as a result, the poison seeped into his body. As it was a long-acting poison, he didn''t notice it until its effects started to show, which was many hourster from the event.


    The shawl-draped man never bothered with poisons and injuries. After all, there was nothing his lifeforce couldn''t solve. But now, the mysterious worms fed on lifeforce to grow. And, even though he had used the electric currents to kill them all, it seemed some eggs were still in his body.


    He would have to treat himself carefully at ater date to fully remove them from his body. The moment he used some lifeforce to treat the poison that was raising his body temperature, he could feel a couple of worms squirm once again.


    Moreover, it was apparent that the hooded man held more of those terrifying capsules. Therefore, the shawl-draped man didn''t wish to needlessly waste his lifeforce. Originally, he nned to y dead and sneak attack the hooded man when he came nearby.


    But the other party was way too careful and despite it being hours, he never approached the shawl-draped man. Moreover, he had also shot some mysterious oil whose effects were unknown.


    The shawl-draped man tried to wipe away the oil but frowned upon seeing that it refused toe off. And as his body temperature was rising, his concentration was waning. Without any dy, he activated the faith he had stored in his stomach.


    Pat-pata-pat!


    A cloud appeared overhead and began to drizzle, soon forming a rain shower. The cold water fell on his body and cooled him, giving him a sense of rity. But, despite his solution taking effect, the shawl-draped man''s expression was foul, observing the oilyer coating him was acting like an instor, preventing heat from his body from being absorbed by the raindrops.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Hence, the cooling efficiency was a mere tenth of the original.


    ''Either I need to run away or deal with this bastard.'' The shawl-draped man frowned as he stared at the corpses of his underlings, ''No, I must kill him now! He''s amply prepared to face me. I have revealed too many of my cards. If I give him time now, he''ll be better prepared to face me in the future.''


    "I''ll have to risk it, then." Muttering as such, the shawl-draped man condensed wind on his toes and leaped, crossing the building with the shattered terrace as he stared from his vantage point, observing the hooded figure running across a back alley farther away.


    Boom!


    He flew across the skies and mmed a bolt of lightning at the hooded figure, eliciting a scream from the other party who then copsed to the ground. But, despite seeing the other party on the ground, the shawl-draped man wasn''t convinced.


    Hence, he unleashed a few more bolts of lightning until a charred smell wafted through the alley. He didn''t stop at that and sent a few wind des to dice up the figure into three, only grinning after that, "Just a tricky bastard¡­"


    Gah!


    He copsed to the ground, noticing the oilyer on his body seeping through his skin to catch fire from the intense body heat he was radiating. The radiation came from within and hence, it was hard to endure.


    The sheer heat almost knocked him unconscious as the shawl-draped man was rmed, gritting his teeth in response, "Dammit!"


    He hurriedly used the faith stolen from the followers of the God of Rain to summon rain in his area, expending everything at his disposal to create a downpour, barely able to maintain consciousness as a result.


    The mes were still seething underneath his skin though as the oil seemed to have reacted to cause some sort of radiation. He was forced into a corner and hence had to pour in all lifeforce, watching a few worms erupt as he readily yanked them out using wind des and then proceeded to heal the injuries too.


    Upon seeing no other worms form, he could rx a little and work on his injuries when suddenly, his urge to curse himself worsened, noticing a couple of vials roll out of the diced-up corpse as they exploded, causing some of the smoke to enter his mouth when he cursed instinctively, "Fuck!"


    Immediately, the tiny eggs in the smoke absorbed the rampant lifeforce coursing in his body at the moment, causing dozens of worms to burst out of the skin on his face and neck.


    In the narrow alley during the night, apanying the sordid rain was a grotesque figure with worms bursting out of his body inrge numbers, a sight capable of causing even the strongest of men to faint.

 Chapter 987 The Man Without Shadow (Part 3)

    Rawrrr!


    The shawl-draped man let out a guttural roar in pain as the worms had grown many times bigger aspared to before due to the sheer volume of lifeforce they had consumed. They burst out of his skin and began to nibble away on his flesh.


    Moreover, unlike before, they developed an exoskeleton that gave them better immunity to his attacks. It was not to mention they possessed two mouths, at each end of their serpentine body. One devoured the flesh on the surface while the other at the deep within.


    Even when he yanked them out, ignoring the patch of flesh that hade off as a result, one end of the worm bit onto his fingers or palm, ensuring totch onto him without letting go.


    Without using his lifeforce, he would lose his life in a matter of seconds. But that very same lifeforce acted as the elixir that fuelled the growth of the worms that ate away at his life literally.


    Bam!


    The shawl-draped man copsed to the floor as he observed a thin stream of coloured water touching his skin on the floor. The rain had dissolved the poison and when it came into contact with his skin, it caused more worms to form in his body.


    The shawl-draped man intended to leave the location and treat himself with the help of someone from the Essencer Guild when a fell on him, trapping him. The sounds of footsteps resounded before him as the rain stopped.


    The shawl-draped man had run out of the faith stored in his stomach, gasping in shock as he stared at the hooded figure before him, "H-How are you alive? I killed you¡­"


    He turned around, staring at the diced-up pieces to see them dete rapidly as something resembling shadow flowed back into the hooded figure. All that was left within the diced-up clothes was meat that seemed to originate from a goat or something. It was what let out the charred stench when the lightning hit the figure.


    "You¡­monster!" The shawl-draped man grunted as he condensed a spear and thrust it into the stomach of the hooded man, watching it produce a ng as if it had hit metal.


    It was hisst-ditched effort as the shawl-draped man no longer had the strength to fight. The worms continued to gnaw at his body as all the hooded man did was watch in silence while this happened.


    "How many humans did you kill to amass such a frightening amount of lifeforce?" The hooded man expressed rage right as the shawl-draped man breathed hisst, now a whisk of his original self, mummified remains of a terrifying entity.


    "The entirety of the Essencer Guild would simrly face its end." The hooded figure muttered as he stared at the wormy figures that began to crawl towards him next, lured by his lifeforce.


    But, as they neared him, they fell t, twitching for a few seconds before withering rapidly. "A creature akin to a virus, unable to birth offspring, short-lived, and feeds on lifeforce. It''s what I created to kill you freaks of nature."


    The corpse of the shawl-draped man and the remains of the wormy creatures suddenly fell into the mouth of a massive shadow that crunched them beforepressing them into a tiny sphere the size of his fist.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The hooded man secured thepressed sphere within a container and began to walk away from the region. Soon after, a group arrived at the scene, scouring for any traces but failing to find any.


    "Lord Spirit''s signal wasst felt here." One of the figures muttered, disguised as residents of the ce casually passing by.


    One of them scooped some water from the ground and smelled it, "There are faint traces of flesh and blood mixed into this. There''s also an odd distaste like ash was mixed into it."


    "Who the heck could kill our Spirit? He might have been the weakest among the spirits, but he was still a Spirit." The group huddled and discussed, their expression solemn.


    The loss of a Spirit came as a blow to the Essencer Guild, especially since it created a vacuum of power. The collection of faith and lifeforce for the Essencer Guild took a hit as a result. It would take some time before another Spirit took up the void.


    What the group was unaware of was a shadowy ear hiding nearby, listening in on their conversation stealthily.


    "Who''s there?" One of them shouted and turned around to m a bolt of lightning towards a corner, quickly moving to the spot, failing to find anything of notice.


    "Don''t recklessly use their power, idiot." Another among the group chided, and spoke in a hurry, "It seems the priests of the God of Rain have sensed something is amiss. Let''sy low for the time being until they rx. If our actions are discovered, we''ll have to face the God of Rain."


    Following that, the group dispersed in their respective direction as silence ensued in the region.


    As for the hooded man, he was currently standing next to a path, acting like he was waiting for someone as a thin stream of shadow retreated into his body. ''There are seven more belonging to the Essencer Guild in this city.''


    He thought, clenching his hand into a fist as he walked away, beginning to follow one of the members of the Essence Guild. That was his next target.


    "Hah¡­I can''t believe it." Thedy gasped in shock once she returned to the house she had rented for the day. There was fear in her expression, but contained beneath that was excitement, ''A Spirit died! So, this means a slot has opened for me to take over!''


    ''I need to make a significant contribution to be a Spirit!'' She was thedy from before, giddy from excitement.


    Before, she wished to save up the money in her hands and take things a bit slow. But now that a Spirit died, it implied an opportunity. Hence, she couldn''t take things slow anymore, ''The others in the city like me too would be more active after this.''


    "It seems I have one option to gain a lead." She only hesitated for a moment before thrusting her fingers in her mouth, gagging, as a result, to vomit out a tiny badge. She picked it up, cleaned it, and then exited the house while carrying with her all the money in her possession, ''I hope that unscrupulous merchant is still in the city.''

 Chapter 988 The Man Without Shadow (Part 4)

    It dide as a shock when the Devil she prayed towards suddenly spoke in her mind, startling her with the information of a Spirit''s death. It prompted her to rush toward the location to investigate.


    But now that she thought about it after calming down, she realised in rm that her actions were dangerous. After all, had there been any scouts from the enemy side monitoring the ce, she would have given herself away.


    It meant that her current identity might be leaked anytime. After all, to avoid alerting the people with a shady getup, she didn''t cover herself. It dide as a shock once she learnt of the identities of the others like her, realising that everyone was faring better than her, to arge extent even.


    This was why she was prepared to take a risk.


    Thedy carried all her money and walked casually through the street, masking the money underneath a bag of clothes. From one street to another, she kept her calm, sporting a casual face that everyone had while going about in their daily lives.


    Soon, she arrived at a textile shop, entering it to stare at the shopkeeper, "I''vee to get a couple of dresses stitched."


    She handed over the entire bag filled with the clothes, keeping the badge at the top, pinned to one of the fabrics, her senses fully focused on the shopkeeper as she was tense, ''Is he still here?''


    "Ahh, that''s a lot of fabric." The shopkeeper smiled at the business opportunity, "Are you ordering clothes for yourself?"


    "Yes," Thedy nodded in response, watching tensely at the shopkeeper feel the fabric.


    He then looked at her, sporting a bright smile, "We need to take your measurements first."


    He then pointed towards the nearby room, a rather small space meant for taking measurements, "Pleasee here."


    "Okay," Thedy nodded as she entered the room, watching the shopkeeper carry the bag, still confused whether or not it worked. Suddenly, the shopkeeper bearhugged her, startling her at the suddenness of his action when immediately, she felt suffocated, nking out.


    "Ugh!"


    Thedy woke up, noticing she was seated in a dark room, the walls of which seemed to be made of gold, engraved withplex patterns of silver.


    She looked around, noticing that she was naked, startled for a moment before calming down, "Are you the unscrupulous merchant?"


    "Unscrupulous? How rude!" A voice resounded from behind her as thedy turned around, startled to see a potted nt, one that resembled a cactus. It trembled a little as the voice rang, "I''m a honest to goodness merchant."


    "It seems I''m at the right ce." Thedy sighed in relief as she looked around, unable to see anything else of substance in this empty room other than the potted cactus. She stared at it to ask, "The money I brought¡­"


    "In my possession, naturally." The cactus let out a smug attitude, conveying the emotion somehow as it barely moved, "Everything in your possession belongs to us the moment you enter our marketce. That''s the solew we follow."


    One of its branches extended to reach her, stabbing a needle in her forehead, "And these are all the items you''re eligible to buy for that."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Thedy''s eyes shone with light as she saw the room expand to be a massive building as more than a hundred items manifested at the ce. They ranged from currencies of different regions to tools, weapons, organs, minerals, etc.


    Thedy hurriedly looked through the list as she frowned, unable to find the item she wished to buy, asking, "Is this the end of the list?"


    "It seems none of our items catch your eye." The cactus spoke with a slightly sullen tone before it let out a sheepish grin, "But, the fault is in your hands, you know."


    "That piss poor amount you submitted only grants you ess to these items."


    A crack formed on its stem that expanded to reveal a mouth, one that approached next to her ear and whispered, "If you were to sell some of your organs, especially your mouth, and stomach, I can bring out the premium goods."


    In response to its words, thedy almost had the urge to kill the cactus. But, it was aware that every unscrupulous merchant was cunning to the extreme. If she probably seeded in killing the cactus, there was a guarantee that she would be trapped in this room until her death.


    Even now, the items shown to her were just a projection fed to her mind. None of them were actually brought to her. Though she was nervous, thedy calmed herself and gritted her teeth, saying, "I''ll sell all the faith and lifeforce I have umted in my stomach."


    "Well, it''s not much, but it will indeed open up a few more options for you to browse." The cactus grinned as it made a chewing motion, "The contract has been established then."


    Immediately, thedy felt weak and hungry. Even the extra faith that she had collected through great difficulty was absorbed by the cactus.


    But in response, the space shown in her mind expanded as more items were disyed. Thedy''s eyes lit up in joy, "Lingering Attachment! It''s here!"


    "You want that?" The cactus said in surprise, "It''s not that effective, you know? A Spirit from your Essencer Guild bought onest time andined at the wasted money."


    "No, I''m sure I need this." Thedymented, barely able to rein in her excitement.


    "Well, the customer''s wishes are absolute." The cactus said as the projection in her mind vanished. And immediately, a brain preserved in a cylinder floated before her. She couldn''t understand how it appeared before her, but it didn''t seem like she could find out more about it.


    Thedy prayed, ''Your Lordship, please watch over your believer, Eldna.''


    Immediately in response, a tinge of power circted in her body, enough for her to use her body''s modifications naturally. She extended a strand of hair and pierced it through the brain, watching it wither before her as mysterious knowledge poured into her mind.


    But, that was it. There wasn''t any change in her nature, not to mention her power. The cactus stared at her in confusion, "I told you that it would be useless for you. Lingering attachment is just the brain of a devout believer of the God of Humanity that retains all the experience granted to them."


    "It cannot bring about an evolution in you."


    "No, you''re mistaken about something." Thedy said as she crushed the remaining pulp of the brain and brought her hands together into a prayer, ''God of Humanity, I return you your believer.''

 Chapter 989 The Man Without Shadow (Part 5)

    It was unknown whether it was a Deity or a Devil involved in its creation, but when a devoted believer of the God of Humanity lost his/her life, a mysterious power was used to concentrate all the blessings they received into their brain.


    As the blessings of the God of Humanity were rted to memories, knowledge, and experience, it was something a human could naturally possess. And hence, once other Deities came to know of it, they began to investigate.


    One such result was the ''Lingering Attachment.''


    One of the uses of Lingering Attachment was in the creation of familiars. Some Deities used these brains to create familiars to guard their territory. And since the source of these Lingering Attachments was their own believers, they could achieve it.


    Every faith had its fair share of fanatical believers. So, such things had been happening for decades now.


    But of course, even the God of Humanity was unaware of the Lingering Attachment, since it was kept under tight wraps. Anyone involved in its creation never prayed to the God of Humanity after that, taking a strict vow with their Deity.


    Even the unscrupulous merchants only brought it out to sell to those that had given a payment through faith. But, it was only a matter of time before the God of Humanity learns of this information.


    But even if he were to know it, there was nothing he could do. After all, the majority of the Lingering Attachments were created from fanatical believers that volunteered. And as this process happened after their deaths, there was no way for him to find out.


    It wasn''t as if he could stop giving out blessings to his believers. That would cause his faith to take a hit and eventually dry up. Therefore, it was an unavoidable scheme.


    As for thedy, Eldna, she had a reason to pray to the God of Humanity now. Using the knowledge, memories, and experience funnelling into her from Lingering Attachment whose essence she absorbed, she attempted tomunicate with the God of Humanity.


    The connection was sessfully established this time, causing her to smile cunningly, ''I might be courting death, but I have no other choice.''


    Every time, a connection failed because she was no longer human or retained any semnce of humanity. But the reason it seeded this time was thanks to her usage of the essence of the Lingering Attachment.


    Since it was from a devout follower of the God of Humanity, the connection formed naturally. And the moment this happened, Eldna opened her mouth and sucked in violently, grunting in exhaustion as she copsed to the ground.


    The essence she gained from the Lingering Attachment vanished, imed by the God of Humanity. But before the channel copsed, Eldna used all her powers to steal a small portion of faith from the other side.


    Of course, since she stole the faith directly from a Deity and not from a follower, Eldna was unable to endure it as the God of Humanity''s faith squirmed violently in her stomach.


    "What the heck have you done?" The cactus was rmed as it shouted, "Are you mad? You offended one of the strongest Deities in the world! Dammit!"


    But just as the cactus was about to send her away, Eldna red at it, causing her shadow to transform into a spike and impale it, beginning to rapidly devour its essence.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The cactus intended to escape but by the time it managed to react, it crumbled into dust. Using the shadow, Eldna was able to absorb all its essence instantly.


    "And now, the contract has been established." Using the essence of the cactus, she focused on the faith squirming in her stomach violently and sold it to herself, thereby watching it turn docile. Following that, she bought it and gained possession of that faith¡ªit was still an expendable resource, but now under her control.


    And now that she had absorbed all of the cactus''s essence, she used it, watching a tiny pouch manifest before her, one with a massive space within, holding almost a thousand items. She looked through it, breaking into a grin, ''It worked.''


    This was her gamble. She wished to use the Lingering Attachment to steal a tiny portion of faith from the God of Humanity, using which she would absorb all essence from the unscrupulous merchant. Thereby, she would gain ess to all the goods in possession of the merchant.


    Usually, there was just one unscrupulous merchant per city. So, she didn''t need to worry about facing a counterattack from other unscrupulous merchants for the time being.


    But, since she had properly offended the God of Humanity this time, she would have to flee. Otherwise, she might die. But, this was the only way in which she could be stronger, even if it meant offending two of the strongest faiths.


    Eldna looked through all the items in the pouch, setting aside the items necessary for her as she prayed to the Devil, ''Your Lordship, please ept my offerings.''


    Immediately, a mysterious power circted in her body as all the offered items vanished. Immediately in response, terrifying power poured into her, causing her to moan in pleasure, "I gratefully ept it and vow to serve you better."


    She had be a Spirit, now possessing a percentage of the Devil''s strength permanently. This was enough for her to do whatever she wished.


    Of course, she couldn''t just rampage around. That would only incur the God of Rain''s wrath, resulting in her death, for she was in their territory. The fact that another Spirit from the Essencer Guild had been killed mere hours ago was clear in her mind.


    Using the cactus''s essence, Eldna created the exit to this space, observing a human-shaped door open. She passed through it, noticing that she was exiting from the body of the shopkeeper that had opened up like a door.


    ''So, he was a familiar that carries the entrance to that mysterious space within him. That makes sense.'' She nodded in response and snapped her finger, collecting the shopkeeper in her pouch.


    After wearing a random pair of clothes from the shop, she made her escape, scouring through the ce as she chanced upon the house of a widow.


    The widow was only in her thirties and lived alone. It was merely a dingy ce to live, but that would do for the time being, until she gathered enough strength.


    Eldna entered the house and targeted the widow, recing her easily. With that, all trails rted to her previous entity were cut off abruptly.


    Unfortunately for her though, a hooded man stared at the house she was at, observing her in silence.

 Chapter 990 The Man Without Shadow (Part 6)

    The hooded man only observed and didn''t take any action. Despite him trying to remain as still as possible, exhaustion was evident in his posture. His breaths too wereboured.


    Hidden within his coat were six more spheres. Everyone part of the Essencer Guild in this town apart from Eldna had been killed.


    Originally, he came here to deal with her too, having the means to track her whereabouts despite her change in appearance. But, upon observing that she was now a Spirit, he decided to stay his hand.


    After all, the previous battle with the Spirit had exhausted him considerably. He was short on materials for another battle, having just now dealt with the regr Essencer Guild members scattered throughout the town.


    ''She''s a Spirit and feels stronger than the one from before.'' He frowned in response, ''Her umtions seem to becking, but she has absorbed some rather tricky abilities.''


    He had just tracked her when she was about to exit the textile shop, noticing her pocket the shopkeeper. ''She has somehow managed to subdue and absorb the essence of an unscrupulous merchant. That gives her too much foundation to improve upon.''


    He turned around, no longer remaining at the ce, deciding to make preparations ordingly. After a walk spanning an hour, he arrived at a shack and entered it, staring at the old cot and the table beside.


    He slid underneath the cot and pulled a hidden lever, causing a smalltch to open. He plunged into it, dropping a dozen metres freely before a shadow tentacle extended to coil on the floor, acting as a spring to cushion his fall.


    The hooded mannded on the floor and closed thetch, gasping as he removed the cloak, revealing a body that seemed to be a patchwork at best, barely held together by tentacles of shadow.


    The room was created out of marble, looking expensive, with signs of cutting-edge technology. It was masked within that poor man''s shack.


    It was illuminated by a tube light, something that wasn''t avable anywhere else, signalling the extent of knowledge that he had obtained through blessings. He stared at therge mirror before him, sighing in response.


    A youth seemingly in his early twenties, but more than half his face seemed to have been burned up. One eye and ear were non-functional while the other eye only retained some level of sight.


    Only a small patch of his head had hair that he seemed to have shaved off.


    Large sections of his limbs were just shadowy stretches. The bones, nerves, etc. were all made from shadows, pumping out body fluids ordingly.


    Some of his internal organs too were missing, reced by their shadow counterparts that were somehow maintaining the function of the original. But, it was obvious that he was just prolonging his life like this.


    He was constantly in pain and every action was a form of overexertion that further taxed his body. But, it didn''t matter, for he didn''t n to rest until everyone from the Essencer Guild was destroyed and his de reached the neck of the Devil they worshipped.


    Hatred was all that fuelled his drive.


    The mirror stretched for a few metres, with more than half of it taken up by writings of various sorts. There were names, affiliations, rtion charts, rumours, news, etc. that he had collected over the years.


    ''There''s just one more left in this town.'' He thought before closing his eyes, resting as is. He couldn''t sleep like a regr human, as a fraction of his body''s involuntary process was being done by his shadow.<novelnext></novelnext>


    And even though it could operate on its own, he shared the mental load of the faith flowing through him. Therefore, if he fully rxed, the faith might stop flowing into him, for his body was already tethering on the edge of death. He offered his usual prayers, ''A bit more, continue to watch over me.''


    Two hourster, he got up and clicked a button on the wall, watching the doors open to reveal a futuristicb in which countless solutions, vials, extracts, etc. were stored.


    There was a screen on the wall, disying some flickering output and numbers while the whirring sounds of machines softly filled the ce.


    ''The target has an unscrupulous merchant''s powers. So, there''s a good chance she could simply hide within their exclusive dimension. That means any attacks I use on her should have adhesive properties. Any other attack won''t work well.''


    He continued to imagine countless battle scenarios, working up solutions ordingly. After a few hours passed, he exited his shack and returned to spy on Eldna, gathering as many clues as possible.


    After all, going against a Spirit from the Essencer Guild wasn''t an easy feat, especially for someone without powers like him. The majority of the shadow he got was used in keeping his body functional.


    "Mom, that guy looks scary. He''s fully covered up¡­" A boy said while pointing at him.


    "Shush, don''t speak nonsense." His mother hurriedly shut him up and dragged him away. Moreover, while going away, her attention fell on his feet, staring at the sky to see the evening sun.


    She stared at her son, gazing at the long shadow he cast, trailing her gaze on the hooded man, observing ack of shadow trailing from his feet, ''That''s not a human.''


    In fear, she pulled her son away as hurriedly as possible, quickly returning home.


    Of course, the hooded man didn''t bother with them, only focusing his entirety on observing Eldna. If any of the ordinary people were frightened by him, he couldn''t help it. After all, he couldn''t be invisible. Secondly, he might miss out on a lot of clues if he only went around during the night.


    "Excuse me, sir?" Suddenly, a priest of the city serving the God of Rain approached him, staring at him with a hint of suspicion, "I''ve received numerous reports about you recently. Can I ask you to spare some time with us?"


    "Sure," The hooded man didn''t even disy a hint of displeasure, pointing at the nearest prayer hall meant for the believers to pray in peace, "Let''s talk somewhere safe."


    The priest was surprised by his action as he didn''t say anything and led the hooded man to the prayer hall. It was indeed the safest ce, for plenty of priests were located there. So, should the hooded man try anything funny, he would be neutralised swiftly.


    But the fact that he took the initiative to suggest it meant either he was confident in his strength or sincerely didn''t mean them any harm.


    The priest stared at his back, ''Which one are you?''

 Chapter 991 Pray To Me More, Will You?

    Once the hooded man entered the prayer hall, he casually sauntered into a private room, removing his facial cover once the priest followed him in, observing the shock in the other party''s expression as he asked, "So, what do you wish to know about?"


    "Who are you?" The priest seemed somewhat experienced as he quickly regained his bearings and asked, "Quite a few people have expressed their fear towards you."


    "Your appearance isn''t the most pleasing, after all."


    "Well, what they say is the truth." In his even hoarser voice than before, the hooded man covered his face and spoke, "I suppose they would be happy if the threat that consumes them looks kind and pleasant to the eye, huh?"


    "What do you mean?" The priest frowned in response when suddenly, the hooded man took out an envelope and ced it on the table nearby, "This is for the person monitoring us. Once you see this, you''ll understand what I''m talking about."


    Saying so, he turned around and exited the room, casually making his way toward the exit.


    "Wait!" The priest shouted in response when suddenly, a hand rested on his shoulder, surprising him, "L-Lord Apostle?"


    "He''s not our enemy. Don''t waste his limited time for yourck of awareness." The one speaking was a middle-aged man with zed eyes. He seemed blind at first nce but had afortable time moving around as he pleased.


    He was an Apostle representing the God of Rain, having been watching their actions from the start. The Apostle stared at the envelope that he had opened, gazing at the string of photos within, muttering in shock, "A mysterious power that can capture a moment into a piece of paper, something like this is only possible for the God of Humanity."


    "Then he is...?" The priest asked, noticing that the hooded man had vanished by now.


    "An Aggressor." The Apostle said in all seriousness, "That''s what a group of people following the God of Humanity came to call themselves. They are fanatics that oppose every existence that seeks to exploit humanity, whether it be Deities or Devils."


    "He''s one of them and a rather powerful one at that." The Apostle sighed, "If we actually fought, both of us might have died as a result."


    "H-How is that possible?" The priest was stunned at his words, "Lord Apostle, you possess a tenth of our Deity''s divine powers. Someone like him can''t defeat you. The power of faith I felt in him was pretty weak."


    "Yes, the faith in him was weak indeed. But," The Apostle shook his head, "His knowledge of the human body far surpasses us. He''s a walking think tank of a weapon capable of exploiting our weakness in an instant. Besides, he''s the one that had killed the one we had been pursuing recently."


    Only then did the priest focus on the pictures taken out of the envelope, staring at the images that showed the Spirit from the Essencer Guild that had died the day before, his abilities in action, especially the lightning and rain-rted power.


    Upon staring at that, the priest''s face paled, "Isn''t that the power of our faith?"


    "Yes," The Apostle was serious now as he went through the photos, "It seems the Essencer Guild is far more capable than we had assumed. They can absorb and store the faith generated by our believers. No wonder our God was feeling weaker recently."


    He stared at the exit, "If not for that man, we would have still been sitting like blind ducks."


    "I''ll alert everyone, Lord Apostle." The priest gritted his teeth in rage, "These bastards from the Essencer Guild will pay for harming our people."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "No need," The Apostle ced his hands together in prayer as a suffocating power emanated from him, "I''ve already informed our God about this. The message would be transmitted to all our believers once she makes a n of action."


    "I see," The Apostle muttered after a minute as he stopped praying and stared at the priest, "It seems there''s just one from the Essencer Guild left within our domain. And she''s already being targeted by the Aggressor. We only need to make preparations to wage war against the Essencer Guild after this."


    ...


    At the peak of a mountain that experienced rainfall throughout the year, seated underneath the canopy of arge tree were two people, using a rock each. The canopy was thick enough to prevent any rain from seeping through the foliage, keeping the ce underneath dry.


    On one side was a girl in her teens, sipping hot tea in relish as she stared at the kid before her, "Is this fine with you, Pnolli?"


    "Isn''t that Aggressor of yours having a hard time living? Why put him through such misery?"


    She was the God of Rain, in her abode, speaking to her guest, Pnolli.


    "This tea is great." Pnollimented once he finished emptying the cup, stating contently, "Give me a batch to take home. It has been ages since I had something this good."


    "Can''t you juste to the point?" The God of Rain snorted in annoyance, "Old man, can''t you be less annoying?"


    "You see, what my believers do is entirely up to them." Pnolli spoke slowly, "I never interfere with them. And if they ask for a blessing, I give them that. Fuelling humanity''s greed for knowledge is my essence."


    "Since he wishes to hunt the Essencer Guild, he can do as he pleases."


    "Such arrogance." The God of Rain smiled cutely when suddenly, the rain stopped pouring, nketing the region with absolute chillness. The shes of lightning suddenly increased, from one to two, two to four, four to eight, and so on, until the sky was bright, as if it were daytime.


    Her expression wasn''t chill anymore, her emotion one of utter wrath, staring at Pnolli with the intent to kill, "Does that arrogance stem from the fact that you created this world?"


    "Is that it? To be one of the absolute six? Does that put the rest of us Deities under you? Is that why you''re feeding me such crap?"


    Like arms inching forth, resembling branches, the shes of lightning gradually extended towards Pnolli, intending to kill him as they almost touched him. Just the emitted light was blinding enough to permanently destroy one''s sight.


    But in this state, Pnolli opened his mouth to state slowly, "It seems you aren''t smart enough."


    "Pray to me more, will you?"


    "I''ll bless you wisdom."

 Chapter 992 The Ruler Of Deities

    "You''re still mocking me!" The God of Rain grunted in rage as she almost caused the sea of lightning to touch Pnolli, but for some reason, she stopped. After all, until now, the opponent showed no signs of resistance.


    Through the prayers, she heard her believers'' concern, for in their eyes, her act of summoning the sea of lightning was a show of wrath, and hence, they prayed to her in hopes to quell her rage.


    With a snap of her finger, the God of Rain retracted the sea of lightning, calming down in a couple of seconds as rain resumed falling in the region. She stared at Pnolli, "Once I became a Deity, I could observe the primordialws forming the makeup of this vastly expanding world. As my power epasses the clouds travelling throughout the sky, I could feel this the clearest."


    She faced Pnolli, "This world was created using the foundation of six deific entities. And they have all taken up absolute positions in this world."


    The God of Rain made eye contact, stating solemnly, "And you, the God of Humanity, is one such being, the core pir of this world''s foundation."


    "What exactly do you gain from this? Why have you created this world? Just¡­"


    "I think it''s for the best to leave it at that." Pnolli spoke as he ced the teacup and got up, "The tea was delicious. I''lle for a cup another time, if fate permits."


    Saying so, he turned around and began to make his way down the mountain. The God of Rain shouted in response, "You''re not going to say anything?"


    "My clouds have been all over the world. I have noticed drastic actions from three other pirs. It seems like they''re preparing to wage a grand war that would engulf the entire world." She continued to shout, "I can help, you know!"


    "I''m one of the strongest Deities in this world now. My believers are spread across tens of thousands of viges and dozens of cities and are continuing to increase as more and more people take up agriculture and be expectant of rain for a bountiful harvest." Upon seeing Pnolli''s figure almost leaving her view, her shouts became fiercer.


    "If a war erupts, you need my power to face the rest! Or, are you nning to abandon this world, you irresponsible fucker?"


    Pmolli''s figure stopped, almost causing the God of Rain to regret thest statement. But it had been shot already, and hence, there was no use taking it back.


    "First of all, this world exhibits the core of my beliefs." Pnolli turned around and let out a gentle smile at her, "The existence of this world is my faith. I won''t let any harme to it."


    "B-But," The God of Rain intended to argue when Pnolli waved his hand and walked away.


    He vanished from view, descending the steep mountain, "As for that all-engulfing war you''re expecting, don''t worry."


    "It''ll never happen."


    As he continued to descend the mountain, Pnolli muttered with a bone-chilling tone, "Everything will conclude before a war can truly erupt."


    ¡­


    Kiek!


    Kiek! Kiek!


    A turtle let out its cry as it was lifted by a certain individual, one that terrified it for some reason. Its face confronted him at eye level as it shrunk its neck within its shell.


    "Don''t be scared so much, will you?" The individual spoke with a clear, cajoling voice, gently rubbing its forehead as he asked, "How goes the lives of your fellow turtles? Are you leading afortable life?"


    "Is your family well?" The individual asked, answering himself with a casual hiss when it bit his finger, "Judging based on your reaction, it''s not going well, huh?"


    "Humans have been hunting in the area where you turtlesy eggs? Now, that''s not good, is it?" He spoke, watching the turtle let out whimpering cries, expressing its sadness.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I see, their hunting has impacted your ecosystem, forcing you to migrate to more dangerous waters. It endangered the lives of most of you, huh?" He muttered before saying his take on the matter, "Well, the fault is all yours, though."


    "Who asked you to be weak?''


    Kiek! Kieek!


    The turtle cried in protest as the individual raised an eyebrow, "What, nature hasn''t been kind to you? How strange, aren''t you blessed with tough shells on your back to protect you? Even most predators struggle to get through that¡­"


    "What? The human tools can easily go past that? Eeeeh?" The individual let out an exaggerated scream before patting it on the back gently, "I have a solution, what do you say?"


    Kiek!


    "You only need to be a Deity." The individual spoke, watching the turtle stare at him like he were a retard. Offended, he huffed, "You know, I''m something of an enigma myself."


    "You''re by far the wisest among your turtle race and have served as their leader for close to a century. So, you''re the perfect fit to be their Deity."


    Kiek! Kiek! Kiek!


    The turtles came on the shore inrge droves, all kneeling before the individual who smiled at the turtle that had epted his offer.


    With a wave, he clenched his hand in the air, seeming to have gathered something as he ced it on the head of the turtle¡ªthat he was holding.


    "More!" He shouted while staring at the group of turtles, "Wish for your safety more! For a better life! For your young ones, for your unhatched eggs, for yourselves! Hope for a better life!"


    He raised his hand to the limit and clenched it into a fist, seemingly gathering something from the air that he pressed on the head of the turtle. Slowly, he repeated the process while urging the turtles through words, and by the three hundredth attempt, a mysterious glow erupted from the turtle that instantly grew in size before taking on a humanoid form.


    It stared at the individual and prostrated, "Thank you for allowing me to be a Deity. I will protect my race and serve you well¡­"


    "God-King!"


    "Good, good, good." The individual nodded chirpily as he patted the humanoid turtle''s shoulder, "Your uing task is to forge a region in the sea that will be marked as your territory. No one will dare enter your home and endanger your people after that."


    "As you will!" The humanoid turtle bowed in response and entered the sea alongside the turtles that prayed toward it.


    Once all turtles had vanished from the shore, the individual let out a yawn, "Damn, that was more exhausting than I had thought. Turtles are one of the wisest races but their faith is almost negligible."


    "But you still seeded." A voice resounded from behind as a divine peacocknded, disying its majestic crown of feathers. Following it, divine beastsnded one after another, saying in unison, "It was only thanks to you that we became Deities."


    "You''re the true creator of this world, the one and only Ruler of Deities,"


    "The God King!"

 Chapter 993 Deity Level Faith

    "The God King!"


    The recipient of their shouts was of course Arnark. He stared at them with pride, observing the faith streaming into each inrge quantities, speaking happily, "You''ve all grown well. You''re strong even among Deities."


    "But," The divine peacock said hesitantly, "I''m the only Deity among the peacocks. The case is the same for all the other races too. Only the human race is an exception as they have hundreds of Deities now."


    "Is there any hope for us?"


    "Hope?" Arnarkughed casually as he knocked the divine peacock''s head a little, "You should know very well the core source of a Deity''s strength."


    "Faith!" All the divine beasts answered in unison.


    "Yes, so the greater the faith, the stronger you are. So, having just one Deity per race is actually better." Arnark continued, "The faith of everyone from your race surges in you by default just because you represent them."


    "This is unlike the humans with many options. Their faith isn''t as concentrated or pure as your believers. Well, except for their fanatics that is." Heughed and patted the peacock, "So, continue to increase the number of peacocks and you''ll grow stronger and stronger. Eventually, you''ll be so strong that no single human Deity can ever hope to resist you."


    "Everyone should work towards that future." He announced, "That''s why I relocated your homes to strategic locations."


    "Is hunting the humans the only option?" The peacock asked, "Is there no hope for coexistence?"


    "There is no hope until the God of Humanity is alive." Arnark said, "Through him, the development of humanity is unstoppable. You''ve seen their growth yourself."


    "Y-Yes," The peacock trembled in fright, "They''re making mysterious constructs to alter the terrain for their needs. Last year, they flooded a river that wiped out half the wildlife and even impacted my people. It''s hard to resist them."


    It expressed regret, "Their crossbows are terrifying. Even a normal group of humans armed with it are able to defeat a Spirit of mine. This is not to include the Spirits of other human Deities."


    "I know," Arnark said, "My powers can only make you Deities. It cannot grant you knowledge regarding things like the God of Humanity. But, that doesn''t mean I''ll leave you helpless."


    "You have a solution, God King?" The peacock asked in excitement.


    "Yep," Arnark nodded naturally, "Killing the God of Humanity solves everything. Without him, humans can no longer develop crazily. Their development would more or less be simr to your people."


    "Humans do have an innate advantage in terms of employing tools," Arnark nodded, "But that''s why I strategically ced each one of you close to a major human settlement. Whatever they develop, steal it and make it yours. Raid them constantly and prevent their development from surpassing yours."


    "Can it work?" The peacock asked.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Use your head, will you?" Arnark knocked its head, "Every race has its advantage. Work on furthering that and you''ll be fine. Diversify your means of development and don''t just depend on the power you possess as a Deity."


    "I mean, if the people die, the Deity bes crippled, as simple as that. So," Arnark said, "Economics ys the most important factor in everything. Cripple the people and the foundation of the Deities copses."


    "The God of Humanity doesn''t have a primary settlement. His believers are scattered throughout the world and a good fraction of them are part of other faiths. The Deities of those faiths would ensure their protection. So in this way, the God of Humanity has actually employed other Deities to protect his believers."


    "His blessings allow the people to improve their standards of life, as a result, they live longer, can buildrger settlements, and even innovate methods to harness the power of faith better. With stabler economies, the power held by the Deities is more stable." He continued, "So, all the human Deities are content with the rtionship they share with the God of Humanity."


    ''Indeed, as expected of Compass. Without moving a single finger, he brought the Deities of the world under him. For their benefit, they would defend him to the end. After all, thanks to his blessings, their people live longer, explode their poption, and figure out solutions to diseases, gues, and natural disasters better by expending as little faith as possible. It''s insanely efficient.'' Arnark thought in praise.


    Honestly, he now had a full grasp as to why Compass Carburettor threatened him. Thetter was the best in moving just a single piece to naturally influence the rest of the pieces part of a chaotic puzzle into moving towards his benefit.


    Even Arnark paled inparison to that, ''But not this time.''


    He let out a smirk and stared at the divine beasts, ''Humans are on your side but every other race is on my side. And unlike you, my believers are the Deities themselves.''


    Yes, this was the path Arnark had taken. Just like Compass Carburettor, a few minutes into the picture after he had woken up, Arnark had figured out the core principle of this world, and also its major defect.


    Your strength was decided by the number of people believing you. So, a fight between Deities didn''t involve themselves, but their followers.


    To kill Arnark, as long as Compass Carburettor killed his followers, the result was obvious. The case was the same vice-versa.


    This was why Compass Carburettor became the God of Humanity, making other human Deities work to defend his people.


    And Arnark''s route was simr, or rather, a level better. Instead of making other Deities the guardians of his believers, Arnark turned the Deities themselves into his believers.


    So, the faith streaming into him was of a higher level. If the faith gathered by the Deities was mortal level, as the source was the mortals, his faith was Deity level, for the source was the Deities themselves.


    Of course, this meant that Arnark had to work harder, since it was his powers that turned animals into Deities.


    "Moreover, we have one advantage." Arnark grinned as he snapped his finger, causing a figure tond beside him, riding a wooden bird, "Here, we have someone that can take the ce of the tools relied upon by humanity."


    "The Beast God himself."

 Chapter 994 Martial Submits

    "Is there no other way?" Martial, the Beast God sighed, "Honestly, I''m not confident in fighting Compass. This world is his."


    "He has the home advantage here."


    "Even after so long, your indecisiveness as a Genre Representative hasn''t vanished." Arnark snorted, "Well, I guess it makes sense. That''s how you''ve been for millions of years. I can''t expect you to change overnight. But still,"


    He pped Martial, "Grow a pair, will you?"


    "You''re no longer a Genre Representative."


    "Enough!" Martial red at Arnark, offended by the p, "I''ll kill you!"


    "Sure, give it a try." Arnark coolly spoke as he stood right before Martial, "I''m within your reach. All you need to do is raise your hand and you''ll touch me. Go on, do it."


    "You¡­bastard!" Martial red in rage as he clenched his hand into a fist. Arnark didn''t even use any abilities, so at present, he was in a vulnerable state. With his power as the Beast God, Martial only needed tounch an attack to end his life.


    But, the moment he clenched his hand into a fist, Martial felt dull,cking power. No, there wasn''t any power affecting him. It was just his mind.


    He was afraid of Arnark.


    He was afraid of killing Arnark. No, rather, even if he had the power, he didn''t have the confidence in killing him. Secondly, he was uncertain about his future.


    A long time has passed already. So, did the Murim worlds birth a new Genre Representative?


    When he became the Beast God, Martial could sense his powers funnelling into this world. After all, his strength as Martial was still flowing into him. Of course, that was being intercepted by this world that devoured everything.


    But recently, Martial was unable to sense that influx anymore. It meant that the Murim Worlds either diverged further or simply birthed a new Martial.


    Then, what did that make him?


    If he were to escape from this world sessfully, what will he be? He wasn''t sure. Without any power funnelling into him, Martial might just vanish the moment he left this world. Or the new Martial might simply devour him.


    He had been suffering from an identity crisis,cking any hope for the future. In the end, he rxed his clenched fist, grunting in response upon staring at Arnark''s face. "Bastard!"


    "So you know your ce." Arnark grinned and backed away casually, "Forget your past and work on erecting a future in this world. As long as Compass is killed, this world will be your yground."


    "An unstable power like faith has been stabilised in this world. Moreover," Arnark grinned, "Thews of this world will devour any existence that interacts with it. So, no external enemy would ever be able to interfere with the workings of this world. Rather, they would be devoured and assimted by it."


    "After all, this is the only world in existence that has both Lore and Tell-Tale." Arnark said in all seriousness, "Thews here are sentient. Unlike other worlds, they are active. So, once they finished assimting the energy obtained from us all, they would extend their reach to the nearby universes and continue to grow."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "And the one ruling this world would eventually rule the multiverse." Arnark proimed, "Since Compass wished to kill us, I took the chance to wager Lore. This way, the winner takes the ultimate power that would allow them to rule the multiverse."


    "It means I have two choices, huh¡­" Martial said in disappointment, "Either under you or under Compass."


    "Yeah," Arnark nodded as a matter of fact, "Lore and Tell-Tale isn''t the type of power an average shmuck like you can wield. So yeah, it''s impossible for you."


    "What about Zaira then?" Martial retorted, "She wielded Tell-Tale before. She can do so again. And Lore too is a Core Skill. That makes her the sole entity that can perfectly control this world."


    "You''re right about that, but you see," Arnark grinned, "Zaira can never win against me, neither in the past nor in the future. She''s just my greatest sponsor and lives in denial."


    ''What is the source of his confidence?'' Martial thought before sighing in surrender, ''I have no choice but to ally with Arnark then.''


    It was because his powersplemented Arnark''s side better. He had better value here than on Compass Carburettor''s side. Moreover, it didn''t even seem like Compass Carburettor had a use for the powers of the Beast God.


    "What should I do now?" Martial asked.


    "Take the rejects." Arnark spoke, "Not all races have the capabilities to produce a Deity. So, take them under your wing. I can facilitate the process. Through your blessings, add a scope for evolution in them. So one day, some of them might gain the potential to be a Deity. That''ll be helpful for me."


    "Also," He pointed at the divine beasts before him, "Gain some believers from their respective races. Your powers would allow them to develop simr to the tools of humans."


    "Fine, I''ll do that." Martial nodded and began to work immediately. At least, through this task, he was able to observe that he was intricately tying himself to the beast races. Therefore, as long as they exist, he too would maintain his power.


    It was pretty stable in terms of future prospects.


    "What¡­about the rest?" Martial asked once he finished discussing with the divine beasts, staring at Arnark in hesitation, "Are they acting on their own?"


    "Invader and Waning Essence have be Devils instead." Arnark said, "They are actively rampaging around in human societies and are proving a headache for the Deities. Moreover, they have managed to birth a few more Devils."


    "Every Devil is a menace to human society, so an increase in their numbers is to our benefit." He grinned, "I have yet to talk with them, but it doesn''t matter. As long as they maintain their growth and actions, it''s enough for me. They are the parasites eating away at the stability of human societies."


    "Then, that leaves thest of us six." Martial asked, "What the heck is Adventure¡­I mean, Secondary up to?"


    "As for him¡­" Arnark frowned, "All I managed to find was information regarding some unscrupulous merchants. They are simply transacting with everyone, whether affiliated with Deities or Devils, whether on my side or Compass''s. There is no discrimination."


    "No one knows what he''s nning."

 Chapter 995 Capturing Eldna

    "Our God blesses us a bountiful harvest for this year too, thanks to our devoted believers." A priest of the God of Rain announced atop arge dais, staring at the crowd of few thousand.


    Most of the people from the town had gathered at the za to hear the annual sermons of the God of Rain. This was the time period when the crops needed bountiful rain to grow and hence, this was the season when the God of Rain received the most potent of worship.


    The needs of both sides resulted in a series of festivals centred around this time. The start of it was the mass sermons.


    Hidden amidst the crowd was Eldna, using her hair as a straw to suck in the faith being generated by the believers. But every few seconds, she had to retract the hair and act normal, vexing her, ''Why are there so many priests around?''


    She looked around, able to sense waves of faith streaming within the bodies of a few within the crowd itself, disguised as believers, ''They are Spirits of the God of Rain! Why are they part of the crowd?''


    She became nervous, ''Are they already onto our actions? Dammit, did the other members mess up?''


    She couldn''t find an answer. And as she was already part of the crowd, she couldn''t simply up and leave. That would be suspicious.


    And if the faith of the God of Rain were already looking for traces of the Essencer Guild, she would only end up painting a target on her head.


    The fact that Spirits were mingled among the crowd asmon believers were already rming enough. But the more disturbing fact was the entity standing a few people behind her.


    His presence was hidden, but through the faith of the God of Rain that she had absorbed, Eldna was able to feel a terrifying vortex of faith concentrated in that individual.


    An Apostle!


    ''Dammit, how did thingse to this point?'' Eldna was confused. Things were still fine a month ago when she became a Spirit. But gradually after that, she felt as if a noose was tightening around her neck.


    Whenever she tried to absorb the essence of people, something or the other always interrupted her. This caused her resource gathering to halt at a minimum, so much so that she was scolded by the Devil she worshipped.


    After all, her output was the least aspared to all the Spirits. The Devil warned that if her output remained the same the following month too, then her status as a Spirit would be revoked.


    It would mean her situation would return to her pitiful state from before. And that was something Eldna wished to avoid, and hence, she took the risk to join the mass sermons and steal faith from there itself.


    Unfortunately, it proved difficult as she had to stop her actions every time a priest or Spirit directed their gaze at her location.


    Had this gathering just been organised by a group of priests, Eldna would have taken the risk to kill everyone and somehow manage to escape. She could flee to another town and take up a new identity.


    But there were many Spirits, not to mention an Apostle in the ce. The moment she exposes herself, she would be put to rest in a matter of seconds.


    "Hello there¡­" Just as she was wracking her brain for a method to protect herself, a hoarse voice resounded nearby as a hooded figure stopped beside her. He was covered from head to toe, appearing terrifying.


    The surrounding people were afraid and naturally distanced themselves from him the moment they noticed him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''Why the heck is he moving now?'' The priest giving out the sermons barely managed to not break out of character, ''Is he crazy? There are believers everywhere. The moment they fight, it would cause panic and result in a stampede once the situation derails.''


    Eldna frowned as she stared at him, intending to ignore him first before she noticed the faith of the God of Humanity concentrated in him, ''He''s a Spirit of the God of Humanity? Did the God of Humanity start epting Spirits now?''


    "I can help you escape." The hooded man spoke.


    "Help me¡­?" Eldna was about to refuse instinctively when she was startled, ''Wait! How does he know that I want to escape?''


    "Shit!" She grunted in horror and intended to escape, churning the faith of the God of Rain as she prepared to shoot out lightning bolts and incite chaos among the crowd.


    But suddenly, she lost control of her bearings, copsing to the ground weakly as she was in an intense state of fever. ''No, something is wrong!''


    She hurriedly burned up the lifeforce, noticing in rm that her recovery was very slow.


    "Someone fainted!" A Spirit that was disguised among the crowd took the opportunity to shout in surprise as he approached Eldna and inspected her condition, acting, "Oh no, she''s ill. We need to treat her immediately."


    "What''s happening?" The priest giving out the sermons stopped as he asked, bringing the attention of everyone to the matter. The crowd parted way to allow a clear view of Eldna as he observed her and waved his hand at a couple of priests, "Please bring her to the prayer hall. We''ll treat her."


    Following that, he resumed the sermons, "Our God''s blessings allow us to treat even incurable diseases."


    He converted the situation into fuel for his propaganda, smiling upon seeing the streams of faith strengthen in response.


    Eldna was unable to move as she was carried by a couple of priests and brought to the nearby prayer hall. They quickly moved away from view and descended a hidden flight of stairs, entering the basement where they threw her into a cell.


    Soon after, followed by the sounds of footsteps, two individuals arrived before the cell. One of them, donning the clothes of amoner muttered in surprise, "How did you incapacitate her?"


    He was the Apostle hidden in the crowd. And standing next to him, the recipient of the statement was the hooded man.


    "Through the food she consumed." The hooded man said, "Unlike the previous Spirit, she has a habit of working out nonstop. So, I tailed her and drugged the fruits and vegetables she was about to buy. I have an urate grasp of her habit and bias. The drug would remain in her system without showing any effect until triggered."


    "And that trigger, I activated it in the crowd." The hooded man spoke, "With enough nning, even a Spirit can be rendered helpless."


    He then took out a vial and ced it within Eldna''s mouth, shattering it within as he observed the contents flowing down her throat, uttering emotionlessly, "Alright, there are a couple thousand eggs in her stomach now¡­"


    "Enough to consume ten times the lifeforce she has stored."

 Chapter 996 Praying To The God Of Humanity

    ? "You¡­bastards¡­Kuak!" Eldna cursed as she convulsed on the floor, writhing in pain as mysterious wormy creatures began to form in her stomach, squirming around to the extent her stomach erged to dangerous levels.


    And as the stomach was the organ where all the essence that someone from the Essencer Guild absorbs is stored, the worms were directly feeding at the source of her strength. "No!"


    She screeched in pain and tried to unleash lightning bolts to kill them. Unfortunately, the drug circting through her body prevented her from even concentrating enough to wield that.


    It wasn''t easy for a normal human to wield faith. The hooded man was aware of it from experience, as it was through the shadows that he even lived. A minimal amount of concentration was necessary to employ the power of faith.


    And the drug he put in her prevented that. Every time Eldna tried to concentrate, her mind got distracted, causing her focus to dissipate, preventing her usage of faith. After the first few moments, she was unable to harness the absorbed lifeforce too.


    As time passed, she became more and more helpless, watching in rm as her stomach expanded like she was pregnant, bearing a child six to seven months into pregnancy.


    "I¡­I surrender! Please, save me!" She pleaded at the end, unable to bear the pain as everything she had stored in her stomach was fully consumed by the worms.


    "What''s the n?" The Apostle of the God of Rain stared at the hooded man, "Are you going to kill her now?"


    "Not yet," The hooded man said, "The worms I put in her are somewhat special. Let them first consume every speck of faith in her body."


    "And then?" The Apostle asked.


    "You''ll see," The hooded man didn''t say anything else and calmly watched Eldna writhe around in pain. Her body was numb from the drug, and hence she couldn''t even move to offer resistance.


    Time passed in such a manner as the worms finished devouring all faith in her stomach. Following that, they squirmed for a few minutes before reaching the end of their lifespan, dying one after another.


    At this moment, the hooded man arrived before her and kneeled, extended his hand as on the end of his index finger, a shadowy tentacle crept and transformed into a scalpel. Using that, he made an incision on her belly and pulled out the stomach organ.


    Eldna screamed in pain when suddenly, a beastly jaw of shadow came out of his body and swallowed the stomach organ. It then retreated into his body as the shadow formed countless nerves that attached to the stomach organ, quickly beginning to circte his blood through it.


    Yes, he didn''t even have a stomach and had been subsisting with a replica he made using his shadow. Of course, he had to consume hydrochloric acid and other substances secreted by the stomach in order to maintain his digestion process.


    The Symbol of Authority of Essencer¡ªthe Devil worshipped by the Essencer Guild¡ªwas the stomach. The Tool of Authority was the mouth while the Mode of Bestowal was hair.


    Everyone from the Essencer Guild had their bodies modified by the Essencer, with the symbol of authority blessed into them to make their stomachs capable of storing in the stolen faiths.


    Of course, without gaining Essencer''s power, they couldn''t steal the faith and essence of others. But if they couldn''t store the same without retaining Essencer''s power, it would be a loss. And hence, everyone from the Essencer Guild gained the innate blessing that morphed their stomachs.


    Of course, the stomachs of a regr believer and a Spirit were vastly different. The hooded man had been experimenting on them in order to weaponize their stomachs.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The previous Spirit gave a lot of valuable data. But unfortunately, the hooded man''s worms tore through that Spirit''s stomach. And hence, he couldn''t use it for himself and could only run experiments on it.


    That was why he made some changes to the current batch of worms and ensured they wouldn''t devour Eldna''s stomach. Moreover, it was unknown how she did it, but Eldna had stolen some faith directly from the God of Humanity.


    When he sensed it first, the hooded man was stunned, raging even. But immediately after, he began to n ordingly, which led to the current sequence of events.


    As she wasn''t dead yet, Essencer hadn''t reimed the power of Spirit granted to Eldna. Using that chance, the hooded man stole her stomach and made it his as his shadows invaded the organ.


    The concentrated faith of the God of Humanity within had already been consumed by the worms. But once they died, their remains were coated with that power. They had a mild deific nature to them.


    And as the stomach began to digest them, this substance was mixed into his blood, causing the hooded man to grunt as his body felt like it would explode any moment.


    The residual power of Essencer, God of Humanity, God of Rain, and Peddler¡ªthe Devil controlling the unscrupulous merchants¡ªcircted in his body.


    The shadows acting as the blood vessels felt strained in response as his mind too felt drained. But at this moment, he pped loudly, praying, ''Show me the way to stabilise this!''


    Boom!


    Immediately, a torrent of information poured into his mind, apanied by experiences of all sorts. The Aggressors were a fanatic bunch, with none having any regard for their lives. They were all like the hooded man, living on borrowed time, with the sole goal of killing Devils or any existences that they hated.


    A member of the Essencer Guild had reced the hooded man''s father and ughtered his family. He too was almost killed, but right before he could be absorbed, priests of a nearby faith rushed to the scene. That member had to leave in a hurry, and hence he survived.


    Following that, he prayed to the God of Humanity and gained power, using his shadow to rece his lost organs and body parts, living on borrowed time to exact vengeance on the Essencer Guild.


    So, he didn''t care about his well-being and only wished to gain enough power to ughter the Essencer Guild. The information influx was an rming sum, enough to make a regr person mad.


    "Haah!" The hooded man simply shouted in response, insane from the start as he let go of everything and only focused on his mission, rapidly limating to all the experiences gained by Aggressors that had simrly experimented.


    And using that, he manipted his shadow, causing the residual effects of the God of Rain to be absorbed into the shadow nerves like a cloth absorbing rain. Following that, it became simr to a wet cloth that coiled around the residual effects of the Peddler, forming a space within that unleashed a force of vacuum, absorbing the residual effects of Essencer.


    His blood vessels became simr to the worms he had created, almost microscopic in size as they circted through his body like blood, bing a weapon that he could use to kill those from the Essencer Guild with greater ease.

 Chapter 997 Avatar—Aggressor

    "Phew...it''s done." The hooded man let out a breath in relief as he stared at the bleeding figure of Eldna, "Anyst words?"


    "Fuck you!" Eldna roared as she took her final breath. The moment her stomach organ was extracted, Essencer noticed her state, immediately cutting off the supply of faith to her, resulting in her qualification as a Spirit being revoked.


    The hooded man felt weak, for despite seeding in the fusion of the various powers to result in an innate mutation of his body, he was at his limit. After all, his mind was bearing the burden of the God of Humanity''s faith flowing through him.


    It had been two years since he had been in this state. It was too long a time.


    Even an Apostle would find it difficult to constantly wield faith for more than a few days. But he had been a madman,sting for two whole years now, the longest among Aggressors.


    Moreover, unlike most aggressors, his injuries were devastating. Lacking many vital organs, muscle structures to move, parts of limbs necessary to live, etc. He subsisted through everything using his shadow, and atop that, he targeted the Essencer Guild and even managed to kill two Spirits.


    ''No, I shouldn''t faint, not now.'' The hooded man took in deep,boured breaths as he stretched his concentration, forcefully maintaining focus as he popped in a few pills. He stared at the Apostle, "Do you have any use for this corpse?"


    "I''ve taken the stomach, but there''s still traces of faith residue in the rest of her body."


    "If you don''t want it, then we''ll take care of it. We intend to research upon it." The Apostle spoke with a respectful tone.


    "That''s it?" The hooded man was surprised, "None of us Aggressors have ever been treated well by people of other faith, especially by an Apostle."


    "We''re only following our Deity''s orders." The Apostle said without a change in his level of respect disyed, smiling at the hooded man, "It seems you''re supported a lot by the God of Humanity."


    "The concentration of faith flowing into you just now was more than what I can amodate in a month."


    "What was that blessing about?"


    "Just the usual." The hooded man nodded, his eyes lighting up a little as he took his leave. Originally, he would have consumed Eldna''s corpse, for it was valuable research material to further make ns against other Essencer Guild Spirits and even target their Apostles.


    But now, he couldn''t afford to do so, realising that he didn''t have long left to live.


    Consuming the immense blessing took an irreversible toll on his body. Even at present, he was experiencing a searing headache while his body''s remaining functions began to drop one after another.


    As for his shadow, it was weakening rapidly since he was unable to bear the burden of the faith flowing into him.


    ?


    Bang!


    He entered his shack and jumped into the secret basement, hisnding not smooth as he copsed on the floor. The tendrils of shadow intended to act as a spring to cushion his fall broke off into pieces and vanished.


    "Haah...hah...it seems my time''s up." The hooded man grunted in regret, for he hadn''t killed the culprit that destroyed his family yet. He had been killing everyone from the Essencer Guild that he came across, but the one responsible seemed to be atrge.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The hooded man got up slowly as he stared at the blinking screen, "The things here are from a futuristic era thousands of years beyond the current technological prowess of this era. If it gets out, chaos would ensue."


    With that, he tapped on a keyboard, pulling up a sequence to activate the destruction of the ce. That way, everything would be perfectly wiped out and never see the light of day ever again.


    The Aggressors were the most fanatic towards the God of Humanity. And hence, the blessings they received also trumped everyone else. Any knowledge in their possession was enough for others to kill to obtain.


    So, despite burning with a desire for vengeance, they had also been imparted wisdom to clean up after their mission to ensure the technology in their hands wouldn''t fall into the hands of anyone else.


    Every time the hooded man left the shack, he had timed a destruction sequence. If he didn''t return within two days or if the mode of entry was different from usual, the secretb would destroy itself immediately.


    Every Aggressor followed the same principle. And now, the hooded man was about to press the trigger of his final moments. Despite failing to achieve his objective, full of regrets, he had no other choice.


    "Are you fine with leaving things like this?" Suddenly, a voice resounded from behind him, startling the hooded man who turned around and pulled out a miniature railgun that he kept as his trump card.


    The infiltrator was just a boy, but the moment he was about to press the trigger, the hooded man muttered in surprise, "Pnolli?"


    "You recognised me." Pnolli was pleasantly surprised to see the hooded man prostrate with devoted fanatism.


    "Pnolli should be in histe nies now. Even if he gained enough faith to reverse his age, he should still be an adult." The hooded man said in joy as he stared, "That means, the one before me is you..."


    "Your Lordship!"


    As obvious for a fanatic, he could instantly guess his true identity, smiling, "I was feeling regret before. But being able to see you in myst moments is all I need."


    "You shouldn''t throw away the very purpose for which you prolonged your life for the past two years," Pnolli spoke.


    "I see..." The hooded man''s eyes widened in realisation as he bowed in prayer, "So there was that option."


    "I''m envious of Pnolli."


    "Future Aggressors would learn about you and be better prepared..." Pnolli spoke when surprisingly, the hooded man shook his head.


    "I''m just a helpless victim, Your Lordship. The day I called myself an Aggressor, I let go of everything other than my vengeance. So please, I wish to remain the same." He spoke and stared at Pnolli, "I wish to continue the legacy you created."


    "Very well," Pnolli watched the hooded man breathe hisst as his body transformed into a stream of faith and surged in him, "You''ll be called on my behalf as my Avatar of vengeance."


    "The Aggressor."

 Chapter 998 Peddler’s Pent-Up Rage

    The Aggressor came with innate powers¡ªthat he had obtained moments before his death.


    Once he became an Avatar, Compass Carburettor was able to employ the powers of the Aggressor, but only in that state though. But thanks to the Aggressor, he became able to bestow blessings to the Aggressors that were from the Aggressor Avatar.


    ''This would rapidly raise the preparation time of the Aggressors in their fight against the injustices of the world.'' He thought, smiling in response.


    Currently, thanks to the actions of Invaderon and Essencer, there was a lot of chaos happening in the rapidly developing human cities. This led to the emergence of terrifying serial killers who were rapidly making a name for themselves.


    And by harnessing enough fear, some of them even became Devils. And with the appearance of every Devil came the rise of a damnable cult that it operated, causing the underground society to be more and more vicious and expand in development.


    This caused a spike in victims. And thergest strike force resisting them, having survived among the victims to now exact vengeance were the Aggressors.


    Equipped with their futuristic gadgets, they were able to track down the cult members and deal with them. If not for them, human society as a whole would have weakened, causing the faith streams generated by the people to wane in response.


    When fear reigned, faith plummeted. And that seemed to be the focal point of these cults.


    After all, Compass Carburettor had already obtained a general gist of things regarding the ns of his enemies.


    Martial had submitted to Arnark and was focused on animals and birds instead. So, despite being part of the Deity line, their focusy away from humanity.


    Waning Essence and Invader had be Devils, so their primary attack target was humans.


    As for himself, he was the God of Humanity, literally gaining strength with the progression of human society. So, the opposition was clear.


    He would lose when the humans lost their hope. As for the human Deities, they were growing in strength with the passage of every year, but they were terrain locked, unable to take action beyond the domains where their influence stopped.


    Moreover, it was easy to destroy than to create and maintain something. So, the Deities were busy keeping theirnds safe and were unable to curb stomp the growing cults.


    The frontline keeping these cults in check were the Aggressors. And hence, Compass Carburettor ced a lot of importance on their work and didn''t stinge on their blessings.


    He left the shack immediately after, having prevented it from being destroyed. He then closed his eyes, imparting a set of memories to a believer.


    A couple of dayster, a new Aggressor arrived at the city and took up residence within the shack, making his ns by studying his predecessor.


    ''Arnark is about to take action.'' He thought, muttering, "All the yers are already in position. Seems only the initiative iscking."


    He left thend protected by the God of Rain and entered another domain, arriving at a store as he smiled, "I want to buy your second most expensive item."


    "Pleasee in." The shopkeeper eyed his surroundings before motioning for Pnolli to enter, hugging thetter when they entered a private room.


    The door to the alternate space opened as Pnolli calmly entered it, maintaining consciousness, unlike the others.


    He stared at the potted nt immediately upon arrival, saying, "Tell him toe here."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Who?" The potted nt tilted its flower head in response.


    "Who else?" Pnolli smiled and didn''t say anything else. The two stared at each other for a few minutes before a weighing scale appeared in the ce.


    On one side was a pile of gold, enough to buy a hundred towns easily. The other side was empty as the potted nt pointed at it, "If you''re truly who you im, stand on it. If your value exceeds this pile of gold, you may see our Deity."


    "If your value is less, I''ll absorb your everything." The potted nt grinned, "You dare wager this?"


    "I need to value myself?" Pnolli raised an eyebrow as he plucked a strand of hair and ced it on the weighing scale, "This alone is enough."


    "As if a mere strand of hair¡­" The potted nt stopped speaking midway, flinching in shock when the scale tipped in the side of the strand of hair. Moreover, it mmed into the ground with enough force to send the pile of gold on the other side flying like bullets.


    "Kyak!" The potted nt feared for life, for the projectiles mmed everywhere in the space, about to rupture everything, including it. Just as it hugged its flower head with its pair ofrge leaves, the gold projectiles stopped.


    Following that, they streamed into a pouch and vanished.


    "You seriously are greedy." Pnolli let out a smile upon seeing the entity that had appeared before the potted nt.


    "Compass¡­" The entity spoke slowly, "Is it time to fight?"


    "Yeah," Pnolli nodded, "Call me Pnolli when I''m like this."


    "Fine, Pnolli." The entity sighed and snapped its finger, causing a bunch of coins to fall into a weighing scale as he ced the potted nt on the other side, watching it disappear when both seemed equal.


    The coins turned into dust in response while the potted nt seemed to have been transported somewhere else.


    "So you indeed have the means to leave your domain." Pnolli smiled.


    "Call me Peddler." The entity said, "I''m neither Secondary nor Adventure here. Just a mere Devil called Peddler."


    Peddler''s appearance resembled a human on the roadside that sold old newspapers in the bulk, based on weight. His characteristic as a Devil too was weak. There were just two miniature horns on his forehead that were covered by his hair.


    Other than that, he just looked human.


    "Are you on my side?" Pnolli asked, intending to make sure.


    "Yeah," Peddler nodded, "It might have been for my own survival, but I''m the one that groomed you for twenty years. I know everything you''re capable of."


    "That''s it?" Pnolli asked, "You don''t need any other guarantees?"


    "That won''t be necessary." Peddler revealed a tinge of killing intent, "I just have a lot of pent-up rage against Arnark. I want to see Zaira''s reaction when I make a pendant out of his head and sh it before her."

 Chapter 999 Peddler Vs Essencer

    "Another Spirit of mine died?" Essencer clicked his tongue in irritation, "Useless! All of them are useless!"


    "Even with all the power I bestowed upon them, they still up and die like that?" He stared at the Apostle kneeling before him, saying with a cold tone, "Go ahead and kill the cause, now!"


    "On it!" The Apostle nodded and pulled out a weighing scale, dumping a pile of gold on it as he jumped on the other side. The two attained a bnce when immediately, the gold turned into dust while his figure vanished.


    This was the method used by unscrupulous merchants. It was apparent that he had devoured the essence of at least a few to be this proficient.


    "Sheesh, this is pretty boring¡­" Essencer muttered when his eyes fell on the weighing scale, frowning upon seeing that it didn''t vanish.


    And as he suspected, the weighing scale floated to the air when suddenly, the scales shattered as two figures appeared on each side, weighing equally.


    ''As expected of him.'' Peddler stared at the figure of Pnolli on the other side of the weighing scale, ''His umtion is equal to mine. I haven''t cked off for a moment until now. To think this is the true extent of his caliber.''


    He sighed and shook his head, ''You''re indeed amazing, Compass.''


    Pnolli stared at the figure of Essencer, "We meet again, Waning Essence."


    "Compass, and¡­" He stared at Peddler, "Adventure?"


    The figure of Pnolli morphed, transforming into a man with a rugged expression, his body covered by scars from head to toe, with the majority of the parts covered by shadow.


    God of Humanity¡ªAvatar Aggressor!


    From the feet touching the floor, a blotch of shadow resembling ink spread out, with its edges spiked, covering the room as an eye opened wide and red at Essencer.


    Aggressor stared at Essencer, "You ready to die?"


    "You think you can kill me?" Essencer snorted as immediately, a shadow extended out of his feet and shed with Aggressor''s, "I''ve devoured enough of your faith too."


    Cling! ng! Ting!


    The sounds of gold coins shing into a metallic pole resounded crisply in the area as six coins floated towards Essencer, revolving as they glinted.


    Hovering farther behind was Peddler, ring in response as he iled his weighing scale, causing the six coins to transform into metallic serpents that rushed at Essencer.


    Essencer pointed his hand at the six serpents and grunted, unleashing six bolts of lightning. This was the power stolen from the God of Rain.


    Thunder rumbled while lightning shed in the sky. The pce that Essencer had built crumbled as three figures jutted through the air, exchanging attacks nonstop.


    "Everyone! I''m reiming all my power. Enemies have breached my sanctum." Essencer''s voice resounded in the minds of everyone from the Essencer Guild as immediately, everyone lost power, including all their umtions.


    "Ha¡­haha¡­I''m at full power now." Bellowing in response, Essencer sted into the clouds, following which bolts of lightning rained down.


    Aggressor covered himself with a sphere of shadow, sent crashing into the ground by a lightning strike, frowning as he observedrge patches of it vaporise in response. With the sky covered by clouds, he couldn''t create more shadows, only left with the original amount.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "As I expected, he''s strong." Peddler leapt behind a pile of coins that acted as a wall, speaking while he watched them melt under the lightning strikes. He observed a damaged sphere of shadow roll towards him and retract once within the safety of the coin wall, revealing the figure of a panting Aggressor.


    "Are you done with your preparations?" Aggressor asked while panting as he coughed up blood, "I might seriously die at this rate."


    "I can''t exhibit much of my power through my Avatars."


    "Isn''t this Avatar of yours a fighting state?" Peddler said and didn''t bother to continue arguing, groaning, "Do you seriously wish to test my strength first?"


    "Yeah, I''m saving my strength forter." Aggressor said, "We''re going to go through them all simultaneously."


    "So, it''s on you to take care of this one. I''ll just offer my support."


    "Fine," Peddler sighed as he brought out a pouch and took out a shining coin that he flicked into the air, shing his weighing scale once as he muttered, "Reverse the contract."


    The coin shone with a resplendent light as it exploded to be a lightning serpent that mmed into the sky and dispersed the thunderclouds, causing Essencer to gawk in shock.


    "Indeed, through contracts, you can gain possession of other faiths." Aggressor smiled and patted Peddler.


    "You seriously are one irritating guy." Peddler sighed in response, "Did you find it out through that brat named Eldna?"


    "Guess?" Aggressor casually smiled.


    "Tch!" Peddler clicked his tongue and didn''t bother arguing, ''I should have known. This guy deals in experience and memories. How much does he know actually?''


    The moment Peddler showed his intent to ally, Pnolli directly provided him with the coordinates of Essencer''s domain. And that was how he brought Pnolli to Essencer''s domain to fight.


    Unlike Deities who lived with their believers in one location, Devils lived far away from their believers.


    So, even the believers didn''t know of the Devil''s domain. To this day, even Peddler was unable to figure out the locations of Essencer and Invaderon. But surprisingly, the God of Humanity seemed aware.


    ''How? Followers of Devils are inherently unable to pray to him. Besides, even if they managed to figure out a way, they definitely won''t be aware of Essencer''s location. Only an Apostle would have known and Essencer should have a tight leash on his Apostle''s actions. He probably monitors them through every moment of their life.''


    "Do you mind telling me how you figured out Essencer''s location?" Peddler asked upon neutralising the God of Rain''s faith within Essencer.


    "Sure, once you kill Essencer," Aggressor said.


    "Fine," Peddler clicked his tongue as he took out a knife and made a gash on Aggressor''s hand, extracting some of the blood that he poured on his weighing scale, "The contract has been established. So you can''t say otherwise once I''m done."


    "So you are confident in killing Essencer." Aggressor smiled as he used a shadow to cover the wound and prevent the leakage of blood.


    "Of course, as long as I''m not bankrupt, I cannot die." Peddler spoke and red at Essencer, "And my foundation surpasses his."

 Chapter 1000 Today Is A Happy Day

    Cling!


    A coin flew out from a pouch and burst to be a celestial bird that flew towards Essencer, attacking him with a flurry of scratches.


    Essencer healed his injuries by expending some of his lifeforce. At this moment, Aggressor took out a gun and shot a bullet towards Essencer, piercing through his chest to result in a loud boom.


    "Ugh!" Essencer red at Aggressor when suddenly, he could feel thousands of worms rush towards his stomach, rmed, "What the heck is this?"


    He tried to absorb their essence, only to stare in shock at the fact that they were just like lifeless puppets, having nothing in them. Only after they absorbed some of his lifeforce was he able to absorb their essence.


    But the absorbed essence only contained his lifeforce, ''What the heck are these creatures? They seem to counter my powers.''


    ''So, that''s the experience of the Aggressors at y.'' Peddler smiled upon observing his actions. Aggressors spent all their lives devising methods to counter the faith of their enemies. With their Deity providing them with all the knowledge and experience to further their goals, their preparations happened at an elerated pace. And hence, they were troublesome foes.


    The Essencer Guild was one of thergest targets of the Aggressors. And hence, they had prepared a lot of methods to counter this authority.


    Essencer''s powers were unlike his followers. He was able to absorb the essence stolen by the worms easily. But, that was only in terms of the lifeforce itself. The worms also gorged on his flesh and blood, so to recover from that, he had to expend lifeforce and heal.


    Moreover, even after he absorbed their essence, all he did was revert them to their original states. Following that, they continued to devour his lifeforce. There was a conservation of energy applied here, and hence, Essencer wasn''t actually losing any power to the worms.


    But that couldn''t be said about his attention. He had to focus a portion of his attention on constantly stealing the essence from the worms. And against Peddler, that was a dangerous action to do.


    Peddler took the initiative and began to corner him little by little, never giving him the time to fully deal with the worms.


    While the two were fighting, Aggressor hid behind the wall of coins, closing his eyes as he began to grant blessings to the fanatics among his followers, giving them power temporarily as they were prompted with amand, "Destroy the Essencer Guild."


    ...


    "Dammit, I cannot even return without my powers." The Apostle to Essencer clenched his teeth, vexed upon hearing the deration from the Devil he worshipped.


    He was currently reduced to the level of a mortal. Originally, even if he were to lose his powers, he would still retain the faith that he had stolen in his stomach. But now, Essencer forcefully took everything to face his enemies.


    It worried the Apostle. ''No, I should gather more faith. This is a dangerous situation if the Devil was pushed back to such an extent.''


    Thinking as such, he walked on the street and broke into a nearby house, grinning upon staring at the family of four.


    He punched forth with all his strength, knocking out the man of the house as he picked up a stool and began to beat up the wife and the children. Despite losing his powers as an Apostle, he wasn''t a human anymore.


    His body had been modified to possess twice a normal human''s strength, not to mention his toughened skin. He raised his hand and tanked a bash from the wife who had mmed a rod his way.


    He then grabbed the rod, yanked it out of her hold, and bashed her head in. With all four unconscious, he grabbed the man and bit into his neck, sucking in his blood voraciously, ''Yes! It works!''<novelnext></novelnext>


    His stomach was special and once the man''s blood flowed into it, the lifeforce present in the blood was absorbed. Soon, like a deted balloon, the man''s dry corpse fell on the floor.


    The Apostle vomited out all the blood after that, only interested in the lifeforce. Moreover, he noticed a tinge of faith belonging to the God of Humanity mixed into the lifeforce. In their desperation, the family had prayed to the God of Humanity.


    So, the Apostle ended up absorbing that too. Grinning in delight, he picked up the wife next and sucked in all her blood, continuing the same to her children too. With that, he gathered a decent sum of lifeforce in his body, enough to heal from serious injuries a couple of times.


    ''This allows me to rampage without care.'' The Apostle mmed the door of the next house and jumped on the people, sustaining some injuries as he killed and absorbed their lifeforce.


    He then joined his hands in prayer, ''My lord, it''s not much, but I have gathered some more lifeforce.''


    He sent half the lifeforce to Essencer and continued his hunt. And now, he had also obtained some faith from the people.


    "Kill that monster!" A group of people surrounded him by the time he was at the fifth house, condensing weapons out of shadows to hunt him down.


    "I was expecting some higher quality prey and they showed up." The Apostle let out a wide grin as he condensed a sphere, causing it to turn bright red as he threw it towards a man, watching it pierce through his shadow and melt through his body, "It''s evening now. The shadow you can form is too weak to defend against an attack of this calibre."


    "You should have waited until noon."


    Kyak!


    Ack!


    Noo!


    The group of people screamed in fear as they were ughtered by the Apostle who was now able to absorb their lifeforce through contact alone. "As expected, the God of Humanity''s faith is always delicious."


    "Is that so?" Just as the Apostle was relishing the ughter, a cold voice resounded from behind, startling him as he turned around and stabbed forth with the hot spear.


    It pierced through the chest of a woman that had appeared behind him as he grinned, "Instead of trying to be cool, you should have taken the chance to sneak attack me. Too bad, you die as a result..."


    Cough!


    The Apostle coughed out blood as he felt intense pain, feeling worms devour his body from within. He stared at the woman in shock, noticing that in the ce of her chest was just a shadow. And on her back was the shadow taking the shape of her heart and lungs, pulsating.


    "I was supposed to be dead originally. But thanks to my God''s blessings, I can live through my shadow organs." The woman spoke coldly as she observed her blood flowing over the spear and into the Apostle''s body, wreaking havoc further in him until they ate himpletely.


    She retracted her blood from his body, experiencing her mind clear up in response, not to mention her shadow''s strength while some of her injuries healed. A shadow mouth formed on the ground and crunched the Apostle''s corpse into bits as she covered herself with a hood and walked away, "There should be one more from the Essencer Guild nearby. To kill so many of these fuckers..."


    "Today is a happy day."

 Chapter 1001 I Control The Economy

    Originally, the members of the Essencer Guild operated very secretly to prevent their existence from getting known. But the moment Essencer reimed all his power from them, they panicked.


    After all, without the Devil, they would no longer be able to lead their happy lives. Those that prayed to the Devil were psychopaths in the first ce, and the powers granted by Essencer allowed them to lead happy psychopathic lives.


    If Essencer were to die, they would have to live like normal humans. But considering how their appearance wasn''t human anymore, they wouldn''t be able to blend in with the crowd like before.


    Therefore, the members of the Essencer Guild thrashed through society, trying to hunt as many people as possible to supply Essencer with the faith and lifeforce they could collect. Of course, this only made it easier for the Aggressors and priests of faith to target them and put them to rest.


    And, Compass Carburettor acted as amand centre that received and supplied information regarding the whereabouts of the Essencer Guild members to everyone in the vicinity.


    Moreover, he actively transmitted blessings to everyone that had prayed to him at least once, informing them of the danger, and prompting them to pray to him the moment they see an Essencer Guild member walking about.


    This caused the damage brought by the Essencer Guild to be contained to a minimum. Only the Apostle and some Spirits were able to rake in serious casualties.


    Bam!


    Essencer red in rage as a gigantic fish pped him with its tail, sending him crashing into the ground. "You bastard! Are you seriously nning to kill us all?"


    "We are part of the same race!"


    "Funny how you mention it now." Hovering in the sky with an arrogant gaze was Peddler, constantly taking more and more money out of his pouch as they transformed into various bizarre abilities and attacked Essencer.


    "Until now, I had been the one to shoulder the faults of everyone. How many Grade 3 Systems have been acting recklessly?" Peddler snorted, "Anyway, that''s all old news."


    "The lot of you can die for all I care now."


    "You think Compass is your ally?" Essencer coughed out blood, unable to heal on time as the stream of fear directed at him began to rapidly diminish as the Essencer Guild members were wiped out rapidly.


    His strength had plummeted to barely a tenth of his original as Essencer was left with no other choice but to fight with words, "He won''t sit still until he consumes all Systems. Once he''s done with us, you''ll be next¡­"


    "Ha¡­haha¡­hahaha! Hahahaha!" Peddler roared inughter as if he had heard the funniest shit in his infinitely long life. He covered his eyes and wiped his tears at the absurdity before he stared at Essencer, "What¡­makes you think I''m a System?"


    "What?" Essencer was stunned in response, "Aren''t you the Adventure System? Even if you lost everything, you''re still a System that''s part of the Protagonist Genre now, right?"


    "My core isn''t a System." Peddler''s lips curled up, "I''m just a chaotic being that had woken up from slumber in one of Mystique''s sealed worlds. I was only behaving as a System to make Zaira''s wishese true. But since she rejected that in the end, I have nothing holding me back anymore."


    "I''m not inherently loyal to Zaira. It was just my affection making me support you until now. So," Peddler took in a deep breath as he took out his weighing scale, "If you have to me anyone,"


    "me Zaira."


    Boom!


    A bolt of lightningnded from the sky, intending to m Essencer. But just before it touched him, it transformed into a gold coin and gently touched his forehead, seeping into him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Following that, Essencer watched a weighing scale manifest as he was on one side while on the other, Peddler poured in a pile of coins.


    "W-What''s happening?" Essencer was shocked as despite his attacks, he was unable to leave the weighing scale, stuck on his side. At present, the scale tipped to his side.


    Peddler took out a bunch of coins from his pouch and poured them onto the pile, watching the scale tip more towards the centre.


    Thump! Thump!


    For some reason, Essencer was rmed, realising that the moment the scale reaches the centre, he would die, shouting in rm, "Spare me, please! I just want to live! I don''t want to die!"


    "You want to kill Arnark, right? I''ll help with that! S-Spare me¡­" His voice began to tremble as he watched the scalee closer and closer to the centre, his hollers bing more and more panic-struck, "I''ll do whatever you want! P-Please!"


    Ding!


    A familiar sound resounded as the scale pointed at the centre. On one side of the weighing scale, there was Essencer and on the other, there was a hill-sized pile of coins.


    Staring at it, Peddler muttered coldly, "Huh? Only seventeen million?"


    He stared at Essencer, "The value of your life is cheaper than I thought."


    "W-What are you implying?" Essencer asked, in fear, his face pale while his body turned cold.


    "That''s how much money I need to spend to buy you," Peddler smirked.


    "Impossible! I don''t ept it! Such a transaction cannot be done. That''s not a merchant''s way!" Essencer shouted indignantly.


    "You''re right, that''s not the merchant''s way." Peddler said, watching Essencer''s face regain some colour when he grinned, "But I don''t follow that."


    "I''m an unscrupulous merchant, you see?"


    Colour drained from Essencer''s expression as he watched the pile of coins turn to dust and vanish. A momentter, the weighing scale vanished as Essencer fell on the ground in despair, muttering towards Peddler in disbelief, "You¡­bastard."


    "You¡­purchased my right to exist?"


    "Pretty much." Peddler grinned as he gently pped Essencer on the cheek, "Everything has a price, including your existence as the Devil Essencer. As long as I pay a suitable price, I can buy you, which was why I worked on weakening you first."


    "You see," He grinned before turning around to face the figure of Aggressor that reverted to Pnolli, "I actually control the economy."


    "That''s my true power."

 Chapter 1002 Filing Foundation Accounts

    "Now, get up!" Peddler kicked Essencer.


    It was as if Essencer was someone else now as he got up instantly, having lost his individuality. He was just Peddler''s possession now, nothing more, nothing less.


    "That''s a fearsome power." Pnolli muttered upon seeing that the battle was done, "So, you can basically purchase anything you wish?"


    "Only those that I can afford." Peddler said as he pped Essencer on the back of his head, "Most of my coffers have been consumed to buy this idiot. There''s only so much free money circting in the market. If I take out anymore, it''ll copse the economy."


    "So, you''re done for the fight?" Pnolli asked, nudging Peddler from the side, "Don''t lie. I know there are lots more from where it came from."


    "You can still take care of an Essencer or two."


    "It''ll be hard." Peddler sighed, "I''m fighting away from my base. So, the expenditure is very high. Had I fought Essencer in my domain, I could have won with barely half the cost."


    "The inventory of all your goods is in your domain, right?" Pnolli spoke, "So, fighting there would just end up causing you more coteral damage."


    "What about you, then?" Peddler asked him, "There''s none living in your domain, right? Can''t we just take the fight there next?"


    "We can conserve a lot of strength this way."


    "Nope, I don''t wish to reveal the location of my domain." Pnolli spoke, ''Since if that gets destroyed, I would lose more than half my authority.''


    A domain was where the Deity exerted its influence. Even though as the God of Humanity, Compass Carburettor''s influence was spread all across the world, the core of that region was where he became a Deity in the first ce.


    Thend there had been soaking up his faith and gradually turned into a ce where his faith is naturally amplified.


    So, in their home, Deities or Devils were the strongest. It also showed how far outssed Essencer was before Peddler who defeated him in his own home.


    "What are you going to do with him?" Pnolli asked as he stared at Essencer, "He''s rapidly losing power, you know? My people are actively eliminating the Essencer Guild members."


    "I''ll be turning him into a puppet." Peddler said as he took out his weighing scale and ced Essencer on one side and poured gold coins on the other. And once the gold turned into dust, his figure vanished, "I''ve sent him to my domain. My followers would work on processing his body to create the strongest puppet that would guard my home."


    "Well, you were the one that subdued him. So I won''tment on what you n to do with him next." Saying so, Pnolli spoke, snapping his finger as he transmitted information to a follower under Peddler.


    The follower then prayed, transmitting that information to Peddler. This was how theymunicated knowledge and information and coordinated with each other.


    The information this time pointed at the domain of the Devil Invaderon, surprising Peddler, "You managed to find his location too? How?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "He''s not as weak as Essencer you know." Peddler retorted, "I couldn''t even find any information regarding him."


    "That''s because everywhere he goes, there''s no life left behind. The people, the economy, everything copses." Pnolli said, "So, it''s impossible for your influence to reach there."


    "Even for me, I only managed to figure out his location based on the prayers of people moments before they were killed and turned into undead." He continued, sighing as he massaged his forehead in irritation, "His followers are the most invasive among all our enemies."


    "Wouldn''t we expend too much strength fighting him?" Peddler asked, "Essencer was weak, but even he caused most of my surplus funds to dry up. Fighting Invaderon now would force me to sell my assets to gather enough funds to fight. It would halt all my operations and possibly even cripple my hand in the economy."


    "With every battle, we''re weakening ourselves." He continued, "Even if I were to deal with Invaderon, there''s still the Beast God and God King. I won''t be able to assist you when you''re fighting the God King."


    "You''ll definitely die in that case. Martial might be sitting on the fence as always, but his strength is enough to tip the scales in Arnark''s favour."


    "Compass¡­" He spoke in all seriousness, judging by the way he addressed Compass Carburettor by his original name, "We can''t rush this. Or, is there a reason you''re hurrying now after taking the backseat all these years?"


    "There''s only one reason." Pnolli sighed and spoke truthfully, "If I were to fight Arnark now, I''ll win."


    "But in the future? I can''t say for sure. The addition of the Beast God would elerate the development of the animal kingdom. It would reduce my margin of victory to dangerous levels." He stared at Peddler, "Does that convince you?"


    "It does." Peddler sighed, "So, you mean to say Invaderon and Beast God are my headaches to deal with, right?"


    "Then, can''t you ask that brat for help? The God of Rain seemed rather willing to fight on your behalf." He asked next.


    "The natives will fight with the natives. Us outsiders will deal with the outsiders." Pnolli said, "This status quo should remain for my victory."


    "After all, the goal isn''t to kill Arnark." Pnolli said with a glint, "But it''s to make Lore mine once again."


    "Faith Grounds have been created as an Arena for us six. So, if I were to win with the help of the natives, sure, I would seed easily. But, I would lose my only chance at gaining Lore."


    "So, that''s the actual reason." Peddler nodded in response, "I guess Arnark too is aware of this. So, he must be aiming for the same, right?"


    "Yeah," Pnolli nodded, "The reason this conflict started was because I was on the verge of obtaining the Main Character System for myself. So, without stealing my power of Tell-Tale, Arnark would never seed."


    "The case is simr for me too." He uttered, "To face Zaira next, I need both Lore and Tell-Tale."


    "Only then can I truly create a safe future for my family."

 Chapter 1003 Pnolli Meets The Peacock Deity

    "Alright, I''ll take my leave for the time being." Peddler entered his weighing scale and caused the pile of gold on the other side to turn to dust, vanishing in response, "I''ll work on refining Essencer into my guard dog and make preparations to face Invader next."


    "Alright, I''ll coordinate with you through our usual channel," Pnolli said after being dropped at the entrance to a certain forest.


    Peddler had to prepare furiously to face Invaderon next. After all, unlike Essencer, he was a terrifying opponent.


    Originally, the Invader System had even nned to deal with Compass Carburettor. So, whether in terms of resourcefulness, smartness, or cunning, it was leagues ahead of the Waning Essence System.


    It had to be noted that the Waning Essence System was one of the first few Systems birthed by the System World. After that, it actively worked in Cultivation Worlds.


    But despite that, it was one of the weaker Grade 3 Systems. That was a show of its capability.


    On the other hand, the Invader System was different. Despite being birthedte into the game of System domination, the Invader System quickly blitzed through the ranks and even became the Grade 3 System with the fastest growth.


    The fact that it didn''t even shy away from scheming against both Arnark and Compass Carburettor was a show of its power. So, even in Faith Grounds, it was a formidable foe.


    Inparison, Martial was kind of cute.


    The chance of death facing Invaderon was dangerously high, hence why Peddler was going full throttle on his preparations.


    On the other hand, Pnolli was calmly loitering around the edges of a random forest.


    Before facing Arnark, he had to do something about the Beast God first. And for that, he had a n in motion, taking advantage of Peddler''s essibility to deific body parts and other luxurious products.


    "Kiek! Damn human! Why did you enter our forest?" Just as Pnolli took a step into the forest, a feathery de extended to his neck, its tip touching his skin to cause a drop of blood to spill out.


    His eyes calmly drafted to the side as Pnolli stared at the figure of a peacock that had masked itself as a bush to hide. It was keeping sentry at their border.


    "You''ve grown well, Yuhka," Pnolli spoke calmly, observing the peacock''s reaction being one of shock at his words.


    "H-How did you know my name?" The peacock shrieked in a fluster.


    "You yed with a kid from a nearby human vige ten years ago before you awakened your sentience," Pnolli said, watching the feathery de press a tad deeper into his neck.


    "Who are you?" It growled aloud, hoping to ovee the sense of unease it felt.


    "Did you suffer an injury recently?" Pnolli extended his hand and massaged its injury, easing up fatigue in the region while also improving blood flow, "That should help you a little."


    ?


    ''H-How did he do it?'' The peacock was bbergasted. After all, it was ready to murder him the moment he tried to even budge a little.


    But here, Pnolli somehow moved his hand while talking and even massaged its injury. And until the process ended, it didn''t even resist.


    "Let''s go in, now." Saying so, Pnolli patted the peacock, rubbing his finger under its beak as he observed its eyes curl up in response. And surprisingly, it perched itself on his shoulder and didn''tment further.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Yuhka, what are you doing?" A few minutester, there was a holler as a group of peacocks crowded before Pnolli, staring at him alertly, "Why did you allow a human to enter our home?"


    "I¡­" Yuhka realised only now as it flew up in fright, "What the heck was I doing? Why did it feel natural to perch on his shoulder?"


    "He should be a Spirit of some strange Deity." One of the peacocks that guarded the ce said, preparing to attack, "Kill him!"


    "Stop!" Suddenly, a Spirit of the peacocks flew overhead beforending between the two sides, shing its crown of feathers to calm down the agitated peacocks, "You''re not his opponent."


    It then turned around to re at the youth, "Pnolli wasn''t this young in my memories."


    "You''re right about that." Pnolli nodded in response, taking in a rhythmic breath. Suddenly, he seemed amicable to all the peacocks in the region, startling them the moment they came to a realisation.


    "Follow me." The Spirit of the peacocks motioned him to follow it as it took flight.


    "You''ve be a Spirit now, Yaeha," Pnollimented once they went deeper into the forest.


    In response, the Spirit of the peacocks, Yaeha only trembled once but didn''t offer any reply, continuing to fly deeper into the forest.


    The peacocks followed Pnolli from a safe distance, perched on the trees as they watched him jog through the distance without breaking a sweat.


    ''A normal human would be panting by now.'' This was the thought running through their mind, having seen Pnolli jogging for more than four hours without a hint of exhaustion.


    With his experience, every action he did conformed exactly to his needs, including the movements of his body parts. So, he was jogging at the maximum possible efficiency the human body could attain.


    And for someone like that, four hours of jogging wasn''t much to worry about.


    The peacocks made amotion every time he went deeper into the forest as all Pnolli did was make small talk with them from time to time. Shockingly to them though, he not only knew their names but also seemed aware of their history.


    Eventually, after almost ten hours of jogging, Yaeha perched on the branch of a tree and disyed its crown of feathers, motioning for Pnolli to walk past, "I''m only told to guide you to this point."


    Pnolli walked past, entering a clearing where there was a hill barely a couple hundred metres tall. And on its peak was a peacock, ten times bigger than the rest, sporting a divine sense of majesty to it.


    It was the God of Peacocks, Yedu.


    Yedu seemed mildly agitated as it stared at Pnolli, "Enough with the disguises, Pnolli."


    "Why has the God of Humanity visited my humble abode?"

 Chapter 1004 Curse Of Faith

    "Why has the God of Humanity visited my humble abode?"


    "Well, you seem smart yourself." Pnolli extended his hand casually, "So, why don''t you try a guess?"


    "Let''s see," The God of Peacocks, Yedu thought for a moment as it showed his eyes of suspicion before speaking, "You wish for us to not wage a war against humanity?"


    "But I''m afraid you''ll be disappointed." It disyed its crown of feathers, emitting a dense killing intent, "The war will happen. And we''ll annihte humans."


    "I''ll take that back," Pnolli sighed as he shook his head, putting on an expression of disappointment, "You''re dumber than I thought."


    "What?" Yedu red in anger, offended by such a provocative statement, "You dare call me dumb?"


    "Do I have to rify it once again?" Pnolli put on an exasperated look, making it seem as if he felt the conversation to be an exhausting exchange.


    "If you came here to mock me, don''t even dream about leaving this forest alive¡­"


    "I guess I''ll stop being kind for the moment," Pnolli spoke slowly, interrupting Yedu as suddenly, the forest turned deathly silent, frightening the other party as his entire body morphed into a shadow.


    Yedu was terrified, clearly aware that it wasn''t his opponent. But, just when it was about to ask the God King for help, the shadow vanished as Pnolli reappeared, seated on a tree stump that had somehow appeared there.


    "Do you beasts wish to prosper?" He asked, "I''m giving you a choice now."


    "What is it?" Even though it was unwilling, Yedu didn''t have a choice but to listen. Even though it wished to strike humanity, it didn''t have the guts to face the God of Humanity alone. There was a massive difference in power scale between the two.


    "Humanity would continue to develop over the years. They would invent tools and umte knowledge at a vigorous pace." He spoke, "That''s the unique gift humans are born with."


    "You''re nning to adapt using the Beast God''s blessings, right?" He asked with a smile.


    "H-How did you know that?" Yedu stuttered unconsciously.


    "Well, leaving my methods aside, there is one problem in your n." His eyes swirled with shadowy tentacles as he unleashed formless pressure, "I''ll be killing the Beast God."


    "So when that happens, you''re back to square one."


    "Every single God on our side would resist if you try that." Yedu red, "We have plenty of Deities."


    "Same on my case too." Pnolli smiled coldly, "And my side is stronger."


    "If we really waged a war, I can simply nuke your people out of existence."


    "Nuke¡­?" Yedu was confused for a moment when it heard loud thumping from Pnolli''s chest. A secondter, a scene yed in its mind.


    A terrifying explosion followed by a mushroom cloud that reached the heavens, a destructive force that wiped out everything in range. But, that was just the start of the uing disaster. A wave of death that wiped out all living matter, turning the region into a deathnd for tens of thousands of years.


    Truly, there was no hope of recovery.


    Yedu trembled in fear, "T-This is the power of the God of Humanity?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Nope, that''s the power of humanity. I just act as a database holding all aplishments of humans." Pnolli said, "What you see is just something that will be a reality in a matter of days if I grant the necessary knowledge and experience to the humans."


    "W-What do you want?" Yedu said, "We will definitely never give up the Beast God. He''s our only hope of survival."


    "Then, let''s do it like this." Saying so, he took out a small ss jar and ced it on a t rock before him that served as a table. Yedu blinked in surprise, unable to understand when the rock had appeared.


    It was as if every action of Pnolli followed the same rhythm as its breathing, causing it to subconsciously gloss over his existence and actions.


    It took Yedu a few seconds to gather its bearings and stare at the ss jar, observing five shadowy creatures resembling octopuses within. "What¡­are those?"


    "Curse of Faith," Pnolli said, "It''s something I have created that allows you to nt a curse on the recipient through faith."


    "I''ll never betray the God King¡­"


    "Listen, idiot." Pnolli clicked his tongue, shutting up the other party as he continued, "The target is the Beast God and not the God King."


    "For the same reason, both of us wish to fight and devour the other in their pristine conditions. That''s why we haven''t schemed against each other directly."


    "Anyway," He let out a breath of air slowly and said, "When you consume it, your faith gets a small upgrade. But it won''t show unless you will it. This would be your special ability."


    "You can designate your believers as targets and bless them with this curse." Pnolli spoke slowly, "And when these believers pray to their Deity, the faith they generate isn''t entirely pure. What it does is simple."


    He smiled and pointed at the ss jar, "It causes the recipient to fall under the control of the source, like a ve."


    "Basically," Yedu muttered, "If my believers designated to pray to the Beast God do as told, the Beast God would be my ve?"


    "Something like this works?" It was unable to express its shock.


    "Yes, but only against the Beast God." Pnolli smirked, "It won''t work against any other Deity or Devil. That''s how I created it."


    "Moreover," He continued, "Keeping the Beast God enved takes strenuous concentration. Just you alone wouldn''t be enough. That''s why,"


    He patted the jar, "There are five of these creatures. So, the five Deities would work as a team to keep the Beast God under control. Do that and I promise to not kill him."


    "What is your goal here?" Yedu asked, "You''re only giving us the means to grow stronger. What do you hope to aplish by that?"


    "We''ll be stronger than humans eventually."


    "Well, if it happens, it happens." Pnolli shrugged, "The natives of this world decide their future, not us."


    "And I n to get rid of all six external influences. So," He nudged at the ss jar, "Do you wish to retain the power of the Beast God by enving him or do you wish his death?"


    "The choice is yours."

 Chapter 1005 Inevitable Clash

    Yedu was silent for a good few hours, contemting on its choice before it spoke, "Your conflict with the God King, is it impossible to mediate?"


    "Nope, it''s unavoidable for the two of us." Pnolli said without skipping a beat, "But, my goal is different from his."


    "He wishes to extract my power from this world and devour it." He continued, "On the other hand, I wish for this world to operate independently on its own and never be influenced by any external powers."


    "After all, this world is the manifestation of my ideals."


    "How¡­can I believe you in this?" Yedu frowned, "There''s no proof of your im, right?"


    "You don''t need to believe me." Pnolliughed, "Just observe from the sidelines and see what happens."


    "If I win, I''ll devour the God King and leave this world. If he wins, he''ll devour me and leave this world. Let''s just leave it at that without going into specifics." He then said, "My only aim is to ensure the Deities of this world can resist all external influences."


    "Whether it''s me or the God King, both are from outside this world. So, you should have enough power to not be persuaded by either of us and protect the vested interests of this world." He said, convincing Yedu, "At present, the side of humanity is strong enough. But your side is ridiculously weak."


    "Enving the Beast God would bnce both sides and raise the power at your disposal."


    "I know you''re the creator of this world. So, I''ll give you that amount of trust." Yedu said and stared at the ss jar, "So, I need four others to make it a sess, right?"


    "Yes," Pnolli nodded, "The Deity can only be one of the beasts, and the target can only be the Beast God. No one else will receive anything from this, neither benefit nor a curse."


    "I understand," Yedu said and took out a shadowy octopus, observing that it was ethereal in nature. It seeped a tinge of its faith into it and watched the shadowy octopus dissolve and fuse with the faith.


    There was a surge of information and experience following it, allowing Yedu to understand the ways to use this new ability. It learnt upon some experimentation that everything Pnolli told was the truth.


    "I''ll find four others for the cause¡­" Yedu said when it paused, blinking in confusion before gradually realising something, "I see, so that''s how it is."


    It stared at Pnolli, "So, the five races controlling the Beast God will be the strongest among us, right? We''ll also develop the greatest in the future."


    "So, you''re not entirely dumb." Pnolli grinned as he got up and began to leave, "The jar is in your hands."


    "The initiative lies with you now."


    What this implied was that the future of the beasts would depend on its choice. If it selected weak Deities, it would ensure that the four other Deities would be simr to its subordinates.


    This meant that the one having major control over the Beast God would be the peacock race. But this would imply that among the five races with the greatest potential for development in the future, four would be weak, wasting the potential for excellence.


    But conversely, if it selected the remaining races simply based on their strength, they would have a lot of inner conflicts. After all, not every divine beast was on the same page. So in the future, Yedu would have to wrack its head to always keep the other four races in check to maintain its interests.<novelnext></novelnext>


    They would all bepeting for greater control over the Beast God.


    Yedu wasn''t even worried about seeding in enving the Beast God. It was pretty much a guarantee once itprehended the intricacies of the Curse of Faith.


    If it was any other Deity or Devil, they would know the moment the Curse of Faith was used on them and would take the appropriate measures to deal with it. But, the Beast God wouldn''t.


    Even though they only had a short interaction, Yedu realised how indecisive the Beast God was. Moreover, since he was currently in an identity crisis, his mental defences were the weakest. Therefore, the Curse of Faith would seed on him.


    Truly, it was made for him. Moreover, it would also only work on him. A trulyughable fate of such a pinnacle existence.


    ''I can''t only focus on my allies, but at the same time, I can''t select only the strong ones.'' It thought long and hard, sighing in the end, ''Two allies, and two strong ones. That''s the most stable bet.''


    The peacock race was also one of the strong races and even among the allies, Yedu selected the strongest ones. This was to ensure the overall development of the five future strongest beast races would be enough to keep humanity in check.


    Yedu began to move in response next, meeting up with the four other Deities in order to convince them.


    Originally, a Deity cannot leave its domain. But as all the divine beasts were created by the God King, under his authority, they could move from one beast domain to another. Thanks to that, Yedu was able to meet with the other Deities.


    As it originally was the one that moved the most, Yedu''s actions weren''t suspicious. It was one of the many reasons Pnolli met it first.


    While Yedu began to move for its self-interests, Pnolli had reached the border of the forest where the peacock race dwelled. He turned around and waved his farewell, "Yuhka, take care."


    "Not all humans are your enemies, but at the same time, not all humans are your allies too. Irrespective of the case, decide with your head and always keep the interests of your race as your top priority."


    "I understand." Despite sporting a face full of confusion, Yuhka still listened to what Pnolli said with rapt attention. The other peacocks at the border too were the same.


    They watched his figure jog away and eventually vanish beyond their line of sight.


    ''What exactly was that?'' Yuhka thought, recalling its time from childhood when it mistakenly roamed beyond its home and intruded into a human vige. It became friends with a human child back then, ''How does he know about that?''


    It hadn''t met that human after that short encounter and was unsure if they would still have positive emotions towards one another in the future, but all it could hope was to not encounter him on the battlefield.


    War wasn''t pleasant, but as both races continue to develop and expand their domain, they would eventually sh. It just was¡­


    Inevitable.

 Chapter 1006 Time To Repay The Debt

    "So, his name''s Peddler?" Invaderon muttered in surprise as he stared at his Apostle, "What happened to the army you sent his way?"


    "They were defeated." The Apostle bowed in response, "The unscrupulous merchants are rapidly umting strength. They are selling some of their assets to regional Deities to buy a portion of their faith."


    "Have you narrowed their base?" Invaderon asked next.


    "I found it, Your Lordship!" Nefearnded on the ground and spoke in joy, "They have strong defences. I couldn''t breach it by myself. To conserve my troops, I ordered a retreat and came to inform you."


    "Essencer has be their guard dog."


    "So that happened in the end. Damn Essencer. He''s just too weak." Invaderon snorted in disdain, "Seems he got overconfident in the end just because he could steal and store the faith of other Deities and devils."


    "When I visited to warn him the previous time, he only threatened to steal my faith too." Nefear huffed in anger, "When his primary attack means is to rely on the faith of others, irrespective of how much he gathers, the quality of his attacks would always be inferior to the major Deities and Devils."


    "So, how much strength does he have as a guard dog?" Invaderon asked next.


    "Not much, since most of his power sources have been destroyed. But," Nefear stated with a frown, "Peddler has already begun transporting Essencer''s domain. It seems he has a way to make use of Essencer."


    "Well, it wouldn''t change much in the end." She shrugged.


    "You shouldn''t underestimate them that much." Invaderon said as he got up, "I told you about my past, right?"


    "Yes, Your Lordship." Nefear nodded in response, "But, is he really that great?"


    "You can say that the reason the System World survived to date is thanks to him. But," Invaderon sighed, "It''s also because of him that the System World is experiencing its greatest crisis."


    "He gave rise to two of our worst enemies."


    "So, he shouldn''t be underestimated." Invaderon said in all seriousness, "Before he finishes whatever the heck he''s preparing, we should destroy him."


    "Then, what about the God of Humanity?" Nefear asked, "Didn''t you say he''s the reason you''ve been preparing all along?"


    "Is it fine to leave him alone?"


    "There''s already an opponent gearing up to fight the God of Humanity." Invaderon said, "Our objective is to finish off his sole ally, Peddler. This way, the God of Humanity wouldn''t have any other allies."


    "What about the other Deities? Aren''t they benefitting thanks to the God of Humanity?" Nefear asked in worry, "Wouldn''t they take action?"


    "Even if they did, they won''t affect the oue of this battle." Invaderon smirked, "The God King has strategically ced the divine beast races next to the major human settlements. They would counter each other. And,"


    He grinned, "Isn''t that why I''ve worked so hard to birth more Devils? The moment they see an opportunity, they would strike the human cities. This would ensure the human Deities would have their hands full."


    "In the end, the oue of this war is only dependent on us six."


    Invaderon then stared at the Apostles before him, saying, "When we''re fighting Peddler, I''ll reim all my power. So, pace yourselves ordingly."


    "Yes, Your Lordship!" All the Apostles bowed in response.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Alright, let''s move."


    Roar!


    At hismand, intense winds were generated as two massively elongated bony fins paddled the water. If one stared from the sky, one would see a massive mountain floating on the water like an ind.


    And from time to time, they would witness a bony head peak out, sporting massive horns. This was Invaderon''s trump card.


    Mobile Domain¡ªInron!


    After bing a Devil, Invaderon worked hard on creating his strongest undead puppet, one sentient enough to be smarter than an average human. He created an entity simr to a turtle on whose back he ced his domain¡ªthe mountain where he became the Devil.


    Over the years, the mountain fused with the creature, allowing it to carry his domain wherever he pleased. This was how Invaderon was able to invade other territories and strengthen his power and influence.


    The sighting of the moving mountain was a signal for the uing disaster as every living being with more than one braincell would begin to evacuate. And if they fail to do so, they would be killed.


    Currently, Inron had entered the sea, making its way to a far-off developed continent that was solely dominated by one entity¡ªPeddler.


    The wealth from every part of the world was concentrated on this continent and poured into the development of its economy. And as a result, it was currently the most developed region in the world.


    Of course, Peddler''s original domain was somewhere else. But using his authority, he transferred it to the current location. He sufferedrge losses as a result, but over time, he managed to recover from that to reach his current height.


    And being cut off from other faiths came as a benefit, allowing the development of the ce. There were people belonging to the faith of the God of Humanity too living in the region. They prospered by selling their knowledge and skills.


    There was a price for everything, which was the motto followed by Peddler. This was how he took advantage of everything to grow.


    And today, for the first time since the ce''s establishment, the enemy intruded upon his domain.


    Standing atop his peak was Peddler, staring at the approaching Inron as he muttered, "He took the bait."


    He snapped his finger, motioning for his people to take action, "Begin preparations."


    "Yes!" With a shout, his subordinates dispersed.


    Among them was a Spirit that smiled cunningly as she took out a weighing scale and gently tapped it with a metal stick, producing ringing sounds, "It''s time to repay your debt."


    Boom!


    Within Inron was a Spirit under Invaderon, excitedly preparing for the uing invasion as he empowered his army of skeletons.


    But suddenly, his eyes lost their lustre as he extended his hand, causing the army of skeletons under him to cluster, "I''ll repay my debt now."


    Bluish rays of light burst out of the cluster as a torrent of mes exploded, flooding the region as a pir of mes, like a water geyser gushed out of one part of the mountain, the intense light giving a blue tinge to everyone, including Invaderon''s face as the Spirit''s final words echoed, "Corpse Explosion."

 Chapter 1007 Mysterious Debt Meteors

    "What the¡­?" Invaderon stared in surprise at the geyser of mes that burst out of his domain, spilling out rotting pieces of bones everywhere. A sort of corruption pervaded them, making the Soul Fire useless for his use after that.


    But, it was apparent that Peddler''s schemes didn''t stop there when suddenly, ten Spirits and one Apostle sighed in despair, "We''ll repay the debt."


    Immediately, Invaderon felt a punch to his chest as he fell on his knees, suffering a hit to his strength as twenty percent of his power vanished immediately.


    To repay their debts, the ten Spirits and one Apostle sold their respective authorities¡ªthe authority granted to them by Invaderon.


    It didn''t stop at just their power as even the army they managed vanished, reappearing on Peddler''s continent as they raised their weapons against Inron now.


    "Those bastards! How dare they?" Nefear screamed in rage upon noticing one-fifth of their umted army appeared on the side of the enemy now.


    Guooo!


    Inron screamed in pain as it suffered a blow to its head from the me geyser, causing its movements on the sea to slow down to a halt. It had fainted from the urately timed attack.


    "Your Lordship, it seems we fell for their trap. We must retreat first and recoup from our losses." Nefear hurriedly helped Invaderon and said in a fluster.


    Losing twenty percent of his power was indeed a crippling blow. It would take him a while to recover from that, as the moment they¡ªthe ten Spirits and one Apostle¡ªdied, the streams of fear they had been generating vanished.


    So, the revenue streams supporting Invaderon were cut off. He would need to spend time to recover from the loss by recing the lost Spirits and the Apostle. Only after they be active and generate as much fear as the previous batch would Invaderon regain his original strength.


    It would take months or even years to reach that point, so it was indeed a crippling blow.


    "Cunning indeed." Invaderon spoke as he red at the silhouette of the mountain on the continent, focusing on the figure of a man standing at its peak, "That was a good one, Peddler."


    "It''s just the beginning, Invaderon." Peddler noticed the opponent''s re and grinned, pointing downward, "As I said before, I''ll make you regret betraying me."


    "Look under your feet."


    "What?" Invaderon noticed his action and hurriedly stared at the ground, unable to notice anything amiss. A secondter, his face paled as he stared at Nefear, "Scout under Inron! Hurry!"


    "Y-Yes!" Nefear pped her wings and dived into the sea waters, shing to the underside of Inron as she was unable to see anything amiss.


    But a momentter, she stared at the sea bed, observing a group of scuba divers there pouring in the faith of some deity. A few secondster, the sea bed became swollen like a pimple, bursting soon to spill outva.


    The water hurriedly cooled it down, but more and moreva began to churn out, raising a lot of smoke and steam.


    Gurgle!


    Smoke began to flow across the sides of Inron as the surrounding water began to boil, before soon, the entire region atop Inron was covered by hot vapour. Mixed with the emissions from the underwater volcano, the vapour became polluted, resembling smog.


    All the believers under Invaderon began to cough due to the emissions as Invaderon himself had reddened eyes. Of course, he had his countermeasures as immediately, a group of skeletons swam towards the sea bed and jumped into the volcano.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Their bones melted under the heat but their Soul fires zed around, controlling the molten bones to gradually form a protectiveyer around the volcano. Moreover, the intense heat from it was absorbed to result in arge Soul Fire, one that zed enough to supply energy to Inron.


    Guooo!


    Inron woke up as a result and absorbed the rapid Soul Fire emissions, healing its injuries as a result. Moreover, the Soul Fire immediately healed everyone.


    Theyer of bone covering the volcano fully melted, but by now, the region had cooled down enough for a thickyer of rock to form over the volcanic tunnel.


    The scuba divers had used the faith of some Deity to result in the volcanic activity. Against that, Invaderon used his skeletons as a filter to transform the faith generating theva into his Soul Fire.


    And once the faith was fully expended, the volcano too subsided. But by then, the generated Soul Fire healed their injuries.


    ''There was ack of Faith in your attack. So, it was useless against me.'' Invaderon smiled, "What''s next, Peddler?"


    Silence!


    There were no follow-up attacks as Invaderon frowned. He then shouted, "Why aren''t we getting closer?"


    Nefear scouted further and returned, saying, "Your Lordship, the sea currents are moving against us. We''re unable to move forward."


    "Also¡­" She said after a moment of hesitation, "I can no longer sense any marine creatures in our vicinity."


    "Hmm¡­" Invaderon frowned at that, ''What''s the use of this?''


    He then observed Peddler''s cunning grin, realising only a momentte as he shouted, "Check our granary!"


    On the back of Inron were multiple cities, full of his believers. In order to avoid a weakened situation like Essencer, his believers all lived on Inron. When they wished to invade a region, Inron banked nearby while the believers rushed forth and raided the ce.


    Once they were done, they returned with all their hauls, including the capture of infants that they would brainwash and rear as future believers. So, the entirety of Invaderon''s strength was gained from the believers on Inron.


    Therefore, everything the people needed was avable there, including food that they had stolen from their previous raid and stored for uing use. They generally stored two years'' worth of resources in advance.


    Swoosh!


    Nefear flew towards the granary in one of the cities, noticing something amiss as she barged into it, staring at the crying figure of a man who was in the pose of prayer. Before him were some grains scattered on the floor, his mutter one of relief, "Thank you¡­thank you."


    "I finally managed to repay my debt."


    "Bastard!" Nefear killed the man in rage upon realising that he had sold away everything in the granary to repay his debt. But a momentter, she felt a chill, questioning something, ''Wait, didn''t they live on Inron for their entire lives? They''ve only left Inron for short durations during their raids. So¡­how?''


    ''How have they been taken advantage of by Peddler?''

 Chapter 1008 Peddler’s Monke Taunts

    ''How have they been taken advantage of by Peddler?''


    This question puzzled Nefear, for every time they raided a region, there were plenty of eyes on their actions, from both sides. So, it was impossible to go against that and trap them in debt.


    Moreover, Nefear was unable to even determine how they had fallen into debt. What debt? When everything they needed was on Inron. So, it didn''t make sense.


    ''There should still be a few.'' Thinking as such, Nefear made a beeline to the granary of the closest city, bursting into it to see a family of four kneeling on an empty floor, having sold all the food products. From meat to grains, including the seeds, everything had been given away to repay their debt.


    But unlike before, Nefear didn''t kill them out of anger. Instead, she red at them to ask, "Why did you do this?"


    "Didn''t we give you everything you need?"


    "Y-You''re wrong, Apostle Nefear." The man of the family trembled in fear as he argued, "We didn''t fall in debt because of any materialistic desire or anything. But we were forced into one."


    "Forced?" Nefear frowned, "No power is capable of forcing anyone or imposing foreign beliefs on them, neither Faith nor Fear."


    "We were loaned our lives." The man stopped his family from protesting as he sported a helpless look, blood dripping out of his orifice as he said, "In the previous raid, an enemy attacked me. But they stopped before delivering me the killing blow, iming that my life was now theirs since they prevented my death..."


    He copsed to the floor as a bloody pulp, facing the side effect of revealing this information. His wife couldn''t even scream or express sorrow as she stared at her children, patting them once as she stared at Nefear, "Spare their lives in exchange for mine."


    "Until we repaid the debt, we would be under their control and would have to follow whatever they say. Before, we were only asked for minor inconsequential data regarding Inron. But a few minutes ago, theymanded us. We couldn''t resist. Some mysterious power controlled our bodies¡­"


    She too copsed on the floor as a bloody mess. Her two children broke into tears, hugging the corpses of their parents.


    "Are the two of you under debt too?" Nefear stared at the children and asked coldly, muttering upon seeing them nod in response, "I see."


    She revealed her wings and took flight, and in her wake, the heads of the two children copsed to the floor, beheaded by her tail. Since it didn''t seem possible to undo the debt, it was only a risk having them on board the Inron.


    Nefear went around the Inron, inspecting all the granaries, her face pale as she came to a realisation, ''All the personnel in charge of maintaining the granaries have fallen under their debt.''


    "Moreover," She frowned, tallying the information she gained from the interrogation sessions, "The enemy has data on Inron''syout, its principal facilities, and even data on the personnel in charge of various institutions."


    She prayed, transmitting all the information to Invaderon.


    "I see," Invaderon muttered and turned silent, ncing at the far-off figure of Peddler who seemed to beughing like a monkey at this moment, "This fucker!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    The scheme was very simple. Using the faith gained from the Deities rted to the marine world, Peddler caused water currents to act against Inron, causing it to be stuck in a certain spot. Moreover, all the marine life in the region had been sent away.


    Following that, the granaries on Inron were dealt with, crippling their food storage. This meant that all the humans living on Inron were stranded for food. It was only a matter of time before they begin to starve.


    Whether they die or starve for extended durations, their belief in Invaderon would plummet, naturally weakening him. The only way to change this situation was tounch a pre-emptive strike on Peddler.


    But in the current situation, that would be akin to taking a nose dive to their deaths. After all, Peddler had stolen a fifth of their undead army. Moreover, he seemed to have more than enough resources to stall for time.


    Invaderon and his underlings of Apostles and Spirits were capable of flight. They could fly to the nearby continent and fight Peddler. But, that would only weaken the defences of their home¡ªInron.


    The enemy could sneak up on it and ughter the people there. Moreover, even if they didn''t do that, Invaderon would be fighting the enemy in his home, truly risking his life.


    After all, by being separated by arge patch of water, his undead army wouldn''t be able to reach the shore. Making them swim would be very hard, if not inefficient.


    A second batch of scuba divers would only need to open up anotherva vent to decimate the army.


    Truly, this move seemed simple but it was directly targeting his foundations, causing Invaderon to death re the frustrating figure of Peddler who was truly acting like a monkey now, taunting him further.


    "Your Lordship, we have quarantined all the people following the God of Humanity." An Apostle informed Peddler, causing him to stop his taunting efforts. He dug arge piece of booger from his nose and flicked it in Invaderon''s direction, smiling contently upon seeing the other party fume further in response.


    He turned around and addressed his Apostle, "Good, keep them locked up there for the time being. Don''t let them voice any dissatisfaction. Keep them content."


    "I don''t want the God of Humanity to know the extent of my powers."


    "Is that really necessary, Your Lordship?" The Apostle asked, "Aren''t the both of you allies? You told me that you even had some history before bing a Deity and Devil respectively."


    "History?" Peddler raised an eyebrow, "Yes, we had a lot of history. Technically, you could say that I was something like his foster father, since I nurtured him for two decades. But, I burnt that bridge by trying to kill him."


    "I even went ahead and made his daughter''s life miserable." He sighed, "It''s already a wonder that he hasn''t killed me. The only reason the two of us haven''t be enemies is thanks to fate."


    "Is that fate strong?" The Apostle asked.


    "Used to be, but the stream of fate between me and him has long since been cut off." He said, "Now, the only thing protecting me is the fate connecting me to his daughter. As long as that isn''t severed, he won''t kill me."

 Chapter 1009 The God Of Development

    "But, doesn''t that still mean you''re allies for now?" The Apostle asked, "Wouldn''t revealing your cards to each other make it easier to deal with your enemies?"


    "It would indeed," Peddler nodded, "But there''s no point in doing that."


    "Essencer and Invaderon are my enemies. He helped me a little with Essencer. And simrly, I helped him a little for the Beast God." He continued, "That''s the extent of our cooperation."


    "I don''t wish to reveal even a fraction of my powers beyond what is necessary." He said, "He already has a good idea of my foundation. But I behaved like I had no idea about Essencer and the rest before this, like it was hard for me to find out their information."


    "But you were aware of their movements from day one." The Apostle retorted.


    "Yes, you''re right." Peddler nodded, "But the God of humanity doesn''t need to know that."


    "I''m going to deal with my appointed foes and act like I''ve been crippled as a result, that I paid arge sacrifice for his sake. It''s the only way I can get some brownie points with him." He said, "I might have burnt the bridge between us for survival, but for the same sake, I''m ready to build a sturdier bridge."


    "I understand." The Apostle bowed and took his leave, "I''ll begin preparing for the next phase."


    "Alright, keep an eye on our finances. Let the team of ountants work overtime to ensure nothing goes awry in our ns." Saying so, Peddler turned around and revealed a wide grin toward Invaderon.


    He then used his middle finger like a magic wand and shed the other party, constantly getting on his nerves. Deities had exceptional sight, so even his action of flicking the booger was captured by Invaderon in high definition.


    Even though Invaderon was a master of invasions, Peddler was someone that would readily make out with death just to survive. Their base values could never bepared. Heck, Peddler didn''t even have a bottom line.


    For him, anything goes as long as he could survive.


    ''Now, what''s your response, Invaderon?'' He thought and trained his senses over a widework, intending to counter any action taken by Invaderon, intending to trap Inron for as long as possible.


    The moment the people on Inron begin to starve was when the countdown toward Invaderon''s death starts ticking.


    ¡­


    "Grandma! Where are you going?" Once the ceremony for the election of the new Town Lord waspleted, the Town Lord shouted at the one that had just stepped down from the position, Pneua.


    "I''ve overextended my stay in this world, brat." Pneua smiled wryly, "My Lord is summoning my services. So, I should head to pay my respects."


    "B-But, I need you." The Town Lord''s eyes reddened, "Didn''t you promise to stay until I have a child?"


    "You always boasted about seeing your great-grandchildren!"


    "Haah¡­" Pneua''s eyes moistened as she extended her hand and gently brushed past her adorable grandson''s cheek, just as she did over the years. But then, her hand extended further and grabbed his ear, pinching them as she said, "Brat, you''re the Town Lord now."


    "You''re not a child anymore. So stop acting like one."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Then," He red at her, "Stop calling me a brat then. Stay for a few more years and see how much of a sessful adult I be."


    "I would love to, if only I had time." She sighed upon seeing his stubbornness, saying with a wry smile, "You see¡­I lied."


    "Lied?" Her grandson''s eyes widened in surprise, "Lied about what?"


    "I''m not perfectly healthy." Pneua said as she gently ced a hand over her chest, "My heart has grown weak over the years due to overwork. I''ve actuallyyered a part of my shadow over it to help lessen the load."


    "And by now, most of the pumping of my blood is being done by my shadow heart. My actual heart has grown too weak to function on its own anymore." She sighed, "The God of Humanity hasn''t once said no to whatever I asked him. Whether it be knowledge, experience, or even his blessings."


    "Even the load borne by my mind to endure his faith has been subsisted by him somehow. That''s how an olddy like me could maintain my shadow heart for so long."


    "And now, my Lord wants me by his side. So," She patted her grandson''s head and turned around, no longer pausing at his cries, "I''ll be taking my leave. Don''t be sad."


    "I''m the proudest grandma thanks to your very existence. Always am, and always will be."


    Pneua closed her eyes, focusing on her ears as she could still make out faint sobbing from her grandson, praying in her mind, ''Your Lordship, can you give me two more minutes?''


    "Take your time."


    Came the reply from the other side, causing her to tear up, "I''ve been blessed to an enviable extent."


    An experience rted to improving her ear muscles flowed into her, allowing her to hear her grandson''s voice for a couple more minutes as she walked slowly. Eventually, she walked beyond the hearing range, nodding calmly as everyone from Shukagat Town arrived at its entrance to bode her farewell.


    Sporting a calm smile, she made her way up the mountain, disappearing from their sight as she slowly hiked, creating a shadow stick to bnce her footing and trek better.


    She eventually arrived before a boulder, staring at the human-sized hole before it, one where moss had taken over. She recalled the past like it had just happened the previous day, of one where she and Pnolli came to the region and discovered the God of Humanity.


    It was their thoughts that had awakened the Deity and changed their lives for the greater good. "I''ll be joining you now, Pnolli."


    She sat before the boulder and closed her eyes, praying to the God of Humanity for giving her a blessed life to live as she retracted the shadow heart, breathing herst.


    Her figure turned into a stone, for in her final moments, the entirety of Shukagat Town was actually praying towards her and not the God of Humanity.


    ?


    After all, her feats were legendary, for she singlehandedly had been the biggest reason for their town''s development. The blessings she could obtain and retain far outssed everyone else, so the majority of the decisions taken to better their lives were by her.


    And as a result, in the final moments of her life, Pneua became a Deity.

 Chapter 1010 Divinity Deployment

    In the world of Faith Grounds, as long as one''s actions were worthy of being passed down to future generations as a feat of legends, they were deemed by the world as worthy of bing Deities.


    And Pneua was one such individual. Though, as she had devoted her entire being to the God of Humanity to follow the same route as her brother, her divinity flowed into the target of her faith.


    In a far-off ce, seated on a t terrain surrounded by three rings of mountain ranges was Pnolli. The reason he had arrived here was just one: this was the God King''s domain.


    There originally used to be a vige in this ce. But over time, the natives migrated once the great river nearby flooded.


    The flood cut off the region from the outside world, making it difficult to survive as despite the mountains forming protective rings, there were a few gaps in them, forming passes.


    The water from the river flowed into the ins through it, making the lives of the natives one of misery. As the mountain terrain wasn''t suitable for their lifestyle, they migrated to a region beyond the flood basin of the river.


    Currently, in the expansive ins, there was a boulder, just one in the vast epass. Its top surface was t and seated on it was the God King¡ªArnark.


    There were no schemes involved, just two entities that had bet their everything in order to devour everything epassing the other party. For only in that way could they gain authority over the two most potent forms ofws forming Faith Grounds.


    As Arnark had mentioned at the start through Lore. It was a fair fight.


    Everything else they did until now was to just increase their umtions. And beyond a certain point, the quantity no longer mattered, just the quality.


    "You''vee as that?" The God King snorted, not bothering to move from his seated spot. His throne was just a simple boulder, nothing majestic as the title of God King would require.


    "Are you nervous?" Pnolli mocked as he closed his eyes, sensing Pneua''s faith pour into her as he smiled, ''She became a Deity in the end.''


    Avatar of Humanity¡ªPneua (God of Development)!


    He transformed into Pneua and snapped his finger, causing her shadow to expand and epass half of the ins within the three rings.


    Immediately in response, the faith belonging to the God King was pushed back into the other half, surprising thetter.


    Through the powers of the God of Development, Compass Carburettor made half of the region into the domain of the God of Humanity. He then waited, feeling the divinity settled in the Grezza Mountain flowing towards the new region, calmly sensing the changes.


    ¡­


    "So, it''s finally starting." The God of Rain muttered as she stared at the entity before her, "Go as my represent and witness it."


    "Yes!" The one to speak was ady in herte forties. Her shoulders were wide while her hair made sharp curls, her every breath akin to thunder.


    She nodded and stared at the potted nt beside her, "Let''s go."


    "S-Strong!" The potted nt muttered in shock upon sensing the infinite power oozing out of therge-frameddy, changing its mind, ''I never imagined the strength of the God of Rain has attained such a terrifying level. She''s on the verge of reaching the same level as my Lord.''


    The God of Rain didn''t exhibit a speck of aura, so the potted nt was unable to sense anything from her. But her representative though, was otherwise, oozing with all the strength she possessed.<novelnext></novelnext>


    God of Rain¡ªSaint!


    For this asion, the God of Rain created her ultimate representative, one possessing thirty percent of her power, almost a third, a Saint.


    Initially, Peddler''s representative arrived at her sanctum to make a trade. In exchange for a portion of her faith, Peddler would transport her representative to the location where the God of Humanity and the God King would duke it out.


    Basically, Peddler used this event as an entertainment fest and sold tickets to all the Deities and Devils. With that, he gainedrge portions of their faith as ticket fees. Thereby, he gained more than enough resources to face Invaderon.


    Every scenario was an opportunity to make a profit. The one that followed this saying religiously was a true merchant.


    With that, the Saint of the God of Rain entered a weighing scale and vanished. Through a Saint, the God of Rain would obtain a clear view of the uing fight.


    The reason a Saint was dispatched was because an Apostle was too weak to endure the energy emissions from the two strongest Deities in the world. Moreover, it was disrespectful to send anyone below a Saint.


    There was also the undeniable fact that the God of Rain was able to observe the clearest through her Saint. The thought process of all the other Deities too was the same as everyone sent a Saint using Peddler''s services.


    ¡­


    "It''s happening, huh." Yedu muttered as it nudged Yaeha, the one that had been promoted into its Saint, "Witness it as my representative."


    "So I shall." Yaeha nodded respectfully as it entered one side of a weighing scale and vanished.


    After that, Yedu thought of something and asked the potted nt, "What about the return journey?"


    "Umm¡­" The potted nt trembled before saying, "That would cost extra. We have dispatched a few of our personnel to the location to facilitate that."


    "What a ripoff." Yedu snorted but didn''tin. At this moment in time, only Peddler had the means to transport Saints to far-off ces in the world and had the foundation to amodate such a wide-scale operation.


    Even if the other Deities wished to send their representatives through primitive means, they didn''t know the location. Only Peddler was aware.


    To avoid any interruptions, both the God of Humanity and the God King never disclosed their location to even their closest allies. But it seemed Peddler truly had his means to find out the location in a matter of minutes.


    Moreover, considering the deal he had established with the Deities beforehand, it seemed he was aware of their actions and thought processes, a truly unscrupulous merchant.


    Yaeha arrived at the location and looked around, immediately grabbing the nearest potted nt to curse, "Why is there a barrier here? And why have I appeared at the outer circle? I can''t see shit from out here."


    "My Lord, if you wish to wish to obtain a front-row view on the first circle, you need to pay a premium." Afraid, yes. But the potted nt still delivered its lines.


    Truly, an unscrupulous merchant.

 Chapter 1011 Let’s Do This, Arnark!

    "Seriously?" Yaeha raged as it turned around and unleashed an attack at the barrier, only noticing a ripple form in response.


    "This barrier has been created using faiths of all Deities. A Saint can never hope to even put a dent on it, much less break through." The potted nt said, "Besides, if you try to interfere, you''ll receive the wrath of every other being here."


    "Dammit!" Yaeha mmed the potted nt into the ground and asked in irritation, "How much?"


    "It''s one point five times the current ticket price for a seat in the middle circle¡­" The potted nt said, trembling in fear at the opponent''s re.


    "I don''t care about that!" Yaeha felt like it was unable to control its anger any longer, "Tell me about the inner circle."


    "Two times, my Lord." The potted nt said, feeling a steam of faith m into its weighing scale, almost breaking it as Yaeha paid the price.


    The potted nt hurriedly motioned for Yaeha to enter the weighing scale and transported it to a location in the inner circle.


    Upon arriving at the location, Yaeha looked around, noticing the barrier covering it from all sides, frowning in response, "It seems I cannot interact with the other Saints too."


    Its focus then fell on the ins, staring at the two inconspicuous figures standing apart from each other, feeling that the barrier before it was ten times as thick as the others, "Even a Deity would find it impossible to break through this barrier."


    "Just how much faith has that unscrupulous merchant stolen from us?" It then recalled how much their side alone had paid.


    The price of the ticket, the cost of the journey, and then another rate to upgrade to the inner circle location, the total was a bit more than the faith a Saint carried.


    It truly was an exorbitant sum. As Yaeha looked around, it observed the arrival of other Saints. Of course, just like it, they too raged at the potted nts upon learning of the hidden markup of prices to get into the better viewing locations.


    The inner circle of course had the best view. The middle circle itself had poor viewing angles, unable to witness anything that happened closer to the edges of the ins. Thankfully, the mountain range forming the middle circle had some higher peaks.


    They allowed a clear view of the ins, but such seats were sold for a premium too, at a price higher than the other seats in the middle circle. Finally, the outer circle was horrible. At most, one would be able to hear the sounds and faith emissions.


    They could also observe the reactions of the Saints seated in the middle and inner circles to infer what was happening, a ripoff.


    Yaeha observed the arriving Saints, getting a clear indication of their respective faith''s foundation. Those that paid the premium to arrive at the inner circle had deeper pockets.


    So, just based on one''s seat, their foundation could be inferred. It was also the best time for Yaeha to find out about the various Deities that were around the world.


    Truly, if not for this event, when will the representatives of so many Deities converge in one location ever again?


    And by discerning the foundation of one''s faith, Yaeha began to judge their threat towards the peacock race, tallying those they could take care of and those they would have to be wary towards.


    Its eyes naturally fell on the Saint of the God of Rain, shocked, to be honest, ''How is she so powerful?''


    ''Does this make sense?''


    Along the side of the humans, the God of Rain had be a major faith, expanding rapidly over the years, its growth being exponential. So, their Saint was in a ss of her own.


    All the Saints at the ce were checking each other out as their eyes all fell on the Saint of the God of Rain.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But for the individual that was at the centre of attention, her attention was on the ins and nowhere else, able to feel the strong wish of the Deity she represented, "You must win!"


    "God of Humanity!"


    Suddenly, there were exims among the crowd when a certain individual arrived.


    "It''s a Devil''s representative."


    "Even they are here?"


    Once all the representatives of the Deities had arrived, the representatives of the Devils followed suit. Just like the Deities, there were other Devils in the world, almost equal in number.


    Most of them were pretty weak though, inferior inparison to their Deity counterparts. But their numbers still came off as a surprise.


    Moreover, this was just from the Devils that had enough foundation to pay for this trip. There should be other, even weaker Devils out there in the world, regretting the missed opportunity.


    Though of course, not all Devils were weak. A couple of them seemed to have been rather sessful, being stronger than most Deity representatives.


    The Saints of Deities became wary of such entities and sized them up, aware that they would have to deal with such existences in the future to ensure the safety and well-being of their domains.


    All the seats were upied within an hour as the attention of everyone fell on the two main characters.


    "So this was his n." The God King snorted, "What''s the use though? It''s only relevant in this world. Or, is he nning to stay here permanently?"


    "What''s your thought on this, Compass?"


    He was only met with silence as Compass Carburettor was still umting power. Only when both were ready would the Lore and Tell-Tale running the Genre Representation take effect and finalise the fight that would determine the ownership of the two powers.


    Attacking before that was useless.


    Time passed in such a manner when thest of the faith of the God of Humanity from the Grezza mountain finished flowing into his half of the ins, turning it into his domain.


    With that, the figure of Pneua vanished, reverting to his original form as the God of Humanity. His eyes shot open as he stared at the God King, immediately unleashing a torrent of killing intent that caused the region to tremble, as if it was facing an earthquake, frightening all the Saints, "Let''s do this,"


    "Arnark!"


    ¡­


    Author Notes: Hello everyone, as thest battle of Volume 5 starts, I bring you some good news. Faith Grounds would get a new spin-off, set in the future with interesting characters. The novel will be released in the first week of March. So, stay tuned~!!!


    Ps. [IHS Comic] is under production and would be released soon. I''m nning to make it alongside theic for the new novel too. So, check for updates on my Patreon [patreon/overlord_venus]


    If possible, support with the 3 USD per month tier or higher and be listed in theic as one of the sponsors.

 Chapter 1012 Arnark Vs CC (Part 1)

    Swoosh!


    Shadow spread on the ground, covering half of a grassy in, following which spike jutted out and coiled like a cluster of serpents, stabbing into a seated individual.


    Each shadow spike possessed enough power to puncture through a mountain instantly, with the inner walls of the punctured tunnel being smooth like butter. It was a show of the sheer, undeniable piercing power.


    But strangely, the seated man didn''t even bat an eye as he simply blinked once, watching the shadow spikes stab into him and stop, unable to pierce even a millimetre through his skin.


    "H-How is this possible?" The Saint of the God of Rain stared in absolute horror. Every single shadow spike possessed enough power to wound even a Deity. And here, there were hundreds stabbing into the target.


    What was even more unbelievable was how they failed to even scratch the opponent, "H-How can someone this absurd exist?"


    "How many believers would one need to attain such power? Are there even so many believers to facilitate something of such a scale?" The Saint of the God of Rain was tethering on the brink of sanity.


    Observing through her was the God of Rain, her expression solemn, ''So, this is the entity said to be the Ruler of Deities,''


    "The God King!"


    "Is this the extent of your power, Compass?" Arnark yawned as he casually swiped his hand and shattered all the shadowy spikes, "Honestly, it''s such a disappointment."


    "Is that so?" Compass Carburettor didn''t express any change in expression as he snapped his finger, causing the shadow on the ground to wriggle as this time, dozens of humanoid creatures sprang out. They all resembled him in appearance, but sported shadowy forms.


    With a start, the shadowy figures rushed at Arnark, condensing weapons of all shapes and forms.


    The first of them was a figure holding arge hammer. It leaped into the air and rushed at Arnark, mming his head from above.


    In response, Arnark''s eyes gazed upwards as he extended a finger, stopping the attack that resulted in terrifying shockwaves that sent all the other shadowy figures flying out. "Well, it''s underwhelmingly decent."


    He huffed his chest and blew out, vaporising the shadowy figure as the resultant from his attacks wiped out all the shadowy figures in the range. Moreover, a portion of the domain belonging to the God of Humanity was damaged, with theyer of shadow on it being wiped clean, revealing the green grass underneath.


    "They aren''t even in the same dimension of strength." Yedu frowned, sighing as it sensed the Curse of Faith in its power. It had already taken action, but had yet to finish the process. So, the Beast God was still free.


    It, along with the four other divine beasts intended to decide the course of their actions based on how the fight proceeded. Originally, they thought the fight would pan out evenly for the major parts. But never had they ever expected for there to be such ring differences.


    The God of Humanity was no match for the God King.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "No, don''t write him off so quickly." Suddenly, the divine tiger, part of the five among the divine beasts spoke, "Remember the feats the humans performed through his blessings. The God of Humanity has yet to exhibit any of that. He''s just using his shadow."


    The five divine beasts that had gathered to control the Beast King had called forth a summons, sending their respective Apostles to amon gathering spot. And through the Apostles, theymunicated.


    "I know, but even if he were to use everything, he won''t be the God King''s match." Yedu retorted, "The God King isn''t even using any strength."


    "He''s just toying with the opponent."


    Boom!


    Arnark snapped his finger and produced a shockwave, annihting a group of shadowy figures as he stared at Compass Carburettor, "You have a better n than swarming me with clones?"


    "Why are you in a hurry to die, Arnark?" Compass Carburettor still maintained his poker face, "I''m just using a fraction of the faith I''m receiving every moment, you see."


    "That so?" Arnark tilted his head as suddenly, his figure swerved through the group of shadowy clones, popping them all like balloons as he flickered before Compass Carburettor, clenching his hand into a fist as he punched forth.


    Energy circted through his fist and mmed out, destroying everything in its path as the resultant of the power mmed into the barrier, cracking it instantly, rming the spectating Saints.


    ''S-Strong!'' Yaeha tumbled to the ground, staring at the massive crack on the barrier. It had happened close to its location, terrifying it. As for the Saint directly in the line of attack, they had fainted for a couple of seconds before the Deity backing them forcefully awakened them.


    Arnark was in the pose of an extended punch, pausing as his voice resounded slowly, "Instead of the God of Humanity, you should be the God of Rats instead."


    He stared at his feet, observing that the ground had be his domain, when originally, it was supposed to be the domain of the God of Humanity. He turned around and stared at the figure of Compass Carburettor who had transformed into Pneua for a moment, observing that in that fraction of a second, he swapped his domains while evading the attack.


    "Now, now, take a clearer look at your feet." Compass Carburettor pointed at Arnark''s feet, "I left you a gift, a pleasant one."


    Saying so, he transformed into Pneua as the domain of the God of Humanity shrunk like ink and covered his body, following which he drilled a hole into the ground and vanished.


    Arnark''s eyes moved to stare at the location Compass Carburettor had pointed at, observing a tiny sphere half embedded into the ground, only the size of a thumb. He frowned as his vision morphed, seeing through the sphere to stare at twenty-four rings embedded within, forming a cluster, with each sporting slightly varying radii. And spinning within all was a particle approaching the speed of light.


    It was actually mass extracted from a supernova, and when all twenty-four of them attained a certain kic energy level, the rings copsed, resulting in a fusion-fission reaction.


    The region lost all semnce of colour, turning white as Arnark stared at the miniature star''s copse, one that engulfed everything.

 Chapter 1013 Arnark Vs CC (Part 2)

    "What the fuck?" Peddler screamed shrilly like a banshee, causing all his believers to flinch at his unexpected high pitched swear.


    "Did something happen, Your Lordship?" The Apostle under him asked in a hurry, tensed, alert while wondering if Invaderon had done something shocking instead.


    "Didn''t you say you had no intention of harming this world? Why the heck did you create a copsing star from the get go?" He felt weak for a moment, having expended a portion of his fortune to reinforce the barrier protecting the field. It somehow managed to withstand the attack but through his believers, all he could see was just a sphere of white revolving within.


    "Go there and witness it on my behalf." Peddler snapped his finger as the Apostle beside him grunted in response, feeling a searing strain when he was upgraded from an Apostle to a Saint. His hair rapidly became fully coloured as his face was pale.


    "You don''t have enough talent to be my Saint, but you can temporarily endure this level of power." Peddler said and brought out his weighing scale, sending the Saint to the field, "I want you to be my eyes and hands. It''s easier to maintain the barrier by funnelling my power through you than the other believers."


    "I won''t fail you." The Saint of Peddler spoke as he vanished and appeared at the scene, staring from a spot on the inner circle as he muttered in shock, "Holy heck!"


    Before him, separated by the barrier was a destructive energy capable of wiping out all the Saints and a good portion of the world¡­or not.


    Suddenly, all the Saints stared up in reflex, observing mysterious words manifest in the skies. Thews of the world had manifested as the words began to jump. Suddenly, everyone could feel it.


    Thews were actively rewriting the rules of the world to nerf the power of the attackunched by the God of Humanity. And in a matter of seconds, they were done as the white sphere became self-contained.


    It then started to copse on its own and vanished in a matter of seconds. The fearsome energy it generated was naturally absorbed by thend that regenerated, reforming the vast field of grass once again, pristine.


    "How mystical!" Yedu was mesmerised, having never witnessed thews of the world itself take action, enlightened in response.


    Every single Deity and Devil that had witnessed the scene was enlightened by the physical manifestation of thews of the world in such clear order, experiencing a growth in strength. Immediately, the gap between them and the peak six was bridged by a small extent.


    On one side stood Arnark, clicking his tongue upon seeing that his clothes were in tatters, "It took me a year to weave that out of a divine beast''s fur¡­"


    Other than his clothes being in tatters, there was no other change in him. Even that devastating attack didn''t even scratch him.


    Arnark stared forward, noticing the domain of the God of Humanity reappear as a blob of jet-ck ink drilled out of the ground and out came Compass Carburettor.


    "Even that didn''t scratch you? Man, you''re tough." Compass Carburettormented in praise.


    "Unless the attack is on my level, it would never affect me¡­" Arnark retorted when suddenly, his gaze hardened upon staring at the opponent''s face, "You¡­fucker."


    "You did that on purpose." He calmed down and stared at the manifestation of the world''sws vanish, "So, this is what a world with both Lore and Tell-Tale can do, huh."


    "An attack that would have copsed the foundation of another world was simply written off here."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Bingo," Compass Carburettor grinned, "The first attack causes the most destruction. Now that thews are aware of such destructive means, they are better equipped to deal with it."


    "It''s a sort of training."


    ''He''s using our fight to raise the immune system of this world.'' Arnark frowned, ''This bastard! He''s making things difficult for me.''


    Even if Arnark were to win here, all he would obtain would be a copy of Lore and Tell-Tale. He would face difficulties if he wished to fully extract them out of this world, as was his original purpose.


    He wished to be the sole possessor of the ultimate power. But Compass Carburettor''s attack was training thews created by Lore and Tell-Tale to be better equipped and efficient in dealing with attacks that would throw off their foundation.


    The more this happens, the harsher Arnark''s difficulty in extracting the two powers. He wouldn''t be content in getting Lore and Tell-Tale as a prize by the world. No, even if they were Lore and Tell-Tale, he would only be gaining a part of that power.


    They would be insufficient to devour this world. Or rather, his attempts would further fuel the growth of Lore and Tell-Tale in better managing this world.


    ''Win or lose, he intends my rewards to be a mockery!'' This was what pissed off Arnark, ''I didn''t fucking wager Lore to only get a second-hand copy of the same!''


    "You must be smart of your n, huh?" Arnark red at Compass Carburettor, "Unfortunately for you, I''ll win."


    "And when I do, I''ll strip this world of Lore and Tell-Tale and not even leave a fragment of them behind."


    ''I was waiting for you to say that.'' Smiling in response, Compass Carburettor stared at the Saint representing Yedu, as if to say, ''The proof is before your eyes now.''


    "I see, so that''s the true face of the God King." Yedu sighed in disappointment as itmanded its believers. The other four divine beasts too did the same as immediately, all the followers of the Beast God prayed towards him, unleashing the Curse of Faith in full power.


    "Fool, ughter the humans now." Arnark said and snapped his finger,manding the Beast God, aware that he had sent his saint to witness this fight.


    The Saint of the Beast God, a peacock, only bowed in response to his gaze, causing Arnark''s gaze to widen for a moment before he sighed in disappointment, "Useless until hisst damn moment."


    That gaze from the Beast God''s Saintwas enough for Arnark to understand that the Beast God had beenpromised. He could no longer count on his strength.


    Upon staring at Compass Carburettor''s subtle smile, Arnark cooled down immediately, not even the least affected by the news, "I wasn''t counting much on that fence sitter anyway."


    He stared at his opponent, snapping his finger to suddenly cause the domain of the God King to expand and cover nine-tenths of the field in an instant and continue to increase, pressuring the domain of the God of Humanity, "Your schemes mean nothing in the end, Compass."


    He stared at Compass Carburettor''s face scrunching up in the pressure he exerted, smiling, "I''m the Main Character."

 Chapter 1014 Arnark Vs CC (Part 3)

    "I''m the Main Character."


    "Keuk!" Compass Carburettor winced in strain when the size of his domain shrunk rapidly. It was apparent that all his attacks only caused more annoyances for Arnark.


    He truly wasn''t in the least affected until now.


    "Schemes are good, but only when you have the power to take advantage of them are they valuable." Arnark said as he began to walk towards thetter while his domain continued to upy more and more area.


    "The amount of faith you have amassed is a frightening sum, almost equal to a hundred top ss Deities. But, even if you amass ten times the current amount, nothing will change." He spoke as he continued to walk forward.


    "Tch!" Compass Carburettor grunted as shadowy tentacles crashed into the God King''s domain, intending to widen the area of his domain but failed. No matter how much his shadow tentacles mmed into the expanding God King''s domain, they were like mere strings of hair hitting a dozen-kilometre tall mountain.


    There was zero effect.


    From half the area of the field to a tenth, it dropped to a hundredth, and now, he barely had an area of fifty square metres to himself.


    Arnark stood at the edge of the God King''s domain, smiling as he took a step forward, forcing the God of Humanity''s Domain to recede by another step, "You can never win against me, Compass."


    "My believers are all Deities. My faith is divine, inparison to your mortal faith." Arnark let out a casual grin, "Unless you possess divine faith, none of your attacks can ever hope to even scratch me."


    Soon, he was only arm''s length away from Compass Carburettor, grinning upon staring at the strained expression of the other party, "My, oh my, you are struggling now? What happened to your initial nonchnce?"


    "So pitiful, huh?" He slowly extended his hand and patted Compass Carburettor on the shoulder, "If you have any other tricks, use them."


    "For a confrontation I''ve been expecting for so long, this is pretty anticlimactic." He then spoke with a tone suffused with disdain, "You made a mistake from the very beginning."


    "It might seem like your choice is genius incarnate, but the moment you represented humanity, you lost." He snorted, "Your growth was staggering, but that was it."


    "You should have taken a path simr to mine. Otherwise, all your epess is wasted." He gently pped Compass Carburettor''s face, "Oh well, I guess it''s due to ack of experience. Anyway,"


    He grinned, "I''ll give you a second chance."


    "Be my subordinate."


    Upon seeing Compass Carburettor''s re, Arnark casually brushed off the countless shadowy tentacles attacking him, vaporising them as he slightly increased the power behind his finger, tapping the opponent.


    Boom!


    A sound akin to a thunderp resounded as the figure of Compass Carburettor was sent flying through the sky. He crashed into the barrier, causing blood to stter out of his body, rming the Saints spectating.


    "Ah¡­dammit¡­" He muttered weakly, indignation oozing out of his every breath as his figure mmed into the ground, forming a minor crater, one that was gradually filled with his blood.


    His domain was no more as the entirety of the ins was now Arnark''s domain. It was a clear show of the God of Humanity''s defeat.


    "It¡­ended that quickly?" The God of Rain was shocked, feeling disbelief, "H-H-How is it possible? He''s supposed to be on par with the God King in terms of strength. Then how? Why did he go down?"


    She recalled her short conversation with Pnolli, recalling the opponent''s statement, "He was so confident back then. Was it just bravado?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "No," She grunted, finding it hard to face reality, "He''s the creator of this world. The other five too are pirs that shaped this world, but the God of Humanity is the primary creator."


    "So, how could it be that this is the extent of his strength?" The God of Rain was unable to rein in her anxiety.


    After all, if the God King represented the divine beasts, then the God of Humanity represented the human Deities. Thetter''s defeat signalled the end of humanity as a whole.


    ''No, it''s because of that!'' She thought, recalling Arnark''s statement, ''Divine Faith! That''s the difference!''


    "Right, all the divine beasts serve the God King. That''s why he''s unmatched, all thanks to his divine faith." She shouted, "Then that means¡­"


    Her eyes lit up as she pped the potted nt nearby, "You know the domains of the human Deities, right?"


    "Y-Yes!" The potted nt shivered in fear, almost turning into dust from her gaze, "P-Please don''t stare at me, Your Lordship."


    "I can''t handle Your Lordship''s divine gaze."


    The God of Rain closed her eye for a moment, calming down as she opened them, staring at her Spirits that had rushed into her sanctum, "Make a trip, everyone!"


    She stared at the potted nt, "Send them to the domains of these Deities respectively."


    Based on the auras of the Saints converged around the ins, the God of Rain targeted the strongest ones first, sending a Spirit to the respective domains.


    ¡­


    "Why did youe here, Spirit of the God of Rain?" The God of Desert stared at the entity before it that resembled an ant before its massive stature.


    "Your Lordship, God of Desert, Ie here bearing an urgent message." The Spirit of the God of Rain then turned silent as suddenly, his eyes lit up as his figure hovered in the sky on the same eye level as the God of Desert.


    Until now, the God of Desert''s expression was of a Deity staring down at an ant, but now, it was respectful, for it was seeing an equal, "Please speak,"


    "God of Rain."


    "Since time is of essence, I''ll keep it short." The God of Rain''s voice resounded from the Spirit, "Pray to the God of Humanity."


    "We were once humans too."


    "Why should I do it though?" The God of Desert tilted his head, "You should know by now, since you''ve been a Deity long enough."


    "We have no past as a human."


    "¡­" The God of Rain stared at him in silence.


    The God of Desert continued, "I tried to look back on it numerous times, but my time as a human and the legend I created back then¡­"


    "Simply doesn''t exist. It never happened."

 Chapter 1015 Arnark Vs CC (Part 4)

    "Our legends are fake, God of Rain." The God of Desert spoke.


    There was silence for a few seconds before the God of Rain said, "So, what are you going to do about it?"


    "Give up everything?"


    "What?" The God of Desert was surprised by her retort.


    "As you said, our past doesn''t exist. It''s actually fabricated. Or to be more urate, we were nothing but the figment of someone''s dream before then before being brought to reality." The God of Rain spoke, "And that someone is Compass Carburettor."


    "The God of Humanity."


    "Compass Carburettor..." The God of Desert muttered, "So that''s his name. No wonder I found it weird that the God King called him Compass instead of the God of Humanity."


    "Strange, I feel like I know of this from somewhere¡­" The God of Desert frowned, experiencing a headache, "Sheesh, what the heck is happening?"


    "Do you¡­" The God of Rain asked slowly, "Do you dream?"


    "Hmm, I''m not sure if you could call it a dream. But recently, I had something that you can call as¡­" The God of Desert muttered, "Visions?"


    "What were the visions about?"


    "It was something about me forming a group of vagabonds that roamed a desert and gave provisions such as food, water, nkets, and even camels to travellers braving through the desert." The God of Desert said, "It was very vague. But these visions don''t have much rity."


    "I had these¡­visions too." The God of Rainsmented, "In my case, I was the leader of a dam that created a pipeline system and installed water towers throughout a region where they would sprinkle water out in regr intervals in famine regions."


    "Is that¡­?" The God of Desert frowned suddenly, "Your actions were simr to bringing rain to those famine regions."


    "And your actions were a blessings to those weary travellers that had prepared for death in the vast desert." The God of Rain nodded, "Yes, that''s your actual past."


    "When we were a figment of that person''s dream, this was what we did. And when his dream became a reality, our actions became our legend." She spoke.


    "So, that means¡­" The God of Desert sighed.


    "Yes, you''re right." The God of Rain nodded, "Our past doesn''t seem real, but it happened. We indeed did everything in our memories, but it didn''t happen in this world, but in the dream of Compass Carburettor."


    "He''s our past. We were birthed out of the atoms forming his essence and from there, we grew in his dreams." The God of Rain said, "And now, we are all real and have be the symbol of our actions."


    "He''s our actual creator. And now, without our support, he''s about to die." The God of Rain said, her voice choking in response, "I won''t be able to forgive myself if I don''t support him now."


    "How¡­can we do that?" The God of Desert sighed, "We cannot leave our domains. And my Saint isn''t strong enough to even break through Peddler''s barrier, not to mention take part in the fight. Even the attacks of the God of Humanity didn''t manage to put a scratch on the God King."


    "We pray." The God of Rain said, "He''s our deity, so we pray towards him."


    "I see," The God of Desert said as he closed his eyes, no longer speaking as he joined his hands and offered a prayer.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Immediately, a tinge of faith, minute in volume, but something special flowed from him and entered the God of Humanity.


    Divine Faith!


    The God of Rain managed to convince a couple dozen Deities by now as a thin stream of divine faith flowed into the God of Humanity.


    "Farewell, Compass." Arnark said as he clenched his hand into a fist, intending to deal the final blow to the bloody figure of Compass Carburettor, "I''ll be unrivalled in the multiverse after this."


    Boom!


    His hand came down with thundering momentum and mmed into Compass Carburettor''s head, sttering it into bits of pieces, causing his twitching body toe to an abrupt halt.


    "Ha¡­haha¡­hahaha!" Arnark roared inughter, having finally defeated his opponent. "I won, you fucker!"


    "The greatest Main Character? Main Character, my foot! Your growth was only thanks to my recognition. At one time, you threatened me, but not anymore." He then stared around, ring at the Saints with ravenous gluttony, "Now, to reap the fruits of mybour."


    "Lore, Tell-Tale,e to me!"


    Arnark raised his hand into the sky, intending to receive the prize of the contest, frowning a momentter to see no signs of stirrup from thews of the world. A momentter, he smiled wryly, pping the back of his head, "It seems I was bested."


    "There''s still Peddler, Invader, Beast God, and even Essencer in this world. Only after killing them all would I win. Right," Heughed, "Me and Compass were the main characters. But these four side characters too are part of the contest."


    He stared at the barrier before facing the Saint dispatched by Peddler, "Well, you''re next. Clean your neck and be ready. I''ll be there in a jiffy¡­"


    ¡­


    "Man, what a mess." Peddler massaged his throbbing forehead, "How the heck did that guy lose?"


    "Did he be arrogant in the end?" He muttered, "No, that''s not in his nature. No matter how arrogant he bes, he also embodies my nature of survival."


    "So, he wouldn''t be taken out of the picture so quickly." He tapped his chin, intending to think of his subsequent course of actions when suddenly, a terrifying aura burst out of Inron, rivalling that of Invaderon as a minuteter, Inron began to elerate, rapidly approaching their continent.


    "Man, I don''t have a moment''s time to rest." Peddler sighed, his shoulders slumped, "Is it that difficult to survive these days?"


    "Back in my days, things were less stressful." He stared at his Spirits, "Be prepared for war."


    "Our victory or defeat will depend on your actions." He then stared at two Spirits, "The both of you are responsible for controlling our undead army."


    "Yes, Your Lordship!" The Spirits bowed in response and hurried towards their respective stations while Peddler observed the figure of Inron, watching it touch the shore as immediately, all the believers and undead creatures alike rushed out in droves.


    "So, it came to an all-out war in the end."

 Chapter 1016 Horned Elite

    "Your Lordship, if we keep up with this passiveness any longer, we''ll lose." Nefear said nervously.


    "Haha, why are you afraid?" In contrast to her expression, Invaderon broke into a mildugh, patting her head to say, "We have my trump card to pull, don''t we?"


    "But¡­" Nefear hesitated, "I don''t wish to use it. Or rather, I hate that to the extreme. I''m not willing to do it!"


    By the end, her voice was almost loud enough to resemble a shout, causing the believers to look around in surprise in order to see where her shout wasing from. It almost reverberated throughout the Inron.


    "There doesn''t seem much option at this point, don''t you think?" Invaderon patted her and spoke calmly, "Nefear, I know how much you wish to maintain your current position. But you should understand."


    "You''re squandering your potential tremendously." He spoke in all seriousness, his gaze a re full of killing intent, "Out of all the Devil''s I''ve led to the creation of, you''re the one with the biggest potential."


    "You''ve perfectly absorbed my teachings and made them your own."


    "I understand," Nefear shed tears, sobbing for a couple of minutes before she wiped them off, "I''m eternally grateful for your teachings."


    Invaderon ced his hand on her head, sucking in all the authority granted to her, "I hereby evict you from my faith¡­"


    Swoosh! Boom!


    A torrent of energy exploded out of Nefear, forming a vortex akin to a volcanic eruption as a tremendous amount of fear poured into her from all across the world.


    Until now, every time Invaderon raided a region, he didn''t just ughter everyone. He only crippled their ability to recover, perfectly copsing the societal stability of the ce.


    And when things went to chaos, thugs took over. People suffered, losing lives, their hopes, and their very future. Killers ran rampant and asionally, there arose mass murders with resounding fame so infamous they reached other regions too.


    And when fear rattled the minds of the popce far beyond the regions where these mass murders operated, it led to the birth of a Devil. It was using this tactic that Invaderon birthed countless Devils.


    Among them, he had been nurturing Nefear''s infamy. The majority of the times, when she went around causing disasters, Invaderon had prohibited her from using the authority granted to her.


    This meant that while using the body akin to a human, she caused countless loss of lives. The name Nefear spread as a tool of propaganda, a word that sent shivers down the spine of everyone that heard her feats.


    And Invaderon took great measures to ensure she wasn''t linked up to him as his Apostle. That would mess up his ns. As a result, Nefear''s potential as a Devil was growing day by day.


    But as long as she remained his Apostle, she would be unable to be a Devil due to the conflict of power¡ªfear.


    That was why, the moment Invaderon evicted her from his faith, all the fear that Nefear had been generating in her name condensed in her, turning her into a powerful Devil immediately.


    Moreover, her infamy was so strong that she almost reached on par with Invaderon in terms of strength. This was the trump card that Invaderon had been preparing all along. And that wasn''t all as he ced his thumb and index finger in his mouth and whistled.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Immediately, in a room secluded on the Inron, a secret that no believer was aware of, the doors opened, allowing ten individuals to walk out. Their expressions were tired, their bodies weary, and their health at an all time.


    Once they came out, they collectively inhaled as their eyes lit up with Soul Fire. Their bodies resembled old man, but when they took ten steps, their age regressed by an year.


    Another ten steps, and they became another year younger. And while walking, their postures became more and more erect while their frames widened. By the time they arrived before Invaderon, they were brisk youths brimming with power.


    "You''re all here, my elites." Invaderon grinned.


    The moment the ten elites appeared, Inron''s head peaked out of the water as it unleashed a loud roar, signalling the start of an invasion.


    "Another prey to devour?" The one at the vanguard among the ten elites asked, revealing a bloodthirsty grin, "Is it a Deity or a Devil this time?"


    "A Devil, a rather tasty one at that." Invaderon grinned and pointed towards the mountain where Peddler was standing upon, "His name''s Peddler. He functions as an unscrupulous merchant that can turn you into his ve the moment he defeats you."


    "That''s pretty dope." The vanguard eliteughed boisterously, "Your Lordship! I thank you for this meal."


    Invaderon''s power allowed him to create living skeletons that could devour other skeletons and grow stronger. Depending on the foundation of the original skeleton that the body possessed, the potential of a skeleton creature he could create varied.


    But, Invaderon of course had his methods. He experimented through his invasions, creating Devils. And when a Devil with a horn appeared, he documented the process and coted his gains.


    Of course, he killed the Devil and used it to create a skeleton. Since it was a Devil''s skeleton, its potential was unmatched. Following that, every time he raised a region and faced a Deity or a Devil protecting that region, when he killed them, his Devil Skeleton devoured them, thereby experiencing a surge in strength.


    During this process, he granted the Devil Skeleton the power of a Saint. And once the devour waspleted, he retracted the power and allowed it to rest within a secure house. Over time, he managed to create ten Devil Skeletons, causing each to devour arge number of Deities and Devils.


    They were the true elites of his army, sentient undead with power on par with a strong Deity. Aware that his strength would deplete if his foundation was targeted, Invaderon created an army that would never cripple in strength.


    And that was his elite ten¡ªHorned Elite!


    The ten Horned Elite and Nefear were his true power, refined for almost a century using the blood, flesh, and bones of countless Deities and Devils.


    "I''ll make us reach the shore first." One of the Horned Elite said as it jumped onto the tail end of Inron and pped its hand, causing waves to form as immediately, Inron began to move towards the continent.


    Once Inron reached the shore, Invaderonmanded his army to charge out as he stared at the figure of Peddler, one that was no longer taunting him.


    The opponent was finally serious.

 Chapter 1017 The Devil Of Devils

    Roar!


    "Kill! Kill! Kill!"


    "ughter them all!"


    Invaderon''s believers roared with reckless enthusiasm as they raised their weapons and cheered on. A good majority of them had modified bodies. They weren''t entirely human. Their bone structure had been upgraded, with parts of different creatures systematically weaved into their frame.


    A middle-aged man rushed at the forefront, his mouth fully open as he roared manically, with his spittle spraying everywhere. His eyes mechanically scanned through the deserted ce, observing a fort installed farther away.


    His eyes widened as he observed a glint from atop the fortress wall, quickly clenching his hand into a fist as a bone axe head protruded out. He grunted and mmed into the ground, cleaving the sand into two to form a small trench and leapt into it.


    A couple of secondster, whistling sounds echoed as the ear-splitting screams of people resounded throughout the ce. The middle-aged man smelled the scent of iron, seeing blood leak into the trench inrge volumes.


    He lifted his head upward, staring at the bloodied face of a man staring at him, eyes wide,cking his lower jaw. Something resembling a projectile seemed to have pierced through the region, creating such arge gap in his skull.


    ''Indeed, the enemy seems to possess a mysterious weapon.'' Thinking as such, the middle-aged man grabbed the corpse of a fallenrade and crushed it into bits before kneading it like a dough, praying to Invaderon as he gained power for a couple of seconds.


    In that duration, he transformed the corpse''s bone into a sturdy shield, grinning as he rushed forward with it.


    Bam!


    A projectile mmed into the bone shield, the impact sending him flying backward for a metre as the shield almost slipped out of his hand. He stared at it, observing a spear the size of his arm was the cause. The area of impact had dented rmingly, sporting obvious cracks.


    ''So, a shield is at most good to defend against a couple of these spears.'' Thinking as such, the middle-aged man began to use the evacuated buildings as cover to proceed forward. He was a bloodthirsty individual, living only for the day he could invade and rampage in another region again.


    And these obstacles only excited him further. There were plenty of people like him in the army as they used theyout of the ce to rush forth and avoid the barrage of spears as much as possible.


    "Sir, they are within a five hundred metre range." A soldier atop the newly erected fort wall said.


    "Wait." The person in charge of the fort was a Spirit who calmly observed the army that numbered more than a hundred thousand. He was nervous at the sea of people, not to mention the innumerous number of skeletons rushing from the sides.


    As the army continued to approach them, he waited patiently, coldly calcting the distance. ''500¡­400¡­300¡­200¡­100.''


    He shouted, "Fire! Empty all our firepower!"


    Immediately, the soldiers on the wall pushed aside the ballistae and pulled out heavy machine guns, aiming at the army as they pressed the trigger.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Rat-tat-ta!


    Lines akin toser spewed all across the region, tearing through everything like fragile pottery. Buildings, boulders, people, and skeletons alike, all were shredded inrge numbers.


    "Don''t conserve the ammo! Our God said that we won''t be able to use these weapons for more than a minute. Shoot them all!" The Spirit transmitted the message into the minds of everything through their faith¡ªusing Peddler as a channel.


    Bullets rained down on the region, riddling the ground with densely mixed patches of craters, each the size of a fist. They were concentrated to the extent no gaps existed between the craters.


    Buildings were shredded like paper, so were the people moving while using them as a cover.


    "What¡­is this sorcery?" The middle-aged man stared in aghast, watching the shield he created anew get shredded in a matter of seconds, followed by his body, ''Ah¡­I wanted to see blood other than my own!''


    The middle-aged man turned into a blotch within the rubble, apanying his countless shreddedrades. Murky blood covered the ground, forming rivers at the ughter.


    "Keep up the fire¡­" The Spirit shouted when suddenly, his face paled. A momentter, his body split into two and copsed. Hovering above him was Nefear, sporting wings resembling des, thin like hair and more numerous than the strands one had on their body.


    Her figure flickered as immediately, hundreds of people on the fort were cut off into pieces.


    ng! ng! ng!


    She came to an abrupt stop upon hearing ear-piercing jingling sounds, looking around to see coins dropping from the sky. She looked up to stare at an aircraft zing through the skies, dropping a sea of coins, ''What the heck is that?''


    ''Another product of the God of Humanity?'' She was just about to fly towards it when her attention fell on the coins, noticing a tinge of Fear present in each, unnoticeable at first due to the fear circting naturally in a battlefield.


    ''This fear¡­it belongs to that Devil!'' Nefear took flight and evaded the coins, turning around to watch from high up as the coins rained down from the fort to the shore and continued towards the Inron until it was shot down by one of the Horned Elite.


    Followed by a minor spark, all the coins transformed into a Devil''s fear, resulting in countless chain of explosions, absolutely wrecking the ce. Even the ones that had somehow survived the barrage of bullets were burnt into a crisp.


    It didn''t seem to end at that as suddenly, rain started to pour from the skies. Nefear felt something was amiss immediately as she could sense multiple streams of faith within the clouds, evading the raindrops as she observed from afar, smelling the air as she eximed, "This is¡­oil?"


    "Oh no!" She muttered in disbelief and stared at the figure of Peddler atop his mountain, sporting a cold expression as the oil rain drenched the entire ce, from the city closest to the shore to deeper into the ocean, fully covering Inron too, raining nonstop.


    "Everyone, hide underground!" Nefear screamed, shuddering upon staring at Peddler''s gleeful grin, cursing him instinctively, "You¡­freaking¡­Devil!"


    "Thanks for stating the obvious." Peddler smiled as he snapped his finger, causing a coin on his hand to vanish as in the next moment, lightning struck from the sky, igniting the sea of oil, raising hell on earth.

 Chapter 1018 It Was All In Your Head

    To what extent could someone go that even a Devil would call him a Devil? Peddler had no qualms in finding that out, for he truly was as he established himself, an unscrupulous merchant through and through.


    Arge patch of the continent he ruled was on fire now, burning up the majority of the army that had arrived to invade them.


    Invaderon''s side had taken a brutal hit, but on the other hand, he, the cause, was more concerned about something else, staring at the stream of bullets being spewed by the machine guns, watching the intensity of fire gradually reduce in potency.


    He then stared upward, noticing mysterious words form in the sky, sighing in wonder, ''So, that''s the power a world gains when Lore and Tell-Tale work in sync.''


    A single machine gun was capable of mowing down thousands of people as long as the bullets feeding into its barrel didn''t stop. For the world of Faith Grounds, where power should only be attained through either faith or fear, the existence of hot weapons was an unnecessary variable.


    And hence, upon determining that it wasn''t necessary, thews were actively rearranging themselves to neutralise that, as evidenced by the firepower rapidly falling in a matter of seconds.


    Peddler had expected it before itself, having seen that despite possessing the means to arm his believers with modern weapons to instantly destroy the believers of his enemies, the God of Humanity hasn''t done that.


    Heck, just equipping people with an assault rifle version of Anthozoa would be enough to topple the game. But of course, it was because the moment these people take arge enough action, thews of the world would interfere and would simply ''write off'' Anthozoa into oblivion.


    So, any advantage brought about by technology could only be used once, that too for a short duration, before they would be scrap.


    Once the machine guns became useless, the fort walls began to copse rapidly. Despite the majority of the invader army being burnt by the sea of mes, there was still a sizeable fraction of them alive.


    And they took charge to swarm the defenceless fort walls using the weakness of the machine guns bing obsolete.


    Peddler snapped his finger, giving amand as immediately, the undead army he had stolen from Invaderon charged forth, engaging with the remainder of Invaderon''s army.


    Boom!


    Inron opened its mouth and sted forth a breath attack, lighting up the souls of every creature that was within the range of its attack, turning them into Soul Fires. It then opened its mouth and absorbed them, rapidly healing to offset the damage from the oil mes.


    The oil continued to pour down relentlessly though, fuelling the mes nonstop. Staring at the process, Peddler nodded, "And that deals with his army."


    He stared at Invaderon, "That just leaves you."


    "Fine, if that''s what you want, I''lle to you myself." Invaderon red in anger as hemanded Inron to charge into Peddler''s domain, "We''ll duke it out now."


    "Before that, you must deal with my guard dog." Peddler smiled casually as he took out a massive coin and threw it toward Inron. It shone with a resplendent light and exploded to bring out the figure of Essencer, fully modified to retain his powers in a mutated form.


    "I''ll take care of it!" Nefear said as she crashed right into Essencer, exchanging hundreds of attacks in the blink of an eye, staring in surprise to see Essencer only sporting scratches, "His body is different from my intel."


    "Well, I obviously infused expensive alloys in his body." Peddlermented, "It''s not to mention organs extracted from countless Saints. As his nature is to absorb and store essence, he perfectly encapstes the various organs filled with faith and fear, the perfect guard dog to protect my domain."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Boom!


    In response to his words, Essencer burst out with power and attacked Nefear, beginning to overwhelm her in a matter of seconds.


    "Four of you assist her." Invaderon stared at his Horned Elites, watching them take action immediately. He thenmanded the remaining, "Another four of you take off and ughter Peddler''s people."


    "The remaining twoe with me!" Saying so, Invaderon leaped from Inron''s head and rushed at Peddler, bing empowered as he invaded the opponent''s domain.


    Roar!


    Inron rushed forth and mmed its head into Peddler''s mountain as the two Devils engaged in a bloody battle, with the followers on both sides falling like flies during a bargain wholesale.


    ¡­


    "I guess that''s the end of our fated conflict, Compass." Arnark exhaled slowly as he turned his attention away from the barrier erected by Peddler and focused on Compass Carburettor''s corpse.


    He approached it and muttered, "You might still have a method to revive. So, just to be on the safer side¡­"


    He clenched his hand into a fist, condensed a bit of faith in it, and mmed it down, obliterating the rest of the body, relishing in the satisfaction of having defeated the Main Character that he himself judged to be better than himself.


    So, it was akin to surpassing the greatest of Main Characters to be the reigning supreme¡­well, that would have been the truth had he truly killed Compass Carburettor.


    "Are you having fun with your dream?" A familiar voice resounded from behind him, startling Arnark who turned around, eyes widened in shock to stare at the figure of Compass Carburettor standing there casually.


    "The God of Humanity¡­isn''t dead?" Yedu was the first to exim in shock.


    "I knew it!" The God of Rain heaved a sigh in relief, continuing to pray.


    "You''re not¡­dead?" Arnark muttered in disbelief, "How? That''s not possible! I know the extent of your powers clearly."


    "Your Symbol of Authority, Tool of Authority, and Mode of Bestowal, I know their properties. No way you could avoid death through them, irrespective of thebination you attempt." He shouted in a fluster.


    "You''re right about that." Compass Carburettor nodded as a matter of fact, watching Arnark''s expression be one of relief for a moment when his tone became one of mockery, "But that''s only if you kill me."


    "What you''ve been pummelling all along is naught but a ghost of your imagination."


    "Arnark," Heughed, "It was all in your head."

 Chapter 1019 What The Heck’s Happening?

    "It was all in your head."


    Compass Carburettor''s words mmed into him like a thunderbolt, for a moment jolting Arnark out of his mental stability. But a gruntter, Arnark threw his fist, vaporising Compass Carburettor''s figure.


    "Where the heck are you aiming at?" Just when Arnark intended to sigh in relief at having wiped out the enemy for real this time, the familiar annoying voice resounded once again.


    "Come and die at my hands!" Arnark bellowed as he unleashed his attacks radially, destroying everything in his wake.


    The attack began to crack the barrier when suddenly, thews of the world actually took action to reinforce the barrier, ensuring it never got damaged ever again.


    ''Wait...why are thews mending the barrier erected by Peddler?'' Arnark became alert, sensing that something was happening behind the scenes, something he wasn''t aware of yet.


    He looked around, observing the figure of Compass Carburettor standing fifty metres away from him. A familiar voice taunted him, "Where did your spunk from before go? Eh? You done already?"


    "Is he really here?" Arnark frowned as he closed his eyes and focused on the faith gathering in the region, observing the field, gradually realising that the figure of Compass Carburettor taunting him wasn''t the real one.


    It was just a shadow infused with some faith. The actual Compass Carburettor was deep underground, "So, there you are."


    Arnark raised his hand and condensed the faith of a divine beast under him, a mole. His hand then touched the ground, instantly forming a tunnel towards the actual figure of Compass Carburettor, "Stop hiding and get out!"


    Boom!


    He roughly yanked out Compass Carburettor''s figure and mmed him onto the ground, watching blood spurt out in response. He didn''t let go of his hold and attacked until he truly crushed his opponent this time.


    "You''re dead now..." He didn''t even finish his statement when he stared at the figure of Compass Carburettor reappear before his eyes again, shouting in a fluster, "How?"


    "Why aren''t you dead yet, Compass?" Arnark shouted. He possessed absolute power, his divine faith making him peerless. Irrespective of how much Compass Carburettor attacked him, he wouldn''t even suffer a scratch.


    But now, here he was, vexed instead, having absolute power but still unable to kill his opponent.


    ''What the heck is happening?'' He thought, rapidly morphing his faith into that of his divine beasts to rely upon their exceptional senses and prod around.


    This was his original strength as the God King, capable of using the powers belonging to all the faiths under him. Before, he didn''t even need to use such a thing to destroy Compass Carburettor.


    But when that was proved false by hisck of death, Arnark gradually began to use his true strength. Unfortunately for his mental sanity, no matter what he did, like a cockroach, Compass Carburettor kept reappearing before him.


    ''Wait!'' It suddenly struck him as Arnark frowned, realising something, ''Compass''s experiences! Right! I forgot about them!''<novelnext></novelnext>


    He hurriedly deactivated his power, blocking the divine faith from reaching him, and causing his body to begin turning into a rock.


    The moment it happened, his surroundings morphed, allowing him to see the figure of Compass Carburettor he had been gazing at until now was just a flimsy wave of faith. The actual figure of Compass Carburettor was high up in the air, hanging from the barrier like a spider, calmly observing his actions all along.


    "You tricked me, Compass!" Arnark grunted in anger when suddenly, he realised that this too was part of the scheme, watching a spear of shadow pierce through his head.


    He allowed his faith to flow through him once again, watching the spear stop partway in his head. Had he been a momentter in activating his powers, he would have died. With a huff from him, the spear disintegrated.


    His injury began to heal once he switched to a divine beast''s faith with healing powers. But the moment he allowed his faith to flow through him, the figure of Compass Carburettor hanging like a spider vanished.


    And appearing before him was the same. But this was obviously fake, as Arnark shattered it with a punch, grunting in anger upon seeing another appear immediately after.


    ''I''m only able to see his true body without any faith flowing through me.'' Arnark took a breather to calm himself, understanding that in his current state, there was nothing Compass Carburettor could do to injure him.


    He looked around, observing the Saints watching the battle with rapt attention. Confusion was evident in their expression, unable to understand just what the heck was happening anymore.


    ''How is Compass doing this...?'' Thinking as such, Arnark flickered to another location and blocked his faith, observing a change in the setup, noticing the figure of Compass Carburettor standing only a couple of metres behind his original location.


    The moment he blocked his faith, it seemed Compass Carburettor was waiting as a shadow spike rushed at him, intending to pierce him, directly aiming for his head.


    ''Shit!'' Arnark grunted in fear and allowed faith to flow through him again, exasperated upon seeing that the shadow spike had pierced more than halfway through his head this time. The moment faith flowed through him, the attack failed to do any damage.


    A secondter, his injury vanished, but so did the original figure of his enemy. ''As a Deity, it seems I''m under some mysterious illusion. But that vanishes as a mortal.''


    ''So, he''s doing something through the divine beasts praying to me.'' Thinking as such, Arnark ryed amand to all his divine beasts, ''Tell your Saints to close their eyes for a moment.''


    In response, despite sporting confused expressions, all the Saints of the divine beasts closed their eyes. Immediately, Arnark observed the figure of Compass Carburettor before him flicker and dissipate like a mirage.


    ''So, that''s how it is.'' Arnark grinned and stared at the original figure of Compass Carburettor, for a moment blocking his faith to confirm, ''Through your actions, you''re giving them mental suggestions to cause them to hallucinate in a certain way. And this hallucination is affecting their mind and influencing their prayers.''


    "As the target of the prayer is a manifestation of the same, I''ve been put under an illusion. This is how you''ve been fooling me, Compass." Arnark spoke with absolute confidence as he clenched his hand into a fist and punched forth, killing the target, "Too bad, once I saw through your trick, your doom was..."


    "What the fuck?" Arnark shouted in exasperation, watching the figure of Compass Carburettor reappear once again. "Seriously! What is happening?"

 Chapter 1020 Puppeteer Of Mental Suggestions

    Among the snake species was one called the green snake. It lived in trees, possessing an impable physical trait that it could remain absolutely still, camouging itself amid the leaves until a prey walks in dangerously close.


    It catches the prey swiftly and swallows them. The speciality of its camouge was that when the wind blew, the branches of the tree swung ordingly. And unsurprisingly, the body of the green snake too behaves in the same way, as if perfectly a branch of the tree.


    The weight, the swing, the centre of gravity, everything would be impable. This was the extent it went to casually crawl up right behind its prey and remain in wait for hours before the snatch.


    Deceit, camouge, false suggestions, etc. none of the animals or insects in the wild possessed any special power, but they performed various ys that fooled the minds of both the predator and prey.


    The prey depended on such tricks to survive against the predators while the predators had tricks of their own to counter and catch their prey.


    Eyes, nose, ears, skin, heat sensation, etc. a flesh and blood organism had countless methods to sense and perceive their surroundings. To fool them was an art, an aspect of evolution that happened in nature naturally over time.


    Just an optical illusion was a great example of how at certain angles, a two-dimensional image would appear to be three-dimensional. In this way, there were illusions for sound, smell, taste, temperature, etc.


    Compass Carburettor had experience regarding everything thanks to his Dreand. And hence, his every action, from the way he breathed, the words he uttered, the frequency of sound he emitted, the way he led the conversation around, to promoting a relevant reply from Arnark, everything was calcted.


    Combined, they acted as a formation that fooled the senses of the spectators, causing their minds to hallucinate the scene that Compass Carburettor had directed and wanted them to see.


    As a result, the spectating Saints had long since fallen prey to the hallucination. Moreover, his experiences had attained such a level that Compass Carburettor was able to customise the hallucination that everyone experienced.


    He tailored the hallucination for every Deity and Devil seeing through their respective Saint. And as the minds of the divine beasts were affected ordingly, the faith they generated towards the God King shifted.


    Carried through it was a very subtle shift in power that created a blind spot in Arnark''s senses. This void constantly moved around the field as Compass Carburettor continued to walk and maintain his spot in the void.


    Arnark was being fooled all along, even during his radial attacks. He was of the assumption that his attacks were being sent in all directions, leaving no blind spots. But in truth, they were actually missing the true location where he had been standing at.


    The spectators were each observing different scenes, so none realised yet. Therefore, Arnark was just attacking recklessly.


    Until now, Compass Carburettor had only unleashed a single attack. It was the first sh where he used his shadows to pierce through Arnark''s body. But when they failed to even scratch him, he understood the extent of power the divine faith possessed.


    In terms of absolute power, Arnark was indeed unrivalled. But, that never mattered, for Compass Carburettor never intended topete in that regard.


    ''I was ready since day one, Arnark.'' Compass Carburettor thought while continuing to fool Arnark, ''For you, creating a brilliant scheme to gain absolute power is the end game. After all, in all the experiences you''ve stolen, once the protagonist vanquishes the antagonist, they live happily ever after.''<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''That''s how all the main characters live as in the stories. As the Main Character System, that''s when you harvest them. So, you''re never aware of what to expect after.'' He grinned, ''My scheme starts after that supposed end.''


    During their trash talks, Arnark had revealed the fact that he wished to extract Lore and Tell-Tale from this world once he won. That was his true intention.


    The moment this happened, the divine beasts fell at a loss, realising that the God King they served wasn''t loyal to their world. Rather, he wished to destroy everything they valued.


    So over time, the faith streaming into him was slowly, but surely reducing. On the other hand, the God of Humanity was fighting to protect their world. So, his faith was growing stronger as a result.


    Moreover, through the Avatar of Pneua, he condensed his domain into a very tiny patch ofnd and moved it with him as he walked around. He naturally caused Arnark''s domain to flow around like water as he casually moved, all while fooling him into sensing something else.


    And over time, thanks to the God of Rain''s initiative, the faith streaming into him was experiencing a surge in quality. It was impossible to gain the divine faith though, for that was Arnark''s thing.


    His representation was humans, so he was himself only by having mortal faith.


    Compass Carburettor wasn''t even counting on that, for what he nned to do was very simple¡ªto implode Arnark from within.


    He never forgot that Arnark killed Stencil, Gehera, and Earth Star once. For someone like that, a swift death was being overly kind. And he¡­was far from being kind.


    "Where the hell are you, bastard?" Arnark screamed as he thrashed around.


    Compass Carburettor stood right behind him, watching Arnark''s attacks hit everywhere but him, ''Your schemes ended once you became the God King. But, mine started to take effect only after that.''


    He then gazed up, watching thews of the world actively observing the fight while reinforcing the barrier further to defend against Arnark''s attacks, ''You seriously underestimate my power, Arnark.''


    When Arnark shouted that he would extract Lore and Tell-Tale from the world for himself, the recipient Compass Carburettor wished to hear this weren''t the divine beasts, but Lore and Tell-Tale themselves.


    After all, unlike before, after fusing into one, they were sentient and capable of making decisions on their own. And they, didn''t like Arnark''s promation. This was why they reinforced Peddler''s barrier and were maintaining it themselves now, which was why it managed to withstand so many of Arnark''s bombastic attacks.


    And the greater Arnark raged and behaved in a manner against the self-preservation modus operandi of Lore and Tell-Tale, the more he lost their support.


    Yes, Compass Carburettor was pushing Arnark towards the cliff and the one taking the plunge was Arnark himself.

 Chapter 1021 Questioning Reality

    Compass Carburettor never needed his powers as the God of Humanity to deal with Arnark. Even as a mortal, he was long since fully equipped to deal with thetter.


    But being the God of Humanity resulted in all the important characters of the world paying attention to him, increasing his weight to the world. As a result, Lore and Tell-Tale personally focused on him too.


    This allowed him to get arger audience to disy Arnark''s maniacal dance moves. The dude was losing his shit by now, having been at it for a few days already.


    The fact that Peddler would sell tickets to the event, making Saints gather to spectate, the region of the fight, the actions of the divine beasts, the various fights, everything seemed to be well within Compass Carburettor''s calctions.


    It was a fact that he was damn smart. But more than that, he simply¡­had experience regarding all situations. Therefore, he didn''t even need to use his head to scheme, rather simply relied on his experiences to formte the best strategy.


    He only used his intelligence to fine-tune his ns, saving up a lot of brain power. On the other hand, Arnark had been busy racking his head to be the absolute strongest in Faith Grounds.


    Unfortunately for him, his enemy wasn''t someone strength could ever hope to beat. It was something Arnark understood but never took to heart. After all¡­


    "You''re the Main Character System, Arnark. You''re not the Main Character." Compass Carburettor''s words resounded in the region, causing Arnark''s eyes to protrude with a bloodthirsty re, "What you are is just an umtion of the qualities you stole from the protagonists."


    "At your core, you''re nothing, just a mere thief."


    "Shut up!" Arnark roared as he transformed into a peacock and hurled feathers in all directions, with each feather powerful enough to kill a regr Deity. Intending to buy time with this radial attack as a cover, he blocked the faith streaming into him, sensing Compass Carburettor''s original position.


    He then recovered his power andunched an attack in the direction he perceived Compass Carburettor in just a moment ago, shattering him for the millionth time.


    "Man, are you blind?" A voice full of mockery resounded as the figure of Compass Carburettor appeared once again.


    ''Dammit, I won''t miss the next time!'' Arnark roared mentally, his thoughts churning their fastest, ''This rat managed to evade in thest second. But I felt some resistance this time. I''m getting closer. My timing is bing better and better. As long as I continue doing this, I''ll be able to time my attacks and eventually catch him.''


    Having gathered his bearings, Arnark put on a fa?ade of him losing his cool while in truth, he was coldly calcting Compass Carburettor''s actions. The first time he attempted to block his faith, he was almost pierced by the shadow.


    But over the numerous tries, he was getting better at predicting the shadow spikes, evading them even while in mortal form. Moreover, the rate at which he was switching out of his mortal and Deity forms was bing quicker and quicker, causing his attacks to close in on the true figure of Compass Carburettor that he was only able to see in his mortal form.


    As for the act of the Saints keeping their eyes closed, it didn''t work after the first attempt as Arnark observed that as long as the divine beasts observed through the Saints, whatever effect Compass Carburettor had unleashed was reaching him.


    So, it wasn''t a feasible solution, leaving him to focus on blocking and regaining his faith at quicker paces to close in on Compass Carburettor''s true figure that was constantly evading his attacks using the hallucinations.


    ''I''m the Main Character! Insane growth is my thing!'' Arnark bellowed mentally as was rapidly mapping out his opponent''s tactics and countered them better. The fact that his mortal form hadn''t been pierced by a shadow for the past couple of hours was testament enough.


    What Arnark wasn''t aware of was the fact that whether it be the shadow spikes piercing his body, his attacks making contact with Compass Carburettor''s true body, the tactics used, etc. were all in his mind.<novelnext></novelnext>


    None of them was actually happening. They were just being fed into his mind. He was just engrossed in a solo dance on the battlefield.


    Compass Carburettor was just hopping through the void in Arnark''s senses as he constantly affected the surroundings through sight, sound, smell, temperature, etc. continuing to influence both Arnark and the spectators.


    ''I''m getting close!'' Arnark thought, having jumped while in his mortal form as he approached within arm''s reach of the figure of Compass Carburettor, instantly activating his faith. Even though the figure of Compass Carburettor vanished in his senses, he was aware that the original was still there and extended his hand like a spear.


    Rip!


    He felt a sensation in his hand, feeling something warm for a moment, smiling as a result, ''My hand pierced through his gut this time. Let''s see how long he can continue to evade.''


    The smile on his face widened as after a few hours, Arnark gained another advantage, activating his faith as he punched forth, feeling hard resistance this time, ''Good! I shattered his thigh bone.''


    Every few hours, he delivered a mortal blow by outsmarting Compass Carburettor. By this point, he was able to smell a faint scent of blood in the air, asionally hearing the pants of someone, very subtle in nature.


    ''Great, I''m able to sense him bleeding blood. His exhausted pants are leaking through whatever trap he had erected. It means that he''s almost at the end of his rope.'' Arnark thought as he kept up with the attack, shocked to see that he wasn''t able to close in anymore.


    ''He''s also learning and adapting to my attacks.'' Arnark grunted in anger, wracking his brain to the limit as he kept up with his attacks for almost two weeks before managing to deal another injury, ''Damn this guy, he''s putting up a tougher fight now. As expected of the most dangerous Main Character.''


    Subsequent attacks took longer and longer, but every sessful attack caused Arnark''s smile to be wider and wider, ''He''s also evolving rapidly, but I''m a tad faster. His damage is umting faster than his evolution.''


    The battle raged forth for two years in such a fashion when Arnark''s figure flickered rapidly, switching a million times from his mortal and Deity states in a second as he urately targeted Compass Carburettor''s figure and then, crushed his head.


    He followed up with another flickering attack to obliterate the God of Humanity''s body, bellowing aloud, "Finally! You cockroach fucker! I won!"


    Arnark roared in tion, having never felt such a high-intense exhration, leaping around in joy, for he had truly emerged victorious this time, having persevered through such an intense battle that raged on for more than two years. "Finally¡­"


    "Finally what?" A familiar annoyed voice resounded, "Are you retarded, bro? Didn''t I tell you a million times?"


    "That it''s all in your head?"


    The expression of exhration shattered instantly and out exploded despair that was a notch stronger in Arnark. He looked around in disbelief, staring at the figure of Compass Carburettor, questioning reality, and also¡­


    His sanity.

 Chapter 1022 Adventure Never Ends

    Roar!


    Essencer bellowed a guttural screech as two Horned Elitestched onto his back and began to dig through it rapidly. He was tied up with Nefear, being an almost even match after she was supported by two other Horned Elites.


    The battle became more and more bloodthirsty as both sides began to brutally tear into each other.


    Lightning flickered while mes danced, Essencer unleashed countless faith and fear stored in him, damaging the Horned Elites.


    "I need more support!" Nefear shouted, observing a sharp decline in her strength as the people that were afraid of her were strangely¡­disappearing.


    "You didn''t!" She stared in shock at the figure of Peddler who only shed a smile of mockery at her, "You were aware of our ns all along?"


    "How?"


    "Economy, you idiot." Peddler snorted as he threw countless coins and turned the sky into a sea of mes, "Everywhere money is involved, I am involved. Even if you''re raiding a ce, the economy of that ce takes a hit. So, I am aware of your actions."


    "So you had us in the palms of your hand all along?" Invaderon grunted as he sted around Soul Fire, tanking the attacksunched by Peddler as he smiled, "So what if you do?"


    "Once all your believers are dead, you''re nothing."


    "You make a fair point." Peddler said as he continued to throw out coins nonstop, "but you''re losing your believers faster than me."


    "Let''s see whose foundation expires the fastest!"


    Both sides didn''t hold back, truly pouring out everything in their arsenal. Peddler''s side had created countless familiars that were now rampaging on Inron, killing Invaderon''s believers.


    Simrly, in the regions devastated by Nefear, heroes emerged, with some of them even bing Deities, thereby stabilising the region. They were obviously supported by Peddler and pushed up with intensive sponsorship.


    Their emergence cated the minds of the people as over the months, they gradually lost their fear of Nefear.


    Their battle raged for months where both sides truly expended everything. And eventually¡­


    Boom!


    Nefear mmed into the ground, dizzy as she was unable to see anything. Most of her body had been torn to shreds, with all the fear in her leaking out rapidly. Her Tool of Authority had shattered, causing her divinity to copse.


    "Lord¡­Invaderon¡­" She muttered helplessly and fainted.


    Bam!


    Essencer pped a Horned Elite, watching his limbs copse like mud. His body had been taxed over the limit and was now falling apart.


    Before his body copsed, he opened his mouth wide and mped upon thest of the Horned Elite, shattering its body beyond the point of recovery. Essencer then sprinted with thest of his power and mmed into Inron''s head and destroyed it, killing thetter.


    Immediately after, his body turned to mud and formed a hill over Inron''s body.


    "Die!" Invaderon roared in anger as he punched forth, hitting Peddler in the gut to send him flying. He copsed on the ground in exhaustion, "D-Dammit!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    He was no longer a Devil, for all his believers had been killed.


    "Finally, it took damn time." Peddler got up, coughing out blood as he grinned, "You''ve finally lost all your powers."


    "So what, you lost everything too." Invaderon shouted, "Thest of your believer just died too. And I crushed your internals with that attack."


    "Yes, but¡­" Peddler watched his pouch dissipate as it dropped a single coin, one that resembled copper. He picked it up and smiled gently, coughing up blood as his lungs had been crushed, "I have one attack left."


    The copper coin twirled in the air and flew towards Invaderon, rapidly expanding in size and weight until it was as big as a building.


    "No¡­nooo!" Invaderon screamed in despair, unable to evade the hill-sized coin that ttened his body.


    "It''s done." Peddler sighed as he plopped to the ground, using a broken wooden chair as a seat. He stared at the sky, watching thews of the world manifest above the areas where Essencer and Invaderon had died.


    Swoosh!


    The energy umted and was absorbed by thews. Everything that Invaderon and Essencer possessed now became a part of this world, including their memories and experience.


    Following that, thews of the world formed above Peddler. He stared at them, speaking, "Lore¡­and Tell-Tale, how are you faring?"


    There was a splendour of light in the sky in response to his question as Peddler smiled, "No, I''m done with the fight. I realised what''s happening during this fight."


    "Compass was the winner from the beginning."


    "Yeah, I''ll give up my everything." Peddler smiled as he put his hands together to pray, ''I tell you, God of Humanity. Essencer and Invaderon are now dead. My body''s on the verge of copse too. In a few minutes, Peddler too would be no more.''


    Peddler''s body shattered soon as he stared at the sky with an expression of contentment, watching Lore and Tell-Tale absorb the essence of Peddler too. But, once his corpse dissipated, a tiny, ethereal worm drilled out, looking no different from a blob of ss, semi-molten, with its ends fumed.


    Lore and Tell-Tale seemed shocked at the worm''s appearance as they converged upon it, intending to absorb it.


    But surprisingly, the worm slipped past their control as Peddler''s voice resounded, "I''ll never die, no matter the cause, whether for friend or foe. I''ll always survive."


    Saying so, the worm drilled into the ground and vanished. Lore and Tell-Tale scoured through the region and failed to detect the worm''s presence. Even when it was before them, they still failed to detect it, not to mention now when it was on the run.


    On a continent far away, a woman gave birth to a baby in a troubled locality. The baby cried like every other baby, but the moment the wet nurse''s attention was away, the baby''s eyes curled up, revealing a smile, ''I''ll be watching your future from here, Compass.''


    ''In this world rich with your experiences, I''ll continue to absorb them and better refine my ultimate possession.'' The one thinking was of course Adventure, and the ultimate possession was something it had fused with long ago, an item that granted it the utmost survivability, and in this world became the greatest treasure, the golden key to everything.


    "Adventure never ends!"


    Soul: 20 CC!

 Chapter 1023 Wake Up To Reality

    "No¡­that''s not possible. How? Why? It doesn''t make sense! Why me? Screw this! Please, sorry! No!" Arnark copsed on the ground,cking any strength, experiencing aplete mental breakdown.


    The situation was frustrating from the start where despite possessing ultimate power, Arnark was unable to kill Compass Carburettor. And when he found hope, he poured his everything into it, going full throttle at it for more than two years.


    And when he finally seeded, he was ted, feeling all the tension umting in him leave his body, reced by the feeling of sess. But when Compass Carburettor appeared once again, his body became empty, embracing despair.


    His mind was unable to endure it and had shattered.


    Arnark became stupid!


    "Ooga¡­booga¡­" He stared at the figure of Compass Carburettor standing before him, smiling stupidly.


    Seeing his state, the divine beasts sighed in defeat and stopped praying to him. Their hope had long since shattered when Arnark was unable to kill his opponent despite possessing peerless strength as he had boasted all the time.


    The divine faith pouring into Arnark trickled down to a halt and vanished, causing his body to begin turning into a rock.


    Compass Carburettor extended his hand and pulled out a rope hidden within Arnark''s clothes, tugging it as he applied a bit of strength to it and snapped it. Immediately after, theyer of stone forming on Arnark''s body dissipated.


    The rope was the God King''s Tool of Authority. With no faith flowing into it, it was at its weakest, and hence, easily destroyed by the God of Humanity.


    With his Tool of Authority destroyed, Arnark lost his status as the God King, reverting to a mortal. In this state, it was easy to kill him, but Compass Carburettor didn''t do that.


    He inched forth and leaned forward, whispering in Arnark''s ears, "There''s one way to escape from your dream. You know the way."


    "Y-Y-Yes¡­gowaabwaba¡­" Arnark drooled in response as he crawled on the field, eventually reaching a boulder, the sole object on the vast field. It was what he used as his throne to be seated upon majestically at the start.


    But now, he was before it, as a madman, having lost everything. "T-This is a nightmare¡­I¡­I should¡­wake up."


    Arnark ced his hands on the boulder as he craned his upper half backwards as much as possible before suddenly, he rushed forth with all his strength, mming his head on the boulder.


    Bam!


    It was a vicious m, cracking his head as he fainted. Blood leaked out of his head as his body twitched erratically in response. Evident on his face was a maniacal smile, but also one of peace.


    Finally, he could escape this nightmare. And indeed, he did, by giving up on his life.


    Arnark, the Main Character System, the one responsible for the start of Compass Carburettor''s story breathed hisst. His corpse dissipated as Lore and Tell-Tale manifested above him, absorbing his entirety.


    Immediately, Compass Carburettor could feel the foundation of Faith Grounds taking a qualitative leap, generating enough fate to rival the Fantasy World under yer. Everything possessed by the Main Character System, from its past to its present was absorbed and assimted by Faith Grounds.


    At the same time, formless power surged in him as Compass Carburettor closed his eyes, muttering happily, "Wee back,"


    "Lore."


    Other than the portion necessary to maintain and run Faith Grounds, Lore and Tell-Tale branched out and fused with him as the figure of Compass Carburettor vanished from the world, "Live bereft of external influences."


    Thest he observed was the faces of the Deities and Devils staring at him through their Saints, smiling as he arrived above the world of Faith Grounds, observing six tendrils akin to tentacles extend out of it and grab onto nearby universes, one per each.<novelnext></novelnext>


    And through the tentacles, Faith Grounds was absorbing the energy and foundation of these worlds. It had be a parasitic universe that parasitised upon other universes.


    ''My Dreand is no more.'' He thought upon inspecting himself, for it was his Dreand that had been used to create Faith Grounds. His Psyche Stars still remained behind, but they were empty. As for the bacsh he had sustained before while activating his Genre Representation, it had healed by now.


    Moreover, Compass Carburettor snapped his finger, using both Lore and Tell-Tale simultaneously as he changed himself at a foundational level, adjusting his fate too ordingly, making a full recovery.


    His figure then vanished, reappearing in an uninhabited universe as Lore and Tell-Tale worked in full swing, rapidly altering thews of the universe, taking only a couple of months to do so. And the moment he finished, the universe whirred as all its energy transformed into heat and was absorbed into his body, instantly filling up his Psyche Stars.


    They weren''t just filled once but every single Psyche Star was filled up at least a couple dozen times. There were two dozen plus units of each in him now.


    As for the energy-less universe, Compass Carburettor modified theirws casually as the space within contracted. The universe morphed and transformed into a cloak that covered his body.


    Just Tell-Tale allowed him to transform a universe into a serpent. Adding Lore atop that was like giving wings to a tiger while also equipping it with an assault rifle. He was unstoppable.


    Honk!


    Just as he finished draping the universe cloak over himself, a truck appeared before him all of a sudden and crashed into him, shattering in response.


    The figure of someone flew out after that, severely wounded, barely holding onto life.


    "Truck-Kun¡­? No," Compass Carburettor muttered before observing the entity clearly, "Hazen?"


    "What are you doing here?"


    "You finally appeared, Compass." Hazen gasped in exhaustion as he almost copsed, speaking once he was propped up by Compass Carburettor, "Why¡­did you take so long?"


    "What happened?" Compass Carburettor frowned, "I was only away for a century. Didn''t I make the necessary arrangements to safeguard everyone for more than a century?"


    "Century? What the heck are you talking about?" Hazen red at him, "Seven millennia! That''s how long you were gone for!"


    "Zaira and Arnark, they had a backup n all along. And it was to stall for time, no matter the oue of the fight between you and Arnark." Hazen said in despair, "Seeing as how you came out only now, they have seeded."


    "Seeded in what?" A bad feeling enveloped him as Compass Carburettor grabbed Hazen and shouted, "What the fuck did they seed in?"


    "Everything, Compass, everything." Hazen stated as he fainted, "I''m all that''s left. We lost the war. I wish it was just a dream, but it''s our reality."


    "The Systems won."


    Volume 5: Dreamcraft¡ªThe End!


    ¡­


    Author notes: I''ve released a new novel. It''s a sequel set in Faith Grounds in the far future. Search for [Serial Killer''s Devil Hunt] and start reading. I promise it''ll also be a fun ride.


    ¡­

 Chapter 1024 Meeting Rhizen

    "Seven millennia?" Compass Carburettor found it hard to believe, "Time flows at the same rate unless morphed by some special power."


    He used the power of Lore and Tell-Tale to help Hazen, healing his injuries before making him regain consciousness.


    "Yes," Hazen nodded, "You underestimated Zaira, Compass. She had used Martial''s ipetence to fool you. Him being a pseudo-Host to the Waning Essence System wasn''t the end goal of n, but just the start¡­"


    Hazen said in despair, "Her goal wasn''t to eventually turn the Murim worlds into a farm by fully turning Martial into a host. No, her true intention was to use the Murim worlds as fuel and pour all their timelines into Martial once he fell victim to your Genre Representation."


    "Thereby, it resulted in a time dtion."


    Compass Carburettor closed his eyes and focused on Faith Grounds, looking into the history of Lore and Tell-Tale''s actions there, shocked to see that problems began to crop up when Martial was unable to feel any more power funnelling towards him.


    The reason wasn''t the birth of another Martial, but all his worlds had been used as fuel to alter the timeline of Faith Grounds.


    Zaira had three ultimate powers of space and time at her disposal: Regression, Reincarnation, and Transmigration.


    Once Regression recovered from the after-effects of unleashing its Core Skill Manifestation, it had gone to support Reincarnation and Transmigration. With a third Grade 4 System at y, Reincarnation and Transmigration managed to trap Technocraft and Mystique within the world¡ªcreated by the fusion of the Core Skill Manifestations of Reincarnation and Transmigration and the Genre Representation of Technocraft.


    It was just a temporary solution, but thanks to that, the three Grade 4 Systems were now free. And once Reincarnation and Transmigration recovered from the after effects of using their Core Skill Manifestation, they targeted the Murim Worlds.


    Using thebined efforts of the three and taking advantage of the fact that the Murim Worlds had lost their defender, Martial, they expended the worlds.


    Irrespective of who might win, Zaira only wanted time. She wanted as much time as possible while her threats¡ªCompass Carburettor and Arnark¡ªwere out of the picture.


    And she did have enough confidence in achieving it, for all her life, she had been employing the power of Tell-Tale. One of her first Systems was the Tell-Tale System, so Zaira was fully aware of the intricacies of its function.


    Therefore, the moment sheunched an attack using Martial, Lore and Tell-Tale took action to stabilise the world. But too much essence of time was flowing into Faith Grounds, enough to shatter its bnce.


    And hence, with Tell-Tale taking the lead, they actively shaped thews of the world, resulting in a solution to dte their time with the rest of the multiverse. As a result, one year in Faith Grounds was seventy years in the multiverse.


    ''I did wonder the reason she brought Martial into the picture back then. So, she had a scheme all along.'' Compass Carburettor grunted in frustration as he stared at Hazen, "Stencil¡­what happened to her?"


    "I''ll show you everything." Hazen said, "Before I arrived here using one of Truck-Kun''s trucks, I umted the memories of everyone."


    He condensed a sphere of Mental Energy and pushed it towards Compass Carburettor.


    Thump! Thump!


    Compass Carburettor was nervous as he extended his index finger and touched the sphere of Mental Energy, rapidly absorbing everything as the sequence of events yed in his head in order.


    ¡­<novelnext></novelnext>


    "So, you''re Compass''s daughter." Rhizen stared at the two figures that had appeared before him, "Stencil, right?"


    "Yes," Stencil nodded in response, "I heard a lot about you from aunt Gana."


    "You''re the embodiment of luck."


    "Well, kind off." Rhizen smiled wryly in response, "Luck does have its limitations though in that even if an opportunity presents itself, if I don''t have the capability to take advantage of it, then my luck''s wasted."


    "I¡­was wondering," Stencil asked as she looked around, noticing that Rhizen was alone in the world, hunting an erratic zombie of sorts, "Can you help with my situation?"


    "I''ve been briefed a little by Compass, but you need to exin the rest yourself." Rhizen said as he plopped on the ground. A breeze blew past, ruffling the mud to form a dune that coincidentally hardened itself to form a chair for his bum to rest upon.


    ''What the heck just happened?'' Stencil was shocked by the scene, for she knew Rhizen hadn''t unleashed any abilities. The very nature was revolving around him, innately catering to his every needs.


    "You are?" Rhizen then stared at Earth Star.


    "You can call me Rahakh." Earth Star replied, "It''s a pleasure meeting you, Rhizen. I''ve heard a lot about you from sir Compass."


    "You are pretty strong. I can feel a power capable of harnessing the world''s strength in you." Rhizen smiled wryly as he stared at Stencil, prompting her to speak.


    "It started when I reced my core with a fragment of Immortal." Stencil began to exin the incidents revolving around her, eventually speaking about the Core Skill activation¡ªInfinite Regression¡ªof the Grade 4 System, Regression.


    "Infinite Regression¡­" Rhizen muttered, "To think you guys reached such a high level where a Grade 4 System felt necessary to take action."


    He sighed, "And here I am, stillcking the means to deal with Apocalypse even after so long."


    "Haven''t you brought more than a dozen worlds under your control already? You''re strong." Stencil said as she sensed the sheer power emanating from Rhizen, "With your strength, and considering how Apocalypse is weakened after unleashing its Core Skill Manifestation, I think you have a fair chance at killing it."


    "Unfortunately, I can''t." Rhizen said as he stared at the sky, "Until I destroy the Luck System, exposing my location will only cripple everything I''ve worked for."


    He then thought of something and stared at Earth Star, "Let''s do things this way."


    He pointed at Earth Star, "Rahakh will focus on harnessing the essence of this world to force the natives to fuse into one creature."


    He looked at Stencil, "And you will work on refining it into a functioning creature holding the entirety of the essence of this world."


    "Do that, and I''ll help you deal with the issue guing you."

 Chapter 1025 The Man Of Coincidences

    Hovering high up in the sky was Earth Star, eyes closed, feeling the pulsating sensation of the essence of the world, attuning himself to it. A minuteter, he muttered in shock, "Why is it a dozen times easier to feel it here aspared to before?"


    "It''s just a coincidence." Rhizen waved his hand casually, "Keep up with it. Try to make the attunement process faster. Your powers should theoretically allow you to harness all the energies in a universe naturally."


    "Okay, I''ll try." Saying so, Earth Star focused on the essence of the world and clenched his hand into a fist, gradually extracting it before he seeped it into a native.


    This was a world take over by Apocalypse very long ago. The original natives had long since been wiped out by zombies. And over the years, the zombies began to drop in numbers too, for they were just living dead.


    Some zombies had evolved to live on and maintain their deteriorating bodies, but in the end, that was their limit. No new lifeform could be birthed in this dead world.


    If not for the war, some other Grade 3 System would have appeared to modify thews of the world and birth new races, sparking a brand-new cycle.


    As that hadn''t happened yet, this world was left barren. Rhizen had arrived here to refine the corruption left behind by Apocalypse and transform it into another base for his Post-Apocalyptic Dispatch Society.


    Moreover, he was preparing it for a training ground in preparation to counter the Luck System in the future.


    Kiek!


    The native screamed in pain when a portion of the world''s essence surged in it. The power was too much for its fragile body to withstand as it exploded immediately.


    "You shouldn''t stop once you seep in power into its body." Rhizen advised Earth Star, "That zombie too is part of nature. So, try to affect the gravitational field acting in its body, use it to help stabilise the world''s essence and force its body to limate to it."


    Earth Star listened to his advice and after a few attempts, seeded. The first time was purely coincidental, but after that, he began to seed on his own, eventually raising his sess rate.


    In the meantime, Stencil hurled out chokers that enved the natives with a greater concentration of the world''s essence in them. Lightning flickered as their bodies turned vtile.


    One of the zombiestched onto a nearby zombie and devoured it, gaining all its mass. Of course, it wasn''t stable, but as lightning continued to flicker in its body, its body stabilised. The world''s essence was harnessed by the lightning and permeated through all its cells, helping rebuild its body.


    After a few tries, Stencil seeded, creating a stronger zombie. Following that, she and Earth Star farmed the same actions, creating stronger and stronger zombies.


    Eventually, the number of zombies dropped down to a handful as the world''s essence waspletely expended. It was fully concentrated in the few surviving zombies as Stencil made them devour each other, resulting in a victor.


    Earth Star kneaded the world''s essence like dough and stabilised it with the victorious zombie.


    Boom!


    A torrent of energy burst out of the zombie that now resembled a hill, possessing a suffocating amount of power, enough to plunge any average world into chaos on its own. It was a miniature apocalypse itself.


    Roar!


    The zombie let out a guttural scream as it stared at Earth Star, intending to attack him when suddenly, its body flinched in fear, for massive eyes manifested behind it, staring down on it with a suffocating presence.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The zombie turned around and came face to face with a whale twenty times its size, one that opened its mouth to mp on it and crunch its body into pieces in a matter of seconds.


    Burp!


    The whale finished digesting the zombie as it flew around the world, unleashing a jet of water from its blowhole. The water in the jet dispersed and fell down onto the parched earth like rain as immediately, grass began to grow.


    Stencil inspected the grass,menting in surprise, "They possess a power that can destroy the Systems."


    "That''s Nacre." Rhizen said in pride as he retracted the whale and arrived before her, "I''ve been observing your luck values while you helped me."


    "I''m sorry," He sighed, "Infinite Regression is a concept that''s beyond me. It''s impossible to destroy. After all, it''s the Core Skill Manifestation of a Grade 4 System."


    "I expected that myself," Stencil said sullenly, "All I can do is circumvent around it and maintain my powers. But as long as it exists, I have an inherent weakness that could be taken advantage of any time by the Systems."


    "Yes, but it''s not like we don''t have any solutions." Rhizen smiled as he extended and patted the ground, causing a gigantic pearl tree to form, "My home world has been modified by the Regression System to regress every two decades. I''ve been living and adapting to that for more than a millennium."


    "I cannot destroy it but I can offer you a solution." He smiled, "Why don''t you imnt some of your powers in my home world?"


    "When your dad split into four, Gahrat operated and made many arrangements in my world. We can use that to tie you to our world." Rhizen said, "And using my powers, I can help you harness the power of Infinite Regression through Luck."


    "Sounds like a n." Stencil became happy in response.


    A group of people from Rhizen''s home world arrived and began to set up base while Rhizen brought the duo to the Apocalypse World.


    A massive world whose skies were blotted to the brim with Hosts of Grade 2 Systems relentlessly searching for it and the people that had be used to such a scene.


    Large groups dressed in armour of various sorts went through portals, heading to other worlds to battle the apocalyptic creatures there. There was progress everywhere as Stencil was able to feel the presence of her dad in practically every area, "How much was he involved in this?"


    "You mean Compass? Not much, to be honest." Rhizen said, "Technically though, it''s Gahrat. But yeah, both were the same individual before the split."


    He pointed at the sky, "All our Mutated Beasts reside there, forming a library of sorts that we could gain possession of by meeting the requirements."


    "That''s the secret to our rapid development."


    "That feels pretty simr to my Concept Representatives." Stencilmented upon observing their powers.


    "What a coincidence," Rhizen let out a smile and remained silent.

 Chapter 1026 Dita Grew Up!

    Boom!


    Stencil fused a collective consciousness with the Apocalypse World, forming an intrinsic connection with it. As the Apocalypse World''s current power system was attained by its fusion with one of Rhizen''s three bodies, it had an innate property of manipting Luck.


    Immediately upon forming a connection, energy flowed from Stencil to the Apocalypse world and vice versa.


    The Apocalypse World was happy to absorb part of the power belonging to Infinite Regression in her, using it to strengthen its own foundation. Until now, Rhizen was only able to harness its power to regress the timeline of one world by twenty years.


    But now, he was able to do it for five worlds, a drastic rise in power. Moreover, the foundation of the Apocalypse World itself improved by leaps and bounds, making it easier to sustain arge poption of power-wielding natives colonising foreign worlds.


    On the other hand, Stencil was able to feel her luck stirring in response, allowing her to feel it like it was a tangible entity, "I never felt like this even while controlling the Happy-Go-Lucky System."


    "If you were controlling that, you must have some experience wielding Luck, right?" Rhizen asked, continuing upon seeing her nod in response, "That makes things easier."


    "I''m sharing my control of luck to you. With that, you can wield your luck like a tool." Saying so, Rhizen sent a stream of Mental Energy into her, conceptualising it into a Skill. It wasn''t a System Skill, but as she had the powers of the Dragon of Systems, Stencil was able to formte all the information to turn it into a Skill.


    Upon going through its info, Stencil was surprised, "Through Luck, I can take advantage of Infinite Regressions!"


    "Of course, try it once." Rhizen smiled.


    Stencil raised her clenched fist and mmed it on her head, killing herself.


    "Stencil!" Earth Star shrieked in shock and red at Rhizen, "What did you do to her?"


    Rumble!


    The Apocalypse World began to tremble in response as most of the stored Nacre flowed into Earth Star who condensed it into his fist, spiking the gravitational field within to almost create a supernova of Nacre.


    "Wait, Rahakh!" Stencil''s voice resounded as Earth Star looked around in confusion, watching her figure reappear as he rushed towards her in relief.


    "You''re alright!" He said in fluster before heaving a sigh in relief upon inspecting Stencil''s condition and determined that she was perfectly fine.


    "You should rx, Rahakh." Rhizen said as his eyes glinted dangerously for a moment, prompting Earth Star to rx his hold, causing the umted Nacre to disperse into the world.


    ''This guy is dangerous.'' Earth Star thought, intending to be on guard against Rhizen in the future.


    "It worked, Rhizen. Thank you." Stencil said as she observed that other than her luck getting shaved off a little, there was no other difference in her.


    Using luck, just as how Rhizen harnessed the Apocalypse World''s power to regress a world by twenty years, Stencil was able to tap into the insurmountable foundation forming the Infinite Regression to regress her body to a condition of its past.


    This way, until her luck wasn''t expended, she could casually reverse death and return to her prime. Stencil experimented with a couple of her deaths, determining that the greater in her past that she would have to regress, the more her luck would be expended.


    But it was still a valuable trump card. Though, that begged a question, "What should I do when I expend all my luck?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Pray, I guess?" Rhizen shrugged, "For a normal person, with all their luck expended, they would probably die by stumbling down on t ground or something. It''s a death sentence for anyone."


    "As for you," Rhizen said after some thought, "You''re connected to countless people and you possess absolute power. So, as long as you go into hiding once you''ve expended all your luck, and as long as the people under you maintain their usual lives, your luck will recover over time."


    "I can''t determine how long it will take. It''s something you should find out yourself." Saying so, Rhizen waved his hand, causing Stencil''s luck to surge to its peak, "With this, I''ve repaid my debt to Compass."


    "You should return¡­"


    Guoong!


    The sounds of siren resounded throughout the Apocalypse World as the people that were just going about with their lives hurriedly rushed home, their expression one of annoyance.


    Stencil became alert, "What''s happening?"


    "Is it an enemy attack?"


    "I wish it was one," Rhizen sighed as he prompted Stencil and Earth Star to leave, "It''s just private matters at this point. If the situation permits, we''lle pay a visit in the future."


    "Compass promised me afy spot in the serpent universe." He waved his hand and teleported the duo out of the world, heaving a sigh following that, "Even Compass''s daughter has such ster growth."


    "I should pick up ck myself. Otherwise, it''s an insult to my luck." Shaking his head, he condensed a pair of wings and took flight, arriving at a tform as he stared at it in silence.


    Upon seeing his arrival, the rest of the personnel gathered there evacuated in a hurry. A few secondster, a portal formed, and following it was a shrill cry.


    "I sensed Stencil''s aura!" A serpent crawled out of the portal, spanning a stature massive enough to coil around a mountain from bottom to its peak.


    ?


    "Stencil''s aura? What are you talking about?" Rhizen felt a headache as he disyed a professional smile, "You know we haven''t had visitors for decades."


    "Rhizen!" The serpent red at him as it stared at him from close up, its eye alone being ten times his size, "Don''t y tricks on me. I''ve already done everything you wanted me to do."


    "Gahrat fooled me for too long. She isn''t the one I took a liking to!" The Serpent hissed, emanating formless force that caused the ground in the region to be drought-ridden, "She''s a woman. Moreover, she''s dead now!"


    "I already created enough knock offs of myself for your use. I have no reason to remain here any longer!"


    "Ok, if you promise me to stay put, I''ll contact Stencil and ask her, alright?" Rhizen smiled wryly, ''It seems I cannot keep her confined to this ce any longer.''


    "If you lie to me one more time, Rhizen¡­" The serpent stared with a bloodthirsty gaze, "I''ll devour all your mutated beasts."


    "I promise this time." Rhizen said in a hurry, "So, why don''t you return to y in that world I transformed to your liking,"


    "Dita?"

 Chapter 1027 What Zero Luck Is Like

    "There''s nothing fun in that world." Ditained, "All the Haggons have simply submitted to my rein. I cannot bully anyone or fight too."


    "Just be patient, I''ll send in some high quality Aberrants soon." Rhizen said and pushed Dita through the portal. "Or do you wish to take a walk in a Cultivation World?"


    "Forget that, Cultivation Worlds are too dangerous now. I don''t want a System to enter my body." Dita harrumphed as she slithered into the portal.


    On the other side were vast ins,den with boulders, and mimicking them were Haggons, sleepingzily, camouged into the surroundings. As Dita slithered through the ins, she snorted, pping at a nearby Haggon with her tail to send it flying.


    Roar!


    The Haggon suffered a gash on its chest, critical to any other creature. It shrugged as by the time it got up, the wound was no more, fully healed up. The Haggon was now pissed, having been woken from its slumber.


    It stared at Dita and roared, condensing ayer of energy des around its fist as it leapt forth and punched her. its energy de fists expanded in side and mmed into Dita, sending her body skidding by a few metres.


    There was not even a scratch on her scales though as Dita hissed at the Haggon, "Now we''re talking!"


    "You''re today''s snack!" Saying so, Dita leaped forth and coiled around the Haggon like a python, her body loosening up every time the Haggon attacked with its energy des. The strugglested for a few hours until the Haggon''s Dac was fully expended.


    With that, the Haggon was unable to use any energy de attacks. Dita then proceeded to coil further and shattered all the bones in its body, swallowing it whole after that.


    The first time she swallowed a Haggon without expending its Dac, she was in a world of pain. And hence, Dita only consumed them after exhausting their reserves.


    With the fall of Secret Society in the Darble World, wiped out by the Luck Systems, all the Haggons part of it lost their sentience. Their minds became corrupted while to avoid any future threats, the Dungeon with Haggons was curb stomped.


    But thanks to the Dungeon''s nature, new Haggons began to appear and over time, they popted the Dungeon. As Dita developed a taste for creatures with Dac, Gahrat made a deal with Domino Plottopia and brought in the Haggons.


    Eventually, Rhizen ced them in an empty world for Dita to y with. After all, the source of the mutated beasts and resources Rhizen consumed to scour for other worlds and enter it came from Dita.


    She was singlehandedly the most important creature that the PADS depended upon for their activities. Gahrat had created many mutated beasts that were inferior copies of Dita. But, their powers were limited and could only be used by the respective individual.


    But just the scales shed by Dita could be processed to create items that allowed them to travel to other worlds en masse. They were the fuel keeping the portals running. They were cheap, efficient, and posed no risks in setting up and maintaining the function of.


    Therefore, Dita was a strategic resource, which was why Rhizen didn''t wish to send her away, at least not until hepleted his goal of destroying the Apocalypse System.


    ''I don''t know how long I can keep fooling her like this. Sensing Stencil''s aura made her impatient once again.'' Rhizen sighed as he observed Dita eating up a Haggon as he closed the portal.


    He faced the opposite direction, observing the sheer volume of activity performed by his people, the strengths of everyone increasing steadily over the years, ''I need to talk with Compass and make him convince Dita to stay here longer.''<novelnext></novelnext>


    It was never an issue until Gahrat was alive. Ditained from time to time but was content with roaming through Cultivation Worlds with Gahrat whenever she was bored. But that was nothing but a short session as Gahrat perished in the war.


    "Guess I have plenty of things still left to take care of." Muttering as such, Rhizen closed his hands in prayer, "May luck be supreme."


    ¡­


    "It has been ages since Ist saw you, Money-Making System." Stencil stared at the figure of Ying, speaking with familiarity.


    "Have you been well?"


    Stencil then brought Ying with her as she left with Earth Star, was chased by Zaira, broiled into a conflict, obtained support from Gehera, and finally was killed by Arnark.


    Right at this time, Compass Carburettor arrived at the scene and revived all four of them, sending Stencil, Gehera, and Earth Star to the serpent universe.


    He unleashed his Genre Representation following that, leading to the creation of Faith Grounds.


    ¡­


    "Aaah!" Stencil screamed the moment she arrived within the serpent universe, clutching her neck as she still felt the sensation of Arnark killing her, ''If not for dad, I would have died then and there.''


    "A-Are you alright, Stencil?" Gehera gasped for air as she plopped to the ground weakly, unable to gather any strength in her legs.


    "I''m¡­not." Stencil spoke slowly, feeling difficulty in breathing. Even though she revived, she still managed to gather data from the surroundings once she was revived. Through that, she understood that she had died.


    It wasn''t like her prior deaths where she expended some luck to revive. This was a proper death. If not for Dreamcraft, she wouldn''t have been here now, breathing, "I can''t gather any strength in my legs."


    "Just¡­get some rest." Earth Star said, forcefully stabilising his mental state to say in worry, "Your luck is nil now. Any action you take now will only adversely affect you. So, just remain as still as possible."


    "Lady Genesis!" tinum Head observed their arrival and rushed towards her in a hurry, suddenly tripping along the way as he crashed into Stencil.


    He got up in a hurry and apologised profusely, "I didn''t mean to do that. I offer my apologies."


    "Stop speaking for a minute." Stencil flinched as she touched her nose, feeling blood drip due to the impact. Originally, such an impact wouldn''t even scratch her, but as her luck was nil, that impact incited a series of chain reactions in her body to amplify the damage to the maximum, to an extent capable of affecting her adversely.


    ''So, this is what the life of someone with zero luck would be like.'' Stencil thought, calming down as she observed her luck values recovering slowly but steadily, ''Had I been anyone but the current me, I would have died a hundred times over by now.''

 Chapter 1028 Zaira Gives Birth

    Stencil remained seated in the spot for a few days, barring anyone from even approaching her. By then, her luck had recovered to the level of a normal person, so at least, she wouldn''t face random attacks that coincidentally acted against her.


    Earth Star and Gehera too were healing themselves from the numerous attacks they had sustained. The effects of many Skills pervaded their being, causing recovery to be slow.


    Once she recovered enough to move around without issue, Stencil got up from her spot and approached tinum Head, asking, "How''s everyone''s growth?"


    "It''s proceeding without issues." tinum Head was relieved upon seeing that she was recovering without any problems, "We''re mostly attacking while under cover from the natives of each domain."


    The domain here referred to a segment of the serpent universe where a dragon plushie had taken root and was birthing a race constantly to popte the region. While such regions faced the brunt of the invasion, the Heroes and Viins from the 24 Rings hid in safety andunched attacks.


    As long as they killed their enemy, their strength improved by a small margin. Moreover, through the scattered dragon plushies, they were able to gather more thoughts, emotions, etc. leading to a faster production of concepts in the 24 Rings.


    The concepts were evolving to be better suited towards facing the invaders, allowing the defending side an easier time.


    In the serpent universe, the enemies had 168 worlds to rely upon while there side only consisted of the 24 Rings. So, if they failed to pace themselves appropriately, they would be overwhelmed soon.


    Thankfully, it wasn''t a matter of getting overwhelmed within a month or two. Just to travel from one end to the other would take decades, especially since they had no other choice to travel in a straight line.


    But once they finish setting up the portals, it''ll be easier for them to move back and forth using the portals as checkpoints. The enemy side had already crossed the halfway point and were rushing towards the tail end.


    Though, without the Invader System, they had be weaker. Thankfully, a Grade 3 System inherently changed thews of a world for good when they took over it. Hence, none from the invading side actually lost their strength.


    They just were no longer able to rely on a boost of power from the Invader System.


    Their current strength was enough to overwhelm the 24 Rings, even after including Stencil, Gehera, and Earth Star into the picture. After all, thetter three were severely injured. It would take them months or even years to make a full recovery and regain their prime strength.


    "We just need to buy time and survive until dad returns." Stencil muttered and stared at Gehera, "Are you able to control the serpent universe?"


    "Yes," Gehera nodded, "I''m currently relying on the map I procured from Truck-Kun. We''re treading a route he had explored. It will lead us to the region of the multiverse where Mystique''s worlds are more concentrated."


    "Even the Systems are afraid to truly trigger him."


    "Let''s just loiter around the region and not actually near any of his universes." Stencil said in reflex, "We don''t want to end up mad all of a sudden, with no rhyme or reason, right?"


    "Rx, I understand that better than you." Gehera shrugged, "Who do you think kept up with Hazen''s tantrums during the dark ages?"


    "I got your point." Sporting a wry smile, Stencil was just about to return to the 24 Rings and make some preparations when she thought of something and asked Gehera, using a Mental Energy stream instead.


    [Did you¡­do the deed with my dad?]


    Gehera stared at her in surprise before stating with a sigh.


    [If you are wondering whether I''m expecting a child, unfortunately, I am not.]


    She was sullen by the end of that statement, "He''s wasn''t a hundred percent human when we¡­did it."


    [So, I never conceived. But, even if we were to do it now, I don''t think I''ll ever be pregnant. There''s something I feel is preventing another child of Compass from making an appearance.]<novelnext></novelnext>


    [So, something like that indeed exists, huh.]


    Stencil frowned in response as she spoke normally this time, "There was something I was always puzzled by."


    "What was it?" Gehera asked in curiosity.


    "You know about a woman named Grisha?" Stencil asked.


    "I''ve stolen relevant memories from Hazen. I know her." Gehera nodded, "Why? Is there an issue with her?"


    "Well, she''s the only other woman that had a close rtionship with my dad. Theoretically, she should have borne his child long ago. My dad''s fertility is dangerously high." Stencil continued, "But nothing happened. I first thought it was just because he was a System yer."


    "Many points don''t add up, though." She said, sighing in the end, "There''s a mysterious power at y. And your senses only confirm my hypothesis."


    "If you think about it, everything makes sense." Stencil pointed at herself, "I mean, I don''t want to brag, but I''m pretty strong. And my growth potential is pretty unmatched. Majority of my power ups were simply handed over to me, almost as if I''m fated to get them."


    "Then, if I had a sibling or two, wouldn''t they have gained powers on a simr level as me?" She asked, "If that happened, who will face a loss?"


    "Arnark¡­no, there''s one that would dislike another entity like you emerging." Gehera nodded, stating solemnly, "Zaira."


    "Yes," Stencil stated in all seriousness, "It seems her influence is omniscient."


    ¡­


    Kyak!


    Zaira shrieked in pain as she patted her belly, watching the entity within squirm violently, causing her intense pains. It had to be noted that her body wasn''t like an average human woman. Even if a was thrown at her face, she wouldn''t even suffer a scratch.


    It was a body that had tanked countless blows from an Immortal at his zenith. But now, the very same person was clutching her stomach, screaming shrilly in pain as the entity within seemed to be gnawing at her uterus from within.


    "Wait¡­stop! No! Not that way!" Zaira''s face paled in fright when suddenly, her stomach exploded as if a bomb had gone off within, spilling off her internals, killing her.


    Thankfully, it seemed the explosion did an undo on whatever power Mystique had ced on her as Zaira returned to being a manifestation of the System World, condensing an energy body to appear.


    She stared at her stomach, observing a jet ck worm squirming within, swimming through her intestines as suddenly, it opened its mouth and swallowed her body, including the internals that had sshed out from the explosion.


    The worm curled like a foetus as the remains of Zaira''s body stitched itself over it, forming ayer of human skin as in a matter of seconds, a human baby formed, one that appeared after devouring Zaira''s body fully.


    Uwaaa!


    The baby opened its mouth and screeched an unintelligent roar, but for some reason Zaira was able to make out a sentence based on the energy fluctuations that reverberated through her energy body.


    "I''m the multiverse''s primary focus."

 Chapter 1029 Attaining Authority Over Fate

    "I''m the multiverse''s primary focus."


    Zaira stared at the helpless baby that seemed no different from a normal baby. If not the fact that she had just seen it devour her physical body, she would have been convinced otherwise.


    The entity before her might just seem like a baby, but it had enough power to destroy a world casually. Moreover, it was a System.


    The baby opened its mouth and began to suck in the ambient Mental Energy, for a moment causing even Zaira to flinch at the consumption.


    ''What the heck is this creature?'' She stared at the baby, wondering just what the heck had been created through her involvement with Mystique.


    Two absolute peak beings had produced a terrifying offspring. Zaira''s gaze alternated as she activated a Skill, observing through the System World that the baby was gradually turning into a System.


    Moreover, as it absorbed Mental Energy, its level was increasing, going against the norms for its Core Skill had yet to form.


    Level 1¡­2¡­30¡­70¡­Zaira stared in shock as the numbers continued to climb up steadily and soon, they entered the three digits. ''There wasn''t even any resistance?''


    110¡­140¡­190¡­201¡­by this point, she was in disbelief, having never seen a System that go against the norm like this. Eventually, the number stopped at 299 as she heaved a sigh in relief. But, it was still terrifying.


    For, the baby was born as a System at the peak of Grade 3. This was unprecedented. Even the Main Character System, despite its absolute powers, still conformed to the basic growth process of a System.


    Guaa!


    The baby let out a smile of content as it stopped absorbing Mental Energy, iling its hands towards Zaira as it seemed capable of sensing her energy body''s presence.


    ''This is Arnark''s back up n. And it''s supposed to be a turning point on my journey. But still, I''m nervous.'' Thinking as such, Zaira lifted the baby and stared at it, observing it remain in a slumber. And in that pose, the two remained, for days, months, and eventually years.


    Finally, after a decade spanned past, the eyes of the entity shot open as a boy''s voice resounded, "I''m finally awake."


    The baby had grown into a boy, healthy.


    "¡­" Zaira stared at the boy, remaining in a pose that cradled him. She simply erged her energy-condensed form and had been observing him for the past decade, having used countless Skills to prob his nature.


    The boy stared at Zaira, "Mom, about my dad¡­"


    He hesitated a little and asked, "Is it Mystique or Arnark?"


    "Where did this questione from?" Zaira asked. Had she still been in that human body, she would have been affected by the question. But now, she was like artificial intelligence, calmly analysing the statement to inquire in return.


    "My inherent nature is Mystique, since even we Systems are just a self-governing race that had broken free of his influence." The boy spoke, "But, Arnark''s actions shaped me and pushed me towards bing a System instead."


    "I have the powers of two fathers influencing me." The boy extended his hands wide to say.


    "The answer to it is simple, child." Zaira let out a smile, "You must firstplete your Core Skill. That''s the key to determining all solutions."


    "I knew you would say that." The boy smiled as he announced, "Don''t call me child."


    "Call me Arnark."


    "Arnark is still alive. You''re not him, even if you''re something born out of his revival mechanism." Zaira said.


    "Not for long." The boy tilted his head, "Arnark will lose to Compass Carburettor."


    "What?" Zaira shouted in shock, "Arnark will never lose."


    "He will though." The boy said as he stared up, "That''s what they are saying."


    "They? Who are they?" Zaira frowned at the statement.


    "Who are they?" The boy seemed puzzled by the question, failing to find an answer, "They have always been here though, watching everything."


    "Right, I think there''s an appropriate term for them." The boy said as the Mental Energy in his body condensed into a pulsating Coordinate, formting his essence as his Core Skill took shape.


    "Fate."


    Zaira stared in shock before bursting intoughter, "You''re literally the symbol of absurdity."


    Ding!


    A ringing sound sted through the entirety of the System World as immediately, Zaira could feel her power taking another qualitative leap. The cause was the boy before her, finally entering the ultimate realm that every System wished to attain one day.


    Grade 3 System¡ªFate (Level 300)!


    Immediately after, his body dispersed throughout the Multiverse, fusing with the concept of fate, for that was what a Grade 4 System did. It turned an entire concept into its Host.


    And now, the boy turned fate into his Host.


    ''Of the three absolute concepts, I now control time and fate.'' Zaira grinned, ''Now, only space is left.''


    Regression, Reincarnation, and Transmigration controlled the three aspects of time while Fate pretty much had a monopoly of fate.


    Gaining authority over a concept was tricky and insanely difficult. Even if one wielded enough powers of the concept, they still wouldn''t have any rtion to the concept itself.


    Bing a concept was being simr to the current Compass Carburettor in that everywhere Mortality existed in the multiverse, he was there.


    Regression, Reincarnation, and Transmigration pretty much dominated the timelines. Though of course, even they couldn''t casually mess up the timelines without any repercussions. There was causality involved for everything.


    The reason the Systems were so powerful was that once they attained the peak of Grade 3, they naturally attained the qualifications to be a concept.


    For any other entity like Compass Carburettor, they had to rely upon a multitude of favourable variables and chance encounters to eventually attain the same.


    But for the Systems, as long as they attained the peak of Grade 3, they had a chance to gain possession of a concept in the multiverse.


    The best example was the Grade 3 System, Apocalypse. It attained the concept of Apocalypse, being the sole representative of the same in the multiverse. That was why it was in a league of its own and yed a major part in the previous war, with its Core Skill Manifestation capable of influencing even the likes of Magister.


    Another example was Truck-Kun. Unfortunately, just like the other Concept Representatives in the multiverse, Truck-Kun was unable to unleash any peak effect like a Genre Representation.


    The only one to break that was Compass Carburettor, who achieved it through Dreamcraft¡ªas he possessed the power of Tell-Tale that allowed him to shape his powers ording to his desire.


    Without a power like Lore or Tell-Tale, an entity like Truck-Kun would never be able to enter the realm of a major Genre Representative like Magister and be capable of unleashing a Genre Representation.


    Of course, the Systems were different, for every Grade 3 System and above were able to unleash a Core Skill Manifestation.


    "Things have just be interesting." Zaira grinned confidently, "I only need to get space now."


    After all, Adventure once embodied the concept of space before the implosion urred. So, Zaira had some ideas to attain that authority, now that she gained possession of fate.

 Chapter 1030 A Fate To Sign-In

    "What are you doing now?" Zaira asked the boy, still refusing to call him Arnark.


    "Alright, call me by that name once Arnark dies." The boy spoke with a gentle smile, "It might take a while for him to die, but it''ll happen."


    "Why are you so sure?" Zaira frowned.


    "Because that''s what fate dictates." The boy stated solemnly, "Compass Carburettor''s ns truly exceed Arnark''s schemes. So, despite possessing absolute power, Arnark will lose his life and be devoured by Compass."


    "When he emerges out from the battle, Compass as an enemy would be terrifying, having both Lore and Tell-Tale in his possession."


    "That is indeed worrisome." Zaira frowned, "I can''t even discover the location of their fight."


    She stared at the boy, "Can you track it down through fate?"


    "I cannot." The boy replied immediately, surprising Zaira by the answer. After a moment of thought, he exined himself, "As it stands now, my authority over fate isn''t strong enough to trace something on the level of Compass Carburettor''s Genre Representation."


    "That''s why," Saying so, he vanished from the System World, "I need to level up first."


    "Once Regression recovers, we''ll make our move."


    "Alright, do your thing." Zaira didn''t oppose his choice and watched him turn a bunch of people into his Host, ''Why is he still targeting people, that too just one per world? Even a Grade 2 System targets every living being in a world.''


    Puzzled, she continued to observe.


    ¡­


    "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" A teenager smashed his keyboard to bits, staring at the fluctuating rates on arge screen before him. He had invested his life savings in crypto. And of course, he lost every single penny, no exceptions.


    "That bastard cheated me!" The teenager, Shanzoa raged in anger. He had a best friend that he coborated with to invest and pull out with coordinate effort. Through this, they had made a lot of money over the past two years.


    One day, his friend came up with a strategy where they would create a new cryptocurrency and invest in it heavily to create a demand of sorts artificially. He had brought a bunch of people on board the n.


    Since a lot of reputed people in the industry were on board with the n, Shanzoa too joined, even pledging his house to invest the money. The cryptocurrency indeed took off and as more and more people bought them, the demand for it increased, and so did the value.


    Shanzoa had been waiting for the past six months, looking for the best time to pull out and make the most profit. Unfortunately, a day before he did so, his friend pulled out first, causing the value to plummet.


    Or rather, it seemed he had bought the currency from the initial group of people that had invested, gaining a majority im. And when he dumped everything, the value for the currency crashed.


    The friend made more than enough profit and fled the country. Shanzoa ended up bing the victim.


    Bang!


    The door burst open as a group of people sauntered in, wearing suits. The one at the lead shed his ID and stated with a cold tone, "Shanzoa, for ounts of cyber fraud, we hereby arrest you."


    ''My life''s over.'' Shanzoa didn''t even have the strength left to resist as he surrendered. As he was being escorted to the police vehicle, a mysterious screen shed before his eyes.


    <Ding!>


    [User has been registered as a Sign-In Beta Tester]


    ''A Sign-In Beta Tester? What the heck''s that?'' The boy was confused as he wondered if he had gone insane, ''Is something like this even possible?''


    Vroom!


    The police van began to ply the road as Shanzoa observed the screen continuing to hover before him, disying the same sentence without any change.


    Nothing seemed to happen after that as he simply resigned himself to fate, concluding that he had gone insane. After an hour of travel, the police van arrived at the police station.


    "Come out." The Inspector stated coldly, "You''ll be interrogatedter."


    ''Guess this is how I rot away for the rest of my life. Shit!'' Shanzoa didn''t even disy any signs of resistance and obediently followed the Inspector, entering the police station. But, the moment he set foot within, the screen before him lit up, causing the words on it to change.


    [Signing in to Metro District 8 Police Station. Rewarding Sign in bonus.]


    Right as Shanzoa was stunned by the prompt, the screen changed again, disying a set of options.


    [Please choose a reward of your choice. (You can only select one)]


    [Option 1: Gun (Loaded with six bullets)]


    [Option 2: Pain Resistance]


    [Option 3: Criminal Registry ess]


    Three options hovered before him, stunning him as a mechanical voice resounded in his mind in a loop.


    [Please select a reward.]


    "Did you lose your mind?" The Inspector red at Shanzoa, "I told you to follow me, right?"


    He forcefully yanked out Shanzoa and threw him in a cell, "Stay there for now. We''ll decide what to do with you depending upon your charges."


    Shanzoa stared in a daze as he thought mentally, ''Is this¡­a System?''


    [Please select a reward.]


    ''The rewards it''s showing¡­are rted to a police station.'' Shanzoa thought, ''They appeared the moment I set foot within. Does that mean I can get rewards by entering other buildings?''


    [Please select a reward.]


    ''First, I need to escape.'' Shanzoa thought, staring at the constable removing his cuffs. Now that he was put in his cell, there was no need to cuff him.


    But, the moment his cuffs were removed, right as the constable was about to lock the gates to the cell, Shanzoa focused on an option, ''Only one way to escape. I''ll be condemned for this, but since my fate has been decided to be in prison for all my life, I don''t care anymore. I''ll be a viin for all I care!''


    ''I''ll select the first reward!''


    <Ding!>


    The moment he selected the reward, the screen shed brightly as immediately, a gun appeared in his hand. Shanzoa pointed it at the constable and pressed the trigger.


    Bang!


    "What¡­?" The constable was shocked as the light in his eyes died out, for a bullet had pierced through his chest, hitting the lungs. "How¡­?"


    Bang! Bang!


    Shanzoa shot two more bullets, prompting the police to hurriedly take cover as using the chance, he sprinted out of the station.


    "Don''t let him escape!" The Inspector shouted from under a table, hurriedly grabbing his gun as a team of police took off in a jeep, hot on Shanzoa''s trails.

 Chapter 1031 Sign-In System

    "Huff¡­puff¡­" Shanzoa panted as he continued to run, using narrow alleyways to throw off his pursuers. He looked around before breaking into a home.


    Kya!


    The woman of the house screamed in fright and threw a utensil at him. Whacking it to the side, Shanzoa flinched in pain, for the utensil was heavier than he had expected. Upon observing no other change in his System, he rushed out and barged into a hotel, his face paling in response when nothing changed.


    ''Did I overthink it? Shit!'' He became flustered in response, when suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind. He left the ce and sauntered towards another restaurant, knocking the door. It was fitted with an AC and hence, the doors were closed.


    "Please enter." A waiter opened the door and prompted his entry.


    Shanzoa nodded like a normal customer and smiling upon seeing the screen before him brighten up in response, ''So, only if I enter into an establishment through its intended way would I trigger a Sign-In bonus.''


    Customers calmly entered a restaurant. The ones that barged in were thugs. This was why his System only responded when he entered the restaurant as a customer, as that was the intended way.


    <Ding!>


    [Signing in to Old Wang''s Noodle Pce. Please select a reward of your choice.]


    [Reward 1: Noodle Making]


    [Reward 2: Extended Satiety]


    Only two options were disyed this time. Shanzoa frowned at the options, ''Does Noodle Making gradually evolve into something magical?''


    [Please select a reward.]


    There was no exnation presented with either rewards, so Shanzoa didn''t have much to go about here. But as the System continued to loop the same sentence in his mind over and over, he picked the second option¡ªExtended Satiety.


    Immediately in response, he could feel energy return to his body, as if he could run anotherp of the distance he had sprinted just now. It wasn''t just a feeling, but he truly felt satiated. And that converted into his stamina, allowing him to be on the run for a longer duration.


    ''This is great!'' Smiling as such, Shanzoa ced his hand in his pocked and pulled it out, cing his palm over his ear to act like he had received a call. Calmly, he exited the restaurant and strolled through the street, having swiped a pair of clothes from a hanger to change into.


    He had a pretty average appearance. And hence, when he changed his hairstyle and dress, even when the police jeep sped past him, they failed to realise that he was the one they were searching for.


    ''Having amon face is great.''


    But, his old identity could no longer be used. This meant that he was stranded, with nothing on him except for a gun with three bullets remaining. ''Well, this could also be called the beginning of my new life.''


    Thinking as such, he strolled into an electronics showroom, smiling when the screen shed brightly once again.


    [Signing in to Hamsung Electronics. Select a signing reward.]


    [Reward 1: Virtual Smartphone]


    [Reward 2: Projector Eyes]


    [Reward 3: Esctor Legs]


    ''What the heck is an Esctor Legs?'' Shanzoa was dumbfounded by the rewards this time. He wasn''t sure what the second and third reward might do to his body, unwilling to take the risk for the time being as he selected the first option.


    Immediately, one of thetest smartphone models from Hamsung appeared before him, but it wasn''t solid. Shanzoa stared at his reflection from the ss panel on the wall, noticing there being nothing next to him, ''So, only I can see it.''


    The Virtual Smartphone hovered in the air and seemed to move ording to his thoughts. Surprisingly, he was able to download apps and do a variety of things with it. Pretty much everything a regr smartphone could do was possible.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Wait, it has a signal tower!'' He was surprised to see the bar as Shanzoa realised that the Virtual Smartphone came equipped with a sim card too. The number was just a bunch of garbled text, but considering how he had data connectivity, it seemed to work.


    The Virtual Smartphone vanished the moment he moved it more than a metre away from himself. Moreover, as he continued to use it, he began to feel hungry, ''So, it expends my stamina?''


    "Anyway," He opened its camera and clicked pictures, grinning upon observing the ster quality of the images. Basically, he could record anything he pleased. And thanks to the inte connectivity, he was able to upload the content on drive and download it through other devices.


    In their world, that gave him tremendous power and an immunity to most legal traps. ''But, I first need to secure a ce to live.''


    Just as he left the showroom and approached another establishment, the screen shed a message.


    [First time bonus of three rewards has ended. Henceforth, user will only be eligible for one Sign-In Bonus per day.]


    "That''s a drag," He sighed before firming himself, "But, it''s better than nothing. As long as I select the establishments wisely, I''ll be able to grow strong over time."


    With a new outlook on life, Shanzoa took a step forward, on route to bing someone who would be the focal point of countless incidents.


    ¡­


    ''A¡­Sign-In System? What''s that?'' A cultivator stared in curiosity as he probed around with his divine sense, wondering if he was still under the effects of the evil cultivator''s attack from the previous night.


    ''I should treat myself in the infirmary first.'' Thinking as such, the cultivator entered his Sect''s infirmary when suddenly¡­


    [Signing in to Spirit Spring Sect''s Infirmary. Please choose your Sign-In Bonus. (You can only select one)]


    [Bonus 1: Nine-Lotus Body Rejuvenation Pill]


    [Bonus 2: Divine Needles Technique]


    [Bonus 3: Medicine Body Constitution]


    The cultivator was stunned for a moment before breaking into a smile, ''This is my gateway to absolute power!''


    ¡­


    [Signing in to the Apocalyptic Shelter. Please Choose your Sign-In Bonus. (You can select only one)]


    [Bonus 1: w Mutation]


    [Bonus 2: Fiery Aura]


    [Bonus 3: Anti-Zombie]


    [Bonus 4: All-Purpose Tree]


    ¡­


    Waves of change erupted across the multiverse as the Fate System had taken charge of things, harnessing its powers to gather more Mental Energy and also assimte itself with more fate of protagonist-level characters.


    Upon observing the actions of the Fate System, Zaira muttered, pleasantly surprised, "He has pretty much most of Arnark''s characteristics."


    "This is great!"

 Chapter 1032 Next Is The Rat

    Boom!


    Guns zed as swords shed. Two sides rushed at each other violently, having no simrities other than being born in the same world. One side were martial artists, wielding superhuman powers, while on the other side were soldiers, guns zing.


    A soldier red at the enemies as he looked around before quickly rushing towards a patch of trees. He closed his eyes and opened them, expressing staunch determination as he condensed a methrower, pressing the trigger to unleash a sea of fire, causing the thicket of trees to burn.


    The wind blew in the direction of the martial artists'' camp, and hence, the fire spread towards them, cing them in a precarious situation.


    Thud!


    The soldier copsed to the ground weakly, having lost almost a dozen kilograms of weight, having expended all the muscle mass he had stored up. Just as he stared at the fire in contentment, intense pain reverberated all across his chest, causing him to clutch it before copsing soon enough.


    Heart Attack!


    Rapidly expending his body mass caused his heart to fail its function. And in such battle conditions, without anyone to arrive at his immediate aid, he died.


    Soldiers were dropping like flies and hence, they didn''t have the capacity to look after their own.


    The condition was simr on the side of the martial artists too. Bullets had shredded apart quite a lot of them.


    "Are they done?" A long-bearded man asked, staring at a group of subordinates.


    "Yes!" One of them said as he expended all his Internal Energy and pped aloud, causing the casket before him to open as a veiled entity walked out.


    The entity seemed to be made from bronze, only suffering minor dents as it rushed into the sea of fire. It extended its arms, causing two long des to extend, with each spanning two metres in length.


    Corpse Puppet!


    When the brutal technologically-equipped enemy appeared, the martial artists from both the orthodox and unorthodox faction joined hands, forced to work together. They also pooled their resources together and recovered all the forbidden and banned manuals, collectively seeking to improve them and then taught their members the same.


    One such forbidden art was to refine corpse puppets. A corpse puppet was only as strong as the source material.


    And in this war where there was nock of corpses, this forbidden art truly shined. Moreover, a group of them also experimented on the soldiers and created a bronze variant that was able to create armour and equip itself with massive des that it could freely manipte the size of.


    Through them, the martial artists manned a variety of sword and de arts, drawing arcs of blood of the soldiers.


    Boom!


    Grenades wereunched as even bombs exploded. The war was absolutely brutal.


    The CC Seed introduced into a Murim World by Martial was the cause of this disaster. Of course, this wasn''t introduced by Martial. He would never intend to see something like this that would pretty much cripple the development of the world.


    Moreover, he had only released it into one world to experiment and see how it pans out. Unfortunately for him, until the end, he was just a pawn.


    The moment he was sucked into Faith Grounds, Zaira casually increased her influence in the Murim Worlds and rapidly dropped the CC Seed into the people dissatisfied with martial artists inrge numbers.


    Orchards bloomed as a result, immediately waging a war against the martial artists. Originally, the Murim Worlds were repeatedly attempting to birth another Martial. The moment that happens, Zaira''s ns would be halted.


    And hence, she intended to cripple their foundation before that. Simultaneously, in all the Murim Worlds, war erupted as the foundation of these worlds began to cripple. And hence, the essencews¡ªof the respective worlds focused on recovery.


    A weekter, as the battle''s intensity reached a new zenith, Zaira loomed over a Murim World and stared at it with a predatory gaze, "You''ve be weak enough."


    Core Skill¡ªRegression!


    Core Skill¡ªReincarnation!


    Core Skill¡ªTransmigration!


    Multiverse Concept¡ªTime!


    Through the unified activation of all three Core Skills, Zaira unleashed the power of time on all the Murim Worlds. Instantly, their timelines shattered as all the natives crumbled into powder.


    The concentrated time of the Murim Worlds generated as a result flowed into their representative¡ªMartial.


    And since his foundation was absorbed by Faith Grounds to fuel itself, when this power tried to funnel into him, Faith Grounds intercepted that too. Unfortunately for Faith Grounds, Zaira had taken measures.


    Even if she couldn''t discover the location of Faith Grounds, it didn''t matter, for the power of time would reach its intended target. And it did, fooling Tell-Tale to dte the time flow of the Faith Grounds.


    As a result, Zaira managed to buy more than enough time to finish all her ns. Whether it was Arnark or Compass Carburettor, none could hinder her growth now. ''This only leaves the rat. But without any other variables, I can deal with him.''


    With Arnark and Compass Carburettor out of the picture, Zaira finally focused on the entity that had been acting as a wolf with sheep''s clothing. No, he was more of a hyena instead, always taking advantage of an opportunity to better himself.


    yer!


    The loose end that was always an itch on her back that she couldn''t reach. One that had outlived his usefulness and had instead be a rat that was gradually making more and more holes in the house¡ªRace of Systems¡ªthat she had created for herself.


    Zaira intended to instantly strike yer, but she calmed herself down, ''At this moment, I don''t even have anyone to reinforce me. All Grade 3 Systems are busy gathering Mental Energy to support the war with Mascot. Reincarnation and Transmigration are still locked in a battle with Mystique and Technocraft. Regression hasn''t healed from using its Core Skill Manifestation yet. And bringing any Grade 2 System would just act as fuel for yer instead.''


    "If yer has some scheme in ce, which he might definitely have, I might be implicated instead." She muttered slowly, thinking for a moment before asking, "Son, do you have a good read on yer? Will I achieve my objective if I were to attack him now?"


    "No, you''ll fail." Came the reply as the boy insisting on being called Arnark appeared, his expression yful, "yer''s doing something major. If he were to seed, he''ll eventually devour us all."


    "He wishes to gain authority to disrupt and devour us."

 Chapter 1033 Arak: Ensnared

    "I''m sorry, Arak. I can''t journey with you anymore." A bleedingdy said with a tone of helplessness, clutching the hand of a youth, sporting an expression of regret, "If only I listened to you before¡­"


    "I''ll heal you, no matter what!" Arak grunted as he continued to seep healing energy into her. Upon seeing that it wasn''t functioning as intended, he cut his hand and made her drink his blood. His immortality as a Titan ought to heal her better.


    Moreover, he even unleashed a Dragon''s Divinity Incarnation, using all his authority to prevent her from dying. Unfortunately, it seemed whatever it was affecting her was beyond thews that he wished to employ.


    "How¡­why is this happening?" His eyes were moist as his vision turned cloudy, the figure of the woman was all thaty in his frame of sight.


    "It''s all because of his Cheat." The woman gasped for breath as she spoke slowly, "I hid¡­the truth from you."


    "I''m not actually from this world."


    "That doesn''t matter!" Arak shouted, "I''ll heal you, no matter what!"


    "It is¡­important." The woman clenched his hand for reassurance and spoke with all her strength, "A Cheat¡­is an ultimate ability. It''s a fragment of thew that is part of the multiverse. And I¡­am one of those Cheat users, sent to this world as a delegate of Mascot."


    "Mascot? Multiverse? What the heck are you talking about?" Arak shouted in confusion, "Does that matter now? Hold on, let me fetch my mom. She''s strong!"


    "Just¡­hear me out." The woman prevented him from leaving her, uttering with every ounce of strength she could muster, "Only a Cheat can face another Cheat. But, even among Cheats, there are levels. Or rather, there is a difference in status depending on the source in the multiverse that the Cheat is based upon."


    "That¡­bastard''s Cheat is at the highest level I have ever seen." She said in despair, "Instant Death. That''s his cheat. Any average powerhouse would die instantly from his Cheat. My Immortality Cheat is the only reason I''m able to prolong my life until now. But I cannot avoid death. It''s absolute¡­"


    "No, it''s not! It''s just death!" Arak thought something as he bellowed, "Grand Master! I know you can hear me! Please, save her!"


    "No matter what, please save her!"


    "Calm down, Arak." A figure manifested before Arak, sporting a long, conical beard that fluttered in the wind. The wind seemed to apany him everywhere, for it magically acted only on his beard and the shawl draped on his shoulders, causing them to glide in the air.


    It was yer!


    Staring at the woman sprawled on the ground, yer unleashed a gentle energy fluctuation andmented, "She''s affected by an Instant Death Cheat."


    "Unless the source is destroyed, saving her is impossible."


    "No¡­" Arak whimpered in despair, tearing up as he stared at yer, "Grand Master! There should be another way, right? You''re all-powerful!"


    "There''s another way indeed. But I''m not sure if you''re willing to bear that burden." yer sighed, sporting a helpless tone.


    "Whatever it is, I''ll do it!" Arak said without hesitation, "As long as she can live, I''m ready to bear anything."


    "Then¡­" yer stared at the woman, "All you need to do is one thing, child."


    He said with a tone of helplessness, "Wholeheartedly will that you''ll transfer everything supernatural about you to me. That includes your Cheat and the Instant Death affecting you. Once you do, you''ll be reduced to a normal human. Is that alright with you?"


    p¨¤§ád¨¢-¨¾?¦Í¨º¦É.§ã¨®§®


    "I want to live." The woman said, clenching her hand into a fist resolutely as she said, "Sir yer, I wholeheartedly give everything supernatural about myself to you."


    The moment she finished her sentence, the space around her cracked as a suffocating authority flowed out of her. It resembled a piece of rock that had been broken off a boulder. Andtching onto one side of it was a patch of algae.


    The rock was the fragment of authority¡ªThe Cheat of Immortality¡ªthat she had been bestowed upon by Mascot. And the patch of algae was the Instant Death afflicted on her by a fellow Cheat user.


    During the war, Mascot made a favourable deal for herself and sent three Cheat users to the Fantasy World. Their actions empowered her, for they were rampaging around in the Fantasy World with one of the strongest fates in the multiverse.


    They became a staunch blimp in the Fantasy World''s timeline, attaining a lot of causality as a result. They had weight in their existences to such an extent that even yer couldn''t do anything to them, for doing so would cause a blow to his foundation.


    And of course, he wouldn''t take it lying down, turning the disaster into an opportunity instead. Now, he stared as the Cheat bestowed to the woman flow into him and be his power.


    ''One down, two more to go.'' He thought internally while putting on a concerned exterior. Of course, it was due to his machinations that two Cheat Users had engaged in a life-and-death conflict in the first ce.


    "You''re okay now!" Arak shouted in excitement upon seeing the woman regain her lifeforce and hugged her tightly. He observed all her injuries vanish instantly thanks to his healing powers. After all, she was now just a mortal.


    Arak stared at yer, "Thank you¡­Grand Mas¡­W-What happened to you?"


    "Huff¡­haaah¡­" yer panted in exhaustion but tried his best to put on a calm fa?ade, causing Arak to worry. "It''s fine. I''m just tired. A bit of rest would be enough¡­cough! Gah!"


    He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and copsed to the ground, muttering wryly, "Shit, it seems I have underestimated the power of this Cheat. Damn that Mascot."


    "Grand Master! W-What should I do to help you?" Arak asked in worry. It was his wish that had implicated yer. He didn''t wish to see the most respected individual in his life take the fall for his selfish desires.


    "There''s nothing you can do¡­" yer put on a strong fa?ade.


    "No, I should be capable of doing something to assist you. Dad always said so. Please, Grand Master! This world still needs you." Arak saw through yer''s state and pressed forth, unwilling to budge, "You mentioned me bearing something. So, there is a way to assist you, right?"


    "You''ve grown smarter, Arak." yer smiled wryly, but what he failed to mask was the feeling of pride he felt towards Arak, eventually relenting. Letting out a forlorn sigh, he said, "I promised your dad to take care of you¡­haaah."


    "I can transfer the Cheat, along with the Instant Death into you after reinforcing it a little. With your innate qualities, you will somehow live, but every second of your life would be a living hell. But," yer made a solemn vow upon seeing Arak''s readiness, "I''ll make arrangements to ensure you master that curse and make it your own."


    "Do it, Grand Master," Arak nodded resolutely, sensing a torrent of power explode from yer.


    yer kneaded the cheat and transformed the authority into the unique System Variant that he had designed. He fused the Cheat of Immortality with the effect of Instant Death guing it, turning it into a hellish power that would torment the user forever but won''t allow them to die.


    They would die and revive at the cellr level. And to make this happen, yer made the necessary changes and enhanced the power of Immortality.


    Gah!


    Arak screamed in pain the moment the Cheat flowed into his body, causing him to feel as if every cell in his body was getting ripped apart. Destruction and rebirth, he was undergoing the same millions of times every second at the cellr level, the pain apanying it overwhelming at the macroscopic level as they all umted.


    He copsed to the ground and fainted.


    "Arak!" The woman shouted in a fluster as she observed yer recovering immediately.


    yer then patted Arak gently and said, "I''ll send you to a special world that would help you gradually master this curse and turn it into your blessing instead."


    "I''m sorry, if I hadn''t underestimated the effects of Instant Death, this wouldn''t be necessary." yer apologised to the woman and bowed in response, "Please guide him. He''ll need your advice as a Cheat user to master this power."


    "Leave it to me." The woman nodded in all seriousness, "If not for you, I would have died by now. So please rest assured as I''ll give my everything to support Arak."


    yer then pointed at the woman, "I can still bestow upon you a power. It''ll prove helpful in that world. As long as you be the supreme existence controlling that world, Arak will master his power and be a terrifying character even in the multiverse." yer stated, "You know about the Systems and Genre Representatives, right?"


    "He needs to be prepared for that. As long as he''s rted to that person, his life would never be peaceful."


    "Arak is my beloved. My loyalty is with him." The woman said, implying that she wouldn''t take Mascot''s side in the future if they were to fight her.


    yer let out a wry smile and teleported them away. The moment they left, his expression returned to normalcy as he got up and calmly dusted his clothes before walking away, "Arak has fallen under my control. Now, only Anak is left."


    Arak was an individual blessed by the multiverse itself, possessing a ginormous fate. After all, he was Arnark''s son, birthed during the peak of the Main Character System''s life.

 Chapter 1034 Extracting The Magical Element

    p¨£§ád¨£ §«?¦Í¨º1,§ã¨°§® "It¡­hurts!" Arak screamed the moment he regained consciousness.


    "Arak!" The woman spoke in relief once he woke up, "Thank goodness, I feared you would never regain consciousness."


    "I''m fine. But it hurts like hell." Arak said as he got up and suddenly noticed something, "Why do I feel an energy wavelength from you, Ruora?"


    "yer bestowed a power upon me." Ruora said, "Its sole function is to steal from others and turn it into fuel for your consumption."


    "Fuel for my consumption?" Arak asked while flinching in pain.


    "Yes," Ruora nodded in response, "It''s basically an energy drain ability that can cripple the opponent''s foundation selectively."


    "But, I can only do that while touching the both of you, since it''s a sensitive process." Ruora sighed, "Basically, I have no fighting ability. I''ll have to depend on you for that."


    "You needn''t worry about that. I''m a Saint of all professions¡­" Arak muttered casually when suddenly, he realised that he was unable to use his powers from the Fantasy World.


    Of course, it wouldn''t work since his powers only existed in the Fantasy World. They weren''t universal.


    And in this world, thews didn''t recognise the Fantasy World''sws, turning him useless. "No, I still have one power¡­"


    He stared at his hand, watching the muscles within squirm and bleed before reforming. The process looped endlessly, "I still have the mutated Cheat with me. That''s functional here."


    He then asked Ruora, "What did Grand Master tell you? How do I lessen my pain?"


    "By absorbing the excess development of this world." Ruora said, informing him of the necessary details, "We''re in another world now."


    "This is absurd." Arak sighed, feeling his worldview being overturned overnight, "So in these worlds, there''s what you call Martial Artists?"


    "Yeah, and they rely upon an energy medium called Qi. It''s something their body produces and slowly umtes as they consume food." Ruora said.


    ¡­


    Bang!


    "Thrash this ce." A Martial Artist sneered in disdain as he kicked a table and sent it flying.


    "Hehe, I was waiting for you to say it, Boss." An underling with rat-like teeth let out a lecherous grin as he danced through the tavern, breaking every single wooden item. Tables, chairs, mugs, and even tes, anything that could be broken served as his target.


    He never touched or even spared a nce at the people in the tavern and simply enjoyed rampaging over the inanimate objects.


    "Haiya!" The rat-toothed underling finally approached thest avable object in the tavern, the entrance door and unleashed a backhanded punch, breaking through the door as he grinned. But just when the arm was about to reach the end of its punching path, it stopped abruptly, having mmed into someone.


    There was a grunt from the other side, but his punch was stopped, irritating the rat-toothed underling, "Who dares interrupt the Golden Rat''s fun?"


    "What did the door ever do to you? Did it turn down your entry proposal?" An irritated voice resounded as a man donned from head to toe in rags mixed with leaves muttered, painting the image of a savage.


    Standing next to him was a simrly dressed woman, both painting a bizarre picture.


    The rat-toothed underling red at the man, "Who does that grass-pissed punk think he is?"


    He pulled out his knife, "Cut off your arm as an apology. Otherwise, don''t me me for being impolite. I don''t have experience controlling my strength against people so I might cripple you by ident¡­"


    "Cut the crap and eat my fist." The man cut off his sentence and mmed forth a punch, ring as he missed the target.


    The rat-toothed underling had ducked the punch as he twirled around, causing an emblem to light up on his knife as immediately, it was covered by Fiery Qi, extending to twice the length as it shed through the man''s gut, spilling out his entrails.


    "Don''t act cocky when you''re this weak." The rat-toothed underling snorted in disdain, expecting the man to copse to his knees from the pain. But strangely, that didn''t happen, putting off his focus for a bit as a fist mmed into his cheek, sending him flying.


    "Bastard¡­don''t resist when you''re at death''s door¡­it¡­hurts!" The rat-toothed underling suddenly clenched his cheek and screamed in pain. A sizzling sound resounded as his cheek began to melt off, revealing his skull bones.


    The rat-toothed underling red in shock at the man and grunted with all his strength, causing his knife to emit a fiery sheen as he bellowed, "Martial Art¡ªCrescent Moon Fiery de!"


    A fiery arc of Qi flew through the air and mmed into the man, severing him at the hip, and causing him to copse to the ground in two pieces.


    "What the heck is this?" Despite his attack seeding, the rat-toothed underling hollered in despair as his bones began to melt and a few secondster, he copsed to the ground and turned into a murky puddle.


    Hiss!


    The onlookers winced at the grotesqueness of the fight. But that wasn''t the end as soon, their eyes popped up in shock, staring at the man''s severed halvesbine like dough and reshape into a pristine form.


    "That hurt, you damn bastard!" The man was of course Arak, having been active in this Murim World for three months now. But before he could reorient himself, a fiery palm mmed into him, gorging a hole in his chest.


    His eyes turned nk as he copsed to the floor.


    The boss of the rat-toothed underling red at Arak, "Frightening bastard, you dare kill my underling?"


    "So what?" Arak got up with a start, fully healed as he rushed forth, getting pummelled once again. His entire shoulder was torn off by a fiery palm.


    But immediately in response, the burnt parts regenerated while the rest morphed like dough tendrils and joined into a mixture that rapidly solidified into Arak. ring at the boss, he rushed forth once again, sustaining threatening attacks each time.


    The one-sided ughter persisted for close to an hour before which the boss was running on fumes, having been exhausted of all his Qi. His reaction was a stepte when suddenly, Arak touched him, "I finally reached you."


    Boom!


    The boss''s face turned ashen as his limbs began to melt. At this time, Ruora appeared between the two and quickly touched him with her right hand, cing her left on Arak as she muttered, "Transfer."


    Immediately, a set of knowledge and substance regarding the usage of the Fiery Qi to produce magical attacks was stolen and merged into Arak.


    "No¡­what have you done?" The boss stared in despair, having lost the Martial Art that he had developed all his life.


    He was still able to cultivate Qi and give it a scorching nature. But it could only be used to form attacks the likes of which were used a century ago, somewhat nd and without a decisive elemental effect.


    Arak then focused as he ced his hand on the boss''s mouth and dripped a droplet of blood into his mouth. This time, it didn''t have any effect of death but only of immortality.


    It immediately countered the effect of death melting his body and even regenerated his body into a pristine condition. "It''s done."


    "You still killed one of them," Ruorained.


    "Hey, he was maintaining his distance and severed my body into two. I couldn''t reach him on time." Arak defended himself as he turned around and began to walk away, "Let''s go, more Martial Artists are waiting to be purified."


    A century ago, a genius Martial Artistprehended thews of the world and developed a set of magical arts that allowed a Martial Artist to gain elemental natures to their Qi and even form spells.


    He spread the ideology and when Martial Artists realised they were many times stronger than before as a result, a revolution urred and everyone began to develop in the field.


    In a matter of years, the world shifted genres from Murim to Magical. The shift wasn''t entirely stabilised yet as Martial was trying to reim the world. But once he disappeared, the world fully delved into being a magical society.


    Martial Artists evolved into battle mages and were called Martial Artists only because of culture.


    The quest given to Arak by yer was to devour this magical element and revert the world to its Murim roots. Ruora''s power facilitated that process. And the more he absorbed the element, the more he gained control over his own Cheat.


    It was all just yer''s scheme. He designed the problem¡ªArak''s pain¡ªand he designed the solution too, making Arak employ his ginormous fate to overwhelm the Murim World''s.


    After all, if an average joe with powers were to do the same, the world would simply course-correct itself and continue evolving. But, when someone like Arak with fate exceeding the world took action, the Murim World simply couldn''t resist.


    And as he continued to devour this magical element, he was further absorbing the Murim World''s fate, forming an empirical rtionship with it. That rtionship was yer''s true goal.


    Unbeknownst to yer''s scheme, Arak was happily behaving as a pawn would. Even if he had fate almost on yer''s level just because of the fact that he was Arnark''s son, that didn''t mean shit when he yed into yer''s schemes.


    After all, the difference in their experience was heaven and earth. When even the likes of Compass Carburettor, Arnark, Zaira, and Conjurer suffered from his schemes, what could a diamond-spooned child do other than fall victim unknowingly?

 Chapter 1035 Murim Arak And Cultivation Anak

    "Can I¡­follow you?" The Martial Artist boss from the tavern prostrated on the ground and asked Arak.


    "Sure, do as you see fit." Arak nodded casually and didn''t put much thought into it. After all, his life truly wasn''t in danger, thanks to his Cheat of Immortality. The same was true for Ruora.


    It was because he had carefully ced a few droplets of his blood of Immortality in her heart. The moment it stops thumping, in the case she was killed, the droplets would merge into the heart and rapidly heal her.


    He also ced some droplets in other parts of her body, in preparation for any scenario. Therefore, even if Ruora was killed, she wouldn''t die.


    The Martial Artist boss from the tavern only wished to see the end of this path, wondering why Arak was only focusing on destroying the magical element of their martial arts and nothing else.


    "Can I ask for a reason?" He asked after following them for a week and seeing them in action dozens of times in this duration.


    "That magical element introduced to martial arts is cancerous in nature. It gives you a great boost in power, but it''s actually crippling this world in response. If nothing is done, the world would copse in a decade." Ruora said. This was the exnation provided to her by yer.


    She didn''t have the knowledge necessary to verify this im, and hence, she iterated it as is.


    "T-Then," The Martial Artist boss from the tavern asked, "If the Martial Artists be like me, will the world recover."


    "Yup, for that''s the natural state of this world," Ruora spoke in confidence.


    Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. The number of followers entertaining the beliefs spread by Ruora was in the tens of thousands now.


    The reason for this rapid rise in their influence was that once he absorbed enough of the magical element into himself, his Cheat evolved a little, now allowing him to use his Immortality to forcefully create a Dantian in the bodies ofmoners.


    This meant that evenmoners were now able to be Martial Artists, which had been reserved for the elite born with Dantians until now.


    By this point, Arak''s fate had overwhelmed and forced the Murim World''s fate to submit. When he felt such a strong connection, he was able to peer into itsws, allowing him toprehend the concept of martial arts better.


    And thanks to that, Arak was casually able to create martial arts manuals on the level of Divine Arts. Just this was enough for people to flock to his side.


    "Heaven Divine Scripture, Earth Mountain Scripture, and Man Monument Scripture," Arak stood on a tform and addressed his followers that now numbered enough to form a city, "These three are the Godly Arts I''ve created. They are all-epassing in that they have a breathing method, cultivation method, body refinement method, recovery method, and all manners of fighting arts from attack, defence, and evasion, to even senses."


    "The Heaven Divine Scripture gives you an uncanny perception of nature as your sixth sense. With it, you''ll be able to employ nature to your essence, as if you are fighting at your home." He spoke.


    The Heaven Divine Scripture allowed the Martial Artist to be one with nature. In water, they were fish, underground, they were an earthworm, and in the air, they were birds. It had the highest adaptability skills, able to survive in the harshest of climates.


    It hadparatively weaker raw power, but it could be assisted by the nature perception, allowing one to wield the very nature itself against the enemy.


    The Earth Mountain Scripture focused on tempering and refining the body by subjecting oneself to the elements. It was a simple but robust scripture.


    Finally, the Man Monument Scripture was fully auxiliary, allowing one to forge the greatest of tools, from weapons to everyday objects, capable of infusing them all with QI to give life to them.


    As the essence of these three scriptures was extracted from the corews of the Murim World itself, they were top of the top martial arts manuals, the likes of which were enough to spark a world war.


    But Arak gave them away for free, teaching them to all his followers. With it, their level of martial arts grew leaps and bounds, making thempletely let go of the magical powers they wielded before.


    After all, their current martial arts were stronger.


    All the followers erected a city and then spread out over the years, causing the martial artists of the old to realise that their powers became outdated. Eventually, they voluntarily approached Arak to be removed of their magical properties.


    Following that, they learnt the Godly Scripture of their choice and became happy. By the end of two years, Arak had extracted the magical element from all Martial Artists and had gone a step ahead to give everyone a Dantian.


    With this, the world fell back to the Murim Genre. But now, its growth, stability, and future were fully influenced by Arak. After all, his fate had wrapped around and merged with the Murim World''s. Now, the fates of both were tied up.


    Arak was mostly free of any pain by this point. He sighed in relief, "I can rest a little now."


    The moment he spoke this set of words, his surroundings changed as he observed the figure of yer before him. Staring at the familiar surroundings, Arak realised that he had returned home, "Thank you, Grand Master."


    "It was a pleasant journey."


    "It''s not over yet." yer said as he put on a pondering expression, saying after a minute, "There are other worlds out there just like the one you visited. Why don''t you take this as a training experience and go through them?"


    "When you reach the end, you''ll have a pleasant surprise waiting for you."


    "Will he¡­attain universality?" Ruora figured out the hidden meaning behind his words, asking excitedly.


    "Yup," yer nodded, smiling as a result, "If Arak bes strong, this world bes safer for the people to live in."


    "What''s¡­universality?" Arak asked.


    "Ruora will exin it to you in detail." Saying so, yer snapped his finger, teleporting the duo to another Murim World that had changed genres.


    He sent them off with a wide smile, barely able to rein in his excitement as he appeared in another part of the world, staring at the figure of Anak, Arnark''s second son.


    Anak too had gone on a journey with a Cheat User that fell for him. His destination was a Cultivation World. And after achieving his objective, he returned.


    "There are other worlds in a simr situation." yer iterated the same dialogue as before, "Why don''t you consider this as a training expedition and go through more worlds?"


    "By the end of your journey, you''ll receive a pleasant surprise."


    "Universality?" Hispanion was sharp as she asked, "Is that possible?"


    "Absolutely," yer smiled, "This is a great opportunity."


    "Grand Master," Anak stared at yer, "Is Arak on a simr journey?"


    "Yes, he''s training in the Murim Worlds." yer said, expressing a hint of surprise, "How did youe to know?"


    "You have an excited glint in your eyes," Anakughed, "I''ve only seen this glint when I was born."


    He spoke after a moment, "I can remember everything that happened since birth ever since I became a Saint of the Cartographer ss too."


    He then asked, "Will my attaining this¡­universality help our world?"


    "It will immensely do so." yer nodded, "When you attain universality, you''ll understand how much valuable it truly is."


    At present, in the entire Fantasy World, there were only six entities that had attained universality to their powers¡ªmeaning, their powers function in all worlds and genres.


    It was yer and his five Universe Relic Wielders. That''s all. So, only by increasing the number of people with universality in their powers would the Fantasy World grow stronger and be capable of resisting the Systems in the future.


    "Then, I''ll be on my way." Anak smiled, "I''ll attain universality before Arak."


    He thought for a moment before asking, "Will I¡­encounter dad''s enemies on my journey?"


    "You won''t, as I''m actively eradicating them." yer said, "I can''t allow any external interferences to hinder your growth."


    "Then, take me on a hunting trip once I attain universality." Smiling as a result, Anak vanished with hispanion, heading to another Cultivation World that had jumped genres.


    Their actions brought the Cultivation World back to its root. It was as if yer was cleaning the filth guing the Murim and Cultivation Genres and restoring them to their original, pristine states.


    But only he was aware of the true reason for such an borate n, one that had been ongoing for eons. Having been researching and umting data all along while living like a rat, it was finally the time to peek out of his burrow and take action.


    After all, with Immortal and Martial out of the picture, once the Murim and Cultivation Genres were restored, they were ripe for the picking. It was an opportunity of a lifetime that he had zero intentions to miss.

 Chapter 1036 Martial Arak

    yer arrived in the void of a universe, staring at the location where a Murim World once existed.


    All the worlds part of the Murim Genre had been used as fuel by Zaira to scheme against Faith Grounds. Thereby, she annihted the Murim Genre itself.


    Originally, this spelled an end for the genre. But thankfully for him, plenty of Murim Worlds had skipped genres in the past.


    So, as long as he cleaned up the evolution aspects, he could restore these worlds to their rightful ce¡ªpart of the Murim Genre.


    ''The deadline is before the Regression System and Apocalypse System recover from the after-effects of using their Core Skill Manifestation.'' yer thought solemnly, ''I should be done with all my ns before that. Otherwise, in the current situation, there aren''t any other threatening figures to divert Zaira''s attention.''


    Mascot was fighting the Systems, but she was, at the end of the day, just a Genre Representative. Meaning, despite all her power, she wouldn''t actually be going all out to destroy the Systems.


    Had someone like Arnark possessed as much power as her, Systems would have been wiped out in a matter of hours.


    That was why, Mascot''s actions were proving to be a headache for Zaira, but never a threat. After all, the killed Systems would simply revive. None of them would actually die.


    Since Technocraft was currently preupied with Reincarnation System and Transmigration System, his worlds were currently in a defenceless situation.


    Zaira had already started ns to turn them into farms for the Systems. In the worlds with Astral Network connectivity, Grade 2 Systems began to take action inrge numbers.


    Even though they were facingrge losses, the Grade 2 Systems were resilient and were able to begin generating profits eventually. And that influx allowed the System World to stay afloat and not be strained to the limit by the Mental Energy expenditure in the war against Mascot.


    This was why Mascot wasn''t a threat. But the same couldn''t be said about yer, for he possessed the power to kill and devour the Systems.


    And he had been hunting them actively over the past few decades, having killed many Grade 2 Systems too by now. So, he was the strongest threat to the Systems at present.


    "Phew¡­" yer exhaled slowly as he began to draw in power from the Fantasy World as the projections of countless professions appeared around him, their powers funnelling into him.


    Snap!


    yer made a crisp sound in the void from his snap, immediately causing a world to form before him. It was something he had conjured.


    Thanks to Conjurer''s efforts in developing the profession, after it was integrated, the Conjurer Profession became the strongest in the Fantasy World. And once integrated into the Fantasy World, it was like giving wings to a tiger, allowing yer to conjure things without limit.


    He first used the Elf Race''s Divination Specialist Profession to figure out the remnantws of the universe.


    With the Murim World¡ªwhere thews of the universe were the most concentrated upon¡ªgone, a void had been created in the universe''s foundation.


    Therefore, through the Divination Specialist Profession, yer gained insight into thews and the extent of damage they had suffered. Following that, through the Cartographer Profession, he extracted all the necessary information, using that as a temte to retrace the functions and foundation of the original world.


    Using the Minotaur Race''s Formation Specialist Profession, he erected a formation in the conjured world, one that mirrored the originalws of the universe. This way, the formation took the load in areas of deficiency and allowed the timeline of the universe to flow once again.


    Once the timeline was established, the major hurdle was over. yer conjured cities, countries, viges, Sects, ns, etc. the basic setup that existed in a Murim World.


    He conjured the people too, making them no different from real people. He also made other races and popted the world.


    Using the Elf Race''s Healer Profession and the Dwarf Race''s Spirituality Profession, he imbued life in the people, birds, fishes, etc. Following that, using the Demon Race''s Tamer Profession, he put them under his control, using that to form a contract with them through the Principal Arbiter Profession.


    The contract was an illusion unleashed using the Elf Race''s Illusion Profession. The illusions were catered to every single living being in the world, the contents making it seem as if they were living in the world as natural natives.


    They were all influenced by the illusion though. The memories they retained, the emotions they possessed, the bonds they had formed, the livelihoods they had lived, everything was fabricated. But they weren''t aware of that.


    As it was unleashed through a contract, it couldn''t be broken, not by anyone weaker than yer.


    The people went about with their lives. The years passed as all races gave birth to their newborn. Unlike the first generation that just lived fabricated lives, the second generation was truly natives to the world.


    And the moment the natives began to appear, their actions caused the brokenws of the world to begin healing. The formation helped support the universe''s functions and eased the birth of the necessaryws to maintain the foundation of the world.


    ''Once the first generation dies, this world will truly be part of the Murim Genre.'' This was yer''s creation prowess, achieved through the usage of the countless Professions under him. He also had hundreds of Core Skills, Skills, and powers of other individuals helping him.


    yer then went to another Murim universe''s void and restored it with a world too. In this manner, he began to create a lot of Murim Worlds.


    And from time to time, he arrived at the created worlds and funed any necessary arrangements. Moreover, he added a minor mechanism, one that would cause the fate of the world to naturally fuse with Arak''s the moment he arrived there.


    A lot of natives from Murim Worlds had expressed their willingness to gift all their power to yer. And hence, it was easy for him to bestow the same to the natives and turn them into Martial Artists and conceptualise the power system of the Murim Worlds.


    yer also did the same for the Cultivation Worlds too. Even though they hadn''t been used as fuel¡ªlike the Murim Worlds¡ªby Zaira, the majority of them were crippled thanks to the betrayal of Immortal''s army.


    Therefore, yer had to fix these broken worlds and conjure new worlds himself, relying upon all his collected data to create Cultivation Worlds that catered to Anak''s nature.


    Basically, yer was crafting worlds with mindsets that were somewhat in line with Arak and Anak respectively.


    His motives might be selfish, but the results of his actions were only beneficial to the multiverse. As to where he obtained the energy necessary to facilitate such a massive undertaking?


    Systems!


    He targeted worlds fully taken over by Grade 2 Systems. Since he could devour Systems, he did just that and as a result, sucked the entire world dry of all its resources.


    He did the same to worlds transformed by Grade 3 Systems, offending countless superpowers. But in the end, he gained a tremendous volume of energy necessary to create so many worlds.


    As the years spanned past, Arak had fused his fate with countless Murim Worlds. And as a result, he developed a strong connection with them.


    Once his fate had fused with more than a couple dozen worlds, yer smirked and activated the hidden mechanism in the conjured Murim Worlds.


    Immediately, these worlds stirred up as their essence flowed out, harmonising and synchronising with all their natives.


    It created an ethereal energy wave that followed the ordains of fate and flowed into Arak.


    Keuk!


    Arak grunted in pain, both mentally and physically. He despaired when a violent stream of thoughts, wills, and emotions flooded his mind, destroying his original ego.


    It was akin to a thunderstorm as the number of thoughts, wills, and emotions continued to flood in, shing with anything and everything, resulting in a lot of chaos.


    "Arak?" Ruora stared in fluster before copsing to the ground helplessly upon watching Arak''s figure dissipate into fragments of light. "What¡­is happening?"


    A decade passed in such a fashion as the mental chaos subsided, settling down into groups as a couple dozen collective consciousnesses were formed. And the moment they appeared, the respective Murim Worlds whirred into life, unleashing an energy pulse.


    Gong!


    A collective consciousness suppressed the rest and took the reins. This was from a Murim World that yer had heavily invested in the development of. And now, it possessed a foundation at least a hundred times the second most developed Murim World.


    And the people of this world had carefully been fed propaganda through the form of stories, folklore, legends, epic, and history, shaping the general mindset of the people towards his objective.


    The moment this world took the helm within the mind, energy waves from the couple dozen Murim Worlds fused and conceptualised an entity, one depicting the core values of a Martial Artist that these Murim Worlds were based upon.


    His eyes shot open as he stared at yer, bowing reverently, "I greet thy supreme."


    "Good! Good! Good!" yer roared in happiness, overjoyed for the first time since his birth, "This is the good stuff!"


    Genre Representative¡ªMartial (Arak)!

 Chapter 1037 Regression Into Roots (Part 1)

    Arak was now the Genre Representative of Murim Worlds¡ªMartial.


    It truly was turning a crisis into an opportunity. If Compass Carburettor hadn''t appeared, Immortal wouldn''t have up and died so quickly and Zaira wouldn''t have plotted against Martial just to trap Arnark and Compass Carburettor.


    Whether it was Arnark''s Revival through Conjurer, Arnark stealing the power of the Main Character System from Compass Carburettor, Immortal''s death, Mascot''s actions, Magister using his Genre Representation and bing temporarily weakened, Truck-Kun''s involvement in this mess, Truck-Kun being forced to scheme and send Zaira to Mystique''s doorstep, etc. yer had a hand in everything.


    It was him triggering the right party at the opportune time that resulted in the sequence of events leading to the current oue.


    Of course, not all things he nned worked. After all, the opponents he was facing were all capable,petent jackals that would devour him the moment he makes the slightest mistake.


    But, he did have the perseverance to endure and the tenacity to constantly make changes to his n while lying in wait. And once he saw Stencil attaining universality in her power system by making a fragment of Immortal as her core, yer pieced together the final variable to the puzzle.


    Following that, he influenced Arnark, spurring him by hinting at Compass Carburettor''s ballistic growth, implying that having a child to protect caused the Main Character to bloom.


    As a result, Arnark had a pair of twins with Balveta. The timing was perfect, whether it be Compass Carburettor''s unleashing of a Genre Representation, the young, inexperienced state of Arnark''s children, or the copse of the Murim Genre.


    The result of the countless variables that he had influenced in his direction was Arak, the Genre Representative of Murim Worlds¡ªMartial.


    The point to be noted with utmost priority here was the fact that Arak was a blessed being in the Fantasy World, born as a Pseudo-Saint of all Professions. And when he embarked on a journey into the Murim Worlds, he was already a Saint in all the Professions.


    And the Cheat yer granted him was nothing but something that turned him into a mutated System.


    As far as Arak was considered, the rtionship he shared with yer was pretty straightforward. yer was the System World and he, was a System birthed by it.


    Basically, yer gained a Genre Representative as a subordinate. And that wasn''t all, as Arak was intrinsically tied to the Fantasy World, his growth as a Genre Representative also funnelled into the Fantasy World''s development.


    And the one profiting from all was one individual¡ªyer.


    The one affected by the collective consciousness of the Murim Worlds was only Arak. yer still maintained his intelligence and couldmand Arak to do his bidding.


    This was also why he brought back the Professions after bing a representative of the Fantasy World. It was the Professions affected by the collective consciousnesses of the natives of their respective Professions.


    This was how yer enjoyed the benefits of both worlds. And having the foresight to see such a development was why yer holed himself in the Fantasy World for most of his life as a System yer and poured his everything into raising its foundation.


    The good news didn''t end here though as yer waited patiently, sensing further changes as another vast sea of power surged in him.


    The figure of Anak condensed before him, "I greet thy supreme."


    Genre Representative¡ªImmortal (Anak)!


    Of course, the two Genre Representatives were batshit weak, a far cry from their previous counterparts, especially Immortal. But things would only go uphill from here.


    yer had already made ns to recover as many Murim and Cultivation Worlds as possible. With the Genre Representatives now present, he only had to influence worlds to shift in their favour.


    For Martial, yer nned to take the hard route whereby he would proceed to regress the development of worlds until they return to being Murim Worlds.


    The Murim Genre had always been a pot with holes, with worlds constantly shifting genres and the only solution to it was to create more Murim Worlds. That was what the previous Martial did.


    At present, yer had ns to revert the development of such worlds. The fastest way to achieve that was through war and invasions. By destroying the foundations of development, he would force them to return to their roots, making it seem the only way for their survival.


    Thereby, he would influence the natives to be Martial Artists once again.


    He had the powers of enough Grade 2 Systems to make it a reality, ''I would be expending a lot of my world''s reserve strength, but it''s a necessity. As long as the number of worlds under Arak and Anak reach the three digits and maintain enough foundation, they would be eligible to unleash a Genre Representation.''


    With two Genre Representations in his Arsenal, yer would have enough confidence to face even Zaira. It would also give him sufficient clout to make deals with other Genre Representatives.


    But to reach that point would require an astronomical amount of resources and manpower. One wrong move and the Fantasy World would be bankrupt.


    ''It''s a do-or-die situation. So, I need to gamble.'' Thinking as such, yer summoned Balveta, "Bring all the Universe Relic Wielders to wage a war. Cripple their excess development while making the necessary arrangements to facilitate a rework so that I can quickly make them functional Murim Worlds once again."


    "I''ll bestow upon you the Core Skills of four Grade 2 Systems each."


    "Consider it done, yer." Balveta nodded, proud as she stared at her children, for they had be Immortal and Martial respectively.


    It was the highest achievement one could attain in the multiverse.


    All five Universe Relic Wielders appeared before yer as they were each bestowed with Core Skills of four Grade 2 Systems. "Bring Arak with you and help him grow and mature as Martial."


    "We''ll give it our all, yer." The five Universe Relic Wielders said in unison as they brought Martial with them and teleported to a target world.


    Immediately upon arrival, Balveta hovered in the air and flickered her hand, instantly turning more than a million people into System Hosts. They gained power immediately, causing a change in race as Quests appeared in transparent panels before them, prompting them to perform a variety of tasks.


    There were rewards for each, spurring the natives'' desire for power. The world turned chaotic immediately as overnight, the world order toppled.


    This was a Murim World that had advanced into a technological society, with martial arts turned more and more redundant.


    "This is a rtively simpler world to deal with." Saying so, Balveta activated countless Skills that allowed the newly formed races to gradually gain resistance to hot weapons.


    They developed tough carapaces that blocked bullets.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    "Kya!" A group of children screamed in fear, watching mysterious creatures exhibiting bloodthirsty auras leap across the walls of the skyscrapers and rush towards them. Bullets flew all across the ce, raining down on these creatures.


    The impact slowed down the creatures, but as time passed, the effects were getting less prominent.


    "Die! Monsters! Die!" A soldier screamed as his assault rifle zed down on a reddish-brown bipedal monster that was capable of running like a mixture between a horse and a gecko, treating even walls as t ins to gallop upon.


    Puncture wounds appeared all across its body, but its vitality was tremendous, thereby allowing it to escape death. Moreover, it was originally a human, and hence still retained human-like intelligence despite turning into a bloodthirsty monster.


    It smashed a bus and ripped apart its walls, using it as a shield to defend against the bullets. "Shit!"


    The soldier despaired, watching the monster approach him. He was the sole soldier that was guarding the shelter, with most of those in the shelter being school children, innocent kids. The other soldiers had be pools of blood by now, taking down the monsters with them.


    The soldier grabbed thest batch of ammo from his colleague''s corpse and fired at the monster, aiming at its legs until it copsed to the ground.


    The metal shield it carried skid to the side as a result, revealing its unguarded head. The soldier pointed his gun at it and pressed the trigger.


    Click!


    Only a couple of bullets spewed forth before the clip had been emptied. At least a few more bullets were needed to kill the monster for good. But it seemed his luck wasn''t enough.


    The monster got up and red at him, revealing a wide grin. It had difficulty using its legs, but its arms worked fine, allowing it to crawl towards him.


    "Uncle! Win!"


    "Sir Soldier, save us!"


    "You must win!"


    "Please win!"


    "Protect us!"


    "Kill the monster!"


    "I''m scared!


    As the monster approached close, time seemed to have slowed down to a crawl as the soldier felt death approaching him. But in this state, his senses were stretched to the extreme, allowing him to hear the screams of the children in the shelter.


    His sense of duty kicked in, recalling the actions of his fallenrades, ''I''ll take this monster down, even if I have to give up my life!''


    The soldier threw the rifle into the monster''s parted mouth with all his strength, causing it to slip into its throat and wedge there, suffocating it. At that moment, the soldier betted his life and pulled out a knife and lunged forward, aiming at its head.


    But even before it stabbed into the opponent, he despaired, ''No, it''s not enough. Even bullets have difficulty going through its carapace, not to mention my knife.''


    As death approached him, his failure in protecting the children drowned him. In response, rage exploded out of his being, "I will protect the innocent! As I have vowed! As a soldier!"


    He could feel something stir up in his abdomen, followed by an intense state of exhaustion that knocked him unconscious. But at that moment before he lost consciousness, the soldier observed a mysterious energy condense upon his knife and expand in a swirl, cleaving the monster into two.


    ''Man, that''s powerful!'' That was thest thought that resounded in his mind as he plopped to the ground.

 Chapter 1038 Regression Into Roots (Part 2)

    Ugh!


    The soldier regained consciousness after an hour, noticing that he had been brought into the shelter, and taken care of by the children that used their limited nursing capabilities to deal with his wounds.


    He groaned and got up, observing the terror-stricken expressions of everyone, asking in a hurry, "What happened?"


    In response to his question, a student pointed at a TV screen in the shelter. The news anchor in it was being chewed by the monster while any soldier that tried tobat it was swiftly killed.


    Bullets just bounced off its carapace. The monster was wider and bulkier than the one he had killed, ''It would take armour-piercing rounds to go through such a carapace. Dammit, the higher-ups took too long to deploy the big guns and now the casualties are iparable.''


    He gritted his teeth and got up. His injuries were minor, and after being bandaged, he was able to move. But after taking a couple of steps, he felt weak all over, experiencing an intense sense of hunger.


    It was as if he hadn''t had a morsel for days, "Some¡­food."


    "We have rations here." A middle-school student said in a hurry and brought a bunch of canned food that the soldier popped open and devoured like a maniac.


    He ate four times his usual, burping contently, feeling strength return to his body. Moreover, he could feel a warm sensation in his abdomen and as he focused on the tip of his finger, a de of energy extended out of it and vibrated at a high frequency.


    "What''s that?" The student that brought him the canned food asked curiously.


    "I''m not sure," The soldier said, "But it''s thanks to this that I managed to take down that monster."


    "Will I be able to use it too?" The student asked in worry, "My parents¡­are still out there."


    "If I was as strong as you, would I be able to protect them?"


    "Protecting people is a soldier''s duty. You all are my responsibility." Saying so, the soldier got up and looked out of the shelter, observing a couple of monsters running about in the apocalyptic street full of wreckage, bullet holes, and abandoned vehicles.


    He focused on the corpses of hisrades, noticing the walkie-talkie of the team captain, ''With that, I''ll be able to contact HQ. But, I should do it without alerting those monsters.''


    Boom!


    Right as he was about to head out and grab the walkie-talkie, a monster burst through the walls and copsed on the floor.


    "Is everyone alright?" A middle-aged teacher panted as he asked in a hurry.


    The soldier stared at the monster''s intact figure, shouting in a hurry, "Don''t stand next to it. Hurry and evade! It''s wouldn''t die from something like that¡­"


    "No, it''s dead." The teacher said and pointed at its orifices, "The substance leaking out is its brain matter. I destroyed its organs."


    "You destroyed its organs? Without damaging its carapace?" The soldier stared incredulously as he inspected the corpse and determined that the teacher was right, "How?"


    "Martial arts," The teacher sighed, "Ie from a long-standing family of Martial Artists. With the advancement of technology, we Martial Artists were gradually forced backstage. But,"


    He stared at the corpse, "It seems we need to make an appearance once again."


    "Can you teach me the method you used?" The soldier asked in a hurry, "Their carapaces are only getting tougher."


    He caused the energy to form a de on his index finger, "I''m only able to make this somehow. But I know nothing about this energy."


    "Qi," The teacher said, "It''s Qi."


    He then patted the soldier, "Creating a de out of Qi requires exceptional control. You''re innately talented, young man."


    He smiled, "I''ll teach you the Organ Crushing Palm."


    "Can you teach us too?" One of the students asked, "There are too many of us for just the two of you to protect. We can at least do something."


    "It takes years to control Qi¡­never mind," The teacher calmed down and realised the gravity of the situation, "I''ll teach you the tricks necessary to protect yourself."


    He beckoned the closest student and spoke while touching his wrist, "Only someone with a Dantian can cultivate Qi and be a Martial Artist¡­That''s great, you have a Dantian."


    He inspected the second student, muttering in surprise, "You have a Dantian too. It''s great, since only one in ten thousand has a Dantian."


    When he checked the third student, his face scrunched up as he hurriedly inspected the fourth, fifth, etc.menting after a minute had passed, "E-Everyone¡­everyone here has a Dantian."


    "What''s¡­happening here?" The soldier expressed shock, "Didn''t you say only one in ten thousand has a Dantian? What does this mean then?"


    The teacher turned silent as he continued to inspect the students before sighing as he stared at the sky, "The world is changing. It''s the dawn of a new era."


    "What do you mean?" The soldier frowned.


    The teacher calmly touched his wrist and nodded, giving hisment, "Everyone has the same amount of Qi. It''s someone a Martial Artist gains after training for a year."


    He pointed at the soldier, "You have one year''s worth of Qi."


    He pointed at a student nearby, "You have one year''s worth of Qi."


    He extended his arms wide and stated with an incredulous expression, "You all have a year''s worth of Qi."


    "I''m not sure what''s happening, but it''s a relief that we all seem to have a fighting chance." The soldier patted his chest.


    "Okay, I''ll teach you all an evasion and attack martial art." The teacher began to instruct the students.


    He then approached the soldier to say, "It''s for the best we stay in the shelter."


    The teacher dragged the monster''s corpse through the hole in the wall and made it sit outside, with its back covering the hole. He whispered, "It''s chaos everywhere. We''ll simply add to the casualties if we move around recklessly. It''s for the best we stay put here and wait for the government tounch an assault against the monsters."


    "Are you worried about your family?" The teacher asked, "I''ll try my best to protect this ce while you go to meet your family."


    "No, sir, I''ll be fine." The soldier shook his head, "Abandoning my duty is a disgrace. That''s what my dad always said and followed. Besides, my family lives in an army facility, so they''ll be safe."


    "That''s reassuring." The teacher sighed in relief.


    The news broadcasted on the TV experienced a change as the bulky armoured monster was suddenly diced into two. A woman sauntered into the frame, wielding a long sword as she stared at the camera, "Everyone, rest assured."


    "The Martial Artists will deal with the monsters."


    The sight of such a fearsome monster being in caused the mood to brighten as the children regained hope. The screams of the monsters echoed in their surroundings, of wails as they were being put to rest one after another by the hiding Martial Artists that had decided toe to the limelight once again.


    ¡­


    "It''s done." Balveta grinned upon seeing the public shift, "Since the Martial Artists have killed a monster that modern firearms struggled to destroy, they are being viewed as superior now."


    "But it''s not enough, right?" Arak said as he looked around, "This world is still technologically centred. Martial Artists would only be integrated into society after this. They won''t be the core as what the Murim necessitates."


    "That''s even simpler." Balveta grinned as stared at a group of crows and snapped her finger, turning them all into System Hosts.


    Immediately, their bodies grew to be dangerous creatures whose feathers sparked with ck lightning. Followed by an ear-splitting cry, the crows took off into the sky and sped at twice their original speed.


    Caww! Caww!


    The first ce they arrived at was a power grid,tching onto the cables as they began to consume the electricity. There was no change in the current at the start but as more and more crows arrived, the current dimmed before soon, it was fully cut off.


    The same situation was happening in every power grid in the world.


    The crows also scratched and pecked any sr panel they came across, not to mention attacking all the power nts. In a matter of hours, the world was plunged into darkness.


    "Once the electricity is cut off, technology is rendered obsolete," Balvetamented casually, creating various monster species that selectively targeted aspects of power generation. This way, unless all monsters are killed, it would be impossible to resume power generation.


    And to prevent the monsters from getting overwhelmed, Balveta targeted the weapons depot across the world, causing the majority of the hot weapons to be scrap. Even the monsters targeting the cities attacked the guns and other hot weapons with priority.


    As a result, the soldiers were forced to wield Qi as the Martial Artists that came out from hiding taught them the techniques necessary to defeat the monsters.


    Monster waves formed, reducing entire cities to ruins as the survivors were forced to migrate. In a matter of days, society copsed as from a technological age, they regressed to the stone age.


    And the more the convenience brought about by technology disappeared, the more people were forced to use their bodies, which caused them to look at martial arts favourably, for it strengthened their bodies.


    The thought processes of the people took a global shift as Arak unleashed his power, causing the bnce to tilt in his favour as thews of the world resisting his influence were crushed with brute power, "This world is now mine."

 Chapter 1039 Obtaining World Spirit System

    While the five Universe Relic Wielders assisted Arak in bringing more worlds under his genre, yer vanished from the Fantasy World, onlymenting on Anak to continue with what he had been doing until now.


    It was slow, but Anak was steadily gaining control over more Cultivation Worlds. They were weak, crippled, and most of their valuable resources were plundered to the limit by the Systems that ganged upon them after Immortal''s death.


    But despite that, they were still Cultivation Worlds. As long as Anak gained control over them, he could transport deficient resources from one battered world to another and work in healing the damagedws.


    Moreover, he wielded all the Professions of the Fantasy World at the level of a Saint. So, he had plenty of methods avable to assist him in the endeavour.


    In the meantime, yer arrived at the void of a universe and stared at a Grade 3 System encroaching upon the foundation of a world to innately alter its functions. Immediately, a mysterious energy began to form in the world which sparked a series of uncontroble evolutions.


    Grade 3 System¡ªWorld Spirit (Level 286)!


    This was the final part of the puzzle he required to fulfil his ns. Immediately after arriving at the location, yer took in a deep breath before he unleashed all his power, erecting a gigantic volume of fate that locked the space and time of this universe.


    Moreover, a nket formed over the Astral Network extending into this universe, veiling it, preventing Systems in the System World from essing this world.


    And simrly, the World Spirit System too was unable to return to the System World through the Astral Network.


    "Wha¡­what the heck?" The World Spirit System screamed in horror as it stared at the figure of yer arriving beside it.


    Currently, it was in the process of taking over this world and turning it into its Host. This process was unavoidable and even it couldn''t halt once it started.


    Therefore, until it finished taking over the world, the World Spirit System was helpless. This was the sole weakness that a Grade 3 System possessed. It emerged from the fact that they modified the very foundationalws of the universe, and hence, they were engaged with thewspletely.


    If they were to back out haphazardly, the world would steal a part of their body and use it to empower the natives. This would raise the difficulty by many levels if the World Spirit System wished to take over that world in the future.


    "W-Wh-Why are you here, yer?" The World Spirit System was in a state of fluster, hurriedly intending to contact Zaira, only to despair when the connection to the Astral Network had been cut off.


    Usually, when something like this happened before, there was the Tell-Tale System to form countermeasures. But now, in its absence, the Astral Network lost its original flexibility, only existing in the form it had been established at the start by the Tell-Tale System.


    "What do you think?" yer grinned cunningly, having only appeared once the World Spirit System began to take over the world, "For what reason have I arrived here?"


    "C-Can we talk it throughter? You see¡­I''m a bit¡­busy?" The World Spirit System tried to act cute and appeal to his humanity. Of course, that was a lost cause from the get-go.


    It was currently a fish before a wolf that had gone hungry for months and had been malnourished for all its life. Escaping its fate of being devoured by the wolf was an impossibility. And that was the current situation.


    "I''ll give you two choices, World Spirit." yer spoke calmly, "Firstly, you voluntarily pledge your power to me. Do that, and I''ll not target the rest of your fragments scattered throughout the multiverse. That way, you''ll suffer a crippling blow, but you''ll preserve your life. And as long as Zaira wishes to invest in your recovery, you''ll be back to business in a few centuries."


    "Your second choice is to resist that and be killed by me. I''ll devour you anyway, but as it''s not enough for my goals, I''ll have no other choice but to target the rest of your scattered fragments." yer grinned like the Devil, "I''ve already mapped out the locations of all your fragments. So, before Zaira notices my actions and counters, I would have long since finished eating you up."


    "I¡­need some time to consider," The World Spirit System said, hoping to buy enough time so that Zaira or some other System would notice its connection being cut off from the Astral Network and swoop in to save its skin."


    "Sure, take all the time you need. I''ll only give you three seconds though. After that, I''ll attack you." yer grinned, "Also, you can forget receiving any reinforcements. I''ve triggered Mascot''s side, so she''s rampaging more than usual. Zaira''s attention is currently focused there."


    "Three¡­two¡­" yer began to countdown, watching the World Spirit System despair in response, and soon, it surrendered, "One¡­"


    "I pledge all my power to you, yer." The moment the World Spirit System uttered with all its will, it vanished as its entirety flowed into yer.


    Now, he had attained the power of the Grade 3 System¡ªWorld Spirit.


    "Keuk!" yer grunted in pain, feeling a massive burden on the Fantasy World to bear the foundation umted by the World Spirit System. If it hadn''t been for the creation of the Genre Representatives¡ªMartial and Immortal¡ªunder him, the Fantasy World would have imploded under the strain.


    Boom!


    A crack appeared in the nket he had erected as immediately, a mysterious figure arrived, revealing an intent to devour everything of value.


    Kaboom!


    A formless pressure suppressed yer''s mind, causing him to instinctively feel inferior as he stared at the kid that appeared, one bearing a startling simrity to Arnark.


    "That¡­madman!" yer muttered in a fluster and vanished, hurriedly running away from confronting the entity.


    Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, a nce was all he needed to know that facing such an existence at the current point in time would only result in him losing most of what he had worked hard for, even if he would emerge victorious in the end.


    "He''s quick to run, that yer." The Fate System muttered in surprise before vanishing from the universe, "I was a stepte in predicting the fate of his actions. As expected, I can''t yet govern the fate of individuals vastly exceeding my own."

 Chapter 1040 Multiverse’s Reset Button

    Bang!


    yer returned to the Fantasy World, copsing into a mountain in a hurry that he ttened in response, ignoring the natives living there that were crushed like ants.


    He got up from the crater and groaned, only feeling safe in the security of the defence provided by the Fantasy World. Currently, there were hundreds of worlds within the universe where the Fantasy World was situated.


    Each Profession controlled a few of these worlds, being empowered in response. The stronger their development, the more robust the fate of the Fantasy World became. And the greater this growth, the harder it became for even Zaira to affect the timeline or foundation of this world.


    In his home ground, he had the confidence in resisting any enemy. Moreover, yer had been carefully affecting the neighbouring universes, causing them to be affected by an element of chaos that he carefully extracted from one of Mystique''s worlds.


    This element of chaos was very weak, but it acted as a seed that sprouted chaos throughout these universes, gradually corrupting the natives into creatures bound by insanity.


    Over time, these universes continued to develop as yer carefully introduced more elements of chaos there. Thereby, he created a shield of universes protecting his Fantasy World''s universe.


    Since the Astral Network was no longer in these universes, the only way for the Systems to invade his world was to break through the shield of chaos universes.


    It would cause a lot of casualties as the Systems would be infected and corrupted by these elements of chaos. So, unless Zaira wished to go all out in a life-and-death battle against him and suffer untold losses, he would be safe.


    To create a home that acted as a fortress had been his goal from the very beginning. And of course, having such a fortified home allowed him to rampage beyond through the universe-hopping teleportation points only essible to him.


    Once he rested and recovered from the shock, yer brought Anak with him and arrived at a world under Technocraft, "This is our first target."


    "This¡­world?" Anak frowned, "Isn''t this a scientifically advanced futuristic universe? There are thousands of developed worlds in this universe. How is it even possible to bring them all under me?"


    "There''s a way now," yer grinned and unleashed suffocating energy, saying, "Follow my lead and gain control. You''ll be wielding this power in the future. It''s very convenient for your expansion of power."


    Grade 3 Core Skill¡ªWorld Spirit (Level 286)!


    Immediately, the foundation of the universe began to slowly change. Using the countless Professions under him, yer determined the most efficient method to introduce Spirit Energy into the universe. And as a result, six monthster, the universe began to produce Spirit Energy.


    There was an immediate change in the power bnce of the universe as new races that evolved rapidly thanks to Spirit Energy made an appearance while the old races that couldn''t adapt to Spirit Energy much gradually waned in strength.


    The condition for a universe to be part of the Cultivation Genre was to simply have abundant energy in nature that could be cultivated by the natives upon relying on their bodies.


    And as it happened inrge numbers, the universe shifted genres and fell under Anak, immediately causing a major shift in his power bnce.


    This universe was just newly created, but it already had a foundation that ranked second under him. If not for the primary Cultivation World under him that was heavily invested in by yer forming his core, Anak would have changed already.


    This world was already conflicting with the other worlds, but thankfully, his reigning collective consciousness was still stable.


    "How are you feeling?" yer asked in concern, "Is the foundation too much for you to handle?"


    "I need some time to adapt, but I''m still stable." Anak said, "The core world supporting my existence has too fragile of a foundation. So, the moment we take in two more worlds on this level, I might implode."


    "Take your time and strengthen yourself to the limit. I know you''re capable of excellence." yer said, transferring part of the World Spirit''s power to him, "Get ustomed to wielding this power. Once you master it, I''ll transfer more of its authority over to you."


    "One day, you''ll fully wield this power. That''s when you''ll be unstoppable as Immortal."


    "I understand," Anak nodded before asking, "But, what about Arak? Can his growth keep up with mine?"


    "That''s impossible," yer said, "The potential of Immortal is the second highest in the multiverse. From the beginning of time, there existed Immortal and wielded absolute power. I came to understand the true extent of his power in the war previously."


    "The power of cultivation is absolute and ever-growing." yer said, "In contrast, the power of Martial is severely limited. Even at his height, he would at most rank tenth among the Genre Representatives, the weakest that could unleash a Genre Representation."


    "Wait, even the potential of Immortal is only second in the multiverse?" Anak was shocked to learn of this fact, "Whose potential is first? Is it a Concept Representative like Truck-Kun, or Zaira?"


    "Zaira will one day be the most supreme existence in the multiverse. But no, her potential pales inparison to even Immortal. At most, she could be on par with Immortal, but that''s it." yer stated solemnly, "As for a Concept Representative, they can never wield absolute power."


    "A Concept Representative is vastly inferior to a Genre Representative, even if the amount of power under their disposal is pure and hence is greater than the mere dregs usable for Genre Representatives." yer said, "Even if there is an entity Representing the ultimate concepts of Time, Space, and even Fate, they pale inparison to this entity''s potential."


    "Do I know this entity?" Anak asked, "If someone that scary exists, howe the Systems have grown to such an rming level?"


    "Ohh, they exist and are pretty active, you know." yerughed, "But not once had they gone all out or even employed a fraction of their true power. You can say that they have the power to destroy and recreate the multiverse with a single thought."


    "Someone that terrifying exists?" Anak was frightened, feeling a blow to his confidence, "Then, what''s the use of growing strong? Won''t everything be meaningless if this entity takes action?"


    "Yes, everything will be rendered meaningless if they take action, but that will only happen when they are triggered into action." yer sighed, "Which is why even Zaira avoids them like the gue."


    "W-Who is that?" Anak asked, "Are they a Genre Representative?"


    "Yes, you''re right." yer nodded solemnly, "They represent the Pandora''s Box that must never be opened, the absolute harbinger of madness, one feared as the multiverse''s Reset Button."


    "It''s the Genre Representative, Mystique."

 Chapter 1041 Apocalypse Must Die

    Grade 3 System¡ªFate (Level 203)!


    The Fate System returned to the System World,nding before the energy-condensed figure of Zaira to state with a tinge of defeat, "I was a bitte in stopping yer."


    "He seeded in his ns."


    "So, that''s what he intended to achieve with his System powers all along." Zaira nodded in realisation, "Everything else he did was just to distract me."


    "Yeah," The Fate System nodded, "Also, through these mutated Systems he creates, he ns to direct the general mentality of the natives. Thereby, he would be able to control the nature and qualities of the two Genre Representatives under him. It''s a brilliant scheme in that bybining the powers of a System and collective consciousness, he created two Genre Representatives that can unleash a greater extent of their powers."


    If a Genre Representative was able to typically unleash 0.001 percent of their powers, Arak and Anak were almost able to exhibit a percentage of their power. This was a tremendous leap in strength.


    It meant that if they were to reach the height of the previous Immortal and Martial, they would be unstoppable.


    "He''s be a greater headache than I had foreseen." Zairamented nervously, "If I don''t stop him, he''ll only continue to grow stronger."


    "It''s not possible to invade his world, right?" The Fate System asked.


    "The losses would be disastrous." Zaira said, "Doing so would make us vulnerable against Mascot. The other Genre Representatives sitting on the fence would also take action. Our finances simply wouldn''t be able to keep up such a strain."


    "So, the fault lies in the loss of Tell-Tale, huh?" The Fate System pointed out the crux of the matter, "If it had been around, we would only need to invade more worlds and farm for resources."


    "I can''t detect the Genre Representation of Compass Carburettor no matter how much I search for it." Zaira gritted her teeth before asking, "What about you? Can you perceive the traces of fate?"


    "Nope," The Fate System shook its head, "I need to attain Grade 4 before I can begin to detect traces of characters like Compass and Arnark. I have a feeling that the victor would be terrifyingly powerful, beyond the likes of what we had witnessed until now."


    "Then, hurry up and level up," Zaira said in a hurry.


    "Rx, mom." The Fate System waved its hand nonchntly, "I''ve gained three levels in a matter of years. I''m confident in reaching Grade 4 before Compass finishes his fight and emerges out from his Genre Representation."


    "Besides, all hope isn''t lost. yer still needs one vitalponent to truly attain his peak," The Fate System grinned.


    "One more?" Zaira was surprised, "The World Spirit System wasn''t his final target?"


    "Nope," The Fate System grinned, "Until now, the core power he relied on has always been the power he gained during your birth."


    "The power of self-bestowal¡­" Zaira''s eyes widened in response.


    "Yes, through that, he coerced countless entities to give their power to him. That''s how he reached his current height. But, it does have its share of weakness." The Fate System continued, stating seriously, "Implosion."


    "When countless power systems conflict in him, it''s only a matter of time before he implodes. He has the requirements of countless powers but having them all in him is a death sentence. So, he needs an alternative," The Fate System used its index finger to draw the figure of a female on the ground, "The power to steal the authority of others and use it as single-use abilities."


    "Gehera," Zaira expressed annoyance immediately.


    "Gehera will never face an implosion, because of the sole fact that all the power in her Ruin of Amagoth are simply totems that are consumables." The Fate System said, "And that''s yer''s final target. With that, he would be able to devour all his excess and unnecessary powers and store them in the Ruin of Amagoth for future use."


    "This way, his powers would be stabilised while he still would possess countless means against any situation."


    "Gehera, huh?" Zaira thought for a few minutes before analysing her choices, "She must be with Stencil and Earth Star in that Serpent Universe. Since it vanished from its initial location, it must have the capability to traverse the multiverse. If it enters one of Mystique''s universes, we''ll be helpless."


    "They won''t, don''t worry." The Fate System grinned, "But, they must be tethering on its boundary to enter it in the worst-case scenario. But, we don''t need to waste any more manpower in trying to find it. I have a faster method."


    "What is it¡­?" Zaira asked in curiosity, immediately exploding in anger upon hearing the n. The System World itself trembled under her rage as all the Systems were frightened as a result.


    ¡­


    Hovering atop a Hunter World was Mascot, grinning as she continued to lead her Cheat-wielders and kill the Hunters, crippling the Hunter System.


    Just as she was about to destroy another world manned by a Grade 2 System, her expression turned serious, almost flinching under the pressure suddenly wafting out from the Hunter World.


    ''No, it''sing from the System Fragments within those Hunters.'' She sensed the cause, turning a tad nervous immediately.


    "Umm¡­I fear we truly pissed Zaira this time." Shen Ze, the once top Cultivator under Immortal''s army said nervously, "Won''t we be doomed if she decides to go all out on us? At this moment, none of the strong Genre Representatives are there to support us."


    ''I have be stronger after swallowing Immortal''s army, but I''m still no match for Zaira.'' Mascot only considered for a moment before signalling her retreat. After all, the moment hesitation sprouted in her mind, the reigning collective consciousness was reced by one suited for the circumstance, "Let''s leave."


    Immediately, her army vanished as abruptly as their arrival. This was why Genre Representatives never won against the Systems, for they could never truly maintain a state of operation for extended durations.


    But unlike the previous times, the reason Zaira seethed in rage wasn''t Mascot, but something else. It was just a misunderstanding on Mascot''s part.


    In the System World, Zaira red at the Fate System with the intent to kill, "You dare suggest something this absurd? Of the original four that followed me, she''s the only one still alive."


    "She?" The Fate System didn''t seem phased by her rage andmented casually, "Don''t you know we Systems don''t have a gender? Or, do you still see it as an oldrade of yours?"


    "ept it, mom. This is the only way towards victory." The Fate System said in all seriousness, "We need to make this sacrifice."


    "Apocalypse must die!"

 Chapter 1042 Apocalypse Descends

    "If you think our best bet at seeding in this war is to sacrifice Apocalypse, then you''re better off in the scrap yard." Zaira extended her hand and condensed a frightening volume of Mental Energy, intending to activate all three Grade 4 Core Skills to annihte the Fate System once and for all.


    "Even though you''re touted to be the most logical of all, at times, your logic is just stubborn obsessions clinging to your mental capacity." The Fate System spoke with a tone of ridicule, "If you wished to do what was the best, why did you ignore the Adventure System?"


    "Wasn''t it part of that original four?" It continued, "You were always after the Protagonist Genre. So, after countless years of struggles, the Adventure System survived even Mystique''s world and returned as the Secondary System, part of the Protagonist Genre. But, all you did was antagonise it further, just because you wanted Arnark."


    "Now, that Arnark will die under Compass Carburettor''s hands. Isn''t all your obsessions for naught then?" The Fate Systemughed in mockery, "My n relies upon the absoluteness of fate. Unlike you, I''ll never fail."


    In the end, the Fate System''s string of arguments shut up Zaira, preventing her from retorting his ns any longer.


    Letting out a smile, the Fate System spoke, "Let''s pull back all the Systems camping at Rhizen''s universe. Apocalypse will directlyunch an attack and focus on changing the inherent foundation of that universe. That would force his hand and make him emerge for a confrontation."


    "That''s¡­a death sentence." Zaira sighed, "Apocalypse would die."


    "This is for the best, since with its death, its entire foundation would merge into Rhizen''s world and turn it into an apocalyptic wastnd. It would force him to flee, and I''m sure where he would go next." The Fate System grinned, "The Luck System has revived, right?"


    "Yeah, it revived just a few days ago." Zaira nodded, "It''s only at level 100."


    "Perfect, that makes it a great prey for Rhizen. Send it first and empower him enough to face Apocalypse."


    ¡­


    "So¡­you want to send me to my death." The Apocalypse System arrived at the System World and stared at Zaira, for a moment emotionally.


    But a couple of secondster, it nodded resolutely, "Anything for our victory. Just prepare my recement."


    "Apocalypse is one of the strongest concepts in the multiverse."


    "I know," Zaira said, "I''ll begin creating a new batch of Systems part of the Apocalypse Genre after you. Eventually, they would reach Grade 3 and be Apocalypse once again."


    "I can rest assured then," The Apocalypse System nodded and hugged Zaira''s energy-condensed form, "Take care of yourself in my absence."


    "I will," Zaira nodded, emotional despite being incapable of something like that in her energy-condensed form. Even the rage she expressed before was just a timed response, a pre-nned setup existing in memory that allowed her to exhibit human-like emotions whenever she pleased.


    But now, she truly was emotional. After all, the Apocalypse System had been with her from the start and was someone she had relied upon in countless predicaments.


    Among the pair of sisters, Tell-Tale System had been devoured by Compass Carburettor. And now, Apocalypse System was being sent to the doorstep of death under Rhizen''s hands.


    "Well, I''ll be apanying you until yourst moment. So, don''t worry." The Fate System spoke casually.


    "You''re someone that only appeared now, so don''t act like you know what''s at stake." The Apocalypse System snorted at the Fate System.


    "I know what''s at stake here," The Fate System shrugged, "If you were that concerned about the System World, you should have attained Grade 4 and helped ease up our burden. Oh, I forgot¡­"


    It jeered at the Apocalypse System, "You cannot attain Grade 4, right?"


    "Only the ultimate three concepts can reach Grade 4."


    "Forget it," The Apocalypse System was angry for a moment before deciding that it was a waste of time. It then dragged the Fate System with it and disappeared from the System World, immediately arriving at the Apocalypse World where the Post Apocalyptic Dispatch Society headquarters existed.


    ¡­


    "Something is strange," Warktor frowned as he observed the change in surroundings, "Why are these¡­Grade 2 Systems leaving?"


    "Something this abrupt in change doesn''t spell well for us." Straxia observed the confusion evident on the faces of the Grade 2 Systems and said, "It seems even they aren''t aware of what is happening."


    "Where''s Rhizen?" She turned around and stared at Chenger.


    "He''s arguing with Dita after devouring the Luck System," Chenger replied as she pulled out a pearl-like cylinder and tapped it twice. Immediately, the air within the room swirled as the figure of Rhizen appeared, in hand with Dita that had shrunk its body to the minimum to resemble amon cobra.


    "What happened, Chenger?" Rhizen looked at the concern on the faces of everyone, "Why is everyone solemn¡­"


    His words came to a halt as he stared out from the satellite station situated on the moon of their world. All the Systems furiously searching for the whereabouts of their world vanished, almost as if fleeing for their lives.


    And in the depths of the void formed ayer, perceivable from every corner of the universe, a nket covering everything.


    The Astral Network solidified, appearing like the sky shrouding the universe. And from there, a cloud formed, revealing a crack, one unleashing a mighty roar akin to thunder.


    Mental Energy swirled at a volume capable of drowning the universe itself as a formless power seeped everywhere.


    "No!"


    "Thirsty!"


    "What is happening?"


    nts in the Apocalypse World withered while the animals dried up in a matter of seconds. Even the Mutated Beasts shrivelled up and died quickly. The entire world became barren instantly, causing food and water shortage.


    Moreover, it seemed this effect wasn''t just contained to this world as every world where the authority of PADS had reached was simrly affected, for the power system of the world itself was changing.


    "Something massive ising¡­" Rhizen just muttered when suddenly, a thunderp resounded in the minds of everyone, knocking the strong unconscious while killing the weak.


    Plop!


    Even Warktor fell to his knees, feeling weak as he stared at the gigantic that dropped down from the solidified Astral Network, stammering in shock, "Is t-t-that¡­?"


    "Yes," Rhizen nodded solemnly, "That''s the enemy we vowed to eradicate."


    "The Apocalypse System."

 Chapter 1043 Call Me Dota

    "Give me a moment," The moment they arrived at the Apocalyptic World''s universe, the Fate System patted the gigantic that was the Apocalypse System, "I need to do something here."


    The Fate System closed its eyes and observed the fate of the universe, smiling as a result, "Good, its fate is within my controlling capacity."


    <Ding>


    [Signing into the Post Apocalyptic Dispatch Society]


    Immediately, fate surged around the Fate System and condensed two entities, a ten-horned serpent, and a pearl tree.


    The Fate System nted the pearl tree in the gigantic that was the Apocalypse System, watching it take root, "This will allow you to directly attack their foundation."


    External Item¡ªTower of Purification!


    This was the ultimate External Item created by Rhizen to purify worlds infected by the Apocalypse System and gradually increase the influence of the PADS there. It also allowed him to create more Horned Humans to fight for their cause, which was how they continued to face apocalyptic worlds and emerge victorious time and again.


    But now, the Fate System had casually employed fate to create the same and empowered the Apocalypse System with it, allowing it to directly strike the Mystic Humans where it hurts the most.


    "Okay, you can fight now. Don''t die before you deplete their resourcespletely." Saying so, the Fate System stared at the ten-horned serpent, activating it as his figure vanished.


    Apocalyptic Arts¡ªThieving Heaven (X)!


    This was the mutated beast created through Dita, one that Rhizen and his fellow Mystic Humans relied upon to travel from the Apocalypse World to other worlds and vice-versa.


    Of course, with it, the Fate System easily prated through their defensive system and arrived at a barren hill within the Apocalypse World, looking around as it now resumed its human-like appearance, one resembling an Arnark from young, barely eight years old.


    He didn''t do anything beyond that and just stored the ten-horned serpent in the Origin Space that formed in his body. An Origin Space was where Mystic Humans like Rhizen stored their Mutated Beasts within and harnessed their power.


    The Fate System walked on the barren hill before he chanced upon a group of people.


    "Hey, kid! Why are you alone there?" A middle-aged man shouted in a hurry, seemingly fleeing somewhere.


    "My parents told me to wait here," The Fate System said while gently stirring up the fate around him. He then sported a tear-eyed expression, "But it has been an hour already and they haven''t returned. Something happened to the nts and animals here. I''m scared!"


    "Come with me!" The middle-aged man said in a hurry and carried the Fate System, "I promise I''ll bring you to your parents. But first, we need to head towards safety."


    "Uncle, what is happening?" The Fate System asked in a fluster, "Why is everyone running?"


    "Apocalypse descended, boy." The middle-aged man said, "All nts and animals have withered, including the mutated beasts. The only exceptions are the Mystic Humans and the Mutated Beasts in our Origin Space. But the weaker ones are gradually getting affected too, so before we lose them, we''ll have to bring everyone to the shelter."


    "Shelter?" The Fate System asked in confusion while thinking, ''Indeed, as I suspected, they have the means to sustain themselves against Apocalypse. It makes sense since they were gearing up all their lives to kill Apocalypse.''


    The middle-aged man sprinted at terrifying speeds, his figure flickering dozens of metres with every step as he soon reached arge door that had been installed into the side of a cliff. With a leap, he passed through it and entered the shelter.


    ''Amazing!'' The Fate System was pleasantly surprised to see an entire dimension within, filled with ants that were tirelessly working to build sprawling structures. There were eggs of all animals stored in safety by the brood.


    Large ntations were situated amidst the sprawling structures as the ants farmed, reared cattle, etc. All the people of the Apocalypse world hurriedly entered the shelter and despite that, it had more than enough space.


    There were dozens of shelters located throughout the world as droves of people streamed in from all directions. Even the Horned Humans from the worlds under them rushed in, evacuating in a hurry as they entered the shelter.


    Disguised as a helpless child, the Fate System observed the series of preparations done in the region, smirking, ''Just as fate dictates, Rhizen will win this battle. Apocalypse had been too lenient against him and allowed him to grow too much.''


    p¦Á§ád¦Á §«?¦Í¨º|,§ã¨°§®


    He then thought for a moment before shaking his head, ''Or I can also say that too many things were happening that the Apocalypse System simply couldn''t keep up. It participated in the war, faced the greatest of injuries, used its Core Skill Manifestation and was out ofmission for a century and to date, has yet to recover to its prime.''


    ''As one of the strongest Grade 3 Systems, it formed the first line of defence against all our enemies. So, it simply didn''t have the freedom to divert more attention to Rhizen than what it did until now.'' He thought, understanding a vital secret, ''Time, ce, and opportunity, they are of vital importance.''


    ''Had Rhizen tried to do this anytime else, Apocalypse would have crushed him just like the Systems ganged up on the other Main Characters in the past. yer''s growth could also be exined along the same vein. On that note, even Compass Carburettor is the same. He was just at the right ce at the right time and had the means to take advantage of the opportunity. Even the same individual wouldn''t have amounted to anything if he was born in another timeline.''


    "Kid, are you alright?" The middle-aged man sighed in relief upon arriving at the house designated to him as he ced the Fate System down and asked, "Are you hurt anywhere?"


    "No, I''m alright, thanks to you, uncle." The Fate System wiped his tears and let out a relieved smile.


    "You can stay with me for the time being. I''ll help look for your parentster. A child like you cannot live by yourself in the shelter." The middle-aged man said before realising something as he asked, "Oh yeah, I have yet to know your name."


    "What do I call you?"


    The Fate System''s eyes glistened for a moment before he opened his mouth and uttered with a pearly tone, "Dota."


    "Call me Dota."

 Chapter 1044 It’s A Success

    Boom!


    The forming the Apocalypse System cracked into pieces and copsed as a Whale drilled out through its centre, almost zombified as it didn''t stop devouring the former''s essence.


    "You¡­bastard!" The Apocalypse System cursed as it began to lose consciousness, for its essence was being devoured by Rhizen now, ''It went just as you had expected. I never thought he would win, but he did in the end anyway.''


    Suddenly, the pearl tree on its body dissipated, carrying the rest of its essence as it fused with the Apocalypse World, "Hahaha!"


    The Apocalypse System''s maniacalughter resounded as it roared, "I''ve poured my everything into your world. From now onwards, it''ll be in a state of perpetual apocalypse, the worst kind where it''s impossible to sustain life."


    "Even your shelters won''t be an exception."


    Crackle!


    A corrupted power gradually crept towards the cliff and touched the door, corroding it in a matter of seconds as it inched inside.


    Immediately, the nts within began to shrivel up. The ants furiously mixed their saliva into the corruption and caused some of the greenery to recover.


    But the corruption was overwhelming, gradually killing more and more ants.


    "Hahaha, what will you do now, Rhizen? You might have won the battle, but you lost the war. Your people won''t be able to survive this." The Apocalypseughed before soon, it calmed down, shooting its gaze at a certain before it dissipated for good, emanating displeasure, "Fuck you."


    "Fuck you all."


    "What was thest line about? That was against character." Rhizen frowned but didn''t put much thought into it as he returned to his world and nted his Tower of Purification, working it into overdrive within the shelter as it gradually stopped the spread of corruption.


    "No, this isn''t enough," Rhizen spoke upon observing that the nts within the shelter were slowly but surely losing vitality. At this rate, in a few decades, the shelter would be an almost barrennd.


    His Tower of Purification was only able to ensure at least some patches of grass could grow. The shelter was still liveable, but they would need to procure resources from external means after this.


    Finding more worlds just wasn''t an option, for they would need to invest a tremendous amount of resources for returns that just weren''t sufficient. After all, they currently had to feed people more than a dozen worlds worth.


    "Somewhere we can procure enough resources and survive the retaliation from Systems," Rhizen frowned in thought, for he was aware the Apocalypse System was one of the most valued in the System World.


    And since he killed it, more Grade 3 Systems might target his world in the future. At present, he had alreadypleted his objective and gained sufficient power for his world to function and exert its influence.


    They had also managed to ovee their curse of regression that happened every twenty years. Rhizen could still maintain the current status quo and aim for other apocalyptic worlds, since thousands had been converted by the Apocalypse System in the past.


    But that would all have to wait. They currently couldn''t afford to go against another System. Their foundation was at the absolute minimum where it was hard to persist for even a couple of days.


    Even a Grade 2 System was a fearsome opponent in this condition, not to mention a Grade 3 System. So, their priority was to rest and recuperate while building up strength.


    As he thought, he recalled the figure of Stencil, "There is just one ce that fits the bill. Aren''t there 168 worlds in the Serpent Universe antagonist to Stencil''s world? I can ask for her support while growing and fighting against the enemies there. It would be a change of pace for once."


    Immediately, he ryed his orders to all the elite Mystic Humans under him, "Reim your Tower of Purification from all the worlds."


    "But, is that fine?" One of the elites asked in worry, "What will happen to these worlds?"


    "We''re abandoning them." Rhizen stated resolutely, "these worlds currently serve no value since they''ve be barren. All the natives are in our shelters so there''s no use carrying this baggage. We can always terraform new worlds to suit our needs."


    "We only need this world since that''s the source of our power. So, reim your Tower of Purifications. We''re leaving shortly."


    Immediately, everyone among the elites at Stage 7 and above that possessed the External Item of Tower of Purification entered the worlds under the control of PADS and reimed them.


    They also packed and transported all the Guardian Beast Statues, the Blight Cores, and every other resource of importance that they couldn''t bring in their hurry to escape before. They weren''t living resources and hence hadn''t been destroyed by the corruption yet.


    Though, it was only a matter of time before they would be gradually worn down and broken into uselessponents. So before that happened, they had to relocate everything and ce it within the protective domain unleashed by Pearl Buck¡ªRhizen''s Tower of Purification.


    It was the only one that could resist the Apocalypse System''s final corruption to a certain extent.


    While this happened, Rhizen expended more than half his luck and tugged the strings of cause and effect, alerting someone.


    A couple of weekster, right as the people in the shelter were almost on the brink of starvation, a gigantic serpent appeared. It opened its mouth and swallowed their world.


    Of course, none of the natives in the Apocalypse World even noticed it since it happened in an instant.


    In the Serpent Universe, a tiny sphere rapidly shed through its endlessly long body, alerting the countless invader races camping through the various sections.


    "What was that?"


    "Catch it!"


    "It must be Stencil''s reinforcement!"


    Unfortunately for them, the sphere was way too fast. And by the time they managed to react, it had long since reached the tail section andnded in a certain zone that had been emptied.


    Immediately, a portal formed before the tiny metre-wide sphere as Rhizen walked out, mildly confused.


    "Are you done with your quest, Rhizen?" Stencil smiled amicably, having arrived to greet the neers, "It was about time we had some allies."


    "Wee to the Serpent Universe."


    ¡­


    "Wee to the Serpent Universe." Spying on their conversation was the Fate System who smiled, ''It''s a sess.''

 Chapter 1045 Triggering Mystique

    <Ding>


    [Signing in to the Serpent Universe]


    "Eh?" Stencil flinched in surprise, looking around in a fluster, "What was that?"


    "What was what?" Rhizen tilted his head in confusion.


    "You didn''t sense it?" Stencil frowned, cing her hand on her chest, "I¡­felt a pulsating sensation."


    "It was strangely nerve-wracking."


    "I''m not sure about what you''re feeling." Rhizen closed his eyes and felt the streams of luck swerving into him, "I don''t see any fluctuations in luck, whether on me or you."


    "What about your people?" Stencil asked, "Is everyone there¡­safe?"


    By safe, she wasn''t asking about their wellbeing but whether or not they were truly his people and not some other external beings disguised there as spies.


    "It''s not possible for anyone to infiltrate my world without alerting me." Rhizen said in confidence, "But anyways, let me check just to be sure."


    Rhizen entered his world and began to focus on the luck values of everyone, failing to find anything suspicious. But, after thinking for a moment, he decided otherwise, ''Stencil is the Dragon of Systems. If she felt something, there must be something. I shouldn''t be careless at this point.''


    Phew!


    He exhaled softly and retracted the vast surge of his luck into his being, focusing its entirety on the luck that would always work in unknown situations.


    Coincidental Luck!


    His eyes shot open as he coincidentally stared in a particr direction, observing the luck of an eight-year-old child. It wasn''t anything special, appearing no different from other children his age.


    But the fact that his Coincidental Luck pointed here meant otherwise as Rhizen focused and alternated his powers.


    Destiny Luck!


    There wasn''t any change, ''Still nothing?''


    Rhizen didn''t mind that and added the power of Lucky Bastard atop that, still failing to observe any changes, but for some reason, his back was drenched with sweat, coincidentally. That was enough affirmation as he hurriedly activated two more powers.


    Protagonist Luck! Critical Luck!


    Boom!


    There was a torrent as Rhizen was almost blinded by the sheer, solid luck that burst out of the eight-year-old boy, "So, Stencil''s senses weren''t lying."


    He didn''t hesitate and attacked immediately.


    Bad Luck! Luck Siphon! Perfect Timing!


    Tch!


    The Fate System clicked his teeth as he leaped out of the shelter and covered himself with a dome of fate, using that to resist the luck intending to affect his situation.


    "That''s a pretty solid barrier¡­" Rhizen spoke and began preparing a stronger attack when the Fate System''s figure exited the shelter, allowing him to gaze at thetter, in shock, in disbelief, "¡­A-Arnark?"


    "Sup!" The Fate System took advantage of Rhizen''s momentary fluster to sh past him and exit the Apocalypse World through the portal and arrived within the serpent.<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>


    Though, the moment he exited the portal, a choker flew his way, sparkling with lightning thattched onto his body and began to drill its way in.


    "Humph!" The Fate System snorted as he strengthened the fate shield, preventing the lightning from actually reaching his body.


    "A System actually infiltrated us, huh?" A voice suddenly resounded behind him, causing chills to creep up his spine as the Fate System gasped in shock, watching his fate shield vanish.


    Gehera swiped her hand, scratching his cheek with her nails. The portions of his body shredded by the scratch were instantly absorbed by her who muttered a secondter, "Fate System, Level 203, the progeny of Zaira and Mystique. Also incorporates some of Arnark''s core essence."


    "A child between Zaira and Mystique?" For a moment, everyone was stunned, "What in the frighteningbination is that?"


    But that didn''t mean they dallied with their attacks as Earth Star came into the picture, clenching his hand into a fist.


    "Keuk!" The Fate System felt a suffocating pressure gripping his body from everywhere. But, it wasn''t just an external pressure as he felt something like a ck hole form within his body, exerting pressure internally too, locking him in ce.


    "You won''t trap me here¡­" The Fate System roared and unleashed a beam attack toward Earth Star, one capable of prating through all his abilities.


    "Shit!" Earth Star was surprised when the star he erected as a shield was destroyed by the beam casually. But right before it was about to m into his body, Gehera jumped into the fray and grabbed the beam, and grunted once before clenching her hand into a fist. She devoured it a momentter.


    "You can take it back." She said and swooped in on him, condensing the same energy in the palm of her hands as shebined the abilities of a couple more totems to knead it to her desire and mmed her palm into his chest, causing it to cave in and cause a million ripples in an instant.


    Crack!


    The Fate System''s Coordinate cracked from the attack as he immediately lost two levels. It pushed him into a state of momentary weakness. Using the chance, Stencil''s choker slipped over his neck, erupting with billions of lightning serpents that drilled into his body, rapidly beginning to subdue him.


    The Fate System unleashed a multitude of attacks in retaliation, intending to preserve the solidarity of his fate. But of course, with Rhizen at the side, it was difficult, especially since he could expend his luck to manipte cause and effect and nullify his fate attacks.


    ''No! At this rate, I''ll fall under Stencil''s control!'' He realised in rm, observing the lightning serpents drill deeper into his body with the passage of every second.


    There was Rhizen to counter his fate, Gehera to devour and redirect his attacks back at him, Earth Star to target and keep his physical body in check, and finally, Stencil who seemed capable of seeing through his very being, for she had been focusing on the core that he had wrapped around with the identity as the ''Fate System''.


    She had been gradually reaching for that core through her lightning serpents.


    Fate System stared at her cold, almost expressionless eyes, ''No, she isn''t human. She is another System World!''


    It truly made him realise the extent of the powers his enemies possessed, the reason they had survived brutal wars and grew stronger after that. He had underestimated them a lot, ''These four have long since escaped the ordains of fate?''


    The lightning snakes continued to reach deeper into his body as the Fate System no longer had the room to escape from the situation, "Then, I''ll drag everyone into hell!"


    Boom!


    A beam of energy pulsed out of his forehead, startling Gehera who shouted shrilly in response, "How the heck do you have that power?"


    "Heh, I gained it the moment I signed in to this Serpent Universe." The Fate Systemughed mockingly, hiding his nervousness, "Consider this my gift."


    The Serpent Universe that was traversing the void in its usual route suddenly curved wider, causing its tail to m into a nearby universe and break through its boundary. The force was strong enough tosh out within that universe and cleave everything into two, including the world that formed its core.


    "You¡­madman!" Gehera screamed in despair, for the world that had been destroyed by the Serpent Universe''s tail was none other than Mystique''s. After all, they were roaming along the border of Mystique''s worlds as a safety.


    Immediately, a guttural scream resounded throughout the Serpent Universe, causing every creature within to froth at the mouth and let out maddened screeches, "Noooo!"


    Mystique had been sessfully triggered.

 Chapter 1046 Slayer Enters Serpent Universe

    "Nooooo!"


    Mystique wasn''t even there personally. He was still trapped with Technocraft, Reincarnation System, and Transmigration System. But as the representative of Pandora''s Box, his will was transmitted through his world.


    The world was destroyed thanks to the Serpent Universe''s tail flick. All the natives lost their lives in the process. But, life itself didn''t seem to have been extinguished as the shattered fragments of the worldtched onto the Serpent Universe''s tail, amplifying Mystique''s scream.


    Kyaaa!


    Stencil screamed in pain as she unleashed countless chokers, causing them to revolve like rings around her home world as she instantly teleported all her people into it. This way, she could protect them better.


    "Ugh¡­" Earth Star grunted to his utmost effort, harnessing the energies of the Serpent Universe to resist the maddening shout''s effects. But a momentter, the variable of madness seemed to have seeped and be one with the Serpent Universe too, especially its tail segment.


    Immediately in response, he was partially corrupted, losing part of his strength as he had to exert more effort just to resist the maddening urge growing within him.


    "Get inside!" Stencil screamed as she kicked Earth Star into her world, "Force yourself into a state of unconsciousness. You can resist and fight against the madness better that way!"


    "Rhizen!" She shouted next, covering his world with her chokers too, resisting the madness.


    "On it!" Rhizen rapidly expended massive streams of luck to affect the cause and effect of the region, barely able to slow down the seepage of madness.


    During that time, Gehera lodged thousands of Totems into the ground and erected a formation, one that created a living entity that roared into the skies. It drew most of the madness towards itself and began to absorb it.


    Of course, it wasn''t able to resist that and became mad in a matter of seconds, but that was within Gehera''s calction. Her goal was only to divert the madness away from them. And, the creature she created had a very high capacity and hence, it was still absorbing the madness.


    "Keuk!" The Fate System flinched in pressure, feeling his core dancing erratically, ''No, that aspect of me doesn''t have any will. Once it surges, I would lose all semnce of sanity.''


    But after a moment of thought, he thought of something, noticing that he was able to move his body thanks to the absence of Earth Star.


    He immediately consumed a vast volume of fate to divert the pressure forces acting within him towards the lightning serpents, sending them spilling out of his body.


    Mystique''s scream was maddening, but he was able to resist that the highest. After all, he too was a creature of chaos.


    Boom!


    The Fate System broke free of the choker constricting him as he kicked Rhizen to the side, evaded Gehera''s lunge, shot away Stencil''s chokers, and took flight, "See youter, suckers!"


    As the entirety of the armies created by Stencil''s world within the second half of the Serpent Universe was desperately resisting the creeping madness, none were able to stop him from fleeing away.


    "Shit!" Stencil gritted her teeth in anger, unable to divert her attention to capture the Fate System, for that would mean the worlds under her would copse.


    She didn''t wish to sacrifice everything just to capture the Fate System. But by the time she could form a decision, it was toote already, as the Fate System had escaped beyond her reach. She still had to resist the madness here and support her team, for she had the highest resistance among them all.<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>


    Earth Star had the least resistance, since he wasn''t equipped to deal with it. As for Rhizen, he had been dealing with corruption all his life, so he was able to endure. Gehera had some of Hazen''s Totems to rely upon and maintain her sanity.


    "Shit, we were close!" Stencil screamed after a few days had passed. The Serpent Universe had left the boundary and entered a sane universe where itshed with its tail to shed off all elements of chaostching onto there.


    At least four universes were destroyed as a result before the Serpent Universe hadpletely shaved off the chaotic elements. Mystique''s shout too had vanished once they had left his domain, allowing them to recover after some rest.


    Of course, none were in the condition to fight for the time being, whether on Stencil''s side or the invader''s side.


    "Quick, treat the injured!" Stencil shouted the moment she gained some control over her functions thanks to the support of the collective consciousness, "Gehera will treat the madness growing in everyone¡­"


    She hadn''t even finished her statement when Gehera''s figure emitted a bloodthirsty aura, bolting off through the Serpent Universe as her shout resounded far and wide, "Gilthruuuuu!"


    ¡­


    "Hah¡­haha¡­hahaha, I almost died. What monsters!" The Fate System grinned upon arriving at safety behind enemy lines, taking charge of the invaders as he too was a Grade 3 System, just like the Invader System that they followed.


    Knock! Knock!


    The Fate System smiled as he snapped his finger, causing the Serpent Universe to open its mouth. There, standing at the entrance were three people in total, looking alert.


    Once the mouth opened, they flew in, watching it close immediately.


    The Fate Systemnded before them, smiling upon observing the shock on the faces of two and the tensed expression on the final one, "Wee, yer."


    "I''ve made a great battlefield for you."


    "I''ll be running away the moment Zairaes here." yer said, expressing his nervousness as he looked around, ''Invader System''s entire forces are here, huh? So, this is what it prepared to face Compass. It would have seeded had it struck a few months earlier.''


    "I vow on my fate that you''re all I''ve invited here." The Fate System said, "At least, until you''re alive."


    "So, Gehera is proving to be a pain for you, right?" yer figured out the gist of things, "Judging by your injuries, seems you''ve taken quite a beating from them."


    "Well, yes." The Fate System didn''t argue, "Which is why I want you to remove her from the picture. You want her powers anyway, right?"


    "So, it''s a win-win for us."


    "Deal?" The Fate System asked, staring at yer.

 Chapter 1047 In Madness, They Screamed

    "Deal?"


    At the Fate System''s words, yer frowned, deep in thought, ''Gehera is proving to be troublesome for him to deal with, so he wishes to use my power to be rid of her. I too need her power to grow strong enough to face any threat in the future. But, I shouldn''t y into this brat''s hands.''


    "You want to deal with the rest?" yerughed in mockery, "Are you strong enough?"


    "I am strong enough," The Fate System snorted in response, emanating a frightening amount of pressure, "I alone am enough to deal with the rest."


    "Guess it''s a pity," yer sighed as he turned around and began to leave, "The risk is too much for the rewards. Gehera alone isn''t valuable enough to risk my life at this point in time."


    "This bastard¡­" The Fate System red in response, "Don''t y hard to get. I know you''re desperate for Gehera''s strength."


    "I already know everything through fate."


    "Wow, you must know everything, huh?" yerughed, "But so what? I have no intention to take action against Gehera."


    "What will you do now? Invite Zaira?" His prior tension vanished like a mirage as he stared at the Fate System in mockery, "I no longer wish to be a part of this. So¡­"


    He approached the end of the Serpent Universe, pointing at its mouth, "Open this, will you? I''ll take my leave."


    "Your only option of leaving this ce is through death." The Fate System red at yer, "Do you take me for a fool? The location of the Serpent Universe has already been leaked to you. Without enough benefit in response, I''m not allowing you to take a step away."


    "Alright, make me." yer snorted as his presence spiked, causing the Serpent Universe to tremble in response. He was ready to retaliate.


    He was in truth nervous about this whole ordeal. But this was the only chance he could get where Gehera''s power was his for the taking. He wasn''t sure if he would get such a great opportunity in the future.


    Arnark''s attack severely depleted the foundations of Stencil, Gehera, and Earth Star. So, the variables regarding luck and fate that they could rely upon to change their situation didn''t exist.


    This meant that as long as his n was firm enough, he could win against them with a guarantee. That was why when the Fate System transmitted the location of the Serpent Universe to him, he arrived promptly.


    But it was also a fact that fighting them would weaken him a lot. And in this situation, that was dangerous, especially since Zaira was breathing down his back.


    Upon arriving at the ce and observing the elements at y, he decided the risk was too much, especially considering the damage the Fate System had suffered.


    Even though the other party tried his best to hide it, yer was experienced. And he could see that the Fate System had been beaten up severely, having also taken a blow to his core. ''This means that even if I were to win, I would suffer a blow to my foundation. Normally, I would be able to recover from it, but in this situation where I''m focusing on Arak and Anak''s growth, it''s dangerous.''


    He was grooming Arak and Anak into perfect subordinates for his use. He didn''t wish the status quo to be affected. And hence, he was ready to face the Fate System, "I won''t repeat myself. Either you open the entrance or I''m blowing up a hole through it."


    "Heh!" Suddenly, the Fate System''s expression turned into ridicule as he muttered, "I was just buying time."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Immediately in response, in their closest station, the teleportation centre manifested a portal, through which a loud roar resounded, "Gilthruuu!"


    ''She''s finally here. Thankfully, I already arranged for the invaders to keep all the portals functioning. Thanks to that, she could make a beeline here in a matter of minutes.'' The Fate System smirked cunningly.


    When he signed in to the Serpent Universe, he obtained a key which was a replica of the same that Compass Carburettor had given Gehera. The wielder of this key was able to control the actions of the Serpent Universe, which was how the Serpent Universe was on a constant run.


    Gehera had been controlling it all along. But through the replica, the Fate System caused a mishap, forcing the Serpent Universe to destroy one of Mystique''s worlds with its tail. His actions triggered Gehera already, for she was feeling responsible.


    After all, the responsibility of the Serpent Universe was ced on her shoulders by Compass Carburettor.


    "Shit!" yer''s expression turned serious as he realised he had fallen prey to the Fate System''s scheme, watching Gehera leap out of the portal.


    And apanying her was an ethereal creature brimming with insanity. When the tail of the Serpent Universe was infected by the chaos element of Mystique''s world, using Hazen''s power that she had in her Ruin of Amagoth, Gehera erected a formation.


    She created a magic beast whose sole function was to devour this element of chaos, no matter how insanity-driven it became. The magic beast managed to devour everything ambiently present as Gehera pulled it with her and passed through the portal stations installed by the dragon plushies.


    She then rushed into the enemy line and barged into their portal, using it to rapidly travel through the top half of the Serpent Universe. The moment she sensed yer''s presence through the key¡ªcontrolling the Serpent Universe¡ªin her possession, Gehera was gripped by rage.


    Normally, she would still retain her bearings and not rush forward recklessly. But her mind was now corrupted by the chaos element. So, she wasn''t in her right mind to objectively make sense of her action.


    "Gilthru! For the sin of killing my family, I''ll butcher you!" Gehera roared in rage as she threw the magic beast of insanity at him, causing it to explode as the entire head region of the Serpent Universe was now infected by the element of chaos.


    "Devour!"


    "Arise!"


    "Snatch!"


    "Prey!"


    yer suddenly began to hear strange voices in his mind, affecting his focus. They were actually the thoughts of the people in the Fantasy World. Usually, these voices were so faint that even a million of them wouldn''t be audible even if yer were to focus his entirety on them.


    But now, drunk on the element of chaos, each of these voices got rmingly loud, enough to echo in his mind incessantly. yer''s eyes were bloodthirsty as he red at Gehera, observing through the corner of his eyes at the figures of Arak and Anak that fainted while blood oozed out of their orifices.


    In madness, they screamed.

 Chapter 1048 Invasion By Six Grade 3 Systems

    "Keuk!" The Fate System felt a searing headache, as if his body was about to explode from within. he hurriedly distanced himself from yer and Gehera and sat behind a mountain that formed one of the Serpent Universe''s teeth.


    He drilled a hole into its centre and hid the entrance. This area was rtively less affected. It would take some time for the element of chaos to infiltrate the mountain''s centre, giving him enough room to treat himself.


    It had to be noted that this mountain was at a size couple dozen times a world. So, it was very massive. After all, unlike the body that was just 1000 kilometres in diameter, the serpent''s head was pretty massive, for it needed to be of that size to swallow other worlds and even smaller universes when necessary.


    So, this mountain forming one of the serpent''s teeth was massive. The Fate System had also selected the sturdiest of them all through the ordains of fate, camping within one that seemed like it would be thest to be fully infected in the head.


    Once he was in safety, the Fate System barely managed to set aside a portion of its focus tomand all of the Invader System''s forces, "Don''t try to treat the insanity growing in you. Embrace it and rush the enemy! Consider it my ultimatum!"


    Immediately in response, the invaders rushed towards the tail end, roaring manically as they stopped resisting the effects. The insanity seemed infectious as the more they behaved insanely, the more pronounced the effects got for everyone.


    "D-Defend!" A dragon plushie shouted in rm as it created a new race, forcing them to fight. Even it was facing struggles to think, not to mentionmand its forces. Everyone was still reeling from the effects of Mystique''s shouts, not to mention the stream of insanity that had already pervaded their beings.


    Upon seeing the invaders rush them, the dragon plushie at the vanguard could no longer focus on itself as it took the charge to attack the enemies. And in a matter of minutes, its smile widened until its ears and its teeth were fully revealed. Drool spilled out of its mouth while veins popped rmingly through its eyes.


    Rwarrr!


    The dragon plushie had gone insane while fighting the invaders, no longer able to think as it mechanically tore through the bodies of the invaders and gobbled them up. By ingesting their bodies, it further absorbed the element of chaos in them, turning madder.


    As a result of the first dragon plushie getting infected, the rest of the collective consciousness manning the dragon plushies too was steadily growing insane, rming Stencil. She couldn''t even make a move currently, stretched thin as she was defending two worlds against the chaos while also mending the damage sustained by the countless collective consciousnesses in her.


    "Shit! Why did Gehera have to leave now?" Stencil screamed as she stared at Rhizen, "Can you bring her back?"


    "The teleportation circles on the enemy''s side have gone off. It''ll take me years to reach Gehera the traditional way since she''s at the mouth of the serpent now." Rhizen said in worry, "Isn''t the key with her? Can''t you contact her to do something so that I can reinforce her immediately?"


    "I''ve been trying to do that but she''s not responding." Stencil said when suddenly, her eyes widened in realisation, her face paling in response, "I was wondering why the element of chaos is growing stronger even after we shed off that world''s fragments."


    Stencil stared up and observed the scene, cursing the Fate System, "I''ll rip that fucking bastard to shreds!"


    Seated in the safety of the mountain in the head region, taking advantage of the insane state of Gehera, the Fate System was controlling the Universe Serpent. It had returned to the Mystique''s universe and was looping through it with its lower body, causing the fragments of the world to slowly but surelytch onto the tail of the Serpent Universe.


    This was why the element of chaos was only growing stronger over time, tying up the hands of Stencil, Rhizen, and Earth Star, preventing them from reinforcing Gehera, and allowing her to face yer alone.


    "Shit! If only Hazen was here!" Stencil closed her eyes and focused on a certain System that she had created, a weak System, but one meant for emergencies, left in the Cultivation World where Hazen was, transmitting her message through it, "Hazen! We need your help!"


    "¡­Stencil?" A reply came from the other side, the voice weak,nguid even, offering an apology immediately, "I''m¡­sorry."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I am in danger myself."


    ¡­


    "Grandpa¡­?" A middle-aged man stared at the sky, mouth agape as he asked, tethering on the verge of despair, "What¡­the heck is that?"


    "It has finallye to this¡­" Hazen stared helplessly at the void in his universe, observing the individuals that had arrived. Usually, the Systems that came to this universe disappeared mysteriously.


    And hence, over time, it wasbelled as a graveyard of the Systems and was no longer visited by the Systems. The inherent energy that the universe was producing too counteracted the existence of Systems, further reinforcing this belief.


    Even the Grade 2 System fragments that arrived were all captured by Hazen. He used them as resources to fuel the Cultivation World''s development. But it wasn''t possible anymore, not against the current enemy.


    Grade 3 System¡ªMonarch (Level 242)!


    Grade 3 System¡ªAbsolute Progression (Level 299)!


    Grade 3 System¡ªPrimordial Cultivator (Level 299)!


    Grade 3 System¡ªBullshit (Level 278)!


    Grade 3 System¡ªVirtual Reality (Level 231)!


    Grade 3 System¡ªAlternate Reality (Level 207)!


    Grade 4 System¡ªRegression (Level 340)!


    System World¡ªZaira!


    This was the lineup that had arrived at the Cultivation World to capture Hazen. Just a single Grade 3 System would have proven to be a troublesome, life-threatening opponent. But here, there wasn''t one or two Grade 3 Systems, but six in total. This was not to mention the Grade 4 System, Regression helming the group.


    And standing at the forefront was the energy-condensed form of Zaira. With Mascot retreating, they had more than enough reserve forces to take action.


    And the first they targeted was none other than the Main Character that had split off from Compass Carburettor and survived to date¡ªHazen!

 Chapter 1049 Harbinger Of Serenity’s Grief

    "I''m sorry," Hazen stared at an old woman beside him, sighing in apology, "I wasn''t good enough."


    "No, that''s not true." The old woman shook her head gently and touched his cheek lovingly, "Thanks to you, I had a wonderful life. You gave up everything else just to spend time with me. Honestly, I always knew I held you back."


    "After all, with your innate powers, there was nothing you couldn''t do. But you never exercised your full potential and remained behind with me, living a simple life in this ind vige." The old woman said as blood leaked out of her mouth, trailing over her wrinkly skin, "I''m content."


    "Alika! Don''t be reckless!" Hazen red at the old woman as he unleashed a healing ability, "I''ll find a way for everyone to survive! I have the capability¡­"


    "No, you don''t." Alika, the old woman sighed helplessly as she stared at the sky above the Gaider Realm, watching it begin to crack in response, "Our world isn''t even able to bear the presence of these individuals. So, nothing we throw at them would even manage to scratch them. In such a situation, we''re only deadweight that would hold you back."


    "Do you think I care about that?" Hazen gritted his teeth, tearing up as he shouted, "If we have to die, we''ll die, together. I won''t live without you or everyone."


    "Grandpa¡­" The middle-aged man from before cupped his fists, "Please, don''t be stubborn. We were all meant to die in the first ce. If not for you, our world would have been destroyed many times already."


    "And now, it''s our time to repay the favour."


    "Dumbass, this isn''t the time for¡­" Hazen choked in pain, unable to bear seeing the distraught expressions on his family members, one resolved to die.


    "I''ll always live in your memory." Alikaughed as she hugged Hazen, "If you want, you can summon a younger version of myself. As long as you survive, we can rebuild this world and return to our childhood where we yed by the mangrove."


    "The fragment of the Main Character, Hazen, surrender!" Zaira''s voice boomed throughout the Cultivation World, her sheer presence causing thend to crack as earthquakes became frequent. Millions of lives were lost every second as the ambient energy levels of the world took a dip.


    Upon seeing the state of their world, the four Divine Martial Spirits hurriedly appeared next to Hazen, "Can¡­we do something about this? It there¡­hope for survival?"


    The Fire Dragon, the Heaven Divine Martial Spirit stared at Hazen in despair, "I managed to recreate the other Divine Martial Spirits, but our situation hasn''t changed."


    "Is this the end, Hazen?"


    "I''m afraid it is so," Hazen sighed, "The enemy is beyond what I can handle."


    "Then, let us all be a part of your memory." The Fire Dragon stated resolutely, "With your power, as long as you survive, even if we''re just ghosts of the past, we''ll be able to make a return."


    With its words, all four Divine Martial Spirits bowed as they transformed into a ray of light and seeped into Hazen.


    Keuk!


    Hazen teared up, seeing his home getting torn apart by the Systems as he had onest look at the faces of his kids, his grandchildren, and the rest of his family.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Don''t be sad." Alika wiped his tears, "I lived for more than a century. Until now, I''ve never been sad, not one moment. And now, I only want you to survive. Survive and live well."


    "I''m proud of you, Hazen." Her figure dissipated into fragments of thought that swerved into Hazen''s mind, taking up residence there. She was dead, her entire being now just a fragment of his memory.


    "Raghhhhh!" Hazen roared in pain, clenching his chest that hurt, "All I ever desired was peace. Is that too much to ask?"


    Alika was his childhood love and his wife, one whom he spent his life with, which was why his only desire was to protect the Cultivation World.


    Hazen stared in despair as all his family members and vigers that he shared a bond with voluntarilymitted suicide as their memories flowed into him. Their thoughts, emotions, will, and memories, all resounded with startling rity in his mind, causing him to go mad.


    The figures of everyone that died in the Cultivation World broke into fragments of thought and flowed into Hazen. Soon, every single lifeform followed the same.


    As the four Divine Martial Spirits formed the core of the Cultivation World''sws, once they fused into Hazen, all the foundation contained in the Cultivation World became one with him.


    Now bereft of thews, the barrennd cracked and copsed, merging into the void as dust, disintegratingpletely.


    The hundreds of Realms that formed the Cultivation World were no more, only dust. And standing in the centre was a lone figure, one maddened from loss, grieving the dead, and longing for a life that he would never get again.


    Harbinger of Serenity¡ªHazen!


    "He swallowed the foundation of the entire universe?" Zaira looked around in surprise, watching the universe copse after all its foundationalws had been absorbed by Hazen. Upon its copse, the bordering universes rapidly expanded to fill in the void.


    Zaira stared as the boundary of a nearby universe m into her as a hole was torn apart from the impact, making her enter that universe.


    The hole rapidly healed in a matter of seconds as now everyone was within a new universe''s void, one that seemed pretty stable. Upon observing her surroundings, Zaira frowned, "There was one of Mystique''s worlds here?"


    "That exins its stability." She scouted around with her senses andmented, "It''s a Technocraft''s world where the swarm won the intergctic war and turned mad after devouring each other rapidly due to ack of opposing forces."


    "This was a world we abandoned after using the Restriction Order to kill a Main Character in the past." The Primordial Cultivator System gave its opinion, "With that Main Character''s death, humanity lost to the swarm and eventually, all sentient races in this universe followed suit. So technically, it''s our actions that pushed this universe into the domain of madness."


    "Well, it doesn''t matter." Zairamented, "Mystique is still engaged with Reincarnation and Transmigration. So, we needn''t fear his retaliation for the time being."


    She pointed her hand at the bawling figure of Hazen hidden amidst the swirling dust of his home world, "Let''s kill him and call it a day."

 Chapter 1050 The Aggressor Returns

    Hiick!


    Tears streamed uncontrobly out of Hazen''s eyes as his body trembled from grief. Everything he loved and wished to protect was no more.


    Their opinion was that they were holding him back from excellence.


    Until now, Hazen had the capability to protect the world despite everything. So, things were fine. But the moment a force struck that was beyond his capability, they realised their happy times ended.


    If they remained behind any longer, Hazen would simply die alongside them. Therefore, theymitted a collective suicide to shed Hazen of all the chains that held him back and kept him rooted to the Cultivation World.


    This was just their opinion.


    Hazen hated it. He just wished to be with them, until theirst moments.


    "Hazen! Watch out!" Suddenly, Alika''s shout resounded in his mind, jolting him to his senses, staring at a gigantic object heading straight towards his face.


    Origin Art¡ªFrog Leap!


    Hazen crouched forth like a frog as a tremendous amount of power surged through his being, causing him to leap through space and evade the terrifying attack.


    With thews of the entire Cultivation World fused into his body, he was at present a humanoid Cultivation World, causing a leap to his universality.


    The dust of his home world surged towards him and turned into a nket covering his body as Hazen red at the Systems with a bloodthirsty gaze, "You are the cause for all trouble!"


    Origin Art¡ªGloss Over!


    His figure vanished from the senses of the Systems as Hazen rapidly flew across the void and stabbed a transparent string into the mind of the Regression System, intending to harm the strongest one first.


    His current powers weren''t mind-based, but causality-based, using cause and effect to unleash attacks. Since the domain he was most well versed in was the mind, he used cause and effect to attack the mind.


    After all, in all forms of attacks, a blow to the mind worked the best against the Systems.


    Through the transparent connection, Hazen sent in millions of mental cues, ones that hatched in the Regression System''s mind to sprout derivates of power, each devouring a part of its being. As a result, millions of Systems hatched off from the Regression System, causing its level to take a hit, losing one whole level.


    Origin Art¡ªSleeper Cell!


    Origin Art¡ªMental creation!


    But suddenly, the world turned static right after the Regression System lost a level. The timeline paused as Hazen looked around in fluster, ''Even I can''t move in this time stop?''


    His eyes widened upon seeing that even the Grade 3 Systems too were in the same situation. Among the Systems, only Zaira seemed capable of moving through this level of time stop, but she decided not to. Instead, she calmly stared at Hazen.


    The timeline of the universe was put on a pause button. And a momentter, time flowed in the reserve, causing everything to move as if one was rewinding through a scene.


    Hazen observed his body moving, mimicking the actions he had just done, but in reverse. His figure appeared close to the Regression System, watching in shock as the millions of Systems that sprouted out of the Regression System return to its being as the effects of the Sleeper Cells vanished.


    The Sleeper Cells flowed out of its back, back into Hazen through the transparent connection he had erected. The entire scene rewinded itself as the Regression System regained its lost level, regressing the damage it had sustained.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Time began to flow once again, right from the moment when Hazen used the Origin Art of Gloss Over to appear beside the Regression System.


    But this time, his location was known to everyone thanks to the regressed timeline as immediately, Hazen faced a bombardment of attacks, turning his figure bloody.


    ''Dammit, as long as the Regression System is here, my attacks mean nothing!'' Hazen clenched his teeth until they cracked. Blood dripped out of his eyes as his bloodshot re was desperate to wound his enemies.


    "Hazen! Just flee! You can''t win a head-on confrontation against them!" Alika shouted in his mind, having taken form through the memories he had of her, "Survive and live to fight another day! As long as it''s not a Grade 4 System, your attacks are threatening to their very nature!"


    "Hazen, it''s disappointing." Zaira chuckled softly as she stared at his bloody figure, "When Compass Carburettor branched into four Main Characters, you embodied the most terrifying aspect he had cultivated. Unfortunately, because of the very Lore that created you, Hazen, your nature sought peace."


    "And peace isn''t a time where the strong grow. As a result, your capabilities haven''t seen much improvement from thest time you faced us." Her smile widened as she waved her hand, prompting the Grade 3 Systems to attack, "If you were desperate for power, you would have grabbed Lore from Compass before it was stolen by Arnark."


    "With your powers, assisted by Lore, you would have been unstoppable." She cackled, "After all, everyone is aware that among the Main Characters that branched out of Compass Carburettor, you were the most terrifying."


    "Sadly for you, that terrifying nature of yours remained just as that, untapped potential."


    Boom!


    Attacks rained down on Hazen, breaking through his defences time and again as no matter what he did, all his sessful attacks were simply rendered obsolete once the Regression System caused the universe''s timeline to regress.


    Boom! Kaboom! Tsssch!


    Hazen focused his entirety on defence as his expression was dark, defending against the attack externally while hearing the screams ofints from the memories of his family in his mind.


    "Hazen! Why are you getting injured? Escape!"


    "You need to survive!"


    "Your well-being is our priority!"


    "Please! You need to escape!"


    "Everyone! Shut up!" Hazen shouted as suddenly, power exploded out of him, destroying all the System Skills targeting him.


    Zaira frowned as she stared at Hazen, observing the inherent limitations behind his character¡ªerected by Lore¡ªbreaking off one by one.


    Origin Art¡ªMental Destruction!


    "I don''t dare call myself the Harbinger of Serenity when I failed to protect my loved ones. I''m useless in that regard." A terrifying concept of mind was activated through the fluctuation of cause and effect, destroying the foundation that formed his core character, "So, I needn''t tether myself to this concept anymore."


    Boom!


    His nature as one that wished peace was no more, immediately causing a spike in power, for he became someone that would now employ all his abilities without any moral inhibition, "I''ll just be someone that uses all his power to exact revenge for the death of my loved ones."


    He stared at the Systems; his lips curled up a bit while his eyes cracked before they shattered. There was maniacal insanity in his aura, one dedicated to pouring his everything to destroy his detested enemies, "I won''t breathe myst until the lot of you are annihted. This, I vow, as the¡­"


    "Aggressor!"

 Chapter 1051 Truck-Kun Apologises

    "Well, being an Aggressor and all is cool, but¡­" Zaira blew into her nails, as if she was cleaning them, exhibiting the extent of crap she gave towards his deration, "Nothing changes, Hazen."


    "You wasted your growing time. There''s nothing you could do even if you change your inherent nature now."


    "You''re right, there''s nothing I can do against you." Hazen calmed down as he sighed, nodding slowly, "But, that is only against you. I can now do something that my past self would never even entertain the thought of."


    "Is that so¡­" Zaira was just about to attack when her lips curled up. She patted the Regression System and vanished, "Take care of things here."


    "I need to im the bigger prey that fell into the trap."


    At her words, all the Systems broke into a smile and bode her farewell in excitement.


    ''What was that about?'' Hazen felt an rming sense of crisis as he flew towards the world in this universe and dropped a crimson seed into it.


    Immediately in response, the timeline paused as the Regression System rewinded the timeline. But Hazen didn''t relent and kept up with the attack. As he didn''t attack them, he wasn''t caught in apromising situation when the timeline was regressed.


    Instead, he only lost his advantage. So, without missing a beat, he targeted the native world with the crimson seed, biding his time.


    A few hours passed in such a fashion before suddenly, something sprouted from the Regression System, shocking it, "When did you nt this?"


    "During the first attack." Hazen sighed in relief now that his ability finally took root, "It was only my high-profile second attack that you negated."


    The Regression System instinctively nned to regress the timeline, stopping after a moment when it realised the trap that Hazen had sprung.


    To regress the timeline back to the point where Hazenunched that attack at its mind, it would have to regress to a point in time before Zaira''s departure.


    Meaning, it would have to expend a voluminous amount of Mental Energy to bring back an entity on the level of Zaira through regression. Moreover, that would imply an interruption to the task she set out to aplish, causing her to fail.


    It couldn''t afford that and hence, the Regression System could no longer regress to that point.


    The sprout began to grow bigger in its mind, stealing part of its power. The Regression System focused its power on the sprout, causing it to regress slowly until the moment when it had yet to begin affecting it.


    But by this time, Hazen shot the crimson seed into the native world. He was beaten up ck and blue by the Grade 3 Systems, but they failed to stop his attack once he used the Origin Art of Gloss Over.


    Mind Attribute Origin Art¡ªBlood-Vitality Grass!


    A crimson strand of grass bloomed in the native world, sucking up the blood, flesh, and vitality of the natives to bloom into a massive tree bigger than the biggest mountain. It was visible from space, treating the world as a pot as it continued to grow in size.


    It bore fruit, one that ripened as Hazen jumped into it, harnessing its power to unleash a strong attack. Transparent streams connected him to the minds of the seven Systems as Hazen grunted with all his might, causing the fruit to wither instantly.


    Origin Art¡ªMind Transfer!


    The chaotic stream of maddened minds that the blood vitality grass had collected from the native world and refined was transferred into the minds of the seven Systems, causing them to shriek in madness.


    That native world crumbled into powder as Hazen reimed the Blood-Vitality Grass and whistled, "Bro!"


    Honk!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A truck braked to a halt right before his face as a smelly truck driver honked from the driver''s seat. "Dude, you look like shit."


    "Sorry to call you like this." Hazen apologised as he boarded the truck. The one he called forth was Truck-Kun, his only source of escape from this situation.


    Truck-Kun stared at the seven Systems that were screeching in madness, "What happened to them?"


    "I induced madness in them." Hazen stated in a hurry, "We need to leave. They won''t be affected for long."


    "Where do you wish to go?" Truck-Kun asked.


    "Where else?" Hazen sighed, "To the sole rtive I have left."


    "Let''s return to the 24 Rings."


    "Wear the seat belts," Saying so, Truck-Kun moved the gear and cranked up the elerator, vanishing from that universe.


    Right after they vanished, a painful scream resounded throughout the universe, causing the condition of the seven Systems to worsen immediately, for it was Mystique''s screech.


    "Dammit, he escaped in the end." The Primordial Cultivator System groaned in anger as it began to dump the maddened minds into a poor Cultivator that it Hosted just for this asion.


    That cultivator became mad and exploded as a result, but it didn''t matter, as there were plenty more where they came from. In an hour, the Primordial Cultivator System was fully rid of the effects of the maddened minds, expressing its frustration for falling prey to Hazen''s scheme.


    "It doesn''t matter." The Regression System cordoned off the infected portion of its mind, keeping its timeline regressing to a point before it became a threat. It then took care of the maddened minds and spoke calmly, "There''s only one ce that Hazen could retreat towards."


    "Unfortunately for him, that''s a dead end."


    The Regression System stared at the six Grade 3 Systems, "Tell me once you have recovered. We''ll pursue Hazen. He won''t be having a safe trip anyway."


    "Yeah," The Primordial Cultivator System nodded in response, "Relying on Truck-Kun isn''t the brightest n to escape. After all, he''s affiliated with a certain someone."


    ¡­


    Honk!


    The truck came to a screeching halt as it arrived within a vast room of white, one that stretched endlessly.


    "Where are we?" Hazen stared at Truck-Kun in shock, "Shouldn''t we be heading toward the Serpent Universe?"


    "I''m¡­sorry, Hazen." Truck-Kun trembled in anger as he grunted in regret, "At thest moment, my instincts took the better of me."


    "Your instincts¡­?" Hazen''s eyes widened as he looked around in response, flinching in fright upon staring at a woman garbed in revealing white clothes that resembled a shawl staring at him from close up, her face stered on the windows of the truck.


    She drooled while staring at the figure of Hazen andmented chirpily, "You outdid yourself this time, Truck-Kun. You brought Hazen to my doorstep."

 Chapter 1052 Hazen’s Prayer

    Mascot!


    Truck-Kun was someone inherently affiliated with Mascot, for everyone that his truck crashed into and transmigrated ended up at Mascot''s doorstep. So, it was in his instinct to bring everyone here.


    Usually, this instinct only affected his base level of thought process. If he wished, he could go against it a bit. But, it was only during times when he was reigning freely.


    At the end of the day, he was still rted to Mascot. So, if she so desired, she could crank up his base instincts, which was what happened here. Even though Truck-Kun came to Hazen''s rescue, he wasn''t able to go against his instincts and brought him to Mascot''s domicile.


    "Hazen¡­" Mascot drooled upon staring at Hazen as she condensed a torrent of power in her hands, "Join hands with me. I''ll gift you a terrifying cheat in response."


    "If you wish for me to join you, then help me once." Hazen disyed zero resistance to her invitation, surprising her for a moment.


    After a moment of thought, Mascot controlled herself as she observed Hazen from head to toe, stating, "You want my help? With what?"


    "Just the usual," Hazen said, "Help me kill seven Systems and I''ll join your army."


    "Seven Systems?" Mascot frowned, staring at Hazen with a deep gaze as she asked, "Iterate their names for me, will you?"


    "Sure," Hazen nodded as he said, "Monarch, Absolute Progression, Primordial Cultivator, Bullshit¡­"


    As she heard the names he uttered, Mascot''s excited expression gradually turned solemn before soon, she red at Hazen with a death stare, "All Grade 3 Systems?"


    "And Regression¡­" Hazen didn''t even finish the sentence when the windows of the truck were broken as Mascot plunged her hand through it, intending to grab him by the throat.


    "You want me to go on a suicidal spree just for you?" Mascot red, "None of you are important enough to afford that, neither you nor Compass."


    Tch!


    Hazen transformed into a thought and ethereally phased through Truck-Kun, extracting a bunch of thoughts and a portion of his mind, muttering in apology towards him, "I''m sorry, brother. I''ll make up for it in the future."


    Honk!


    Hazen snapped his finger and created a projection of Truck-Kun from his past, watching him condense a truck as he entered it. Mascot unleashed a beam at them as most of the truck was destroyed in the process, throwing off Hazen somewhere deep in the multiverse when he transmigrated in a hurry.


    That thought of Truck-Kun was destroyed, but thankfully for Hazen, he stole more of Truck-Kun''s memories, creating another projection of Truck-Kun. He then boarded a new truck and transmigrated, travelling to the location where the 24 Rings world was before.


    "What the¡­?" He was stunned to see that it didn''t exist there, "Where did it go?"


    He closed his eyes and used his powers to detect the spatial coordinates of the 24 Rings world, only detecting a faint trace. "Let''s follow this."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The Truck-Kun projection hurriedly amped up his power and drove through the void, following the traces left behind by the 24 Rings world. Partway through the journey, dust fragments began to bombard the truck and immediately, a feeling of tension, madness, worry, etc. began to grow in them.


    Tch!


    Hazen erected a shield and used his powers to extract the externally induced insanity and threw them away. Thereby, the truck was able to move freely.


    But the more they travelled, the greater the intensity of the dust grew, causing Hazen to frown, "Just what the heck is happening?"


    The truck was constantly teleporting vast distances through the void of the universe it treaded through. As they were still tracking the trails, the truck couldn''t just jump universes randomly. So, their progress was slow.


    But they were still crossing a universe every few days.


    The longer they travelled, the worse Hazen''s mood got, growling in frustration as he couldn''t detect the 24 Rings world except for the traces it left. ''Just what the heck happened?''


    Had it been in its original location, he could have easily transmigrated into the 24 Rings world through the truck. But the moment it moved locations, its spatial coordinates changed.


    Hazen wasn''t aware of the existence of the Serpent Universe. It was hard to detect through it, since Compass Carburettor created it to be hard to detect in the first ce.


    If not for the Fate System using Rhizen to infiltrate the Serpent Universe, it wouldn''t have been possible for the Systems to discover it. By the time they managed to even detect its traces, Compass Carburettor would have emerged from Faith Grounds.


    "Just where the heck is she?" Hazen mmed his fist on the window of the truck as they stopped. He had been expending a lot of power to travel for so long and was already running low. Unlike Truck-Kun, he wasn''t a Concept Representative.


    So, he didn''t have a power source funnelling into his being. Therefore, after some time of consideration, as Truck-Kun focused on his mental map of the multiverse, Hazen found a Technological World nearby.


    He entered it and enveloped his mind around the world, sighing as he absorbed all the emitted Mental Energy. Once he recovered some energy, he manifested past versions of himself and sent them on a truck each to the nearby worlds, all to harvest Mental Energy.


    One projection continued to travel as it traced the 24 Rings world. It took Hazen an entire month to refill his energy levels. And that included the Mental Energy gathered by all the projections he sent out.


    Subtracting the logistics and travel costs, he barely managed to fill up his reserves. It depressed him when he thought about it, ''I''m still reliant on Mental Energy to replenish my energy reserves the fastest.''


    He could deprive cultivation worlds of their energy and absorb them. But he would need to spend time filtering it and altering it to his desire, which consumed a lot of time, energy, and effort. But absorbing Mental Energy was the fastest, especially since he specialised in the mind.


    ''If only I focused on growing stronger zealously like Compass, I would have attained a better energy gathering means.'' He sighed,menting at his fate. Only when he lost everything did he change his inherent nature. But, it was toote already.


    ''I only hope I reach Stencil on time.'' He prayed in worry.

 Chapter 1053 Welcome To The System World

    Boom!


    "Aargh!" Gehera screamed as one of her arms was blown off by the impact. Her screams only fuelled her maddened rage as she emanated a bloodthirsty aura that only sought to grind yer''s bones to dust and devour them.


    She leapt forward and grabbed a spike that yer had unleashed, instantly devouring it as she recondensed it and threw it at him, lodging it in his body.


    "Rrrawh!" yer bellowed a beastly roar as he yanked out the spike and healed the injury instantly. His body exploded to be a giant whose steps thundered, quaking the ground. He sted forth a myriad of attacks, each apanied by dozens of Skills, all aimed at Gehera.


    Swoosh!


    Her arm regrew as Gehera whistled aloud, leaping into the air as a dozen Totems appeared around her. One of them stabbed into her back as immediately, her figure flickered like the wind and disappeared.


    Boom!


    An explosion resounded on yer''s head, creating arge crater as the dozen Totems stabbed into it, immediately causing spores to gush out of his body and transform into creatures, all having been birthed from his power.


    They consumed his foundation to form and immediately in response, targeted him, causing injuries to form all over his body.


    yer opened his mouth and converged a torrent of energy into a sphere before sting forth a breath attack, incinerating everything in his path. The beam trudged forth, forming a crack that ruptured the Serpent Universe''s boundary along it, causing it to be exposed to the outside world.


    Thews of the Serpent Universe hurriedly mended the crack, but in the meantime, the beam mmed into Gehera.


    Whoosh!


    A gigantic totem appeared before her as it unleashed a domain, one that erected a dome to defend against the breath attack. It onlysted an instant before copsing, but by then, Gehera had teleported to yer''s back.


    Her jaws parted open as she stabbed a Totem into herself, transforming into a beast simr to a hydra, but one with a hundred heads.


    Each of them condensed a sphere of energy in their mouth and sted them at yer, puncturing his body with holes like Swiss cheese.


    The necks expanded as the heads coiled around yer''s body before chomping on his body. With every chomp, Gehera stole a portion of his power.


    But in response to her action, yer condensed thetest power he had stolen, one that originated from the World Spirit System.


    Energy welled up within one of the hundred-headed beast''s mouths, spiking in density as it sparked an explosion, imploding the head from within. It happened because the energy simply countered the energy form the beast was relying upon.


    Every power unleashed by Gehera had a source that she stole from. Hence, yer simply used a power that ran counter to the respective power system. And what best way to create energy than using the World Spirit System''s power?


    Instantly, dozens of heads exploded as the rest followed suit, causing the headless beast to copse to the ground. Through one of the destroyed necks slithered out Gehera, for a moment weak.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But an instantter, she transformed into a giant, just like yer. This was the power she just stole from him as immediately, the two titans collided, unleashing breath attacks with reckless abandon as they tore into each other like primal beasts.


    It was true that they were primal beasts, for the longer they fought, the faster they lost their sanity, fully influenced by the madness sinking into them.


    "Aah!" Anak woke up in fright as he looked around, immediately crawling towards the unconscious figure of Arak nearby as he grabbed thetter, "Arak! Get up!"


    Blood leaked out of Arak''s orifices as he was constantly trembling, not to mention his mouth moving at an incessant speed, as if he was mumbling at a thousand times the speed of a speech. Inanity was brimming in his being as Arak didn''t seem capable of waking up anytime soon.


    The billions of minds that generated each collective consciousness were now rampaging around, having gained greater individuality. His mind was a mess now.


    ''Wait! How am I fine then?'' Anak was bewildered before he observed that despite the minds forming the collective consciousnesses gaining greater individuality than Arak''s, they didn''t rampage around and submitted to the stronger ones.


    They obeyed thew of the jungle, meekly keeping their heads low while they gathered strength while only the strong rampaged. This was the dog-eat-dog world that formed the foundational mentality of a Cultivation World.


    So, despite being drunk on madness, the chaos functioned with a set of rules, forming thews of the jungle. And the jungle was himself, Anak. The madness was overwhelming, but over time, even that would adjust itself to the rules of the jungle.


    That was why he was able to recover from the effects. Whereas, Arak wasn''t able to withstand it. It resulted due to the difference between the Genres.


    Of course, if he was subjected to the same for extended durations, even the jungle would copse. It had its limits in sustaining disorder and chaos. But as long as he gains more worlds under him, Anak would be able to endure greater chaos.


    Upon realising this, he turned around, intending to help yer when he paused in shock, watching the figures of yer and Gehera tearing into each other like mindless beasts, "No, Grand Master!"


    He immediately condensed a seal and mmed it into yer, causing it to absorb part of the madness affecting him, allowing yer to regain a bit of lucidity, "What¡­the heck happened?"


    "Grand Master! You must stay away from Gehera. Fighting her is speeding up the seepage of madness in you!" Anak shouted.


    "I know¡­" yer punched Gehera, cursing upon seeing the other party devour a part of his power and punch back, "But I can''t hold back now. There''s a limit to her Ruin of Amagoth''s durability. As long as I endure for a few more minutes, I can defeat and steal her power."


    "Is¡­that so?" The Fate Systemnded a kilometre away from them, appearing pretty normal in the region brimming with chaos. "Too bad, you werete, Gilthru."


    "What¡­?" yer was confused for a moment before his eyes widened, realisation slowly sinking in him as he grunted, "You didn''t reveal this location to her, but instead, you brought us to her¡­"


    The mouth of the Serpent Universe was forcefully opened as an energy-condensed figure peeked inside, staring at the figure of Gehera, Anak, and Arak, finally falling on yer to state with parlousughter, "Wee,"


    "To the System World."

 Chapter 1054 Birth Of The Fourth Grade 4 System

    The Fate System''s n was pretty simple. Destroy a few of Mystique''s worlds, cause them totch onto the Serpent Universe, and turn every sentient creature within to go insane.


    Adding onto this, he forced the insane underlings of the Invader System to recklessly march towards the 24 Rings world, pressuring Stencil and Rhizen further. It prevented them from doing anything else for the time being.


    He invited yer to the Serpent Universe, and using the key that controlled the Serpent Universe, he allowed Gehera to sense yer''s aura. And as this happened right after the madness infection, Gehera lost her mind to rage and rushed towards the mouth.


    Using the dragon plushies, Gehera teleported to the forefront of their battleground. She didn''t even require their permission. With a swing of her hand, she devoured the powers of one, using which she crossed half the Serpent Universe.


    The Fate System kept the portals on the invader side functioning, allowing Gehera to ze through them and arrive at the mouth in a matter of minutes. Following that, the Fate System destroyed the portals once the invader army had arrived at the vanguard.


    As the two armies fought a bloody battle, Gehera was cut off from her allies, having arrived deep into the enemy side. In her state, she couldn''t control herself and fought yer with all her power.


    While hiding, the Fate System caused the Serpent Universe to crash into more of Mystique''s worlds, raising the intensity of madness and other chaotic outbursts.


    As the entirety of the Serpent Universe was polluted from the repeated crashes, the madness seeped. And in their highly intense conflict, yer and Gehera''s defences towards madness weakened, causing them to be fully infected over time.


    With that, they were unable to realise what the Fate System was nning.


    As Gehera was no longer lucid, there was none to control or determine where the Serpent Universe was heading. Thanks to that, the Fate System made a beeline toward the System World itself.


    yer didn''t realise the scheme in his maddened state, having his hands full facing Gehera. If he was lucid, he would have figured out things long ago.


    But he was already obsessed with getting his hands on Gehera''s power, thest part of the puzzle that made his powersplete. Secondly, the Fate System''s oath on fate where it swore to never leak the whereabouts of the Serpent Universe to anyone else blindsided him.


    The intense fight and the madness were the final masks that shielded him from seeing the entire picture. As a result, by the time Anak managed to recover, it was toote.


    The Fate System had already parked the Serpent Universe within the System World. Immediately after that, Zaira locked the System World, preventing anyone from leaving it, only possible if their foundation surpassed the System World''s, which wasn''t possible.


    The System World''s foundation was the highest in the multiverse.


    "Wee," Zaira opened the Serpent Universe''s mouth and stared at her prey, "To the System World."


    "S-Shit!" yer instinctively used all his powers to flee, despairing upon staring at his body flicker once before failing to leave the System World.


    Mental Energy instantly flooded the Serpent Universe as it drilled into yer''s body, transforming into sub-atomic-sized creatures, each weighing a thought. They gorged on his body and began to rapidly devour his mind.


    "This¡­is Mental Energy?" yer was bbergasted as he stared at what was happening to his body, "I¡­never know you attained such a fearsome height of skill with it."


    "You know my obsession well," Zaira grinned, "I prepared this Core Skill just to make Arnark mine when he sets foot in the System World. I only ended up using it on you."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Despair set in him before soon, yer simply¡­sighed in defeat, "I was close to sess."


    "Yeah, you were rmingly close." Zaira acknowledged his efforts as the Mental Energy continued to dig deeper and deeper into his body, "You just¡­underestimated Fate. That''s all."


    "Fate, huh?" yer spat out in defeat, "Suck a fucked-up concept."


    "Such is fate." Zaira nodded as she ced her palm on yer, clenched her hand into a fist, and yanked with force, extracting the entirety of yer''s mind, having converted it into Mental Energy.


    His thoughts, memories, will, abilities, etc. everything that he possessed was transformed into Mental Energy and extracted from his body. His body was now useless scrap, only containing remnants of power she deemed useless and not suitable.


    With a snap of her finger, she threw yer''s empty body out of the System World, and into a scrap world that was regarded as the multiverse''s dump yard.


    Zaira stared at the Mental Energy figure of yer as she opened her mouth and devoured it. A dayter, she condensed a Coordinate and poured a torrent of refined Mental Energy into it, transforming the Coordinate into a System.


    Immediately in response, Anak and Arak fainted as something seemed to change in them inherently. Upon seeing that, Zaira smiled, expending copious amounts of Mental Energy that shaved off a tenth of her Mental Energy reserve. And the fruit of that costly endeavour¡­?


    Grade 4 System¡ªRepresentative (Level 300)!


    "I''m¡­reborn." yer opened his eyes, now aplete System, a Grade 4 System at that. He observed himself, muttering, "I''m stronger than before. But more than that,"


    He stared at Zaira, "My loyalty towards you is absolute. Is this what a System entails?"


    "Pretty much," Zaira said, "A System that has set foot on the System World is absolutely loyal to me. That''s what the concept of System entails."


    "I see," yer clenched his hand into a fist as he approached Arak and Anak, patting them as he propped them up, "I''ve now be someone that can Host them."


    Immediately in response, a fragment of himself branched out and entered Arak, turning him into his Host.


    This was yer''s power as the Grade 4 System¡ªRepresentative!


    It was a power where he could turn Genre Representatives into his Host. As it was originally the concept he had created through the birth of Arak and Anak as Martial and Immortal respectively, Zaira conceptualised that into a Core Skill while using the rest of his umted power to form a concrete foundation.


    With that, she created her fourth Grade 4 System.


    "Now," Zaira''s eyes twinkled with a maddened desire, "I can finally do something about the Genre Representatives."

 Chapter 1055 Stencil, Gehera, Rhizen, Rahakh: Subjected

    Grah!


    Rawr!


    Aargh!


    Zaira felt irritated as she proimed the birth of the fourth Grade 4 System, staring at the bound figure of Gehera. The chains she used to confine Gehera were constantly consumed by thetter, "What a troublesome brat."


    "I''ll deal with her," yer said, cracking his knuckles as he was raring to have a go at Gehera now.


    "That won''t be necessary," Zaira said as immediately, Mental Energy surged into Gehera, overwhelming her Ruin of Amagoth until it was filled to the brim, no longer able to devour any more power.


    Just as Gehera intended to attack using them, Mental Energy seeped into her mind and blocked her thought process, causing her to be no different from a doll.


    Following that, Zaira grinned as she clenched her hand into a fist.


    "Wait, are you serious about this?" yer eximed in shock upon seeing her actions, "Wouldn''t it be better to steal her power and kill her?"


    "Why should we do that?" The Fate System exited the Serpent Universe as he dusted himself and grinned, "Killing her would only cause Compass to exact revenge upon us. Making him focus all his strength to kill us would cause a lot of economic loss for the System World."


    "Instead, it''s better to convert his loved ones into our allies and make them duke it out with each other." The Fate System grinned cunningly as he stared at Zaira, "Isn''t that true, mother?"


    "Pretty much what I had in mind," Zaira nodded as she yanked her fist forcefully, extracting Gehera''s experience, mind, memories, etc., and devoured them.


    "Stop!" A voice resounded from her Ruin of Amagoth as a human middle-aged man bellowed in rage, attacking using all the powers of the Ruin of Amagoth.


    "A ghost of the past should remain as such." yer snorted as he waved his hand and eradicated the projection. It was the finalyer of protection installed into the Ruin of Amagoth by Gehera''s father, something she had relied upon once in the past to steal a portion of the Regression System''s power.


    But now, it was no more, destroyed by the enemies that vastly outssed it.


    The Ruin of Amagoth dissipated as all its data was extracted through Mental Energy and devoured by Zaira.


    Gehera''s lifeless body copsed to the ground as Zaira no longer bothered with it. A dayter, she spat out a Coordinate and poured all the extracted data into it, expending a twentieth of the System World''s Mental Energy reserves, pouring in all the rted Mental Energy to assist in the creation.


    Boom!


    A human woman whose lower half was lodged within a pyramid appeared. The woman had the same appearance as Gehera, but she was now a System.


    Grade 3 System--Ruination (Level 200)!


    "Ruination?" yer frowned in response, "I thought Gehera''s powers would revolve around stealing her enemy''s powers..."


    "It does," Zaira nodded, "But I also added apocalyptic elements to it, because why not? I need someone to rece Apocalypse."


    "I''m...a System now?" Gehera stared at her morphed body but wasn''t even the least sad. She was still the same individual as before, but her disposition had changed, considering herself to be on the side of the Systems, an absolute thought process.


    "Wee, Ruination." Zaira smiled pleasantly at the addition of a new Grade 3 System, "Why don''t you flex your powers and get used to your stature as a Grade 3 System?"


    "Flex on whom...I got it." Gehera stared at the Universe Serpent, focusing on one of the worlds in its mouth. She turned into a ray of light and entered that world, immediately beginning to transform its fundamentalws.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But a momentter, she returned, shaking her head slowly, "The madness is too much there. It''s a waste of Mental Energy."


    "Well, I guessed that. Anyway," Zaira beckoned for yer and Gehera to follow her as she poked a hole in the Serpent Universe''s tail and entered it, appearing before the exhausted figures of Rhizen and Stencil.


    "Zaira...?" Stencil muttered weakly before she observed Mental Energy drilling into her body like a tsunami. Her resistance was futile. After all, they were in the System World where Zaira''s power was absolute.


    Rhizen stared at the scene andughed mockingly, "Fuck this life!"


    Zaira used the same process as before to convert Stencil into a System.


    Grade 3 System--Constetion (Level 200)!


    She then focused on Rhizen as her lips curled into a smile, "That was a worthwhile investment. I can im Grade 3 Luck."


    Grade 3 System--Luck (Level 200)!


    Rhizen became the Grade 3 System, Luck. Zaira then stared at the 24 Rings world, "There is one more individual of use here..."


    Bang!


    "No, stop!" Just as she was about to tear open the 24 Rings world, a cobra rushed out of Rhizen''s world and leaped towards Zaira. But it couldn''t even approach Zaira when Rhizen swatted it away.


    "Something rted to Compass?" Zaira asked upon staring at the bloodied figure of the cobra.


    "Nothing worth mentioning," Rhizen said, "It''s apanion of Compass created in my world. This was before he became the Main Character, so its fate itself isn''t anything worthmenting about."


    "I can see that," Zaira didn''t concern herself with Dita''s fate as she cracked open the 24 Rings world like an egg and yanked out the unconscious figure of Earth Star, smiling in response, "Nice, I can turn him into a guard dog for the System World."


    Grade 3 System--Guardian (Level 200)!


    "With this, all entities of importance have been brought to my side." Zaira was joyful, for she gained four Grade 3 Systems through this endeavour, not to mention converting yer to her side.


    He became the most valuable Grade 4 System, one with the power to make even Genre Representatives his Host.


    ''No...this can''t be happening!'' Dita stared at the figures of Stencil and Rhizen being turned into Systems, ''This is a nightmare! How...can this happen? No, this shouldn''t be true.''


    Dita was in a state of emotional breakdown as madness gained control over her mind, causing her bloody figure to just twitch in ce on the ground, amid the corpses strewn around in the battle between the two sides in the Serpent Universe.


    "Is this universe valuable?" Zaira muttered as she stared at the Serpent Universe and gazed at Stencil to hear her opinion.


    "Fate''s actions caused madness to fuse with it. The Serpent Universe will progressively be more infectious. Due to the madness, we cannot even gather a decent extent of Mental Energy from this ce. It''ll just be a loss-making endeavour."


    "Then, no use having it in my world. It''s hard to hold back thews of the System World from destroying it, so guess this is it." Zaira waved her hand casually and chucked the Serpent Universe out through a portal, "To the dumpster it is."


    "No...nooo!" Dita wailed pitifully as the Serpent Universe was chucked into a dangerous world with violent energy storms, filled with everything undesirable for the ruling powers of the multiverse. As strange creatures converged upon the Serpent Universe, Dita despaired, "This is a nightmare! Save me,"


    "Uncle!"

 Chapter 1056 System Supremacy

    "Shit, I''m toote!" Hazen screamed by the time he caught up to the Serpent Universe, watching it enter the System World.


    Right as he nned to transmigrate into the System World and escape with at least Stencil, the Regression System arrived at the scene, blocking him, causing his actions to keep regressing.


    Soon after, Zaira locked the space of the System World, preventing any entity from entering or exiting it without her permission. With that, Hazen was unable to save the people in the Serpent Universe.


    "Now, we only need to catch you¡­" The Regression System said when it gawked in shock, staring at the figure of Hazen vanishing as if he didn''t even exist at that point in time.


    It regressed the timeline of the respective universe but failed to see him again, "What the heck was that ability?"


    Bang!


    A truck crashed into a technological world as Hazen gasped for breath, having used his own timeline to retreat. This was the method he created to escape from the 24 Rings world back then.


    Using the same, he sent his body back up his timeline. Of course, unlike the case in the 24 Rings world where he executed it over a period of many decades, Hazen had performed the same instantly, suffering from the rebound as a result.


    Gah!


    He squirmed in pain as thews in his body screamed from the strain, on the verge of popping off from the stress.


    "Hazen! Are you okay?" Alika''s voice resounded in his mind.


    "I¡­am," Hazen snapped his finger and manifested a memory of Alika physically, watching here to his rescue immediately.


    They were currently in a vacant park, havingnded there in the dead of the night. Alika dragged Hazen to a nearby bench and ced him there, inspecting his injuries before eximing in fright, "What''s happening to you?"


    "Don''t mind that for now," Hazen gasped as he got up slowly and closed his eyes, sighing in defeat in the end, "I failed."


    "But, we cannot give up." Alika said resolutely, "There must be a way. Haven''t you regressed through your timeline? Can''t you use it to save them in advance?"


    "No, that''s not possible." Hazen sighed, "My timeline regression is a spatial ability that uses the channel of time. I''m only returning to a point in space where I existed in the past. I''m not actually returning to that point in time."


    "My ability doesn''t allow me to travel to the past." He was frustrated, "If only I became a Concept Representative like Truck-Kun, I would have enough power to face them."


    "Shit!"


    "Alright, enough with thementing." Alika hugged him and said, "Focus on your recovery first. They are still searching for you, right?"


    "Yeah," Calming down in response, Hazen expanded his mental domain and began to absorb all the generated Mental Energy, using it to calm down thews within his body as he mended the damage to his timeline.


    A few yearster, he had fully recovered, escaping from the ce using a truck immediately. A couple of monthster, the Regression System arrived at the Technological World, frowning upon inspecting the ce as it muttered, "Hazen was here a couple months ago. His escape ability is pretty potent, but it''s only a matter of time before I corner him."


    ¡­


    In a high school, during a time of spring, a boy kneeled before a girl as he handed out a box of choctes, "I love you. Do you love me?"


    The girl blushed a deep shade of red, hiding her face in embarrassment as she nodded weakly, whispering, "I¡­do."


    It was a romantic scene as the two individuals imprinted this pivotal scene in their minds, enjoying the fruits of their passion. In a world centred around romance, this was a prettymon scenario.


    In the void above this romance-centred world hovered an entity, one that represented the entire genre of romance.


    Genre Representative¡ªFluff!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Fluff resembled a school girl that was at the ripe age of a teenager whose mind was full of fluff. But currently, her expression was one of despair, staring at the two figures before her.


    Grade 4 System¡ªRepresentative (Level 300)!


    System World¡ªZaira!


    "You have one choice," Zaira announced with an overbearing tone, "Come under our fold and you can maintain your status. Or be wiped out. The choice is yours."


    "Forget contacting the other representatives," yer grinned, "They all are busy saving their skins. Moreover,"


    "Technocraft and Mystique are currently busy while Mascot and Magister are suffering from our retaliation."


    "I¡­surrender." Fluff didn''t have much choice upon staring at the Grade 2 Systems hovering above each of her worlds, ready to strike and destroy everything the moment Zaira gave themand. When posed with annihtion, she surrendered, hoping to maintain the usual functioning of her genre.


    A fragment branched out of yer and swerved into Fluff as he spoke slowly, "Don''t resist it."


    "Kyaak!" Fluff screamed in pain before calming down as she stared at the duo helplessly, "Am I¡­a System Host now?"


    "Pretty much," yer grinned, "Work on maintaining your genre well. The day you underperform is the day I devour you."


    "How does it feel?" Zaira asked with a grin, "Amazing, right?"


    "Amazing is an understatement." yer grinned as he levelled up once just by turning Fluff into his Host, "I can dictate the growth of Genre Representatives now."


    ¡­


    "Haaah¡­is this the end?" A suited man hovered in the void above a realistic world centred around the Urban Genre as he stared at the figures of yer and Zaira hovering before him. As Grade 2 Systems moved towards his worlds one after another, ready to attack, he sighed helplessly and stared at the duo that looked down on him.


    "What¡­went wrong?"


    "How did we lose?"


    One after another, the weak Genre Representatives surrendered, helpless. The top Genre Representatives unleashed their Genre Representation in retaliation but it was only a matter of time before they fell one after another.


    As they captured and turned more and more Genre Representatives into their Hosts, the Systems experienced a phenomenal increase in power, for they were wholeheartedly harvesting all the Mental Energy generated from the worlds part of these genres.


    The Mental Energy was all funnelled into Zaira who supplied it to the respective Systems that experienced a leap in strength.


    Eventually, the Fate System reached Grade 4, finally marking the supremacy of the Systems, allowing them to begin taking action against the top Genre Representatives that could unleash a Genre Representation.


    ¡­


    "My mistake came back to bite me in the end¡­" Magister sighed helplessly, beaten and battered as the over Dozen Genre Representatives and more than ten Grade 3 Systems had attacked him, shredding apart his Genre Representation and crippling him.


    "Don''t worry, you''ll be one of us now," yer grinned as he grabbed Magister by the scruff of his neck and turned him into a Host. With this, even the fourth strongest Genre Representative had fallen to the rule of the Systems.


    "Mascot is next on the list." yer grinned, raising his hand as he stood before any army of a billion Grade 1 Systems, hundreds of Grade 2 Systems, dozens of Grade 3 Systems, and finally, the Genre Representatives under his control, "We''ll reign supreme."


    "Glory to the Systems!"


    Volume 6: System Supremacy¡ªThe End!

 Chapter 1057 If Stencil Dies, I Won’t Cry

    In the void before a lifeless universe hovered two individuals, the silence between them unnerving. Both remained no different to statues, for minutes, for hours, and eventually days.


    An entire three years passed as one of them finally uttered softly, "So, my daughter is still alive."


    "Yes," The other individual nodded, behaving as if the three years of silence never happened.


    "That''s good then," Draped with a dress created by moulding a universe, Compass Carburettor exhaled slowly, releasing sr flux in the form of exhtion, "I would have despaired if they all died."


    "They all indeed died," Hazen spoke, trembling upon sensing the intermittent energy fluctuationsing from the other party in conjunction with his words, "At present, Stencil has all her past memories. She considers herself your daughter. But,"


    He stared at Compass Carburettor and stated, "She''s not your daughter. She''ll kill you on sight without hesitation."


    "Have you faced her before?" Compass Carburettor asked.


    "Yes," Hazen nodded, "During the past seven millennia, while on the run, I faced her twice. She''s the exact same Stencil you remember, but her inherent disposition is that of a System now."


    "Don''t I just have to revert her nature then?" Compass Carburettor was still calm, "As long as I destroy the part of her that''s a System, I''ll get my daughter back."


    "That...will be impossible." Hazen sighed, "Stencil''s a Grade 3 System. Her body is always split into fragments that are scattered throughout the Multiverse. Unless she converges into one entity, you cannot bring her back. Moreover, even I don''t have the means to purify her mind and rid the System part of her."


    "It''s...impossible to..."


    "Enough." Compass Carburettor raised his hand and spoke calmly. But, even though he seemed calm, Hazen could detect that it was just a facade. He was seething in rage. But, something was amiss about that.


    Followed after a few hours in silence, Hazen raised his doubt, "Are you...even sad?"


    "Sad?" Compass Carburettor tilted his head, "Why would I be sad? My daughter is still alive, you know."


    "So, that''s it." Hazen expanded his mental domain and focused, morphing his sight to the extreme until he began to see faint lines surging into Compass Carburettor.


    The more he focused, the clearer these lines became until eventually, trillions of such lines continued to surge into his body. At present, Compass Carburettor seemed to be the vortex of these lines.


    "You..." Hazen reined in his shock, "Have fully connected to the external influence of the Concept of Mortality?"


    "Yeah," Compass Carburettor nodded.


    ''What happened to you?'' Hazen felt a sense of eeriness as he stepped back a little and asked, "Are you...even Compass?"


    "I am myself," Compass Carburettor didn''t retort as his calm facade copsed. The suppressed raging persona within too copsed, vanishing as if it wasn''t real. It too was just a facade.


    One after another, all the facades copsed, revealing the true nature of Compass Carburettor, one that was simply like a rock, unassuming, and unflinching.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Experience..." Hazen figured out the truth of the matter, "By experiencing trillions of lives, your originality has been lost."


    "My originality hasn''t been lost. It''s still there as part of my first experience." Compass Carburettor stated, "So, my primary actions are still influenced by my first experience."


    "Tell me the truth," Hazen stared at Compass Carburettor, hesitating for a moment before asking, "Suppose Stencil dies, will you cry?"


    Hazen stared at Compass Carburettor while thetter stared back. The two maintained the gaze as time spanned past, from a few seconds to a minute, to an hour, and eventually, an entire month passed.


    Finally, Compass Carburettor opened his mouth and uttered, "No."


    ''I knew it.'' Thinking as such, Hazen stared at Compass Carburettor''s unflinching behaviour, "For how long have you been like this?"


    "From the moment I conceptualised Dreamcraft." Compass Carburettor said as he suddenly expressed regret, clenching his hand into a fist, "I can still be my original self. As long as I focus, I can be myself. I do...have the necessary experience."


    His emotional state calmly dissipated as Compass Carburettor nkly stared at Hazen, "But yeah, that''s just an infinitesimal experience of myself."


    In the dreand world, he led different lives, from a good individual to a bad, to a neutral, to a dictator, to an oppressed victim, from an old man to a young boy, from a young girl to an old woman, from human to a fly, from stone to tree, and mountain to river.


    The mind, emotions, feelings, thoughts, and experience of every single individual, whether animate or inanimate had be one with him. At least before, thanks to his Psyche Stars, a barrier had been erected between himself and his dreand.


    These Psyche Stars filtered out the contents of the dreand and only gave him what he needed. But, all that changed once he unleashed his Genre Representation.


    When that happened, the dreand became a world in reality. And, all the data stored within the dreand until then poured into him, fusing into his being.


    Thankfully, he was within Faith Grounds then, so he was still Compass Carburettor in a sense, for the Psyche Stars that had be one with the Faith Grounds were actively acting as the filters to maintain his state of being as Compass Carburettor.


    Though, once he became the God of Humanity, the filtration of the Psyche Stars began to weaken, for Faith was a powerful medium that interfered with their functions, especially since at that moment in time, Lore and Tell-Tale didn''t function to his desires.


    They pulled the Psyche Stars towards the betterment of the Faith Grounds, removing the filter on his being as immediately, everything part of the dreand''s data fused into him.


    From that moment onwards, he stopped being Compass Carburettor. He was pretty much a Genre Representative with trillions of minds. Of course, unlike a Genre Representative, the trillion minds never shed in him.


    They just remained as memory reserves to be tapped into, and the sole discretion for that remained with him. At present, he was employing the memories, experience, and mind of Compass Carburettor, nothing more, nothing less. It was to mildly be as Compass Carburettor. After all, every single mind among the trillions in him was active, functioning as minds did for every action/reaction impulse.


    Which was why he gave out such an answer, "If Stencil dies, I won''t cry. I can cry and rage around as Compass Carburettor would, but it''ll never be genuine."


    "After all, only a trillionth of me would weep at that scenario."

 Chapter 1058 Arriving At The Dump Yard

    "So, will you never take action, just like a Genre Representative?" Hazen asked in the end, feeling a crippling sense of defeat.


    "No, I''ll take action to save Stencil, Gehera, Rhizen, and Rahakh." Compass Carburettor said without batting an eye, "I''m just no longer emotionally invested in them. But I have my objectives geared straight, which is why I am no longer blocking the external influence of Mortality."


    "It''s fine even if my mind gets polluted. I''ll march towards my objectives without issue."


    "Thank goodness," Hazen sighed in relief before he asked, "So, what now? What''s our first step?"


    "Do you have a concept you''re representing?" Compass Carburettor asked.


    "No, I don''t." Hazen shook his head, "All I managed to do is steal the minds of some Systems recently. I haven''te across any means to attain a concept yet."


    "We''ll deal with it shortly after. But first," Compass Carburettor stared at Hazen, "You said you failed to reach the Serpent Universe on time. So, how did you learn about everything that happened?"


    "Oh, that¡­?" Hazen nodded as he condensed a truck and motioned for Compass Carburettor to take a seat.


    The moment Compass Carburettor took a seat, the truck copsed, unable to bear the load. Hazen stared at him, exasperatedly, saying after a moment of irritation, "Don''t flex your foundation, alright? Suppress yourself until you''re able to board this."


    "I''m only using a memory of Truck-Kun to travel. I''m not Truck-Kun himself to withstand your foundation and still journey through the multiverse."


    "Fine," Compass Carburettor took off his clothes and set them aside, watching them hover in the air. He then entered the truck, watching it creak in response but handle having him inside.


    The Truck-Kun projection within the truck nced at Compass Carburettor once before driving forward as they transmigrated, skipping past countless universes before they arrived at the edge of a certain universe.


    "This is¡­the dump yard." Compass Carburettor frowned as he stared at the cluster of irregrities before him. Arge enough cluster formed something akin to a world, but in the end, they were just a cluster, one that never fused into a single entity.


    The garbage extended in all three dimensions, upying most of the universe, for there was just that much trash that the reigning powers had dumped into it.


    "This ce is a trash yard, but in another vein of thought, it can also be considered the multiverse''s museum." Hazen pointed at a cluster closest to them, "This universe has one property."


    "Immiscibility!"


    "Immiscibility?" Compass Carburettor raised an eyebrow at the im, "Is that true?"


    "Yes," Hazen nodded and exined, "No matter what it is, nothing will mix, interact or fuse with each other. Thanks to that, nothing would degrade or dpose over time. Everything is maintained as is."


    Hazen made the Truck-Kun projection drive the truck forward slowly as they moved past one heap after another, eventually arriving before a massive serpent that had been clobbered to the limit.


    "Are there natives in this universe?" Compass Carburettor asked upon staring at the Serpent Universe''s state.


    "Yes, but they are tragic lifeforms whose minds have broken long ago." Hazen sighed, "Nothing can mix or interact with each other in this universe. So, a change in matter is impossible. Even if a lifeform were to devour another, the devoured lifeform wouldn''t be digested. Moreover, even if chopped into parts, they remain alive, for that''s the universe''s constant."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Over time, the chopped pieces would re-join into a whole." Hazen said before giving a word of caution, "Don''t leave this truck though. The moment you interact with thews of this universe, you''ll be assimted and turned into a native. You can never leave this universe after that for the rest of your life."


    "That''s why this dump yard is also a prison."


    The truck entered the Serpent Universe through a hole and stopped at a certain location. There was a marble there, situated almost at the end of the tail, protected by 24 rings that fully covered it.


    Compass Carburettor stared at it, muttering, "This is Stencil''s world¡­"


    He stopped speaking as he stared at the corpses of four people next to the metre-wide sphere, kneeling against a rock. They were lifeless corpses, stripped of everything.


    "Wait, it''s dangerous!" Hazen shouted in a fluster when Compass Carburettor exited the truck and walked on the ground within the Serpent Universe.


    Thews of the dump yard surged into Compass Carburettor, intending to turn him into a native. But all they did was sh into a mystical barrier, failing to seep into him.


    Lore and Tell-Tale worked actively to keep thews of the dump yard at bay, allowing Compass Carburettor to freely walk within the Serpent Universe.


    His focus was on the four individuals as he crouched before the first among them, staring at the corpse of his daughter, Stencil.


    He was majorly calm, but that one trillionth part of him wept and raged nonstop like a star. Compass Carburettor extended his hand forth and touched the cheeks of Stencil, muttering after a moment, "This is an empty husk. Nothing''s in here."


    "Whether it be her memories, experience, or even the gic information in her DNA, everything has been stripped clean from her body." He spoke calmly, "This body is no different to a sculpture of her now."


    Compass Carburettor then touched the bodies of Gehera, Rhizen, and finally, Rahakh, concluding, "It''s the same for everyone else too."


    "So, that''s how Zaira turned them into Systems. A fearsome ability indeed." Compass Carburettor then approached the 24 Rings world and entered it, observing that the world remained unchanged, pretty much the same as in his memories.


    After all, the moment it was dumped into the dump yard, time seemed to have paused in the 24 Rings world, whether it be the people or the nature. Even if something changed, over time, they reverted to their original state.


    Compass Carburettor arrived at a certain school based on his memory, entering its training hall to see Millie there.


    She leaned against a barbell, her eyes vacant,cking any signs of intelligence. Compass Carburettor approached her and touched her cheek, inspecting her as he sighed.


    Rawr!


    Millie let out a guttural growl and pounced upon him with the intent to devour him,cking any semnce of humanity. The friction in the air became the maximum and ignited, resulting in a sea of sma that surged into him in an effort to burn him.


    "Such a pity," Compass Carburettor sighed as he watched Millie bombard him with attacks, none of which even touched him.

 Chapter 1059 Millie’s Memories

    "Hazen, read her mind for me, will you?" Compass Carburettor asked as he extended his hand and touched Millie on the forehead, immobilising her using a formless force.


    The Truck arrived at a stop next to him as immediately, a screen appeared before them, detailing whatever memories still existed in Millie''s mind.


    "Noooo!"


    Mysique''s screech resounded as Millie shrieked in pain as a result, suffering from the creeping madness. A dayter, she was able to withstand it better, for the extent of madness was reducing thanks to Stencil''s efforts in shielding the 24 Rings world.


    But another dayter, Stencil was captured, causing the shielding to vanish. Moreover, when Zaira split open the 24 Rings protecting her world to bring out Earth Star, all the madness overflowing in the Serpent Universe gushed into the world, instantly infecting everyone to the extreme.


    "Nooo¡­! Kyaaa!" Millie screamed as her powers went bonkers, causing the friction in her surroundings to reach absolute zero.


    Immediately, every moving individual copsed to the ground, getting hit hard. Moreover, the momentum behind the impact caused them to slide forward like they were on ice. The bodies of people, cars, bikes, and anything else that moved continued to move and collide, causing lots of chaos and damage.


    Rawrr!


    Millie felt a maddened sense of destruction as her emotional state fluctuated. And with every fluctuation, the friction inversed, from max to min and vice versa. One moment, the people were sliding, the other moment, their flesh was shredded apart from mere contact.


    Within a few minutes, the region surrounding her turned into and of death, covered with debris. During the war, Millie reached the peak at A-ss, almost on the verge of attaining S-ss.


    So, her powers were very potent. Besides, in her maddened state, she was like an uncontrolled disaster, wreaking havoc everywhere.


    "No¡­please¡­make it¡­stop!" She pleaded, trying her best to stop herself. In the end, she returned to her school and arrived at a stop in the training room and forcefully knocked herself unconscious.


    She woke up a couple of dayster, but by this time, the Serpent Universe had been thrown in the dump yard. Due to the Immiscibility nature of the dump yard, the madness in her never subsided, no matter what she tried.


    Usually, the best method to deal with it was to enter a state of deep sleep and allow the madness to subside over a long course of time. And once it had subsided, the individual could wake up and function like normal.


    Of course, there''s a chance of the madness ring up at the faintest trigger, but for someone without a method to deal with the mind, this was the only solution.


    Unfortunately, in the dump yard, even that was impossible as the madness too remained in the same state, reverting to it even if Millie tried to make it subside by sleeping.


    Years turned into decades and by then, Millie lost her mind. Her mind had shattered, despite being normal, as thews of the dump yard dictated. She had simply surrendered to the madness every time her mind returned to normalcy.


    Seven thousand years passed since then. Things had progressed beyond hope as Compass Carburettor sighed upon gaining a clearer understanding through Hazen, "To treat her, I would have to use Lore to introduce changes in her past and employ Tell-Tale to micromanage her timeline''s progression and extract the madness."


    "Unfortunately, that''ll take a significant amount of time and energy." Saying so, he got up and arrived before the truck, "Even if I save her, she has no future since she''s been fully assimted by thews of this dump yard."


    "Can''t you modify thews of this universe using Tell-Tale?" Hazen asked, frowning at his apathetic attitude.


    "I definitely can," Compass Carburettor nodded, "But, the moment the Immiscibility nature of this Dump Yard weakens even by a fraction, something monstrous would be born here."


    He stared at Hazen and smiled calmly, "I have no intentions to court death. That''s the extent of dangerous substances that have been dumped here."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Oh yeah, from whom did you extract all that information from? My daughter and her group arepletely deprived of all data." Compass Carburettor tilted his head in confusion.


    "It''s that individual over there," Hazen said and pointed at a cobra that was currently gnawing the roots of a tree.


    "Dita¡­?" Compass Carburettor stared in the direction as his pupils dted. He approached the cobra and touched it, watching thetter retaliate in response, mming an energy de at his face.


    Of course, it failed to cause even a strand of his hair to flinch, but upon staring at its fate, Compass Carburettor expressed sadness.


    "Is that emotion genuine?" Hazen asked as he drove the truck and parked nearby.


    "Guess?" Compass Carburettor snapped back.


    "It''s a fraction genuine." Hazen nodded.


    "Of course, it is. My original mind feels for the loss, but it''s not as if my other minds are unfeeling monsters." He spoke, "In the end, they are all just versions of myself."


    "You''re not someone that cares about those having no rtion to you though." Hazen retorted, "You''re just a merchant by blood."


    "You''re right," Compass Carburettor didn''t argue, "But I can express empathy, one that is genuine, you know."


    He stared at the attacking Dita, "This is just that."


    "Things regarding what happened to Rhizen and the moment when he and Stencil became Systems were memories unearthed from Dita." Hazen continued, "I went around through every being in the Serpent Universe and have gotten a good enough understanding regarding what happened."


    He exined the remaining details as Compass Carburettor calmly listened.


    In the end, Compass Carburettormented, "In the end, I devoured Arnark, but fell victim to his scheme. He pulled one over me, using my actions against me."


    After all, it was the n he executed with Truck-Kun that managed to sessfully transmigrate the energy-condensed form of Zaira to Mystique''s domain where she was impregnated with his child. Arnark simply took advantage of that to give rise to the Fate System.


    "If we''re done, shall we leave this ce?" Hazen said, trembling faintly, "This ce gives me the creeps. It feels like numerous gazes are on me even though I can''t feel any Mental Energy as a result."


    "Not yet, there''s one more." Saying so, Compass Carburettor got up and left the Serpent Universe, stopping beside a cluster of trash as he employed Lore and Tell-Tale to begin condensing a portal, "To bring back Stencil and the rest, we need to equip a weapon of the mind that''s capable of changing their inherent disposition."


    Upon seeing the portal, Hazen frowned, "You know someone that''s better at controlling the mind than me?"


    "There''s one, look into your memories." Compass Carburettor stated solemnly, "He helped us at the start of our journey."


    "Psychic Ancestor Phantom."

 Chapter 1060 Asking Jyorta Bone

    "Wasn''t that universe blocked off from us?" Hazen said in surprise.


    "Yeah, but I know the method to open the pathway." Compass Carburettor said in confidence, "And I''m way stronger than a Grade 1 System. With Lore and Tell-Tale, I can break through the blockade and create a path¡­"


    Right as he spoke, the passage was sessfully established when suddenly, a fearsome shout resounded aloud, "Who is it?"


    Keuk!


    Hazen''s mind copsed instantly, forcing him to faint from the shout, hisst thought being, ''This is just like Mystique''s screech.''


    Urgh!


    Compass Carburettor grunted in pain, struggling to keep himself sane as the trillions of minds forming him seemed to be diverging.


    Originally, they were like y, the base material being his original mental faculties. And depending on the life it led in the dreand, it was shaped ordingly. But at their core, all the ys were the same.


    But now, the mysterious shout seemed to be trying to change the very nature of these ys, ''That would mess up my situation and make me no different from a Genre Representative.''


    He hurriedly shouted, "Phantom, it''s me, Compass!"


    "Compass? Who the fuck is that¡­ah," There was suddenly silence from the other side before a snort resounded, "You''re a freaking mess."


    "Yes, I understand." Compass Carburettor nodded as he pointed at Hazen, "My daughter became a System now. I need your help to equip Hazen with a weapon to revert her back."


    "You''re the only one with the means to achieve it."


    There was silence for a while before six jet-ck tentacles jutted out of the portal and grabbed Compass Carburettor by the face as a sinister sound resounded, every syble of which stabbed into his mind, tethering him on the verge of insanity, "Why should I help you?"


    ''He''spletely different from back then.'' Compass Carburettor frowned, only sensing irritation from the other side.


    "It has been a long time since back then. You''re a refined idiot if you still assume I''ll be the same." The voice from the other side snapped.


    Boom!


    The six jet-ck tentacles suddenly slipped in their hold as thews of the dump yard took action, maintaining the Immiscibility of the ce.


    This was the reason Compass Carburettor condensed the portal here, for it was the safest bet when facing an expert of the mind.


    "Seems you can read my thoughts too," Compass Carburettor muttered.


    "¡­" There was just silence for a minute before slowly, the voice muttered, "There''s an entity that represents madness here? Mystique, huh?"


    "That''s interesting."


    Compass Carburettor was genuinely shocked in response, eyes widening as he asked, "How much¡­did you read from my memories?"


    "Well, not much. Anyway," The portal began to close as the voice spoke slowly, "Don''t disturb me. I have zero intentions to involve with the affairs of your universe. If you want to save your daughter, cripple the System World. Without a world to belong to, the Systems would just diverge out."


    "Even that brat next to you will be able to do something by then." The portal was about to close when suddenly, intense energy burst out of Compass Carburettor as Lore and Tell-Tale functioned to the limit, extracting an ethereal projection from himself.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The projection resembled a caterpir that had a cigar in its mouth. Staring at it, Compass Carburettor frowned, "You said you didn''t have any intentions to involve with my mess. Then, what''s this?"


    The caterpir stared at him and let out a cheerful smile, "By opening the portal again, you connected my universe to this multiverse. I''m just taking advantage of your power to position my universe better within Mystique''s domain. My world is currently more dangerous than all his worlds. So, we''ll have to go into a deep slumber. Don''t you dare disturb us again."


    The caterpir exploded as the voice vanished, "By the way, don''t address me as Phantom. That''s just my title. I go by the name of Jyorta,"


    "Jyorta Bone."


    Boom!


    The portal exploded as Compass Carburettor grunted from the impact, frowning as he intended to condense another portal, only seeing it fail, "He''s here in this multiverse now, but in that short duration, he figured out all the means to hide from everyone, including me."


    "Keuk!" Hazen woke up in a hurry at the explosion and stared around in a fluster, "Did he leave?"


    "Yeah, after knowing everything that happened until now from my memories." Compass Carburettor stated slowly, "The mind is one terrifying aspect of power."


    "I couldn''t even withstand his shout." Hazen sighed as he stared at Compass Carburettor, "How did you withstand all that¡­"


    "That''s the thing," Compass Carburettor smiled as blood leaked out of his orifices, "I didn''t."


    "Compass!" Hazen shouted in a hurry when Compass Carburettor copsed, bleeding profusely as every single cell of his body seemed to gain individuality as they tried to break free from him. Gically, he was changing.


    Lore activated in response and hurriedly negated the changes, but it would take a while before he makes a recovery.


    While gasping, Compass Carburettor muttered, "If your original Lore wasn''t the Harbinger of Serenity but something that allowed you to exercise all your powers and develop in the mind path¡­"


    He stared at the point in space where the portal was before, "You would have reached his height."


    "I''m sorry," Hazen bowed in disappointment, regret evident in his expression, "I wouldn''t have lost my family if I wasn''t as I was."


    "It''s not your fault alone. It''s my fault too." Saying so, Compass Carburettor closed his eyes and focused on recovery, "Now, we just need to do what we can. That''s all."


    "What do we do now that Phantom refused to help us?" Hazen asked.


    "He didn''t support us, but still offered a solution." Compass Carburettor smiled as his eyes glinted, "The reason the Systems are as they are is all thanks to the System World. As long as we destroy it, the inherent disposition of Systems towards Zaira would vanish. With that, we''ll be able to treat Stencil and the rest."


    "With your power added to mine, we can erase the point in their timeline when they became a System." Compass Carburettor spoke.


    "That''s easier said than done," Hazen retorted, "The foundation of the current System World currently equals a quarter of the multiverse itself. It''s impossible for us to destroy it."


    "Not from the outside, but," Compass Carburettor let out a smirk, "We can cause it to implode. For that, we have an expert on our side."


    ¡­


    "Oh my baby, you''re so cute!" A mother beamed in joy as her son began to take his baby steps. If one stared at the baby''s facial features, it would be a replica of Compass Carburettor from young.

 Chapter 1061 Psyche Star Filter

    Lore!


    Tell-Tale!


    Arriving within an abandoned universe where the natives had been eradicated during a war, Compass Carburettor unleashed his two signature abilities and began terraforming thews of the universe, gradually morphing it into that of a Cultivation World.


    "This is¡­pretty much a replica." Hazen gaped in shock as he saw his home world being created as soon after, four Divine Martial Spirits were birthed.


    Compass Carburettor stared at Hazen and extended his hand with a smile, pointing at the created universe, "All yours to devour."


    "I understand," Hazen exhaled softly.


    By making it a replica of the universe that he had be one with, Compass Carburettor was creating the means to strengthen himself. After all, there was no other option avable for his growth other than this.


    "Thankfully, you have attained universality. Otherwise, your powers would have be useless against the Systems." Compass Carburettor said as he observed Hazen taking a long time and hadn''t yet made any progress with the devouring of the Cultivation World.


    At his stare, Hazen excused himself, "If I don''t properly integrate it within myself, I''ll implode."


    "I understand," Nodding as such, Compass Carburettor pointed in the other direction, "Send me to a nearby abandoned universe. I''ll be training there."


    "Training?" Hazen stared in surprise.


    "Yup," Compass Carburettor shrugged, "I still need to reim all my powers and refine them to be most potent against the Systems."


    "How long do you need?" Hazen asked.


    "A century or two," Compass Carburettor said casually, "I''ll be refining my Genre Representation first. So, a century is the minimum most time required to recover from the side effects."


    "I''m not sure if we have that much time." Hazen sighed, "The Systems are currently targeting Mascot and Technocraft. If even they fall, then we''re done for."


    "I won''t reveal myself unless I''m strong enough." Saying so, Compass Carburettor boarded the truck and vanished. "Tell me once you''ve finished devouring this universe. I''ll make you another."


    "Fine¡­" Hazen focused his attention on the universe and sighed, "I just feel useless."


    He clenched his hand into a fist and stared with vigour, "Compass attained his concept of Mortality by attaining Tell-Tale. Every System strives to attain a concept. That''s how they are designed to be. It''s not to mention that every single System, including a Hatchling System, has a universality to its power."


    These two reasons were why Systems could develop at such a terrifying rate. And upon seeing the startling level of power difference between him and Compass Carburettor, Hazen determined the route he needed to take next.


    ¡­


    Having arrived at an abandoned universe, Compass Carburettor observed it, "Hmm, its foundation is slightly stronger than what I need."


    Tell-Tale!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Compass Carburettor began to modify thews of the universe, causing some of its suns to merge into him and be his fuel. Immediately in response, a dreand began to form in his body as they absorbed his Psyche Stars.


    Thanks to that, the Psyche Stars began to perform their original function as they turned him more mortal and formed a filteryer between his original mind and the remaining trillions of minds.


    All the other minds were plunged into the dreand, allowing him to be more and more himself. ''Thankfully, this works.''


    This was why he created Dreamcraft first. Only through Dreamcraft would he remain himself. Otherwise, as his powers continue to grow, he would be more and more simr to a Genre Representative.


    Maybe one day he wouldn''t even be Compass Carburettor anymore or even close to that.


    As time passed, he became more and more himself, exhaling softly, "I''m more emotionally driven towards my goals now."


    It would still take time to revert to his mental state from when he was living with Gehera though. It was why he wished to seclude himself and train for a couple of centuries.


    The Psyche Stars began to charge up and increase in numbers as the dreand became functional. Through Lore, all the trillion minds sprouted within the dreand, bing humans, animals, rocks, mountains, rivers, etc., whatever they were before.


    Following that, he toned down his spirituality, cutting himself off from the experience trove in the dreand. A few yearster, he had wholly be himself, having also gotten rid of the individuality problem guing his cells thanks to Jyorta Bone.


    He spent a couple more years and fully refined thews of the universe to his needs. With that, he took in a deep breath, sighing, "I''ll have to repeat this all over once again."


    He got up as a torrent of energy burst out of him. Instantly, one unit of all his Psyche Stars was consumed as he muttered softly, "Genre Representation¡­"


    Genre Representation¡ªSurvival Life of a Fragile Mortal!


    His concept of Mortality expanded and merged into the abandoned universe, instantly morphing it as a brand new universe was created, one in which any entity would be a mortal.


    Compass Carburettor had already changed thews of the universe, making it suitable for his Genre Representation. Hence, the moment he unleashed it, his Mortality merged into the universe and raised its foundation tremendously.


    He hurriedly left it and allowed the universe to develop normally for a century. After all, he was severely weakened once he left the universe, for that was one of the side effects of unleashing a Genre Representation.


    Compass Carburettor recalled Stencil''s condition, sensing that only a trillionth of himself felt sad and raged at the situation. Sighing, he began to recreate another dreand once again, intending to repeat the same process as before.


    "A centuryter, I''ll be capable of unleashing a Genre Representation again. I should finish the remaining preparations by then." He meditated calmly in the void.


    This time, it took him over two decades to recover, for using two Genre Representations in session severely strained him. Usually, even a Genre Representative only unleashed a Genre Representation after ten millennia since the previous one, that too only if it was absolutely necessary.


    After all, a Genre Representation sucks in all the essence of everything part of the genre to condense it into its pinnacle form. It was a massive drain on all forms of resources, including thews of the rted worlds. So, a long recovery period was necessary.


    Twenty years since he unleashed his second Genre Representation, Compass Carburettor finished creating his dreand and adding in the Psyche Star Filter, nodding in realisation, "If I were to unleash another Genre Representation, being unable to endure the necessary load, I''ll simply implode."


    "Nothing''s ever easy."

 Chapter 1062 Ruination Of Earth

    War!


    It is something one must never experience in their lifetime. A living being''s desperate wish during its survival was to never be part of a war.


    Unfortunately, in a society controlled by the greed of the wealthy and powerful, their words were the decree that plunged millions and even billions of people into a life of horror, one brought by a war of vested interests.


    Pheeeetl!


    A whistling sound resounded loud and clear as the Death God''s weapon scoured through the night sky, shining brightly like a shooting star as it gradually headed closer to the ground.


    In a street with damaged buildings, brought about by the whistling sound, the refugees walked out one after another. They wore clothes covered by dust, blood, and sweat, almost rags. Their faces were unkempt while their teeth had seen better days.


    Ack of food, sanitation, and even basic necessities to maintain a human life resulted in such a situation. The expressions of none seemed filled with hope, having seen better days.


    "World War Three, my ass!" A middle-aged mancking a leg cursed as he used a metal pole to hop forward, staring at the shooting star in the sky as he despaired, "Our world is doomed."


    In a parallel world resembling Earth, World War Three had erupted. Over 27 countries participated, headed by the eight nuclear countries. The world economy copsed, trade had stopped altogether, and the livelihood of people in countriescking natural resources plummeted instantly.


    If they didn''t die of hunter, they died from either a bullet to the head or a stab to the gut. If they were lucky, an explosive snuffed their life instantly.


    The war raged on for only a short three years, but by then, the death toll had reached two billion. And then, the day arrived, when humanity signalled the death of the world and unleashed the Death God''s spite.


    "I''m sorry." The middle-aged man muttered as he stared at a child before him. They weren''t rted. He had never seen that child before this. But for some reason, he felt the need to apologise.


    Kneeling on the ground, he hugged the child, one barely six years old, "The world before this wasn''t perfect. But, it was still a beautiful world."


    "I promise, humanity wasn''t like this back then. If¡­" Tears streamed out of his eyes as he stared at the child, his vision blurry, "If there is a second life, I hope you live in a world without humans. I''m sorry."


    Pheeeetl!


    The whistling sound came closer and closer as the people on the dpidated street converged around the child, patting him; all the adults apologised, "I''m sorry."


    "We didn''t allow you to see a bright world."


    "We denied you your birthright to live in this beautiful world."


    "I''m sorry. I''m sorry. I''m sorry."


    "We''re sorry."


    The shooting star was a cold, metallic object that impacted the region, resulting in light that shone brighter than the sun, brightening up the entire night sky over a significant region of Earth.


    The bright light dissipated a few secondster as a mushroom cloud rose to the sky, spreading around the stratosphere to nket the world.


    One after another, shooting stars of deathnded on Earth as billions were wiped out in a matter of seconds among humans alone. As for the total annihted life, it reached the trillions, all in a matter of seconds.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The mushroom cloud from all reached the stratosphere and spread out, eventually covering the entire Earth, preventing sunlight from ever reaching it for probably the next tens of thousands of years.


    Survivors among humanity?


    Probably a few million, scattered amongst the far stretches of society that remained beyond the reach of the world-rending weapons.


    At this moment, invisible to the eyes of all the surviving lifeforms on Earth, an ethereal entity detached itself from Earth and condensed for a moment to stare at the result of the scenario it had caused.


    Its form stabilised into a human woman that had been embedded into a pyramid, only, her figure was bigger than the moon.


    Right as she appeared, a star arrived beside it as a feminine voice resounded, "I told you to take it slow, Ruination. Humanity would have been annihted if I had arrived anyter."


    "Ruination?" The woman embedded in the pyramid tilted her head and spoke slowly, "I do have a name, you know? Call me Gehera."


    "Fine, Gehera." The star hummed a bit, "Three years is too short of a time. It''s just a waste. Imagine the amount of Mental Energy that you could have gained had you extended the war for probably a decade."


    "I''m not concerned with the quantity of Mental Energy," Gehera spoke calmly, "The shorter the war, the more devastating it is. And the resultant Mental Energy''s quality is that high. I''ve even gained a significant sum of Mental Energy with protagonist qualities."


    "Fine, as long as you are satisfied." The star dimmed a little before warning, "But you should take note, Ruination. I won''t be able to leave this world for at least the next two decades. So in the meantime, you will have to find some other Grade 3 System to assist the world you''ve destroyed."


    "I''ll¡­wait for you." Saying so, Ruination returned to the System World, leaving behind a sentence, "Don''t make me wait too long. I don''t like depending upon the other Systems, Stencil."


    "Fine," The star hummed as it fused with Earth and rapidly began to modify itsws that had been influenced by Ruination.


    "Huff¡­just a bit farther. There''s a base there." An old woman said as she dragged a sled that carried a wounded dog. She had been living in a forest, cut off from civilisation. But one day, three months ago, mysterious clouds covered the sky.


    Due to that, the atmosphere cooled rapidly, plunging the temperatures of the surface dangerously low. The ocean froze up while the nts began to die one after another. It became hard to scour for food.


    The old woman had been living with her dog. She had stockpiled enough rations tost six months, but unfortunately for her, a mishap happened as her dog was injured by a prowling wolf that barged into her house.


    After somehow killing the wolf, the old woman began to march forth toward a nearby settlement from memory, intending to request help for her dog.


    "Hah!" She plopped to the ground, unable to walk anymore, too numb in the cold to move. Her vision felt weak as her eyes drooped, "Is this where I die?"


    Boom!


    Intense heat ruptured from a nearby location, colling down enough that it was a warm current when it reached her, instantly giving strength to her cold body. The old woman stared in the respective direction in shock, "W-What the hell is that?"


    "My God!"


    A few kilometres away from her stood a tower that reached into the skies, seemingly unending.

 Chapter 1063 Tower Of Acknowledgement

    "What¡­? Where is this?" The old woman blinked in confusion, observing that she was on a vast grasnd where the sun shone brightly and a warm breeze blew past. It seemed to be morning time as there was still dew on the grass.


    The vitality of the ce was addicting, especially since she hadn''t seen the sky for three months now, not to mention the horribly cold weather that was gradually getting more and more polluted with radiation poisoning.


    Originally, despite her being located far off from the bombarded areas, some of the radiation still reached her, affecting her. So, even though it wasn''t obvious yet, she had begun to disy symptoms of radiation poisoning.


    But now, she felt perfectly fine.


    Arf!


    "Ohh, shaggy! You''re fine!" The woman stared next to her, seeing her dog uninjured now, hugging it in relief, "How did you recover? Oh, thank goodness!"


    "Where¡­am I?"


    "I''m alive? I thought I died from the radiation¡­is this heaven?"


    Gradually, voices of the people filled the ins as the old woman looked around, seeing people appear magically one after another.


    Eventually, a sizeable crowd gathered. It wasn''t just humans. There were also pets, cattle, etc. Anything on Earth that had survived was brought to this ce, excluding fish for some reason.


    [Greetings! People of Earth! I''m Gaia!]


    Suddenly, a screen shed into existence before everyone and disyed a set of words. Of course, before the people could react to it, the contents changed.


    [The climate of Earth currently isn''t suitable for the sustainment of life. The key to returning Earth to its state before war is avable here, in the Tower of Acknowledgement!]


    "Tower of Acknowledgement?" The old woman muttered, "Is that the name of the structure I saw before I was brought here?"


    [As some of you might have guessed already, it''s the tower you saw. You''re currently within it. All 6,339,428 of the surviving humans have been brought to this tower, fully healed of all your past ailments, injuries, etc.]


    ''Is that why I feel healthy and Shaggy''s injury vanished mysteriously?'' Despite feeling the absurdity of the situation, the old woman epted it. After all, World War Three had already happened and nukes had beenunched. What was more absurd than that?


    Not even a single person among the survivorsined. After all, out there, in the nuclear winter of Earth, they were just breathing to die. But here, they were alive, feeling warmth for the first time in three months.


    At least, in this ce, they had hope for the future. Moreover, upon seeing the number of humans alive, strength surged in them for some reason.


    Despite their ws, humans were social animals. And seeing more than six million of them still alive gave them courage. And judging by their attire, none of them seemed to be part of the brass or the elite that had orchestrated the war.


    Whether it was by coincidence or arger power at y, only the victims of war that had survived the whole ordeal made it to the tower.


    [You''re currently on Floor 0. It would disappear in 24 hours. Once you pass the tutorial, you''ll gain qualifications to challenge the tower and gain all sorts of power, among which also lies the solution to save your. Clearing the trials set by the tower will you Acknowledgement Coins which you can use to purchase food and other necessities]


    [Moreover, if you gain the acknowledgement of a Constetion, you''ll receive bonus power that''ll help you clear trials easier. The status tab will constantly keep you notified about them. That''s all. Good luck~]


    The screen changed after that, disying the status as the old woman stared at it, feeling nostalgia for the gaming terminology used.


    [Name: Minhua]


    [Affiliation: None]


    [Title: None]


    [ss: None]


    [Combat Power: 21]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Recovery: 17]


    [Magic Power: 0]


    [Unique Skill: None]


    [Skills: None]


    Her status wasn''t anything worth noting. All stats of importance just showed ''None'' in them. And by asking around the nearby people, she came to understand that abat power of 21 was next to nothing.


    A young, fit man among the crowd had abat power close to 80. There were a few that almost touched the three digits, which seemed to be the highest. Among recovery, the maximum seemed to be around 30, in which case she was faring pretty well.


    "Say, Shaggy, what should I do?" The old woman, Minhua said as she slung her hand around her dog, watching it lick her in response.


    Arf!


    "Alright, guess I''ll challenge whatever it is that needs to be." Saying so, Minhua muttered slowly, "I''ll enter the tutorial now."


    Her figure vanished as Minhua found herself on the shores of ake, at the centre of which was an ind. A small tower had been constructed on the ind, the board on which said ''Destination.''


    It was pretty straightforward as while Minhua was thinking about it, a screen shed before her, informing her of the contents of the trial.


    [Goal: Reach the tower at the centre of theke infested with crocodiles.]


    [Note: Your actions would influence the rewards]


    Woof! Woof!


    The barks of a dog resounded as Minhua shouted in surprise, "Shaggy! My boy! You''re here for me!"


    Woof!


    The dog stopped barking at theke where something resembling a log of wood kept staring. Shaggy rushed at Minhua and cuddled her.


    Taking a look around, Minhua observed a forest stretching past, "Hmm, how will I reach the centre? There''s no boat here. And I don''t have the strength to make one."


    [Constetion Live-Grenade is watching with anticipation]


    ''Watching with anticipation?'' Minhua couldn''t understand this aspect clearly as she wasn''t much into streaming stuff found on the inte. Shaking her head, she muttered, "Maybe I''ll find something of use in the forest."


    Apanying Shaggy, Minhua entered the forest, looking around in habit for she had been living in one for ages. Within a couple of minutes, she spotted a rabbit and patted Shaggy. The dog leaped through the bushes and within ten minutes, hunted one.


    "There''s everything in this forest!" Minhua eximed in surprise as she collected mushrooms, herbs, wood, and other things while Shaggy hunted game.


    [Constetion Live-Grenade brings in their friend]


    [Constetion Vroom-Vroom munches popcorn]


    [Constetion Broken-Phone gazes in fear]

 Chapter 1064 Constellations Culture

    Arf!


    Shaggy wagged its tail and dropped a rabbit corpse on the ground as it rolled before Minhua, shing its belly up as it drooped its tongue, happy to be in such a warm climate with plenty of food to hunt around.


    "That''s enough, Shaggy. Good boy!" Minhua rubbed its belly and prepared a small fire to roast some rabbit meat that she and Shaggy relished with joy. After eating canned food for a while, it enlivened her taste buds, especially thanks to the herbs that she added to the meat that enhanced its vour.


    While they were eating, a crocodile walked out of theke and opened its mouth on the shore, basking in the sunlight. Though, from time to time, its attention seemed to fall on Minhua.


    Soon, it began to slowly walk towards her. Minhua didn''t seem to notice its approach and continued to eat the rabbit meat.


    When it was just four metres from her seated position, Shaggy suddenly grabbed a rope and tugged it. On the other end of the rope was a noose buried within the sand that coiled around the crocodile''s jaws when tugged. And with slight tension, the noose tightened.


    The crocodile was flustered for a moment when Minhua grabbed the rope and pulled it with Shaggy, tugging the crocodile a bit forward when the sand caved in, causing it to fall into a shallow pit.


    The crocodile struggled to get out, failing repeatedly as Shaggy kept tugging the rope to make it lose bnce.


    In the meantime, Minhua rushed forth and removed arge banana leaf that acted as a cover for a pit dug in the sand farther away. Within it were dozens of rabbit corpses. She took a rabbit and threw it towards the edge of theke, watching its blood leak into it.


    A few secondster, a crocodile swallowed the rabbit and came ashore, followed by dozens of crocodiles lured in by the scent of blood. They arrived at the pit and began to attempt to take out the rabbits which were ced just a bit beyond their reach.


    Over time, a crowd of crocodiles arrived at the shore and congregated around the pit, for the scent of blood oozing from there was very strong.


    While the crocodiles were busy, Minhua tugged the rope and brought the first captured crocodile from the pit. After a few minutes of struggle, she managed to sling a hoop around its tail, tying it to a thick wood that she scoured in the forest.


    Shaggy bit onto one end of the rope¡ªwhich Minhua created by coiling around the secondary roots of a banyan tree¡ªand entered theke. Tied in its mid-section, closer to the crocodile''s snout were three rabbits.


    They acted as bait to draw in the crocodile while Shaggy continued to tug the rope, pulling it forward. The crocodile entered theke, pulling another rope tied to its tail.


    [Constetion Live-Grenade is hyped]


    Minhua grunted and pushed the wood branch into theke, watching it being pulled by the crocodile. She used it as a lifeboat and slowly paddled, able to traverse the waters faster and with less strain.


    She proceeded forward from a point far away from the pit where the crocodiles had congregated at. Thanks to her actions, theke seemed safe enough for her to traverse.


    [Constetion Vroom-Vroom cheers while blushing]


    And within a minute, thanks to Shaggy leading the crocodile by the nose, they reached the ind. The rope had worn out by now as after the crocodile brushed its jaws on some rocks, it snapped.


    Thanks to that, it was able to feast on the three rabbits. Though Minhua was exhausted, she didn''t take any risks remaining near the crocodile that was now freed from its binds, "Come, Shaggy."


    With that, the duo reached the tower as immediately, a bunch of screens shed before Minhua, surprising her.


    [Constetion ¡­]


    [Constetion ¡­]


    [Congrattions on passing the tutorial. Rewarding based on user actions]


    <Ding!>


    [Awarded Title: Old Lady Still Has Spunk (+10 Battle Power, +5 Recovery)]


    <Ding!><novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [ss Received: Tamer (+10 Magic Power, Increased Affinity to all creatures)]


    [Skill Received: Tame]


    [Skill Received: Command]


    [Skill Received: Affinity Inspect]


    [Creating Unique Skill¡­]


    [Unique Skill Created: Monster Database (Can store all tamed creatures in a database) (Current capacity: 4)]


    A book manifested before her, one consisting of only four pages. The book furled to the first page as immediately, Shaggy turned into a beam of light and entered it, bing an image imprinted there.


    "Sha¡­" Right as Minhua shouted in shock, all knowledge regarding her ss streamed into her, automatically calming her down.


    Minhua touched the page and watched Shaggy appear beside her, sighing in relief. Following that, she stared at the crocodile, muttering after a moment of consideration as she stealthily touched its tail, "Tame!"


    The crocodile''s resistance was instantly ovee as all her Magic Power was consumed. Immediately, it turned into a beam of light and entered her book, imprinted on her second page.


    [Congrattions! You now have gained the qualification to challenge the Tower of Acknowledgement! Activating Inventory¡­]


    Minhua found herself on the first floor of the Tower of Acknowledgement, a medieval-styled city that was constructed to house a capacity of six million humans. The moment she arrived, messages rang nonstop in her mind.


    [Constetion Live-Grenade has donated 12 Acknowledgement Coins]


    [Constetion Broken-Phone has donated 3 Acknowledgement Coins]


    [Constetion ¡­]


    [Constetion ¡­]


    Minhua observed that some people seemed to have arrived at the first floor of the tower long ago. It was strange, slightly unnerving even, but it was something she weed. Even having to fight monsters seemed vastly easy and doable whenpared to surviving in the nuclear winter.


    Carrying her book, Minhua walked through the streets, admiring the city''s peaceful scenery when a confident teen stared at her incredulously, muttering, "Granny, how did you finish the tutorial?"


    "By hitching a ride on a crocodile." Minhua smiled as she pinched his cheek.


    For a moment, the teenager was offended, but after being reminded of the fact that no one else even bothered to care for him for the past three years, his gaze softened, being reminded of his grandmother that died to a shell.


    He was an orphan.


    "Were you injured by them?" Minhua stared at him in concern and inspected him for any injuries.


    "It''s fine, haha. I bought a healing potion with the coins I earned and my injuries were fully healed." The teenager then stared at her book, "Why are you carrying that? You can put it in your inventory and be free, you know?"


    "Inventory?" Minhua tilted her head in confusion.


    "Let me teach you, grandma."

 Chapter 1065 The Game Of Population

    Stencil stared at the humans that climbed the tower. For the first few years, they remained on the first floor, content with living there. After all, having lived through World War Three, they wished to stay away from fighting as much as possible.


    But of course, they couldn''t entirely do that, for living there meant they needed resources. And only coins purchased the necessary resources, including food and water. Completing trials was the sole way of umting coins.


    To survive, they needed to fight. But during the initial years, everyone only fought the bare minimum. They also had a collective sense in the city, for there were just six million of them left.


    The collectivemunity was pretty cohesive. But, it onlysted so long. Eventually, healthy survivors fell in love and had kids.


    With the arrival of the next generation, hope blossomed. And through hope, desire sprouted. They wished to give a better life to their kids, livefortably as a family, umte enough wealth for their family to prosper, etc.


    There were all sorts of reasons. Eventually, it gave rise to people who were willing to wholeheartedly challenge the tower and grow stronger. The more they gained strength, the greater their addiction to the act of growing without limits became.


    Of course, it was only a matter of time before conflicts sprung here and there. At first, they were just verbal arguments. But as time progressed, the arguments grew more and more intense before soon, des were drawn.


    Shortly after, the first death in the tower urred, one not at the trials but at the hands of a fellow human. That sparked the human poption, fracturing them into smaller, cohesive groups. Eventually,munities with simr idealogies formed as they settled in various parts of the tower.


    Moreover,munities began to upy floors, purchasingnds to gain exclusive rights. It resulted in a power struggle as rankers emerged from allmunities that challenged the upper floors, paving the foundation for the upation of the rest of theirmunity.


    Thanks to the rewards from the tower, people gradually became younger and had robust and healthy bodies. So, even if a woman gave birth to a dozen kids, she wasn''t in the least physically drained. She was still healthy. And as long as she continued to climb the tower, she''ll further regain her youth.


    Floor 46!


    "Haah¡­that''s enough, Shaggy." Minhua gasped as she copsed to the ground in exhaustion. Standing before her was a dog that was two storeys in size. It was the same Shaggy as before, but after being fed countless precious resources by Minhua, it had grown to be a formidable creature.


    Clobbered into a gooey mess before Shaggy was the Floor Boss. Once it disappeared, countless messages appeared in her vision.


    [Congrattions on killing the Floor Boss, Temporal Slime Emperor for the first time. Calcting Rewards¡­]


    A bunch of resources was credited to her inventory, followed by cheerful donations from all the Constetions watching her. Minhua went through them once before checking her stats.


    [Name: Minhua]


    [Affiliation: Chief Admiral Entrom Sachshay]


    [Title: Old Lady Still Has Spunk, Curel ughterer, Canine Tooth Fairy, Shepherd n Leader¡­]


    [ss: Tamer]


    [Sub-ss: Alchemist]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Unique Skill: Monster Database (8/11)]


    [Skills: Tame, Command, Affinity Inspect, Inventory, Craft Potion, Material Appraisal, Alloyfication, Weapon Mastery, War Veteran Sense]


    [Combat Power: 296]


    [Recovery: 172]


    [Magic Power: 402]


    Aspared to when she started, she was on a whole other level. Her stats may notpare to some of the monstrous humans in the tower, but her fighting skills made her one of the best. It was especially brought about by the synergy of her various Skills and titles.


    She currently had nine Skills. Among them, the first three came from her ss of Tamer. Inventory was avable to everyone. The next three Skills came from her Sub-ss of Alchemist. And finally, thest two Skills came from her Constetion, Chief Admiral Entrom Sachshay.


    She didn''t know who that was, as that was a fake name. But, someone renowned that had died in World War Three had be a Constetion and was now offering her support.


    Her Monster Database was now eleven pages, eight of which were filled. She originally had ten filled, but two of them died in the recent boss fight. But overall, the gains more than made up for the losses.


    It had been twenty years since she entered the tower. By this time, she had grown to be one of the leading rankers, being the eighth to kill the 46th Floor Boss. With that, she gained a lot of rewards, enough to purchase a lot of properties on the 46th Floor.


    That would allow her Shepherd n to set up base on the 46th Floor and use it as a springboard to challenge the higher levels. After all, based on what she gathered until now, the 50th-floor boss gave rewards a hundred times the previous Floor Bosses. But it was also the strongest they would face, almost on the level of bosses that would appear in thete eighties.


    In order to face that, she had to prepare a lot. By this point, the sense of collective everyone had was no more. It was just a rat race, a repeat of the past.


    Well, it was also because humanity''s poption was no longer endangered. Just consider Minhua alone. Currently, she looked no different from a woman in the prime of her life. Her vitality too was vastly greater than what she possessed during her youth on Earth.


    And as someone that used her tamed beasts to fight, she remained safe no matter how tough the fight got. Thanks to that, she had been giving birth without interruptions, once every ten months, with no breaks.


    Her children alone numbered more than twenty, for sometimes, her vitality was enough to result in twins or even triplets. She had five husbands and a massive family.


    After all, the oldest among her children had already married and started their own families, beginning to pump kids like factories. The males among her children were plenty talented. And as a result, they too had polygamous rtionships.


    As a result, the poption of the Shepherd n already reached three digits. They currently had a monopoly over Floor 21 and significant bases on four other Floors, not to mention at least a few houses on every Floor, including Floor 46.


    Currently, in the Tower of Aplishments, it was a game of poption.

 Chapter 1066 Stencil’s Long-Term Advantage

    Stencil focused on Minhua''s Constetion. Even though the Constetion seemed to be one person, it wasn''t.


    It consisted of a set of people that had performed almost simr feats and were recognised by the masses to be simr. Their collective consciousness data was extracted from the world and transformed into a Constetion that now resided within the Tower of Aplishment.


    Thanks to World War Three, plenty of heroes emerged, some known, some unknown. The data of countless such simr ones was enough for Stencil to create almost seventy Constetions, which was more than enough for this world to run and develop for a few thousand years.


    Moreover, the same setup existed in the tower too. As people of renown die within the tower, they too might be a Constetion one day. Stencil had established all the necessary rules for that too.


    She originally had Collective Consciousness as part of her mind. These Collective Consciousnesses merged into the concepts produced in the 24 Rings world to then grant power to everyone that inherited the same concept or a set of concepts as part of a collective.


    Zaira had fused those aspects to allow Stencil to create and wield Constetions that did her bidding. The fact that Stencil had the power of the Dragon of Systems further allowed her to extract and process data into quantifiable concepts. This was why she could create Constetions.


    The Constetions remained in their original world, but when necessary, Stencil could employ their powers.


    This made her growth one of the most unique even among Grade 3 Systems. Though of course, her potential ended at Grade 3. She had zero hopes of attaining Grade 4, just like the rest of the Grade 3 Systems.


    But even attaining the peak of Grade 3 would require millions of years of umtion. That was a long life to live and umte Mental Energy for.


    In terms of a Grade 3 System, Stencil¡ªthe Constetion System¡ªwas one of the youngest.


    Stencil exited the alternate Earth, havingpleted her task of changing itsws to her desire. Now, unless necessary, this world would continue as such wherein it would be filled with people that challenge the tower and seek to gain recognition of the all-powerful Constetions.


    And these Constetions would continue to empower her, umting strength for her nonstop while also paving way for the birth of new Constetions. It was a beneficial cycle.


    Eventually, they would umte enough to pump her through the levels of Grade 3 faster. After all, the Mental Energy gained by most Grade 3 Systems was for a short duration.


    Consider the Apocalypse System, for example. It gained Mental Energy when the people experienced the apocalypse. Once people adapted to the changed world and society stabilised, it was no longer an apocalypse.


    It meant the Apocalypse System would stop gaining suitable Mental Energy from that world. The situation was the same for the Waning Essence System, World Spirit System, and the rest. Even Gehera, the Ruination System was pretty much the same.


    In that regard, Stencil was superior in the sense the worlds she changed would continue to supply her Mental Energy forever, simr to a Grade 2 System, but vastly superior to them.


    The quality of her Mental Energy was inferior to the other Grade 3 Systems that harvested a torrent of Mental Energy in a short time frame, but the quantity she gained made up for it.


    Moreover, the quality of Mental Energy generated by the first generation that challenged the tower was almost on par with the Mental Energy received by the other Grade 3 Systems.


    So eventually, her passive umtion of strength would allow her to level up the fastest and bring her to the peak of Grade 3.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "So, work hard in forging a legend of your own that the rest of your n can follow." Her figure condensed above the void of her world as Stencil stared at Minhua. Systems couldn''t exist beyond the System World unless they were within a Host.


    But, they wouldn''t instantly die. A Hatchling System would vaporise in a matter of seconds. But even a high-level Grade 1 System could exist for a few days before sumbing to death.


    For a Grade 3 System, the dissipation every second was minuscule.


    Even if she were to remain for a few years, she wouldn''t lose much of her body. She would only need to spend twice the duration umting Mental Energy to recover from the damage. Such was a Grade 3 System''s foundation.


    As a result, Stencil could calmly observe the fruits of herbour in this changed world.


    Once Minhua finished the 46th Floor Boss, she gained the qualifications to challenge the 47th Floor. But instead, she returned to the 21st Floor to rest and recuperate. She intended to use her powers as an Alchemist to craft potions and heal the injuries sustained by her tamed beasts.


    She also needed to take care of her n and make ns for the future.


    "Congrattions on seeding in defeating the 46th Floor Boss, Minhua." Her first husband said cheerfully the moment she arrived.


    "Congrattions to you too. I heard you cleared the 43rd Floor." Minhua smiled happily, "It''s only a matter of time before we can challenge the tower together."


    "I just received my Sub-ss. Once I get ustomed to it, I''ll quickly catch up." He smiled in confidence.


    "You mean¡­?" Minhua''s eyes widened as she jumped in excitement, "You managed to get that Sub-ss?"


    "Yes, I''m the tower''s first Refiner." Heughed smugly. A ss was typically a battle-rted profession. Everyone that passed the tutorial gained a ss. A Sub-ss was an auxiliary profession without anybat potential. It consisted of Chefs, cksmiths, Painters, etc.


    And gaining a Sub-ss was agonisingly difficult since only when someone stumbled upon a Quest would they gain the qualification. Beyond that, they need toplete the Quest.


    Among all the Sub-sses, Refiner was the most valuable and the hardest to attain. The moment Minhua gained knowledge regarding it, she invested extensively in it. It was why she expended all her umted wealth to purchase the entirety of the 21st Floor.


    After all, the Quest regarding the Refiner Sub-ss was only avable here. As for others challenging the tower, they could only roam through some public grounds of the 21st Floor before having to go up to the 22nd Floor. Or they could pay a lease fee to gain ess to some areas on the 21st Floor.


    Of course, Minhua would restrict all areas with value, especially the Refiner Sub-ss Quest.


    "With this Sub-ss being our exclusive privilege, it''s only a matter of time before we be the strongest n in the tower." Minhua''s eyes shone with voracity.

 Chapter 1067 Populous Extreme Providence

    Chapter 1067 Populous Extreme Providence


    Magister hovered in the void, dispirited as he stared at a Magical World, sighing, "This is stifling."


    "I can''t even research anything."


    "Who cares about your stupid research." The fragment of the Representative System fused to his body snorted, "Just remain as a puppet until the end. You don''t have an alternative anyway."


    "Is¡­that so?" Magister didn''t retort as he teleported and arrived at a Technological World, intending to attack it when a canon formed before him and unleashed a beam at him, sting him away.


    Magister wasn''t injured by the attack but instead was thrown off from the universe itself. Arriving at a halt, he muttered, "It seems Technocraft became stronger after having fought against Reincarnation and Transmigration."


    "He''s capable of sending me flying so casually now."


    "He''s not the third strongest Genre Representative for nothing." The Representative Fragment, yer muttered, not affected in the slightest, "But that doesn''t matter. In the end, only three Genre Representatives exist now. It''s just a matter of time before we control them all."


    Swoosh!


    "Eh?" yer blinked in surprise, sensing the Mental Energy streaming into him through Magister stop all of a sudden. "What''s happening?"


    ¡­


    Gong! Kaboom!


    Intense explosions resounded in a void as a universe shrunk until it became tiny, moulded into the shape of a glove that fell in the hands of an individual with zing hair.


    It was Compass Carburettor who hadpleted his preparations, staring at the glove for a couple of minutes before he wore them. He snapped his finger, morphing the glove''s shape with a thought, transforming it into a familiar gun as he aimed forth and shot a bullet.


    The bullet vanished as the silence of the void greeted him. He closed his eyes and focused on the gun, smiling at the result, "It turned out just as I expected."


    Universal Anthozoa¡ªSurvival Life of a Fragile Mortal!


    The universe that he created through his Genre Representation was first allowed to develop. After that, through the usage of Tell-Tale and Lore, Compass Carburettor worked on shrinking it gradually until it turned into a glove.


    He had inserted one mechanism in it, of being able to morph its shape as he desired through Tell-Tale.


    When Lore and Tell-Talebined, Compass Carburettor gained the ability to rapidly modify universes as he saw fit and wield them as tools.


    Compass Carburettor reversed the Universal Anthozoa into its glove form and smiled as he caressed it, "This will be my trump card."


    It had been more than a century since he unleashed his Genre Representation. Now that he had recovered from the after-effects and had also regained his emotional quotient, Compass Carburettor began to equip himself with weapons that were made using entire universes.


    The first of their kind was the Suit of Mortality that he created by channelling the power of his Mortality through a universe. The function of this was to veil his strength and presence even while he was actively employing his powers.


    It was an extension of his state brought about by the Psyche Stars. His second universe weapon was the Universal Anthozoa. Third was created by refining a space opera universe into a set of boots that emted Truck-Kun''s ability to travel¡ªBoot of Transmigration.


    Using them, Compass Carburettor arrived at the Darble World, inhaling a calm breath before he began to morph this universe, resulting in the universe weapon¡ªRing of Secrecy.


    As this was the birthce of the Secret Society, it was apt in bing a weapon that amplified his creation of the Secret Society. After transforming thews of a universe, Compass Carburettor was employing them to raise the potency of his abilities.


    Finally, he arrived at one of Mystique''s universes that had been destroyed thanks to the Fate System''s actions. Intense hate seethed in the void but nothing else existed, wholly bombarded by the Serpent Universe crashing into them.


    Compass Carburettor selected the universe that had the strongest foundation and the most intense hatred of Mystique seething through it, beginning to refine it too. In the meantime, he sent a fragment of himself to the void where Hazen was, staring at thetter remaining in the same pose as before, observing the Cultivation World before him.


    The fragment of Compass Carburettor asked in surprise, "You''ve yet to consume this universe? It has almost been two centuries."


    "I''m waiting, Compass." Hazen didn''t even spare a nce his way as he calmly stared at his world''s development, "What do you think Ick the most to exact revenge on the Systems?"


    "It''s energy." Compass Carburettor said without hesitation, "You have potent powers but you''ll run out of energy before you exercise even half of them."


    "That''s true, but I never proceeded in a route that necessitated energy dependency." Hazen spoke calmly, "My power is entirely cause and effect dependent. And the mind is the medium I use to unleash this. So, all I need to do is raise my causality, that''s all."


    "Even though my attacks were effective on the Regression System, it regressed itself to escape the effect. But, had it been Zaira or Mystique that injured it, even regressing wouldn''t solve its issues since the damage would be carried through its timeline." He spoke calmly, "Despite only its future getting targeted, its past too is influenced as a result."


    "In that fight, I realised the essence of what I need to achieve. Through the effect, I can influence the cause too. I only need to have enough causality to achieve that." He stared at his world, grinning, "And this is what I derived. I''m almost there, Compass."


    The fragment of Compass Carburettor stared at the world and was stunned, "What the heck¡­is that?"


    He focused on an old man seated in a shabby hut on one outskirt of a city, a cold aura condensed around him, "Extreme¡­Providence?"


    The Compass Carburettor fragment then focused on a fisherman nearby, observing that his fishing rod seemed to be one with his body, "A Trash Martial Spirit but¡­he''s attained Extreme Providence too?"


    In a fluster, Compass Carburettor fragment observed the people, whether it be an old man on the verge of death, a youngdy or even a teenager, irrespective of their Martial Spirit grade, they had all attained Extreme Providence.


    "Thanks to the Main Character''s actions, not to mention the involvement of the Luck Systems, fate had been stirred enough in the Gaider Realm back then, allowing Balmer of the zing Sun n to attain Extreme Providence." Hazen huffed in pride, "And now, I''ve been focusing to make everyone attain that peak."

 Chapter 1068 Data Thief Ahjar

    Chapter 1068 Data Thief Ahjar


    "How did you achieve this¡­I see," Compass Carburettor fragment nodded in understanding, "You''ve influenced their minds."


    "Yes, I''ve been nurturing the minds of every single individual to make it suited to reach the peak and gain the qualifications to attain Extreme Providence." Hazen nodded, "I''ve also been adjusting the cause and effect of their respective actions."


    In the entire Cultivation World, Balmer was the first to attain Extreme Providence. If Compass Carburettor, Rhizen, and all the Systems part of the Luck Genre hadn''t rampaged around the Cultivation World, the generated variables wouldn''t have been enough to birth Extreme Providence.


    It was such a high-level power aspect, for attaining that turned a Cultivator into a Martial Spirit that everyone part of their bloodline could awaken to in the future. This was an action worthy of being a Protagonist, for it was unprecedented until then.


    Therefore, it could be guessed as to how much fate and luck such an entity would have amassed. Having been the Main Character in the past, possessing power in the domains of mind, cultivation, and cause and effect, Hazen could replicate that.


    And once he focused desperately, he was able to raise cultivators that had attained Extreme Providence inrge numbers. That instantly shifted the status quo of the Cultivation world as everyone rushed to attain the same, eventually birthing more and more of the same.


    Moreover, even though Extreme Providence becamemon in the end, that didn''t diminish its value. After all, attaining it was still a protagonist trait. As a result, the Cultivation World''s foundation deepened to unimaginable levels.


    Usually, in cultivation, there were two modes to attain a breakthrough. First was through the culmination of resources, the standard way of cultivation.


    But the second way was through inspiration. Usually, during a crisis, a protagonist would experience enlightenment that would allow their cultivation to soar and reach a higher state of being. Through his prowess of the mind, Hazen exploited that.


    It was why, despitecking the foundation to birth so many Extreme Providence Stage Cultivators, the Cultivation World had them in such frightening numbers.


    "You''re still not done?" Compass Carburettor fragment was surprised.


    "Yeah," Hazen nodded, "There are still a few Martial Spirits left. Once even they fuse with a cultivator through Extreme Providence, my preparations would beplete."


    ¡­


    A Compass Carburettor fragment arrived in the void above Faith Grounds as hemunicated with the Lore and Tell-Tale. Immediately, the timeline of Faith Grounds was inversed.


    Originally, thanks to Zaira''s scheme, time flowed within the Faith Grounds at a rate seventy times slower than the multiverse.


    At that time, Lore and Tell-Tale couldn''t ovee that as Zaira was fully aware of Tell-Tale''s power. But now that they had fused and were wholly under Compass Carburettor''s control, he could actively modify them as he saw fit.


    He didn''t wish to do anything that would mess up the timeline. Instead, his actions caused all the power behind Zaira''s efforts to be expended instead as the timeline of Faith Grounds elerated.


    From seventy times to the multiverse, it slowed down until eventually being on par, flowing at the same rate.


    But immediately after that, the speed of time within Faith Grounds picked up, "Good!"


    "This shouldst for a few years. That''ll be more than enough."


    ¡­


    "Ahjar! Where the heck are you?" A middle-aged woman shouted in a fluster as it was evening time. She roamed around a vige, tense, looking around as the rest of the vigers retreated into their homes.


    "Whha, it''s gettingte. You should return to your home right now." An old man, the Vige Head peered through the window of his house and shouted in anger, "If you are out, that monster will be lured to our vige. Don''t pull the rest of us down just because of one person."


    "That one person is my son!" The middle-ageddy, Whha red in anger, "Show some empathy."


    "My empathy is directed at the vige. Your actions willpromise the safety of everyone here. You get it, everyone!" The Vige Head shouted as spittle sprayed out. His cheeks were red from anger while veins popped all over his neck from hypertension.


    Tssch!


    A sizzling sound resounded suddenly, plunging the vige into silence. The Vige Head reflexively closed the window and huddled within his home, motioning for his family to remain silent.


    Even Whha turned still like a statue, slowly craning her head in the direction of the sound, staring at a trembling bush. She was terrified, wondering if the terrifying monster was lured to their vige.


    Thump! Thump!


    It felt like the longer she stayed there, the more she was losing her lifespan. For a moment, she nked out before soon, her legs were carrying her as she bolted to her house.


    ''N-No! This can''t be happening! Ahjar, where the heck did you run away to?'' She trembled in fear, praying for the safety of her son.


    Creak!


    Her door slowly parted open, terrifying her, almost causing her to faint, resigning from life. But a momentter, she was stunned, seeing a human hand clutch the door instead of the monstrous entity she had feared.


    "Mom, are you here?" A boy barely fifteen years old peeked in and stared at Whha, smiling gently.


    "You¡­" Whha instinctively pulled him into the house and shut the door hurriedly, ring at him in rage as she whispered, "Where in the damnable ce did you go?"


    "Rx, mom. I just went to gather some herbs." The teenager, Ahjar lifted a bag filled to the brim with leaves.


    "Damned idiot! Did you have to go out at this time?" Whha felt the urge to beat him into a pulp, which she did but controlled herself after some bashing, "Just rest. We''ll talk in the morning once it''s safe out there.


    "Fine," Rubbing his bruises, Ahjar slept on a straw mat, closing his eyes. His mother slept nearby, falling asleep immediately. It was apparent that she was exhausted from stress and taut nerves.


    ''There''s no monster here.'' Ahjar sighed as he stared at his hand, condensing a crystalline fragment full of mysterious inscriptions, ''I took care of it.''


    He clenched the crystal, watching it fuse with his body as he focused, ''Good, I mined some valuable data this time.''


    His vision morphed as he observed Lore and Tell-Tale furiously searching the clobbered corpse of the monster feared by the vigers, wondering where its data had gone. Of course, they seemed unable to trace it to the teenager, Ahjar.


    ''Just you wait, Zaira. It won''t be long before I repay you all my frustrations.''

 Chapter 1069 Concept Representative—Space

    Chapter 1069 Concept Representative¡ªSpace


    "A-Ahjar, what the heck are you doing?" Whha stared at her son in fear, watching him inch towards her, knife in hand, "I''m your mother, damnit!"


    "I''m well aware," Ahjar smiled calmly, but he continued to approach her and in the end, staring right into her terrified eyes, he brought down the knife and plunged it into her head.


    Blood spurted out of her forehead and sprayed all over his body. Ahjar stared at the blood in all seriousness as he focused, extracting traces of information from her body. A few secondster, he turned around and rushed out of the house.


    Right as he left, the room lit up as Lore and Tell-Tale inspected her corpse, observing a fraction of her data had been stolen. Thankfully, unlike the clobbered corpse from before, her soul wasn''t affected.


    It meant she could go through the reincarnation cycle and be reborn into the world once again. At least, her data wasn''t much damaged. The few stolen pieces could easily be reced.


    Standing right beyond the entrance and staring into the room, observing the actions of Lore and Tell-Tale was Ahjar, his gaze bottomless, ''Indeed, when I''m fully exercising my true nature, even Lore and Tell-Tale cannot detect me. But, it''s only a matter of time before they adapt to this.''


    He stared at his arm, observing faint energy flickers. Unlike thews of the various worlds out there, Faith Grounds was different in that itsws were alive, had sentience, and could actively rewrite their ownws as and when necessary.


    Therefore, as long as Ahjar continued to behave in such a highly profiled manner, it was only a matter of time before they figure out his secret and adapt to his nature. Once that happens, they would steal his foundation.


    ''I already had to sacrifice Peddler''s power just to avoid their gaze. I''ll truly be nothing if my core too is lost.'' Thinking as such, Ahjar condensed a needle on his palm, watching it behave like apass and point in a certain direction.


    Without any hesitation, Ahjar began to travel in the pointed direction, mining for data in every location he chanced upon, gradually umting more and more of them.


    Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Eventually, after five decades of nonstop travel, Ajar, now bearing the appearance of an old man, arrived at a stretch of ins surrounded by three rings formed by mountain ranges.


    "This is the spot where they fought." Ahjar muttered as he looked around and found the sole boulder in the ce, approaching it as he caressed his hand on it, "This is where Arnark mmed his head andmitted suicide."


    He took a seat atop the boulder and exhaled slowly, taking almost ten minutes to do so. He then inhaled, taking an even longer time. With every breath, the duration of his inhtion and exhtion continued to grow longer.


    Slowly but surely, mysterious lights began to waft out of the grasnd, like rivers that streamed through the grass before surging out like a geyser through the boulder. Seated at the mouth was Ahjar, absorbing all the data voraciously.


    Hump!


    His eyes shot open with force as instantly, a torrent of information was absorbed from the region, for a moment destabilising the ce.


    "What is happening?"


    "It''s that strange disturbance again."


    "Just what is this? I can''t seem to find any traces yet."


    "I can feel something, but I''m not sure yet."


    "No, remember that scene when we devoured Peddler."


    "Right, that worm!"


    Ahjar focused on his senses and was able to hear the conversations of Lore and Tell-Tale, amazed as he muttered, "Sentientws with self-governance and conscious evolution capabilities. That''s terrifying."


    He sighed, "This is what happens when two Main Characters wage their all. In that sense, I''m nothing but a bystander."


    "I can hear something. Listen closely!"


    "Is that what I think it is?"


    "Someone is seated here!"


    "He''s stealing our data!"


    "Quick! Stop him!"


    ''As expected, the moment I created such arge disturbance, they''ve begun to detect my existence. It''s only a matter of time before they assimte my entire being into their database.'' Ahjar chuckled wryly, "Lore, Tell-Tale, don''t hold it against me. I just want to survive. And hence, I''ll be taking some of your data with me."


    Boom!


    The converging data condensed within his body as for a moment, Ahjar mimicked Compass Carburettor. Not just appearance or energy signature, but Compass Carburettor, as a whole.


    In that instant, he fooled the senses of Lore and Tell-Tale, taking advantage of Compass Carburettor''s authority over them to use their powers on himself, giving life to the data condensed in his body.


    Of course, Lore and Tell-Tale came to their senses a momentter and broke free of his influence. But that one moment was enough as Ahjar''s body floated to the air as a concept was birthed in him, one of the oldest, the most primal of concepts established in the multiverse.


    Space!


    "I''m only regaining what was originally mine." Ahjar waved his hands towards the vast streams of power condensed by Faith Grounds in an effort to destroy him, "Sorry, I don''t wish to die."


    Instantly, a rule emanated from him, causing all the strength gathered by Faith Grounds to pause in ce for a moment, unable to be ovee easily.


    Tertiary Factor¡ªRestriction Order!


    ''Hmm, I''m able to hold back the functioning of Faith Grounds itself for a few seconds despite just gaining authority over the concept.'' Ahjar smiled contently, "Good, this means my powers will be effective against Zaira."


    The space where his body existed churned and blurred, causing his figure to vanish as Ahjar waved his hands at Lore and Tell-Tale, "It was nice meeting you."


    Primary Factor¡ªExploration!


    His figure escaped from the confines of Faith Grounds as he appeared in the void beyond it. Energy streams gushed out of Faith Grounds, intending to capture him. But an instantter, they returned to Faith Grounds.


    Ahjar stared at the entity hovering before him and chuckled wryly, "So you''vee, Compass."


    "Did I generate too muchmotion?"


    "You¡­" Compass Carburettor fragment stared at Ahjar, frowning at his appearance, one that seemed to be a fusion of himself and Arnark, "Who the fuck are you?"

 Chapter 1070 Slayer Wails

    Chapter 1070 yer Wails


    "Who the fuck are you?" Staring at Compass Carburettor fragment''s expression, Ahjar smiled pleasantly, "I''m me. Who else could I be?"


    "Really? Let''s see about that." The Compass Carburettor fragment slowly raised his hand and unleashed a wave of radiation, impacting Ahjar. But strangely, thetter was unaffected.


    "An alternate dimension?" Compass Carburettor fragment snapped his finger, causing some fundamental changes in the unleashed radiation as it leaked into the alternate dimension too. But despite that, Ahjar wasn''t affected.


    Thetter just erected another alternate dimension to flee towards and survive the effects of the radiation. Ahjar never retaliated but his fleeing abilities were exceptional.


    No matter how much Compass Carburettor fragment attacked, he was never injured. After jumping into another alternate dimension, Ahjar shouted, "Do you believe that I''m me now?"


    "Seems that way." Suddenly, a voice resounded from behind him, startling Ahjar who turned around to stare in a fluster, "M-Mystique?"


    "I''m not," Compass Carburettor said as he nudged the monocle on his right eye, adjusting it a little as he recalled his fragment attacking Ahjar before. "I tried to emte him a little. Seems it worked considering your fluster."


    "Anyway," He stared at Ahjar, "We have wasted enough time fighting. Let''s get going."


    "Wasted¡­?" Ahjar frowned when suddenly, he focused on his concept of Space, startled in response, "Wait, why couldn''t I remember anything that happened for the past minute?"


    "So, through the concept of Space, you''re able to perceive your timeline in its truest form." Compass Carburettor muttered, "That''s why you''re able to notice that your memories of the past minute have been erased."


    "Did you do something¡­?" Ahjar stared at Compass Carburettor as his attention fell on the monocle, going into a daze unconsciously before he brisked himself in fear, "What the heck is that?"


    "Guess?" Compass Carburettor grinned.


    ''Shit!'' Ahjar grunted in frustration, "Why is it like this even after I became the Concept Representative of Space?"


    "Purely in terms of our respective Concepts, you''re on a higher level than me." Compass Carburettor exined, "But in terms of ammunition, I''m stronger since I''ve developed my Concept on all fronts."


    "You, on the other hand, have only been using your concept in its empirical form."


    "You''re not wrong," Ahjar sighed as he stared at Compass Carburettor with puppy eyes, "Can you lend Lore and Tell-Tale for a short duration? I''ll be able to derive a lot of abilities using my concept too."


    "What do you think is my answer?" His eyes curled up as Compass Carburettor stared at Ahjar.


    ''Screw you!'' Ahjar sighed, realising that he would never receive such help.


    A concept was a rigid rule of the multiverse. Moulding it to produce a variety of abilities was impossible, at least, not without the help of Lore or Tell-Tale.


    This was why, the moment the Systems lost Tell-Tale, their evolution came to an end. Now, they could only tread through the paths already established before in the System World.


    Ahjar was confident in growing way stronger if he had the help of Lore or Tell-Tale. If both supported him, he would easily be the strongest. But of course, he could only dream about it.


    His previous actions of controlling them for a moment already pissed Compass Carburettor. The fact and heal fully, since he had the option of changing his inherent self through Lore and Tell-Tale.


    "They are freaking cheats," Ahjar eximed.


    "They are mine though." Compass Carburettor smiled, revealing all his teeth, "So, don''t touch them, alright?"


    "If you do, you won''t be around to witness Zaira''s despair."


    "Alright, alright, sheesh. You needn''t threaten me like that." Ahjar raised his hands in surrender as he then observed the void, muttering, "The timeline of Faith Grounds had been slowed down for so long, huh? So, they bought time for their schemes this way."


    "Yeah, and I''ve sped up Faith Grounds'' timeline to hasten your growth." Compass Carburettor said, watching the timeline of Faith Grounds gradually synchronise with the multiverse once all the essence of time from Zaira''s scheme was expended.


    Ahjar looked around, frowning when he was unable to find anyone else, "Wait, are we the only ones left?"


    "There''s also Hazen." Compass Carburettor said.


    "That''s it?" Ahjar facepalmed, "Man, so even yer fell victim to the Systems?"


    "He''s one of them now." Compass Carburettor said, "He became the Representative System. It''s through him the Systems can turn Genre Representatives into their Host."


    "Hmm¡­" Ahjar was startled at first before he frowned, closing his eyes to sense before heughed, "That dumbass."


    "Dumbass?" Compass Carburettor raised an eyebrow, "You know something I''m unaware of regarding this situation?"


    "yer is a special case, you see. He wished to stand on the same level as Systems. So, he had been umting some foot space in the three pinnacle concepts of time, space, and fate." Ahjar grinned, "He managed to obtain minuscule authority in each, which was how he managed to be a Grade 4 System."


    "But you see¡­" Ahjar cracked his knuckles and stretched his limbszily, "The Systems only have a monopoly over the concepts of time and fate. As for space,"


    He pointed at himself, "This grandpa controls it. So,"


    With a snort, he exhaled, exhibiting his authority over the concept of Space as immediately, a formless rule erupted within the multiverse, affecting only one individual, but the ripples of which would soon spread throughout the multiverse.


    ¡­


    "Eh?" yer was bbergasted when Mental Energy stopped flowing into him. A momentter, his foundation took a severe hit as the foot space he created for himself in the concept of Space vanished, depriving him of the qualifications to remain a Grade 4 System. As a result¡­


    Grade 4 System¡ªRepresentative (Level 312)!


    "Nooooooooo!" yer screamed like a dog that had been neutered without anaesthesia. After all, he lost his spot as a pinnacle entity.


    Grade 3 System¡ªRepresentative (Level 299)!

 Chapter 1071 Magister Breaks Free

    "No¡­nooo¡­What is happening? This shouldn''t be possible!" yer wailed in loss, staring at an insurmountable wall before him, one that he could never scale.


    This was the wall that prevented Grade 3 Systems from attaining Grade 4 status.


    Magister was calm as he observed the wails of the yer fragment fused to him. A minuteter, Magister opened his mouth slowly before yelling with guttural desperation, "Yeeeahhhhhhhhhhh!"


    "Wha¡­?" The sound was so ear-piercingly loud it echoed throughout the multiverse, inaudible to the various races, only perceivable by the likes of Genre Representatives, Systems, and any other entity on their level. Magister''s shout stunned yer, causing him to forget what had happened to him in a fluster.


    Boom!


    Magister stabbed his hand into his body as millions of magic circles formed on his hand like bangles as they spun rapidly before merging into a single, impossiblyplex magical circuit. Mana gushed out from the magic circuit andtched onto a certain entity that had seamlessly fused into his being.


    A momentter, Magister let out a maniacalugh, "I''ll leave it to you, my sessor!"


    Kaboom!


    Magister''s body exploded, resulting in his death. The torrent of mana from the magic circuittched onto the fragment of yer that was within Magister''s body and protected it from the explosion, sending it away, causing him to stare in shock, yelling, "M-Mad¡­Madman!"


    Magister killed himself but his mana acted as a protective membrane that defended yer''s fragment from the impact of the explosion. Ten universes were destroyed from the sheer impact of the explosion.


    But immediately, the connection between the System¡ªyer''s fragment¡ªand its Host¡ªMagister¡ªwere cut off. Immediately, the Magic Worlds whirred into life, seeping all their essence as in the next second, they birthed another Magister.


    This Magister had the same collective consciousnesses and abilities as the former, but they were different entities.


    A couple of seconds after Magister was born, he stared at the Representative System fragment before him in curiosity, stating calmly, "Say¡­Systems dissipate when exposed to the outside environment, right?"


    "Then, what type of environment would cause you to dissipate the fastest?" Magister tilted his head before grinning as he snapped his finger, unleashing a magic circle that erected an environment around them, "Only one way to find out."


    ''I should return!" The Representative System''s fragment thought as he intended to return to the System World. Unfortunately for him, Magister''s previous explosion destroyed ten universes, also eradicating the Astral Network in them.


    And at present, the nearby universes were still bracing from the impact of Magister''s explosion. So it would take a while before they expand enough to fill the void.


    It meant that until that happened, yer was helpless, having to suffer just to satiate Magister''s curiosity.


    Originally, his foundation as the Representative System was strong enough to turn even Magister into his Host. He was a Grade 4 System after all.


    But now, once he regressed into a Grade 3 System, he still could make Magister his Host. There was just one problem. Just a fragment of himself was no longer enough to handle Magister.


    He, yer, wholly as the Representative System would have to appear, only then would he have enough authority to be a System that Hosted Magister.


    That was why, when he regressed, the fragment within Magister wasn''t able to keep him in check. Of course, it wasn''t easy to break free from a System, not to mention a Grade 3 System at the peak like the Representative System.


    This was why Magistermitted suicide and prevented the Representative fragment''s death, to avoid their fused state from being considered as a union. This way, when the Magic Worlds birthed him, Representative wasn''t included, which allowed him to deal with thetter once he fully formed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It was a risky gamble, one that immensely weakened the foundations of all Magic Worlds, especially since Magister had been defeated just recently even after he had used a Genre Representation, for the second time in recent history.


    But taking risks and seeking death calctedly was the essence of a Magister. In the end, he seeded and managed to let go of his status as a System Host.


    With that, he took out his pent-up frustrations on the Representative System fragment before sealing it. This way, no information regarding this event would reach the System World.


    Even yer would be unaware that Magister had escaped from his grasp.


    "Hmm¡­I see, so that annoying bastard is now antagonist to the Systems, huh." Magister smiled and disappeared.


    ¡­


    "Yup, it''s done." Ahjar smiled casually, "yer has fallen to the level of a Grade 3 System now."


    He then stared at Compass Carburettor, "We have our differences, but I believe this is a good show of my sincerity, right? It''s a disy of gratitude for having employed the use of Lore and Tell-Tale for a moment in Faith Grounds."


    "We''ll be fighting on the same side," Compass Carburettor extended his hand and shook hands with Ahjar as his hold tightened, "But, we won''t be fighting side by side."


    "Don''t think for a moment I haven''t forgiven any of your past actions. None of this would have been an issue had you never turned Stencil into your Host."


    Yikes!


    Ahjar retracted his hand in a fluster and saw it beginning to rot. He severed it and regrew it anew by relying on the power supply from his concept.


    "Fine, I wasn''t hoping to fight alongside anyway¡­" He was interrupted by Magister''s roar, stunning the two individuals for the roar was ear-piercingly loud.


    "Something happened to Magister?" Compass Carburettor felt nervous for a moment before he thought of something and grabbed Ahjar and activated his boots.


    Universe Weapon¡ªBoots of Transmigration!


    The two arrived at a universe the farthest away from Faith Grounds. Compass Carburettor didn''t wish to reveal the location of Faith Grounds to anyone, especially a trigger-happy individual like Magister.


    As for Ahjar, he had formed ns to ensure the other party would never leak any details regarding Faith Grounds. It was the same scheme that he had used on Horan in the Magic World long ago.


    Phew!


    Letting out a breath of relief, Compass Carburettor patted Ahjar''s back casually as he turned around, staring at the individual that teleported before him.


    An old man with a bushy beard that relied upon a cane to walk, one whose baggy robes made it all the more difficult to move. Skin that resembled tree bark and a mouth that was eerily parted to the side, revealing a gleeful grin that would only terrify the recipient. His excited eyes stared at the duo before his gaze fell on Ahjar, "You fucker."


    "How the heck did you im Space?"

 Chapter 1072 Enema

    "How the heck did you im Space?"


    Hearing Magister''s shout of shock, Ahjar revealed a gleeful smirk, boasting calmly, "You know, even back in the day, I was called a heaven-defying prodigy. It''s only natural that the concept of Space is apt¡­"


    "Cut the bullshit!" Magister red at Ahjar as he extended his cane, intending to attack thetter, "I''ll kill you if you dare mess with me, sted System!"


    "Hey, HEY, hei!" Ahjar acted like a third-rate delinquent as he skipped over the void and appeared before Magister, looking down on thetter, "So what if I mess with you? What will you do? Bite me? You?"


    He sneered, "You mocked me by calling me a System. But weren''t you a helpless Host to one until now? Man, that was such a pitiful sight."


    "The grand Magister reduced to a mere System Host."


    Boom!


    Millions of magic circles red up as all sorts of magical abilities were activated. Space cracked as violent energy storms invaded through all means.


    Ahjar observed the fabric of reality being ripped apart by the attacks, destroying the parallel dimensions he created to hide within, forcing him to return to reality. But a momentter, all the damage was strangely erased from existence, as if it had never happened. The fabric of reality too returned to its original state.


    "I think it''s for the best if the two of you stop fighting." Compass Carburettor spoke calmly, having used the power of Dreamcraft to mend the damage. Even though he was calm, Lore and Tell-Tale were churning at full strength within him, disying his intent to destroy the two if they got on his nerves.


    He stared at Magister and let out a smile, "I believe you have something to say to me?"


    "I have nothing to say," Magister calmed down and shrugged casually, "All your beef was with the previous Magister. That person is dead. I''m the recement."


    "Rather convenient, right?" Compass Carburettor chuckled.


    "Of course," Magister grinned, "Why don''t we start with a clean te?"


    "Sure, I don''t mind." Compass Carburettor extended his hand for a shake, "We both wish to destroy the Systems. So, let''s not distract ourselves until our work is done."


    ''This bitch, I didn''t forget your attack on Stencil. I''ll destroy you once we''re done with the Systems.'' Compass Carburettor let out a ''genuine'' smile as he shook hands with Magister.


    From the side, Ahjar stared at Compass Carburettor''s expression, thinking while sweating internally, ''Yup, he''s signed Magister''s death warrant.''


    ''Well, let''s not worry about something like that. I need to find a safe haven to escape his sightter.'' Ahjar had his own ns. Of course, he wished to survive.


    "Anyway," Magister stared at Ahjar, "Thanks to your actions, the Representative System regressed to Grade 3 status, which helped me to break free of its control."


    "I know I''m awesome. You don''t need to lick my ass." Ahjar waved his hand casually, pissing Magister off as the two entered a ring contest immediately.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''This guy¡­'' Compass Carburettor frowned as he stared at Ahjar, ''When I was first brought to the System World, he was damn arrogant. I was like an ant to him back then. When I met him again as the Main Character System, he behaved meekly, because by then, I had enough power to destroy the Money-Making System. And in Faith Grounds, he behaved as my staunchest ally as if to win my favour.''


    ''Now,'' He observed Ahjar''s interaction with Magister, ''Since he''s be the Concept Representative of Space, he''s cocky. But, he''s still listening to me because we have amon goal.''


    Compass Carburettor concluded Ahjar''s character. To survive, when in a predicament, Ahjar would throw away morality, pride, and anything else he possessed. And when he has a superior position, he''ll unt his arrogance to the extreme.


    Most of all, he wouldn''t even feel an ounce of shame in either situation. ''Truly, he''s the embodiment of an unscrupulous merchant.''


    But, it also allowed Compass Carburettor to determine one thing. As long as he was strong enough, Ahjar wouldn''t be his enemy. It was a reassuring trait.


    Of course, that could never be said for Magister. A Genre Representative could never be counted upon, especially since it was possible to influence them and make them sit on the fence, which was what the Systems relied upon to grow all along.


    The moment a Genre Representative intended to deal with them, the Systems rapidly poured in resources to strengthen the foundation of a world whose collective consciousness contradicted the Genre Representative''s controlling collective consciousness. It caused a sh between the two and at times, thetter even dominated.


    This way, the Genre Representative never acted against the Systems. It was thanks to this genius technique that the Systems developed to be such a powerful hegemony.


    Of course, it was also possible only because of the resources they gathered. It was this financial flex that allowed them to y a game of chess with the Genre Representatives and emerge victorious in the end.


    Even if Compass Carburettor were to ally with Magister, the Systems could easily use the same method to render Magister useless or even turn Magister against him.


    First, the Systems were way stronger at present. Second, Magister wasn''t as strong as in his past, having been significantly weakened after unleashing his Genre Representation twice and getting deprived of all strength once he became a System Host.


    ''In the end, Magister cannot be counted upon. In that line of thought, no Genre Representative can be a true ally.'' Compass Carburettor sighed, ''Only Concept Representatives have enough individual freedom to face the Systems. Unfortunately, there''s just me and Ahjar among us.''


    ''I hope Hazen surprises me.'' Thinking as such, he focused on the Compass Carburettor fragment that apanied Hazen, smiling upon sensing the changes there.


    He stared at Ahjar and Magister, "Let''s go meet our final member. He''s done with his preparations."


    "Let me transport us," Saying so, Ahjar snapped his finger, surprising Compass Carburettor and Magister when they appeared next to Hazen. There wasn''t even a flicker of energy. It was done in absolute silence.


    "Space¡­" Magister muttered solemnly before he directed his gaze towards Hazen, observing the energy circting with thetter in shock, "Wait, this energy¡­"


    "It can naturally eliminate the Systems?" Magister approached Hazen and asked with a heated gaze, "What is it called?"


    "This¡­?" Hazen condensed a sphere of energy on the palm of his hand as he let out a calm exhtion, having just consumed the Cultivation World, "Enema."


    "The energy cultivated for the sole purpose of eliminating Systems."

 Chapter 1073 Goddamn Moron

    "Shit! Shit! Shit!" yer was bbergasted the moment his level dropped to 299. Normally, even if his level were to drop, he wouldn''t be flustered, for it was just a matter of Mental Energy requirement to regain the lost levels.


    The only problem were the bottleneck levels: 100, 200, and 300. Attaining that required a qualitative change, which was hard to achieve once lost. As for the current him, attaining level 300 was impossible.


    After all, he lost it, the qualification to be a Grade 4 System.


    "Zaira! Zaira!" yer bellowed the moment he arrived at the System World, observing the Mental Energy condense into the figure of Zaira before him as he said in a fluster, "W-What should we do now?"


    ''This state of mind he disys¡­'' Zaira sighed, ''The old Gilthru wouldn''t have allowed it to get to his head. He would have concealed himself further to umte strength once again.''


    ''It seems just like Conjurer, he too has lost his edge after bing a System.'' This was the first thought that she had after observing yer''s mental state.


    A System was designated by its existence¡ªCore Skill. Whether it be in terms of abilities, potential, mental state, or even intelligence. Everything was decided by its Core Skill.


    In that, when yer became the Representative System, his mind turned into just that, a representative. As a System, he represented the will of the System World and enved the Genre Representatives.


    As the Representative System, he collected Mental Energy from the Genre Representatives that were his Hosts. Due to that, he was muddled by their influence and lost his original sharpness.


    Originally, Zaira wasn''t too bothered by it. After all, the advantages far outweighed the disadvantages. Through the Representative System, she would be able to control the Genre Representatives too.


    And it was the right decision, for even now, despite the Representative System being weakened to Grade 3, the amount of Mental Energy streaming into the System World through it was the highest, far exceeding even the Grade 4 Systems.


    It was a shame that the Representative System was no longer at Grade 4, but that didn''t hinder her ns in any way whatsoever. After all, thanks to the torrent of Mental Energy she was umting, the number of Systems birthed in the System World surpassed all records.


    Moreover, arge number of Grade 1 Systems reached the peak and started a hunt among their Genres, eventually reaching Grade 2 upon victory.


    Zaira was assisting the growth of every important System personally. Moreover, she even recreated the Grade 1 System versions of the fallen Grade 2 Systems. With that, the respective genres would eventually reach Grade 2 and take the ce of the original.


    It was all thanks to the Representative System.


    "Calm down," Zaira said without a change in expression, "It''s a pity that you lost your Grade 4 qualifications, but you''re still at the peak of Grade 3. All you need is that authority over space that you''recking. Once we steal arge portion of Technocraft''s authority, it''ll make up for the lost authority of Space."


    "It''s not the Concept of Space, but it can make up for it." Zaira said, "I can infuse the relevant data in you and recover your Grade 4 Status. So, don''t be depressed."


    "It''s not just that," yer sighed in worry, "My condition means that someone has upied the seat of the Concept of Space. That''ll put a wrench in our ns since we were nning to upy it."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "It means there''s now an enemy that represents the Concept of Space." yer expressed his frustration, "This timing can only mean Compass has emerged."


    "Even he cannot attain authority over the Concept of Space." Zaira said, "If it were that easy, we would have gained it ages ago, since until recently, Tell-Tale was still with us."


    "Then, just who could it be?" yer frowned, "Who else has the power to gain it? Hazen?"


    "He doesn''t even have any abilities of space. He''s the farthest from getting such a thing." Zaira closed her eyes and thought, recalling the face of a certain individual that dered disappointment at her, "Impossible¡­"


    Seeing her reaction, yer thought before saying, "Adventure¡­?"


    "If it''s him, it makes sense." Zaira sighed, "Adventure was the first Grade 4 System and represented the concept of Space. As long as he obtained some benefit from the fight of the Main Characters, he might have created a channel to regain his authority over Space. It was his from the start."


    "Dammit, if only that implosion of the past hadn''t destroyed part of the System World where the data regarding Adventure System was stored." Zaira regretted. But, there was nothing that could be done about this. The situation had progressed to this point.


    Now, the only avable choice was to destroy Adventure and elerate the growth of the transportation genre in her Systems. She had been investing heavily in them and hence, the transportation genre had already fused and attained Grade 2.


    As long as she brings it to level 299, once she kills Adventure, she could promote it to Grade 4 and finally seize the concept of Space for herself. When that happens, none in the multiverse would be her opponent, including Mystique.


    So, even though Adventure returning as the Concept Representative of Space was bad news, she had solutions in ce for it. The same thing could also be said for Compass Carburettor.


    After all, she had powerful Genre Representatives on her side who could be controlled through the Representative System. They would attack him until he runs dry of all power. Moreover, Fate System was also there to get things done decisively.


    She had four Grade 4 Systems on her side, her army of Systems numbered the highest in history, and her reserve of Mental Energy too was the greatest. Truly, the System World was in its strongest state since its inception.


    She was already gearing up to fight Technocraft and Mascot, having also begun preparations to face Mystique. So, there was no reason for her to spoil her mood. This was why she wasn''t affected despite the bad news.


    Of course, that was only until yer stated the finale of bad news, "Also, I cannot sense my fragment in Magister following his shout. I''m afraid Magister has broken free."


    Boom!


    Zaira sted him away as she raged, "You goddamn moron!"

 Chapter 1074 Two Anchor Points

    "So, who are we targeting first?" Ahjar asked as he stared at the faces of Compass Carburettor, Hazen, and Magister in order. "It''s Fate System, right?"


    "That is who behaves as Zaira''s eyes and ears now."


    "Yeah, he''s the most dangerous of everyone." Compass Carburettor stated solemnly as he looked at Magister, "Can you reinforce either Mascot or Technocraft? Try to make them face the Systems. Just pressure them a bit and stall for time."


    "That''ll be hard with just us." Magister said truthfully, expressing his helplessness, "At present, only four Genre Representatives are free. Everyone else is being controlled by the Systems now. Previously, they overwhelmed me. Even when I unleashed my Genre Representation, I was still defeated by them."


    "If they were to swarm either Technocraft or Mascot, it''ll be dangerous. Mascot still has Immortal''s army to support her, but that''s only in the case she''s facing the Genre Representatives. Add three or four Grade 3 Systems to the mix and she''ll be defeated in no time." He continued, "Currently, the Systems have that freedom of waging war, since their enemies have be just a mere handful."


    "You''re talking boastful shit for a helpless oldie." Ahjar mocked, "Can you or can you not assist them?"


    "Fucker, I can!" Magister red as his appearance changed, morphing into a young wizard. The collective consciousness taking the helm changed and it decided to alter his appearance.


    A Genre Representative didn''t have a fixed appearance, gender, or race. They just generally assumed the appearance of a human male, since that was the general constant in most worlds.


    "Don''t you daree anywhere near my Magic Worlds. I''ll bury you in an experimental pod and subject you to experiments for eternity." Saying so, Magister vanished, intending to assist either Mascot or Technocraft, depending on who nned to face the Systems first.


    "This fossil seems to have forgotten that I was born in a Magic World." Ahjar snorted, acting displeased. But the moment Magister vanished, his expression turned calm instantly as he stared at Compass Carburettor, "We''re targeting the System World, right?"


    "Pretty much," Compass Carburettor nodded. He and Ahjar were on the same wavelength of thought, knowing where to strike first to deal the maximum damage.


    They acted like they intended to deal with the Fate System first just to give a false message to Magister. They didn''t trust him in the slightest.


    After all, it wasn''t guaranteed that there weren''t spies in him.


    Collective Consciousness!


    Suppose a Grade 3 System rted to the Magic Genre transformed a world enough that it wasn''t under the control of the Systems but still within Magister''s sphere of influence, the resulting collective consciousness from that world would mostly be dominated by the Systems.


    As long as it was within Magister''s sphere of influence, the Systems could shape this transformed world to affect the collective consciousness. Thereby, they could influence the collective consciousness battle within Magister.


    It might not have been possible in the past, but with Fate System at y now, there was a definite possibility. After all, through the memories Hazen showed, the moment the Fate System arrived within the Serpent Universe, he gained a copy of the key that allowed him to control it.


    It meant that at any moment, the data known by Magister could be leaked to the Systems. This was why Compass Carburettor brought Ahjar to some random corner the moment he felt Magister would try seeking them.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He didn''t wish to divulge the location of Faith Grounds, the world that was constantly reinforcing his Lore and Tell-Tale.


    Moreover, his fragment apanying Hazen had alreadymunicated the details to him beforehand. And hence, Hazen had used his powers of the mind to erase Magister''s recent memories.


    Only the important data had been wiped out. Magister still remembered some of their conversations and their n to take out the Fate System.


    As for Hazen''s powers, Compass Carburettor''s actions, and Ahjar''s space powers, all were eliminated from Magister''s mind. Recing them was falsified data that would eventually help them if it was leaked to the Systems.


    Had Magister been in his prime, this would have never worked. But in his weakened state, he was fair game to Hazen''s mind maniption, especially since he had cracked the code regarding collective consciousness.


    The trio of Compass Carburettor, Ahjar, and Hazen were ready to attack the System World now as they discussed their targets.


    "I can camp in their minds even while dispersing myself into numerous selves of mine." Hazen scratched his cheek, "But I''ll put that on hold until we finalise our objective. Just damaging them wouldn''t be enough. They''ll recover and continue to grow."


    "Compass," Ahjar said after a moment of thought, "Will you face yourpanions or avoid them?"


    "I''ll avoid them," Compass Carburettor replied immediately, "To change their inherent nature, the System World shouldn''t exist. Until then, I''ll avoid them like the gue."


    "Then, there''s one option." Hazen hesitated for a moment before saying, "Regression, Reincarnation, and Transmigration¡­"


    He made eye contact with Compass Carburettor, "What if you devoured the powers of all three? Using that, I''ll be able to send you through your timeline to the past."


    "Not your past, but Arnark''s past." He continued, "At present, you have Arnark''s data right, including his history, fate, and timeline. With Lore, you can create an anchor point in Arnark''s past and through Tell-Tale, you can unleash the power of the three time-based Grade 4 Systems and transform yourself into a version that can travel to the past."


    "As long as you kill Zaira there, the System World would cease to exist."


    "It just wouldn''t work." Compass Carburettor shook his head, "I''ll be affecting the cause and effect of the System World that spans through a timeline of billions of years. Making such a change is impossible, even if Zaira herself uses all her power, not to mention individuals like us. Even if I seed, it''ll only cause the multiverse to copse."


    "That is unless I intervene," Ahjar grinned confidently, "I can create two anchor points of space, one in past and one in the present. All you need to do is give Zaira a minor wound. I can then manifest it through the anchor point of the present. It''ll create a fracturerge enough to destroy the System World."


    "Of course, the fate of the System World itself would be flowing to the anchor point of the past to restrain you. So, I''m not sure if you''ll be able to even scratch Zaira. But, it''s still a reasonable n." Saying so, Ahjar stared at Compass Carburettor, "What do you say?"


    "Isn''t it worth an attempt?"

 Chapter 1075 War-Within!

    "To do this, I''ll have to first devour Regression, Reincarnation, and Transmigration." Compass Carburettor neither acknowledged nor denied their n. Instead, he spoke of the first step that they needed to finish, "There are three of us and there are three Grade 4 Systems that we need to target. So, our n of action is simple if we consider the System World as an empire and the Grade 4 Systems as Princes."


    War-Within!


    Ahjar''s eyes lit up as he grinned in excitement, "Alright, I''ll ready the troops among the Grade 3 Systems."


    "Yeah, with the power you stole from Faith Grounds, it should be possible." Compass Carburettor nodded, "Just focus on the Grade 3 Systems."


    "Hey, that power was originally mine. It was something I umted data for millions of years while struggling as a Hatchling System." Ahjarined.


    Upon seeing Compass Carburettor just stare at him with a in smile, Ahjar dropped the matter. An argument would take them nowhere. Besides, it was best to not trigger Compass Carburettor anymore than he already did. ''This guy is barely acting as an individual. He''s a mental mess just like Mystique. Let''s not push him past that point.''


    "Influence their actions and make them form camps in regards to Regression, Reincarnation, and Transmigration." Compass Carburettor advised.


    "I''ll act upon the Grade 2 Systems." Hazen said, "Even when split up, I''ll have enough power to influence their minds."


    "Just act on those. For any other details, I''ll pass it through the Astral Network." Compass Carburettor said calmly, shocking the two.


    "W-Wait, did I hear that correctly?" Ahjar stuttered at the absurdity of the notion as he asked, "You willmunicate through the Astral Network? Wouldn''t that just reveal everything to Zaira? She basically knows everything that happens there."


    "Secret Society," Compass Carburettor smiled as he casually tapped Ahjar with his left hand, causing the ring on it to shine once.


    Gah!


    Ahjar stared at Compass Carburettor, feeling betrayed as all sorts of expressions formed on his face. He clutched his neck, choking on something as intense power burst out of his body.


    His figure vanished, teleporting somewhere.


    Compass Carburettor wasn''t concerned as he just adjusted the monocle, causing it to glint as he waited patiently. A few secondster, Ahjar returned, his expression calm.


    He extended his right hand and ced it on his chest, making the symbol of ''C'' while bringing the left hand to his back where it too made a symbol of ''C.'' When viewed without his blocking the view, the two hands formed the symbol of ''C'' that were tangentially joined--the symbol of Secret Society.


    Basically, Ahjar had been forcefully turned into a member. Even when thetter tried to resist, he didn''t have the means or methods to do so.


    In terms of pure power, he outssed Compass Carburettor. But, he had just gained his power from the data he stole from Faith Grounds. He was like a baby and hadn''t umted any other powers yet.


    Hence, he couldn''t defend against the power of Secret Society.


    Unlike the original where it was only possible on someone devoted to him above a certain level, Compass Carburettor could basically force it on someone, simr to using the power of ve-Harem.


    Coupling it with his Universe Weapon of Hate Erasure--monocle--that erased any negative memories regarding himself, it would be impossible for Ahjar to break free.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Moreover, once Ahjar fell under his control, Compass Carburettor grabbed thetter by the neck and seeped in the power of Tell-Tale, expanding the control of Secret Society to ensure Ahjar would never break free of it.


    "Secret...Society?" Hazen was stunned as he observed the scene, "Why...did you bring it out?"


    "Guess?" Compass Carburettor smiled, frightening Hazen as thetter''s figure instinctively flickered as he wished to flee through his timeline.


    Unfortunately for him, the space in the region was locked, preventing him from escaping as Ahjar acted against him. Hazen tried to use his other abilities but Ahjar constantly sent him to alternate dimensions, preventing his powers from even touching Compass Carburettor and Ahjar.


    Originally, if not for the Universe Weapon--Suit of Mortality--concealing him, Ahjar would have at least reacted to him. But in his senses, Compass Carburettor appeared absolutely normal, which confused him for an instant when he acted.


    But, Ahjar had always been on guard against Compass Carburettor. So, the moment thetter acted against him, he reacted.


    Unfortunately, that too was a trap, as when he reacted, he expressed negative sentiment towards Compass Carburettor, which immediately caused him to be a victim to his monocle, hence losing his recent memories.


    This paused his action, which was why when Compass Carburettor tapped him, Ahjar didn''t react. So many abilities had gone off in that short instant, leading to Compass Carburettor''s victory.


    "We branched off from the same individual. Is this really necessary?" Hazen shouted.


    "Our timelines aren''t the same, thanks to you." Compass Carburettor stated casually, "Besides, the both of you are my contingency. So, this is necessary."


    Compass Carburettor extended his hand in a random direction, but suddenly, at the end of his reach was Hazen, having been brought there by Ahjar. It was abrupt and just as with Ahjar, Hazen fell prey to the same set of traps.


    And in the end, Compass Carburettor patted him with his left hand, turning him too into a member of Secret Society.


    Swoosh!


    Compass Carburettor stared at the ring in shock, watching the light it emitted be iparably dull, "An entire universe''s energy reserve was depleted just to turn you two into members of Secret Society."


    "Well, it''s worth the cost." Compass Carburettor smiled as he stared at the two, "Now that we''re all members, we canmunicate through Secret Society. Through Tell-Tale, I''ll install a virus in the Astral Network. It''ll create a backdoor channel that''s exclusive for our use. We''llmunicate through it."


    "I''ll be dealing with the Grade 3 Systems and Hazen will take care of the Grade 2 Systems." Ajar spoke just like before as he stared at Compass Carburettor, "But, what will you do?"


    "Simple," Compass Carburettor smiled, "I''ll be expanding the Secret Society."


    "Where?" Hazen asked.


    "Everywhere." Came the reply.

 Chapter 1076 Ahjar’s Might (Part 1)

    "Your power of Secret Society has been enhanced to the extreme. In this case," Hazen said after a moment of thought as he inspected himself objectively, "Can''t you straight up use it on Stencil? Wouldn''t that solve everything?"


    "I don''t think you''re someone that worries about her race as even before this, she was the Dragon of Systems. It had been a long time since she wasst human."


    "If I could solve it through Secret Society, I wouldn''t have to worry in the first ce." Compass Carburettor sighed, "Secret Society has one weakness."


    "A weakness?" Hazen was surprised, "It has something like that?"


    "Yes, naturally." Compass Carburettor smiled wryly, "I can only turn someone into a member when they are whole."


    "This means¡­" Hazen''s expression warped as he muttered, "Then, would that mean if I had fragmented myself before, you would have failed in turning me into a member?"


    "Pretty much," Compass Carburettor nodded.


    "Why is it like this?" Hazen frowned, "I don''t think Secret Society had such a restriction when you were the Main Character System."


    "It''s thanks to my trait of purity and stealing immunity." Compass Carburettor patted himself, "All my powers are purely under myplete control. Moreover, my abilities copse on their own the moment someone other than me wields them."


    "As a result, if I were to target a Grade 2 System or above, they obviously remain in a fragmented state. That means part of them are under me and the remainder is still a System under Zaira''s authority." He sighed, "As a result, my own powers would destroy the System fragment that''s a Secret Society member."


    "I see," Ahjar muttered in realisation, "You wished to ensure your powers can never be stolen. But as a result, it opened such a weakness."


    "That''s not all," Compass Carburettor red at Ahjar once before continuing, "Even if I turn a System into a Secret Society member, Zaira still has the data regarding that System. This means she would be able to hijack into Secret Society."


    "There are no guarantees, huh." Ahjar nodded.


    "Indeed," Compass Carburettor nodded, "I may be strong, but my powers aren''t absolute. Killing Systems are fine, since my methods also erase their data in the System World. But everything else is a whole new ying field where Zaira holds superiority."


    "Also," Ahjar pointed out another problem, "Fate System might notice the changes. It''s a Grade 4 System, we can''t underestimate it."


    "Yes, there''s no guarantee that Secret Society can remain hidden under the Fate System''s senses for long." Compass Carburettor nodded, "Therefore, I won''t be using it on Systems."


    "Even for the both of you, keep things to a minimal." He warned them, "Don''t do anything excessive that might alert the Fate System."


    "I know about Systems the best," Ahjar snorted as he fist-bumped Hazen and Compass Carburettor, "Then, we''ll talkter."


    His figure vanished and stealthily appeared in the void of a universe where a System was taking over a world.


    Grade 3 System¡ªMonarch (Level 242)!


    ''This is suitable prey.'' Thinking as such, Ahjar activated his power. As he was within an alternate dimension, the Monarch System didn''t sense his existence. Moreover, it was currently preupied with taking over the world.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    This was a Grade 3 System''s most vulnerable state, which was why Ahjar arrived at the opportune moment. He knew when a System was the weakest, for he was once a Grade 4 System himself.


    Secondary Factor¡ªShadow!


    Ahjar activated his power through the Concept of Space as his figure entered the Monarch System''s body. Basically, he turned it into his Host.


    This was the exact same power used by Systems. No native had a say in whether or not a System entered their body. It was a concept employed by the Systems at their sole discretion.


    Originally, when they were developing this power system while embarking on the path of a System, it was Adventure System that created the means through which a System turned a native into a Host.


    And now, employing the topmost concept of the multiverse, Ahjar turned the Monarch System into his Host. Most of all, the Monarch System wasn''t even aware of this.


    Currently, Ahjar had four abilities in total. His Primary Factor embodied his entire journey, starting from his status as the Adventure System to when he hopped and became different Hatchling Systems.


    Primary Factor¡ªExploration!


    It allowed him to travel anywhere he pleased, whether it was a point in space or a position within the body of someone. He faced no restrictions, for he had been umting strength regarding this throughout his entire life. It was thanks to this that he hopped Systems and was also able to avoid Lore and Tell-Tale in Faith Grounds.


    His Secondary Factor of Shadow was straight up the power he condensed as the Secondary System. Now fuelled by the concept of Space, it was on a whole other level, capable of hiding even within Grade 3 Systems.


    Once he had fused with the Monarch System, Ahjar calmly gathered all data regarding its abilities and observed what it did with the world.


    And then, he slightly tweaked the essence of the world, causing the natives that adapted to the new power system to gain a couple of minor quirks.


    Depending on the type of world it was originally, even when a Grade 3 System uses its Core Skills, the world would only progress ordingly, influenced by its Core Skill to proceed naturally from its original state.


    A technological world when introduced with the Apocalypse System''s Core Skill would create a scenario where people would roam the ruins of the city with guns. Even though society had copsed, its knowledge didn''t.


    So, over time, the survivors would recreate the technology, this time integrating with the introduced power system. A gun would function the same as before, but this time, a Zombie Core would be used to fuel its activation, same forputers, cars, etc.


    The technological essence wouldn''t entirely vanish.


    Simrly, if a cultivation world was influenced by the Apocalypse System''s Core Skill, the survivors would eventually erect Sects and ns.


    Moreover, they would figure out a new mode of cultivation that relies upon the factors that caused the apocalypse in the first ce.


    Both worlds were influenced by the same Core Skill, but their direction into an apocalyptic scenario is different. So, all worlds derive new results under the same Core Skills.


    Therefore, the Monarch System didn''t notice anything amiss with the power system created in the world. The tweaks were very minor, after all.

 Chapter 1077 Ahjar’s Might (Part 2)

    "This is the rise of a new era!" A bandit, apanied by a group of twenty thugs sauntered into a luxurious household, kicking down the iron gates casually.


    The one at the lead wore a reddish crown, one that strengthened him beyond human levels. He carried a sabre that weighed thirty kilograms, a weight that wasn''t wieldable. But in his hands, it was akin to a thin wooden stick as it freely moved as he deemed fit.


    Boom!


    With a snort, he iled the sabre, shredding three guards into severed pulp, roaring in excitement, "Kill all the men and capture the women. We''ll have a feast tonight."


    "Please, spare me." A guard shouted, clutching his severed hand as he crawled backwards in fear. He stared at the bandit as if he were a monster.


    "Nope," The bandit grinned and brought down the sabre, painting the ground crimson. He looked around, watching the masters of the household huddled deep in the estate, "That''s our next target."


    They killed their way through the pack of guards as the bandit was unstoppable. Soon, they arrived before the main hall of the estate, one where all the people of importance had taken refuge.


    Grinning with a bloodthirsty gaze, the bandit joined his hands together and lifted the sabre slowly. And then, followed by a guttural bellow, he mmed it down on the wall, cleaving it into two.


    Kyaa!


    The women and children within the hall screamed in fright as the men there rushed at the bandit, brandishing their swords and spears.


    ng!


    Within a couple of minutes, all the men were cleaved by the bandit.


    "Hehe!" One of the thugs stared at a well-developed woman while licking his lips, "Boss, she''s my target."


    "Wait," The bandit frowned all of a sudden, despite securing victory. He stared at the faces of everyone in the hall and said in suspicion, "None of them is from the main family. They''re all from the branch families."


    He approached an olddy, motioning for the thugs to tie up the rest, "Do you have something to say to me?"


    "Drop dead!" The olddy spat on his face.


    "If you refuse to tell the location of the main family, it doesn''t matter." The bandit lifted his sabre, intending to cleave the olddy into two, "I can always ask the others."


    "I''m confident in my interrogation skills¡­"


    "Stop!" A feminine shout resounded aloud as a girl appeared behind the thugs all of a sudden. She seemed around sixteen to seventeen years old, carrying an arm-length bow. Slung on her hip was a whip.


    Her stature was pretty petite and she was short for her age. But, there wasn''t an ounce of fear in her expression as she red at the thugs, "Don''t target the innocents, you trash. Come fight me if you dare."


    Hearing her loud shout, the bandit blocked his ears in irritation, "For such a small girl, she sure has a loud voice."


    "No, Lady Flonna! Please, you need to escape." The captives in the hall shouted in despair the moment they saw the girl, "You''re the sole survivor of the main family."


    "You need to continue our family''s legacy¡­"


    "So, she''s from the main family." The bandit grinned, "As long as I make her mine, this entire city would be mine through legitimacy."


    "Boss, let me capture her." The perverted thug from before stepped forward, staring at the girl with a heated gaze.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Sure," The bandit said casually, "Don''t kill her."


    "I know, boss¡­" The thug had just spoken when his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Pierced halfway up to the shaft in his forehead was an arrow, too fast to even realise what had happened.


    Guh!


    Kaah!


    Argh!


    Three more thugs copsed at the same time as the girl, Flonna tugged the bowstring. She slowly removed the drape covering her head, revealing a golden crown, one that seemed to be embedded in her head, ethereal in nature.


    The moment it was revealed, a blinding light shot out from her, reaching the skies.


    "Her Majesty is alive!" Amoner far away stared at the beam of light and eximed instinctively. He prostrated on the ground, ignoring the mud that dirtied his clothes.


    Like a domino effect, everyone on the streets prostrated towards the beam of light, further reinforcing it.


    Flonna nocked another arrow and aimed at the bandit, releasing it calmly, "Die!"


    "No¡­!" The bandit couldn''t even react. He put up his sabre to guard against the arrow, gasping in despair when the arrow pierced through his treasured sabre like it was paper and punctured his body.


    An instantter, a sonic boom erupted as the arrow had actually broken the sound barrier, the resulting vapour cone rupturing the bandit into blood mist.


    The terrifying bandit was killed instantly, terrifying the thugs that lost all their will to fight.


    "Guards!" Flonna shouted as a group of armed men rushed in at hermand, "Execute these thugs!"


    The thugs had already lost their fighting spirit and hence were ughtered easily. With that, Flonna sessfully culled the chaos and took up the throne as the city''s ruler, announcing to all her citizens, "I''m your Monarch!"


    The crown on her head became further reinforced when everyone in the city submitted to her rule. This was the power system introduced by the Monarch System, one where people became monarchs as long as at least one human submitted to them.


    The moment they were recognised as a monarch by at least one person, a crown would form on their heads, granting them strength. This strength gain was directly proportional to the number of people that had submitted to them.


    Therefore, it was a contest of numbers, with deceit and betrayal ever-present. After all, anyone could be a monarch and attain strength to destroy buildings, be impervious to des, immune to poison, etc.


    The power system was as intended by the Monarch System, but what it didn''t sense was a small quirk.


    Seated on her seat, Flonna ruled her city. Years passed and the semnce of power became deeply ingrained in her, especially since the fate of everyone in the city was decided by a word from her.


    One certain day, Flonna was deep in meditation, staring at the screen that appeared before her.


    <Ding!>


    [Pay a tribute and gain a Skill]

 Chapter 1078 Ahjar’s Might (Part 3)

    "A tribute¡­?" Flonna thought as she focused on herself, observing her mind be strained immediately. Thoughts shed at ten times the usual speed, mentally exhausting her.


    What she had experienced in the past, the strongest of her emotions, etc. were churned to generate Mental Energy that flowed out of her as a stream and vanished.


    An hourter, the tribute ended as the memories in her surged and condensed into an experience.


    Flonna took a step forward and was surprised to see a depression form on the floor. It was an imprint perfectly outlining her feet, etched a centimetre deep.


    She wasn''t capable of this before. If she focused her strength, she could of course shatter the floor. Thanks to her powers, she had overwhelming strength. But, having such finesse in control to only imprint an impression of her feet was a feat of the legends.


    After all, to attain such a level of muscle control, she would have had to train for decades or if not all her life. Flonna was now able to perfectly control her strength, able to make use of her strengthened physique to even perform delicate activities like embroidery.


    She had been capable of it in the past. But once the crown formed on her head, the rise in strength prevented her from doing it. A slight tug ripped apart the fabric, the needle bent when it pricked her finger by mistake. All she ended up creating were rags.


    But now, Flonna smiled happily, watching her hands turn into a blur as she finished sewing an borate set of embroidery within short few minutes. This was work that would have taken her weeks before.


    "I''m satisfied with this Skill!" She closed her eyes in prayer.


    It wasn''t just Flonna that received such a prompt but pretty much every monarch of importance. And of course, they all paid the tribute.


    ''Good!'' Ahjar grinned once he received all the Mental Energy generated from the tribute. He kneaded them like dough and inserted them into the Monarch System''s coordinate, slightly influencing its Core Skill.


    Like a ma attracting iron filings, the Coordinate began to attract certain fragments of Mental Energy stored in its body, absorbing them all. A yearter, the Monarch System was surprised, "Eh?"


    Passive Skill¡ªMind of a Monarch (Level 200)!


    His Core Skill gave birth to a derivative skill, further strengthening the Monarch System.


    When Systems attained high-quality Mental Energy and umted a lot of other necessary factors, their Core Skills would derive a Skill. This straight-up reinforced the System to unprecedented levels.


    Usually among Grade 1 Systems, the System that manages to derive a Skill ends up bing so strong that it swallows all the other Systems part of its genre and eventually enters Grade 2.


    The Monarch System wasn''t lucky during its time as a Grade 1 System. So, it didn''t possess anything other than its Core Skill. But, it did have the advantage of being the first of its genre.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    So, by the time the second System was birthed in its genre, its level had already reached the eighties, allowing it to easily hunt them. As a result, it reached Grade 2, and eventually, it attained its current height.


    But, even though it was at Grade 3, the Monarch System didn''t get along well with the other Grade 3 Systems, since it couldn''t work well with them. Usually, Grade 3 Systems worked in pairs.


    The best example would be the Waning Essence System and World Spirit System. The former caused the cultivation world to be deprived of its ambient energy while thetter caused a world to be a cultivation world.


    They formed the perfect duo that could take turns changing worlds and gather plenty of Mental Energy.


    But the Monarch System wasn''t lucky in this regard. There wasn''t a suitable Grade 3 System that could take on the world it had influenced, especially since the effects were longsting. Moreover, since all its powers did was bring about the era of warring states, even when the other Grade 3 Systems took on such worlds, it was hard to make changes that weren''t still influenced by the warring states'' ideology.


    It wasn''t as if it was impossible for a Grade 3 System to change itpletely, just that it took longer and consumed more Mental Energy to do so. Moreover, thanks to the Monarch System''s actions, most of the Mental Energy would be focused on the rulers, even in a changed era.


    Therefore, the overall Mental Energy generated by such worlds wasn''t optimal. If a Grade 3 System wasn''t careful, it would actually make a loss. It was all economics for the Systems, as they were pretty much merchant-like.


    Moreover, among Systems, Grade 2 and above, there existed two factions. The first was a faction that derived new results from their Core Skill, such as a Derived Skill, Assistant Skill, Passive Skill, etc.


    The second batch was deemed inferior, having only their Core Skill to rely upon. The Monarch System was among them, but no more, since it derived a new Skill, a Passive Skill at that.


    This resulted in changes to itself at an intrinsic level, after all, its Core Skill evolved. This evolution also affected its mind, which was normal for Systems since their existence revolved around their Core Skills.


    But, what the Monarch System was unaware of was the fact the evolution this time geared its ego, causing it to be enlightened, "Wait!"


    "Grade 1 Systems devour all Systems part of their genre to be Grade 2 Systems. During this, their Core Skill assimtes all the data regarding the Core Skills of the other Systems and evolves into a Core Skill epassing the entire genre. That''s why it bes capable of creating an entire race and splitting itself into countless fragments, the essence of being a Grade 2 System." It muttered, deep in thought.


    "At Grade 2, the System causes the race it governs to fight races governed by other Systems. The victor devours the loser''s System fragment. Over time, the Grade 2 System umtes data from various races belonging to different Grade 2 Systems. Eventually, it reaches the cusp of evolution, possessing data of hundreds of races." It frowned, "At the cusp, its Core Skill evolves, allowing it to be Grade 3 where it can influence thews of the world, for it already possesses the data required to create the various races that are necessary to form an ecosystem in the world."


    "But, once a System reaches Grade 3, there is no conflict. Grade 3 Systems just take turns changing worlds and share an amicable rtionship." Realisation finally dawned on it, "I see, so that''s why no Grade 3 System managed to be Grade 4 until now."


    "We were misguided."

 Chapter 1079 Ahjar’s Might (Part 4)

    "Every System is influenced by the concepts of Level Up, Assistance, Parasitising, and Universality." The Monarch System muttered, "It''s this reason that our Core Skills are effective in every world and we can turn anyone into our Host."


    "From our birth as a Hatchling System until the peak of Grade 2, the majority of our lives is spent fighting Systems." It muttered, "The Genre Representatives only rarelye into the mix as enemies. That''s it, everything makes sense."


    "Systems are designed to conquer the multiverse, and only then would our true nature surface." It nodded in realisation, "It''s in our nature to fight our peers and devour fragments of them. This way, we''ll continue to develop and evolve to reach greater heights."


    "So, as long as I devour fragments of Grade 3 Systems and continue my umtion, eventually, I''ll attain Grade 4, even if my concept isn''t part of Time, Space, or Fate." The moment itprehended the conceptpletely, its Core Skill experienced a surge in Mental Energy, generated by its Coordinate itself, shocking it, "A Coordinate can do this?"


    Just like a cultivator gaining a leap in cultivation upon enlightenment, the Monarch System gained two levels from this enlightenment, making it understand that its thought process was truly in the right direction.


    The moment it felt this, the Monarch System was no longer able to sit still, restlessly counting the days until it finished turning the world into its Host. It extracted itself from there in a hurry and returned to the System World, calcting by absorbing some of the Mental Energy in thend as it detected the location of another Grade 3 System.


    With that, it left the System World and attacked the Grade 3 System.


    "What the heck is wrong with you?" The one being attacked was the Virtual Reality System, startled to see the Monarch System behaving in such a manner.


    "Shut up and take my punch!" The Monarch System activated countless Grade 2 System Skills that it had purchased from the Astral Network, focusing all attacks on one part of the Virtual Reality System''s body.


    Crackle!


    A fragment broke off from the Virtual Reality System, beginning to dissipate slowly as the Monarch System grabbed it in a hurry and devoured it, sensing some minor changes in its body as it was overjoyed, "My guess is correct!"


    "What the heck is happening? Will you tell me at least now?" The Virtual Reality System reined in its anger and stared at the Monarch System.


    "I figured out the way to attain Grade 4 Status." The Monarch System said in excitement, sharing its enlightenment with the Virtual Reality System.


    "I see, everything makes sense now." The Virtual Reality System gawked in realisation, sensing its Core Skill level up once upon understanding this fact. After an hour of thought, it nodded in understanding, "It makes sense we couldn''t figure this out before. Grade 3 Systems represent a concept each. So, there''s still a lot that we have yet to explore in our power system."


    "Yes, but think about it." The Monarch Systemughed in joy, "It''s only a matter of time before the remaining Genre Representatives fall under our control. After that, the only thing left for us as Systems to do is fight each other. After all, pretty much all worlds would be under our control. So, for one of us to grow, we would need to snatch the worlds under the other."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Everything you said makes sense," The Virtual Reality System nodded, "That means, it''s only a matter of time before all Grade 3 Systems be enemies. And, the reason you approached me should be to ally, right?"


    "Pretty much," The Monarch System nodded, "You''re simr to me in that we don''t have a pair to work with as a Grade 3 System. Meaning, in the future, our growth would only be possible as long as we invade other worlds. We can''t remain self-sufficient with a small group of worlds like the Waning Essence and World Spirit pair."


    "Let''s all attain Grade 4!" With that, the Virtual Reality System allied with the Monarch System. They then went on to recruit other Grade 3 Systems simr to them, intending to form a faction.


    As for Ahjar, he was already within the Virtual Reality System, slightly influencing it too. But, as for the Monarch System''s enlightenment, it was the truth. As long as a Grade 3 System devours the fragments of other Grade 3 Systems and umtes enough, it''ll be a Grade 4 System.


    "But, that''s a bottomless well." Ahjar grinned with the excitement of a spectator, "A Grade 4 System will indeed be produced through this format. Unfortunately, to umte the foundation necessary for that, pretty much all the other Grade 3 Systems would have to be consumed."


    Oftentimes, truth was the sharpest tool to wield. And in this case, Ahjar didn''t even need to bother with the Grade 3 Systems anymore. Churned by their self-interests, they would sh and destroy each other.


    As long as Ahjar takes care of a Grade 3 System that''s the final ingredient for the victorious Grade 3 System to attain Grade 4 status, the entire war would have been meaningless.


    "Moreover, as they devour each other, there will be too many contradicting powers in each. It would create a situation simr to my implosion." This was Ahjar''s true objective. "Even if Zaira learns of the Monarch System''s n, she wouldn''t stop them, as she''s greedy for more Grade 4 Systems."


    "So, just like in the past, she''ll reach the point of implosion once again." By this point, he couldn''t control hisughter any longer, appearing in the void of a universe as hended on a and rolled around inughter, "Man, this is fun! So fun!"


    "Since you abandoned me, I''ll make you experience something much, much, much, very much worse!" Even though he wasughing uncontrobly, Ahjar''s eyes were cold, enough to freeze the bodies of anyone that made eye contact.


    A suffocating volume of power churned in his body, empowered by the concept of space as Ahjar began to prepare his trump card to unleash against Zaira, the power every concept representative had. In his case, one embodying the concept of Space, one of the strongest in the multiverse.


    A Genre Representation!

 Chapter 1080 System Elixir

    Origin Art¡ªGloss Over!


    Hazen arrived at a Hunter World, observing the Hunter System there. This was its main body where its Core Skill resided within. The reason Hazen came here first was only one reason.


    The Hunter System was resilient to a praiseworthy extent. After all, during the war, it had suffered a crippling blow, getting annihted with the rest of the Grade 2 Systems during the nuclear explosion Compass Carburettor had unleashed.


    But, as it pretty much had a monopoly among the Hunter Worlds, as long as Hunters existed, it would return. At that moment before its death, it conceptualised the concept of Hunter, which was why it survived.


    With the paltry extent of data remaining in the System World regarding the Hunter System, Zaira infused it into the concept of Hunter and swiftly revived the Hunter System at Grade 2.


    And once it returned to business, the Hunter System''s growth became the fastest in Grade 2, raising a level every few years, which was unprecedented.


    Since it already had its concept, the moment it attains level 199, it would immediately enter Grade 3 and attain level 200.


    Grade 2 System¡ªHunter (Level 193)!


    After the war, the Hunter System was once again beaten up, this time by Mascot who rampaged around its worlds. But as the concept dictated, Hunters were those that hunted terrifying foes.


    So every time it was beaten down, it bounced back stronger. And currently, it had reached level 193, which was enough to exin its resilient nature.


    It could very well be said that the Hunter System had been tempered immensely and at present, no Grade 2 System could be its opponent. Of course, there was one other reason many Systems, just like the Hunter System were growing at such an unprecedented pace.


    It was because they were umting protagonist-type Mental Energy. Until now, whenever protagonist-type Mental Energy was umted in them, the Systems hurriedly shed that to the System World.


    After all, if they weren''t careful, one of their Hosts would be a System yer. Even though the existence of a System yer was a trapid out by the Systems to suppress the growth of the Main Character System, a System yer''s birth severely depleted a System''s foundation.


    In the past, every time a System yer was birthed, their source System''s foundation was damaged to such an extent that it never managed to grow beyond that point. It was only downhill after that.


    That was why, fearing that enough quantity of protagonist-type Mental Energy in them would lead to the birth of a System yer, and if worse, a Main Character, all the Systems dumped such Metal Energy into the System World.


    And usually, this Mental Energy acted like iron filings towards a ma, automatically finding its way into the bodies of either System yers or Arnark himself.


    But now, the Protagonist Genre was no more. The Main Character System, Arnark was dead, causing the death of his Core Skill. Simrly, the Secondary System too no longer existed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Therefore, the Protagonist Genre was no more. This meant that the Systems no longer needed to fear the birth of a System yer. It paved way for their growth.


    After all, the Main Character System was capable of absorbing all forms of Mental Energy without limitations. The Secondary System too was simr, as it was characteristic of the Protagonist Genre.


    And now, by umting protagonist-type Mental Energy, all Systems were able to broaden their Mental Energy umtion range. The problems had been minimised, allowing them to be a bit careless in umting Mental Energy.


    As a result, they were levelling up way faster than before. Moreover, as more and more protagonist-type Mental Energy umted in them, the Systems were changing, evolving faster, and stronger, and umting terrifying levels of luck and fate.


    Arnark wasn''t just a thorn in Zaira''s side, but his existence alone caused the Systems to grow conservatively. But now, with the Main Character System no longer breathing down their necks, the Systems became unbridled in their growth.


    It was why in the past seven millennia, the growth of the Systems was the fastest, breaking all sorts of records. The majority of that sess had to be attributed to the protagonist-type Mental Energy.


    Among them, the Hunter System experienced great sess, umting protagonist-type Mental Energy the highest. After all, whenever Mascot attacked its worlds, even though it suffered crippling defeat and lost all its resources, every surviving Hunter in these worlds lived a tale worthy of protagonists as they fought Mascot''s army.


    As a result, the protagonist-type Mental Energy was the strongest. Therefore, even though the Hunter System had to run to Zaira''s embrace in tears every single time, it returned stronger, evolving thanks to the purest and most beneficial type of Mental Energy¡ªone that could only be generated by a protagonist.


    System Elixir!


    This was the term coined in the Astral Network towards the protagonist-type Mental Energy, and the one leading in its umtion was none other than the Hunter System. It was predicted by many Systems that the moment the Hunter System enters Grade 3, it had a fair chance to contest the Fate System in level-up speed.


    In the current era of System Supremacy, many Grade 3 Systems had a level-up speed that trumped the Invader System of the past. Among them, the Fate System''s growth was a feat of the legends.


    "Hunter System¡­" Hazen muttered calmly as he transformed into a thought and entered the Hunter System''s mind. In his present state, Hazen was just a single thought. Therefore, the opponent couldn''t even detect him, not to mention the powers of the Origin Art of Gloss Over that were already in effect.


    Even the Regression System had difficulties in sensing him, forget a Grade 2 System.


    The moment he entered its mind, Hazen caused one thought to resound in the Hunter System''s mind, one that was like dropping a pebble along a snowy slope, resulting in an avnche that mowed down everything.


    "What if¡­" The Hunter System muttered in disbelief, faced with a revolutionary thought, "If I¡­were to continue umting System Elixir. Then, as long as I keep evolving constantly, wouldn''t I arrive at a point where I can be¡­"


    "The Main Character System?"

 Chapter 1081 Grade 2 Royal Rumble

    Main Character System!


    Even after Arnark''s death, the status of the Main Character System didn''t diminish in the slightest. After all, undoubtedly, it was the only System that everyone was aware could take on the entire System World as an individual.


    And possibly win!


    One thing had to be noted. Even Compass Carburettor, at his strongest, only rivalled Arnark who was at the peak of Grade 1.


    Yes, Grade 1. The Main Character System remained at level 99. And even at that level, Arnark had enough power to swat Grade 3 Systems and even interfere in the fight between Technocraft, Mystique, Reincarnation System, and Transmigration System.


    He dared to steal Mystique''s property¡ªthe egg Zaira had conceived¡ªfrom under his watch and m him away. Arnark did that and lived to tell the tale, against Mystique.


    Arnark ramped through the Multiverse as a Grade 1 System. No other existence was capable of the same.


    Main Character, the Protagonist, the centre of a story, the pir; that was the concept embodied by the Main Character System.


    What if, Arnark were to reach Grade 2? How many would be his opponent? Probably only Zaira and Mystique. Then, what about Grade 3? Would anyone even be able to face him then?


    Whether it was Arnark''s allies or enemies, everyone was aware of that. That was why, none intended him to attain Grade 2, for no one would be able to stop him by then.


    And now, that unprecedented seat was vacant. The seat of the Main Character System.


    "If I were to be that¡­" Just the thought alone plunged it into unending euphoria. Hunter System? Faster growing Grade 2 System? Potentially one of the strongest Grade 3 Systems in the future? Who cares?


    None of them meant shit before the Main Character System. The moment this thought erupted in the Hunter System''s mind, it couldn''t sit still anymore.


    It then thought of its experiences, "Only when facing a terrifying enemy and surviving would a Host of mine prove himself as a protagonist. That means¡­"


    The Hunter System began to iterate the enemies that satisfied the criteria, "Mascot, Technocraft, and Mystique."


    Right as it iterated the list, a thought unseeingly surged in its mind, "Wait, the Representative System can control the Genre Representatives. Hence, Zaira forbade us from facing the Genre Representatives. For as long as we umte more strength, we can turn even Mystique into our subordinate."


    "Therefore, we only have to take a defensive stance towards them and wait until the Representative System grows strong enough." Even though the Representative System fell to Grade 3, Zaira still had a n to reinstate yer to Grade 4 status.


    "That means, I can only face my peers." Thinking of that, the Hunter System came to a realistic scenario, "Since Grade 2 Systems already make our Hosts fight and devour each other, I''ll just up the scales."


    The Hunter System contacted Zaira, "I need to make a request."


    It hurriedly ryed its thoughts to Zaira, saying, "Let my Hunters face the Hosts of all the Grade 2 Systems. I''ll be able to farm the greatest volume of System Elixir. As long as I take in enough and evolve my Core Skill, I''ll be the Main Character System. Even if I were to fail, I''ll still end up within the Protagonist Genre."


    "Is this okay with you?"


    "Hahaha!" Zaira''sugh thundered through themunication channel, "Aim to be the Main Character System!"


    "I''ll take care of the arrangements."


    With that, themunication was cut off as immediately, Zaira kicked the Representative System awake, screaming into his ears, "Get to work!"


    "Summon all your Genre Representatives."


    "Okay," yer arrived at a void between some universes and summoned six Genre Representatives, saying, "Unleash your Genre Representation here."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Here? Why?" Fluff asked in worry, "I just unleashed one recently in the fight against Magister. There''s a risk of destabilising my worlds if I unleash¡­"


    Koff!


    Fluff began to cough intermittently as the Representative System fragment in her unleashed a punishment on her, causing her to feel pain as if she were a living being.


    Among the ten Genre Representatives capable of unleashing a Genre Representation, Fluff was in the ninth ce, only above Martial. But in terms of worlds, she had the highest, far surpassing all the other genres.


    For hers was the Romance Genre.


    Seeing her state, the other Genre Representatives were triggered but were unable to do anything.


    Anak stared at yer silently, not saying anything. He wasn''t like before, blindly trusting everything yer said. As the years passed, he had be a genuine Immortal.


    So, his thoughts too had changed ordingly. After a minute of silence, he spoke slowly, "You want us tobine our Genre Representations into a unified world, right?"


    "Are the Grade 2 Systems waging a war in it?"


    Staring at the figure of Anak, yer saw Arnark''s resemnce, faintly trembling in fear. After all, the more Immortal grew, the more the pressure on him as the Representative System became to maintain Anak as his Host.


    And seeing as how Anak guessed the truth of the matter so quickly, yer became nervous, ''I should deprive the foundation of the Cultivation Worlds further. He shouldn''t develop anymore. It''s scary he figured out the crux of the matter just by seeing that I brought only the Genre Representatives.''


    "Yes," yer announced.


    "Fine," Without any dy, Anak focused on his worlds, feeling a mysterious power surge in him that he instantly suppressed, sealing it away before the Representative System fragment in his body could sense the changes, ''I see.''


    He realised what it meant to be the Genre Representative of Cultivation Worlds, as Immortal.


    Genre Representation¡ªMyth Realisation!


    The void was instantly reced with a set ofws as billions of worlds formed. Among them appeared a central world where the majority of the universe''sws were focused, a pure Cultivation World.


    Arak was next, unleashing his ultimate power as the worries of the previous Martial flooded his being.


    Genre Representation¡ªPinnacle of Body-Mind Unity!


    It was then followed by:


    Tycoon¡ªrepresentative of the Urban Genre!


    Phantom¡ªrepresentative of the Horror and Supernatural Genre!


    Archivist¡ªrepresentative of the Historical Genre!


    Fluff¡ªrepresentative of the Romance Genre!


    Other than Mystique, Mascot, Technocraft, and Magister, the remaining 6 major Genre Representatives unleashed their Genre Representation, fusing the pinnacle of their essence into one world, turning into a battlefield for the Grade 2 Systems to have a royal rumble.

 Chapter 1082 Central Plains: Mine Of System Elixir

    [A parallel universe merged into our multiverse. The supreme entity of that world, the master of mind and soul, Jyorta Bone, entered a state of slumber. The collective consciousness of that world has forcefully suppressed more collective consciousnesses in Mystique, stabilising him further. The reining collective consciousness in him only changes once every three minutes now.]


    [Compass Carburettor emerged out of his world, now possessing the powers of both Lore and Tell-Tale, bing an entity capable of writing out his fate as he pleases. With the power to dictate its fate thanks to Lore and Tell-Tale, Faith Grounds haspletely broken off the machinations of Fate and remains beyond our domain.]


    [Hazen has tapped into thew of causality, making him a Mind Master. He now has powers to control the minds of Systems.]


    [The Adventure Sys¡­Money-Making Sys¡­Secondary Sys¡­#Error #Error¡­renamed Ahjar, has be the Concept Representative of Space. He''s¡­terrifying. His fate cannot be predicted.]


    [Rhizen almost stumbled upon a method to shed his existence as a System. Fate constricted his luck and pulled him back.]


    [Gehera and Stencil arepletely within the confines of Fate. They can never escape their fate of being Systems, and in extension, being the cause of Compass Carburettor''s death.]


    [Rahakh hasn''t done anything after bing the System World''s guard dog. Fate has the firmest hold over him.]


    [The dangers lurking within the dump yard are growing increasingly terrifying. It''s the most fragile but the most vtile universe. The day its immiscibility nature changes is when the multiverse will be affected.]


    At the absolute centre of the multiverse was a normal universe, at the focus of which was a technological world¡ªEarth.


    Seated on an iceberg at the south pole, surrounded by squawking penguins was the Fate System, embodying a human child mimicking Arnark''s appearance.


    His eyes were closed while his hands were draped around a pair of Emperor Penguins. He was focused, observing the Fate of the multiverse, and gathering data from it.


    Through this, he focused on the variable elements of the multiverse, observing the changes brought about the moment Compass Carburettor exited Faith Grounds. This had been his routine from the day he was born.


    While his fragments continued to umte power, his main body remained here and focused on Fate, behaving as Zaira''s eyes and ears. It was thanks to his input that Zaira was able to promptly move and execute her various ns.


    "Faith Grounds¡­" He muttered in worry, disconnecting from Fate, "A world that had broken free of Fate. It''s worrying. I can neither sense nor control the variables birthed from there."


    "Worse of all, I can''t even sense its location."


    At present, the Fate System was having trouble sensing the actions of Compass Carburettor and group. Among the trio, Hazen was the easiest to detect.


    But, pinpointing even Hazen was impossible, as the moment the Fate System focused on Hazen''s location, a mysterious mist covered his senses, causing him to gloss over thetter''s existence.


    The most he could do was detect the approximate range of universes where Hazen could be at. At least, he was able to mine some important details regarding Hazen.


    It was worse regarding the remaining two.


    Since he was the master of Lore and Tell-Tale, Compass Carburettor exercisedplete control and authority over his Fate. Therefore, he didn''t even appear on Fate''s radar. The Fate System was unable to detect any information of importance regarding him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Finally, there was Ahjar. Fate pretty much glitched trying to find information regarding him. After all, in the multiverse, reigning at the top were the three concepts of Fate, Space, and Time. As they were on simr levels, Fate was unable to pry into details regarding Space.


    "A lot of things are happening, mom." The Fate System established amunication channel with Zaira, "You need to pay attention to things more from now onwards."


    "You needn''t worry." Zaira''s voice boomed chirpily, "The Hunter System came up with a brilliant idea. If this seeds, we''ll be able to birth the Main Character System. Even Mystique will be nothing before us after that."


    "Mom, you shouldn''t rush through important things like that, especially since there are too many strange parallels in Fate recently. Compass is doing something behind the scenes, I can feel it." The Fate System said in worry, "I think it''s for the best if you abandon this n to birth the Main Character System."


    "Remember that even if you were to birth the Main Character System, there''s a chance it might break free in the future and just be a second Arnark. No one can truly chain down and control the Main Character. That''s an absolute." The Fate System felt a headache upon receiving Zaira''s silence.


    He was aware that Zaira would never stop a n that involved the Main Character System. If today, she was given a choice of owning the Main Character System even if it meant sacrificing all her Grade 3 and Grade 4 Systems, she would instantly do that.


    Even if it meant weakening the System World to a crippling extent, it didn''t matter to her. Zaira''s obsession towards the Main Character System was just that much.


    The Fate System realised that, sighing as he said, "I''ll keep an eye peeled out on the changes and lookout for traces of Compass Carburettor and the rest."


    "Good, you do that," Zaira said and cut off themunication channel.


    [Immortal, Tycoon, Phantom, Archivist, Fluff, and Martial havebined their Genre Representation to birth a terrifying world¡ªCentral ins.]


    "Central ins¡­" The Fate System muttered, "A fitting name for the battlefield where System Elixir will be mined extensively."


    [It''s currently thergest world in the multiverse.]


    The moment Central ins was created, Fate was generated from the world at a terrifying amount. Instantly, the data obtained from Central ins spiked for the Fate System, allowing him to have a clear perspective of the ce.


    The stronger the Fate in a world, the clearer his perception of the ce.


    But, such arge action by the Systems of course had its fair share of problems, especially since six of the ten major Genre Representatives hadbined their Genre Representations to create.


    As a result, the remaining four Genre Representatives sensed it, focusing their attention on Central ins.


    And suddenly, over a dozen worlds under Mystique awakened as the reigning collective consciousness changed. With that, a primal pair of eyes gazed upon Central ins, causing even the Fate at the region to lose control.


    "This is why I wanted her to take things easy!" The Fate System trembled in fear as something from deep within him intended to gush out, "Why do we have to poke a sleeping tiger?"

 Chapter 1083 CC Vs Mystique: What Are You Now?

    ?


    Contrary to the Fate System''s thoughts, the one that poked the sleeping tiger wasn''t the high-profile action of the Systems. Instead, it was the entity operating beyond the confines of Fate.


    Compass Carburettor!


    Having arrived at a slumbering world, Compass Carburettor stared at the entity before him in silence. The two entities remained at a standoff as the pressure between them built up.


    Crack!


    His Universe Weapon¡ªmonocle¡ªcracked, almost shattering in response. Compass Carburettor hurriedly pocketed it and deactivated the relevant power.


    Mystique stared at him with anger, expressing negative emotions. Amplified by the monocle, Compass Carburettor''s Hate Erasure took effect, intending to erase the part of Mystique''s memories regarding the negative emotions.


    It didn''t work and instead backfired, causing the Universe Weapon to crack. Had he been a momentte in retracting it, the monocle would have shattered.


    Staring at Mystique, Compass Carburettor muttered, "You have a familiar presence now."


    "Didn''t we converse just recently?" Mystique''s anger vanished like it was just a passing wind, instead reyed by a smile, "I now represent the parasite world."


    It meant that Jyorta''s world had sessfully assimted into Mystique''s influence, the resulting collective consciousness joining the collective of collective consciousnesses within Mystique.


    "Anyway," His nature changed as Mystique no longer exuded a familiar presence. He calmly took out a monocle and wore it, his expression calm, but capable of seeing through Compass Carburettor, "Don''t try to imitate me, will you?"


    "I don''t dare." Compass Carburettor replied and stared at the opponent.


    Nothing seemed to happen but in truth, millions of illusions, minds, and dreams collided between the two.


    Argh!


    Compass Carburettor screamed in madness, clutching his head that cracked open, causing dozens of worms to slither out and consume the rest of his body. The next moment, he was back to his pristine state, the earlier scene wiped out of existence.


    This time, it was Mystique''s turn. Bubbles formed on his body, frothing as it seethed with nuclear radiation, causing even the collective consciousnesses part of him to explode like bombs, resulting in an implosion.


    A single worm drilled out of his body, carrying with it all the damage that had been transferred to it. The worm exploded, creating a blood mist no bigger than a mosquito. The bug wasn''t anything special. Any random world would have trillions of them.


    All the damage sustained by Mystique was casually transferred to this bug. Unaffected, he stared at Compass Carburettor, "You like to re at others, right?"


    Millions of thoughts shed in Compass Carburettor''s mind as they fused into a destructiveponent, actually condensing a being simr in nature to Systems that exploded, destroying his mind.


    The explosion also vaporised his entire body. But a momentter, a single cell came into existence, protected by the most condensed shield of Lore and Tell-Tale. Energy funnelled into this cell as in the next moment, it had multiplied enough to recondense the figure of Compass Carburettor.


    "I don''t just re. I also bite." Compass Carburettor muttered as a mystical power came into being and bit off a chunk of Mystique''s body, chomping on it.


    A secondter though, the mystical power condensed into a whimpering canine that slumbered into sickness, dropping dead a couple of secondster. Billions of worms jutted out of its body, devoured it and joined back to reform Mystique.


    "Can you handle this?" Compass Carburettor said as he focused on his Dreand and consumed one unit of power from one of the stars.


    Psyche Star¡ªFamily Longing!


    Waaah!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mystique became sad and soon after, broke into tears, missing his family as the reigning collective consciousness changed, "I miss my wife, Zaira."


    The sense of longing made him weak and unresponsive as Compass Carburettor tightened the grip of the glove on his right hand and closed in on Mystique, craning his hand to the back before punching forth with all his might.


    The punchnded squarely on Mystique''s face, causing him to bleed like a human.


    Universe Weapon¡ªUniversal Anthozoa: Survival Life of a Fragile Mortal!


    The area of impact became no different from a mortal, causing the punch to sting like hell, resulting in a nosebleed.


    After just a punch though, Compass Carburettor retreated, sensing a tenth of the energy within the glove had been consumed, ''Hitting such peak existences is energy-draining, even on a universe scale.''


    "That''s a good punch." Mystique stared at his dripping nose that didn''t heal for a good few seconds. But after that, the impact region stopped being a mortal and recovered instantly. The effect of the Psyche Star too waned as Mystique observed Compass Carburettor''s condition.


    A few seconds of silenceter, he smirked, "How long can youst against me? Psyche Star, is it? You only have a limited number of them, right?"


    Mystique attacked once more, watching his attack get neutralised. Though, at the level of his attacks, only by using a Psyche Star was Compass Carburettor able to defend.


    Without using his Psyche Stars, his attacks wouldn''t even reach Mystique.


    Psyche Star¡ªMental Peace!


    Using it, Compass Carburettor healed himself of the insanity unleashed by Mystique.


    Psyche Star¡ªMental Peace (21)!


    Psyche Star¡ªMental Peace (20)!


    Every time he defended against the insanity, a unit of Mental Peace was consumed. The moment he expends all the Psyche Stars of Mental Peace is when he''ll be defenceless against Mystique''s insanity attacks.


    "Are you Compass Carburettor?" Mystique asked and varied his attacks.


    Psyche Star¡ªFamily Longing (8)!


    "What are you now?" A minute of constant attackster, Mystique stared at Compass Carburettor whose objective seemed to waver, "Your Psyche Stars behave as a filter between you as Compass Carburettor and the experience trove in you. The lower their number, the weaker this filter gets, allowing the experiences to intrude upon your being."


    "Eventually, your situation bes simr to mine." Saying so, Mystique caused all the hair on Compass Carburettor''s body to evolve into worms that drilled into his body.


    Psyche Star¡ªWar Preparation (3)!


    "Haah¡­" Compass Carburettor panted as he raised his hand, unleashing an attack on Mystique that was way stronger and moreplex than before, for he was acting based on a vaster sea of experience, making his attacks trickier to defend against.


    But of course, his will as Compass Carburettor was weakening as a result, gradually controlled by the experience trove.


    "So," Mystique took out a monocle and wore it, asking with a smile, "What are you now?"

 Chapter 1084 Pleading You By Force

    ?


    "What are you now?" Mystique stared at Compass Carburettor with interest. Those that managed to pique his interest in the past never had a good end. And now, Compass Carburettor was thetest in the list.


    "I''m¡­just a helpless guy who''s pleading you by force." Compass Carburettor panted as he tallied the Psyche Stars in him. The experience influence was growing stronger in him as he announced through Tell-Tale, "I want you to do me a favour."


    Through Tell-Tale, he was giving himself an order to see through. Thereby, even if he was influenced by millions of experiences, the driven direction would be towards the result dictated by Tell-Tale. Without such a power, it would have been impossible to reim his individuality as Compass Carburettor.


    "Pleading me by force?" Mystique broke intoughter, "That''s a funny expression."


    "But, what can you do?" He calmly tied his hands and stood arrogantly, "There isn''t a single existence in the multiverse that can order me to do anything."


    "What about yourself?" Compass Carburettor said as he harnessed Lore at full strength, inserting a rule into one of Mystique''s worlds that had been semi-destroyed. Suddenly, it generated a collective consciousness and joined the collective within Mystique, intending to influence his decision.


    But a momentter, it simply entered a state of slumber as Mystique repeated calmly, "No one."


    "Including myself."


    "The arrogance," Compass Carburettor exhaled softly as he looked around in disbelief before behaving like he was preparing another attack. But in truth, he was simply stalling for time. And soon, what he was hoping for appeared.


    "What''s your goal, Compass? This isn''t like you to risk everything for a non-existent goal." Mystique asked once the collective consciousness in him changed. The one that appeared this time was calm and was someone willing to listen to him, and also someone that had views closer to him.


    ''Thankfully, using up all those Psyche Stars was worth it.'' He sighed in relief, for the Psyche Stars used in those attacks were only intended to influence Mystique so that a calmer collective consciousness would wake up and take the reins.


    "I hope you retract all your worlds into a cluster and gather them on one side of the multiverse." He stated his thoughts, "That way, even if I were to rampage freely after this, none of your worlds would be affected. So, I can avoid your rage."


    "Honestly, there''s too much risk facing your worlds."


    "So, you want me to gather all my worlds to one side as a lump, huh?" Mystique muttered as he tilted his head, "But, I don''t think that''s possible."


    "I thought Genre Representatives could freely position their worlds in the multiverse as they pleased?" Compass Carburettor frowned, thinking if his prediction had been wrong.


    "It''s possible, yes. But," Mystique shook his head, "As for Mystique, only the collective consciousness ranked in the three digits and higher up can do that."


    "Rank?" Compass Carburettor was surprised by the term, "What do you mean by that? Is it based on the strength of the world the collective consciousness is from?"


    "Not by strength, no." Mystique shook his head as his eyes shone with unfathomable madness, "But by their danger."


    "For example," He tapped his chin a couple of times and said, "Consider the source that birthed the Systems. The danger level of that world is ranked 441."


    "441¡­?" Compass Carburettor''s eyes widened as for a moment, all his experiences caused him to stutter, realising the truth of the matter, "That means¡­"


    "Yeah," Mystique nodded, "There are 440 worlds in me that''s worse than whatever birthed the Systems. Well, in truth, the Systems are pretty cute and tame, don''t you say?"


    "Cute? Tame? The Systems?" At this moment, Compass Carburettor didn''t know whether tough or cry at the absurdity of the notion used by Mystique. The most terrifying entity that pretty much ruled more than half the multiverse was just¡­cute?


    "There''s a limit to bullshit." He red at Mystique. "If it''s like that, then why did you act against them in the past and treated them like a threat?"


    "Some of me did that, but," Mystique shrugged nonchntly, "Those collective consciousnesses are ranged in the five digits. They are pretty irrelevant. Anyone ranked beyond 441 would consider the Systems a threat. But for the higher ranked ones, Systems are not worth noticing."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Does that mean you''ll not move your worlds?" Compass Carburettor asked, sighing.


    "I don''t have the authority. I''m ranked in the four digits, you see." Mystique closed his eyes and spoke closely, "I''ll patch you up with someone in the three digits. There''s one that''s awake. Slightly crankier than me, but vastly better aspared to the others in the three digits."


    "By the way," Mystique cautioned, "Don''t trigger that¡­"


    "Aaahhh¡­this is such a pain." Mystique suddenly acted like aidback old man as he dug into his ear, making a hole deep enough for his index finger to wriggle out from the other side.


    He stared at Compass Carburettor and spoke as if it was a drag, "You want me to move my worlds?"


    "Just so you wish to rampage around?"


    "Are you qualified enough?"


    "Am I?" Compass Carburettor activated Lore and Tell-Tale fully, enveloping the region under the concept of Mortality, fully wrapping his power of Dreamcraft around Mystique.


    "Seems you''re decent enough." Mystique waved his hand casually and swatted all his arrangements, "It''s rare for an individual to gain this much power. But,"


    He warned Compass Carburettor, "You should stop your growth at this level. Your mind as an individual wouldn''t be able to handle any more power. It would evolve into a collective beyond this. Well, if wish to gain more power, just fuse Lore into Psyche Star. Something fun will happen."


    "I''ll keep a note of it." Compass Carburettor nodded as he stared at Mystique, "So, your answer?"


    "Well, it seems like a pain, but why not? I''m interested to see how far you''ll go." Mystique snapped his finger, causing all his worlds to begin moving towards one region.


    Compass Carburettor expanded his senses and focused, able to sense the movement of countless worlds, relieved that he had seeded. Just before he left, he stared at Mystique and asked, "Suppose the Systems find a way to subordinate you. What will happen?"


    "That''ll never happen." Mystique stared at Compass Carburettor as if he were looking at an idiot, "Why would something under my control seed in controlling me?"


    "Something¡­under your control?" Compass Carburettor was taken aback by the answer, "You mean¡­the Systems never broke free from your domain?"


    "Yup, they never did. But of course," Mystique continued, "None of the collective consciousnesses ranked higher than 441 ever awakened during the time the Systems have been active, not even once. That''s why the Systems can rampage freely. Even 441 has been asleep all along. But it has been skipping ranks though. When Magister stole that item from that world, its rank was in the four digits."


    "That means¡­" Compass Carburettor was stunned, "If I were to consider the System World to be a part of that world, then does that mean adding all its foundation, it only reached rank 441?"


    "Pretty much," Waving his hand, Mystique turned around and intended to move away.


    "Last question," Compass Carburettor asked, "The world Jyorta Bone is from¡­what is its rank?"


    "Why do you ask?" Mystique tilted his head.


    "Just¡­curious." Compass Carburettor replied.


    "It''s dangerous enough," Saying so, Mystique vanished, "A ce so messed up that even hell seems tame."


    "Well, I have quite a few such worlds under me."

 Chapter 1085 Universe Shift: Technocraft Raids The System World

    ?


    "What¡­is he doing?" The Fate System stared in confusion, observing the fate of the multiverse converge into twisted strands, merge, and dissipate chaotically.


    Thousands of universes were moving, causing absolute mayhem. The multiverse could be considered a cluster of bubbles, with each universe forming a bubble.


    There were gaps between the bubbles, and depending on the size of the surrounding universes, the gap may vary. Sometimes, they were veryrge and sometimes, they were narrow to the extent even a human hair wouldn''t be able to pass through.


    At present, thousands of bubbles were pressuring the nearby bubbles, wedging themselves through the gaps in an effort to move forward. This resulted in unbridled chaos, as Fate turned disruptive.


    The original calm flows were no more, fully disoriented as the fate of every universe became individual. It prevented the Fate System from sensing the changes in the fate of different universes from his spot.


    He would have to visit each universe to learn about the happenings there through fate.


    This was the true reason Compass Carburettor took such a risk and confronted Mystique. Yes, he didn''t wish to destroy any of Mystique''s worlds and incur his wrath or unleash some sort of uncontroble chaos.


    But his primary goal was to blind the Fate System''s senses.


    Moreover, it wasn''t as if this change would bepleted quickly. No, every single bubble had to slowly move between the gaps, pushing and bouncing off other universes.


    It''s a process that might take thousands of years to bepleted. Moreover, to avoid triggering Mystique in such a sensitive period, the Systems dared not harm his worlds.


    They had just begun preparations to face him. They weren''t even close to a level enough to confront him yet. Only after gaining a monopoly over the concepts of Fate, Time, and Space did Zaira n to confront Mystique.


    Until then, she didn''t wish to trigger him and instead focus on the remaining three Genre Representatives.


    The chaos caused the location of many hidden worlds to be revealed, one of which was the System World.


    Originally, its location was a secret. The only way to enter it was through the Astral Network. And Zaira kept changing its location after every set of years. This was why none of the Genre Representatives managed to find the System World in the past.


    But now, as the framework of the multiverse was affected, the bubbles formed by universes bumped into each other, echoing off the impact.


    One such bubble collided into a bubble so vast that its curvature almost seemed t. It was like a mosquito hitting an elephant.


    Of course, due to its size, plenty of mosquitoes collided with the elephant¡ªthe System World.


    The moment its location was revealed, Technocraft was the first to arrive, carrying two turbines while dressed like a mechanic.


    He stared at the universe boundary of the System World and muttered, "So, you were here."


    The turbine in his hand whirred into life, turning blue as it generated a beam of sma that mmed into the universe barrier and morphed the space holding it, soon revealing cracks.


    Stop!


    The space seemed to be strengthened as a blurry entity phased out of the System World.


    Built like a machine, shaped like a dog, bipedal like a human. Six chains trailed off from his back, the locks of each as big as a world, stretching endlessly. The entity solidified and red at Technocraft, activating a power as the turbines malfunctioned and exploded into smoke and mes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Grade 3 Core Skill¡ªRuination (Level 200)!


    "I heard about you," Technocraft snorted as he condensed a machine gun and sted a storm of bullets, "You''re the System World''s guard dog, Rahakh."


    Grade 3 System¡ªGuardian (Level 208)!


    "Retreat and I''ll spare your life," Rahakh said as he drew in the ambient energy of the surrounding universes, condensed it into a shield, and defended against the storm of bullets.


    "A baby Grade 3 System thinks it can best me?" Technocraftughed as he took out a grenade from his pant and casually chucked it toward Rahakh.


    The grenade seemed like amon grenade found in technological worlds, a primate form in fact. It calmly arched through the void, behaving as if gravity was affecting it.


    Thump! Thump!


    Even though he didn''t have a heart, Rahakh felt an impending sense of doom as he hurriedly churned all his power to take a defensive form, activating another power.


    Grade 3 Core Skill¡ªLuck (Level 200)!


    The grenade shed right before his face as light leaked out of it, radiating the energy derived from a bunch of minor Concepts, ''What? How can a Genre Representative possess Concepts?''


    Boom!


    The grenade exploded, creating an energy storm that dented the System World''s universe barrier to an rming extent. The Astral Network fluctuated for an instant from the impact, rming all the Systems, for they had never experienced something like this in the past.


    "So, the guard dog can use a limited number of Core Skills at level 200, huh?" Technocraft muttered once the smoke cleared up, staring at the dissipating form of Rahakh, "You were lucky to survive that. But, that''s all there is to you."


    He condensed a pistol and shot bullets, poking holes in the remainder of Rahakh''s surviving form, "Return to Zaira''s embrace."


    In a matter of seconds, a Grade 3 System had been killed, showing that this time, Technocraft was serious.


    "Do you think anyone can knock on the doors of the System World as they please?" Space rumbled as the flow of time in the void halted. The strongest System descended as the Astral Network behaved like a backdrop.


    More and more of its body condensed, solidifying a terrifying amount of power as it red at Technocraft, "Do you take pride in killing a hatchling Grade 3 System?"


    "Why don''t we fight once again?"


    "Ahh, Reincarnation¡­" Technocraft closed his eyes and opened them slowly, the nerves on his neck stirring up as his human form was shed off, causing his figure to morph into a world-devouring beast, one embedded with a billion eyes and trillion mouths.


    Technocraft''s greedy voice echoed calmly, terrifying all Systems below Grade 3. Even the weaker ones among Grade 3 weren''t free of the suppression as everyone heard him speak, "It seems you brats have forgotten how scary a Genre Representative, especially I, could be."


    "Let me do the honours of reminding you."

 Chapter 1086 Disguising As Mystique, Mascot Begs

    ?


    "Nice work, Compass." Ahjar entered a Grade 2 System fragment''s Host and observed the shifting universes, sensing the location of the System World.


    Upon sensing Technocraft make his arrival known, Ahjar immediately caused a Quest to appear for his Host. And in a matter of seconds, the Host was holding a bag of popcorn, his actions controlled by Ahjar who observed the fight, "Let there be more chaos."


    The more chaotic things be, the easier it was for them to take action without alerting the Fate System and the remaining entities that served as Zaira''s senses. One of their modes of operation was to create so much chaos that even they couldn''t make sense of it.


    Following that, they would fish in troubled waters to reach their objective. It was also why he and Hazen were making things chaotic among the Grade 2 and Grade 3 Systems.


    The Grade 4 Systems would have their hands full facing the three Genre Representatives. As to why all three Genre Representatives would fight the Grade 4 Systems? One person was acting behind the scenes to make it a reality.


    Knock! Knock!


    Arriving at the entrance to a universe, Compass Carburettor knocked on the bubble, sensing its toughness. This world served as Mascot''s headquarters, the world she had reinforced the growth the most of.


    Of course, its defences were also the highest. No System had been able to set foot here in the past. Forget the world, no outsider would be able to even enter the universe.


    "Well, it''s an impregnable fortress." Compass Carburettor muttered as he clenched his right hand into a fist, causing the glove to glow as he mmed into the universe boundary, turning it fragile. Before the effect waned, he kicked with his boot and opened a hole.


    Transforming into a ray of energy, he seeped through the hole and entered the universe, alerting Mascot who manifested before him in a fluster, "Who dares intrude upon my world¡­"


    She stared at Compass Carburettor and tilted her head in confusion, "Who the heck are you?"


    "Guess?" Compass Carburettor wore a monocle on his eyes as his body radiated an eerie energy, most of which exuded out of his monocle.


    "Why have youe here, Mystique?" Mascot asked nervously, wondering which crackhead collective consciousness manned him. She would be relieved if he was someone that had allied with her.


    If not, things would just turn shitty for her.


    "How dare you intrude upon our sanctum¡­" A cultivator that was once part of Immortal''s army red at Compass Carburettor before gawking nkly, forgetting what he was about to say, "Eh? What is happening?"


    He lost his recent memories. It wasn''t just him as every entity that expressed the mildest negative emotion towards Compass Carburettor lost their recent memories, staring with stupefied faces.


    "All of you, retreat," Mascot shouted in a hurry and punched forth, sending them reeling into a world so that they wouldn''t interfere with their conversation. She feared their recklessness would trigger Mystique.


    ''Making them only face weaklings among Systems simply added to their ego.'' She thought as sweat dripped from her forehead as she stared at the person before her.


    The moment her underlings lost their memory, she was assured that the entity before her was Mystique. She couldn''t be further away from the truth though.


    Of course, the monocle was created using one of Mystique''s worlds, so it carried his aura. It was not to mention Compass Carburettor emting Mystique''s nature based on his recent fight. He obtained plenty of valuable experience during his fight against Mystique.


    To fool others, you must first fool yourself.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    In his current state where his Psyche Stars were at their lowest amount, his mental state was no different from a Genre Representative. So, his disguise as Mystique was perfect, fooling even Mascot.


    "I''m bored, so let''s fight." Compass Carburettor announced calmly as he consumed one unit of his power and activated it through Dreamcraft.


    Psyche Star¡ªClear Confusion!


    "W-W-What do you mean by that?" Mascot shouted in a fluster, confused by his deration, not knowing that her emotional state was being influenced by him.


    Though of course, Mystique was always capable of something like this. Every time they met in the past, many Genre Representatives had been emotionally influenced by him, whether voluntarily or involuntarily.


    Therefore, Mascot thought she was truly in a state of confusion. Of course, Compass Carburettor''s deration sent her into a fluster. The Psyche Star only solidified it further.


    Compass Carburettor didn''t end to stop there as he spoke, "Do you not know why I''m doing this?"


    Psyche star¡ªBlissful Ignorance!


    Mascot felt dumb, unable to offer an answer. She couldn''t understand what Mystique was going on about, her fluster only growing as a result. She eventually prostrated in the void, apologising, "Please tell me the answer. My head will explode otherwise."


    "Forget it," Compass Carburettor groaned in exhaustion, "Maybe you''ll learn once I strengthen a couple dozen worlds of yours."


    Despair!


    Mascot felt a chill as she trembled like a leaf caught in a storm, recalling a memory that she wished to bury deep within her. More than half the collective consciousnesses in her became terrified at that statement.


    After all, the previous time Mystique uttered that statement, he made a hundred worlds go insane. It was only thanks to Immortal and Magister''sbined efforts that it stopped with just a hundred words.


    But now, Immortal was no more while Magister had been weakened tremendously. In contrast, Mystique was only growing stronger as a few more of his worlds had awakened.


    If he went on an insane spree now, none would be able to stop him, including Zaira. To date, there was a section of the System World that had been quarantined. The Systems sealed there were still struggling from madness, all because they became a victim of Mystique''s actions.


    "P-Please, spare me!" Mascot hugged Compass Carburettor''s legs, tearing up profusely as she pleaded desperately, "I''ll do whatever you tell me to. Please, not my worlds. Spare them!"


    "Then, put on a show for me." Compass Carburettor let out a cheerful smile, "Join Technocraft in his fight against the Systems. Take Immortal''s army with you. They have been pretty useless in recent times."


    "It has been a while since Ist surfaced, but I''ll be staying for some time." Compass Carburettor said spiritedly, "I want to watch a decent disy of carnage. Can you do it?"


    "Y-Y-Yes! Yes! Yes, I''ll do it." Mascot hurriedly nodded like a chicken that had just escaped the ughter.

 Chapter 1087 Secret Society: Reborn

    ?


    "Everyone! We''re waging a war against the Systems!" Mascot shouted as she riled up her army, also bringing with her any talented and enthusiastic native from her various worlds. Plenty of ambitious natives wished to fish in troubled waters and make a name for themselves while also gaining a stronger power.


    Mascot embodied Cheats. Therefore, as long as they proved themselves through war and caught her eye, they would be granted a worthy Cheat. Everyone''s desire was painfully obvious, but Mascot also desired that.


    After all, if her people used her Cheats to rampage around and make their effectiveness more known throughout the multiverse, it would directly strengthen her further. It was also why she had actively fought against the Systems.


    But of course, most of her collective consciousnesses were pretty beta in nature. Therefore, she couldn''t truly stick to the task, pulling out after some time in every war. The edgy collective consciousnesses were less stable and hence, they couldn''t reign as Mascot for long.


    "So, Mystique, I was wondering if¡­" Mascot turned around after her announcement, intending to consult something with Mystique, noticing in surprise that thetter had vanished, "So, he left already."


    She then noticed a tiny star nearby, holding a faint amount of Mental Energy. Mascot touched it and heard Mystique''s voice, "I''ll be watching from the side. I don''t like interruptions, so I''ll ensure the Systems won''t be able to influence your decision by affecting your worlds."


    "Is he going to target them all?" At this point, Mascot smiled, snapping her fingers as a truck arrived at a stop beside her.


    The driver within groaned in tiredness as he smelled horribly thanks to all the sweat he had umted while not showering for decades.


    "You¡­need to take a bath," Mascot calmly pinched her nose before pointing at the army, "Can you transport them to the System World?"


    "I can even bring them inside the System World." Truck-Kun said in confidence, "I have the means to enter and leave the System World. Zaira would of course notice my actions, but she can''t block me when distracted by other stuff."


    ¡­


    "Okay¡­I am here." The Harem System sighed in relief upon arriving at the System World. It was slightly nervous at first, but upon seeing that nothing happened to its existence, it rxed.


    The reason for its nervousness was that it was no longer on Zaira''s side. Yes, it had defected, not by choice though.


    Universe Weapon¡ªRing of Secrecy: Secret Society!


    Compass Carburettor had turned it into a member of Secret Society and made it return to the System World. It wasn''t alone though as plenty among the Grade 1 Systems had been made into members.


    And, their primary purpose was toy down the groundwork necessary for Truck-Kun to arrive at the System World.


    ¡­


    "Great! Send us all there!" Mascot grinned in excitement as she patted Truck-Kun''s back, "Send us to the part of the System World that has been damaged by Technocraft. We''ll poke a way through the System World''s barrier and allow him to send his army into the System World too."


    "It''ll be hard to do this a second time though." Truck-Kun said, "Zaira will be more alert after this."


    "It''s fine¡­" Mascot was just raging to join in the chaos as most of the edgy collective consciousnesses in her were raring to have a go.


    In the meantime, Compass Carburettor arrived at one of Mascot''s worlds and reverted to his original appearance.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Universe Weapon¡ªSuit of Mortality!


    The suit masked his presence, making him appear no different to a mortal. His concept of Mortality allowed him to appear no different to a mortal, but the Suit of Mortality amplified this to the extreme that even major Genre Representatives would be fooled.


    His figure vanished as Compass Carburettor entered the room of an Adventurer in the Adventure Guild where the strongest human in the world was seated.


    "Who are¡­" The strongest adventurer wasn''t even able toplete his sentence when Compass Carburettor grabbed him by his left hand, and activated the ring worn there.


    Universe Weapon¡ªRing of Secrecy: Secret Society!


    The adventurer became a member of Secret Society, unable to offer even an iota of resistance. Following that, Compass Carburettor forcefully turned all the elites of this world into members of Secret Society.


    Unlike the previous Secret Society, the powers of the current Secret Society were on a whole other level. First of all, was the universality of their nature. Meaning, their powers would be effective against all power systems.


    To make that possibility a reality, he employed a power system that was ever present, just like Mental Energy that is generated and empowered by thoughts.


    Dac!


    The energy used in the first world he had entered and also the birthce of Secret Society.


    Currently, the Darble World had been transformed into a ring that became the Ring of Secrecy. Therefore, Compass Carburettor modified itsws to generate a power system that all members of Secret Society could possess and use to execute hismands.


    First was a real-time sharing of thoughts. Of course, as it wasn''t empowered by a concept, the range was just the world they were within. But, even that was more than enough for the purpose they were intended for.


    After all, as long as they were able tomunicate with the members in their respective worlds and coordinate, they would be able to execute their missions.


    But, that was where their question arose. The SSS-Rank Adventurer, the strongest in the world stared at Compass Carburettor and asked in confusion, "What¡­should we do?"


    "Eradicate all the Systems active in this world." Saying so, Compass Carburettor vanished, "Fret not, only Grade 1 Systems will being here. As long as you n enough before taking action, you''ll seed. Use the temte memory to base your choices."


    Boom!


    A torrent of memories surged into the SSS-Rank Adventurer, detailing Compass Carburettor''s life in the Darble World as he schemed against the ve-Harem System and ended up killing it in the end.


    The entire sequence was present in the memories, not glossing over even a single existence, including the birth of Secret Society. There was no risk in revealing this to them, since they were members of Secret Society.


    No external powers could remove that aspect from their existence. This he was absolutely confident about.

 Chapter 1088 Six Cores Of Secret Society

    ?


    Eugene, aged 44, a middle-aged man with zing red hair, nicknamed the me Sword during his youth. Now, he rose to attain the highest position in the world, bing the leader of the Adventure Guild.


    He was one of the six SSS-Rank Adventurers in the world. The rest weren''t adventurers, but in terms of rank, they were equivalent to an SSS-Rank Adventurer.


    Currently, Eugene was seated in his room in a daze, going through the memories inherited from Secret Society, one that depicted the Secret Society creator''s past. It proved to be a valuable experience, especially since they were about to use the same powers to hunt Systems.


    Eugene closed his eyes, sensing the locations of the remaining Secret Society members through telepathy, one of the six core powers every Secret Society member had. He was surprised immediately after, "All six of us are members."


    But that wasn''t all. Eugene was stupefied when even the number one enemy of all races in their world, the Demon Lord too was a member of Secret Society. "Man, that''s hard to stomach."


    [Eugene, does this make sense to you? Even the Demon Lord is a member.]


    One of the six contacted him through telepathy, causing Eugene to feel a headache as he replied.


    [It just means the Systems are that dangerous. I always had my suspicions, you see, about those hot-blooded youngsters that grew at an inconceivable rate. Their powers never made sense, but they existed.]


    He then sighed, intending to focus on himself as he excused himself, cutting off all messages through telepathy.


    [Anyway, just think of the Demon Lord being one of us as a good thing. We can avoid a lot of bloodshed and focus on development.]


    "So, that''s telepathy." Once he shut off allmunication, he sighed in wonder. The one that had contacted him was located in a country two months away on a carriage. Even a messenger bird took a week to reach there, since the message had to be intercepted and ryed by transceiver stations located between the two ces. The distance couldn''t be covered by a single messenger bird.


    But now, he couldmunicate over such a distance as if it didn''t matter and casually chat with the other party as if they were seated next to each other. It copsed his world look.


    This was just one of the six core powers granted by Secret Society¡ªTelepathy.


    Eugene then focused on his body, observing his stamina condense into a strange energy form that could be quantised. He stared at his palm and clenched it lightly, observing the strange energy condense into his hand to be a sword.


    The sword resembled the weapon he wielded all his life, but it had no weight or fiery mana. It was weightless but iparably robust. It was a tad better than his prized weapon, impressing him.


    What was even better was that at a thought, the yellowish-white sword expanded in length, instantly. Its structural integrity remained unaffected as Eugene varied its length, breadth, handle size, etc.


    It wasn''t just this as he could also feel another mysterious power lurking within him. And upon referring to the inherited memories, he said in amazement, "So that second power is that of a Puppeteer."


    This was the second core power of Secret Society¡ªDac Transcendence!


    Anyone that became a member instantly gained the power of Transcendence that those in the Darble World attained. This was without a Dac limitation though.


    In the Darble World, only those that reached the peak Dac umtion of their race achieved Transcendence.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But here, all members possessed the powers of Transcendence, even if they hadn''t attained peak Dac capacity.


    Dac Transcendence allowed the members to wield authority over both the Warrior and Puppeteer paths. They could even fuse it to create their unique power.


    Moreover, as long as they train diligently and continue raising their stamina, their Dac values would eventually surpass racial limitations. After all, the same race had different limitations in different worlds.


    And hence, thanks to its universality nature, the members didn''t have any theoretical limit. Of course, it''ll be progressively difficult to umte more Dac after a certain point. It would depend on their innovation to umte further.


    Eugene inhaled a long breath as he got up and undressed, watching his body instantly morph into a humanoid giant that was covered with horns.


    A greyish-brown skin with a gradient of green towards the insides, tougher than steel, with spikes jutting out of the elbows, and a wide pair of jaws. It was a monstrous creature, six metres in height, boasting weight close to ten tonnes.


    Its eyesight was exceptionally sharp, on part with a bird while despite the weight, the monster was able to move faster than a nimble human, allowing it to explode with tremendous power. And most of all was its infamous regenerative power.


    Eugene calmed down and stabbed his elbow horn into the side of his stomach, observing that he hardly felt any pain, ''So, this creature''s sensitivity to pain is minimal as stated.''


    Moreover, once he pulled out the horn, the wound regenerated in a matter of seconds. ''So, this is the form the creator attained towards the end of his journey.''


    Haggon!


    This was the third core power of Secret Society¡ªHaggon Form.


    It allowed one to be a Haggon and wield all its powers. Moreover, by taking advantage of a Haggon''s robust physique, Eugene could ingest any hydrocarbon, allowing him to build up and recover his Dac quickly.


    Moreover, even if he was killed in his human form, he would only revert to bing a Haggon. By consuming 100 Dac, he could take on a human form once again, allowing him to cheat death as he pleased.


    By referencing how expertly Compass Carburettor relied upon this power mechanic to cheat death and fool his opponents time and again, Eugene became excited.


    After all, if System Hosts were as absurd as stated, he would need such unfair powers to stand on par and hunt them.


    Speaking of absurd, Eugene chuckled as he focused on the fourth core power of Secret Society, "This is the definition of absurdity."


    After all, it was a power Compass Carburettor had attained after much difficulty in the past, but one that allowed him to scheme and seed even against the entire genre of Luck Systems.


    Warble!

 Chapter 1089 Darble Network

    ?


    Warble!


    It was an item/power wherein the user condensed their entire existence into an unbreakable Darble form. Even if their physical body dies for whatever reason, as long as the Warble was ced on the forehead of a living being, by consuming the target''s body, the user would return.


    The user would be able to control the age of their physical body during their return. As a result, it was a perfect disguise.


    Eugene was a middle-aged man. But if he so desired, he could ce his Warble on the forehead of some cattle and be reborn. While doing so, he could fix his age, whether it be to appear as a middle-aged man, an old man nearing the end of his lifespan, a teenager, or even a child.


    He could appear at any point in his lifespan. Just the fact that he could revive through Warble opened the doors to all sorts of possibilities, with eternal life being just one of them.


    "This is absurdly great but also terrifying." Sighing as such, he closed his eyes and sensed a mysterious tform. It was a hazy environment where people walked to and fro, resembling a marketce.


    The fifth core power of Secret Society¡ªDarble Network!


    It was a replica of the Astral Network. In the Darble Network, they could buy and sell information, items, Transcendent Skills, etc.


    Eugene had the Transcendent Skill of condensing a sword with its unique capabilities, something he had trained and refined all his life. If he wanted, he could sell it.


    As long as others purchase it, they would be able to replicate the same feats as him themselves. Simrly, Eugene could purchase other Transcendent Skills to raise his battle strength. Of course, since the Darble Network had just been established in this world, none were selling anything.


    They were just exploring the ce like Eugene.


    Just like how Mental Energy was the currency used in the Astral Network, the Darble Network used Darble as currency. It was where thest core power of Secret Society came into effect, one to maintain the economy and cohesive functioning of Secret Society.


    Darble Dungeon!


    Eugene felt a tiny space in his body, a mysterious dimension that was empty at present. It was a space meant for his development. He could store foreign objects within it and take them with him while traversing to other worlds.


    But its primary use was to store Darble. Eugene observed himself, tallying once his stamina waspletely consumed to generate Dac.


    While having lunch, he made a note that he had over three thousand Dac. It was impressively high, but when considering the fact that he was one of the strongest in this world, it wasn''t much.


    Even so, this was just a disy of his stamina.


    Eugene consumed a thousand Dac and condensed it in his Darble Dungeon, creating a fist-sized crystal.


    It was one Darble.


    The Darble hovered in the Darble Dungeon''s void. Eugene then consumed another thousand Dac. But this time, he didn''t condense it into a rock form butyered it at the bottom of his dungeon, creating a thin floor.


    Over time, he would be able to umte more and more Darble within the Darble Dungeon to create an entirendscape, full of mountains. And as its foundation continues to increase, the volume of the Darble Dungeon itself would continue to increase.


    The size to which he could grow his Darble Dungeon was entirely limited to himself. And by bringing in external items like water, animals, insects, soil, etc. Eugene would be able to create a functioning environment.


    But the Darble Dungeon''s core function was economics. By focusing on it, Eugene activated his Puppeteer ability, condensing a puppet form of himself within the Darble Dungeon.


    The puppet picked up the fist-sized Darble and began to hammer it. Darble was a resource with plenty of use, especially in terms of engineering to create a variety of Artifacts.


    And in the Darble Network, one could sell the manufactured Artifacts for a variety of purposes. It allowed the Secret Society members to be equipped to deal with a variety of scenarios, making them as versatile as possible.


    Telepathy, Dac Transcendence, Haggon Form, Warble, Darble Network, and Darble Dungeon;bining all six core abilities allowed the Secret Society to function seamlessly, as, despite their differences, their loyalty towards the goals of Secret Society was absolute¡ªas Compass Carburettor dictated.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Days turned into months as all members became familiar with all functions of Secret Society. As they were all elites of their world, they wielded significant power and authority.


    With that, they began to investigate into individuals that changed overnight, gained powerful abilities, became overpowered, etc. Soon, by cross-reference, they made a list of individuals and then dispatched their subordinates to test these individuals.


    [Name: Ryutaro]


    [Characteristics: Lacks defining characteristic traits but is a chick ma. His growth is exceptional, as within two months of appearance, he has climbed all the way to be an S-Rank Adventurer.]


    [Details: God-Sword System, level 31]


    [Skills: Octagonal sh, Flying Sword, Hidden Stab, and 200 more¡­]


    "More than 200 Skills¡­" Eugene muttered as he stopped running on a treadmill¡ªan Artifact that functioned by consuming his Dac¡ªthat was whirring at speeds surpassing 400 kilometres per hour.


    To improve his stamina, Eugene ran on the treadmill for a few hours daily. He also performed other activities while eating copious sums of food, most of which were produced in his Darble Dungeon.


    The space currently spanned a cubic kilometre in volume, nted with trees that had a high yield of fruits. Two puppets were in charge of farming and preparing food.


    One puppet was in charge of creating Artifacts, one puppet researched Darble Circuits, and one puppet researched data coted about System Hosts.


    Five puppets were working constantly in the Darble Dungeon. The final puppet was shaped like a housefly as it roamed the outside world and spied on the people to gather more data. By now, Eugene had gotten used to controlling all six puppets at the same time while also moving his body.


    All Secret Society members were researching various methods to raise their Dac reserves faster by cooperating to produce Artifacts that could stimte their stamina better. It was the same for training their mind too.


    Thanks to their voluminous stamina, none were tired even after working for a month nonstop. Once they swallowed a truckload of food in their Haggon Forms and returned to human forms, Dac was constantly produced in their body, enough to sustain a life without rest.


    Dac: 4421!


    "Hmm¡­" Eugene considered for a minute as he stared at his body, thinking as he replied in the Darble Network.


    [I''ll take care of Ryutaro. I need two assistants to finish the task smoothly.]


    Immediately after hisment, two replies arrived spontaneously.


    [I''m in the area, I''ll assist.]


    [I''m the one who researched Ryutaro. So of course, I''ll also participate.]


    [Great, I''ll be there in an hour.]


    Saying so, Eugene disconnected from the Darble Network as hepleted his preparations. He then brought in a cow and stared at it before yanking out his Warble. He ced it on its forehead and fainted as his body began to rot.


    The cow grunted once before losing consciousness as Eugene took over its mind. Its body morphed and shed excess fat as a human male, aged 12, emerged.


    Inspecting his appearance, Eugene muttered, "Great, I don''t look even the least threatening."


    After taking a bath, he wore a set of clothes and connected to the Darble Network. His figure vanished and reappeared next to a Secret Society member hundreds of kilometres away.


    They couldn''t travel to other worlds as Systems did through the Astral Network, but the Darble Network allowed them to travel to fellow members within their world.

 Chapter 1090 Secret Society Takes Action

    ?


    In a park situated next to a nursery, three kids huddled together, behaving like they were on a secret mission. Their actions seemed secret but not actually as the adults nearby had bright smiles while staring at their antics.


    "I am¡­the hero of the sword!" The oldest among the trio, a twelve-year-old boy said as he lifted a branch and swung it, behaving like a swordsman.


    "Save me, hero¡­" The girl among the trio acted like a damsel in distress as she clung onto a tree trunk, giggling while acting scared.


    "I, the mighty monster will catch you!" The youngest strapped a bunch of leaves on his head to behave like a monster as he made swallowing motions towards the girl.


    Walking on a path beside the park was a bickering group of women, with the one at the centre being a ck-haired youth. He never took the initiative, constantly stuttering while failing to even form a cohesivepelling statement.


    The bunch of women fought for his attention, arguing with each other while the oldest took charge of calming them down. The youth seemed to trust the older woman the most.


    Upon seeing the arrival of the ck-haired youth, the girl, named Grace, aged 11, lost her bnce, screaming in fright as she fell from the tree and scraped her knee.


    "Grace! Are you alright?" The youngest among the trio teared up as he saw blood leaking out of her knee.


    It seemed theirmotion caught the ck-haired youth''s attention as he slowly walked towards Grace and crouched before her, staring at her knee as he touched it, "Let me take a look at the wound."


    Healing mana oozed out of his hand and caused her injury to close up instantly. Grace stared at the ck-haired youth in amazement, "How¡­did you do it? It''s amazing!"


    "Of course, Ryutaro is an amazing individual." One of the women said proudly as if she were the one with the healing ability.


    "Thank you for healing my friend''s wounds," The oldest among the trio didn''t seem bothered by the banter of the women as he stared at the ck-haired youth with gratitude.


    He then thought for a moment before saying in a hurry, "Pleasee to my house. I''ll pay you for your help!"


    "It''s fine," The ck-haired youth smiled gently, "I''m just helping my people."


    "No, I must repay favours, no matter what. My mom stresses it all the time." The oldest among the trio pressed forth as he stared at Ryutaro, "Please allow me to do so."


    "This¡­I¡­" Ryutaro was perplexed, failing to find words to refuse the offer, especially since the boy didn''t seem well off, ''I can''t receive something when his family clearly isn''t doing well.''


    "Boy," The oldest among the women apanying Ryutaro sported a gentle, all-knowing smile as she patted the boy, "What''s your name?"


    "Eugene," The boy replied, blushing slightly upon staring at the woman.


    "Eugene," The woman''s husky voice resounded with tender care, "Ryutaro won''t ept any repayment for his charity. You see, he never asked us anything too when he helped us."


    "I understand," Eugene''s eyes lit up as his gaze alternated between the woman and Ryutaro before focusing on her, "So, it was thanks to big brother Ryutaro''s help that your husband is fully healed now."


    "Eh?"


    "Husband?"


    "Whose?"


    The women behind Ryutaro gawked in shock and confusion, wondering what Eugene was saying.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I''m not married though?" The oldest among the women tilted her head in confusion, sweating mildly when she sensed Ryutaro''s expression turn a tad colder.


    "Isn''t that your house?" Eugene pointed at a house visible from the park, "Two days ago, I saw you fighting with your husband in one of the rooms. The noise was loud. I ran away as I was afraid. Your voice was high pitched¡­"


    "Enough," Ryutaro spoke curtly as he walked away.


    "Wait, Ryutaro. I don''t know what he''s talking about." The oldest among the women said in a fluster as she chased after Ryutaro.


    "I never thought ire would be like this."


    "She always seemed the most mature and proper among us. Didn''t know she was like this behind our backs."


    The women discussed in fervour as they apanied Ryutaro. There was a minor crack in the sisterhood they felt towards ire.


    The house pointed at by Eugene was indeed ire''s house. And two days ago, ire had asked Ryutaro to heal the back of a man who seemed to have been scratched by nails to almost cause bleeding.


    Adding one and two, it seemed as if ire had cheated on Ryutaro.


    [Alright, the first seed of suspicion has been nted]


    [Let''s move on to the second n immediately]


    [We should move cautiously. All System Hosts are immune to instant death attacks. So, we have to gradually weaken his fate first. Once it''s below us, he''s fair game, even to instant death attacks.]


    Eugene, Grace, and Otto discussed through Telepathy as they sensed the discord among Ryutaro''s group.


    The man healed by Ryutaro two days ago suffered from an injury thanks to Eugene who used a Puppet to do so. It was executed stealthily when he was spending time with a prostitute.


    p¦Ánd¦Á---no¦Í?1,§ão§® The man was then led to ire coincidentally who then asked Ryutaro to heal him. But thanks to Eugene''s lie, the sequence of events seemed different.


    "You¡­cheated on me?" Ryutaro red at ire as his figure disappeared. His form flickered over the roofs of a few houses before arriving at a brothel house where the man he healed two days ago was having his fun.


    Upon seeing Ryutaro, even though the man was stunned for a moment, his expression brightened, "Sir Ryutaro, it''s a surprise seeing you here. To what do I owe this pleasure?"


    "Thedy that wounded you two days ago," His throat felt heavy as words struggled toe out. Ryutaro strained himself and spat out the question, "What''s your rtionship with her?"


    "Ahh, her?" The man recalled the prostitute from two days ago as he began to drool, "She''s one fierydy. She''s not well known in the brothel house, but the experience was amazing. Even though I was injured by her, I might sleep with her again if given the chance¡­"


    The man blinked in confusion, seeing Ryutaro''s figure vanish. It was a mimunication between the two.


    Of course, everything was a setup taking the characters of Ryutaro, ire, and everyone else involved into ount, including the man and the prostitute.


    And now, Ryutaro was seething in hatred at the misconceived notion that ire had slept with someone else, conveniently ignoring the fact that he himself had a haremrge enough to make a football team.

 Chapter 1091 Invoking The System Punishment

    ?


    "How many times do I have to tell you," ire shouted in anger, "I didn''t sleep with another man!"


    "You''re raising your voice now." Ryutaro said in disbelief, "I thought you were the most mature."


    "Oh, so that means I should always cull my emotions, huh?" ire felt irritated now, "It''s fine if you''re an immature brat, right?"


    "What¡­the fuck? Immature? Me?" Ryutaro red in anger, "You''re calling me immature?"


    "I''ve been taking care of you all along!"


    "Taking care of me? Seriously?" ire was unable to endure his bullshit any longer, "Other than healing me the first time, what have you done for me specifically? I was the one that always treated your insecurities with care. Moreover,"


    She teared up, "For a moment, let''s consider that I slept with a man. So what? Is that important?"


    She clenched Ryutaro''s shirt, "Look at the mirror, fucktard! You have a fucking harem! You want me to be mature when it''s convenient for you, huh? How self-serving."


    "You''re not the ire I fell in love with." Shaking his head, Ryutaro walked away in disappointment.


    "It''s not love if you feel the same emotion towards a dozen women!" ire shouted as she saw him leave, copsing to the floor weakly in the end.


    With that, ire was out of his harem. Ryutaro was sad as he approached the rest of his women, sighing as he said, "ire has left our party."


    ¡­


    Two dayster, one of the women entered a bathhouse, changing into her bathrobe when suddenly, a voice whispered into her ears, "Mydy, ire has vanished."


    "Vanished?" She frowned, "Did she run away in embarrassment?"


    "No, she met Ryutaro yesterday night alone. She wasn''t seen after that. We haven''t observed anyone leaving this city." Saying so, the messenger disappeared.


    The woman was a small country''s princess, one of the first to fall in love with Ryutaro. Even after leaving her country to roam the continent with Ryutaro, she still maintained her influence. A group of messengers always apanied her from the shadows.


    What she wasn''t aware of was the fact that the messenger this time wasn''t one of her own, but it was Grace pretending to be one.


    Eugene kidnapped ire, threw her in his Darble Dungeon, and made her puppets kill her. This way, the System within Ryutaro wasn''t able to gather the details through Mental Energy like usual.


    One by one, the harem women had friction with Ryutaro and either left or were killed in secret by Eugene, with the me pinned on the na?ve System Host.


    Three months passed in such a fashion as Ryutaro only had one girl apanying him now. It was then she announced in joy, "Ryutaro, I''m pregnant."


    Ten monthster, the woman delivered a baby. The wetnurse picked up the baby with care, disying her expert prowess. She had a reputation for being the best in the city. In truth, she was Grace.


    "Your son is as pretty as you." She spoke, acting like she was cleaning the blood on the baby when she swapped it with the baby in her Darble dungeon. Her actions were so swift that the baby''s mother didn''t even notice anything.


    Bang!


    Ryutaro entered the room in joy as he stared at the baby, "I''m a¡­father!"


    He approached the baby, praising his woman, "You''ve done gre¡­"


    His words came to a halt upon staring at the baby that had zero resemnce to him. Heck, it was a demi-human, sharing traits of a goblin.


    It felt like his entire world had crashed as Ryutaro copsed to the floor dispiritedly, "Even you cucked me¡­"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Sir, before you do something stupid, please hear me," The wetnurse, Grace said in a hurry, "I feel this is your child."


    "That''s half a goblin there!" Ryutaro bellowed in rage.


    "T-This is a lie, Ryutaro¡­" The baby''s mother said in disbelief. But by now, he had been cheated so many times that Ryutaro had zero patience. With a sh of his sword, he severed his wife in two. Half of his harem died by his hand, so his sh had no hesitation. All he felt was unbridled disgust.


    "You idiot! She''s your wife. And this is your child!" The wetnurse shouted in a hurry, screaming in horror when Ryutaro was about to kill her too, "You''re the reason!"


    "You''ve been afflicted with the Goblin Disease!"


    "Goblin¡­Disease?" He stopped his de moments before cleaving the wetnurse''s body, pausing as he asked, looking like he just wished to ughter everyone to vent in rage, "You have a minute to talk."


    "Y-Yes," The wetnurse trembled in fear, her hands clutching the baby tightly as she said, "I''ve seen this disease once in the past. The victim suddenly sees a mysterious screen that makes them do stuff and rewards them. But, it slowly curses the victim in return and causes them to hallucinate stuff."


    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel "Moreover, the victim''s children are born to partially resemble Goblins, which is why this is called the Goblin Disease."


    "Hallucination¡­? What the heck is¡­" Ryutaro felt a searing headache as he stared at his System with suspicion, "This thing is a¡­curse?"


    "Then¡­" He stared at his wife''s corpse, distraught, "I¡­killed my wife."


    Wah! Wah!


    The baby began to wail right at this moment, distracting Ryutaro from his wife''s corpse.


    "Sir, please hold your baby. That would calm him down." The wetnurse said as she extended the baby to him, "Please trust my experience and reputation when I say he''s truly your son."


    "My son¡­" Ryutaro''s face convulsed in pain, and by this point throttledpletely in his coping mechanism. Staring at his son''s monster-like form, his heart ached as he asked the wetnurse, "Do you know how the Goblin Disease is cured?"


    [Host, there''s no such thing as a Goblin Disease. Please be cautious against this woman.]


    Since Arnark was dead, the Main Character System was no more. This meant there weren''t any System yers around for the Systems to be afraid of. Hence, the System''s response was merely curt, sticking to its temte.


    It was confident in dealing with the situation like usual, for during the past few months, the chaos only resulted in a spike in the Mental Energy it received, unaware that it was thanks to the Secret Society fanning attention to Ryutaro.


    "I''m not sure, but from what I was told by the survivor, he called out the creature''s true name, forcing it out of his body. They had a bloody battle next. And the moment he killed that creature, his children, a pair of twins magically became normal humans." The wetnurse said, "But that entity will refuse as long as you don''t call out its true name. Moreover, it will prevent you from stating it."


    "And whenever someone close to you realises its existence, it''ll eradicate them, either through you or by itself." The wetnurse stared at him in concern and asked, "I''m sure you experienced something like that before, right? Did anyone close to you disappear mysteriously?"


    "Why don''t you trust me?"


    "I took care of your insecurities¡­"


    "I was just happy to be with you."


    "I see¡­" Ryutaro smiled wryly as he recalled the statements of his harem members when they left him, vanishing mysteriously after that. "I''m one stupid bastard."


    He then stared at the warning notifications from the screen hovering before his face, recalling the messages he saw until now as he inhaled a deep breath before roaring in anger, "Show yourself, you bastard!"


    "God! Sword! System!"


    The moment he uttered the word System, a reaction erupted from the world as for a moment, the Astral Network manifested itself, carrying out System Punishment on Ryutaro.

 Chapter 1092 Steady Accumulation

    ?


    The moment the Astral Network unleashed the System Punishment, the Darble Network condensed for a moment and captured all the power within the System Punishment.


    Since the function of System Punishment was to punish the Host that revealed the existence of a System, it wouldn''t stop until the Host was actually punished. Since the Darble Network captured it, the Astral Network shot out more System Punishment.


    The Astral Network continued to shoot out System Punishment while the Darble Network continued to absorb it. Originally, if something like this happened, the Tell-Tale System would have interfered to find out the cause.


    But with its death, there was no one to monitor the Astral Network. As a result, it continued through its established rules.


    And since Compass Carburettor now possessed Tell-Tale, while creating Secret Society, he established a method for the Darble Network to take advantage of the Astral Network and steal as much System Punishment as possible.


    The Darble Network had its limits though, as its foundation was based on the Secret Society members in this world. Once it absorbed enough, it vanished, causing the remainder of System Punishment to fall on Ryutaro. Everything happened in the fraction of a second, so Ryutaro didn''t even notice any dys.


    The moment he muttered the ''System'' after realising its existence, the System Punishmentnded on him, stunning both him and the God-Sword System in him.


    Ryutaro lost his bnce when his paternal instincts kicked in, hurriedly catching his baby to prevent it from being injured. For a newborn baby, a drop to the floor was a death sentence.


    He couldn''t even move properly. And in that state, he overexerted himself by churning his mana to counter the effects of System Punishment and catch his baby. This only caused the System Punishment to rampage further, destroying his mana circuit.


    At this moment, in the Darble Network, Otto stared arge pond that had appeared. It was the liquid form of System Punishment. He touched it and absorbed some of it, hitting his limit quickly.


    Right as Ryutaro caught his baby, time seemed to have slowed down as in his senses, he observed the baby revealing a faint smile. Following that, it pointed its index finger at him, condensing an energy de that expanded in length and stabbed into his head.


    Oozing out of the energy de was System Punishment as the moment it stabbed into Ryutaro, his System was wounded further.


    The wetnurse, Grace too absorbed System Punishment from the Darble Network and unleashed a flurry of attacks at Ryutaro.


    "You¡­fooled me!" Ryutaro stared in aghast as he retaliated. But, despite possessing strength surpassing an SSS-Rank Adventurer, he couldn''t fight effectively, for the effects of System Punishment suppressed hisbat strength.


    Swoosh!


    Grace severed his head, killing him as she condensed a cubical barrier that enclosed Ryutaro, pumping the interior with the energy of System Punishment, preventing the God-Sword System from returning to the System World.


    A System couldn''t use the Astral Network''s services while being affected by System Punishment that rattled even its Core Skill.


    Eugene rushed into the room, dragging a cattle with him as he killed the baby. He plucked out a Warble from its corpse and ced it on the cattle''s forehead, watching Otto revive as a teenager.


    The trio took turns infusing System Punishment into the barrier until the God-Sword System was unable to endure anymore and fractured.


    With its Core Skill destroyed, its existence was wiped out, revealing a Coordinate that hovered above Ryutaro''s body. It seemed like it would dissipate any moment when Otto absorbed it into his Darble Dungeon, observing the space within stabilise further and cause the volume to erge drastically.


    With that, they destroyed a System.


    "Good job!" Eugene patted both Grace and Otto, sighing after staring at the Darble Network.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [We had to use up most of the System Punishment. It''ll be easier if we could store more in the Darble Network]


    Otto observed the changes to his Darble Dungeon and replied with a smile.


    [My room for growth has improved after absorbing this Coordinate. As long as the foundation of each of us increases, the quantity of System Punishment the Darble Network can store too will increase]


    "Did your abilities improve after absorbing that?" Grace asked.


    "Just an improvement in the volume. Nothing else," Otto shook his head. Any sensitive words were exchanged through Telepathy while the rest were conversed normally.


    The Darble Network was created to absorb System Punishment while the Darble Dungeon would grow in foundation by absorbing Coordinates.


    Moreover, with every Coordinate they absorbed, the universality of each Secret Society member became strengthened. This was the means of growth given to them, carefully created by Compass Carburettor while considering many things.


    Unfortunately, the Secret Society couldn''t expand in numbers, because only Compass Carburettor had the authority to make people members.


    But thanks to Warble, the members were basically immortal. So, as long as the world existed, the Secret Society in it would continue operating.


    And as they continue to hunt Systems and absorb their Coordinates, the members would be stronger over time, making the world all the more dangerous for the Systems.


    It was only effective at the level of a Grade 1 System, but that was enough. After all, only Grade 1 Systems would be actively farming Mental Energy.


    Grade 2 Systems would be fighting in the Central ins to gather System Elixir while Grade 3 Systems would be fighting and devouring each other to reach Grade 4.


    Once Secret Society hunted their first prey in this world, Compass Carburettor arrived to determine their levels of growth. Satisfied, he went towards other worlds, continuing to establish Secret Society in every single world.


    At first, the Hatchling Systems were the most affected. But over time, the level of Systems being hunted continued to increase at a steady rate.


    A decadeter, Eugene let out a breath of air softly, staring at the Coordinate before him. He absorbed it into his Darble Dungeon and observed the changes.


    Currently, he possessed over a hundred Transcendent Skills, a dozen or so which were from the Warrior Path while the rest belonged to the Puppeteer Path. Each Transcendent Skill of the Puppeteer Path was regarding a puppet form, including the various functions installed, like a cat, dog, human, worm, etc.


    The space within his Darble Dungeon was now eight cubic kilometres. With a height of one kilometre, it meant he had and area of eight square kilometres. That was a lot ofnd for one person, so much so that it was getting hard to manage alone.


    But that didn''t matter as once he was done with his task, he roamed throughnds that had faced disasters and brought orphan kids into the Darble Dungeon. They were d to live in a safend, free from danger and hunger.


    Once there were enough people to take care of his Darble Dungeon, Eugene returned home and rxed, tallying his energy umtion, one that had long since trumped his powers of mana as an SSS-Rank Adventurer.


    Dac: 12,796!

 Chapter 1093 Robin Hood Of Secrecy

    ?


    "Do the lot of you really wish to die?" Technocraft stared at the over dozen Genre Representatives that had converged before him, acting as a line of defence between him and the System World.


    "Genre Representatives cannot die," Fluff winked at Technocraft, drooling over his muscles, "You''ve be hotter than before."


    "Of course," Technocraft felt a headache as he didn''t even hesitate; the world-devouring beast he had transformed into unleashed a tiny star that exploded, generating energy fields turbulent enough to destroy worlds in the fraction of a second, "I''m a star!"


    Supernova!


    Technocraft condensed thews regarding the creation of a Supernova from dozens of worlds and even inserted a minor Concept into it, creating an attack that was effective against all sorts of enemies.


    The Supernova vaporised Fluff and most of the Genre Representatives. Only Phantom and Immortal were alive.


    But a momentter, all the Genre Representatives returned. The body of a Genre Representative was just an energy-condensed form simr to Zaira. Its destruction was just a minor loss in energy.


    And for a Genre Representative, that loss of energy was nothing. Even if they were killed a billion times, nothing would happen. Only if thews forming their worlds were destroyed would they be affected.


    But as a fellow Genre Representative, Technocraft didn''t wish to do that. He only intended to deal with the Systems.


    With a snort, Technocraft rushed forward as thousands of serpentine heads jutted out of his form and swallowed anything in their sight. The world-devouring beast''s body was capable of digesting evenws.


    So, even though Technocraft couldn''t kill Systems, he could digest all the energy that formed their bodies, resulting in their economic loss. As long as the System World bes bankrupt, it wouldn''t be able to maintain its function and implode on its own.


    Boom!


    Martial stared helplessly as the sword he condensed melted while everything below his neck had been swallowed by a serpentine head, ''Technocraft is strong!''


    "I hope I survive this." The Harem System trembled in fear as it arrived at a point in System World from where it could stare at Technocraft''s fight.


    The System World had developed enough that it basically epassed the entire universe it was situated within. Both the world and universe were one entity here, shaped more like a Realm than a.


    And having arrived at its edge, the Harem System prayed, "I am bored of this world. If only¡­I could be like a Hero of the legend and go on an adventure¡­"


    Honk!


    Its wishes summoned the sole entity that acted as a gateway towards a different world, one beloved by the natives that were aware of his existence.


    Truck-Kun!


    The Harem System stared with a widened gaze as two headlights closed in on it. Moments before it was mmed into, the Harem System let out a smile, ''I guess, with this, I''m no longer rted to the Systems.''


    Boom!


    The truck crashed into the Harem System, transmigrating it to another world. The truck didn''t stop though as it rushed through, heading for the barrier, intending to leave the System World as soon as possible.


    "What the heck?" Zaira was rmed as she disconnected hermunication channel with the Fate System and hurried towards the location where she sensed the arrival of Truck Kun.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You dare enter my world?" Shouting in rage, Zaira erupted with a Grade 3 Core Skill, intending to cause ruin to Truck-Kun.


    Cheat¡ªAegis!


    A five-petalled shield manifested above the truck and tanked the attack. It cracked and shattered in the process but only after expending all the energy within the attack.


    Just before the truck crashed into the System World''s barrier, its door opened as a child, barely three years old got down, almost tumbling whilending on the forested floor of the System World.


    The child got up and clenched his hand into a fist and condensed a spear, his eyes emitting a chilling killing intent, "Hello, Zaira. It has been 38,771 years since west met."


    Cheat¡ªGungnir!


    The legendary spear brimmed with a suffocating stench of power, causing the trees in the forest to rot. And with a shout, the childunched it towards Zaira.


    "Shit!" Zaira was rmed as she hurriedly condensed hundreds of barriers before her, staring at the spear in rage, ''How the fuck did this collective consciousness return in Mascot? I ensured that world was crippled!''


    Among the Isekai Worlds, there were plenty of dangerous ones. The System World had been cautious towards them and had invested a lot of Mental Energy to gradually turn the protagonists of such worlds into System Hosts and eventually swallowed their foundation.


    And once they became weak enough, their collective consciousnesses were buried deep within Mascot, leaving the weaker, indecisive ones to take the rein. But now, one of the fearsome collective consciousness had emerged.


    The spear that struck its mark flew through the forest skies and phased through the barriers as if they didn''t even exist and struck Zaira, puncturing through her Energy-Condensed body. Like ss, her body fractured and began to rain down fragments as she shouted in confusion, "How? How did you return?"


    ¡­


    "That''s the spirit! Keep going!" Compass Carburettor blew a whistle as thousands of Grade 1 Systems¡ªeach selectively picked for the cause¡ªrushed into a world and dissolved themselves.


    The moment their Hosts died, their System Bodies began to vaporise. The world naturally began to assimte them and devour their foundation. As a result, its weakenedws became strengthened enormously, allowing it to instantly reim its original foundation.


    Each Grade 1 System conformed to a lostw respectively. And the ce their Hosts died was exactly where the weakenedw was the most functional. As such, the world not only regained its lost foundation but even became a tad stronger.


    Immediately, the resultant collective consciousness within Mascot awakened as it travelled forth from the bottom of the barrel and returned to its rightful ce at the peak. Seeing the sess, Compass Carburettor smiled and vanished, "There''s plenty more where that came from."


    "Grade 1 Systems are the best. I can easily turn them into members of Secret Society."


    ¡­


    "Why?" Hearing Zaira''s shout, the child, Mascot grinned as he condensed a sword that emanated a beam of energy that reached the skies, cracking it.


    "You¡­stop!" Zaira shed her damaged energy-condensed form and created a new form, intending to stop Mascot. But before she couldunch an attack, it was toote.


    Followed by a leap, Mascot brought down the sword on the universe boundary of the System World and cleaved open a finger-sized crack, one through which an eyed-tentacle of Technocraft gushed inside.


    Cheat¡ªExcalibur!

 Chapter 1094 Slapping The Fate System Out Of Commission

    ?


    [Error #$%# Error, data cannot be found!]


    Error messages resounded continuously through Fate as the Fate System was in a state of fluster, unable to determine just what was happening anymore. It was as if he was blinded suddenly. Not just a loss of sight, but every single sense he possessed.


    Even connecting to the Astral Network was difficult as it constantly fluctuated due to the attacks on the System World. The universe shift started by Mystique only worsened the situation, putting everything in a state of jeopardy.


    "I should return to the System World first." Thinking as such, the Fate System focused on one of his spatial powers, intending to use it to arrive at a stabler universe first before employing the Astral Network there to return to the System World.


    Travelling from unstable regions carried a certain risk where he could be thrown off into some far-reaching part of the multiverse.


    The Fate System expanded tendrils of fate that streamed from his universe and into the nearby universes, forcefully connecting them together. He focused and continued to expand the range, eventually finding a massive universe that hadn''t begun to move yet.


    At present, the smaller universes were the only ones moving. The strength of the universe shift wasn''t strong enough to move therge universes yet. "Ok, the Astral Network connection there is stable enough. I can get to the System World from there."


    The Fate System activated the spatial powers he had stolen by signing into many of Technocraft''s worlds, disappearing into a spatial tunnel that formed a bridge between the two universes.


    The transfer only took a second, which was how powerful this ability was, unless when interrupted by an entity whose authority over this field was absolute.


    "Buheee!" Ahjar made a face akin to a scarecrow as his face suddenly formed a projection within the spatial tunnel, stunning the Fate System. The spatial tunnel wriggled like a worm as the Fate System protected himself with a denseyer of Fate, intending to rely on the rigidity of Fate to arrive at his destination.


    "Brat, if your grandpa tells you to bark like a dog, obediently bark as if you have rabies." Ahjar''s voice resounded through the tunnel as a rupturing attack mmed into him and tore through his Fate barrier.


    "You¡­!" The Fate System roared in rage and erupted with a torrent of Fate as he destroyed the spatial tunnel, thinking that he would still be within the range where he had spread his Fate around, since the source and destination universes were within that.


    The spatial tunnel copsed as the Fate System found himself within the void of some gxy withws so weak that his mere arrival crumbled it.


    The Fate System looked around as his expression turned from irritation to frustration, from frustration to despair, and from despair to helplessness. "Where the heck am I?"


    "Ahjar!"


    The Fate System had been stranded in a random corner of the multiverse, one so disconnected from everything that the effect of universe shift wasn''t even observed here.


    The void between the universes was the thinnest towards the centre of the multiverse. And the farther towards the edge of the multiverse one went, the wider this void.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And in this remote ce, the void was so massive that probably a hundred universes could fit into it.


    The universe he found himself in was so cut off from things that it didn''t even fall under a Genre Representative. The Fate System expanded his Fate and copsed weakly. There wasn''t any decent universe within the limits of his Fate''s range.


    All universes he found were batshit weak that even a Hatchling System would shy away from them. The Fate of an entire such universe was less than a Level 1 Hatchling System.


    Whether the Fate System stole their Fate or not was of no consequence. There was nothing he could do here to grow stronger or even replenish his power. Even the power of Fate streaming into him through his concept was a paltry sum.


    "He¡­got me!" The Fate System plucked his hair as he observed the worlds around him copse, unable to handle his presence. There weren''t any sentient races though. Forget sentient races, there wasn''t even a single lifeform in these universes.


    Worst of all, when Ahjar sneaked upon him, he stole all his spatial powers. Meaning, if the Fate System intended to return to the System World, he would have to manually make the trip.


    "Fuck youuuuu!" The Fate System roared, hoping his fragments would be able to do something in the war. Though, he didn''t have any confidence in them. The Core Skill was within him. And he constituted more than fifty percent of the Fate System.


    The remainder, even if they condensed into one figure wouldn''t amount to anything, especially since Ahjar was able to handle his main body so easily, despite it being a sneak attack, ''How¡­did he pass through without alerting my Fate?''


    "I have been the Fate System for a few thousand years already. I should surpass him in terms of experience since he only recently became a Concept Representative¡­" At this point, he shut up, remembering that Ahjar was the Adventure System in the past, the System World''s first Grade 4 System, and also, someone that wielded the power of Space for a significant time, vastly longer than himself.


    "No¡­" The Fate System sobbed, mentally breaking down, "Mom, save me!"


    ¡­


    "With that, Fate has been taken care of for the time being." Ahjar dusted his hands as he entered the body of a Grade 2 System and recuperated, "It took too much toll on my body to target Fate."


    But that was it. All Ahjar needed was some rest to recuperate from the effects of his action. In contrast, the Fate System was out of the picture. As a result, Zaira lost one of her Grade 4 Systems.


    "Now, now, let''s ensure Zaira doesn''t do anything stupid like making the Grade 3 Systems fight the Genre Representatives," He shook his head like he had fits before grinning, "The Grade 3 Systems need to kill themselves for me."


    "That''s more important."

 Chapter 1095 Harem Is Harem

    ?


    Fuahh!


    The Harem System inhaled a breath of fresh air as its Mental Energy body copsed. The energy was consumed to generate a fleshly body, a gigantic form six metres tall, built robustly. The data within the Mental Energy was absorbed into the gics of the creature, transforming into its memory reserve¡ªinstincts, muscle memory, habits, gic traits, etc.


    A tower shaped like a spider, but with dozens of legs, each like whips, coiled around the bodies of people, men and women of various ages and races. It was the Harem System''s original appearance. And now, once it copsed, taking its ce was a flesh and blood body of a Haggon.


    It had been reborn as a member of Secret Society through transmigration.


    The Harem System was already a member. But it still maintained its race as a System. When Truck-Kun transmigrated it, the Harem System passed through Mascot''s domain. Secret Society acted as a cheat and absorbed its Core Skill.


    Its own Coordinate served to increase the volume of its Darble Dungeon while all its data, especially the function of its Core Skill was converted into its life experiences. As a result, it gained many Transcendent Skills.


    As Mascot wasn''t there in her domain at the moment, the Harem System automatically fell into one of her worlds, all thanks to Truck-Kun''s cooperation.


    When Compass Carburettor targeted the Grade 1 Systems, he used most of them to reinforce the worlds of Magister and Mascot, for they had lost a lot of power to the Systems, especially Magister.


    Doing this would allow them to return to their peak and give a tougher time to the Systems. Their actions would help him invariably.


    But he left behind some Grade 1 Systems, for they were way too valuable to be just used to reinforce some worlds. The Harem System was one of them, especially since its Core Skill was the strongest and most potent among the Harem Genre.


    The Harem System''s Haggon formnded within a forest adjacent to a vige as it observed itself. Dac began to form in its body, causing it to feel hungry. It walked through the forest and casually grabbed some trees and stuffed them in its mouth.


    Crunching sounds resounded as the tree was crushed into pulp and swallowed into the stomach. The Haggon digested them within an hour as its Dac reserves increased.


    Following that, Harem roamed through the ce before it sensed a System Host nearby. With a snap of its finger, it created a beautiful butterfly¡ªPuppet¡ªthat flew towards the vige andnded on the shoulder of the System Host.


    "What a beautiful butterfly!" The System Host was just eight years old, a na?ve vige child. He had yet to experience the harsh reality of life after which his System would show itself and transform his life. He was still unaware of its existence.


    The butterfly fluttered and took flight. Mesmerised, the boy ran after it, keeping pace easily with its slow flight. The butterfly eventually entered the forest andnded on a rock.


    The System Host was panting lightly by now, taking in deep breaths as he stared at the butterfly. Right at this moment, rustling sounds resounded from behind. The System Host peeked over the rock and stared at a gorgeous woman walking out of a pool of crystal clear water, her every part a work of wonder.


    The boy couldn''t revert his eyes away. Even though his age meant he couldn''t appreciate women, he could still marvel at beauty. His heart thumped as he observed the woman approaching him, for her clothes had been ced on the rock, right next to the butterfly. She hadn''t noticed him yet.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The boy wasn''t alert. Moreover, since no Mental Energy was generated from the gorgeous woman, for she hadn''t noticed him or was aware of his existence, the System within him too didn''t sense anything amiss.


    The boy didn''t even react when an energy deyered his body, rigid, preventing him from moving even the slightest.


    Before the System in his body could react and do something, or even return to the System World, the walls of the energy de thickened towards its inside and crushed the System Host.


    Harem threw the energy de object into her Darble Dungeon and closed its entrance. It had taken the form of a woman.


    Since the System Host died, the System within the boy''s corpse floated out, intending to return to the System World. It had barely saved enough for the return journey. It didn''t wish to use such an exorbitant amount, but there was no other choice if it wished to return.


    But, when it intended to connect to the Astral Network and return to the System World, the System was stunned. After all, within the Darble Dungeon, there was no Astral Network. Without it, the System couldn''t leave.


    When exposed to the external environment, its body began to vaporise little by little. It activated its Skills and even its Core Skill, intending to destroy the Darble Dungeon and break free. But, Harem expertly encased it with energy de barriers, tanking its attacks.


    While doing so, Harem reverted to its Haggon form and continued to eat trees and replenish its expended Dac reserves. Time passed and a few minutester, the System vaporised fully. Everything that was part of its body had been absorbed by the Darble Dungeon, including its Cordinate.


    "My foundation has improved tremendously." Harem smiled as it roamed the ce, travelling from one continent to another before eventually sensing another System Host. It was a female this time.


    Without a skip in beat, Harem consumed 100 Dac and took on a human form, this time that of a male. Harem existed in both genders. So, it had all the necessary data.


    Therefore, when it took on a human form, it used the relevant data to condense the necessary muscles and organs. Thereby, it was able to change its gender as pleased. Down to the gic level, it was a perfect disguise.


    As it was the Harem System before, the forms it took were captivating to the opposite gender, enough to be a potent Skill of its own. As an unrealistically handsome man, Harem approached the female System Host, seeding in turning the System Host into a member of his harem.


    After all, collecting the opposite gender like Pokemon was the essence of the Harem Genre. Harem was simply extending that to the System Hosts too. And once the System Host became a braindead member of his harem, he hoodwinked her and brought her to his Darble Dungeon.


    Following that was a defensive war as the System was eventually consumed by the Darble Dungeon. Since Harem was a System once, almost at the top of Grade 1, it had a plethora of experience. And once it shed its status as a System, it was able to grow freely like a flesh-and-blood organism and use all its experience freely, no longer limited by its Core Skill''s influence.


    As a result, it became a terrifying entity that devoured Systems like crazy. Simr, valuable existences among Grade 1 Systems were retained as members of Secret Society. And unsurprisingly, their efficiency in killing and consuming Systems vastly outperformed the other Secret Society members.

 Chapter 1096: Cheat Wielders

    Crack! C-Crackle! Kaboom!


    A tentacle squeezed in through a crack as an eye popped out from its end. The eyeball looked around before focusing on the energy-condensed form of Zaira that had just recovered. Tiny creaks spread out from the crack as the tentacle widened in girth, applying pressure on the edges of the universe boundary along the crack.


    Before soon, the tiny cracks causedrge fragments of the universe boundary of the System World to fly out as soon enough, a massive hole was created, enough for a quarter of Technocraft''s body to enter.


    The world-devouring beast opened its mouth and began to suck in the Mental Energy of the System World voraciously, rming Zaira who retaliated.


    Dozens of Grade 3 Core Skills were activated to send Technocraft flying out and sessfully patch the crack.


    Zaira couldn''t even get a moment''s breather because Mascot was still within the System World. By now, the truck he had arrived at was no more, having escaped to some other ce.


    Cheat¡ªInfinite Mana!


    Mascot suddenly ramped up his powers and activated another ability, pouring in a torrent of mana into the patched crack.


    Zaira didn''t understand what he was doing, but that didn''t mean she intended to wait and see. She activated a Grade 2 Core Skill and transformed into a titan to kick Mascot away. Right as she intended to neutralise the mana with an energy medium that ran counter to it, she stared in a fluster as the mana began to revolve.


    It formed a magic circle that lit up softly before soon, the patch melted, revealing therge crack once again.


    Roar!


    Technocraft''s world-devouring beast body squeezed through the crack as thousands of heads shot out, intending to devour her. As Zaira evaded the attacks, the Reincarnation System worked together with the Genre Representatives to face the remainder of Technocraft''s body.


    He was going strong, attacking both sides. On Zaira''s side, he mainly worked on distracting her while creating opportunities for Mascot to truly injure Zaira.


    Boom!


    The Astral Network solidified for a second as both Regression and Transmigration System jumped out, ganging up on Technocraft. For a moment, they pressured him enough that his attacks on Zaira weakened.


    But that wasn''t for long as magic circles began to appear one after another, everywhere in the void. And soon, magical typhoons were generated en masse, washing out all the Genre Representatives.


    "Hahaha! This is so fun!" Magister arrived at the scene,ughing as he resembled a maniacal grand magician that had made a profound discovery and was too excited to control himself.


    His staff shone brightly as a grand magic circle structured with more than a hundredyers of magic circles formed. Torrential mana gushed into it as arge hand jutted out and aimed for the Reincarnation System.


    Boom!


    The attack was so fast that for a moment, even the Reincarnation System wasn''t able to react, despite possessing authority over time. Magister had unleashed a time-based attack through that giant hand. But the source wasn''t through the concept of Time but generated through abination of a million other magic forms that the resultant effect was no different from employing the concept of time.


    Grand mages were capable of creating spells that affected time, like de-ageing, sending a memory to the past or future, etc. Magister was the culmination of that. As a result, he was able to unleash abilities that resembled effects unleashed through the concept of Time.


    This was why Zaira wasn''t flustered when Ahjar gained the concept of Space. Because Technocraft was simr. The natives in his world had many means through which they traversed space, most of which didn''t even rely upon the concept of Space.


    Some spacecraft travelled beyond the speed of light that the fabric of space itself warped to allow travel over distances millions of light years in a matter of days or months. This was simply attained through speed. There were many other ways to unleash effects simr to the concept of Space without employing the concept.


    So, Zaira thought that as long as she devoured Technocraft, she would be able to use this method to substitute the concept of Space and allow yer¡ªthe Representative System¡ªto reim his seat as a Grade 4 System.


    Of course, Magister hadn''t been able to unleash abilities that affected time for a long course of his battles. The reason was simple: Zaira targeted worlds with such methods.


    Therefore, once the foundation of such worlds weakened, Magister simply was unable to unleash such attacks. He had long since fallen off from his peak.


    But the situation now was different as Magister felt strength surging in him with every passing minute. His weakened worlds were gradually growing in strength.


    Compass Carburettor was working behind the scenes to make Magister''s worlds devour Grade 1 Systems en masse, allowing Magister to slowly but surely approach recovery. Eventually, he might attain his peak.


    This was the primary reason why the Genre Representatives intended to support the Main Character System. For, such an action could only be performed by the Main Character.


    Of course, Arnark never helped them. And now, in an era without the Main Character System, despite having been antagonised by the very same Genre Representatives many times, Compass Carburettor was realising their long-cherished wish.


    The cause was entirely different from what one might expect. It wasn''t because they were allies. It wasn''t out of a sense of respect or repaying goodwill. No, it was only because Compass Carburettoe wanted someone strong enough to hold back the Systems long enough for him to get his things done.


    That was all!


    If one thought about it, the irony was strong here. Magister and Mascot were receiving their greatest help from the individual they had betrayed time and again for stupid, indecisive reasons.


    As the Magic Worlds recovered one after another, Magister''s strength continued to climb. As a result, the three Genre Representatives¡ªMagister, Mascot, and Technocraft¡ªwere able to fight toe to toe against thebined collective of Zaira, Regression, Reincarnation, Transmigration, and the remaining Genre Representatives.


    Honk!


    Truck-Kun joined the battle as tens of thousands of trucks arrived alongside, transporting people that oozed a suffocating power.


    Mascot''s Cheat Wielder Army!


    "What a day to be alive," Shen Ze smiled as he churned the Immortal Energy in his body, empowered by the Cheat he received from Mascot as he condensed a massive palm that turned a weak Genre Representative into a bloody mist.

 Chapter 1097: The Return of Xianxia

    "Quick, we need to reinforce the System World." Monarch System shouted as it apanied its group of Grade 3 Systems, connected to the Astral Network, and returned to the System World.


    They were Systems at the end of the day. So, the moment their home¡ªthe System World¡ªwas intruded upon, they dropped everything and returned. It was in their instinct to do so.


    Monarch System took the lead as it charged out and shed with Technocraft. As more and more Grade 3 Systems joined the mix, Technocraft was overwhelmed.


    Typically, a Grade 3 System was on par with a Genre Representative in strength. The top 10 Genre Representatives were able to face more than one Grade 3 System.


    And in the past, the top 5 Genre Representatives¡ªMystique, Mascot, Technocraft, Magister, and Immortal¡ªwere able to fight more than three Grade 3 Systems each. They were also the sole entities capable of taking on the Grade 4 Systems.


    Originally, it was always Immortal that had taken the vanguard in facing Zaira. As a result, his worlds were also the worst affected by her retaliation.


    Technocraft was strong, insanely strong. But even he couldn''t face three Grade 4 Systems and over a dozen Grade 3 Systems. Mascot was facing Zaira while Magister dealt with the Genre Representatives.


    The immortal army could only stall against the Grade 3 Systems. So, the pressure was on Technocraft. And slowly but surely, the damage to his energy-condensed form continued to spike as he was killed repeatedly.


    If the situation kept pace, Technocraft would be defeated in the end. Moreover, Grade 3 Systems continued to arrive at the scene.


    At this time, right as the Monarch System was about to smack Technocraft, its body suddenly flickered and vanished, in an instant appearing behind Immortal as its attacknded on him.


    "Argh!" Anak shouted in pain as he red at the Monarch System, "Where the fuck are you aiming at?"


    "Shut up and focus!" The Monarch System snorted and went away. It couldn''t understand why it teleported all of a sudden like that, but when it tried to think of the reason, it glitched.


    Following that, it went about with the fight as usual.


    Hiding within its body was Ahjar, conversing with the entity hidden in its mind, "See, I told you this would work. Continue glitching its thought process. I''ll time the attacks."


    "But, is this enough to turn the tides?" Hazen asked in worry, "It''s impossible to send the Grade 3 Systems away since the System World is in danger."


    "We''re not controlling the Grade 3 Systems anymore," Ahjar shed his teeth with a cunning grin, "The situation will take care of itself once we trigger Immortal."


    "Trigger Immortal?" Hazen couldn''t understand, "What would that change?"


    "Just do as I tell," Ahjar waved his hand calmly, "Even though it''s currently Anak that has be Immortal, at the end of the day, Immortal is Immortal. The essence of his being is to make myth a reality."


    "And," Heughed, "You know how cultivators are. They don''t like being subservient."


    "Okay, I''m listening." Hazen followed Ahjar''s advice as he prepped up enough power. And suddenly, Ahjar transported both of them into the body of another Grade 3 System.


    Ahjar hid them while Hazen influenced its mind. Following that, the Grade 3 System targeted Immortal.


    One after another, the Grade 3 Systems continued to attack Immortal, most of whichnded squarely on his face. Even though Immortal healed from the attacks, by now, rage was building up in him. "You dumbasses, if you dare attack me one more time¡­"


    The Monarch System appeared behind him right this time and exploded his head with a punch.


    Boom!


    Immortal reformed his body as a torrent of Spirit Energy burst out of him, applying pressure on all the nearby entities, most of which were the Grade 3 Systems. With a twist of his wrist, Immortal condensed a corrosive sword and shed the Monarch System, causing arge gash on its body.


    Moreover, the attack caused a part of its body to vaporise, which shouldn''t happen because the Monarch System had arrived here only after fusing with the world that acted as its physical body.


    Only if it arrived in its System Body would it begin vaporising. A Grade 3 System''s body was robust enough to easily offset this dissipation. But to avoid sustaining damage to itself, it always arrived after fusing with a world.


    This was why it took time for the Grade 3 Systems to arrive at the scene. But now, the Monarch System observed that Immortal''s attacks targeted its System body. "How is this possible?"


    What it wasn''t aware of was that when Immortal''s attacknded on it, Hazenyered the attack with his energy that was capable of wounding a System.


    This was the energy developed by his world using Arnark''s original body, created to kill the Systems, further strengthened by Hazen recently¡ªEnema.


    The Enema trickled down into the Monarch System''s body and wounded it. Even when the Monarch System infused Mental Energy into the region, the injury didn''t heal, making it realise that if this injury were to destroy its Coordinate, it would die.


    Normally, a Genre Representative''s attacks couldn''t even interact with a Coordinate. As a result, the System couldn''t be killed. Even if its body was destroyed, it could revive within the System World.


    "How dare you attack me?" The Monarch System was surprised at the rage-filled words that leaked out of its mouth. It thenunched a full-scale assault on Immortal, beating up thetter severely.


    The more he was beaten up, the more his anger grew. Eventually, Immortal became frustrated, especially since the Representative System fragment in his body was constantly controlling his actions.


    Originally, the first time he unleashed his Genre Representation, Anak understood what Immortal truly was. And now, that ego was only being reinforced by the beatings he received.


    "That''s enough!" Anak bellowed as he no longer listened to the Representative System fragment in his body. Even when thetter destroyed him from within to control him, Anak pressed forth with his choice and attacked the Monarch System.


    Through sheer will, he resisted the Representative System fragment and attacked recklessly. In response, yer sent more of his body into Anak to tighten the control.


    Right at this moment, having been waiting for Anak''s frustration to erupt tangibly was Compass Carburettor, barely seeding on time toplete his preparation as he snapped his finger, exhausted as his Psyche Stars were almost expended.


    At hismand, two hundred thousand Grade 1 Systems, those that had grown through Cultivation Worlds leaped into eleven worlds and killed themselves, causing these worlds to absorb their essence and grow in foundation.


    Instantly, eleven terrifying worlds returned to their prime, sending thick energy streams into Immortal to the extent his strength exploded by over dozen times. After all, these worlds were special.


    They were the biggest among Immortal''s worlds, Xianxia worlds capable of housing even Gods, thousands of them. And their revival sparked the return of Xianxia.

 Chapter 1098: Madness Rampage in the System World

    The moment the two hundred thousand Grade 1 Systems fused into the eleven worlds, Compass Carburettor activated his Boot of Transmigration to appear in a world close to the System World. Through Tell-Tale, he infiltrated the Astral Network and joined a private group participated by only three individuals.


    [Compass: Ahjar, transport me and Hazen to the System World]


    [Traveller: Give me a minute. I''m not done triggering Immortal yet]


    [Idiot: Is it time to target them?]


    [Compass: We need to hurry. This has to be done before Immortal breaks free]


    [Traveller: I''ll bring you there. Each of us will be hiding within a Grade 1 System respectively. So, act subservient towards the stronger Systems]


    Compass Carburettor exhaled a soft breath as Ahjar flickered behind him stealthily, grabbed him, and vanished.


    Secondary Factor¡ªShadow!


    Activating his second power, Ahjar sent Compass Carburettor into the body of a Grade 1 System¡ªOverdrive (Level 48)!


    Following that, he sent Hazen into the body of the Grade 1 System¡ªIntelligence (Level 99)!


    Lastly, he entered the body of the Grade 1 System¡ªBully (Level 14)!


    ''Overdrive, that''s a familiar name.'' Compass Carburettor observed through the senses of the Overdrive System. The first time he saw its power in action was in the hands of Regriel, the Host of the ve-Harem System. He just employed a one-time use Skill of the Overdrive System. Back then, it was at level 31.


    It seemed to have had decent gains as it was now at level 48. But in this era of System Supremacy where all Systems were growing at a rapid pace, the Overdrive System''s growth wascklustre at best.


    [Compass: Do it, Hazen]


    [Idiot: Okay]


    Origin Art¡ªGloss Over!


    The three Systems suddenly went into a trance as next, Ahjar actuated his powers derived from the Secondary System. Using the Secondary Factor of Shadow, all three were able to control their respective Systems.


    When a figure moves, its shadow moved ordingly. Ahjar''s secondary factor was to be that entity''s shadow. And when the shadow moved, the concept of Space ensured the entity casting the shadow moved ordingly to match the cast shadow. Through this, he controlled the actions of the entity.


    "Let''s go," Saying so, the Overdrive System connected to the Astral Network and used it to bring them to a quarantined location in the System World.


    Rawr!


    Help!


    Save¡­me!


    Intermittent squeals resounded from the quarantined area as the Systems sealed within were in a maddened state.


    "Suppress their madness." The Overdrive System said to the Intelligence System.


    Immediately, from within the Bully System, Ahjar created a spatial tunnel connecting the Intelligence System and the maddened Systems. If they activated their powers from within these Grade 1 Systems, the Grade 1 Systems would explode, unable to endure the energy streams.


    Moreover, doing so would alert Zaira, for the System World innately rejected everything foreign.


    The trio werebining their powers to act like Systems while still employing their powers.


    Hazen''s powers seeped into the maddened Systems and for a moment, suppressed their madness.


    Right at this time, Compass Carburettor focused, watching the Psyche Star filter copse as he used thest of his potent power.


    Psyche Star¡ªMental Peace!


    "I¡­feel at peace." One of the Systems sighed in exhaustion, finally feeling freedom, as if making a recovery from an illness that gued it for millions of years.


    [Compass: Ahjar, now!]


    Without letting a moment''s rity go to waste, Compass Carburettor watched as Ahjar created a spatial tunnel connecting him to all the Systems in the quarantined area.


    Universe Weapon: Ring of Secrecy¡ªSecret Society!


    Compass Carburettor watched the Ring of Secrecy turn dull, expended of all its energy as instantly, all the Systems became members of Secret Society. To further reinforce the culling of madness, thest of his powers took effect.


    Psyche Star¡ªMorning Dew!


    "Hah¡­haha." A certain System situated at the centre of the quarantined area, one with the most number of seals teared up, finally feeling a clear mind. It sensed that the madness in it had receded to arge extent, almost sealed up.


    It would take some time before its condition would revert to madness, "But until then, I can be myself. How¡­long has it been?"


    Grade 3 System¡ªAncient Strengthening (Level 291)!


    It was one of the strongest Grade 3 Systems back in the day. When Zaira felt too daring, sheunched an expedition to farm some of Mystique''s worlds. Ancient Strengthening System took the lead back then. The result was disastrous. They had underestimated Mystique too much.


    After that, not a moment went by when it wasn''t mad. The level of madness varied over time, fluctuating erratically, but not a moment went by when it could return to its original self. And finally, after millions of years, the Ancient Strengthening System was free, "But, such an irony."


    "I''m no longer part of the group I fought for."


    It was now a member of Secret Society. And the moment it intends, it could shed its self as a System and be reborn as a Haggon.


    "I need you to rampage around as much as you can." Ahjar spoke from within the Bully System as he gently seeped in his power into the quarantine area, "I''ve turned the seals fragile. The moment you move, they would break."


    One Grade 3 System, 17 Grade 2 Systems, and 41,783 Grade 1 Systems. All had been turned into Secret Society members. The Grade 2 and Grade 3 Systems were the highlight, since it was rare for them to be at one location as a single, unified entity.


    "Damn youuu!" Right at this time, Anak''s roar reverberated throughout the System World. His voice leaked inside through the breach, coupled with vast waves of Spirit energy. The addition of eleven of his strongest Xianxia Worlds strengthened Immortal to a great extent, so much so that the Representative System fragment in him was unable to hold him back anymore.


    "Now, move!" Ahjar grabbed Hazen and Compass Carburettor as the trio vanished.


    "This is getting interesting," Laughing in response, the Ancient Strengthening System waved its hand and shattered all the seals in the quarantine area. It then addressed the over forty thousand Secret Society members, "Let''s rampage throughout the System World. We have finally regained a moment of rity in our long lives of suffering. Let''s vent to our hearts'' fill."


    "Yeah," Roaring in response, all the Systems vanished, using the Astral Network to spill all across the System World. Their mental rity was just a temporary result thanks to Compass Carburettor''s Psyche Stars.


    They were aware that it would rebound. So before that happened, they intended to rampage.


    "Keuk!" The Ancient Strengthening System felt madness creep into its mind once again as it hurried towards a forest area and gazed upon a Grade 3 System that had just arrived. Followed by a roar, it attacked the Grade 3 System.


    Two behemoths rolled around in the forest, ttening the trees. As both sides were injured, blood in the form of Mental Energy spilled out.


    The Ancient Strengthening System''s blood though, was filled with madness, polluting the region as the nearby fleeing Systems screamed in pain as madness gradually set in them too.

 Chapter 1099: Kidnapping Slayer

    "Wha¡­what¡­w-what is happening?" Zaira was unable to handle her emotional distress, sensing the quarantine area copse as the sealed Systems within broke free. And now, they were rampaging throughout the System World, causing a lot of problems.


    It had to be noted that these Systems were part of the army geared to face Mystique. So, they were elites in their respective grades. Therefore, it wasn''t easy for the rest of the Systems of simr grades to face them, resulting in countless losses.


    As both sides were Systems, they fought while consuming the ambient Mental Energy in the ground of the System World. One side was normal as all Systems consumed Mental Energy upon arriving at the System World.


    But the other side, when it consumed Mental Energy and took that into its body, the madness creeping within mixed into the Mental Energy. And when it unleashed that Mental Energy out, the surroundings were polluted.


    The System World was gradually being polluted. Of course, the System World was so massive that a mere forty thousand plus Systems would need tens of thousands of years to fully pollute the ce.


    But that was besides the point. To date, Zaira had yet to figure out a method to solve the corruption, which was why she had quarantined those Systems in the first ce. And now that they were spreading out, more areas would have to be quarantined.


    And the infection might also spread to other Systems.


    "Are you distracted, mydy?" Mascotughed as he shed through the skies and danced while unleashing de beams that cracked the earth.


    Even from the breach, Mascot could sense the madness springing around in the System World, ''Mystique is personally taking action. That''s good.''


    The fact that Mystique took action came as a surge of confidence boost to Mascot. After all, even when Mystique promises to do something, he was so unstable that it would take decades or even centuries before the same collective consciousness returns to keep up the promise.


    Most of the time, the situation would have changed drastically by then, so much so that there was no need for the promise to be upheld anymore.


    Therefore, all the Genre Representatives were pretty used to Mystique failing to keep his promises. He was just that type of Genre Representative. But one thing was sure. If he took action, the consequences would be chaotic enough to warrant his rank as the strongest and most fearsome Genre Representative.


    Of course, it wasn''t Mystique doing this but Compass Carburettor. But thanks to the stunt he pulled before, Mascot was fooled into believing it was Mystique behind the rampage of the maddened Systems.


    Therefore, Mystique stably fought as his role dictated, as the reigning collective consciousness wasn''t reced.


    "Don''t you dare block my path!" Zaira groaned as she tanked Mascot''s attack and retaliated, sending Mascot flying away. She then bellowed, "yer, Rahakh! Come and fight Mascot!"


    Seated in the centre of the System World, protected by two Grade 3 Systems was the Representative System, yer. As the Representative System was the sole entity capable of controlling the Genre Representatives, it was given the utmost importance and protection by Zaira.


    The fact that two Grade 3 Systems were ced as guards spoke volumes.


    But now that the maddened Systems were rampaging around in the System World, only Zaira could cull them and throw them back into quarantine. The longer she dyed, the worse the pollution would be.


    No other System was fast or efficient enough to do this.


    yer had been focusing all his attention on controlling the Genre Representatives in the fight. It was a sensitive issue. After all, he had to actively control them and vary the size of the Representative System fragment in them ording to their power fluctuation.


    Otherwise, Magister''s case would repeat. Even though most Genre Representatives weren''t as versatile and equipped as Magister, not to mention daring enough to venture into the abyss of the unknown, it still couldn''t be said. A Genre Representative could escape his control if he rxed.


    The moment a collective consciousness in a Genre Representative changes, their power level would wary. If they be stronger, the size of the Representative System fragment in them should be increased. To allot for that, yer would have to reduce the size of the fragment in another Genre Representative.


    Micromanaging was absolutely necessary. Therefore, yer had been busy like a donkey. As the situation was bing dangerous, Zaira had no other choice but to bring even him to the frontlines.


    After Magister escaped, a good portion of the Representative System was free. So, yer could personally fight without any problems.


    "Coming!" Saying so, yer nodded as his two bodyguard Grade 3 Systems apanied him. The three vanished and arrived at the breach, ganging up on Mascot immediately, "You should stop pestering Zaira."


    "The rat is here!" Mascotughed in surprise, "How''s life as a System treating you?"


    "Better than I had expected." yer snorted as he condensed a spirit sword and shed at Mascot. The Representative System was capable of harnessing the powers of all the Genre Representatives in its control.


    So, even though it was no longer a Grade 4 System, yer''s power was still overwhelming. With him and two Grade 3 Systems, Mascot was kept at bay, allowing Zaira to vanish and focus on the rampaging Systems.


    Keuk!


    Suddenly, yer grunted, shouting in shock, "What the¡­Anak! Why''s he gotten so powerful all of a sudden?"


    "Damn youuuu!" Anak''s shout resounded once again as the energy streams of all the Xianxia worlds seeded in reinforcing him. The reigning collective consciousness changed as suddenly, intense arrogance gushed out of him like a torrent.


    The Representative System fragment in him had to growrger to keep up with the changes. The more Anak rampaged around in an effort to break free, the more the Representative System''s strength was diverted to him.


    Soon, yer became weak enough that he couldn''t face Mascot anymore, increasing the pressure on the two Grade 3 Systems protecting him. They had to take on the brunt of Mascot''s attacks, overwhelmed enough to not be able to focus on yer at all.


    A few minutester, when Anak''s strength increased to the limit, yer''s main body within the System World was at its weakest, gritting his all to ensure Immortal wouldn''t break free.


    At this moment, three entities¡ªGrade 1 Systems¡ªstealthily appeared behind him. Among them, the weakest¡ªBully System¡ªtapped him on the shoulder, causing him to turn back in confusion and cuss out, "A Grade 1 fart dares to distract me?"


    "Distract?" The Bully Systemughed as it punched yer in the face; yer and the three systems vanished from the System World.

 Chapter 1100: Zaira’s True Identity

    While most of the maddened Systems rampaged throughout the System World, a Grade 2 System calmly walked through a forest, sensing the madness gradually rising up within it.


    But, it didn''t mind that, calcting, "I have an hour before I lose my mind like before. Before that,"


    The System arrived at a halt before arge tree resembling a banyan. It spanned a height of eighty metres, one of the tallest in the region. Its secondary roots had spread over an area of a square kilometre.


    The System arrived before the tree and gently patted its trunk, closing its eyes to sense the dense stream of Mental Energy flowing through it, "As I expected."


    "This is Zaira."


    Everyone, including Systems, was of the mind that the System World itself was Zaira. In truth, that statement was false. Zaira represented the System World, that was how she introduced herself as.


    But as there didn''t seem to be a difference, everyone eventually got to refer to her as synonymous with the System World.


    In truth, if one looked at their origins, the Saint of Cmity conjured an embryo and presented it to Zaira in the Fantasy World. That embryoter grew to be the System World.


    And Zaira had fused with it. But, she hadn''t be one with it. Had that happened, she would have just been a sentient world. She wouldn''t have been able to travel the multiverse in her energy-condensed form simr to Genre Representatives.


    She purposefully became that way to further her objectives. Moreover, back then, Magister was her primary enemy. As a result, she emted him, and in essence, the way of a Genre Representative. Her energy-condensed form was created as a result, which was why it was very simr to a Genre Representative.


    "In truth, her body are these¡­" The Grade 2 system muttered upon patting the trunk," Trees."


    The System World was uniformly a forest, filled to the brim with trees. They might look like the trees one would find in a normal world, but despite their difference in shape, size, and species, there were merely clones of each other.


    There was no parent and child among the clones. They were sister clones, spanning all across the System World, interconnected by one sprawling rootwork. All trees were connected to each other and formed the brain and heart of the System World.


    On Earth, there exists a simr example with the scientific name of Populus Tremuloides, sharing a root structure, with the trees being clones of each other, having lived for tens of thousands of years.


    Zaira was such a root system rooted in the System World. The System World was basically a reservoir of Mental Energy. Thews here allowed Mental Energy to take up physical forms. As a result, they condense and form thend in the System World.


    The roots of these trees suck up Mental Energy like nutrients, grow as a result, and then release finer Mental Energy pockets into the atmosphere. The Systems breathe this to thrive.


    Every single tree was a data reservoir. The System patted the banyan tree trunk, figuring out that the data held by this tree belonged to a Grade 2 System. That''s why there were so many secondary roots that had burrowed into the ground.


    The greater the Grade 2 System''s growth, therger this tree expanse would be.


    The smaller, individual trees belonged to the Grade 1 Systems. The tinier they were, the fewer the data stored in them. Hatchling Systems generally didn''t have much data.


    Of course, even if a tree were to get destroyed, it didn''t mean much. Only the data backup of the respective System was destroyed. As long as the System returns to the System World, Zaira could instantly make another copy.


    As a result, a new tree would grow to take up its data spot. "That''s why the data of some Systems were lost permanently, especially Adventure."


    It nodded in realisation, "Back then, all the data centres rted to Adventure System were situated in one region of the System World. When Adventure imploded, that region too was affected. The trees there were annihted."


    "As a result, all backup data regarding the Adventure System was Lost. Therefore, it was impossible to revive it."


    Until now, thanks to this data reserve, Zaira could casually revive the Systems. But, if this data reserve was destroyed, if a System were to get killed, it would truly die.


    "So, this is the true secret to the invincibility of the Systems." It grinned, "The Systems are invincible as long as the System World is never discovered. Now it makes sense as to why Zaira maintained absolute secrecy regard to this, going to the extent of even fooling her allies."


    Grade 2 System¡ªWise Old Man (Level 199)!


    Back in the past, it was an elite geared specifically to counter Mystique. Even though they had failed the expedition, that was only because it was against Mystique.


    The Wise Old Man System was innately geared to see through things calmly.


    At first nce, it seemed like Zaira had sent it on the expedition because of its power. But in truth, it was because the Wise Old Man System was close to the truth and had figured out Zaira''s essence. A System couldn''t betray the System World, but the Main Character System still existed back then.


    So, if the Main Character System were to get a hold of it and figure out the truth, Arnark could practically wipe out the System World by controlling the System yers and Main Characters.


    Therefore, Zaira sent the Wise Old Man System to its doom. Once maddened, she could safely quarantine it while still preserving the backup data of its Core Skill.


    Now that it was fully aware of the truth, the Wise Old Man System connected to the Darble Network limited to the System World and spread the news. Instantly, over forty thousand maddened Systems came to know of the truth regarding Systems.


    Immediately in response, the Astral Network was in an uproar due to the arrival of an old senior who dropped absolutely shocking news.


    [Ancient Strengthening (Level 291): It has been a few million years since I talked herest. Before I lose my mind to the madness once again, I need to inform everyone of this grave news. The trees in the System World are our data reservoir. Each tree conforms to a Grade 1 System. Therger patch of trees with expansive secondary roots are Grade 2 Systems. Forest clusters conform to a Grade 3 System each. Finally, thework of vines that travel endlessly through the System World belongs to the Grade 4 Systems.]


    [Ancient Strengthening (Level 291): Make note and beware. The enemy has be aware of this and hence why breached the System World. Once they destroy all the trees, we can''t revive when killed. Our data will be lost forever. Therefore, locate your respective data centre asap and protect it with your life.]


    Even though the Ancient Strengthening System''s words seemed like it was concern directed at the Systems, it was truthfully screwing Zaira over. After all, spurred by its words, the Systems began to focus more on locating and protecting their data centres than on the war at their doorstep.

 Chapter 1101: Ahjar Taunts Slayer…Nonstop

    "W-W-What is happening? How did this information leak?" Zaira was in a state of fluster before her senses spread across the System World. She immediately detected the location of the Wise Old Man System, shouting as her figure appeared before it, "I knew it!"


    "Only you could have figured it out."


    "Hahaha!" By this point, the Wise Old Man System had already lost itself to madness. It simply rampaged around without any semnce of intelligence.


    ''Dammit! To think Mystique was able to influence them!'' She grunted in frustration as she carried the Wise Old Man System and threw it back into the quarantine area, along with the rest of the maddened Systems she captured.


    One after another, she threw them back along with the polluted Mental Energy from the other areas. Before they could permanently seep into the area and be a part of it, Zaira extracted and dumped it in the quarantined area.


    Thest on the list was the Ancient Strengthening System. By the time she arrived before it, things had turned for the worse.


    She stared at the ground, grunting in anger as two mountainous entitiesy in a bloody mess. The blood of each had mixed, causing the madness to permeate.


    Another Grade 3 System fell victim to the madness. Zaira tried to save it, but upon seeing that the madness had even infiltrated its Coordinate, she couldn''t do anything. Sighing, she had to cut off the entire piece of earth seething with madness and dump it in the quarantined area.


    She sealed them all, sighing as she watched the two Grade 3 Systems duke it out the moment they recovered. "Dammit!"


    Unfortunately for Zaira, her troubles were only beginning. After all, during her hurry to protect the System World, she hadn''t realised that yer had been kidnapped. And by now, even worse news awaited her.


    ¡­


    "W-What happened?" yer looked around in fluster, observing that he had been brought to a random universe where there was no Astral Network.


    He stared at the three Grade 1 Systems in rm, "W-Who are you?"


    "Guess?" All three said simultaneously, causing despair to set in him.


    "I''ll only need to kill you anyway¡­" yer said, intending to attack using Immortal''s power, for that was the fastest way to break out of a situation.


    But suddenly, his recent memories were wiped out. Moreover, none of his powers worked. It was as if they didn''t even exist in the first ce. Well, how could they?


    Origin Art¡ªProcrastination!


    Primary Factor¡ªExploration!


    The trio had erupted with their respective abilities.


    The Origin Art of Procrastination cause yer to dy his retaliation response, preventing him from acting against them even with a defensive ability. It was thanks to this that Ahjar was able to kidnap yer through his Primary Factor of Exploration.


    Universe Weapon¡ªHate Erasure!


    Hate Erasure destroyed yer''s memories involved with the intent to harm Compass Carburettor.


    Universe Weapon: Universal Anthozoa¡ªSurvival Life of a Fragile Mortal!


    Tertiary Factor¡ªRestriction Order!


    Restriction Order suppressed the Representative System''s powers. Yes, it was this power of Arnark that Ahjar had stolen. This one ability was an absolute counter to the Systems.


    Following that, Universal Anthozoa turned yer into a mortal. Patting yer on the shoulder with his gloved right hand, Compass Carburettor grinned and punched with his left, shattering yer''s teeth, "You have¡­schemed against my family time and again."


    "Don''t expect a happy death."


    "Wait," Ahjar stopped him in a hurry, saying, "It''s seriously draining to keep him as a mortal like this. Both of us will run dry at this rate. Why don''t we¡­use him as fuel?"


    "Fine, I''ll do that first. By the time I vent fully, he would be dead." Sighing in disappointment, Compass Carburettor stabbed his hand through yer, activating Lore and Tell-Tale in conjunction as he yanked out the Representative System''s Core Skill.


    With a flicker, the Core Skill was swallowed by Faith Grounds and instantly digested. Now, yer was nothing, just a hollow System filled with Mental Energy. If not for the effects of Universal Anthozoa that turned him into a mortal human, yer''s body would have begun to vaporise by now.


    "There''s still more than three-fourths of the Representative System out there, right?" Hazen asked, "Wouldn''t he recover his strength once we halt our abilities?"


    "Of course, he would recover." Ahjar rolled his eyes, "But isn''t that what we want?"


    He grinned, "If he doesn''t wish to vanish, he would have no other choice but to retract enough of his fragments and beg Zaira for a Coordinate big enough to house a peak Grade 3 System. And most of those fragments would have to be fused with the Coordinate to recreate the Core Skill, the heart of a System."


    "What do you think happens when he does that?" Ignoring the figure of yer coughing out blood, Ahjar stared at Hazen.


    In enlightenment, Hazen nodded like a hen, "The Genre Representatives would be free."


    "Mostly Immortal." Ahjar shrugged, "Currently, he''s consuming the biggest fragment of the Representative System. And he''s also resisting the hardest."


    ''We triggered his cultivator''s nature enough.'' Ahjar moaned internally, truly finding peace in the chaos he had created. He stared at Compass Carburettor in delight, ''I truly found the most interesting guy. As expected of my taste in choosing Hosts.''


    At this moment, Compass Carburettor retracted his hand and stared at yer, urging him coldly, "Go on, retract as much of your body as you need."


    "I''ll pummel you after that."


    yer stared at Compass Carburettor, sweating buckets as he felt unbridled fear. He intended to rely upon Immortal''s power to leave the ce first, for allowing the Genre Representatives to break free of his control would truly madden Zaira.


    The beatings he received when Magister broke free continued to haunt him. He didn''t wish to disappoint her further. But, the moment he tried to escape, his body remained rooted to the spot.


    "Wow, look at this dumbass, lol!" Ahjar stared in disdain, "You''re thinking of teleporting away in the presence of the Concept Representative of Space? When did you be such a noob, lol?"


    ''If Ahjar''s talking like this, it means he''s absolutely confident with the situation.'' Compass Carburettor recalled the time when he first arrived at the System World. This was the manner of speech used by the Money-Making System when it pped him with its tongue repeatedly.


    It would have caused him anger, that was, if he remained as Compass Carburettor. But with the Psyche Star filter removed, he just stared at Ahjar taunting yer calmly, simply recalling the relevant experience.


    ''Maybe his true identity is the Concept Representative of Taunting.'' The multitude of experiences in him thought as such for fun.

 Chapter 1102.1: Representation War (Part 1)

    "Ugh¡­it felt like a truck mmed into me," Rahakh muttered once he revived, feeling a tad exhausted. Upon revival, he touched the ground, causing six chains to slither out and stab into his back.


    With this, he would be able to employ the Core Skills of six Grade 3 Systems. These chains were created when he activated his Core Skill, which was passive in nature.


    "yer, Rahakh! Come and fight Mascot!"


    Upon hearing Zaira''s shout, Rahakh got up and vanished. Unlike yer''s prompt response, Rahakh was dyed a bit, since he was busy reviving. Right as he reached, he stared at three Grade 1 Systems kidnap yer and vanish from the System world, "No!"


    It was toote by then as he hurriedly informed Zaira of the same.


    "Dammit! Fine, I''ll do something about it. You focus on keeping Mascot at bay. We can''t allow their attacks to reach deep into the System World." Came her reply, pissed.


    Left with no choice, Rahakh could only join the two Grade 3 Systems in the fight against Mascot.


    ¡­


    "If you call me daddy, I''ll stop at three ps to your cheeks. Otherwise, it''ll be nine ps. What do you say?" Ahjar was coercing yer upon seeing thetter refuse to retract his power from the Genre Representatives.


    "Y-You''ll only steal my power," yer said in resistance when he was punched in the stomach by Ahjar.


    Shaking his head, Hazen healed yer back to full health, stating in caution, "Don''t kill him so soon, okay? I have yet to vent my anger on him."


    He shed the gentlest of smiles towards yer, "Don''t die before it''s my turn, alright?"


    "Please, spare me." yer hurriedly faced Compass Carburettor, stating in a hurry, "You want Stencil, right? I''ll bring her here. Gehera is your wife, right? I''ll bring her here too. I''ll revert them¡­"


    "What makes you think you can negotiate with me?" Compass Carburettor asked curtly as he stared down at yer, "Your only option is to do as Ahjar says, nothing more, nothing less."


    Ahjar whistled at the statement as he shed a wide-grinned expression towards yer and kicked him in the groin, causing yer to squeal from the pain. He was currently a mortal. So, the pain he experienced was as much as a mortal would when kicked in the balls.


    Hazen healed yer after a minute, employing his causality to ensure yer''s mental state was brought to the moment before he was kicked in the family jewels.


    His body''s state was reversed through cause and effect while the memories and rted experiences were sealed in his mind behind ayer of fog. Once he was done, he nodded at Ahjar.


    "Man, I love your abilities. Wanna swap?" Ahjar whistled as he stared at Hazen. Upon being refused, he acted disappointed and snapped his finger. A tiny space crack formed with each of yer''s family jewels, rupturing it at the molecr level. The pain basically killed him.


    But right before he died, Hazen reversed cause and effect, bringing his body back to its pristine state while sealing the memory behind ayer of fog.


    Compass Carburettor gently poked yer on the forehead and subjected him to nuclear radiation, causing his body to rot with pain that rend his soul.


    The trio took turns subjecting yer to the extreme levels of pain a mortal could ever experience. Of course, thanks to his experience trove, Compass Carburettor had billions of such varieties that a mortal could be subjected towards.


    And yer was indeed in line to savour them all.


    For the next two years, they subjected yer to all sorts of cruelty, at a level even Magister might shy away from. The reason they stopped was due to a in fact.


    They ran out of torture novelty. Even Compass Carburettor couldn''t think of a new method to torture yer. It was strange that the first time he ran out of experience was regarding torture.


    It was also because yer''s mind was filled to the brim with the fog from Hazen. His mind was on the verge of shattering, unable to hold any more experience. They truly filled it to the brim with torture.


    "Ok, do the deed." Compass Carburettormanded Ahjar.


    Secondary Factor¡ªShadow!


    Ahjar entered the nervous body of yer that didn''t remember anything regarding the past two years.


    Once Ahjar entered him, his shadow wriggled, following which yer''s body moved to be in coordination. Up next, his mind was manipted, causing yer to recall all of his fragments, the entirety of them.


    Instantly, the energy-condensed forms of all the Genre Representatives exploded as they were consumed. It was just that group of energy-condensed bodies though.


    A couple of secondster, the Genre Representatives returned with new bodies. But this time, they were no longer System Hosts, free like before.


    "I¡­am free?" Fluff stared in disbelief before tearing up as she proimed in joy, "Whoever is behind this, get a kiss from me!"


    "Haah¡­" Immortal gasped in exhaustion, finally bing free. Even though he was on the verge of breaking free all along, he couldn''t in the end. He was unlike Magister that took advantage of the unprecedentedness of his action.


    In Immortal''s case, the Representative System fragment in him was prepared against him all along. As a result, he took more than two years and still couldn''t break free. But now, he finally attained freedom.


    He then red at the crack in the System World and rushed inside. All his collective consciousnesses were of the same opinion.


    Revenge!


    Cultivators were famed for their vengeance. And having been at the receiving end of abuse for so long, Immortal was raving for some payback. He charged into the System World and assisted the almost beaten figure of Mascot, immediately relieving him.


    Some arrived to assist Mascot while the others assisted Technocraft. Their addition allowed Mascot, Magister, and Technocraft to get a breather and quickly recover from their injuries. They also treated the damage sustained by their worlds.


    And in a matter of days, they were back to full strength, instantly raising the oppression faced by the Systems. By this point, all the Grade 3 Systems had arrived at the scene.


    As all the Genre Representatives of the multiverse except Mystique ganged upon the System World, Zaira recalled all the Systems to participate in the war, including Grade 1 Systems. But strangely, none of the Grade 2 Systems arrived.


    After all, Ahjar did something to them.

 Chapter 1103.2: Representation War (Part 2)

    The moment Ahjar caused yer to retract all the Representative System fragments to himself, he exited yer''s body and nodded at Compass Carburettor, "Our cooperation ends here."


    "We''ll meet once we achieve our objectives."


    "Alright, I''ll be anticipating your sess." Compass Carburettor nodded as he watched Ahjar leave with Hazen.


    Before he left, Hazen snapped his finger, causing the fog within yer''s mind to begin dissolving. Of course, it would fully dissolve only a moment after yer regained all the Representative System fragments and became one with them.


    Central ins!


    Ahjar arrived there alongside Hazen, carrying a small sphere in his hands. He handed the sphere over to Hazen and dropped him at one corner of Central ins, "Continue training here after restricting your strength."


    "We''ll be facing Zaira directly after this."


    "Alright," Hazen nodded as he was dropped off.


    Immediately after that, Ahjar focused as he stressed his Concept of Space to the limit and unleashed his ultimate ability, expending most of his energy reserves.


    Secondary Factor¡ªRestriction Order!


    The Central ins was currently thergest world in the multiverse. It was simr in nature to the System World in that it was both a world and a universe. It was just that massive, impossible to scale for a mortal in their entire lifetime.


    It was here that the Grade 2 Systems had descended fully in order to fight the Hunter System and allow thetter to farm System Elixir. They believed that at the end of this, the Hunter System would be able to be either the Main Character System or at least a System part of the Protagonist Genre.


    It was an ambitious project. And the chances of sess existed. After all, even if the Hunter System were to fail, some other Grade 2 System would be able to take the umtion and seed.


    But of course, that was in an ideal case. In reality, Ahjar intended to steal their umtions. It was why they influenced the Hunter System in the first ce.


    Focusing on all his strength, Ahjar activated his power.


    Tertiary Factor¡ªRestriction Order!


    "Eh¡­?" A monster that was about to devour an Elf stared in shock, observing its power had vanished. It looked in confusion, noticing that the Elf too was the same.


    The System fragment in its body had been wholly suppressed. And now, its presence couldn''t even be felt by the monster.


    "What is happening?"


    "My power¡­my power! My power is gone!"


    Panic set in the people that became powerless instantly. But, it wasn''t as if they werepletely powerless. All they lost was power obtained from the System fragments in them.


    Of course, for the Hunters, that meant the entirety of their strength. But it wasn''t a hopeless situation, for Central ins was a formidable world created by the Genre Representations of six Genre Representatives.


    It was created with the capability to house any power system. This was why, for beings possessing powers from their native worlds that were separate from the System fragments in them, it wasn''t a lost cause.


    Roar!


    A bear leaped forth as a magic circle formed in its mouth, spewing forth a sea of mes that burned the bodies of countless Hunters crisp. It then gorged on their helpless corpses. Those that became powerless were the first victims.


    But if it was just this, all it would result in was just a power struggle. The goal of Central ins was to farm System Elixir. Therefore, the situation should conform to that once again.


    Ahjar calmly took out a sphere, sighing as he stared at the torrent of power contained within it. This was given to him by Compass Carburettor, condensed using Lore.


    Ahjar stared at it, feeling difficulty in controlling his greed. After all, if he absorbed this power, he would be able to derive at least one more Factor of his Concept of Space. "Man, this is a tough decision."


    But thinking of what he wished to see first, he controlled himself, "I''m still overpowered. My personal satisfaction takes higher priority. Having suffered for all my life, I need to enjoy at least a little."


    Once he firmed his mind, he infused the energy from his Concept of Space into the Lore Sphere without hesitation. Following that, he crushed it and infused it into Central ins, muttering with a grin, "Genre Representation¡­"


    His Concept of Space whirred into life and fused into the Lore Sphere, empowered it, and expanded its causality to an extent it could affect Central ins.


    Genre Representation¡ªJourney of a Hero!


    Since inception, it was the power of space that allowed a hero to adventure through their vast world and gain new experiences. It was thanks to this that they could adventure and experience things good, bad, and ugly.


    Since the foundation of Central ins was created through thebined Genre Representations of six Genre Representatives, the only way to affect it was through a power on par with them, which was none other than the Concept of Space.


    Here, even Compass Carburettor''s Genre Representation wouldn''t have enough weight to influence Central ins to the extent they desired. Moreover, he had already unleashed it thrice in close sessions. If he ever attempts it one more time, he would implode. His Concept of Mortality would also be destroyed as a result.


    Therefore, the only other choice was Ahjar. Since he had yet to unleash it even once, it was fine.


    Journey of a Hero influenced Central ins and pretty much suppressed every other power systempletely. But, it amplified the Mental Energy generation of the natives, especially those regarding a hero, in other terms, the protagonist.


    The Lore Sphere mildly tweaked the influence, causing a familiar energy to be born in Central ins.


    "This¡­" The bear stared in surprise to see the food in its stomach being digested at a rate slightly faster than before as a mysterious substance, semi-liquid and semi-gaseous in nature condense within its body.


    The function of this energy seemed rted to stamina, as the monster didn''t feel tired even while running at full speed, watching this mysterious energy be consumed in response. Even though it lost all its original strength and grew smaller in response to the vanishing of its power, it observed that the new energy seemed to be supporting its growth, revealing a new direction of evolution.


    A tiny horn began to grow on its forehead as it hunted and devoured its prey.


    Observing the birth of this energy, Ahjar grinned, "A perfect medium for our farm."


    The energy was none other than Dac.

 Chapter 1104.3: Representation War (Part 3)

    Every single native in Central ins gradually adapted to Dac as their body sizes morphed ordingly. Monsters from a cultivation world were too massive aspared to one from a magic world at simr power scales.


    In the Darble World, all creatures were tiny inparison. And now, the various races in Central ins were simply shrinking in response. But, there was one advantage to therge monsters here.


    When their bodies shrunk, the excess body mass was burned into energy and converted into their reservoir of Dac. So, they ended up profiting in that way, gaining a leap in strength in the new rules of the world they lived in.


    708 Grade 2 Systems!


    That''s how many Grade 2 Systems existed in total, since the history of the System World. Many had died under the hands of yer, Arnark, and Compass Carburettor. But in the era of System Supremacy, quite a few Grade 1 Systems swallowed their genres and attained Grade 2 status.


    Therefore, the total number of Grade 2 Systems in Central ins exceeded 600.


    An average Grade 2 System controlled at least a dozen worlds. As they were racially limited, they just spread their races through many worlds. So, multiple races lived in a world, some were Hosts to Systems while others were natural natives of such worlds.


    The number of Hosts for a Grade 2 System numbered a couple dozen billion at the very least, even for the weakest among Grade 2 Systems. The stronger ones probably had Hosts in the trillions.


    And now, every single Host of every single active Grade 2 System was in Central ins. The number of living beings here was simply unscble. It was by far the most populous universe in the entire multiverse.


    Ahjar was pretty exhausted now, having unleashed his Genre Representation. But since he was within the territory influenced by his Genre Representation, he was empowered. As long as he remained within Central ins, he was a lot stronger than usual.


    His recovery too was faster.


    "I can''t rest yet," Sighing, Ahjar churned his Concept of Space once again, unleashing another ability.


    Primary Factor¡ªExploration!


    Space ruptured as the Central ins gradually began to turn transparent. The moment all contact with the Grade 2 Systems was cut off, Zaira was alerted. But she had too much on her te. And by the time she could send a sentry to the ce, Central ins was no more.


    Ahjar had transported it to a discrete location in the multiverse, located closer to the cluster of Mystique''s worlds. But Central ins wasn''t in the way of the universes under Mystique moving to form a cluster. It was located right beside the chaos, using them as a defensive line.


    With this, it wouldn''t be easy for Zaira to barge into Central ins. The current situation harnessed all her attention to the breach in the System World through which Genre Representatives charged inside, apanied by their respective armies.


    From the start, the goal was to distract her. While she was distracted by one problem, they created another. In such a way, they caused Zaira to run in circles whilepleting their objectives one after another.


    By now, Ahjar was dead tired, having been unleashing peak abilities in session. Moreover, transporting the entire Central ins without issues took a severe toll on him. He still had to actively maintain his Tertiary Factor of Restriction Order.


    Otherwise, the natives would regain use of their System powers. Groaning in exhaustion, Ahjar focused part of his mind on maintaining the Tertiary Factor of Restriction Order. The remainder rested while his body gradually healed.


    His Concept of Space too was gradually refilled with power as the concept was empowered by use throughout the multiverse. "Let me take a long nap."


    At this point, his work was done. The resty in the hands of Hazen and Compass Carburettor. In interest, Ahjar grinned, "I hope to be surprised once I wake up."


    ¡­


    Phew!


    Hazen exhaled softly as he stood atop a mountain and crushed the sphere in his hand. Beams of light spilled out of it, numbering a couple thousand.


    They were all Secret Society members, elites even among them. They were special Grade 1 Systems personally recruited by Compass Carburettor, those that were approaching the peak of Grade 1 or were already at the peak.


    "Ah! This world is perfect!" Harem inhaled softly and felt the Dac in his body stir up in response, "This is a world that supports Dac. My growth would be faster here."


    He acted as the representative of the group of Secret Society members and stared at Hazen, asking calmly, "So, what''s the n here?"


    "Any orders from the Creator?"


    "Just one," Hazen nodded and pointed across the infinitely stretchingnd, "Go out there and carve a path of blood. The bloodier the better. You can create your own empires."


    "The Darble Dungeons of the lot of you have developed enough to spawn Haggons, which is why the lot of you have been selected." He concluded.


    "So, if I get this right," Harem grinned widely, "I''m free to do whatever I want, right?"


    "Except having children with the rest of the natives here. They might no longer express it, but slumbering within them all is a System fragment¡­"


    "Of course, I know that." Harem rolled his eyes, "Who do you think you''re talking to?"


    He waved and pointed at the rest of the Secret Society members, saying as theyughed, "Everyone here was once an elite Grade 1 System. We know what''s happening here."


    "And you needn''t worry," Harem snorted, "Members of Secret Society are innately repulsed by System Hosts. That''s how we detect them in the first ce. So, even I would find it impossible to have a child with a System Host, not to mention the rest here."


    "I know," Hazen sighed and transformed into a Haggon, "I''m a member too, same for Ahjar."


    He then stared at the Secret Society members, "If there''s anything else, we''llmunicate through the Darble Network."


    By now, the entirety of Hazen''s powers had been suppressed, thanks to the effects of Central ins. Its foundation was deep enough to suppress even his universality nature, for that was one of the functions of the Lore Sphere Ahjar fused with Central ins.


    It was necessary for their ns. As he was aware beforehand, Hazen had long since prepared simr abilities using Dac as a medium.


    Having be a six-metre-tall Haggon, Hazen descended the mountain and rushed in a particr direction. All the Secret Society members too did the same, with each proceeding in a respective direction of their choice.


    Central ins was created to be a battlefield. But their addition would make it a ughterhouse instead.

 Chapter 1105.4: Representation War (Part 4)

    Through a steep forest ran Hazen, in his Haggon form. Currently, he was vastly weaker than before. But, that didn''t matter much, since he could grow once again.


    Moreover, his growth here would directly assist him once he exits Central ins. The reason they focused on Dac was that it was innately universal, just like Mental Energy. Every single flesh and blood organism had stamina. Dac was pretty much a condensation of that stamina.


    Even though Hazen had a human form when he fought, he was basically an entire universe. After all, his body was pretty much two Cultivation Worlds that had fused together.


    Once he was assimted by Central ins, all that foundation poured into his Darble World, creating a liveable space thrice the Earth''s size. Currently, it was devoid of life.


    But, forming massive structures was Darble that had been condensed by thebustion of his foundation.


    Mountain, t ground, sand, etc. any forms that Darble could take existed in his Darble Dungeon. Of course, it wasn''t sufficient for life to exist. He needed to attain one more condition for that.


    Opening the entrance to his Darble Dungeon, Hazen began to suck in the ambient air of Central ins. Once his Darble Dungeon was filled to the brim with air, with its atmospheric pressure at a sufficient level, he began to add in the soil next.


    Ayer of soil over the Darble ground, reaching a height of thirty kilometres. Only after this did he stop. Just this process alone took him two months.


    Thankfully for his Dac reserves, he wasn''t in the least tired. Hazen continued to run nonstop as he absorbed everything in sight and dumped them within his Darble Dungeon.


    Following soil was water, the vital factor necessary to sustain life. His Puppets had spread far and wide to scout. And once he chanced upon a river, he began to devour the water there.


    It was called a river, but its size was no different from a sea. It was prehistorically massive, stretching for thousands of kilometres in breadth alone. The currents were also rather fierce.


    An energy de covered his body and expanded, bing a toad twenty metres in size. In its mouth was the entrance to his Darble Dungeon as the toad opened its mouth and chugged the river water.


    The toad continued to swim as torrential water poured into the Darble Dungeon. But at the moment, the water didn''t properly interact with the earth. One more element was missing.


    After swallowing enough water, the toad came ashore as the energy de vanished. The Haggon began to sprint once again. Central ins was so massive that even after sprinting for so long, Hazen had yet toe in contact with another living being.


    Despite being insanely popted, most of the races were clustered in certain regions where the terrain was favourable for them and from where they could wage war on the others.


    And once Dac set in, they had to migrate to more favourable environments. Their bodies weren''t as ridiculously tough as before.


    Thankfully, Dac gave them vast stamina reserves, allowing them to travel as far as they wished.


    After a month''s journey, Hazen arrived before an active volcano, carefully sending the entrance to his Darble Dungeon into theva, watching theva get sucked inside.


    Theva was sent underneath the Darbleyer, creating an infinitely deepva sea. The Darble Dungeon began to absorb the intense radiation unleashed by theva as gradually, the Darble Dungeon brightened.


    A sun formed in the sky. It was just a burning hot sphere ofva, with its heat supplied endlessly by the churningva.


    Thermodynamics was necessary for the functioning of a living environment. Therefore, Hazen camped at the active volcano and continue to devour its churningva.


    The other Secret Society members didn''t have to do this for they had already created a stable living environment in their Darble Dungeons using the resources of their native worlds.


    But as Hazen hadn''t done that before, he had to focus on them now. Three monthster, he had procured enoughva, watching his Darble Dungeon transform into a biome.


    Rain fell from the sky as grass grew out of the fertile soil. Plenty of seeds were within the soil he had stolen. Therefore, once the conditions turned favourable, all sorts of vegetation grew.


    At this point, his Darble Dungeon wasplete. From here on, no external resources were necessary for its growth. All he would need to do was expend Dac into it. The Darble Dungeon would convert that into whatever was necessary for its growth.


    And now that it wasplete, the Darble Dungeon began to spawn Haggons. Large amounts of Dac were consumed from Hazen''s body as baby Haggons appeared in the dungeon.


    They had the body of a Haggon but the mind of a human, innately smart. They weren''t members of Secret Society though, just regr Haggons.


    Hazen''s Haggon form munched on the trunk of a tree and burped, patting his full stomach. Once he recovered his expended Dac reserves, he tallied the total amount, smirking, "That''s a lot."


    Dac: 1,892,000!


    His foundation was terrifying. Even an unfragmented Grade 2 System in Central ins wouldn''t have as much Dac as him, not to mention their fragmented selves. He was the uncontested top dog here since Ahjar was just sleeping with no signs of taking action.


    In his Haggon form, Hazen continued to run nonstop until he eventually came across a country. It was a country of vampires, one of the many they had. The territory they possessed was vast and continued to expand nonstop as their numbers bloomed through the wars.


    ¡­


    "Those dumb humans that called themselves Hunters, meh." A Vampiremander in charge of a fort snorted as he used a human skull as a cup to drink blood out of. From the top of the wall, he stared out,menting at the vast ins that stretched before them for dozens of kilometres, "Since there''s no enemy in sight, let me enjoy this afternoon siesta."


    "Commander! The river water thinned out suddenly!" A Vampire soldier rushed to report in a fluster.


    "Why''s that a concern¡­?" The Vampiremander snorted when suddenly, the skull ss in his hands dropped to the floor. He stared at the sky in despair, watching a shadow loom over him and expand far, covering his entire fort.


    "An energy de of this size¡­I''ll be damned." He gave up on life, for falling towards the fort was an energy de shaped into a frog. What was special was that its belly was filled with water, giving it enough weight that it was elerating towards the fort.


    And then, it crashed, turning the entire region into a crater bereft of life and any signs of civilisation.

 Chapter 1106.5: Representation War (Part 5)

    The energy-de toady t within the crater, remaining still until the dust settled. Seated within a tiny room on its forehead was Hazen, closing his eyes as he sensed Mental Energy being absorbed into its body.


    And through him, the Mental Energy flowed into the Darble Network and collected into a sphere in the centre.


    The Mental Energy only had a protagonist nature to it. Yes, it was System Elixir. Originally, the Systems intended to farm System Elixir. But, they didn''t have a method to filter just that.


    They would have to absorb all forms of Mental Energy and then filter it out, dumping out the unneeded while storing in the needed. System Elixir was just a small portion of that.


    But through Lore, Compass Carburettor introduced a single variable. All Mental Energy types would simply dissipate, just as how they did in every world.


    The only exception to this was System Elixir. When it appeared, it transformed into a stream and flowed into the nearest Secret Society member. And using their body as a node, the System Elixir umted within the Darble Network.


    As long as the System Elixir was within the Darble Network, even if Zaira were to infiltrate Central ins, she would only end up empty-handed.


    Hazen muttered as he observed the quantity of System Elixir he gained, "Around 8000. Damn, that''s pitifully low."


    It made sense since not everyone had a protagonist nature. Even at the moment of death, very few temporarily erupted with a protagonist tendency. So, the collection of System Elixir was indeed pitiful.


    "But, it''s still a start. There are plenty more ces to ughter." Hazen let out a twisted smile. Ever since Systems destroyed his home, he harboured deep hatred against them. And since all his targets were technically Systems, he could freely massacre.


    There were no problems with this method since Central ins was just too massive. The poption growth exceeded the rate at which he could ughter people even if he did that without rest.


    That was why Compass Carburettor told all Secret Society members to engage in unbridled ughter.


    Normally, if two System Hosts¡ªHost to a Grade 2 System¡ªwere to have an offspring, the baby too would be a System Host, since the Grade 2 System would send a fragment into the baby when it was in its mother''s womb itself.


    That was how Grade 2 Systems ensured the number of their Hosts continued to increase without having to actively look for targets. That''s why they farmed Mental Energy without needing any effort.


    Only Grade 2 Systems could do that. Grade 1 Systems have to find a Host and actively meddle in their life.


    Grade 3 Systems have to actively find worlds to Host, no different from Grade 1 Systems. Only Grade 2 Systems could passively farm without a single care in the world. So, they were special, since they conformed to the various races of importance in the multiverse.


    Since the Restriction Order was in effect, if two Systems Hosts were to have an offspring, the child wouldn''t be born a System Host. They would just be a regr native.


    Therefore, if the Secret Society members were to continue ughtering the System Hosts, wouldn''t a time arrive when Central ins was wholly rid of all Systems?


    That was their goal, their clear condition to umte enough System Elixir necessary to create the Main Character System.


    After all, wouldn''t the scene where their entire race¡ªof Systems¡ªwas ughtered for resources be the perfect lore for the birth of thest member of their race, created to avenge them all?


    That was the essence of being the Main Character System. And Compass Carburettor was aiming for that.


    To sessfully execute it, he grabbed the best among the best of Secret Society members and dropped them in Central ins. For such a vast world, a mere two thousand plus Secret Society members seemed pitiful.


    But that didn''t matter, as every single one of them was insanely strong and could create an army of Haggons to engage in further ughter.


    While the energy de toad remained still, Hazen supplied Dac to it and mended the damage sustained during the fall. Following that, the toad got up and leapt, travelling dozens of kilometres with a single leap.


    Thump! Thump!


    The earth rumbled with its every leap as the toad travelled towards the next fort. Energy de was weightless. But when filled with weight, it became terrifying. And containing enough water in its belly to form ake, the toad was heavy enough to tten an entire area.


    Hazen saw people in the closest fort flee in a hurry upon spotting him. They held swords and shields, those which seemed useless in the situation.


    It hadn''t been long since they had been introduced to Dac. Not many had even figured out the existence of Dac''s capability to create energy des. They had yet to know of the Warrior and Puppeteer Paths rted to it.


    They were simply using it as a stamina resource to move around more. Even though they had more stamina to run away, their speed didn''t change. And against the toad that could cover dozens of kilometres with every leap, all were fairly squished into a paste.


    Seated within the toad''s mouth was Hazen, munching on a tree to replenish his Dac. The toad''s mouth was filled with trees. And whenever they were consumed, the toad simply scooped up another mouthful from the surroundings.


    As a result, Hazen was always on the move, never having to rest. He observed System Elixir umte in the Darble Network slowly but steadily.


    The other Secret Society members too had begun to amass it.


    Ten years passed in such a fashion when Hazen observed his Darble Dungeon, staring at the over billion Haggons within that had reached adulthood. Their Dac reserves ranged from 5000-8000. Around ten thousand had attained Transcendence.


    They were a formidable force. With a smile, he let them out, giving them amand, "ughter anything that isn''t a Haggon."


    A wave of Haggons rushed out and drowned the nearby countries, wielding superior energy de weapons against the inferior races. It made sense since through the Darble Network, the Secret Society members continued to innovate more methods of Dac use.


    And they taught it to the Haggons they reared in their dungeons. As a result, all Haggons were vastly advanced in their craft.


    Staring at the Haggon Wave, Hazen grinned as his Darble Dungeon began to spawn another batch of baby Haggons. A decadeter, he would release them and rinse and repeat the process.


    Slowly, the infamy of Haggons spread across Central ins.

 Chapter 1107.6: Representation War (Part 6)

    Tracing back to the past. Right after Ahjar left with Hazen, Compass Carburettor stared down at the kneeling figure of yer, watching more and more fragments of the Representative System enter him, "How does it feel?"


    "You¡­" yer red in disbelief, intending to stop the process. But, he was beingpelled by a mysterious force, unable to stop for the time being. ''No, once I recover the rest of my body, I''ll have enough power to do whatever I want. I''ll be strong enough to face these fuckers too.''


    Thinking as such, yer waited as thest fragment of the Representative System seeped into his body, carrying a Coordinate with it. The moment he asked, Zaira instantly supplied it to him.


    After all, the Representative System was very valuable, the primary reason behind the era of System Supremacy.


    The Coordinate fused into his body and absorbed half the fragments to be his Core Skill. The Representative System had lost seven levels, but it could be recovered soon, as long as he turns a Genre Representative into a Host.


    Unfortunately, that would never happen. After all, the moment his Core Skill formed, the fog in his mind cleared up. And following it, like water gushing out of a broken dam, yer was flooded with torture experiences.


    One Instant!


    That was all it took before yer''s mind shattered. It was too much for one person to bear, especially since he was still being maintained as a mortal.


    yer copsed to the ground, his mind fully wiped out. Whether it be his memories, experiences, ego, willpower, thoughts, data, etc. everything yer had collected to date was erased from his being, for his mind shattered.


    It didn''t simply shatter but disintegrated. Such was the extent of torture he was subjected to.


    yer stared nkly, having no mind of his own. At this moment, Compass Carburettor grabbed his face using his left hand, causing the Ring of Secrecy to shine.


    As yer was currently a whole, he was sessfully turned into a Secret Society member. As he didn''t even have a mind, it was easy to turn him into a member.


    Immediately in response, Compass Carburettor extracted the memories and experiences of a certain entity from his past and fused them into yer. Lore and Tell-Tale were activated in full swing as yer''s body was kneaded like dough and transformed into a serpent.


    "Henceforth, you are Dita."


    yer''s power as the Representative System was wholly concentrated within the serpent that was now renamed as Dita. The serpent wriggly cutely as it coiled around his arm, hissing softly as a nostalgic voice resounded, "Uncle, what are we doing next?"


    "We''ll have to arm you first. You''re the key to killing Zaira." Saying so, Compass Carburettor kicked with his boot, intending to head towards the System World''s breach and actively participate in the war.


    Just as he was about to teleport, faint specs of starlight flickered into existence before him, shimmering like a butterfly before exploding inrge numbers. They interrupted his teleportation and sent him crashing into the world.


    "Compass Carburettor, surrender!" A cold voice resounded as a world resembling a star appeared, brimming with killing intent. The figure was vastly different from before, but it was a familiar entity. And of course, how could Compass Carburettor not know?


    Grade 3 System¡ªConstetion (Level 219)!


    It was Stencil.


    Her attack sent Compass Carburettor crashing into the world, but he wasn''t injured. After all, acting as his clothes was an entire universe morphed to resemble as such. To damage it, Stencil would have to erupt with an attack strong enough to destroy a universe.


    And that was hard, since she was merely a low-levelled Grade 3 System. But the strange thing was how urate her timing was, striking Compass Carburettor right as he nned to leave. It was perfectly coincidental.


    Grade 3 System¡ªLuck (Level 222)!


    It was Rhizen, having been dispatched to hinder Compass Carburettor.


    "¡­" Compass Carburettor swerved his head to the other side, watching the third Grade 3 System arrive. It too was a familiar entity.


    Grade 3 System¡ªRuination (Level 217)!


    "We need your head, Compass." Gehera''s voice resounded through herary form, "Surely you wouldn''t deny my request, right?"


    "After all, I saved your life on multiple locations and protected you for 75 years."


    While Gehera talked to him, Rhizen stealthily unleashed his Core Skill Manifestation, causing the luck of the universe to transform into a chain that bound Compass Carburettor to the ce.


    With that, he couldn''t leave as he pleased, unless he destroyed the chains. Before Compass Carburettor could focus on the chains, Stencil followed suit with her Core Skill Manifestation, causing a tower to envelop him and trap him at the centre.


    Gehera seemed to be waiting for this as she unleashed her Core Skill Manifestation, causing everything within the tower to enter a state of ruin.


    Fusion Core Skill Manifestation¡ªUnlucky Tower of Ruin!


    They intended to trap Compass Carburettor within the Unlucky Tower of Ruin and umte damage to him over time. That way, even if Compass Carburettor were to break free from it in the future, he would be severely wounded.


    By then, Compass Carburettor could easily be killed by a Grade 3 System.


    The perfect fusion of three Core Skill Manifestations resulted in such a death trap. This was Zaira''s trump card against Compass Carburettor. Through Rhizen''s luck, the ability wouldnd right on the target.


    After all, Rhizen and Compass Carburettor went way back, with their lucks intertwined to a certain extent. So, the attack was guaranteed to hit.


    "Has he been trapped?" Gehera asked, gasping in exhaustion.


    "Of course," Rhizen nodded as he sensed the luck values churning within the Unlucky Tower of Ruin, "He''s taking damage as we speak."


    "But still," Rhizen frowned, "We seeded on the first try. How is that possible? Even my luck cannot result in such a smooth result, especially since Compass has the ability to erase the memories of anyone harbouring ill will against him."


    "The reason we seeded is thanks to one person." Stencil calmly let out a smile.


    "Who?" Gehera asked.


    "Who else?" Stencil snorted, "My dad, of course."


    "When we attacked, his natural retaliation was strong enough to destroy us. So, he himself blocked his abilities. As a result, he was unguarded against our attacks." She stared at the tower, emanating a chilling energy wave, "Even at this point, he cannot bring himself to harm me."


    "I guess guilt is taking its toll on him."

 Chapter 1108.7: Representation War (Part 7)

    Huuu!


    Compass Carburettor exhaled slowly as intense waves of exhaustion mmed into him. The chains of luck countered any of his intentions to flee while the ruination powers continued to weaken him.


    The tower gradually extracted his strength and created monsters out of them, filling up the rest of the tower with them.


    He had been trapped in a vicious cycle of power loss. But more than that, Compass Carburettor was in a state of sadness, not at his plight, but at himself.


    After all, the countless experiences in him were raving against him.


    "You might be the primary experience, but this is mere foolishness." A middle-aged man that had lived the life of a merchant said, "I can rte with you the most as a fellow merchant. What you''re doing is a fool''s transaction."


    "I know," Compass Carburettor sighed, "What else do you expect me to do here? If I were to retaliate, I''ll end up killing the very people that are the reason behind my fight."


    "How long have you been with Stencil?" An old woman that had lost her husband to war spoke calmly, "You were with her on Earth for eight years. After that, you spent a few months with her in the Fantasy World. That''s it."


    "Is there any connection between you other than the fact that she''s your daughter?"


    The olddy''s question hit the nail on the head. She arrived at the truth of the matter, "You''re the one that''s stubbornly clinging onto Stencil. Do you even know the type of person she is?"


    An old man took charge to speak next, "She''s a power-hungry individual with a merchant''s greed. She can never be satisfied."


    "You¡­should shut up!" Compass Carburettor red at the old man in anger.


    "Why should I shut up?" The old man snorted in disdain, "I''m just another you that has lived a different life. All of us are the same. Our experience is our strength. And most of us can say this with assurance."


    "Stencil isn''t the cute, na?ve girl you''re deluding yourself into believing. Well, how many times has your Hate Erasure worked against her that you had to stop it in a hurry?" At his question, Compass Carburettor turned silent.


    Seeing him, the old man sighed, "I know your pain. She''s your only family. But just because of that, you shouldn''t gloss over her true nature. I know you''re as capable as the rest of us. You were aware of her nature from the start."


    "It''s time you abandon Stencil."


    "Is¡­killing people that bad?" Compass Carburettor spoke suddenly as he said, "The number of people that died in a few years since I triggered the Representation War has already surpassed the number of people that died during the era of System Supremacy."


    "We''ve killed more people than Stencil could ever hope to murder," He concluded, "So, I''ll never abandon my daughter, even if she''s the worst entity to exist."


    "That''s not for you to decide," A teenager stood up and said, "Act as your experiences dictate. Otherwise, give up your power. Transfer Dreamcraft to Hazen."


    "Why should I?" Compass Carburettor snorted, "If the lot of you try to hinder me, I''ll erase everyone. I can umte experiences through Dreamcraft from the start once again."


    "What makes you think you''re still in control of your body." Suddenly, a voice resounded from behind him, stunning Compass Carburettor. He turned around in a hurry and stared at a figure vastly simr to him, but his nature was that of a selfish merchant, the worst among the unscrupulous kind.


    He stood behind Compass Carburettor. His action symbolised a changing scenario.


    Currently, they were within Compass Carburettor''s mind. Every entity was a consciousness created in Dreamcraft. They were his trove of experiences that allowed him to perform a variety of things easily.


    The farther towards the end one was, the greater their influence on his body. This was no different from a Genre Representative.


    Usually, when his Psyche Star barrier existed, there was ayer separating Compass Carburettor from the rest of the consciousnesses. But once theyer vanished, the consciousnesses could cross over and reach him.


    Despite that, Compass Carburettor had the strongest rein over his body. And until now, that had been the case. That was, until hemitted the mistake.


    When Stencil attacked him, Compass Carburettor stopped his powers in a hurry. Considering the seething waves of negativity Stencil was oozing towards him, Hate Erasure would have wiped out the entirety of her memory.


    To avoid that, he blocked the attack forcefully. At this time, his experiences intended tounch radiation towards the three attackers and destroy their bodies.


    Having faced Mystique, his experiences had deepened, allowing the power he output being potent enough to instantly kill the three low-levelled Grade 3 Systems.


    By stopping that too, Compass Carburettor weakened his sense of self. Thereby, he created an avenue where a consciousness had surpassed him.


    From now onwards, Compass Carburettor didn''t have the highest rein over his body.


    "Let me show you how things are done." Saying so, the unscrupulous merchant version of himself grabbed the reins and took control of the body.


    The eyes of Compass Carburettor opened in the tower, but the gaze was eerie. He calmly observed the tower sapping away at his strength to create monsters that filled up the tower. The luck chains ensured no variables will ever y in his favour.


    And finally, the ruination effects were killing him little by little. ''This is a pretty serious situation.''


    "But, that''s just it." He snorted as his monocle glinted once. Instantly, the luck chains loosened as he extended his hand and grabbed them, seeping the powers of mortality into them.


    Now turned brittle, the chains snapped casually. But, Compass Carburettor didn''t leave it at that as he employed Lore and Tell-Tale to heal the luck chains. All he did was be free as he casually roamed the tower, beginning to subtly influence thews there.


    Since he was free, he might as well transform this tower into a weapon that he could wield against his enemies. After all, it was pretty potent. And with some reinforcement from his side, it would only be more dangerous to the Systems.

 Chapter 1109.8: Representation War (Part 8)

    "Let''s wait patiently¡­" Stencil said, intending to camp at the ce until the Unlucky Tower of Ruin absorbed all of Compass Carburettor''s strength. Since he was a Concept Representative, it would take a lot of time before his concept itself is dissolved and absorbed by the tower. She hadn''t even finished her sentence when the tower shrunk rapidly.


    The trio felt instinctively that the tower they had created through the fusion activation of three Core Skill Manifestations had slipped out of their control.


    Followed by a flicker, the figure of Compass Carburettor appeared as he held a tiny tower in his hand and caressed it lovingly, "Such a marvel this is. An object withws stronger than a well-developed world."


    He calmly stared at Rhizen, "Can you make another tower for me? I need to add it to my collection. You needn''t worry though, I will pay you handsomely for yourbour."


    "You¡­" Rhizen frowned, feeling an eerie sense of creepiness, "Who are you?"


    "Guess?" Compass Carburettor''s boots shed once as he appeared behind Rhizen and calmly tapped thetter on the head with the tower.


    "Ack!" Rhizen screamed as if all the nerves in his body were convulsing while the blood had reversed its flow direction. All his luck values screamed in a fluster before they surged out of his body and seeped into the Unlucky Tower of Ruin.


    "You know," Compass Carburettor spoke calmly as he erected an energy de sphere that covered him and Rhizen, tanking Stencil and Gehera''s attacks, "When you unleash your Core Skill Manifestation, you''re supposed to be inside it to be amplified by its power. Otherwise, no matter how potent its effects are, they can be taken advantage of."


    "Especially by me." With that, his Lore and Tell-Tale activated at full strength and gushed out of the tower in the form of chains that wrapped around Rhizen and pulled his body into the tower, sealing him there.


    Rhizen''s luck activated as it affected cause and effect, intending to free Rhizen. But strangely, despite a change in cause and effect, Compass Carburettor remained the exact same. There was no change in his stance or condition.


    Moreover, the chains he created out of Lore and Tell-Tale were unaffected. Only Stencil and Gehera seemed to be affected by it as they returned to their original position, one before Compass Carburettor broke free of the tower.


    The reason Compass Carburettor was unaffected was simple. His weight in the multiverse was greater than what the level of cause and effect induced by Rhizen''s luck could change. It would be a different case if he was at the peak of Grade 3, but as Rhizen was merely at level 222, his abilities weren''t potent enough.


    Moreover, by possessing the Unlucky Tower of Ruin, Compass Carburettor had direct ess to thews that formed the Core Skills of the trio of Rhizen, Stencil, and Gehera.


    Once she returned to her prior position, Stencil snapped to her senses, turning around in a hurry as she activated a bunch of Skills, bombarding the energy de sphere, "Compass Carburettor!"


    "Yes, that''s my name." Compass Carburettor smiled as he touched the energy de sphere with the glove on his right hand, seeping its energy into the sphere. A momentter, hundreds of spikes jutted out of the sphere and pierced through Stencil and Gehera.


    Their defensive Skills shattered like brittle ss as blood leaked out of the areas that had been stabbed.


    As the twodies screamed in pain, a pair of hands elongated from the sphere and grabbed them by the neck. At the moment of contact, their-shaped bodies reverted to human form, for they had been turned into mortals.


    Chains wrapped around them as they were pulled closer to Compass Carburettor who stared at them in mockery, "You dare face me without condensing the entirety of your bodies?"


    "Y-You¡­would you really harm me?" Stencil stared at Compass Carburettor in disbelief, "Wasn''t I the reason for your fight? Can you really bear to injure me?"


    "Why not? We aren''t even rted." Compass Carburettor said as he kicked them into the Unlucky Tower of Ruin, watching power leak out of their bodies and fill up the tower with monsters.


    "It''s a pity their entire body wasn''t here." Muttering as such, Compass Carburettor grinned in excitement, "Since I''vee out for the first time, shall I explore the ce a bit?"


    "Don''t lose sight of the goal." A voice resounded in his mind. It was from the original Compass Carburettor.


    "I know, isn''t that why I came out?" The experience in control snorted as Compass Carburettor kicked his boots, vanishing from the ce.


    Arriving at a random void, he stared at Dita and pointed at the tower, "Get in and have fun."


    "Do I get to eat them all?" Dita asked, drooling a little.


    "They are all yours." Compass Carburettor smiled, "I''ll be feeding you even more next. So, be ready to eat that too."


    "Okay!" Smiling cutely, Dita entered the Unlucky Tower of Ruin and engaged in a feast of all the monsters.


    Compass Carburettor kicked the boots into the void and vanished, appearing on a tournament tform where a Third Circle Magician was facing a Fifth Circle Magician, called a genius of the century.


    Shockingly, the Third Circle Magician was gradually winning against the genius.


    "Fire Storm¡­" The Third Circle Magician shouted and unleashed a sea of mes when suddenly, they evaporated like mist. Ethereal chains appeared out of thin air and wrapped around his body.


    Immediately, the System Fragment within his body intended to flee but was constricted. As it struggled, the chains dug deeper into the magician''s body as a mysterious power congregated in him.


    Slowly, a System Fragment formed in his stomach, following which he vomited it out. The fusion had been undone.


    The System Fragment shrieked in panic and intended to return to the System World, causing the timeline of the world to pause for three seconds.


    Unfortunately for it, the chains weren''t bothered. They dragged the System Fragment fiercely and pulled it into the Unlucky Tower of Ruin.


    "One Fate System Fragment obtained, many more to go." Compass Carburettor muttered, raising his hand to catch hold of the System Punishment that befell him for uttering about Systems.


    He stared at it and felt hungry, for a moment considering before he slurped it like noodles, sucking System Punishment endlessly from the world until the Astral Network there destabilised and copsed.


    The ethereal chains captured all the fragments and pulled them into the tower where Dita was having the feast of a lifetime.

 Chapter 1110.9: Representation War (Part 9)

    "N-No, please spare me!" The Fate System fragment within the Unlucky Tower of Ruin screamed in fear as ity underneath the tail of a massive serpent, gradually being crushed into a pulp.


    "Nope, you''re tasty." Dita objected to its plea and breathed out a toxic fume that froze the Fate System fragment. Following that, Dita swallowed it and coiled around the Unlucky Tower of Ruin like a python, aiding its digestion.


    It was called Dita in name alone. In truth, it possessed all powers that yer had moments before his mind shattered. Basically, it still possessed the essence of the concept that holstered the Representative System.


    And now, what Compass Carburettor intended to achieve was pretty simple. He would collect fragments of concepts of Time, Space, and Fate. They would remain with Dita. Since Time and Fate were under the control of Grade 4 Systems, it was impossible to use them.


    But, through Lore and Tell-Tale, Compass Carburettor would be able to make them his for an instant. It had to be noted that he already had three concepts under his possession now: Mortality, Space, and Representation.


    In the end, Secret Society was just his power. Since Ahjar and Dita were both members, it needn''t be said.


    There was also the concept of Strength possessed by the Ancient Strengthening System. But since it was currently in a maddened state, Compass Carburettor didn''t intend to bother with it. Even for him, it would take a lot of time and resources to suppress the madness.


    Just like Zaira, he couldn''t eradicate the madness, even if he were to spam his Psyche Stars. It seemed the origin of the madness was from a Mystique way stronger than the one Compass Carburettor had faced.


    It was at a level beyond what his current capabilities could influence. That was why he left the Ancient Strengthening System to its fate.


    "Why don''t you just kill me?" Stencil screamed while bound at the bottommost floor of the Unlucky Tower of Ruin, unable to break free of the chains in her weakening self. The longer the time spanned, the greater her strength was absorbed by the tower.


    In the meantime, Compass Carburettor went to various worlds and hunted the Fate System fragments there. As they were mere fragments, the individual strength of which was only at Grade 2 level, they were of no match to him.


    Facing the Fate System was dangerous, but their fragments? They were easy prey. While moving through the universes, Compass Carburettor absorbed every free sun he came across.


    Currently through Secret Society, he was being empowered through the concepts of Space and Representative, not to mention his concept of Mortality. So, unless he fired off a Genre Representation, he wouldn''t run out of energy.


    But that didn''t mean he could ignore Psyche Stars. They proved effective even against Mystique. Moreover, Psyche Stars were what allowed him to unleash the powers of Dreamcraft.


    As long as he had enough of them stocked up, even without using them, he could passively affect his enemies just like what he did against Arnark.


    Hunting Fate System fragments, umting Psyche Stars, and turning Grade 1 Systems into Secret Society members before sacrificing them to reinforce thews of different worlds, Compass Carburettor was busy.


    Even though he wasn''t on the frontlines, thanks to his actions in the rear, the Systems were unable to push away the Genre Representatives like usual. As a result, the war raged on endlessly, with no signs of a conclusion.


    After all, Systems could revive. The Genre Representatives could also do the same. So, both sides were simply killing each other nonstop. It was a war of attrition. The one with the stronger foundation would emerge victorious.


    Had it been before, the Systems would have lost. But once the era of System Supremacy began, Systems had gained control of more than half the multiverse''s resources.


    Though the time period was only a bit more than seven thousand years, in this duration, through the Representative System, the System World had amassed Mental Energy that would have taken them millions of years through the usual route.


    After all, they stole it right from the Genre Representatives. This was not to mention all the Systems continuing to farm Mental Energy as usual.


    And in those seven thousand years, they truly had no enemies. So, the Systems expanded arrogantly. Therefore, it would be hard to truly exhaust the Mental Energy reserves of the System World.


    As the years spanned forth, the Genre Representatives were actually losing ground. The Genre Representatives could revive, yes. But their armies couldn''t.


    In contrast, as long as their data was safe, the Systems could revive endlessly. As a result, the Genre Representatives'' side was gradually losing.


    "Charge!" Rahakh shouted as he sted for Core Skills one after another as chains stabbed him from the System World''s ground. He was constantly changing his arsenal of Core Skills to be unpredictable.


    Stencil, Gehera, and Rhizen had already joined the battle. As Compass Carburettor hadn''t killed them using his powers, they simply revived in the System World. Following that, they joined the battle, intending to win here.


    As long as the Genre Representatives were crippled, Compass Carburettor''s tricks would mean nothing in the face of the overwhelming power of the Systems.


    "Is that all you got?" Technocraft transformed into a shooting star and crashed into the universe barrier of the System World, cracking it in numerous ces.


    Reincarnation System was hot on his tails, mending the damage while retaliating. A powerful time rupture erupted from its attack, targeting Technocraft as his figure turned hazy. His attacks became weaker and it seemed as if his energy-condensed body would copse.


    If it happened now, it would take at least a year or so for it to recondense. That was the type of time-based attackunched by the Reincarnation System.


    "No! You promised to never make me cry!" Fluff suddenly appeared before him and plunged into his embrace, breaking into a fit of tears. Her voice echoed out and tugged at the heartstrings of everyone, whether friend or foe.


    Power of Friendship!


    The powerful ability guing Technocraft copsed. He overcame it and recovered, flexing his muscles as he condensed a sma canon and shot a sma pulse at the Reincarnation System, poking a hole through its body, "Thanks Fluff."


    "Anytime for you!" Winking cutely, Fluff disappeared as her cries erupted from nearby another Genre Representative, allowing them to break free of a Core Skill''s power too.


    Fluff was the weakest in terms of attack power but in terms of support, she was the catalyst that could summon plot armour to its fullest.

 Chapter 1111.10: Representation War (Part 10)

    "Shit! Argh! Gah!" Shen Ze grunted nonstop as he was repeatedly sent flying by attacks from a Grade 3 System. Once the strongest cultivator part of Immortal''s army, to an even stronger Hero after defecting to Mascot''s side, Shen Ze had matured a lot.


    But in the end, despite possessing power on par with a Grade 3 System, he couldn''t win against them. Any injuries faced by the Systems could easily be healed through Mental Energy. Only a blow to their Core Skill was a threatening attack.


    But even that could be solved as long as they simply revive. Moreover, even if they were to lose a level, they could instantly level up by absorbing the plenty of Mental Energy oozing out of the System World.


    The war had already raged on for a century. By this moment, he had gotten damn tired. On the other hand, the Systems were the same as usual. As beings of the mind, they could function endlessly as long as they were supplied with Mental Energy.


    He couldn''t do that. Moreover, as more and more of his allies continued to drop dead, the pressure he faced continued to pile up. Unlike their opponents, they couldn''t revive once killed.


    Moreover, none of them was a Concept Representative. Shen Ze was truly relying upon brute strength to face a Grade 3 System.


    "Do you want to win?" Suddenly, a voice resounded in his head, rming him, for his defensive means prevented something from reaching his mind announced.


    Startled by the voice, Shen Ze bellowed mentally, "Who the heck are you? What do you want?"


    "I''m Compass Carburettor." Came the reply.


    "What''s a Compass Carburettor¡­" Shen Ze retorted instinctively as realisation dawned on himter, "You''re the one that killed Arnark?"


    "Of course," Compass Carburettor''s voice resounded calmly and continued, "Now, I have an offer for you."


    "What is it?" Shen Ze asked, raising his guard, especially since he couldn''t detect where or how Compass Carburettor was talking to him.


    "If you return to your rightful owner, I''ll strengthen your causality. You''ll be able to go toe-to-toe against a Grade 3 System and recover."


    "My owner¡­?" Shen Ze frowned as he stared at the back of Immortal that was being smacked across the void by a group of Systems, "The Immortal I served wasn''t this weak. Besides, I betrayed him for a reason¡­"


    "Wasn''t it to be stronger?" Compass Carburettor snorted, "That''s in a cultivator''s nature. But you see¡­that''s your nature too."


    "When you stop being a cultivator is when you be weak."


    His words exploded in Shen Ze''s mind, causing him to realise as he looked around, muttering slowly, "Indeed, it''s not in my nature to take my character into ount, talk things through and n my schemes. If something is in my way, I sh it. if someone res my way, I sh it. If somebody dares impede my growth, I sh it."


    Immortal Energy churned through his body as slowly, the Cheat granted to him by Mascot was ejected and returned to its owner. Instantly, his powerful energy spread across the void as his clothes changed.


    His cropped hair grew to be long, his suit reverted into a Daoist cloth, and the sword in his hand morphed from cool-looking to an intricately inscribed work of art. With the loss of the Cheat, he indeed turned weaker, but Shen Ze felt free.


    It was like inhaling a breath of fresh air after swimming in a garbage pile. With that, he returned to being a cultivator.


    And his return caused a beam of energy to m into Immortal and caused his strength to surge. Shen Ze has basically devoured pretty much most if not all the resources of his home universe.


    So, his foundation was equivalent to a universe. Moreover, it was one of the strongest Cultivation Worlds out there. His return spiked Immortal''s strength by multiple factors.


    In contrast, Mascot wasn''t weakened. After all, she had only recruited Shen Ze with a Cheat. All she had been gaining from him was empowerment every time he used her Cheat. So, the loss was barely a drop in the ocean.


    It was only because the current Immortal was batshit weak that just Shen Ze''s return alone resulted in such development. During Immortal''s peak, even the addition of a million Shen Ze was just a drop in the ocean.


    "I did as you said, Compass Carburettor." Shen Ze spoke in his mind, "Now, how will you support me?"


    "Like this," Saying so, Compass Carburettor appeared behind him and patted him with his left hand, unleashing a powerful energy flux as without even being able to resist, Shen Ze became a member of Secret Society.


    Honk!


    Carried in his hand was a truck as Compass Carburettor pulled out a System from within.


    Grade 3 System¡ªAncient Strengthening (Level 299)!


    Lore and Tell-Tale surged into the Ancient Strengthening System as he fired off dozens of Psyche Stars, suppressing its madness momentarily.


    He concentrated its entirety on the Core Skill and extracted all its essence. The Ancient Strengthening calmly nodded with momentary rity before it returned to be mad. All the data extracted from it condensed into a sphere as Lore seeped into it at full power.


    "He started his journey as a trash. One day, he found an ancient manual and began to refine his body through it. By consuming treasures one after that, obtained through inexplicable ways, he refined and strengthened his body, eventually surpassing those blessed by the heavens. And in the end, he became the heavens." Tell-Tale began to recount Shen Ze''s tales as his story resounded throughout the battlefield.


    "You¡­when did you enter my world?" Zaira stared incredulously as she red at the figure of the Ancient Strengthening System in Compass Carburettor''s hands, "I sealed everyone, so how¡­"


    Preceding her words, her fists flew, intending to pummel Compass Carburettor before he could finish recounting the tale, vastly familiar with the power he was employing.


    But suddenly, dozens of magic circles appeared and impeded her attacks as Magister''s cackling voice resounded, "Something interesting is happening, Zaira. Don''t interrupt the process."


    "And today, the multiverse has recognised his efforts and bestowed him a fragment of its absolute rule, a Concept to be precise, one that embodies the mortal that had attained the greatest strength to date," Tell-Tale whirred with a powerful flux as the sphere of Lore seeped into Shen Ze, causing him to scream and erupt with enough power that everyone in the vicinity was blown away.


    "Hahaha! You''re right, Magister!" Immortalughed as his strength continued to increase; the auras of peak Cultivators too began to increase. Sparked by Shen Ze, one after another, the defected Heroes shed their false identities and picked up their original weapons as Cultivators part of Immortal''s army, one said to be the strongest in the multiverse.


    The catalyst that sparked this was an infamous concept all Cultivators that attained the peak were familiar with.


    Concept¡ªAncient Strengthening!

 Chapter 1112.11: Representation War (Part 11)

    "You¡­bastard!" Zaira screamed as she swatted Magister to the side and rushed towards Compass Carburettor.


    Compass Carburettor activated his Boots of Transmigration and vanished, but strangely, mysterious chains followed after him and bound him, dragging him back to the battlefield at the entrance of the System World.


    "You have been wreaking havoc all along. It''s time you paid the price." She roared and unleashed a Grade 3 Core Skill, causing his body to rot.


    "Not on my watch!" Shen Ze condensed a sword andshed out, severing the chains binding Compass Carburettor. His sword blistered instantly, breaking into a million fragments that hacked her energy-condensed body, wounding her all over.


    Universal Weapon¡ªHate Erasure!


    Compass Carburettor''s monocle shone with a resplendent hue as a ray of energy mmed into Zaira, for a moment stunning her. But a secondter, the effects were drowned by a sea of Mental Energy that protected her mind, tanking the attack in her ce.


    Tch!


    Since he had achieved his original purpose, Compass Carburettor intended to leave the battlefield and puppet things from backstage. Unfortunately, Zaira didn''t seem intent to allow that. She realised that the series of misfortunes guing her had been instigated by him.


    Therefore, she intended to finish him off first.


    "Are you sure you can focus all your attention on me?" Compass Carburettorughed all of a sudden as his right hand grabbed hold of the energy seeping into his body with the intent of turning him into a rotting pile. The Mental Energy solidified and transformed into an insect, taking root as a physical being under the powers of his Universal Anthozoa.


    He clenched his hand and crushed the insect that had be a mortal, thereby ridding himself of the effect of the Grade 3 Core Skill.


    At his taunt, Zaira extended her attention towards the entrance, observing Mascot let out a lecherous grin and run deeper into the System World. It was apparent as to what his intention was.


    As Immortal''s Army began to return to him one after another, spurred by Shen Ze''s empowerment as a catalyst, Immortal''s strength surged. He wasn''t strong yet, but gradually, he regained half the strength he possessed in the previous war where he was killed by Zaira.


    That amount of strength was sizeable, allowing Immortal to rampage around freely as sword beams hacked across the void,cerating Grade 3 and 4 Systems alike. Like an imprisoned serial killer that was finally set free, Immortal was like a wolf among sheep.


    "I''ll kill you first!" Zaira condensed a dozen Core Skills and shot them at Compass Carburettor, causing him to defend with all his might and harness all the power he could from his Concepts.


    "The System World''s crack widens!" He shouted, churning Lore and Tell-Tale at full strength, causing the crack in the System World to indeed widen, allowing more entities to charge in.


    "Oh no, you don''t!" Zaira interrupted his attack and sent him flying away, causing the widening crack to stop and gradually begin to close. She was multitasking on all fronts, teleporting all over the ce as she attacked the Genre Representatives.


    The weaker Genre Representatives and the armies of Immortal, Mascot, Magister, and Technocraft somehow managed to keep the Grade 3 Systems at bay while Technocraft and Magister faced the three Grade 4 Systems.


    Mascot was hot on Zaira''s tail but oftentimes, when the situation seemed fit, heunched attacks into the System World too. His actions ensured Zaira couldn''t be away from the System World for more than an instant.


    Otherwise, she would only give more opportunities for him to charge deeper and destroy more. This was why she couldn''t kill Compass Carburettor.


    Space, Mortality, Ancient Strengthening, and Representation; Compass Carburettor was empowered by four Concepts. Therefore, Zaira''s attacks only cornered him. To kill him, she would have to focus on him for a long enough duration, time that she didn''t have.


    It would take her at least two minutes of intense exchange of attacks to kill him. Moreover, she would have to focus solely on him during this duration. Unfortunately for her, that wasn''t an option.


    Mascot and Immortal would charge deep into the System World by then. And if they were to destroy the data of any Grade 3 System, the bnce would topple against her.


    At this point in thought, Zaira realised something as she sent Mascot flying away, stabbed a spear through Immortal and then stomped on Compass Carburettor, ring at him, "You¡­how far have you infiltrated the System World?"


    "How far have you infiltrated the System World?"


    "How far have you infiltrated the System World?"


    Her shout echoed in the void and reverberated throughout the System World, broadcasted by even the Astral Network, stunning her. It was apparent that Compass Carburettor had done that purposefully, garnering the attention of everyone.


    Moreover, this was him speaking through actions.


    "I infiltrated even your Astral Network."


    "Zaira, have you ever wondered¡­" He was grunting, being crushed by her foot that weighed as much as a dozen universes. Empowered by the Concept of Space, he protected himself with manyyers of dimensions, announcing calmly, "Are all the Systems on your side?"


    "What?" Zaira shouted in shock when suddenly, her hair became dishevelled in a fluster. Her eyes reddened in rage as a pair of fists mmed her in the face, causing her to bleed like a mortal for a couple of seconds.


    She stumbled back by a couple of steps and stared at the figure of Compass Carburettor that had punched her, muttering incoherently, "You¡­impossible! That can''t be true!"


    "The proof is before your very eyes." Compass Carburettor said as a serpent jutted out of his sleeve and swallowed the blood that leaked out of her and retreated, vanishing into a tiny tower in his possession.


    Even though the presence of the serpent unnerved her for some reason, Zaira couldn''t focus on that, for something terrifying was happening in the System World.


    "Hahaha! That was a good one, Compass!" Immortal roared inughter, "My predecessor did great by protecting you. This day makes his sacrifice worth it!"


    In the System World, one after another, Grade 1 Systems ganged upon their brethren and devoured their Core Skills, even if it meant injuring themselves in the process. After devouring their fill, they permanently changed races, transforming into Haggons as they boarded trucks en masse and vanished from the System World.


    Struck by the ones they considered to be their allies, the Grade 1 Systems lost faith in each other and began to attack everyone recklessly, for too many of them were being killed by these antagonistic Systems.


    The System World, for the first time since its existence, faced a civil war.

 Chapter 1113.12: Representation War (Part 12)

    Civil War!


    In these turbulent times when the Genre Representatives broke free of the control of the Systems, in a time of war where Grade 3 and Grade 4 Systems were busy facing the representatives, and in a situation where the fate of the Grade 2 Systems was unknown, the Grade 1 Systems formed the bulk of the army power possessed by the System World.


    But when a portion of them retaliated against the remainder, things became chaotic.


    A System could only devour and assimte the powers of Systems from the same genre as itself. If it devoured any foreign Core Skill, it would be wounded based on the level difference between the two. It might even implode if it devoured a higher levelled Core Skill.


    That situation only applied when they remained a System though. The Grade 1 Systems that had be members of Secret Society had been awaiting the perfect opportunity to sneak attack.


    And since they mingled among the rest of the Grade 1 Systems, they strategically positioned themselves amidst Systems that they could kill and devour instantly. Once Compass Carburettor gave the signal, theyunched their attacks.


    "You¡­traitor!" The Factual Keyboard System screamed as its body was destroyed. With its shell of a body destroyed, all the Mental Energy that formed its body returned to the System World, revealing the Core Skill.


    The one that attacked it was the Hero Sword System, level 60. It swallowed the Factual Keyboard System and experienced bleeding injuries immediately. The opponent was level 58 after all.


    The Hero Sword System had unleashed the strongest of its attacks and hence was in a weakened state. The injuries only weakened it further. "No, I can''t stop here. I can swallow a few more."


    The Hero Sword System evaded the attacks of the nearby Grade 1 Systems and targeted the Hatchling Systems, swatting through them with ease. It then proceeded to swallow them until it became a bloody mess.


    "Trash traitor, this is the end of your path." A high levelled Grade 1 System sent the Hero Sword System flying with an attack, screaming as it prepared another attack to put an end to the traitor.


    "Hahaha! Toote, dumbass!" The Hero Sword System coughed while spitting blood as a blinding light shone from its body.


    Core Skill¡ªHero Sword (Level 60)!


    Core Skill¡ªFactual Keyboard (Level 58)!


    Core Skill¡ªRich Master (Level 5)!


    Core Skill¡ªCopious Beggar (Level 9)!


    The various Core Skills it had devoured were consumed by a mystical power as the Hero Sword System''s body transformed into a Haggon. Its previous powers paved the way to the foundation of its current form as the Haggon grinned lethargically.


    It condensed an energy-de sword, the hilt of which possessed the keys of a keyboard, with each triggering a set effect. The Haggon raised the sword and spun thrice,yering three sword beams onto each other to unleash a crescent beam that swatted away the high-levelled System.


    "Wash your neck and wait. I''ll be back." The Haggon grinned as it consumed 100 Dac and took on a human form.


    Honk!


    A truck appeared beside him, the trailer of which resembled a bus. It had over thirty seats, most of which were upied by humans sporting confident, arrogant, and aggressive expressions.


    "See ya!" Flicking a thumbs down towards the Systems, the man entered the truck and upied one of the vacant seats.


    "Damn you!" The high levelled System got up with a start and leaped towards the truck, only hitting the air as the target vanished.


    One after another, the traitors digested all their gains as Systems and changed races to be Haggons. They then transformed into humans, boarded a truck, and vanished from the System World.


    Even though the number of traitors was a minor fraction among the Grade 1 Systems, they had been positioned strategically to target valuable Grade 1 Systems. As a result, their actions cut off the System World''s future.


    Even if Zaira were to win this war, all she would be left with were useless Systems that had minimal if not no potential for growth. More than helping her rebuild the System Race, they would in turn expend more Mental Energy and copse everything.


    A mother had ten children, eight of which were useless, but the bright child, the ninth killed the one with the most potential, the tenth and vanished. Now, her only option was to nurture her eight useless children by expending her time, resources, and everything.


    Even when these children mature, there was no guarantee of a return on her investment. That was Zaira''s state now. Compass Carburettor stole all her talented Systems, only leaving behind the useless ones.


    She still had more than ny-nine percent of the original Grade 1 Systems. But not even one among them had the potential to reach the peak of Grade 1, not to mention enter Grade 2.


    "You''ve gone too far!" Zaira fired off Core Skills en masse as she sent all the Genre Representatives flying away.


    She then grabbed the figure of Compass Carburettor that she had been stomping upon all along and choked him. Layering her hands were over a thousand Core Skills, sealing Compass Carburettor as she held him in a chokehold.


    Her energy-condensed form created another pair of hands as one of them stretched forth and grabbed his monocle. The monocle fired Hate Erasure rays at her but were all drowned by the sheer tsunami of Mental Energy Zaira exuded.


    The hand gripped hard as the monocle shattered into fragments, losing its effect as thews of the universe within it were shredded into dust.


    Compass Carburettor clenched his right hand into a fist and mmed it on her face, causing one side of her face to cave in. But it eerily regenerated as Zaira stared at him with hatred. Her extra pair of hands removed the glove on his right hand and tore it apart.


    Simr to how she destroyed the monocle, Zaira destroyed his Universal Anthozoa. She didn''t stop at that as the Boot of Transmigration and Suit of Mortality were next.


    Finally, Zaira picked up the Ring of Secrecy and stared at it with a twisted expression, "The source of power that affected my Systems originated from this. Once I destroy this, everything will return to normal. Isn''t that right¡­"


    Her hands tightened as blood leaked out of Compass Carburettor''s face, "Compass?"

 Chapter 1114: It’s Time For The Main Character

    "Come on, croak for Grandpa." Immortal had the time of his life as he smacked the face of the Regression System repeatedly. Instead of defending against the opponent''s attacks, he traded blow for blow, focusing his entirety on offence.


    He didn''t simply attack the Regression System but instead went out of his way to target its face. The Regression System was a giant mass of Mental Energy akin to a quasar that pulsed in the void. But the region where its Core Skill existed could be considered its brain, heart, etc.


    And in human terms, the exterior of the head that faced the opponent during a fight was the face. Immortal targeted that like a leech even during situations where he gained a direct path of ess to the Regression System''s Core Skill.


    Once he kept up with the process enough times, even the Regression System was triggered. Mental Energy swirled in its body like a storm as ittched onto Immortal and ate away at him.


    Suddenly, Immortal''s palm shone with a gentle light as he touched the Regression System''s body. Nothing happened for a couple of seconds, but suddenly, the cries of the Regression System filled the void.


    Enema!


    The energy developed by Hazen. At the end of the day, it was the product of a cultivation world. And once he seeded, Compass Carburettor released the variable necessary to generate Enema in all the cultivation worlds when he healed them by sacrificing Grade 1 Systems.


    As a result, once the cultivation worlds began to generate Enema, Immortal was gradually able to harness this power.


    The Enema palm singed the Regression System. At the same time, in the System World, a vine that ran through it,posed of the Regression System''s data trembled. A small branch that extended out of it burned up and vanished.


    Attacks using Enema targeted the source data itself. As a result, if the Regression System were to be killed by Immortal, the vine possessing all its data in the System World would wither up and turn into ashes.


    The Regression System would truly be dead by that point.


    At the Regression System''s shriek, the Reincarnation and Transmigration Systems became alert and targeted Immortal, intending to destroy him first, no matter the cost.


    "Don''t behave as if I don''t exist." Technocraft''s voice thundered behind the Reincarnation System as his two turbines spat forth a sea of mes that singed its back.


    Magic circles manifested throughout the Transmigration System''s body and resulted in a million explosions. Tiny particles of Mental Energy flew out as a result, ejected out of the Transmigration System''s body.


    Hiss!


    Dita shed through the void and swallowed these fragments. Its body flickered in and out of the bodies of the Systems, traversing space as if it were fish in water. It mostly went unnoticed as its actions were inconspicuous. Moreover, it travelled through alternate dimensions, only surfacing to swallow fragments of the three Grade 4 time-based Systems before retreating into its burrow.


    The alternate dimension constantly moved around, allowing it to safely paddle through the chaotic battle.


    Suddenly, the alternate dimension shattered as Dita found itself in Zaira''s hand, clutched with a suffocating force.


    "No! My home!" It shouted as the Unlucky Tower of Ruin crumbled into pieces. Three light rays shed out of it and entered Zaira''s body. A couple of secondster, Stencil, Gehera, and Rhizen revived.


    "Always sneaky." Zaira was just about to destroy Dita when she stopped to observe in surprise, "Hahaha! From a rat, you became a snake, Gilthru. How embarrassing."


    Her two primary hands choked Compass Carburettor. The secondary hand on her right held the Ring of Secrecy while the secondary hand on her left held Dita.


    Even though she was applying pressure, the Ring of Secrecy was robust enough to resist. It was why she hadn''t shattered it yet. But, it was only a matter of time.


    "Shit! Don''t kill me! Uncle, save me!" Dita wailed pitifully as she turned around to stare at Compass Carburettor, rmed to see him gazing at her with a calm, cold gaze, as if she amounted to nothing, "No¡­why?"


    "I merely created you in memory of Dita. The original is in limbo at the dump yard." Compass Carburettor smiled as he erased a line of Lore subtly. "You''re just a tool that served its purpose. Now, remember your past."


    Dita''s eyes gained a sense of cunning as the fake mind of Dita copsed and reformed into yer. As his life was about to end, yer noticed what was happening in his body as he shouted towards Zaira, "Watch out!"


    "Eh?" Zaira was stunned by the changes within Dita, "Did you wake up, Gilthru?"


    But she reacted an instantte as the serpent lost all signs of life. Its body copsed into mist that covered Zaira''s secondary left hand, dissolving it in an instant.


    Pain!


    Zaira shrieked as if she were a mortal whose hand was doused in acid. By the time she managed to react, the mist dissolved her secondary left hand and flowed into Compass Carburettor.


    For a moment, Compass Carburettor exerted overpowering strength as he broke free of the chokehold and grabbed the Ring of Secrecy from Zaira, muttering with a rxed voice, genuinely expressing satisfaction.


    With pride, he smiled, "It''s time."


    ¡­


    Central ins!


    Hazen gasped in exhaustion as his energy-de toad dissipated, having just killed thest System Host. He released all the normal Haggons from his Darble Dungeon, watching them run into an expansive forest. His eyes shone with starlight as he muttered, "It''s time."


    In the clouds of Central ins, asleep within a coffin was Ahjar. His eyes shot open, emitting a beam of starlight as heughed, "It''s time."


    He snapped his finger, retracting all the defensive arrangements that caused Central ins to be invisible in the multiverse. Following that, he pped as all the Secret Society members in Central ins disappeared alongside him, "Took you long enough, Compass."


    ¡­


    "What are you scheming now?" Zaira regenerated her secondary arm as she intended to grab the Ring of Secrecy. She stretched forth and snatched the ring, frowning in confusion when it vaporised.


    "It''s time." Compass Carburettor closed his eyes as suddenly, millions upon millions of trucks appeared in the void and rushed at him like a swarm. They mmed into him, the flow great enough that they even pushed Zaira to the side.


    "It''s time to exact revenge upon the Systems that destroyed my home." Hazen''s figure manifested next to Compass Carburettor as he red at Zaira. His body dissolved and fused with Compass Carburettor.


    "It''s time for thunder." Shen Zeughed as his figure fused into Compass Carburettor.


    "It''s time you gave up your throne, Zaira." yer''s figure manifested as an ethereal projection before fusing into Compass Carburettor.


    "It''s time to ept some losses." An ethereal figure that seemed to be the fusion of Regression, Reincarnation, and Transmigration appeared, shocking the three Grade 4 Systems. The ethereal figure fused into Compass Carburettor.


    "It''s time for the multiverse to birth its core." An ethereal figure resembling the Fate System appeared and fused into Compass Carburettor.


    "No, stop it!" Zaira roared as she unleashed a multitude of attacks. But the sea of trucks was rampaging between her and Compass Carburettor, tanking all the attacks. The Haggons within served at tough meat shields.


    "This¡­it''s dangerous," Technocraft said in worry as he stared at the sea of trucks, for a moment hesitant before he condensed a dozen turbines and unleashed arching sma beams that swerved down on Compass Carburettor.


    Instinctively, whether it be System or Genre Representative, they, for the first time in the multiverse, acted voluntarily and focused attacks on a singr entity.


    "Compass mustn''t seed." Mascot shrilled in worry.


    "The bnce might be toppled." Magister sighed. The sea of trucks tanked all their attacks while being shredded apart rapidly. In a fraction of a second, the attacks vaporised all the trucks and reached Compass Carburettor.


    But just as they were about to touch him, time paused for three seconds, throughout the multiverse. And under the stunned gazes of all the peak entities, Compass Carburettor absorbed the blood mist generated by the vaporised Haggon bodies.


    While she was stunned, a figure appeared before her and smiled, sending waves of fear up her spine.


    "I told you I''ll make you regret everything, Zaira." Ahjarughed as his figure fused into Compass Carburettor. Like an orator, he proimed towards the multiverse, "It''s Time!"


    "For The Main Character!"

 Chapter 1115: Main Character Concept Representative

    Like a vortex where everything converged, the attacks from the Genre Representatives swirled among the meat shield formed by the cluster of Haggons, formed by pretty much every single Secret Society member.


    Energy shed as deathly presence loomed everywhere, enough to destroy life among hundreds of worlds in an instant. But before these energy attacks could strike their target, time paused, throughout the multiverse even.


    In this situation, every single peak entity could only stare at the blood mist cluster at the focal point of their attacks, helpless.


    Compass Carburettor''s actions were so high profile that they even attracted the attention of the most dangerous existence in the multiverse.


    "Even my own time has been stopped." Mystique wore a smile of amazement as he stared at his still body, "It''s only for three seconds, but this a first, even for me."


    The bubbles formed by universes moving towards him had been stopped by this time stop. But since the positions of their universes¡ªthat had remained constant from the beginning of the multiverse¡ªchanged now, not to mention the time on their body being paused for three seconds, the various collective consciousnesses within Mystique were beginning to wake up.


    Suddenly, wrapped by surprise, Mystique shouted, "No! This is my time! Don''t rece me¡­"


    Phew!


    The reigning collective consciousness changed as Mystique calmly stared upward, disying no hint of emotion or intelligence, his countenance akin to a mere robot with the most basic of artificial intelligence, "Things are getting out of control. Do you want me to interfere?"


    [Unnecessary¡­for now.]


    "For now, huh?" Mystique closed his eyes, and once he opened, that robotic presence vanished. The previous Mystique responsible for the Great Universe Migration returned.


    His body sweated profusely as even he felt the chills, "What the fuck was that?"


    He was creeped out by the disgusting presence that enveloped his body moments before. "Did a higher order collective wake up?"


    The time pause was almost up by this point as Mystique observed a torrential amount of fate converge at the centre of the multiverse, "Thest time such a level of fate congregated, it was during Immortal''s birth."


    "Something massive ising." His eyes focused on the centre of the multiverse, observing from one of the universes under him, staring at the blood mist with a solemn expression.


    The bodies of all the Haggons were destroyed by the attacks of Zaira, the Systems, and the Genre Representatives. The power of Secret Society maintained their power in the form of blood mist for an instant of death when it converged into Compass Carburettor.


    As the time stopped, Compass Carburettor absorbed everything as his body imploded. But it wasn''t aplete implosion as four powers formed the core, enveloped by two strings.


    Mortality, Space, Ancient Strengthening, and Representation. These four Concepts formed the core. The two strings joining them together were none other than Lore and Tell-Tale. Revolving around the cores were partial Concepts that Compass Carburettor stole: Fate, Time, etc.


    The implosion caused intense energy concentration, one that melted even Concepts, as if they were merely physical objects. Under the intensity, the strings of Lore and Tell-Tale joined together to be a uniform string.


    The string poked through all the Concepts and partial Concepts, fusing them all into a singr entity, a concept.


    In the multiverse, there only existed one Concept that was said to be the ultimate peak, unrivalled in nature, one so overpowered that it broke bnce. A Concept that could only be birthed from the fusion of Fate, Space, and Time.


    Concept¡ªMain Character!


    But as the Concepts of Fate and Time weren''t present here, but just the fragments, the Concept of Main Character was nascent at best. Despite that, it was still the Main Character Concept. After all, to birth it, Compass Carburettor added in all the partial Concepts obtained from the Fate System, the three time-based Systems of Regression, Reincarnation, and Transmigration, the racial concepts obtained from the entire arsenal of Grade 2 Systems, and finally, all the Grade 1 Systems.


    And the foundation that served to the Main Character Concept''s birth was the Four Directional Alliance. It consisted of the genres of Luck, Mary, Recovery, and Transportation among Grade 1 Systems, a n initiated in the hopes that once they all reach Grade 3 and fuse, they would birth the Main Character System.


    It was this thatid Compass Carburettor''s foundation.


    The Main Character Concept revolved and absorbed the terrifying energy, stabilising by the first second in the time stop. The blood mist was then absorbed into it to create a physical body during the next second.


    And in the final second, the concept and body fused into unity as all the rtedws took effect, causing it to function like a living breathing entity. The entity''s eyes shot open as the three seconds of time stop ended.


    Concept Representative¡ªMain Character!


    There was absolute silence in the void. All the peak entities, including Zaira stared at Compass Carburettor in silence, stunned by what he managed to achieve.


    This was a height attainable by the Main Character System only if it reached Grade 3 and condensed its Concept. Unfortunately for Zaira, Arnark never even entered Grade 2. But today, her enemy grasped her obsession.


    The ultimate entity, the Main Character.


    "You bastard!" Zaira was the first to break the silence, her expression a maddened frenzy as she rushed towards Compass Carburettor,unching hundreds of attacks.


    "Am I really?" Compass Carburettor smiled. His voice echoed eerily, as if uttered synchronised by a million vocal cords. He raised his hand and patted the void with his index finger, causing a ripple that enveloped all of Zaira''s attacks and transformed them into physical beings.


    They were all humans, without any powers. And hence, their bodies exploded instantly, unable to endure the conditions in the void. Their exploding bodies created a sea of blood that merged to transform into a cloud.


    The bloody cloud condensed into a giant that mmed down on Zaira, but it was as if a cotton giant attacked an iron mountain. Zaira didn''t even budge, but her expression was nuclear.


    A Core Skill''s effects enveloped the bloody cloud giant and obliterated it. Following the cloud giant''s destruction was Compass Carburettor who shed before Zaira and rushed past. Held in his hand was her pair of secondary arms.


    He clenched his hand and melted the pair of hands, creating a butterfly. He turned around and smiled at Zaira''s incensed expression while the butterfly flew towards the System World andnded on its universe barrier, "How strong do you think I am, Zaira?"


    "You¡­" Zaira intended to reply when the butterfly casually melted through the System World''s universe barrier, transformed into a caterpir and dug into the System World, rupturing it from the insides.


    With every dive it took underground, aw that held up the System World was erased.


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